The life of a WordPress website webmaster is tough, there's so much information overload on the one core concern – getting more traffic for their website! Of course, there are identified channels that deserve more attention and effort than others, two momentous ones being SEO and Social Media.
Agreed, there are tonnes of WordPress plugins that claim to offer one-shop solutions to everything that a webmaster could want. Then, what's the fuss all about?
We try to surface out the intricacies of your quest for the best from the world of SEO and Social Media plugins by underscoring the most indispensable functions that they offer. We then wind up the discussion with the hard-boiled, unquestionable and time established truth of all the hoopla about SEO and social media plugins for WordPress.
The EVERYTHING of SEO Plugins for You!
Attention – there are 100s of SEO plugins out there. How do you identify the most useful ones? What are the SEO bare essentials that you need to be covered? Well, here's a breakup of the most distinct and important services that SEO plugins have to offer.
WordPress SEO plugins focusing on assisting webmasters with meta descriptions, headers and tags boast of features such as keyword focused suggestions, automatic pop-ups of meta description tags after you draft a post, and check for the relevance of the headers, descriptions, page URL, page title and article headings to the keywords being targeted.
Bulk and batch editing and updating of meta tags, titles and descriptions is another coveted function with SEO plugins, helping you quickly upgrade the SEO quotient of your website.
Managing Permalinks is an integral SEO housekeeping task, and SEO plugins are of utmost assistance in this regard, performing functions such as redirecting ugly and mistype URLs to the correct URLs, and automatically removing of stop words from your slugs (as recommended by Google).
Automatic redirecting of posts and pages to their updated versions is also a commonly forgotten and mismanaged SEO housekeeping task, which plugins perform with precision.
Then, adding Breadcrumbs to make the navigation structure of your website clearer to viewers as well as Google is also facilitated by sophisticated SEP plugins.
The SEO environment is constantly upgrading, and it can be naive on your part to assume that you can live with your frozen plans. Panda and Penguin (Google's algorithm updates) are wielding their wands, and it is for you to leverage adept SEO plugins to stay safe.
SEO plugins for content management identify duplicate content, lightly written posts and otherwise insubstantial content from your website and help you draft your posts better, to please Panda.
Then, you'd do well to use link analysis plugins to disallow link juice from flowing out of your website through unrelated outbound links, and identifying useless inbound links that Penguin will deem appropriate to punish.
The EVERYTHING of Social Media plugins for you!
Though the scope of social media plugins is not as limitless and expansive as SEO plugins, you can still not hope to head out on a goose search in the dark, with dozens of social media plugins calling you out.
Even if you have a business or personal profile on just the top 5 social networks, it would make a lot of sense to organize connections to them in a section. With social media plugins that leverage jQuery to create filterable tiles, rotating feed buttons, fluidic sidebars and more, you have several options to consider. You can also use social media plugins that let you connect you to dozens of networks in one go.
If you maintain a regularly updated website and have multiple social media profiles to make matters more complicated, automatic social share plugins are the godsend for you.
These plugins ensure that your content is visible on your social pages, with a link to the original website page. You can customize how much of the post content is made available for preview on your social pages.
Monitoring and auditing plugins help you by creating reports with information on which of your social buttons are most clicked, what kind of content is re-shared most often, what time of the day sees most social action, and more.
With this insight, you can easily focus your efforts towards social channels with the most returns.
We come to the business end of this discussion. Now that you know of all the magic that these plugins can conjure, can you safely assume that you have the SEO and social media battles won? The answer – a resounding and resonating NO. Here is the reason behind why we say so.
Plugins are, at their core, merely blocks of code that can do tasks quicker and better. SEO and Social media, in terms of making your websites successful, are strategic channels that need a lot of planning, informed strategics, and surgically precise execution.
Even the best SEO and social media plugins will just help you with the last bit, that's the execution. The onus of chalking out a winning strategy, diligently breaking it into tasks and then identifying the best plugins for those tasks rests on you, and that's why some websites are really successful whereas others are just frantically looking for more plugins!
Learn as much as possible about successful SEO and social media strategy management, and then map appropriate plugins to affect your plans. You shall smell success really soon. Happy SEO-ing and SOCIALizing!


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I try not to be too politically biased in my blog posts. However, like a lot of British citizens, I'm at the end of my tether with our present government.
The failings of our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, perhaps reflect a general political malaise in the UK. Just before Mr Johnson was elected to the premiership in July 2019, the Irish Times published an assessment of him. I quote: "Only a dysfunctional political culture could conclude that a showman, a proven liar, a proven fraudster with such limited ability with such disqualifying flaws and such a meagre track record is the one to lead a government at such a dangerous time." This was before the coronavirus pandemic, of course. By 'dangerous time', the author was referring to Brexit. Regrettably, the assessment has been borne out in the government's achievements to date. Mr Johnson has:
Failed to attend five COBRA meetings during February 2020, preferring to relax in one of his official countryside residences;
Decided on 12th March to abandon community Covid-19 testing;
Attended a hospital in Kettering during March, where he shook hands with everyone, although he knew some patients were infected with coronavirus;
Failed to arrange quarantine measures for people entering the UK from overseas;
Made his government the last in Europe (Poland and Hungary excepted – along with Sweden, which decided against a lockdown policy) to implement a lockdown;
Mismanaged the tragic death toll in UK care homes;
Made confusing and ambiguous announcements about his government's change in lockdown and social distance measures during May;
Contrived through these assorted instances of political blundering to ensure that the UK has suffered the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe;
Introduced inconsistent and often bewildering attempts to provide financial help for the UK's public transport providers and other workers;
Planned an immigration surcharge on overseas NHS workers despite our dependence on them, and in contradiction of his experience of and alleged gratitude towards overseas nurses during his own illness (he's been forced to back-track on this surcharge);
Responded in a confused, dilatory and incomplete manner to questions about the Northern Ireland protocol, sacking Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith, who had worked to restore the devolved Stormont Assembly.
Failed (or refused) to publish a report into allegations of Russian meddling in UK elections;
Set out an unrealistic timescale for a UK-EU trade deal to be operational from 1 January 2021, leading many of us to suspect that he intends to settle for a ruinous No Deal Brexit;
Allowed his aide, Dominic Cummings, to get away with not following the social distancing and stay-at-home rules laid down for everyone in the country during the pandemic – and then expecting us all to accept Mr Cummings's far-fetched explanation of his disgraceful behaviour, and refusing to sack the aide despite the demands of his own MPs.
One matter on which Mr Johnson can be congratulated, indeed applauded, is the courage he showed while he was seriously ill with his Covid-19 infection and during his recovery. That was admirable by any measure. Sadly, however, the list of failings I've given here (and I fear my list might not be complete) outweighs this shining example of personal quality. The opinion expressed by author of the Irish Times article has been corroborated.
People wonder whether an alternative government would have managed better during this 'dangerous time'. Let me invert the question: can anyone imagine an alternative government that would have managed worse?
As a writer, I'm supposed to have a good imagination. But it doesn't stretch that far.
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Write Every Day
It's over. The big time-sucking gig that kept me so busy (not writing) these past few months has ended. I should be celebrating. I can finally get back to my desk. I can't remember the last time I spent so long from it, so long not working on my own projects. So why this damp ambivalence. Could it be nervousness?
When I took the big gig (a good gig—brain-fueling) I thought: "Perfect. A fallow period. Time to retune and replenish." I saw a sparkly clear mind at the end of it.
It wasn't a bad notion. My mind was feeling a bit cloudy.
But something happened when I was away from my desk. All those writing muscles I take for granted grew flaccid. I could feel the pressure building up but also a waning of confidence. Too many ideas and too little nerve = bad alchemy.
I've never thought or spoken of myself as a writer who must be writing all the time. I've always bristled at books that exhort writers to Write Every Day. "Macho dogma," I thought. "Pathological ambition." What did these exhorters know of life's interruptions and contingencies? But now I am hearing Ray Bradbury: "You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads…" I am hearing Stephen King: "I like to get ten pages a day, which amounts to 2,000 words…" And Haruki Murakami: "The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it's a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind."
I am thinking about the difference between lulls and ruts in a practice. At what point does the former turn into the latter? What is the right amount of fallow time? I am starting to believe you have to write everyday. That spurt writing is not enough. That consistency and discipline are all.
Maybe I'll become an exhorter. But somehow I doubt it. I'm too interrupted, too interested in many other things.
Bravo Isabelle!
Congratulations to Isabelle Arsenault on winning the 2012 IBBY Canada Cleaver Picture Book Award for Virginia Wolf!
The jury's comments on Virginia Wolf:
"An un-precious treatment of depression that never diminishes its poignancy. Isabelle Arsenault's illustrations illuminate the story. She begins with a touch of red and blue here and there. Then the sadness, embodied in blacks and greys that encroach on the page in a messy cloud, surrounds and engulfs Virginia as she becomes a dark shadow of herself. When Virginia starts painting and as the spirit changes, more colours begin to subtly appear as the darkness recedes. Arsenault reminds Virginia and the readers that the world is full of beauty."
Books for the Grown-Up Picture Book Lover
A few of my favorites:
1. On the street, everyone is rushing by, each person with their hidden thoughts and emotions, light or serious. (Marie is terribly jealous…Eric has a little music in his head.) Laurent Moreau's beautiful book—"A quoi penses-tu?"—makes empathy and psychological insight a simple matter or turning a flap.
2. Antonio Frasconi's "Kaleidoscope," originally published in 1968, is a wordless accordion-fold book, which when fully opened is 130″ long. (Caveat Emptor: It is hard to find but not impossible. If it proves to be elusive, Frasconi has other wonderful picture books.)
3. Edward Gorey's "The Doubtful Guest" is the bizarre and delightful tale of a sneaker-sporting creature that arrives at a family's home one day. Oddly enough, the flummoxed occupants never ask their uninvited guest to leave, enduring his mischievous and mournful moods for 17 years. My favorite Gorey by far.
4. Ted Hughes' "The Iron Giant." This classic story of an unlikely friendship between a metal-consuming colossus and a young English boy named Hogarth has always been a favorite but Laura Carlin takes it to a whole new level of amazingness with her mixed-media artwork.
5. "Duck, Death and The Tulip" by celebrated German writer/illustrator Wolf Erlbruch is a strange and beautiful book about death and (perhaps more palatably) about life. "For a while now, Duck had had a feeling. 'Who are you? What are you up to, creeping along behind me?' 'Good,' said Death, 'you finally noticed me. I am Death.'"
6. "Fortunately" by the exuberantly interdisciplinary Remy Charlip (please look him up) is about a boy's journey to happiness through a series of roller-coaster extremes. ("Fortunately, Ned was invited to a surprise party. Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away. Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane. Unfortunately, the motor exploded." Good luck, bad luck, Ned just takes everything as it comes. How does he do that?) First published in 1964, "Fortunately" is also a masterwork of sequence, using page turns so very cleverly.
7. "Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic," by Florence Parry Heide and Carson Ellis is a perfect Goreyesque allegory of creativity, wickedness and joie-de-vivre triumphing over our fuddy-duddy, kill-joy selves. (To quote Bob Shea and Lane Smith: "WHY WE RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: debauchery, black magic, murder and inspired shenanigans throughout.")
8. "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" by Judith Kerr. How would you react if a tiger wanted to come to tea? What if your ravenously hungry feline guest ate all the food in the house, and drank all the drink right down to the last drop of water in the tap? A reminder that good things can happen when our lives are infiltrated by enigmatic (and cheeky) strangers.
9. "The Conductor" is a wordless book by French illustrator Laëtitia Devernay that models the ambient and rhythmic experience of listening to a musical score. I love the way this unusual book jumps the fence between art forms, while conjuring a harmonious avian and tree-filled world.
10. John Burningham's "Aldo" is about the everyday life of a little girl whose home life is empty—apart from her parents' arguments—and whose school life is overshadowed by bullies. It would be a devastating book were it not for the buoyant comfort she finds in the company of her secret friend Aldo. It's a gentle lesson in the power of the imagination to create a new reality.
11. In "Bob & co", Delphine Durand opens with a line-drawn character called "Emptiness." ("On the blank page there's a vast EMPTINESSS all alone.") Our lonely character is soon joined by the characters of Sky, Earth, Water, who jostle and cavort until Emptiness gets pushed off the page. Stunningly simple metaphysics.
12. "Stephen and the Beetle" by Jorge Luján and Chiara Carrer is the deceptively small tale of a boy's encounter with a beetle. In truth it is a large story of big decisions, turning points and mindfulness, all beautifully amplified by Carrer's mixed-media art. ("If I drop my shoe…the day will go on just the same, except for one small thing.")
13. Olaf Hajek and Angelika Taschen's new yoga primer "Little Gurus." The playful and beautiful illustrations capture the yoga poses but also the historical and cultural background of the discipline.
14. Artist and author Peter Sis's illustrated adaptation of a 12th-century Persion poem, "The Conference of the Birds." The story, "in which all the birds of the world get together for a conference," assumes a prejudice-free aviary world, in which even flightless penguins can have their say.
15. Belgian iIlustrator/author Kitty Crowther's "Annie du lac" (2009). Three islands in a lake turn out to be three giants, who help Annie find a way out of loneliness.
(Image by Fadim)
Bend Words
Bend words. Stretch them, squash them, mash them up, fold them. Turn them over or swing them upside down. Make up new words. Leave a place for the strange and downright impossible ones. Use ancient words. Hold on to the gangly, silly, slippy, truthful, dangerous, out-of-fashion
As many of the great children writers have taught me (Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, George Saunders, Sheree Fitch, Dennis Lee), nonsense is our salvation, our blissery, and our biggering.
Bend words and bend the world.
Written in honour of Dr. Seuss for CBC's Canada Writes.
"I wanted to suggest, not describe."
"I am attracted to deeper work, not to bright, funny or commercial art. I feel I'm much more underground than mainstream…I like bringing the text to another level through its visuals. It's a way to create images that can be appreciated by the eyes, but also by the brain."—Isabelle Arsenault, The Walrus Magazine's Governor General's Literary Awards interview series.
(Artwork from Virginia Wolf.)
Lost Thing, I Think I Love You
One of my favorite stories is The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan. It takes place in a weird post-industrial landscape. A boy finds a bizarre and mammoth creature on a beach, and decides to find a home for it. ("Nobody else seemed to notice it was there. Too busy doing beach stuff, I guess.")
There is a deep melancholy in The Lost Thing about what gets left behind. People who read the story may have different ideas about what it all means. For example, does the lost thing represent the imagination? Is it meant to be a paean to society's castoffs? An indictment of capitalism? Is it about our tendency to categorize and pigeonhole the foreign and unfamiliar? (Responding to the story's ambiguity, Shaun Tan has said: "I guess the concept of a 'lost thing' is quite philosophical, but not in any specific way.")
What remains interesting to me about The Lost Thing, and what I missed on my first reading of the story, is the disposition of the main character: i.e. he is a scavenger. When the story begins he is busy collecting bottle-caps on the beach. On the one hand, there is this streamlined world where people are forever self-occupied and, on the other hand, there is this boy who is dawdling along, scouring the wayside of the world for useless bits-and-bobs. In fact, it could be argued that the only reason he alone spots the lost thing and responds to its presence, is that he is already somewhat stopped or slowed by his scavenging.
There is a whole underground of people combing the world for lost and remaindered things: the dumpster divers, the woman with the rattling cart, the freegans, and the archivists of our surplus. (I wrote about some of them here.) I see the hero of The Lost Thing as belonging to this tribe of urban gleaners. Where others proceed myopically, moving through narrow corridors of experience, he sees the world laterally, moving unbriskly, always taking in the periphery.
Last night I spoke at a museum in Brampton that is hosting an exhibition of personal artifacts selected by the local community. "What objects have you kept from your past and why?" There was an old chair, a medallion necklace, a Royal Doulton figurine, an old airline ticket—each object embedded in a story. As I wandered about, taking a glimpse into other people's lives, I was reminded of the power of museums to sacralize the everyday. What might have been random bric-a-brac in another context suddenly carried the air of "worthiness."
But what about those things that don't really come from anywhere, or have an existing relationship to anything or anyone, and are 'just plain lost'? What about the objects that have been stranded without a story?
In Shaun Tan's modest allegory, lost things are portals. They are the doors through which we encounter worlds and creatures we might rarely meet in the normal run of things. It is dedicated to "Those Who Have More Important Things to Pay Attention To." Yet for all its small epiphanies, it ends on a somewhat disheartening note. The boy-narrator concludes:
"I still think about that lost thing from time to time. Especially when I see something out of the corner of my eye that doesn't quite fit. You know, something with a weird, sad, lost sort of look. I see that sort of thing less and less these days though. Maybe there aren't many lost things around anymore. Or maybe I've just stopped noticing them. Too busy doing other stuff, I guess."
How do we stay open when the temptation is to close down to others, to feel overwhelmed by the too-muchness of our digital age? The story offers no pat answers but it does show that the world is an infinite and whimsical place for anyone willing to embrace strangeness and mystery.
Thinking of teachers: the one with the wild scribbled notes that grow wilder with enthusiasm or tiredness, the one with the ears that seem larger for being open and listening, the one with the reclining deckchair that turns every child into a king or queen for a day, the one who can transforms a child's hindrance into her proud gift, the one who calls on the weekend to see how a child is doing after a bad fall, the one who encourages loud undisciplined reckless music, the one who gives space to a child's grief without making that space feel like a banishment, the one who openly admits to being outsmarted every single day, the one who teaches the genius of a good mistake, the one who appears unbendable who then bends, the one who grows kindness in his classroom so it spreads like a robust weed…
Thinking of teachers in Ontario and why they deserve our full and unconditional support (despite the short-term frustration of losing extracurricular sports, arts and clubs) as they defend their long-term constitutional rights, their right to strike and to exercise collective action and their right to oppose the frightful legislation known as Bill-115.
If you want a reminder of what a school can be if its teachers are treated with the respect they have earned and deserve, then you might want to visit George Webster Junior School (as I did last week.) The Principal, Nancy Steinhauer, will tell you that the so-called "little things" (whether that be nutrition programs, weekend programs, a pediatric health clinic) require a boosted staff and can make a world of difference.
Fourchon says: "Vive Québec Bookshops!"
The winners of les Prix Jeunesse des libraires du Québec were announced this past Saturday in Montreal. "Fourchon" (the French version of "Spork") received the award in the 0 to 4 years old category. Isabelle and I share this honor with our wonderful French publisher, La Pastèque.
(Isabelle Arsenault created this beautiful drawing in appreciation.)


... that there was a way for M* to let us know when we are placing an order if we have already purchased that same item before. Obviously not fabric or pre-cuts, etc. I'm talking about patterns and books and templates and those types of items. I know, you are probably thinking that I should pay better attention to what I am ordering but I wouldn't bring this up if I had. I received an order from M* today and when I went to put it away I came across the same pattern as I had ordered it at some point during the last year. Duh! I know when I order books from Amazon.com and I click on a book I'm interested in a notice will pop up if I have already purchased it with the date of the purchase. It has been really helpful to me since I have ordered a library of books over the years.
I think thats a great idea and maybe it can be added as a feature because you said something. I'm crossing my fingers for you. But of course not fabric or precuts!
orders. This has helped me a few times. I do get what you are saying though.
E bay has the same feature,if you put an item in your cart it will tell you that you already purchased that item.
When I've over purchased notions, templates and such, I stick them in a package that I'm surprising someone with - sort of a pay it forward gift.
If you go into your account you can see all previous purchases. I sometimes have to go look in there to look for the name of a fabric line I ordered so I can get some more!
Sandy - that is what I have decided to do, too. I have a very small sewing space and to be honest didn't have it organized very well so that pattern was easily hidden. Since I had no recollection of having already ordered it, going through 50 plus M* orders to see if I had would not have occurred to me. And what a lot of time that would have taken. I spent all day yesterday re-arranging my space. Now dh has a couple of pieces of furniture to put in the attic and I have more space to work with.
I was beginning to have a problem with double ordering my pre-cuts. Luckily I have a spreadsheet program available and a dear husband who is computer literate. He formatted a spreadsheet with the collection name, manufacturer, and columns for strips, mini strips, 5"squares, 10"squares, 2 1/2" squares and triangles (turnovers.) Then he went through and inventoried everything and posted it for me .... I really appreciated the support.
And the list came in very handy during the recent sale. I avoided buying several things ~ because I knew I already had them. It was a bit more work making the list but saved money in the long run.
I do like the way Amazon will put a little notice on an item saying "You purchased this on (date)". It saves me from double buying but it also reminds me that "well gee, I must have liked it enough to look at it again and I ordered it here so why not order it again", if needed.
Been there / done that myself.....so traded a dresden template (my 2nd) for a 1/2 Hexi. :-) Of course, this is the friend who has introduced me to MSQC just about 1 1/2 yrs ago and OMG......my 'computer room' is more 'quilting' than anything else. :-) but am having the time of my life. And isn't that what it's all about?
Grandma G I feel your pain! Even though I am fairly new to quilting I have over purchased - hate it when that happens! So here's what I did to stop myself from messing up. I use Excel and record every purchase from every source in one place. I tell myself I am controlling my costs. Yeah, right. But this has helped me to avoid ordering too much fabric. Especially when I have precuts sitting and I am afraid a coordinating fabric will sell out before I get around to making it and I convince myself just one more teeny purchase won't hurt. I have different sheets for different lines, and then a sheet for miscellaneous prints and another for solids/blenders. Notions get their own sheet, so each pattern purchase is listed there. I have stopped myself from over ordering because the info is at my fingertips, literally. I also emptied out some old binders with pre-retirement work stuff in them and repurposed them for pattern storage. I use the plastic sheet covers and can store the original and any paper copies I have made of the pieces. I make myself add all new patterns to that binder as soon as they are recorded in Excel. Also helpful if you make plastic templates to keep them in sleeves. I know it is slightly screwy, but I feel good when I come up with an organization method I can actually live with.
I agree great idea! I just spent time going thru my orders to see if I ordered a certain template before, Sure enough I had ordered it last year and the proceeded to go downstairs and find it. So that feature would be a help!
Well now I'm wondering just what I've gotten myself into by taking up quilting! I have so little at this point that I have all my inventory in my head or can quickly glance at my desk. Ya'll are scaring me! But yes, if they redesign the site it would be so nice to see if I bought a color fabric before -- and how many yards or precuts if possible.


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Written by John Hinderaker	| September 21, 2018
Check Out the Thinking Minnesota Poll
Center of the American Experiment has initiated a poll in connection with our quarterly magazine, Thinking Minnesota. The poll, conducted by nationally-recognized Meeting Street, samples 500 Minnesota registered voters. Typically the largest number of questions will relate to the subject of the magazine's cover story, but other topics are polled as well.
The most recent survey, conducted at the end of August and beginning of September, contains some eye-opening findings. Like the fact that by 65% to 31%, better than two to one, Minnesotans want lower income taxes in all brackets. And the fact that Minnesotans overwhelmingly want to reduce state spending by eliminating waste and fraud.
There is much more in this quarter's Thinking Minnesota Poll, and future surveys will be equally interesting and unique–unique, because no one else conducts public polling on policy issues in Minnesota on a regular basis.
You can check out poll results here.
John Hinderaker
John is a long-time commentator and activist. He founded the web site Power Line in 2002 and has been a prominent voice on the internet and elsewhere since that time.
john.hinderaker@americanexperiment.org
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You know that feeling you get when you know you have forgotten something important. You get heart palpitations, sweaty palms and images of your house burning down from that oven you are sure you left on. I had it all weekend. Accept I didn't forget my keys, my wallet or even to brush my hair (common in my case). I forgot my kids.
New York Times bestselling author, Cynthia Leitich Smith kicked us out of our morning stupor with her personal journey of how she came to write about pixies, shapeshifters and vampires. She had lots of good advice on what to expect if you quit that cushiony desk job to become a children's book writer. She also talked about how to reinvent yourself once you get cast into one genre. That's something I could relate to. Cynthia is definitely a Raucous Royal...one of those renaissance women who could split dna, find a cure for cancer AND get kids reading. She was also really funny which was good because I just needed to laugh to make me forget about the kids I had abandoned.
If you have a teen with a penchant for shapeshifting then you must check out some of her books.
Check out Mitali Perkins blog. I am pretty sure that it is done by her evil twin because there is no way she could write such amazing books and still have time to have this good of a blog.
Leda Schubert gave a really amusing and insightful talk on "Telling it True." Leda and I share a love of circus history. And you must check out her incredible book – Ballet of the Elephants. I had to leave Leda's talk half way through to pump milk (more on that later) but I left with some great tips.
Melissa Stewart gave one of those inspirational + informative + humorous = darn good talk on "It's a Great Time for Nonfiction". She talked POV, Style and Tone. I learned that studies are showing that kids (especially boys) prefer reading nonfiction and that kids that read nonfiction are more likely to graduate. She gave some interesting examples of how different writers tuned conventional formats on their head.
Marla Frazee….Gasp, Faint, Throw up. (in that order). I wasn't really planning to go to the NESCBWI conference until I heard she was speaking. Marla Frazee is my idol. I am pretty sure that a 13 year old asking a Jonus Brother (the extra cute one) for his autograph would have been calmer than I was. Marla and Allyn Johnston gave a talk showing examples of picture books that they have worked on. It is hard to describe, but seeing her revision process really made me understand how good narrative art works. I must confess that sometimes my art is pretty, but doesn't tell enough of a story. It's something that I plan to work on.
Which brings me to Carrie Jones, Jo Knowles and Kate Messner's talk on blogging. They advised not being disparaging on your blog, not giving out too much information, not letting your blog keep you from writing your book, and not always talking about yourself. (check, check, check and check.) I guess I will have to work on that too.
Lastly, I really enjoyed Cynthia Levison's talk on writing for Nonfiction Magazines. I have never written for magazines and had no clue where to start. I am still not sure if my writing style would work in a magazine format, but I might give it a try some day.
I was then sent scrambling asking strangers if I could store my son's next meal in their fridge. Thankfully, the Applewood Restaurant let me use their fridge. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to the Applewood Restaurant.
So other than this one undignified moment, The NESCBWI Conference was another great event. Just leave your commercial breast pump at home. Lactating writers not welcome.
That conference sounds like paradise.
BTW, I worked when my Princess Elizabeth was first born and used to pump in any empty exam room I could find. I, also, used a cooler to keep the milk safe (and hidden from delicate male eyes) in the common fridge. Nothing beats the time I walked into the kitchen to eat and found our doctor peeking into my cooler to see what I had for "lunch."
"It's not my lunch, Doc. It's my daughter's."
I never saw a grown man run so fast.
It was great to see you, and be reminded to check out your blog.
Amy - pumping in an empty exam room is about as much fun as the hotel bathroom. oh the things we do for those bambinos.
Loree- It was good to see you too. And I can't wait to read The Hives Detectives. My daughter is obsessed with bees.


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text:
Tax rebate for pensioners
By means of LN 22 of 2018, the Government has amended LN 42 of 2017 which had originally introduced new tax rebates for pensioners in line with what was announced in the Budget Speech for 2017. This new measure will ensure that pensioners whose pension income exceeds the tax free bracket will have an increased […]
Written By ACT Team
By means of LN 22 of 2018, the Government has amended LN 42 of 2017 which had originally introduced new tax rebates for pensioners in line with what was announced in the Budget Speech for 2017. This new measure will ensure that pensioners whose pension income exceeds the tax free bracket will have an increased amount of their pension income which will not be subject to income tax.
Pensioners that are over 61 years of age and who are in receipt of pension income will for the year 2018, be exempt from income tax on their pensions up to certain amounts, depending on the tax status of the individual. This applies to all types of pensions including social security pensions, treasury pensions as well as other local and foreign pensions.
Pensioners taxed at the single rates of tax will have an amount of €13,200 of their pension income exempt from tax. Pensioners taxed at the married rates of tax will have an amount of €13,200 of their pension income exempt from tax. Pensioners taxed at the parent rates of tax will have an amount of €13,200 of their pension income exempt from tax. Married couples in receipt of a pension will benefit from an additional exemption on their total income amounting to €1,000.
These exemptions have been introduced by means of a tax rebate which naturally cannot give rise to any refunds of tax nor can be carried forward if not fully utilized.
For further information, please contact one of the firm's tax partners, Stephen Balzan on [email protected] or Elaine Camilleri [email protected]. ACT can help you understand the changes to the tax rules and how these can impact your business.
Apart from its offices in St. Julian's Malta, ACT operates from a second office in Gozo, which is situated in the capital city of Victoria. For an appointment in our Gozo office, please call on +356 21378672 or send us an email on [email protected].
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3 Then Elijah became afraid†† and immediately ran for his life.† When he came to Beer-sheba† that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,† 4 but he went on a day's journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree† and prayed that he might die. He said, "I have had enough! Lord, take my life,† for I'm no better than my fathers." 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.
Suddenly, an angel touched him.† The angel told him, "Get up and eat." 6 Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water.† So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the Lord† returned for a second time and touched him. He said, "Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you." 8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights† to Horeb, the mountain of God.† 9 He entered a cave† there and spent the night.
At that moment, the Lord passed by.† A great and mighty wind† was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake,† but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire,† but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.† 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle† and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.


text:
Committal Service
11:00 AM
(Assembly Area #6)
Fort Snelling National Cemetery
7601 34th Ave. So., Minneapolis
Eleanore "Ellie" Mae Frey
(Obituary for Eleanore "Ellie" Mae Frey, written by daughter, Deborah Davis)
Eleanore (Ellie) passed away on July 29, 2021, at the age of 91 at her home in Roseville, Minnesota. She was born to John and Mary Rapko, June 23, 1930 in Chisholm, Minnesota. Eleanore, often called by "Ellie" was the fifth of five children. She was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar "Red" Frey and her one brother and three sisters.
Her early growing up years she lived the city of Chisholm in northern Minnesota on the Iron Range. She always shared memories of living in this small town area as a joy for the simplicities of life. She loved running around outdoors, visiting people on their front porches, hiding in the underground cellars and just living in a time where you could romp freely around the neighborhood and lake safely. She enjoyed going into Main Street Chisholm to watch a movie for ten cents. In the summer picking fresh blueberries in the fields was one of her happiest things to do.
Even growing up during the days of World War II and the Depression she always said she didn't feel like they lacked anything. She often talked about walking home from school and going into the house to the smell of her mother's freshly baked bread and goodies and one of her favorite dinners, "cabbage rolls." After school one of her favorite things to do was listen to radio programs. This was way back before television. The radio then became her "go to" in the last years of life as her eyesight was not good and it was something she enjoyed again.
Eleanore, after graduating from Chisholm High School went off to Denver, Colorado to study nursing and eventually became a Registered Nurse, (R.N). She started her education at Children's Hospital in Denver and also went to Chicago and the University of Minnesota.
On March 10, 1956, she married Oscar G. Frey, known as "Red" for his red hair. They lived in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was actually his nurse while he was in the hospital. He liked how she gave back rubs in the hospital which was a known part of nursing care back in the day. Their marriage resulted in 2 daughters, Deborah "Frey" Davis and Linda Frey. She said her favorite things in life were being a wife and mother. She also deeply loved her son in "love, law", Leland. To her, Leland was her son. For twenty years in Minnesota, Leland would drive to her home weekends when she was alone due to the loss of her husband. Leland and her spent many hours shopping, eating, browsing thrift stores and hanging out. He always answered to calls from her for help around her home in fixing things or offering advice. They were best buddies and both equally shared a sweet tooth and were often out eating desserts, malts and Dairy Queen's.
She loved hospitality and was often the life of the party. Her husband being a part-time musician (a drummer) opened a whole new world for her of meeting other musicians and the night life. She loved baking and always had something sweet baking most days of the week. At the holiday season she was known for making candy and her well known "bourbon balls"! They were requested on many holidays. Ellie never knew a stranger and welcomed anyone into her space. She was the most giving person, always trying to help out. If you needed someone to listen to you, she wouldn't judge and offered advice when asked for.
During her past 10 years she made several trips a year to San Diego to visit her eldest daughter and son in law. Her son in law made sure she was driven to every tourist spot, ocean drives, mountain adventures or out to happy hour or dinner. He cooked her breakfast and delivered it to her in bed. That was something she cherished. As a result of the trips to San Diego and her perky personality she developed a whole new group of friends of all ages in San Diego that considered her "family." She met one of her most favorite friends, Dorothy at the Roseville Minnesota Nature Center where they both volunteered. They became best of friends and could talk each other's ears off trying to solve all the world's problems.
In her final few years her youngest daughter Linda and niece Laurie and her family helped her immensely and she will be ever grateful for their help and companionship. In the past year, she had caregivers come daily for a few hours. She always spoke about how much she loved her helpers they considered her more than just a client, she was very special to them. At 91 years of age Ellie had the memory of a 20 year old. You could ask her to remember things from way back in her childhood and she could tell you the exact moment and where they happened.
Eleanore "Ellie" is survived by her two daughters, Deborah Davis and Linda Frey, son in "love" law, Leland Davis. Her companion kitty, Joey. Also, sister in law, cousins, numerous nieces, nephews, two great grand nephews and friends too numerous to count.
In her final years she prayed numerous times of the day for her family, friends, and the country she loved. She now has been welcomed by the Lord into her new home in heaven and has gained the crown of eternal life.
There will be a brief committal service at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery on Friday, October 1 at 11:00 AM (Assembly Area #6). Please proceed past the main entrance into the cemetery to the second entrance labeled "Funeral Assembly Areas" and proceed to the assigned Assembly Area.


Cisco 1000BASE-SX SFP The GLC-SX-MM, 1000BASE-SX SFP operates on ordinary multimode fiber optic link spans of up to 550 meters in length. Cisco 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP The GLC-LH-SM, 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP operates on ordinary single-mode fiber optic link spans of up to 10,000 meters in length. Cisco 1000BASE-ZX SFP The GLC-ZX-SM, 1000BASE-ZX SFP operates on ordinary single-mode fiber optic link spans of up to 70 kilometers (km) in length. Link spans of up to 100 km are possible using premium single-mode fiber or dispersion-shifted single-mode fiber. The SFP provides an optical link \ budget of 23 dB�the precise link span length will depend on multiple factors such as fiber quality, number of splices, and connectors.


Locals probably recognize this friendly face from the Morton Grove Culver's on Dempster. General Manager Alberto DelHoyo has been nominated for a prestigious leadership award and needed some headshots. We had a lot of fun creating his images and I think the results really match the Culver's brand. Good luck Alberto – We are all rooting for you!
Henry - I love culver's!


The best answer is C. It's important in these types of questions to look at the context of the sentence. For example, "she continued her walk" is very important in this case because the words that fill in the blanks must agree with the fact that she walked and didn't stay inside. Then we can work backwards, and we know that the first drops shouldn't have scared her if she continued to walk, and the threat of rain was no real threat to her. Learning how to quickly find the parts of these sentences that contain the real meat can really help on test day.
Two of the most generic reactions in Organic Chemistry are substitution and elimination reactions. In which two types of reactions will you never see the formation of a carbocation intermediate?
An SN2 reaction and an E2 reaction. Both of these reactions are bimolecular, meaning the reaction rate depends on the concentrations of both molecules because it is a one step reaction. In these type of reactions, an intermediate is not formed, there is just a high energy transition state. However, in SN1 and E1 reactions, the mechanism proceeds through a carbocation intermediate. In SN1, first the leaving group leaves, then a nucleophile attacks the carbocation. In E1, the leaving group leaves, and a base removes an antiperiplanar Hydrogen, moving electrons to create a pi-bond with the empty orbital of the carbocation.
In our chromosomes, parts of the DNA are converted to protein, while other parts are interspersed, but do not correlate to the final protein. What are the portions of DNA that code for the final amino acid sequence called?


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text:
use dns_parser::{self, Name, QueryClass, QueryType, RRData};
use futures::sync::mpsc;
use futures::{Async, Future, Poll, Stream};
use get_if_addrs::get_if_addrs;
use std::collections::VecDeque;
use std::io;
use std::io::ErrorKind::WouldBlock;
use std::marker::PhantomData;
use std::net::{IpAddr, SocketAddr};
use tokio::net::UdpSocket;
use tokio::reactor::Handle;

use super::{DEFAULT_TTL, MDNS_PORT};
use address_family::AddressFamily;
use services::{ServiceData, Services};

pub type AnswerBuilder = dns_parser::Builder<dns_parser::Answers>;

#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
pub enum Command {
    SendUnsolicited {
        svc: ServiceData,
        ttl: u32,
        include_ip: bool,
    },
    Shutdown,
}

pub struct FSM<AF: AddressFamily> {
    socket: UdpSocket,
    services: Services,
    commands: mpsc::UnboundedReceiver<Command>,
    outgoing: VecDeque<(Vec<u8>, SocketAddr)>,
    _af: PhantomData<AF>,
}

impl<AF: AddressFamily> FSM<AF> {
    pub fn new(
        handle: &Handle,
        services: &Services,
    ) -> io::Result<(FSM<AF>, mpsc::UnboundedSender<Command>)> {
        let std_socket = AF::bind()?;
        let socket = UdpSocket::from_socket(std_socket, handle)?;
        let (tx, rx) = mpsc::unbounded();

        let fsm = FSM {
            socket: socket,
            services: services.clone(),
            commands: rx,
            outgoing: VecDeque::new(),
            _af: PhantomData,
        };

        Ok((fsm, tx))
    }

    fn recv_packets(&mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
        let mut buf = [0u8; 4096];
        loop {
            let (bytes, addr) = match self.socket.recv_from(&mut buf) {
                Ok((bytes, addr)) => (bytes, addr),
                Err(ref ioerr) if ioerr.kind() == WouldBlock => break,
                Err(err) => return Err(err),
            };

            if bytes >= buf.len() {
                warn!("buffer too small for packet from {:?}", addr);
                continue;
            }

            self.handle_packet(&buf[..bytes], addr);
        }
        Ok(())
    }

    fn handle_packet(&mut self, buffer: &[u8], addr: SocketAddr) {
        trace!("received packet from {:?}", addr);

        let packet = match dns_parser::Packet::parse(buffer) {
            Ok(packet) => packet,
            Err(error) => {
                warn!("couldn't parse packet from {:?}: {}", addr, error);
                return;
            }
        };

        if !packet.header.query {
            trace!("received packet from {:?} with no query", addr);
            return;
        }

        if packet.header.truncated {
            warn!("dropping truncated packet from {:?}", addr);
            return;
        }

        let mut unicast_builder = dns_parser::Builder::new_response(packet.header.id, false)
            .move_to::<dns_parser::Answers>();
        let mut multicast_builder = dns_parser::Builder::new_response(packet.header.id, false)
            .move_to::<dns_parser::Answers>();
        unicast_builder.set_max_size(None);
        multicast_builder.set_max_size(None);

        for question in packet.questions {
            debug!(
                "received question: {:?} {}",
                question.qclass, question.qname
            );

            if question.qclass == QueryClass::IN || question.qclass == QueryClass::Any {
                if question.qu {
                    unicast_builder = self.handle_question(&question, unicast_builder);
                } else {
                    multicast_builder = self.handle_question(&question, multicast_builder);
                }
            }
        }

        if !multicast_builder.is_empty() {
            let response = multicast_builder.build().unwrap_or_else(|x| x);
            let addr = SocketAddr::new(AF::mdns_group(), MDNS_PORT);
            self.outgoing.push_back((response, addr));
        }

        if !unicast_builder.is_empty() {
            let response = unicast_builder.build().unwrap_or_else(|x| x);
            self.outgoing.push_back((response, addr));
        }
    }

    fn handle_question(
        &self,
        question: &dns_parser::Question,
        mut builder: AnswerBuilder,
    ) -> AnswerBuilder {
        let services = self.services.read().unwrap();

        match question.qtype {
            QueryType::A | QueryType::AAAA | QueryType::All
                if question.qname == *services.get_hostname() =>
            {
                builder = self.add_ip_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
            }
            QueryType::PTR => {
                for svc in services.find_by_type(&question.qname) {
                    builder = svc.add_ptr_rr(builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                    builder = svc.add_srv_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                    builder = svc.add_txt_rr(builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                    builder = self.add_ip_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                }
            }
            QueryType::SRV => {
                if let Some(svc) = services.find_by_name(&question.qname) {
                    builder = svc.add_srv_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                    builder = self.add_ip_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                }
            }
            QueryType::TXT => {
                if let Some(svc) = services.find_by_name(&question.qname) {
                    builder = svc.add_txt_rr(builder, DEFAULT_TTL);
                }
            }
            _ => (),
        }

        builder
    }

    fn add_ip_rr(&self, hostname: &Name, mut builder: AnswerBuilder, ttl: u32) -> AnswerBuilder {
        let interfaces = match get_if_addrs() {
            Ok(interfaces) => interfaces,
            Err(err) => {
                error!("could not get list of interfaces: {}", err);
                return builder;
            }
        };

        for iface in interfaces {
            if iface.is_loopback() {
                continue;
            }

            trace!("found interface {:?}", iface);
            match iface.ip() {
                IpAddr::V4(ip) if !AF::v6() => {
                    builder = builder.add_answer(hostname, QueryClass::IN, ttl, &RRData::A(ip))
                }
                IpAddr::V6(ip) if AF::v6() => {
                    builder = builder.add_answer(hostname, QueryClass::IN, ttl, &RRData::AAAA(ip))
                }
                _ => (),
            }
        }

        builder
    }

    fn send_unsolicited(&mut self, svc: &ServiceData, ttl: u32, include_ip: bool) {
        let mut builder =
            dns_parser::Builder::new_response(0, false).move_to::<dns_parser::Answers>();
        builder.set_max_size(None);

        let services = self.services.read().unwrap();

        builder = svc.add_ptr_rr(builder, ttl);
        builder = svc.add_srv_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, ttl);
        builder = svc.add_txt_rr(builder, ttl);
        if include_ip {
            builder = self.add_ip_rr(services.get_hostname(), builder, ttl);
        }

        if !builder.is_empty() {
            let response = builder.build().unwrap_or_else(|x| x);
            let addr = SocketAddr::new(AF::mdns_group(), MDNS_PORT);
            self.outgoing.push_back((response, addr));
        }
    }
}

impl<AF: AddressFamily> Future for FSM<AF> {
    type Item = ();
    type Error = io::Error;
    fn poll(&mut self) -> Poll<(), io::Error> {
        while let Async::Ready(cmd) = self.commands.poll().unwrap() {
            match cmd {
                Some(Command::Shutdown) => return Ok(Async::Ready(())),
                Some(Command::SendUnsolicited {
                    svc,
                    ttl,
                    include_ip,
                }) => {
                    self.send_unsolicited(&svc, ttl, include_ip);
                }
                None => {
                    warn!("responder disconnected without shutdown");
                    return Ok(Async::Ready(()));
                }
            }
        }

        while let Async::Ready(()) = self.socket.poll_read() {
            self.recv_packets()?;
        }

        loop {
            if let Some(&(ref response, ref addr)) = self.outgoing.front() {
                trace!("sending packet to {:?}", addr);

                match self.socket.send_to(response, addr) {
                    Ok(_) => (),
                    Err(ref ioerr) if ioerr.kind() == WouldBlock => break,
                    Err(err) => warn!("error sending packet {:?}", err),
                }
            } else {
                break;
            }

            self.outgoing.pop_front();
        }

        Ok(Async::NotReady)
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
A contrasting Season for Schalke 04
Posted on 4. Juni 2014 19. November 2014
By KarstenCategories: Talking EnglishTags: english, keller
The 2013/2014 season is over! The first half was not so successful for Schalke, while the second half was very much so. In this article, I will provide a more in-depth analysis and overview of the season's ups and downs.
Halbfeldflanke International: the first analysis in English language here. I regularly analyse games or players of Schalke 04 here. However, it's usually in German. This one is basically a translation from my original article. Any feedback is much appreciated.
Statistics of the Bundesliga season 2013/2014
While Jens Keller has been widely discussed, I often remarked that many of these discussions are based on misunderstandings. During the first half of the season he was accused for not having a specific plan of how the team was supposed to play or how to develop it. Then again early this year he was praised for making everything right. Let's have a look at both halves of the season 2013/2014…
The first round of the season
Despite results that suggest differently, not everything was bad in the first half of the season. Schalke dominated large parts of the Chelsea matches and beat Leverkusen, when they were still good. Prior to that the Champions League qualification was achieved against PAOK. In general, a continuous development was observed. Counter pressing and midfield pressing were introduced and stabilized. This began pretty late though, not until the game against Werner Bremen. The final match against Basel was the best and most convincing one, allowing Schalke to proceed to the round of 16 in the Champions League.
Nevertheless, during the whole campaign some weaknesses became obvious. Schalke never really was able to establish a ball-possession-game (hence the defeats by Chelsea) and also had problems against strong teams (hence the clear defeats by Bayern and Dortmund). Keller's focus for the first round of the season was to stabilize the defense and thus decrease the amount of conceded goals. The result were plenty securing horizontal or backward passes for which the whole team was highly criticized. However, it was quite successful and despite being kicked out of the DFB-Cup, Schalke managed to stabilize towards the end of the first round. Switching the keeper to Fährman probably had a substantial impact. Even though it was considered being an exception at first, the match against Stuttgart can be seen as the turning point in retrospect. During this time Boateng was installed as a part next to Neustädter in the double pivot. The whole game from then was organized from a less offensive position, which ended up being, a great fit.
All in all it was obvious that the coaching team was very busy throughout the first half of the season. In pretty much every single match different ways to build up the game were tried out including variations of the defensive positioning play. These were not only adaptations to the opponents but general developments as these changes were visible over a number of consecutive games. Often changes have been tried out for a few games and then were abandoned again. This divergence loss slowed down the development of the game tremendously. In general, this whole approach did not seem very systematic and in the end they contributed to 7th position in the Bundesliga table. Although not every point loss was deserved, they received 28 points.
The second round of the season
After the winter break, suddenly Keller found ways to lead the young Schalke team to wins. What exactly did he change? Actually, nothing! He continued where he stopped before Christmas with a decreasing amount of goals conceded, but also an increasing amount of goals scored. The return of Huntelaar had a strong impact on the latter. Between the game against Basel (last match in 2013) and the one against Hamburg (first match in 2014) there was barely any difference. Schalke was playing a good midfield pressing and had a stable defense. This went on for 4 matches. And then Schalke met Leverkusen successfully, but the aggressive midfield pressing high up the pitch was suddenly gone. From then the patterns of the first half of the season reappeared. The game of Schalke was temporarily extended with new aspects, which vanished soon after.
Though adaptations were being made, there was also an alarming lack of ideas. While the first match against Real Madrid started quite courageous (and then fell apart after 2 goals in 20 minutes), Schalke seemed to ask Bayern for mercy, not even trying to beat them. During the match against Werder Bremen, Boateng showed his opinion of Keller's tactics reorganizing the entire team during the match and finally contributing to a tie.
In general, Schalke's season was lucky with a good beginning but had few 'ruling the opponent' moments. The second round of the season was also defined by chance, and had the same strengths and weaknesses as before…
Schalke is a high quality team and in comparison to other Bundesliga teams on the Champions League level. As teams in Germany do not have to publish their balances, I will refer to the market value of the squad (3rd highest after Bayern and Dortmund) and the budget of the professional team (2nd highest after Bayern). Research shows that the wages of football players directly relate to the positioning in a league, this reflects the quality of the players.
Valuably, each offensive player of Schalke is pretty resistant to pressing and able to take a reasonable decision under pressure. For example, if a player reaches a dead end with no smart way out, a pass to the goalie is better than losing the ball. By the way, another reason for the backwards or sideways passes, which many people complained about. Moreover, the individual strength of the players can be understood as the strength of the squad. With many young players on the team, the youth has a couple of real talents. For example Kaan Ayhan whose first match was as the starting XI in Madrid with a great performance and Leon Goretzka who exploded in the last months of the season. Thus, don't let the age of the players distract you from seeing how strong and skillful the players already are as they are undoubtfully of great value to the team.
Another major strength this past season was efficiency. Schalke scored 31 out of 56 chances, coming only behind Hamburg in efficiency. This indicates the focus is very much on creating valuable chances, not just shooting towards the goal whenever close enough. Keller's concept of defence is focusing on not losing the ball to simple or unrealistic shots on the goal. Which brings us to the defence as another strength. Fährmann allowed only 15 goals. Throughout the whole season Schalke kept a clean sheet for 14 times, only topped through Bayern (17 times). In the second round of the Bundesliga campaign, Schalke conceded only one goal more than Bayern and three less than Dortmund. Since Neuer left, Schalke has not been this stable.
To discuss the weaknesses, a brief excurse is provided in the field of theory:
Individual Tactics. The behaviour of the individual players on the pitch. This includes dribblings and attempts to defend the ball from opponents, but also to see and occupy empty spaces.
Group Tactics. The behaviour of 2 or 3 players that are part of the same situation on a subset of the pitch. The key here is how to collectively overcome a group of opponents.
Team Tactics. The sum of all group tactical behaviour spread out on the entire pitch. This is connecting the individual decision making with cooperation to get into a good position for a goal attempt.
At Schalke throughout this past season hardly any form of systematic approach to a group or team tactical behavior was observable. But instead, due to the high individual tactical strength of Schalke's players, the team was still able to cover many of their pitfalls. Nevertheless to observers, the game seems to be freely improvised. Some think this can be an advantage as opponents then have a hard time figuring out Schalke's strategies, but it's a naïve fallacy for two reasons. Firstly, Schalke does not have a tool box to use in case the creative spark doesn't pop. And secondly, individual strength is rather easy to defend through group tactics. The rematch in Stuttgart was a great example for this.
Consequentially, Schalke had problems with teams that focused on parking the bus resulting in playing around the box without actually knowing how to get into it. At times where more and more teams follow Mourinho's ideas and do little more than defending the supreme discipline becomes breaking through that brick and at the moment Schalke lacks a concept how to do so. The result is then often vast ball possession numbers and no ideas what to do with it. To deal with this problem, Jens Keller decided to simply deny ball possessions. The ball often was pushed toward the opponent, providing space for counter attacks, which worked quite well in early 2014, but then vanished again…
Personally, I believe that the young talents suffer from the lack of tactics. Without tactical guidelines or education their improvement risk sever delay. This can be seen with Julian Draxler, who did not deliver as expected. Moreover, the positional play for fullback Kolasinac did not improve during this last campaign. It will be interesting to see how this will work out for the young players in the coming seasons.
Schalke was also seen to struggle with not being able to play around a midfield pressing. Individually, the players are pressing resistant so that each player is able to play a reasonable pass even under enormous pressure. However, the lack of group tactical behavior effects the creation of passing triangles in the midfield. This is not good because the players are tried being a part of the attack, but as a consequence often forgot about getting the ball into the final third. This sabotages the staggered arrangement in the midfield and makes it difficult for Schalke to find their way around aggressive pressing. There was one exception to this, which was the last game of the season against Nürnberg as spaces were discovered and opened through staggered arrangement of players, despite being under pressure.
While in the end quite successful, it was a very inconsistent season. A rather bad first round of the campaign was followed by a record breaking good second round. Considering these two parts is too general even though most aspects praised in the second half of the season were visible during the first half already. And at the end of the season the same weaknesses became clear as during the beginning of the season, making consistency the major problem. Though many strategies were tried (e.g., counter pressing or aggressive midfield pressing) they were not kept up and the team's development was very slow. Nevertheless, the defense again became the pride of the team this season.
While Jens Keller has been widely discussed since his first day as the Schalke head-coach, he is often attached to the wrong discussions (good or bad). My analysis of the games this season provides insight into the high individual quality, but lack of systematic group tactics and development. This is alongside the strictness of position play happening within Schalke, which hindered once again the development and performance. /ul
Analyse 2013/2014: Eine Saison der Kontraste
Benedikt Höwedes, linker Außenverteidiger der deutschen Nationalmannschaft


Laura and Tyler are soulmates. Thirty-something best friends and revellers residing in Dublin, they are ingrained in the fabric of each other's lives; dating, partying, drinking and living their life without limitations.
American ex-pat, Tyler – a siren of drugs, alcohol and debauchery – lures aspiring writer, Laura, away from her long overdue novel as well as her new beau, the irresistibly handsome Jim. A tee-total classical pianist, Jim is the antithesis of Tyler and the world she and Laura inhabit, and with his presence the girls' hedonistic double act finds itself in jeopardy.
While Tyler wants to keep the party going, Laura, buoyed by Jim's restraint and stability, starts to emerge from her years of partying, searching for her place in the world. Caught between desires – youth and adulthood, her old self and her future self – Laura impulsively gets engaged to Jim, knocking Tyler for a loop. Bereft at the thought of losing of her partner in crime, Tyler spies a chance to rock the boat of the "perfect" life Laura can see on the horizon, but in doing so inadvertently helps Laura find a new unexpected path to independence.
At once both a celebration of female friendship and an examination the choices we make when facing a crossroad, ANIMALS is an honest, funny, edgy, unconventional and bittersweet snapshot of modern women.


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Yahoo Q2 Earnings Call: The Marissa and Ken Show, Now in Living Color
July 16, 2013 at 2:05 pm PT
Yahoo is just starting the analyst call of its Q2 earnings, which were pretty lackluster. But CEO Marissa Mayer, who is awfully good at this kind of thing, has ginned up the excitement nonetheless, deciding to now broadcast the event live over the Internet via video, rather than over a more typical audio link.
2:01 pm: Woah! Although I have been watching television since Richard Nixon was president, this video earnings call idea is pretty cool. Why has it not been done before? (It will be done again next week, as Netflix CEO Reed Hasting grabs his 15 minutes.)
Thus, as soon as the legal disclaimer was over, it was Mayer and CFO Ken Goldman sitting at a news desk, in a sort of "Good Afternoon, Yahoo!" situation.
Because it is not exactly pertinent to comment on how anyone looks, I decided to not do so — except to say that Goldman was sporting a very nice oxford shirt.
Mayer's first words were delivered a bit stiffly, but she was doing okay pretty quickly on reading the prepared script and trying to make it seem fresh. In Silicon Valley, she is a well-known over-preparer and, clearly, she has done that here.
She showed off some slides about how the company is growing its page views, pointing to mobile growth as the key driver. That is in contrast to recent stats from comScore, which does not reflect the claimed mobile growth, but does tell a story of declining Web usage at some key Yahoo properties over the last year.
Mayer then began to reel off the various accomplishments she has notched since she got to the troubled Internet giant last July.
From lots of acquisitions (mobile team up by a factor of six, she said) to better employee morale to attracting more entrepreneurial talent, Mayer called it a "super-charged Yahoo."
Sounds like the company on muscle enhancers, which was her point, I think.
"As I hit my first-year anniversary, it is clear we are into our second sprint," said Mayer, mixing the metaphors.
2:14 pm: Now it was over to Goldman, who apparently did not like to look at the red light on the camera, even if his life depended on it.
He reeled off a lot of numbers, noting that the balance sheet at Yahoo is strong, with $4.8 billion in cash and securities. A lot of what Goldman was going over had already been in the press release, but it was nice to see him actually read it off.
That is, until he got to the revenue slide for the company. It was not impressive in any way, showing a decided lack of growth all over the place.
Goldman said that Yahoo was trying to make a "meaningful" attempt to fix that. "We have a lot of confidence in our business, but that has yet to translate into revenue growth," he also added, pointing out the very obvious.
He still looked a little pained, but seemed to rally with the search slide, even as he was trying to figure out a way to not insult the company's partnership with Microsoft in the area.
Number of paid clicks was up nicely, 21 percent, although price per click was down eight percent.
Still, it was a whole lot better than display. "Our display business was challenged," said Goldman, with another obviously obvious observation.
2:23 pm: For example: Price per ad was down, number of ads sold was down ("just two percent," said Goldman, as if this could possibly be a good thing).
It looks like international revenue is part of the problem, down across the world. The Americas market was up.
Goldman continued on without any affect whatsoever, except for his pronounced New England accent, which is kind of what I want in a CFO.
I will be honest: Goldman's number-rattling soon started to wear on me, so I briefly considered switching over to watch "House of Cards" on Netflix. Kevin Spacey could make "non-GAAP operating income" seem exciting — of this, I am sure.
2:29 pm: It was soon back to Mayer, who was now going for a more serious tone and look. She showed off her "chain reaction of growth" slide again that is apparently a virtuous circle of fantastic (if it works, that is).
Then, she moved into the specifics.
She said she wanted Yahoo search to be better, but graded her mobile progress to be an "A." Can you grade yourself? Yes, you can, if you are CEO with an exclusive earnings show on Yahoo Finance.
"Yahoo's future is mobile," she then said.
Then, quick as a wink, it was onto display, which has become the ugly ducking at Yahoo, downgraded from its former status as a swan.
"We have to do a much better job here," said Mayer. Again: Obvi!
Onto video — Mayer really had a knack of keeping things moving — which she said was also important.
Blogging site Tumblr was also a highlight, she said, but was unspecific, except to throw in trendy phrases like "native ads."
2:34 pm: Finally, it was onto Q&A.
Suddenly, we have lost video! I am bereft as this is the heh-heh part of the show, where Wall Street analysts show just how tethered they are to the company execs' good will and not investors' best interests.
Wait, it's back. Phew!
Mayer suddenly became much more interactive and comfortable onscreen, answering the first question about video looking a lot like a professional pundit.
(I was just noticing the giant Yahoo mug next to her, which riveted me for no good reason, except for its freakishly enormous size.)
The next question was on the guidance, which Yahoo had lowered earlier. The questioner wanted to know more, as well as how the company was going to monetize the next pile of money coming soon from Yahoo's Alibaba Group asset with minimal tax impact.
Mayer noted that Tumblr, whose non-revenue will be non-included in the next quarter, will not matter to growth as yet. Non-revenue-producing companies bought for $1 billion usually do not.
Goldman then noted that he has the best tax minds looking into how to get that mountain of money from China to Yahoo without Uncle Sam getting too much of a taste.
The next questioner wanted some explanation about the depressing display fall off. Mayer said she was working on it. She clearly knew she cannot change the results and did not try to, although shaking her head in understanding did make it feel better.
At this point, I decide that this video thing was genius, although I suspect there are very few CEOs who will be able to pull this off. It's kind of like "Network," but for geeks.
2:43 pm: Onto a question about Microsoft, as well as if there have been any benefits from Yahoo's sales reorg under Henrique De Castro, who has got to be feeling the pressure due to the display disaster.
Goldman did not bite on Microsoft, which other Yahoos have done in the past. Mayer said the vertical set-up for advertising sales was better and "typical across industries."
The next question was about M&A and its revenue potential. As most know, Yahoo has been on a tear in that department, buying 16 companies over the last year.
Mayer called them mostly "tuck-in acquisitions," done for hiring talent more than anything else. Tumblr is, she noted, strategic, which is different.
She promised more of the small purchases, which means it was time to cue the cheering on Sand Hill Road among the VC set, who can now continue to bail out of some of their kookier investments.
Another question on new ad formats, which evoked not much of an answer by Mayer. But Goldman was now starting to feel good on video and noted that "we, as a team, are very, very focused on our original expectations for this year."
2:51 pm: The questions continued and I suddenly wished that we could see video of the Wall Street analysts, too. It be like a reality show — "Real Stockpickers of Wall Street."
This reverie prevented me from paying mind to a question about some technical ad issue.
Finally, a good question came about breaking down the stats Mayer briefly showed off on page views. Let's be clear, Mayer has been deft since she got to Yahoo about presenting the data that she wants rather than what others want and also what might be helpful to grokking what is happening inside Yahoo. Thus, no deets for anyone, except to say it's all going up!
Then another decent query about whether Yahoo should be more deeply embedded with mobile leaders. Unlike Google and Apple, Yahoo does not have a smartphone platform or operating system, but Mayer said she had no partnerships to announce today.
Next, a content question about what maximizes the value of Yahoo. Mayer noted she was on the side of content partnerships, rather than Yahoo making its own original programming, a debate that has gone on at the company since the dawn of time.
A video sales question. I was flagging here. Where is Kevin Spacey when you need him!?! Also, that Yahoo mug seems to have grown larger as the earnings cavalcade of details has continued. Could it have hurt to have a giant purple Yahoo exclamation point dance across the stage at this point?
Next, a question about Tumblr and the immersive search experience. Mayer, who is a search expert from her time as an exec at Google, went all wonk here, reeling off numbers. But changes to improve Yahoo's declining business here is not baked yet, she concluded.
Mayer, who never lacks for aggressively cute gimmicks, finally closed by doing the Summly version of the Q2 report, as she had in a previous quarter. But, if truth be told, her hour-long show was much more entertaining.
"We hope you have enjoyed our video presentation," said Mayer, delivering the line like a pro. Unfortunately, Goldman was not paying attention to the last cue, but quickly piped up, after a sharp sideways glance from his boss, like a digital update of Ed McMahon.
Hiyo, if you will, for the Internet age.
Tagged with: accent, acquisition, advertising, Alibaba Group, Americas, analyst, anniversary, Apple, asset, audio, balance sheet, broadcast, bug, call, camera, cash, chain reaction of growth, China, click, comScore, content, desk, disclaimer, display, earnings, Ed McMahon, employee, entrepreneurial, exclamation point, experience, Google, growth, guidance, Henrique De Castro, Hiyo, House of Cards, income, international, investment, investor, Ken Goldman, Kevin Spacey, legal, link, Live, M&A, Microsoft, morale, native ad, Netflix, network, New England, news, non-GAAP, operating, operating system, page view, paid, partnership, platform, press release, price per click, programming, property, pundit, purple, Q&A, Q2, question, red light, Reed Hastings, reorg, report, revenue, Richard Nixon, sales, Sand Hill Road, script, search, securities, Silicon Valley, Slide, smartphone, Sprint, Summly, super-charged, talent, tax, television, Tumblr, usage, VC, vertical, video, Wall Street, Yahoo, Yahoo Finance
December 31, 2013 at 2:00 pm PT
Some of Our Fave D Conference Videos Before AllThingsD Signs Off in 3 … 2 … 1 …
How Can You Miss Us if We Won't Go Away? Paczkowski and Swisher Highlights From AllThingsD.
Viral Video: Even Jerry Seinfeld Has a Drone. What's With That?
The Longish Goodbye: Highlights From AllThingsD Staffers Johnson, Del Rey and Cha
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The problem with the Billionaire Savior phase of the newspaper collapse has always been that billionaires don't tend to like the kind of authority-questioning journalism that upsets the status quo.
— Ryan Chittum, writing in the Columbia Journalism Review about the promise of Pierre Omidyar's new media venture with Glenn Greenwald


Having seen Dairy Art Centre, it's time to have a rest at this cafe. Enjoy Vegetarian cuisine at Alara. Perfectly cooked salads have an appetizing taste. Good coffee, juice or smoothies are waiting for you at this place.
The efficient staff works hard, stays positive and makes this place wonderful. The terrific service shows a high level of quality at this spot. Prices here are reported to be attractive. This cafe has received 4.5 on the TripAdvisor site.
I loved it. All the offers.


You may easily update your email address information from the "My Account" page.
Sign into the My Account page using your old email address and password.
Under "My Account" click on "edit" next to your old email address.
Follow the prompts and click the "Submit" button.
Your email address will be immediately updated and you will receive an email verifying the change.


Iolo Antivirus, personal firewall or Internet security suite uses the Authentium's SDK (software development kit). You should not attempt to remove any entries for Authentium if you choose to keep Iolo healthy on your computer. If you uninstall Iolo, Authentium will be removed completely.
If you need further assistance with any Iolo products, contact their technical support.


A memorial to law enforcement and public safety personnel killed in the line of duty was dedicated Saturday morning outside the Buncombe County Courthouse. The memorial is an 8-ton piece of granite featuring plaques with the names of the dead. On a blustery, chilly morning, Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore and a host of police and fire officials, with help from the Patriot Guard Riders, held a ceremony to mark the event. The dedication was held on the fifth anniversary of the death of Jeff Hewitt, a Buncombe County Sheriff's Department deputy shot and killed while trying to serve papers on a mentally ill suspect. Hewitt's widow was in attendance, as were a number of other family members. The playing of Taps and a the firing of three rifle volleys ended the solemn event.


I have always believed that art should illicit an emotion. Joy, sorrow, love, happiness, introspection; even fear, disgust, or hurt. What makes us human is to feel.
My art is inspired by the good, the bad, and the ugly. The old masters, as well as contemporary painters. By the natural world, and by human nature. I work directly from life as much as possible.
Art is about our life experiences. It draws upon the beautiful and the not so beautiful. Art is a celebration of what it means to be human.


Crookedwood 3-21 Southern Gaels 0-16. The Athlone men were the visitors for our 1st division 3 game of the year, and our second string didn't disappoint in the scoring stakes. After a sluggish start (apart from a well taken goal from Adam Bate in the 1st minute) and playing against the wind, scores were hard to come by for us. The Gaels scored four minors in a row to take the lead and our first point after fourteen minutes levelled the game. Two more points gave the visitors the lead but a burst of scoring in the last ten minutes of the half yielded 1-8 without reply (a brilliant ground strike goal from Enda Murray) to give us a commanding 2-9 to 0-6 half-time lead. Both teams traded two points apiece in the first ten minutes of the second half before a cracking goal from super sub Ger Brennan ended the game as a contest. However, the visitors to their credit hurled up until the final whistle and both teams added good points to the scoreboard during the remainder of the game. This was a good team performance and every man played his part, a score of 3-14 from play from ten different players underlines this team's potential. Team; Adam Mitchell, Kevin Orme (0-1), Damien Grifferty, Mossy Brennan, John Kiernan, Antoin Savage (0-2), Ciaran Bawle (0-4), Eddie Nally, Adam Bate (1-1), Brendan McCarthy (0-3), Ian McGovern (0-2), Simon McCarthy (0-1), Richie Crowley, Enda Murray (1-2), Ciarán McGovern (0-1). Subs; Noel Yourell for E.Nally (inj), Ger Brennan (1-2) for Richie Crowley, Aron Orme for K.Orme.
We are holding an Auction in April in our GAA grounds. Anyone that would like to donate anything can contact any committee member, or if anyone would like us to auction anything for them that can also be arranged.
Well done to the Westmeath footballers and their backroom team on their victory in the Division 3 final. Crookedwood hurler Ronan Wallace played a pivotal role in the league win and promotion to Division 2. Congrats also to Multy men Anthony McGivney and Ciaran Madden who were part of the panel also.


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Igbaras (Filipino: Bayan ng Igbaras, Hiligaynon: Sangguniang Bayan Igbaras) ist eine Großraumgemeinde in der Provinz Iloilo auf der Insel Panay auf den Philippinen. Sie hat  Einwohner (Zensus ), die in 46 Barangays leben. Sie gehört zur ersten Einkommensklasse der Gemeinden auf den Philippinen und wird als teilweise urban beschrieben.

Igbaras liegt im Inland der Insel Panay, die Hauptstadt der Provinz, Iloilo City, liegt ca. 33 km östlich der Gemeinde und ist von dort mit dem Bus oder Jeepney zu erreichen. Die Nachbargemeinden sind Sibalom im Westen, Miagao im Südwesten, Tubungan im Nordosten und Guimbal im Süden. Die Topographie der Gemeinde wird bestimmt von einer sanfthügeligen Landschaft, die im Norden in die Central-Panay-Berge übergeht.

Barangays

Weblinks

Iloilo
Ort auf den Philippinen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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3.0L AMG C 43 4MATIC PREMIUM PLUS 4d AUTO 362 BHP
Representative Examples - PCP subject to an annual mileage, excess mileage fees may apply.
PCP £29950.00 £1497.00 £28453.00 £38338.36 £0.00 £0.00 10.9% P.A. 10.9% APR 49 mths £560.07 £560.07 x 47 £9958.00 Apply
2.1 C 250 D AMG LINE PREMIUM PLUS 2d 201 BHP
2.1 C220 D AMG LINE PREMIUM PLUS 5d 170 BHP
PCP £19900.00 £995.00 £18905.00 £25934.00 £0.00 £0.00 10.9% P.A. 10.9% APR 49 mths £332.75 £332.75 x 47 £8967.00 Apply
HP £19900.00 £995.00 £18905.00 £25317.00 £0.00 £10.00 10.9% P.A. 10.9% APR 60 mths £405.20 £405.20 x 58 £415.20 Apply
Other Mercedes-Benz cars in Stockport
Used Mercedes-Benz Cla
Used Mercedes-Benz SL
Used Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars in Stockport
Get the best deal on a used Mercedes-Benz C-Class car for sale in Stockport by making your way to Abbey Vehicle Solutions today. You will find every available model listed here on the website, and as all our stock is competitively priced you should have no problem sourcing a pre-owned Mercedes-Benz to suit your budget. Take the opportunity to browse our current range online before contacting a member of the showroom team to find out more. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to answer any questions and provide advice and guidance when necessary. Alternatively, why not pay a visit to our showroom in person and take a closer look at the selection of used Mercedes-Benz C-Class models for sale.


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Websites that rely on anonymity present many dangers
February 10, 2010 — by Denise Lin and Kim Tsai
omegle.png
Sure, the Internet is convenient. Sure, it's fun, practical, and entertaining. However, its ability to be dangerous is no secret, thanks to the multitude of sketchy strangers lurking online.
Sure, the Internet is convenient. Sure, it's fun, practical, and entertaining. However, its ability to be dangerous is no secret, thanks to the multitude of sketchy strangers lurking online.
One emerging site, Omegle, created by 18-year-old Leif K-Brooks last year in Brattleboro, Vt., allows people to anonymously have a one-on-one chat session with a complete stranger. Since March 2009, it has gathered a great number users, although it may not be one of the leading websites just yet. Although the users are completely anonymous and either person can exit at any time, the site poses some serious issues, especially for teens and preteens. First and foremost, Omegle gives not-so-well-meaning strangers a free-for-all.
K-Brook's original purpose for creating the website was to allow people to talk to people they normally would not associate themselves with, all in an anonymous environment. Ironically, the anonymous aspect of the site, which supposedly should protect users, tends to expose them to danger. Everyone, including harrassers, is anonymous, and when users don't need to worry about their behavior on a site, they are more likely to abuse it. Common Sense Media, an Internet safety blog, voiced concerns of how it seemed that "there are lots of boys here— or men pretending to be boys— on the prowl."
Besides subjecting users to harrassment, the site could also desensitize children and teens toward "stranger danger" and lead to serious, real-life safety problems. The same goes for other "stranger chat" websites such as Getting Random and Iddin.
There exists further escalation within stranger chat; for example, a website, Chatroulette, demonstrates what using Omegle could turn into. The site pairs strangers up anonymously but also allows them to use text, webcams and microphones. This provides another setting for ill-meaning strangers to do as they please, and the additional features elevate the chances of being exposed to profanity or unpleasant imagery. Chatroulette also enforces the growing impersonalization of human contact in this day and age. When a user is paired up with a stranger, he or she can either stay and have a conversation, or literally click "next" to disconnect with the first stranger, and be paired with a new one.
A writer for New York Magazine called Chatroulette "brutal," and recalled how "the first 18 people who saw me disconnected immediately." This virtual slap in the face may be relatively tolerable for some, the Internet equivalent of being picked last during dodgeball in physical education, but to others, it could be a blow to their self-esteem.
Back in the day, when everything was face-to-face or when people used phones for calls and not texts, people were honest and less capable of lying. With new, desensitized advancements in communication, it is easy to make up a story and have someone believe it. And with the addition of sites such as Omegle and Chatroulette, it takes little effort for an online predator to find a victim.
It must also be considered that anonymous chat sites and such could also encourage online predators and pedophiles. With no real way to catch these criminals when they are anonymous, children become easy prey. At a young age, children will not be able to distinguish right from wrong and may even end up visiting their "13 year-old friend." Anonymous sites should definitely be used with caution and under no circumstances should they be available to children under 16 years of age.
Using the Internet, it's suddenly easy to make fake accounts and pretend to be just about anyone. Websites often give users a chance to be anonymous these days. With this in mind, it can become very hard to catch people if they are breaking laws. True, anonymity could allow people to learn about different cultures with sites such as Omegle, and it may provide closure and privacy, but it can also cause increased harassment and fabrications.
The Web has been a growing cause for concern over the years and justifiably so. The anonymity of the Internet brings an output of both thoughtful and harmful comments. It is ultimately up to each individual—and all parents—to be careful in this dangerous new world.


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What You Should Know Before Moving into the Cloud
By Prashant Agrawal, Sr. Project Manager, MindTree Limited , 02/11/2010
As with most relatively new paradigms, cloud computing is more of an evolution rather than a revolution. Cloud computing as a concept came of age as the Internet, service oriented architecture (SOA) and virtualization converged.
What distinguishes cloud computing from earlier paradigms is that capabilities are delivered "as a service," services are delivered in a highly scalable and elastic fashion, Internet technologies and techniques to develop and deliver the services, and services are designed for delivery to external customers.
With "service" being one of the key characteristics, SOA plays a key role in developing applications on cloud computing platforms. SOA provides a set of principles to ensure application architecture packages functionality as a set of interoperable services. Focusing on loose coupling, SOA allows services running on any platform/operating systems to communicate and interact with each other.
Cloud computing has been defined with three service layers –- Software as a Service, or SaaS, Platform as a Service, or PaaS, and Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS.
Apart from the business challenges (like cost benefit, existing investments, etc.), there are many other challenges in developing on or migrating to cloud. Challenges with cloud computing include the following:
Security: Consumers of cloud computing platform need to consider issues around application security, data security, and compliance and regulatory needs (PCI, SOX, SAS 70 etc).
Management and monitoring: Due to lack of control on the virtual infrastructure (especially in Platform as a Service PaaS scenarios), application architecture itself should have provisions to provide better control to administrators on various management aspects.
Scale-out architecture: Existing business applications have focused on "scale-up" architecture instead of "scale-out" architecture. Scale-out architecture typically exists in most of the Web applications. However, computationally complex tasks and massive data processing may need re-architecting using distributed processing.
Bandwidth/latency: The scalable nature of platform can clock up bandwidth usage considerably -– if allowed to scale unchecked. Similarly, due to remote location, latency needs to be factored into business use cases and application architecture & design.
Integration: Applications running in the cloud will require integration with applications running on-premise and other applications in the Cloud. A robust integration platform needs to be designed to facilitate this. SOA plays a critical role in minimizing integration challenges.
Data Migration: Cloud computing platforms offer highly scalable Distributed File Systems (Amazon S3, Azure Storage, Google AppEngine Datastore) as primary data store. Data Migration from RDBMS to a DFS needs to be factored into the design.
Lock-in: At this stage, there are no open standards that exist which will facilitate the migration from one cloud provider to another. There are some initiatives around this like the "Open Cloud Manifesto."
The new frontier for life sciences & beyond: Specializing HPC clusters in the cloud: Part 2
Disaster recovery virtualization vs. cloud
Five Imperatives for Extreme Data Protection in Virtualized Environments
Concepts and Considerations in Highly Available Data Storage Design
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