text:
Singapore Weather Forecast
Singapore Current weather report
Singapore Payalebar Singapore Singapore / Seleta
Today's weather is turning out to be moderate or heavy rain shower. The visibility is going to be around 10 km i.e. 5 miles and an atmospheric pressure of 1011 mb . The daytime temperature is going to reach 30 °c and the temperature is going to dip to 27 °c at night. We expect around 1.6 mm of precipitation to fall and cloud covering 54% of the sky, the humidity will be around 78%.
Tomorrow weather is forecasted to be moderate or heavy rain shower. The visibility is going to be around 10 km i.e. 6 miles and an atmospheric pressure of 1010 mb. The daytime temperature is going to reach 30 °c and the temperature is going to dip to 26 °c at night. We expect around 3.2 mm of precipitation to fall and cloud covering 51% of the sky, the humidity will be around 79%.
On Friday weather will be partly cloudy with daytime temperature reaching 30 °c. Night time temperature are expected to be 26 °c.It will be dry with no precipitation. The visibility is going to be around 10 km i.e. 6 miles and an atmospheric pressure of 1010 mb. It will be dry with no precipitation and cloud covering 32% of the sky, the humidity will be around 76%.
Saturday seems to be partly cloudy. Singapore, Singapore visibility is going to be around 10 km i.e. 6 miles and an atmospheric pressure of 1010 mb. The daytime temperature is going to reach 29 °c and the temperature is going to dip to 26 °c at night. It will be dry with no precipitation and cloud covering 34% of the sky, the humidity will be around 76%.
Partly cloudy will be the weather pattern for the Sunday. The visibility is going to be around 10 km i.e. 6 miles and an atmospheric pressure of 1009 mb. The daytime temperature is going to reach 29 °c and the temperature is going to dip to 25 °c at night. It will be mostly dry with little or no precipitation and cloud covering 30% of the sky, the humidity will be around 75%.
Weekly Weather Report for Singapore, Singapore
Looking at the weather in Singapore, Singapore over the next 7 days, the maximum temperature will be 30℃ (or 86℉) on Wednesday 22nd January at around 2 pm. In the same week the minimum temperature will be 25℃ (or 78℉) on Sunday 26th January at around 5 am.
The national weather service for Singapore, Singapore is reporting Monday 27th January to be the wettest day in the coming week with around 2.90mm (or 0.1 inches) of rainfall. Make sure to carry an umbrella if you are out and about in Singapore, Singapore.
The windiest of all days will be Friday 24th January as wind will reach 16mph (or 26kmph) at around 5 pm.
Singapore Weather Video
Singapore Today, Tomorrow and next 14 day Weather Forecast
10 Day Weather Forecast Singapore
No moonset
HOLIDAY WEATHER Singapore
Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with that is always hot and humid with lot of rains. Temperatures during day time drift continuously around 30°C, while night time temperature drops below 23°C and the high humidity makes this uncomfortable; tropical conditions take some time to acclimatise to. Most rain falls during the northeast monsoon that is the time from November to January. Singapore weather is not mostly sunny due to the regular rainfall and cloudy conditions which are caused by pollution and smoke.
With almost no seasonal differences Singapore experiences a tropical rainforest climate, which remains hot, humid always. During the day temperatures usually stands 30°C, while nighttime temperature hardly falls below 23°C. Because of the latitudinal position, as the city sits almost on the equator, it hardly experiences different seasons. Generally the city is subject to two different monsoon seasons with middle pre-monsoon periods of slightly reduced rainfall.
Pre-Southwest Monsoon Season
From March till May Singapore sees the pre-southwest monsoon season, throughout which it goes through heavy early evening showers. It is not considered a good time to visit the city during this season. However, as the season progresses the level of rainfall and humidity reduce dramatically and winds appear less strong.
Southwest Monsoon Season
June till September is the period of Southwest Monsoon Season for the Singapore city. Visitors from across the world wait for this season to visit the city as rainfall reduces. However, the winds often become very strong in the mornings and mist is most likely at this time of year.
Pre-Northeast Monsoon Season
October and November are considered as pre-northeast monsoon season in Singapore. During this season, cool sea breeze helps reduce the afternoon heat. Although storms often occur in the evening but winds generally remain reduced.
Northeast Monsoon Season
Northeast monsoon season starts in December and lasts till March in Singapore. From the northeast strong winds bring the heaviest rain of the year. Although mornings remain clear cloudy conditions triumphs most the days. Nonstop showers for several days may spoil tourists' plan. During January and February winds appear as violent, even the worst.
Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia and is one of the world's most prosperous countries. Singapore is a modern, wealthy city with a mixture of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate, with delicious food, good shopping and exciting nightlife. Singapore is also the world's busiest port and this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.
Singapore is a modern city which embraces economic progress against the old tradition. Among the different attractive spots you can visit the Empress Place Building and the luxurious Raffles Hotel. Although most of old Singapore has been demolished, many major landmarks within the Colonial district have been preserved. In Singapore, you will also find some interesting places like the ethnic enclaves of Little India, Chinatown and the Arab Quarters which provide glimpses into the traditions.
Singapore is an excellent place where you can enjoy your food and shopping. Singaporean food is renowned worldwide, with lively hawker centres and 24-hour coffee shops offering cheap food from all parts of Asia. You can have your shopping in the shopping meccas like Orchard Road and Suntec City. Two casino complexes opened recently in Sentosa and Marina Bay as part of Singapore's new Fun and Entertainment drive which attract visitors around the world.
When to visit Singapore?
You will find Singapore weather hot and humid whatever time of year you visit. However, some months may not be as warm as others, but in general they are all pretty hot. So you can go for your holiday in Singapore any time of the year. The best time to visit Singapore may be during the Northeast monsoon (November to early March) when the temperatures cool a little compared to the rest of the year.
What to pack for Singapore?
Singapore is easy-going for dress standards in most cases. However, if you're going somewhere decent, dress appropriately and remember that shorts on middle-aged men look a little odd in Singapore. Women should show some sort of modesty and should not flash their baps in public. Also remember to take a light jacket or cardigan while going to the restaurants and the malls as most of them are kept air-conditioned.
Singapore, Singapore Yearly Monthly Climate Weather Averages
Please also visit Singapore Historical Weather, Weather widget and Weather Charts pages. Historical or past weather forecast page provides historical weather forecast from 1st July, 2008 till now in 3 hourly interval. Text weather page will allow you to get a weather text summary for next 14 days and weather chart page displays weather pattern like temperature, wind speed, gust, pressure, etc. in graphical mode for next 14 days. We hope you like it.
| Singapore |
Looking to buy past/historical weather for Singapore, please visit Buy Historical Weather Data section.
Paya Lebar Airport
Seletar Airport
Padang Cricket Ground, Singapore
Kallang Ground, Singapore
Sentosa Golf Club
Tanah Merah Country Club, Garden Course, Singapore
Singapore Sports Council
National Stadium 2, Young Lions U-23


Blank inside so it can be used for a variety of occasions, or keep for yourself as a beautiful reminder of future blessings!
This 5x7 greeting card is beautiful enhanced with pearl-colored card paper and a handsome glossy finish. It makes a beautiful print for framing!


Endeavor UAE is proud to announce that Kim Thompson & Matt Toogood of RAW Coffee Company were selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs at the 68th International Selection Panel ("ISP"), which was held in Palo Alto, California from December 7th to 9th. Kim & Matt join Endeavor UAE's growing portfolio now composed of 25 entrepreneurs from 17 companies. The ISP is the last selection stage to the Endeavor process, where the UAE-based entrepreneurs join a total of 37 high-impact entrepreneurs representing 20 companies from 13 countries, who were also selected at this panel.
The ISP is the culmination of a rigorous multi-step selection process to identify innovative and driven entrepreneurs who are committed to advancing an ecosystem of entrepreneurship. At the event, panelists from around the world interviewed entrepreneur candidates about their businesses, evaluating them on their potential for high-impact growth, and then deliberated on which candidates should be selected to become Endeavor Entrepreneurs. Once selected, Endeavor Entrepreneurs gain access to comprehensive customized services, including introductions to local and international business mentors and volunteers from Fortune 500 consulting firms who will help them address key needs.
The UAE's first roastery to offer 100% organic and fair-trade coffee, Raw is trailblazing the "Third Wave" specialty coffee movement in the Middle East. The company sources and roasts Grade 1 specialty beans from around the world to produce five premium blends and fifteen single origin coffee strains. Through an efficient logistics operation, the company delivers its coffee to commercial cafes and restaurants weekly to ensure freshness. As an end-to-end solution, Raw supports the sale of coffee beans through the provision of hands-on barista training, customer service, equipment and maintenance to ensure raw perfection in every cup.
Endeavor's board members in the UAE, mentors, and staff have been actively engaged with helping high-impact entrepreneurs strive to reach and surpass their current potential. Endeavor UAE aims to create a cultural impact on the ecosystem by providing more opportunities and innovation for fledgling entrepreneurs.
Endeavor has announced 2017 ISPs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (February 20-22), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (March 15-17), London, United Kingdom (May 15-17), Lima, Peru (June 28-30), Beirut, Lebanon (24-26), New York City, United States (September 13-15), Istanbul, Turkey (October 23-25), and Miami, United States (December 11-13).
For more information on Endeavor UAE or to nominate entrepreneurs, please visit http://www.endeavoruae.org.


Katten has a long and distinguished history of advising entrepreneurs. In fact, we began representing some of our most successful and significant clients when they were young, entrepreneurial businesses. Our Entrepreneurial Ventures team counsels innovative, high-growth companies and their investors through all stages of the corporate life cycle—from initial organization and funding through follow-on financing rounds, transformational merger and acquisition transactions, and liquidity events. We are particularly focused on technology-driven businesses and we are experienced in the health care, financial services, sports and entertainment industries.
Katten helps entrepreneurs launch transformational companies and supports them as they grow. Our Entrepreneurial Ventures team assists emerging businesses across the spectrum of their legal needs, advising on the best form of business entity for the enterprise, governance and management, and all types of business transactions and operational issues. Innovative technology businesses turn to us to address the challenges they face in seeking funding, protecting intellectual property, recruiting and retaining talented employees, and developing sales channels.
We create efficiencies through the use of high-quality precedent documents for initial funding rounds, protecting confidentiality and ownership rights, and implementing employment and compensation agreements. Our attorneys structure transactions focused on providing flexibility when determining a proper exit strategy, including initial public offerings, refinancings, and taxable and tax-free sales.
Clients benefit from our deep experience with private equity and venture capital sponsors and diverse transactional history. We leverage Katten's relationships with entrepreneurs and investors to connect clients with potential customers, partners and investors, and uncover solutions to their unique business issues. The firm helped establish Chicago's 1871, one of the most ambitious incubator projects in the country. Home to more than 400 tech start-up companies, 1871 is where Chicago's brightest digital designers, engineers and entrepreneurs are shaping new technologies.
Our knowledge, deal experience, industry understanding and relationships allow us to offer emerging companies options—not restrictions—to plan effectively for the future.
Representation of private equity firm 4CGE in its cross-border investment in Lungpacer Medical, a clinical-stage medical device company pioneering the development of neurostimulation systems designed to preserve the integrity and strength of the diaphragm muscle and reduce complications in critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation.
Chief outside counsel to the owner of one of the top-selling liqueurs in the United States; Katten is negotiating and documenting promotional agreements, from smaller events and deals to promotions benefiting charitable organizations (including the Lone Survivor Foundation) and high-profile sponsorships with the Chicago Cubs, Andretti racing for the Indy 500, and the BNP Paribas Open. We also coordinate trademark enforcement and litigation including oppositions before the USPTO and abroad, district court litigation, and domestic and international co-existence agreements; and advise regarding a variety of product licensing matters, such as negotiating and documenting the client's licensing agent agreement and first product license agreement.
Representation of the venture capital arm of one of the United States' leading competitive energy providers in more than 20 investments in innovative clean energy companies, including a sodium ion battery manufacturer, one of the world's largest networks of EV charging stations, a leading provider of demand-management software services, a provider of energy storage solutions and an enterprise energy manager.
Representation of a leading digital agency and IT consultancy in connection with a growth equity investment and recapitalization by a private equity firm.
Representation of a Los Angeles-based IT services company focused primarily on cloud-based migration and deployment for Google and Microsoft commercial customers in a variety of contract- and capital-related matters.
Representation of a technology and data company seeking to revolutionize food labeling regarding agreements—negotiated in parallel but independently—with an American grocery chain whereby Katten's client will provide food data and related services in connection with the launch of a new grocery store model, and the grocery chain will be the co-lead investor in an initial $1.6 million funding round for Katten's client. This is both a key funding event for the client and a key client relationship.
Representation of a global logistics service company in a $25 million investment in a US-based online shipping marketplace and digital platform.
Representation of a digital sports and entertainment media company in connection with a joint venture.
Representation of a biopharmaceutical company with a focus on the treatment of patients with rare and debilitating dermatologic and head and neck conditions in connection with its receipt of a $48 million investment from affiliates of Fidelity Investments.
Representation of a SaaS startup that helps companies automate business processes across workflows and teams in raising $11.1 million in equity funding.
Representation of a private equity firm in leading a Series A investment round in a New York-based producer of eco-friendly beauty products.
Representation of the developer of a 3-D imaging app in a bridge financing round for the company and in establishing an equity incentive plan and issuing employee equity.
Representation of a maker of sales software in a wide range of areas, such as intellectual property, including obtaining patents; capital raising; corporate matters with respect to the client's debt facility; employee benefits and equity compensation.
Representation of a start-up medical device manufacturer in two equity financings and a joint venture with a medical device distribution company to form a software development entity. Katten also advises the client with respect to option grants, executive employee compensation and employment-related issues, general corporate matters and trademark issues.
Representation of a leading VC firm in Series A fundings of a hiring automation software company, a restaurant ticketing company and a parent-to-parent marketplace for secondhand children's apparel.
Representation of a provider of leapfrog DiDi and engagement capabilities in connection with its next-generation Internet chat projects, including the drafting and prosecution of domestic and international patent applications.
growth equity financing transactions with institutional investors and other strategic high-net-worth investors.
Representation of a venture-backed, vendor resource management company in connection with its formation, five rounds of venture financing and its sale to a private equity fund for $220 million.
Representation of a leading social media management company for luxury hotels and travel destinations in connection with organization and multiple equity financing rounds.
Representation of a new PACE administrator in connection with $5 million Series B funding and $75 million subordinated debt facility.


"MERCURY" series of Hydro-Pneumatic Presses combines the advantages of efficient, low cost pneumatics, to achieve the large output forces associated with hydraulics. The system operates on normal compressed air pressure of 5 bar, using standard pneumatic controls, thus completely eliminating the use of an expensive hydraulic power pack and associated control equipment.
Typical applications include Riveting, Blanking, Shaft straightening, Forming, Clamping, Stamping etc. to name a few.
Mercury Hydro-Pneumatic Presses are ideal for any application requiring pressing force ranging from 0.4 tonnes to 45 tonnes and are available in 2 cloumn, 4 column, C-frame and compact C-frame types.
Mercury has launched its new and improved Series " A" Hydro Pneumatic presses in the Indian and International market. Due to its Aluminium body design, it is now lighter in weight and has magnetic sensors incorporated for Low oil level sensing as well as approach stroke sensing.The flexibility of the system has increased in addition to the aesthetics and surface finish. Internal improvements not only double the life of the seals but also save a lot of compressed air in the higher tonnage models.
Very low air consumption, resulting in energy saving of upto 80% over equivalent pneumatic cylinders and 50% over equivalents hydraulic systems.
Compact cylinder design which can be mounted in any position.
Force and speed can be infinitely adjusted.
Rapid approach and return stroke.
Absolute separation of air and oil chambers.
Low oil level sensing unit.


We have analyzed a hypothetical scenario for hierarchical wireless vehicle networks consisting of a central portal and a large number of vehicles. Vehicles join the network, establish connections to the portal, transfer data, and then leave the network. An efficient approach to provide authentication between a vehicle and the portal is to use the same preestablished symmetric link key for multiple occasions instead of performing a rigorous key agreement for every new occasion. However, since the same key is used for extended periods of time, the risk of cryptanalysis and offline bruteforcing of the link key increases. Therefore, there is a need to establish new keys between the portal and the vehicles (rekeying) in a secure and efficient manner. Moreover, to provide authenticity of the portal, the portal has a public and private key pair, and the public key is preinstalled in the vehicles. To reduce the risk of cryptanalysis of the private key of the portal, the public and private key pair of the portal must also be rekeyed. In this paper, we propose low-cost key management protocols for rekeying of the link keys and the public/private key pair of the portal.


text:
Q: Getting error while running buildout for Setting Plumi and Zope Server on Linux using command "python3 bootstrap.py -c production.cfg" I was installing Plumi for creating a production site. after installing plumi.app i faced below error whie running buildout using command : python3 bootstrap.py -c production.cfg
Note:: Zope is installed and zope user is added..
The ERROR IS BELOW::enter image description here
root@Saif:/home/plumi.app# /bin/python3 bootstrap.py && ./bin/buildout -v
ez_setup.py is deprecated and when using it setuptools will be pinned to 33.1.1 since it's the last version that supports setuptools self upgrade/installation, check https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/issues/581 for more info; use pip to install setuptools
Downloading https://pypi.io/packages/source/s/setuptools/setuptools-33.1.1.zip
Extracting in /tmp/tmpvwkpnumd
Now working in /tmp/tmpvwkpnumd/setuptools-33.1.1
Building a Setuptools egg in /tmp/tmpgfkbh3om
warning: no files found matching '*' under directory 'setuptools/_vendor'
/tmp/tmpgfkbh3om/setuptools-33.1.1-py3.8.egg
Couldn't find index page for 'zc.buildout' (maybe misspelled?)
Couldn't find index page for 'zc.buildout' (maybe misspelled?)
No local packages or working download links found for zc.buildout
error: Could not find suitable distribution for Requirement.parse('zc.buildout')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "bootstrap.py", line 171, in <module>
    raise Exception(
Exception: Failed to execute command:
'/bin/python3', '-c', 'from setuptools.command.easy_install import main; main()', '-mZqNxd', '/tmp/tmpgfkbh3om', 'zc.buildout'
root@Saif:/home/plumi.app# ^C
root@Saif:/home/plumi.app# python3 bootstrap.py -c production.cfg
ez_setup.py is deprecated and when using it setuptools will be pinned to 33.1.1 since it's the last version that supports setuptools self upgrade/installation, check https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/issues/581 for more info; use pip to install setuptools
Downloading https://pypi.io/packages/source/s/setuptools/setuptools-33.1.1.zip
Extracting in /tmp/tmp6dqehae9
Now working in /tmp/tmp6dqehae9/setuptools-33.1.1
Building a Setuptools egg in /tmp/tmpdja0839z
warning: no files found matching '*' under directory 'setuptools/_vendor'
/tmp/tmpdja0839z/setuptools-33.1.1-py3.8.egg
Couldn't find index page for 'zc.buildout' (maybe misspelled?)
Couldn't find index page for 'zc.buildout' (maybe misspelled?)
No local packages or working download links found for zc.buildout
error: Could not find suitable distribution for Requirement.parse('zc.buildout')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "bootstrap.py", line 171, in <module>
    raise Exception(
Exception: Failed to execute command:
'/usr/bin/python3', '-c', 'from setuptools.command.easy_install import main; main()', '-mZqNxd', '/tmp/tmpdja0839z', 'zc.buildout'

A: warning: no files found matching '*' under directory 'setuptools/_vendor'

I found out that setuptools version 33.1.1 doesn't have vendor folder.
https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/tree/v33.1.1/setuptools

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The following workflow uses Alma Publishing Profiles to set up monthly scheduled publishing jobs.
In order to use this blog post, you should have an understanding of publishing profiles, creating and managing logical sets, and of Alma S/FTP definitions.
One will be for physical materials. The other will be for electronic materials.
These publishing profiles will be based on Logical Sets.
Set up your publishing profiles with enrichment as shown below. You can choose whichever MARC field you want to use for the item data. The Alliance will need to know which field you have chosen to use and what subfields you are sending over to them. They will have you fill out a spreadsheet with this information.
I will first show you the publishing profile screenshots, then show you screenshots of our sets. This is all quite straightforward.
Staff at the Alliance can assist you in setting up your S/FTP configuration. See the bottom of this blog post for our configuration, which you can use as an example.
Note that we have added a unique file name prefix. When the file is uploaded it is sent with a "_new" ending to the filename.
The above includes our base URL. You will need to know your base URL. Do not use the one you see above!
File naming is as the Electronic.
Once your profiles are set up and working, and you have uploaded your file(s), the system will need to index your data. This can take a while. Once that is done, you should be able to use the Comparison facility to generate really cool reports!
Please work with the Alliance to configure your S/FTP settings. Below is an example you can follow of our settings. Yours may be different.


text:
"Dreaming" Sheet Music
This sheet music is for the song "Dreaming." Earl Carroll wrote the lyrics to the song and Archibald Joyce composed the music. Leo Feist Inc. of New York City published this sheet music in 1915. Miss Kitty Gordon introduced the song to America in Oliver Morosco's musical comedy "Pretty Mrs. Smith." The cover has an illustration of a young woman clutching her pearls to her chest.
Leo Feist, Inc.
ink (overall material)
overall: 13 3/4 in x 10 1/2 in; 34.925 cm x 26.67 cm
Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
California: Dining
San Francisco Lounges
By mixtress,
March 2, 2006 in California: Dining
ludja
Location:Burque
Finally got to range for cocktails and dinner last night, and have to say they did not disappoint.
I had a delicious "1794" (Old Overholt, Cinzano, Campari, flamed orange twist) and my wife had their cocktail of the day, the refreshing "Peach Bum" (Muddled Peach Leaves(!), Santa Teresa Rum, Lemon, Blenheim Ginger Ale).
The food was good, too...
I went there a week ago and order this same drink; it was excellent. One of my friends had a ginger-based (I think vodka) cocktail that was very good. I was also intrigued by a special cocktail they were offering that day that included elderberry flower syrup... but we only had one drink before dinner. The bar has about ~ 12 bar stools.
(I enjoyed the food there as well and would go back.)
"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."
-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"
freshherbs
Special kundo's for anyone who can name who the big 4 were.
i know they were railroad guys. i am assuming huntington was one and, if memory serves, i think Mark Hopkins (who also has a hotel named after him was as well). as for the other two...you got me
Leland Stanford is one of the four, no?
To get the other two, think bank and university.
There used to be a French restaurant in the Huntington that had a bar with leopard skin banquettes and a piano player in a tux with slicked back hair, playing Cole Porter. It was an interesting place, but I can't remember the name.
Dave Hatfield
Location:Rural France
Think Carlbad's got it!
Now all I have to do is figure out what a kudo is.
Guess I can offer 4 Big microseconds of fame.
As for the rest of you keep trying.
AKA Yank,
http://www.frenchfoodfocus.com/
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/104472-egfoodblog-dave-hatfield/
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143664-eg-foodblog-dave-hatfield-la-france-profonde/
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145926-eg-foodblog-dave-hatfield-a-food-adventure/
eje
Location:San Francisco, CA
I'd like to second cocktailgeek's recommendation of Rye.
Got there tonight, and had some of the most outstanding and well made coctails I've had recently in the city.
If there was a way I could just drink Velvet Cane cocktails, (10 cane, lime, tangerine, orgeat, egg white, angostura,) as an exclusive beverage for the rest of my life, I might just do it...
Mmmm...
And next month's drink challenge is Plymouth Gin!
Erik Ellestad
If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...
Bernal Heights, SF, CA
johnder
Location:Brooklyn, NY
I am out visting the Bay Area and heading to this place tomorrow around 8. I was on the edge up until hearing this from Erik but seeing the description of the drink below, I am so there.. Looks mighty tasty.
John Deragon
foodblog 1 / 2
I feel sorry for people that don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day -- Dean Martin
BTW, the Plymouth thing I was talking about: Rye has a monthly competition where they ask bartenders to create orginal cocktails. The cocktails are then judged, and if they win, featured on the menu with credit to the bartender who created them.
The cocktail I enjoyed so much, The Velvet Cane, was one of the winning cocktails in a past competition. It was created by Thomas Waugh.
I also had a great Rye Manhattan made with the younger Sazerac rye. Other cocktails our tabled enjoyed included a Peach Cobbler and a Sazerac (though they did, oddly, make the Sazerac on the rocks).
Scan of Rye Menu
Edited August 13, 2006 by eje (log)
So I stopped by Rye tonight with my wife and had a few drinks there tonight. First impressions are that it is a great space, and they have a great cocktai menu. Unfortunately I think they need to work on the execution a little bit to really make it fire on all cylinders.
I started off with the Velvet Cane which I think has the ingredients to be an awesome drink, except the version I had was very heavy on the bitters -- so much so I couldn't taste anything but the bitters. This in conjuction with the free pouring (instead of measured shots) lead to a slightly one dimensonal drink.
My wife had the Golden Rye Flip, which was a really good drink. I was surprised to see that they didn't mention egg yolk on the menu, as every "flip" drink I know has egg yolk in it. While the drink does have egg yolk in it (pasturized from a carton), it was still surprising not to see it listed on the ingredients.
After that I had a Sazerac with Mitchers Rye and was slightly dismayed to see it being shaken and served in a martini glass. While it is just a detail, a drink of that nature really shines when the execution is there. This was ok, but not super special.
Wife had the Apple Bomb -- pretty great drink. Overall the wife seems to have picked the winners of the evening, and while I was generally happy with the drinks, once the execution of them is stepped up a bit, it will really be an awesome place.
I am leaving to go back to NY tomorrow, but it is safe to say if I lived in the Bay Area I would visit Rye again, and I do think it has the capability to be pretty awesome.
I think just with a little more attention to technique and measuring of the shots will go a long way to really making the drinks sing. Then again, I may just be very spoiled with Milk and Honey, Flatiron and Pegu in New York.
Location:sailing yacht Triton
I haven't seen Slanted Door mentioned in this thread. Though it is quite busy and the restaurant can be noisy, the lounge is nice with great attention to cocktails.
Farallon is also worth a visit.
And Solstice, Kieran Walsh is working hard to produce great drinks to accompany the outstanding food. I look forward to dinner there next weekend and a ti punch before dinner.
Enrico's has dropped their standards a notch or two since Dave Nepove left, but it's still a comfortable place with great music on some nights.
On the other side of the bay, Forbidden Island is also making a mark in their new Tiki bar.
Ministry of Rum.com
The Complete Guide to Rum
When I dream up a better job, I'll take it.
Sorry to hear about your experience!
Well, that's San Francisco for you. Great ideas, poor follow through.
Yeah, it sounds like the bartenders at Rye need training and the recipes and presentations need to be standardized. My wife ordered a Sazerac and hers was served on the rocks in a double old fashioned glass.
I'm going to try to replicate the Velvet Cane I had at Rye. I'll start with something like 2 oz rum, 1/2 oz tangerine, 1/2 oz lime, barspoon orgeat, dash angostura, 1/2 egg white. I have a lot of Rum, but, no 10 Cane. I'll try plain old Flor de Cana white and see how it is. Anyone think the 10 Cane might be critical to the recipe for some reason other than the name?
BTW, Ed, I think the same bartender/consultant who did the drinks menu at the Slanted Door did the drinks at the newly remodeled COCO 500. That also might be worth a try.
slkinsey
Location:New York, New York
Actually, I think it will probably make a big difference. Ten Cane is I guess what you might call a "pseudo rhum agricole." I don't think it has as much of a distinctive agricole character as, say, Ed's rhums do. But it is made with cane juice, and it does have some of that character. If you're going to substitite, I'd use either one of Ed's rhums or maybe Barbancourt from Haiti.
Yah I think some technique and consistancy would go a long way. As I said the space is really awesome, they have a great selection of liquors too. The bartender was really nice and we had a great conversation, so I was a good experience overall. Next time I am back in the Bay Area I will definately check it out again -- hopefully they will get some more processes in place.
I have the La Favorite Blanc; but, I think just the La Favorite on its own might be too funky. Perhaps 1 ounce La Favorite and 1 oz Flor de Cana? The only Barbancourt rum I see around is the Special Reserve. I think that's an aged amber rum.
Well, I will experiment later this week and report back in the thread about reproducing bar drinks.
New Developments:
Woo! Now we've got a speakeasy. Bourbon and Branch is a reservations only establishment, in the manner of New York (and London's) Milk and Honey.
In other news, we will soon have a "Micro-Distillery." Rumor has it the micro-distillery is being opened by the folks who run the fine Magnolia Brew Pub. It will also be in the upper haight and is to be called "The Alembic".
Haven't been to either, yet, so details to follow.
edit - stupid grammar.
Edited September 28, 2006 by eje (log)
Location:Atlanta
I was at Cortez a few weeks ago and the bartender there told me that Todd Smith, the ex-bar manager at Cortez, is one of the people behind Bourbon and Branch. Not sure if he's one of the owners or just working there, but he does make very good drinks.
Janet A. Zimmerman, aka "JAZ"
jzimmerman@eGullet.org
eG Ethics signatory
Author, The Healthy Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Instant Pot Obsession, and The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook for Two
cocktailgeek
Location:San Francisco
True, Todd Smith is a partner in Bourbon & Branch with the guys behind Anu and Swig. There is an extensive cocktail menu, with a heavy emphasis on the classics (lots of bourbon & gin). Like Milk & Honey, there are house rules, which include: "Don't even think about ordering a Cosmo".
Edited September 28, 2006 by cocktailgeek (log)
Marcovaldo Dionysos
Cocktail Geek
cocktailgeek@yahoo.com
Interesting writeup of Bourbon and Branch in SF Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer's blog:
The Price of Experimental Cocktails
Here's the deal: There's no name on the door, just a chocolate brown facade with an intercom and button. To get a table, you have to make a reservation in advance and they confirm with the time and how long you can stay (we had four people and were allowed to stay one hour). Then the day of the Big Drink Adventure, we were called and given the nightly password, "bang bang," which was required to get in the door.
Sounds like they still have some kinks to work out...
Here's another cocktail related Bauer blog entry with some interesting comments and destination suggestions:
The art of the cocktail
It used to be when I reviewed a restaurant, I concentrated on the wine list, but recently just about every place that opens has signature cocktails and a bar menu of exotic elixirs. Even those places with beer and wine licenses sneak in a few sake cocktails. So, of course, I have to taste them all.
Feature article in today's SF Chronicle about Bourbon and Branch.
The cosmo-free zone
Not only are they making their own tonic; but, experimenting with Sodium Alginate!
Then things really get interesting. The Pimm's Cup is topped with an aromatic cucumber-mint foam thickened with soy lecithin. The Deconstructed Negroni is served as a glass of cold gin with sweet vermouth and Campari "caviar" on the side. The "caviar" is made by squeezing the liquids (mixed with sodium alginate) from a syringe into a dish of calcium chloride solution, which forms a skin around the droplets.
And quite a roster of bartenders!
All of the other bartenders working at Bourbon & Branch come from the restaurant world as well: Jon Santer, formerly of Bruno's and now at Tres Agaves; Dominic Venegas from Range; David Nepove, formerly of Enrico's and now at Southern Wine & Spirits; Neyah White from Nopa; and Marcovaldo Dionysos, also from Tres Agaves. Several of them keep shifts at these restaurant venues in addition to Bourbon & Branch.
The sidebar article to that story is interesting as well:
Elements of Craft Cocktails
Better mixers. Bourbon & Branch has purchased a machine to produce soda water. Additionally they don't serve mixers through a drink gun (the squirting dispenser), but pour tonic, soda water, sodas and ginger ale from individual bottles. The bar at Coco500 serves bartender-preferred Indian tonic water instead of the regular Schweppes.
Colder cocktails. Though San Francisco has yet to see bartenders chipping ice off a block like at Milk & Honey in New York, Bourbon & Branch has a machine that produces extra-large blocks of purified ice 1 1/4-inches square. Bartenders at Bix use silver cocktail shakers. "The silver conducts temperature much better so you get a colder drink," says Biederbeck. He also says he'd love to have a glass freezer.
I tried Bourbon and Branch a couple of nights ago and was impressed. From my experience, it seems that they've ironed out whatever problems Bauer found in the service -- I would have preferred sitting at the bar, but our server was quick and very pleasant. The drinks were good; I thought there was a good mix of fairly accessible drinks with more complex ones. A nice touch was the "amuse" champagne cocktail that the server brought, so we had something to sip while we were deciding what to order.
I'll definitely go back, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes creative cocktails.
Not to let Janet get too far in front of me, I stopped by the newly opened Alembic on my way home tonight.
A very nice featured cocktail list included many classics (Manhattan, Hoffman House, Sazerac, Floridita, Old-Fashioned...) and some new ones. I think no less than three of the featured cocktails are using Rye Whiskey. They even feature Mr. Wondrich's Bone (hoho!).
I had a very well prepared Manhattan (Rye, bitters and stirred! Without asking! Woo!) and found the bartenders to be personable and more than competent in their trade.
They have a very impressive wall of booze and a good selection of beers from their sister brewpub, the Magnolia, and other local breweries.
Didn't try the food or appetizer. Hope to return soon to sample those.
It was a nice low key place. If I had to put it anywhere on the map, I would say it reminded me of d.b.a. on Frenchman's street in New Orleans.
Definitely a cool addition to San Francisco's bar scene.
Oh, just to clarify, when I originally mentioned the Alembic, based on some early press I'd read, I called it a "micro-distillery".
They are making some liqueurs themselves and have a fine selection of Booze from smaller West Coast distilleries like St. George, Aviation, Germain-Robin, Hangar One, etc.
But, they are not distilling anything in house.
Here's the deal: There's no name on the door, just a chocolate brown facade with an intercom and button. To get a table, you have to make a reservation in advance and they confirm with the time and how long you can stay (we had four people and were allowed to stay one hour).
Man what?
Okay; much as I understand what a sweet deal it is to the management to have seatings capped like this, I cannot imagine what would get me to a bar like this rather than just making cocktails at home.
Mayur Subbarao, aka "Mayur"
I'm a little taken back by Bourbon and Branch's House Rules. If the bartenders are always right, how do they learn anything new? I learn the most when I make mistakes. There are some big egos in the food and drink business but there aren't many who would be so bold as to declare that they are always right. As a frequent visitor to San Francisco, one of my favorite cities in the country, I think I'll wait a few months before I jump through the hoops to meet the people who are ALWAYS RIGHT.
Farmers' Markets near northern San Diego?
By Smithy, January 24, 2020


If you're looking for a new vehicle, be sure to stop by Eddy's Volvo Cars of Wichita. We have a wide selection of new 2018 - 2019 Volvo vehicles available at our dealership and we would be happy to help you find the one that's best for you. There is a Volvo for everyone at our dealership, no matter what your driving needs may be. You are welcome to look through our inventory, where you'll find vehicles like the S60, S80, V60, XC60, XC70 and XC90. We are always happy to help drivers like you from the Wichita KS, Kechi KS, Andover KS, Derby KS and El Dorado KS areas find the Volvo that works best for you.
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Munich, February 7, 2019 – MVTec Software GmbH (www.mvtec.com), the leading supplier of standard machine vision software, will be asserting its presence in China: The Munich-based company will exhibit its products at Vision China, which takes place from March 20 to 22, 2019 in Shanghai. The event is one of the most important international trade shows for machine vision.
MVTec will present its entire portfolio of machine vision software, with a focus on the new MERLIC 4 and HALCON 18.11 releases, at the VDMA Pavilion (Booth W5.5633), the joint booth of the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association. MVTec's products will also be exhibited at booth W5.5432, which belongs to MVTec's Chinese distributor DAHENG IMAGING.
By participating in this trade show, the technology leader demonstrates its commitment to successfully penetrate the important Chinese market with its machine vision software.


Lunar days in Astrology. after Pavel Pankratov, the author.
The Symbol - a phoenix, a treasure chest.
Stones - red granite, chrysolite, uvarovite, olivine.
Parts of the body - the stomach.
The eighth day of the lunar calendar is the day of change, when the second phase of the cycle has already begun. The body's strength continues to grow. This is the day of transformation of energy, a comprehensive transformation of man. First of all, its deep change takes place, which involves an internal refusal of the achieved, so that life develops without trouble and further activity develops successfully. It is necessary to forget about one's own merits for a while, as the person himself easily overestimates them. On this day, on the contrary, it is critical to treat yourself and your accomplishments. On the eighth lunar day, human energy is directed inward, and external manifestations speak rather of some passivity. Special feelings can cause a fire element, there will be a desire to contact fire. It may be the desire to sit by the fire or just look at the sun or a burning candle. This desire should not be restrained. Perhaps on this day a person will have no appetite, then he will not suffer from starvation, as well as purification of the stomach and intestines.
There is an opinion that a bad person on this day has a stomach ache, there is also a fever, sometimes ears burn. There are violations of the nervous system.
The procedures for cleansing and rejuvenating the body on this day are very successful, without physical and emotional stress. It is advisable to eat light meals that consist of cereals and vegetables on this day.
Despite the fact that the fire element patronizes the eighth day of the lunar calendar, the fire should be treated with the utmost care.
People born on the eighth lunar day often surprise the people around with their originality. They have the ability to "reborn", from them beautiful artists grow up. In the old days, alchemists were born on this day.


text:
AOC Bashed Luxury Housing During Election, But Look What Her New Apt. Complex Offers the Rich & Famous
By Ben Marquis February 21, 2019 at 5:22pm
In his 1945 book "Animal Farm," author George Orwell wrote, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." The line was in reference to the powerful communist leaders of the Soviet Union, but is equally applicable to some current members of the U.S. Congress.
Case in point is Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the self-described socialist who ran for office on the promise of going to Washington D.C. to fight on behalf of the average working-class American.
The Washington Examiner noted that one of Ocasio-Cortez's main campaign promises was to ensure that all Americans had access to "Safe, affordable, adequate housing" for everyone, a promise she most certainly reiterated and included in her recent pie-in-the-sky "Green New Deal" proposal.
Yet, that repeatedly expressed concern for a lack of affordable housing for many Americans is at odds with her own housing situation. The young congresswoman has reportedly moved into a new luxury apartment complex in D.C's Navy Yard area that exclusively caters to powerful and wealthy residents.
Recall for a moment how Ocasio-Cortez complained after the 2018 election that she might be unable to afford a place to live in D.C. prior to her receiving her first portion of her $174,000 salary. Apparently, that concern is no longer an issue.
Indeed, the newly-built apartment complex in the Navy Yard area was specifically built to get around a D.C.-area mandate on providing affordable housing. The D.C. government was even sued in 2018 over claims that the construction and development in the Navy Yard area constituted "gentrification" that was driving out poor minorities in the area in favor of more affluent residents who could afford the high rents.
The Examiner noted that the apartment complex — which they have not named — has prominently boasted of its exclusivity and "luxury apartment living," and is jam-packed with all sorts of amenities that the average working-class American can only dream about it.
According to Apartment List, tiny 440-square foot studio apartment rents for $1,840 per month, while a much larger three-bedroom apartment can run as much as $5,200 per month. For comparison, the average rent in the D.C. area for small one-bedroom apartments is $1,340, while the average two-bedroom apartment costs about $1,550 per month … meaning Ocasio-Cortez is living well above the means of the folks she claims to be fighting for.
Some of the luxurious accommodations offered by the complex include private saunas and massage rooms that feature hydro-therapy beds, a 25-meter indoor pool and rooftop infinity pool with a view of the Capitol, a massive community kitchen with wood-fired pizza oven, a fireside lounge with Steinway piano and even a special cycling studio with more than a dozen advanced (and quite pricey) Peloton workout bikes.
Are you sick and tired of the left's hypocrisy?
Ironically, the complex also boasts a state-of-the-art PGA-grade golf simulator of the sort that President Donald Trump recently installed in the White House. While Trump was savagely criticized over the simulator, what was left out of most of the criticism was that he used his own money to upgrade a golf simulator that his predecessor Obama installed at taxpayer expense.
Speaking of Trump, and with an eye toward his history as a real estate developer and businessman, Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly criticized real estate developers in general. She claims that their buildings serve only to enrich themselves while driving up rent prices and pushing low-income, working-class residents out of the developed neighborhoods.
In March 2018, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, "Skyrocketing cost of living is a national crisis that CAN be addressed. It's not just an NYC issue – it's happening in every US metro area. We need to kick luxury real estate lobbyists to the curb and defend working people's way of life."
Similarly, just a month later, she tweeted again about "skyrocketing" rents and increasing homelessness, and wrote, "It's time we stand up to the luxury developer lobby. Every official is too scared to do it – except me."
Except, it would appear that rather than confront the luxury real estate developers, she instead handed over cash and signed on the dotted line to rent an apartment from one, proving once again that she is duplicitous and hypocritical and falls into the "do as I say, not as I do" category of politician.
Were Ocasio-Cortez truly the champion of the working-class as she claims to be, devoted to the fight against luxury real estate developers and corporate interests, she would have found a cheap apartment in an affordable complex and would live alongside the working-class residents she claims to stand up for.
Alas, she has merely proven the eternal wisdom of Orwell's quip that, yes indeed, some animals are more equal than others.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Donald Trump, Hypocrisy, New York City NYC, politics, socialism, Washington D.C.
Ben Marquis
Ben Marquis is a writer who identifies as a constitutional conservative/libertarian. He has written about current events and politics for The Western Journal since 2014. His focus is on protecting the First and Second Amendments.
Ben Marquis has written on current events and politics for The Western Journal since 2014. He reads voraciously and writes about the news of the day from a conservative-libertarian perspective. He is an advocate for a more constitutional government and a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, which protects the rest of our natural rights. He lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the love of his life as well as four dogs and four cats.
Mississippi AG Shoots Down Order from Mayor Who Made the Mistake of Banning Open Carry
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FBI Halting Gun Sales? Reportedly Breaking Law, Keeping Americans from Arming Selves
Biden Disrespects Wisconsin Ventilator Plant Workers, Dismisses Their Visit with Pence as 'Photo Op'
WaPo Tries To Fact Check Trump on WHO Claim, Misses The Point Entirely


Mrs Harvey Collyer was born as Charlotte Caroline Tate 1 in Cobham, Surrey, England on 1 October 1881 2. She was baptised the following day at St Andrew's Church in Cobham.
She was the eldest daughter of Allen Tate (1853-1911), a coachman, and Louisa Townsend (1853-1931), both Surrey natives who had married in Essex in 1880. Charlotte had six known siblings: Louise Alice (b. 1883), Nellie (b. 1885), Lily Maud (b. 1886), Allen (b. 1888), Gladys Florence (b. 1891), and Eva Elsie (b. 1893).
She first appears on the 1881 census living at an unspecified address in Cobham, showing up as a resident of Kings Head Alley in Leatherhead, Surrey by the time of the following census in 1891. By the time of the 1901 census Charlotte had left home and was working as a domestic cook for the Reverend Sydney Sedgwick, a Church of England clergyman who lived at Fanfield Hill, Leatherhead. It was perhaps through the church that Charlotte met her future husband, Harvey Collyer (b. 1880) who was the church sexton and verger.
Harvey and Charlotte were married in St Mary and St Nicholas' Church in Leatherhead on 5 May 1905. Their respective addresses at the time were given as Church Walk and Hill Street, both in Leatherhead, and Harvey was described as a warehouseman. The couple had one child, a daughter, born in 1904 and whom they named Marjorie Lottie.
The family later moved to Bishopstoke, Hampshire, following the Reverend Sedgwick who had moved to his new Parrish church there, St Mary's. Harvey would continue to work for the church as verger, on the church council and as a bell ringer and he also ran a grocery store in the town. Charlotte also continued to work at the church and the family were well respected within their community.
The family appeared on the 1911 census living at 82 Church Road in Bishopstoke, Hampshire and Harvey was then described as a grocer and sexton.
Friends of the family had gone to Payette, Idaho several years before and made a success of the fruit farm they bought there. They wrote glowing accounts of the climate to the Collyers and advised them to come seek their fortune in Idaho. The Collyers did not seriously consider the proposition until Mrs Collyer began having respiratory problems (she was afflicted with tuberculosis), at which point they decided to buy a farm in the same valley as their friends in America (Mrs Collyer later felt guilty that it was her own health problems that eventually caused the death of her husband).
The next morning the Collyers went to Southampton, where Mr Collyer drew from the bank the family's life savings (including the money from the sale of their store in Bishopstoke). He took the money in banknotes instead of a draft, and put the money in the inside breast pocket of his coat. In the Titanic's hold were the few personal possessions that the family had kept after the sale of their home -- which meant that everything the Collyers owned was on board the Titanic, which they boarded under joint ticket number 31921 which cost £26, 5s).
When the Titanic collided with the iceberg Charlotte was in bed feeling nauseous due to her meals having been too rich that day. Her husband went out to investigate and reported back, saying: 'What do you think? We've struck an iceberg - a big one - but there's no danger. An officer told me so!' She just asked her husband if anybody seemed frightened, and when he said no, she lay back again in her bunk (Lord 1976).
Charlotte and Marjorie were rescued in lifeboat 14 but Harvey Collyer died in the sinking and his body, if recovered, was never identified.
I don't know how to write to you or what to say, I feel I shall go mad sometimes but dear as much as my heart aches it aches for you too for he is your son and the best that ever lived. I had not given up hope till today that he might be found but I'm told all boats are accounted for. Oh mother how can I live without him. I wish I'd gone with him if they had not wrenched Madge from me I should have stayed and gone with him. But they threw her into the boat and pulled me in too but he was so calm and I know he would rather I lived for her little sake otherwise she would have been an orphan. The agony of that night can never be told. Poor mite was frozen. I have been ill but have been taken care of by a rich New York doctor and feel better now. They are giving us every comfort and have collected quite a few pounds for us and loaded us with clothes and a gentleman on monday is taking us to the White Star office and also to another office to get us some money from the funds that is being raised here. Oh mother there are some good hearts in New York, some want me to go back to England but I can't, I could never at least not yet go over the ground where my all is sleeping.
Sometimes I feel we lived too much for each other that is why I've lost him. But mother we shall meet him in heaven. When that band played 'Nearer My God to Thee' I know he thought of you and me for we both loved that hymn and I feel that if I go to Payette I'm doing what he would wish me to, so I hope to do this at the end of next week where I shall have friends and work and I will work for his darling as long as she needs me. Oh she is a comfort but she don't realise yet that her daddy is in heaven. There are some dear children here who have loaded her with lovely toys but it's when I'm alone with her she will miss him. Oh mother I haven't a thing in the world that was his only his rings. Everything we had went down. Will you, dear mother, send me on a last photo of us, get it copied I will pay you later on. Mrs Hallets brother from Chicago is doing al he can for us in fact the night we landed in New York (in our nightgowns) he had engaged a room at a big hotel with food and every comfort waiting for us. He has been a father to us. I will send his address on a card (My Horder) perhaps you might like to write to him some time.
God Bless you dear mother and help and comfort you in this awful sorrow.
Collyer, Charlotte, widow and Marjorie, child.
Received total £1 3s 0d per week.
The husband was drowned. His wife and seven year old daughter were saved. He was a merchant in England and had been the parish clerk in the village where they lived. They were highly respected people in fair circumstances. The wife had contracted tuberculosis and they were coming to this country to buy a fruit farm in Idaho, where they hoped the climate would be beneficial. He was carrying $5,000 in cash; this was lost, and all their household belongings. Both the widow and her daughter suffered severely from shock and exposure. They were at first unwilling to return to England, feeling that the husband would have wished them to carry out his original plan. For emergent needs she was given $200 by this Committee, and $450 by other American relief funds. After a short residence in the West she decided to return to her family in England. Through interested friends in New York City, a fund of $2,000 was raised, and she received $300 for a magazine article describing the disaster. She returned to England in June and her circumstances were reported to the English Committee, which granted £50 outright and a pension of 23 shillings a week. ($200).
Charlotte and Marjorie did not settle in the USA as planned and returned to England where, towards the end of 1914, she was remarried, much to the chagrin of her deceased husband's family. Her new husband was a Liverpool-native named James Ashbrook Holme (b. 1885), a licensed victualler, and the couple lived at The Fox and Pelican in Greyshott, Haslemere, Surrey.
Charlotte finally succumbed to tuberculosis which had plagued her on 28 November 1916 aged 35. Her second husband James Holme died less than three years later on 22 March 1919, leaving little Marjorie to be raised by her uncle Walter Collyer, a gamekeeper.
Charlotte is buried in St Mary's churchyard, Eastleigh, Bishopstoke, Southampton not far from where they lived there is also a plaque on the residence to Harvey Collyer.
Name frequently given as Charlotte Annie Tate. Her birth registration and both her marriage registrations and associated church documents do not list her middle name. Her baptismal record specified her name as Charlotte Caroline and she is listed on the 1891 census as Charlotte C. Tate. Her death record makes no mention of a middle name.
Some sources say 1880. Her birth was registered in Epsom in 1881 and she was baptised that same year. Census records confirm also her approximate birth year as 1881.


text:
Pershing Square's Annual Investor Presentation
Pershing Square Capital hosted their annual investor dinner on January 22. Click here to download Pershing's 70 page investor presentation from the DealBreaker.com blog.
Icahn Issues an Open Letter to Other Investors in Steel Partners' Fund
OPEN LETTER TO INVESTORS
IN STEEL PARTNERS FUNDS
Carl C. Icahn
Dear Fellow Investors:
As you know, Steel Partners has announced the "WebFinancial
Solution" which we believe would be extremely detrimental to all of
our investments in Steel Partners. I am against that transaction and
a lawsuit has been filed to oppose it in Delaware.
I believe it will be beneficial for all investors in Steel Partners
to meet to discuss the "WebFinancial Solution." Because Steel Partners
has refused to make a list of investors available to us, we ask that you
call either Susan Gordon (212-702-4309) or Sue Zippo (212-702-4310) at
my office. Please provide them with your name and phone number. We
will then contact investors and arrange for a meeting.
Steel Partners' actions to date and plans for the future are
significant events for all of us and I strongly believe that we should
meet to share our thoughts and concerns.
I look forward to meeting all of you.
Activists Pounce on SPACs
Published on RealMoney.com
By Damien Park, President & CEO Hedge Fund Solutions, LLC
Last year was tough for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), and 2009 is shaping up to be even more difficult.
These relatively obscure investment vehicles are usually formed by a group of managers with operating or investment experience who raise capital through an initial public offering (IPO). After the offering, a majority of the proceeds are held in an interest-bearing trust account until the consummation of a business combination with an operating company.
If the scheme works as intended, SPACs can generate above-market returns for investors by expeditiously moving an undervalued private company onto a major stock exchange. Shareholders get to participate in a reverse-merger IPO with tremendous upside potential and management is rewarded with a substantial ownership stake in the new entity.
Alternatively, if management fails to identify an acceptable acquisition candidate, usually within 24 months of the IPO, the entity must be liquidated and all of the cash held in trust is distributed back to shareholders. Since insiders do not participate in the liquidation distribution, management receives nothing.
As private companies find it harder to access capital from frozen credit markets, tapping into the equity marketplace through this reverse IPO process can be very appealing. However, depressed stock market valuations have squashed many of the incentives for a private company to "go public" any time soon.
During 2008, 21 SPACs were forced to liquidate because they ran out of time to complete a transaction. For the SPACs that found deals, the market was unforgiving, punishing shareholders an average of 60% from their IPO debut.
All of this doom and gloom is creating a steep discount between the stock price and the cash value at 47 SPACs with a combined $10.3 billion in acquisition capital. In 2009, 34 of these companies must find suitable acquisition candidates or face liquidation.
This has captured the attention of activist investors, who see an opportunity to generate high returns by forcing these companies to liquidate sooner rather than later.
One activist investor, Phillip Goldstein, who made his name busting open closed-end funds trading at a discount to their net asset value, raised a reported $100 million for a SPAC-only activist fund. Other activists are following his lead.
Well-informed investors recognize that every SPAC is trading at a discount to its cash value and, if liquidated, will generate a return on investment proportional to the discount.
If management proposes a deal before the liquidation date, a shareholder has two excellent options. If the transaction is clearly remarkable, the investor can approve the transaction by voting in favor of it. If not, he or she can vote against the transaction and redeem ownership for a pro rata share of the trust account. Either way, there is a high probability the discount-to-trust will close.
However, if 20% to 40% of the shareholders vote against the transaction and request their money back (this threshold depends on the company's bylaws), the deal is scuttled and the SPAC will likely liquidate within a couple months.
Activist investors have identified this as a chance to boost returns. Better than anyone, they know how to turn a company's governance rules, like supermajority vote approval for transactions, to their advantage. By gaining control of enough shares to block any acquisition and demanding early termination, activists leave management with very few options or than liquidating.
In a recent example, Goldstein picked up an 18.5% stake in TM Entertainment and demanded that it liquidate immediately. He needs support from just another 11.5% of shareholders to block a transaction, and he says there is virtually no chance that TMI can complete a business combination by Oct. 17, 2009, when a forced liquidation must occur. In an effort to hurry things along, Goldstein is trying to gain control of the board to prematurely liquidate the trust.
If liquidation takes place or a deal is successfully blocked by shareholders, TM's management must forfeit approximately $2.5 million of their personally invested capital in the SPAC along with the 20% ownership stake that they would obtain in the post-acquisition company. As a result, management is pleading with shareholders to vote against Goldstein's takeover attempt.
The magnitude of the losses to management might predict a fierce and costly fight. However, unlike operating corporations, SPACs can't fight back using corporate money.
According to their bylaws, SPACs' funds are limited to working capital, taxes and moderate salaries. Legal and proxy battles, therefore, must be paid out of pocket by management, creating an equal playing field with someone like Goldstein who has long opposed the use of shareholder money to fight dissidents like him.
It's hard to say which SPACs might be raided. All SPACs seeking acquisitions have significant exposure and limited firepower. For investors, even without an activist forcing liquidation, the value appreciation opportunity seems solid. But in 2009, we'll likely see many of these companies under considerable pressure to return their cash to investors sooner rather than later.
(Source: Morgan Joseph SPAC Update)
Liquidation Date
Discount to Trust
Activist(s) in Shareholder Base
Alternative Asset Mgt.
GQN
Golden Pond Healthcare
GPH
HIA
MBF Healthcare
MBH
NRDC Acquisition
NTQ
Santa Monica Media
MEJ
Sapphire Industrials
SP Acquisition
TM Entertainment
Trian Acquisition I
Triplecrown
United Refining Energy
URX
VRY
Greenlight Capital's Investments in Europe
Revised since originally posted.
Activist investor David Einhorn talks with The Financial Times in July 2008 about his distressed debt investment strategy in Europe.
Click here to view the video.
Seperately, and more recently, Einhorn has disclosed he has raised his stake in Punch Taverns PLC (PUB), a UK-based pub management company, to over 8% again. Last year, his hedge fund, Greenlight Capital, owned about 12% of the Company before reducing their position to 7.4% just before the New Year.
PUB currently sells at 38.5p, which is down from 750p one year ago, representing a loss of 93% in value. Greenlight's cost basis is around 200p.
This is not Einhorn's first investment in Europe and will not be his last. In March, Greenlight opened an office in London to explore investment opportunites throughout Europe. In August, Einhorn began his first activist campaign by opposing a highly dilutive EUR 3.7bn rights issue at Natixis, a French investment bank. Ultimately Einhorn was unable to block the transaction. Natixis is currently down 83% on a 52-month basis.
Posted by Marko Grassmann in Europe.
Icahn Sues Steel for Fraud
ACF Industries, a Company affiliated with Carl Icahn, is suing Steel Partners for fraud.
According to a Reuters article, ACF - which had invested $15M in 2005 with Steel Partners, filed a lawsuit against Steel for trying to restrict investors' ability to pull their money out and for not giving proper notice of their plans to convert the hedge fund into a publicly-traded holding Company. (See our Jan 12 Blog post)
Bank of America, acting as master trustee for ACF Industries' employee benefits plan, charged that Steel Partners and its manager, Warren Lichtenstein, "pulled off a classic 'bait and switch' by stripping investors of what they had purchased and replacing it with something entirely different."
Activists Could Shake Up Tier Technologies
Published in RealMoney.com
By Damien Park, President & CEO Hedge Fund Solutions
1/12/2009 12:59 PM EST
The past few years have been difficult for the board of directors at Tier Technologies (TIER) . In 2004, the company had a dispute with its audit firm over its internal control procedures for financial reporting, and as a result, it switched to a new independent financial examiner. Less than a year later, Tier disclosed that it was restating the prior three years' financials.
Much has transpired at Tier since then. After being de-listed from Nasdaq, the stock plunged, and the board installed a "poison pill" shareholder rights plan to help ward off any unwanted takeover attempts. During the same period, the SEC launched a formal investigation into the accounting irregularities, and the company spent millions on legal advisers and independent investigators to determine the scope and implications of the questionable accounting methods.
For the board of directors and for the new management team brought in to clean up the mess, these are very difficult times. I know, because eight years ago I was part of a turnaround management team brought into a business after the board had removed the previous CEO for financial shenanigans. We faced many of the same complexities Tier has, and it took us two years to stabilize the business, restructure the entire management team, recruit new directors and restate financials.
Managing a business through this sort of chaos is extremely difficult; every aspect of the business is vulnerable. Customers shift to competitors, shareholders sue for misrepresentation, banks call outstanding debt obligations and restructure loan covenants, suppliers question the long-term viability of the business, and almost every employee begins looking for a more stable place to work. Through all this, the board and management have to stay centered on developing new strategies for growth, recruiting high-performing managers, improving operating efficiencies and cultivating a shareholder base that believes in the rejuvenated business and what it can achieve.
As if all of this weren't enough to contend with, Tier's board is now faced with two activist investors who together own close to 20% of the outstanding stock. The activists demand board representation and insist that shareholders would realize more value if the company were sold today.
Last December, Discovery Equity Partners, a 9.9% shareholder, sent a letter to the company nominating two individuals to the eight-person board. In the letter, Discovery argued that the company's unusually large cash balance of $90 million, or about $4.50 per share, is an inefficient use of capital and reflective of the board's poor judgment.
Discovery claims that, considering that the company has a market capitalization of just above $100 million, Wall Street has ascribed very little value to the fact that Tier's main operating business generates over $11 million in EBITDA before corporate overhead expenses are allocated. Discovery says that for that reason, its board nominees, if elected, "intend to help Tier expeditiously reduce excessive overhead, determine the appropriate amount of capital to return to shareholders, eliminate unnecessary corporate defenses, and proactively evaluate all strategic alternatives to unlock value."
Last week, Parthenon Investors II, another activist investor pressing for Tier to be sold, announced that it will attempt to replace two additional directors by appearing at the annual meeting in person and nominating their candidates for election from the floor. Since Parthenon was given one seat on the board in March 2007, a success this year would increase its representation to three members.
In my circumstance, after cleaning up the beleaguered enterprise, we too faced a hostile battle for control from two activist investors who believed the value of the business was worth more broken up than as a whole. Ultimately, we were no match for the seasoned insurgents who had done this numerous times before. We lost the battle, the company was quickly put up for sale, and I left to begin advising boards of directors on how to proactively manage dissident shareholders.
Winning this proxy battle will not be any easier for Tier. The most important analysis of any proxy campaign is the shareholder vote projection. Understanding who shareholders may vote for will determine whether or not it's worth fighting. In Tier's case, it may be difficult to get a clear read on this.
According to Tier's bylaws, shareholders have cumulative voting rights in director elections. This means that shareholders have the right to pool their votes to elect one or more directors rather than apply their votes to the election of all directors.
For example, Tier has eight directors up for election this year. In statutory voting, a shareholder with 100 shares casts 100 votes for each opening (100 x 8 = 800 votes). Under the cumulative voting method, however, the shareholder may choose to vote all 800 shares for one candidate, 400 votes each to two candidates, or otherwise divide the votes however preferred. As a result, it is quite possible that Discovery can obtain two board seats and Parthenon can obtain two additional board seats by directing their votes to the election of their respective candidates. If successful, the dissidents would control five of the eight board seats.
The challenge for shareholders is to decide who is best qualified to generate the greatest value for them. Discovery says plenty of buyers are ready and waiting to pay a premium for the business and that it intends to examine each of those options as soon as possible. Management, on the other hand, says it examined these very strategic alternatives a while ago and determined that shareholders will be better off realizing the longer-term benefits from what is now a substantially complete restructuring.
In any event, stockholders of record as of Jan. 16 will get their chance to weigh in at the shareholder meeting scheduled for March 11, 2009.
Elsewhere, other proxy fights are heating up. Activist hedge-fund investors were very busy at the end of 2008 despite lackluster returns and across-the-board redemptions within the industry.
In early December, Sandell Asset Management sent a letter to Southern Union (SUG) announcing its intention to run a proxy contest in order to obtain four seats on the 10-person board. Like the dissident shareholders at Tier, Sandell believes the best course of action for Southern Union shareholders is an immediate sale of the company.
Currently, Joseph Stilwell is attempting to gain board representation at Kingsway Financial Services (KFS) in an attempt to influence the board to sell its non-core businesses and use the excess capital to retire debt.
Hedge fund Southeastern Asset Management was recently offered board representation at Sun Microsystems (JAVA) after announcing its desire to work with management to improve value. Elsewhere, Southeastern changed its filing status with the SEC from passive to active for its investment in Texas Industries (TXI) , where another activist investor, Shamrock Capital, has been rapidly increasing its ownership.
Looking forward, activist demands for improving share performance will likely increase in 2009. One company worth keeping an eye on is Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) . Nelson Peltz, one of the more recognizable names in activist investing, recently disclosed a 7% ownership interest in DPS and announced his belief that the company is undervalued because Wall Street views the business as a bottling company and not a branded beverage company that owns a number of great brands, including 7Up, A&W, Canada Dry, Dr Pepper, Nantucket Nectars, Snapple and Yoo-hoo.
Considering Peltz's recent fight record (two wins, with HJ Heinz (HNZ) and Wendy's (WEN) , and no losses), it's highly probable we'll see something more develop here very soon.
At the time of publication, Park had no positions in stocks mentioned.
Please note that due to factors including low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float, we consider Tier Technologies to be a small-cap stock. You should be aware that such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information, and that postings such as this one can have an effect on their stock prices.
Steel Partners Will Go Public to Avoid Additional Redemptions
Hedge fund plan splits opinion
By Steve Johnson
Published: January 12 2009 02:00 | Last updated: January 12 2009 02:00
Hedge fund investors are deeply divided on radical plans by Steel Partners, the activist hedge fund group run by Warren Lichtenstein, to convert its flagship fund into a listed industrial holding company, as revealed in the Financial Times on Saturday.
The New York-based group plans to transform its $1.2bn ($792m, €892m) Steel Partners II fund into a holding company spanning energy, aerospace, insurance and banking, likely to be listed on either Nasdaq or the New York stock exchange in the second quarter of 2009.
Steel Partners took the controversial step after facing an unprecedented wave of redemption requests; as of October it had received withdrawal notices for 38 per cent of the fund's assets.
"This is groundbreaking. It is definitely the most creative and radical solution we have come across," said Mike Vogel, partner at Elcot, a London-based family office with a "substantial" investment in the fund.
However, Gary Vaughan-Smith, partner at SilverStreet Capital, a fund of hedge funds that did not invest in Steel Partners, said: "This is good for the manager and bad for investors." Other hedge funds have reacted to large-scale redemption requests by imposing restrictions such as "gates", which limit the amount that can be withdrawn each month, or the creation of "sidepockets", new vehicles into which hard-to-sell assets are placed.
Steel Partners' solution trumps these options by effectively trapping capital within the fund, aside from a share buyback of up to $200m, or 17 per cent of its assets, upon listing.
Investors will only be able to sell shares in the market - possibly at a steep discount to net asset value - preventing capital from leaving the fund.
Steel Partners said in its letter to investors that it would be "impossible, inequitable and unfair [to remaining investors]" to accede to the redemption requests, given the fund has large, often controlling, stakes in its portfolio companies, rendering it "difficult, and in some instances impossible, to sell assets and businesses quickly".
As of September, just four holdings accounted for 50 per cent of the fund's assets, with eight positions accounting for 80 per cent of its assets.
"We believe this is by far and away the best and fairest solution for all investors. This transaction will give all investors the potential to buy/sell units in the public market at any time," said Steel Partners.
Mr Vogel argued: "It does, to us, look a pretty fair balance in terms of remaining investors and those who were looking to redeem; they will be able to go into a vehicle that has much enhanced liquidity. [Steel Partners] has recognised that this is a transformational change in terms of what is going on in the market and concentrated on what works in terms of getting value out."
But with the average single manager hedge fund listed on the London stock exchange, the major centre for such vehicles, currently trading on a discount of 23 per cent to NAV, Mr Vaughan-Smith said: "If the client wants to exit then a proper plan should be put in place to return the client's cash over time, rather than forcing them into structures which make them take an immediate hit."
One industry consultant feared the move, if replicated, could make it harder for the hedge fund industry to raise assets in future.
However some industry figures doubted the holding company concept would become commonplace, arguing that more short-term "trading" funds could fall foul of tax and regulatory issues in many jurisdictions.
After posting compound annual gross returns of 22 per cent a year from inception in 1990 to 2007, Steel Partners II fell 39 per cent last year, according to figures seen by the FT.
NY City Bar to discuss activist shareholders
Counseling The Board of Directors in the Age of Activist Shareholders
Program Outline:
At this program, a panel of experts will discuss various issues and legal considerations that should be considered when counseling the Board of Directors of a public corporation, with particular attention given to how a Board should respond to demands for changes made by an activist shareholder. Panel discussions will provide an overview of the goals of activist investing and the tools employed by activists to accomplish them, as well as the latest strategies and defensive mechanisms used by public corporations to facilitate their interactions with activist investors. The program will also consider the duties and responsibilities of the Board when confronted with an activist investor and provide suggestions on how independent directors can do their job most effectively. Finally, an overview will be provided of the 2008/2009 proxy season.
Program Chair:
Jared Landaw
Senior Managing Director and General Counsel, Barington Capital Group, L.P.
Roel Campos
Former Commisioner of the SEC, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
Martin Lipton
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
William D. Anderson, Jr.
Managing Director, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Stephen L. Brown
Director, Corporate Governance
Professor Charles M. Elson
Edgar S. Woolard, Jr., Chair & Director
John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance
Bruce H. Goldfarb
President & CEO, Okapi Partners
Phillip Goldstein
Principal and Co-Founder, Bulldog Investors
Keith E. Gottfried
Blank Rome LLP
David A. Katz
Roy J. Katzovicz
Chief Legal Officer, Pershing Square Capital Management
Michael J. Maimone
Brian L. Schorr
Chief Legal Officer, Trian Fund Management LP
Steven A. Seiden
President, Seiden Krieger Associates
Daniel S. Sternberg
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Leo E. Strine, Jr
Vice Chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery
Raymond S. Troubh
Director of Various Public Companies
Marc Weingarten
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Christopher L. Young, JD, CFA
Director of M&A Research, RiskMetrics Group
On Tuesday, February 3, 2009 / 8:30a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
New York City Bar
42 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Ron Burkle On A Buying Spree
Last week Ron Burkle, through his investment vehicle Yucaipa Companies, disclosed an 8.3% "active" ownership stake in Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) and announced his belief that the shares are undervalued. His average cost is $14.68/share. We estimate 20% of BKS shares are held by activist investors; 25% is held by the Chairman/Founder.
Today Burkle announced he's spent about $100M to acquire a 7.0% stake in Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFMI) since November 24th at an average cost of $10.04/share.
Activist Pressing Ahead At SUG Despite Redemptions
Activist investor Sandell Asset Management is forging ahead with their proxy contest to replace four directors at Southern Union Corp. (SUG) despite redemptions that have reduced their ownership stake in the Company.
On January 2nd Sandell distributed 1.3% of their ownership in SUG to their investors (who now control those votes). Sandell now owns 8.6% of the stock at an average cost of $29.07/share. SUG closed yesterday at $13.47.
On December 5th Sandell sent a letter to SUG announcing their intention to run a proxy contest in order to obtain four seats on the ten member board. Sandell believes the best course of action for SUG shareholders is an immediate sale of the Company.
SRZ Issues a Client Alert on Selectica Activating their Poison Pill
Marc Weingarten (pictured here) and Nicholas Tomasetti from Schulte Roth & Zabel authored a Client Alert regarding Selectica's (SLTC) implementation of their posion pill.
In the Alert, the authors stated, "This represents a rare instance of a poison pill being triggered. Selectica's amended triggering threshold of 4.99% is extraordinarily low, with the norm generally being at a 15% or 20% level, and was adopted only after an activist investor surfaced. Whether the court accepts Selectica's purported justification for the low threshold of protecting NOLs will be a significant development, as other companies would be encouraged to find a basis to lower their pill thresholds as well."
Click here to view SRZ's full publication.
December's Activist Investments - 68 Companies Targeted
Below is a summary list of investments made by shareholder activists during December. This information was extracted from Hedge Fund Solutions' Catalyst Equity Research Report (TM), a free in-depth weekly research on activist investments.
Subscribe to the free report here.
Ticker Company Name Activist Investor
ACLS Axcelis Technologies Inc Sterling Capital
AEPI AEP Industries KSA Capital
ARS Arris Group Shamrock Activist Value fund
ATML Atmel Corp. Microchip Technology
AVGN Avigen Inc Biotechnology Value Fund
BCSB BCSB Bancorp Financial Edge Fund
BIOD Biodel Inc Moab Partners
CAMD California Micro Devices Corp Dialectic Capital Management
CKEC Carmike Cinemas Mark Cuban
CPWM Cost Plus Stephens Investment Management
CXX CombinatoRX, Incorporated Biotechnology Value Fund
CTO Consolidated Tomoka Land Co Wintergreen Advisers
DANKY Danka Business Systems PLC DCML LLC
DDS Dillard's Inc. Barington Capital; Clinton Group
DIN DineEquity Inc Southeastern Asset Management
DPS Dr Pepper Snapple Group Trian Fund
DUSA DUSA Pharmaceuticals SRB Management
DVD Dover Motorsports GAMCO
ESIO Electro Scientific Industries Nieremberg Investment Management
FIC Fair Isaac Corp Sandell Asset Management
FSFG First Savings Financial Group Joseph Stilwell
GGP General Growth Properties Pershing Square Capital
GLOB.OB Global Med Technologies Victory Park Capital
HIFN Hifn, Inc Adaptec, Inc
ICGN ICAgen, Inc Xmark Opportuntiy Partners
INFS InFocus Corp Nery Capital Partners
ITP Intertape Polymer Group KSA Capital Management
JAVA Sun Microsystems Southeastern Asset Management
JTX Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Shamrock
KANA.OB Kana Software KVO Capital Management
KFS Kingsway Financial Services Joseph Stilwell
KONA Kona Grill Mill Road Capital
LAQ The Latin America Equity Fund City of London Investment Management Co
LCAV LCA-Vision Inc. Stephen Joffe
MAG Magnetek Inc Riley Investment Management
MATH.PK Mathstar, Inc Salvatore Muoio; Zannet Opportunity Fund
MGAM Multimedia Games Dolphin Limited Partnership
MGLN Magellan Health Services Shamrock
MOVE Move Inc. Nierenberg Investmetn Management
MVCO Meadow Valley Corp Carpe Diem Capital
NDD Neuberger Berman Dividend Advantage Fund Western Investment
NTMD Nitromed Inc Deerfield Capital
OFIX Orthofix International Ramius Capital;
OPTV OpenTV Corp. Discovery Equity Partners
ORNG Orange 21 Costa Brava Partnership
PHMD PhotoMedex, Inc. James Sight
PIF Insured Municipal Income Fund Bulldog Investors
PPCO PenWest Pharmaceuticals Perceptive Advisors
PRXI Premier Exhibitions, Inc Sellers Capital
RDC Rowan Companies Steel Partners
RHIE RHI Entertainment Baupost Group
RIVR River Valley Bancorp Davee Thomas
SLRY Salary.com Cannell Capital
SLTC Selectica, Inc Versata
SUG Southern Union Co Sandell Asset Management
SUTM.OB Sun-Times Media Group Inc. K Capital
TIER Tier Technologies Inc Discovery Equity Partners
TLGD Tollgrade Communications Inc Bradford Capital
TMI TM Entertainment & Media Bulldog Investors
TRGL Toreador Resources Nanes Delorme Partners
TRMA Trico Marine Kistefos AS
TXCC TranSwitch Corp Brener International Group
TXI Texas Industries Southeastern Asset Management
WBSN Websense Inc Shamrock
WEDC White Electronic Designs Corp Wynnefield Capital
WOC Wilshire Enterprises Bulldog Investors
WRLS Telular Corp Simcoe Partners
Icahn Issues an Open Letter to Other Investors in ...
Steel Partners Will Go Public to Avoid Additional ...
SRZ Issues a Client Alert on Selectica Activating ...
December's Activist Investments - 68 Companies Tar...
Selectica Inc. Pulls Trigger on Poison Pill


3.5 Laijiren: NURBS Tessellation: What, Why, How?
Pl: Would you continue to contribute to BRL-CAD? An: Of course ! I continued to contribute even after Google Summer of Code. Even if my contributions aren't as numerous as I would like because of my crowded academic schedule, I am trying to contribute for as much as possible. Contributing to BRL-CAD helps me improve knowledge as well as providing code that is actually useful for a large number of people.
This article is based on some questions I asked Jianbang and in his profile page.
Jianbang Wu (also known as Phoenix) participated in BRL-CAD development during Google Summer of Code 2012. His work was "to convert implicit Constructive Solid Geometry (CGS) primitives to boundary representations (BREPs)". He is a sophomore student in Peking University, China. His skills involve C/C++, Object Oriented Programming, data structures, algorithms, math, and image processing.
First, he followed Cliff's suggestion: "Implicit to NURBS conversion". This consisted in the conversion from implicit primitives to Non Uniform Rational Basis Spline (NURBS) primitives. In this project he also modified some unfinished conventions and added some new primitives. Since he finished this task before the mid-term evaluation, he decided to make a follow-up: "NURBS surface-surface intersection".
Finally, he suggests future Google Summer of Code students to "Follow your interest, choose the project you like, and you will find Google Summer of Code really an excellent experience".
John is a Google Code-In student living in Portugal. He's favourite language is Python although he's considering to widen his knowledge to C.
Jordi Sayol is the man behind the automation of the BRL-CAD Linux release packaging process, which he recently finished. His work continues the one made previously by Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo in .dbm packages.
This article is based on some questions I asked him and on an interview made to Jordi by Gala, a Google Code-in student.
Jordi has been working with BRL-CAD since January 2011,with his Linux experience (as advanced user) as his only companion. By that time, he started to collaborate on-line with other BRL-CAD team members.
With such a massive project, which has millions of lines of code, he decided to take as his responsability the building of binary packages for Linux systems, since he's not a programmer.
In both interviews, he explains quite accurately the process of making those. He has made two scripts that automate the whole work. What the scripts do is to handle all the pre-building proccess and then create the packages. "In fact the building job is done by debhelper to create deb packages, and the rpmbuild command to create rpm packages. The scripts tries to ensures that all dependencies needed by these commands are available, copy Linux specific files, create configuration files, etc. before building the packages". The scripts allow anyone to easily create their own deb/rpm packages as needed", since they "create deb/rpm packages for the host architecture where they are executed". This allows BRL-CAD to be distributed Debian-like and Fedora-like systems, which means a great variety of platforms where BRL-CAD will be able to work. Unfortunately, since Fedora and OpenSUSE don't share the same nomenclature, their rpm packages must be separate ones. The scripts can be found at the "sh" folder when you download the BRL-CAD sources.
Since he is not a programmer (only an advanced Linux user), he won't develop other parts of the code, but I think all the BRL-CAD community can be grateful for what he has done.
Gala Taylor is a 2012 Google Code-In participant. Although she has used various Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) products over the years, and has contributed example files and tutorials to several projects, this is the first time she has actively participated in the development of FOSS code. Gala is currently in 9th grade, and her favorite computer language is Java.
BRL-CAD supports Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE, and other Linux distributions. Jordi Sayol recently finished automating the BRL-CAD Linux release packaging process, and he took some time out to chat with Gala Taylor about it - and also answer some question about what it's like to work on the BRL-CAD project.
Gala Taylor (GT): How long have you been working on the BRL-CAD project?
Jordi Sayol (JS): I've been involved with the BRL-CAD project since January 2011.
GT: How much education and experience were required to prepare you to contribute to the BRL-CAD project?
JS: My experience is just as an advanced Linux user.
GT: Do you need to physically meet with the other team members in order to contribute to the BRL-CAD project, or is it sufficient to work on-line?
JS: All of my collaboration is done on-line.
GT: The BRL-CAD project is a collection of over four hundred tools, utilities and applications, with over a million lines of source code. With such a massive and complex system, how do you decide what to work on? Is it necessary to understand all that code in order to contribute to the project?
JS: My responsibility is focused on building binary packages of BRL-CAD for Linux systems.
GT: Besides the release processing work which is described in the HACKING file, can you walk me through the process of actually transforming a developer's checked-in source code into an .rpm or .deb that is ready to be downloaded and installed?
JS: It's quite simple. I have created two bash scripts that automate this process. The "sh/make_deb.sh" script creates a deb package installable on Debian-like systems. This currently includes Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other distributions. The "sh/make_rpm.sh" script creates an rpm package for Fedora-like systems. This includes Fedora, Centos, Redhat, and some other distributions, or OpenSUSE, depending on the system where it is built. There are separate rpm packages for Fedora and OpenSUSE because they do not share the same nomenclature on their packages. Note also that both scripts create deb/rpm packages for the host architecture where they are executed, and that the results are currently only tested on x86_32 and x86_64 hosts.
With these scripts, anyone can easily create their own deb/rpm packages as needed. This is especially useful if the user wants to install BRL-CAD on a very old system, maybe requiring special compilation for specific graphic cards drivers, etc.
GT: Thank your for your time today and your contributions to BRL-CAD, Mr. Sayol!
JS: It was a pleasure.
Jordi Sayol is the maintainer of the BRL-CAD Linux release packaging process.
Ronja (Reasonable Optical Near Joint Access) is an innovative piece of equipment that utilizes reliable optical data links to create a current communication range of 1.4 km and a speed of 10Mbps full duplex that can be used as a general purpose wireless link for virtually any networking project. This is a very important project for Twibright Labs, a small group of computer science graduate students operating out of Charles University in Prague in the Czech Republic. The group specializes in the usage of Free Software and User Controlled Technology Development.
The primary output for the Ronja project is a design. The lab does not intend to manufacture and sell the hardware that is being designed but wants to engage in open source development of the technology. The philosophy surrounding User Controlled Technology is the ideal that the end-user is provided with unrestricted access to the intellectual property surrounding the technology, including the tools that are being used to create it. One tool playing an integral part in the development of the Ronja designs is BRL-CAD. All of the models that Twibright labs use to display the different variants of their Ronja concept were created with the help of BRL-CAD. BRL-CAD has allowed the members of Twibright labs to create instructional diagrams so that the users and builders of their open source technology will be able to have the latest information with regard to the proper construction of a Ronja unit. The interactive geometry editor and ray-tracers in BRL-CAD are an integral part in the communication of design plans for Twibright labs and enables them to connect with the users, who are the driving force behind the User Controlled Technology ideal.