The Goal of Query Optimization
The overriding goal of query optimizers is to minimize the response time for a user query and maximize throughput for the database management system. Another way of viewing this is to rephrase the goal of query optimization in terms of cost: the object of query optimization is to produce a plan that has a minimal execution cost.
This goal can be achieved reasonably well only if user time is the most critical resource bottleneck; otherwise, an optimizer should minimize the cost of resource usage directly. These goals are not mutually independent; in fact, they are largely complementary.
The fundamental task of the Optimizer is to produce the most efficient access and execution plan for retrieving the data that satisfies an SQL query. This query plan determines the steps, the order, the parallelism, and the data access methods that can most efficiently deliver the result for a given SQL request.
Determining the best query plan depends on numerous factors, including all of the following:
- Physical implementation of the database
- Current interval histogram statistics and dynamic AMP sample statistics
- System configuration and costing formulas
- Column and index set cardinalities
- Algorithms to generate interesting plan alternatives
- Heuristics to limit the size of the search space
Some of these factors are predetermined algorithms and heuristics inside the Optimizer and beyond your control, but you can control and manipulate other factors by modifying the physical database design and by fine tuning your queries.
Among the user-controllable factors are the following items:
- Table layout
- The choice of whether a table has a primary [AMP] index or not
- The primary [AMP] index column set
- For a row-partitioned table, the choice of partitioning expressions
- For a column-partitioned table, the choice of columns in each of the column partitions and the column partition options
- The selection and type of secondary, join, and hash indexes
- The availability and accuracy of column and index set statistics
- The size of the statistics cache
Why Relational Systems Require Query Optimizers
Optimization is required in relational systems to handle ad hoc queries. Unlike pre-relational database management systems, the data in relational systems is independent of its physical implementation. Not only can you perform ad hoc queries with relational database management systems, their primary reason for existence is the capability of performing ad hoc queries.
Queries in non-relational database management systems do not require optimization because their access paths are determined in advance by the application programmer. The IBM hierarchical database management system IMS, for example, uses data structures called database descriptor blocks and program control blocks to define the structure of a database and how to access its records, respectively. Ad hoc queries are not possible in such a system because every possible way to access database records must be determined and coded in advance.
On the other hand, because any query that meets the syntactical and lexical rules of SQL is valid, a relational system must be able to access and join tables in many different ways depending on the different conditions presented by each individual query. This is particularly true for decision support and data mining applications, where the potential solution space is very large and the penalty for selecting a bad query plan is high.
If the demographics of the database change significantly between requests, the identical SQL query can be optimized in a radically different way. Without optimization, acceptable performance of queries in a relational environment is not possible.
Definition of a Query Optimizer
A query optimizer is an intricate software system that performs several transformations on SQL queries. The following graphic is a very high-level representation of an SQL query optimizer:
The input to the Optimizer, labeled as Input SQL Query in the graphic, is actually the ResTree´ (sometimes called ResTree´ or Red Tree´ to differentiate it from the ResTree/Red Tree as it is configured when it is input to Query Rewrite) output from Query Rewrite, so by this point the original SQL request text has already been reformulated as an annotated parse tree.
The Plan Exploration Space is a workspace where various query and join plans and subplans are generated and costed (see Bushy Search Trees and Possible Join Orders as a Function of the Number of Relations To Be Joined).
The Costing Engine compares the costs of the various plans and subplans generated in the Plan Exploration Space and returns the least costly plan from a given evaluation set (see Cost Optimization).
The Costing Engine primarily uses cardinality estimates based on summary demographic information, whether derived from collected statistics or from dynamic AMP sample estimates, on the set of relations being evaluated to produce its choice of a given “best” plan. The statistical data used to make these evaluations is contained within a set of data structures called histograms that are maintained in the dictionary (see Optimizer Statistics and Demographics).
The Heuristics Engine is a set of rules and guidelines used to evaluate plans and subplans in those situations where cost alone cannot determine the best plan.
Given this framework from which to work, Query Rewrite and the Optimizer perform the following actions in, roughly, the following order:
- Translate an SQL query into some internal representation.
- Rewrite the translation into a canonical form. The conversion to canonical form is often referred to as Query Rewrite. More accurately, Query Rewrite is a processing step that precedes the query processing steps that constitute the canonical process of query optimization. See Query Rewrite and Optimization for more information about Query Rewrite.
- Assess and evaluate candidate procedures for accessing, joining, and aggregating database tables.
Join plans have the following additional components:
- Selecting a join method.
There are often several possible methods that can be used to make the same join. For example, it is usually, but not always, less expensive to use a Merge Join rather than a Product Join. The choice of a method often has a major effect on the overall cost of processing a query.
- Determining an optimal join geography.
Different methods of relocating rows to be joined can have very different costs. For example, depending on the size of the tables in a join operation, it might be less costly to duplicate one of the tables rather than redistributing it.
- Determining an optimal join order.
Only 2 tables can be joined at a time. The sequence in which table pairs are joined can have a powerful impact on join cost. In this context, a table could be joined with a spool rather than another table. The term table is used in the most generic sense of the word. Both tables and spools are frequently categorized using the logical term relations when discussing query optimization.
- Selecting a join method.
- Generate several candidate query plans and select the least costly plan from the generated set for execution. A plan is a set of low-level instructions called AMP steps (see AMP Steps) that are generated by the Optimizer to produce a query result in the least expensive manner (see Statistics and Cost Estimation for a description of plan costing).
SQL query optimizers are based on principles derived from compiler optimization and from artificial intelligence.
Parallels of Query Optimization With Compiler Optimization
The parallels between SQL query optimization and compiler code optimization are striking and direct. Any transformation of an input source code file into an optimized object code file by an optimizing compiler must meet the following criteria:
- Preserve the semantics of the original code.
- Enhance the performance of the program by a measurable amount over unoptimized code.
- Be worth the effort.
The following table indicates how these criteria generalize to the optimization of SQL requests:
|This statement about compiler code optimization …||Generalizes to SQL query optimization as follows …|
|The transformation must preserve the semantics of the original code.||The transformed query must return the identical result as the original query.|
|The transformation must enhance execution of the program by a measurable amount over unoptimized code.||The response time for the transformed query must be significantly less than the response time for an unoptimized query.|
|The transformation must be worth the effort.||If the time taken to optimize the query exceeds the savings gained by reducing response time, there is no reason to undertake it.|
Parallels of Query Optimization With Artificial Intelligence
SQL query optimization draws from the following areas of artificial intelligence:
- Expert systems
The Optimizer uses its knowledge base of statistics and demographics to determine how best to access, join, and aggregate tables.
Similarly, it consults its platform configuration knowledge base (environmental cost variables) to determine how its statistical picture of the database relates to the distribution of table rows across the AMPs.
The Optimizer does not simply query these knowledge bases to return a result; it makes intelligent decisions on how to act based on the results it receives.
A heuristic is a rule of thumb: a method that generally produces optimum results through a series of successive approximations, but is not based on formal, provable rules.
Heuristics do not necessarily produce the best solution to a query optimization problem, but they produce a reliably better solution than taking no action.
The Optimizer uses heuristics at many different decision points. For example, heuristics are used to judge whether an intermediate join plan using single-table lookahead is good enough, or whether a five-table lookahead would generate a less costly plan (see Lookahead Join Planning for more information about how the Optimizer uses various lookahead methods when it does join planning). Similarly, heuristics are used to decide when to stop generating access plans for cost evaluation.
Types of Query Optimizers
Following are the basic types of query optimizers:
- Rule-based optimizers
The determination of which candidate plan to use is based on a set of ironclad rules. Rule-based optimizers are also referred to as heuristic optimizers.
- Cost-based optimizers
The determination of which candidate plan to use is based on their relative environmental and resource usage costs coupled with various heuristic devices. The least costly plan is always used.
Although the behavior of both types converges in theory, in practice, rule-based optimizers have proven to be less high-performing in decision support environments than cost-based optimizers. The Teradata Database query optimizer is cost-based.
Cost-based query optimizers also use rules, or heuristics, in certain situations where cost alone cannot determine the best plan from the set being evaluated, but the primary method of determining optimal plans is costing. Heuristics are also used to prune certain categories or particular branches of join order search trees from the join order evaluation space because experience indicates that they rarely yield optimal join orders, so they are not considered to be worth the effort it would take to evaluate them.
What are the specific costs that a cost-based optimizer seeks to minimize? The Teradata Optimizer examines the following three cost criteria when it determines which of the candidate plans it has generated shall be used.
- Interconnect (BYNET communication) costs.
- I/O costs, particularly for secondary storage.
- CPU (computation) costs.
Note that these costs are always measured in terms of time, and cost analyses are made in millisecond increments. An operation that takes the least time is, by definition, an operation that has the least cost to perform.
The plans generated by the Optimizer are based entirely on various statistical data, data demographics, and environmental demographics. The Optimizer is not order-sensitive and its parallelism is both automatic and unconditional.
To summarize, the goal of a cost-based optimizer is not to unerringly choose the best strategy; rather, it is the following:
- To quickly find a superior strategy from a set of candidate strategies.
- To avoid strategies that are obviously poor.
Teradata Database does not support Optimizer directives, which are commonly referred to as hints. SQL is a declarative language, meaning that when you code SQL requests, you tell your database management system what information you want, not how it should retrieve that information. Optimizer directives are a method of subverting the declarative nature of SQL by explicitly instructing the Optimizer how to process a query.


text:
The home at 1225 Oxford Road, Deerfield was sold on May 14, 2018 by John P. Terwilliger Jr. and Deeny K Terwilliger for $490,000. The buyers were Jaime and Erica R. Faulhaber.
The property tax paid for this property in 2016 was $13,435.35. This is 2.74% of the sale price of the home.
This home last sold on Oct. 31, 2013 for $420,000.
In May 2018, 31 properties sold in Deerfield.

domain: finance


We previously concentrated on making products;and all sales were handled by the traders to indirectly sell abroad. Now our product itemsand sizes are quite complete and the quality is rather excellent. With these advantages we are expanding our services to the users and will export directly. All trade representatives. engineering companies.end users, etc are welcomed to contact us and pass us inquires:
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Sometimes I get an incredulous and go MEGO – Mine Eyes Glaze Over. I get that look on my face when I listen to the statements on Iraq oozing from both Republicans and Democrats behaving like a bunch of disoriented bumbling fools trying to dance a tango to an orchestra playing a waltz. Going MEGO allows me to stop giggling in a way that to the casual observer would call for closer scrutiny of the type usually reserved for the criminally insane.
The surreal nature of the Iraq war has taken on a kind of quixotic overtone that suggests on the one side “America is winning in Iraq and we’re winning the war on terror.” That’s Bushspeak for “I don’t know what the heck is going on over there with those camel F***ers.” Then there is the “oh, really?” crowd silently mumbling to our severely challenged commander-in-chief “O, you poor, poor silly and disillusioned man, can’t you see that because you broke it you must now own it?”
Limited military successes are blown up and out of all proportions, magnified by sycophantic media spin to hype these small victories to make them appear bigger and bolder than the reality of the situation. With suicides now becoming as regular in the armed forces serving in Iraq as text messages and the admission that the insurgency is becoming more and more sophisticated and effective we’ve turned to blaming Iran and Al-Qaeda for everything that’s wrong in Iraq.
Now our dear demented leader is contemplating arrogantly naming the national army of a nation that he does not like a special terrorist organization. Maybe Iran’s enigmatic president will then retaliate by naming American forces in Iraq an illegal, occupation force that is committing acts of terrorism on a daily scale. We alone, rather President George Bush alone, is allowed the near divine right to meddle, invade, sell arms, decide who is a terrorist, enemy combatant, rogue state, dictator and American friend and ally.
Of course, this also comes on the heels of President Bush announcing a $30 billion military aid package to Israel, Saudi Arabia and a few other oil-rich Middle East states and nuclear cooperation with India. So while President Bush berates and threatens Iran about a nuclear program that it claims is for peaceful means he not only wants to arm Israel – a state that reportedly does have nuclear bombs – to the teeth; he rewards the Saudis with more military hardware – the same nation whose cousins are fighting and killing American servicemen in Iraq and whose nationals killed innocent Americans right here in 2001.
And we wonder why America has lost credibility around the world.
The daily propaganda drivel that the troop surge and new military tactics in Iraq are working is for domestic consumption only. The Iraqi insurgency is testing each and every day the capabilities of the world’s most technologically equipped military. Urban guerilla warfare is a 100 times more deadly than rural guerilla warfare. In the jungle the lines are more distinct. In an urban setting there is absolutely no way for a 19- year old kid from Ohio, scared so stiff that he’s literally crapping in his pants, unable to speak any other language other than English, to know that the nice guy who said “God Bless America” at 8:00 a.m. when he drove by is the same guy how pointing an RPG-7 at his humvee 8:00 p.m in a dark street in Sadr City.
But what the United States and its allies in Iraq have forgotten is that while counter insurgency tactics boils down to a military contest between two groups of armed combatants there is a vitally more important component that does not have a military tag on it. Insurgents derive their power from the support that they receive from the population. Without that the insurgency in Iraq would have long ago fizzled out.
The problem for the American occupation is that it cannot claim the moral high ground nor does it have the propaganda control to demonize the insurgency because of the modern nature and time of the war. And America cannot win over a population that sees itself as faring worst in terms of human, social and economic improvements when compared to the former rule of Saddam Hussein. Indeed, the most backward student of guerilla warfare would have to conclude that the insurgency is winning since the huge American military presence has done little to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis. On the contrary, it has only helped these organizations to recruit more and more foot soldiers.
The sad thing is that Mr. Bush and company who rushed into this military adventure are now caught in a bind. Withdrawing from Iraq without some tangible victory will be seen as a humiliation. But there will not be a military victory because when all is said and done the one uniting factor between all of Iraq’s insurgency factions is a collective hatred for America and a fanatical disposition to kill any American on Iraq’s soil. This hatred of Americans is not limited to the insurgency but is a sentiment that permeates throughout the Iraqi population.
So that when President Bush and company start yapping about how America is winning and in control of the battlefield, again I go MEGO. Is there a clearly defined battlefield? Pray show me it on the Iraqi map. What we broke and now own is an Iraq where the forces lined up against the United States occupation looks something like this: Sunni extremists, Al Qaeda terrorists, Shiite militiamen, criminals and armed tribes. A weak puppet government headed by a man who is loyal to Iran – not the United States or President Bush – and a disloyal, corrupt Iraqi police force and army that are in league with the various factions now killing our servicemen and women.
Recently published reports say that the United States military in Iraq could not account for over 190,000 weapons including rifles, handguns and ammunition. We know that it did go to Iraq. So where is all that hardware now? You can bet in the hands of the insurgency. And Italy foiled a multi-million dollar plot to ship more arms to the insurgency in Iraq. That’s only ONE foiled plot. How many more were successful?
Then we hear about how Sunnis are joining with the occupation forces to battle Al-Qaeda militants on the ground and the mainstream media touts this as “progress in Iraq.” And we’re also arming some of the militiamen to help as proxies in this counterinsurgency war. Yes, proxies and alliances are necessary tools in any counterinsurgency and the United States military has no choice but to use them. But can their loyalties be guaranteed? When the national police are collaborating with militia commanders and not the central government holed up in the Green Zone then these alliances are suspect at best.
Finally, what we broke we now insist be fixed by an Iraqi government that we helped to install and only succeeded in fueling more anger and resentment. Today, Iraq is more divided than anytime in its history and only a common and abiding hatred for America and Americans unites these warring factions committed to killing as many Americans as they can. The Shiite-dominated Iraqi government does not love President Bush or the American occupation but it cunningly tolerates the US presence while it consolidates its rule.
Learning from the lessons of history the majority Shiite population have used the American invasion to get rid of a pesky dictator, subjugate the minority Sunni that ruled Iraq for decades, and got the bonus of a large, armed force that offers it protection and hunts down and kills its enemies without the government ever having to leave the Green Zone. In this regard the Shiites have not made the mistakes it made when England invaded Iraq and it lost political power by actively leading an internal rebellion.
Nouri Al-Malaki, Iraq’s Prime Minister, is tied to the apron strings of Iran. The mistake that President Bush and company are making is that they want to instill and dictate American values, systems and processes in Iraq without taking into consideration the complexity of the tribal and ethnic situation and the religious issues that impact the economic and socio-political processes there. That is why the Iraqi government constantly fails American-ordered “benchmarks” and US lawmakers express consternation when those benchmarks are not met.


text:
Protesters, supporters turn out as rainbow crosswalks are painted in Battle Creek
Two groups found themselves on the opposite sides of Van Buren Street on Monday afternoon, brought there by rainbow-colored crosswalks.
One group consisted of about a dozen individuals who were against the temporary placement of the rainbow crosswalk, privately funded by Battle Creek Pride, an organization that serves the city's LGBTQ community, at the Van Buren and Capital Avenue intersection.
The other consisted of a dozen members and allies of Battle Creek Pride .
"This is complete shock for me, because every other city that has done it has said there hasn't ever been that many protesters or that big of a deal," said Charlie Fulbright, vice president of Battle Creek Pride. "But here in Battle Creek, for some reason, it is. And I'm not sure why."
As people waited in their vehicles at the traffic signal, some honked and snapped photos. Bettina Brown would periodically raise the sign she made that read, "Stop promoting sexuality to our kids."
"I'm not trying to hurt anybody. This is what I believe in. I'm doing this for myself," Brown said, calling herself a peaceful protester. "It's not that I'm against that lifestyle. I'm against this for our children... This is just opening a whole new doorway."
Elizabeth Dillard stood with Brown, though she did use the freshly-painted crosswalks when she ventured across the street to speak with supporters of the project who were stationed in front of St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
"None of them over there showed me any hate," Dillard said. "I see where she is coming from and I support her. If they want to take the rainbow and make it be their message, they have a right to... I just wanted both sides to be able express their opinion in a healthy dialogue and be represented in a peaceful manner."
Rainbows are a symbol of the LGBTQ pride and social movements. The roughly $3,000 project, funded through a Battle Creek Community Foundation grant, comes in advance of Battle Creek's Pride Festival and Parade, which runs from July 18 to 21.
Nick Buckley can be reached at email@example.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley

domain: sociology


text:
Congratulations on opening your new premises. As the head vet of JustCat.ie can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thanks, we are very excited about it! I am a lifelong animal and cat lover. That is why I got into veterinary in the first place! Growing up we had a cat, and I rode horses. I spent time on my uncles farm and would take every opportunity to be with animals. I studied Veterinary Medicine in UCD and upon graduation, moved to Canada. It was the worst of the recession and jobs here in Ireland were scarce. So I moved with my boyfriend and my dog, Margaret. No sooner had we landed than we added our first cat, Borris, a rescued Russian Blue (very handsome!). A second dog followed, and a horse soon after. I gained wonderful experience in general veterinary practice and got my introduction to ‘cat friendly’ veterinary medicine, a concept that I had never experienced in Ireland! But home called and we moved back with the cat and dogs in tow. Unfortunately bringing the horse was a step too far but he got a fabulous home and I am still in contact with him. On my return to Ireland, I felt strongly that there were areas of veterinary that needed to be brought in line with international standards, particularly our approach to cats. I worked as a locum in many practices until I found the right opportunity.
Just Cats Veterinary Clinic is a branch of a family practice, so I am not the owner! Charles Cosgrave heads up the practice and had been thinking about a cat only clinic for quite some time. He had formulated a plan but was waiting to find the right vet, and that is where I came in. I am the head vet and have been involved since the start, doing the research along side my head nurse Roisin. We have been able to design the clinic, choose equipment and make all decisions in the running of the clinic. Being part of a larger practice confers many benefits, some financial but also having other expertise available when it is needed. We have vets with special interest areas such as orthopedics, ophthalmology and ultrasonography. This is very useful for more complex or difficult cases.
How many people are currently working in your clinic?
We have 2 full time staff and 2 part time staff. I am here most but days, but Sarah is our other vet, she does some hours when I am off. Roisin is our head nurse and is here full time. Aisling is a nursing student and fills in Roisin’s hours. A small team means that we really stay in touch with our patients.
Why set up a veterinary clinic just for cats and do you find yourself turning away other animals
Cat Only veterinary clinics are commonplace most other countries, particularly the UK and North America. We need more cat-only clinics badly in Ireland!! We need to show cat owners that going to the vet can be a positive experience. Cat owners often find going to the vet a trying experience for all involved, the cat, the owner and the vet. This may be no fault of anyone in particular but may be the fault of the environment. Taking a cat that is already stressed about being in a carrier, transported away from their territory and then surrounding then with further stressors such as dogs, clinical noises and smells and rushing them through a consultation will never result in an enjoyable visit. We address these things at Just Cats by removing the dogs or other species and creating a homely and relaxing environment within the clinic. This is done with layout, choices of materials and options for the cat to choose where he or she would like to be examined. We also approach the cats with relaxation and sympathetic handling techniques in a quiet manner. Scruffing is banned! Cat clinics have longer appointment times than regular vets as standard to allow these adaptable creatures more time to become accustomed to their surroundings. Roisin and I have undertaken further education in feline medicine and behavior in order to offer the highest standard of care in our clinic.
We have dedicated vets for horses, for exotic species, for pigs, for chickens, for cattle, even specific vets for beef cattle versus dairy cattle so why have we neglected cats? Dogs and cats are really as different as dogs and pigs so I am not sure why it has taken this long to provide species specific care. Unfortunately this does mean that we turn away all other species but this is necessary to provide the optimal atmosphere for cats.
Setting up a vet clinic just for cats obviously reduces the market………have you found it difficult and how do you make it work?
Opening a new clinic always has financial risk, and cat-only practices are even higher risk. As you have pointed out, by excluding dogs, we have immediately rule out 2/3 of our potential customers locally. We have the support of the larger practice which means that we have access to equipment that we could not afford to buy or maintain as a stand alone clinic. We also have improved buying power. With that said, we still need customers through the door. This means that for our cat only clinic to be successful we need the support of the wider cat community in Dublin and the surrounding counties as the local market is considerably reduced.
I see you have a cattery, can you tell us a little bit about that and what you offer?
We offer cat boarding at the clinic and so far have been very busy! Our cattery has bespoke kennels that are made from a molded plastic offering plenty of space. The material is warm and absorbs sound. They also have a shelf at the back for the cats to perch on as many of them prefer to be up high. Outside the kennels we have a ‘cat gym’ which has climbing opportunities in the form of a cat tree, ladder and counter tops, along with some scratching posts and other toys such as tunnels. The cats are allowed out individually, or in pairs or groups if from the same house, and in rotation throughout the day. They get lots of attention and play with our nurses to ensure that they are exercising.
We are happy to cater to each cats individual needs, offering multiple types of litter, food and water bowls and beds. We feed Royal Canin food as standard but are happy to feed special diets or give medications as required for each cat. We love having the cattery as it means that there are always plenty of cats to play with!
Do you have cats yourself? If yes, Can you tell us a little about them?
I have one cat, as I mentioned previously, called Borris. He was a rescue as he was not getting on well in a multi-cat household. Because of this, I won’t get more cats so long as we have Borris. He is not a sharer! He is a Russian Blue which means he is very large! He gets on very well with the dogs and my friends and family. Borris and Margaret, my Jack Russel love to wrestle but Borris always sets the boundaries!
Although I would love more cats (tempted daily in work!) I think it is important to realize that not all cats will cohabit comfortably with other cats, sometimes single cat household are the best option.
As a vet, what motivates you or inspires you?
I have always been motivated by the desire to help animals. What this means to me now is quite different to my idea of helping animals when I was 16 though! Before becoming a vet I thought that helping animals was fixing them when they were sick. While that is still a daily task that I am still motivated by, I can now see the bigger picture. We need to strive for better welfare conditions for all of our animals. It has become my professional endeavor with this project to improve feline welfare. I will be attempting this in a few ways. One of the major barriers to cats receiving appropriate healthcare is getting them into the vets. In a survey done in America, 60% of people thought their cat hated going to the vet and 38% of owners got stressed even thinking about bringing their cats to the vet. If we can improve the rates at which cats turn up to the vet, we can improve their welfare by preventing disease with regular vaccination, prevent unwanted kittens and catch disease conditions earlier when they are easier to treat or manage. To do this we need to make visiting the vet a more pleasant experience, not just at our clinic but at all vets. In order to promote ‘cat-friendly’ veterinary medicine we will be leading by example here (and the feedback has been fantastic so far) and I will promote these methods at educational events for vets and nurses. If our clinic becomes successful, more and more cat clinics will be created.
Another area in which I can help to improve feline welfare is to get involved with education of the public regarding preventative healthcare, encouraging more engagement of cat owners in healthcare. I will also support charities that are trying to deal with the problems created by stray cat populations. Trap-Neuter-Return programs are fundamental to tackling the vast numbers of unwanted stray kittens that are born each year, and we will participate in these programs where possible.
By joining the Cat Friendly Clinic program and becoming a member of International Cat Care we are committed cat advocates. This means that in any way we can we will promote and educate people regarding feline welfare.
What do you enjoy most about being a vet?
I enjoy the challenge and the variation. A lot of people say that being a vet is easier than being a doctor because you are not dealing with people. In actuality, at least half of my time is spent dealing with the human side of the relationship or problem, rather than the animal side. I enjoy the interaction with people though, you get to meet all sorts of characters on a daily basis, each with their own story. I enjoy the feeling of success when you can solve a challenging problem or just help a sick cat feel better. And I also really enjoy playing with kittens!
September is National Micro Chipping month, how are you showing support?
The Dog’s Trust are giving free chips to clinics for dogs but we don’t have anything similar for cats, so we can’t offer free microchipping. However we are offering discounted microchipping at €20 for this month. We have had good uptake so far.
What’s in the future for JustCats.ie
The future is happy cats coming to visit! But to be sensible, we need to get the business side of things performing well, to get our educational programs going and to hopefully get involved in some TNR programs. We are looking forward to getting busier and spreading the word!
We are huge fans of JustCat.ie and wish them all the best for the future. Dublin is blessed to have such dedicated staff.

domain: pet


text:
To help meet the demand for quality child care in the inner city, we are providing a new Green Square childcare centre at 3 Joynton Avenue, Zetland. Construction has commenced on site and is due to be completed in early 2017.
Works include refurbishing the outpatient building at the former South Sydney Hospital site to provide a 74-place early education and care centre.
The childcare centre is part of an exciting new community space at Green Square. The design by Fox Johnson architects aims to retain the integrity of the existing building while incorporating a contemporary new addition and wrap-around verandah.
The City’s contractor, Iqon Pty Ltd, will minimise any disruptions to traffic flow and pedestrian access.Read More

domain: news


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Albany Unveils COVID Recovery Task Force Report
Albany officials gathered Tuesday morning in Lincoln Park to present the city’s COVID Recovery Task Force Final Report.
The city and the COVID Recovery Task Force are gearing up to allocate and distribute more than $80 million in American Rescue Plan funding.
On March 12 Mayor Kathy Sheehan announced the creation of the 41-member task force in order to restart Albany and build back better in the wake of the pandemic.
"This report provides us with guiding principles that will guide the decisions that are made by the city in our budget with respect to how we allocate this funding. We are also in the process of evaluating and hiring an outside firm to help us ensure that we are in compliance with, and that we have the resources to evaluate, responses to requests for proposals in order to address the needs that my administration and the council together identify as the priority needs that will be laid out in our 2022 budget. We are also looking to program some of this funding this year. And we hope to be making announcements about that in the near future. "
Sheehan, a Democrat running for a third term, says there are 250 program ideas in the 76-page report in five impact areas, including assistance to workers, small business support and recovery of the tourism, travel, arts and hospitality sectors.
Task Force Co-Chair Jahkeen Hoke says there's a lot of excitement for the city.
"There's a lot of projects that I think are going to be supported, not just through the COVID relief money, but also from the private sector and the investment groups. So with that, I did want to highlight some of the other things that we took out of this, the findings, which were our ability to cross collaborate with others, the county officials or the school departments, and really learn about what the community was missing and how the city can also support those findings and share it to those different agencies in those different departments."
Sheehan says she and the Common Council will be working on the spending plans over the next few weeks.
"And so we are sending a message to our community-based organizations and businesses and other groups who are seeking to apply for this funding in the coming months and year ahead, is to really be bold, you have to think outside the box. And it's important for you to collaborate, because we need to make sure that we're investing in sustainable enterprises. So with this one-time money, how are you going to sustain what it is you're trying to accomplish in the long-term when this funding is no longer available."
Sheehan adds that within the 2022 budget, which is now being prepared, she expects a certain amount of funding allocated to "each of the programmatic areas," with some funds being spent internally by individual projects the city will take on. The remainder would be available via requests for proposals.
Read the full report:


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Custom Product Drawing - Digital Download
Custom Product Drawings that are great as special gifts, home decor or social media!
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domain: artistic


935 Stewart Drive
Post Office Box 3642
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
ATLANTA, May 13, 1999 -- When the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) convenes today for its '99 convention, Trimble will showcase its line of avionics for the business and commuter aircraft market.
"Trimble has been providing GPS-based aviation solutions to the business and commuter aircraft market for over 11 years. In fact, Trimble has been the first to complete several GPS certification milestones and holds a significant market share worldwide," said Darrell Davis, Trimble's director of air transport. "We are committed to serving the business and commuter, air transport and military avionics segments with continued research and development, technical support and service."
Trimble's business and commuter product line include the 2101 Approach Plus™ and 2101 I/O Approach Plus™ Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) GPS navigation systems, TRA 3000 and 3500 radar altimeters and JET CALL selective calling decoder.
2101 and 2101 I/O Approach Plus Navigation Systems
The 2101 Approach Plus is a DZUS-mount flight management and navigation system for commercial and corporate aircraft operators. The system meets FAA TSO C-129 (A1) and European Basic Area Navigation (B-RNAV) certifications. The unit incorporates an ultra-high contrast display for maximum sunlight readability and continuously checks accuracy using Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) and predicts RAIM conditions for approach. The Trimble 2101 Approach Plus can store up to 40 flight plans with 40 waypoints each, showing nearest airport, displaying minimum safe altitudes as well as many other features. The receiver incorporates Jeppesen's NavData card including airports, approaches, SIDS, STARS, VORs, NDBs, airspace boundaries and MEAs. The unit interfaces with CDI, flags and external annunciators and altitude inputs. When integrated to an optional air data computer, the receiver displays true air speed, density and press altitudes, calculates and displays winds aloft and applies current wind to ETE and ETA calculations.
The 2101 I/O Plus is a DZUS-mount system for the corporate, helicopter and regional commuter aircraft operators and is certified to TSO C-129 (A1) and B-RNAV. The 2101 I/O is also certified for primary and remote oceanic navigation. In addition to all the features of the 2101 Approach Plus, the 2101 I/O Approach Plus interfaces to many other flight instruments to maximize the flexibility of the system, all within a single unit.
TRA 3000 and TRA 3500 Radar Altimeters
Trimble's TRA 3000 radar altimeter provides continuous, precise altitude information that is essential when navigating close to the ground. By setting the desired decision height from 40 to 2,500 feet, the altimeter gives the pilot a visual and audible warning when the aircraft descend below the desired height. The lightweight, aerodynamic radar altimeter was designed to mount on the fuselage or under the wing to increase transmitter transmitter efficiency.
The TRA 3500 radar altimeter provides altitude information from 0 to 2,500 feet continuously. Its ARINC outputs allow seamless integration with other on-board equipment such as flight director systems. The TRA 3500 also features a patented "anti-hover" circuit that prevents altitude wandering while a helicopter is hovering.
Trimble's TRI 20 panel-mount indicator works with the TRA 3000 radar altimeter. The indicator shows both the AGL and pre-selected decision height on a bright LED readout. Its test button sends a 40-foot altitude code to the indicator to test display and warning alerts. The TRA 20 provides an excellent source of information when the pilot has no visual clues to the landscape surrounding an airport.
In addition to incorporating the features of the TRI 20, Trimble's TRI 40 indicator includes a visual and audible gear-up warning when the aircraft is below 100 feet. Plus, it provides a trip point output beginning at 100 feet that allows the pilot to activate additional alerts every 100 feet up to 800 feet. The TRI 40 works with both the TRA 3000 and TRA 3500 radar altimeters.
Trimble's JET CALL is a TSO'd Calling Decoder for ARINC Subscribers. The JET CALL comes in two or five channel model to handle VHF and/or HF transceivers for page calling. It is a solid state receiver with a stable crystal reference to provide high reliability within a low support operation.
Trimble is a world leader in designing and developing innovative products enabled by GPS technology. The company provides end-user and OEM solutions for diverse applications including surveying, mapping/GIS, agriculture, mining, military, commercial aviation, automotive, vehicle tracking and timing. Founded in 1978, Trimble now holds more than 200 U.S. patents on GPS and related technology, with over 180 additional patents pending. Located in Sunnyvale, Calif., Trimble has been adding value to GPS since 1984.
Media Contact: Lea Ann McNabb of Trimble: 408-481-7808


Japan declares a state of emergency for the Tokyo Olympics
Japan has announced that Tokyo will be under a Covid-19 state of emergency throughout the Olympic Games.
Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister announced the measure at a press conference Thursday evening as the spread of delta variable It leads to the rapid spread of infection with the Corona virus.
The renewed state of emergency means the Tokyo fans will be too Urge to stay at home Even with the International Olympic Committee holding the largest sporting event in the world in its streets and stadiums.
The International Olympic Committee insisted that the Games should continue even during a state of emergency, but the announcement is likely to lead to tighter restrictions on spectators. Tokyo 2020 is set to review its decision to allow Max 10,000 spectators, or 50 percent of total capacity, will be in stadiums before the end of the week.
Suga said: “The number [of people infected with Covid] Those who are seriously ill and hospital bed utilization remains low, but bearing in mind the impact of variables, we must act to prevent another wave of infections across the country.”
Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the Japanese response to Covid-19, described the situation as “a race between vaccination and the spread of a delta variant”. He said vaccinations would continue as quickly as possible during the emergency.
After a slow start, Japan offer the vaccine Its pace quickened, but it gave the first dose to only 27 percent of the audience, and left A large gathering of unvaccinated people Among them, Covid-19 can spread.
On Wednesday, Tokyo reported 920 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest daily number since May 13. The number of cases has been rising since Japan lifted its previous state of emergency last month.
The new state of emergency will be the fourth in Tokyo, following previous announcements in Spring 2020, Winter 2021 and Spring 2021. Under previous restrictions, the public have been asked to work from home when possible and restaurants have been asked to close at 8 p.m.
Japan has a constitutional right to freedom of movement, so all restrictions are voluntary. Previous Emergencies It was effective in reducing cases of Covid-19, but medical officials were concerned about declining compliance with the rules and the high transmissibility of the delta variant.
“The delta variant is moving fast, it is responsible for 7 per cent of cases nationwide and 14 per cent in Tokyo,” said Norihisa Tamura, the health minister. “With the idea that we would like this to be the last round of emergency measures, we will continue with vaccinations and treatment of the Coronavirus while keeping in mind the wishes of the public.”
Okinawa will also remain under a state of emergency, but other large cities in Japan will not be covered by the restrictions, which will reduce Economic Impact of the new measures.
“An export- and manufacturing-led economic recovery is unlikely to be derailed,” said Takeshi Yamaguchi, chief Japan economist at Morgan Stanley in Tokyo, noting the smaller geographic scope of the new emergency. He added that families have adapted to online shopping.
However, Yamaguchi said there will be increased pressure for another round of fiscal stimulus, which could include more cash grants for low-income individuals.


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IAIN BALSHAW will return to the Gloucester number 15 shirt for tomorrow's west country derby against Bath at the Rec.
The England star has missed the last two victories against Newcastle and Harlequins because of a groin injury but starts in place of Willie Walker as Dean Ryan's side look to build on the most impressive recent run in the Guinness Premiership.
Balshaw will make his 15th appearance of the season against his former club tomorrow as Gloucester look to extend their five-match winning run dating back to the end of February. However, they will make the trip to the Rec without lock Alex Brown who has still not recovered from nerve damage in his shoulder picked up against Quins.
"We worked exceptionally hard during the international period when we were without our senior internationals and have got ourselves into a position where we can really press for a top two place," head coach Dean Ryan told www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk
"We have three games left but are just solely concerned with dealing with the here and now this weekend. Local derbies are always tense, tough affairs and I am sure tomorrow will be no different.
"Bath have an exceptionally good home record but we are thoroughly prepared for the challenge - it should be a fantastic occasion and one we will relish."
Of Balshaw's return, Ryan added: "Iain is a massive threat as a broken field runner and we need to get him into positions where he can be a danger.
"He is an international-quality player, we are in the run-in and to have that experience at this stage is crucial. We have selected a team purely for this match and I think it is very exciting."
Because of Brown's absence, Will James continues in the second row alongside skipper Marco Bortolami. In the front row, Nick Wood partners hooker Olivier Azam and tight-head Carlos Nieto.
The regular back row trio of Peter Buxton, Andy Hazell and James Forrester start together again.
On the bench, hooker Rob Elloway comes in for Mefin Davies because of family illness.
In the backs, Rory Lawson returns at scrum-half in place of Peter Richards and will partner Ryan Lamb at half-back. In the centre, Mike Tindall will return to his former club and will line-up alongside Anthony Allen, while James Simpson-Daniel, James Bailey and Balshaw complete the back-three.
On the bench, Adam Eustace, Jake Boer and Jack Forster complete the forward options alongside Elloway, while Richards, Walker and Mark Foster are the three-quarter options.
GLOUCESTER (v Bath, tomorrow, 2.15pm): Iain Balshaw; James Bailey, Mike Tindall, Anthony Allen, James Simpson-Daniel; Ryan Lamb, Rory Lawson, Nick Wood, Olivier Azam, Carlos Nieto, Will James, Marco Bortolami (capt), Peter Buxton, Andy Hazell, James Forrester. Reps: Rob Elloway, Jack Forster, Adam Eustace, Jake Boer, Peter Richards, Willie Walker, Mark Foster.
SUPPORTERS are reminded that on Monday at 3pm Gloucester host Harlequins in the Guinness A League at Hartpury College, 3pm.
Head coach Mark Cornwell is expected to be able to call on Ludovic Mercier, Luke Narraway, Adam Eustace, Jonathan Pendlebury, Jack Forster, Jon Goodridge and Mark Foster as Gloucester aim for a third successive victory.
Gary Jones of Glevum Windows and Conservatories recently visited Kingsholm Stadium and the Cherry and White supporter spoke exclusively to Gloucester Rugby TV after marking two decades as a box holder in the Stowford Press Stand at Kingsholm. A great feat!
Speaking to the local media this week during preseason, new hooker Richard Hibbard said he was really enjoying putting in the hard work and being back to full fitness ahead of the 2014-15 season with the Cherry and Whites.
Nick Walshe was unveiled as Gloucester's new Backs and Attack Coach this week and spoke to Simon Ward for the RFU.com podcast about his excitement at joining Gloucester and working with a new group of players.
Speaking after the Third Test defeat to New Zealand, Ben Morgan told RFU.com that the loss was a disappointing way to sign off the summer tour but that the England team know what they have to do to be successful.
At the end of a tour when there have been so many positives for England, fly half Freddie Burns, who will start the third Test against New Zealand, was clear that the whole squad are focussed on signing off with a memorable win when he spoke to RFU.com
Speaking to Steve Jones of RFU.com straight after the 27-28 defeat to New Zealand on Saturday, Billy Twelvetrees spoke of the frustration of a missed opportunity, but stressed that England would lick their wounds and bounce back.
Freddie Burns contributed 12 points in England's 20-15 defeat against New Zealand on Saturday but, speaking after the game to RFU.com, preferred to talk about the many positives in the performance from Stuart Lancaster's side.
Gloucester number eight Ben Morgan put in a great individual performance as England were just pipped by New Zealand by 20 points to 15 in Auckland on Saturday. He told Steve Jones of RFU.com that the team will be in good spirits going into the 2nd Test in Dunedin.
It's been marked in the diary since the spring, but rugby will be returning to Kingsholm on July 31st. The holders host the Premiership Rugby Sevens for the third consecutive year, and Dan Robson can't wait to get on the field with the new look squad.


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HOUSEHOLD staples are rocketing in price, leaving shoppers feeling the pinch.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that inflation has hit its highest level since the early 90s, soaring to 5.5%.
The last time inflation was higher was March 1992 when the inflation rate was 7.1%
It means the price of all the things you need to stock up at home are rising at a faster rate than many Brits' wages are, making everything much harder to afford.
The ONS said rising energy prices were the biggest contributor to inflation, as well as increasing costs of food, alcohol, tobacco, and clothing.
Families are now spending more on their weekly shop for essential food items compared to a year ago.
Plus, energy bills are rocketing with price hikes hitting the most hard-up households - leaving many people facing the choice between heating and eating.
The ONS data shows that even the prices of used cars has rocketed, and on top of that petrol prices hit a new record high earlier this month.
Most read in Money
But as the cost of living crisis continues, it's more than just your grocery shop and energy bills that are going up - we round up the worst offenders.
What's going up in price fastest?
Top of the charts is the price of food.
At the start of the year, Tesco boss, John Allen, warned food prices would soar by as much as 5% in just months, and some items are going up by more.
The latest ONS data, food products like margarine and other vegetable fats had shot up a whopping 37.2% in the year to January 2022.
Pasta and couscous have gone up by 14.9%, and jam, marmalade and honey by 13.6%.
Another store cupboard staple, eggs, are 8% more expensive than a year ago.
What about non-supermarket items?
The price of second-hand cars has increased a massive 28.7% over the past year.
Much of this is due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, which has affected the motors industry.
Although, prices of new cars have gone up by just 3.5% in comparison.
Even motorists who aren't buying a new car are being affected though as petrol prices are up 24.4%, and diesel 22.9%.
Even the average parking charges have risen by 25.9%, while the cost of public transport is also set to increase.
The ONS said electricity, gas and other fuel bills have risen 22.9%.
Further hikes are expected when the price cap is increased again later this year.
How does inflation affect my finances?
As much as inflation means everyday essentials going up, there are other things that get caught in the ripple effect.
That's because a higher rate of inflation means your money doesn't go as far, and you have to spend more to get more, for what you've put in.
That can be with the price of food - something that's a pound might be an extra 5p or more with the rising rates - but it can also impact your savings.
If the inflation rate is higher than the interest you're earning on your savings, you are effectively losing money every year.
Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown said: “It’s no wonder so many of us are struggling with rising prices, because inflation has hit 5.5%.
"To make matters worse, it’s set to accelerate in the coming months. The Bank of England expects it to be closer to 6% next month and 7.25% in April.
"Over time, we’ll see the impact spread increasingly to people who have tended to think of themselves as a relatively comfortable, as they start to find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet."
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Reliance Jio’s festive offer, which started on September 20, was supposed to have ended on September 30, but the company has extended it.
Reliance Jio has extended its festive season offer for the sale of its 4G wi-fi device JioFi. Customers can buy the device for Rs. 999, Rs. 1,000 less from its original price of Rs. 1,999 . The offer which started on September 20, was supposed to have ended on September 30, but the company has extended it. “The festive celebration continues! Get your JioFi for a reduced price of Rs.999. Buy now- http://bit.ly/__offer,” Reliance Jio’s official handle @reliancejio said on Twitter. Jio has also been sending messages to mobile phone users.
Here are the key features of JioFi that you must know:
1. JioFi’s download speed is up to 150 Mbps and the upload speed is up to 50 Mbps, states Jio’s website.
4. Jio recommended that one should connect up to 10 wi-fi enabled devices – smartphone, laptops, tablets and even smart TVs with JioFi. However, JioFi allows connection of up to 32 devices. The device comes with a built-in rechargeable battery.
5. Jio claims of offering the ‘best in class battery (2300 mAh) that can support five-six hours of surf time.
On Friday, Reliance Industries announced that it will offer to buy back from Jio customers Apple Inc’s latest iPhone models after a year’s usage for 70 per cent of their price, a move that may boost the telecom unit’s data sales.


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A walk in between seasons, after winter, before spring. The marsh in front of the forest is showing a succession of lines, burst reeds, birches in the far distance, intertwined pines. The colors are in a low key range: beige, cream, white, brown, grey, except for the splash of green of the conifers. A sense of nostalgia in grey weather animated by the lines and forms.
Original watercolor on Arches paper
56 x 38 cm / 22 x 15"


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Beyonce slayed Coachella weekend two and even added a few new things to her big set.
The singer hit the stage for the annual music festival in Indio over the weekend and just last like weekend one, the mother of three slapped fans with some serious HBCU vibes and dancing perfection.
This go around, the singer switched up the colors on set and exchanged last weekend’s bright yellow outfits for magenta. And although it was rumored that the star was going to bring out the original Destiny’s Child members, she kept with last weekend’s theme and featured Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
Her husband Jay Z and sister Solange graced the stage again, but one thing weekend two concert goers got that others didn’t was the arrival of J. Balvin, who joined the Queen Bey for their hit track, “Mi Gente.”
Following the show, Michelle shared a video from their performance, writing: “Screaming: “Walk for your liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife! Yessssssssssss!!” My sisters @beyonce and @kellyrowland. Tipping alongside the two of you is forever my favorite thing to do with y’all!!! I love you ladies with all of my heart! Let’s do it again and again and again!”

domain: entertainment


The delayed resonator (DR) is known for its ideal vibration suppression and simple control logic, but its operable frequency range is also known limited due to stability issues and practical hardware constraints. To extend the limited operable frequency range, we inject an additional nondelayed control term into the feedback loop of the classic DR such that the equivalent natural frequency of the DR can be real-time tuned, so the creation of DR with virtual natural frequency adjustment (DRV). Besides, we take the difference between the adjustable natural frequency of the DRV and the excitation frequency as a control parameter to further enhance the vibration suppression leading to optionally tuned parameters for a given excitation. For this, we start with the complete stability analyses of the DRV and the associated coupled system following independent and purely analytical approaches, and the obtained nonconservative stability maps reveal DRV's greatly extended operable frequency range. Given the optional tuned parameters, an optimization procedure aiming for a faster transient process and stronger robustness is proposed to determine the optimal parameter composition. Finally, three numerical case studies are prepared to demonstrate the benefits of the DRV compared with the classic DR. In addition to extending the operable frequency range of the classic DR, this work simplifies the stability analysis of the existing DR investigations and provides a guideline for the tuned control parameter design if they are optional.


Update: April 3, 2015, 4.39 p.m.
Well, that didn't last long.
The most important day in a student's life may be made all about Ted Cruz instead.
Barely a day after Laredo seemed poised to make national headlines as the host of the country's only officially declared presidential candidate, the whole thing seems to have fizzled.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, the Texan lightning rod running for the GOP 2016 residential ticket, had his people reach out to Laredo's Texas A&M International University to serve as its upcoming graduation speaker.
But the Texas Tribune is now reporting that Cruz will not be Laredo-bound, after all. The university didn't issue any announcement, but the Tribune reported that in a statement, it confirmed Cruz will not speak at commencement next month.
No reason was given for the reversal, though the university seemed to be leaving the door open for a possible future Cruz visit to campus in the border city.
The original post follows below.
Why Laredo, of all places?
If it's to use the spot to highlight border security issues, he could have picked the Rio Grande Valley, a much hotter spot in terms of people and drug smuggling as of late.
Only Ted Cruz and his entourage know, but the Texas senator and newly-minted GOP presidential candidate apparently wants to be in Laredo as a college commencement speaker.
As reported in The Bridge
, the student newspaper of Texas A&M International University, Cruz's campaign people called up the university's president, Ray Keck, to see if he wants to have the ever-controversial politician as his Spring graduation speaker.
The university has not confirmed the news but The Bridge
reported that negotiations are taking place and an update is expected on Monday.
Curiously enough, as the newspaper reported, initial reaction from students was emotional — but apparently not so much for political reasons. Seems that, if it were to take place, Cruz would be such a huge draw — first-ever in Laredo by a presidential candidate — that the university's usual three separate, staggered graduation ceremonies throughout the day would be lumped into one night event.
That's simply not cool, students said.
"I'm very upset by this," the paper quoted senior Megan Lenz as saying. "It's hard on students who have family out of town and out of state. Most universities have this planned ahead of time and all we have has (sic) is confusion."
Such appears to be the furor over the potential last-minute scheduling change that an online petition was started to keep the original line-up. And the Student Government Association is asking Keck to not change everything around for Cruz.
Meanwhile, the libertarian-leaning politico continues making national headlines — this time for his climb up the polls
Among potential GOP candidates — Cruz is still the only officially declared one thus far — Jeb Bush tops the list with 20 percent. But Cruz jumped up from back of the pack to second, at 13 percent.
It'll be interesting to see, as news spreads in the Laredo border region of Cruz's upcoming appearance, if there will be political backlash to accompany students' beef with logistics.


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Half Mile Speedway open Practice
August 24, 2014 @ 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
All Cars, All Divisions are welcome during OPEN PRACTICE at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway. Pit Passes $15 – FREE General Admission to see the cars on the HUGE Half Mile Speedway from the Grandstands. Known as the Horsepower Half Mile the DCSA is looking to bring racing back and treat the racers and the fans to some of the very best racing in the state of Wisconsin. Follow our events calendar for upcoming events or ask questions by leaving a reply in the comments section below.
Photos by Leader Photography

domain: sports


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Current genomic methods are limited to reporting an average signal from a complex population of cells because they require a large amount of input material. In complex tissues such as tumors, where genetic heterogeneity is common, important information may be lost. To address this problem, we propose to develop a whole-genome sequencing method that can obtain high-coverage (>80%) sequencing data from the genome of a single human cell. From this data we will identify the full spectrum of somatic mutations, including point mutations, indels, structural variants and copy number aberration that are present in the genome of a single cell. By comparing the genomes of multiple cells we can delineate clonal diversity and infer how tumor genomes evolve complex somatic mutations. To do this, we propose to develop an innovative method called Cell-Seq which combines minimal isothermal amplification with a Phi29 polymerase and a Tn5 transposase that can simultaneously cleave DNA fragments and add adapters for next-generation sequencing, starting with only a single cell.
In aim 1 we will develop and optimize the Cell-Seq method.
In aim 2 we will validate the method in two clonal cell cultures by comparing the genomes of single cells to million cell samples, to determine error rates and identify potential biases associated with the method.
In aim 3 we will apply Cell-Seq to a human breast tumor sample and sequence the genomes of 10 single cells to investigate clonal diversity and genome evolution. We hypothesize that breast tumors are organized into one or more major clonal subpopulations that stably expand to form the tumor mass, not millions of diverse clones, as the prevailing model for tumor progression assumes. We expect that clustering analysis will show evidence for a few major groups, and that within each group genomic mutations will be highly similar. The proposed single-cell sequencing approach is innovative because it can fully resolve heterogeneity in complex populations of cells, whereas standard bulk genomic methods are limited to reporting an average signal. This research is significant because achieving these aims will improve our fundamental understanding of clonal diversity in human breast cancers, and our knowledge of how tumor genomes evolve complex somatic mutations. Our long-term goal is to use single-cell sequencing to study how single cells from human tumors seed metastases and evolve resistance to chemotherapy. Our work is directly aligned with the mission of the NIH to reduce mortality rates in breast cancer through the development of new modalities for early detection and diagnosing heterogeneity in tumors. Our work is also aligned with the goal of the SCAP to cure human diseases through the development of new single-cell genomic technologies. In addition to benefiting the study of cancer, we expect that our tools will have a broad positive impact on many other human diseases, including neurological disorders, immunological diseases, developmental defects and infectious disease.
We propose to develop a whole-genome sequencing method for single human cells and apply it to study clonal diversity in a breast tumor sample. This study is directly aligned with the interests of the Single Cell Analysis Program (SCAP) to develop new technologies to study genomics in single cells and with the mission of NIH to decreased morbidity in breast cancer through the development of new methods to diagnosing and detecting tumor cells. The single-cell sequencing tools developed in this grant are also highly relevant to public health because they will have a broad positive impact on many other human diseases, including neurological disorders, infectious disease, immunological diseases and developmental disorders.
|Navin, Nicholas E (2014) Cancer genomics: one cell at a time. Genome Biol 15:452|
|Wang, Yong; Waters, Jill; Leung, Marco L et al. (2014) Clonal evolution in breast cancer revealed by single nucleus genome sequencing. Nature 512:155-60|
|Navin, Nicholas E (2014) Tumor evolution in response to chemotherapy: phenotype versus genotype. Cell Rep 6:417-9|

domain: biology


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Want To Know About Horticulture? Keep Reading
Using a beautiful backyard garden is obviously one thing you are able to brag about where you live, but occasionally it can be difficult to get going. This informative article provides you with a multitude of ways to establish you away from inside the right path and provide you the ideal backyard about the prevent quickly at all!
When making the garden, opt for high-yield vegetation, such as tomato plants and herbal treatments. These things will help you to maximize the area available for you within your backyard garden. The greater develop you can expand at home, the greater cash you can save with your grocery expenses monthly, therefore it pays off to be aware what will produce the most to your initiatives.
Often times when digging in clay earth the clay-based will adhere to the shovel, which can make it harder to dig. Coat and buff the excavating finish of your shovel with car wax to produce excavating easier. The wax helps prevent the clay from sticking to the shovel, and halts corrosion from generating.
Select perennials that slugs are certainly not fascinated by. Slugs and snails will swiftly eliminate the garden when you permit them to. These back garden vermin like plants with tender, herbaceous stems leaving, notably seedlings and young plants. Some perennials, nonetheless, leave a poor style in slugs’ mouths or are difficult to chew via because their simply leaves aren’t sensitive. tarmac contractors , euphorbia, helleborus, heuchera and campanula are good alternatives that slugs don’t like.
When digging holes for your vegetation, don’t be considered a neat freak. Don’t dig pockets that happen to be best, with edges which are as smooth as can be. You happen to be actually rendering it more difficult for the root system in the new grow to take carry inside the earth. For the best outcomes, keep the openings a bit messy.
Attempt to develop only up to you can utilize within your backyard garden. After eating fresh vegetables, saving, freezing, and giving out to family and friends there exists only a whole lot that an individual can use. Usually do not grow fifty tomato vegetation unless a organic remain is at your upcoming since all those tomato plants will rot about the vines and will never be utilized.
Be sure your container will be the correct dimensions for your personal plant. If the container is too modest, the plant’s roots might not have ample area to cultivate. linked resource site will become “root bound”, stop expanding, and begin to suffocate. The size of the fundamental program can determine the actual size of your plant and yield.
In case you have planted veggies in your back garden, be sure that they can be obtaining at least six hours of sunshine each day. Most members of the organic loved ones need to have this minimum of light for correct growth. This is correct for plants at the same time.
Should you don’t have someone to h2o your plants and flowers whilst you’re out of community, develop a home made watering product! Simply create a tiny golf hole in the bottom of any jug, block the pit, and then fill it up with drinking water. Position the jug nearby the base of the herb and take away no matter what is preventing the golf hole. This will gradually give your vegetation this type of water it needs whilst you’re out.
To make a home made watering can, use an aged bottle of detergent! Simply drill tarmac contractors in the top in the limit and be sure the package has become washed carefully. The thickness of the detergent pot is likely to make this an incredibly tough watering can and also the manage will enable you to utilize it with ease.
Grow evergreen shrubs. Specific shrubs can provide triple responsibility all year round: they have leaves season-rounded, develop blossoms, and in some cases have elaborate fruits that attracts birds and other wild animals. This makes them very desirable in virtually any landscaping layout. Excellent types are Berberis, Holly, Camellia Japonica, Ceanothus, Viburnum and Skimmia. Most will make it through in any problems.
Set an organic and natural fabric, such as mulch 2 or 3 ” deeply, in your rose beds. It is a simple approach to discouraging weeds, maintaining moisture, and including excellent vitamins and minerals in the backyard garden. It will likewise increase the appearance of your floral mattresses.
Dried out your natural herbs right after harvesting these people to stop rot. Rot is normally brought on by dampness sometimes within the natural herb or on the top of it. Moisture might cause producing parasitic organisms which could trigger rot in the herbal, or generate a unpleasant by-product or service which will then spoil your harvest.
Inspire toads to adopt up house in your organic and natural back garden. Toads are a organic predator of most of the annoying insects that will try to eat and damage your crops. Create makeshift toad residences away from overturned damaged clay-based planting containers and keep earth nice damp to really make it favorable to amphibian life.
As was explained at the beginning of the content, it might easily be a frightening and hard process to start your brand new garden. Studying probably the most it is possible to about garden will enable you to grab yourself started in virtually no time whatsoever. Stick to the great tips you simply read to give oneself the information and self confidence to obtain excavating!

domain: agronomy


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The Ethiopian government on Tuesday signed an agreement to formally issue a telecom license to the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, a consortium of major operators.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the signing ceremony.
In 2018, my administration announced our commitment to liberalize the telecommunication sector and open it up to both domestic and foreign investment – a major policy shift in Ethiopia! Today, we signed a historic agreement with the Global Partnership for Ethiopia. pic.twitter.com/hFvcFISGk4
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) June 8, 2021
Last month, the consortium, which includes Vodafone, Vodacom, Safaricom, Sumitomo Corporation, and the CDC Group, won the bid offering $850 million, $2 million more than the second-highest bidder.
The ownership structure of the deal has it that the Kenyan brand Safaricom takes 56% of the shares, Vodacom 6.2%, South Korean Suritumi 25%, and CDC 10%.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub said: “It is very much historic day for us. Ethiopia would open up. It is a very big market. A historic moment for Ethiopia as well.”
“We’re quite excited about the opportunity of investing in Ethiopia, taking our services to yet another market,” he said.
According to the agreement, the consortium will inject $8 billion in domestic investment.
Earlier, Abiy received Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta upon his arrival in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

domain: economics


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The bronze bulls in Baccus Park are part of the "Bulls and Horses" sculpture by artist James Muir. The statue was installed in the park in 2004 and featured a group of bronze bulls and horses in motion, evoking the energy and excitement of a western rodeo.
Muir is known for his dynamic and lifelike sculptures of animals, and the Bulls and Horses sculpture is a perfect example of his work. The sculpture has become a beloved landmark in the Plano area and is a popular spot for photos and selfies.
Baccus Park, where the sculpture is located, is a popular destination for families and visitors of all ages. The park features several sports fields, walking paths, playgrounds, and the beautiful Bulls and Horses sculpture. Overall, the bronze bulls in Baccus Park are a unique and memorable feature of the Plano area, and they are worth a visit.


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Full Sashed~~~~` -
Tiffany Brown & Bling Band
(Fully covered Satin Guestbook and Sash with a Bling Monogram Band. The matching cardbox is located in the Cardbox Tab Section )
Tiffany Bling Guestbook
(Cardbox below is called:
Tiffany Bling Glore!
Accented Pink Orchid Sash Guestbook
(Comes with a sash and a mirrored jeweled square with silk accented orchid leaves)
Ribbon Wrapped Lower
Centered Thinned Decorated Bow Sway
Welcome to our custom guest book page! This is were you are going to personalize your guest signatures in a matching way to offset your event decor.
Our guest books can be used for any event.
Guest books can be ordered as plain in white and silver, or with your chosen decor of colors to be added.
Size: 8.5 In. X 6.75 In.
Just tell us your dream and we create!
Once we receive your approval of your demo sample, we will add to your pending order of Table Numbers & Signage.
Sorry, NO REFUNDS on GUESTBOOKS!
Once shipped to after your approval, Party Shakers do not except returns on customized Guestbooks!
Starfish Beach Sash Guestbook
(Comes with a sash and a finger starfish with a matching rhinestone)
Fuchsia Orchid Sash Guestbook
(Comes with a sash and a matching silk orchid)
Ivory Eggplant Glam Guestbook (Ivory feathers of love with Eggplant purple feathers and matching bow with surrounding crystals in the center)
Peacock Sash Guestbook
(Comes with a sash and a peacock accented plume with a mirrored jeweled square)
Ostrich Feather Sash Guestbooks
(Comes with a sash and a colored ostrich plume with a mirrored jeweled square)

domain: design


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On May 5, 2022, in an elegant room at San Francisco’s City Hall, 25 African American male public high school seniors walked across the stage to enthusiastic applause, getting deserved recognition for winning college scholarships from San Francisco Achievers. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends were all in attendance, as were San Francisco dignitaries Mayor London Breed, Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton, and SF Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. All three Black civic leaders spoke from the heart to the youth, reciting personal stories of hardship and how they overcame tough challenges. The keynote speaker Dr. Matthews, for example, failed his first year at college and returned home “with his tail between his legs,” but then went on to earn a PhD and fulfill his dream of becoming an educational leader. Two student speakers and one SF Achievers alumni were eloquent. “You are your ancestors’ dreams,” said a SF Achievers college student, referring to their enslaved African American ancestors, and the phrase was repeated many times throughout the evening by Mayor Breed and others. The role of faith was paramount in the experiences of both students and civic leaders; they spoke openly about relying on God, prayer, and faith to help overcome the inevitable difficulties and discrimination they faced, and those the graduating seniors will face at college and beyond. One SF Achievers college senior was told by a professor that he couldn’t “handle” the biology major, but with faith and family support he persevered and will enter medical school in the fall.
SF Achievers gave Calvary special thanks from the podium for our support and also listed us in the program. They have been one of Calvary’s focus nonprofit partners since 2014 (now a “Matthew 25 Partner for Change”). SF Achievers assists African American young men to obtain the education, skills, resilience, and support needed to thrive in life.
Want to learn more? Contact Betsy Dodd at email@example.com


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Saturday, July 14, 2012
Book #31 of 2012: "Red Glove" by Holly Black
I read White Cat last year for one of my librarian master's classes. I have to admit that I didn't really like it. In my review of the books I read in 2011, I described it by saying, "While this is the first book in a series, I spent most of the book feeling like I had jumped in in the middle of a story, trying to figure out what in the heck was going on. It's about magicians, who can control thoughts, dreams, and actions by just touching your skin. Lots going on, and I felt like I didn't really get with the program until the very end." However, I am very glad that I stuck with the series and continued to the second book, because it was much better (or maybe it was just that I understood the premise when starting this book).
Cassel Sharpe was born into a family of curse workers, but he didn't think that he had any powers himself. In White Cat, he learns that he has been repeatedly "worked" by his brothers to help them in their dealings with what is essentially magical mafia... and his memories have been erased each time, so he has no recollection of what he has done. Red Glove picks up where White Cat left off. While Cassel manages to save two lives and semi-redeem one of his brothers in White Cat, he has to deal with the fallout of these actions in Red Glove. Both the mob and the feds try to bribe/blackmail him into using his powers to work for them. He is manipulated into investigating his brother's murder--which leads him to discover several murders that he himself has committed (and have been erased from his memory). Meanwhile, the government is trying to pass a new law that will require all "workers" to be identified--a serious invasion of privacy.
I had a hard time mastering all the characters in the first book, but thankfully, very few new characters were introduced in this one, so I felt like they were much better developed. It was also helpful that Cassel actually knows what's going on around him during this book, since his memory loss made the first book even more confusing. Cassel truly wants to do the right thing, to protect his family and his friends, but he's faced with a lot of choices that offer no good alternative. Everyone in his life seems to believe that he's dangerous and dark at heart, so I'll be very interested to see how his character turns out in Black Heart. My favorite thing about this book was Holly Black's writing, which includes a lot of sarcasm and funny one-liners in Cassel's voice. Her Modern Faerie Tale trilogy (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside) is also on my "to read" list.
Overall, I'd recommend the Curse Workers trilogy to anyone who thinks they might be intrigued by a story of magic and the mob. I'd forewarn you that the start of the series is a little rough, but the second book is well worth it. Stay tuned to hear how I like the trilogy's conclusion...

domain: literature


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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
AAA, NAF Halt Consumer Debt-Collection Cases
Today's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reports:
The American Arbitration Association said Tuesday it will stop participating in consumer-debt-collection disputes until new guidelines are established. Its decision came two days after another big group, the National Arbitration Forum, said it would stop accepting new cases as of Friday.
The NAF halted its consumer debt-collection cases only a week after the Minnesota attorney general filed suit against it alleging consumer fraud. The arbitration provider has been plagued by allegations that it had ownership and financial ties to the debt collection firms, and that it routinely dropped from its rosters arbitrators who ruled in favor of consumers. For NAF to have caved so quickly -- I'm betting there was smoking-gun evidence that NAF wants to bury.
This doesn't directly affect employment cases or other consumer cases, but may do so indirectly as Congress considers the pending Arbitration Fairness Act.

domain: law


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Roxas to attend Robredo’s oathtaking as VP
CEBU CITY — Defeated presidential candidate Mar Roxas will attend the oath-taking of Vice President-elect Leni Robredo on Thursday.
The Liberal Party leader confirmed this on Tuesday afternoon, telling reporters: “Isa tayo sa mga kababayan na natutuwa sa pagkapanalo ni Leni (We are among the Filipinos who are happy with the victory of Leni).”
Roxas was in Cebu City to attend the oath-taking of ally, Mayor Tomas Osmeña, and the rest of the councilors who won under BO-PK (Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan), which had allied with the Liberal Party during the May 9 polls.
Roxas said he also wanted to thank the Cebuanos for voting for him last elections.
The LP standard bearer, who received at least 600,000 votes, came in second to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte who garnered more than one million votes in Cebu.
Asked what kept him busy in the past weeks after the elections, Roxas said he took a much needed rest and went to provinces to personally thank those who supported and voted for him.
Roxas accompanied Osmeña in receiving Robredo who arrived past 5 p.m. to officiate the oath-taking at the Cebu City Sports Center here. SFM
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Our #WCW, Ashley Biscan, is an intern in NYC at Women's Wear Daily and is a senior journalism student at the University of Georgia. She has a passion for communication when it comes to arts and culture and embraces life’s unfolding surprises.
1. What's your story? What makes you unique? I never shy away from a new experience whether that means an excursion to a foreign country, a leadership role or a chance to be creative. Although always open minded and driven by curiosity, I acknowledged my true passions at an early age and since have honed my skills and fully immersed myself in the journalism scenes of the University of Georgia, Athens, Atlanta and most recently New York City.
2. What motivates you? You know those magical movie moments that you wish could happen off screen? Well, I’ve never found a good enough reason not to try to make those moments a reality. You’re your own playwright, so I always aim to move in the direction of my happiness and fulfillment.
3. Who is a hero of yours? The ones who inspire me most are the ones closest to me, my best friends. I admire their incredible desire to learn about the world and the people around them - whether they’re curating a work of art while sporting a new frock or teaching English to a classroom overseas. I am fueled by their drive and tenacious wit.
4. Give us a road map of your career. How did you get to where you are today? Within days of stepping on the UGA campus, I dove head first into all things magazines and the arts. With fashion editor positions and a few bylines under my belt, I built upon my professional experiences to land an editorial internship with Women’s Wear Daily, a fashion publication based in New York City. Along with the red carpet press lines, I found myself working with international event planner Marcy Blum of Marcy Blum Associates. After a summer of celebrations and city living, I’m now easing back into my final year of college in the beloved city of Athens. Go Dawgs!
5. What's your future plan? Your goals? I’ve always been one to live life by a plan, so I suppose that’s why my planner is my favorite accessory. I find comfort in charting the means I need to achieve a goal, but I’ve found it’s the opportunities that you don’t anticipate on your own that really ice the sweet treat of life. However, by this time next year, I’d like to be working for a publication as a director or in-house event coordinator. Only time will tell!
6. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be? My piece of advice for anyone any day of the week would be to aim high before you settle. I think identifying your strengths, visualizing a dream and asking for the reality can go a long way. If you reach, you just might get a yes.
7. What is something you feel strongly about (a cause, belief, etc.)? I think mental illness is something that plagues many people, and I find that it’s often dismissed in our fast paced society. It’s important to value each other and our bats with trials. This is especially important on a college campus where students feel immense pressure to succeed on a standardized timeline.
8. What's one of the coolest things you've ever done? There are so many reasons to smile when I think back about my experiences, but my most recent would have to be stuffing a car with suitcases for a journey to Manhattan, pulling up to the front door of my brownstone and making this summer an incredible memory in one of the most fascinating places on earth. Working a wedding at The Plaza Hotel, zipping from a fashion show to a photo shoot to the red carpet, and finding the time to catch the sunset on the Westside…it felt like a dream.
9. Anything we haven't asked that you'd like to talk about. The past three years have been an amazing time of learning and growth, and I look forward to my final year at UGA and my future career, but I wouldn’t be where I am without the incredible generosity of the Weir Scholarship Foundation or National Retail Federation Foundation. Receiving these scholarships enabled me to explore facets of my interests and fully take charge of my professional pursuits


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Author(s): Weetman AP
Pregnancy is an immunological balancing act in which the mother's immune system has to remain tolerant of paternal major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens and yet maintain normal immune competence for defense against microorganisms. The placenta separates fetal and maternal blood and lymphatic systems and it is fetal trophoblast that plays the major role in evading recognition by the maternal immune system. Trophoblast cells fail to express MHC class I or class II molecules and the extravillous cytotrophoblast cells strongly express the nonclassic MHC gene encoding HLA-G, which may downregulate natural killer (NK) cell function. In addition, the trophoblast expresses Fas ligand, thereby conferring immune privilege: maternal immune cells expressing Fas will undergo apoptosis at the placenta/decidua interface. A third protective mechanism exploited by the trophoblast is the expression of the complement regulatory proteins CD46, CD55, and CD59. Uterine decidual and placental cells produce a huge array of cytokines which, in part, contribute to the deviation of the immune response from Th1 to Th2. This may leave the mother more open to infection whose control is Th1-dependent, but increased production of Th1 cytokines has been linked to spontaneous abortion and small-for-dates babies. This bias in cytokines and hormonally mediated effects on the thymus and on B cells may also contribute to the suppression of autoimmune responses and changes in circulating and local T-cell subsets in pregnancy.


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By Nate Tenopir, Sports Editor
There’s nothing like raining on someone else’s parade to start a late-season run. A week after Bemidji St. came to Omaha and ran their record at the CenturyLink Center to 5-0-1 all-time, UNO traveled to Houghton, Mich. and ruined the celebration.
With home ice for the conference playoffs and the Winter Carnival trophy on the line, the Mavs took three of four points in a 3-3 tie and a 4-0 win at Michigan Tech. Two goals from UNO’s leading scorer Matt White and the first collegiate shutout for goaltender Ryan Massa keyed the Mavs’s success.
“We learned a little bit of a lesson last night again and put ourselves in a tough position,” Head Coach Dean Blais said after the 4-0 victory. “Being down two goals we took some undisciplined penalties and it cost us the game (Friday) night.”
When the weekend began the Mavs and the Huskies were tied for fifth place in the WCHA at 22 points apiece. Michigan Tech was coming into their annual Winter Carnival competitive for the first time in years.
“Tonight we played a pretty flawless game,” Blais said. “We didn’t give them a whole lot, limited them to a lot of perimeter shots. Obviously Ryan Massa played well and Matt White was tournament MVP with two nice goals.”
The Huskies’ 13 wins this season are as many as the team had the last three years combined. By the time Winter Carnival had rolled around, Tech was either out of it or could only play spoiler.
This year has been different. Although the Huskies have come back to the pack in the last several weeks, their hot start has them in position to have home ice for the WCHA playoffs for the first time since 1993.
UNO’s three points clears up the logjam for home ice between the Mavs, North Dakota and Michigan Tech for the time being. North Dakota earned a split at Minnesota Duluth allowing the Mavs to jump to fifth place with 25 points, the Fighting Sioux to drop to sixth with 24 and Michigan Tech to slide back to seventh with 23.
“Not very often do you get out of here with any (conference points),” Blais said. “So I was pretty happy and we’re pretty happy to win this thing.”
The Mavs came out Saturday afternoon and started with a solid road period. UNO limited the Husky chances, got a power play of their own and never gave another large, carnival crowd the chance to get into the game.
At 6:54 of the second period Matt White opened the scoring when he got a step on a Tech defenseman. White took a pass from Jayson Megna, gained the zone and beat goaltender Josh Robinson without much to shoot at.
White increased the lead to 2-0 with an unassisted goal 5:30 into the third period and freshman Jayson Megna followed it up less than two minutes later. After getting just inside the blue line, Megna let go a wrister from 60 feet out to make it 3-0.
A penalty to defenseman Matt Smith in the third period had UNO down a man but fellow defenseman Michael Young had a shot redirect off a Tech defender into the net. The shorthanded goal to make it 4-0 ended the scoring and got the Mavericks on the Winter Carnival trophy for 2012.
For much of the game it seemed that UNO’s speed and skill were too much for the Huskies to handle. Though they kept even with the Mavs the night before; that might have led to a lack of energy Saturday afternoon.
“I think they had to play at our pace,” Blais said. “We’ve got big defenseman and they played well. They (Michigan Tech) fore checked hard; they worked hard too [but] they just couldn’t get a bounce or chance or second chance. The team did a great job tonight of taking away any second opportunities and rebounds.”
Though goalie Ryan Massa had been pulled just over five minutes into the game the night before, Blais had no reservations about putting the freshman back in net the next afternoon.
“He was victimized a little bit last night,” Blais said. “He was kinda screened on the first goal and the second goal was a deflection off of Andrej Sustr’s stick. Being two shots down 2-0 was more of a shock to the team [we thought] ‘okay we gotta get going now.'”
In normal fashion, the Mavs started the weekend from behind and let one slip away. Before a near-sellout crowd of 3,454 could get to their seats, Michigan Tech scored 55 seconds into Friday’s game and made it 2-0 less than five minutes later.
Just 5:15 into the game, Blais looked down his bench and called on goaltender John Faulkner to skate out and replace starter Ryan Massa. Faulkner came up strong, playing the next 59:45 in regulation and overtime stopping 26 of 27 shots.
Jayson Megna got UNO on the board 10:11 into the first, sliding a rebound off a shot from Ryan Massa into an open net. Bryce Aneloski scored a goal at the 1:27 mark of the next period and Walters got one of his own six minutes later.
It was Aneloski’s third goal in four games and Walters’ first since a 2-2 tie against Quinnipiac on Dec 30. But after falling behind 2-0 then taking a 3-2 lead, the advantage was short lived.
Tech’s Jordan Baker scored with 3:13 left in the second on a 4 on 4. At the end of the period Walters was whistled for checking from behind, given a five-minute major then disqualified from the rest of the game on a game misconduct penalty.
It was the Mavs’ fourth such game misconduct in a span of just seven games. UNO killed off the penalty then survived an interference call to senior defenseman Matt Smith 11:56 into the third.
From the second period on UNO was outshot 14-5, but neither team could break the tie in regulation or overtime.
In the two games, the Mavs went 0 for 7 on the power play including failing to convert on 1:41 of 5 on 3 time Friday night. Since the calendar changed to 2012, UNO only has three power play goals in 33 chances.


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Growing Up Green in Sparkhill
The Springfield Project and Park Road Nursery are thrilled to be a part of the Growing Up Green Week and get our little thinkers thinking about our natural world! Through art and creativity we hope to inspire passion for the environment in our children, no matter how small.
Park Road Nursery is a space where nature meets learning and we are excited to offer forest play and drama to our little thinkers.
We kick off our Growing up Green Week with a loose parts forest play session led by Ampersand Projects. Whether they will be making their own paint from berries or building woodland dens, our children will be immersed in natural play all day!
Then Park Road Nursery will meet Toni’s Tots Drama in an interactive performance about plastic and recycling specially curated for Growing Up Green by The Other Way Works.
Meet Bellinda Bins as she whizzes around the Magical Woods on her turbo boosted Bin-On-Wheels. Strange things are happening in the woods today, things involving Monsters! A highly energetic outdoor theatre adventure exploring the issues of plastic waste, recycling and respecting our natural environment.