De seneste posts fra danske RSS feeds og weblogs på Overskrift.dk om tag'et features http://www.overskrift.dk Fri, 25 May 2012 15:01:09 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.overskrift.dk/images/overskrift.gif http://www.overskrift.dk Overskrift.dk http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://www.sportsfanplus.dk/nyheder/fodbold/ryan-giggs-er-rekordernes-mand/ Ryan Giggs er måske den vigtigste spiller i Manchester Uniteds historie. I modsætning til klubbens helt store stjerne, Wayne Rooney, der ville sælge sin egen bedstemor, eller den tidligere United-spiller, Christiano Ronaldo, der altid smider trøjen, når der er et kamera i nærheden, koncentrerer Ryan Giggs sig om én ting: At spille fodbold.  Han er et levn fra en glemt tid, hvor fodboldspillere faktisk havde respekt for de ældre på holdet, for fans og for penge. Måske fik han det på grund af sin barndom. Giggs er mulat, og dem var der ikke mange af i Wales. ?Børnene på min skole vidste, at min far var sort, og jeg hørte mange racistiske bemærkninger. På min skole var der ikke mange elever med en anderledes baggrund?. Giggs lærte at holde lav profil. Da han startede for Manchester United, pumpede han bolde op og slæbte kegler. ?En dag pumpede jeg boldene alt for hårdt op, og de sprang rundt over det hele. Efter træningen gik Peter Schmeichel og ledte efter mig. I dag er der ingen af de unge spillere, der slæber kegler eller pumper bolde. Det skulle de dengang. De skulle vaske støvler og kridte linjer op og den slags. Det disciplinerer dig og lærer dig respekt.? Ferguson: Ryan Giggs bliver min afløser Manager Alex Ferguson har tidligere peget på Ryan Giggs som sin afløser. Ikke, at det ligger i kortene, at den iltre, altid dommer-kritiske Ferguson efter snart 27 år i trænersædet skulle gå på pension, men han er så småt begyndt at åbne op for den mulighed, at han en dag skal pensioneres. Spekulationerne om, hvem der skal være Sir Alex? efterfølger, er lige så mange, som der er fans af United. Mange ser dog gerne, at et af de helt store navne, som Real Madrid-træneren Jose Mourinho og Barcelona-træneren Pep Guardiola, tager over. Ifølge engelske The Indpendent peger Ferguson på sin veteran-spiller Ryan Giggs, selvom han som træner er langt mere urutineret. Ifølge avisens oplysninger taler Ferguson, når han mødes med klubbens ledelse, varmt om den 38-årige veteran, som har spillet i klubben næsten lige så længe, som Fergie har trænet den. En anden veteran, Paul Scholes, har i et interview antydet, at det er almindeligt kendt, at Giggs er kørt i stilling som Uniteds næste træner. 70-årige Sir Alex bliver i trænersædet, og der bliver han siddende, indtil helbredet ikke tillader det længere ? Og man kan ikke fyre Sir Alex Ferguson. Han skal gå selv. En sand gentleman, indtil skandalen Ryan Giggs? ry var uplettet, indtil det kom frem, at han gennem flere år havde en affære med sin brors kone. Skandalen har rystet lige så mange briter, som golfspilleren Tiger Woods sidespring rystede den amerikanske befolkning. Giggs har gennem hele karrieren været anset for at være ‘Mr. Clean, indtil det blev afsløret, at han gennem en årrække har haft en affære med sin brors kone, ligesom han havde haft sex med modellen Imogen Thomas ved siden af sit ægteskab. Alex Ferguson støttede Giggs gennem den efterfølgende krise og skandale, og trods sidespringene er han stadig blandt de mest populære spillere hos Manchester United. Rekorder er til for at blive slået, men Giggs? rekorder bliver svære at slå   Ingen anden spiller har så mange rekorder for United som Giggs. Blandt andet er han den spiller, der har spillet flest kampe for United – over 900. Den tidligere rekord overtog han fra legendariske Bobby Charlton, der nåede 606 kampe for United. En anden enestående rekord, som legenden Giggs har eneret på, er rekorden for antal Premier League-sæsoner i træk med scoringer. Han har scoret i ikke mindre end 20 Premier League-sæsoner i træk, og han er den eneste, der har scoret i alle Premier League-sæsoner. Nummer to på listen er Gary Speed, der har scoret i 16 Premier League-sæsoner i træk. Men dette er langt fra de eneste rekorder, Giggs har. Han er også den spiller, der har vundet Premier League flest gange. Ryan Giggs har vundet 12 Premier League-titler, hvilket er imponerende. Og så er han den spiller, der har spillet flest Premier League-kampe for en klub i karrieren (588). En rekord, som den populære Waliser ikke når i United-trøjen, er flest scorede mål. Her er det legendariske Sir Bobby Charlton, der med 249 kasser fører foran Danis Law, der nettede 163 gange. Herudover er det blandt andet blevet til to Champions League-triumfer og fire sejre i FA-Cuppen. 38-årige Ryan Giggs vil forlænge karrieren Selvom der skal 39 lys i lagkagen til november, ønsker Giggs at fortsætte, og det ser ud til, at Sir Alex Ferguson vil opfylde Ryan Giggs? store ønske om endnu en sæson på absolut topplan ? de mange United-fans kan således se frem til endnu en sæson, hvor de kan synge: Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs running down the wing Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, can do anything Feared by the Blues, loved by the Reds Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs Giggs sportsfanplus sportsfanplus Fri, 25 May 2012 10:57:22 +0100 http://www.sportsfanplus.dk/nyheder/fodbold/ryan-giggs-er-rekordernes-mand/ Ryan Giggs er måske den vigtigste spiller i Manchester Uniteds historie. I modsætning til klubbens helt store stjerne, Wayne Rooney, der ville sælge sin egen bedstemor, eller den tidligere United-spiller, Christiano Ronaldo, der altid smider trøjen, når der er et kamera i nærheden, koncentrerer Ryan Giggs sig om én ting: At spille fodbold.  Han er et levn fra en glemt tid, hvor fodboldspillere faktisk havde respekt for de ældre på holdet, for fans og for penge. Måske fik han det på grund af sin barndom. Giggs er mulat, og dem var der ikke mange af i Wales. ?Børnene på min skole vidste, at min far var sort, og jeg hørte mange racistiske bemærkninger. På min skole var der ikke mange elever med en anderledes baggrund?. Giggs lærte at holde lav profil. Da han startede for Manchester United, pumpede han bolde op og slæbte kegler. ?En dag pumpede jeg boldene alt for hårdt op, og de sprang rundt over det hele. Efter træningen gik Peter Schmeichel og ledte efter mig. I dag er der ingen af de unge spillere, der slæber kegler eller pumper bolde. Det skulle de dengang. De skulle vaske støvler og kridte linjer op og den slags. Det disciplinerer dig og lærer dig respekt.? Ferguson: Ryan Giggs bliver min afløser Manager Alex Ferguson har tidligere peget på Ryan Giggs som sin afløser. Ikke, at det ligger i kortene, at den iltre, altid dommer-kritiske Ferguson efter snart 27 år i trænersædet skulle gå på pension, men han er så småt begyndt at åbne op for den mulighed, at han en dag skal pensioneres. Spekulationerne om, hvem der skal være Sir Alex? efterfølger, er lige så mange, som der er fans af United. Mange ser dog gerne, at et af de helt store navne, som Real Madrid-træneren Jose Mourinho og Barcelona-træneren Pep Guardiola, tager over. Ifølge engelske The Indpendent peger Ferguson på sin veteran-spiller Ryan Giggs, selvom han som træner er langt mere urutineret. Ifølge avisens oplysninger taler Ferguson, når han mødes med klubbens ledelse, varmt om den 38-årige veteran, som har spillet i klubben næsten lige så længe, som Fergie har trænet den. En anden veteran, Paul Scholes, har i et interview antydet, at det er almindeligt kendt, at Giggs er kørt i stilling som Uniteds næste træner. 70-årige Sir Alex bliver i trænersædet, og der bliver han siddende, indtil helbredet ikke tillader det længere ? Og man kan ikke fyre Sir Alex Ferguson. Han skal gå selv. En sand gentleman, indtil skandalen Ryan Giggs? ry var uplettet, indtil det kom frem, at han gennem flere år havde en affære med sin brors kone. Skandalen har rystet lige så mange briter, som golfspilleren Tiger Woods sidespring rystede den amerikanske befolkning. Giggs har gennem hele karrieren været anset for at være ‘Mr. Clean, indtil det blev afsløret, at han gennem en årrække har haft en affære med sin brors kone, ligesom han havde haft sex med modellen Imogen Thomas ved siden af sit ægteskab. Alex Ferguson støttede Giggs gennem den efterfølgende krise og skandale, og trods sidespringene er han stadig blandt de mest populære spillere hos Manchester United. Rekorder er til for at blive slået, men Giggs? rekorder bliver svære at slå   Ingen anden spiller har så mange rekorder for United som Giggs. Blandt andet er han den spiller, der har spillet flest kampe for United – over 900. Den tidligere rekord overtog han fra legendariske Bobby Charlton, der nåede 606 kampe for United. En anden enestående rekord, som legenden Giggs har eneret på, er rekorden for antal Premier League-sæsoner i træk med scoringer. Han har scoret i ikke mindre end 20 Premier League-sæsoner i træk, og han er den eneste, der har scoret i alle Premier League-sæsoner. Nummer to på listen er Gary Speed, der har scoret i 16 Premier League-sæsoner i træk. Men dette er langt fra de eneste rekorder, Giggs har. Han er også den spiller, der har vundet Premier League flest gange. Ryan Giggs har vundet 12 Premier League-titler, hvilket er imponerende. Og så er han den spiller, der har spillet flest Premier League-kampe for en klub i karrieren (588). En rekord, som den populære Waliser ikke når i United-trøjen, er flest scorede mål. Her er det legendariske Sir Bobby Charlton, der med 249 kasser fører foran Danis Law, der nettede 163 gange. Herudover er det blandt andet blevet til to Champions League-triumfer og fire sejre i FA-Cuppen. 38-årige Ryan Giggs vil forlænge karrieren Selvom der skal 39 lys i lagkagen til november, ønsker Giggs at fortsætte, og det ser ud til, at Sir Alex Ferguson vil opfylde Ryan Giggs? store ønske om endnu en sæson på absolut topplan ? de mange United-fans kan således se frem til endnu en sæson, hvor de kan synge: Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs running down the wing Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, can do anything Feared by the Blues, loved by the Reds Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs Giggs sportsfanplus sportsfanplus Fri, 25 May 2012 10:57:22 +0100 http://www.sportsfanplus.dk/nyheder/fodbold/fergies-svanesang/ Efter braget på Etihad Stadion mellem Premier Leagues frontduo, Manchester City og Manchester United, 30. april, er det vind eller forsvind for de to storklubber. Det er også kulminationen på en drøj og skadesplaget sæson for United, der har måttet se sig sparket væk fra både store og knap så store scener: Nederlag til Bilbao i Europa League. Slået ud af upåagtede Basel i Champions League. En uppercut fra Liverpool i FA Cup?en. Og listen er længere endnu. Er Premier League-guld nok for Uniteds tunge og sejrsvante drenge? Er midtbanen god nok? Og er Sir Alex Ferguson god nok længere? Bo Kampmann Walther Kampen om det fine guld i Englands bedste fodboldrække, Premier League, er gået ind i sin afgørende, hændervridende fase. Magtkampen er flyttet fra hovedstaden til Manchester. Det er de nyrige fra Manchester City, anført af mestertræneren Roberto Mancini, men købt og betalt af oliepenge og profit fra luksushoteller i Dubai, mod Uniteds stolte mænd med dybe, dybe traditioner, som projektørerne er rettet mod i år. Og nok også de kommende år. Wayne Rooney er tilbage i storform efter en ordentlig måltørke sidste år. Mål mod Chelsea, Liverpool og Tottenham har været vitale for at sætte en tyk streg under Sir Alex Fergusons kandidatur til endnu en pokal. Den tyvende i rækken. Er Fergie ikke snart mæt? ?Vi vandt ligaen med 75 point et år ? tilbage i 1997 ? og det år, vi vandt the treble, klarede vi det med 78. Det er næsten ikke til at tro, vel? Tidligere på sæsonen mente jeg, at 82 point ville klare jobbet. Men det sker næppe nu. Sådan nogle beregninger er blevet vendt på hovedet i sæsonen?, filosoferede Alex Ferguson oven på den knebne 1-0-sejr over Fulham i marts måned, hvor protegeen Rooney endnu engang havde været på pletten. Kulde i Europa Men der var lange perioder, især i 2011, hvor Wayne Rooney mest lignede en bulldog med ADHD og nyt pandehår. United fejlede i den ene turnering efter den anden, inklusive Carling Cup, hvor Sir Alex er notorisk kendt for at teste de unge stjernefrø. Det lignede ellers sæsonen, hvor alting skulle sættes på plads: David de Gea, Phil Jones og Ashley Young var blevet købt for store summer, og ?de fordømte spaniere, altid de fordømte spaniere!?, som Fergie vrissede, skulle endegyldigt sættes på plads på den største scene af dem alle: Champions League. Og så gik det bare ned ad bakke. Ferguson kaldte nederlagene for små ?bleeps?. ?Ups?. Det var bare en parentes i en lang, sej kadence. Eller var det? ?Hvis man måler op imod de tårnhøje standarder, som Fergie er vant til at sætte, må man konkludere, at 2011/12-sæsonen har været en fiasko. Bortset fra Premier League altså. Her er jeg faktisk lidt imponeret over vedholdenheden. Det er nærmest en omvendt Liverpool. De røde ærkerivaler har jo haft for vane at floppe i England og triumfere ? nærmest på trods ? ude i Europa. Men egentlig siger det rigtig meget om den europæiske magtbalance, at topstriden i Premier League står mellem City og United i år. Begge to røg ud af Champions Leagues fine selskab?, siger Søren Frank, fodboldkommentator og forfatter til den anmelderroste bog ?Giganternes skuldre: En fortælling om Manchester United?. De blev ydmyget af Crystal Palace i Carling Cup?en. De røg ud af Champions League efter mødet med et schweizisk team, som knap nok optræder på PlayStation. Og for at det ikke skal være løgn, sparkede Liverpool dem langt ud af Merseyside i FA Cup?en. Den konstant tyggegummignaskende Sir Alex måtte virkelig finde en grimasse, der kunne passe. Mød Hr. Bielsa Og så skete det igen. Denne gang mod et vanvittigt, løbevilligt og uimodståeligt mandskab fra det dybe Baskerland i Nordspanien, anført af en taktisk galning fra Argentina, Marcelo Bielsa. Mod Athletic Bilbao ramte Fergie muren. ?Det var jo fantastisk at se Bilbao på grønsværen. Deres tempo, deres frenetiske arbejdsmoral, deres kontraer og deres evne til at låse modstanderen stort set over hele banen ? måske er det baskisk stolthed, men det er afgjort også Bielsas fortjeneste. Og tilsvarende sørgeligt var det at være vidne til et United, der blødte og spjættede. Det var ikke et ?bleep?, det her. Det var selve fodbolden, selve nerven i taktikken, der slog sprækker. Mod Ajax havde det set rimeligt ud, men mod Bielsa blev United i dén grad udspillet. På sin vis var det meget befriende. Det var ikke ordkrig som mod milliardærerne fra City. Det var ikke had som mod Liverpool. Det var fodbold. Og Bielsas Bilbao var bare bedre?, udtaler Søren Frank. Ifølge Søren Frank blev United også taget med bukserne nede af de baskiske kampløver, fordi det endnu ikke var klart, om United skulle prioritere turneringen. Var Europa League mere værd end Carling Cup? Eller var United en flok diskvalificerede vindere, der nu måtte tage til takke med en dyst om pokaler i en division af tabere? Skulle dét måske være fremtiden? ?I moderne tid har United været en af de første klubber til at melde relativt åbent ud om deres prioriteringer?, siger Søren Frank og fortsætter: ?Liga Cup?en er de unges udstillingsvindue. FA Cup?en er, om jeg så må sige, en slags øvebane for Premier League, et formkatalog over skader, opstillinger, taktikker og dén slags. Champions League har altid været førstevalg ? sammen med Premier League selvfølgelig. Europa League passer meget dårligt ind i selskabet. Der er simpelthen bare nogle turneringer, der er mere ?rigtige? end andre?, reflekterer Søren Frank. De satans skader Måske er forklaringen på Uniteds formdyk i år så simpel som en fladtrådt leverpostejmad: De har døjet med skader i hobetal. Nemanja Vidic har været rygraden i Manchesters defensiv, og knæproblemerne, som begyndte mod Basel i Champions League, har været et kæmpe blow for Ferguson. Chris Smalling og Phil Jones har gjort det så godt, de kunne, i fraværet af Vidic, men erfaring og træfsikkerhed kommer ikke i nærheden af den 30-årige serbers. Tom Cleverley, som af mange regnes for én af de bedste nyheder i nyere United-historie, røg ud af spillet, bedst som han var ved at peake, og herefter væltede de som dominobrikker: Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Javier Hernandez. Selv Darren Fletcher valgte at tage en pause fra grønsværen. ?Det er gået hårdt ud over kontinuiteten i Uniteds spil. Noget, der ellers har været et adelsmærke for holdet. Rooneys mål har det med at komme og gå i bølger, og hele fodboldens historie er jo cirklende bevægelser, frem og tilbage. Men man kan tydeligt se, at Ferguson og United har betalt en dyr pris for manglende stabilitet. Patrice Evra har stort set været den eneste deciderede forsvarsspiller i fireback-kæden. Rafael da Silva på midtbanen? Ben Amos i målet? Det ligner mærkelige dispositioner, men sandheden er, at Fergie indimellem har haft meget få kort at lege med?, siger Søren Frank. Alting ender på midtbanen Faktisk er det mandefaldet nede i defensiven, som har skabt den uro og mangel på kreativitet på midtbanen, som alle har råbt op om i år, mener Søren Frank, der ser Tom Cleverley som den naturlige afløser for Paul Scholes, der tilsyneladende nægter at gå på pension: ?Netop på grund af de mange skader har det været svært ligesom at fryse spillet og analysere situationen på midtbanen. Er den mere funktionel end kreativ? Har det bare været noget med at losse bolden ud af farezonen, snarere end at skabe chok og overtag via dybdeafleveringer og folk, der løber i de rigtige huller? Da det så sortest ud ? en Michael Carrick i nedtur, en aldrende Ryan Giggs og en uprøvet Anderson ? lignede det unægtelig et tåbeligt træk ikke at hente Wesley Sneijder til klubben?, siger Søren Frank. Ovre i City hånede de Fergie & Co. for at hale Paul Scholes tilbage i trøjen, efter at han ellers havde stillet støvlerne og indstillet radaren på et liv efter fodbolden. Der er ikke meget posh over Scholes, der ligner én, der kunne sjoske ud fra fiskehandleren med filetter rullet i The Sun. Men det er noget sludder, afbryder Søren Frank: ?Jeg kan godt forstå, at Fergie svarer sarkastisk tilbage på Citys anklager om, at Scholes? tilbagevenden skulle være et svaghedstegn. Om Scholes er en styrke, fordi midtbanen i øvrigt har været nede i hængedyndet, er en anden sag, men i sig selv er Scholes altså ikke svag. Han har en formidabel pasningsstatistik ? de fleste af hans afleveringer havner simpelthen det rigtige sted. Og jo, han er blevet langsommere med årene, men det er alle de store, som minder om Scholes på den måde, at de fra en defensiv midtbaneposition har den gamle 5?ers libero-job og den moderne 10?ers overblik, også. Andrea Pirlo. Xabi Alonso. Og Xavi Hernandez. Det kan godt være, Scholes ligner det, vi i Sportslørdag-tiderne kaldte ?en rigtig slider?, men det er ham, der dikterer kampens rytme. Slaget om Uniteds fremtid har sin rod lige dér: Kan Tom Cleverley sætte sig på Scholes? kongetrone?? Gode gamle Fergie Hvor meget skal Alex Ferguson opnå, før han går på pension? Svaret ligger måske i den evige rivalisering med Liverpool. Skulle United hive endnu en Champions League-pokal med hjem til Manchester, mens den 70-årige skotte stadig er ved roret, vil Fergie komme op på siden af legendariske Bob Paisley, der som den eneste træner i historien har præsteret at vinde tre Europa Cup-titler med den samme klub. Nemlig Liverpool i 1977, 1978 og 1981. Sådan noget fås næsten ikke bedre. Det er samme luftlag som Ajax i 70?erne, AC Milan i starten af 90?erne og Alfredo di Stefanos Real Madrid anno 1960. Og selvfølgelig det nuværende FC Barcelona. Liverpool har vundet Europa Cup?en fem gange, lige fra dengang, løjerne hed Mesterholdenes Turnering og til nu, hvor verdens mest lukrative fodboldshow kaldes Champions League. Her er der endnu et stykke vej for Sir Alex. Alligevel er drømmen klokkeklar: Næste år nr. fire, året efter nr. fem. Og så stop. ?I Premier League starter de fleste hold med fejl og mangler, som hurtigt bliver fatale hen over 90 minutter. En træner bliver betalt for at spotte de mangler og rette op på dem. I Europa i Champions League tester du dig selv op imod de absolut bedste klubber i hver liga. Der er ingen blød mellemvare her?, har Sir Bobby Robson engang sagt. Det er, som Søren Frank medgiver, ?surrealistisk?, at United ikke er med dér. Fergie fik sit første gedigne stykke sølvtøj, da Aberdeen i 1983 slog Real Madrid i Europa Cup?en for Pokalvindere, og otte år senere vandt United 2-1 over Johan Cruyffs Barcelona i den samme turnering, som nu hedder Europa League. Og historien fortsætter med den uforglemmelige sidste-minuts-knockout over Bayern München i den episke Champions League-finale i 1999. Den finale foregik på Camp Nou i Barcelona. Endelig var der 2008. Dér blev Chelsea besejret på straffespark. Ronaldo brændte, og John Terry græd som en katolsk messedreng. 1999 var et gyldent år for United. Som manager havde Fergie nu vundet otte nationale mesterskaber, tre for Aberdeen og fem med United. Manchester-folket fik en treble, og de gjorde det med et miks af homegrowns og indkøbte koryfæer. Bastionen nede bagved var danske Peter Schmeichel, norske Ronny Johnsen og hollandske Jaap Stam, men det er selvfølgelig også ikoner som David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville og Nicky Butt, der står soleklart i erindringen. Og naturligvis Ole Gunnar Solskjær, som huskes for sin scoring mod Bayern i Camp Nou-matchens døende sekunder. I dag minder Javier Hernandez, Uniteds mexicanske forward, Ferguson ikke så lidt om Solskjær. Og nu vi er ved det legendariske. Bayern München kom nemlig foran allerede efter seks minutter dengang i 1999, og Fergies dunderord til sine spillere i pausen er næsten bibelsk i vælde: ?Når vi når til slutningen af kampen, vil pokalen være bare 10 meter fra jer, og I vil ikke være i stand til så meget som at røre ved den, hvis I taber. Og for mange af jer vil det være det tætteste, I nogensinde kommer. I kan lige vove på at gå ud igen uden at give alt, hvad I har?. Damn you, Paisley! Tilbage står spørgsmålene. Kan Ferguson virkelig nå at overhale Bob Paisley? Er der mon et nyt kuld Busby Babes på vej i Manchester? Og hvad skal Sir Alex gøre for at dæmme op for den catalanske tiqui-taca? Husk, at Paisley fører solidt, ikke bare hvad angår europæiske titler summa summarum, men også på frekvensen. Paisley tilbragte i alt 44 år på Anfield Road, men de tre Europa-Cup-triumfer kom på bare fire år med en næsten uforanderlig spillerkerne. For os med Sportslørdag og tysk tv i barndom og ungdom er det velklingende navne: Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish. Til sammenligning skulle Fergie bruge 12 år på at hente tre Champions League-trofæer, fra 1999 til 2011. United har altid været kendt for både at være kosmopolitiske og nationale. De sande Busby Babes, som forsvandt med den tragiske flyulykke i München 1958, men forinden nåede at fortrylle et helt Europa, kommer aldrig igen. Og dog. Det er næppe kendte navne for et dansk publikum, men lige nu kommer man ikke uden om en håndfuld ungdomsspillere, som har Fergies fulde opmærksomhed. Nævnes bør Ryan Tunnicliffe, 18 år, som både kan spille højreback og central midtbane, og som er blevet rost til skyerne af Gary Neville. Ikke at forglemme William med det forpligtende efternavn Keane, ligeledes 18 år, som ifølge Ole Gunnar Solskjær ejer det bedste, en striker skal have: at være kølig under pres. Kaliffen efter kaliffen Helt ærligt, hvem skal tage over fra Alex Ferguson? Findes der overhovedet nogle derude med hans profil, hans erfaring og hans tyngde? ?Det er jo million kroner-spørgsmålet. Selvfølgelig er der de sædvanlige kort, der om ikke andet dukker op på avisforsiderne, fordi de i forvejen er gode historier: ?Pep? Guardiola er gået metaltræt i Barcelona, så mon ikke United kunne være en passende ny station for katalaneren? Og José Mourinho, der deler vandene. Nogle United-fans hader ham og kalder ham en Chelsea-bastard med rødder fra den værste, italienske skuffe, komplet med opportunistisk strategi og en taktik over for medierne, som nærmer sig hysteri. Andre vil derimod se ham som en moderne frelser, der endelig kan løfte United ind i fremtiden?, udtaler Søren Frank. Manchester United-legenden Bryan Robson er ikke i tvivl: ?Hvordan erstatter du Alex Ferguson? Det er så godt som umuligt. Men på et tidspunkt bliver de nødt til at gøre det, og José Mourinho topper helt klart kandidatlisten. Hans rekorder taler et tydeligt sprog?, udtalte Bryan Robson i slutningen af marts. Men man skal ikke underkende de lokale islæt ifølge Søren Frank. David Moyes, træner for Everton, er et godt bud, og går man endnu længere ned ad rangstigen, er der også Fergies to hjælpetrænere, Mike Phelan og Rene Meulensteen. Nordirske Brendan Rodgers har en interessant profil. Han er ung ? i den branche i hvert fald. Han er 39 år. Han træner Swansea City, og han tilhører ifølge Søren Frank en ny progressiv generation, der er nyskabende i forhold til mandskabspleje og taktisk forståelse. Rodgers vil være for United, hvad Ferguson selv var, dengang han startede i klubben. Eller også skal man bare fortrænge spørgsmålet. Fergie bliver sgu? hængende! Og skulle det ske, at selv en mester må smide sit sidste tyggegummi på Drømmenes Teater, står millioner af fans i hvert fald på spring til at give råd om, hvordan bolden skal spilles hos De Røde Djævle. Helst hurtigt op over midten og helt ned i bunden af netmaskerne. sportsfanplus sportsfanplus Fri, 25 May 2012 10:52:54 +0100 http://www.sportsfanplus.dk/nyheder/fodbold/fergies-svanesang/ Efter braget på Etihad Stadion mellem Premier Leagues frontduo, Manchester City og Manchester United, 30. april, er det vind eller forsvind for de to storklubber. Det er også kulminationen på en drøj og skadesplaget sæson for United, der har måttet se sig sparket væk fra både store og knap så store scener: Nederlag til Bilbao i Europa League. Slået ud af upåagtede Basel i Champions League. En uppercut fra Liverpool i FA Cup?en. Og listen er længere endnu. Er Premier League-guld nok for Uniteds tunge og sejrsvante drenge? Er midtbanen god nok? Og er Sir Alex Ferguson god nok længere? Bo Kampmann Walther Kampen om det fine guld i Englands bedste fodboldrække, Premier League, er gået ind i sin afgørende, hændervridende fase. Magtkampen er flyttet fra hovedstaden til Manchester. Det er de nyrige fra Manchester City, anført af mestertræneren Roberto Mancini, men købt og betalt af oliepenge og profit fra luksushoteller i Dubai, mod Uniteds stolte mænd med dybe, dybe traditioner, som projektørerne er rettet mod i år. Og nok også de kommende år. Wayne Rooney er tilbage i storform efter en ordentlig måltørke sidste år. Mål mod Chelsea, Liverpool og Tottenham har været vitale for at sætte en tyk streg under Sir Alex Fergusons kandidatur til endnu en pokal. Den tyvende i rækken. Er Fergie ikke snart mæt? ?Vi vandt ligaen med 75 point et år ? tilbage i 1997 ? og det år, vi vandt the treble, klarede vi det med 78. Det er næsten ikke til at tro, vel? Tidligere på sæsonen mente jeg, at 82 point ville klare jobbet. Men det sker næppe nu. Sådan nogle beregninger er blevet vendt på hovedet i sæsonen?, filosoferede Alex Ferguson oven på den knebne 1-0-sejr over Fulham i marts måned, hvor protegeen Rooney endnu engang havde været på pletten. Kulde i Europa Men der var lange perioder, især i 2011, hvor Wayne Rooney mest lignede en bulldog med ADHD og nyt pandehår. United fejlede i den ene turnering efter den anden, inklusive Carling Cup, hvor Sir Alex er notorisk kendt for at teste de unge stjernefrø. Det lignede ellers sæsonen, hvor alting skulle sættes på plads: David de Gea, Phil Jones og Ashley Young var blevet købt for store summer, og ?de fordømte spaniere, altid de fordømte spaniere!?, som Fergie vrissede, skulle endegyldigt sættes på plads på den største scene af dem alle: Champions League. Og så gik det bare ned ad bakke. Ferguson kaldte nederlagene for små ?bleeps?. ?Ups?. Det var bare en parentes i en lang, sej kadence. Eller var det? ?Hvis man måler op imod de tårnhøje standarder, som Fergie er vant til at sætte, må man konkludere, at 2011/12-sæsonen har været en fiasko. Bortset fra Premier League altså. Her er jeg faktisk lidt imponeret over vedholdenheden. Det er nærmest en omvendt Liverpool. De røde ærkerivaler har jo haft for vane at floppe i England og triumfere ? nærmest på trods ? ude i Europa. Men egentlig siger det rigtig meget om den europæiske magtbalance, at topstriden i Premier League står mellem City og United i år. Begge to røg ud af Champions Leagues fine selskab?, siger Søren Frank, fodboldkommentator og forfatter til den anmelderroste bog ?Giganternes skuldre: En fortælling om Manchester United?. De blev ydmyget af Crystal Palace i Carling Cup?en. De røg ud af Champions League efter mødet med et schweizisk team, som knap nok optræder på PlayStation. Og for at det ikke skal være løgn, sparkede Liverpool dem langt ud af Merseyside i FA Cup?en. Den konstant tyggegummignaskende Sir Alex måtte virkelig finde en grimasse, der kunne passe. Mød Hr. Bielsa Og så skete det igen. Denne gang mod et vanvittigt, løbevilligt og uimodståeligt mandskab fra det dybe Baskerland i Nordspanien, anført af en taktisk galning fra Argentina, Marcelo Bielsa. Mod Athletic Bilbao ramte Fergie muren. ?Det var jo fantastisk at se Bilbao på grønsværen. Deres tempo, deres frenetiske arbejdsmoral, deres kontraer og deres evne til at låse modstanderen stort set over hele banen ? måske er det baskisk stolthed, men det er afgjort også Bielsas fortjeneste. Og tilsvarende sørgeligt var det at være vidne til et United, der blødte og spjættede. Det var ikke et ?bleep?, det her. Det var selve fodbolden, selve nerven i taktikken, der slog sprækker. Mod Ajax havde det set rimeligt ud, men mod Bielsa blev United i dén grad udspillet. På sin vis var det meget befriende. Det var ikke ordkrig som mod milliardærerne fra City. Det var ikke had som mod Liverpool. Det var fodbold. Og Bielsas Bilbao var bare bedre?, udtaler Søren Frank. Ifølge Søren Frank blev United også taget med bukserne nede af de baskiske kampløver, fordi det endnu ikke var klart, om United skulle prioritere turneringen. Var Europa League mere værd end Carling Cup? Eller var United en flok diskvalificerede vindere, der nu måtte tage til takke med en dyst om pokaler i en division af tabere? Skulle dét måske være fremtiden? ?I moderne tid har United været en af de første klubber til at melde relativt åbent ud om deres prioriteringer?, siger Søren Frank og fortsætter: ?Liga Cup?en er de unges udstillingsvindue. FA Cup?en er, om jeg så må sige, en slags øvebane for Premier League, et formkatalog over skader, opstillinger, taktikker og dén slags. Champions League har altid været førstevalg ? sammen med Premier League selvfølgelig. Europa League passer meget dårligt ind i selskabet. Der er simpelthen bare nogle turneringer, der er mere ?rigtige? end andre?, reflekterer Søren Frank. De satans skader Måske er forklaringen på Uniteds formdyk i år så simpel som en fladtrådt leverpostejmad: De har døjet med skader i hobetal. Nemanja Vidic har været rygraden i Manchesters defensiv, og knæproblemerne, som begyndte mod Basel i Champions League, har været et kæmpe blow for Ferguson. Chris Smalling og Phil Jones har gjort det så godt, de kunne, i fraværet af Vidic, men erfaring og træfsikkerhed kommer ikke i nærheden af den 30-årige serbers. Tom Cleverley, som af mange regnes for én af de bedste nyheder i nyere United-historie, røg ud af spillet, bedst som han var ved at peake, og herefter væltede de som dominobrikker: Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Javier Hernandez. Selv Darren Fletcher valgte at tage en pause fra grønsværen. ?Det er gået hårdt ud over kontinuiteten i Uniteds spil. Noget, der ellers har været et adelsmærke for holdet. Rooneys mål har det med at komme og gå i bølger, og hele fodboldens historie er jo cirklende bevægelser, frem og tilbage. Men man kan tydeligt se, at Ferguson og United har betalt en dyr pris for manglende stabilitet. Patrice Evra har stort set været den eneste deciderede forsvarsspiller i fireback-kæden. Rafael da Silva på midtbanen? Ben Amos i målet? Det ligner mærkelige dispositioner, men sandheden er, at Fergie indimellem har haft meget få kort at lege med?, siger Søren Frank. Alting ender på midtbanen Faktisk er det mandefaldet nede i defensiven, som har skabt den uro og mangel på kreativitet på midtbanen, som alle har råbt op om i år, mener Søren Frank, der ser Tom Cleverley som den naturlige afløser for Paul Scholes, der tilsyneladende nægter at gå på pension: ?Netop på grund af de mange skader har det været svært ligesom at fryse spillet og analysere situationen på midtbanen. Er den mere funktionel end kreativ? Har det bare været noget med at losse bolden ud af farezonen, snarere end at skabe chok og overtag via dybdeafleveringer og folk, der løber i de rigtige huller? Da det så sortest ud ? en Michael Carrick i nedtur, en aldrende Ryan Giggs og en uprøvet Anderson ? lignede det unægtelig et tåbeligt træk ikke at hente Wesley Sneijder til klubben?, siger Søren Frank. Ovre i City hånede de Fergie & Co. for at hale Paul Scholes tilbage i trøjen, efter at han ellers havde stillet støvlerne og indstillet radaren på et liv efter fodbolden. Der er ikke meget posh over Scholes, der ligner én, der kunne sjoske ud fra fiskehandleren med filetter rullet i The Sun. Men det er noget sludder, afbryder Søren Frank: ?Jeg kan godt forstå, at Fergie svarer sarkastisk tilbage på Citys anklager om, at Scholes? tilbagevenden skulle være et svaghedstegn. Om Scholes er en styrke, fordi midtbanen i øvrigt har været nede i hængedyndet, er en anden sag, men i sig selv er Scholes altså ikke svag. Han har en formidabel pasningsstatistik ? de fleste af hans afleveringer havner simpelthen det rigtige sted. Og jo, han er blevet langsommere med årene, men det er alle de store, som minder om Scholes på den måde, at de fra en defensiv midtbaneposition har den gamle 5?ers libero-job og den moderne 10?ers overblik, også. Andrea Pirlo. Xabi Alonso. Og Xavi Hernandez. Det kan godt være, Scholes ligner det, vi i Sportslørdag-tiderne kaldte ?en rigtig slider?, men det er ham, der dikterer kampens rytme. Slaget om Uniteds fremtid har sin rod lige dér: Kan Tom Cleverley sætte sig på Scholes? kongetrone?? Gode gamle Fergie Hvor meget skal Alex Ferguson opnå, før han går på pension? Svaret ligger måske i den evige rivalisering med Liverpool. Skulle United hive endnu en Champions League-pokal med hjem til Manchester, mens den 70-årige skotte stadig er ved roret, vil Fergie komme op på siden af legendariske Bob Paisley, der som den eneste træner i historien har præsteret at vinde tre Europa Cup-titler med den samme klub. Nemlig Liverpool i 1977, 1978 og 1981. Sådan noget fås næsten ikke bedre. Det er samme luftlag som Ajax i 70?erne, AC Milan i starten af 90?erne og Alfredo di Stefanos Real Madrid anno 1960. Og selvfølgelig det nuværende FC Barcelona. Liverpool har vundet Europa Cup?en fem gange, lige fra dengang, løjerne hed Mesterholdenes Turnering og til nu, hvor verdens mest lukrative fodboldshow kaldes Champions League. Her er der endnu et stykke vej for Sir Alex. Alligevel er drømmen klokkeklar: Næste år nr. fire, året efter nr. fem. Og så stop. ?I Premier League starter de fleste hold med fejl og mangler, som hurtigt bliver fatale hen over 90 minutter. En træner bliver betalt for at spotte de mangler og rette op på dem. I Europa i Champions League tester du dig selv op imod de absolut bedste klubber i hver liga. Der er ingen blød mellemvare her?, har Sir Bobby Robson engang sagt. Det er, som Søren Frank medgiver, ?surrealistisk?, at United ikke er med dér. Fergie fik sit første gedigne stykke sølvtøj, da Aberdeen i 1983 slog Real Madrid i Europa Cup?en for Pokalvindere, og otte år senere vandt United 2-1 over Johan Cruyffs Barcelona i den samme turnering, som nu hedder Europa League. Og historien fortsætter med den uforglemmelige sidste-minuts-knockout over Bayern München i den episke Champions League-finale i 1999. Den finale foregik på Camp Nou i Barcelona. Endelig var der 2008. Dér blev Chelsea besejret på straffespark. Ronaldo brændte, og John Terry græd som en katolsk messedreng. 1999 var et gyldent år for United. Som manager havde Fergie nu vundet otte nationale mesterskaber, tre for Aberdeen og fem med United. Manchester-folket fik en treble, og de gjorde det med et miks af homegrowns og indkøbte koryfæer. Bastionen nede bagved var danske Peter Schmeichel, norske Ronny Johnsen og hollandske Jaap Stam, men det er selvfølgelig også ikoner som David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville og Nicky Butt, der står soleklart i erindringen. Og naturligvis Ole Gunnar Solskjær, som huskes for sin scoring mod Bayern i Camp Nou-matchens døende sekunder. I dag minder Javier Hernandez, Uniteds mexicanske forward, Ferguson ikke så lidt om Solskjær. Og nu vi er ved det legendariske. Bayern München kom nemlig foran allerede efter seks minutter dengang i 1999, og Fergies dunderord til sine spillere i pausen er næsten bibelsk i vælde: ?Når vi når til slutningen af kampen, vil pokalen være bare 10 meter fra jer, og I vil ikke være i stand til så meget som at røre ved den, hvis I taber. Og for mange af jer vil det være det tætteste, I nogensinde kommer. I kan lige vove på at gå ud igen uden at give alt, hvad I har?. Damn you, Paisley! Tilbage står spørgsmålene. Kan Ferguson virkelig nå at overhale Bob Paisley? Er der mon et nyt kuld Busby Babes på vej i Manchester? Og hvad skal Sir Alex gøre for at dæmme op for den catalanske tiqui-taca? Husk, at Paisley fører solidt, ikke bare hvad angår europæiske titler summa summarum, men også på frekvensen. Paisley tilbragte i alt 44 år på Anfield Road, men de tre Europa-Cup-triumfer kom på bare fire år med en næsten uforanderlig spillerkerne. For os med Sportslørdag og tysk tv i barndom og ungdom er det velklingende navne: Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish. Til sammenligning skulle Fergie bruge 12 år på at hente tre Champions League-trofæer, fra 1999 til 2011. United har altid været kendt for både at være kosmopolitiske og nationale. De sande Busby Babes, som forsvandt med den tragiske flyulykke i München 1958, men forinden nåede at fortrylle et helt Europa, kommer aldrig igen. Og dog. Det er næppe kendte navne for et dansk publikum, men lige nu kommer man ikke uden om en håndfuld ungdomsspillere, som har Fergies fulde opmærksomhed. Nævnes bør Ryan Tunnicliffe, 18 år, som både kan spille højreback og central midtbane, og som er blevet rost til skyerne af Gary Neville. Ikke at forglemme William med det forpligtende efternavn Keane, ligeledes 18 år, som ifølge Ole Gunnar Solskjær ejer det bedste, en striker skal have: at være kølig under pres. Kaliffen efter kaliffen Helt ærligt, hvem skal tage over fra Alex Ferguson? Findes der overhovedet nogle derude med hans profil, hans erfaring og hans tyngde? ?Det er jo million kroner-spørgsmålet. Selvfølgelig er der de sædvanlige kort, der om ikke andet dukker op på avisforsiderne, fordi de i forvejen er gode historier: ?Pep? Guardiola er gået metaltræt i Barcelona, så mon ikke United kunne være en passende ny station for katalaneren? Og José Mourinho, der deler vandene. Nogle United-fans hader ham og kalder ham en Chelsea-bastard med rødder fra den værste, italienske skuffe, komplet med opportunistisk strategi og en taktik over for medierne, som nærmer sig hysteri. Andre vil derimod se ham som en moderne frelser, der endelig kan løfte United ind i fremtiden?, udtaler Søren Frank. Manchester United-legenden Bryan Robson er ikke i tvivl: ?Hvordan erstatter du Alex Ferguson? Det er så godt som umuligt. Men på et tidspunkt bliver de nødt til at gøre det, og José Mourinho topper helt klart kandidatlisten. Hans rekorder taler et tydeligt sprog?, udtalte Bryan Robson i slutningen af marts. Men man skal ikke underkende de lokale islæt ifølge Søren Frank. David Moyes, træner for Everton, er et godt bud, og går man endnu længere ned ad rangstigen, er der også Fergies to hjælpetrænere, Mike Phelan og Rene Meulensteen. Nordirske Brendan Rodgers har en interessant profil. Han er ung ? i den branche i hvert fald. Han er 39 år. Han træner Swansea City, og han tilhører ifølge Søren Frank en ny progressiv generation, der er nyskabende i forhold til mandskabspleje og taktisk forståelse. Rodgers vil være for United, hvad Ferguson selv var, dengang han startede i klubben. Eller også skal man bare fortrænge spørgsmålet. Fergie bliver sgu? hængende! Og skulle det ske, at selv en mester må smide sit sidste tyggegummi på Drømmenes Teater, står millioner af fans i hvert fald på spring til at give råd om, hvordan bolden skal spilles hos De Røde Djævle. Helst hurtigt op over midten og helt ned i bunden af netmaskerne. sportsfanplus sportsfanplus Fri, 25 May 2012 10:52:54 +0100 http://www.sactownsocialmedia.com/uncategorized/the-beginners-guide-to-linkedin/ LinkedIn is considered the non-sexy, sleeping giant of social networks. It keeps a low profile, perhaps due to the professional nature of its users. Nonetheless, LinkedIn continues to exert a powerful influence on connected job seekers, brands, recruiters and industries. Founded by Reid Hoffman in 2002, LinkedIn has grown to 161 million members in over 200 countries, making it the world?s largest professional network on the Internet (by comparison, Twitter has 500 million registered users, and Facebook has 900 million). Currently available in 17 languages, LinkedIn remains a relevant platform the world over admin Sacramento Social Media Wed, 23 May 2012 23:34:39 +0100 http://www.sactownsocialmedia.com/uncategorized/10-ways-successful-entrepreneurs-delegate-tech-related-tasks/ Scott Gerber is the founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes youth entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and underemployment. Follow him @askgerber. Naturally, entrepreneurs have an innate urge to want to tackle every part of every project themselves, but by trying to do so they can get tied up in tasks that limit their productivity and creativity. Especially when it comes to technical matters, outsourcing some of the work may not only be the best thing for the business owner, but it can also be the best thing for the business admin Sacramento Social Media Wed, 23 May 2012 21:51:17 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reevesmodernreviews/HwLX/~3/eURruw-t7tI/koi-pond-and-waterfall-builders-what-you-need-to-know.html Pond And Waterfall Builders - What You Need To Know Koi Pond Ideas Before installing a water feature you need to ask yourself several important questions first: What is your budget? How much can you spend on the entire project? You could spend $3,000 on a water feature and find out Koi Pond Ideas you still need an additional $1,000-1,500 for plants and amenities, such as a deck, gazebo, walkways, fish or landscape lighting in the pond, waterfall and lawn. Other possible extras are a biological filter, auto-fill for pond, skimmer, back-flushable bio-filter, and more. How big is a water feature? If you are building your own, then structurally size is not that big an issue. I would charge the same price for a 3-foot high waterfall as I would for a 5-foot; and the same for a 3 by 5-foot pond as a 4 by 6. There is only a $200 difference in cost between the 1,000 and 2,000 square feet of concrete shell surface. Your main concern about size should be space, not cost. How much of your yard can you sacrifice? Even if the space between your house and the property line fence is limited, a water feature can be incorporated. Small ponds 1½ to 3 feet deep can facilitate a sump pump located within the pond. Even though a sump pump is inexpensive, it consumes much more energy than an above-ground pump. A pond any deeper than 3 feet requires an exterior pump for better accessibility and maintenance, and at a higher cost. But they pay for themselves in a short period of time with the energy savings. Also, larger ponds require greater filtration, more cleaning and maintenance. The size of the waterfalls will determine the size of the pump needed. The higher the waterfalls, the bigger the pump needed to supply the water and the greater the cost for electricity. Height creates head pressure which requires more energy and is the major factor in operating cost. How much entertaining will you do? Will you need a deck? If so, how big? You might consider placing a pond next to an existing deck. Many people do just the opposite, they build a pond and then construct a deck beside it. In this case, you can take advantage of an existing deck and construct an open stairway (stair bridge) to span the pond. This affords unique access to the opposite side. Will you have adequate room for table and chairs? Do you want a spa? Or a fire pit or barbeque? Enough lawn for games? Where do you spend most of your outdoor leisure time? That is the area for your waterfall! The waterfall will bring you the most enjoyment, therefore it should be located closest to the area where you plan to spend most of your time out of doors. Koi Pond Ideas Do you want to see or hear the waterfall from indoors? Consider adding an exterior patio or French doors to your house to access your water feature area. Do you wish to have fish and other aquatic creatures? Long term, a properly maintained nitrogen cycle costs less than maintaining a pond that uses chlorine and other chemicals. Fish, plants and proper bacteria are needed for healthy pond and nitrogen cycle. Once properly established, a healthy fish pond is virtually maintenance free. Are you willing to remove or replace certain trees or bushes to enhance the waterfall and pond? Some trees have very aggressive root systems that can literally move concrete as they grow, causing cracking and upheaval. Certain trees can contribute a great deal of debris to the water feature that fouls the water and may cause premature failure of the filter system. What type of rock do you want? A commonly used rock is cobble stone. However, because of the round shapes, water rolls over the surfaces and creates a minimum of sound or visual effect. In contrast, irregular, angular, sharp-edged granite or similar rock creates turbulent conditions similar to white water as it flows over the edges. The greater the "white water" the more sound is Koi Pond Ideas produced. Also, a side benefit is the aeration of water which benefits fish and discourages the production of algae. However, do not attempt to match the color of rock with the decor of the house, brick and other features of your home. Stay natural - contrast is good! What about electrical supply for the pump and equipment? In 20 years I have never seen the electrical costs for supplying power to the equipment site exceed $1,200, and the average is less than $400. What about a water supply for an automatic water leveling system? Water is very accessible in any household and getting it to the water feature site is a minor expense. Simply tap into an outside water faucet. There are hundreds of questions that arise in the course of a water feature project. It is best that most of these questions are answered prior to commencement of construction, it could save you hundreds of dollars by avoiding mistakes. Look before you leap and research before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy. By: Douglas C. Hoover Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, author, designer & builder of over 1,900 waterfalls and ponds (29 years). Author of "Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual." Learn more at www.aquafill.com. Koi Pond Designs That Are Worth Checking Out Koi Pond Ideas A Koi pond is great addition in your garden especially if you are fond of Japanese-inspired garden ponds, country gardens, modern ponds, and functional ponds. To get more Koi pond designs that will suit your personal preferences and that will show elegance at the same time, check out Koi pond designs and learn the garden pond concepts behind every design. And as you choose the best design for you, make sure that it will give your garden a new meaning and your life an entire change. Getting the Japanese Taste and Touch Koi pond is best defined by the influence of Japanese gardens. The Japanese influence in landscaping and gardening can not be ignored at once. A Koi pond that has Japanese touch and taste has clean lines and highlights a number of natural elements. The main features of Koi pond inspired by Japanese gardens are the presence of bonsai, huge and numerous rocks, and the waterfalls. These elements are usually found within the perimeter of the garden pond. Country Garden Effects in Koi Ponds Add Beauty in Koi Pond Koi Pond Ideas No matter what you do with your garden, as long as you incorporate the elements of a country garden, the results of your Koi pond would be wonderful. The beauty behind garden pond that has country gardens effect can be attributed to colorful and varieties of plants. When it comes to shape, round designs are much preferred. To accentuate a classier view of your garden pond, charms and enhanced ambience should be installed as well. Afterwards, you would be delighted with the results; you would want to spend the entire day staring at your garden pond. The Modern Garden Ponds Highlights Exceptional Sophistication Koi fish ponds can fit the picture of sophistication and the modern way of living at present. So, if in this age of technology, you still dream of having a Koi pond in your not so spacious property, the modern ponds designs is the way to go. Space is not an issue when it comes to building a Koi pond with modern elements. In fact, it can become your garden pond?s strength, too. Add the modern touch in your Koi pond by converting your swimming pool into ponds. Other Koi ponds can also go along with sunrooms and the rooftop of the building where your apartment is situated. Koi Pond Ideas Functional Ponds Add Colors and Life to Your Garden Koi ponds should be filled with Koi fish. The presence of living creatures in your Koi fish ponds makes it functional and real. Functional ponds typically have pathways or walkways to get a full view of fishes in the pond. Koi functional ponds should be near the home so that a clear view of the fish and the pond would be possible even you are in the window. With the given Koi pond designs, it is time for you to choose which would be perfect in your home. In doing so, you have to consider the space you have, your interests and preferences, resources, and its feasibility to make your dream Koi pond materializes. By: California Waterscapes Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com  Koi Pond - Fish Or No Fish? What is a koi pond without koi? A pond! Now that is boring... Koi Pond Ideas Many clients who want a waterfall and koi pond do not want koi fish to take care of. Actually, a pond will require less attention with fish than without. If a koi pond has a waterfall to aerate the water, koi fish will produce waste that is broken down by nitrifying bacteria into nitrate nitrogen, and water plants will use the nitrogen and thrive. In turn, the koi fish eat the algae and small water insects that live on the rocks and plant roots. And those bugs eat other smaller bugs that eat microscopic bugs that eat bad bacteria bugs. This is called the nitrogen cycle. A properly balanced koi pond like this will pretty much take care of itself. Koi fish food can get lodged in the plants, rocks and vegetation around the perimeter of the koi pond. If the koi fish cannot find the food, it simply decays, adding unnecessary nitrates to the water and resulting in more food for algae to grow. To eliminate this problem I fashioned what I term as a Koi Fish Food Corral made from a 4 to 5 foot piece of 1-1/2 inch flexible PVC pipe and fastened together with a single 1-1/2 inch coupling, creating a circular corral. This corral keeps the koi food in one place, and prevents it from floating off into rock crevices, plants or the skimmer. Plus it allows for the proper portioning of koi food. It is easy to tell if you've given the koi fish too much. If food is still there after a couple of minutes and the koi fish seem to have had enough, they have, and you should remove the leftovers. Lay it in the sun to dry and feed it to them later. It is easy to collect the extra food that the koi fish don't eat by using a small net. It is better to feed them too little than too much. In a case like this, more is not better. Koi Pond Ideas Sometimes my clients originally expressed a concern that koi fish would be a burden or a hassle. They would worry about having to feed them daily, or what they would do when going on vacation. I would explain that the koi fish are extremely important with regard to their contribution to the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle is what makes a koi pond low in maintenance and nearly self-sufficient. As long as you only stock the koi pond with small fish such as guppies and mosquito fish, they will never need to be fed. They can exist solely on food that the pond provides naturally. A chlorinated pond, on the other hand, requires continuous maintenance. The chlorine dissipates from the water as it flows over the falls and turns into chlorine gas. This means that fresh chlorine needs to be added regularly and your backyard will smell like a swimming pool all the time. The chlorine also causes many minerals and suspended particles to precipitate and build up on the rocks, causing unsightly white stains in the water's path. When chlorine is not added regularly, leaves and other decaying debris in the pond will cause algae to grow, turning the pond green. So after convincing the client to give my suggestion a try, I returned a few weeks later to find that they have not only Koi Pond Ideas purchased some large koi fish, but have given them all cute names, like Charlie and Doug. If the client wishes to have larger fish such as koi, the nitrogen cycle will need a little extra help from a biological filter and an ultraviolet light. The larger the number and size of the koi fish, the greater the waste material produced. This means that some of it must be removed from the water. Increased quantities of nitrates and nitrites increase the amount of ammonia and other by-products such as pea soup algae, the type that turns the water green. A biological filter will aid in the breakdown of toxic nitrites into less harmful nitrates, and an ultraviolet light will kill algae spores and disease-causing pathogens as they pass through the UV light on the way to the filter. So, what else can I say to convince you to get fish? They are fun to watch? They are cute? They come in handy during times of famine? Got fish? Got turtles? Got tadpoles? No? Then, get some! Your pond will be much more appealing and exciting. It is like having the Learning Channel or Discovery Channel in your back yard. Every day brings a new discovery: baby fish hatching; a dragonfly struggling from its cocoon; a tadpole slowly, very slowly, turning into a frog; two crayfish, doing what they do to make baby crayfish... now that is a discovery! A turtle, shedding its shell... now that is a miracle. If you have kids or grandkids, or neighbor kids, grab some or all of them and make it an adventure. Pile them into the car or bus and go to the local pond store and gather up a passel of predacious and peculiar pond creatures. Better yet -- build a koi pond first and then do it. Happy koi, peace and joy. By: Douglas C. Hoover Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, master Waterfall Builder, freelance writer and author designer, architect, inventor, engineer, writer, author and builder of over 1,900 waterfall and ponds in California or the past 26 years. Inventor and manufacturer of the "AquaFill" T.M., electronic float control system for ponds, pools, fountains and hot tubs. Read more: www.aquafill.com. www.koi pond.com Aquascape Water Gardens, Water Features & Koi Ponds Water gardening is one of the best lifestyle choices you can make. Learn how easy it is to add a beautiful, easy to maintain ecosystem pond / water feature to your backyard, patio, or landscaping while adding new biodiversity to your environment. Learn more about sustainable, eco-friendly water gardens at www.aquascapeinc.com Koi Pond Design Fundamentals Designing a koi pond begins with three very basic fundamentals. Learn how to identify these important design elements in this video presentation. If you are designing a pond for koi or looking to improve on an existing Koi pond, this information will help you make an educated decision on your pond design plans. Koi Pond Posts Related to Koi Pond And Waterfall Builders - What You Need To KnowYour Questions About Koi PondsHelen asks? Ins and outs of koi pond setup? My dad is on a "let's make the yard pretty" kick, and a koi pond has ...A Water Garden Makes For Calm And Lovely Addition To Any House LandscapeWater Garden  Doesn't it feel relaxing when you get to sit back and relax or lie down on the grass in your garden and you ...How To Build A Pondless WaterfallPondless Waterfall How To Build A Pondless Waterfall Definition: A pondless waterfall or "child-proof waterfall" is a waterfall that cascades into a subterranean catch basin ...A Garden Fountain Is The Key To Outdoor StyleGarden Fountain A Garden Fountain Is The Key To Outdoor Style You spend all of your free time weeding and tending to your yard and garden, and ...Solar Landscape Lighting – Magnifies The Beauty Of Your GardenLandscape Lighting Solar Landscape Lighting – Magnifies The Beauty Of Your Garden Solar landscape lights utilize tiny photo voltaic cells in order to charge their batteries that ... timreeves1043 Koi Ponds,Nature,Wild Life,Gardening,Landscaping &Personal Interest Documentaries Tue, 22 May 2012 19:36:41 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reevesmodernreviews/HwLX/~3/Z1bGSUQ5Nmc/how-to-build-a-pondless-waterfall.html Pondless Waterfall Pondless Waterfall How To Build A Pondless Waterfall Definition: A pondless waterfall or "child-proof waterfall" is a waterfall that cascades into a subterranean catch basin or cistern rather than a pond. The collected water is then returned to the top of the waterfall by means of a pump system. Why Pondless?   Pondless Waterfall In 1984 I built what I called a "childproof" waterfall using reinforced concrete, because building codes state that because of the liability factor, ponds can only be 18" deep or you are required to conform to all of the same building codes and requirements of a swimming pool (6 foot fence perimeter, special gates, door alarms, etc.)." Since this waterfall was located in the front yard, it could not be more than 18" and if it was, there was not enough space for a large enough pond to prevent it from being sucked dry by the time the water returned back to the pond by way of the waterfall. So I installed an electronic water leveler system to insure the collection basin would automatically be replenished with water as needed. My term for this type of water feature is "child-proof" because it makes it safe for children and eliminates the liability factor and passes the building codes. Since the advent of utilizing rubber liners to construct waterfalls and ponds in the early nineties, this type of waterfall has been called a "pondless waterfall." Rubber liner ponds and waterfalls are okay for short term use. However, they are susceptible to attacks from rats, mice, ground squirrels, gophers, chipmunks, tree roots, sharp objects, stretching from heavy boulders etc. I go into great detail on the critical flaws of pond liner construction in an article entitled Pondless Waterfalls: Concrete vs. Liners. This article contains documentation that leaves no doubt that pondless waterfalls are cheaper to build using concrete and steel rather than using a pondless waterfall liner kit. Not to mention that it is cheaper to operate and maintain. The key to making your waterfall look natural, is to be sure to remove plenty of dirt and recessing the waterfall into the ground. Many people make the mistake of constructing it above the natural grade level of the original grade. Rocks do not look natural sticking above the surface of the ground. This is especially true if the waterfall rocks are the only ones visible on the bank, hill or grade where the waterfall is located. The rocks of the waterfall should give the appearance that, over the years, water has washed down the hill or bank, eroding away the original surface soil and exposing the rocks hidden beneath. Pondless Waterfall Rebar The next step is to apply the 3/8" rebar 8 to 10 inches on center, criss-crossing each other, and fastening them together in a grid using a tie wire to fasten them together. Small 2" x 2" blocks called dobies are then placed under the grid to hold above the dirt. When concrete is applied, it must completely surround all the rebar. No rebar can be touching the soil or it will rust. And rust, like cancer, will spread and follow the rebar into the concrete structure. As the rebar rusts it swells, much like would when it gets moisture in it. The swollen rebar hydrologically causes the concrete to crack. Plumbing Use flexible PVC pipe, not rigid pipe, because it is easy to manipulate around the corners and over uneven ground. But most of all, by using flex you will eliminate the need for fittings such as elbows and couplings under ground, thus eliminating possible future sources of leaks. You can install the flex under the rebar or alongside it, down the waterfall's course. One of the major flaws with liner constructed pondless waterfalls is that they use sump pumps which suck energy (60% more than centrifugal pumps). They then fill the Pondless Waterfall cistern containing the pump with gravel, reducing the available water space. Consequently, when the waterfall is started up, most of the catch basin or cistern is drained of water before the previously pumped water can return to the basin. This makes it necessary to regularly add water to the basin or the pump will run dry and burn up. Concrete Construction In concrete construction, anti-vortex suction drains (just like what is used in swimming pools) can be installed in the bottom of the basin. Galvanized grating can then be spanned across the basin and rock placed on top of the grating to hide it. Now the basin is empty and free of gravel to allow plenty of room for water storage. An out-of-pond, high-efficiency centrifugal pump can be used to circulate the water. Unlike sump pumps that are used in liner construction, a centrifugal pump uses 60% less energy, is easy to maintain, carries three times the warranty, has four to five times the life expectancy, and there is no need ever to access the basin or remove stinky, filthy gravel to get to the pump. Concrete Application Most concrete pumpers know how to apply concrete to waterfall rebar, and they only charge a couple of hundred dollars. Troweling is easy; anyone can do it because it does not need to be smooth. Just knock down the rough edges and smooth with a sponge. The concrete itself only costs $100-$125 a yard with most pondless waterfalls requiring only 2 to 3 yards. Check out the cost of a liner kit alone (without any labor)! and search the internet under "Pond liners vs. concrete." Don't waste your money on a temporary solution. Reinforced concrete actually cost less and will last decades longer. By: Douglas C. Hoover Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer & builder of well over 1,900 waterfall and ponds in CA (26 years). Author of "Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual" and developer of the "Water Feature Digital Design Library5.0" Free downloads, no sign in- watergardenauthority.com/ultimate_training_course.php Check out the new mini-aquafill water leveler at "http://www.aquafill.com" A Liner Ponds Or A Pondless Waterfall - Asset Or Liability? Pondless Waterfall The first "pondless waterfall" was designed and built in Fallbrook, California in the early 1980's, long before the advent of rubber or PVC pond liners. However, that particular design was referred to as a "childproof waterfall" with its descriptive name lending a better definition of its function and purpose. This design was the result of solving the enormous liability issues related to small children drowning in bodies of standing water such as swimming pools and ponds. The client wanted a waterfall in his front yard; however, there was no possibility for a pond due to the topography and space restrictions. In addition, building codes restricted pond depths to 18 inches, unless all of the code requirements were satisfied, such as bordering the body of water with a 6 foot fence, a special gate requirement, and door alarms, to name just a few. The client also stressed to me the importance of low maintenance. A pond, regardless of its depth, becomes a catch basin for blowing leaves and debris. Other maintenance factors included algae growth from the water's exposure to sunlight, and evaporation resulting from larger surface area of the water. By capturing the waterfall water in a subterranean cistern, all of the previously mentioned code requirements and maintenance issues are resolved by eliminating the cause. Pondless Waterfall The pleasant results are the beneficial sound and sight of a waterfall minus the liabilities or high cost of maintenance. Since the water will spill through rock placed on top of galvanized steel grating which covers the collection basin (cistern), the collected water stays cooler. And in the absence of sunlight, there is no algae problem. By placing a fine galvanized hardware cloth between the covering of loose rocks and the galvanized grating, leaves and small debris are prevented from ending up in the collection basin and can be removed easily by hand. This "child-proof" or pondless waterfall was constructed of 3500 psi concrete (with stealth fiber added) and reinforced with #3 rebar placed 8 inches on center. This type of construction will survive earthquakes and last for decades. Reinforced concrete shells that are properly sealed with a concrete sealer such as Thoroseal will not only permanently waterproof the concrete, it will prevent alkali and phosphorous from leaching into the water, making it permanently safe for aquatic life. Most modern-day "pondless" waterfalls are constructed with rubber or PVC liner. Pond liner advocates tout the assets of liners as being faster and cheaper to build; they even claim that liners last longer than concrete. Liner ponds and waterfalls may be faster to build, but they are not necessarily cheaper or stronger. Case in point: In August, 2007 a previous client of mine in Rancho Santa Fe, California informed me that they were buying a 15,000 square foot home on three acres. Pondless Waterfall They asked me to check out an existing waterfall and pond on the property. The previous owners informed them that they had paid a pond liner company $276,000 to construct it, only to have it leak within a few months. The loss of water was so great that they had to shut it down. The liner guy came out to inspect it, pointing out a rodent burrow mound among the surrounding rocks and boulders. He stated that it was gophers, ground squirrels or rats, or possibly all three, that had chewed a hole in the liner. He quickly added that the liner was warranted against factory defects only, but not from acts of God, man, beast, or any creeping thing. As if that was not bad enough, a second liner company was called out and paid $75,000 to repair the leaks, which they attempted to do by plastering around the base of every rock in the waterfall. UGLY does not properly describe it. Talk about a tropical paradise turning into a tropical nightmare! Within two months it was leaking worse than before. I was commissioned to crane out all of the two- to five-ton boulders and remove all the remaining smaller boulders and rock with a Bobcat, then rip out all of the liner and replace it with 3500 psi reinforced Shotcrete. Pondless Waterfall The waterfall's width was doubled and 40 feet was added to its height, doubling the width of the pond. The original 2-hp pump was replaced with five 3-hp high-efficiency pumps; the original 12 lights were replaced with 65 accent lights. All of this was completed for $40,000 less than the original cost of the pond and waterfall. (Note: The total amount paid for their waterfall in original construction costs and replacement costs was $586,000. Over a half a million dollars! So is a liner really cheaper than reinforced concrete?) It took the original liner guy twelve days to complete the project; it took us just five weeks. So much for cheaper and longer-lasting... What about liability or asset? Every rock and boulder in the entire waterfall and pond was secured in place with mortar, unlike the liner waterfalls where rocks and boulders were placed on the liner loosely and could easily shift, move or topple over when walked on, creating an extreme liability. In light of the prior facts, comparing liner construction with reinforced concrete, liner ponds and waterfalls can end up costing twice as much when considering replacement costs and repairs . Most "pondless waterfall" advocates stress three major selling points on the use of pond liners for "pondless waterfalls" and koi ponds. 1. They are cheaper to build. 2. They last longer than concrete. Pondless Waterfall 3. They require less maintenance. The truth... there is more profit to be made by the pond liner guys. They are in and out in one to two days! Will they come back and fix the problems that will surely arise, is the big question. Liner ponds and "pondless waterfalls" -- are they an asset or liability? Before you invest your hard-earned money, be sure you know the answer. By: Douglas C. Hoover Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, author, designer & builder of over 1,900 waterfalls and ponds (29 years). Author of "Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual." Learn more at www.pondless waterfall.com. Aquascape - Pondless Waterfall Installation This video produced by Aquascape Inc shows the proper installation of their Pondless Waterfall System. It will show the MicroVault & MicroCentipede and how to assemble them in the system. For more information, or to purchase an Aquascape Pond Kit, go to www.ShopTJB.com and select ?Water Garden Supplies?. We can provide you with everything you will need to install & maintain your own personal Aquascape Pondless Waterfall. The Pondless Waterfall Choosing a Pondless or ´disappearing´ waterfall over a waterfall that flows into a pond. With little maintainance, this Aquascape Inc. wonder doesn´t involve any fish, is safe for small children to be around, and can be turned off over any period of time without worrying about fish dying. How To Install A Pondless Waterfall Step By Step in Plainfield, NJ Mike Gannon, The Pond Hunter, always in the pursuit of all things aquatic shows you a step by step installation of a pond less waterfall that was built in Scotch Plains, NJ. This installation features a multi-tier waterfall, a long stream with pooling area and smaller cascades; also the filter system installation is shown as well. Please enjoy this video your comments are welcomed and don´t forget to subscribe to THE POND HUNTER video series. Thank you. Pondless Waterfall Posts Related to How To Build A Pondless WaterfallA Water Garden Makes For Calm And Lovely Addition To Any House LandscapeWater Garden  Doesn't it feel relaxing when you get to sit back and relax or lie down on the grass in your garden and you ...Your Questions About Koi PondsHelen asks? Ins and outs of koi pond setup? My dad is on a "let's make the yard pretty" kick, and a koi pond has ...A Garden Fountain Is The Key To Outdoor StyleGarden Fountain A Garden Fountain Is The Key To Outdoor Style You spend all of your free time weeding and tending to your yard and garden, and ...Green Gardening: Watering Your Plants Through A Rain BarrelRain Barrel  Green Gardening: Watering Your Plants Through A Rain Barrel Installing rain barrels can greatly reduce water consumption, more so if you are into ...Organic Gardening Can Make For A Great HobbyOrganic Gardening Can Make For A Great Hobby   Gardening is a great hobby for a wide variety of reasons and for a wide variety ... timreeves1043 Koi Ponds,Nature,Wild Life,Gardening,Landscaping &Personal Interest Documentaries Tue, 22 May 2012 09:50:43 +0100 http://www.sactownsocialmedia.com/uncategorized/ecommerce-in-china-how-the-worlds-biggest-market-buys-online/ China is poised to become the biggest online marketplace in the world within the next few years, according to multiple estimates. Online retail generated $121 billion in sales in China last year, up 66% from 2010, according to Barclays Capital. The size of China’s ecommerce market is expected to more than triple over the next three years, with sales reaching $420 billion by 2015. That’s 20% more than what the U.S.’s ecommerce market is forecast to bring in that year admin Sacramento Social Media Sun, 20 May 2012 21:27:34 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reevesmodernreviews/HwLX/~3/paUdikNMc6A/your-questions-about-koi-ponds.html Your Questions About Koi Ponds Helen asks? Ins and outs of koi pond setup? My dad is on a "let's make the yard pretty" kick, and a koi pond has weedled it's way into the picture. Problem is that we have NO idea of even where to start. Should we get one f those plastic ponds or a pond liner? How big would it need to be to support half a dozen koi? What do we need to know before we really get started? And, a big important question, where do quality koi come from? I don't THINK the petstore would have them, and if hey did I deffinantly don't think they'd be very healthy. timreeves1043 answers: Go with a pond liner. They are easier to use and last longer, especially if you live in a climate with temperature extremes (the UV rays and freezing, etc., can damage the rigid plastic over time - EPDM liners rarely have that problem). You will need to use an underlayment to keep the liner from getting punctured by tree roots and rocks and things. You can buy it, or use a thick (4"+) layer of sand, or, my personal favorite, carpet pad. I personally think free-form shapes look better than perfect circles or rectangles, but that's up to you. You can experiment with the shape by laying your garden hose out in the approximate dimensions of your pond. You will probably err on the side of too small - I read something somewhere once that said most pond owners wish they would have made their pond larger within a year or two of putting one in (happened to me - we started with 500 gallons for our first one, then went up to 3,000 a year later!). Once you're satisfied with the size and shape, dig your hole, put down your underlayment, and put the liner down on top. It helps to let it warm up in the sun first - the warmth makes it more pliable. Start filling it up with water (use culinary water - irrigation water has all kinds of bugs and critters in it that can ultimately cause sickness and injury to your fish). Smooth out the liner as it fills, trying to avoid as many folds, wrinkles, etc., as possible. DO NOT USE A SUMP PUMP. They have the power to move water OK, but they are filled with oil. If you have a pump go out, or a seal crack, or whatever, your pond will be filled with oil, too, and it will kill everything - plants, fish, beneficial bacteria, etc. - you have. Splurge on a good filter system and a pump made for ponds. When in doubt as to size, type, etc., over-filtration is always best. Maintaining good water quality is the secret to maintaining healthy fish. You can order koi over the internet - just "google" koi and you will find dozens of suppliers, of all sizes and colors. They can be expensive, however. Lots of garden centers and nurseries now carry koi, as well, and they can be higher quality than what you would find in a pet store but not exorbitantly priced like show koi via the internet. It's a good "medium" place to start. I hope you guys enjoy your new koi pond. I love mine! Koi have so much more personality than goldfish, and are so much smarter - I would never go back to keeping goldfish after keeping koi for the last five years. One last thing - check out www.koivet.com. It's the best resource I have found for answering questions about the general care of koi. Hope this helps! Nancy asks? How to get rid of spiders in my koi poind This summer I have had an infestation of spiders in my Koi Pond. I live in Houston, TX if that helps. I do not know what kind of spiders they are, but they are multiplying. I am scared to now put my hands in the water to clean out debris and weed the plants. This is the best picture I could get before they would go under water. timreeves1043 answers: Don't see a picture but if they are not big then the koi should take care of them. Or do u have a koi pond without koi? George asks? Koi fish tattoo questions, are there green koi fish? I want to get a tattoo of a koi fish in a pond with a few water lilies. but i kind of wanted a green and blue koi fish. i couldnt find any pictures of green koi. so im not sure if there are any green koi fish. so if anyone knows about ko fish or has any tips for my tattoo please let me know. thanks. timreeves1043 answers: Haha no theres no such thing as a green koi fish, but a green/blue koi would look STUNNING as a tattoo i think u should go 4 it! Ken asks? How can I keep my koi pond clean? I just cleaned it a weak ago and it got all filled with algae again. I have seen picture of Japanese ponds and they always look really nice and clean. It is a 50 gallon tank and we had some koi but they died and now just have two small turtles. Also, I can't clean it everyday like a lady suggested cause of school and the pond cleaner I got doesn't work. It's not so much the stuff on the sides as it is the all out green, murky water that looks almost thick enough to walk on. timreeves1043 answers: Don't use undergravel in ponds very hard to clean. You need is a good filter with UV light however UV light will consume more electricity you can always use barley straws put it in your filter box. KOi keeper & goldfish keeper. Maria asks? koi pond overrun with bubbles!? I have a 2000 gallon pond with a waterfall, sediment filter and skimmer. Over the past month, I've noticed more and more bubbles until this morning when the skimmer was overrun with bubbles. How do i fix this? Pictures of pond below. Skimmer in upper right side http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/16/l_cab7318d31bc4a5ba49f46ec78e5fd06.gif Waterfall http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/10/l_2e4eb0b12f014a31993ff5b5e48fd21b.gif Thanks KTB but another couple questions. I'm not 100% on what carbon based products I'd be cleaning. I added a few pictures to show the pump. here's the over picture of the pump and skimmer. http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/55/l_2dcb42a921b547be83180c7f4b5171a2.gif as you can see, water is pulled from the sediment filter into the blue bucket aswell as the skimmer. I clean the bucket frequently. is it the pump http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/25/l_eaecfef011224e14937e9e0c350414ac.gif that I should clean? Would this involve taking it apart? Or is it the tubing going from the sediment filter to the bucket? timreeves1043 answers: This is easy. You need to clean your filter and replace any carbon based product you have in the filter. Those are not really bubbles, but the formation of small oil and bacterial deposits due to a dirty pump/filter. EDIT... That is a particle filter. The actual coal/carbon product must be contained in your drought/filter unit. You can buy a pad, and cut to fit, that will accomplish this from most hardware or fish stores. However, I have found that the actual agate (pebble like) form works best in the long run. Chris asks? we have a horrific koi pond, the water is so murky you cant even see the fish. it smells too!!? we sort of inherited this koi pond with our new house. the last owners said their wasnt a need to feed the fish b/c they can feed off of bugs. my bf saids that we can just give them dog food. also, we have a lot of trees in our yard so i can understand that it is hard to keep the water clear. i cant even see if the pond is lined... its got to be but i cant tell. i keep insisting that the water is way too murky. i feel so bad for those fish... i am so tempted to get rid of the koi pond. i dont want to b/c it adds a nice touch to our back yard. oh yea, my bf and i dont see eye to eye on this pond at all. he sees no need to do something about the murkiness and he thinks they can eat dry dog food. PLEASE HELP!!! i would post a picture but i dont wanna be liable for any eye problems that one would receive from the ugliness!! haha timreeves1043 answers: Your pond has goldfish right? Then you need to read this to be informed on how to take care of your goldfish properly. And read articles about how to take care of ponds, since I didn't see that added into this article. P.S. Koi need the same things as goldfish, more or less. ^^; Robert asks? Is this a Koi on my line? I went fishing to a local lake to come across a funny looking fish on my line. It didnt give much of a fight but it felt heavy. It had two barbels and each side of its mouth, a white line going down its spinal cord, and black markings all over its body. I do have pictures of it in case anyone wants to check it out. I have actually been to a koi pond at Bobs Furniture Stores and the mouths of the koi there are identical to my catches mouth. timreeves1043 answers: Hahaha! Somebody released a young "fancy carp" ("koi" in Japanese) into your body of water. It must've been there for a while, because the one you caught is losing its special bright colors and transitioning into its basic Cyprinus carpio form. It will eventually turn to the normal brown color. Powered by Yahoo! Answers Posts Related to Your Questions About Koi Ponds A Water Garden Makes For Calm And Lovely Addition To Any House LandscapeWater Garden  Doesn't it feel relaxing when you get to sit back and relax or lie down on the grass in your garden and you ...How To Get A Lawn That Is Gorgeous, Green, And Weed FreeLawn How To Get A Lawn That Is Gorgeous, Green, And Weed Free  Are you tired of struggling to get a green, healthy lawn every ...Green Gardening: Watering Your Plants Through A Rain BarrelRain Barrel  Green Gardening: Watering Your Plants Through A Rain Barrel Installing rain barrels can greatly reduce water consumption, more so if you are into ...When art helps wildlife conservationWhen art helps wildlife conservation The photography-cum-art exhibition of the artist duo is being showcased at GK II's Gallerie Ganesha till May 17 as a ...How To Design The Front Yard Landscaping Of Your DreamsLandscaping How To Design The Front Yard Landscaping Of Your Dreams In this article we'll discuss some basic concepts of front yard landscaping, and you'll ... timreeves1043 Koi Ponds,Nature,Wild Life,Gardening,Landscaping &Personal Interest Documentaries Sun, 20 May 2012 08:36:25 +0100 http://shrewdgeek.com/2012/05/18/a-closer-look-at-the-android-ice-cream-sandwich/ Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich is the latest upgrade to the Android platform for smartphones and tablets. It continues from where Android left off in Honeycomb 3.2. Ice Cream Sandwich is built around simplicity and customization. It comes with user-friendly interface, customizable home screens, and resizable widgets to take mobile communication and sharing to a whole new level. With Ice Cream Sandwich, Android delivers more visibility to common actions and allows navigation using simple, intuitive gestures. It comes with an entirely new typeface designed for high resolution screens resulting to improved readability and polished modern feel to its user interface. With the addition of the Recent Apps button, switching from one task to another can be easy by looking at the list in the System Bar. Android 4.0 comes with a new screen that lets you organize apps and shortcuts in a logical manner by dragging one to another. The All Apps launcher provides more information about the application and also provides a quick way of uninstalling or deactivating a pre-installed app. Now, you can easily put all your favorite apps in one location from the home screen. Ice Cream Sandwich now comes with a customizable home screen. This time, you can embed live application content. Check e-mail, set important appointments or meetings in the calendar directly through the home screen. Widgets can be expanded to show more information or shrunk to save space. Listen to music, take pictures, or check messages without having to unlock your phone. Thanks to the new lock screen option. With the new incoming call option, you can immediately answer without even picking up your phone or unlocking the device. Simply slide a control to see a list of text responses and then tap to send or end the call. Android 4.0 comes with an improved word suggestion capability. For misspelled words, a spell checker searches and underlines errors and suggests possible replacement words. A single tap allows the user to choose a suggested word, delete a word, or add it to the dictionary. The new camera app also comes with new features that allow capturing special moments through photos and videos. Editing and sharing of photographs is now made easy. For crisp and precise images, you have a choice between continuous focus, zero shutter, and decreased shot-to-shot speed. You can customize the way you compose photos and videos with a new stabilized image zoom.These are just few of the things that the Ice Cream Sandwich lays down on the table. Powerful solutions and features delivered to you by your Android smartphone.Originally At : ShrewdGeek.com A Closer Look At The Android Ice Cream Sandwich Pradeep F ShrewdGeek Fri, 18 May 2012 16:09:33 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reevesmodernreviews/HwLX/~3/Y-Hikw8156I/water-garden-makes-for-calm-and-lovely-addition-to-a-house-landscape.html Water Garden  Water Garden Doesn’t it feel relaxing when you get to sit back and relax or lie down on the grass in your garden and you hear nothing but the sound of water flowing smoothly in the background, ringing like beautiful music to your ears? Doesn’t it feel like paradise? The sight and sound of water has always drawn the interest of people. Water brings a pleasing element to a garden. Water gardening involves fountains, waterfalls, ponds, and elegant combinations of rocks and lighting. A water garden is a pool of water that contains fish, water plants, and other water creatures.   Water Garden Water gardening has now evolved to be one of the very popular landscaping styles nowadays. People of all ages love the sound of flowing water because it is very calming and peaceful. If you want to have a water garden, one of the most important things to take into consideration is choosing the right spot for it. Since water gardens are usually home to fish and aquatic plants, the water garden needs to be in a place where there is constant access to sunlight during the daytime because most fish and aquatic plants depend on the sun. Also, the place should steer clear of any tree or tall shrub, to have access to sunlight and also to avoid leaf and stick rubbish in the water. When planning your water garden, you have to use some basic principles. You have to consider the size of your lawn and your ability to maintain a water garden. If you have a small property, a small pond would probably be best. You may also add waterfalls, rockwork, lighting and fountains if you have the budget, and it would also depend on the style and purpose of your landscape. However, doing so would further enhance the scenery, especially at night. When choosing aquatic plants, you must know that plants should not cover more than 50-60% of the water surface. There are many types of aquatic plants to choose from for example, free floating ones, or the ones that are to be submerged in water. The selection all depends on you and what you want for your pond. Water lilies are said to add drama and fragrance to water no matter how small your pond is. There are also some plants that are healthy and provide oxygen to the water. You also have the option to add fish, if you want to. A good addition would be the ever famous janitor fish which are popular for cleaning up dirty debris in the water, thus being called ?janitor? because they clean. Some fish can also help control mosquito larva and other sorts of insects. However, if you have fish in your pond, you need to make sure that you regularly maintain and clean the pond so your fish can live. Water Garden It is also possible to do water gardening yourself, if you have the time and heart to do it. There are many do-it-yourself kits available and they are easy to install. These kits can be found at home improvement stores. Or, if you have the necessary budget, you may hire landscapers to do the water gardening for you. All garden pools, regardless of their size and content require proper and constant maintenance. If you had proper planning and perhaps advice from an expert, a healthy balance between the living and decorative features of a water garden that can almost take care of itself can be accomplished, and you would only have simple maintenance procedures to do. By: Cedric Loiselle Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com For more information about Long Island Landscapers and Long Island Landscaping visit our website longislandlandscapers.com. Here Is How To Design The Perfect Water Garden Water Garden A water garden can be the most enjoyable investment you could ever make, or the biggest wet nightmare. A recent phone call from an angry water garden owner prompted this article. What she was describing to me was just the opposite of what would be considered the ideal water garden experience. She began by telling me the pond was leaking, and she needed to add water daily. It was full of algae and smelled like dead fish. Besides needing to pull the sump pump out of the pond every three days to clean the algae and debris from its intake screen, her electric bill was out of hand since she installed the pond. She continued: “The grandkids were climbing around on the waterfall and the rocks slid around, exposing the liner everywhere.” When she complained to the contractor about needing to add water every couple of days, he came out and did something and it stopped losing water. She explained that she told a friend that her water bill was three times its normal cost and that she heard running water all the time and thought it might be a stuck toilet tank float. The friend investigated and discovered the contractor had installed a mechanical water level controller to the pond. He did this instead of fixing the leak, apparently assuming that the client would never figure it out. Then came the dreaded question she asked me: “Can you help me out?” my automatic response is, “How much did you spend on your pond and waterfall?” She answered, “$6,500!” I then asked, “Before taking your money, did the contractor give you any of the negative aspects of a liner pond, such as dangers from gnawing rodents, tree roots, sharp rocks, and other such objects?” She answered, “No, nothing at all.” Since we do not try to patch or fix other contractors’ mistakes, there was only one reply I could give: that we would have to rip it all Water Garden out and start from scratch. I explained that I had counseled at least a dozen of my clients in similar situations to go to small claims court to try to recover their investment from unscrupulous contractors. Every one of them was successful in court, thanks to their consultations with me and my assistance to them as an expert witness. One did not even have a contractor’s license and the customer had to put a lien on his house to recover her money. Here is a summary of what I tell these people whom I have helped: 1.Research every aspect of water gardening before you start. You will rarely get unbiased information from pond liner advocates that sell pond liner kits and sump pumps. All of their so-called pond advice and “how-to” information is identical because they plagiarized false or inaccurate information from each other. 2. Find a qualified contractor. 3. Build the water garden, pond and waterfall using rebar and concrete. The pond liner track record speaks for itself: More than 37% of all waterfalls have serious structural damage within 3 years of construction. 57% of homeowners say they are rather unsatisfied with the way their waterfall came out after the project was completed. One in three waterfalls and ponds are leaking water within nine months of completion. 63% of “do-it-yourselfers” say they wished they had the proper information from the “get go” or that they had hired someone. 4. Use an energy-efficient centrifugal pump. Sump pumps are not designed for continuous operation only intermittent duty. In addition, they have limited warranties and use up to 60% more energy than centrifugal pumps. 5. Install an autofill water level controller. A water garden should not be considered a short term investment. Water gardens in most cases will bring more long term joy and pleasure than anything someone could spend money on. It is something that should last for decades. If it is built with concrete and rebar, it is built to last. Liner construction, however, does not last. Take it from a professional. If it is not worth doing right, then it is not worth doing at all. By: Douglas C. Hoover Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer & builder of well over 1,900 waterfall and ponds in CA (26 years). Author of “Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual” and developer of the “Water Feature Digital Design Library 4.0″ Free downloads, no sign in- www.aquafill.com Water Garden Makes For Calm And Lovely Addition To A House Landscape Water Garden There are several different terms by which people call a water garden: aquatic garden is one term that is often used while backyard pond is another and so too is the term garden pond used to refer to this very popular form of garden. Of course, this kind of garden is generally made by humans and will typically combine both a pool filled with aquatic plants and a sprinkling of fish that add to the appeal of the water garden. Rocks and Fountains A water garden can also contain rocks and fountains as well as waterfalls and these can be used individually or in combination and which options are chosen depend on how the owner wishes their water garden to look like. There are several different types of such gardens including containers, manmade ponds, natural ponds and bogs as well as wild river as too lakes. The manmade water garden is very popular, especially as many gardeners want more than the typical garden and this is why they and many more like them are opting to include water gardens in their homes. Such gardens help to add a special kind of beauty and in addition add to the serenity of the location and these two features are enough to motivate people to create water gardens in their home landscapes. Water is also symbolic of life and this is why it attracts so many people. It only requires identifying the right kind of aquatic plants and Water Garden then adding some fish will help create an attractive water garden. However this kind of special landscaping is more complex as compared with your traditional garden since there are more things that need to be taken into consideration. These kinds of gardens have their own unique problems and so you need to plan, design and construct a water garden with greater care. In addition, it is also necessary that you create a desirable shape for the water garden after which you will need to excavate the site after which the plumbing needs to be installed. Once the plumbing has been successfully completed you will need to use liner in which the water will be contained. After the water garden has been completed you can then add the proper vegetation and use of low maintenance aquatic plants is recommended. To embellish this kind of garden you can add fish, rocks that should be added to give a more pleasing appearance. To create a more visually appealing garden you should also consider installing a garden water fountain. The addition of this fountain will help accentuate your garden and decorate it so that you can then show off your garden to friends and neighbors. By: Hugh J. Lara Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article’s author on fish pond pumps and pond waterfall pumps. Where To Put Your Water Garden Water Garden Like so many things in life, the location is one of the most important aspects to consider when making any changes. Here are a couple of things to consider when you build your dream water garden: 1. Call Before You Dig While this one seems obvious, its surprising the number of people who forget to call the appropriate utility companies about phone,gas and power lines, only to accidently cut them. One simple phone call avoids all sorts of problems, ensuring that you wont have to worry about delays to your project and iritate your neighbours when their phone or electricity no longer works. 2. Made In the Shade Consider the pattern of the sun and its impacts on shadows in your yard. Also, remember that the direction the sun crosses the sky will change between spring and fall. The angle of the sun will dictate what type of shade you need to create, and where to place your trees and water pond. Many plants require 6 hours of direct sunlight. 3. Regional Considerations What type of weather and soil conditions can you expect in the area you live in? You may find that the type of soil will dictate the types of plants and trees you can use to create your backyard paradise. 4. Existing Structures Keep in mind existing structures such as trees, fences and patios. Will your plan mean removing trees? Will the design of your artificial water garden compliment your existing back yard, or will further changes have to be made? These considerations may add to the cost of your project. Keep your neighbours informed of your plans. You may find that they are willing to share in the cost of removing that tree or help in rebuilding the new fence. 5. Hows It Flowin? Water Garden Spend time tracking the direction and intensity of water flows that plants need and intensity of that water flow. You may find that some parts of your yard recieve more water than others based on the flow of the water in your yard. You may find that there is a sloping effect in your yard. This will impact your vegetation. Also check for pools of water that gather in certain spots. Raising the level of parts of your yard will ensure that all of your yard recieves the same amount of water. 6. Drawing the line Remember to respect property codes for your city and wishes of your neighbours. Having an envious neighbour is one thing, violating their rights is another. When in doubt, check it out. 7. Whats the Plan? Keep the focus of your site in mind throughout all aspects of your yard. Are you building a barrier, an escape from the rest of the city or just looking to make your yard look better for the next owners? This should weight in on all of your decisions. Before you build your back yard retreat, plan, plan, plan. Remember, there are several factors to consider and the above lucky 7 tips should help you make the perfect water garden yours. By: Christopher Smith Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Anyone who has seen the magic of an artificial water garden is immediately taken by its beauty and peacefulness. We feature several tips and ideas to transform your yard. Water Gardens: Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow   Water Garden You might have only dreamt you could have a water garden, perhaps with a luminous fountain. Now you can easily have one purchasing some or all of the materials. It takes planning and effort, but the end result will transform your backyard landscape into a place of serenity and spectacular beauty. Water Gardens Are Made From Many Things The sparkle of a stream, the splashing of a fountain, the glimpse of golden fish, the delicate petals of a water lily-all these and more are reasons to add water to your landscape and water garden. A water garden can be as simple as a wooden tub or as elaborate as a stream with bridges, waterfalls and pools of exotic plants and fish. It can be a formal tiered fountain centered in a patio, or a pool so natural your guests will assume it’s always been there. And most water features?no matter what type you choose?are terrific do-it-yourself projects. Water Gardens Have History Water gardens were favorites of the Moors, for whom water was a symbol of life and purity. They positioned cooling fountains in the middle of their formal courtyards to signify the primacy of water. Early Asians, too, valued water gardens as an aid to meditation and delighted in breeding rare fish. In ancient times, Chinese nobility would spend their afternoons lolling in small boats on water gardens while servants floated tea-filled cups to them on lily pads. For Renaissance Italians, water was a toy. They loved ornate fountains and whimsical sprays-some designed to squirt unsuspecting strollers-and installed them throughout their estates. Water Gardens Are Popular Today Water Garden Today, water gardens once again have grown in popularity, even in our humbler yards. Like the gardeners before them, modern homeowners find that water features are beautiful and peaceful additions to the landscape. Unlike the past, today’s gardeners have better tools and materials with which to build their water gardens. Flexible and preformed liner materials, for example, have revolutionized garden fountains and scaled down installation. Water gardening is easier than ever, and even if you’re an amateur, building a water garden pond today is limited less by your wallet than it is by your imagination. By: Elizabeth Jean Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Elizabeth Jean is an outdoor gardening writer and frequent contributor to Garden-Fountains.com, a popular internet destination for water fountains and garden statuary. Aquascape Water Garden, Water Features & Koi Ponds Water gardening is one of the best lifestyle choices you can make. Learn how easy it is to add a beautiful, easy to maintain ecosystem pond / water feature to your backyard, patio, or landscaping while adding new biodiversity to your environment. Learn more about sustainable, eco-friendly water gardens at www.aquascapeinc.com Water Garden.  Posts Related to A Water Garden Makes For Calm And Lovely Addition To Any House LandscapeTO ALL MY LOYAL READERS-I AM SO SORRY MY SITE CRASHED LOST ALL CONTENT 1,000 POSTS! I AM STARTING FROM SCRATCH ALL OVER AGAIN. WILL BE POSTING ON A DAILY BASISI will be posting several times daily, I do apologize to all my loyal readers. Please check back often..... timreeves1043 Koi Ponds,Nature,Wild Life,Gardening,Landscaping &Personal Interest Documentaries Wed, 16 May 2012 20:36:02 +0100 http://www.flash-to-html5.net/blog/an-overview-of-the-web-storage-api Web developers have long yearned for a way to store data long term. Cookies are an option, but they can only store 4KB of data. Additionally, cookies are sent to the server with each HTTP request. This means that cookies, especially large ones, can consume considerable network bandwidth. There have been other attempts to implement storage techniques, but for the most part they have been hacks. Then, along came HTML5 and the Web Storage API to the rescue. The Web Storage API defines two types of storage areas ? local storage and session storage. Local storage is persistent data which remains until it is explicitly deleted, or until the browser?s cache is cleared. According to the specification, browsers should allocate at least 5MB of local storage per domain. The second storage type, session storage, is also persistent data, however the data is tied to a ?top-level browsing context? (i.e. a browser tab or window). Session data remains until it is either deleted or the browsing context is closed. Session storage is particularly useful when a user is interacting with multiple instances of the same website. In such a situation, using local storage could result in the different instances overwriting each others data. The two types of storage areas are accessed through global objects named ?localStorage? and ?sessionStorage?.  Both storage areas implement the exact same API.  Data is stored as key/value pairs, and all data is stored in string form.  When adding data to storage, it is implicitly converted to a string.  However, when the string data is retrieved from storage it needs to be explicitly converted to the appropriate data type using functions such as parseInt().  When dealing with objects, the JSON.parse() and JSON.stringify() methods should be used for serialization and deserialization. Detecting Storage Support The Web Storage API, like many other HTML5 features, is not supported by all browsers.  To check if a browser supports storage, use the function shown below.  The function checks for the existence of the global ?localStorage? object.  A similar function could be created to check for session storage, but it can be safely assumed that if one storage area exists, then so does the other. function localStorageSupported() { try { return "localStorage" in window && window["localStorage"] !== null; } catch (e) { return false; } } Storing Data Data is added to storage using the setItem() method.  setItem() takes a key and value as arguments.  If the key does not already exist in storage, then the key/value pair is added.  If the key is already present, then the value is updated.  Several example setItem() usages are shown below.  The examples show how to add data of various types to local and session storage.  Notice that the ?key? argument must always be a string, while the type of ?value? can vary. localStorage.setItem("key", "value"); sessionStorage.setItem("foo", 3.14); localStorage.setItem("bar", true); sessionStorage.setItem("baz", JSON.stringify(object)); Data can also be added to storage using object property assignment statements.  The previous setItem() examples have been rewritten below using assignment statements. Note that the assignment to ?key? on the first line will fail silently.  This is because the storage areas have a built in function named key() that will be covered later.  For this reason, the API methods are the preferred way to access storage. localStorage.key = "value"; // this fails silently sessionStorage.foo = 3.14; localStorage["bar"] = true; sessionStorage["baz"] = JSON.stringify(object); If a site attempts to store too much data, eventually the browser?s storage quota will be exceeded and an exception will be thrown.  To handle this case, try-catch blocks should be used when storing data.  An example of this is shown below. try { localStorage.setItem("key", "value"); } catch (e) { alert("Exceeded Storage Quota!"); } Reading Stored Data To read data from storage, the getItem() method is used.  getItem() takes a lookup key as its sole argument.  If the key exists in storage, then the corresponding value is returned.  If the key does not exist, then null is returned.  The following examples use the getItem() method to retrieve the data stored in the setItem() examples. var string = localStorage.getItem("key"); var number = sessionStorage.getItem("foo"); var boolean = localStorage.getItem("bar"); var object = JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem("baz")); Stored data can also be accessed by reading properties of the ?localStorage? and ?sessionStorage? objects.  The previous getItem() examples have been rewritten below using object property syntax. var string = localStorage.key; var number = sessionStorage.foo; var boolean = localStorage["bar"]; var object = JSON.parse(sessionStorage["baz"]); Iterating Over Stored Data Often times, it is necessary to programmatically loop over all of the items in storage.  The loop?s upper bound is determined by the ?length? property of the particular storage area.  The stored keys can be retrieved one at a time using the key() method.  key() takes a single integer parameter that acts as an index to the storage area.  An example of looping over each key/value pair in ?localStorage? is shown below.  Of course, session storage can be processed in a similar fashion by substituting ?sessionStorage? for ?localStorage?. for (var i = 0; i < localStorage.length; i++) { var key = localStorage.key(i); var value = localStorage.getItem(key); // do something with the key and value } Deleting Stored Data When data is no longer needed, it should be explicitly removed.  This is especially true for local storage, as it will persist even after the browser is closed.  To delete individual key/value pairs from storage, the removeItem() method is used.  The removeItem() method takes the key to be deleted as its only parameter.  If the key is not present then nothing will happen.  Examples of the removeItem() method are shown below. localStorage.removeItem("key"); sessionStorage.removeItem("foo"); localStorage.removeItem("bar"); sessionStorage.removeItem("baz"); The delete operator can also be used to remove stored data.  The previous example is rewritten below using delete instead of removeItem(). delete localStorage.key; delete sessionStorage.foo; delete localStorage["bar"]; delete sessionStorage["baz"]; While removeItem() is used to delete individual pieces of data, the clear() method is used to delete all stored data.  Usages of the clear() method are shown below. localStorage.clear(); sessionStorage.clear(); The storage Event A user can potentially have several instances of the same site open at any given time.  Changes made to a storage area in one instance need to be reflected in the other instances.  The Web Storage API accomplishes this synchronization using the ?storage? event.  When a storage area is changed, a ?storage? event is fired for any other tabs/windows that are sharing the storage area.  Note that a ?storage? event is not fired for the tab/window that changes the storage area. Storage areas can be changed by calls to setItem(), removeItem(), and clear().  However, not all calls to these methods actually change the storage area.  For example, calling clear() on an empty storage area or removeItem() on a key that does not exist will not change the storage area, and therefore will not fire an event. The ?storage? event object has several fields of interest which are described below.  Following the description of the fields is an example ?storage? event handler. ?key? ? This field is the key argument of setItem() or removeItem(), or null when clear() caused the event to be fired. ?newValue? ? The ?value? argument to setItem() is reflected in this field.  Calls to removeItem() and clear() cause this field to be null. ?oldValue? ? This field holds the key?s value prior to a call to setItem() or removeItem().  Calls to clear() cause this field to be null. ?url? ? The ?url? field stores the address of the page whose storage area was affected. ?storageArea? ? The ?storageArea? field corresponds to the local or session storage area that was changed. window.addEventListener("storage", function(event) { var key = event.key; var newValue = event.newValue; var oldValue = event.oldValue; var url = event.url; var storageArea = event.storageArea; // handle the event }); Example Page The following code implements a sample page for manipulating local storage.  The page is also available online here.  The example covers the entire local storage API, including the ?storage? event.  In order to see the ?storage? event in action, the page must be open in at least two separate tabs/windows of the same browser.  The ?storage? event will also only work if the page is served over HTTP (i.e. the file:// protocol will not work). <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Web Storage Example</title> <meta charset="UTF-8" /> <script> "use strict"; window.addEventListener("load", function(event) { var key = document.getElementById("key"); var value = document.getElementById("value"); var add = document.getElementById("add");      var remove = document.getElementById("remove");      var clear = document.getElementById("clear");      var content = document.getElementById("content"); add.addEventListener("click", function(event) {         if (key.value !== "") { try {          localStorage.setItem(key.value, value.value); } catch (e) { alert("Exceeded Storage Quota!"); }          refreshContents();        }      });      remove.addEventListener("click", function(event) {        if (key.value !== "") {          localStorage.removeItem(key.value);          refreshContents();        }      });      clear.addEventListener("click", function(event) {        localStorage.clear();        refreshContents();      });      window.addEventListener("storage", function(event) {        var k = event.key;        var newValue = event.newValue;        var oldValue = event.oldValue;        var url = event.url;        var storageArea = event.storageArea;        alert("EVENT:\n" + k + "\n" + newValue + "\n" + oldValue + "\n" + url + "\n" + storageArea);        refreshContents();      });      function refreshContents() {        var str = "";        for (var i = 0, len = localStorage.length; i < len; i++) {          var k = localStorage.key(i);          var v = localStorage.getItem(k);          str += "'" + k + "' = '" + v + "'<br />";        } key.value = ""; value.value = "";        content.innerHTML = str;      }      refreshContents();    });  </script> </head> <body>  Key:  <input type="text" id="key" /><br />  Value: <input type="text" id="value" /><br />  <input type="button" id="add" value="Add to Storage" />   <input type="button" id="remove" value="Remove from Storage" />   <input type="button" id="clear" value="Clear Storage" /><br />  Contents of Local Storage:<br />  <span id="content"></span> </body> </html> Things to Remember Local storage persists until it is explicitly deleted or the browser?s cache is cleared. Session storage persists until it is explicitly deleted or the browsing context is closed. Data stored by one browser is not accessible by another browser.  For example, data stored by Chrome is not seen by Firefox. Objects should be stored as JSON strings. For security reasons, sensitive data should not be stored, especially in local storage. Changes to a storage area cause a ?storage? event to be fired. As with many other HTML5 features, web storage is not yet implemented consistently. Sophie.Y Wed, 16 May 2012 07:27:40 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allscandinavian/~3/t-VhIXpL-aE/ We?re halfway through May and it?s time for another edition of the World?s Greatest Mixtape (in our humble opinion), bringing you 34 free songs from 34 countries around the planet courtesy of the Music Alliance Pact. As we’re not really big believers in change, we’ve changed absolutely nothing and you can again download each song [...] Peter Krogholm allscandinavian.com Tue, 15 May 2012 10:57:56 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MovieTalkies-LatestNews/~3/319ezPju9ms/shirish-kunder's-'joker'-features-in-new-york-times Team Joker is excited and all for the right reasons. The sci-fi adventure thriller recently featured in New York Times' August movie release schedule. The director of the movie, Shirish Kunder took to Twitter to inform his followers about the film's achievement. "Joker features in The New York Times movies list. The only Indian film that fi... MovieTalkies.com Movie Talkies - Latest News Tue, 15 May 2012 09:11:00 +0100 http://www.sactownsocialmedia.com/uncategorized/4-things-your-mobile-tells-marketers-about-you/ Martin Hayward is the Director of Marketing at Mirror Image Internet. Follow the company @MirrorImage_CDN. Unless you?ve been living under a rock, you know smartphones are penetrating the market at a rapid pace. As with any category that experiences rapid growth, questions arise equally as fast regarding market intelligence, and how it can help achieve tangible business results. With this in mind, marketers have a new set of demographics to consider — device demographics. Traditional targeting was once based on demographic profiles and assumptions built on previous purchase behavior. admin Sacramento Social Media Mon, 14 May 2012 21:44:46 +0100 http://shrewdgeek.com/2012/05/14/how-a-pdf-library-will-get-the-job-done/ A PDF library enables you to create, edit, display and print PDF documents up to and including Acrobat 8.0. A standard PDF library offers a broad variety of features, including: The creation of documents in languages such as Russian, Arabic and Japanese with ease; A range of fonts, including TrueType and Type1, as well as font subsetting; PDF encryption of documents that are password protected; An ability to embed a range of image file formats, including PNG, JPEG, GIPF, java.awt.Image, and TIFF images; An ability to add barcodes to a PDF with ease; The use of advanced color space; An ability to equip images and texts with hyperlinks akin to HTML; Stress-free creation of complex documents through the defining and application of different styles; Full support for a range of popular PDF features, including compression and bookmarks; The processing of over 1,000 words per second; The creation and editing of pages in random order. An Extended Edition of the PDF library offers all of the aforementioned features, including the following additional features: The use of existing PDF documents for merging and use as templates; The production and editing of interactive forms; The addition of digital signatures to documents and the verification of existing signatures; The ability to read and write “web ready” PDFs. A Java PDF Viewer library offers all of the features of the Extended Edition, including: A swing component for PDF document display; Conversion of PDFs into bitmap format; The extraction and indexing of pictures and text from PDF documents, in addition to Apache Lucene integration; The production of PDF/A documents; The printing of PDFs with features not otherwise compatible with Java 1.5 printing.PDF Library BenefitsThe PDF library offers you, the developer, the highest level of implementation flexibility and dependability. It has been hailed as being straightforward to use, quick and able to fulfil a range of requirements. It has been refined over the years and is able to run on all Java platforms on home PCs and mainframe computers.The PDF library?s application programming interface (API), which is entirely written in Java, is simple to use, even if you do not know the PDF specification, and is easy to integrate into your existing projects. You are handed complete control over PDF creation and, as the library re-uses standard Java classes where possible, the pages can be manipulated as desired, moving pages between documents can be performed without difficulty.The PDF Library Viewer Extension enables the parsing and conversion of PDFs to bitmaps for a range of purposes, including displaying, saving as bitmap images and printing. While Java 1.5 supports the printing of PDFs, the end results are often lacking in quality and the support for annotations, encryption and other such features is incomplete. The PDF library effectively bridges the gap and provides consistent results that you can come to rely on.PDF Library RequirementsTo use a PDF library, Java v1.4 or later is required. The library will run with ease from Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), Servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSPs) on operating systems that have been equipped with the latest versions of Java, including Windows and Unix. PDF library use does not require native code or any other installations.PDF Library TrialYou can usually try out a PDF library before making a purchase. This will enable you to discover its functionality and to ensure that it is able to fully meet your requirements. Originally At : ShrewdGeek.com How A PDF Library Will Get the Job Done bfo ShrewdGeek Mon, 14 May 2012 15:12:48 +0100 http://www.sactownsocialmedia.com/uncategorized/are-millennials-the-most-distracted-or-engaged-generation/ Plenty has been penned on the time teenagers and young adults “waste” on the Internet. Facebook is often vilified on this account. And while Internet addiction, bullying and diminishing attention spans are certainly of concern, the empowerment these new channels offer may outweigh the drivel. So argues Adora Svitak, the 14-year-old author, educator and speaker who recently discussed millennials and social media on stage at Mashable Connect in Orlando, Fla. Svitak made a compelling case for social empowerment among “the generation of eye-rollers,” drawing from recent trends, studies and anecdotes from her own life growing up in the thick of a changing social landscape. Only problem is, adults can have a hard time understanding just how beneficial that engagement can be. admin Sacramento Social Media Fri, 11 May 2012 02:13:05 +0100 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/buzzzparas/~3/RFO1rnNGZMs/sony-xperia-u-is-available-for-pre-order-at-rs-16499-3915 Dual core smartphones are not really rare these days and almost all the big wig companies have one or the other smartphone model that houses a dual core processor. Well, Sony joined the bandwagon only recently when they launched with the Sony Xperia S, that did decent business and the company seems to attribute the success of the handset to the dual core processor and thus, they have come out with another handset that is equipped with the dual core processor. They have christened this handset Sony Xperia U. The handset is not available in the shops yet, but you have the option of pre-ordering it from the very many online retail outlets that are present in cyberspace. The Sony Experia U has been priced at R.16,499 on these sites which seems rather nominal for a smartphone with a dual core processor. The handset was showcased at the MWC 2012 and it managed to garner some interest of the people who attended the event. It was not the only handset to be showcased by Sony as it was accompanied by the Sony Xperia P, which is also a smartphone. The handset looks quite attractive and the design of the handset is very different from the handsets that are currently available. The handset has the candybar form factor and it is available in a combination of  black and yellow or black and pink. Black is the parent colour that has been used and there is a band of yellow or pink at the end of the handset. Another very outstanding feature of the external appearance of the handset is that there is the ambient illumination of the transparent element design. This makes the phone have a chameleon like characteristic, which means that it changes colour.  Also, the colour of the user interface and the art on the display change each time the illumination of the screen changes and this is something that no other phone has has till now. Features and Specification of the Sony Experia U The handset has a NovaThor 1GHz dual core processor and it has a 3.5 inch Reality display that has a native resolution of 480 by 854 pixels. The handset is based on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. Apart from this there is 512MB RAM present and the handset has an internal storage capacity of 8GB that seems to be good enough. The downside regarding the memory of the handset is that there is no expandable memory feature as no microSD card slot has been provided. The Sony Experia U has a 5MP rear facing shooter that has many support features and it is capable of 720p HD video recording, this one feature of the handset is what is most attractive. Also, there is a VGA front facing, secondary camera that will enable the caller to make video calls. The companies have made the xLOUD surround sound technology integration and thus, the sound quality of the speakers is impeccable. They are perfect for listen to music as well as for speaking on the phone. Coming to the connectivity options that have been incorported in this handset, there is the A-GPS connectivity that will never let you get lost. Apart from that there is the WiFi with DLNA and hotspot connectivity and a microUSB 2.0 port has been provided as well. This handset has a rather impressive battery integration for itself. There is a 1320 mAh battery that provides a lot of juice to the handset and it is able to support the handset for up to 260 hours in stanby mode, for 6 hours and 36 minutes in talktime mode and it also enables 45 hours of music play that is clearly incredible. Being a smarthphone, the battery does not last long and charging at regular intervals is a must, but this does not seem to be the case with this smartphone. On the whole the handset seems to be a powerhouse of features and when seen in the light of the features that it packs the Sony Xperia U seems to charged reasonably.  What still needs to be seen is, whether the handset will actually live up to its expectations or will it just prove to be another mediocre handset that has been released without putting in much thought about its fate. this seems unlikely, but nothing can be said till we have the device in our hands. The fact that Sony Xperia U is available for pre-order at Rs.16499 is good news in more ways than one as it was expected to be priced much higher that it presently is. If you are impressed with the tech specs of the device then pre-order it and let me know how it is, once you have received it. Sony Xperia U is Available for Pre Order at Rs.16499 is a post from: BuzzParas.com Jhony BuzzParas.com Tue, 08 May 2012 06:36:21 +0100