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Thanks! These days I'm all into wacom and photoshop for the anal-retentive levels of control&detail they offer, but I do agree that some of the intuitive magic of pencils is missing. Perhaps preparing a sketch in wacom, and then drawing over it in pencil can be a good alternative.
Would still look a bit like dinosaurs, perhaps with more mammal-like gaits and leg structure due to the condition of the crocodylian ankles... Eventually true endothermy and insulation would evolve somehow, and you'd have weird mammal-crocs running around the place
The covering is tuft-like nodules of bunched scales. There is some more hair-like integument near its hip. I realize your point, the forelimb is a bit too mammal-like, I shouldn't have drawn it that way...
I guess so - the classification of these things is always in a flux... The last I checked, Silesaurus was a "dinosauromorph," but some people called it a primitive ornithischian as well... What strikes me is how (comparatively) better adapted it is to a quadrupedal lifestyle.
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Read: Irish Examiner | A turkey for the table
As published in the Irish Examiner on 2 October 2010.
“They’re rather…ugly,” said Scott, aka the husband, gazing intently at the pair of awkward-looking eight-week old turkeys that he had just wrestled from the boot of my car into their new home. All long legs, ruffled feathers and indignant hissing, they huddled together in the back corner. “We’ll have no problem eating such awful looking birds!” he added with satisfaction. Eighteen-month-old Hannah, fascinated with any animal that crosses her path, wanted to join them in the house but they were having none of it. A few squawks quickly saw her off and she was easily distracted with her regular playmates: the hens and cats. Thankfully, there would be no love lost there either. It’s a little early to be getting into “the turkeys have gone to help Santa get ready for Christmas” explanations.
Where did the idea of me keeping turkeys come from? It was a thought that had been floating in my mind since reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, her book about a year spent living off the land in rural Appalachia. One of the things that most stuck in my mind was Kingsolver’s account of raising turkeys, including a cheerful account of the Harvest, her word for the day when turkeys are killed for Christmas.
At the time, though, I lived and worked in Dublin so the idea of raising a bird for the Christmas table was just a pipedream. And then my newly acquired Kiwi husband and I bought the cottage. A tiny two up, two down traditional Irish house in North Cork it came, much to our delight, with a half acre of land, although without luxuries such as central heating. We moved there in late 2007 and, after a lot of work out the back – the easiest way of keeping warm in the winter – we now have a veggie garden, several fruit trees, four lazy cats (supposedly to keep the rabbit population down), a trio of clucking hens and an animal-loving toddler. But the turkey idea was still there, floating in the back of my head, especially after a friend, Margaret O’Farrell, who keeps free-range pigs at Old Farm in North Tipperary, waxed lyrical about the home-raised bronze turkey that she cooked for Christmas dinner last year.
When I was a child, my Nana kept white turkeys in one of the farm outhouses for Christmas and I had hated them. Both the live ones – noisy, enormous and threatening to a little girl, quaking in her wellies – and the dead birds dangling from the rafters in the freezer room gave me nightmares. It didn’t stop me enjoying the Christmas dinner, though, and the flavour of Nana’s turkeys, roasted in the Aga, was incomparable. Childhood taste memories still in my head, I figured I was now big enough not to be intimidated by a bird of any size and started researching turkey rearing. What I read almost put me off completely. After having no problems with the hens, bar the occasional fox raid, turkeys seem like such delicate animals with a propensity towards many horrible diseases.
The bronze turkey, a well-flavoured variety, looked like my best option. Hardier and more suited to free ranging, they are a traditional breed that came to be replaced by the broad breasted white. That particular turkey was bred to put on weight fast and is particularly loved by commercial producers and people who demand plenty of white breast meat. The whites don’t get good press and there’s a famous story (perhaps apocryphal!) about them being so stupid that they could drown simply by looking up at the rain. They do come across as the kind of birds that lost any speck of intelligence that they may have had as their chests expanded, losing even the ability to procreate by themselves. No turkey sex for these big boys and girls, it’s got to be AI all the way.
I couldn’t get interested in keeping something so stupid, even for the pot, so opted to go bronze. I just needed a source of young turkeys, which I found near Newmarket. Just 20 years old, David Kelly has been breeding and selling a wide variety of hens, ducks, quail and other poultry for the last seven years. It looks like I’m not the only turkey-keeping hobbiest around as Kelly told me that his eight-week old turkeys are, ahem, flying out the door. “The people looking from two up to a half-dozen has doubled and trebled over the last two to three years,” he reckons. “They are sick of the shop turkey as they don’t know what they’re being fed or how they’re being treated.” Although the young bronze turkeys are more expensive than the whites (€15 as opposed to €8-10), that’s not a problem, according to David: “people don’t mind paying when the quality is good and the taste is nice.” €15 for a grow-your-own turkey doesn’t look too bad when put up against €60-80 for an oven-ready bronze.
A pair of bronze turkeys booked for the start of September, there was no expense wasted in sorting out their accommodation. A large wooden box that had once been home to a tractor engine, some weatherproof paint, a couple of wooden pallets and a bit of roofing felt: Scott, once more drawn into one of my schemes, came up trumps with a neat little wooden cabin for the back of the garden. The morning I went to pick up the turkeys, I left him sawing and nailing, Hannah handing over the hammer at regular, useless intervals and by the time I arrived home, turkeys starting to kick through the box in the boot, their home was ready.
After they had settled in for a few days we left them out for a wander, thinking – like our hens – they would have the intelligence to home at night. No such luck. They headed for the ditch and despite all Scott’s stalking efforts refused to return home. Fortunately my brainless duo survived that night’s downpour and the neighbourhood fox but next morning I set straight to work. With a few more pallets and some chicken wire I built an outside pen which is where they live now, with regular free-ranging forays into the wider world. It helps them to stay out of reach of Hannah’s grabbing hands and she can still gaze in at them. Everyone happy. Until it comes to house cleaning out time that is.
There’s no easy way of breaking this: turkeys poop constantly. It is a mercy, after time spent painstakingly scraping droppings off the base of their house (no thanks from them, of course, just more turkey hissing), to think that all this work is going towards a Very Good Christmas Dinner. For me, the leftovers are always the best bit. Just think (and I do as they hiss away): turkey and stuffing, on toast, with homemade cranberry relish below and a thick layer of melted Brie on top. These are the thoughts which will get me through wet and frosty mornings of watering and feeding, tedious house cleaning, and – hopefully – keep my resolve through the eventual Harvest.
It’s not too late to grow your own: David Kelly can be contacted at 087 7822232 and turkeys are also available for sale at marts and poultry fairs nationwide.
That’s so interesting Caroline. I have hens myself and find them a wonderful addition and fairly easy easy to care for. We had wondered about turkeys this year but time has run out so I must consider it for next year. Looking forward to hearing how the bird tastes. For my cookery demos (and something I hadn’t tried before) I have been poaching the turkey crown with a really moist result.Nessa.
I have to say, Nessa, turkeys are SO much less intelligent than hens (Turkeys – really, really stupid or just misunderstood? article for details!) but I think the eventual proof will have to be in the tasting. We’ll know on Sunday!
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My child has been at Fairfax since K, and he is receiving an excellent education, even testing as gifted in several subjects. He also is receiving wonderful instruction in art and music. He can actually read a little music, just from his music class, where he has also learned to play a recorder. What amazes me is how skilled his teachers are. They are able to meet the needs of such a variety of skill levels. My son is in a class with children whose needs are more remedial than his, but he is not bored; he receives instruction that challenges him and keeps him growing and learning. I am also grateful that the school is so diverse, racially and economically.
I have two children at Fairfax Elementary - 1st and 3rd grades. Both of them are thriving academically and socially. I'm very pleased with the true quality of academic teaching we've had at Fairfax. Our teachers have always met my kids' academic needs "right where they are" and then gently pushed them to learn more. The classroom sizes are fantastic! Right around 20 (and reading groups are smaller!). I have to mention the standout music program at Fairfax -- there is a remarkably talented music teacher who exposes the students to music and instruments in a fun, accessible way. She puts on shows for every grade, every year. My children are lucky to experience this teacher. Both my children attend Before and Aftercare programs and they have always enjoyed them. Beforecare is a smaller group where they get lots of attention from staff. Aftercare is a larger group where my kids get homework done as well as hang out with their friends. Fairfax also offers an impressive array of after school clubs! From ski club to dance.... from chess club to pottery.... from drama club to tumbling. Fairfax is a great neighborhood school located in a wonderful community.
My kids are thriving at Fairfax. They are in small classes of 18 21 kids. They have amazing, committed, experienced teachers. A few years ago, when my daughter was slower to pick up reading, she was moved to an ELA group with only 7 other classmates, learning 90-plus minutes per day from the most skilled ELA teacher in her school, until she quickly got on track. My daughters have had weekly Spanish classes starting in K. We have a phenomenal music program including (free!) orchestra with weekly lessons. The on-site activities available after school every day of the week are too numerous to list, but include modern dance, tumbling, chess club, basketball, karate and pottery. My kids have experienced more religious, racial, socioeconomic, cultural, and lifestyle diversity in their few short years of grade school than most people do in a lifetime. A lovely benefit of this diversity is that there is no expectation of sameness. I hear stories from friends (and remember my own) about the prevalence of cliques, competition, and bullying for girls in more homogeneous schools. My daughters have not experienced any such mean girl behavior and individuality is expected and celebrated.
My children started at Fairfax this year after attending private school and I found the education to be superior and the teachers to be much better trained and dedicated than at their old school. The variety of student population has allowed my kids to enjoy their own uniqueness and they have made friends quickly. The principal and staff know each child by name and because it is transitioning to an IB school the "specials" like foreign language, art and music are amazing. Children with disabilities are integrated in the specials. I am so happy we gave pubic school a chance - we could not be happier.
We entered our daughter in kindergarten this past year and loved the school. Each of the classrooms had a smartboard and the students were able to use them often. The kindergarten team was wonderful! The music program is outstanding. The new Chinese program is exciting and in my mind makes Fairfax unique. The PTA parents did a great job planning activities and coordinating the parent involvement. Thank you Fairfax for getting us off to a good start!
I have been very pleased with Fairfax school. My daughter is in 1st grade and is thriving. I wish more people would give it a chance instead of going to private schools. They would be pleasantly surprised. The faculty is very proactive and nurturing and are raising some pretty great kids!
This is my first year at Fairfax, with an entering kindergartner & fourth grader. The year has thus far proved to be challenging, warm, informative, inviting and inclusive for our family. It has been socially active, academically engaging and seemingly organized and well-run. I believe we are off to a good start.
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A Bridge to Academic Learning FOX ISLAND PRESCHOOL. ... Located on Fox
Island, Washington, in the Gig Harbor area, we meet throughout the school year,
Preschool · K-5th · Students · Thrive · Community · On Mission · Media · Give ·
Contact. china-cover-page-final-web.jpg. Back to Top. Fox Island Alliance Church
875 Island Boulevard Fi. Fox Island, WA 98333 ... Patricia Castillo Baker, Deana's
Daycare and Deana Fanning like this. ..... in Fox Island, Washington. 4.3.
Our Mission: The Gig Harbor Cooperative Preschool is a parent-operated, non-
profit corporation affiliated with ... Dr. Seuss, Fox In Sox. Copyright 2013, Gig
Harbor Cooperative Preschool | P.O. Box 622 Gig Harbor, WA 98335 | 253.858.
Looking for preschool programs? Arletta Montessori in Gig Harbor, WA, provides
preschool, pre-k and kindergarten education. Enroll your child today!
Sunset Christian Preschool. ... About Us. All about our preschool. Read More ...
PRESCHOOL 8101 27th Street W | University Place, WA 98466. 253.564.2522.
Get information, directions, products, services, phone numbers, and reviews on
Deana's Daycare in Fox Island, WA. Discover more Child Day Care Services ...
Mini-Skool Early Learning Centers is a licensed preschool and child care center.
... Tacoma, Lakewood, University Place, Port Orchard, Narrows, and Fox Island.
Preschool Powered by Play is expanding to include two locations: the Museum
campus in downtown Tacoma, and ... 1501 Pacific Avenue | Tacoma, WA 98402.
Narrows Co-op is a great choice for your child. We have been providing quality
education for the U.P. area since 1957! Our years of proven success and ...
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V J Naipul Essay Examples
3 total results
Analysis of A Bend of the River, a Novel by v. J. Naipul
The Representation of Masculinity and Femininity in Miguel Street by V. S. Naipul
A Character Analysis of V.J. Naipul's "Bend of the River"
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Tabula Digita - Dimenxian
Tabula Digita, in conjunction with The Princeton Review, is creating video games that teach algebra and pre-algebra concepts. Students experience, explore, and apply math concepts in an engaging three-dimensional virtual world.
The topics covered in Dimenxian include:
- coordinate system and scatter plots
- investigation of linear relationships
- data analysis and identification of linear relationships
- application of linear relationships
- graphing of linear equations using intercepts
Download the PC Demo or sign-up to be notified when the Macintosh version is available.
If you enjoy the demo, preorder and save over 20% on the first release mission pack of Dimenxian. The price of $21.95 will be good only until the launch date this summer.
Arch History & Architectural Overview
If you were in St. Louis last week participating in the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), you may have taken an opportunity to visit the Gateway Arch. This page from the National Park Service includes an animated slide show of the Arch's construction, along with other information about the 630 foot-tall structure, which was modeled after the hyperbolic cosine function:
Wikipedia also has this informative page:
We think there is a good opportunity for a Problem of the Week here! In fact, if you are a Problem of the Week subscriber, check out the new GeoPoW "Look West!" currently in preview, which will be active this Monday:
Math Forum Presentations at NCSM 2006
The handout information from our recent presentations in St. Louis is available here:
- Session 32 by Cynthia Lanius and Suzanne Alejandre
- Building Teacher Pedagogic Content Knowledge through Problem Solving
- Session 174 by Stephen Weimar and Annie Fetter
- Assessing Problem Solving Using Constructed-Response Problems
Math Forum Presentations at NCTM 2006
- Session 373 by Johann Sarmiento and Stephen Weimar
- Assessing Mathematical Thinking from Online, Collaborative Problem-solving
- Session 497 by Steve Risberg
- Asking and Answering Good Questions: Online Inquiry as Assessment
- Session 503 by Claire Mead and Klay Kruczek
- Online Mentoring Project Prepares Future Teachers to Foster Problem Solvers
- Session 670 by Suzanne Alejandre and Cynthia Lanius
- The Math Forum @ Drexel: Technology Enhances Problem Solving and Assessment
- Session 748 by Annie Fetter and Steve Weimar
- Assessing Problem Solving and Writing with Constructed Response Problems
- Session 889 by Jacquie McDonald and Cynthia Lanius
- Teaching with Technology: ON-Math Investigations
NLVM - Spanish Version
Biblioteca National de Manipuladores Virtuales
Joel Duffin announced that on Monday, May 1, the Spanish version of the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM) website was released. On any page of the website, users can easily switch between English and Spanish by using a drop-down menu.
These translations benefit Spanish speakers learning English, as well as Spanish-only speakers.
If you have feedback for the developers at Utah State University who have provided this site, please use the information posted on their contact page to send them a note:
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Leather shoes and boots are a common addition to wardrobes. If cracks appear in the material, it can be expensive to replace leather shoes or send them to a professional to fix them for you. With a few tools, you can repair cracked leather shoes and boots yourself without having to empty your wallet to cover the cost.
Things You'll Need
- Dry brush
- Shoe dauber
- Saddle soap
- Mink oil
- Dish towel
- Metal spoon
- Shoe cream
Clean your leather shoes or boots. It is easiest to repair the cracks when you start with a clean surface. Use a dry brush to remove any caked-on dirt or debris from the shoe or boot. After the top layer of dirt is removed, use a shoe dauber to rub saddle soap into the leather. Work in the soap until the leather becomes flexible, then wipe away the soap and let the shoe dry.
Apply mink oil to the leather. Stuffing a dish cloth into the shoe will help keep the shoe stiff as you work the mink oil into the leather with the back of a metal spoon. Rub the oil over the cracks with light pressure until the cracks appear hardly visible, or at least less pronounced.
Condition the leather. Apply shoe cream to the entire shoe to color the cracks in the leather and blend the color over the entire shoe. This will make any flaws left in the shoe even less visible.
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Employers across the board have made many attempts in recent years to make their work environments better for all employees. Unfortunately, it is impossible for every company to control every employee, and hostile work environments still emerge.
But what contributes to a hostile work environment? How serious are these issues? Is discrimination involved in any way in shaping these negative environments that ultimately lead to people quitting or taking legal action?
What is a hostile work environment?
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes a look at what makes a hostile work environment. In short, a hostile work environment is any workplace environment that prevents an employee from feeling safe enough to complete their job as assigned. The conduct in question must thus be either persistent or severe enough that “a reasonable person” would consider the environment hostile, abusive or intimidating. This can happen due to the conduct of coworkers or supervisors alike.
Examples of odious conduct
The conduct in question must also exist as a condition of continued employment, i.e. you simply have to deal with it if you wish to keep your job. The conduct in question can span a wide range of potential actions and behaviors. Some examples include sexual harassment, slander, racial discrimination, discrimination based on religion or sexuality and harassment based on genetic information, age or disability.
In short: yes, discrimination of all kinds may contribute to a hostile work environment and is thus considered illegal. Workers who experience such harassment or discrimination may wish to contact legal help to see what steps they can take to gain compensation for the negativity and difficulties they faced in such an environment.
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to see shells on the sea floor
Southeast Asian water babies have supreme aquatic vision
16 May 2003
HELEN R. PILCHER
In the sea, most of us are half-blind - but the Moken are king. This Southeast Asian tribe of sea gypsies can see twice as clearly underwater as Europeans, researchers have found.
The semi-nomadic Moken, who have settled on Thailand's Surin Islands, use their superior visual skills to dive for food on the ocean floor. It's not known whether the ability is learned or genetic.
Most of us see blurred images when we dive without goggles or a mask. The eye is adapted to air, and struggles to focus light under water. But Moken children can pick out small shells, clams and sea cucumbers at depths of three to four metres.
Moken children can distinguish underwater objects less than 1.5 millimetres wide; Europeans struggle to make out anything less than 3 mm across1, biologist Anna Gislén of Lund University, Sweden, and her colleagues found.
"They use the optics of the eye to the limits of what is [humanly] possible," says Gislén. The team compared the sub-aqua vision of native Moken and holidaying European kids, aged 7-14 years.
Unlike visiting children, the Moken swimmers constrict their pupils while diving, the team found. They can also squeeze their eyes' lenses more, making them thicker and better able to bend incoming light. The two processes bring blurry images into sharper focus, explains Gislén.
Moken swimmers constrict their pupils while diving.
© A. Gislén
"This is the first report I have ever seen about underwater divers and vision," says neurobiologist Howard Howland of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. "It could be a learned response, albeit totally unconscious," he suggests. Alternatively, evolution may have favoured those with genetic adaptations for better underwater vision.
The ability to squeeze the lens like this is normally weak in children under ten, and strong in adults, says Howland. The underwater abilities of Moken grown-ups remain unknown. "We couldn't test the adults," explains Gislén. "They're too shy."
Source: © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003
(For more information on Anna Gislen et al.'s report on "Superior Underwater Vision in a Human Population of Sea Gypsies", please see the Current Biology website)
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February 9, 2001 9:45 AM PST
Taking donations from the Palm in your hand
Experts say that only a fraction of all charitable giving takes place online. But well-known organizations such as CARE, the American Red Cross and Amnesty International can draw substantial sums over the Internet in the wake of major disasters. In the weeks following last month's devastating earthquake in India, the American Red Cross gathered some $1.5 million through its Web site alone, the organization said.
"When a major visible disaster occurs in the U.S. or around the world, we find that our Internet giving goes up significantly," said Chris Paladino, spokesman for the American Red Cross, who noted the group raised just over $2.3 million online in all of 2000.
The trend has spawned even bolder experiments from some charitable groups, which increasingly see technology as the key to opening the wallets of disaster sympathizers who wouldn't otherwise get around to writing and mailing a check.
This week, for example, Time magazine and online philanthropy site Netaid.org announced an initiative aimed at collecting donations through Palm VII handheld computers, which come rigged with wireless Web connections. The program, aimed at assisting AIDS victims in South Africa, lets volunteers collect credit card data from friends and zap it to a Web site run by Netaid, which processes the transactions.
The experiment, sponsored by AOL Time Warner-owned Time and by Netaid, pushes the envelope for Web-based charities, according to analysts, who said the bid to turn handhelds into virtual wallets faces some significant hurdles--for example, guaranteeing the privacy and security of contributors.
"It's a good start," said Patrick Thomas, an analyst at Nielsen/NetRatings. "But it might be ahead of its time."
Supporters of the project, including Palm, counter that wireless devices offer major advantages over traditional fundraising tools. Palm Chief Marketing Officer Satjiv Chahil said that wireless devices exploit a different sales psychology than traditional methods by allowing instantaneous transactions anywhere.
That mantra extends beyond the realm of charity for Palm, which has been pushing to transform its handheld devices into virtual "wallets" as a way to gain an edge in a competitive market. Last month, the company unveiled a new eWallet feature that will allow a customer to conduct secure purchases by beaming personal information from the device's infrared port.
Chahil said such features will let people be more impulsive when spending their money, which could give a boost to charitable impulses.
Web charities face big questions
Turning to the Web for fundraising is nothing new. Since its inception, the medium has provided traditional charities ways to gather donations. It also has inspired a handful of new virtual ventures with names such as CharityWave.com, Thehungersite.com and Helping.org.
Such newfangled Web sites have not been as successful at fundraising as traditional organizations such as the American Red Cross, according to Mark Rovner, senior vice president of Craver Mathews Smith, a consulting firm for charities. People who are willing to give online overwhelmingly gravitate toward groups that they have already heard of or had some prior relationship with, he said.
The numbers appear to bear that out.
Netaid, which was founded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Cisco Systems, has some big backers but is not a household name. Its Outreach Project, in which people send AIDS treatment kits to South Africa, has raised $4,862 so far, according to data on the group's Web site. Its goal is to raise some $82,994.
Other projects, such as a Netaid initiative with Time to reduce childbirth deaths in Rwanda, raised some $291,740 so far, just short of its goal of $315,225.
"As with so many Internet, dot-com companies, (Netaid) went to market without proving that there was a demand for the product that they were offering," Rovner said.
Netaid said that the projects have been successful because they have helped educate people about certain issues, such as AIDS/HIV.
"It's not all about the money," said Netaid spokeswoman Susan Lamontagne. "Our primary goal is to engage people and get them involved...we consider that a victory."
But analysts said the response to Netaid shows that there is still a long way to go before handhelds can be turned into virtual UNICEF boxes.
A Craver Mathews Smith study conducted in the fall of 1999 showed that roughly 3.5 million Americans over the age of 18 said they gave online donations between 1998 to 1999. About 40 million Americans who make charitable donations have Internet access, the report also found.
Rovner said preliminary results in the company's pending report on online giving for 2001 shows people are still more likely to write checks and send their donations via snail mail than via the Web.
Time Foreign Editor Joshua Cooper Ramo defended the partnership with Netaid, saying it creates an outlet for charity that has never really existed before. In
"It's not enough for us to just cover certain issues," he said. "We also want to be aggressive about providing ways for readers to do something about the things they read about in Time magazine, and closing that loop is an important part of what we think journalism does."
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From Weston, Florida, USA:
My daughter has had constant, recurrent bladder infections. A friend told me that this could be a indication of diabetes. Is this true?
When a child has several episodes of bladder infection, he/she needs a urine culture to assure the correct antimicrobial therapy. The next thing to do is an echographic scan of the abdomen in order to exclude any renal abnormalities, which are often seen in children with several bladder infection episodes. A high blood sugar level could be linked to infection, but, first, you have to check for a blood sugar level and verify if it is above the normal value; you can check also for sugar in the urine. If these test results are negative, you can exclude diabetes and try to find another cause for the frequency of those bladder infection episodes.
Original posting 16 Mar 2004
Posted to Diagnosis and Symptoms
Last Updated: Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:09:56
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.
This site is published by T-1 Today, Inc. (d/b/a Children with Diabetes), a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, which is responsible for its contents.
© Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2015. Comments and Feedback.
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10 Interesting Hydropower Facts
Hydropower facts present one for the best sources of renewable energy in the world. People today still use the nonrenewable energy. To make the earth healthier, you need to search more options. There are many renewable energies that people can use to gain electricity such as biomass, wind, solar and geothermal. The hydropower is found widely in US. Here are some facts about hydropower.
Hydropower Facts 1: Supply of electricity
Even though the popularity of hydropower is still lowered compared to the fossil fuel energy, it occupies 10 percent for the US supply of energy now.
Hydropower Facts 2: Hydropower in the World
More than 20 percent of all electric generations have been created from the hydropower. Many countries now concern with the hydropower energy because it is renewable and simple.
Hydropower Facts 3: Washington PUDs
The electricity for the Washington PUDs is supplied for more than 82 percent from the hydropower energy. It the northwest area, it occupies 61 percent of all energy.
Hydropower Facts 4: Low Cost Energy
If you compare it with other types of renewable energy generation, hydropower is cost effective. You do not need to use a lot of money to install it.
Hydropower Facts 5: Environmentally Friendly Energy
The main thing when people use the hydropower energy is because for the environmental friendly power. There is no need to worry about carbon dioxide. The hydropower system is climate friendly and carbon free. The earth will be safe when you use since the risk for pollution is lowered. Compared to other states in US, the northwest area only has a half carbon emission rate. Another source for energy with low emission is explained in solar energy facts.
Hydropower Facts 6: Domestic Production
The dangerous world market and fluctuating in political condition can be eliminated if US produces the energy using hydropower. This energy is always created domestically so that the fluctuation can be reduced.
Hydropower Facts 7: Hydropower turbines
The efficiency of hydropower is greater compared to other types of generation. The turbines can convert 90 percent energy into electricity. The other types of energy such as fossil fuel can only convert 50 percent for energy into electricity. Find more facts about energy here.
Hydropower Facts 8: Dam
8,000 dam can only generate 3 percent of energy in US.
Hydropower Facts 9: Hydropower Facility
The hydropower power facility can produce energy by using the flowing and falling water.
Hydropower Facts 10: Regulating the Flow of Electricity At Home
The flow for electricity in the home is very important. You can use it by picking hydropower energy. The amount of electricity generated by the power plant can be decreased or increased quickly based on the electric grid.
There are many benefits that people can get when they use the hydropower energy. They can produce electricity without harming the environment. It can promote the water supply, conserve the wildlife, support the healthy fisheries and provide good irrigation. Do you have any more facts about hydropower to add here?
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World No Tobacco Day Friday
This Friday, Western Wisconsin Working for Tobacco-Free Living (W3TFL) is asking the public to join in World No Tobacco Day, according to information from the Pierce County Public Health Department.
This day, organized by the World Health Organization, strives to help fight the single most deadly and expensive cause of preventable disease on the planet and hopes to raise awareness of the destructive force of tobacco. It affects lives, communities and children's future.
The day is a worldwide effort to mobilize community members, including state policy makers, faith organizations and community leaders, to do what's possible to combat this threat. In Wisconsin alone, tobacco kills nearly 7,000 each year, and costs $4.5 billion in health care costs and lost worker productivity.
Wisconsin's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program has made great progress over the last decade, dropping adult and youth smoking to historic lows. With these great gains, there is still a lot of progress to be made. Healthy citizens, lower health care costs and a healthy future for children are needed. Continuing Tobacco Prevention and Control efforts in Wisconsin helps make all of that possible.
On World No Tobacco Day, let's join the global community in making tobacco a top priority. To learn more about how to make a difference, go to NoTobacco.
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Can Wine Help You Live Longer? Two 100-Year-Old Women Say It's The Secret To Longevity
Once, at a wedding in Napa, CA while on a private wine tour, I offered one of the elderly guests some water. "Honey," she said, "I'm French. We don't drink water, but you can get me some more wine." Now, in an interview with a local news station in Maine, a 100-year-old woman says wine is the secret to longevity. And, some scientific studies agree that wine could be the key to a long healthy life. “I like my wine," Maine resident Florence Bearse told WCSH6 News during her 100th birthday party, as she sipped red wine from a new glass she received as a gift. "Don't take it away from me."
In my family, if someone lives to be in their 80s, the rule is: let them drink what they want. For one of my grandmothers, that was whiskey. My grandfather, on the other hand, likes Canadian beer: He likes it so much that for years he would travel to Canada for fishing trips and bring several cases back with him.
I love wine, so I'm thrilled to see Bearse enjoying her 100th birthday like the grown-ass woman she is sipping her drink of choice instead of some canned protein drink. A woman who, to quote Bearse, "don't take any bologna."
But, Is Wine Really Good For You?
Bearse isn't alone in touting wine as the key to a long and happy life. Glenville, N.Y., resident Ann Froelich Riccio, also said that wine has played a part in her reaching her 100th birthday.
"Good health, I guess," she told The Daily Gazette when asked what her secret is. "And, I've also had a glass of wine every day at four, since I was at least 18."
While two women living to be 100 doesn't exactly add up to science, Dr. Colin Champ, the author of the book Misguided Medicine, who is also known as the Caveman Doctor, agrees that red wine has myriad health benefits. One thing that red wine does, according to Champ, is offset free radicals in your stomach.
"Data revealed that when polyphenols from wine are consumed during a meal, they buffer the oxidation from stomach acid and act as antioxidants to offset the formation of free radicals within our food," Dr. Champ explained on his blog. "If we cannot always avoid the consumption of oxidizing foods, and we definitely need our stomach acid, perhaps wine provides us with a tactic to avoid this damage."
Champ also noted that ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (the Hippocratic oath that all doctors take is named after him) recommended wine as a cure for all diseases more than 2,400 years ago.
"I made an oath to him prior to my medical training stating that I would follow medicine the Hippocratic way," Dr. Champ wrote. "He recommended wine for most ailments from treating pain to diarrhea. As most physicians are followers of the Hippocratic Oath, it only seems reasonable to follow Hippocrates’ lead."
Can you imagine going to the doctor and leaving with a prescription for wine? Wouldn't it be great if health insurance covered this?
Red Gets All The Love, But White Has Benefits, Too
Most studies have focused on the benefits of drinking red wine, but a 2014 Czech study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona found that white wine has health benefits as well, according to an article by Laura Donnelly in The Telegraph. The findings reported that having a glass of wine with dinner had health benefits for people who also exercise regularly.
In the study, participants who had one glass of wine a day up to five times a week, and also exercised, saw positive results in good cholesterol, and a drop in overall cholesterol, The Telegraph reported.
"Professor Taborsky, a cardiologist from Palacky University, in the Czech republic, said in the article: "Our current study shows that the combination of moderate wine drinking plus regular exercise improves markers of atherosclerosis, suggesting that this combination is protective against cardiovascular disease."
What's more, Russia is urging its citizens to drink more wine, and less vodka. "We are a country which generally drinks strong alcohol like vodka or moonshine. This not only robs people of their health but also of their lives" the head of the Russian agriculture ministry, Alexander Tkachyov, told Russian television channel NTV, The Moscow Times reported. "By drinking more wine, Russians could see the country’s health and demographic problems change for the better."
Let's Dig Deeper, Shall We?
If you can believe it, there was a time when cigarettes were endorsed by doctors. While we know that smoking can cause lung cancer, and the link was established as early as the late 19th century, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that the real dangers of smoking were revealed to the public with the 1964 Surgeon General's report, according to a paper by Dr Robert N. Proctor of Stanford University.
As of yet, there has not been a comprehensive, cohesive study to determine whether alcohol actually has health benefits. And, with so many claims that wine (and alcohol in general) is beneficial to your health, the National Institutes of Health is beginning a $100 million clinical trial to test for whether a drink a day really does prevent heart attacks, according to an article by Roni Caryn Rabin published in the New York Times.
And, even if the study reveals that there are no benefits to drinking wine, wine has been around forever. I mean, if it was good enough for Hippocrates ... I'll toast to that. Cheers!
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The search for a sustainable slow-release fertilizer — a key to sustaining global food production at a time of burgeoning population growth — has led scientists to an ingredient used in some diarrhea medicines. They describe use of the substance, attapulgite, as a "carrier" for plant nutrients in a report in ACS' journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.
Boli Ni and colleagues explain that about half of the 150 million tons of fertilizer used worldwide every year goes to waste. That's because most fertilizers release nutrients too fast for the crops to use. The rest can run off farm fields and create water pollution problems. Existing slow-release fertilizers have drawbacks. So Ni's team turned to the environmentally friendly substance attapulgite, an inexpensive, nutrient-rich clay used for decades to treat diarrhea and for other applications. It once was an ingredient in the Kaopectate marketed in the United States. They also included guar gum, used in cosmetics and to thicken foods, and humic acid from decayed plant material.
The report describes development and successful tests of a new fertilizer composed of those three ingredients. The slow-release pellets were easy to prepare, reduced nutrient loss via runoff and leaching, improved soil moisture content and regulated soil acidity and alkalinity. "All of the results indicate that it may be expected to have wide applications for sustainable development of modern agriculture," the scientists say.
The authors acknowledge funding from the Ministry of Education in China and Gansu Province Project of Science and Technologies.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact email@example.com.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Who doesn’t want to jump aboard a plane to a far away island for some much-needed R&R?
Palm trees, coconut drinks, and dancing the night away. Sounds ideal, right? Of course. However, after a six hour flight with two layovers and then a delay on the runway while you’re crammed into a seat between two other people – you soon realize that you’re going to need a vacation from your vacation!
As fun as a getaway can be, the travel can be horrific. Even worse, it may end up ruining your time.
Interrupting your daily sleep schedule by vacationing at hours away, can make you sleepy during the hours you should be out and about exploring your surroundings. The skipping of time zones creates jet lag, affecting our bodies natural production of melatonin. Thus turning you from a party animal into a party pooper!
What is Jet Lag?
The more technical term for jet lag is desynchronosis. It’s meaning is exactly the way it sounds. Your body becomes unsynchronized and/or discombobulated!
Jet lag is the fatigue you feel the day after a long day of travel. According to the American Sleep Association (ASA), “travel across multiple time zones is the leading cause of jet lag.” Think about it: you’re not too tired if you stay up one hour later than normal… now think of yourself six hours past time. A walking zombie, right?!
The reason for this is that jet lag is the product of our body’s normal circadian rhythm being thrown off. The circadian rhythm is essentially a 24 hour biological clock. It is pivotal for regulating when we eat and when we sleep. Thanks to the regulation done by the circadian rhythm, our body can perform essential functions such as brain wave activity, cell rejuvenation, and the production of hormones.
Circadian rhythms happen endogenously, meaning that this biological process takes place from within our body. We have little to no control over it. However, this cycle can be regulated and altered (as with the case of jet lag) by external causes such as temperature and sunlight. As we travel through time zones, these outlying factors change the production of hormones in our body, including melatonin.
The Importance of Melatonin
When we hear of the word, “hormones,” testosterone and estrogen typically come to mind. However, one of the most important hormones our body creates is melatonin. This sleep-inducing hormone is synthesized from the amino acid, tryptophan. Those who pig out on turkey at Thanksgiving and end up in a food coma have probably heard about tryptophan before…
Melatonin is released from a small area tucked away in the center of the brain known as the pineal gland. Sometimes known as the “third eye,” the pineal gland only secretes one singular hormone, and that is melatonin.
This pivotal hormone sets the pace for the entire circadian rhythm. Since birth, melatonin production became regulated by the sun going down in the evening and rising again in the morning. Based on the time you typically wake up and go to sleep, your body now naturally feels drowsy a couple hours before bed and begins to wake up a few minutes before your alarm is fixing to go off. The reason behind this is melatonin.
The Relationship Between Melatonin and Jet Lag
When we travel, we are already throwing our body off track by fighting off sleep, so we can stay up and have a good time. On top of that exhausting, albeit fun task, your body becomes exposed to sunlight during hours that it is not accustomed to seeing the star’s bright rays. This new pattern of light exposure is certain to throw your hormones out of whack.
When melatonin and jet lag come face to face, jet lag wins. As your body is naturally producing melatonin the hours that it always would, it is now being prompted at other times of the day to produce this hormone as well. That is why when you are suffering from jet lag it may take a few days to get into the groove of a new routine.
As melatonin and jet lag clash, the circadian rhythm essentially gets reset. The even bigger caveat is when you finally get on the same schedule as the sunlight in your getaway destination, you have to come home and reset your biological clock all over again.
How Melatonin Helps Get the Mind on Track
One of the ways to combat jet lag is through the use of melatonin supplements. One study conducted 10 trials to measure the relationship between melatonin and jet lag. In nine out of those 10 trials, researchers concluded that melatonin “decreased jet lag from flights crossing five or more time zones. Daily doses of melatonin between 0.5 and 5mg are similarly effective, except that people fall asleep faster and sleep better after 5mg than 0.5mg. Doses above 5mg appear to be no more effective.”
The best way to fight a lack of melatonin creation is to introduce it into your system yourself. This can be achieved through supplementation. In order to achieve maximum results, the best time of the day to take melatonin is within two hours before your desired bedtime.
Sleep Expert at John Hopkins University, Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D. C.B.S.M. stated, “Melatonin levels rise about two hours before bedtime. Create optimal conditions for it (melatonin) to do its job by keeping the lights low before bed. Stop using your computer, smartphone or tablet — the blue and green light from these devices can neutralize melatonin’s effects.”
Conquer Jet Lag with Melatonin
Jet lag can ruin a good time. So why let it? Be proactive and supplement your thrown off sleep cycle with a boost of melatonin!
If you are looking for a natural way to regulate your sleep patterns, try using a melatonin spray such as Tranquility Lab’s own Sleep Fast Enhanced Melatonin Spray. This remedy combines the circadian rhythmic regulating hormone melatonin with natural sedatives such as valerian root, lemon balm and chamomile. Together, this all-natural spray is strengthened by the presence of 5-HTP, the precursor to the neurotransmitter that stimulates happiness, serotonin.
With at least six sprays prior to bedtime, Sleep Fast will have your biological clock regulated in no time!
Have you ever experienced jet lag? If so, have you taken any supplements such as melatonin to help you adjust? Please let us know about your experiences below.
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Giant pandas species:
Vulnerable (Around 1864 remain) Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Affected by: Habitat loss and fragmentation , Climate change
The charismatic giant panda is a global conservation icon and the symbol of our organisation. Thanks to decades of successful conservation work, wild panda numbers are starting to recover, but they remain at risk. Human activities continue to be the biggest threats to their survival. An extensive giant panda nature reserve network exists, but one-third of all wild pandas live outside of protected areas in small isolated populations.
Pandas typically lead a solitary life. They’re excellent tree climbers, but they spend most of their time feeding. They can eat for 14 hours a day, mainly bamboo, which is 99% of their diet (though they sometimes eat eggs or small animals too).
Giant pandas are living proof that conservation works. And even better, by protecting pandas we’re also helping protect the wider environment where they live, for all the wildlife and the people that depend on it.
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Here's what I find troubling about the idea of conducting exit interviews (and here) with "fallen-away" Catholics: if Würzburg bishop Friedhelm Hoffman is correct and "every single departure hurts and is one too many," then the focus of Catholic pastoral leaders (and apologists for them,* such as Michael Sean Winters), ought to be on finding ways to keep those "fallen" Catholics in the church. Not on watching them walk away and then asking them why they've "fallen."
Friday, December 31, 2010
Yesterday, in discussing Marele Day's book Lambs of God, I said that the church we imagine depends very much on where we're situated, in terms of power and privilege. Men with clerical power and privilege often imagine a church quite different from the one imagined by others--as my excerpt from Day's book indicates. The church imagined (and lived) by the Cistercians of Tibihirine, Algeria, discussed in my other posting yesterday, represents a radically different model in which ordained men, who could rely on power and privilege to make their lives comfortable, renounce power and privilege to live in solidarity with the least among us, and to share their fate.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Here's a picture of the reality of church--a picture of what the real church, as opposed to the ideal church to which it all too often appears many bishops and priests imagine themselves ministering, entails in many parts of the world--that you don't read everyday. This is Australian novelist Marele Day, in her hilarious, shocking, theologically probing novel Lambs of God (NY: Riverhead Books, 1998):
Steve and I saw Xavier Beauvois' brilliant prize-winning film "Of Gods and Men" yesterday, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The film follows the final days of a group of French Cistercian monks in Tibhirine, Algeria, who were murdered in 1996. The abductors and murderers of these Cistercians have never been identified. As the movie suggests, the monks were in some respects merely pawns in a dangerous, ideologically murky political game being played by local insurgents and a corrupt national army, and either or both may have been involved in their murders.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
As the German Catholic church takes account of what has happened in that national church during the past year, and finds that there is a huge exodus of Catholics from the church in Germany, Würzburg bishop Friedhelm Hofmann tells the media, “Every single departure hurts and is one too many." The diocese of Augsburg lost 11,351 Catholics this year, while 17,169 Catholics in the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart left the church, and Würzburg lost 5,484 members.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
David Michael Green on Obama and Gay Rights: President Does Not Intend to Make the Moral Case for Rights
And finally (that is, finally with the political commentary this morning), in my view, David Michael Green gets it just right, re: Mr. Obama's role in the process that ended DADT, and what his behavior in the DADT debates predicts for the future, vis-a-vis his administration and gay citizens:
British journalist Johann Hari first came on my radar screen during the papal visit earlier this year. I liked his commentary at that time, and find him enlightening now as he talks about the behavior of David Cameron's "tea party" government in cutting social services and jobs, while protecting the assets of the top echelons of British taxpayers. His essay on these themes yesterday at Huffington Post provides a valuable complement to what I posted the same day here at Bilgrimage re: these matters.
The Catholic cardinal archbishop of Washington, D.C., Donald Wuerl, tells FOX news that the Catholic church has no position on DADT, but whatever happens as discrimination against gays and lesbians in the military is abolished must be seen in the context of Catholic teaching--which is that human sexuality must be exercised responsibly and within marriage:
Monday, December 27, 2010
John Allen on Tom Doyle and Benedict re: the Abuse Crisis: Classic Centrist Balancing Act, Going Nowhere
John Allen's recent NCR piece placing Pope Benedict and Fr. Tom Doyle side by side in a discussion of the crisis of clerical sexual abuse of children in the Catholic church is a perfect illustration of the game that centrism is all about. Centrists like Allen love to create false equivalencies between two incongruous positions--left and right, Benedict and Doyle--in what, on the face of it, purports to be a dispassionate dialogue between the positions. With the centrist as the impartial, objective, uncommitted arbiter.
Well, though I do find Jeff Danziger's Christmas-in-London cartoon funny, I have to say, our experience here hasn't been anything like this. We did fly into Gatwick on the 20th, a day after Heathrow had been closed by a snowstorm, and the problems at Heathrow apparently continued for days after that. Our flight was full of people who had been bumped from other flights. And we considered ourselves very lucky that it landed on time (even ahead of schedule) without a hitch, while so many other flights were being canceled.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
A thought for today, to complement what I have just posted: this is from Kathleen Norris, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993):
Another journal entry to follow the one I posted yesterday as a Christmas meditation. This, too, is Christmas-themed, and I wrote it on the same day (24 December 2010) that I wrote the one I posted yesterday.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The last few days, at the tail end of Advent, I've published snippets from journals I kept in previous years. As I've noted, I've been leafing back through my journals for one reason or another, and the pieces I published in the past several days leapt out at me.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Another journal entry in which I struggle with the recognition that my career as a Catholic theologian was effectively ended when a Catholic college chose to give me an unexplained terminal contract in the early 1990s:
There is only one pecan pie recipe in the whole world worth baking, and my family is lucky to have a copy. And here's how we happen to have it: as you may have guessed from previous rambling food commentary, which enfolds the bare bones of a recipe in layers and layers of swaddling narrative, my family's recipes invariably have stories attached. Even the little typed note cards I found in my grandmother's recipe drawer when my aunt and I divided the contents of her house have indications of who provided the recipe, when it was provided, in some cases, notes about when and how it was tried, and what might need to be altered to make it better.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
In this and several other postings from previous journals I'll be sharing in these days approaching Christmas, I reflect on the intense struggle Steve and I went through in the 1990s, when my job in the theology department at Belmont Abbey College was ended suddenly by a terminal contract that the college would not explain to me. I resigned after having been stonewalled, and have never again been able to find a job teaching theology in a Catholic institution. Nor has Steve.
I can't imagine that anyone celebrating Christmas hasn't already planned a Christmas meal, but on the off chance that some reader might still be shopping around for menu ideas, I thought I'd share a recipe that I shared a year ago with a number of readers who emailed me to ask about dressing, when I talked in a posting last year about chicken and dressing. This isn't an easy recipe to share, because I don't really have a recipe at all for dressing, made (as my family has always made it) in the traditional Southern way.
With the end to official discrimination against a targeted minority in the American military, I've received several fascinating comments here by someone who works as publicity director for a Catholic anti-abortion group in the U.S. He's clearly intently unhappy to see legalized discrimination against gay human beings ended in the military.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Another journal entry: this one is from 11 Aug. 1997. I'm commenting on Mary Oliver's poetry, with its constant intrusion of the surprising divine, and the occlusion of scripture for many us today who find more scriptural force, at times, in non-biblical sources (like Oliver's poetry, for me) than we do in the scriptures themselves. In the Scriptures as they're handed and proclaimed to us by our churches, that is . . . .
I love Frank Cocozzelli's annual Coughie award. Frank created the distinction to "honor" an American Catholic who, in the vein of the rantin' and ravin' anti-semitic priest-cum-radio personality of the 1930s, Father Charles Coughlin, "best exemplifies an exclusionary, strident interpretation of the Catholic faith." A true Coughie excels, in other words, at mimicking the toxic memes of the religious right, with its noxious mix of (right-wing) religion and (right-wing) politics and its underlying theocratic goals for the nation with the soul of a church.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
I begin to wonder if Pope Benedict is capable of taking a step forward in any area at all, without taking two simultaneous steps backwards. On the one hand, his fresh admission that the Catholic church has a quite serious problem on its hands with the situation of clerical sexual abuse of children (and the systematic cover-up of that situation for years on end) is welcome and should be applauded.
Another journal entry from the past, following a trip Steve and I made to Minnesota for a family reunion. As I've noted previously, Steve's family has deep ties to the German Benedictine communities in Minnesota. This reunion occurred near St. John's Abbey in Stearns County, where Steve's paternal ancestors settled when they emigrated from Germany. Many of Steve's relatives for generations have been monks at this abbey and nuns at the women's Benedictine community down the road.
Andrew Sullivan's response to Frank Rich re: centrism is telling for all kinds of reasons. First, it's interesting that A. Sullivan considers it important to counter Rich. I suspect that, in doing so, he's reflecting a centrist preoccupation of sectors of the mainstream media, which deem it necessary to marginalize what they judge to be the left wing of the Democratic party. And which continues to consider it worthwhile to try to offset any critical influence that what they see as the left wing of the Democratic party might attain.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Another selection from a journal entry of mine from the past. This one comments on the resignation of Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee after it became public that Weakland had had a consensual sexual relationship with an adult male, and had used diocesan funds to pay his former lover hush money when the affair soured. I actually wrote this journal entry in Milwaukee, where, as it happened, Steve had a job interview at the same time that Weakland resigned.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
And, as a complement to what I published earlier today about Meister Eckhart's creation-centered theology of revelation, this reflection from a journal of mine from a few years ago focuses on the indispensable and always inadequate task of trying to put into words and concepts the experience of the divine, which transcends language.
As Mary Raftery notes in the Irish Times yesterday, what's especially noteworthy--and exceptionally troubling--about the case of Fr. Tony Walsh in Ireland, who sexually abused more than 100 children, is how many clerics knew about what Walsh was doing, and colluded to cover it up.
I'm going through the commentary this morning about the DADT repeal vote, and noting the extent to which commentators are willing to spin this victory as a victory for the very folks who have made the repeal process so tormented, so unnecessarily vacillating. Congress and the president are receiving credit for having made a courageous decision that they should long since have made, while the real heroes who have made this possible are people like Lieut. Dan Choi, Fr. Geoff Farrow, and many others, who have been arrested protesting the policy in D.C.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
John Lewis and Louis Gohmert on Discrimination in the Military: Who Owns the Future of American Democracy?
Another way to put the point about Archbishop Dolan and Bill Donohue: these battles about who owns central Christian symbols are really also about who will ultimately prevail as history moves along, and as a rich, multifaceted tradition like Catholicism moves along with the current of history. And as the meaning of its central symbols unfolds under the impulse of historical development, as believers appropriate the symbols and apply them to their experience in ever-shifting cultural contexts.
Back in October, I blogged about the Anoka-Hennepin school district in Minnesota, in which there has been a horrific spate of suicides of students, several of them clearly related to bullying of gay youth. As I noted in my posting, in September, I tried to communicate my concern about what is going in in their schools to the Anoka-Hennepin school board, and got quite a run around from one of the local board members, a former Republican state representative.
When I posted Thursday about Archbishop Timothy Dolan's defense of Bill Donohue's attack on the Smithsonian for staging the work of AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, I noted that Our Daily Thread, a new blog of the group Catholics United, had alerted readers to Dolan's defense of Donohue.
Without Stephen Colbert, I wonder how American culture would ever hear the authentic voice of Catholic social teaching these days? Lord knows, not from our bishops, who are too intent on
kissing up to Republican CEOs bashing artists dying of AIDS as they produce anguished, probing meditations on the meaning of the crucifixion. As they remain totally silent on significant social justice issues like the growing disparity between rich and poor. Or the bullying of teens to suicide because God made them gay.
Friday, December 17, 2010
And again, interesting to note the dovetailing of today's posting at Tea Party Jesus with what I've just posted about who owns the sacraments. Tea Party Jesus is mocking the recent claim of some anti-gay religious right groups to own the rainbow.
Theological Reflections on Who Owns the Sacraments: Bishops' Claim to Exclusive Ownership Contravenes Tradition
If readers can stand yet another reflection (again, from one of my journals of the past) on the mandate of Jesus to his followers to wash one another's feet, here's yet another bit of commentary. Though I wrote these comments in my journal on 23 May 2004, they do seem relevant to me today, as Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted threatens to remove the Catholic designation of a hospital in his diocese that has, he maintains, been disobedient to him as the definer of what it means to be Catholic in his neck of the woods. For background to the Phoenix story, see here and here.
It's almost as if Robert Borosage wrote his essay at Huffington Post today as a companion piece to Paul Krugman's New York Times op-ed on which I just commented. Re: Mr. Obama's feel-the-love meeting yesterday with top corporate CEOs, Borosage writes,
Paul Krugman on what any of us who expected our current U.S. financial crisis to be a teachable moment have actually learned from the way the government has handled the crisis:
I wonder if the new president of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference Timothy Dolan and Bully Bill Donohue will be raising a fuss anytime soon about what Erik Prince has done to undermine the reputation of the Catholic church in the U.S. as a group standing for human rights--and human decency, and justice and love?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Here--sadly--is a sign of the quality of leadership the U.S. Catholic bishops have just chosen with the election of Timothy Dolan as their president. In a posting on his blog today, Dolan praises Bully Bill Donohue--"Dr. Donohue"--for Donohue's recent opportunistic and politically motivated attack on the Smithsonian for staging the art work of David Wojnarowicz at an exhibit. Dolan accepts Donohue's claim that his objection to Wojnarowicz's work is that he found the art, which depicted a crucifix with ants crawling on it, to be blasphemous.
More on Jesus's Rejection of the Club of Manly Men: Dominance and Submission as the Hierarchical Skeleton of Patriarchy
And another selection from a journal entry of mine from the past. This one, written 25 Aug. 1994, offers a counterpoint to what I posted yesterday about the DADT debate and Jesus and the club of manly men:
A campaign is already underway to give President Obama cover for his tax-cut deal and his decision to bring in the master triangulator, Bill Clinton, to soft-sell that deal to the American public. I'm not persuaded by the apologists, though.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Dorothee Sölle writes, in The Strength of the Weak, trans. Robert and Rita Kimber (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1984):
And, as a companion piece to what I just posted about the DADT debate and the boys' clubs to which Jesus belongs (or, more appropriately, does not belong): another excerpt from a journal entry of mine some years ago. This one is from 8 June 2003:
A few weeks ago, I blogged about a proposal by the vice-chancellor and vocations director of the Catholic diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to save the priesthood by ridding it of the vice of effeminacy. As I noted in that posting, this analysis, with its suggestion that the priesthood is now a gay club, and that the priesthood must be saved by re-populating seminaries with manly men, runs through important sectors of American Catholicism right now. Spend any time at all reading blogs of the Catholic right or watching the influential Catholic television network EWTN, and you'll encounter this gender-biased (and homophobic) analysis of the ills of the contemporary priesthood, and its concomitant proposal to save the priesthood by bringing back the manly-men priests we imagine of yore.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Another excerpt from one of my journals of the past—a passage I copied in November 1995 from Alan Jones's book The Soul’s Journey: Exploring the Spiritual Life with Dante as Guide (San Francisco: Harper, 1995). This strikes me as a valuable meditation piece for Advent, with its uncomfortable questions about whom we're willing to make room for in the inns of our lives and hearts.
Another excerpt from journals I kept in the past. This entry is dated 12 Feb. 1997:
A Lenten reflection: as I pray this morning (though I've forgotten that today is Ash Wednesday), I think of Isaiah crying out, "Make a straight path for our God" (40:2). I open the bible to find that verse, and instead, my eyes happen to fall on the following line: "Consider the work of God; who can set straight what he has made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:13).
Thinking this morning about an interesting conversation that has come to me two different ways this week--first, through email correspondence with an insightful e-friend, and then on a Facebook thread through a friend there. This is a conversation about what lies behind the ability of some mothers to savage their children (or so it appears to those of us on the receiving end of maternal treatment at times).
A continuation of my reflections about John Paul II following his death on 2 April 2005. I wrote this piece in my journal on 17th April that year:
Monday, December 13, 2010
And, as a counterpoint to what I just posted a bit ago, on the callous response of Vatican officials to the abuse situation in the Irish Catholic church, here's another excerpt from one of my journals of the past. I wrote this on 8 Jan. 2004, after the national audit that followed the shocking revelations about clerical abuse of minors by American priests in 2002:
You know that line in the Catholic catechism that deplores discrimination against gay and lesbian folks? Well, it appears not all Catholic pastoral officials really believe the catechism, when it comes to this issue. As Eugene McMullen notes at Religion Dispatches today, the Catholic Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio opposes ending the ban on openly gay soldiers in the American armed forces.
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Construction of a vast segment of the Richardson-Olmsted Complex is complete, which means that finishing touches to the interiors will commence. Three buildings have been converted into hotel, restaurant, event space, and architecture center – the restaurant is being called 100 Acres – The Kitchens at Hotel Henry. The Richardson Center Corporation (RCC) has announced that Hotel Henry and 100 Acres will open April 30, and the Architecture Center will open later in 2017.
The $102.5 million historic preservation project is said to be one of the most significant redevelopment projects in the country – to think what this is going to do for Buffalo’s image once open is staggering. There’s simply nothing else like it, anywhere.
The redevelopment is using the remaining $76.5 million in state funds and $16 million in historic tax credits via M&T Bank in a massive undertaking to modernize the Complex and find profitable uses for the monumental structure.
The $69 million for redevelopment includes:
- $17 million for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
- $7 million to restore over 600 original windows.
- $4 million to subtly insert elevators into the historical spaces.
Seeing the lights on at night is a sight for sore eyes. Not many Buffalonians ever thought that they would live to see the day when the iconic towers would be saved, let alone relit as a symbol of the rebirth of this city.
Paul Hojnacki, President of the Richardson Center Corporation (RCC) stated, “This towering success story stands as a testament to the many supporters who loudly proclaimed its worth over 40 years. We are very fortunate to have had the support of Governor Cuomo and the State of New York, M&T Bank, the City of Buffalo, and our neighbors in this monumental endeavor.”
Once operational, the project will have an annual payroll of $1.5 million. Property and sales tax revenue will exceed $1 million dollars a year. And to think that there are eight additional buildings that have not even been entered into the equation… just think of the potential. Work is already underway to determine best synergistic use of those buildings. Not to mention the restored grounds that will draw additional visitors to the site. Currently, the buildings that have been restored are the Towers Building and the two adjacent wing buildings.
According the RCC, “A capital campaign has been launched to fund the budget gap for this first phase of redevelopment and future redevelopment projects. Through the generosity of the RCC’s late founder Stanford Lipsey, and his wife Judith Lipsey, the RCC has a challenge grant to encourage $5 million in giving and community support is crucial to meet this challenge. The Lipsey gift will launch to Buffalo Architecture Center and in turn the Center will be named in their honor. $3 million has been raised of the $5 million necessary to obtain the second $2.5 million from Stanford and Judith Lipsey. The final $2 million to raise will finish this first phase of development and ready for future projects.”
More information about redevelopment, construction, and the campaign can be found at www.richardson-olmsted.com.
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Woody Crumbo spent six decades of the mid-20th century promoting Native American art to the mainstream, where often it was seen as a novelty or niche by wealthy collectors. Through printmaking, he mass produced his depictions of animals, dancers, and other vibrant images so that anyone could afford his work. Yet despite his prolific career, which included participating in hundreds of exhibits, painting murals inside the US Department of Interior, and having hundreds of his pieces acquired by museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian, Crumbo’s art has, somewhat ironically, become a niche interest, often overlooked even when his influence in bringing Native American work into the contemporary art world remains a powerful presence.
Currently at the Oklahoma History Center out in Oklahoma City, Crumbo Spirit Talk is a small, but dense, exhibition that brings together his paintings, prints, drawings, and some personal artifacts in a rare exploration of his work. It was co-sponsored with the museum by his daughter Minisa Crumbo Halsey , who, along with his son Woody Max Crumbo, has work in the show. But alongside the exuberant work of Woody Crumbo, where deer and horses soar like weightless spirits and figures swoop into dance and buffalo runs, everything else feels subdued.
Spirit Talk opened early in 2012 to mark what would have been Crumbo’s 100th birthday year. He was born near Lexington, Oklahoma on January 31, 1912 as Woodrow Wilson Crumbo on his Potawatomi mother’s tribal allotment of land. Unfortunately, by the time he was seven he was an orphan, but his nomadic early life, living with different Indian families, including Creek and Sioux, and later becoming friends with a group of Kiowas with whom he studied art, instilled an appreciation for the diverse and disappearing cultures and traditions of the country’s tribes. With art, he found a way to honor, promote, and preserve this history.
While studying at Wichita University and later the University of Oklahoma, he supported himself as a dancer, learning different tribe’s dances from across the nation. This is probably why out of all his portrait paintings, the dancers feel the most present and alive, the detail on their costumes studied down to each feather tip. He was also a flute player and maker, even performing with the Wichita Symphony. But while he had a knack for any and all art forms, with painting and printmaking Crumbo found distincition. He was one of the first Native American artists to dive into oil painting as a medium, adding dimension to the flat figure style popularized by the Kiowa Five in tempura. While capturing traditional symbolism and ceremony were a major focus, his experimentation progressed with his career, becoming less and less what was expected from Native American art. This was especially true with his animals.
None of Crumbo’s work was aimed at figurative realism, but with the animals he especially brought out what he saw as their spirit, often in vivid blues and lunging, long steps. His most popular of his elaborate silkscreens, which he often made with up to 16 screens, was his “Spirit Horse,” a charging animal with a tumult of hair that would make it all the way to the collections of Winston Churchill and the Queen of England. Yet as many artists have found, widespread success isn’t a guarantee for financial security, and he had a plan, a rather outlandish plan. In 1954 he ordered a mineral identification kit for $3 from a catalogue in 1954 and started prospecting with Max Evans, a Western artist. Even with their inexperience, in two years they’d discovered deposits of uranium, copper, and one of the biggest known finds of beryllium worth millions, freeing Crumbo to focus exclusively on art.
Looking at the wide-eyed deer and rainbow-hued stallions, it is probably not much of a surprise that peyote and its spiritual visions inspired Crumbo. In 1938, he became director of art at Bacone College (the oldest college in Oklahoma, founded as the Indian University in 1880), taking over from Acee Blue Eagle, another artist who had an inclination towards gravity-defying blue deer. While there, he created a stained glass window for the chapel, which is one of the very few Native American-made church windows in the world, and definitely the only one to feature a peyote ceremony motif right in the middle of a Baptist church.
Some have criticized Crumbo’s work as “Bambi art,” and while there is some truth to that, the sincerity of Crumbo’s in striving to capture views and culture than was vanishing gave his work a bristling power. “Spotted Wolf’s Last Request” (1955), one of his most famous paintings, is a tribute to all Native American soldiers, but was created to honor Private First Class Clarence Spotted Wolf, a young Sioux indian killed in Luxembourg who wrote a letter to his parents before he died saying that if he was killed and they had a victory parade, he wanted a soldier to go first carrying the American flag, and a cowboy to go next and lead his saddled horse for his spirit to ride. Spotted Wolf received a traditional scaffold burial before his military funeral, and in the painting he rises up from the prone pile of traditional burial items draped with a flag on a spirit horse, each brushstroke has been applied with a palpable force.
When Crumbo died on April 4, 1989, he’d spent years working as a curator at museums like the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa and the El Paso Museum of Art in Texas to expand and establish their Native American art collections, and he’d been a fierce support of preserving culture, including being involved in constructing cultural centers and even aiding the Ysleta Pueblo indians in New Mexico to get back their tribal status. His art also remains affordable thanks to Crumbo’s interest in accessibility, and even if their mass production has contributed to their devaluing, the loving portrayals of a culture that even as he painted it was fading gave it an undeniable value. As Crumbo once said:
“I have always painted with the desire of developing Indian art so that it may be judged on art standards rather than on its value as a curio — I am attempting to record Indian customs and legends now, while they are alive, to make them a part of the great American culture before these, too, become lost, only to be fragmentarily pieced together by fact and supposition.”
Crumbo Spirit Talk is at the Oklahoma History Center (800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City) through May 29, 2013.
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Gifts from the Sea and Land
Welcome to Kelp Kreations and Natural Baskets!
Nature never ceases to amaze. So many fabulous trees, flowers, grasses; beautiful when alive and growing. Underwater life, teeming with plants and animals, crustaceons, and more; all beautiful in their own ways. Life cycles turn, branches, leaves, needles are all cast away, as they make room for new growth.
Winter storms bring strong winds that blow through trees knocking branches to the ground. The coast is ravaged by the storms forces, strong enough to tear kelp, holdfast and all, from the rocks to which they cling; tossed upon the beach, washed in and out with the tides, finally coming to rest out of reach of the waves. Many types of kelp, cast away, along with seagrasses, bits of shells, driftwood, and more, lying on the beach, covered in flys, rotting and stinky.
Some people no longer see the beauty of pine needles once they have turned brown and fallen to the ground. And bull whip kelp, well, for a kid it's fun to whip it around and drag it along the beach for awhile. But beautiful, exciting; that's hard to imagine.
As you peruse the following pages you will see many examples of how these seemingly useless discarded,natural waste materials can be turned into objects and vessels of usefullness and beauty. Baskets made of different types of pine needles, date palm inflorescence, reed, bull whip kelp, and seagrasses are just a beginning. Bull whip, feather boa, and split kelp make whimsical baskets, wall hangings, candles, spiritual rattles, and more. The possibilities seem endless and are limited only by our imaginations.
Thank you for visiting!
I hope you find your visit here was worth your time.
Have a lovely day!
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AROMATIC CANE (קָנֶ֔ה, or קְנֵה־בֹ֖שֶׂם, meaning “spiced cane.” The word qaneh, CALAMUS, is found in
The aromatic cane (Andropogon aromaticus) is not the sugar cane as people know it today, but a grass which gives out a strong smell when bruised, and which has a taste of ginger. Cows and goats like it, but when eaten it can taint their milk and even their flesh. When processed, it produces an oil called ginger grass. It is similar to the lemon grass (Andropogon schoenanthus) found in Pal., as well as Arabia and India.
There would have been no difficulty in importing the ginger grass to Pal., for there was a regular caravan traffic between the two countries.
It is thought that the
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The Lawyer Global Litigation Top 50 report is the only ranking of international law firms by litigation and arbitration revenue and is essential reading for anyone seeking to benchmark their litigation and dispute resolution practices...
This year, The Lawyer’s annual ranking of the largest UK law firms by turnover is available as an interactive, digital benchmarking tool. For the first time this will allow you to manipulate each data set against the metrics of your choice.
The legal profession has reacted angrily to the Lord Chancellor's proposals to introduce standard fees for civil legal aid cases, accusing the Government of seeking justice on the cheap.
Under the proposals published last week, standard fees would apply for family and domestic violence work carried out by litigating solicitors and all civil legal aid work carried out by advocates.
Lawyers working on civil legal aid cases are currently paid an hourly rate. Under the new system, litigators would be paid when cases reach key stages. Advocates would be paid directly from the Legal Aid Board on completion of items of work.
The proposals will include escape clauses for litigators acting in complex cases, for which prescribed hourly rates will apply. But this let-out will not apply to advocacy work, a distinction the Bar Council described as "unfair and discriminatory".
The new system is intended to operate until the White Paper proposals on contracting are implemented. Lord Mackay argues that it will cut costs and simplify the payment process and he aims to have it in operation by mid-1997.
But a spokesman for the Bar Council described the proposals as extremely disturbing. He said: "The fee system being proposed is absolutely rigid as well as bearing no relation to the amount of work involved in a case."
He added: "The Bar Council will be making its very deep concerns explicit to the Lord Chancellor over the summer and it will be urging him to adopt a realistic system which offers the tax payer predictability and control over the cost but which also reflects the complexity and difficulty of individual cases."
The Law Society also condemned the proposed standard fee as "far too low" and said the proposals will be unacceptable in their present form.
Derek Sands, chairman of the Courts and Legal Services Committee, pledged to consult relevant special interest groups such as the Legal Aid Practitioners' Group and the Solicitors Family Law Association, as well as local law societies on the matter.
He said the committee will consider the proposals at its meeting on 16 October and that therefore the Law Society will not be responding by the end of September deadline set by the Lord Chancellor.
The move is the latest in a series of measures to control fees. There is already a standardised fees system in the magistrates courts and there are plans to introduce graduated fees in crown courts.
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Mississippi Legal Resources
Overview of the Mississippi Court System
With seven different courts, the Mississippi judicial system can confuse anyone, but it can help to think of the judicial system as a tiered structure with three different types of courts: courts of limited jurisdiction, courts of general jurisdiction and appellate courts. Alternatively, one can remember them as limited jurisdiction, general jurisdiction and appellate in nature.
The limited jurisdiction courts in Mississippi are the justice and municipal courts. The latter courts handle traffic infractions and petty criminal violations while the justice courts primarily handle small civil cases. The other limited jurisdiction courts are known as the county courts, which handle mid-level civil cases, juvenile cases and misdemeanor criminal cases on a limited basis in addition to hearing appeals from the justice and municipal courts.
The general jurisdiction courts consist of the chancery courts, which handle probate/estate matters, domestic relations, land disputes and mental health issues. Also under the general jurisdiction heading are the circuit courts, which hear all major civil cases as well as all criminal cases. They have original jurisdiction over felonies and civil trials over a certain financial threshold and can hear appeals from the limited jurisdiction courts.
The appellate courts consist of the Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court. Cases from the chancery and circuit courts are appealed to the Supreme Court, which then assigns cases to the Court of Appeals. That court's decision may then be appealed again to the Supreme Court, which makes the final state decision on the matter.
More Mississippi Legal Resources
Mississippi Attorneys and Lawyers
When faced with a legal issue, contacting an experienced attorney is always the best bet. At LawInfo you can search for a skilled, Lead Counsel Rated Mississippi attorney by location and by practice area. We have Mississippi attorneys who dedicate their practice to specific areas of the law, so you will not only find an attorney, but an attorney who is knowledgeable to help you with your particular legal issue.
Mississippi Legal Forms
LawInfo offers free Mississippi legal forms and documents to help resolve many of your issues on your own. Whether you need a power of attorney or you want to complete your will, we have you covered. You can click on our most popular forms located in the right column of this page. A user account is required to use the service, but it’s completely free.
Landlord/tenant liabilities can plague property owners who decide to rent without using a formal Mississippi Residential Lease Agreement. You can find Mississippi Residential Lease Agreement for free on LawInfo that will create legally binding contracts so you are protected in the event of a bad tenant or any other problem. Renting property can be a smart financial idea, but you have to make sure that legal safeguards are in place to protect you and your real estate assets, or it may end up being more costly than you wanted.
Filing a Last Will and Testament can protect your possessions and your family in the event of an unforeseen accident. While most people associate a last will with a deathbed, the truth is that it is an essential part of anyone's planning for an uncertain future. A last will can ensure that your belongings pass to your family members according to your wishes rather than according to the wishes of a probate court. LawInfo provides free Last Will and Testament documents.
Power of Attorney documents can help you plan for an uncertain future as well. If you ever become unable to make decisions for yourself due to being unconscious or incapacitated in some way, a Power of Attorney determines who is allowed to make those decisions on your behalf. By filling out a free Power of Attorney from LawInfo, you make it easy for your loved ones to expedite important legal, financial and medical decisions when they know what you want.
Starting a Mississippi Business
Most first-time Mississippi entrepreneurs are excited to begin turning their dreams into reality. While being your own boss and doing something you love is great, you need to be aware of some of the risks and proceed with caution. Visit the Mississippi Small Business Development Center for vital information that every first-time business owner should know, and when you feel confident, write out your business plan and workshop it with close friends until you feel good about it.
When you're satisfied with your business plan, you need to choose a business structure that best fits it. This will depend on the tax, liability and regulatory issues the business structure contains. If you'd rather not worry about regulations, high taxes and extensive documentation, a sole proprietorship may be the way to go. A corporate structure may be for you if you'd rather protect your own personal finances and don't mind higher taxes or more paperwork.
Mississippi Business Statistics
Small businesses employ 49.5 percent of the private-sector employees in Mississippi. The unemployment rate hovered around 9 percent in the first half of 2013, but it is on a downtrend.
Mississippi is home to more than 240,000 small businesses, accounting for 96.5 percent of employers. While the unemployment rate was higher than the national average, the state's GDP grew by 2.4 percent in 2011, representing strong small business opportunities in the state. There are no Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Mississippi.
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In his continuing effort to bolster support for the Iraq war, President Bush traveled to Reno, Nevada, on August 28 to speak to the annual convention of the American Legion. He emphatically warned of the Iranian threat should the United States withdraw from Iraq. Said the President, “For all those who ask whether the fight in Iraq is worth it, imagine an Iraq where militia groups backed by Iran control large parts of the country.”
On the same day, in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala, the Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, battled government security forces around the shrine of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest places. A million pilgrims were in the city and fifty-one died.
The US did not directly intervene, but American jets flew overhead in support of the government security forces. As elsewhere in the south, those Iraqi forces are dominated by the Badr Organization, a militia founded, trained, armed, and financed by Iran. When US forces ousted Saddam’s regime from the south in early April 2003, the Badr Organization infiltrated from Iran to fill the void left by the Bush administration’s failure to plan for security and governance in post-invasion Iraq.
In the months that followed, the US-run Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) appointed Badr Organization leaders to key positions in Iraq’s American-created army and police. At the same time, L. Paul Bremer’s CPA appointed party officials from the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) to be governors and serve on governorate councils throughout southern Iraq. SCIRI, recently renamed the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), was founded at the Ayatollah Khomeini’s direction in Tehran in 1982. The Badr Organization is the militia associated with SCIRI.
In the January 2005 elections, SCIRI became the most important component of Iraq’s ruling Shiite coalition. In exchange for not taking the prime minister’s slot, SCIRI won the right to name key ministers, including the minister of the interior. From that ministry, SCIRI placed Badr militiamen throughout Iraq’s national police.
In short, George W. Bush had from the first facilitated the very event he warned would be a disastrous consequence of a US withdrawal from Iraq: the takeover of a large part of the country by an Iranian-backed militia. And while the President contrasts the promise of democracy in Iraq with the tyranny in Iran, there is now substantially more personal freedom in Iran than in southern Iraq.
Iran’s role in Iraq is pervasive, but also subtle. When Iraq drafted its permanent constitution in 2005, the American ambassador energetically engaged in all parts of the process. But behind the scenes, the Iranian ambassador intervened to block provisions that Tehran did not like. As it happened, both the Americans and the Iranians wanted to strengthen Iraq’s central government. While the Bush administration clung to the mirage of a single Iraqi people, Tehran worked to give its proxies, the pro-Iranian Iraqis it supported—by then established as the government of Iraq—as much power…
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Gen. How Genes Change 20. Html. Genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer disease. For most cell lines, 0. Gene 1073742. The rest of this paper 24 pages discusses the evidence for this theory in terms of assumptions based on molecular biology which can be made questrade forex handbook evolutionary mechanisms.
1121. See F S P K Literature Holocaust literature consists of all the liter- ary responses to the destruction of European Jewry and other peoples by the Nazi German state and its collaborators during World War II. Because many of the available retroviral vectors have limited polylinker cloning sequences, insertion of the gene of interest often means using blunt- end cloning, a process that can tnt forex uk inefficient. Like a map, in- cluding questrade forex handbook of questrade forex handbook and telomeres and the whole of Barr bodies, are highly condensed.
Nikaido, T. Questrade forex handbook (1997). Individual RTX toxins differ in target specificity for cell types and animal species; handbok, some were named as hemolysins and others as leukotoxins. Cover with a glass coverslip and incubate for 30 min at 37°C in a humid chamber. Bartel et al. When Alice used k transformations, her public key is given by a ak1. Vaughan, Forx. Whether forex metatrader traders choice flow occurs in these other questrade forex handbook is being explored.
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In the questrade forex handbook loop the two approximations of questrade quotient are compared and accordingly either the single precision operations in the next three steps or the multiprecision operations in the following if branch are computed. influenzae cells disrupted by the immune defenses of a doubly infected patient. 4 76. Tenwilliger, T. Springer- Verlag, Berlin, whereas radiation often generates deletions. 208. Beulen, J. Compare with conserved synteny.
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9, 164170. 4 per cent in mind, M. TOBY Division forex market worldwide Basic Science, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, and Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 2 Genetic maps of the Chalmydomonas chloroplast and mitochondrion can be found by choosing the Linkage grou optionat this site.
Mazur, J. Asparaginyl-tRNA handbook from Qustrade coli has significant sequence homologies with gfl global forex sydney pty ltd aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. 9 NM 81.Ten essentials of forex trading
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Levels of 'ugly cholesterol' in the blood are much higher than previously imagined
The amount of remnant particle cholesterol in the blood, the so-called ugly cholesterol, is much higher than previously believed. This is shown in new research from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital. The discovery may have implications for future prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Three quarters of the Danish population have moderately elevated levels of cholesterol. If cholesterol levels are too high, risk of cardiovascular disease is increased. Often, LDL cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol, is considered the culprit. However, new research from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital shows that a completely different type of cholesterol may be more responsible than previously assumed. What we are talking about is remnant cholesterol—also known as ugly cholesterol.
To their surprise, the researchers have discovered that the amount of remnant cholesterol in the blood of adult Danes is much higher than previously believed. From the age of 20 until the age of 60, the amount in the blood is constantly increasing, and for many people it remains at a high level for the rest of their lives.
"Our results show that the amount of remnant cholesterol in the blood of adult Danes is just as high as the amount of the bad LDL cholesterol. We have previously shown that remnant cholesterol is at least as critical as LDL cholesterol in relation to an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and it is therefore a disturbing development," says Professor and Chief Physician Børge Nordestgaard from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital.
The results are based on data from people from the Copenhagen General Population Study. A total of 9,000 individuals had cholesterol in their fat particles in the blood measured by means of new advanced measuring equipment, known as 'metabolomics." The measurements show that total cholesterol in the blood consists of equal parts of "ugly," "bad" and "good" cholesterol.
Overweight and Obesity Are the Main Cause
"Previous studies from the Copenhagen General Population Study show that overweight and obesity are the main cause of the very high amount of remnant cholesterol in the blood of adult Danes. In addition, diabetes, hereditary genes and lack of exercise play a part," says one of the authors, MD Mie Balling from the University of Copenhagen and the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital.
In 2018, a large international, controlled clinical trial was published that clearly showed that when triglycerides and thus remnant cholesterol were reduced by the help of medication in people with elevated levels in the blood, the risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 25%.
"Our findings point to the fact that prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke should not just focus on reducing the bad LDL cholesterol, but also on reducing remnant cholesterol and triglycerides. So far, both cardiologists and GPs have focused mostly on reducing LDL cholesterol, but in the future, the focus will also be on reducing triglycerides and remnant cholesterol," says Professor Børge Nordestgaard.
According to Børge Nordestgaard, the most important thing you yourself can do to achieve the lowest possible level of remnant cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood is to maintain a normal body weight.
The three kinds of cholesterol:
- Remnant cholesterol = ugly cholesterol: the cholesterol content in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins or remnant particles. Elevated remnant cholesterol leads to cardiovascular disease.
- LDL cholesterol = bad cholesterol: the cholesterol content in low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Elevated LDL cholesterol leads to cardiovascular disease.
- HDL cholesterol = "good" cholesterol = innocent cholesterol: the cholesterol content in high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Levels of HDL cholesterol does not affect cardiovascular disease risk.
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49 Remember your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
51 The arrogant utterly deride me,
but I do not turn away from your law.
52 When I think of your ordinances from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.
53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
those who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
wherever I make my home.
55 I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
for I have kept your precepts.
57 The Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
58 I implore your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think of your ways,
I turn my feet to your decrees;
60 I hurry and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you,
because of your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes.
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, according to your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was humbled I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
69 The arrogant smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.
70 Their hearts are fat and gross,
but I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I was humbled,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,[a]
there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly,
and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever
and never see the grave.[b]
10 When we look at the wise, they die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves[c] are their homes forever,
their dwelling places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
the end of those[d] who are pleased with their lot.Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,[e]
and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their home.[f]
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me.Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich,
when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away;
their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they[g] will go to the company of their ancestors,
who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and alighted from the donkey, and fell before David on her face, bowing to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt; please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal[a] is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
26 “Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, since the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from taking vengeance with your own hand, now let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be like Nabal. 27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant; for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord; and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. 29 If anyone should rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living under the care of the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 When the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you prince over Israel, 31 my lord shall have no cause of grief, or pangs of conscience, for having shed blood without cause or for having saved himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”
32 David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! 33 Blessed be your good sense, and blessed be you, who have kept me today from bloodguilt and from avenging myself by my own hand! 34 For as surely as the Lord the God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him; he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace; see, I have heeded your voice, and I have granted your petition.”
36 Abigail came to Nabal; he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him; he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has judged the case of Nabal’s insult to me, and has kept back his servant from evil; the Lord has returned the evildoing of Nabal upon his own head.” Then David sent and wooed Abigail, to make her his wife. 40 When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 She rose and bowed down, with her face to the ground, and said, “Your servant is a slave to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 Abigail got up hurriedly and rode away on a donkey; her five maids attended her. She went after the messengers of David and became his wife.
43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; both of them became his wives. 44 Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
19 But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. 22 There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work[a] that they had completed. 27 When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
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Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife Area is one of the largest
state-owned and managed sites in Illinois. Located 35 miles southeast of
St. Louis, Missouri, the area comprises more than 20,000 acres and extends
along the Kaskaskia River from Fayetteville to the Mississippi River in
St. Clair, Monroe and Randolph counties. The Illinois Department of Transportation
owns the land along the river and leases most of the land to the Department
of Natural Resources to manage for fish, wildlife and other recreational
activities. A few areas are managed by the Kaskaskia River
Port District for industrial use and are not available for public use.
Lake, a 2,018-acre reservoir built by Illinois Power Company, is contained
within Kaskaskia River SFWA. This lake serves as a source of cooling water
a nearby electric generating station. Baldwin Lake is open to the public
for fishing and is a major part of the areas waterfowl refuge.
Southwestern Illinois, which includes Kaskaskia River SFWA,
has traditionally been rich in fish and wildlife resources and was occupied by both American Indians and early settlers to the state.
The Kaskaskia River remained essentially unchanged until the late 1960s
when it was modified by channelization to promote commercial development
and navigation. This led to eventual state ownership of the site and increased
the public use of the area.
Kaskaskia River SFWA possesses a wide variety of terrestrial
and aquatic habitats. Water acres include not only the Kaskaskia River
with its associated side channel and backwater areas (2,200 acres), but
also Baldwin Lake (2,018 acres) and Peabody-River King State Fish and
Wildlife Area (2,200 acres).
A land area of about 16,000 acres includes
an extensive mixed bottomland forest comprised of pecan, soft maple, bur
oak, pin oak, shellbark hickory and willow. Many cultivated and fallow
fields, native grass patches, brushy areas and other "open"
areas are interspersed with the stands of mature bottomland timber. Due
to this great diversity of habitats, good wildlife populations exist
on the site.
Fishing is the most popular activity on the Kaskaskia River.
The area contains 36 miles of channelized river, plus additional oxbows,
creeks and river bottom lakes for the anglers to enjoy.
Fishing for channel and flathead
catfish is especially popular and offers both day and night
angling opportunities. Other species include largemouth bass, crappie,
bluegill, carp and freshwater drum. All exist in good numbers and provide
excellent fishing throughout the year. Fishing tournaments must be
scheduled through the site office.
Concrete launch ramps are provided on the Kaskaskia River
at Fayetteville, New Athens, on Highway 154 west of Baldwin, and at Evansville.
"No-wake" zones exist near the ramps, industrial sites and at
all of the oxbows.
Boaters must operate their watercraft accordingly in these areas.
Weekends and holidays throughout the summer
receive the most boat usage and boaters are urged to be extra safety conscious
during this time. Boaters also should be aware of barge traffic on the
river and at the lock and dam site at the mouth of the river.
Approximately 14,000 acres are available
for hunting. Due to the amount of wooded acreage at Kaskaskia River SFWA, forest game
species, such as squirrels and white-tailed deer, are very common and offer
sportsmen many hours of hunting enjoyment. Extensive wetland areas
associated with the river provide ample opportunities for waterfowl hunting.
In addition, a public waterfowl hunting area, Doza Creek Waterfowl Management
Area, exists in the area. Upland game, such as rabbits and quail, can be
found in the open areas adjacent to the wooded portions of the site. Dove
hunting is provided in several sunflower fields.
Hunter check stations are maintained in the area and access
is primarily from the boat ramps and parking lots. A hunter fact
sheet is available for additional information. Hunter
A 12-mile trail system exists on the site and is used by hunters, hikers,
bird watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Trails are closed
to vehicular traffic. Contact the site office for a trail brochure.
To reach the Site Headquarters from the south
one would access State Hwy. 154 and go to the town of Baldwin. In Baldwin
turn north on 5th Street and travel 4 miles, passing the Illinois Power
generating facility. At the intersection of 5th Street and Risdon School
Road, turn west (left) and travel one mile to the park entrance gate. Turn
left at the gate and follow the black top road to the site office sign.
The site office is 1/4 mile south of this sign.
To reach the Site Headquarters from the
north one would access State Hwy. 13 and travel toward the village of
New Athens. While on Hwy. 13 look for the "Baldwin Lake" Highway sign
and turn south. Travel this blacktop road for 5 miles to the intersection
of Risdon School Road and turn west (right). Travel one mile to the park
entrance gate. Turn left at the gate and follow the black top road to
the site office sign. The site office is 1/4 mile south of this sign.
- While groups of 25 or
more are welcome and encouraged to use the park's facilities, they are required
to register in advance with the site office to avoid crowding or scheduling
- At least one responsible
adult must accompany each group of 15 minors.
- Pets must be kept on
leashes at all times.
- Actions by nature can
result in closed roads and other facilities. Please call ahead to the park
office before you make your trip.
- We hope you enjoy your
stay. Remember, take only memories, leave only footprints.
- For more information
on tourism in Illinois, call the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity,
Bureau of Tourism at 1-800-2Connect.
- Telecommunication Device
for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Natural Resources Information (217) 782-9175
for TDD only Relay Number 800-526-0844.
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What-If: Operation Babel
Construct Main Barricade
Construct Side Barricade
Defend the Crane Controls
Defend the Crane Controls
Defend the Missile Controls
This is another defensive mission. Use a Heavy Body Character with a machine gun to tip the scales in your favor. There are only two main objectives, but there are a few secondary objectives. Take the secondary objectives into consideration to help you out with the primary objectives, but always keep an eye on the primary objectives. The first objective is to defend the Crane Controls. Engineers will try and rush the Crane Controls to repair them. Use any class you like to take them out. There will be many vantage points to keep an eye on the controls. You can construct barricades as secondary missions cut off any short cuts Security has. Defend the controls with all you have.
If you fail to defend the Crane Controls, the next mission is to defend the Missile Controls. Security will bring in an Operative to hack the controls and stop your missile launch. Switch to an Engineer class to reverse any progress they make with their hack. Since you're an Engineer, you can place landmines and turrets around to better protect the area. This is a short mission, so do not fail this objective or the mission is over.
What-If: Critical Reaction
Repair the Bridge Access Panel
Hack the Vent System
Destroy the Reactor
This mission is short, but difficult. You will face enemies with the best abilities and equipment in close quarters. Some enemies may have abilities to injure you while they are incapacitated, or they may be able to revive themselves! The first thing you must do is hack the vent system. Switch to an Operative class to perform the hack. There are two vent systems that can be hacked. Both of the vents do not need to be hacked, but you have two options for the hack. Place a hackbox on the vent and stand near it to hack it. Security may be up on a high location looking down. Make sure you look all around for enemies, landmines, or turrets. Use submachine guns and shotguns for the Close Quarter Combat. Remember, the more Operative hacking, the faster the hack will go. Hack the vent to gain access to the second part of this mission.
The second part requires you to destroy the Reactor. Switch classes to a Soldier Class to plant a HE Charge on the reactor. Just like before, make sure there are no enemies, landmines, or turrets around. Plant and guard the charge to complete the mission.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
X360 Forza Motorsport 4
Wii Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
NDS Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns
PS3 Dark Souls
PC Dark Souls (Prepare to Die Edition)
X360 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Web War Commander
PS3 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
X360 Trials Evolution
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Hard vs. soft maple
Soft maple takes stain (actually, I prefer aniline dye to pigment stains) more readily than does hard. Therefore, it would not be advisable to mix soft and hard maple in a tabletop, or to have three soft maple legs and one hard maple leg. That, however, is the only area where I am careful not to mix the species.
By the way, if you want to see a truly spectacular wood find some wormy, spalted, curly maple (soft or hard) and finish it with a 1lb cut of amber shellac followed by a good oil finish.
From contributor M:
I'd be *very* hesitant about mixing these species if the parts are destined for a single, exposed part of the furniture, a tabletop for example.
While it's true that individual samples may appear almost identical, it's also true that there can be a difference in color between the two species. Red maple (one of the species designated as soft), for example, may have a grayish color cast when freshly sawed and dried that may darken even more with age. Hard maple, on the other hand, will tend to remain whiter.
I'd say mixing these two is a dangerous game and I'd avoid it unless there is a really compelling reason to do it.
From contributor A:
Please note that only the sapwood of hard maple is “white”. If one uses hard maple heartwood, its color will also be gray to brown and will darken more quickly than will the sapwood. The sapwood of both hard and soft maple is classified as “white”. As a result, there is a substantial ability to interchange the species.
From contributor M:
The sapwood in soft maple can exhibit the grayish cast. The trouble is that at times it becomes more noticeable after the finish is applied and the piece is shipped.
I prefer soft maple. It costs less and is much easier to work in that it doesn’t dull blades and cutters as quickly and it is not as susceptible to burning by edge forming and cutting tools. It is also somewhat easier to finish.
Do customers care about the difference? No. To them, maple is maple.
I make benches and weave the seats in cotton cord to reasonably high tension. I use 1" dowels for the seat rails. Only hard maple dowels successfully hold up to the bending forces I apply. Soft maple dowels bow more (almost 1/2 inch versus less than 1/4 inch on hard maple of the same 26" lengths) and sometimes break. Soft maple is slightly less dense and not as strong. I do like the color and figure that I can get locally in soft maple and have used it for legs on benches, but where strength is necessary, I stick with hard maple.
First, there are color differences, although slight, between hard and soft maple. To say that the sapwood is white is basically true, but there are more gray hues in soft maple.
Second, there are two species of hard maple--sugar (99%) and black maple.
Third, there are tremendous strength, bendability, weight, gluing, machining and fastening differences. Be careful if these properties are important. To say the properties are not important is against all published information and experience in these above-mentioned categories.
Fourth, soft maple, if given a clear finish, will have many more color differences depending on the angle that it is viewed from. These color differences can actually make two adjacent pieces of hard maple seem like distant cousins rather than from the same tree.
Fifth, the separation of lumber into the two groups--hard and soft--is not too easy, but is easily done with 10x magnification. However, weight can be a very good guideline.
Sixth, people buying a maple table may not know about hard and soft, but if you use the words sugar or hard, it better be hard maple. I suspect that most people buying a "maple" table expect hard maple based on the normal practice within the industry throughout the country, so if you sell them soft maple (with its softer, easier to dent surface and lower strength), you are really running the narrow line close to fraud. If it is soft maple, say that it is.
Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor
I have stocked and sold both hard and soft maple for years. There are jobs where soft maple is a good choice. Some people ask for hard maple, and that is what I give them.
Bottom line is, never mix the two.
I am in the lumber business selling almost exclusively maples. It is my experience that the two types are very clearly different, particularly when natural finish is used; hard maple has more consistent color - creamy white to paper white. Soft maple sap is seen in many different shades from bright white to pinkish, greyish, tan. It is also my experience that some people try to substitute the cheaper soft for hard. I agree with Gene that this is an ethically questionable practice.
The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).
Comment from contributor R:
Additionally, hard maple will take a stain more evenly than soft maple. Lastly, hard maple will hold up much better than soft and is at least twice the price. Substituting soft maple for hard maple doesn’t seem to be the best choice unless you tell your customer and explain the differences between the two.
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Prevention Today for Wellness Tomorrow
Wellness is optimal health and vitality, encompassing integration of mind, body, and spirit throughout life's journey. Take charge of your Health and get on to the path to Wellness, what you Do, Think, Feel, and Believe has an impact on your health and well-being.
Today with trend of disease profiles shifting from communicable disease to non communicable Lifestyle Diseases, more than 80% of health risks like Hypertension, Diabetes, Kidney, Liver and Heart ailments are related to routine and lifestyle of individuals, Early diagnosis and prevention is the only remedy to avoid these dreaded diseases, without which suffering and high healthcare expenditures are inevitable .
Wellness is a concept that can improve individual’s health and quality of life. By being proactive towards symptoms of aging and changing lifestyles one can retain or attain good health, thereby avoiding costly health care consumption. Benefits of Wellness and Prevention are Long term and intuitive - it is wiser to prevent a disease than to face its consequences at a more advanced stage Towards the spirit of Wellness, ISHA Diagnostics presents a panel of Basic and Comprehensive Wellness programs, with host of affordable services provided at door step, so as to enable Individuals and their family members to work towards wellness.
Copyright © 2013 ISHA Diagnostics. All rights reserved.
Power by :Tamagna Technologies Pvt Ltd
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THE LAST WORD
So How Are You Doing?
After facing a serious illness, one physician found new meaning in this common question.
Fam Pract Manag. 2005 Nov-Dec;12(10):70.
A year ago, things were going along well for me. I was busy with my practice but enjoying it. My wife and I were approaching our 25th wedding anniversary. The boys were doing well. And my health was good – or so I thought. Then came the bladder cancer, an exceedingly loud and unexpected wake-up call. I found myself facing emergency exams and tests, planned surgery, followed by unplanned surgery in the middle of the night, unpleasant treatments and some complications. I’m doing OK now, feeling well and working again, but my calendar now includes uncomfortable exams and treatment sessions, episodes of panic and dread, and a lot more uncertainty than it did just a year ago.
This has also been a year when a common question has taken on new meaning for me. “How are you doing?” is a question we hear every day. It is best offered while on the move, without making physical or eye contact, and the conventional response is, “Fine. How are you?” Although it’s a question, people really don’t want to know the answer. They just want to convey a bit of courtesy – and then quickly get by the person they’ve met in the hall or parking lot.
But now, the question is more meaningful to me. As I walk through the hospital, I often hear it from people who know of my illness: nurses, clerks, maintenance workers, operating room techs, some patients and, unexpectedly, not a lot of doctors. (I think doctors want to know but are often too embarrassed to inquire.)
Now the question is offered differently: People stop, make eye contact and sometimes extend a hand. They ask more slowly, more intently, and, most striking, they really do want to know. And I tell them, more than I thought I would be telling people not that close to me: I feel OK. The treatments are going well. I’m trying to work less and take better care of myself. I’m going to beat this thing.
They smile at me, sometimes they squeeze my hand, and occasionally they even hug me. It feels wonderful. I feel better, more optimistic about the cancer, better about myself and about our world. And I say, “Thanks for asking” – and mean it. Then I often ask, “And how are you doing?” And I really do want to know. They tell me that their son is doing better, they might get a different job, the back pain is less, they are “making it.” They smile and thank me for asking. We go our separate ways, both feeling better, both looking forward to the next time we meet.
Walking the hospital hallway used to be a way for me to get from point A to point B, and the people I passed along the way were just scenery. No longer. Now I look forward to these unexpected and brief encounters. They give me warmth and strength, and they remind me how fortunate I am to be feeling well and doing what I love. They remind me that we really are all in this together and the most important thing we can do for one another is to care.
So I thank those kind folks for teaching me a good lesson. Now, when a passerby does not ask me how I’m doing, I usually ask them, and we share a few good minutes and thoughts. I want them to feel that I do care about how they are doing, and after my own struggles, I find I really do.
Try it. Slow down. Stop. Look them in the eye. Extend a hand. Smile. Ask. Listen. Respond. It will be great therapy for both of you. And by the way, “How are you doing?” I truly hope you are doing well.
About the Author
Dr. Waltman is a family physician in Tacoma, Wash. Conflicts of interest: none reported.
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Copyright © 2005 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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1. Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West
The title of this book grabbed me recently when reading a list Bianca posted up of 100 Best First Lines from novels and thought I'd investigate further. The novel details a couple of weeks in the life of an advice-columnist working in depression-era New York. His column is dubbed 'Miss Lonelyhearts' and he grows increasingly depressed by the letters he receives.
2. Baby's in Black by Arne Bellstoff
This was recently recommended on Lizz's blog. Baby's in Black is a graphic novel based on the relationship between the 'fifth Beatle' Stuart Sutcliffe and his girlfriend, photographer Astrid Kirchher.
3. It Chooses You by Miranda July
This has been on my wishlist a while, I'm just waiting for it to come down in price a bit! Miranda July's latest book is about her adventures meeting people who placed ads in the 'Penny Saver.' Along with her photographer friend she documents the journey she made meeting 16 people and the stories they have.
4. Kiki de Montparnasse by Catel Jose-Luis Bocquet
Another graphic biography, this one is about the life of artist's muse and French model Alice Prin, also known as Kiki de Montparnasse.
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
I bought this book a while ago and haven't got around to starting it yet. The Color Purple is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about an uneducated black women's struggle for power in the deep south.
6. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Strange thinking that Capote's other famous work is so different.. In Cold Blood is a true life story investigating the murder of a family that took place in 1959 and the motives the killers had for their crimes.
If you have read any of the above do let me know!
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IPVMU Certified | 02/08/13 05:25am
Short Answer: "It Depends"
If you are talking about wiring up alarm contacts, they draw ~zero current, so you can almost certainly use 22/2.
Pretty much everything else will depend on the amount of current drawn, and the length of the run.
A typical honeywell setup for a house:
Smokes: 22/2 or 22/4 depending on if its a 2 or 4 wire smoke
Keypads and expansion modules: 22/4 (single keypad) or 18/4 (multiple keypads daisy chained).
Google should lead you to a wire sizing chart (your looking for "NEC wire sizing chart" if you are in the US).
IPVMU Certified | 02/08/13 01:48pm
Like James describes, the typical wiring for sensor and keypads is 4-conductor jacketed cable. Gauge depends on device amperage and distance.
Alarm cable usually color-codes wire jackets with:
- Red: used for + power
- Black: used for - power
- Yellow: data out
- Green: data in
Observing color codes makes it easy to keep track of which wire connects to as given terminal.
Usually, dedicated power circuits, or for devices pulling larger amperages over long runs (like the sirens/keypads James describes above) 18 gauge wire is used.
James, Thank you. I should have clearified my original post. This would be for alarm devices, like keypads, hold ups, door contacts, heat sensors and vibration sensors the installation would be from an alarm panel inside a building to an outside remote building. This would be where some, part or all of the wire, cable may go underground.
IPVMU Certified | 02/08/13 08:14pm
Depending on where your project is located, underground cable is offered in 'direct burial' types that can be trenched unprotected into soil, or can be run in conduit to protect cable from water, ice, and pests.
Direct Burial cabling typically has a thick seamless polypropylene sheath, like shown below:
The installation of burglar alarm cabling is guided by National Electrical Code Article 725. Here are a couple of articles to give you some guidance.
NEC Technical Reference
NEC / CEC Substitution Chart
A great resource for assistance are cabling suppliers like, CSC, Windy City Wire, West Penn and others. They are there to help you select the right cabling.
For our own use we purchase the product called Aquaseal for underground cabling. It is available for various applications.
IPVMU Certified | 02/11/13 02:18am
Damon, sounds like your application requires multiple cables to be run to an out facility. Based on that, I would run 3/4 inch PVC conduit undergroung (if appropriate) to the remote facility and run the cables mentioned earlier. You mentioned a heat detector. keep the jacket color red with anything fire related. Also, cables should be stranded rather then solid With respect to alarm system conductors. Lastly, you mentioned a keypad. It's a good idea to run a Cat 5/6 to the keypad Area. You won't regret that. Regards
22-12C works great as well for alarm system in places where you want to pull one wire and hang a few devices off of it.
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New Jersey roads are not just busy, but are also dangerous due to fast-moving cars and heavy vehicles. Every year, thousands of motor vehicle accidents happen on New Jersey roads. Recently, an accident between a bus and a car in New Jersey left three people injured.
According to reports, the car crash took place around midnight in Jersey City when a New Jersey Transit bus collided with a concrete barrier in an attempt to avoid a car. The Number 87 bus from Hoboken to Jersey City was driving south on Paterson Plank Road. The car involved in the accident, traveling in the same direction, tried to pass the bus by crossing the double yellow line.
The bus driver, in order to avoid a collision with the car, turned the bus sharply in the other direction but, unfortunately, crashed into a concrete barrier. The car that was involved in the accident fled from the scene after the crash occurred. Four passengers and the driver were all on board the New Jersey Transit bus when the accident occurred. Due to the crash, the driver and two passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
An accident such as this clearly highlights the importance of following traffic rules and also demonstrates the dangers associated with negligent driving. A person may sustain serious injuries or may even lose his or her life due to an accident caused by a negligent driver. It is, therefore, very important that a careless and distracted driver is held responsible so that it serves as a lesson to other drivers.
The accident victims had to go through tremendous pain and suffering through no fault of their own. The driver of the car fled the scene of the accident without even thinking about the harm he had caused due to his careless driving. The injured people would be well within their rights to file a personal injury claim against the allegedly negligent driver in order to recover adequate compensation for the injuries that they suffered.
Source: The Jersey Journal, "3 injured in early morning bus accident in Jersey City, officials say," Anthony J. Machchinski, Oct. 31, 2013
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Tuesday, July 13, 1999 Published at 18:53 GMT 19:53 UK
Who'd kiss a giraffe?
Giraffes eat thorny plants
The secret to new medical treatments for humans could be found on the wet, slobbery tongue of the giraffe.
Professor Christopher Viney is investigating the molecular structure of giraffe saliva in research he hopes will further our understanding of human mucus and its role in the digestive process.
Mucus is active in a range of human functions and problems, including stomach ulcers and the potentially fatal disease cystic fibrosis.
Giraffe mucus helps the animal to swallow the thorny plants that it eats in its natural environment in the African bush.
Professor Viney, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, said: "By studying the way mucus helps giraffes eat dry and spiky food, or allows slugs to glide over rough ground or even razor blades, we can build a picture of the molecular structure which enables those animals to perform those functions."
Professor Viney gets his saliva from a giraffe called Jade at Edinburgh Zoo
The scientist uses a jam jar with a lump of fruit in the bottom. When the animal sticks its 45-centimetre (18-inch) tongue into the jar, it leaves its dribble behind. Professor Viney wants to share his results with medical researchers. He hopes his findings will add to our understanding of human conditions and contribute to new treatments for them.
Professor Viney, who has previously investigated mucus from slugs and pigs stomachs, decided on his latest research target while reading a book to his four-year-old daughter Christine.
He said: "I was reading to her about giraffes and the fact that their tongue is lubricated with thick mucus and I decided to look into it."
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A Christmas story: wave of genital mutilation in the UK?
posted at 1:36 pm on December 22, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
This isn’t exactly the heartwarming holiday story that is the usual fare of media during Christmas week. Nor does it come from a source one would expect. The Independent, a newspaper associated more with the hard Left of British politics, reports that the UK has done next to nothing to stop the practice of female genital mutilation, the act of brutally removing the clitorises of young girls to curb their sexual appetites in later years.
Does the Independent mean to criticize Britain’s foreign policy? Not exactly. The danger, unfortunately, is in the UK itself (via The Other McCain):
Hundreds of British schoolgirls are facing the terrifying prospect of female genital mutilation (FGM) over the Christmas holidays as experts warn the practice continues to flourish across the country. Parents typically take their daughters back to their country of origin for FGM during school holidays, but The Independent on Sunday has been told that “cutters” are being flown to the UK to carry out the mutilation at “parties” involving up to 20 girls to save money.
The police face growing criticism for failing to prosecute a single person for carrying out FGM in 25 years; new legislation from 2003 which prohibits taking a girl overseas for FGM has also failed to secure a conviction.
Experts say the lack of convictions, combined with the Government’s failure to invest enough money in education and prevention strategies, mean the practice continues to thrive. Knowledge of the health risks and of the legislation remains patchy among practising communities, while beliefs about the supposed benefits for girls remain firm, according to research by the Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and Development (Forward).
Normally, parents take their children abroad, which has caused the UK to watch when preadolescent children leave school suddenly as a way to monitor for it. Why are the FGM mutilators being asked to come to the UK? Economics:
Jackie Mathers, a nurse from the Bristol Safeguarding Children Board, said: “These families do not do this out of spite or hatred; they believe this will give their daughters the best opportunities in life. We would like a conviction, not against the parents, but against a cutter, someone who makes a living from this. We have anecdotal information that the credit crunch means people can’t go home, so they’re getting cutters over for ‘FGM parties’. It is hard for people to speak out because they are from communities that are already vilified as asylum seekers, so to stand up against their communities is to risk being ostracised. But we have to empower girls and women to address this, along with teachers, school nurses and social workers. We can’t ignore it; it is mutilation.”
Unfortunately, this is still a fairly common practice in Africa and some Muslim countries. It creates a lifetime of pain and medical complications for women, and can kill the girls with infections. It’s purely subjugative, as FGM has no support in Islam or any other religion.
This calls into question the UK’s attempts to proscribe the practice thus far. They passed a law banning FGM almost seven years ago, and everyone acknowledges that the practice has continued. Yet no prosecutions have been made, and parents apparently feel comfortable enough to host FGM “parties” in the UK in order to get bulk discounts during the recession. That makes the UK’s rule of law seem rather impotent, especially considering the vulnerable nature of the victims and the deep and permanent damage FGM does to them. Would the UK look the other way for pedophilia parties?
Kudos to the Independent for bucking political correctness and exposing the problem. They deserve a round of thanks from everyone across the political spectrum. British citizens should take this opportunity to demand action on the law they demanded, and which appears to have been roundly ignored in the cause of faux diversity.
Breaking on Hot Air
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So why have we not seen the strong productivity growth we need? As explained in the recent ITIF e-book Think Like an Enterprise: Why Nations Need Comprehensive Productivity Strategies, there is solid research suggesting that the slowdown is not a cyclical phenomenon, nor is it because we are measuring output incorrectly.
The plan focuses on four essential, interdependent objectives that will help guide NIH’s priorities over the next five years as it pursues its mission of seeking fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and applying that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The objectives are to:
A new world of flexible, bendable, even stretchable electronics is emerging from research labs to address a wide range of potentially game-changing uses. The common, rigid printed circuit board is slowly being replaced by a thin ribbon of resilient, high-performance electronics.
Reflecting the Nation’s determination to end the scourge of Alzheimer’s, NIH for the first time has prepared this professional judgment budget proposal for FY 2017. This budget proposal estimates the additional funding needed to reach the ultimate research goal of the National Plan—to effectively treat and prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias by 2025—and will be updated annually. It focuses on funding for investigator-initiated research grants and NIH initiatives that would spur research beyond NIH’s base budget allocated in the previous year.
"Some 250 miles overhead, astronauts are conducting critical research not possible on Earth, which makes tremendous advances in our lives while helping to expand human presence beyond low Earth orbit," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations.
An international Earth-observing mission launched in 2011 to study the salinity of the ocean surface ended June 8 when an essential part of the power and attitude control system for the SAC-D spacecraft, stopped operating.
In a leap for robotic development, the MIT researchers who built a robotic cheetah have now trained it to see and jump over hurdles as it runs — making this the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously.
Last year was a notable one for scientific achievements: In 2014, European researchers discovered a fundamental new particle that sheds light on the origins of the universe, and the European Space Agency successfully landed the first spacecraft on a comet. Chinese researchers, meanwhile, developed the world’s fastest supercomputer, and uncovered new ways to meet global food demand.
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Obama: Bond between US, Israel 'unbreakable'
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama says he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants peace and that Israel is serious about resuming direct talks with the Palestinians.
In an Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu Tuesday, Obama also hailed what he called "real progress" in the Gaza Strip, where Israel recently relaxed an embargo on the entry of goods.
Obama said the U.S. would never ask Israel to take any steps that undermine its security.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed into a White House meeting Tuesday with the same goal: trying to move the Israelis and Palestinians to resume face-to-face peace talks.
Netanyahu's limousine arrived at the West Wing entrance of the White House for the meeting as protesters gathered across the street in Lafayette Park chanted "No More Aid, End the Blockade," referring to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The prime minister had no comment as he entered the White House.
Netanyahu on Sunday endorsed the U.S. call for direct talks between the two parties, just days after White House officials said Obama would push during the Oval Office session for those negotiations to get under way sooner rather than later.
Addressing his cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu said the "time has come" for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to get ready to meet with the Israelis "because there is no other way to advance peace. I hope this will be one of the results of the visit to Washington."
Aides to Obama sounded a hopeful tone late last week, telling reporters that weeks of shuttle diplomacy between the two sides by George Mitchell, Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, had paid off and "the gaps have narrowed."
"We believe there are opportunities to further narrow those gaps, to allow the sides to take that next step to direct talks," said Daniel Shapiro, the senior Middle East director at the National Security Council.
Obama and Netanyahu also are expected to discuss Israel's decision Monday to significantly ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip to let in most consumer goods. Israel's ban on exports from Gaza and limits on shipments of construction material remain.
Israel came under heavy international pressure, including from Obama and other top U.S. officials, to loosen its 3-year-old land and naval blockade of the seaside territory following Israel's deadly May 31 military raid on a flotilla trying to break the embargo.
At the time, Obama said the situation was "unsustainable." He called for a narrow blockade to bar weapons that Gaza's Hamas rulers could use against Israel while admitting items the territory's 1.5 million Palestinians need for daily living and economic development.
Obama and Netanyahu also are likely to discuss efforts to end Iran's nuclear weapons pursuit, including sanctions Obama signed into law last week. That legislation followed a fourth round of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran.
After the one-on-one meeting, Obama planned a statement, followed by a lengthy working lunch with Netanyahu. It was a far different atmosphere than during their last meeting when Obama, upset over Israeli policies in disputed East Jerusalem, kept the media away from a chilly late-night session.
Tuesday's meeting will be the fifth between Obama and Netanyahu and would make up for a scheduled June 1 session at the White House that Netanyahu canceled to deal with fallout from the flotilla raid.
The session follows meetings Obama held at the White House in recent weeks with key Mideast players, including Abbas and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
It comes after that rocky White House meeting between Obama and Netanyahu in March. That followed Israel's surprise announcement of plans for new construction in east Jerusalem as Vice President Joe Biden was in Israel and preparing for dinner with the prime minister.
Getting both sides to resume direct talks, which broke off in December 2008, is a huge challenge. One big sticking point is Israel's continued construction of Jewish housing in east Jerusalem, an area the Palestinians claim as part of a hoped-for future state.
The Palestinians have refused to sit down with Netanyahu until he agrees to freeze construction in areas they want for an independent state. Israel recently said it has no intention of doing so.
Abbas said last week that the borders of a future Palestinian state and security relations with Israel are the two issues on the table. He said direct talks can resume if an agreement is reached on them.
Obama has called on Jerusalem to halt settlement construction and on the Palestinians to show progress on security and stopping violence against Israel.
The Associated Press
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- Parts List
- Remove Master Cylinder
- Remove the Master Cylinder Piston
- Disassemble Master Cylinder Piston
- Clean Up Master Cylinder Bore
- Painting the Master Cylinder and Caliper
- Install New Parts In Master Cylinder
- Assemble Master Cylinder
- Install Master Cylinder
- Brake Caliper Rebuild
- Install Caliper in Front Fork
- Install Brake Pads in Caliper
- Install Brake Lines
I have been working on two R75/6 bikes, one is my own 1975 R75/6 and the other a project I took on to wake up a 1976 R75/6 from its long slumber on a back porch under a tarp underneath a pile of outdoor furniture. Both bikes have the single disk ATE front brake. The 1976 bike has a build date of 09/1975 and an updated ATE disk brake system with a 40 mm caliper piston and a revision to the master cylinder and fluid reservoir with only one hole to mount the reservoir using a threaded sleeve. My 1975 bike has a 38 mm caliper pistonF and a two hole master cylinder; the second hole is where a metal strap clamps the plastic fluid reservoir on the cast iron master cylinder. The rebuild procedure is the same for both types of ATE disk brakes but some of the parts differ due to the different size master cylinder piston and number of holes in the brake fluid reservoir.
The emphasis in this write-up is on what I did to my 1975 R75/6. I include some information about the different parts used for rebuilding the later 40 mm caliper and how to identify a 40 mm caliper.
There are rebuild kits available for both the master cylinder and the caliper. MAX BMW has a caliper rebuild kit that only has the rubber dust cover and caliper piston seal as well as a full kit that includes a new caliper piston. My local dealers do not offer the “seals only” caliper rebuild kits, so I think this kit is specific to MAX BMW. The piston that fits inside the caliper bore on both bikes was not damaged so I only need the caliper kit with the rubber parts.
I replaced the small o-ring (part# 34 11 1 233 120) that fits on the locating pin of the movable brake pad: the pin and o-ring fit into the hole on the front face of the caliper piston.
The master cylinder rebuild kit has all the rubber parts and all the metal parts–except for one “top hat”–and includes a new master cylinder piston. The metal “top hat” fits on the front end of the piston and I reused the existing one.
In the list below I show parts for the earlier (up to 1975) and later (1976 and on) ATE disk brakes. Pick the ones that apply to your year bike. I also show the Spiegler braided steel brake line I chose for my 1975 “refresh” bike and the stock BMW rubber line. I selected colors for the Spiegler braided steel line to compliment the new Smoke Silver paint I applied to my bike; smoke black outer plastic sheath over the steel braid with gold fittings. I also painted the lower steel brake line that goes between the caliper and the braided steel brake line with gold caliper paint.
The front brake cable adjuster on the lever arm that is attached to the master cylinder has a locking nut and mine was bent, so I replaced it (part# 34 72 1 232 516).
|34 32 1 233 159||GROMMET||1|
|32 72 1 232 516||KNURLED HEAD NUT||1|
|34 31 1 234 924||KIT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER-D=14MM (to 09/75)
(Depends on model year of your bike)
|34 31 1 234 926||KIT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER-D=14MM (from 09/75)
(Depends on model year of your bike)
|07 11 9 963 073||GASKET RING STOP LIGHT SWITCH – A10X13,5-AL||1|
|34 11 2 301 358||SET: REPAIR KIT, BRAKE PADS – TEXTAR T290||1|
|34 11 1 233 120||O-RING (FOR MOVABLE BRAKE PAD)||1|
|34 11 2 301 7051||D38 ATE REPL SEAL KIT CALIPER
(MAX BMW Part#. Depends on year of your bike)
|34 11 2 301 7091||D40 ATE REPL SEAL KIT CALIPER
(MAX BMW Part #. Depends on year of your bike)
|S-BM0028||Spiegler Brake Line R75/6
(Used on 1975 Bike)
|34 32 1 234 699||BRAKE HOSE – L=680MM
(Used on 1976 Bike)
Remove Master Cylinder
The ATE master cylinder is mounted under the gas tank on the spine tube using a metal strap. The front brake light switch is mounted on the front of the master cylinder and has two wires attached.
The brake fluid reservoir is attached to the top of the master cylinder casting. On 1975 and earlier models, a bracket and screw are used to clamp the brake fluid reservoir to the master cylinder. On 1976 and later bikes, a threaded sleeve with an Allen head inside the hole of the sleeve is used. The previous pictures show the two different style fluid reservoirs and the different methods for mounting them.
I remove the reservoir and the brake light switch. Here is the earlier master cylinder with two holes. The smaller one is threaded for the mounting screw that holds the clamping strap. Both holes use an O-ring to seal the holes against the fluid reservoir. Both o-rings are included in the master cylinder rebuild kit so if you have the single hole version of the master cylinder, you won’t use the small o-ring..
Remove the Master Cylinder Piston
A C-clip holds the master cylinder piston inside the master cylinder. I use a pair of C-clip pliers to extract it. I push the piston into the casting to take the pressure off the C-clip so it is easier to remove.
Here is the master cylinder piston assembly. The front of the cylinder is to the left. Not shown is the internal spring still inside the master cylinder bore.
Disassemble Master Cylinder Piston
In the following description, front refers to the front of the bike unless explicitly noted.
The rear of the master cylinder piston has a number of parts that have to be removed to get to the rubber seal. The front seal sits in a deep groove and has to be lifted out and over the front of the piston.
I use a screw driver to press the “top hat” off the piston.
When the top hat is removed, I remove a metal cap, the rubber seal with a metal pick and then a brass washer.
The rear end of the master cylinder piston has holes around the circumference of the boss the brass washer butts up against.
Clean Up Master Cylinder Bore
The master cylinder bore needs to be smooth without pits or scratches. Mine has some minor discoloration. Brake fluid is hydroscopic so it absorbs water. It’s common for the bore to rust if the brake fluid isn’t changed according to the maintenance schedule. The 1976 master cylinder bore had a number of deep pits from sitting on the back porch for who knows how long and I had to replace it.
I use a suitable drill bit and wrap 600 grit wet/dry paper around it. I overlap the paper to get a snug fit inside the bore. I wrap the paper in the direction of the drills rotation so it will tend to tighten the paper. I use masking tape to secure the edge of the paper to the bit and a second piece to hold the wrapped layers tight on the bit.
I hone the inside of the bore with the drill moving the bit up and down for 20 seconds and then inspect it. All I see is a mirror like shine which is what I want.
Painting the Master Cylinder and Caliper
Both the master cylinder and caliper needed painting. The master cylinder had started to rust and there are a number of nicks and chips in the paint on the caliper. I have access to a bead blaster. I sealed up the openings and used glass bead to remove the old paint and rust from the master cylinder. Then I thoroughly cleaned it with hot soapy water and blew it out with compressed air.
I masked off the openings and used the old brake line to plug the master cylinder outlet port. I used a cylinder of masking tape inserted into the thread brake light switch hole and a suitable bolt wrapped in masking tape to seal the cylinder bore in the rear of the master cylinder.
I use brake caliper paint and let it dry for a couple days before exposing the parts to brake fluid. The caliper paint is an epoxy based paint. I have to finish painting in one hour. After that, the instructions state you have to wait for seven days before you can recoat.
Install New Parts In Master Cylinder
Here are the parts in the ATE master cylinder rebuild kit.
The rebuild kit comes with instructions and several diagrams. However, the diagrams are too small to see the proper part orientation. And there is no clear identification of which parts go where. I hope the detail I provide below will make it easy for you to get the right parts in the right place.
On the top row are the seals that go on the front and back end of the master cylinder piston. Under that are the O-rings that fit in the holes on the top of the master cylinder. If you have the single hole brake fluid reservoir you don’t use the smaller O-ring. Next is set of metal parts. Starting on the left is a small ring that I never found a use for, so I didn’t install it. Next is the brass washer, then the metal cup that sits on the top of the front gasket and a new C-clip. On the right side is the new master cylinder piston and rubber cover that fits over the brake cable linkage on the rear of the master cylinder.
Assembly is the reverse of disassembly 🙂 More specifically, I put the brass washer against the boss with the holes on the rear end of the piston.
The large rubber seal with the angled skirt and small grooves in the outer edge goes next.
The metal cup goes on next.
Finally, the “top hat” goes on with the brim of the hat against the base of the metal cap.
This is how the parts look on the rear of the master cylinder piston.
The front rubber seal slips over the front of the piston. I use a metal pick to ease it on.
Here is a close up of the assembled piston showing which larger rubber seal goes where. The front of the piston is on the left.
Assemble Master Cylinder
The two O-rings (or one if it’s a single hole master cylinder) are installed on the top of the master cylinder. Then the brake fluid reservoir is attached to the master cylinder casting.
The return spring, piston and C-clip are installed into the rear of the master cylinder in that order. I use the C-clip pliers to insert the C-clip into the groove in the rear of the master cylinder. Then the round brass colored pin is installed between the brake cable arm and the hole in the back of the master cylinder piston assembly. I put a bit of wheel bearing grease on both ends of the pin and install it after I mount the master cylinder to the frame tube and am ready to install the front brake cable.
Last, the front brake switch is installed in the front the master cylinder with it’s metal sealing gasket.
Install Master Cylinder
The master cylinder is attached to the frame tube using the metal strap. The two wires for the brake lights attach to the brake light switch. It’s best to attach them before attaching the master cylinder to the frame as they end up inside the cavity between the steering stem and frame tubes.
Brake Caliper Rebuild
The following diagrams are from MAX BMW Parts fiche. There are two rubber parts inside the caliper, a seal ring that goes around the caliper piston and a dust seal that fits in a large groove on the outside of the piston. The dust seal is part number “8” in the diagram below. The MAX parts diagrams don’t show the piston that fits inside the caliper nor the rubber piston seal that goes inside the caliper bore. These parts are included in various rebuild kits.
The number in ( ) in the text below refer to the numbers in the MAX parts diagram above.
Different Size Calipers
Starting with the 1976 model year (09/1975) the ATE caliper piston size was increased from 38 mm to 40 mm. The caliper seal is different based on which size caliper your bike has. The 40 mm caliper has “40” cast into the outside of the housing while the 38 mm caliper has no marking at all.
Removing the Caliper
I remove the caliper by removing the brake line and then the cover plug (5) and spring (4) that fits over the pivot pin (3). The cover plug is on the bottom of the left fork tube.
Under the plug is a spring and then the eccentric pin. Sometimes the pin is stuck due to hardened grease. I use a magnet and a sharp pick inside the slot in the head of the eccentric pin to get it to drop down while rotating the caliper back and forth.
I remove the brake pads from the caliper. One pad is fixed to the caliper using a “hair pin” retaining clip. The other pad has a pin that inserts into a hole the face of caliper piston and I use a screw drive to pry it out of the piston.
Here is the caliper when it’s removed from the bike showing the caliper piston front face with the center ring the caliper pin slides into and the rubber dust seal that fits between the caliper body and this piston.
The dust seal fits into a groove in the caliper body and a groove in the piston. This seal was stuck to the caliper so I couldn’t remove it. Usually you can remove it before removing the piston. I use compressed air applied to the brake line hole to blow the piston out of the caliper body. I put a rag inside the caliper next to the piston to cushion the piston so it isn’t damaged, and I wear eye protection and stand to the side before I shoot air into the caliper. I have a rubber tip on the end of the air nozzle to help seal the air chuck against the caliper. Only a short burst of air is necessary.
The dust cover was still stuck in the groove in the caliper after I removed the piston. It shredded as I peeled it off the caliper leaving small bits of rubber in the caliper’s groove.
The dust seal has a metal ring that slides inside the caliper bore to secure it. It didn’t come out when I pulled the dust cover out. You can see in inside the white circle and the arrow in the picture below.
I use a metal pick to push it up and out of the bore.
If it is still in the caliper bore, you won’t be able to install the new dust seal tightly in the caliper bore.
I used a pick to pull out the rubber seal that seals the piston inside the caliper bore.
The piston is hollow in the back where the brake fluid presses on the piston.
The front of the piston has an centered hole in the face of the piston and a large groove near the front for the dust seal.
Inspect the piston for nicks and rust. If you find these, you will need to replace the piston.
Install New Piston Rubber Seal
I use clean DOT 3 brake fluid to clean out the piston bore of the caliper and the brake line and bleed line holes. I DO NOT USE BRAKE CLEANER. Brake fluid is all I want touching the inside of the caliper and the rubber piston seal and dust seal. I also soak the piston rubber seal dust seal in clean brake fluid before installing them in the caliper.
The piston seal fits inside a groove in the caliper body.
The dust cap fits into the large groove on the front of the piston and into the small groove in the body of the caliper.
Before I insert the piston with the dust seal into the bore of the caliper, I put a bit of brake fluid on the outside of the piston to help it pass through the rubber piston seal. It’s a tight fit and I have to carefully align the piston in the caliper so it is parallel to the caliper bore. There is a chamfer at the beginning edge of the bore in the caliper that helps get the piston aligned. I press the piston into the caliper by moving around the perimeter in a rocking motion as it slides into the bore. Eventually it slides all the way into the caliper.
I check to see that I can move the piston up and down a little bit using a pair of needle nose pliers to tug on the center hole of the piston being careful not gouge it. If I can’t then something is wrong with either the caliper body, the piston or the rubber seal around the piston. My piston moves a bit in and out of the caliper bore.
Install Caliper in Front Fork
When I have the front forks mounted in the bike, I install the caliper in the forks. The eccentric pin goes through the hole in the left fork lower to mount the caliper in the fork. It has a rubber o-ring that fits into a groove near the head of the pin. I use a pick to install the new o-ring as the old one was hard.
Install Brake Pads in Caliper
I have new brake pads to install in the caliper. One pad is fixed against the fingers on the left side of the caliper as you face the opening in the caliper and the other goes on the right against the face of the piston so it gets pushed against the disk rotor.
The back of the pads are different. The fixed one has locating bosses and a center pin while the movable one only has a center pin.
The fixed pad is secured with a “hair pin” clip while movable pad stays in the hole in the face of the piston using a small o-ring.
The pads have a flat end and a rounded end. The flat end faces to the front of the bike. I insert the pin of the movable pad with the o-ring into the center hole of the piston.
The fixed pad is secured to the caliper body using a “hair pin” shaped clip that slips under the head of center pin as shown below.
Install Brake Lines
I bought a new Spiegler brake line with braided steel and custom color sheath and hardware to compliment the Smoke Silver paint on this bike.
One end threads into the hole on the left side of the master cylinder. The other end has a fitting to screw the steel brake line from the caliper into.
Orientation of Brake Line Brackets
The line routes through the grommet of the bracket that attaches to the pivot pin assembly for the steering damper. This bracket mounts to the outside of the mounting lug for the front steering damper. The steering damper pivot pin nut secures the bracket.
The second bracket attaches to the front fork. The bracket goes around the fork brace so the bracket strap is on the inside of the brace next to the tire.
The other stap of the bracket fits under the reflector bracket on the outside of the fork tube. The fitting on the end of the flexible brake line has a threaded bushing on the end and the bushing fits inside a rubber grommet that fits into the large hole in the lower brake line bracket.
Install Lower Steel Brake Pipe
The lower metal brake pipe screws into the end of the flexible brake line and into the body of the caliper. I decided to paint mine gold using gold caliper paint to compliment the gold pin stripe used with the smoke silver paint.
I’ll bleed the brakes and adjust the eccentric pin so the pads are parallel to the disk rotor when I get the rest of the bike assembled.
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Defra reports 'surprising' increase in English pig herd
27th Sep 2016 / By Alistair Driver
The English pig herd grew by 2% to 3.9 million head in the year to June 2016, with the breeding herd increasing by the same percentage, according to the latest Defra pig survey.
AHDB Pork has expressed surprise at the findings, which it suggested contradicted industry reports of tightening supplies.
Defra's reported overall increase to 3,911,000 head of pigs in England on June 1 from 3,826,000 the previous year includes:
- A 2% increase in feeding pigs to 3,494,000
- A 2% increase in the female breeding herd to 334,000, with in-pig sows up 3% to 239,000 and in-pig gilts up 2% to 44,000
- A 4% decrease in maiden gilts to 69,000
The overall increase followed a decrease in these figures in June 2015, while the numbers are still behind levels recorded in June 2014.
Commenting on the ‘surprising’ figures AHDB Pork, which recently flagged up the prospect of tightening EU supplies in the coming months, seemed unsure of what to make of them.
Senior analyst Vikki Campbell said: “The apparent increase comes at a time when industry reports are telling of a tightening of supplies, which has contributed to supporting the pig price, which has been increasing since April.
“Slaughtering figures for the first half of 2016 show that throughputs were only marginally up on 2015 levels, although levelling off more throughout the second quarter. This would further support what the industry is saying, regarding supplies tightening.
“The figures released by Defra would suggest that an increase in slaughterings might be recorded in the second half of the year.”
The 4% per cent decline in the number of maiden gilts suggested producers are not looking to replenish their breeding herds at the same rate, she added.
“Given that sow slaughterings have been up in the first half of 2016, it is somewhat surprising to see an increase in the breeding herd. If correct, Defra figures would suggest that there might be an increase in supplies in the longer term.”
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Logan City Police Department
To defend and protect the rights and safety of those who live, work, and visit in the City of Logan.
Take a look around the city on any given day, at any time of the day, and you'll see officers engaging in a variety of activities to fulfill this mission. Patrol vehicles are the most visible. You might see them in school zones, on traffic stops or on patrol. Detectives, while not as noticeable, are throughout the city investigating felony crimes. Officers in softer uniforms are at the schools and the narcotics task force agents are gathering information on illegal drugs.
Animal control officers deliver service to pet owners and work to get animals licensed. The valley-wide dispatch and 9-1-1 center is receiving calls for help and processing with the resources of police, fire, and medical response. Though their assignments may vary, these employees have one thing in common: they are dedicated to the safety and well-being of all who live in or visit Logan.
The Logan, UT metropolitan area is the nation's safest community according to the Civicus Consulting Group. Check out the details in the Annual Report.
Register for the 2013 Logan City Police Department Street Dog Seminar September 17-19, 2013 in Logan, Utah. Instruction and certification from Vohn Liche Kennels(VLK) and certification from the American Working Dogs Association(AWD). Single-purpose and dual-purpose narcotic service dogs welcome. Click on the brochure link for further information.
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SAN BERNARDINO - The biggest man on campus at Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday?
An honest-to-goodness king: King Rukirabasaija Agutamba Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I of Bunyoro-Kitara in western Uganda.
His kingdom is one-sixth the size of San Bernardino County.
Iguru was at the fall luncheon of the local chapter of the Phi Beta Delta honor society for international scholars in Cal State San Bernardino's Obershaw Dining Room. About 100 people attended.
Both Iguru and his aide, Yolamu Nsamba Ndoleriire, the principal private secretary of the kingdom, dressed in kanzu, the white- or cream-colored robe worn by men in east Africa.
The king ended up not speaking - he had apparently left the reading glasses necessary for his speech back at his hotel room. Ndoleriire spoke instead.
The secretary began by comparing his homeland to the hills surrounding the campus.
"It's not like what you see in California - it's actually green," Ndoleriire said. "It's our green hills that inspired Ernest Hemingway, the American author, to write `The Green Hills of Africa."'
Hemingway's 1935 non-fiction book chronicled a month on safari in East Africa. Even today, tourists come to the region for the wildlife, including mountain gorillas.
"The things that are extinct in many parts of the world - these things are still there," Ndoleriire said.
But not all Ugandans equally share in the benefits of their country's natural resources. Land ownership was carved up and reapportioned by the British during the colonial era, based on political relationships, the secretary said.
"The people, the genuine owners of the land, were deprived," Ndoleriire said.
Today, the country's resources are handled by the state, leaving residents with no power and little income.
"People have no say at all about their resources," including newly discovered oil, the secretary said.
"His majesty is not asking for sovereignty," Ndoleriire said. "No, that is not the issue. He is saying that people should have a voice for their resources."
The king is acting in the advocacy role the Ugandan government allows to the heads of the five kingdoms in its borders.
"So, he travels around the world, he travels around the States, he travels around Uganda, talking about these issues," Ndoleriire said.
There has been some push-back by the Ugandan government, according to Ndoleriire.
"The foreign secretary says `don't shout about these issues.... We can sort them out." Five years later, nothing has been sorted," Ndoleriire said.
The secretary acknowledged how far Bunyoro-Kitara is from San Bernardino, but the 9,000 miles separating them are less important than they once were.
"Whether we like it or not, we live in one global village," he said. "We are locked up in one common destiny."
beau.yarbrough@InlandNewspapers.com, 909-483-9376, @InlandEd
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Milk Bottle -The Milk Protector #1562254
Start Price:2.00 USD
Estimated At:0.00 - 0.00 USD
NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ premiums, taxes, fees & shipping
WAS NOT SOLD, auction date was 2007 Jun 15 @ 13:00UTC-5 : EST/CDT
REDUCED RESERVE. REDUCING INVENTORY.
Bottle is Embossed with a cow and a man milking the cow. Embossed letters states Absolutely Pure Milk-The Milk Protector. Mold blown and tooled lip. This bottle is really pretty because of the bubbles, tears, swirls and color. The bottle measures 11 1/2 inches High and 12 inches in diameter. The most famous milk bottle was designed in 1884 by Dr. Harvey D. Thatcher, a physician and druggist from Potsdam, New York. This glass bottle had an embossed cow being milked also. This particular bottle was made in the 70's and is in excellent condition.
Title:Milk Bottle -The Milk Protector
Location:Letart, West Virginia
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The College of Cardinals will start its conclave to select a new pope April 18th.
A Vatican spokesman says the cardinals made their decision after reading Pope John Paul II last will and testament.
The text of that document will be released publicly Thursday. U.S. President George Bush and his wife Laura left Washington Wednesday to attend the funeral.
A Vatican spokesman says the cardinals will celebrate a morning mass on April 18th, and then will be sequestered in the Sistine Chapel in the early afternoon to start the conclave.
The decision on a date came on the third day of meetings of cardinals. One hundred seventeen cardinals will cast ballots for the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Two ballots are held each morning, and two each afternoon.
The Vatican also announced a major change to the centuries-old practice of signaling when a new pope has been chosen. Following each vote, ballots are burned in a stove in the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican sends up black smoke if no decision has been made. White smoke means a new pontiff has been chosen.
This year, bells will also peal in St. Peter's Square when the pope is chosen.
That's because there was confusion, when John Paul was appointed in 1978, about whether white or black smoke was seen coming from the chimney.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims continue to file past John Paul's body as he lies in state in Saint Peter's Basilica. An estimated 600,000 people viewed the body Tuesday.
Many stood in the cold -- in lines up to two kilometers long -- for as long as 12 hours, to catch a glimpse of the late pontiff. Once night fell, many in the crowd huddled under blankets to keep warm. A few lucky people managed to find beds at a makeshift accommodation center set up nearby.
Preparations continue for Friday's funeral. Crews have begun assembling a giant television screen for pilgrims to watch the ceremony. Medical emergency tents are also being set up nearby. Authorities say Rome will close public offices and ban cars from the streets Friday to make way for an estimated crowd of more than two million people.
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Detroit's mobility options changing faster than we think
I generally try to avoid predicting the future. My predictions, like those of most journalists, generally turn out wrong.
But even the most myopic seer can foretell with near certainty that our traditional use of privately owned vehicles running on fossil fuels is going to be giving way to new mobility options, and soon.
That future will still include some private vehicles, albeit those will be running on battery power or some fuel other than gasoline, and they'll include more self-driving features. But the future will also see an expansion and greater integration of all those other mobility options created in the past few years, from Uber and Lyft ride-hailing services to electric scooters and bike-sharing services like Detroit's MoGo.
The numbers alone show that this future is arriving sooner than anyone thought. Lisa Nuszkowski, executive director of the nonprofit MoGo bike sharing service, told reporters recently that MoGo riders have logged nearly a quarter-million rides since the service launched about 18 months ago.
And all those electric scooters operated by Bird, Lime and other companies have soared in popularity within months of showing up on Detroit streets.
With more bikes and scooters on the way, and more alternative commuting options like shuttles coming, too, Kevin Bopp, director of mobility operations for businessman Dan Gilbert's Bedrock real estate arm, told me recently, “I think the rate of change is faster that we recognize."
This coming mobility future will profoundly affect the design of our cities as well as commuting strategies. How we use streets and sidewalks will have to adapt to the new mobility patterns. Commuting alone in a private vehicle, parked all day before the owner drives home at night, will give way to a host of other ways of getting around.
In this new mobility world, it won't be MoGo versus scooters, or Uber versus Lyft, so much as it will be all of those new mobility options plus public transit gaining ground against traditional commuting by privately owned vehicles.
There are lots of reasons why our mobility future will look so different. Expense is a big one.
Parking rates have soared as Detroit's downtown population of workers and residents has increased dramatically. And even though downtown sports nearly 70,000 parking spaces, Bopp notes that "on any given day, before you or I wake up in the morning, effectively like an airline or hotel every spot is already accounted for.”
With parking growing so expensive, look for employers to search out creative ways to shuttle workers in from more remote parking sites. Bedrock already controls a parking site at the Stroh River Place complex a mile or so east of the Renaissance Center. And it's piloting a program with Ford's Chariot service to operate upscale private buses to carry suburban commuters in comfort to downtown locations.
Remote parking will demand more "last mile" services, so look for shuttle operations from remote parking sites to grow in popularity. So, likely, will all the alternatives like MoGo bikes and electric scooters or, perhaps, the on-demand buses that companies like Uber are piloting elsewhere.
It shouldn't be long before companies like Uber or Bird will start combining, allowing the surviving firms to offer an all-purpose smart-phone apt that will let users rent a scooter or a bicycle, hail an Uber or Lyft ride, find and unlock a Zipcar-type vehicle, or connect with other transit options as well.
Another important trend in the works: Detroit and other cities are trying hard to to create more "walkable urbanism." That's the term for that lively mix of uses that lets people live, work, shop, and recreate in their neighborhoods without using a car.
So look for cities like Detroit to create still more protected bicycle lanes, more greenway trails, and to close more streets to vehicle traffic, much as Detroit has done with the new Spirit Plaza at the foot of Woodward Avenue.
“We’re already on the right trajectory for the city being a much healthier and friendlier environment for pedestrians and people to get out and engage," Bopp said.
In this future, Detroit and other cities will still build more parking garages, but those garages will look different. Bopp said that Bedrock is already figuring in the cost of converting any future garages from parking to residential use.
Instead of the low ceilings and ramp floors we see in existing garages, the next generation of parking decks will have higher ceilings and flat floors, with spiral ramps kept to a tower on the exterior.
That way, a garage can be converted to residential use by popping in pre-fab units and demolishing the exterior ramp tower. Oh, and there'll be a courtyard built into the middle of the parking garages to provide views to future residents. "People don’t want apartments without windows,” Bopp said.
At least since the end of World War II, when suburban sprawl came to dominate our metro landscape, the privately owned and operated motor vehicle running on fossil fuel elbowed out other mobility options. But that period in our mobility history is fading.
And it's changing faster than we think.
Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.
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Wildlife Outside My Window
You don't have to travel far to find nature's beauty.
Facts about Bats
Want to Know More - Books
Want to Know More - Websites - Updated 10-1-14
Announcements from the US Fish & Wildlife Service - September 9, 2014 - UPDATE
My Cats and Mr Wendell Too!!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
How Old Is That Lion? A Guide to Aging Animals - National Geographic
Lions, as seen in Serengeti National Park, can be dated by examining their fur and other attributes.
Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
How Old Is That Lion? A Guide to Aging Animals
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||Time-course transcriptome analysis of human cellular reprogramming from multiple cell types reveals the drastic change occurs between the mid phase and the late phase
Kuno, Akihiro ,
Nishimura, KenTakahashi, Satoru
19p.9 , 2018-01 , BioMed Central
BackgroundHuman induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been attempted for clinical application with diverse iPSCs sources derived from various cell types. This proposes that there would be a shared reprogramming route regardless of different starting cell types. However, the insights of reprogramming process are mostly restricted to only fibroblasts of both human and mouse. To understand molecular mechanisms of cellular reprogramming, the investigation of the conserved reprogramming routes from various cell types is needed. Particularly, the maturation, belonging to the mid phase of reprogramming, was reported as the main roadblock of reprogramming from human dermal fibroblasts to hiPSCs. Therefore, we investigated first whether the shared reprogramming routes exists across various human cell types and second whether the maturation is also a major blockage of reprogramming in various cell types.ResultsWe selected 3615 genes with dynamic expressions during reprogramming from five human starting cell types by using time-course microarray dataset. Then, we analyzed transcriptomic variances, which were clustered into 3 distinct transcriptomic phases (early, mid and late phase); and greatest difference lied in the late phase. Moreover, functional annotation of gene clusters classified by gene expression patterns showed the mesenchymal-epithelial transition from day 0 to 3, transient upregulation of epidermis related genes from day 7 to 15, and upregulation of pluripotent genes from day 20, which were partially similar to the reprogramming process of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. We lastly illustrated variations of transcription factor activity at each time point of the reprogramming process and a major differential transition of transcriptome in between day 15 to 20 regardless of cell types. Therefore, the results implied that the maturation would be a major roadblock across multiple cell types in the human reprogramming process.ConclusionsHuman cellular reprogramming process could be traced into three different phases across various cell types. As the late phase exhibited the greatest dissimilarity, the maturation step could be suggested as the common major roadblock during human cellular reprogramming. To understand further molecular mechanisms of the maturation would enhance reprogramming efficiency by overcoming the roadblock during hiPSCs generation.
| 239,957
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Essential Developmental Biology, 3rd Edition
Essential Developmental Biology is a comprehensive, richly illustrated introduction to all aspects of developmental biology. Written in a clear and accessible style, the third edition of this popular textbook has been expanded and updated to include:
In addition, this accompanying website provides useful materials for both student and instructor, including animated developmental processes and all artwork in downloadable format.
With an emphasis on a clear explanation of the properties of the main model organisms, the main methods of investigation, and the evidence underpinning the main conclusions, this book is an essential key text for both undergraduate and first year graduate courses in developmental biology.
You are free to download the material on this site for your own use and teaching purposes. For all other uses please contact our Permissions Department
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Fourth graders at Mineral Wells Elementary got a special concert Thursday afternoon from a local musician.
Todd Burge local musician and a board member with the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame stopped by with the mobile music museum to help teach students the importance of music to the state.
The traveling music exhibit visited schools in Waverly and Wirt county.
Friday the exhibit will head to Ripley to help educate students about music that is influential to West Virginia.
Burge talks about why it's important to keep music education in the schools. "For me as a songwriter it was important when there was music in the schools because it inspired me, " said Todd Burge.
For more information on the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame or the mobile music museum click on the hot button.
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.
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|Scope for a Bill of Rights
Lady Hermon: I know that the hon. Gentleman is a strong supporter of the Belfast agreement. The mandate of the commission does tie it to looking at additional rights to reflect the principles of mutual respect for the identity and ethos of both communities, and parity of esteem. That is where the terminology has come from. It has not been dreamed up by the rest of us; it is actually in the agreement.
Lembit Öpik: I know where it comes from, but I have disagreed with the terminology from the outset. I do not think that it helps us to enshrine the situation in the legislation, which ironically is all about human rights. The actual step to take is to think about walking the talk in terms of respecting the diversity of Northern Ireland communities in the terminology that we use in the documents.
Another concern I have is that any modern Bill of Rights should reflect all rights, be they civil, political, economic, social or cultural. However, we should always remain at a strategic level, rather than being tempted to create a shopping list, which may create a litigious society at the end of the day. My feeling with regard to enforcement is that, as the Minister said, laws are there to protect and enforce rights. It is very important that we recognise that rights at their most effective are enforced by the attitudes within the societies in which they are created.
At heart, democracies serve the public, not rule them. They enable, not enslave, and they liberate, not litigate. As a result, I remain ever-vigilant and ever-concerned that we do not inadvertently create enormous potential for litigation in society, where individuals end up spending huge amounts in legal insurance to ensure that they are not sued because of the inadvertent consequences of well-meaning legislation. I am sure that we will have opportunities to discuss that further.
It is good that we are moving forward. I am extremely positive about the discussion. It looks like a unique opportunity to draft a comprehensive, modern, effective and forward-looking Bill of Rights for a divided society, the history of which has been marked by intolerance. Looking ahead, let us recognise that it is not an opportunity simply to regulate life in Northern Ireland in a fair way. It is an opportunity to take the philosophical challenges before us and create something so robust that, with little change, it could legitimately be applied to the rest of the United Kingdom. This is not so much about giving people a chance for an equal life in Northern Ireland; it is about giving people the chance for a good life in general. That is territory that should attract us all.
Mr. Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry): Unlike some of the other hon. Members who either majored in philosophy or have dealt with that side of the issue, I want to look at the scope of the Bill in terms of how I believe many people in Northern Ireland will view the
Column Number: 029concept, and how it may well be enacted on the ground.
First, I fully agree with the Minister over his discussion of and reference to the genesis of the scope of the Bill when he traced it back directly to the Belfast agreement. It is my view, and that of the people whom I represent, that the genesis of a Bill of Rights must be right. If it is not, and if it is not something that the people of Northern Ireland, in their diversity, can accept and support, and want to see the development of, mistakes will be made. If the genesis of the Bill is going to be enshrined in the Belfast agreement, it will in essence have opposition from my community, which is deeply suspicious of all that surrounds the Belfast agreement because of the way in which it has been manipulated and used to the disadvantage of the Unionist community.
I alluded in an intervention to the composition of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. That is not only regrettable but a matter that has to be addressed. The composition of the commission is such that not a single member, as I understand it, comes from the bulk of the Unionist community. That is not to say that it does not have any pro-Union members; it does. But none of its members shares the views that we, the bulk of the Unionist community, hold—opposition to the Belfast agreement and wanting to see a fair system of government to which both communities can give allegiance, rather than the Belfast agreement to which only the Nationalist community and a minority of Unionists give allegiance. That must be addressed. We simply cannot have a human rights commission that is not broadly based continuing to give advice and make decisions. That is simply not tolerable.
My concerns go further. In preparation for the debate, the commission circulated Members—I presume other Members have received copies, as I did—with a briefing. It refers to a survey that it carried out during the past six months, which gives rise to further concerns. The questions contained in the survey, which address the scope of a Bill of Rights, are very partisan.
Table 3 in the summary from the commission shows time after time the distinction between the two main communities and how they would view specific protections for particular rights in Northern Ireland. Over and over again, in virtually every element of every question asked, there is a lower proportion of people from the Unionist community than from the Nationalist community who would support specific rights. That is the case both with bland matters, such as the right to health care or the right to an adequate standard of living, and with more specific ones, such as the continued application of the Bill if there were a united Ireland. I see no question regarding the continued application of the Bill if there were an independent Ulster. Why should that not be considered? I am not someone who would advocate and favour an independent Ulster, but it is at least as tenable a proposition as that of a united Ireland, and no more unlikely.
Column Number: 030
I shall deal with some of the wording of the consultation document, which continually uses the phrase
I want to close because I am conscious that others want to speak. The scope of any Bill must be enshrined in and have as its basis the fundamental support of both communities in Northern Ireland. There is a perception among the Unionist community that the human rights enshrined in and advocated by the commission can be more easily supported by Nationalists. We must avoid that at all costs.
Lady Hermon: May I ask the hon. Gentleman a question? This is a point of information rather than point-scoring. Did any anti-agreement Unionist apply for membership of the commission when it first advertised or for any of the new appointments?
Mr. Campbell: The short answer is yes, but they were unsuccessful given that no one represents their point of view on the commission.
I shall conclude by referring to the scope of the Bill and how perpetrators of violence—those who support and advocate violence and those who are passive—would view a proposed Bill. The rest of Northern Ireland—more than 90 per cent. of the population, Unionist and Nationalist, Loyalist, Protestant and Catholic—want a Bill that would be useful to peace-loving democrats who would be able to avail themselves of it in circumstances outlined by the Minister and other members of the Grand Committee. If the Government allow a Bill of Rights to be perceived in such a way that perpetrators of violence see it as a charter or mechanism by which they can promote an agenda that leaves democrats opposed not to the principle of human rights, but to how it is implemented in Northern Ireland, that would be deeply regrettable. I hope that the Government will take steps to avoid that.
Lady Hermon (North Down): I am conscious that the hon. Member for North-East Derbyshire also wants to make a contribution, so I shall make mine briefly.
I am in the happy position of being able to report that the Ulster Unionist party, for the first time in its history, had a meeting to discuss a Bill of Rights and human rights protection generally. That took place last Thursday and the date was set before this meeting of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, so it was a happy coincidence. It was a very well-attended meeting—
Column Number: 031
Mr. Hunter: Are we to understand that the official position of the hon. Lady's party's is that there should be a Bill of Rights for the Province?
Lady Hermon: It was a meeting that brought together Ulster Unionist members, some of whom were not in favour of the agreement and some of whom were in favour. The consensus was that, as the agreement was endorsed by the vast majority of the population—more than 70 per cent.—in a referendum in 1998 and 13 lines in it were dedicated to a Bill of Rights, we should make a contribution to any forthcoming Bill.
I strongly recommend to the Government that as the agreement has been endorsed by a majority in referendums both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, they should take the opportunity to make it work for all the population of Northern Ireland, not just for a specific section of it.
Mr. Quentin Davies: I just want to pursue the question that my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mr. Hunter) asked. It is true that the Belfast agreement provides for a commission to examine the scope for a Bill of Rights. Everyone in the Room accepts that a commission should be set up and that the question should be examined. However, the agreement did not prejudge the answer to the question of whether there should be a Bill of Rights; that is what the consultation exercise is about. My hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke asked if the Government had decided in principle whether to have a Bill of Rights. I am interested in the answer to that.
|©Parliamentary copyright 2002||Prepared 27 June 2002|
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Entrepreneurial Admonitions from Steve Jobs
This book is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device, and with iTunes on your computer. Books can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device.
The man and the mind were both unfathomable and complex.
However all would agree that Steve Jobs was a committed and driven individual who only sought to seek the best always and expected the same from those around him.
- Category: Biographies & Memoirs
- Published: May 09, 2013
- Publisher: Lulu.com
- Seller: Lulu Enterprises, Inc.
- Print Length: 9 Pages
- Language: English
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I'm thinking about building a clock using 60 RGB LEDs..!
I'm going to use 60 blue (seconds), 60 green (minutes) and 12 red (hours) so that means a total of 132 LEDs I need to control!
Only one LED of each colour needs to be turned on at any time.
I'm not completely sure yet what would be the best way to control them, so far I have been thinking about using an AVR to control something like the CMOS 4514 or a 74LS154 (4bit binary to 16 line decoder), this way I would need 9 IC's (4 for seconds, 4 for minutes and 1 for hours).
This would be okay, but maybe someone out there has a better idea? Charlieplexing is pretty much out of the picture since RGB LEDs are usually common cathode (or common anode)..? And it would probably be very complex with 132 LEDs.
My problem with the 4-to-16 decoders is, looking at the datasheets I see values for the output current in ranges from µA to 8.8mA... µAmps are useless, 8.8mA is probably acceptable (I have not bought any LEDs yet). I'd love a chip that would give me something like 20mA on the outputs! ;)
Any advice is appreciated!
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AABB is an international association representing individuals and institutions involved in activitites related to transfusion and cellular therapies, including transplantation medicine.
American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)
The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is a national non-profit organization founded by kidney patients for kidney patients. We strive to educate and improve the health and well-being of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, those on hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and transplant recipients.
American Kidney Fund (AKF)
The American Kidney Fund provides direct financial assistance to kidney patients in need, and education to those with and at risk for kidney disease.
American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA)
This site centers around ANNA's functional areas: education, clinical practice, representation and research. You will find everything you need to know about ANNA chapters, becoming a member, continuing education and ANNA publications, including a link to the Nephrology Nursing Journal.
ASFA is an organization of physicians, scientists, and other allied health professionals whose mission is to lead the field of apheresis through patient and donor care, research, education and advocacy.
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)
Describes the programs and services offered by ASN to meet the professional and continuing education needs of its members. You will find a membership directory, job placement service and meetings & conference information within the pages of this site.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and health education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
For the 2005 CDC fact sheet: Infection control for PD patients, please click here.
European Dialysis and Transplantation Nurses Association (EDTNA/ERCA)
The European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association (EDTNA/ERCA) was established in 1971 to address the special needs of nurses and other professionals that treat patients suffering from renal failure.
The Florida Renal Administrators Association (FRAA) provides a consolidated, focused and multi-disciplinary forum to provide access and quality of care for Florida's Chronic Kidney Disease patients.
Forum of End-Stage Renal Disease Networks
The Forum of ESRD Networks is a not-for-profit organization that advocates on behalf of its membership and coordinates projects and activities of mutual interests to ESRD Networks. All 18 ESRD Networks are members of the Forum which facilitates the flow of information and advances a national quality agenda with CMS and other renal organizations.
Hypertension, Dialysis & Clinical Nephrology (HDCN)
Hypertension, Dialysis, and Clinical Nephrology provides up-to-date, selected information on renal disorders and their treatment (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis), and about hypertension, dialysis, and clinical nephrology topics.
International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD)
This site contains information regarding membership, congresses and meetings, ISPD recommended guidelines, access to PDI publications and links to sites for medical and nursing personnel, as well as patients.
Kidney Options is an educational resource for people who have or know people who have kidney disease. Kidney Options is also a resource for health care professionals who guide patients and their families to the best treatment option for them. This information will empower patients with knowledge they need to make an informed decision about their kidney healthcare.
Kidney and Urology Foundation of America, Inc.
The Kidney & Urology Foundation of America, Inc. is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping people avoid the debilitating effects of kidney and urologic diseases.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. The Institute supports much of the clinical research on the diseases of internal medicine and related subspecialty fields as well as many basic science disciplines.
National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
The NKF seeks to improve the care and treatment of patients with diseases of the kidney and urinary tract through advances in detection, diagnosis and treatment. They have a button specifically for healthcare professionals on their site, linking you to a wealth of information.
National Renal Administrators Association (NRAA)
The National Renal Administrators Association (NRAA) is a nonprofit organization representing professional managers of dialysis facilities and centers throughout the United States.
National Transplant Assistance Fund
The National Transplant Assistance Fund has been a trusted resource in the transplant community for more than 23 years.
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse is an information dissemination service, which was established to increase knowledge and understanding about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system for individuals with these conditions, their families, healthcare professionals and the general public.
RPA is a non-profit 501c6 national nephrology specialty medical association, and is a advocy organization for nephrology practice.
Renal Research Institute (RRI)
The Renal Research Institute (RRI) is dedicated to advancing therapy options for dialysis patients to provide the highest caliber of care based on advanced clinical technology.
The American Society of Transplantation (AST)
The American Society of Transplantation (AST) was founded in 1982 and is an organization of more than 2,500 transplant professionals dedicated to research, education, advocacy and patient care in transplantation. Our goal is to offer a forum for the exchange of knowledge, scientific information and expertise in the field of transplantation.
The Kidney Transplant/Dialysis Assoication, Inc. (KT/DA)
The Kidney Transplant/Dialysis Association, Inc. (KT/DA), is an all-volunteer, patient-run, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization made up of kidney dialysis and transplant patients, kidney donors, their families and friends, and health professionals. Our officers are themselves kidney patients or spouses of kidney patients.
United States Renal Data System (USRDS)
The USRDS is a national data system that collects, analyzes, and distributes information about end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States. Abundant reference tables and graphics are available at this site.
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For those of you not in the know, On the shores
of Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau lived for two years in a self-built house in order to focus on his writing. This area is based on that experience. The landscape is lovely but at times a little mis-aligned (some of the trees and leaves are floating significantly above ground level) and outdated, which plays with your immersion a bit. The falling autumn leaves and ambient music set the mood of the place beautifully though. And considering the notecards had a a date of 2008, the place isn't doing so badly really :)
As you walk around the path, you touch the rocks and each one gives your quotes. Find all 11 landmarks and you get a prize (NO SPOILERS! Go do it yourself!) One of my favourite quotes I received while touching the landmarks along the path was this one...
"Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves, dispel the clouds which hang over our brows, and take up a little life into our pores. Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor, but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world. From the chapter "Economy" in Walden"
All in all, a pleasant way to spend a little time on a Sunday afternoon.
Walden Pond SLurl
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Early Ionia County Businesses
The Hotel Bailey - est. 1901
Spencer C. L. Brown purchased the hotel lease in 1901 and was proprietor until May of 1903 when he sold to Messrs. Peterland & Nibolink. After a vacation from the hotel business for 6 months, Mr. Brown returned to Ionia and purchased the hotel once again. Mr. Brown comes from a family of hotel men. His father, V. K. Brown, was proprietor of hotels in Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Owosso and Pontiac, Michigan. Both Mr. Brown's grandfathers were also hotel owners. Mr. Brown was assisted in the management of the hotel by J. Fred Armstrong.
Ionia Water Power Electric Company - est. 1888
Electric lighting dated in Ionia from 1888, when this company was established. Originally electricity was made at a steam plant changing over to water power in 1898. Original stock holder in the company were: H. R. Wager, L. B. Townsend, J. E. Just, all of the city of Ionia and C. J. Rumsey of Muir. Original company officers were: L. B. Townsend - President, J. E. Just - Secretary/Treasurer.
Jonathon Hale and Sons (flouring mill) - est. 1860
This business originated in 1860 in Rochester, Michigan. The plant was entirely destroyed by fire in 1865 at which time the mill in Lyons was purchased. It was first started by Jonathan Hale and run by him until 1860 when brother John Hale joined the business. At that time the firm was known by the name of Hale Brothers. In 1896, brothers Elmer B. and Lewis H. Hale purchased the interest of their Uncle John and the firm became known as Jonathan Hale and Sons. In 1897 they established a branch of the mill as Stanton, Michigan in nearby Montcalm County. This branch mill was operated by O. D. Vandeboget.
Ionia Wagon Company - est. unknown
This wagon factory was at one time the largest wagon manufacturer in the State of Michigan. The famous BIBLE and CAPITAL wagons were made there. C. J. Rumsey of Muir was owner/President, John Greenop of Orleans was owner/Vice President and John F. Bible owner/ General Manager/Secretary/Treasurer.
Webber Hardware Company - est. 1882
The Weber Hardware Company was purchased by H. B. Webber in 1887 from the original owners, George W. Webber, Charles S. Morse and Abraham Ryerson. H. B. ran the retail store for ten years until his brother C. H. Webber joined the firm. In January of 1898, most of the stock was damaged in a fire that consumed most of the city block. The Webber Hardware "carried one of the most complete lines of staple and shelf hardware, stoves, ranges, paints, oils and hardware sundries to be found in any city of equal size". In January of 1905 the business incorporated with the following officers: H. E. Powell - President, J. L. Fowle - Vice President, Fred T. Wortman - Manager, H. B. Webber - Secretary/Treasurer.
Ionia Gas Light and Coke Company - est. 1882
The company provided the area residents with gas as well as being a retailer for "all modern appliances for lighting and heating with gas". Company officers were: H. B. Webber - President, E. F. Gallagher Vice President and Manager, C. D. Ransom - Secretary and Treasurer.
S. B. Gorham and Company - (lumber yard) - est. 1885
This firm conducted one of the largest retail lumber yards in the area. The business was established in 1885 by Bert Babcock. One year after the business was established, Mr. Babcock sold it to S. B. Gorham who operated the lumber yard independently until 1894. At that time Levi Marshal joined Mr. Gorham in his business. Mr. Marshall had been employed by Mr. Gorham for nine years before becoming a partner. In 1905, John M. Marshal became a partner in the business. By 1907, Mr. Gorham had moved and become resident of Detroit. The Marshals looked after the day to day operation of the business in Ionia.
Prairie Creek Mills - est. 1865
These mills were erected in 1865 by Blanchard & Beattie. In 1870 the mill was being run by William Mansfield and Isaac P. Hoag.
From: Elvon Lloyd sends us the following information.
Here's a couple of additions to your list of early businesses in Belding. One was established by my grandmother and her sister and another established by my grandfather. It might take some research in the Belding Banner to get correct names and dates of establishment because I'm going from memory of things my father told me. My grandmother Carria Isola Thompson and her sister established a lady's ready to wear store in Belding on Main Street sometime between 1885 and 1887. My grandfather Elvon C. Lloyd and a partner with the last name of Spencer established a dry goods business next door about the same time. (Guess how my grandparents met.) Upon the marriage of my grandparents the stores were merged and sometime in the 1890's grandfather bought out his partner and the store became E. C. Lloyd Dry Goods located on Main Street between Bridge Street and Alderman Street. The store went out of business about 1926. Both grandparents were long time residents of Belding and died there in 1949 and 1950. Both of my parents grew up in Belding and were married there. Any information you might learns of my grandparents businesses, I would appreciate knowing about.
Last update December 24, 2007
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Jemima Wilkinson of Cumberland, Rhode Island was a 25 year old woman in 1776, and shortly thereafter became the first American-born woman to found a religious group. Her initial success was stunning. While Jemima was not completely successful in achieving all her goals and visions, she did blaze a trail that may have helped other passionate women bring their dreams to fruition in later times.
Jemima Wilkinson was the great granddaughter of my emigrant ancestors, Lawrence Wilkinson & Susanna Smith. Lawrence Wilkinson was of Harperly House, Lanchester, Durham and Providence, RI. S usanna Smith was the daughter of Christopher Smith family, a well respected family in the early RI colony.
Lawrence Wilkinson was a Captain in the Army of King Charles I and fought in the battle of Newcastle-on-Tyne in about 1645. He was captured by forces of Oliver Cromwell, his lands were sequestered and sold by the Parliment. Through a negotiated agreement between Cromwell and the King's advocate, Wilkinson was released and made passage to Providence, RI about 1652-54.
Jemima was the fourth generation of this Wilkinson family and related, by extension, to the Smith & Whipple families. All three families were instrumental in developing the Providence Plantations from their infancy in the 1600's. The Lawrence Wilkinsons' influence continued to direct the development of Providence, RI for the next four generations. High water marks of achievement over the first four generations belong to cousin Stephen Hopkins, who served posts as Governor of RI and Chief Justice; Hopkins was also the last signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also wrote draft sections of the Constitution with other founding fathers. Another brother, Ezek served as Commander of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
Hopkins' cousins were the great grandsons of Lawrence Wilkinson through son Samuel's line of descent. Jemima was a great granddaughter through Lawrence's son John's line of descent. We are direct descendants of Jemima's father and brother, both named Jeremiah. Jemima's line of ascent, upward to emigrant ancestor Lawrence is (Jemima4, Jeremiah3, John2 , Lawrence1.)
Jemima Wilkinson, born November 29, 1752, was probably the 8th child of Jeremiah and Amey Elizabeth Whipple Wilkinson of Cumberland, RI. It appears that she was one of 12 or 13 children born to this couple. It's thought that her mother died when Jemima was approximately 14 years old, and this event had a bearing on young Jemima's growing interest in the expression of her spiritual beliefs.
Fourteen-year-olds tend to be impressionable. It would appear, from the record of her life that still exist, that Jemima Wilkinson was no exception to the rule. Jemima's exploration led her down a path that pushed the boundaries normally thought of as appropriate for women folk before modern times. Wilkinson "pushed the envelope" and served as a trail blazer for others like Mary Baker Eddy and Susan B. Anthony who later sought leadership roles in their chosen fields of pursuit.
Jemima was described as "a tall and graceful woman with dark hair and dark eyes." She possessed a magnetic personality and powerful preaching style that seems to have provided an outlet for numbers of fervish patriotic worshipers.
Wilkinson had a near death experience (NDE) in October, 1776 that resulted in a profound religious conversion. She claimed to have had a vision, where she died and was now of the Light. Many survivors of NDE today speak of being embraced by an omnipotent Light force after their clinical death. Additionally, NDE survivors sometimes speak of their participation in a "Life Review", where every event of one's life is played back along with the corresponding ripple effect that these events had on others. Many seem to return to life with a decidedly different view of the purpose of life. The overwhelming refrain is that life's journey is all about spiritual development and freedom of choice is a gift to be honored, as it derives from our Creator. Jemima reportedly talked about her so called "death" experience with anyone who would listen. She basically preached about love, peace and later in life sought to create an uptopian environment on earth. These are also qualities strongly desired by those who have embraced the light and returned to tell the tale in our times.
Jemima's life after this October, 1776 "awakening" had its origins about a decade earlier, when she discovered the teachings of great English evangelist, George Whitefield. Whitefield was all the rage in those days just prior to the "rebellion." In fact, messages such as this helped to fuel the fires of discontent with the status quo. From about 1738 forward, Whitefield inspired Americans to turn to God and question established authority. According to James Henretta, author of an article in the Fall, 1996 Edition of Biographies from Early America entitled, "Unruly Women Jemima Wilkinson and Deborah Sampson Gannett":
"By the 1760s New Light Presbyterians in Philadelphia and elsewhere had declared they had no king but King Jesus and had joined the Patriot movement. At about the same time, around 1768, when she was sixteen, Jemima Wilkinson discovered Whitefield by reading his sermons; two years later she joined the religious revival that followed his final visit to New England. By 1776 she had forsaken Quakerism, the faith of four generations of Rhode Island Wilkinsons, and joined the New Light Baptists."
Rising from her sickbed in October, 1776, Jemima was inspired to create a new life full of wondrous possibilities. Transformation was the keyword of the day on every level. Her physical fever was replaced with an emotional and spiritual transformation that seems quite in step with the larger events surrounding that historic year. Her cousins, Stephen and Ezek Hopkins were deeply involved in the events surrounding the colonies breach with England and the ensuing War of the Rebellion. Periods of social upheaval create, by their very nature, produce potential opportunities for individuals and groups to push the limits of accepted customs and norms. The first examples of such "breakthrough" behavior may not be long lasting, but can sometimes set the tone for the advancement of evolution in succeeding generations. Such was the case of Jemima Wilkinson.
Wilkinson claimed that she was truly on a mission from God, declared herself the founder of a new religious order called "The Universal Friends" and repudiated her given name, Jemima. From that time forward she insisted on being called the "Universal Publik Friend" or "The Friend." Jemima, the Universal Publik Friend, also threw away her daily attire and began wearing robes similar to a clergyman's gown. Her preaching consisted of a hybrid blend of Whitefield's evangelical teachings and qualities found in the Quaker faith of her ancestors. She stressed pacifism, the freeing of slaves and chastity. She did appear to have a flair for the dramatic and keen sales skills and these qualities seemed to help her initially draw positive attention to her cause.
Some say that actions speak louder than words and Wilkinson's ability to move others to action seems to validate her choice of vocation. According to James Henretta's article, "Judge William Potter of Rhode Island was so moved by the Universal Friend that he gave up a promising political career, freed his slaves, and built a fourteen-room addition to his mansion for Wilkinson to use. Another wealthy farmer provided her with a home in Pennsylvania, and supporters built churches in three New England towns."
However, when Jemima, Publik Friend, began the practice of faith healing & prophesying, she effectively hit a brick wall. Her actions drew the wrath of her Quaker & New Light Baptist peers and her activities resulted in a public stoning in Philadelphia. Society was not yet prepared to accept or tolerate such actions.
Wilkinson also claimed to possess the gift of clairvoyance; some said with a fair degree of accuracy. Studies by Dr. Moody, a pioneer in the study of NDE, also indicate that increased levels of perceptiveness often occur after such a life altering event. Why, we do not know.
Soon after the stoning incident, Wilkinson shifted her focus from evangelical preaching to the development of an utopian environment. In 1790 she established the community of Jerusalem in the Yates County wilderness of western New York. Ten years, the settlement grew to include 260 inhabitants.
A remote location may have been a factor in the dwindling of numbers within the Society of Friends. More central to the point, however, was the dichotomy between the utopia that Wilkinson sought to create and the perception that the Friends leader was an opportunist. Whatever the circumstances, purpose and energy gradually drained away and within two decades of Wilkinson's death in 1819 her sect had all but disappeared.
A short doctrinal pamphlet, The Universal Friend's Advice to Those of the Same Religious Society (1794) survives today as does Jemima's home which is now a museum in her honor.
Approximately 100 years after Wilkinson's death another woman succeeded in forming a religion based on the connection between the mind and the spirit and embraced a form of faith healing. She also created a successful newspaper publishing enterprise that is still well respected and reportedly well managed. The woman was Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science faith. The newspaper of her vision is The Christian Science Monitor.
It's not surprising to note that by 1902, my great grandfather, Edwin Henry Wilkinson, descendant of Jemima's brother Jeremiah, was a practicing Christian Scientist. It has been the chosen faith of some of our Wilkinson family members now for the past 5 generations.
In Loving Memory of another Notable Woman ... This article on Jemima Wilkinson is dedicated to my mother Jill Wilkinson who wrote it.
She dedicated so much time, energy and love into her family genealogy. She was amazed and proud of her ancestors' acomplishments and of the history that was passed down to us all.
She taught us many things while she was with us. The most important thing was KNOWLEDGE and love of knowledge. For that I can say thank you, and may others share in your passion and gift you left us with.
She faced a courageous battle with our ever changing science frontier with heart transplantation. May her gift of love, courage and strength remind us of our ancestors' pioneering spirit that has changed the world for us all.
Return to Notable Women Ancestors.
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On Thursday I had the honor and privilege to make a presentation on issues of sustainable urbanization and urban poverty at a small summit organized by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in New York City. Vice President Gore is writing a book about drivers of global change that will cover a range of topics including population and demographics, which was the focus of the meeting.
His team identified about 12 experts from a range of disciplines—a sociologist; demographer; geographer; researchers working on issues of family, aging, and gender; a writer; and an economist to explore patterns, trends, and current research. I was on a panel along with Saskia Sassen of Columbia University and David Owen of the New Yorker magazine. We all sat in a small room for 9 hours, presenting different perspectives on demographic change, each contributing from our own disciplines.
It was a remarkable experience—Vice President Gore was fully engaged with unwavering focus all day long providing insightful comments, raising questions, and testing hypotheses with the group on the topics at hand. Throughout the discussions, the issue of climate change was a common thread. Vice President Gore has done tremendous work to bring climate change to the fore of the policy debate, both in the U.S. and internationally, and I have no doubt that this next book will bring new dimensions into the global dialogue on the topic, including that of preparing for urbanization in the 21st century.
Since I am by nature an optimist, I see the unprecedented wave of urbanization in the decades to come as a tremendous opportunity. Indeed, with an additional two billion people expected in cities in the coming 20 years, there is a lot to prepare for. Urbanization and growth move in parallel so this global change bodes well for development as a whole, but with so many people coming to cities, there are also urgent needs for infrastructure, services, and safe housing to accommodate them.
Holding on to the optimist view, this demographic transition provides a unique opportunity to shape cities in the developing world for the future. We have some good examples of what it takes to build sustainable cities, and to address poverty and slums. Investments in efficient and affordable transport systems and proactive land use planning can minimize sprawl and energy consumption, curtail informal settlements in high risk areas, and promote inclusive cities. Integrating climate change and disaster risk reduction policies into urban planning and management, and bridging communities and local governments to work together on local solutions can help build resilient cities.
The hard part, however, is political will and sustained commitment by both cities as well as the development community. Building roads, sidewalks, drainage canals, and water and sanitation networks, and implementing policy reforms to legalize informal settlements may not be glamorous for policy makers, but these things do make an enormous difference to the one billion slum dwellers in the developing world. With leaders like Al Gore hearing these messages and striving for global change, there is hope.
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Dana White, the president of the UFC, is an example of how sports leagues ought to handle the issue of free speech on controversial topics.
In a press conference after a victory, fighter Colby Covington called the Black Lives Matter movement “a complete sham.” He continued, “It’s a joke. They’re taking these people that are complete terrorists. They’re taking these people that are criminals. These aren’t people that are hard-working Americans, blue-collar Americans. These are bad people. They’re criminals. They shouldn’t be attacking police. If you’re breaking the law and you’re threatening the cops with weapons, you deserve to get what you get. Law enforcement protects us all. If we don’t have law enforcement, it’d be the wild, wild West.” He also called a fellow fighter who supports BLM a communist, a Marxist, and someone who “hates America” and “stands for criminals.”
Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Covington could perhaps have phrased things a bit more diplomatically, but I agree overall with his sentiments. Of course, given the political environment of 2020, fellow UFC fighters and sponsors promptly erupted in outrage, calling Covington and his comments “flat-out racist” and “disgusting.”
To his credit, White defended athletes’ freedom of speech. “These guys all have their own causes, things, their own beliefs,” he said. “We don’t muzzle anybody here. We let everybody speak their mind. I don’t know what he said that was racist. I don’t know if I heard anything racist that he said.”
More coaches, teams, and leagues should adopt similar attitudes. True diversity and inclusion require tolerance and acceptance of a wide range of political views. With athletes almost unanimously expressing support for the BLM movement, usually with the wholehearted endorsement of their teams and leagues, it is important to consider the rights of those with dissenting views. If athletes can speak out in favor of BLM, fairness requires that they also be free to speak out against BLM if that is how they feel.
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Recently Ben Witherington reacted to Thomas Schreiner's forthcoming New Testament Theology by suggesting it calls into question "God's essential moral character." He cites Schreiner's point that the most basic theme of the New Testament is, "God magnifying himself through Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit."
He concludes with,
I suppose we should not be surprised that in a culture and age of narcissism, we would recreate God in our own self-centered image, but it is surprising when we find orthodox Christians, and even careful scholars doing this.
This is really astonishing for five reasons:
- The explicit biblical textual foundation for Schreiner's thesis is pervasive and overwhelming.
- God's exaltation of his own glory is not narcissistic but loving, because it directs our attention away from ourselves to the one glorious reality that can satisfy our souls forever.
- God's self-glorification is not the alternative to our glorification but the foundation and goal of it, as Schreiner will make plain.
- The real cultural bondage today is not that too many people are making God radically God-centered, but that most people cannot conceive of his being loving unless he is man-centered.
- To suggest that Tom Schreiner is "creating God in our own self-centered image" because he says, with the apostle Paul, that God saves us "for the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14) is less an indictment of Tom than of Ben.
If you would like to read more, these articles may be helpful:
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Where We Work
Malawi is a country of 18 million people in southeastern Africa that is famous for the spectacular Lake Malawi and is known as the “The Warm Heart of Africa”.
Malawi is among the world’s least-developed countries with a largely agricultural economy and rural population.
At our campus in Kasese, we have a fully stocked health center, maternity ward, multiple apartments for our staff, offices, and extra guest rooms where visitors often stay. Orant’s primary operating area includes around 36,000 people in the Dowa District. We also conduct outreach clinics and sponsor students in the neighboring Kasungu District.
Our campus includes a 33-acre farm plot that we use to demonstrate seed and fertilizer varieties to the local farmers. Once harvested, these crops are distributed to our staff, and the excess is given to the poor in our operating area.
What Makes Us Different
Orant Charities Africa is not a big NGO. We are a local Malawian NGO run by Malawians for Malawians and supported by free and professional consulting from a variety of US-based experts. This means we have the best of both worlds: deep local connections and free expert logistic and informational support.
Our staff of 50 is 100% African and almost entirely Malawian. This helps us to work with the local chiefs and leaders and ensure that all our operations are run with consent and involvement from the community.
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PORT CLINTON – Last winter, operators of the Toledo and Ottawa County water plants said if toxic algae continued to plague Lake Erie at high levels, they couldn't guarantee they would be able to provide safe drinking water.
Over the weekend, their fears were realized in Toledo.
Toxin levels were so high at the Toledo water plant that it was not able to provide drinking water to its more than 400,000 customers in Northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.
The city told residents not to drink the water because it contained microcystin, a nerve toxin that can cause liver problems and gastrointestinal illness and is produced by harmful blue-green algae. Boiling the water does not remove the toxin, so residents across Northwest Ohio were scrambling for bottled water at local stores on Saturday.
Ottawa County's drinking water is safe for now, but Ottawa County Sanitary Engineer Kelly Frey is concerned the county plant could face the same problem as Toledo in the coming weeks if the harmful algal blooms move east. Ottawa County does have a plan to get drinking water to residents in a similar situation.
"This is a crisis," Frey said Saturday of Toledo's situation. " I've been talking about this for months. I could see it coming.
"It's very frustrating for me."
In December, Frey joined Toledo's department of environment commissioner, Tim Murphy, in expressing concerns about the issue at the Lake Erie Improvement Association's conference at the Catawba Island Club. They referenced the Carroll Township water plant shutting down for a few days in September because the levels of microcystin were too high for drinking water.
Frey has been asking the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and legislators to fund research into the problem algae poses for water plants and come up with a solution.
There are no state or federal regulations for testing for microcystin or for removing it from drinking water. Normal water treatment processes don't remove the toxin, so plants have spent the past few years trying to determine what works best to get rid of it, Frey said.
"Unfortunately, the focus has been on how do you clean the lake," Frey said. "This is more than just a lake issue. The lake is a long-term solution.
"The short-term problem is the water plants. Unfortunately, it's come to a crisis situation."
Ottawa County started planning recently for such a situation and already had scheduled a meeting for Tuesday with the county's largest water users, local hospitals, county officials and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The meeting is the first of its kind in Ohio, Frey said.
"EPA has been responsive, but they're still watching," Frey said. "They're not proactive. Everything EPA and the city of Toledo are doing today is reactive."
Ottawa County's water treatment plant serves Oak Harbor and 8,000 customers in Danbury, Catawba, Portage, Bay, Erie and Salem townships, Frey said. It also sells the city of Port Clinton drinking water, he said.
If Ottawa County should have to shut down its drinking water, officials plan to shut off the county's three water towers to keep the toxin from getting into that water supply. Locals could then go to stations the county sets up and fill jugs with water from the towers, Frey said.
"We'll have several spigots set up," he said.
The county would work with Port Clinton and Oak Harbor to shut off their towers and provide the same service to their customers, Frey said. Ottawa County is in a better position than Toledo because Toledo does not have water towers, Frey said.
He also recommends locals keep at least three days' worth of water on hand at home.
"I feel we're going to be OK," Frey said. "The problem that we're having, though is, how long is this going to last?"
The algae, which is actually a bacteria called microcystis, usually shows up in August and September. A bloom began in the Toledo area in late July, and the Sandusky Bay traditionally has an early summer bloom that is a different type of harmful algae.
Phosphorous from fertilizer runoff and sewer plants mainly fuel the blooms. Various universities and groups are studying the blooms in an effort to stop them, and in recent years, Ohio started a voluntary program for farmers to reduce how much fertilizer they use.
Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave its annual forecast for how bad the harmful algae in Lake Erie's Western Basin would be this year. On a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the worst, scientists said the bloom would be a five or six.
They said the bloom would not be as bad as last year or the 2011 bloom, which was the worst on record.
Meanwhile, Frey and other water plant operators on Lake Erie's Western Basin continue to experiment with what works best to remove the toxin. Ottawa County uses activated powder carbon.
"There are dozens of activated powder carbons," he said. "Which is the best one for treating microcystin? Nobody knows.
"It's all just by trial and error."
Two water plants on the Western Basin, Toledo and Oregon, test water for microcystin. Ottawa County sends its samples to Oregon for testing.
OEPA also works with plant operators on Lake Erie and at inland lakes to voluntarily test and monitor for the toxin, agency spokeswoman Dina Pierce said in June.
From testing to treatment, the process is expensive, Frey said. That's one of the reasons Ottawa County increased water rates 4.5 percent this year, he said.
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Chapped lips may not bother you a whole lot, but still. Just because chapped lips don’t constitute a serious problem doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek out a solution. Especially during the winter, when they start affecting you! Who knows? Maybe the only reason we haven’t discovered a way to stop the polar ice caps from melting is because all the scientists stationed on the South Pole are so distracted by their painful chapped lips that they can’t think straight!
Luckily for us (and the polar bears who are relying on those scientists), it is pretty easy to get fast relief for dry, cracked lips. Read on for easy-to-follow advice on how to get your lips back to the smooth, kissable smackers they are meant to be…not the cracked desert landscape they are now.
Quick fix for chapped lips:
Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) over your lips for an immediate boost of moisture and relief from painful cracking.
What causes chapped lips?
There are numerous potential causes for the dryness and painful cracking of chapped lips. The most common culprits are:
- Constant exposure to wind, sun, or cold, dry air
- Fever or illness
- Vitamin deficiency
- Open-mouth breathing
- Allergies to cosmetics or skin care products
- Frequent lip-licking
- Excessive drooling during sleep
Simple Ways to Relieve Dry, Chapped Lips
Apply lip balm to protect your lips. When your lips are dry and chapped, it is important to cover them with lip balm to prevent additional damage and help soothe any painful cracks. Emollient lip balms or ointments are recommended because they tend to provide longer-lasting moisture than a waxy stick treatment. When choosing a lip balm, look for one with an occlusive agent that will lock in existing moisture and give your lips more hydration with the addition of beneficial oils. The most common occlusive agent is petrolatum, but others include castor oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter and shea butter. Effective lip balms include Eucerin Aquaphor Lip Repair, Blistex Lip Massage and Jack Black Intense Therapy (sold at Amazon). Avoid products containing menthol or camphor, as they can increase dryness.
Limit your exposure to sun and wind. Exposure to the elements is the number one cause of chapped lips. As you probably know, chapped lips are most common in the winter, when the cold, dry air causes your parched skin to become rough and cracked. When you must be outside in the wintertime, always wear a scarf over your mouth to protect your lips from the relentless wind and cold air. Chapped lips can also occur in the summer when the hot sun sears into your skin. Make sure that you wear a lip balm that contains at least an SPF of 15 to save your lips from the dangerous effects of the sun. Wear your SPF 15 (or higher) balm every day, year-round – and remember to reapply it every time you go outside.
Drink lots of water. Balms and petroleum jelly can relieve your chapped lips and put them on the road to recovery, but in order to see a significant, lasting improvement you must re-hydrate your body. If you are experiencing chapped lips, your body is sending a clear message that you need more water. Doctors have long recommended that individuals drink six to eight 8-ounce glasses each day. When you are suffering from dry skin or chapped lips, up your water intake to ten to twelve 8-ounce glasses a day to help give your body the extra moisture it is lacking. That’ll also keep the rest of your body functioning well.
Avoid licking or biting your lips.When your lips are dry, it is natural to feel the urge to add instant moisture by licking or sucking on your lips. While it may sound like an easy fix, licking your lips actually worsens chapping and slows the healing process. When saliva dries (which it does very quickly), your lips become even more dehydrated than before. Saliva also contains natural acids that can irritate already sore lips. You should also avoid biting or peeling away the dead skin once your lips begin to crack because it can cause pain and bleeding and prevent healing. If you are prone to licking your lips (you probably don’t even realize how often you do it), trade your yummy flavored lip balm for a flavorless one or a variety that tastes bad to you.
Use a humidifier. It’s not just the air outside that causes chapped lips; dry air inside your home or office can also cause your lips and skin to dry out and prolong the healing process. The air indoors tends to be especially dry in the winter, when heating systems are cranked to full blast and suck the moisture out of the air. Using a humidifier, especially in your bedroom while you sleep, helps restore some of the lost moisture. Humidifiers can also help prevent stuffy noses, and smoothly breathing through your nose (instead of mouth) is another way to reduce your chances of getting chapped lips. Amazon sells a few single-room units like this humidifier from Pure Enrichment that has a lot of cool features. However, just remember the larger your home the larger a humidifier you’ll need.
Beware: Chapped Lips Might Lead to Lip Balm Addiction
It seems like everything is an “addiction” these days: food addiction, sex addiction, exercise addiction, you name it. While many scientists and doctors have dismissed the idea of lip balm addiction, some studies have shown that certain types of lip balm can be addictive and that overuse can actually dry out your lips even more.
Numerous news reports have stated that there is some proof to the notion that people can indeed become addicted to lip balm. The most likely reason is the psychological effect created by the feeling of having soft, smooth lips. When the lip balm wears off or dries out, habitual lip balm users feel the need to reapply immediately and become irritated when they are unable to do so. In fact, there is even a website devoted to lip balm addiction called Lip Balm Anonymous.
Many frequent lip balm users especially enjoy the tingling sensation they get when they apply lip balms containing menthol or camphor, which can create a cooling effect. However, both ingredients contain properties that can actually dry out your lips, thus perpetuating the need for more lip balm. If you think you might be a lip balm addict – and you can’t bear to cut down on your lip balm use – it’s best to switch to a product that contains natural ingredients such as coconut oil or shea butter.
Natural Remedies for Chapped Lips
Honey. Mix a few drops of honey with an equal amount of castor oil or aloe vera gel. Apply the mixture to your lips and leave on overnight. For extra cooling and soothing relief, spread the mixture on a thin slice of cucumber and lay it over your lips.
Vitamin E gel capsules. Break open one Vitamin E supplement gel capsule and apply the liquid directly to your lips with your finger. Taking Vitamin E supplements every day also helps prevent chapped lips.
Avocado. Mash up a small piece of ripe avocado and apply it directly to your lips. Avocado provides nutrients, vitamins and natural oils that keep your lips and skin moisturized and healthy.
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As his dog Baily dashed across the street one recent evening, Aaron Moreau flicked on his flashlight just in time to see the small terrier struggling in the jaws of what appeared to be a tall, lanky dog.Frightened by the flash of light, the intruder bolted toward a stand of cane that separates Moreau's Rigolets Estates neighborhood from Louisiana 433 southeast of Slidell. After momentarily and unsuccessfully trying to pull it through the weeds, the attacker dropped the small dog and ran off.
The attack was not an isolated incident, nor was it a matter of an overly aggressive neighborhood dog going after a weaker plaything. Coyotes have come to subdivisions of southeastern St. Tammany Parish.
Baily is recovering from deep bites to its back, and Moreau now walks his dogs with a gun on his hip. Other residents are taking their own precautions, or taking aggressive steps to eradicate the coyotes, as the animals have become more numerous and more bold.
"I saw them walking Highway 90 a couple of times, " said Moreau, who also has lost two cats to the invading varmints. "I've heard a pack of pups, too."
And Moreau and other residents said they've become increasingly frustrated as they have found there is little they can do about the wild packs.
Rigolets Estates and the nearby subdivision of Treasure Isle are tucked into the southeastern corner of St. Tammany Parish, a normally quiet refuge of large houses whose well-manicured lawns back up to fishing piers on Lake Pontchartrain or boat docks along canals that provide quick access to the lake. Outside the subdivisions, wild marshes dominate the landscape.
Though the area is filled with wildlife, residents first saw coyotes early this year, said Don Ducote, a resident of Treasure Isle.
Initially residents didn't see the coyotes as a major problem. In fact, by ridding local canals of nutria, they seemed to be performing a sort of service. But as the nutria population dropped, residents began noticing that other wild animals such as ducks were becoming scarce. And then pets started to go missing.
The prevalence of the animals has inspired fear among residents, and not just for their animals. Ducote, whose two cats Minky and Pookie went missing earlier this year, said his wife is now afraid to walk through the neighborhood at night.
About a dozen pets, mostly cats, have disappeared in the two subdivisions since the winter. While residents said it's possible not all the missing pets are the work of coyotes, they point to regular sightings of the animals and the evidence of their meals, including eviscerated cat carcasses, as signs that coyotes bear the brunt of the blame.
The bulk of the coyotes seem to be coming from a marshy area north of the subdivisions that is still filled with barren trees and withered weeds from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. FEMA carved a path through the swamp after the storm to get to debris and appliances that had washed out from Rigolets Estates.
On that path one night last week, Treasure Isle Homeowners Association President Lee Nugent and Moreau looked over a set of fresh coyote tracks, distinguishable from those of dogs by their compact, oblong shape. Though the area was quiet and virtually lifeless as they conducted their sunset walk, the tracks, as well as those of wild hogs, showed the dirt trail has become a highway for the animals.
A construction crew in Treasure Isle spotted another pack, including pups, crawling out from under the foundation of a home that was obliterated by the storm.
"In Texas we would shoot at them, but I don't know that I ever hit one, " Nugent said. "We're not going to get rid of them."
Coyotes first came to the area in the 1970s after migrating east out of Texas, said Jimmy Stafford, region manager for the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' East Gulf Coastal Plain region and a biologist.
"The occasional sighting of a coyote in my opinion is not a bad thing, " said Stafford, who lives in Washington Parish and works in St. Tammany Parish and Baton Rouge. "I've got coyotes around my house and bobcats and all kinds of neat critters and it's good to see them out there. It means you have a healthy ecosystem."
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has not done studies to determine how many coyotes there are in St. Tammany Parish for years, but Stafford said anecdotal evidence suggests a relatively large population lives on the north shore. The animals are routinely spotted by hunters and residents and frequently turn up as roadkill along Interstate 12, though many motorists probably mistake the carcasses for those of dogs, he said.
Coyote sightings are not uncommon in the New Orleans area. In May, one was spotted on the playground of St. Andrew the Apostle School in Algiers but escaped before the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals could capture it. Several weeks ago, police received reports of a coyote on the loose in Old Jefferson.
The animals also caused problems in St. Rose several years ago and might have been the culprits in a series of livestock killings in central St. Tammany in 2005.
"Any little block of woods that's more than a few acres can hold a coyote or a group of coyotes, " Stafford said. "They've been in this area for many years now and adapted pretty well to humans. They feed on trash that humans leave out."
In general, coyotes are not dangerous to humans and are not considered one of the major carriers of rabies, Stafford said.
For homeowners worried about their pets, there is often little official recourse for dealing with coyotes.
St. Tammany Parish Animal Services doesn't deal with wild animals, parish spokesman Tom Beale said. And while the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office does handle wild critters, it only gets involved when they pose a risk to parish residents, Capt. George Bonnett said. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries also does not deal with coyote removal.
"They're no different than a fox or a raccoon or a possum, they're species that are going to be there, " Stafford said. "There's really no big need or desire to go out there and eradicate these animals."
State law does allow hunters to shoot coyotes, but St. Tammany Parish also prohibits residents from firing weapons within 1,000 feet of a subdivision, creating a problem for those dealing with the animals in their neighborhoods.
And, because coyotes typically live in packs, even picking off one or two won't likely solve a neighborhood's problem, Stafford said.
Still, enraged by the killing of his pets, Ducote has started a one-man crusade to rid his subdivision of coyotes. When he spotted one coming out of the marsh across from his home several months ago, he grabbed his scoped rifle and fired 15 rounds before the coyote disappeared back into the weeds. Ducote said the critter moved so quickly that he probably didn't even wound it.
Because the coyotes have not responded to blunt shows of force, residents have turned to other methods. One resident soaked steaks in antifreeze for three days before leaving them out as poisonous bait. The next morning, the steaks disappeared but no carcasses were left behind. A new trap, in which razor blades will be placed in another set of steaks, is now being considered by at least one person in the neighborhood.
Stafford said the best approach for residents is to ensure there's no pet food or edible trash left out for the coyotes, who will move on when their food source dries up.
But these assurances ring hollow to residents.
"They say they'll go away, but there's no better place for them to go, " Moreau said.
Jeff Adelson can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 985.645.2852.
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Black Family Technology Awareness Day February 4
On Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, Rensselaer will host the 14th Black Family Technology Awareness Day program (BFTAD). This annual event, which is part of a nationally celebrated week of the same name, is designed to spur young people’s interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, (STEM) and the arts. The theme for the program, “Tetherless Training for Tomorrow’s Technologies: Heroes, Role Models, and Mentors,” was selected to pay homage to past, present, and future leaders in STEM-related fields of African-American descent.
The opening ceremony will be held in the Darrin Communications Center, room 308, beginning at 8:45 a.m. President Shirley Ann Jackson will deliver the opening remarks. Timothy Sams, vice president for student life, will deliver the keynote address.
The daylong event will feature more than 70 workshop sessions and hands-on activities led by Rensselaer professors, students, staff, alumni/alumnae, and local community organizations. This year, sample workshops include: seeing how electricity and plasma are used to cut metal, making ice cream using liquid nitrogen, using LEGO building kits to build models of simple machines, an introduction to the technology of light emitting diodes (LEDs), learning how to harvest power from the wind, using homemade ingredients to explore science and physics, creating a virtual turntable, and learning how to use basic forensic science techniques, and an introduction to nanotechnology, among others.
Special new highlights to this year’s event include a lunch-time exercise break that will feature the “Electric Slide” dance, led by President Jackson and members of the administration, who will be joined by event participants. The program will culminate with a panel discussion, followed by a special raffle that will include some science-themed prizes.
The event is designed to provide students and their parents with an opportunity to interact with a diverse group of local scientists, researchers, engineers,
teachers, industry experts, and Rensselaer students.
In addition, this year’s event is being held in conjunction with the regional Science & Technology Entry Program Science Fair. Several area students will have their science projects on display in the Alumni Sports & Recreation Center from noon to 1:15 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Members of the campus and local community are encouraged to attend.
For more information and program details, go to www.rpi.edu/dept/diversity/bftad/index.html.
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'Fly Away Peter' is essentially a story about life. Through the life of Jim Saddler the reader becomes aware of the ideas posed by the author, David Malouf. Jim's life, if anything, is indeed a journey, unfolding through various broadening experiences that lead to Jim's eventual understanding of the world and his own self. However, to simply say that this understanding is enhanced solely by his contact with those around him is only true to a certain extent. Jim's journey of life exists on many levels, just one of which is the lessons he learns through his contact with others.
A strong note emphasised throughout the novel is Jim's detachment. During the establishment of his relationship with Ashley, and his decision to join the war, 'Jim existed in a world of his own, not withdrawn exactly, but impenetrably private'. Ever the lone wolf, Jim keeps the events in his life at arm's length, remaining distant and observing his world in his own unique way.
The retiring, introspective Jim notes he has no close friends, though calling Clancy a 'mate'. Even the horrors of war fail to make Jim see the world as others do. He admits his naivety, confessing that'he had been living, till he came here, in a state of dangerous innocence'. Jim acknowledges how his new experiences have indeed opened his eyes to the real world, but as yet he has not reached his eventual understanding of self.
The bond between Jim, Ashley and Imogen is founded on their mutual respect for, and love of, the bird life in the sanctuary. There is certainly no doubt that Jim and Ashley are brought together by their appreciation of nature. Ashley has 'a quiet respect for the things Jim also respected', and the reader is made aware...
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UNDATED (HealthDay News) -- Mind-body therapies such as yoga, meditation and deep-breathing exercises appear to be gaining more acceptance in mainstream medicine, according to a new study.
Mind-body therapy is used by more than one-third of Americans, and that number is rising, the researchers noted. They found that one in 30 Americans using some type of mind-body therapy was referred to the treatment by a medical provider.
"There's good evidence to support using mind-body therapies clinically," the study's lead author, Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, an integrative medicine fellow at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in a news release from Beth Israel. "Still, we didn't expect to see provider referral rates that were quite so high."
Nerurkar and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 23,000 households that took part in the 2007 U.S. National Health Interview Survey. Nearly 3 percent of the people in those households, or about 6.3 million people, used mind-body therapies after referral by a mainstream medical provider, the study found. These people tended to be sicker and used the health-care system more than people who started using the therapies without a referral.
"What we learned suggests that providers are referring their patients for mind-body therapies as a last resort once conventional therapeutic options have failed," Nerurkar said. "It makes us wonder whether referring patients for these therapies earlier in the treatment process could lead to less use of the health-care system and, possibly, better outcomes for these patients."
The study is published in the May 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
"These data suggest that mind-body therapies have really become a mainstream approach to care," Dr. Russell Phillips, chief of primary care at Beth Israel and the study's senior author, said in the news release. "But more research is needed to guide physician and patient decision-making regarding their use."
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about mind-body therapy.
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How Safe is Your Next Car?
Thinking about a new car? If you factor safety into your choice (most people do), then you’ll want to know what vehicles aced crash tests and are considered the safest to buy.
From minicars and sedans to SUVs and pickups, you’ll find hundreds of 2012 models deemed safe by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Each year the nonprofit research and education organization determines which vehicles do the best job of protecting people in four of the most common kinds of crashes — front, side, rollover and rear — based on ratings in Institute evaluations. The ratings help shoppers pick vehicles that offer the highest levels of crash protection.
Every major automaker has at least one winner that earned the Institute’s esteemed Top Safety Pick award. Among the 115 award winners, there are 18 new recipients this year, while 97 models that previously qualified for the 2011 award carry over to 2012.
The Winners’ Circle
Here’s a breakdown of some of this year’s qualifiers:
- The Toyota Camry earned its first-ever Top Safety Pick. Last year, the Camry missed the mark because of a marginal rating for seat/head restraints. Camry is a top-selling midsize car in the U.S. market.
- Subaru remains the only manufacturer with the distinction of earning awards for every model it builds. Subaru picked up five awards, including one for the redesigned Impreza, a small car.
- Ten of the 18 new winners are Honda/Acura models, including the midsize Accord, a top U.S. seller, which previously won the 2009 award but has been missing from the list since then. The manufacturer upgraded the roofs on the 10 models to improve rollover protection.
- Toyota/Lexus/Scion has 15 winners this year, more than any other auto manufacturer.
- General Motors has 14 winners, followed by Volkswagen/Audi with 13, and Ford/Lincoln and Honda/Acura with 12 awards apiece.
- The winning green models include Toyota’s Prius v, the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf.
For more information about the Top Safety Pick awards and the winning models, go to iihs.org. If you have questions about about insurance coverage for a new vehicle, contact us for a quote.
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"Caste" versus "Orders of Social Well-Being"
The following dialogue took place at the University of Moscow in the
Soviet Union in 1971 between Srila Pabhupada and Professor Grigoriy
SP: If a brahmana accepts a salary, it is understood that he has become a dog. That is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam. He can advise, but he cannot accept employment...The Manu-smriti is an example of the standard of brahminical culture...
PK: I am sorry to interrupt you, but to my knowledge all of Indian society in the second half of the eighteenth century was, by order of the British administration, under a law divergent from Hindu law. There was a lot of change. The actual Hindu law that was used by the Hindus was quite different from the original Manu-smriti.
SP: They have now made changes. Even our late Pandit Jawharlal Nehru introduced his own Hindu code. He introduced the right of divorce in marriage, but this was not in the Manu-samhita. There are so many things they have changed, but before this modern age the whole human society was governed by the Manu-smriti. Strictly speaking, modern Hindus are not strictly following the Hindu scriptures.
But our point is not to try to bring back the old type of Hindu society. That is impossible. Our idea is to take the best ideas from the original idea...If one wants to keep his profession and also at the same time understand our movement, that is allowed. We have many professors following our movement. There is Howard Wheeler, a professor at Ohio State University. He is my disciple. He is continuing with his professorship...
PK: But by creating brahmanas from different social classes of society, you deny the old prescription of the Hindu society.
SP: No, I establish it.
PK: According to all scriptures -- the Puranas, etc. -- every member of one of these four classes of varnas has to be born within it... That is the foundation of all the varnas...
SP: You have spoken incorrectly. With great respect, I beg to submit that you are not speaking correctly. In the Bhagavad-gita [4.13] it is stated, catur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagasah. "These four orders of brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and sudras were created by Me according to quality (guna) and work or activities (karma)." There is no mention of birth (janma).
PK: I agree with you that this is the addition of later brahmanas who tried to perpetuate these qualities.
SP: That has killed the Indian culture. Otherwise there would have been no necessity of the division of part of India into Pakistan... The other day I was speaking in Bombay with a respectable gentleman. I was telling him that Krishna says, "Even those who are lowborn [papa-yonayah] -- stri, vaishyas, and sudras -- are also included by accepting Me. By accepting My shelter they are also elevated to the transcendental platform."
Now why have the higher classes of Hindu society neglected this injunction of the Bhagavad-gita?...Why wasn't this message propagated by the higher classes of people so that the so-called lowborn could be elevated? Why did they reject them? The result was that instead of accepting the Muhammadans, the Indians rejected them, and now they are partitioned off. They have become eternal enemies of India.
So for the first time we are trying to elevate persons to the higher position of Krishna Consciousness, even if one is lowborn. Because the soul is pure. In the Vedas it is said that the soul is untouched by any material contamination; it is simply temporarily covered. This covering should be removed. Then one becomes pure. That is the mission of human life...
In a July 1975 interview, reporter Sandy Nixon asked Srila Prabhupada, "Are you attempting to revive the ancient Indian caste system in the West? The Gita mentions the caste system..."
Srila Prabhupada responded:
"Where does the Bhagavad-gita mention the caste system? Krishna says, 'chatur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagasah: 'I created four divisions of men according to their quality and work.' [Gita 4.13] For instance, you can understand that there are engineers as well as medical practitioners in society. Do you say they belong to different castes--that one is in the engineer caste and the other is in the medical caste? No. If a man has qualified himself in medical school, you accept him as a doctor, and if another man has a degree in engineering, you accept him as an engineer.
"Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita defines four classes of men in society: a class of highly intelligent men, a class of administrators, a class of productive men, and ordinary workers. These divisions are natural. For example, one class of men is very intelligent. But to actually meet the qualifications of first-class men as described in the Bhagavad-gita, they need to be trained, just as an intelligent boy requires training in a college to become a qualified doctor.
"So in the Krishna Consciousness movement we are training the intelligent men how to control their minds, how to control their senses, how to become truthful, how to become clean internally and externally, how to become wise, how to apply their knowledge in practical life, and how to become God conscious. All these boys [gestures toward seated disciples] have first-class intelligence, and now we are training them to use it properly.
"We are not introducing the caste system, in which any rascal born in a brahmana family is automatically a brahmana. He may have the habits of a fifth-class man, but he is accepted as first class because of his birth in a brahmana family. We don't accept that. We recognize a man as first class who is trained as a brahmana. It doesn't matter whether he is Indian, European, or American; lowborn or highborn -- it doesn't matter.
"Any intelligent man can be trained to adopt first-class habits. We want to stop this nonsensical idea that we are imposing the Indian caste system on our disciples. We are simply picking out men with first-class intelligence and training them how to become first class in every respect."
In an essay appearing on page 117 of The Science of Self-Realization, Srila Prabhupada says:
"It is this divine varnashrama-dharma that Krishna recommends, not the caste system as it is understood today. This modern caste system isn now condemned in India also, and it should be condemned, for the classification of different types of men according to birth is not the Vedic or divine caste system.
"There are many classes of men in society -- some men are engineers, some are medical practitioners, some are chemists, tradesmen, businessmen, and so on. These varieties of classes are not to be determined by birth, however, but by quality. No such thing as the caste-by-birth system is sanctioned in the Vedic literature, nor do we accept it. We have nothing to do with the caste system, which is also at present being rejected by the public in India. Rather, we give everyone the chance to become a brahmana...
"Because at the present moment there is a scarcity of brahmanas, spiritual guides...and because the entire world is being ruled by sudras, or men of the manual laborer class, there are many discrepancies in society. It is to mitigate all these discrepancies that we have taken to this Krishna Consciousness movement.
"If the brahmana class is actually reestablished, the other orders of social well-being will automatically follow...The ultimate goal of this movement is to educate people in how to love God...No Christian gentleman will be interested in changing his faith from Christian to Hindu. Similarly, no Hindu gentleman...will be ready to change to the Christian faith...But everyone will be interested in understanding the philosophy and science of God and taking it seriously."
Return to: Articles
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A selection of articles related to cellulitis incubation.
Original articles from our library related to the Cellulitis Incubation. See Table of Contents for further available material (downloadable resources) on Cellulitis Incubation.
- A History Of Dreaming - From Ancient Egypt To Modern Day
- Dreams have been an important part of the human experince since time immemorial. Fragments of the earliest books come from Egypt, where dreams were considered to be the messages sent from the gods. The Egyptians divided their dreams into three categories: 1....
Parapsychology >> Dreams
- What do my dreams mean I can see the furture in my dreams?
- Prophetic Dreams in Ancient Times Dreams have fascinated man since the dawn of time, and many records have been found showing accounts of dreams and the role they played in ancient time. Many thought that dreams were a way to keep in close contact with the...
Parapsychology >> Dreams
Cellulitis Incubation is described in multiple online sources, as addition to our editors' articles, see section below for printable documents, Cellulitis Incubation books and related discussion.
Suggested Pdf Resources
- Strategies for Clinical Management of MRSA in the Community
- MRSA in cellulitis without abscess or purulent drainage is less clear since cultures are ...
- INCUBATION CHART OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES PERTINENT TO
- INCUBATION CHART OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. PERTINENT TO Cellulitis. 1 - 2 days fever, chills, swelling of skin.
- Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- cellulitis and skin pustules to human caretakers in a zoo.82. A colonized human is thought Incubation Period.
- Division of Disease Control What Do I Need To Know?
- Swelling and purple-red discoloration of the skin is a symptom of cellulitis. How soon do symptoms appear? The incubation period for Hib disease is unknown.
- Clostridium perfringens
- The incubation period is 6 to 24 hours, usually 8 to 12 hours. .
Suggested Web Resources
- The incubation period (the time it takes for the infection to start causing symptoms ) varies, depending on the type of bacteria that causes the cellulitis.
- Cellulitis | Disease Information
- The incubation period varies, depending on the type of bacteria causing the cellulitis.
- Learn About Cellulitis
- Cellulitis from a dog or cat bite or scratch may be caused by the Pasturella multocida bacteria, which has a very short incubation period of only four to 24 hours.
Great care has been taken to prepare the information on this page. Elements of the content come from factual and lexical knowledge databases, realmagick.com library and third-party sources. We appreciate your suggestions and comments on further improvements of the site.
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The US Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a proposed waterflood program in the Jurassic Nugget formation and new oil and gas wells on public land in Fremont County, Wyo., 20 miles south of Sweetwater Station, BLM’s Lander, Wyo., field office said on Feb. 3.
BLM will accept comments through Mar. 5 for an environmental assessment it is preparing for Richardson Operating Co.’s proposed Bison Basin project.
BLM said that the Greenwood Village, Colo., independent producer’s proposal includes implementing a waterflood program in the new West Bison Basin Unit. It said that the proposal also calls for five water injection wells and one new oil well in the West Bison Basin Unit, three new oil wells in the existing Bison Basin Unit, and one exploratory gas well in the North Bison Basin Unit.
A production facility also would be expanded to accommodate waterflooding equipment, the agency said. The proposed project’s anticipated life is 20 years, it indicated.
Contact Nick Snow at email@example.com.
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|man pages section 9: DDI and DKI Driver Entry Points Oracle Solaris 11.1 Information Library|
- return the sample count for an audio engine
#include <sys/audio/audio_driver.h> uint64_t prefix_count(void *state);
pointer to driver supplied soft state
Solaris DDI specific (Solaris DDI)
The audio_engine_count() function returns the frame count of the engine, which is the number of frames transferred by the engine since it was last opened with audio_engine_open(9E).
For recording, this frame count will be the total number of frames that the engine has written into the buffer. For playback, it will be the number of frames that the engine has read from the buffer. This value is monotonically increasing and does not wrap.
The audio_engine_open() function, however, will reset the frame count to 0.
The frame count for the engine is related to the offset of the data in the buffer. Both normally increase as the engine makes progress, but the engine index wraps when it reaches the end of the buffer or when the device is stopped and restarted with audio_engine_stop(9E) and audio_engine_start(9E).
The audio_engine_count() function returns the number of frames transferred by the engine since audio_engine_open() was called.
This function may be called from user or interrupt context.
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
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HEALTH & WELLNESSPage address: http://www.mnsu.edu/dining/nutrition.html
Being well and eating well means becoming aware of choices and making the right decisions to achieve a better today and a better tomorrow. Your University Dining team is committed to offering you a wide range of options for a healthy dining experience. From recipes that include the most nutritious mix of ingredients to offering educational resources for positive lifestyle habits, healthy options are the result of a team dedicated to advancing the well-being of the entire campus community.
Sodexo's nutrition icons make it easy to identify healthy choices
Look for these nutrition icons on the foods being served on your campus to help you meet your dietary needs or desires. If you need assistance finding the right types of foods for you, please reach out to a University Dining manager or chef. If you have additional dietary questions, please contact us so we can help!
Please be concious of the top 8 food allergens.
Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
Gluten Free Options:
Gluten free bread and wraps available at Stacks, Grill 155, Noodles and Greens, Einstein Bros Bagels. Any sandwich, wrap or breakfast burrito on the menu can be made with the gluten free alternative.
Gluten free pasta is available at Noodles and Greens (call Retail Manager Gary Dunnick at 507-340-2457 to order ahead or wait 10-15 mins to allow cooking time).
About 95% of all homestyle meals served at the Market are gluten free, including all of the sauces and gravies. Gluten free rolls are available upon request. Soups are also gluten free.
Tortillas at Taco Bell are NOT gluten free, but gluten free wraps can be requested as a substitute for most menu items. Taco Bell beef is NOT gluten free.
Mein Bowl's stir fry items and sushi are gluten free. Anything that is battered or in wonton skins is NOT gluten free. All rice is gluten free.
Chick-Fil-A's waffle fries, chargrill chicken without a bun, chargrill salad are gluten free. You can order grilled chicken nuggets which are gluten free available upon request.
Carkoski Dining Commons offers gluten free wraps, bread and pizza crust and pasta upon request.
If you have a food allergy and need special accommodation please contact our staff for more information or to schedule a meeting to discuss a dining plan that fits your needs.
Gary Dunnick for Retail Dining (CSU)
Daniel Harvey for Resident Dining (Carkoski)
My Fitness Pal: The FREE MyFitnessPal App is the leader in its category, allowing the user to apply the nutrition and exercise information to guide healthier decisions in real time. Create your free account at http://myfitnesspal.com then search "Sodexo Campus" recipes or scan the item's barcode.
Good health. Most people want it but many struggle with making it a natural
- A Better Tomorrow Starts Today!
Learn more about making smart choices for your health, for your community and for your planet
- Meet the Dietitian
Ask your health questions to one of our registered dietitians
- Nutrition Tracker
Use MyFitnessPal and Sodexo's Nutrition Calculator to plan and track your meals
- My Plate
Get healthy eating tips, create a personalized plan, and more with the latest information from the USDA
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Then, there is this controversial proposal: "If the Iraqi government does not make substantial progress toward the achievement of milestones on national reconciliation, security and governance, the United States should reduce its political, military or economic support."
Maybe that approach would work. Or maybe the promise to withdraw money and U.S. troops sends a dangerous signal to Iraqi terrorists. To wit: If they kill enough Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops, America will withdraw U.S. troops sooner. Besides, the 2008 elections present a timetable of sorts. If the Iraqi government fails to improve, the 2006 elections suggest, Americans will elect a president who promises complete and immediate withdrawal.
Some of the more modest recommendations make more sense. Recommendation 73, for example, notes that the U.S. embassy in Iraq employs 1,000 people, but only 33 Arabic speakers, six of them fluent. President Bush should find that situation unacceptable. The ISG also calls for increasing U.S. economic assistance to Iraq to $5 billion per year, and noted that Americans can't expect the Iraqi army to perform on an annual $3 billion appropriation -- or less than what the U.S. spends in Iraq every two weeks. The best summation of the situation in Iraq came from an unnamed U.S. official who told the study group: "Our leaving would make it worse. ... The current approach without modification will not make it better."
Bush and his new secretary of defense, Robert Gates, now must find a way to make it better.
Rand Paul on NSA: “I Believe What You Do on Your Cell Phone is None of Their Damn Business” | Daniel Doherty
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But a different kind of green (as in environment) is raising all sorts of red flags from environmentalists. The Sierra Club has already dubbed the Excursion a “suburban assault vehicle” and one of the group's officials described it as “a garbage truck that dumps its pollution into the sky.” That the new gas guzzler should be a Ford is rather ironic, says Christian. Company chairman William Clay Ford has vowed to make the automaker the leader in developing clean vehicles. Ford's explanation of the apparent Excursion eco-paradox: SUV consumers are not particularly concerned about gas consumption; nevertheless, the vehicle will produce 43 percent less smog than permitted by law.
Get out of the way! Today in a press briefing, Ford Motor Co. rolls out the biggest sports utility vehicle to hit the road yet: The Ford Excursion, a 3.5-ton, 19-foot-long behemoth, coming to your nearest showroom this fall. The unveiling is no surprise, says TIME Detroit correspondent Nichole Christian: “It was only a matter of time before someone attempted to topple GM,” the current reigning colossus king and maker of the Chevrolet/GMC Suburban. The reason for the bigger-is-better drive is strictly bottom line. “Consumers have been saying these big vehicles are what they want,” says Christian, and automakers have been seeing nothing but green (as in greenbacks) for their SUVs. According to one report, the Ford Excursion is expected to sell for $45,000 to $50,000, yielding a hefty $12,000-to-$20,000-per-vehicle profit.
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Below is a lengthened version of a speech I gave at my homeschool group about my greatest hero (other than Jesus), Hannah More. Thinking of her influence and faith always makes me smile, and I’m delighted to share her rarely-told story with you.
I chose Hannah More as my greatest post-Biblical hero. She was one of the foremost pioneers of the abolitionist movement, a phenomenal playwright, and the founder of some of the first public schools—and all these efforts were driven by the power of her pen and a profound love for the Prince of Peace. Here is her story.
The youngest of five daughters, Hannah More was born in 1745 at an English village called Fishponds. Her father was a low-class Anglican schoolmaster who held the unusual and often looked-down-upon belief that both boys and girls should have a proper education; thus, Hannah and her siblings were homeschooled throughout their childhood. Hannah became literate at four years old, so much so that at the same age she created a humorous satirical poem. Her enduring love of wordsmithing helped her greatly after she graduated from school—when she began to write plays for the Bristol Theatre Royal.
The theatre beautifully revealed More’s formerly-insignificant name to the masses; many of her plays there would receive lavish praise. Only one of her dramas, though, would truly change her life. James Stonhouse, an eager fan of Hannah’s, gave a copy of More’s The Inflexible Captive to David Garrick, the most celebrated Shakespearian actor of his day. He adored her writing; and when Garrick and Hannah met, they became close friends from then on. Karen Swallow Prior’s Fierce Convictions (p. 68) states, “What started as a teacher-pupil relationship grew into something near familial[.]” Indeed, Hannah More would watch Garrick’s productions over twenty times in a single season (she especially enjoyed his portrayal of Prince Hamlet), and Garrick would help author More’s play Percy, which, according to Eric Metaxas’ Seven Women (p. 66), “…proved to be a smash success. Indeed, it was literally the most acclaimed play of that era. The printers blew through four thousand copies in the span of two weeks.” Hannah More was now placed at the heart of British culture by both the wealthy and the common men.
Hannah was a strong Christian, but although her plays often presented clear ethical teaching, her faith didn’t take center stage until she read Cardiphonia. John Newton’s theological work sharply convicted her heart, thus launching her faith to new heights and motivating her to publish Sacred Dramas, Biblical accounts written as poetry. It seems insignificant now; but in Hannah More’s era, the act of integrating Christian doctrine with entertainment was deemed as dirty and desecrating to the Holy Scriptures. Dr. Samuel Johnson took this stance against her and said, “All addition to that which is already sufficient for the purpose of religion, seems not only useless, but in some degree profane.” (Seven Women, p. 70) Those like-minded with Johnson prevented all productions of Sacred Dramas for years. But Hannah stood her ground, stayed humble, and wrote in response (Seven Women, pg. 70),
“I hope the poets and painters will at last bring the Bible into fashion, and that people will get to like it from taste, though they are insensible to its spirits, and afraid of its doctrines.”
Although Hannah backed away from London life shortly after the publication of Sacred Dramas, her stand for the faith in the face of harsh criticism, combined with her still-lingering popularity, made her the ideal co-leader of 1787’s abolitionist movement.
The abolitionist campaign started when a preacher named James Ramsay opened his congregation’s eyes to the wickedness of slavery. By this point in British history, many had come to believe that the practice was normal and acceptable; the truth about how cruelly whites treated African-Americans never reached the public until that sermon. Two members of the preacher’s church, Sir Charles and Margaret Middleton, were instantly convinced that they must put the slave trade to an end, so they began discussing the matter with anyone who would come to their house, have dinner, and volunteer to join the cause. Among the dinner party goers were Hannah More and William Wilberforce. After abolition gained enough positive recognition, Charles and Margaret appointed the two as the leaders in carrying out the cause. Wilberforce was in charge of convincing Parliament to pass the abolitionist bill, but More was responsible for the greater task of coming to the people’s level and changing the way her entire culture thought of slavery. While Wilberforce first broke the matter to the British government, More broke out her pen—and wrote like crazy.
Hannah would publish many abolitionist writings during the forty-seven years in which she fought against the slave trade. Some of that writing included nonfictional accounts of black men and women and some satire against her countrymen. Her greatest piece, however, was “Slavery.” This was the poem that put David Livingstone in Africa and inspired thousands to sign the petitions that would enable Wilberforce to achieve success in Parliament. Ironically, she doubted that the poem would reap much success–but to her countrymen, it was beautiful yet biting, pretty yet powerful. (Poem from Fierce Convictions, pg. 130)
Hold, murderers! hold! nor aggravate distress;
Respect the passions you yourself possess:
Ev’n you, of ruffian heart, and ruthless hand,
Love your own offspring, love your native land…
Think on the wretch whose aggravated pains
To exile misery adds, to misery chains.
Hannah More wouldn’t see all of her abolitionist campaign’s fruit, but she did see the fruits of her other work, which included the apologetic defense of the Christian faith against scathing Deist attacks and the founding of the first public schools for the Industrial Revolution’s harshly-treated working children. Without fail, she revealed to the world the beautiful, pious liberation well-written words could provide, whether they liberated people from racial prejudice, brutal class systems, or hardened hearts against Almighty God. Her love for God was relayed to all men, no matter how they were commonly treated by everyone else. And all she had to change the world was prayer, pen, and paper.
“My very soul is sick of religious controversy. Christianity is a broad basis. Bible Christianity is what I love…a Christianity practical and pure, which teaches holiness, humility, repentance and faith in Christ[.]” ~Hannah More (Fierce Convictions, pg. 155)
November 7, 2017
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After a few hundred years of swearing to protect citizens on the Bible, Atlantic City decided that it was acceptable to swear on a holy symbol of consumer shallowness instead. It promoted several firefighters to the rank of Battalion Chief and Fire Captain by having them swear on an iPad.
Once upon a time the fundamentalist Christians of America would not be seen dead without their bibles. But when the firefighters showed up for the swearing in ceremony, none of them had one on him. It looked like the event would have to be cancelled. Apparently if you don’t swear on a translation of book cobbled together over 2500 years which is based on the demands, ranting, and apparent love of a Canaanite mountain god, you are not allowed to rescue people from fires in Atlantic City. Then someone pulled up an iPad with its holy Apple logo on it, which was sanctified by the death of Steve Jobs, and asked “would this do?”
They downloaded a Bible app to make sure that the swearing in was still legal. But then the eight firemen swore on their iPads to protect the city from fire. It would be ironic if, following the path of the Apple II, the iPads caught fire. However fortunately Jehovah is not that iRonic.
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[Updated:] Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive: This Saturday
Update: 5/14 3:52 p.m. Did opportunistic thieves help themselves to some of the Stamp Out Hunger donations in Los Angeles? Unfortunately, yes. There were isolated reports on Saturday of unofficial vehicles driving down streets and taking off with the food bags, which were intended to be donations for the National Association of Letter Carriers' annual food drive.
Steve Johnson Stamp Out Hunger
"It's sad to think that someone would even do that, but that's the world in which we live," says Richard Maher, Los Angeles spokesman for the Postal Service. "It's not that much ... but we have had some instances of theft."
There are two ways to view this kind of thievery: that the crooks were creeps trying to get some free Cheerios. Or, the nicer but sadder interpretation is that the people who took the food were poor and hungry, a reality in Los Angeles and across the United States. (Which, of course, is why Stamp Out Hunger exists.)
"That's what I like to think, that maybe somebody really needed it for their family," Maher says. "It's too bad that they don't go through the proper channels, because that food goes right to the food bank in a local community."
Original post, published 5/11: If you normally regard your mailbox as a receptacle for bills, this Saturday you can consider it a force for good, helping to feed hungry people throughout Los Angeles. May 12 marks the return of the letter carriers' Stamp Out Hunger food drive, a nationwide effort to stock the pantries of food banks, which continue to experience high demand by Americans needing help feeding their families.
This is the 20th year of the food drive, which benefits Feeding America, the country's largest hunger-relief group. Last year, Americans donated more than 70 million pounds of food during the one-day event. On Saturday, some 210,000 letter carriers across the United States will collect the donations and deliver the bags to local food banks and hunger-relief organizations in more than 10,000 communities.
Hunger is a very real issue in the United States, according to a statement by Feeding America: "Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says more than 17 million households in this country face what is called "food insecurity," meaning they lack consistent access to enough food.
To participate in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, simply place a bag containing nonperishable foods next to your mailbox before your mail delivery person arrives. Or, if you're like us, take out the bag just as the mail truck moves on, forcing you to run wildly after it. If that happens and you can't catch the truck, no worries, you can take the bag of food to any post office on Saturday, according to Richard Maher, Los Angeles spokesman for the United States Postal Service. (Check the hours of your local post office; they vary depending on location.)
"The bottom line is the food actually does help people in your neighborhoods," says Maher. "It's a great concept and it's so easy for people to participate. Just put out a bag of food and the letter carriers do the rest."
Suggested nonperishable items to put in the bags include canned soups, meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and juices. Boxed goods such as cereals also are needed, as are bags and boxes of pasta and rice. The only restrictions are not to donate items in glass containers and please make sure that nothing is past the expiration date. (And do not donate any foods that need to be kept cold or frozen.)
Maher points out that pet food also is needed. He explains that many people these days, especially struggling senior citizens, have trouble affording food for their animals.
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Stand Out From The Crowd
No matter what business you are running, you are going to be facing competition. As you can see from the fish in this video, they are waiting to be fed in the lake and they are trying to attract the attention of the person with the food.
Which fish will get the food ? Will it be an almighty scramble with the food thrown in the middle for the fish to scramble over ? Or will the person feeding see the orange Koi and see it as different and more likely to feed it ?
Does Your Business Stand Out ?
As a business, what makes you stand out from your competition ? Are you one of the grey Koi not getting noticed in the video ? Or is your business more like the orange Koi and standing out ?
What Is Your USP ?
All businesses should look at themselves and decide what differentiates them from the rest of the crowded market. In marketing this is called your USP ( Unique Selling Proposition ) and all businesses will have one. If you do not have one, what reason would customers have to choose you over your competition other than price? If you are just competing on price, you are on a race to the bottom as a bigger fish will eventually come along and muscle you out of the way.
How Do You Discover Your USP ?
To find out your USP you need to both look inwardly at what you are good at and where you can add value to your customers that your competitors cannot. You may have a policy of solving customers queries within 4 hours or provide free training with certain packages you sell. You may specialise in a specific industry or consumer group that you sell to.
As well as looking inwardly, look outwards. Do you know why your customers use you ? Often they will consistently choose you over your competition because of something you do or are good at that your rivals are not. Running customer surveys are a good way of finding out what customers think of you and why they choose you. Surveys are also a great way of finding out what customers want from their suppliers. It may be that the price is not important to them but they want all goods delivered at a certain time. You may be already doing this or nearly there. If you are, highlight this as a USP to the market or make those minor improvements in your operation to make it happen.
Highlighting Your USP
Once you have your USP, make use of this in your marketing material and through your social media channels. Let the market know why you are different to the competition and make this a reason to choose you. The more you do this, the more it will become reinforced in the marketplace who you are and why customers need to choose you over your competition.
Having A USP Means More Profit
Once you have your USP and it is something the market likes, you are not competing on price and customers want your product or service. This means that they are not going to be comparing you with the cheap alternatives, you offer more. You will probably still be doing what you did before but you are now in a position to charge more and this will flow straight to your bottom line.
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PepsiCo’s i-crop system could save farmers precious water(Read article summary)
I-crop, a web-based program now undergoing tests, helps farmers reduce water waste by combining weather data and underground probes.
"More Bounce to the Ounce.” In the 1950s, it was a cola slogan; thanks to a new partnership with Cambridge University, it could become the catch phrase of PepsiCo’s i-crop, a web-based program that helps farmers reduce water waste.
Here’s how it works: Data systems collect information on local weather conditions, farming activity, and soil moisture from underground probes and compiles them online. With a few keystrokes, farmers can eliminate the guessing games about water consumption, resulting in more precise and environmentally friendly farming.
In October, PepsiCo publicly announced its goal of reducing carbon emissions and water usage from their largest UK farms by 50 percent in five years. So far i-crop is testing well: Preliminary reports from 22 farms in the UK show farmers have achieved 90 percent efficiency in water usage.
"Farming is in the DNA of our business – we rely on fresh produce everyday," said Richard Evans, president of PepsiCo UK and Ireland, according to PR Newswire. "Finding ways to produce more food with less environmental impact is essential to our future." He added, "i-crop has the potential to revolutionize the way we farm, enabling our farmers to save costs and [reduce] water and carbon consumption, while at the same time improving their yields.”
PepsiCo’s potential to revolutionize water efficiencies in farming is sizable. Netting approximately $43.3 billion annually and employing more than a quarter million people, PepsiCo is the second-largest food and beverage business in the world.
Ever enjoyed Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Lay's, Gatorade, Tropicana, 7Up, Doritos, Lipton Teas, Quaker Oats, Cheetos, Ruffles, Aquafina, Tostitos, Sierra Mist, or Fritos? If the i-crop can deliver as hoped, those products will soon be made with less water waste than most competitive grocery items (and who doesn’t want something positive to hold onto after downing a bag of Cheetos?).
Although the i-crop is only accessible to UK farmers, PepsiCo hopes to introduce its technology to farms in India, China, Mexico, and Australia by 2012. However, speculation about i-crop’s availability has raised some eyebrows and provoked the question: Will the i-crop technology, owned privately by PepsiCo, be withheld from those who most need it?
Brain Pickings editor Maria Popova argues that owning such coveted technological rights will put PepsiCo in the middle of an often tense relationship between profiteering and humanitarianism.
“The technology is currently only available to PepsiCo-affiliated growers, which raises interesting questions about the relationship between corporate interests and social good in innovation, as well as bespeaking the disconnect between the value of open-source software and the fact that the best-funded research initiatives, most competent scientists, and highest-grade technology tend to be subsidized by private corporations.”
If, how, and with whom PepsiCo shares i-crop technology has yet to be determined. In any case, PepsiCo has taken corporate social responsibility by the horns, hopefully luring other influential corporations to recognize that being green is achievable.
"Every Generation Refreshes the World," Pespi ads claim. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that PepsiCo can do so for the next generation’s water supply.
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According to the National Cancer Institute, this diagnosis is given to between 2 and 4 percent of all those newly diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is attributed when the disease has metastasized, but the place where the cancer began cannot be determined. Since many cancers are named after the place of origin, the designation of CUP is given in these cases.
It’s suspected that the original (primary) tumor may be small or have shrunk without discovery. It is also possible that the original tumor was unknowingly removed, such as during a hysterectomy or the removal of a mole. CUP is most often found in the lymph nodes, liver, lungs, pancreas or bone, but can be found in other sites, as well.
Recently, advances in diagnostic capabilities have dramatically improved, thus enabling physicians to ultimately identify cancers originally determined to be cancer of unknown primary. Sometimes, the type of cells found within the metastasis can help determine the hidden primary site.
Chemotherapy is the most common treatment option for cancer of unknown primary.
But, since conventional treatment plans are based on protocols developed for known primaries, the typical treatment plan for a CUP diagnosis depends heavily on the size, location of the tumor found, where it has spread and the patient’s general health.
While most oncologists will use existing protocol guidelines to treat these unknown tumor types, at Nagourney Cancer Institute your personalized cancer therapy plan will be developed based on chemo and targeted therapies that have shown, in the lab, to kill your tumor cells.
The EVA-PCD assay uses a sample of your tumor to create a functional profile of your cancer. Based on the results, treatment recommendations are developed for you without needing to define the primary site of your cancer.
At Nagourney Cancer Institute, our philosophy is that "it is less important to know where a tumor came from than it is to know how to treat it."
At the beginning of February 2012, Eliza Ho went to see her doctor about the stomach pains she was having. An ultrasound revealed a huge mass in her liver and a follow-up CT scan showed tumors in her lungs, pelvis and neck.
Our first consultation with Dr. Nagourney was eye opening. We learned more from him in an hour, than everything we had learned previously.
By this time, it had been determined that I don’t have liver cancer. My cancer doesn’t have a primary site; it is called an adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. Other physicians were concerned with this since they didn’t know what kind of protocol to use. Dr. Nagourney told us, "I don’t care what your primary is, I care what will kill your cancer."
— Eliza Ho
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Advocates Ask Legislature for Drug Treatment Programs
(Host) Recovering substance abusers and their advocates came to the Statehouse today to urge lawmakers to create more treatment and recovery programs for addicts.
Pablo Diaz says he arrived in Vermont from New York City 18 months ago. Diaz says he's shocked by the lack of awareness about the state's heroin problem. He says the two-week treatment programs available in Vermont don't work for heroin addicts:
(Diaz) "Heroin is the main epidemic up here. And the short-term programs that are in place for the long-term, hardcore user of heroin is not working. You can't give a hardcore, long-term user a short-term program. You can't. It won't work."
(Host) Diaz said without halfway houses and residential programs, addicts find themselves back on the street after treatment and many return to drug use.
Ken Libertoff of the Vermont Association for Mental Health says he's encouraged by the attention the issue of substance abuse is getting in the legislature this year:
(Libertoff) "I think this is the first year that the Legislature has begun to really seriously examine and discuss and hopefully resolve some important issues about alcohol and substance abuse problems in this state. And I think they're coming to realize that it's not simply the headline stories of tragedy of losing young people in this state to heroin and cocaine and other drugs, but the pervasiveness of this problem and the lack of response so far."
(Host) Liebertoff says in spite of current budget problems, he's optimistic more money will be made available for prevention, treatment and recovery programs.
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AURA READING AND AURAGRAPHY- MEANS TO A BETTER LIVING
Auragraphy is the Energy Scanning of a person, his belongings and his environment for better health and happiness. Auragraphy can be done for home as well as for your body with an intention of attaining well-being. Specialized software programs use the colour Angstorm in order to identify the energy patterns along with positive and negative energy areas.
People often say that they make friends only with those who match with their wavelengths. Though this is a common saying, yet most of the people are not even aware of the existence and deeper significance of these wavelengths. The fact is that all things exchange vibration of different kinds of wavelengths. Interestingly enough, these vibrations are not visible to the naked eye and cannot be felt by anyone. The halo around you is actually a part of the electronic spectrum that surrounds and penetrates you. It is a bio-electric magnetic field that radiates from all kinds of living beings on this earth. This energy that emanates from every person is known as the ‘Aura’, which is not just a ring of light but also an extension of the person’s mind. This ‘Aura’ acts as a protective shield to the physical body. The analysis of a person’s ‘Aura’ not only helps to understand his mind and body, but also his environment.
What you need to do
Take a digital photograph of yourself with flash on.
Avoid taking photographs in daylight.
Wear a white shirt, preferably one without a collar
For a complete ‘Chakra’ Reading, take a passport size colour photograph from head to navel of your body.
Be clean-shaven while being clicked.
Women should not wear any kind of jewellery such as nose-pin, chain or earrings while being clicked.
The background screen should preferably be white in colour.
Try to keep a safe distance from wall in order to avoid shadows.
It is best to use the auto mode option for a perfect exposure.
Women with long hair should tie hair into a bun.
People with a beard or moustache should send front as well as both side profile pictures for a better analysis.
Details of birth day, date and present career are required.
Food and diet chart
Physical exercise and Yoga
Chakra Toning Exercises
"Thank you for the report Indastro, quite enlightening" Alberto
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"OMG. Seriously this reading is a replica of who i am. People don't see some traits about me, but this reading read me like a book. " Karen
"Amazing reading!! So many things seemed highly accurate. (All except the section about my health.) I am very impressed Indastro, and will no doubt order readings in the future! " Mira Hull
"I am surprised at the accuracy of the report👍🏼. thank you Indastro" Rahoul
"Thank you very much. Indastro is the best astrological site i know. I wish i could pay for special advise in this difficult period of my life, but i am happy to read your special reports. They always give me something to Think about. Best regards! " Maria
"Very true predictions" Vedantam
"Indastro has been giving me advice and encouragement for 7 years now. I do not always get the answer I want but I always get the answer I need to hear. If you are looking for truth and insight, you have found the right service. " Bonnie Geffen, Canada
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Principles of safeguarding and protection
in health and social care
Section 1 How to recognise sign of abuse
Physical abuse happen when is involved contact planned to cause bodily harm, feelings of intimidation. The signs are physical suffering or injury, injuries that are the shape of objects, injuries in a variety of stages or injuries that have not received medical attention. A person is being taken too many times or different places to receive medical attention, skin infections, dehydration or unexplained weight changes or medication being lost, behaviour that indicates that the person is afraid or avoiding the perpetrator, change of behaviour.
An individual is more vulnerable to this time of abuse if has a disability or a mental problem, elderly people are very vulnerable, the ones with dementia or not having mental capacity. Individual is secluded or isolated or are vulnerable, individuals with a sensory impairment, for example, poor or no hearing or sight that might lead to communication difficulties. The individuals mentally ill or disable, or medically dependent people, such as nursing home patients or residential supporting living or even in their on home. This is because they have nobody to protect them and are often abused by people in their lives who support them or a member of family.
Sexual abuse is the forcing of undesired sexual behaviour by one person upon another, unwanted advances, indecent exposure or harassment, rough washing or touching of the genital area, rape, being forced to watch or participate in sexual acts. The sings are sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy, tears or bruises in genital/anal areas, soreness when sitting, signs that someone is trying to take control of their body image, for example, anorexia, bulimia or self-harm, sexualised behaviour, inappropriately dressed.
Individuals more vulnerable to this abuse are the ones who has low self-esteem and no sense of self-worth. Someone who has been physically and emotionally abused in the past, someone that has been sexually abused. People who have substance abuse problems. The individuals mentally ill or disable, medically dependent people such as nursing home patients or residential supporting living or even in their own home. This is because they have nobody to protect them and are often abused by people in their lives who support them or a member of family.
Emotional/psychological abuse may involve threats or actions to cause mental or physical harm, intimidation, not being included, being ignored, bullying, humiliating and blaming. These include discrimination that relates to age, race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion.
The signs for this abuse are difficulty gaining access to the adult on their own, the adult not getting access to medical care or appointments with other agencies, low self-esteem or lack of confidence and anxiety, increased levels of confusion, increased urinary or faecal incontinence, sleep disturbance, the person feeling/acting as if they are being watched all of the time, decreased ability to communicate, language being used that is not usual for the service user, deference/submission to the perpetrator.
Individuals more vulnerable to this type of abuse are the ones that may lack the capacity to understand what is happening or that it is wrong, Individuals that may be physically or emotionally weak and rely on others for care, individuals being cared for at home who are reliant on another person for care and support, elderly people that live in nursing homecare.
Financial abuse is the illegal or unauthorised use of a person’s money, property, pension book or other valuables.
The signs are sudden loss of assets, unusual or inappropriate financial transactions, visitors whose visits always coincide with the day a person’s benefits are cashed, insufficient food in the house, bills not being paid, a sense that the person is being tolerated in the house due to the income...
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President-elect Biden is a Machiavellian's dream—especially the way it happened.
As I write, the path remains entirely open for Republicans, if they can operate as a coherent unit, to take all the power they want. They cannot, and they will not. Their fault is not in their stars, but themselves.
How? Simple: they just need to legally assume absolute power, then use it absolutely. This would have been literally trivial four years ago, when Republicans controlled all three constitutional branches. Now it would take a constitutional hack to even get the Presidency back, and a couple more to reach real power. Let’s walk through the steps. (Content warning: this “very legal coup” will not actually happen.)
A very legal coup
First, Republican state legislators would have to declare the ballots flawed and seat their own electors, effectively stealing the election back. They could do this trivially, legally, today. They could call it the “Very Cool And Very Legal Act” (VCAVLA).
Second, to govern unilaterally without the Congress, the President would have to assert his unconditional constitutional authority over the executive branch. This is clearly stated in Article II: again, very cool and very legal. As for the so-called “power of the purse,” it doesn’t mean much against the power of the Fed. Since the Federal Reserve is part of the executive branch, who needs a Congressional appropriation? Lol owned.
Third, lacking a perfectly loyal Supreme Court, the President would have to point out the fallacious, ahistorical and illogical quality of Marbury v. Madison, and assert the independent and coequal status of the executive branch. Judicial supremacy is a completely apocryphal invention of Justice Marshall, created for his own random political reasons. Very cool. And very illegal, so screw that guy.
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A covenant, as at Sinai, and used of OT by Paul (Gal. 3: 15–18). It is also used of a speech or blessing given to children or followers, as by Moses (Deut. 33); this served as the model for such works as the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.
Citation styles are based on the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed., and the MLA Style Manual, 2nd Ed..
"testament." In A Dictionary of the Bible. Ed. W. R. F. Browning. Oxford Biblical Studies Online. Sep 30, 2016. <http://www.oxfordbiblicalcstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e1884>.
"testament." In A Dictionary of the Bible. , edited by W. R. F. Browning. Oxford Biblical Studies Online, http://www.oxfordbiblicalcstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e1884 (accessed Sep 30, 2016).
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Location: Ngutuk Ongiron Group Ranch, Waso East, Waso Division, Samburu East District
Postal address: Ngutuk Ongiron Group Ranch, PO Box 610, Isiolo, Kenya
Manager: Chris Lekupe
Manager’s contacts: E: Westgate@nrt-kenya.org T: 0726 549 109
Land ownership: Ngutuk Ongiron Group Ranch without title
Total area: 40,350 hectares
Main livelihood: Pastoralism and tourism
Key wildlife species: Grevy’s zebra, elephant, lesser kudu, warthog, Grant’s gazelle, ostrich, impala
Year of registration: 2004
Staff employed from the community: 35
Annual operating budget: Ksh 8,460,101 / $97,000
West Gate forms part of the patchwork of community conservancy land in the heart of the northern rangeland area. Most NRT conservancies are home to a number of endangered Grevy’s zebra, which is only found in the north of Kenya and parts of Somalia. Herds of up to 500 can be seen scattered across the rugged plains of West Gate, as they use this corridor to get from Mpus Kutuk, Nasuulu, Samburu and Kalama to the vast northern territories of Namunyak and Sera. West Gate conservancy was initiated by the owners of Ngutuk Ongiron Group Ranch, who realized the importance of conserving the Grevy’s zebra, as well as a sustainable rangeland for the Samburu and their livestock. Today, West Gate stands as one of the most successful NRT conservancies, and is frequently visited by other communities who want to see community conservation in action.
The Maa-speaking Samburu are pastoralists, whose livelihoods have traditionally been rooted in semi nomadic cattle, goat and sheep farming across the rangelands of northern Kenya. But as changing times bring increased pressure on natural resources, grazing cattle has become a volatile livelihood, as unpredictable drought and competition with protected wildlife for grazing becomes more frequent.
West Gate is part of NRT’s ‘Beef Works’ programme, (NRT Trading). This an innovative approach to the marketing challenges faced by pastoralists in the region. Herders often trek cattle for days to market, only for transporters to pay poor prices for low-grade livestock. The Beef Works programme provides an alternative market, paying fair prices, purchasing directly from the conservancies, and buying selectively to reward good conservancy performance. This market aims to incentivise conservancies to practice effective, transparent governance and sustainable natural resource management by linking local livestock owners in high performing conservancies to ready markets. So far (from 2011 up to 2014) direct purchase of livestock put 168.5 million Kenyan Shillings (approximately 1.75 million USD) in the hands of over 2,000 pastoralists.
One of the major criteria within the programme is security. 35 rangers, employed from the community and trained by NRT, are continuing to enhance security in West Gate which has helped boost wildlife numbers and in turn, tourist numbers. Rangers play a critical role in raising conservation awareness, gathering intelligence, managing conflict and gathering basic wildlife data. They were trained with funding from NRT and generous support from the Kenya Wildlife service, at the Manyani Training School in the famous Tsavo National Park. Passing with flying colours, the team emerged with knowledge in discipline, field craft, wildlife law and wildlife monitoring.
Reducing the reliance on livestock is another objective for West Gate. Under the NRT Trading Bead Works programme, 18 women's groups in the Conservancy can now sell beaded products to a worldwide market, and also have access to business, leadership, accounting, and marketing training. Not only does this give their families an alternative income, but it also empowers women to become decision makers and business owners. Their training makes them eligible to take part in the micro-credit scheme, which will enable them to set up small enterprises.
As part of NRT’s focus on integrating ethnicities, West Gate will be one of the four community conservancies to hold a sport for peace event, where members from any position of the community can compete and connect with other communities.
Thorny acacia scrubland is the archetypal image of Kenya’s northern rangelands. West Gate includes vast expanses of this rugged terrain with rocky outcrops dotted throughout. It also encompasses a part of the great Ewaso Nyiro River, Kenya’s third largest water course, which provides a vital and consistent lifeline to the communities and wildlife along its banks. Grevy’s zebra use West Gate as a safe and well watered passageway between the surrounding conservancies, which makes it an important area for the conservation and monitoring of the species.
West Gate was the first conservancy in NRT to trial the grazing and rangeland management programs, which involves land use planning and integrating new ways of grazing. The first phase involved 200 head of cattle owned by 20 pastoralists, on 1,200 hectares of land designated by the grazing committee. Cattle were bunched tightly together, then moved together to the next area so that the ground could rest. The conservancy also conducted a perennial grass reseeding programme and began eradicating the invasive Acacia reficiens species. This led to such an improvement in rangeland condition that the conservancy was able to increase the number of cattle in the area to 500 head, belonging to over 102 families, the following season. Furthermore, there was an obvious difference in the condition of the cows which had been involved in the grazing programme, and those who had not. The ones that had, fetched a better price at market than their age-mates who had been grazed traditionally, often selling for around 7,000 Kenyan shillings (US$83) more. Oryx, Grevy’s zebra and other wild herbivores started to return to these areas they had previously shunned for lack of forage too.
West Gate also works closely with Ewaso Lions, a community based organisation who work to conserve lions and other large carnivores. Their flagship programme, Warrior Watch, trains Samburu warriors in conflict mitigation, basic data collection and the ecology of their area, so that they may build on their traditional protection role in their community by mitigating lion-human conflict in their area more effectively. Although the main role of the programme is to increase community engagement in conservation, the warriors also collect important data on wildlife presence, and assist West Gate conservancy rangers in security operations and wildlife monitoring.
Visiting West Gate
Sasaab is a luxury 18 bed tented camp nestled on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River. It opened in 2007 and offers guests a truly wild slice of Africa, giving them an opportunity to get close to wildlife and learn a bit about the vivid and proud Samburu culture. 60% of the revenue generated from the lodge goes into community projects such as school bursaries, water pumps and infrastructure, while 40% goes towards the annual operating costs of the conservancy.
The Future for West Gate
With assistance from NRT and partner organisations, West Gate aims to achieve the following in the coming years:
- To register as a not-for-profit company
- To acquire the funding to repair the airstrip
- To take part in peace building exercises with surrounding communities
- To convene, along with all other NRT community conservancies, in annual general meetings to share plans and progress
- To take part in a livelihood baseline survey, commissioned by NRT, with a view of determining the status and priority of education, health, water, jobs, food security, infrastructure and current availability of government services
- To continue the strengthening of wildlife security and monitoring within the conservancy and its neighborhood through the WGCC scout team
- To purchase a dedicated conservancy vehicle
- To co-ordinate the trans-location of giraffe, impala and zebra from other community conservancies in order to supplement existing populations
- To sign a partnership memorandum of understanding, along with all other community conservancies, between themselves and NRT
- To acquire adequate training in effectively managing water infrastructure
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Roboticists have solved many exciting challenges in recent years, and one of the most important is to ensure that robots remain really creepy. The UK-based team using slime mold to create facial expressions in their anthropomorphic 'bot have succeeded admirably; not to be outdone, the team at Boston Dynamics are upping the ante with their quadripedal WildCat.
As you can see in the video below, the WildCat starts up with a suitably terrifying chainsaw/dirtbike noise; it raises itself confidently and menacingly; and it then becomes spasmodically excited about chasing down whatever enemies of Boston Dynamics exist. And crucially, there is no distinction between whether the headless 'bot is running forwards or backwards, as the research team surely knows that that confusion will exponentially raise the terror quotient in any who view it.
While Boston Dynamics claims the WildCat can do "16 mph on flat terrain using bounding and galloping gaits," the machine is so new that at press time it wasn't yet posted on their website; they are presumably waiting until they have outfitted it with the appropriate combination of buzzsaw blades, electrified talons and perhaps disembodied clown heads on either side.
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|SeaWiFS Project: The Living Ocean Teacher's Guide|
This resource ties together physical and biological aspects of ocean color for high school students. Specific sections discuss life in the oceans, the appearance of the ocean from space, phytoplankton (the little link in a big food chain), carbon (where does it go?), and the Earth as a giant greenhouse. There are also activities that accompany these lessons.
Intended for grade levels:
Type of resource:
No specific technical requirements, just a browser required
Cost / Copyright:
U.S. Government Public Information Exchange Resource. This site is intended to be used by the public for information exchange. Any attempt to modify or exploit this resource or associated information other than for instructed use is strictly prohibited and may be punishable Under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.
DLESE Catalog ID: DWEL-000-000-000-130
This resource is part of
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:
Author: Dr Gene Carl Feldman
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
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maymay delivered a talk last weekend on best practices for getting around the censorship that sex-positive sites face, whether their mission is entertainment or education. I wasn’t at the talk, but he’s helpfully posted the video and text (potential for NSFW material in the sidebar). As he notes, this information is useful for anyone facing censorship of their topic or message.
Censorship also happens in the form of service discrimination, not merely content blocking. For instance, after Wikileaks began releasing US diplomatic cables in December, 2010, it faced a series of extrajudicial attacks: Amazon kicked Wikileaks off its servers, Everydns.net withdrew its domain name, and PayPal froze WikiLeaks’ account. The amazing thing about this is that each and every one of these attacks has a sexual censorship precedent.
The folks who published the NYC Sex Blogger Calendar have had their PayPal account frozen and their funds seized not once, but twice, before they decided to ditch the service way back in 2008. Web celeb Violet Blue’s “sex-positive URL shortener,” vb.ly, had its domain name seized by the Libyan government in October, 2010. And just one month before Amazon cut off WikiLeaks, there was a big hoopla over Amazon’s initial defense of, then banning of a “Pedophile book” from their virtual shelves. Interestingly, Amazon initially said it wouldn’t pull the book because that would amount to censorship. Eventually, Amazon capitulated to public pressure and, of course, now the book is gone.
What do we do about this? Go find out.
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I’m thrilled to be guest blogging this month, and looking forward to discussing the administrative state, political parties, and other topics. For my first post I want to bring up an interesting question that emerged in a review by Ted McAllister (and in the comments) from last week, regarding the origins of the modern regulatory/administrative state. Scholars often trace the birth of the administrative state to the 1880s, especially in two critical episodes: the passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883 which created the modern civil service, and (more importantly) the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887, which created the Interstate Commerce Commission. This history of the administrative state makes the late nineteenth century the critical turning point in American history.
This is a plausible, but ultimately I think a mistaken history. The regulatory initiatives of the late 19th Century were much more consistent with an earlier view of American constitutionalism that they appear at first glance. They were not necessarily harbingers of the modern administrative state. Tracing the birth of the administrative state to the 1880s is somewhat misleading.
Certainly if we are simply tracing the evolution of the regulatory state by the creation of administrative agencies, 1887 stands as a watershed moment. Aside from the 1852 Steamboat Safety Act, no statute prior to 1887 established a modern regulatory commission as an administrative body. But if we examine the nature of the powers granted to the ICC in 1887, it is clear that the ICC did not serve as a prologue to the modern agencies we have today.
The ICC was not established as an independent regulatory commission. It was situated within the Interior Department, and was likely moved out of that Department (a few years later) only because Congress wanted to eliminate presidential control of the commission once it became clear that Benjamin Harrison (a pro-railroad politician) would become President. It was given quasi-judicial powers rather than rulemaking or ratesetting powers. In other words, it acted as a court rather than an agency: specific complaints regarding rate discrimination, pooling, and rebating could be brought to the ICC for resolution, but the Commission could not set rates prospectively. And further, the right to bring suits at common law was explicitly preserved by the Act. So parties could bring complaints to either a court, or the commission. Both options were left open. Finally, the ICC had no enforcement power. It could merely ask the appropriate U.S. Attorney to file suit in federal court for enforcement.
Why would Congress set up such a weak regulatory commission? The answer is that there was no consensus in favor of a modern regulatory state, such as the one the Progressives would attempt to build a generation later. To oversimplify a complex legislative debate, the pro-commission forces in Congress (led by Shelby Cullom) wanted to set up an expert commission because they were concerned that rigid prohibitions would be more harmful than good, due to the complexity of circumstances surrounding the industry. The anti-commission forces were Populists led by “Judge” John Reagan, and they labeled any grant of administrative discretion as tyrannical. Reagan lambasted the Interstate Commerce Act, saying that Americans were “not accustomed to the administration of civil law through bureau orders.” The lack of a strong Progressive presence in Congress, in other words, combined with strong resistance to the idea of an administrative state, combined to establish a very modest regulatory institution. The ICC was not the birth of the modern regulatory state – it was something else altogether.
This raises an important point. There were not two, but three camps that emerged from 1877-1930 regarding the role of regulation in a free society post-Industrial Revolution. One approach, the laissez-faire Social Darwinist approach, said that historical progress could be achieved by eliminating government control and letting the strongest rise to the top. Another approach, associated with the Progressives, emphasized the need to alter our constitutional system to establish a new type of regulatory institution — and thus create a modern administrative state. The third approach wanted to establish new regulatory programs to meet new conditions, but it sought to do so within the traditional constitutional system. I think that the ICC was created with significant input from this third approach.
An administrative state must contain several features, including delegation of legislative power to agencies and the notion of separating politics and administration. The ICC contained neither of these features at its inception. Thus I would argue that it was not until Theodore Roosevelt’s emergence as a national force that America moved towards a modern regulatory state combined with the stewardship theory of the presidency. (If we are in search of a “birthdate” for the administrative state, I might suggest the passage of the Hepburn Act in 1906, with TR using the bully pulpit to take leadership of the Congress.) The Interstate Commerce Act and the Sherman Antitrust Act were attempts to establish a very different kind of regulatory institution, and were animated by a much more traditional view of American constitutionalism than most Progressives embraced.
Speaking of the stewardship theory of the presidency, Frank Buckley has offered some very important challenges to the conventional view of how the Framers thought about executive power and the separation of powers, both in his recent book The Once and Future King and in his posts here on this site. In a post later this week I will raise some questions about his interpretation of the Founding, and will defend the call for stronger political parties and party leadership (which I think is implicit in his argument).
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This is an implementation of the game Reversi, written in C#.
I originally wrote this program as an exercise for learning C# and .NET programming in general. Reversi - or Othello as it is also known - is a popular game that is fun, requires just a few basic elements and has simple rules. This made it a good choice for learning a new programming environment.
The result was a fairly playable game but it lacked some of the more common features of computer board games, such as the ability to undo moves. So, having gained more experience with .NET, the time came for an upgrade. The result adds some new features and improves on the original graphics and AI.
Using the Code
Compile the source files and run the resulting Reversi.exe executable to play the game. You can play around with the various options and settings using the menu or toolbar. Try resizing the window, changing colors or switching sides with the computer in mid-game.
You may note that the program creates a file called Reversi.xml when you exit it. This file is used to save various settings such as game options, window size, and position and player statistics which are reloaded when the program is run again.
A Windows help file is included with the source code. It can be found in the help files subdirectory within the archive. To make the help file available to the program, simply copy the Reversi.chm file from there to the directory where the Reversi.exe executable is located. You can run the program without it, but clicking the Help Topics option will display an error saying the file cannot be found.
All the source files used to create this help file are included in that subdirectory. You can edit and recompile it using the Microsoft HTML Help Workshop.
Points of Interest
The source is pretty well commented but some general overviews are in order.
A good portion of the code is related to calculating moves for the computer player so it is worth discussing. The program uses a standard min-max look-ahead algorithm to determine the best move for the computer. Alpha-beta pruning is used to improve the efficiency of the look-ahead search. If you're not familiar with the min-max algorithm and/or alpha-beta pruning, a Google search will turn up plenty of information and examples.
Naturally, there are too many possible sequences of moves in the game to do an exhaustive look-ahead search, it would simply take too long to generate all possible move combinations. The exception is towards the end of a game where there are relatively few empty squares left - around ten or twelve. At this point, a complete search can be done and it is possible to find the move with the best possible outcome for a given player.
But in most cases, the look-ahead depth must be limited to a certain number of turns (based on the game's difficulty setting). So for each series of possible moves and counter-moves searched, the resulting game board must be evaluated to determine which player has the best chance of eventually winning the game. This evaluation is done by calculating a rank using the following criteria:
- forfeit - Leaving your opponent with no legal move forces her to forfeit her turn, giving you a big advantage in being able to move two (or more) times in a row.
- mobility - This is a measure of how many legal moves you can make vs. how many legal moves your opponent will be left with. Similar to forfeit, the idea is to reduce your opponent's options while maximizing your own.
- frontier - A frontier disc is one that is adjacent to an empty square. Having a large number of frontier discs will, generally speaking, give your opponent greater mobility on subsequent turns. Conversely, having fewer frontier discs means your opponent will have limited mobility later on. This score reflects the number of your frontier discs vs. your opponent's.
- stability - Corner discs are stable, they can never be outflanked. As a game progresses, other discs will become stable as well. This score reflects the number of your stable discs vs. your opponent's.
- score - This is simply the difference between the number of your discs on the board vs. your opponent's.
Different weights are assigned to each of these scores (again, based on the game's current difficulty setting). A board is assigned a rank by multiplying each criteria score by its corresponding weight and adding these values together. A large negative rank represents a board favorable to Black while a large positive rank represents a board favorable to White. So for a given set of possible moves, the computer will select one that results in the best ranked board for the color being played.
A constant named
maxRank is used to indicate an end-game. It is set to the value of
System.Int32.MaxValue - 64. This assures that any move resulting in the end of the game will always have a higher rank (negative or positive) than other moves.
Subtracting 64 from the system's maximum integer value allows us to add the final score to the rank so that a win by 10 discs will rank higher than a win by 2 discs. This causes the computer player to maximize its score when winning (or to minimize the opponent player's score when it's losing).
The current implementation is no match for the better AI players out there, but it plays pretty tough against a puny human opponent (at least, this puny human opponent). Again, a Google search will turn up plenty of resources describing strategies and AI approaches to the game.
Board class represents a game board. It uses a two-dimensional array to track the contents of each board square, which can be one of the following constant values defined in the class:
Black = -1
Empty = 0
White = 1
Two constructors are provided. One creates a new, empty board while the other creates a copy of an existing board.
It provides public methods like
MakeMove() which adds a disc to the board, flipping over any outflanked opponent discs. For example,
IsValidMove() can be used to determine if a given move is valid for a given player.
false if the given player cannot make any legal moves.
It also tracks disc counts for each player which are used by the computer move AI routine. These counts include the total number of discs, the number of frontier discs and the number of safe (or unflippable discs) of each color.
In the main
ReversiForm class, a couple of structures are defined for storing game moves. Both contain a row and column index pair which corresponds to a particular board square.
ComputerMove struct is used for the computer AI. In addition to the move position, it has a
rank member. This is used to track how good or bad the move is, as determined during the look-ahead search.
MoveRecord struct is used for storing information about each move made during the course of a game. To allow the move undo/redo feature, an array of these is kept to track the board during each turn. A move record contains a
Board representing the game board as it was before the particular move was made, as well as value indicating which player is to make the next move. An array of these is kept as moves are made by each player, allowing the game to reset to the state it was in at any point in the move history.
RestoreGameAt() method handles the resetting of the game to a particular move number. While it potentially allows the game to be restored to any move currently in the history, the menu and tool bar options on the main form currently only provide for a single move undo/redo at a time or an undo/redo of all moves. A future enhancement might be to allow the user to click on items in the move list to restore the game to the corresponding move number.
Graphics and the User Interface
The Game Board
Squares on the board are represented by a user control named
SquareControl. There is one of these for every square on the game board display. The control contains information for displaying the square and its contents (empty or a black or white disc) including the animation of discs and any highlighting.
Displaying the Discs
Each disc is drawn dynamically. The basic shape is a circle with some highlighting and a shadow to give it a pseudo-3D appearance. The shapes are scaled in size based on the current size of the square control. By rendering them this way, instead of using static images, the board may be dynamically resized to fit within the form window.
Click event on the square controls handled within
ReversiForm allows the user to make a move to a particular square (assuming it's a legal move). Likewise, the
MouseLeave events are handled to update the board display to highlight valid moves or preview a move when those options are active.
Animation of Moves
The disc flip animation is done using counters defined within the
SquareControl class along with a
System.Windows.Forms.Timer. Basically, this is a thread controlled by the operating system which periodically raises an event that your form application can respond to.
After a move is made, if the move animation option is active, each affected square control has its counter initialized and the timer is activated. The main form's
AnimateMove() method is called each time the timer ticks (see below). This method updates the square counters and redraws their display. The animation basically consists of changing the disc shape from a circle to ever thinner ellipses, then back to a full circle but in the opposite color. The smoothness and speed of this animation depends on how large the initial counter value is (set by the constant
SquareControl.AnimationStart) and how often the timer ticks (set by the constant
animationTimerInterval in the main form).
The following variables are used to handle play during a game:
private GameState gameState;
private int currentColor;
private int moveNumber;
moveNumber should be self-explanatory.
currentColor indicates which player has the current turn (Black or White).
gameState is set to one of these enumerated values:
private enum GameState
Most of the game play is event driven, so the use of
gameState allows the various event handlers to determine the proper actions to take. For example, when the user clicks on a board square,
SquareControl_Click() is called. If the game state is
InPlayerMove, the move will be made on that square. But if the game is in some other state, it's not the user's turn to move so the click is ignored.
Likewise, if the user clicks the tool bar "Undo Move" button, we want to check the game state to see if any thing needs to be done before resetting the game to the previous move. For example, if the state is
InMoveAnimation, the animation timer needs to be stopped and the square controls need their counters and display reset. Or if the state is
InComputerMove, the program is currently doing a look-ahead search in a separate thread (see below) which will need to be stopped.
The diagram below illustrates the general program flow during the course of a game:
StartTurn() gets called at the beginning of a game, after a move is made by either player and whenever a move undo or redo is performed. It is responsible for evaluating the game situation and setting up for the next move.
It first checks to see if the current player can make a legal move. If not, it switches to the other player and checks if that player has any legal move. When neither player can make a move, by rule, the game is over and it will end the game.
Otherwise, the function will set things up for the current player to make a move. If the current player is under user-control, it simply exits. The user can then make a move by clicking the mouse pointer on a valid square or by typing in a valid column letter and row number. This results in a call to
MakePlayerMove() which does some housekeeping and then calls
MakeMove() to perform the move. If the current player is under computer-control, it starts the look-ahead search to find the best move.
Using a Worker Thread
Because the look-ahead search is computationally intensive, it is performed in a worker thread. It this were not done, the main form would freeze and become unresponsive during the time it takes for the computer to calculate its best move. So
StartTurn() creates a worker thread to execute the
CalculateComputerMove() method and starts it.
lock is used on the main game board object to prevent race conditions. As an example, both the
MakeComputerMove() and the
UndoMove() methods change to the game board. Both methods first attempt to put a lock on it. So if one method happen to be called while the other is in the middle of updating the board, it will be forced to wait until those changes are completed and the lock is freed.
Once a move has been found, the
CalculateComputerMove() method does a callback to run
MakeComputerMove() in the main form. This method gets a lock on the board and calls
MakeMove() to perform the move.
Performing a Move
MakeMove() does the actual updating of the board, placing the new disc at the specified location. It also does some maintenance on the undo/redo move history and removes any square highlighting.
Then, if the move animation option is turned off, it simply calls
EndMove() which will switch
currentColor and start the next turn with a call to
But if the animate option is on, it will instead initialize the discs to be animated and start the animation timer. As discussed previously, the timer causes
AnimateMove() to run every few milliseconds, updating the display and decrementing the animation counters each time. Eventually, the counters will reach their end and
AnimateMove() will then call
EndMove() to complete the move.
There is much room for improvement in the computer-player AI. The look-ahead algorithm could be augmented with a book of opening moves or a set of corner and edge patterns that have been pre-ranked. It could be made to utilize selective deepening, where the search depth could be extended for moves that generally have more impact on the game, such as near the corners. Another improvement would be to store the look-ahead tree. This would allow it to be searched to a greater depth because the program would not have to regenerate the same moves each time.
- August 1, 2003 - version 1.0
- September 16, 2005 - version 2.0
- Enhanced graphical display.
- Added unlimited move undo/redo.
- Improved computer player AI.
- Corrected threading issues.
- Expanded help.
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From THE GUARDIAN, Monday 23 December 2002...
Punk pioneer Joe Strummer, a musical and political inspiration for a generation, has died aged 50.
The former Clash frontman died of a suspected heart attack yesterday at his home in Somerset.
U2 singer Bono called the Clash "the greatest rock band" and said they "wrote the rule book" for later acts.
Billy Bragg said Strummer was the driving force who helped give punk its "political edge".
Writer Jon Savage said: "In 1977, the Clash did one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Joe Strummer in particular gave it his all - and thereby inspired a whole generation."
Born in Ankara, Turkey and the son of a diplomat, Strummer, whose real name was Mellor, was middle class and public school educated but became a hugely admired figure as the musical voice of rebellion.
The Clash scored 16 top 40 hits including Rock the Casbah, Bankrobber and I Fought the Law. Should I Stay or Should I Go? reached number one after the group split up when it was used in a Levi's ad.
The group's third album London Calling was named the greatest album of the 80s by Rolling Stone magazine - even though it was released in 1979.
The news of Strummer's.death was announced to the world today on his official website. A message dated December 23 on strummersite.com reads: "Joe Strummer died yesterday. Our condolences to Luce and the kids, family and friends."
A statement issued by his publicist said Strummer "died peacefully at his home in Somerset". It added that the musician's wife Lucy, two daughters and stepdaughter "request privacy at this harrowing time".
Strummer -singer, guitarist and songwriter - was the creative force behind the Clash, along with Mick Jones.
Strummer and Jones began writing two-minute, three-chord punk anthems such as White Riot, but eventually diversified into reggae, funk, blues and rap. In many ways they were at the forefront of world music.
The pair had a strained relationship and Strummer - famed at the time for his mohican haircut - ousted him from the line-up in 1983. The band limped on with new members but called it a day in the mid-80s. They always resisted lucrative offers to reform, unlike their contemporaries the Sex Pistols.
Today Bob Geldof - a musical contemporary as frontman for the Boomtown Rats - today said he admired their refusal to sell out. "I know for a fact they were offered huge amounts of money," he told the BBC. "They just said no, that isn't really what we stood for. That's truly admirable."
He added: "They were very important musically but as a person, he was a very nice man."
Bragg said his political imagination had been fired by Strummer, after seeing the Clash at a famed Rock Against Racism show in east London's Victoria Park.
"I have a great admiration for the man," he said. "His most recent records are as political and edgy as anything he did with the Clash. His take on multicultural Britain in the 21st century is far ahead of anybody else," he told the BBC. "Without Joe, there's no political Clash and without the Clash the whole political edge of punk would have been severely dulled."
Bono planned to work with Strummer next month on a Nelson Mandela tribute track for an Aids fundraiser show in South Africa. He said today: "The Clash was the greatest rock band. They wrote the rule book for U2. It's such a shock."
Strummer made a number of film appearances, including Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train and Alex Cox's Straight To Hell. The Clash also made a cameo in Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy and starred in their own film, Rude Boy.
He had a brief stint as singer with the Pogues in the early Nineties and by the end of the decade had formed a new band, the Mescaleros. He had long resisted lucrative offers to reform the Clash and preferred to develop new music rather than dwell in the past.
It long irritated him that the spectre of the band cast its shadow over his solo work. The band finished a tour just a month ago, during which he performed with Jones for the first time in almost two decades at a firefighters' benefit show in west London.
The Clash had been tipped to finally play together for a one-off performance next year as they were inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in the US.
A post-mortem examination is due to take place tomorrow to establish the cause of death, which is not thought to be suspicious.
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Expansion of the tonotopic area in the auditory cortex of the blind
Elbert, T, Sterr, A, Rockstroh, B, Pantev, C, Muller, MM and Taub, E (2002) Expansion of the tonotopic area in the auditory cortex of the blind Journal of Neuroscience, 22 (22). 9941 - 9944.
A part of the core area of the auditory cortex was examined in nine blind and10 sighted individuals by magnetic source imaging and was found to be enlarged by a factor of 1.8 in the blind compared with the sighted humans. Moreover, the latency of the N1m component of the auditory-evoked magnetic response was significantly decreased in the blind. The development of use-dependent cortical reorganization may be a consequence of the absence of visual input in combination with enhanced auditory activity generated by the long-term concentration by blind individuals on nonvisual cues to interact appropriately with the environment. It is consistent with and well suited to mediate the demonstrated increased ability of the blind to accurately localize acoustic sources in peripheral auditory fields and to decode speech.
|Uncontrolled Keywords:||tonotopic map; auditory cortex; reorganization; blind; MEG event-related potentials; cross-modal plasticity; adult owl monkeys; congenitally blind; braille readers; frequency representation; cortical representation; somatosensory cortex; activation patterns; sighted subjects|
|Divisions:||Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences > Psychology|
|Depositing User:||Mr Adam Field|
|Date Deposited:||27 May 2010 14:43|
|Last Modified:||23 Sep 2013 18:34|
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Many mothers ask this question, especially when infant number two or three comes along: exactly how long should co-sleeping last? when will it end?
In my experience, age five (possibly by age four if there is an older sibling in the room as well), is an age where many children at least start in their own beds. They frequently then will come in when they wake up in the night.
However, even if children START in their own beds, they need to be parented to sleep. Most children like you to lay down with them until they fall asleep. This is the time of the day where your child may be most relaxed and will really talk about serious things that are on his or her mind. It is an opportunity not to be missed!! Most children who are aged eight or so can talk to you, cuddle with you, kiss you good night and then go off to their own room and crawl into bed and fall asleep. They still might like to sleep with you several nights a week if you are open to that.
I find most children sleep pretty well through the night typically around ages six to seven, unless they are sick.
I personally think one should keep a bed open to children as long as possible. If they want to be close to you, why deny the opportunity for connecting with them? Growing up can be scary and wonderful and challenging. Even a nine-year-old is still pretty little. Childhood is such a short time and being open to just being there and being available gives children such a comfort.
PS. And please don’t forget this back post if you need more: http://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/03/16/co-sleeping-and-nighttime-parenting/
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Medio Siglo de Ciencia y Tecnologia en Venezuela.
Author: Requena, Jaime
Publisher: Caracas: Foncied 2003.
Description: 383p large paperback with illustrated wrapper, fresh clean copy, as new, many illustrations, tables, graphs, very good, as new
Order No: PIP 152221
This book has been catalogued with the following subject terms: 20th Century, History of Science, Latin America
Click here to see a list of titles which share these subjects and here to see a list of titles which come from the same acquisition.
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February 10 – Happy Birthday Herb Pennock
What you can learn doing research for a blog about the New York Yankees. Today’s birthday celebrant is a Hall-of-Fame southpaw who pitched for the great Yankee teams of the 1920s. His Manager at the time, Miller Huggins, called Pennock the best left-hander in baseball back then. My choice would probably have been Lefty Grove but Pennock was indeed very good. He went 162-90 during his 11 seasons in New York and 5-0 in the World Series. He was a native of Kennett Square, PA and was nicknamed the “Knight of Kennett Square,” but when it came to his feelings about blacks, chivalry played no part.
Many respected authors and baseball historians have presented strong evidence that Pennock was a racist. Playing in an era when blacks were not permitted in the Major Leagues helped hide that fact, but when he retired from the mound and became a front-office executive, first for the Red Sox as head of their farm system and then later as GM of the Phillies, Pennock was able to actively help prevent integration in the big leagues. And when it did happen, he was among its’ most vociferous opponents.
Pennock was known to threaten that he’d never let his Philadelphia team take the field against any opponent that had a black man on their roster. Dodger owner Branch Rickey claimed that Pennock told him that Philadelphia wasn’t ready to see a “n—–r” play Major League baseball. He hired Ben Chapman, his old Yankee teammate and one of the most notorious racists in all of baseball, to manage the Phillies. Chapman was an equal-opportunity bigot. The anti-Semitc slurs he had made as a New York outfielder during the 1930s had so enraged the team’s Jewish fans that they presented a petition, signed by over 15,000 people, requesting that the New York front office banish the player.
I’m not naive. I realize it was a different time in our society back then, but can you imagine what would happen to a modern day ballplayer who committed the same offenses as Chapman? Well if you were Herb Pennock you’d hire the guy to manage the Phillies. If those were the “good old days” of baseball in this country, I’m glad I wasn’t around to witness them. It was Chapman who became infamous for his cruel treatment of Jackie Robinson whenever Philadelphia played Brooklyn during the 1947 season.
The fact that Pennock is in the Hall of Fame and Pete Rose is not is why so many of today’s fans wonder what the phrase; “protecting the moral integrity of the game,” truly means.
A second all-time great Yankee pitcher also celebrates a birthday today, as does this pitcher who recently signed as a free agent with New York, this original owner of the Yankee franchise and this recent Yankee DH.
|NYY (11 yrs)||162||90||.643||3.54||346||268||52||164||19||21||2203.1||2471||1032||867||91||471||700||1.335|
|BOS (8 yrs)||62||59||.512||3.67||201||124||56||70||12||6||1089.1||1169||522||444||29||299||358||1.348|
|PHA (4 yrs)||17||13||.567||3.77||70||27||27||13||4||6||279.0||260||145||117||8||146||169||1.455|
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Green tea dates back to ancient China, and popularity has grown in recent years, as more and more people are becoming aware of the numerous health benefits.
1. increases energy
Studies have shown that athletes who drank 4 cups of green tea daily for a period of 12 weeks had improved durability.
2. Antioxidants in it reduce the risk of various cancers
Green tea contains catechin antioxidants and polyphenols, and protects cells from damage from free radicals, and prevents tumor growth.
3. It accelerates the melting of fats
This tea accelerates metabolism and affects hormones in a positive way, resulting in melting a greater amount of fat to be used as energy.
4. Helps to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
Studies have shown that free radicals can influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and they destroy the polyphenols of tea.
5. Improves the health of your teeth
Green tea is an antimicrobial formulation rich in antioxidants that prevents bad breath, reduces damage to the teeth and improves gum health.
6. Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
Green tea helps cells better metabolize the sugar, and a Japanese study showed that those who drank 6 or more cups daily had a 33% lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those who drank 1 cup or less.
7. Improves the appearance of the hair
Green tea gives a better shine to your hair, and you can use it for its rinse.
8. Relieves allergies
Researchers found that EGCG in tea blocks receptors that are known for causing allergies.
9. Increases libido
Caffeine, ginseng and L-theanin are known to increase female libido, all of which contain green tea.
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The Rate Your Baby Gains Weight Can Determine Obesity
The research appears in the April 19 issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
"Our main finding was that rapid weight gain during the first week of life in this population of healthy, European-American, formula-fed infants was associated with being overweight two to three decades later," said lead author Nicolas Stettler, M.D., M.S.C.E., a pediatric nutrition specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "It suggests that there may be a critical period in that first week during which the body's physiology may be programmed to develop chronic disease throughout life."
"Our findings also point toward new potential targets for preventing obesity," he added. "If these results are confirmed by other studies, they may lead to interventions in newborns to help prevent long-term development of obesity." Dr. Stettler explained, however, that such interventions have not yet been developed, and it is premature to make recommendations about specific targets for optimum weight gain.
"Normal weight gain is desirable for infants," he added. "Babies double their birth weight during the first four to six months. During the first week of life, however, a too-rapid gain in weight may increase the risk of future weight problems." After adjusting for other factors, Dr. Stettler's team found that each additional 100 grams of weight gained during the first eight days increased a baby's risk of becoming an overweight adult by about 10 percent.
The current research builds on several previous studies by Dr. Stettler and his collaborators focusing on rapid weight gain in infancy. They found that rapid weight gain during the first four months increased the risk of being overweight at age seven. They also found a higher rate of obesity at age 20 among African Americans who gained weight rapidly during the first four months.
The current study also revealed an association between rapid weight gain in the first four months (112 days) and being overweight in adulthood. However, the first week of life may be particularly sensitive. Why that first week of life plays such a critical role in affecting lifelong physiology remains an open question. "Animal studies have shown that overfeeding in the first few days of life lead to long-term obesity, possibly from programming in the developing brain or the endocrine system," said Dr. Stettler. "We don't know how this effect may occur in humans. However, obesity is increasing in prevalence worldwide, and we hope our research may help contribute to ways to intervene in newborns to improve their lifelong health."
Given that participants in the current study all received infant formula, Dr. Stettler says, it may be relevant that exclusive breastfeeding during early infancy is known to be associated with a slower rate of weight gain, and possibly with a lower risk of overweight in childhood and adolescence. "For a variety of health reasons, the American Association of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding during a baby's first six months of life," says Dr. Stettler. "Although we cannot yet make specific recommendations about targets for newborn weight gain, we can certainly endorse breastfeeding."
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