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It is one of the 12 most prestigious scientific olympiads in the world recognized by UNESCO. Here, students show how well they understand three natural sciences: physics, chemistry, and biology. They show their skills and knowledge in team and individual competitions. For students and parents Registration and verification Participation in the olympiad’s international finale What is the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)? IJSO is one of the 12 most prestigious scientific olympiads in the world recognized by UNESCO. Here, students show how well they understand three natural sciences: physics, chemistry, and biology. They show their skills and knowledge in team and individual competitions. Therefore, if you love explosive chemical experiments, understand how the theory of evolution works and why the jokes about Schrödinger's cat are funny, IJSO is waiting for you! Why should I participate in IJSO? To prove your knowledge of natural sciences at the international level! You will take part in team and individual competitions to compete for prizes with contestants from all over the world. You will also meet inspired like-minded people and join the international scientific community. The olympiad has been held since 2004. In 2022, IJSO will be held in Ukraine for the first time. So, get ready to be creative and compete for the championship together with participants from all over the world and also show them Kyiv landscapes with the Dnipro river view and local historical sights. Who can participate? How to apply? Anyone under the age of 15 as of December 31 of the competition year can take part in the olympiad. In other words, children born after January 1, 2007 can become participants of IJSO 2022. You have to pass the All-Ukrainian national selection to participate. According to the results, the jury forms a team of 6 participants who will represent Ukraine at the international stage. How does the national selection process take place? There are the following stages including the international IJSO. To participate in the first stage of the national selection, fill in the registration form. Later, you will receive an email with a unique link to the online test and instructions on how to complete it. Important: you can only take the test once from a single device! Then, you will take part in the boot camp. Here, you will listen to lectures on Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. You will also work on tests and problems and conduct experimental research individually and in a team. In short, you will prove yourself and find out if you are in the team of finalists who will represent Ukraine at the IJSO international stage. What are the awards? All IJSO members receive certificates for participation. Winners get medals: gold (approximately 10% of participants), silver (20%), and bronze (30%) ones. Teams (up to 3 people) can compete for a gold, silver, or bronze medal. The total winner with the highest overall score will receive a special prize. Also, the special prize will be awarded to the participant who has the highest number of points for the theory part (tests + theory). The country whose team received the highest number of points will receive the "Country winner" award. Is it really possible to win? Ukrainian teams prove that it's possible! In 2019, when Ukraine first presented its team at the IJSO international stage, our students returned with 3 bronze medals. This is a great result for the first time. Who can answer my questions? Yevhen Kudriavets, the NC "JASU" Deputy Director for Strategic Project Management and International Relations is the national coordinator of the International Junior Scientific Olympiad (IJSO) in Ukraine. If you have any questions, please write to the International Relations team: email@example.com! Also, subscribe to our Instagram and Facebook pages — there you will find information about the JAS projects and events. Complete tasks from previous years and test your knowledge!	116,447
Bronx, NY - It’s incredible to some, but routine for others. I’m referring to the comments made by LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. There is little doubt that Mr. Sterling let his guard down and spoke what he really feels. However, it all depends on what side of the tracks, or in this case, income bracket you live on to be surprised by his comments. The majority of people of color living in this country are reminded of the inherent discrimination that exists on a routine basis. The racism that still persists in this country is very much alive and well and unfortunately flourishing. The problem is not too many people feel it, see it, or care to address it. The reason is that in this modern age it is concealed much better than the days of Jim Crow laws when people of color where forced to sit, eat, drink and sleep in separate quarters of this country. In this day and age the discrimination and sometimes-raw racism is camouflaged carefully into the fiber of our everyday life through laws and subliminal messages in movies and even in children’s cartoons. The most glaring are laws that pass local, state and sometimes federal levels, but rarely make the national news to form the outcry that we have been seeing in the last two days over Sterling’s comments. How many people were shocked when the state of Arizona had legislators lobbying and eventually passed a law to allow police officials to legally stop people that “looked undocumented?” I don’t remember national news coverage creating the same hoopla as what they are creating with this latest episode of racism in America? Perhaps the difference was that people thought that the only ones being affected by that ridiculous law in Arizona were Mexicans living in the State? Very few nationally recognized organizations made the type of noise that needed to be heard to prevent racist in this country, whether hidden, or open know that this attitude is not acceptable. Thank God for the Phoenix Suns basketball team who were one of the first to demonstrate their concern and disagreement with that law by purposely wearing “Los Suns” jerseys and making a team statement against the proposed law. However, where was the rest of the NBA? Where were all the people of conscious, where were the sports headlines condemning Arizona? That’s why it depends on where you are from and who is being affected and what news editors feel will help increase the ratings. A white, Jewish owner of a majority high profile black basketball team saying racist statement taped by a girlfriend is “hot news” and a lot of news can make a lot of changes. However, where was Major League Baseball (MLB) and why did they still play their Internationally aired All Star game in Arizona? Many concerned people and organizations were urging Major League Baseball to move the game out of Arizona as a sign of protest against a law that was discriminatory. Major League Baseball with almost a third of its baseball players being immigrants from a Latin America definitely had a vested interest in standing up for its players. Unfortunately, Major League Baseball failed that moral test. That was sad especially being a league that broke the color barrier in 1945 when Jackie Robinson became the first black player to play professional ball. Fortunately today National Basketball League commissioner, Adam Silver banned Clippers owner, Donald Sterling for life from all NBA activities and levied fines of $2.5 million dollars. Though this might not do much to stop the discrimination and racism that still roams the corporate and legal halls of this country, it does show that once exposed it can be detrimental to the perpetrators. It all depends on what makes the major news.	123,324
Six years have passed since the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion published Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAG). Researchers funded in part by a grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Faculty of Health at York University, Canada, responded a few weeks ago. Their findings were published in PLOS ONE: Adults underestimate the intensity level at which they work out. The PAG report differentiates absolute intensity—the amount of energy expended per minute of activity—from relative intensity, the level of effort required to do an activity. "A general rule of thumb is that two minutes of moderate-intensity activity counts the same as one minute of vigorous-intensity activity," according to the PAG. Although the absolute-intensity levels might reflect similar energy expenditures, the relative-intensity levels are not the same, and overcompensating with vigorous-intensity workouts so you can get out the door faster in the morning or make it back to work in time can hurt you. And the more recent study? Researchers started by asking participants if they were familiar with the national exercise guidelines. Most were not, but when they were handed a copy, participants felt they could follow or already were following the guidelines, the New York Times reported. Then they took to the treadmill and were asked to maintain a vigorous-, moderate-, and light-intensity level for three minutes. "Few" ran at 65 percent (desired) of their maximum heart rate when running "moderately," and "even fewer" ran at 75 percent during their vigorous-intensity stint. When participants ran at "the slowest pace that they felt would qualify as moderate [or] the slowest pace at which someone could expect to gain significant health benefits from the exercise," about 25 percent of participants met the pace. Worse: Current reports on U.S. and Canadian adults say that only 15 to 25 percent work out at levels intense enough to meet national guidelines. If participants played up their intensity levels, "the problem of physical inactivity may be even larger," Dr. Jennifer Kuk, who oversaw the runners, told the New York Times.	270,447
Beer Taxes, the Legal Drinking Age, and Youth Motor Vehicle Fatalities Based on a time series of state cross sections for the period from 1975 through 1981, we find that motor vehicle accident mortality rates of youths ages 15 through 17, 18 through 20, and 21 through 24 are negatively related to the real beer excise tax. We also find that the death rate of 18 through 20 year olds is inversely related to the minimum legal age for the purchase of beer. Simulations suggest that the lives of 1,022 youths between the ages of 18 and 20 would have been saved in a typical year during the sample period if the Federal excise tax rate on beer, which has been fixed in nominal terms since 1951, had been indexed to the rate of inflation since 1951. This represents a 15 percent decline in the number of lives lost in fatal crashes. The simulations also suggest that the lives of 555 youths per year would have been saved if the drinking age had been 21 in all states of the U.S. These figures indicate that, if reductions in youth motor vehicle accident deaths are desired, both a uniform drinking age of 21 and an increase in the Federal excise tax rate on beerare effective policies to accomplish this goal. They also indicate that the tax policy may be more potent than the drinking age policy. \|Date of creation:\|\|May 1986\| \|Date of revision:\| \|Publication status:\|\|published as Saffer, Henry and Michael Grossman."Beer Taxes, the Legal Drinking Age, and Youth Motor Vehicle Fatalities," Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 1987.\| \|Contact details of provider:\|\| Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.\| Web page: http://www.nber.org More information through EDIRC Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.: - Peltzman, Sam, 1975. "The Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 83(4), pages 677-725, August. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:1914. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc. For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: () If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.	75,732
Digital media plays a crucial role in complementing several activities such as events, promotional tasks, functions, personal storage for keeping memories, etc. Capturing the vivid information into a digital graphical file keeps the old memories alive; more importantly when the event occurs once in a lifetime like wedding ceremony, business startup, birthday celebrations, business promotional purposes, and forensic investigation, etc. One can’t think of losing the critical photographic images as they are captured for accomplishing the special purposes. But, as the photographic cameras, DSLRs, camcorders, smartphones, etc. runs on distinct Operating Systems and memory cards; data corruption and deletion can be possible by several means. The user always have an advantageous situation if they want to convert damaged image file format into another as there are enormous image file formats available such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, MPEG, PCX, MPG, GIFF, BMP, etc. However, with the inventions of versatile image capturing devices, image viewer software, and display technologies; a lot of distinct image file errors have evolved over time. Out of this, many users are facing troublesome situations in opening the most popular JPEG image files and face critical error like “Can’t read file header! Unknown file format or file not found”. What is JPEG File and How the JPEG Image Files Get Corrupted? Joint Photographic Expert Group or JPEG is the lossy compression technique used for saving the digital images; it is the most popular image file format used by many cameras, handhelds, DSLRs, etc. It is noted that the chances of .jpeg file corruption becomes maximal during sharing and accessing the file inefficiently. Furthermore, one of the interesting facts about photographic devices is that it captures and stores .jpeg graphic images in two distinct parts. The primary component contains image meta-data that stores shooting modes, captured date/time, etc., and small thumbnail image; whereas the secondary part contains the full-fledged image data file. Based upon this fact, one should acknowledge that the corruption of the JPEG file occurs only after transferring the file, but not at the time of creation. Some predominant reasons that establishes a direct relationship with the “Can’t read file header! Unknown file format or file not found” error are: One couldn’t stop adding the list of image file errors, but getting the root cause of these errors is the primary counter mechanism to not lose the important photographic images. We can imply several preventive measures which restrict the origination of reason that transforms into image file error such as “Can’t read file header! Unknown file format or file not found”. Tips & Tracks to Open Corrupt JPEG File You can run beyond the standard techniques to safeguard the integrity of JPEG file headers. Once you have encountered with the “Can’t read file header! Unknown file format or file not found”, it is suggested to access the image by any other means rather than using the default JPEG image viewers. Precautionary Measures to Bound Uncontrolled JPEG Corruption Errors Things would always be in your hands to diminish any JPEG corruption reasons in advance if you carefully handle the JPEG files by taking some precautionary steps such as: After practicing all the troubleshooting and preventive steps, if you are still stuck with the “Can’t read file header! Unknown file format or file not found” error, then one should guess the intensity and level of corruptions that have infected the JPEG files. At this instance, employing the result-driven and intelligent third-party image recovery solution is an expert move. Kernel Photo Recovery is a powerful photo recovery software that is designed with the capability to recover image file formats such as JPG, PCX, MPG, GIFF, JPEG, PNG, MPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, etc. The software expediently recovers Permanently deleted photos from several external devices like Micro SD card, digital card, hard disks, USB drive, Memory sticks, etc. The tool has a unique feature which lets a user to either save selected images or all the recovered images at once. It is compatible with all versions of Windows OS, from older to newer.	64,672
Browsing named entities in Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 3. (ed. Frank Moore). You can also browse the collection for Henry W. Price or search for Henry W. Price in Your search returned 7 results in 3 document esumed, would be sent. It was with the confident conviction of being promptly supported that, when asked to surrender by Price on Sunday, the 15th, he answered with a ringing defiance, and instantly prepared for a desperate combat. He thought thatto raise the siege. But the heroic officer calculated too largely on the cooperation of the authorities at St. Louis. Price arrived at Warrensburg, thirty-five miles from Lexington, two weeks ago yesterday. Everybody knew that he was marching on Lexington, and that he would make a desperate attempt to take it. But we cannot think that Price himself ever imagined he would be allowed leisurely to march to Lexington, surround the garrison, and beleaguer it for a whole week, without being e steamboats in the State, for the speedy transportation of men and material to any point of danger. But so it is, and Price and Jackson and Parsons, in their exultations over their unlooked — for victory, must feel even more surprise than we do,	288,064
Sirmilik National Park of Canada Safety Tips for Travel Choosing a Safe Campsite - Avoid bear feeding areas. A polar bear's primary food source is seal so these species are often found in the In fall, winter and early spring most polar bears are on the sea ice hunting seals by the floe edge, open water leads and along pressure ridges. Bears and seals can also be found in places where the ice is thin or cracked, such as tide cracks in land-fast ice or at toes of glaciers. Seals can more easily maintain breathing holes in these areas. In early spring, females with cubs tend to hunt along pressure ridges and cracks in land-fast ice (particularly in bays) where seal birthing dens are found. During the ice-free summer season, when polar bears are forced ashore, they generally hunt and scavenge along coastlines, beaches and rocky islands near the coast. - Stay away from polar bear den sites. Unlike other bears, there is no time when all polar bears are inactive Maternity dens are excavated by pregnant females in snow drifts on leeward (wind protected) slopes of coastal hills and valleys. In the Baffin Region, dens can be found at high elevations on snowfields and glaciers. Maternity dens are occupied from fall to early spring. The dens are inconspicuous, however, bear tracks leading to and from the site in early autumn or late spring or ventilation holes can indicate Temporary dens are excavated in snow drifts or pressure ridges by polar bears (males, females and females with cubs) that are active over the winter. The dens can be used as resting places or as temporary shelter from bad weather. They can be used from a few days to several months. Summer retreat dens are excavated during the open water season in the remaining snow banks or into the permafrost. These can also be at higher elevations on snowfields and glaciers or the valleys leading up to them. Male and female bears of all age groups use them to keep cool and avoid insect harassment. - Avoid camping on beaches, islands, along coastlines and on "bear highways". Before making camp, look around for tracks. Polar bears often travel along coastlines using points of land and rocky islets near the coast to navigate. In the summer, blowing sea ice may transport polar bears into coastal areas. Avoid areas where the pack ice is blowing in to shore. Valleys and passes are often used to cross peninsulas and to move from one valley to another. Polar bears travel and hunt along the edges of ice floes - Camp inland on a butte or bluff with a good view of surrounding terrain. Avoid areas where bears might hide, such as blind corners, snow banks, pressure ridges and other places with visual impediments. - Set up tents in a line rather than a circle and maintain at least 5 metres between them. If a bear comes into camp, it will not feel surrounded and will have an avenue of escape without feeling threatened. Keep watch 24 hours per day. Take turns keeping watch during sleeping periods. - Do not sleep in the open without a tent. You may look like a seal and polar bears are very curious. People sleeping in the open have been attacked. - Cook at least 50 metres from your sleeping area in a place visible from your tent. Strain food particles from dishwater and store with garbage. Dump dishwater at least 50 metres from your sleeping area, rivers, streams and lakes. - Store food and garbage in bear-proof containers or sealed bags and containers secured under rocks within view of your tent. Placing pots on top may serve as an alarm. If you have a warning system, store your food within its perimeter. DO NOT store food inside your tent. Reducing the threat posed by a polar bear during an interaction may be difficult. Non-lethal deterrents have been developed for black and grizzly bears but they have not been thoroughly tested on polar bears and, therefore, they cannot be depended on to ensure safety. The best way to live safely with bears is to avoid contact with them. Any potential weapon should be considered, such as skis, poles, rocks, blocks of ice or even knives. Stay together as a group. This can be a deterrent and actions, such as making noise, jumping, waving arms, throwing things, may help to drive a polar bear away. - Noisemakers including air horns, pistol and pen launched bear bangers may scare a bear away. - Pepper spray may work on polar bears, but has not been thoroughly tested. Be aware that pepper spray does not work when cold. Also be aware of wind direction to avoid having the spray blow into your face. - Know how and when to use these deterrents and practice beforehand. - Availability of commercial deterrents is limited in the north, most will have to be purchased elsewhere and transported as dangerous goods. - Contact Parks Canada for more information. - Set up a portable trip-wire or motion detector alarm system around your tent to alert you if a polar bear approaches your camp. Before leaving home, contact Parks Canada for more information. - You may wish to take a dog, but only one that has proven experience with polar bears. Several dogs are better than one. Know how to handle them. Keep them staked so they cannot run to you for protection and stake them downwind from your sleeping area. Be sure to clean up any dog food leftovers. Dogs must be under control at all times within national parks to avoid wildlife harassment. - Designate a bear monitor to keep watch if a polar bear might be nearby. Consider moving your camp if there is a bear in the area.	310,305
Understand the pros and cons of having multiple credit cards and make informed decisions for financial flexibility. If overwhelmed, seek professional guidance from Alleviate Financial Solutions. In a world where financial flexibility is paramount, many individuals find themselves managing multiple credit cards. While these cards offer convenience and various perks, the task of juggling them can be daunting. Learn more about the effective strategies to manage multiple credit cards, ensuring financial control and ease of debt resolution. Understanding the Challenge Multiple credit cards mean multiple due dates, varying interest rates, and the potential for overspending. Without a well-thought-out plan, the convenience of credit cards can quickly turn into a financial burden. However, with the right strategies, you can harness the benefits of multiple cards without falling prey to their pitfalls. Strategies to Manage Multiple Credit Cards Navigating through a collection of credit cards, each with its own set of terms, due dates, and perks, requires a strategic approach to avoid the pitfalls of accumulating debt. Whether you’re a seasoned or new credit card user, look into practical and proven strategies that empower individuals to not just wield multiple credit cards but to do so with finesse and financial acumen. Create a Master List Begin by compiling a comprehensive list of all your credit cards. Include details such as credit limits, interest rates, and due dates. This master list will serve as a quick reference, providing a snapshot of your overall financial landscape. Set Spending Limits Establish spending limits for each credit card based on your budget and financial goals. This proactive approach helps prevent impulsive purchases and ensures that you stay within your means. Missing a payment can result in late fees and negatively impact your credit score. Take advantage of automatic payments to ensure that at least the minimum payment is made on time for each credit card. This minimizes the risk of late fees and helps maintain a positive credit history. Utilize Mobile Apps Most credit card issuers offer mobile apps that allow you to track and manage your spending in real-time. Take advantage of these apps to set up notifications for due dates, monitor transactions, and receive alerts for any unusual activity. Consolidate Due Dates If possible, contact your credit card issuers and explore the option of consolidating due dates. Aligning all your credit card due dates to a single day each month simplifies the payment process and reduces the likelihood of overlooking payments. If you carry balances on multiple cards, prioritize repayments based on interest rates. Focus on paying off higher-interest cards first while maintaining minimum payments on others. This strategic approach minimizes the overall interest paid. Regularly Review Statements Make it a habit to review your credit card statements regularly. This not only helps you stay informed about your spending but also allows you to identify and dispute any unauthorized transactions promptly. Consider a Balance Transfer If you have high-interest balances on one or more cards, explore the possibility of a balance transfer to a card with a lower interest rate. This can lead to interest savings and simplify your repayment strategy. Avoid Opening New Accounts Unnecessarily While having multiple credit cards can offer benefits, resist the temptation to open new accounts impulsively. Each new account comes with its own set of responsibilities and potential risks. Track and Utilize Rewards Programs If your credit cards come with rewards programs, keep track of the benefits they offer. Understand the points or cashback systems and strategically use the cards that provide the most advantageous rewards for your spending habits. Emergency Card Only Designate one credit card as an emergency card and keep it separate from your regular spending cards. This helps ensure that you’re not tempted to use it for everyday expenses, preserving it for true emergencies. Seek Professional Guidance If managing multiple credit cards becomes overwhelming, consider seeking advice from financial professionals. Debt relief services, including debt consolidation and debt settlement programs, may provide tailored solutions to help you regain control of your finances. Do Multiple Credit Cards Make Sense? The idea of wielding multiple credit cards may evoke mixed sentiments. While it offers financial flexibility and the potential for diverse rewards, it also comes with the responsibility of effective management. Let’s explore the pros and cons of having multiple credit cards to help you make an informed decision about whether this approach aligns with your financial goals. - Increased Financial Flexibility: Having multiple credit cards can provide a safety net in emergencies or unexpected expenses. It offers increased financial flexibility, allowing you to distribute expenses across different cards based on their terms and benefits. - Diverse Rewards and Perks: Different credit cards often come with unique rewards programs, cashback incentives, or travel perks. By strategically using specific cards for particular purchases, you can maximize the benefits each card offers. - Improved Credit Utilization: The total credit limit across multiple cards can positively impact your credit utilization ratio, a crucial factor in determining your credit score. A lower credit utilization ratio is generally considered favorable for credit health. - Increased Temptation to Overspend: The availability of multiple credit lines may lead to a temptation to overspend, especially if each card has a substantial credit limit. Without disciplined financial habits, this can result in accumulating debt. - Potential for Higher Fees: Each credit card may come with its own set of fees, including annual fees, late payment fees, and balance transfer fees. With multiple cards, the cumulative impact of these fees can add up if not managed effectively. - Impact on Credit Score: Opening multiple credit accounts within a short period can have a temporary negative impact on your credit score. Additionally, having numerous open credit lines may raise concerns for lenders, affecting your ability to secure additional credit. Navigating the Credit Card Maze with Alleviate Financial Solutions Managing multiple credit cards requires diligence and organization. Keeping track of due dates, interest rates, and individual card terms can become complex, leading to missed payments or oversights. But by strategically managing multiple credit cards, individuals can harness the benefits without succumbing to the risks. If the intricacies of managing multiple credit cards have left you seeking expert guidance, consider the Alleviate Financial Advantage. Our team of professionals is dedicated to providing personalized debt relief services to help you navigate the world of credit with confidence. Contact Alleviate Financial at 800-308-2935 to arrange a free consultation today, and discover how our financial and debt experts can empower you on your journey towards financial mastery.	82,153
Michael Geist writes, "Last year, the Canadian government trumpeted anti-counterfeiting legislation as a key priority. The bill raced through the legislative process in the winter and following some minor modifications after committee hearings, seemed set to pass through the House of Commons. Yet after committee approval, the bill suddenly stalled with little movement throughout the spring. Why did a legislative priority with all-party approval seemingly grind to a halt?" Read the rest Read the rest In America, more under-6 kids go to the emergency room from accidental overdose than from car-accidents -- they get hold of medicine and drink the whole bottle. Since 2007, epidemiologist Dr Daniel Budnitz has campaigned for the use of flow-restrictors in children's medicine bottles, which dramatically reduce the likelihood of an OD; manufacturers started adding restrictors to acetaminophen in 2011, but stopped there. Flow restrictors have not been added to bottles of antihistamines, ibuprofen, and cough and cold preparations -- even where they contain the same concentration of acetaminophen as plain acetaminophen tinctures. These other medicines account for about half of all overdoses by small children. In a long, investigative piece, Pro Publica and Consumer Reports exhaustively document the effectiveness of restrictors, the intransigence of bottom-line-focused pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the real risks of children's medicine overdoses. An FDA mandate would solve the problem of liquid overdose at the stroke of a pen, but the FDA refuses, preferring a voluntary approach that is demonstrably not working -- and putting kids at risk. The incidence of overdose in small children is not only widespread -- it's rising. Flow-restrictors are cheap, effective low-hanging fruit. Restrictors were invented to improve dosing and reduce spills in adult medicine, and are thus of benefit to everyone, not just parents. Read the rest Read the rest Anyone who tries to google skincare products hits a brick wall of fake reviews, SEO spam and hysterical pseudoscientific terror. Vogue's Christina Mueller writes that the blind-studied, peer-reviewed answer to your question is probably "Retinol": Imagine for a moment that a revolutionary skin-care ingredient was discovered. It visibly smoothed out wrinkles and obliterated breakouts; it improved skin texture and tightened pores into tiny little nothings. ... Such an ingredient does exist, and chances are some form of it is currently languishing in a corner of your medicine cabinet. It’s retinol. It isn’t sexy. It definitely isn’t new. In fact, it was discovered 81 years ago, making it a veritable dowager compared with all the fresh new super-ingredients that have since come onto the anti-aging scene. For the past few decades, it has been hiding in plain sight—but with a few new developments, it is stepping back into the limelight. Read the rest Public interest groups fly to Auckland, NZ to meet with TPP negotiators, are only allowed in the building to give a 15-minute joint presentation Having been promised a chance to meet with the delegates at the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership treaty meeting in New Zealand, a representatives from nonprofit public interest groups around the world flew to Auckland. Once they arrived, the TPP announced that they would be granted 15 minutes, total, for all of the groups to make a statement. TPP is a sweeping copyright treaty, a kind of ACTA on steroids, being conducted without any public scrutiny or input -- only governments and giant corporations are welcome in the negotiating room. It has profound implications for the future of medicine, Internet regulation, and privacy and surveillance. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is one of the groups that sent a representative to Auckland. They've published an open letter signed by the public interest coalition protesting their shabby treatment at the hands of TPP's administrators. Academics, experts, consumer groups, Internet freedom organizations, libraries, educational institutions, patients and access to medicines groups have flown a long way from around the world to Auckland, New Zealand, to engage with delegates in the 15th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. For the first time, however, we have been locked out of the entire venue, except for a single day out of the 10 days of negotiations. This not only alienates us as members of public interest groups, but also the hundreds of thousands of innovators, educators, patients, students, and Internet users who have sent messages to government representatives expressing their concerns with the TPP. All of us oppose the complete unjustifiable secrecy around the negotiations, but more importantly, the IP provisions that could potentially threaten our rights, and innovation. These new physical restrictions on us are reflective of the ongoing lack of transparency that has plagued the TPP negotiations from the very beginning. My latest Guardian column is "Why all pharmaceutical research should be made open access," and it makes the wider case for open access, beyond the obvious truth that publicly funded work should be available to the public: One of the strongest arguments for public access in scholarly and scientific publication is the "public debt" argument: if the public pays you to do research, the research should belong to the public. That's a good argument, but it's not the whole story. For one thing, it's vulnerable to the "public-private partnership" counterargument, which goes, "Ah, yes, but why not ensure that the public gets a maximum dividend on its spending by charging lots of money for access to publicly funded research and returning the profit to the research sector?" I think this argument is rubbish, as do most economists who have studied the question. The public good of freely accessible, unencumbered research generates more economic value for the public than the quick-hit sugar-rush you get from charging the public on the way in and again on the way out. This has held true in many sectors, though the canonical example is the massive public return from the US Geological Survey's freely usable maps, which have generated a fortune that makes the ransoms collected by the Ordnance Survey on its maps of the UK look like a pittance. That's why Goldacre's work is important to this discussion. The reason pharma companies should be required to publish their results isn't that they've received a public subsidy for the research. Rather, it is because they are asking for a governmental certification saying that their products are fit for consumption, and they are asking for regulatory space to allow doctors to write prescriptions for those products. We need them to disclose their research – even if doing so undermines their profits – because without that research, we can't know if their products are fit for use. Canadian Supreme Court puts Viagra in the public domain because Pfizer wouldn't disclose enough of its workings Michael Geist sez, The Supreme Court of Canada this morning shocked the pharmaceutical industry by voiding Pfizer's patent in Canada for Viagra. The unanimous decision provides a strong reaffirmation of the policy behind patent law, namely that patents represent a quid pro quo bargain of public disclosure of inventions in return for a time limited monopoly in the invention. The Supreme Court describes it in this way: "The patent system is based on a "bargain", or quid pro quo: the inventor is granted exclusive rights in a new and useful invention for a limited period in exchange for disclosure of the invention so that society can benefit from this knowledge. This is the basic policy rationale underlying the Act. The patent bargain encourages innovation and advances science and technology." Ben "Bad Science" Goldacre's new book Bad Pharma: How drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients ships today, and Ben has posted the foreword, including this helpful paragraph, which explains the book's entire thesis in one handy blob: Drugs are tested by the people who manufacture them, in poorly designed trials, on hopelessly small numbers of weird, unrepresentative patients, and analysed using techniques which are flawed by design, in such a way that they exaggerate the benefits of treatments. Unsurprisingly, these trials tend to produce results that favour the manufacturer. When trials throw up results that companies don’t like, they are perfectly entitled to hide them from doctors and patients, so we only ever see a distorted picture of any drug’s true effects. Regulators see most of the trial data, but only from early on in its life, and even then they don’t give this data to doctors or patients, or even to other parts of government. This distorted evidence is then communicated and applied in a distorted fashion. In their forty years of practice after leaving medical school, doctors hear about what works through ad hoc oral traditions, from sales reps, colleagues or journals. But those colleagues can be in the pay of drug companies – often undisclosed – and the journals are too. And so are the patient groups. And finally, academic papers, which everyone thinks of as objective, are often covertly planned and written by people who work directly for the companies, without disclosure. Sometimes whole academic journals are even owned outright by one drug company. Aside from all this, for several of the most important and enduring problems in medicine, we have no idea what the best treatment is, because it’s not in anyone’s financial interest to conduct any trials at all. These are ongoing problems, and although people have claimed to fix many of them, for the most part, they have failed; so all these problems persist, but worse than ever, because now people can pretend that everything is fine after all. Ben's got a real knack for combining rigor and readability. He's one of the few people who can use a phrase like "I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that" without sounding like a smug jerk. If you want to get a sense of how the book unfolds, you can check out the excerpt the Guardian published earlier this week. Pharmaceutical companies deliberately mislead doctors into prescribing useless and even harmful meds Writing in the Guardian, Ben Goldacre reveals the shocking truth about the drugs that doctors prescribe: thanks to aggressive manipulation from the pharmaceutical companies and passivity from regulators, doctors often don't know that the drugs were ineffective (or harmful) in a majority of their clinical trials. That's because pharma companies set up their trials so that they the right to terminate ones that look unpromising (or stop them early if they look promising and report on the result partway through as though it reflected the whole trial), and to simply suppress the results of negative trials. As a result, doctors -- even doctors who do their homework and pay close attention to the published trials, examining their methodology carefully -- end up prescribing useless (or harmful) medicines. And according to Goldacre, this is true of all doctors in every country, because every country's regulators allow pharmaceutical companies to cynically manipulate research outcomes to increase their profits. As Goldacre points out, a 2010 Harvard/Toronto study showed that "85% of the industry-funded studies were positive, but only 50% of the government-funded trials were" -- and in another analysis, industry-funded trials of statins "were 20 times more likely to give results favouring the test drug." What's more, when scientists blow the whistle on this life-threatening criminality, they're smeared and hounded by the pharma companies, as happened when Danish scientists published a study critical of industry-funded trials in the Journal of the American Medical Association. After the study was published, Lif, the Danish pharmaceutical industry association, called for professional misconduct investigations into the researchers, though they couldn't provide any evidence of the alleged misconduct. Though the researchers were cleared of all wrongdoing, their employers were given copies of the accusations of scientific dishonesty, as did "the Danish medical association, the ministry of health, the ministry of science and so on." This long piece is an excerpt from Goldacre's forthcoming book, Bad Pharma: How drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients. Sometimes trials are flawed by design. You can compare your new drug with something you know to be rubbish – an existing drug at an inadequate dose, perhaps, or a placebo sugar pill that does almost nothing. You can choose your patients very carefully, so they are more likely to get better on your treatment. You can peek at the results halfway through, and stop your trial early if they look good. But after all these methodological quirks comes one very simple insult to the integrity of the data. Sometimes, drug companies conduct lots of trials, and when they see that the results are unflattering, they simply fail to publish them. Because researchers are free to bury any result they please, patients are exposed to harm on a staggering scale throughout the whole of medicine. Doctors can have no idea about the true effects of the treatments they give. Does this drug really work best, or have I simply been deprived of half the data? No one can tell. Is this expensive drug worth the money, or has the data simply been massaged? No one can tell. Will this drug kill patients? Is there any evidence that it's dangerous? No one can tell. This is a bizarre situation to arise in medicine, a discipline in which everything is supposed to be based on evidence. And this data is withheld from everyone in medicine, from top to bottom. Nice, for example, is the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, created by the British government to conduct careful, unbiased summaries of all the evidence on new treatments. It is unable either to identify or to access data on a drug's effectiveness that's been withheld by researchers or companies: Nice has no more legal right to that data than you or I do, even though it is making decisions about effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, on behalf of the NHS, for millions of people. In any sensible world, when researchers are conducting trials on a new tablet for a drug company, for example, we'd expect universal contracts, making it clear that all researchers are obliged to publish their results, and that industry sponsors – which have a huge interest in positive results – must have no control over the data. But, despite everything we know about industry-funded research being systematically biased, this does not happen. In fact, the opposite is true: it is entirely normal for researchers and academics conducting industry-funded trials to sign contracts subjecting them to gagging clauses that forbid them to publish, discuss or analyse data from their trials without the permission of the funder. Just read it. There's so much more. Paroxetine, a drug that was known to be ineffective for treating children, which had a risk of suicide as a side-effect, widely prescribed to children, because GlaxoSmithKline declined to publish its research data after an internal memo stated "It would be commercially unacceptable to include a statement that efficacy had not been demonstrated, as this would undermine the profile of paroxetine." From Reddit, hxstr's photo of "10 years worth of Pharma Rep's free pens, very few duplicates." The comments on the photo contain a blazing fight over its provenance, though it may be the personal collection of a Cedars-Sinai cardiologist. Photo: Chris Howey / Shutterstock Genius scientific paper* of the day: "A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine, by O. Hai and I. B. Hakkenshit." (PDF). A response by annoyed Sudafed users to the onerous demands by pharmacies for ID and tracking, due to the fact that this helpful and common over-the-counter drug can be used to manufacture crystal meth. Snip from the paper: A novel and straightforward synthesis of pseudoephidrine from readily available N-methylamphetamine is presented. This practical synthesis is expected to be a disruptive technology replacing the need to find an open pharmacy. Pseudoephedrine, active ingredient of Sudafed®, has long been the most popular nasal decongestant in the United States due to its effectiveness and relatively mild side effects . In recent years it has become increasingly difficult to obtain psuedoephedine in many states because of its use as a precursor for the illegal drug N-methylamphetamine (also known under various names including crystal meth, meth, ice, etc.)[1,2]. While in the past many stores were able to sell pseudoephedrine, new laws in the United States have restricted sales to pharmacies, with the medicine kept behind the counter. The pharmacies require signatures and examination of government issued ID in order to purchase pseudoephedrine. Because the hours of availability of such pharmacies are often limited, it would be of great interest to have a simple synthesis of pseudoephedrine from reagents which can be more readily procured. Read the rest Update: More in the NYT, including details on the drug sponsorship deal. [Video Link] Never would have seen this coming. Paula Deen is said to be planning to step back from being the public face of her "Southern comfort food" empire to become the celebrity endorsement personality for a diabetes drug, in a "multimillion-dollar" deal with a pharmaceutical company. Deen is famous for popularizing creations like the “Lady’s Brunch Burger” seen in the remixed video above. A beef hamburger patty topped with bacon and a fried egg, served on a glazed donut. It's a "sometime food." (via @attackerman) "Housewife Headache" (Thanks, Michael!) Both bills would eliminate all legal barriers to the manufacture and sale of generic versions of drugs and vaccines. The more ambitious bill is the Medical Innovation Prize Fund Act, which would apply to all prescription drugs. The narrower proposal is the Prize Fund for HIV/AIDS Act, which would only apply to treatments for HIV/AIDS. The Medical Innovation Prize Fund would create a prize fund equal of .55 percent of US GDP, which is more than $80 billion per year at current levels of U.S. GDP. The HIV/AID Prize Fund would be funded at .02 percent of U.S. GDP, which is equal to more than $3 billion per year at current levels of U.S. GDP.Senator Sanders introduces two medical innovation prize bills in U.S. Senate to de-link R&D costs from drug prices (Thanks, jamielove!) The federal government and private health insurance companies would co-fund the prizes, according to formulas set out in the bills. The cost of the prize funds would be more than offset by the savings from the introduction of generic competition for products. Both bills have some similar features to Senator Sanders' earlier prize fund bills, but there are also a number of changes. Among those changes are the introduction of an open source dividend element to the bills, which would have at least 5 percent of the prize money going to persons or communities that put knowledge, data, materials or technology into the public domain, or provide royalty free and non-discriminatory access to patents and other intellectual property rights. Annually, this would be more than $4 billion for S. 1137, and $147 million for S. 1138, at 2010 levels of GDP, as an incentive to open source research.	200,353
Convert English to Egyptian Heiroglyphics instantly - Windows Shareware $9.99. The ancient Eygptians have many marvels. From the great pyramids to the myths of the pharaohs. Ancient Eyptian writing are known as hieroglyphics, which represent pictures of symbols such as a feather, an arm, or a snake. Egyptian hieroglyphics are very different than the English alphabet, because you cannot spell a word with hieroglyphics. The symbols used in heiroglyphics have their own meaning and pronunciation. Imhotext 1.0.0 8-Sep-05 English 1.7 MB Through our research of hieroglyphics, we can now convert the sound of the English alphabet into the sound of a hieroglyphic symbol. When you start Imhotext, you will see an empty wall, similar to ones that are found inside pyramids in Egypt. At the bottom of the wall, you can type in what you want to be converted. Then click the convert button and the Egyptian hieroglyphics are instantly etched onto the wall. You can print a paper copy of the Egyptian hieroglyphics to give as a gift or save as a keepsake. Imhotext is extremely easy to use. Anyone who can use a keyboard and a mouse will instantly master Imhotext and can print a beautiful page of Egyptain hieroglyphics.arch of hieroglyphics, we can now convert the sound of the English alphabet into the sound of a hieroglyphic symbol. \|Egypt Egyptian Heiroglyphics. Convert English Instantly.\|\| Imhotext\| - Shareware Download from Jerry Wang - Win98, WinME, WinNT 4.x, Win2000, WinXP - Expires after 15 program starts - Install and Uninstall - New Release	287,145
So far in examining your thoughts you've seen how your interpretations of what happens to you are separate from the events themselves. You've also delved a little into seeing how some of your beliefs about how the how world works are created. This week, it's time to look at how those stories and beliefs affect you and how they influence what you create and even what you filter out as you see the world around you. You see in the world what you've already decided you want to see The main concept for today is behavioral confirmation. Behavioral confirmation says that seeing the world in the way you do affects how you present yourself and the actions you put out. The people around you then react and respond to that presentation in a way that confirms your existing way of seeing things. In other words, what you believe affects what you put out and what you put out affects how others respond. And how others respond influences what you believe. You then exist within a self-fulfilling feedback loop where your existing beliefs are constantly confirmed to be true. This is not only because many people will naturally mirror back what you put out but also because your beliefs affect your mental filter. The world may be full of positive comments about you but if your belief is that only negative feedback is important , then your mind actually filters out the positive and, instead focuses its attention on the events or people that confirm your existing belief to be true. "It's only a thought and a thought can be changed." -- Louise Hay For example, Bob goes out with Nancy and has a great time. It really seemed that she had a great time as well. But, when Bob goes to schedule another date, Nancy won't even return his calls. This happened with the last woman he asked out as well and now Bob makes the connection that all women are dishonest. His belief shifts. And sure enough, as he asks more women out, he sees this behavior again and again. He is hugely frustrated and starts to think, "Nice guys just can't win." And then, sure enough, he begins to see ... The Bob example above is really common. The truth is, despite what Bob has come to believe, the world is actually full of good, honest women that he could be asking out. The difficulty here is seeing how his belief changed his focus and actually started leading him to pick out women who would validate what he already believes. In a room of ten women, nine may be the opposite of what he believes to be true. Because of his filter, however, those women may not even be on his radar. He may talk to everyone but his interaction with the one woman who validates his belief will be picked up as the most meaningful. The issue is the story Bob told himself about those first women and the beliefs he created because of those experiences. He could have viewed them as exceptions to the rule and moved on but he made them be the rule. He took instances about two specific women and applied those beliefs globally to all women. One or two women cannot possibly represent the attitudes, beliefs, and ways of being for all women in the world. Logically, that is evident but our minds want to make sense of the world so the likelihood of over-generalizing based on just a few limited experiences is strong for most people. When you see the feedback loop for what it is, you can make real changes To see this, think about how Bob's first response that "All women are dishonest" would affect how he interacts with women. He won't act the same around someone when he goes into the interaction thinking that they are probably dishonest. He will be more guarded, cautious, or even entering into things with a certain degree of pessimism. Even if he tries to hide it, these thoughts in the back of his mind will show through. People don't mask their inner thoughts as well as they think they do. Bob's behavior then creates a response in the women. They may mirror back that cautiousness, guardedness, and even the pessimism. That distance created is highly likely to create the exact response that only serves to validate his belief. He then becomes stuck in the feedback loop. What if Bob had instead decided those two women were exceptions to the rule and thought, "There are definitely good women out there," and "Not wanting to see me again is definitely their loss and not mine?" Would that have created a different set of future circumstances? Yes and yes again. Believing that good women are out there and that the issue was theirs and not his, Bob's interactions with future women will remain open. He won't have that need to be pulled back or emotionally guarded for fear of being hurt. And, he will be approaching new women with a sense of optimism. When he puts that consciously -- or even unconsciously -- out there, it will be reflected back and he becomes more likely to see and get positive responses from the women he wants to meet. The key to getting out of the negative behavioral confirmation feedback loop is to consciously choose another belief that will create what you want. It's being able to see what way of thinking when reflected back will move things in better directions or even generate the situations you most want to have happen. Seeing the consequences of your beliefs To examine this in yourself, pull out the list you created about your beliefs last week. Look at your list and see the positive and negative feedback loops and what they are creating in your life. To help with this, for each of the beliefs you listed, ask yourself: 1. How does this belief affect your behavior? How does believing this change what you put out into the world? Similar to the Bob example, be specific about what behaviors each belief creates in you. 2. How do you see this belief mirrored back from others? What do you see in how other people act toward you that can actually be seen as coming from you or only serving to validate what you already believe? 3. Are there exceptions to this belief? Take a moment to see if there are moments in your own history which contradict the belief you are examining. Next week, we will drill even further down to label and then dispute the thoughts that are unhealthy or unhelpful. For now, concentrate on seeing the feedback loops created by your current ways of thinking. Really examine and see how what you believe actually creates the world around you. Sundays – Practice Skills and Activities Daily skill practices and further information to help you grow in your meditation practice or increase your emotional intelligence skills. My Writing and Other Resources for Students A growing collection of writing and other resources for students to use to continue their growth.	301,971
How to Get a Business Name to the Top of a Search Engineby Debbie Sarig Getting your business name to the top of search engines is a great marketing strategy. This technique is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Most search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and AltaVista, constantly scan through webpages to index them and then use the indexes to decide which pages to show when someone searches for a website. As a business owner, you want your business name to come up first when someone searches for your type of business. Grab your company's name. Make sure that you sign up for the major social networking sites with your company name as the user name. Examples of these sites are LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Squidoo, Digg and MySpace. This will help increase your presence on the Web. Learn about the major social networking sites. Now that you have signed up for the major social networking sites, you should go into each of these sites and fill in as much information possible about your business. Search engines are more likely to find your business name and rank it at a high position if there is good quality content associated with your business name. The social networking sites give you the opportunity to write about your company. Write a press release. Press releases help get your company's name on the Web. There are various sites that let you publish your press releases for free. This information will be crawled by the search engines and, once again, help increase your ranking. Increase the content on your business's site. The more content you have, the more likely it is that you will be indexed by the search engines. Find out what the best keywords are for your business. Think like your customers. What would you type into a search engine to look for your type of business? These are the keywords that you should use on your site and in the header and title tags.	258,681
The nitrogen crisis is one of the most urgent crises we are currently facing in the Netherlands. High ammonia emissions from agriculture lead to a decline in biodiversity in nature reserves, yet no sensor is available that can survive the harsh environment of stables and provide real-time data of ammonia emissions. Instead, it is done with assumptions and models to estimate and calculate ammonia emissions. At Spectrik, we are using Integrated Photonics to measure real-time ammonia and methane emissions in agriculture to improve biodiversity and reduce the effects of agriculture on global warming. We are currently looking for a Technology Expert to join our team. If you like building products for tomorrow, with the end-user in mind, you have a strong sense of usability and you are passionate about making an impact in people’s lives, let’s talk. As our Technology Expert you will: - coordinate the entire product development (software, photonics, material science) - be the mediator between the sector specialists (farmers, researchers, etc.) and the integrated photonics supply chain partners to create the perfect product-market fit. - create IP together with our partners Who you are: - You have at least three or more years of experience in system engineering. - You are an expert in optical systems. - You have a deep interest in integrated photonics and deep-tech. - You have an entrepreneurial mindset. - You have interest in gas sensing or the agricultural sector. What we offer: - A professional, diverse and international environment - Support network, including HighTechXL and Philips with technical and entrepreneurial professionals - Working with a highly motivated, dynamic and diverse team - Working on a dream location for innovation, the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven At this moment we do not provide immediate compensation, but we anticipate that once we secure funding, we will be able to offer competitive salaries. Send your CV and motivation letter to: firstname.lastname@example.org	228,822
Here is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) News Service Weekly PressPac with news from ACS’ 36 peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News. This information is intended for your personal use in news gathering and reporting and should not be distributed to others. Anyone using advance ACS News Service Weekly PressPac information for stocks or securities dealing may be guilty of insider trading under the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Please cite the individual journal, or the American Chemical Society, as the source of this information. Researchers in Greece report design of a new material that almost meets the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2010 goals for hydrogen storage and could help eliminate a key roadblock to practical hydrogen-powered vehicles. Their study on a way of safely storing hydrogen, an explosive gas, is scheduled for the Oct. 8 issue of ACS’ Nano Letters, a monthly journal. Georgios K. Dimitrakakis, Emmanuel Tylianakis, and George E. Froudakis note that researchers long have sought ways of using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to store hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles. CNTs are minute cylinders of carbon about 50,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair. Scientists hope to use CNTs as miniature storage tanks for hydrogen in the coming generation of fuel cell vehicles. In the new study, the researchers used computer modeling to design a unique hydrogen-storage structure consisting of parallel graphene sheets — layers of carbon just one atom thick — stabilized by vertical columns of CNTs. They also added lithium ions to the material’s design to enhance its storage capacity. The scientists’ calculations showed that their so-called “pillared graphene” could theoretically store up to 41 grams of hydrogen per liter, almost matching the DOE’s target (45 grams of hydrogen per liter) for transportation applications. “Experimentalists are challenged to fabricate this material and validate its storage capacity,” the researchers note. — MTS With nanotechnology yielding a burgeoning menagerie of microscopic pumps, motors, and other machines for potential use in medicine and industry, here is one good question: How will humans turn those devices on and off? In an advance toward giving humans that control, scientists in The Netherlands are reporting use of an external electrical signal to control an atomic-scale mechanical device that looks like the flippers on a pinball machine. Their report is scheduled for the Oct. 8 issue of ACS’ monthly journal Nano Letters. In the study, Harold J. W. Zandvliet and colleagues point out that efforts to build ever-smaller mechanical devices have made scientists recognize the difficulty of exerting control over these nanomachines, which are too tiny for any conventional on-off-switch. They describe construction and successful testing of a device, “grown” on a wafer of germanium crystal, that responds to on-off stimuli. Researchers say the device — so tiny that billions would fit on the head of a pin — resembles the arms or flippers on a pinball machine. The signals for the arms to move back and forth come from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. “By precisely controlling the tip current and distance, we make two atom pairs behave like the flippers on an atomic-sized pinball machine,” they state. “Our observations prove unambiguously that it is possible to control an atomic scale mechanical device using a simple electrical signal. A better understanding of similar devices can shed light on the future possibilities and opportunities for the application of atomic-scale devices.” — AD In what may be an unintended consequence of efforts to make furniture safer and less flammable, residents of California have blood levels of potentially toxic flame retardants called PBDEs at levels nearly twice the national average, scientists from Massachusetts and California are reporting. Their study, the first to examine regional variations in PBDE levels in household dust and blood within the U.S., is scheduled for posting online Oct. 1 by ACS’ semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. In the new study, Ami Zota and colleagues note that PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are widely used as flame retardants in upholstered furniture and electronics. The materials are released into the environment as dust particles, where they can accumulate in homes as well as human blood and tissue. Although their exact effects in humans are unclear, studies in animals suggest that PBDEs may cause thyroid, developmental, and reproductive problems. Since California has among the most stringent furniture flammability standards, the researchers suspected that state residents may have higher levels of PBDE dust exposure than others in the United States. To find out, the scientists compared data on PBDE concentrations in house dust from 49 California homes with concentrations reported from 120 Massachusetts homes and several other areas. The researchers also compared data on blood levels of PBDEs in California residents to blood levels in residents of other regions. They found that PBDE levels in California homes were four to 10 times higher than other U.S. areas. They also found that blood levels of some PBDEs were significantly higher in California residents than the rest of the country. “These findings raise concern about pending regulations and performance standards that encourage the widespread use of chemical flame retardants, which are toxic or whose safety is uncharacterized,” the article states. — MTS and AD Journal: Environmental Science & Technology Journal Article: “Elevated House Dust and Serum Concentrations of PBDEs in California: Unintended Consequences of Furniture Flammability Standards?” Researchers in Iran are publishing what they describe as the first study on a fungus that can remove sulfur — a major source of air pollution — from crude oil more effectively than conventional refining methods. The finding could help reduce air pollution and acid rain caused by the release of sulfur components in gasoline and may help oil companies meet tougher emission standards for fuel, the scientists say. Their study is scheduled for the Oct. 1 issue of ACS’ Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a bi-weekly journal. Jalal Shayegan and colleagues point out that existing processes for refining so-called “heavy,” or high-sulfur, crude oil convert sulfur to hydrogen sulfide gas at high temperatures and pressures. However, they leave behind some kinds of sulfur-based compounds, which wind up in gasoline and other fuels. Scientists long have known that certain microbes can remove sulfur from oil. But nobody had tried using these microbes in so-called biodesulfurization of heavy crude oil until now, they indicate. In the new study, the scientists describe isolation and testing of the first fungus capable of removing sulfur from heavy crude oil. The fungus, called Stachybotrys, removed 65-76 percent of the sulfur present in certain heavy crude oil from two different oil fields. The process does not need high temperatures and high-energy consumption because it occurs slightly above room temperature, they scientists note. — MTS Just as a credit crunch is reshaping the global economic landscape, an often-unheralded shortage of clean water is confronting business and industry with a range of profound new challenges and opportunities, according to an article scheduled for the October 6 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly news magazine. The cover story, written by C&EN Senior Business Editor Melody Voith, points out that big industrial companies, such as Dow Chemical, General Electric, Nalco, and Ashland, must manage day-to-day operations in ways that conserve and reuse water. Once regarded as a cheap and inexhaustible resource, clean water increasingly is in short supply around the world, Voith explains, noting that lack of clean water is “a growing risk” to industry. “There is just no replacement for good, clean water — and it is getting harder to come by,” Voith states. At the same time, companies that supply water purification and conservation technology are taking advantage of new opportunities. The articles explain how companies are investing in new technologies to meet the evolving demand for water treatment chemicals, services, and equipment. Activities will be held in communities around the United States Oct. 19-25 during National Chemistry Week, the American Chemical Society’s annual showcase of chemistry’s central role in everyday life. The theme will be “Having a Ball with Chemistry,” emphasizing the role chemistry plays in fitness and athletics. Thousands of students will learn about chemistry’s role in providing new materials and technology to improve athletic equipment and performance, and the importance of nutrition and maintaining an active lifestyle. For more information, including the location of local NCW events, please visit http://www.chemistryweek.org. It's never too late to explore a treasure trove of news sources, background material and story ideas available from the ACS' latest National Meeting, which was held in Philadelphia from August 17-21, 2008. Reporters can view press releases, search an archive with abstracts of more than 9,000 scientific presentations and hundreds of non-technical summaries of those presentations, and access other resources at: www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php. The ACS Office of Public Affairs also offers recorded video versions of its national meeting "chat room" briefings and accompanying chat transcripts by going to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive. To use this site, you must first register with Ustream.tv by going to http://ustream.tv/sign-up-step-1. It's free and only takes a minute or two to sign up. To view the archived chat room sessions, proceed by clicking the "Login" button at the top right of the Ustream window and then selecting "Past Clips." Please note that Ustream requires the latest version of Adobe Flash, which can be downloaded without charge at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer. Don’t miss this special series of ACS podcasts on some of the 21st Century’s most daunting challenges, and how cutting-edge research in chemistry matters in the quest for solutions. This sweeping panorama of challenges includes topics such as providing a hungry, thirsty world with ample supplies of safe food and clean water; developing alternatives to petroleum to fuel the global economy; preserving the environment and assuring a sustainable future for our children; and improving human health. An ongoing saga of chemistry for life — chemistry that truly matters — Global Challenges debuts June 25 with new episodes through December. Subscribe at iTunes or listen and access other resources at the ACS web site www.acs.org/GlobalChallenges. Bytesize Science is a science podcast for kids of all ages that aims to entertain as much as it educates. The ACS Office of Communications is podcasting PressPac contents in order to make cutting-edge scientific discoveries from ACS journals available to a broad public audience at no charge. More ACS News PressPac information is intended for your personal use in news gathering and reporting and should not be distributed to others. Anyone using advance PressPac information for stocks or securities dealing may be guilty of insider trading under the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The American Chemical Society — the world’s largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress 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. Journal: Chemical & Engineering News Journal Article: “The Other Scarce Resource”	305,361
Let's Go Out Again and Kitchen Kulture featured the summer issue of Salon. Germany at the Venice Biennale A Deutsche Welle documentation film accompanied and unveiled the process of making the German Pavilion—from the underlying decision to swap pavilions with France, to the artists’ remarks on their contributions, and the on-site mounting in Venice. Afore, the official BiennaleChannel has featured an insightful portrait of the German Pavilion, with curator Susanne Gaensheimer going into details about the exhibited artworks and discussing how the artist selections came about. Further, Santu Mofokeng and Romuald Karmakar have been filmed in the exhibition giving statements on their artworks. The 30-minute film by Deutsche Welle even goes back to 2012, interviewing Ai Wei Wei in Beijing and tracing back the roots of Gaensheimer's international curational approach. With interviews of all four artists, the video gives an in-depth look behind the scene. Seeing the artworks in progress reveals a lot about the artists' concerns. With showing Santu Mofokeng during a car ride through Soweto and preparing his photo prints in Berlin months before the Biennale's opening, the video aims at getting most close to the photographer's perspective. While installing his work in Venice, Romuald Karmakar explains how the visual axes between his screenings communicate, and Gaensheimer examines that in his work one finds proof for the fact that ideology is no longer bound to geography. At the same time, Dayanita Singh brings the entire thematic focus to a very significant point as she discloses why she wouldn't want to see herself in the Indian pavilion, explaining her dislike for categorizing nationality. According to Gaensheimer, what all four artists reflect—although their backgrounds couldn't be more diverse—is how the internationality we find in our lives today affects the daily reality of a single person. The debate continues in the German Pavilion's official catalog and its 11 bylined articles. Among the authors are academics from the fields of art and cultural science, curators, journalists, philosophers, writers, artists, critics, political scientists, patrons, and migration researchers who are debating art and (inter)nationality including Geoff Dyer, Jacques Mandelbaum, Santu Mofokeng, Uli Sigg, Mark Terkessidis, Ranjit Hoskote, Aveek Sen, François Jullien, Simon Njami, Jeff Kelley, and Gilles Kepel. These critical texts are put into visual form by Chris Rehberger, whose work also makes a clear contribution to their debate. Follow Us On Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! featured in Octane's July issue. "Verführerisch. Denn die Auswahl gleicht nicht so sehr einem Geschichtsbuch als vielmehr einer Kunstausstellung, sie soll zum Nachdenken anregen, auch Gefühle aufwühlen." Let's Go Out Again recommended on the German website of Harper's Bazaar. “Haben Sie auch schon mal einen Flug gebucht, nur um dieses eine Restaurant auszuchecken, von dem immer alle reden? Kennen wir. Und deshalb müssen wir Sie warnen: Wenn Sie auch nur einen Blick in unser neues Lieblingsbuch Let’s Go Out Again werfen, werden Sie zig Gründe haben, in den nächsten Flieger zu steigen.” A Poor Collector's Guide featured on Xamou Art. "Erling Kagge spills the beans...on that weird and wonderful art of collecting art. Der Atlas der Abenteuer recommended in Nido's July issue. "Dieser Atlas zeigt auf seinen liebevoll gezeichneten Karten nicht nur Länder, sondern aufregende Abenteuer, die man in allen Ecken der Welt erleben kann. Mit dem Satz "Nächstes Jahr fahren wir aber zu den Pinguinen in die Antarktis. Biiiiitte!", muss man allerdings rechnen". Join Our Designer Database We welcome portfolio and proposal submissions for Gestalten's potential publications and collaborations.	51,755
For anyone interested at all in the past and future of flight, this week’s Afterburner is quite good. Jack Grieve, from the UK’s Aston University, geo-plotted the curse words used in the Lower 48 states out of 8.9 billion words from Twitter. Click the link for the full set of maps, with blue meaning infrequence use and red being more frequent. No kidding, there was one I’d never even heard of before. The other item of local interest is that in map after map, curse word after curse word, is how little cussing we do here in Colorado. Which is odd, given how many Californians are on our roads nowadays. Social Security is certainly social enough — the part where other people spend your money. But secure? Hardly. Here’s what Myra Adams just noticed when taking a closer look at her Social Security statement: At first glance, the statement did not appear menacing. I was told I could expect to receive a benefit of “about $2,136 a month” upon reaching age 70 — which certainly seems like good news. But immediately I thought of a parallel of President Obama’s infamous Obamacare promise: “If you like your Social Security, you can keep your Social Security.” Then, as if on cue, I saw an asterisk with the following message: The law governing benefit amounts may change because, by 2033, the payroll taxes collected will be enough to pay only about 77 percent of scheduled benefits. I could not believe I was seeing the equivalent of what I was just thinking, but with a new twist, “If I like my Social Security, I can keep 77 percent of it.” With an asterisk, my beloved government was informing me that they will be unable to fulfill their part of a financial arrangement into which, as their statement attested, I had been making mandatory contributions starting in 1971 at age 16. Adams did some of the math — that the number of payees is shrinking relative to the number of beneficiaries, and concludes, “There are just too many Baby Boomers and too many financial promises with elected leaders too afraid to inflict the necessary pain of real reform.” I mean no disrespect to Mrs Adams, but welcome to 1985. That’s the year I turned 16 and had my first real summer job. Like most anyone with their first pay stub, I was disappointed with, you know, the actual number left over after all the taxes were taken out. I did a little reading and learned that the 1983 Social Security reform had jacked up taxes, but added only about 20 years of solvency to the program. Conclusion: I was never going to see those benefits. And it wasn’t just me, either. Poll after poll shows that Gen X kids (kids then, middle aged now) had little faith in Social Security being there for us, despite us paying in at the higher rates for all of our working lives. And again, no disrespect to Mrs Adams, but by and large we felt this way because we knew our Baby Boomer parents, and we knew their Baby Boomer friends, and we were pretty sure nothing was going to get done to fix the program. The time to act would have been in the 1990s — when the first Baby Boomer President had plenty of time, political popularity, and tax income to have pushed for real reforms before things got too painful. Mrs Adams notes that “Politicians fear confronting the truth, and they fear Americans can’t handle it,” which is true enough. But mortal enemies Ronald Reagan and Top O’Neill were able to come together to “save” Social Security, even if only temporarily — where was the Baby Boomer leadership when it was their turn? What would have been merely difficult for Clinton became impossible for Bush, and Obama seems content to serve as Ladler-in-Chief on the Gravy Train. I don’t mean to paint an entire generation with the same broad brush, but I am speaking broadly here — some offense is going to happen. So let’s take a moment to acknowledge and respect those Boomers who have been on the right side of this issue all along. It’s a shame there aren’t more like you. I’ve been sounding this alarm since high school — that’s 30 years — for all the good it’s done anyone. But my generation mostly just shrugged like we often do on these political issues, because there’s just too many Boomers and too few of us. By the time a Gen Xer does get elected to the White House — President Cruz or Rand or Walker, anyone? — it will be too late to “fix” Social Security without painful cuts to Mrs Adams benefits, and even more painful cuts to ours. That’s just math. But like any Xer who came home after school to an empty house (we were first the generation-wide “latchkey kids“), we’re used to quietly cleaning up the mess after our parents’ parties. So I suspect we’ll get the job done. Because somebody has got to look after the Millennials. Trend Micro peeps say they have discovered a security bug that miscreants can exploit to seemingly murder millions of Android smartphones. A device will appear lifeless and unable to make calls, with a dead screen and no sound output, if an attack is successful, we’re told. All a victim has to do is visit a dodgy webpage, or run an app containing a malicious file. Rebooting the supposedly dead smartphone will revive it. Google’s solution is to simply get over it, not browse untrusted websites on your phone, and avoid installing evil applications. A patch to fix the hole is on its way, we’re told. The vulnerability stems from an integer overflow bug in Android’s media server service, which can be exploited by a malformed video file in a Matroska container. When Android tries to index the file, it crashes, bringing the rest of the operating system down with it. That bit about avoiding dodgy websites and not installing bad apps is always good advice. Still, now might be a good time to make sure your phone is upgradeable to the latest & greatest version of Android. And you’ll applaud him for it. On July 4, 2015, 22 year-old Lane Pittman decided to take his electric guitar and play the Star Spangled Banner on the street outside his friend’s house in Neptune Beach, near Jacksonville. Pittman says that after a police officer asked him to stop, he asked if it was okay to play on the sidewalk, and was told that was okay. And play he did: “I don’t think I ever played that song as good in my life as I did on that day. It felt right. It was an emotional roller coaster.” The crowd topped 200 people, spilling onto the street around him: Then Pittman was, to his surprise, arrested for breaching the peace. Read the whole story, including Pittman being accused of having “white skin privilege.” You can help with his legal fees by buying this t-shirt. Get ready for another Marine amphibious assault ship with fricken stealth fighters on it: Scheduled for launch in in July 2017 and with a tentative induction date set for December 18, the ship is specifically designed to accommodate Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, along a host of other aircraft such as MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, CH-53 Super Stallions, and UH-1Y Huey helicopters. The USS Tripoli, called LHA 7 [Landing Helicopter Assault] 7, is being assembled at the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Once finished, the ship will displace more than 44,000 tons–similar to the size of fixed-wing aircraft carriers in France and India. Measuring 844 feet long and 106 feet wide the ship, in fact, is a small aircraft carrier. “The ship is optimized for aviation and capable of supporting current and future aircraft with additional aviation maintenance capability and increased fuel capacities. LHA[Landing Helicopter Assault] 6 will be a Flight I ship, reintroducing the well deck without sacrificing aviation capability,” the U.S. Navy’s website notes about the USS Tripoli’s sister ship, the USS America. The Essex-class fleet aircraft carriers were the US Navy’s bread-and-butter warships versus the Imperial Japanese Navy, and we built a still-impressive two dozen of the things. The best (and biggest*) full-size carriers in regular use during the war, they displaced 33,000 tons — or one quarter less than the Marine Corps’ new baby carriers. They also didn’t carry 1,600+ Marines on board, ready to fly Ospreys ashore and kick some behind. We’re reached the sad state of economic affairs where we see 2.3% quarterly growth and want to shout, “Great news!” So here’s the great news: The rebound in April, May and June was largely expected, after a dismal performance in the first quarter of 2015. Before the report on Thursday from the Commerce Department, analysts on Wall Street had been expecting to see a growth rate of about 2.5 percent for the second quarter. “I think it’s an O.K. performance. Underlying growth is stable but not spectacular,” said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS, a research firm based in Lexington, Mass. “The economy is plodding along.” While hardly exceptional by the standards of the 1990s or even compared with the 5 percent burst of growth in the summer of 2014, the pace of expansion is largely in line with the trajectory of the recovery, which began exactly six years ago. “Recovery?” They keep using that word; I do not think it means what they think it means. Hillary is starting to look weak in the general election: Across nearly every key metric, from trustworthiness to caring about voters to leadership, Clinton has seen an erosion in public approval, as likely Republican rivals have erased her leads in the poll. Clinton has a net -11 favorability rating in the poll, with 40% of the American public viewing her positively and 51% negatively, with more than 50% of independents on the negative side. If the election were held today, Clinton would be tied with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the poll—down from significant leads in a May 28 survey—but would top the current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. The trick with Trump of course is how to keep his voters while quietly showing him the door. He doesn’t have a realistic chance of winning the election (or even the nomination), but the eventual GOP nominee can’t win the general without Trump’s “Perot voters.” The shades of 1992 are familiar, aren’t they? It’s almost enough to make you wonder if Trump — not a Republican, not a conservative, generous giver to Democrats and liberal causes — identified a potent GOP wedge issue and entered the race for the sole purpose of exploiting it for the Clintons. Any money he spends now he can surely get back from sweetheart deals under Queen Hillary, because as you well know, that’s how the Clinton Machine operates. I’m not usually the paranoid type, but I find myself looking over my shoulder this morning. Longtime Sharp VodkaPundit Readers™ have long been aware of ♡bamaCare!!!’s punitive 40% tax on “Cadillac” plans, scheduled to phase in beginning in 2018. And as we get closer to that deadline, people are starting to shout about it — even union leaders: Terry O’Sullivan, president of the Laborers’ International Union, on Tuesday afternoon joined labor and business interest groups as part of the Alliance to Fight the 40 aimed at dismantling Obamacare’s so-called Cadillac insurance tax. The “Cadillac” label applied by Obamacare defenders is inaccurate, according to the union bigwig. He referred to the tax as “despicable,” “regressive,” “unwise, unjust, and unfair” during a three-minute opening statement at an Alliance teleconference. “This is not a tax on high end health plans. This tax will hit … middle and working class families,” he said. “This tax is a kick in the face to every hardworking, blue collar, and middle class family in the country.” What O’Sullivan fails to recognize is that you can’t have big middle class entitlements without big middle class taxes, because that (as Willie Sutton is supposed to have said) is where the money is. Besides, the state-based exchanges can never be solvent unless tens of millions more Americans are corralled into them, which is precisely what this tax is designed to do, by taxing employer-based plans slowly out of existence. At that point, your only choice will be which of the four overpriced “metal” plans you dislike the least. Or — and this seems a bit more likely — the tax proves to be so unpopular that its repeal is signed into law by the next President. But then lacking enough unwilling customers, the exchanges go on permanent life support, hoovering up endless tax dollars to stay afloat. That Democrat SOB in the White House and those Democrat SOBs from the previous Congress well and truly screwed us. Thanks to Insty, you might have already caught Josh Blackman’s writeup of Laurence Tribe’s early Obama Administration agonies. Blackman called the sad story “a fascinating insight into how administration politics work,” and that’s certainly true enough. But for me the real story is hidden in this one little detail: Tribe envisioned himself as some sort of Rule-of-Law Czar to handle Guantanamo and other big issues. Tribe was offered assurances of a high-level job. In 2009, he wrote a private letter to Obama suggesting a “newly created DOJ position dealing with the rule of law.” He seemed like an ideal candidate to sort out dilemmas like Guantánamo. “I thought that for me to be giving broader advice on constitutional issues would make sense,” Tribe says. This position ostensibly would have been outside the normal DOJ hierarchy–Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, etc. The “czar” position would have hovered over a lot of turfs–among both political appointees and civil servants. He would have had direct access to the President himself. [Emphasis added] It should take your breath away to realize that even a good liberal like Tribe thinks our Department of Justice needs an in-house official to school it on the rule of law. Here comes that bend in the cost curve — up, way up: Growth in national health spending, which had dropped to historic lows in recent years, has snapped back and is set to continue at a faster pace over the next decade, federal actuaries said Tuesday. The return to bigger growth is a result of expanded insurance coverage under the 2010 health law, a revived economy and crunchtime as Medicare’s baby-boom beneficiaries enter their 70s. American spending on all health care grew 5.5% in 2014 from the previous year and will grow 5.3% this year, according to a report from actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published in the journal Health Affairs. In the years through 2024, spending growth is expected to average 5.8%, peaking at 6.3% in 2020. That Means It’s Working™ Maybe, but the real kicker is in the last line: His death, if confirmed, raises questions about who will lead the movement that allied with al Qaeda, fought a war with the U.S. and is now divided over whether to pursue an elusive peace deal with Afghanistan’s new government. A Taliban spokesman wasn’t immediately reachable for comment on Wednesday, and it remains unclear when and how Mullah Omar apparently died. Voice of America reported that a Taliban spokesman had denied his death. According to Afghan officials and people close to the Taliban, he has been dead for at least two years. How about a new form of microwave propulsion which could get us to Mars in 70 days, which breaks the laws of physics as we know them, but works anyway? As efficient as this type of propulsion may sound, it defies one of the fundamental concepts of physics – the conservation of momentum, which states that for something to be propelled forward, some kind of propellant needs to be pushed out in the opposite direction. For that reason, the drive was widely laughed at and ignored when it was invented by English researcher Roger Shawyer in the early 2000s. But a few years later, a team of Chinese scientists decided to build their own version, and to everyone’s surprise, it actually worked. Then an American inventor did the same, and convinced NASA’s Eagleworks Laboratories, headed up by Harold ‘Sonny’ White, to test it. The real excitement began when those Eagleworks researchers admitted back in March that, despite more than a year of trying to poke holes in the EM Drive, it just kept on working – even inside a vacuum. This debunked some of their most common theories about what might be causing the anomaly. Now Martin Tajmar, a professor and chair for Space Systems at Dresden University of Technology in Germany, has played around with his own EM Drive, and has once again shown that it produces thrust – albeit for reasons he can’t explain. Tajmar presented his results at the 2015 American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Propulsion and Energy Forum and Exposition in Florida on 27 July, and you can read his paper here. He has a long history of experimentally testing (and debunking) breakthrough propulsion systems, so his results are a pretty big deal for those looking for outside verification of the EM Drive. To top it off, his system produced a similar amount of thrust as was originally predicted by Shawyer, which is several thousand times greater than a standard photon rocket. A ten-week trip to Mars without the need for massive rocket engines changes everything. Coming soon to an AC-130 gunship near you — fricken laser beams. The USAF has retained some of its spare AC-130U “Spooky” gunships to be used as flying testbeds for emerging laser technologies. According to Lt. Gen, Bradley Heithold, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, the idea is that in the not so distant future not only will the new and ever evolving AC-130J Ghostrider be able to cook a single individual in a crowd from on high, or be able to disable vehicles with a high-powered laser, but it will also be able to disperse crowds via a powerful, non-lethal, “active denial system. Such a system would use rapid bursts of microwave energy over a specific area, which makes individuals feel as if their skin is on fire, while at the same time having no long-lasting effects, if used correctly at least. Active denial systems, often referred to as “pain rays,” have been in development for well over a decade, and have even been tested in prisons here in the U.S., but such an evolved active denial capability would give one of the most deadly flying machines ever invented a true “less than lethal” option. Is it asking too much for a laser beam powerful enough to melt Nazis? Let’s hope not. But it isn’t all good news: Once proven on the AC-130, an airborne active denial system could be deployed to other fixed-wing platforms, and domestic applications are not out of the question. Let’s stop giving military-grade weapons — especially fricken laser beams — to local cops. Keep the headline in mind as you read this: According to a CNN/ORC poll released Monday, 95 percent of registered voters believe it very or extremely important for the presidential candidate elected in 2016 to be honest and trustworthy. The enthusiasm for this characteristic is consistent across demographics, and significant majorities of both Democratic and Republican voters–95 percent and 97 percent, respectively–agree honesty is an important characteristic for the incoming commander-in-chief. Assuming she wins the nomination, about half of those respondents will vote for Hillary Clinton. People lie to pollsters. Florida Man comments on an EPA proposal to mandate increased usage of biofuels: “What the hell is wrong with the EPA, we have more oil available than ever and higher food prices due to Ethanol and you want to add more of that Ethanol junk????????” the Florida man wrote to the agency in publicly filed comments. “Fuck You!” the man wrote in comments, first reported by Politico. Florida Man is having a good day for a change. Julie Kelly writes for National Review that the anti-GMO movement “was dealt a major blow last week” with passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, which eliminates “the state-by-state labeling patchwork that would serve to confuse consumers, stigmatize GMO crops, and raise food costs.” Culinary crusaders boiled over. Opponents of the bill referred to it as the DARK Act, Denying Americans the Right to Know. Organic-industry leaders, who would hugely profit from the scarlet letters of a GMO label on non-organic products, lobbied heavily against the bill. “We are disappointed but not surprised that the majority of House members have sided with large chemical and food companies to protect corporate interests,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield Organic and a major funder for various anti-GMO front groups. Celebrity chef and left-wing activist Tom Colicchio wrote that members of Congress were “actively trying to deny us the basic right to know what we are putting in our bodies.” They also howled that Republicans were denying states’ rights, even though the bill will preempt a labeling law in only one state (Vermont, home to Democratic presidential candidate and ardent GM foe Bernie Sanders) while preventing a labyrinth of 50 different labeling requirements. Did Congress overstep state powers with HR 1599? I’d argue that the law falls under Congress’ “weights and measures” clause. The market for food and produce is a national one, and has been for decades. Having a single measure for tomatoes grown in California and eaten in Vermont, and for ice cream made in Vermont and eaten in California, promotes trade amongst the several states and competition among producers. Or am I missing some state prerogative here? As for Tom Colicchio, I respect the hell out of his cooking, but it’s obvious that he uses his celebrity status to use leftwing causes to appeal to his wealthier clientele. The measured US temperature data from USHCN shows that the US is on a long-term cooling trend. But the reported temperatures from NOAA show a strong warming trend. They accomplish this through a spectacular hockey stick of data tampering, which corrupts the US temperature trend by almost two degrees. The biggest component of this fraud is making up data. Almost half of all reported US temperature data is now fake. They fill in missing rural data with urban data to create the appearance of non-existent US warming. That’s Tony Heller, writing for RealClimateScience.com. The lies never stop, do they? First, the good news — Carly Fiorina might just win a spot at the first GOP debate: The former Hewlett Packard CEO-turned-Republican candidate ranked seventh and eighth in the two most recent polls from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling and YouGov/Economist. She’s tied with other candidates in both but, if her current rise in the polls continues, Fiorina will make it into the top 10 — the metric Fox News is using to pare down the remarkably crowded Republican field. That means that at least seven candidates who are expected to run will be sitting out the party’s first debate. Fox News will factor in the most recent five big national polls — and notably that wouldn’t include the above mentioned polls — when they decide on debate participants. If the cutoff was today, Fiorina wouldn’t make it on the stage: She scores second to last, according to NBC News’ calculation. However, the two new polls do signal rising momentum. Fox should suspend their own rules and bring Fiorina in for a completely different reason: She’s electric. Nobody who watched her moribund 2010 Senate race would ever have predicted that, but Fiorina has come alive. She’s smart, tough, and most importantly, fast on the counterpunch. She’d liven up Fox’s debate stage and likely goose their ratings. Whatever you think of the politics of including Fiorina even if her poll numbers don’t rise high enough, it would make great business sense. And now, for the even better news: Phillip Bump explains: Clinton’s favorability tends to swell when she’s not running for office and dip when she is. CNN, in partnership with ORC, released its own poll Sunday, which included a long-term track of Clinton’s favorability. If you look at it since 2006, when she was widely expected to be the 2008 Democratic nominee, to today, you can see that trend. But notice, too, that her net favorability now is lower than at any point over the last 10 years. Why? CNN also broke out Clinton’s favorability by demographic. She’s very, very popular among Democrats and very, very unpopular among Republicans. Among independents? Let’s say very unpopular — with only one “very” this time. The net result is that Clinton will be forced to rely on minority voters to at least the degree Obama did, but lacking his ability to connect with and inspire them. No matter how many times the story of collectivization gets told, it always ends the same: Farmers and manufacturers who produce milk, pasta, oil, rice, sugar and flour have been told to supply between 30 per cent and 100 per cent of their products to the state stores. Shortages, rationing and queues outside supermarkets have become a way of life for Venezuelans, as their isolated country battles against rigid currency controls and a shortage of US dollars – making it difficult for Venezuelans to find imported goods. Pablo Baraybar, president of the Venezuelan Food Industry Chamber, said that the order was illogical, and damaging to Venezuelan consumers. “Taking products from the supermarkets and shops to hand them over to the state network doesn’t help in any way,” he said. “And problems like speculating will only get worse, because the foods will be concentrated precisely in the areas where the resellers go. He pointed to statistics showing that two thirds of hoarders – or “bachaqueros”, giant ants, as they are nicknamed in Venezuela – buy their goods from the three state-owned chains, to resell at a profit. “Consumers will be forced to spend more time in queues, given that the goods will be available in fewer stores.” Nationalization is never for the benefit of its ostensible beneficiaries. The link comes from Forbes’ Tim Worstall, who says that “Venezuela is now one harvest away from serious starvation.” Turkey and the United States have agreed in general terms on a plan that envisions American warplanes, Syrian insurgents and Turkish forces working together to sweep Islamic State militants from a 60-mile-long strip of northern Syria along the Turkish border, American and Turkish officials say. The plan would create what officials from both countries are calling an Islamic State-free zone controlled by relatively moderate Syrian insurgents, which the Turks say could also be a “safe zone” for displaced Syrians. Believe it or not, there once was an ISIS-free “safe zone” in Syria. It was called “Syria.” There used to be one in Iraq, too, known as “Iraq.” And one in Libya called “Libya.” Of course, all those countries as we once understood them are gone now. ISIS has filled the military and moral vacuums left in the wake of American retreat and indecision. This is what the Obama Administration calls “not doing stupid shit.” Still, it is nice to have Ankara back on our side, even if only out of desperation. We’ll see how long the Turks stick with us, and you’d be right to suspect that that will depend on whether the White House allows the Pentagon to implement a serious warplan. You should also wonder about the wisdom of allowing Syrian insurgents in on establishing this safety zone. They seem more likely than not to be ISIS or terrorists by some other name — so it’s a safe bet they were included at Obama’s insistence. There’s all kinds of pre-fail baked right into this plan. “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” -Ronald Wilson Reagan What ♡bamaCare!!! takes with one hand, Washington promises to return with the other: The Obama administration has made Memphis’ medical device manufacturers eligible for a federal program to train thousands of new employees, but, nationwide, the industry is laying people off because of a steep Obamacare tax. One might wonder why the feds are spending perhaps as much as $1 billion — if you believe a press release from U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis — for jobs that might not exist in the future. Cohen’s press release also says the program, called the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative, might add 45,000 new jobs to the medical device manufacturing industry in Memphis and nine surrounding counties. Whatever the result in this particular case, in general the important thing is that the money and the decision-making power flow through Washington first, last, and always.	74,982
Brandi Barber stopped in her tracks as she turned the corner and found herself face-to-face with a wall tank filled with sharks and rays. ¶ Her face said it all. She wasn't taking another step in the Florida Aquarium. ¶ Then along came Holly Riopelle. ¶ "It's okay," Holly said soothingly, putting her arm around Brandi's shoulder as she eased her toward the glass. "They're not going to hurt you." ¶ Holly lightly knocked on the tank. The sharks and rays paid her no mind. ¶ "Come on," she continued. "I'll touch it with you." Moments later, Brandi gingerly placed her hand next to Holly's. A giant grin crossed her face as Brandi realized she had done it. Holly smiled, too, recognizing her own accomplishment. Then they moved on to their next adventure. The two girls were taking part in an educational experiment Friday at the aquarium. Teachers at Seven Springs Middle School wanted to see how well students with and without disabilities could work together, as a precursor to expanding the school's "social interaction program" next year. Students like Brandi, a 13-year-old seventh-grader who has Down's syndrome, were paired with teams of students like Holly, a sixth-grader who's in the school's leadership club. More than 50 kids participated in the educational field trip to the aquarium. "If a few people look at (the special needs students) positively, it trickles down," teacher Marilyn Hovsepian said. "And the kids learn to be accepting of kids who are different." That's a message the sixth-grade leaders already carried with them. "Kids make fun of them all the time, and I don't think it's right," said Brandon Schadler. "I came to show them that I think they're just fine." Brandon's team acted decisively, asking Patrick, who is diagnosed with autism, to lead their group activities through the aquarium. Patrick beamed at the opportunity, and immediately determined that the kids should check out the sting ray touch tank first. "Do you know how to touch them?" Alexis Black asked Patrick, who shook his head in the negative. "You use two fingers. You touch really soft." Patrick extended two of his fingers and rubbed them gently on his own arm to demonstrate. Alexis nodded as they approached the rays. Then Patrick plunged his hand in, touching the animals just like his new friend had shown him. Before long, the group acted as if they had been best buddies forever, though they had only really met that day. "Hey, Patrick! Over here!" they'd shout, making sure he got to see the sleeping otters, the squawking baby ibis and other animals on his check list. (The special needs class studied aquatic life before making the trip, and they had the assignment of finding specific animals and marking them on a list.) "It's amazing how fast they wanted to be Patrick's friend," teacher Kala Hamilton said. "They want to do it." Some of the students with more profound handicaps couldn't verbalize their experiences about the trip. But their teachers and parents said they could see their joy. Sommer Simmons, for instance, is visually impaired and rarely opens her eyes. She sat inches from the aquarium's giant tank of fish and eels, rapt as the parrotfish and morays glided by. Kayla Newton cannot walk or talk as part of her disability. She smiled as she watched the fish beside Sommer. "She could sit here all day," said Beth Antonelli, Kayla's mom. "This is her favorite thing to do." Getting to this point wasn't easy. The Pasco County school district has limited funds for "educational experiences" (that's a field trip to most of us). So special needs teacher Rich Doskoez, convinced his students needed the experience, applied for an innovative teaching grant, which he won. He used the money to buy supplies so the students could make and sell dog biscuits. Some kids could only push buttons, but they did what they could. The sixth-grade leadership students helped along the way, too. The sales went so well that the classes were able to rent buses and pay for entry to the aquarium. "It's a win-win for everybody," said Doskoez. "We're real excited about it." So, too, were all the kids. "I like to get people to smile and let them know they are friends," said Promise Cregar, one of the leadership students. Or, as Patrick put it, "I liked it." He showed off his scavenger hunt paper, pointing to all the animals he saw. He was most happy about seeing the sharks, and disappointed that he didn't find penguins. Then he took off with Brandi and the rest of his classmates for lunch and the bus ride home. Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at email@example.com or (813) 909-4614. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.	29,693
Choose Alternative Health Alternative health practices are gaining interest simply because they work. Conventional health care treats diseases which may have already struck, alternative health care seeks to create and gaze after the best health while stopping disease and physical ailments before they begin. Old fashioned strategies to keeping healthy can be worth another look. That's the reason alternative health regimens have become popular again. The most coveted benefit of alternative health methods could be the holistic approach taken by practitioners. The concept that the mind body and spirit work together to maintain wellness. Alternative medicine is the fastest growing segment of the health care industry in America. Alternative healthcare offers amazing benefits such as increased self-awareness, abounding peace, feelings of "centeredness," and increased physical and mental health. The best alternative therapy or health products for the individual needs may be researched at Alternatively-Healthier.com. Without researching appropriate alternative health methods your wellness, reassurance, and well-being can suffer, leaving you feeling "stuck" with conventional medical care methods that you may feel are extremely invasive. What does your body need to function properly? Everybody is attracted to alternative physicians emphasis on treating the whole person body, mind and spirit. Chiropractic is certainly one form of alternative healthcare, or complementary and alternative healthcare, that focuses on the structure of our body, specifically the spine, nerves, muscles and all their related functions. The key concept of Chiropractic is the misalignment of the spine (subluxations) could be the cause of many disorders or illnesses inside our body. Chiropractic treatment primarily involves the use of hands to govern and adjust the framework of our body and it does not make use of any surgical procedures or operation in treating spinal and muscular related ailments. Moreover, patients who take all-natural approach believe that they are more in control of their and body. The Holistic Approach Given that some scientific research implies that around 80% of health concerns are caused and/or negatively affected by stress and over 90% of today's cancers have an environment cause, seeing medical as a holistic enterprise begins to make sense. Alternative health care professionals emphasize holistic medical for their patients. Alternative nurses and patients study holistic medicine in-depth over the study of disease and pathology, anatomy, energy healing, physiology, herbal medicine, detoxification, homeopathy, iridology, orthomolecular holistic nutrition, flower essence remedies and a host of natural medicine practices. You'll find both degreed and non-degreed programs in holistic medicine. There are numerous natural medicine schools giving basic workshops and seminars in holistic practices for your public at large. Sometimes, you will find a beginner's look into self-massage, homemade herbal remedies, natural vitamins and supplements, reflexology plus much more. Holistic health zeros in about the Mind-Body-Spirit connection and how it interacts with all the environment. More than eating organic veggies or taking yoga, alternative health is around gaining optimal health. The real difference from conventional health care is the search for creating a healthy body and preventing disease and medical conditions from striking altogether. The increased popularity of alternative health is a bonus to chiropractic medicine as an inclusive part of regular health maintenance. The differences from technology to alternative medicine is a strength inside our world. We are accountable for our health and it is best to remember that there is always a selection in medical care. Alternative health is growing as we seek holistic solutions to our health complaints so we may hold on to an improved quality of life for more years than previously thought possible.	287,679
The Jubilee Singers were established in 1871 by Fisk University treasurer George L. White to raise funds for the newly-opened university. The group included eleven students—all former slaves—and two advisors who traveled the country and, eventually, across the Atlantic, performing; they became very well known and they were invited to perform for the President of the United States, the Queen and Prime Minister of England, among many others. They sang sacred hymns and Negro spirituals, dubbed "slave songs," with an eye not only to earning money for their alma mater, but also to building up positive representations of African-Americans and African-American performance for the concert-going public. The proceeds from their first years of touring were enough to build Jubilee Hall, the first permanent building on the Fisk campus, still standing today. Taking advantage of their acclaim, other groups toured the nation as "Jubilee singers." Some of these groups followed the Jubilee Singers’ precedent of presenting strong positive images of African Americans, but most were bands of minstrels who appropriated the identifier "Jubilee" without adopting the Singers’ constructive principles. The Beinecke Library has various documents relating to the Fisk Jubilee Singers, including the Story of the Jubilee Singers, a broadside advertisement of their second tour of Britain, and promotional documents for competing groups from other Southern states. The records for these documents can be found in Orbis, the Yale Library catalog, and in the library's Uncatalogued Acquisitions Database. In addition, the Library has materials relating to the Fisk Jubilee Singers and to other Jubilee organizations including programs for performances by the Norfolk Jubilee Singers and the North Carolina Singers of Shaw Collegiate Institute, as well as a novel of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Chariot in the Sky, by Arna Bontemps, whose literary archive resides in the Library. (JS) Images: Books and ephemeral publications related to the Fisk University Jubilee Singers.	221,174
The story of Sinbad the Sailor can be found in Arabian Nights The First Voyage of Sinbad To the Indian Ocean, where he and other crew members "go ashore" on a whale they think is an island. The Second Voyage of Sinbad He goes to a desert island where he finds a roc's egg and then goes to the Valley of the Diamonds. The Third Voyage of Sinbad He ends up at an island where a giant cannibal proceeds to slaughter and eat his crew, a la Odysseus. A similar revenge is exacted. The Fourth Voyage of Sinbad Sinbad is travelling again, but this time hits an island where a large feast is prepapred. His men pig out, and are turned into beasts for their greed. Because Sinbad did not gorge himself, he is invited to marry a princess, but trouble hits again when she dies and he has to observe the suttee. He's lowered into a cave with her corpse and seven loaves of bread and a pitcher of water. He survives by killing widows as they get lowered down and eating their bread, until he can escape. The Fifth Voyage of Sinbad His crew is killed (don't sail with Sinbad!) by vengeful Rocs after they smash a roc egg and cook the baby bird. Sinbad then has a run in with the Old Man of the Sea, whom he defeats, and then on to the City of the Apes. The Sixth Voyage of Sinbad His crew dies in a storm this time, and Sinbad is washed up on an island where there is a river. The bank of the river is covered in priceless gems, and rare exotic spices. Sinbad buils himself a raft, then sales back to Baghdad where he is received in honor by Haroun al Rashid, who commands that all of Sinbad's exploits be recorded in letters of gold. The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad This time Sinbad's hapless crew is swallowed by a huge whale. Sinbad escapes and makes a raft, with which he manages to get to yet another of the ubiquitous islands and sell the raft, which it turns out is made of sandalwood, for a big profit. He makes all sorts of friends with the people on the island, and marries one of the girls. All the guys on the island can fly for one day a year, which is cool until Sinbad finds out that the reason the guys can fly is that they are the brothers of Satan. So he and his wife flee back to Baghdad and settle down.	154,087
Gout - in Search of Healers for Joint PainPeople suffering from arthritis, goutforum.org accidental injury have one common problem. They are to be able to stand up to unbearable pain in their joints. People, that, through medication, have got once got relief, are also scared with the apprehension that if the same form of suffering they will may have to have the same type of sufferings in future. Nonetheless, with advancement in medical science as well as studies, it is, at present, possible to find joint alleviation. People may be encouraged in watching a football complement where an injured player emerged treatment with pain relieving spray and he starts to run instantly like a machine. One important thing needs to be clear to all that joint pain of all kinds is not completely curable. Joint remedy drugs are charged to reach to the target area and to do certain kind of repairing works, so that pain of the suffering person is minimized. It may happen that someone senses no more pain after medicine, but physicians try to make his or her life normal or at best normal. This drugs work as obstructions to be able to COX-2 molecule, so that pain and swelling is checked and controlled. Chondroitin and Glucosamine are Actually Dietary AddendumIt is found that patients having joint pain do consider these types of as medicine to find pain relief. One should know that this kind of dietary supplements have little remedial capacity to provide joint pain relief. For joint pain relief, Synotrex is also a great option. With the use of it, quick remedy can be secured. It is said that Synotrex works better than other available medicines for pain relief. It may provide speedy relief in joint pain, but it tries to provide permanent relief to the suffering people. With people wanting to learn more about Joint Pain, it has provided the necessary incentive for us to write this interesting stiffness and joint pain drugs! Natural Healing Methods for Arthritis and Joint Pain People Have Heard about SteroidsThey do work like a magic for puffiness, pain and inflammation. Patients, who has not responded to the first line of treatment or who has been suffering for a long time, are administered the steroids. Steroids are, sometimes, injected straight to the joints. They are also approved to be able to rake orally. Long intake of steroids creates serious crisis for the patients. Piroxicam, ibuprofen, naproxen and pain killers are non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs which are known for providing fast joint pain relief. It has been seen that continued ingestion of such drugs has created cardiologic and other problems for many patients. Medical professionals prescribe COX-2 inhibitors for the people suffering from arthritis. COX-2 inhibitors also come in the category of non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and they are capable of providing quick relief. People are inclined to think that gout natural cure here that is recognizing the symptoms of gout is false. However, rest is assured, all that is written here is true!	134,877
VESi - Why DI?: An Introduction to Differentiated Instruction This course is an interactive computer-based instruction course, designed to give you an understanding of the framework of and need for creating supportive learning environments for diverse learning populations. In this course you will learn what is meant by Differentiated Instruction (DI) and the common myths associated with creating the differentiated classroom. We will discuss the legal, theoretical, and pedagogical foundations in the field of education that support the utilization of differentiated instructional practices and principles. We will reflect on best practices and national trends in the design of the educational setting to meet the needs of a diverse learning population. Why DI?: An Introduction to Differentiated Instruction will also provide connections to a variety of concepts, variables, and resources that will assist practitioners in aligning their own professional practices with those found in the differentiated classroom. VESi courses are now tablet compatible, making it easy to re-certify anytime, anywhere with reliable and stable online access. Tags: USM VESi online	131,688
The UK’s national mapping agency is working on a project to create almost real-time maps of the nation’s streets, which it says will help with everything from 5G rollout to autonomous driving. The Ordnance Survey (OS) pilot project will see the vehicles of utility companies using a dashboard mounted camera to record the view of the road as they travel. The images from the camera are processed to identify details such as road signs, traffic lights, lamp posts, bollards, drains and man-hole covers which are then sent to the OS. Highly precise maps are vital for everything from 5G deployments to smart city planning and autonomous driving projects…. The trial which uses technology from Mobileye, is currently being tested on 11 OS vehicles, with plans to scale up to thousands of vehicles over the next three to six months by getting utility companies onboard.	62,379
There are times when you need to synchronize several folders in your computer. For example, you might have several folders that you want to sync with Dropbox. Rather than creating a symlink, or copying the files over to the Dropbox folder everytime you make changes, you can make use of a synchronization service to sync the folder(s) with the Dropbox folder so that changes make to one folder will be reflected in another folder. Synkron is a cross-platform compatible application that allows you to synchronize files and folders in your computer. It works in Windows, Mac and Linux and it helps you keep your files and folders updated. For Linux users, unzip the compressed file to your Home directory. Open a terminal and type the following: sudo apt-get install build-essential libqt4-dev cd Synkron-1.6.2-src lrelease Synkron.pro qmake -config release make Usage of Synkron Once you have compiled the code, you should find an executable file in the Synkron folder where you can double click to run it. This is what you will see on the first run: To get started, simply select the two folders that you want to sync and click the “Sync” button at the bottom. Some of the options that you can configure include: - Add additional folders to the Sync process – you can synchronize multiple folders at the same time. Simply click the “+” button beside “Sync folders” to add additional folders. - Setting master/slave relationship – you can configure a master/slave relationship for all the folders in the Synchronization loop. The default is “Master” for all folders, which means changes make in one folder will be propagated to the rest. Setting a folder to “Slave” means that any change you made in this folder will not be updated to the “Master” folder, and will, in fact, restored to the original state as in the Master folder. If you click the “Advanced” button, you will see plenty of options that you can configure. including synchronizing hidden files and folders, do not sync empty folders, subdirectories, add items to blacklist, propagate deletion, follow symlink etc. Multisync – Adding versatile sync option to the mix The above scenario shows how you can sync two or more folders, but what if you want to sync two or more folders to a central location? This is where “MultiSync” comes in useful. Click on the “Multisync” tab and you will be able to add multiple sources and a destination folder. Click the “MultiSync” button at the bottom and it will sync all the content in the selected folders to the destination folder. Scheduler – Carry out sync automatically It wouldn’t be that useful if you have to manually click the Sync button everytime you make a changes. Synkron comes with a Scheduler tool where you can get it to run the synchronization at predefined time or periodically at a regular interval. You can add as many scheduler as you want, and configure which sync process to perform in each scheduler. Other than the features mentioned above, there are more features such as Restore, Blacklist and Filter that make Synkron a very useful application. Except for the installation process which can be rather troublesome (especially for those who get freaked out in the terminal), Synkron is very much an easy-to-use app and can get the job done quickly and easily. One thing that is not including in this app is the ability to launch itself during startup, but luckily, you can do that manually and it is pretty easy for all the different platforms.	149,959
Drainability of Permeable Friction Course Mixtures Additional Document Info Drainability is one of the main characteristics of permeable friction course (PFC) mixtures and is the primary reason for using these mixtures as the surface course in asphalt pavements in the United States. Current approaches suggested for PFC mix design to evaluate drainability (using gyratory-compacted specimens) include: (1) achieving a target total air void (AV) content as an indirect indication of permeability and (2) direct measurement of permeability in the laboratory. The assessment conducted in this study suggested that these approaches are not effective in ensuring adequate drainability in field-compacted mixtures. Thus, different alternatives were evaluated to improve this assessment. Corresponding analysis suggested that: (1) the water-accessible AV content can be used as a surrogate of the total AV content to indirectly assess permeability and (2) the water flow value (outflow time) can be applied to evaluate the field drainability of PFC mixtures. The expected value of permeability, determined using a modified version of the Kozeny-Carman equation, was recommended to analytically predict permeability for mix design and evaluation purposes. 2010 ASCE.	185,339
Meth lab busts, which dropped sharply after federal regulations went into effect nine years ago, are on the rise once again, though the size of the average lab has dropped — to the size of a 32-ounce soda bottle. “This continues to be a problem,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “It’s, today, relatively easy to do this. People can do it and they can do it relatively simply.” That rise helped Ohio become the 25th state to mandate the use of a national database to track the sales of products including ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, generally used as a base ingredient in all meth manufacturing. As of June 1, 99 percent of pharmacies statewide were compliant, according to DeWine’s office. Though the highly addictive drug still lags behind cocaine and heroin locally, the rise is still disturbing, according to John Burke, commander of the Greater Warren County Drug Task Force, as newer methods require less space and equipment, and are more mobile. Though newer methods make less meth, they are also cheaper, and still potentially explosive. “It’s still highly flammable and dangerous,” Burke said. Ohio numbers match national trends. Across the country, meth lab incidents peaked in 2004 at 24,155. By 2007, they dropped to 6,951, according to the Government Accountability Office. But by 2010, they climbed back up to 15,314. In Ohio, there were 669 incidents in 2005, 232 in 2007, but 364 in 2011, according to the same data. Recent Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation statistics show the trend is continuing. BCI, which uses the federal fiscal year for statistical purposes, tracked 607 meth lab incidents between October 2011 and October 2012, according to Jill Del Greco, spokeswoman for DeWine’s office. Between last October and May 29, there were 575, she said, so the state is on track to have a higher number this year. Methamphetamine, which can be made using easily obtainable household goods and chemicals. The main ingredient is ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, also the main ingredient in many over-the-counter decongestants. There are different “recipes” for making meth. In Mexico and California, gangsters operate “super labs,” large operations where large amounts are manufactured to be spread across the country, according to the GAO. But in other parts of the country, particularly the Midwest there are smaller labs, run by local “cooks.” One of the biggest changes, according to authorities, is the rise “one pot” or “shake and bake” method. Traditionally, labs were larger affairs. Due to the size, and the obvious chemical smells, they were usually in rural areas. But with Shake and Bake, the ingredients are mixed into a 32-ounce soda bottle. That means “labs” — with their potentially explosive and toxic contents — are showing up in urban areas, in cars, in apartments, DeWine said. “They can do this in a small area,” DeWine said. “There’s a proliferation of them.” Just two week ago, two local incidents caused evacuations after lab’s were discovered. During the first, on June 1, Dayton police interrupted a man who was doing the “Shake and Bake” in his basement at 1912 Patterson Road. After another man let police into the house, they found Jeffrey Kindell in the basement. An officer pulled a gun on Kindell and ordered him to put the bottle down. One day later, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base police shut down a portion of Col. Glenn Highway after they found a traveling meth lab in a trailer attached to a pickup truck. The two people in the truck, James Plemons Jr., 44, and Melissa Jane Guffey, 32, were booked into the county jail, but have since been released. The case has been turned over to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, though no charges had been filed against them as of Wednesday. In Champaign county, Urbana police found a sizeable meth lab in the 1000 block of North Russell Street in April. That lab consisted of several pop bottles containing meth-making substances stashed under the home’s crawl space. Three children also lived in the home. By making the meth in pop bottles, the operation becomes easier to conceal — but also more dangerous, Urbana Police Lt. Seth King said at the time of the bust. The original drop in meth lab incidents is generally attributed to changes in federal and many state laws, requiring the tracking of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine sales. A year later, Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which set daily and monthly sales limits for customer purchases: 3.6 grams daily or 9 grams monthly per customer. Jeff Bartone, vice president at Hocks Vandalia Pharmacy, 535 S. Dixie Drive, said that a box of 96 tablets of 30 mg totals 2.8 grams. Ohio’s law allowed DeWine’s office to negotiate with the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, which runs the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx). The database, funded by corporate drug manufacturers, allows pharmacists to enter sales information and will issue a “do not sell” notice if someone is above the federal limits. It will also allow law enforcement to use the data to track patterns and gather evidence, particularly if a gang is “smurfing,” which means sending different people in to stores to get around the federal limits. Burke, who is also president of NADDI, and said Ohio’s participation will help greatly. About 60 percent of the Ohio vendors were already in the database before the law passed, Burke said, largely chains who had to implement the program in other states. “Now we have 100 percent coverage, which makes our job easier,” Burke said. “Prosecutions should go up because of this.” The law required all pharmacies to be online by June 1. Del Greco said “maybe a dozen or so” had not implemented, and the attorney general’s office would be checking to see whether those stores had technical problems or had stopped selling those products. Watch our video on meth manufacturing at mydaytondailynews.com	291,065
I’ve blogged (a lot) about planning for the integration of IPv6 into your network, and I even threw in some thoughts about how to go about doing the integration. Some of the procedures discussed in earlier posts included: - Assessing the network infrastructure, operating systems and applications in use - Assembling a team to handle the integration - Updating the security architecture - Analyzing traffic patterns - Working with your service provider to get IPv6 access Equally important is the task of setting up a lab and (in our next post) developing a test plan. Setting up a lab and later, developing a test plan, ensures a safe environment that the IPv6 integration team can use to develop and refine the architecture, analyze how devices and applications will work in the new network, and serve as a great education environment for everyone involved in the project. Set-up and Organization The ideal setup will mimic the “real world” and be as inclusive as possible. Inclusive in this case means not only having all the network infrastructure devices in the lab (e.g. routers, switches, firewalls, etc), but also end systems with diverse operating systems and applications that are hosted in the operational network. A full lab can be costly to setup and maintain, but it will provide an ideal environment where applications and infrastructure can be safely tested together. This type of system testing provides good insights into how the system will behave when deployed operationally and will help avoid costly downtime. If a full test lab is too costly to setup and maintain, then the lab can be scaled back to mimic the operational network infrastructure. The primary use for a scaled-back environment is to ensure that the network infrastructure components work together properly. This setup can also provide a system test lab, where applications and services can plug into the network test bed on an as-needed basis. Importantly, the lab can be geographically dispersed. It does not have to be concentrated in a single facility. A tunnel overlay can be created to lash the test labs together. This tunnel overlay will allow internal organizations that are interested in IPv6 to develop their own test beds. When these organizations are ready to test on a larger scale, they can connect to the lab overlay network. The lab tunnel overlay can be phased out as native IPv6 connectivity is provided. Check out my next post where I discuss creating the IPv6 test plan.	249,787
Here are a few items regarding community literacy from the wires this week: - The April 23rd Royal Gazette (Bermuda) featured an article by Jonathan Kent about the impact of television viewing on literacy levels. Cultural Affairs Minister Dale Butler, a former high school principal, calls upon parents to limit their children's television viewing, so that the children will have improved literacy levels later in life. Although he is speaking to Bermuda parents, I think that his advice applies everywhere. - Last month I recommended "books in baskets" for Easter. It seems that Willard Elementary School in Evanston, IL had the idea of books in baskets last year. According to an April 24th article in the Daily Northwestern, the elementary school's “Literacy Baskets” program has so far "supplied 45 families with miniature libraries, with material ranging from coloring books to longer storybooks for older children." The interests of the receiving families are taken into account when the baskets are put together, and the program appears to be a big hit. - On another "books in baskets" note, I ran across the BabyBookworms site this week. Founded by two teachers, this company sells book-themed gift baskets for new baby gifts, birthdays, etc. What a great idea! - I thought that Laura Bush had some good things to say about the importance of global literacy in her recent speech at the UNESCO Education for All Week Luncheon. You can find the full text of her speech here. Here's a snippet from the speech: "Literacy improves the lives of mothers and children. Literacy boosts economies. And literacy helps people make good, informed decisions about their health." - On April 25th, in honor of National Volunteer Week, Reading is Fundamental named five notable literacy advocates for the year. "RIF recognizes Wendy McClure of Camp Hill, Pa.; Marcia Hosfeld of Shreve, Ohio; Keith Baldwin of Hancock, Mich.; Ann Tackett of Aberdeen, Miss.; and Sally Dyches of Moroni, Utah for their accomplishments serving the needs of children and families in their communities."	107,159
Electrical Engineering, B.S. Without electricity, modern society’s rapid advancement would halt. Computers, lights, heat, long-distance communications, and countless other innovations would never have existed. Electrical engineers, through their work, lead the way for dozens of other industries and their technological advancements. Indiana Tech’s electrical engineering program promotes critical thinking in learning theory, principles, and techniques of electrical engineering, and develop skills through project-based and open-ended lab environments. Students do not simply perform educational exercises, they work with real world examples found to be used in common applications and products. Circuits make the world go ‘round Indiana Tech’s electrical engineering program equips students with the mathematics and science foundations to aid them in learning the extremely intricate, involved science of circuits. Many academic institutions don’t have the time or the academic experience to fully instruct students in analog design; Indiana Tech does. With a careful blending of basic theory, numerical verification (using MATLAB), and illustration of actual circuit behavior using circuit simulation programs, our program covers the design of analog electronic filters based on practical considerations. Students acquire concepts and techniques that are basic and essential to a good grasp of the subject of analog design using computer-aided tools. Electrical engineering and beyond The electrical engineering program at Indiana Tech is broad-based and focuses on career paths in a wide range of areas such as electronics, digital systems, electromagnetics, electrical machines, controls, and communications. Students also acquire skills to apply electrical design in related engineering disciplines such as automobiles and aircraft. They will also be equipped with skills that can be applied in signal processing and application software which may place them in diverse fields such as national security. What do electrical engineers do? Job responsibilities of electrical engineers include specification, design, development, and implementation of products or systems. This role provides challenging opportunities, ranging from problem identification and the selection of appropriate technical solutions, materials, test equipment, and procedures, to the manufacture and production of safe, economical, high-performance products and services. An electrical engineer may choose to couple the technical aspects of a position with management responsibilities. The technical expertise required for management today is increasing because of the explosion of knowledge in engineering, technology, and science.	78,516
The unpoetically named HD85512b was discovered orbiting an orange dwarf star in the constellation Vela. Astronomers found the planet using the European Southern Observatory's High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, or HARPS, instrument in Chile. Radial velocity is a planet-hunting technique that looks for wobbles in a star's light, which can indicate the gravitational tugs of orbiting worlds. The HARPS data show that the planet is 3.6 times the mass of Earth, and the new world orbits its parent star at just the right distance for water to be liquid on the planet's surface—a trait scientists believe is crucial for life as we know it. "The distance is exactly the limit where you want to be to have liquid water," said study leader Lisa Kaltenegger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. "If you scale it to our system, it's a bit further out than Venus is to our sun." At that distance, the planet likely receives a bit more solar energy from its star than Earth does from the sun. (Explore an interactive solar system.) But Kaltenegger and colleagues calculate that a cloud cover of at least 50 percent would reflect enough of the energy back into space to prevent overheating. On average, Earth has 60 percent cloud cover, so partly cloudy skies on HD85512b are "not out of the question," she said. Of course, clouds of water vapor depend on the presence of an atmosphere similar to Earth's, something that can't be detected on such distant planets with current instruments. Models of planet formation predict that planets with more than ten times Earth's mass should have atmospheres dominated by hydrogen and helium, Kaltenegger said. Less massive worlds—including HD85512b—are more likely to have Earthlike atmospheres, made mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. (Related: "Saturn Moon Has Oxygen Atmosphere.") New World "A Strong Candidate" for Habitability So far, the newly detected planet is only the second rocky world outside our solar system to be confirmed in its star's habitable zone—the region around a star that's not too hot and not too cold for liquid water. The other contender, planet Gliese 581d, was previously discovered using the HARPS instrument. This world lies just on the cool edge of its star's habitable zone. (See "Most Earthlike Planet Yet Found May Have Liquid Oceans.") Another promising planet, Gliese 581g, was discovered in 2010 and dubbed the most Earthlike planet yet. But controversy surrounds the claim, with some experts declaring that the entire planet is actually a data glitch. Manfred Cuntz, director of the astronomy program at the University of Texas, Arlington, noted that more information is needed before anyone can speculate whether aliens are wandering around the newfound planet. "It's not their fault no extra information [about the planet's atmosphere] is available right now," Cuntz said of the research team. "It looks like this is a strong candidate, in principle." In addition to size and location, HD85512b has two other points in its favor for potentially harboring life, Cuntz said. The planet's orbit is nearly circular, which would provide a stable climate, and its parent star, HD85512, is older—and therefore less active—than our sun, which would lower the likelihood of electromagnetic storms damaging the planet's atmosphere. Not only that, but in principle, the age of the system—5.6 billion years—"gives life a chance to originate and develop," he said. By contrast, our own solar system is thought to be about 4.6 billion years old. New Planet a Great Place for Yoga? Given current limits on space travel, it's unlikely for now that humans will get to visit HD85512b. But if we could get there, the newfound planet might seem like a fairly alien world: muggy, hot, and with a gravity 1.4 times that of Earth's, study leader Kaltenegger said. On the bright side, "hot yoga might be one of the things you don't have to pay for there," she quipped.	266,107
Children’s Art Centre wins award for programs 5/8/2014, 12:20 p.m. On May 2, the Children’s Art Centre received the 2014 Community Arts Collaborative in Visual Arts award from the Arts\|Learning, in recognition of their success in and dedication to incorporating arts learning into all facets of education. Located in the South End, the Children’s Art Centre holds after-school programs throughout the school year. During the summer, the after-school program is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center’s art programs are popular with the community, offering programs to toddlers, children, teenagers, adults and senior citizens, in keeping with their goal of supporting a life-long appreciation of the arts. The Arts\|Learning, created from the merger of the National Arts and Learning Collaborative and the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education, encourages the active engagement of preschool through college students in developing their highest artistic and academic competence. The organization advances policies, practices, programs and partnerships to develop and improve teaching and curriculum development. In a press release announcing the award, CAC Coordinator Helen Schroeder said: “Through these partnerships, we have gained a greater understanding of the needs of the families in our community and schools, and the effort it will take to ensure that every child has access to quality art education that will lead to their greater success in life.”	246,813
In the 1940's, Calcutta had become decimated by famine, poverty, war and unemployment. Slums began to surface throughout the city and thousands were homeless, dying of disease or starvation. Alone and forgotten, these poorest of the poor were desperate for someone, anyone, to recognize their plight and help them. That help arrived in the form of Mother Teresa. Albanian-born, Mother Teresa knew from a young age that she wanted to become a nun and devote her life to God. What she could not envision, however, was exactly where that service to God would take her. Sent to Calcutta to teach history and geography from within the safe confines of a convent, Mother Teresa could not ignore the plight of the homeless and the dying. So she chose to give up everything in her life to serve those most in need. With nothing but her faith to guide her, she took to the slums with the hope that she could make a difference in the lives of at least a few lost souls. And with her pure heart and beautiful spirit, she wound up touching millions. Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen. Lewis Helfand was born in Philadelphia in 1978. With a political science degree and a passion for comic books, his first comic book was Wasted Minute, the story of a world without crime where superheroes are forced to work regular jobs. With the first issue well received, he was soon collaborating with other artists and released four more issues over the next few years. His other titles in the Campfire Heroes series include books on Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, The Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay (Conquering Everest).Review: "Mother Teresa shines brightly both figuratively and literally in this graphic portrait of her life and mission. Mother Teresa glows in a spotless white sari against jumbles of dim, run-down streets and impressionistically rendered inhabitants. Her slight, erect image anchors both the stately art and Helfand’s solemn account of her devotion to helping others, from childhood on. Mixing commentary with (invented but characteristic) dialogue, the author chronicles her compassionate works and, occasionally, captures just a hint of her strong personality too: “How much medicine do you need to purchase today, Mother Teresa?” a pharmacist asks. “Purchase? I thought you might want to do something beautiful for God.” Closing with her continuing progress toward formal sainthood and a spread of additional anecdotes, this account will leave readers deeply affected and perhaps even inspired by her profound devotion to the poor, ill and needy in India and the world. “Why did she want to help? Why could she not turn a blind eye to those in need?” A searching and reverent treatment." -- Kirkus Reviews "The life story of the famed charity worker is summarized in this lavishly illustrated biography. . . . Nagar's art is striking, painting scenes in watercolors that evoke the powerful emotions of Mother Teresa's story." -- Publishers Weekly „Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.	48,908
Statistics from Altmetric.com Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), or Lynch syndrome, is an autosomal dominant condition predisposing to tumours of the large bowel and other sites. In HNPCC, cancer predisposition is usually inherited as a highly penetrant trait, with a tendency to the development of multiple tumours. Clinical diagnosis of HNPCC is based on the so-called modified “Amsterdam criteria”,1 which include: (a) the presence of at least three family members—one of whom must be a first degree relative to two other members—affected with carcinoma of the colon, rectum, endometrium, small bowel, or urothelium; (b) a direct transmission of the disease from parent to child; (c) the occurrence of at least one tumour before the patient reaches 50 years of age; and (d) the exclusion of a diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis. The genetic defects underlying most HNPCC cases are represented by constitutional point mutations of one of several genes encoding for proteins of the DNA mismatch repair complex. The vast majority of mutations are located in the major mismatch repair genes MSH2 and MLH1 (International Collaborative Group on HNPCC Mutation Database). The constitutional defects most commonly identified are nonsense, splice-site, or frameshift alterations, which all predict the synthesis of shorter, non-functional proteins. Tumours arising in carriers of mismatch repair gene mutations are characterised by a high frequency of insertion or deletion type somatic mutations within microsatellite repeats.2 These are the expression of mismatch repair deficiency, which arises when a second somatic mutation affecting the wild-type allele fully inactivates the gene locus already altered in the germline.3 Inactivation of a specific mismatch repair locus in a HNPCC tumour is often revealed by immunohistochemical methods, which show absence of nuclear staining following incubation with antibodies against the mismatch repair protein encoded by the mutant gene.4 In addition to genetic heterogeneity, HNPCC is also characterised by a marked degree of allelic heterogeneity. In fact, although some regions of MLH1/MSH2 appear to be more frequently altered, mutations are spread all over the whole gene sequences, and the mutational mechanisms are heterogeneous5. Nevertheless, a few specific mutations are observed at high frequencies in well-defined populations or ethnic groups, because of founder effects. In Finland a major share of HNPCC cases is accounted for by two MLH1 mutations.6 Founder HNPCC mutations have also been identified in Denmark, Newfoundland, China, the United States, and among Ashkenazi Jews.7–11 The presence of common founder mutations can greatly facilitate the molecular diagnosis of HNPCC by targeting mutational analysis to specific gene regions as a first step. Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is genetically heterogeneous, with MSH2 and MLH1 the most commonly involved genes. The mutational spectrum is highly heterogeneous, with alterations spread over the whole coding sequences of the two genes. Most mutations predict protein shortening by truncation or internal deletion. A few mismatch repair gene founder mutations have also been described. We analysed samples from HNPCC and suspected HNPCC families from Modena and Reggio-Emilia. A recurrent 1 bp insertion (2269-2270insT) within the MLH1 gene was observed in 4/11 (36%) “Amsterdam” HNPCC families, but not in 19 “non-Amsterdam” familial colorectal cancer pedigrees or 65 unrelated controls from the same region. Tumours developed by mutation carriers did not show expression of the MLH1 protein. To determine the functional consequences of the DNA change, allele specific expression and protein expression were investigated. The mutant and wild-type alleles displayed approximately equal mRNA expression levels. Instability of the MLH1 mutant protein was documented using Western blotting analysis. Haplotype analysis revealed that the mutation could be traced to a common ancestor. We investigated the effects of a frameshift elongating mutation occurring in the very last portion of the MLH1 gene. The pathogenicity of the mutation is largely attributable to protein instability caused by synthesis of a longer polypeptide. The finding of a founder effect is relevant to the molecular diagnosis of HNPCC in this region of Italy. The identification of founder mutations with limited territorial distribution in other regions should be facilitated by analysing HNPCC and suspected HNPCC cases. We had previously identified an insertion affecting the last codon of MLH1 in a large HNPCC family originating from northern Italy (2269-2270insT).12 Analysis of further pedigrees allowed us to detect the same mutation in three additional families from the same geographical area. We then performed molecular, immunohistochemical, and in vitro expression studies to ascertain its origin and molecular consequences. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Families enrolled in this study were found either through the colorectal cancer registry of the district of Modena or by interviews of patients attending a familial colorectal cancer clinic. Familial colorectal cancers were subdivided into two groups based on the modified Amsterdam criteria.1 “Amsterdam” or HNPCC families met all of the Amsterdam diagnostic criteria. “Non-Amsterdam” or “suspected” HNPCC pedigrees did not fulfil all diagnostic criteria, and were characterised by a heterogeneous constellation of family histories, with a minimum of two colorectal cancer occurrences in two first degree relatives diagnosed at any age. A total of 11 Amsterdam and 19 non-Amsterdam families were investigated. All families originated from the districts of Modena and Reggio-Emilia, as ascertained by family names, interviews with family members, and consultation of city registries. A venous blood sample was drawn from each individual who gave informed consent to participate in the study aimed at screening for mismatch repair gene mutations. Control blood samples (n = 65) were obtained from healthy blood donors without a history of colorectal cancer in first degree relatives, following ascertainment of the origin of their families from the Modena and Reggio-Emilia districts and provision of informed consent. Constitutional MLH1 and MSH2 mutations were searched on peripheral leucocyte genomic DNA by a combination of radioactive single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing, on a Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystem (Foster City, CA) 373 automated sequencer, and reverse-transcription PCR, as previously described.13 A restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR assay was designed to detect the presence of the MLH1 2269-2270insT mutation in relatives of proband carriers and in control samples. The protocol involves amplifying exon 19 using the forward intronic primer GACACCAGTGTATGTTGG and the reverse primer GAGAAAGAAGAACACATCCC, located in the 3′ untranslated region, followed by digestion of the PCR product with the restriction enzyme DraI (20 000 U/ml; New England BioLabs, Beverly, MA) at 37°C and direct visualisation onto agarose gels stained with ethidium bromide. The insertion introduces a novel DraI recognition site in the amplified sequence. Therefore, the mutant allele is cut into two fragments, whose sizes are 224 and 44 bp, respectively, while the 268 bp wild-type product remains undigested on incubation with DraI. Total RNA extraction and cDNA preparation from lymphoblastoid cell lines was performed as previously described.13 Amplification of a cDNA product spanning the 3′ portion of the MLH1 transcript was performed in the presence of primers annealing to exon 16 (forward: AAGGCTGAGATGCTTGCAGACT) and to the 3′ untranslated region (reverse: GTTGGTACACTTTGTATATCACAC), respectively. Cycling conditions were: initial denaturation at 94°C for 5 min, followed by 30 cycles including 30 s at 94°C, 90 s at 60°C, and 60 s at 72°C, with a final extension lasting 5 min at 72°C. 5–10 μl of the reverse transcription PCR product were digested with 0.3 μl of DraI. Samples were then loaded onto agarose gels. Microsatellite instability was assayed by testing at least five microsatellite markers, always including the five reference markers comprised in the microsatellite instability testing panel advised by the Bethesda guidelines,14 on matched DNA samples extracted from tumours embedded in paraffin and normal colonic mucosa or fresh peripheral leucocytes, as previously reported.15 Samples were considered to have high levels of microsatellite instability when the instability was observed at ⩾25% markers. Segregation of MLH1 linked polymorphic markers in HNPCC pedigrees was investigated on peripheral blood DNA. The polymorphisms tested included five microsatellite loci (D3S1609, D3S1612, D3S1561, D3S1611, and D3S1298), and two intragenic single base substitutions located within exon 8 and intron 145. The latter substitutions were typed by direct sequencing. Analysis of microsatellite polymorphisms was performed by PCR amplification in the presence of α32P-dCTP, followed by electrophoresis on 6% denaturing polyacrylamide gels and autoradiographic detection. A total of 42 individuals, including 21 carriers of the 2269-2270insT mutation, were analysed. Allele frequencies in the general population were calculated by analysis of DNA samples of the 65 control blood donors. Tissues were fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned at 6 μm. Following deparaffinisation and rehydration with xylene and ethanol, respectively, slides were submitted to microwave antigen retrieval for pretreatment (30 min, 350 W, in 10 mM citrate buffer, pH 6). Immunoperoxidase staining using diaminobenzidine as a chromogen was carried out with a Nexus automated staining system (Ventena, Strasbourg Cedex, France). Mouse monoclonal antibodies against the MLH1 (G168-15; Pharmingen, San Diego, CA) and MSH2 proteins (G129-1129; Pharmingen, San Diego, CA) were used at a dilution of 1:40. Tumours were considered to show inactivation of MSH2 or MLH1 when complete absence of detectable nuclear staining of neoplastic cells was observed. Definite nuclear staining of adjacent non-neoplastic epithelium, stromal cells, or lymphocytes served as an internal positive control. In vitro expression of MLH1 2269-2270insT The entire open reading frame of a 2484 bp MLH1 messenger RNA was cloned into a pcDNA3.1 expression vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). The MLH1 2269-2270insT mutation was generated by site directed mutagenesis using the Quick-Change Site-directed mutagenesis kit (Promega, Madison, WI). Human embryonic kidney fibroblast 293T cells lacking expression of intrinsic MLH1 because of MLH1 promoter methylation were cotransfected with a pSG5 expression vector containing a full length PMS2 cDNA and with pcDNA3.1 containing either wild-type or 2269-2270insT MLH1. Extracts were prepared and 50 µg aliquots were analysed by Western blotting as described.16 Mutational screening of the entire MLH1 and MSH2 genes was performed in all HNPCC probands and in 19 suspected HNPCC families. Two different mutations were identified in pedigrees complying with the Amsterdam criteria. One of these mutations was present in four apparently unrelated families, two of which originated from the district of Modena and two from the district of Reggio-Emilia. The recurrent mutation was an insertion of a T between nucleotides 2269 and 2270 (c.2269-2270insT) of the MLH1 cDNA sequence, within exon 19. This mutation is located in the last codon of the gene, and is predicted to displace the termination codon downstream. The new stop codon appears following 33 novel coding triplets which, in the wild-type gene, are contained in the 3′ untranslated region. No other mutation was identified in probands from the four families by direct sequencing of MLH1 and MSH2. Relatives of the 2269-2270insT mutation carriers were assayed by restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR. Seventeen additional carriers were identified (data not shown) and the mutation was shown to cosegregate with the disease phenotype in all families (fig 1). To verify whether the 2269-2270insT could represent a regional polymorphism, 65 control samples obtained by regionally matched blood donors were investigated, and none was found to carry the mutation. To determine the effects of the mutation on mRNA, we evaluated the expression of the wild-type and mutant alleles by a restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR assay on lymphoblastoid cDNA from two mutation carriers. Direct visualisation of the reverse transcription PCR products on gels stained with ethidium bromide showed that the two alleles are expressed at approximately equal levels in lymphoblastoid cells from both subjects (fig 2). Microsatellite instability was evaluated in four colorectal cancers and three endometrial carcinomas from seven 2269-2270insT mutation carriers. All were found to have high levels of microsatellite instability. MLH1 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in the same specimens. All samples showed absence of the usual pattern of nuclear staining observed in normal colonic mucosa following incubation with anti-MLH1 antibodies (fig 3). Normal MSH2 nuclear expression was present in all specimens. Western blot analysis performed on 293T cells following transfection of recombinant MLH1 showed the presence of a larger band in cells containing the 2269-2270insT construct, whose size was compatible with the predicted length of the protein encoded by the mutant allele (fig 4). The intensity of the band corresponding to the mutant product was considerably lower than that of the wild-type MLH1 sequence (fig 4), whilst expression of β-tubulin, used as an internal control, was comparable between the two cell lines (data not shown). Expression of wild type recombinant PMS2 was also found to be markedly reduced in the presence of 2269-2270insT construct (fig 4). Finally, to assess whether the mutant 2269-2270insT alleles could be derived from a common founder, we investigated the segregation of alleles at nearby polymorphic markers in the four families (fig 5). A common haplotype was observed in all mutation carriers analysed for this purpose (fig 1). This haplotype spanned three intragenic as well as three very close extragenic markers, and no recombination was observed in this interval. On the other hand, in two families, chromosomes carrying the mutant allele showed recombination between MLH1 and the more distal locus D3S1609. The MLH1 mutation described in this study is peculiar from both the molecular and the population genetics standpoints. Its unusual molecular characteristic is the location in the last codon of the gene and its predicted chain elongating effect. It is generally assumed that mismatch repair gene mutations contribute to neoplastic development through inactivation of the system, which is rendered unable to repair DNA mismatches, and possibly other functions. Therefore, most proteins encoded by alleles associated with HNPCC lack relevant domains due to either premature truncation or internal deletion. Since the mutation investigated in this study occurs at the very end of the MLH1 gene, it might well represent a polymorphism restricted to a small geographical region. However, pathogenicity of the 2269-2270insT mutation is demonstrated by several lines of evidence. First, no other significant MLH1 or MSH2 sequence change was detected in the families segregating the 1 bp insertion. The mutation segregated with the disease phenotype in all families and was absent in control chromosomes from the same region. It was associated with microsatellite instability in all tumour samples investigated. Furthermore, absence of staining following exposure to anti-MLH1 antibodies in tumour samples confirms that the mismatch repair gene implicated in cancer predisposition in these families is MLH1. Finally, a 4 bp duplication (TGTT) occurring at the same base position, and therefore causing similar changes of the MLH1 protein, has been previously identified in two HNPCC families.18,19 This duplication was shown to inhibit interaction with PMS2 in a yeast two hybrid assay.20 In principle, the 2269-2270insT could affect mismatch repair function through different mechanisms. Elongation of the reading frame could interfere with mRNA processing and stabilisation, leading to a significant reduction of mRNA levels, as demonstrated for haemoglobin Constant Spring and other mutant globins.21 Alternatively, the mutant gene could produce normal amounts of mRNA, but protein elongation might have a significant impact on its function or stability. Since the results of expression studies performed in lymphoblastoid cell lines from two MLH1 2269-2270insT carriers indicate that mRNA derived from the mutant allele is not significantly under expressed or unstable, it ensues that some properties of the longer protein must be altered by the mutation. Data obtained from in vitro expression studies indicate that the mutation substantially reduces MLH1 protein stability. PMS2 stability was also secondarily affected, since the PMS2 protein is rapidly degraded when it cannot form functional heterodimers with MLH1. MLH1 and PMS2 expression in transfected 293T cells is the preliminary step towards assessment of mismatch repair activity, which requires substantial amounts of these proteins.16 However, because of their instability, the levels of MLH1 and PMS2 were too low to proceed further with the functional mismatch repair assay. Therefore, an effect of the mutation on the function of residual MLH1 cannot be ruled out. The 2269-2270insT mutation was identified in HNPCC families originating from a small geographic area, comprising the neighbouring districts of Modena and Reggio-Emilia in Emilia-Romagna. The 2269-2270 insT has not been reported so far in studies of HNPCC families from other areas of Italy5, including 62 additional kindreds studied by us(22 and unpublished data). These findings are indicative of a founder effect, which is confirmed by the results of haplotype analysis with MLH1 linked polymorphisms. In conclusion, we have provided genetic and functional evidence that the 2269-2270insT is an authentic pathogenetic founder mutation, involved in HNPCC causation in a small territory in northern Italy. The identification of founder mutations with limited territorial distribution in other European regions or in other parts of the world should be facilitated by the analytical study of HNPCC and suspected HNPCC cases selected from colorectal cancer registries, as performed for part of the patient population investigated in the present study. We thank Dr Paolo Rivasi (Reggio-Emilia) and Dr Marisa De Palma (Modena) for providing DNA samples from healthy blood donors. This project was supported by grants from the Italian Ministry for Scientific Research (MIUR COFIN 2001) and from the Italian Ministry of Health (Progetto Finalizzato Sanità 1999). J Trojan was supported by a grant from the University of Frankfurt (F15/01). If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.	224,814
Linux FreeS/WAN provides IPSEC (IP Security, which is both encryption and authentication) kernel extensions and an IKE (Internet Key Exchange, keying and encrypted routing daemon) as well as various rc scripts and documentation. It is known to interoperate with other IPSEC and IKE system already deployed by other vendors such as OpenBSD, Cisco, or CheckPoint. It also features Opportunistic Encryption, subnet extrusion, and with the appropriate patches interops nicely with Microsoft Windows XP/2000 using X.509 certificates. \|Tags\|\|Networking Firewalls Operating System Kernels Linux\| \|Operating Systems\|\|POSIX Linux\| Release Notes: This is the last version that will be released by the FreeS/WAN team. No new versions of this software will be released. New features are mostly the removal of transport mode, KLIPS port for 2.6, and some netlink security fixes. Release Notes: Removal of AH and better support for 2.6 kernels, an experimental lightweight DNS queue, and support for DNSSec. Release Notes: This version features a workaround for the Linux 2.6 netlink security problem. Release Notes: Preliminary support for 2.6 kernels was added, either via KLIPS or the native 2.6 kernel IPsec. See the new 2.6.known-issues document for more details. A fix was made for SHA1 packet reception and several verify buglets. An iproute2 based _updown script was added. Release Notes: One-line configuration for initiator-only Opportunistic Encryption, (OE) using ipsec.conf's new "myid" option. There is a new RPM spec file. This will help folks who need to compile RPMs from the FreeS/WAN source. In addition, wavesec and OE now coexist nicely.	103,852
Amid a contentious presidential race, U.S. president Barack Obama called out political rivals that seek to cut scientific funding on Thursday. "That's why I get so riled up when I see people willfully ignore facts," Obama said from The White House Frontiers conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "Or stick their heads in the sand about basic scientific consensus. It's not just that that position leads to bad policy. It's also that it undermines the very thing that has always made America the engine for innovation around the world." Energy policy has been key in the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, after an audience member at a recent town hall became an internet sensation with his question on energy policy. Trump has tweeted that global warming is a hoax, while fellow Republican Jim Inhofe produced a snowball in Congress last year, claiming it disproved global warming. Ben Carson, a republican presidential hopeful and neurosurgeon, also called the climate change debate "irrelevant." "It's not just that they're saying climate change is a hoax, or taking a snowball on the Senate floor to prove that the planet's not getting warmer. It's that they're doing everything they can to gut funding for research and development." Ignoring inconvenient scientific paths is the "path to ruin," Obama said from the conference, which was focused on building U.S. capacity in science, technology and innovation. "Look, I only get two terms," Obama said. "Which is fine. The presidency is a relay race — we run our leg then we hand off the baton. That's why this conference isn't just about where we've been, but where we're going." Curing cancer, finding new sources of energy, and adjusting to population growth will help America keep its economic lead, Obama said. "Innovation is not a luxury that we do away with when we're tightening our belts," Obama said. "It's precisely at those moments when we've got real challenges that we double down on new solutions that can lead to new jobs, new industries and a larger economy." Science needs to return to its "rightful place" in America, by bringing computer science to schools, Obama said. "We are working to help all of our children understand that they, too, have a place in science and tech," Obama said. "Not just boys in hoodies, but girls in Native American reservations. Kids whose parents can't afford personal tutors ... we don't want them overlooked for a job in the future." The conference was hosted by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Obama highlighted how Pittsburgh has bounced from back hard times for its steel industry by investing in innovation. Most recently, the city has made headlines as the testing site for Uber's self-driving cars. "Stories like that are not just happening in Pittsburgh, or in Silicon Valley," Obama said. "They're happening in Chattanooga, and Charleston and Cincinnati." The White House released a report on Wednesday on applications of AI for the public good. This week, Obama also advocated for the U.S. to send humans to Mars by the 2030s and return them safely to Earth. It comes after his budget for NASA has faced criticism from astronauts like Neil Armstrong. Obama's Thursday speech comes at the heels of a new issued of Wired magazine edited by the sitting president. In the issue, Obama discusses "final frontiers," including the rising importance of making the economy more efficient using artificial intelligence, without eliminating jobs. "Given the chance to immerse myself in the possibility of interplanetary travel or join a deep-dive conversation on artificial intelligence, I'm going to say yes," Obama wrote of the opportunity. "I love this stuff. Always have."	57,169
ballscrews Ballscrews encompass a screw spindle as well as a nut built-in with rolling aspects that cycle by way of a return mechanism The second Section of Linear Motion are linear guides and tables. The true secret know-how here is to find the best suited guiding solution furnishing the necessary accuracy, stiffness and positioning at the right Price. To provide the ideal fit in your guiding demands, our thorough variety consists of linear ball bearings, profile rail guides, precision rail guides and linear tables and slides. Linear Rotary Motors Collection PR01 linear-rotary motors can be utilized to employ any mixture of linear and rotary motions. The compact housing includes both of those an electromagnetic linear drive along with a rotary immediate push, Just about every controlled by a servo drive. Because of this the higher-degree controller can implement very dynamic linear-rotary motion sequences that may be programmed to become either synchronous or completely independent of each other. The functions, substantial operational efficiency, load capability and precision in the Actuator Line linear models allow Rollon actuators to be used in an array of programs during the automation market, particularly industrial equipment: decide and put packaging, output strains and assembling functions. Linear motion Linear motion solutions from SKF Merge the knowledge and endeavours of linear generate methods (ball and roller screws) and linear guides and tables. Linear generate techniques usually use screws to transfer rotary into linear actions. This need is properly reached by our higher performance driving products: miniature and enormous rolled ball screws, floor ball screws in addition to distinct variants of roller screws. An economical substitute to learn this here now ball-bearing carriages, they're less likely to become hindered by dirt and debris. Whilst we have been not able to respond directly to feedback submitted in this kind, the information will likely be reviewed for future advancement. Say, by way of example, that you've a ball tied to the string. What’s the angular velocity from the ball should you whirl it around? It would make an entire circle, The hollow shaft contains a central move-by means of opening in its longitudinal axis. This can make it attainable to grow the selection of software with the linear-rotary motor. Compressed air, vacuum, or other media may be handed throughout the motor. Edition with hollow shaft Dimensions vary from very small to extra substantial, from the earth’s smallest observe rail showcasing a one-mm width to People crafted for prime rigidity and load capacity in big machines. These modern multi-axis closure devices make it possible for uncomplicated product variations at the press of a mouse. The person gets all important parameter responses on the ongoing basis, so that the amount of downtime on account of faults is noticeably navigate to this website decreased. Compared with mechanical closure techniques, the LinMot Answer with linear-rotary motors needs as much as sixty% fewer time for just a closure procedure. Most of our automation merchandise is often mixed interchangeably to fit your automation requirements and supply you finish automation remedies. is actually the gap traveled by an item going in a circle of radius r, so this equation becomes	196,588
The various and diverse listings of cities point to the complexity of urban research. Understanding how each defines “city” and the methodology they use to collect and aggregate data and metrics is critical to any city research and engagement strategy. Following are some of the most common listings. World Urbanization Prospects is a listing of […] Jane Jacobs, know your city, Lewis Mumford, urban exegesis I’m often asked to recommend the best book on cities. As with any worthy subject, one book is not sufficient. Here I want to recommend a few books, or categories of books, that have helped me understand cities and therefore see cities differently.	251,562
Time for a little mathemagic! Choose any five cards from a pack and show four of them to your partner. How can they work out the fifth? Find the frequency distribution for ordinary English, and use it to help you crack the code. How can Agent X transmit data on a faulty line and be sure that her message will get through? A transposition cipher is one which rearranges the order of the letters in the ciphertext (encoded text), according to some predetermined method, without making any substitutions. Suppose we want to encrypt the following message, a quote from 'Peter Rabbit' by Beatrix Potter: "Now run along and don't get into mischief, I'm going out." Let's remove the punctuation and the spaces between the words to get: "nowrunalonganddontgetintomischiefimgoingout". This is 44 letters long. For reasons we'll soon discover, let's add 4 extra padding characters, "x", at the end to now get: "nowrunalonganddontgetintomischiefimgoingoutxxxx". We can now write this message in 4 rows, each 12 letters long. n o w r u n a l o n g a n d d o n t g e t i n t o m i s c h i e f i a m g o i n g o u t x x x x By reading the letters in order down the columns, instead of along the rows, we get: "nnog odmo wdii rosh uncg ntho agiu leet otfx niix gnax atmx" We can now send this message to our friend with the spaces removed, and the message is "hidden". Suppose the enemy intercepts and wants to decipher our message. What might they do? Once you have thought about how to decipher a message encoded in this way, read on below: 48 characters can be encoded using grids of one of these dimensions: $1\times48, 2\times24, 3\times16, 4\times 12, 6 \times 8, 8 \times 6, 12 \times 4...$ The first of these doesn't rearrange the message at all. The second size gives: n n o g o d m o w d i i r o s n u n c g n t h o a g i u l e e t o t f x n i I x g n a x a t m x Reading down the columns gives "nangoigu....". Definitely not English! The next arrangement is a 3 by 16 grid: n n o g o d m o w d i i r o s n u n c g n t h o a g i u l e e t o t f x n i I x g n a x a t m x "nuonntocf", let's try again! A 4 by 12 grid gives: n n o g o d m o w d i i r o s n u n c g n t h o a g i u l e e t o t f x "nrannogi..." n i I x g n a x a t m x and a 6 by 8 grid gives: n n o g o d m o w d i i r o s n u n c g n t h o "nwuaog.." a g i u l e e t o t f x n i I x g n a x a t m x Hmm, let's keep trying! An 8 by 6 arrangement gives: n n o g o d m o w d i i r o s n u n "nmrcaena...." c g n t h o a g i u l e e t o t f x n i I x g n a x a t m x A 12 by 4 sized grid gives: n n o g o d m o w d i i r o s n u n c g n t h o a g i u "nowrunalongand....", the start of our original message! l e e t o t f x n i I x g n a x a t m x Can you see why we chose a 48-character message rather than a 44-character message? Imagine you have intercepted the message below, and you know it has been encrypted using a transposition cipher. Can you decrypt the message? You might find it useful to work on squared paper. If you want to work on a computer to solve the problem, you can download the message as a text file which doesn't contain any line breaks. There is a transposition solver as part of our Cipher Challenge Toolkit. If you are interested in code breaking you might enjoy the Secondary Cipher Challenge.	193,449
The results from the present review could lead to a novel software for AAT. In addition to its protecting effect, AAT has been established to be a safe drug. Taking into consideration that all at the moment utilized drugs for lupus have many side results, the security characteristic of AAT may supply a special location for the treatment method of lupus. Reports have shown that hAAT is a multifunctional protein with proteinase inhibitory, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective homes. Most of these scientific studies concentrated on the effect of hAAT on monocytes, neutrophils, T cells, and pancreatic islet cells. For case in point, hAAT promoted tolerogenic semi-experienced dendritic cells and enhanced islet transplantation and suppressed GVHD. Results from the current review increase the existing understanding of hAAT biology and features in a number of elements: 1) hAAT inhibits IFN-I production from DCs. Since IFN-I plays a essential role in initiating innate immunity, the inhibitory effect of hAAT on IFN-I manufacturing might be 1 of the significant mechanisms by which hAAT treatment method displays therapeutic consequences in numerous illness designs which includes kind 1 diabetic issues, arthritis, stroke and bone decline. 2) hAAT inhibited TLR4 and TLR9-mediated DC stimulation. These information suggest that AAT functions on a typical ingredient or issue in the signaling pathways of TLR4 and TLR9. Additional dissecting and understanding the impact of hAAT on DC activation and IFN-I productions in normal and lupus models will be vital for the application of hAAT for the therapy of lupus.To check the useful outcomes of hAAT on BMDCs, we also examined its effect on the secretion of other inflammatory cytokines. hAAT therapy drastically diminished TNF-Î± and IL-1Î² secretion from DCs. It has been advised that the reduction of co-stimulatory and MHC course II molecules down regulated TNF-Î± secretion from DCs. A latest review has demonstrated that hAAT can right interact with cell surface area receptors and block TNF-Î± motion on the concentrate on cells. Constant with these evidences, we confirmed that hAAT treatment method attenuated the functional responses of DCs and the secretion of professional-inflammatory cytokines.DCs engage in a vital part in the pathogenesis of lupus by means of IFN-Î± generation upon TLR7-/TLR9 stimulation. IFN-Î± secreted by pDCs promotes car reactive B cell growth, differentiate plasma cells to create autoantibodies and activates K858 myeloid cells and car reactive T cells. In this examine, we display for the very first time that hAAT can inhibit pDCs maturation and secretion of cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-Î± upon stimulation with TLR9 ligand. IFN-I was not detected in society media by the mobile assay program, which may be attributed to the minimal amount of differentiated pDCs in bone marrow. For that reason, foreseeable future scientific studies employing pDCs from spleen and lymph nodes might display a greater reaction to hAAT.It was reported that the chemokine receptor CCR9 was expressed on immature pDCs and that it was down-controlled upon stimulation with possibly TLR7 or TLR9. In the present examine, we confirmed that CCR9 expressed on BM derived pDCs was down-controlled by stimulation with TLR9 activation and confirmed that it was substantially up-controlled on treatment with hAAT.In this review, we noticed that mAAT levels decreased as the illness produced in MRL/lpr mice. The lead to for this decrease needs to be further investigated. It is achievable that the condition development requires far more endogenous mouse AAT for the management of inflammation and tissue harm, however the diseased mouse are not able to make ample to meet up with the substantial desire. However, this knowledge supports that additional AAT is necessary to handle the ailment.IFN-I contributes drastically to renal ailment in MRL/lpr 1173097-76-1 murine design of SLE.	61,379
If you’re flushed with royal fever like the rest of the world, then no visit to England would be complete without experiencing The Treasure Houses of England. A unique collection of ten of the finest castles, palaces and grand historic houses, they are an absolute must-see with 900 years of history and royal heritage that are so prolific, everyone’s vying for a taste. One of the most compelling features of the houses is that they all offer visitors a genuine living history – and many are still homes to the esteemed families that have owned them for generations. As well as boasting beautiful gardens – many landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown and set amongst grand estates – they contain some of the most revered art collections in the world. Visitors will encounter famous master works from the heady likes of Van Dyck and Gainsborough alongside fine furniture, priceless porcelain and exquisite china with examples of Chippendale, Wedgwood and Meissen. You might also recognize the houses from the silver screen as they have been featured in Hollywood hits such as Gulliver’s Travels, Pride & Prejudice, The Duchess, The Kings Speech, My Week with Marilyn and Elizabeth Golden Age, to name a few. Beaulieu has been the ancestral home of the Montague family since 1538. As well as the inspired Palace House, it is also home to the National Motor Museum and – for 2012 only – features the world’s largest official collection of James Bond vehicles. Bond in Motion showcases 50 vehicles to celebrate 50 years of the Bond franchise in spectacular style. Home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a coveted World Heritage Site. The gilded State Rooms, with original ceilings designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, house some of the finest portraits, tapestries, sculptures, china and painted ceilings in Europe. Visit the room where Winston Churchill was born, and the special exhibition ‘Churchill’s Destiny- the Story of Two Great War Leaders’. Burghley House is one of the largest and grandest houses of the first Elizabethan Age, built and mostly designed by William Cecil between 1555 and 1587. Visitors today are able to see one of the finest assemblies of 17th century Italian masterpieces, an exceptional collection of Oriental and European ceramics, fine furniture, textiles and artworks in a magnificent setting that remains a family home. Sir John Vanbrugh designed Castle Howard in North Yorkshire for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle. Its stunning interiors are the perfect backdrop to world-famous collections, from frescos and furniture to paintings and porcelain. Capturing the Castle comprises an extensive exhibit spanning 300 years of the Arts (May-November), incorporating everything from photography and paintings to souvenirs – the display offers an inspired and rare treat to visitors. Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and has been passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family. The house has over 30 rooms to explore, from the magnificent Painted Hall, to the family-used chapel, regal State Rooms, newly restored Sketch Galleries and beautiful Sculpture Gallery. Chatsworth has one of Europe’s most significant art collections comprising ancient masters to contemporary ceramics through to cutting edge modern sculpture and computer portraits. From July 2012, discover a selection of old master drawings, including work by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Van Dyck. Harewood is one of England’s greatest Georgian mansion houses overlooking Capability Brown’s landscape and containing outstanding art collections, magnificent Robert Adam interiors and Chippendale furniture. Edwin Lascelles (1713-1795) commissioned the building of Harewood House in the mid-18th century and it has since been home to the Lascelles family, reflecting the changing tastes and styles of the past 250 years. Hatfield House is the home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and has been in the Cecil family for 400 years. Superb examples of Jacobean craftsmanship can be seen throughout Hatfield House, such as the Grand Staircase with its fine carving and the rare stained glass window in the private chapel. Displayed throughout the House are many historic mementos collected over the centuries by the Cecils, one of England’s foremost political families. Hatfield House is staging the first major UK outdoor exhibition of the sculptural works of French artist Xavier Veilhan (7 April – 30 September). In addition, discover more about The Ladies of Hatfield House with a new exhibition offering an insight into their passions, accomplishments and, of course – the odd scandal! (7 April – 30 September) Thomas Coke, the 1st Earl of Leicester, built Holkham Hall in Norfolk between 1734 and 1764. This elegant Palladian style mansion is based on designs by William Kent, and has been home to the Coke family ever since. Holkham’s new exhibition highlights the 400-year long royal connection between the monarchy and Earls of Leicester.(April-October) Delve into the archives, library, personal records and photos to discover original items, all illustrating a spellbinding story. Leeds Castle enigmatically combines 900 years of history and 500 acres of beautiful parkland. Historically, it has been a Norman stronghold, the private property of six of England’s medieval queens, a palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, a Jacobean country house, a Georgian mansion, an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous; and as a result – in the 21st century it has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain. Home to the 15th Duke and Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey has been the family home of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years. As well as housing one of the UK’s finest privately-held art collections and an impressive array of antiques from around the world, visitors will find interesting and colourful stories of the Abbey’s previous residents. Hear of an historic encounter with Charles I, find out about a Flying Duchess and be entranced by a tragic tale of love. Today, find out about the current (15th) Duke and Duchess, who are making their own mark on the intriguing history of Woburn. Written on behalf of The Treasure Houses of England for EuropeUpClose.com	292,709
HailToPurple.com previously posted details about NU's key school songs, as well as information about NU's lost fight songs. Both of those previous pages used simple midi files for the songs. "School Songs from the Vault" page features vintage recordings of some of NU's fight songs and other school songs, some not heard in decades and featuring arrangements that had been forgotten. The newest entry is a 1954 recording of "Welcome Back to the Campus." Vault Exhibit #6: Welcome Back to the Campus classic Northwestern song written by Lloyd Norlin, "Welcome Back to the Campus" had its debut alongside Norlin's other major NU song, "To The Memories." Both songs come from the 1951 Waa-Mu show, "That This version, recorded in 1954, features the Northwestern Men's Glee Club. Vault Exhibit #5: To The Memories (NUMB Version) not a fight song, nor one usually played during football games, "To The Memories" is an iconic Northwestern song. Written by NU alumnus Lloyd Norlin, the song had its debut in the 1951 Waa-Mu show and was an immediate success. It soon became a standard for the Waa-Mu show, typically used as the show's finale. This 1954 version was arranged and recorded by John Paynter and NUMB. It is one of only a few times that NUMB recorded this classic NU song. Vault Exhibit #4: The Alma Mater (Part Two: The English Version) had been believed that the English version of NU's Alma Mater made its debut in 1958. However, the song appears on the 1954 LP A Purple Pageant. The liner notes of the album indicate that Thomas Tyra wrote the Alma Mater's new lyrics in 1953. [UPDATE: the NU Archives has Tweeted that the Tyra lyrics made their debut on October Here is that 1954 version of the Alma Mater, the first published recording of the Hymn with the English lyrics. Unfortunately, as with the other recordings in the Vault, the sound quality is poor. Vault Exhibit #3: The Alma Mater (Part One: Quaecumque Sunt Vera) NU's Alma Mater dates back to 1907, when Peter Lutkin arranged the traditional music (click here for details) and J. Scott Clark wrote the Latin lyrics. The newly arranged song was usually called "Quaecumque Sunt Vera." When, in the 1950s, different lyrics were written in English, the Latin version began to fall out of use. Nearly all the recorded versions of the Alma Mater are of the English version. Here, however, is a rare recording of the Latin version. Recorded by Glenn Bainum in 1929 (during the same sessions that produced the version of "Go U Northwestern" posted below), it is one of the earliest recordings of "Quaecumque Sunt Vera," and is only one of a handful that still exist. For many NU fans, this will be the first time hearing the song in its original form. As with the 1929 copy of "Go U Northwestern," the sound quality of the record is not good-- the vault has not been kind to much of my Vault Exhibits #1 - 2: "Go U Northwestern, " the Lost Versions To kick off our trip to the NU song vault, we're taking a look at perhaps the least-expected of all the "lost" fight songs: "Go U should "Go U Northwestern" be on the Lost Fight Songs list? It happens that, unknown except to perhaps some of the geekiest of the band geeks, "Go U Northwestern" had an entire section of music that is now It is not known now how Theodore Van Etten's original fight song sounded in 1912, when he wrote it and it was first performed. By 1919, however, there were two versions of the song: a shorter version, with which we are all familiar (chorus, interlude, chorus), and a full version that included a piece of intro music. The Northwestern Song Books, hard bound copies of all the fight songs, school songs, and class songs popular at the time, were first published in the 1880s. The song books that came after the creation of "Go U Northwestern" show the shorter version. However, loose sheet music from the time shows the whole song, including the intro piece. Click here to see the sheet music (the top two pages are the intro, the bottom two pages are "Go U" as we know it). I don't know why the intro was eventually dropped, but I can guess: it's awful. The surviving portion of "Go U Northwestern" is a great fight song that stands up to a century of play. The intro piece, however, is really dated and would guarantee to put all but the most hardcore fan to sleep before kickoff. Care to hear it? Great! Here, from deep in the HailToPurple Vault, are two versions of the fight song with the intro piece. The first version was recorded by NUMB in February 1929. It just might be one of the oldest recordings of NUMB to survive. This version actually starts out with the familiar portions (chorus and interlude) of "Go U," then uses the intro piece, and then concludes with the proper portion of "Go U" for a B-A-B song structure: is another version, recorded by bandleader Dell Lampe in the fall of 1929. This version has an A-B structure, starting out with the intro piece, and proceeding to the familiar portion (similar to the sheet music referenced above). It's not clear when NU dropped the intro piece from "Go U." It likely did not last too long into the 1930s. Certainly, by the time John Paynter took over NUMB, the intro was gone, and the full version of "Go U Northwestern" had become one of the lost fight songs of NU.	189,023
White Prunicola Scale White Prunicola Scale is an armored scale insect that feeds on lilac, holly and Prunus species (cherry, cherry laurel, plum). In 2017 this pest had a major population explosion late in the season that did major damage, especially to cherry laurel. This is a hard-to-control insect due to its lifecycle and habitat on the stems and twigs of trees and shrubs. Monitoring and applications of pesticides during vulnerable life stages are the keys to managing White Prunicola Scale Spotted Lantern Fly The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is a new invasive pest that was discovered in Berks County, PA in 2014. Since then it has multiplied rapidly and spread to at least 13 counties in Southeastern PA. The SLF is like an overgrown leafhopper that uses piercing mouthparts to drain host plants of carbohydrates. The insect damages plants by depleting their resources and also causes a sticky black mess from excess sugars secreted as a waste byproduct. Adult SLF swarm in large numbers in the fall when they mate and lay eggs. Its preferred host is the invasive tree Ailanthus, or tree of heaven, but SLF also feeds on maple, willow, sycamore, walnut and pine. The Department of Agriculture has placed all of the counties in our area under a quarantine to help stop the spread of SLF. For more information about this pest, please go to the resources section of our website, or www.agriculture.pa.gov/spottedlanternfly. We are hopeful that eradication efforts will be successful. Single-digit low temperatures this January caused leaf and needle browning on certain plants such as cherry laurel, Nellie Stevens holly and Blue Atlas cedar. We expect these plants to recover from the stress, but it is a reminder that some popular plants might not be perfectly suited to our climate. Another consideration is late frosts. Experts tell us that even if average winter temperatures go up, the date for the last frost will remain the same, which could cause more winter desiccation on broadleaf evergreens. Emerald Ash Borer Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has established populations all over the Main Line and surrounding areas. We expect that there will be a remarkable increase in EAB numbers this year and scores of untreated ash trees will die. We are protecting ash trees with a direct trunk injection of Emamectin Benzoate that protects healthy ash trees from EAB for two years. If you have any questions about this pest, or if you are not sure if you have ash trees, please contact our office.	225,639
Search the Community Showing results for tags 'net'. Hi, in my current project I have a button on my touchscreen. If this button is pressed, MB33 is set and afterwards MB 10 should be set too. But, as you can see in the image below, the execution of the net stops before MB10. Basicly I copied this structure out of this tutorial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RyFPPE3Hdk&feature=youtu.be&t=572 In the tutorial they use the same sequence of contact and coil to turn a "LED" on the touchscreen on and off. Any ideas, why it doesnt work for me? I have a subroutine with 7 valid nets. nets 8 through 16 are blank, no op. net 17 is the return. I would like to delete the white space and have the return be on net 8. but I cannot cut nor delete...nothing happens. Return remains way down at the bottom of a bunch of white space. a bug? or am I missing something? V9.4.0, build zero. 570 vision plc app. thanks Hi, I have little bit problem with new version Visilogic 9.4.0. I have had some old version of VisiLogic for two years and today I decide to install latest version - 9.4.0. But my coils and contacts doesnt work right - the best way to show my problem - THE IMAGE! Thanks for answers BTW my OS - Win XP	224,764
It's become fashionable in recent years to blame high unemployment on "skills-mismatch" which is wrong, and it's also fashionable in education reform circles to make some overstated claims about the absolute centrality of schooling to improving poverty outcomes. That in turn has created a kind of backlash where some folks react with fury to any observation about the enduring importance of education and human capital. But via Doug Henwood here's a new report from the OECD on adult skill levels in different developed countries that shows the United States isn't doing very well. This is overblown as an explanation for unemployment since given adequate demand-side policy almost everyone should be able to get some job. But it matters quite a lot for the quality of jobs and the levels of opportunity provided. Having basic math skills might be the difference between being able to cook at a restaurant or cut hair at a salon and being able to parlay that experience into a managerial or entrepreneurial role. Literacy is absolutely key to moving up the value chain in a wide range of workplace situations where you might need to be able to communicate effectively with customers or people above or below you in the hierarchy. One should also note that skills (or lack thereof) also matter politically. It's harder to screw over people who can do math. It's easier to organize in defense of your interests if you can communicate clearly in writing. Education isn't everything, but it's awfully important both directly and indirectly. TODAY IN SLATE Justice Ginsburg’s Crucial Dissent in the Texas Voter ID Case The Jarring Experience of Watching White Americans Speak Frankly About Race How Facebook’s New Feature Could Come in Handy During a Disaster The Most Ingenious Teaching Device Ever Invented Sprawl, Decadence, and Environmental Ruin in Nevada You Should Be Able to Sell Your Kidney Or at least trade it for something. - Texas Lab Worker on Cruise Tests Negative for Ebola as Dallas Hospital Apologizes - Police Use Tear Gas to Break Up College Pumpkin Festival Turned Violent - Racist Rancher Cliven Bundy Challenges Eric Holder in Bizarre Campaign Ad - Supreme Court Allows Texas Law That Accepts Handgun Permits but not College IDs to Vote An All-Female Mission to Mars As a NASA guinea pig, I verified that women would be cheaper to launch than men.	277,869
We often enquire about our patients sleep as it is integral to good health. Far too often, our patients report sleep disturbance or insomnia (either being unable to fall asleep or waking in the night). So when we came across this study published in JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Feb. we had to share. This study compared Mindfulness Meditation to Sleep Hygiene Education (the implementation of proper sleep habits like dark rooms and no TV’s). After one year, the meditation group had significant improvement in: - insomnia symptoms - depressive symptoms - inflammatory markers So how do you start? Check out some of these resources and begin your mindful journey to better sleep and better health. If you are local to Barrie and looking for classes, check out: There is also a free online program available. Yours in Health, Dr. Kerri Fullerton ND & Dr. Whitney Young ND	252,837
Calendar Event Details Gail Skofronick Jackson Affiliation: NASA/GSFC - Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Laboratory Event Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 Location: Bldg 33, H114 Time: 12:00 PM Maniac Talk - Falling Snow Detective Falling snow is vital for the balance of the Earth’s global system. In this engaging seminar learn how Gail, a Floridian that grew up in the presence of hurricanes, became an international expert in detecting falling snow from spaceborne instruments. Explore the complicated processes of snowflakes and Gail’s excitement as she follows the trail and evidence of falling snow through field campaigns, aircraft flights, modeling, and satellite observations, including the upcoming Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Using paper snowflakes and audience participation, she will explain why snow is important on Earth and why scientists love and hate snow.	139,707
Bon-Ton Stores (NASDAQ: BONT) are department stores that sell clothing and accessories for women, men, and children. BONT stores are concentrated in the Northern U.S., with 278 stores in 23 states. Due to its domestic exposure, the firm is at risk to economic conditions in those regions, which are diversified by international competitors such as Macy's Inc. (M). Because of this, BONT made a profit in the past fiscal year for the first time in three years, and its success is sustained by the popularity of private label brands. During the past fiscal year (2010), Bon-Ton stores made a profit for the first time in the past three years. As U.S. consumer confidence increases, Bon-Ton should continue to see positive income into fiscal 2011. Bon-Ton stores are concentrated in the Northeastern, Midwestern and upper Great Plains states. If BONT fails to expand outside of the Northern U.S., it may face systemic risk factors not seen by competitors Macy's Inc. (M) and J.C. Penney (JCP), which have several stores outside of the Northern U.S. Cotton consumption exceeded cotton production for the fifth year in the row, making cotton prices increase by 80.5% from last year. Natural disasters also severely damaged crops in many large cotton producer countries, such as China, India, and Pakistan. This led to decreases in cotton exports from these countries and increases in cotton imports as these countries sought to supplement their supply of cotton. With limited cotton supplies and rising prices, retailers will either have to absorb these higher material costs, restructure the composition of their clothing to have less cotton, or pass these higher costs to its consumers. Higher clothing prices or lower quality clothing could discourage consumer spending, resulting in decreased net sales. However, adult or teen clothing retailers may not be too adversely affected as their clothing (which is usually 30-40% cotton based) has more flexibility in their composition and thus, costs. In addition, raising commodity prices in other areas will also raise costs for retailers. While premium price and established brands may be able to pass their higher costs to their consumers, value based companies may not fare as well and may suffer from lower profit margins.	242,271
Bakken - The worlds oldest amusement park Only 10 minutes drive north of Copenhagen your find the oldest amusement park in the world. Located in the woods of Dyrehaven, Bakken is a unique amusement park, which offers af historic and nostalgic venue combined with modern and fun amusements and thrill rides. And the entrance is free! You find a large variety of games, rides, restaurants, fastfood and ice cream stalls, and every day there is plenty of entertainment for children and adults alike. Bakken is open from March 17th - September 4th, 2016 In Denmark, everyone knows Bakken, the world’s oldest amusement park. But despite being located just ten minutes outside Copenhagen, the park, which is tucked away in the beautiful woods of Dyrehaven, is still unknown to most foreign visitors. And that is a shame because the park not only offers free entrance, it also offers a nostalgic historic ambiance, authentic Danish charm and an array of amusements and thrill rides. The worlds oldest amusement park Founded in 1583, Bakken, or Dyrehavsbakken as it is officially named, has been a firm favorite with the people of Copenhagen for centuries. During summertime families, young couples and seniors alike flock to the amusement park and the surrounding woodland to indulge in a day of fun. With a unique position in the middle of one of Denmark’s most beautiful woods, it is like encountering a surprise in the middle of the greenery. The park offers a prefect blend of children’s amusements, restaurants, pubs and bars with entertainment and live music. It’s is not just a small children’s amusement park but a place of leisure for the whole family. Because of its historic value and unique location, no big brands are allowed to set up stands at Bakken and neon signs are banned. Instead a jumble of colourful wooden structures, small independent shop owners and quirky stalls meets visitors. For the kid (in all of us) Many Danish families have been coming back to Bakken for generations. Bakken’s longest standing visitor is, however, Pjerrot. The well-known white-faced clown, who visits Bakken every day, has been a hit with the amusement park’s youngest guests for more than 200 years. Still, the main attraction for most is the park’s many fun rides, including an 82-year-old wooden rollercoaster. In total, the park presents a choice of 33 rides for all ages and levels of trill seekers as well as 78 other attractions such as shooting stalls, gaming arcades and much more. You will find a wide variety of restaurants, ice cream parlours and fastfood shops. Though the popular, traditional Danish kitchen is still richly represented newer additions include Spanish tapas, fish and chips, noodles and much more. To finish off, guests can indulge in a sugary paradise of ice creams, colourful drinks and everything else needed to make a Danish summer day complete - come rain or sun.	74,388
When one considers the advertising industry, the consistent use of sexualised images of women is a very obvious phenomenon. It is not uncommon to see highly sexualised images of women advertising anything from cars, clothing and mobile phones, to furniture, food and a whole host of other products and services that somehow ‘benefit’ from an association – no matter how mismatched – with a ‘sexy’ woman. Such images enjoy high currency, which means that their negative effects on women are considered less important than the voyeuristic appeal a scantily dressed or naked woman lends to a product. This paper briefly discusses how some representations of women in the South African advertising media conform to and perpetuate dominant gender and sexuality discourses, which objectify women and diminish their dignity. It is argued that the use of women’s bodies as ‘hooks’ to draw in consumers represents broader societal perceptions of women that allow and encourage the sexual objectification of women to be reduced to the near mundane; an ‘ordinary’ part of selling. Finally, the implications of the sexualised public space for women are discussed. Trends and recent interventions The advertising industry’s reliance on objectification of women and sexually suggestive messages is a worldwide phenomenon. Researchers like LaTour & Henthorne, as well as many others, have found that the use of sexual appeals in print advertising is often not well received by consumers, although these studies were not conducted in South Africa and they do note that such ads may produce potentially negative side effects, including sexual obsession and gratuitous sex.(2) Regardless of consumer considerations, sexualised images of women remain popular in South African advertising. In South Africa, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been instrumental in tabling and banning offensive adverts. In 2009, ASA banned a Sexpo advertisement for objectifying women. The advertisement depicted a pair of a woman’s legs with underwear being naughtily removed. The ASA directorate ruled that the manner in which the woman was depicted “perpetuates the thought that she is an object of lust or desire, which reduces her to a sexual object.”(3) The organiser of the advertising campaigns, Silas Howarth, expressed surprise at the ruling and argued that the advertisement was “the most tasteful campaign yet.” He further argued that the advert was put together in light of a recent sex survey that revealed that the majority of South Africans were naughty at heart.(4) This reveals the advertiser’s failure to appreciate the problematic way in which his advert portrayed women. The claim that the advert was merely delivering a ‘naughty’ message to an already ‘naughty’ public cleverly ignores the idea that media images are in fact responsible for the creation and maintenance of markets for sexualised images. It reveals the ignorance and/or apathy of advertisers about the realities they shape. Sex may sell, but the media has the power to change this. Considering the indirect yet pervasive consequences of sexualised advertising on women, advertisers should stop taking the easy road, namely using women’s bodies and suggestive text to market products. Surely they are able to appeal to their consumers’ many other facets? In 2008, fast food franchise Steers made a television TV commercial that visually compared highly sexualised images of women with sizzling hamburgers, presented as a ‘TV experiment’ about where men’s eyes would linger longest.(5) Some critics argued that this advert perpetuated the negative stereotype that women are only valued for their bodies. “You could argue that they [women] are portrayed as ‘meat for sale’, whether this was the intention of the advertisement or not, it still communicates this message.”(6) This particular advertisement provides a typical example of the use of sexualised images of women to market any product of choice, no matter how mismatched the union. Visual images can easily be manipulated to carry sexual connotations. For example, a 2004 DSTV billboard advertisement that portrayed two fried eggs in a bikini top was banned as offensive because it objectified and exploited the female body. It was argued that the billboard’s message implied that women’s breasts were consumable food.(7) Some adverts are problematic even when they do not contain sexualised images of women. Internationally, another fast food chain, Burger King, has repeatedly offended women with the sexual innuendos that characterise their advertisements. The wide reach of advertising is a concern. Of course advertising is all about being seen and heard, so advertisers aim for the most strategic media and locations. If the creative minds behind the advertisements insist on demeaning women and portraying them in sexualised and derogatory roles, these attitudes are ‘sold’ with the main product. Such sexualisation of public space ensures that people who would not normally access pornography and related material now only need to walk on a street, turn on the TV or pick up a magazine to encounter images that pass for mild forms of pornography, or at least give graphic clues to its existence. It could be argued that the marketing of sexualised images of women is a way of skipping the bottlenecks to easily mainstream pornography. In September 2009, infamous adult entertainment club Teazers sparked controversy with a billboard that depicted a highly sexualised image of a woman. The woman was pictured naked, lying on her back, her left arm partly covering her breasts and her knees bent.(8) The image elicited controversy and so did the accompanying text: “No need for gender testing!” This phrase openly ridiculed athlete, Caster Semenya, who had been at the centre of an internationally publicised controversy shortly before the Teazers advertisement was released. Semenya was humiliated when athletic authorities denied her international victory and subjected her to tests to prove her sex as female, known as ‘gender tests’. Club owner, Lolly Jackson, recently deceased, denied any link to the athlete and insisted it was a mere coincidence. He then attacked the citizen who lodged a complaint with ASA against the advertisement and the ASA directorate, calling them “a bunch of idiots doing a worthless job.” Jackson expressed outrage at the complainant. "Some religious freak complained, only a religious fool would complain about that. Maybe the woman who complained should lose a bit of weight and her husband will then stop looking at the Teazers billboard, maybe she is fat and ugly. I don't give a s**t about her moral issues. I am sick and tired of bloody women who have nothing to do but look at Teazers billboards and complain. There are a lot more serious things that are happening in the country like corruption, crime and all that than complain about a billboard...It is a nice advert and the woman is a wonderful specimen of a lady. I wish there were a lot more in Sandton looking like her."(9) In addition to Teazer’s highly inappropriate and cruel capitalisation of Semenya’s humiliation, the advertiser obviously failed to see beyond women’s physical attributes. Jackson and his advertising agency even reduced the complainant’s concerns to a matter of physical appearance by suggesting that her (assumed) probable physical ‘inadequacy’ was the real reason she was complaining. The idea that women cannot be concerned about anything more than physical appearance is a derogatory assumption, if not outrageous. The overall response was also deeply sexist and openly glorified the objectification of women, yet no more could have been expected of Jackson. After his murder in May, Errol Naidoo, Director of the Family Policy Institute, said that “the death of Lolly Jackson offers a respite from the sexual exploitation of women and girls in South Africa."(10) In these and other cases, the focus fell on the acceptability or the offensiveness of the advertisements, yet what should really be problematised is the reality of the commoditisation of women’s sexuality. Indeed, female sexuality has become so commodified, so ‘normal’, that its presence in everyday marketing is hardly ever questioned, yet its consequences are tangible in women’s lives. Why it matters The media play an important role in how knowledge is produced and lived. They constitute the collective locus where prevailing discourses are created, inscribed, repeated and normalised.(11) It follows that if women are assigned problematic roles such as sex objects, room is actively created for a variety of negative perceptions to flourish. The need to interrogate what the media choose to portray as ‘normal’, therefore, draws on concerns that such portrayals can become acceptable ways of life. Challenging media portrayals “Is about the media’s power to create and sustain meanings; to persuade, endorse and reinforce.”(12) According to Jean Boddewyn, it is hard to control media portrayals of women because of the heterogeneous nature of advertisements and the flux of norms bearing on sex and decency in advertising.(13) The point remains, however, that media agencies need to take responsibility for the power they have and how they choose to yield it. While it may not be possible to measure the full extent of the impact of gendered and sexualised images in the media, their implications remain real and far-reaching. Media representations are never immaterial: they have potentially real and material effects on the affected groups,(14) in this case women. One potential effect of the sexual objectification of women is that it supports sexual violence against women. It is the porno-capitalist logic inherent in the fact that sex sells that allows advertisers to normalise and glamorise what is essentially the sexual exploitation of women, for the benefit of men and the capitalist project. Much pornographic focus falls on male dominance and female submissiveness, a form of social oppression of women,(15) regardless of whether the woman in question ‘wants’ to be submissive or not. The concept renders women targets of potential sexual violence. “Pornography reduces women to sexual objects which leads to violence against them and also to a pervasive pattern of social disadvantage both privately and publicly,”(16) argues Owen Fiss in his acclaimed book, The Irony of Free Speech. Sexualised images of women in advertising media contribute to the negative stereotype of women being ‘more looks than brains’ because their bodies are emphasised, but other personality aspects like emotions and critical thinking are conveniently ignored. Sexualised media images suggest certain gender roles for girls and women. Women are often portrayed as sex objects whose sole function is to satisfy public voyeuristic tendencies. This is an assault on women’s dignity. The media’s continuous and sadly, profitable, portrayal of women as single-minded sexualised beings strongly contradicts South Africa’s discursive and legislative promotion of gender equality through affirmative action and activism. It contradicts the South African Constitution which promotes non-sexism in the Equality Act. These advertising trends also have serious effects on youth. A recent study by the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed that it takes only 15 minutes of exposure to video clips that objectify women to make female audience members feel more conscious and depressed about their bodies since they cannot meet the idealised ‘beauty’ marketed as normal.(17) It also revealed that teenage girls frequently exposed to such content are more likely to start viewing themselves as sex objects. Alarmingly, boys frequently exposed to such content are likely to shape their attitudes towards women and girls accordingly.(18) Advertising that promotes the objectification of women is especially problematic in a country like South Africa, which boasts some of the highest rape statistics in the world. 54 926 cases were reported in 2006 alone. This figure does not include the estimated 450 000 rape cases that went unreported.(19) The lack of respect for women that leads to rampant violence against them is fed by media tendencies to portray women in sexually demeaning ways. There is a serious need to prioritise and regulate the interrogation of media messages, so that whatever power they have to create and sustain meanings is not wielded at the expense of women and girls. Sex sells, but many other things do, too. Women, violence and control over advertising The sexualised images that feature prominently in South African advertising media reinforce negative stereotypes. Accordingly, it is easy for many men to regard women’s bodies as products to be acquired or ‘things’ men are entitled access to. With rape statistics as high as South Africa’s, any portrayals that glamorise the sexual objectification of women should be discouraged with the resolve and seriousness they demand. Any efforts to counter rape need to take account of what the media are promoting as normal. The construction of women as sexual objects and society’s acceptance of such attitudes are key to the rampant sexual violence South African women experience every day. Despite the existence of two research organisations, the South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) and the South African Marketing Research Association (SAMRA), advertising agencies and their clients are still able to conceptualise, design and release advertisements that appeal to consumers based on the idea of sexualised, objectified women. Activists should lobby for a nationally recognised advertising research agenda that could serve to regulate the ideas of advertising companies and their clients. This objective may not be easy to execute, but women cannot wait for the capitalist endeavour to develop a social consciousness towards them. Capitalists still burn coal and other natural resources at an alarming rate, despite all the dooming evidence of global warming and its consequences. Why would advertisers and their clients suddenly be more considerate to women, sexism and sexual violence? This is an issue that South African women need to take charge of, or else little is going to change. In addition to topical discussion papers and tailored research services, CAI releases a number of fortnightly and monthly publications, examining the latest developments in Africa, across a wide range of interest areas. Interested parties can click here to take advantage of CAI’s free, no obligation, 1-month trial to any/all of the CAI publications. For more information, see http://www.consultancyafrica.com or http://www.ngopulse.org/press-release/consultancy-africa-intelligence. (1) Lwanga Mwilu is an External Consultant in Consultancy Africa Intelligence’s Gender Issues Unit (email@example.com). (2) La Tour, M. S. & Henthorne, T. L. 1994. 'Ethical judgements of sexual appeals in print advertising.' in Journal of Advertising, Vol XXIII(3):81-90. (3) Hiller, M. ‘What really is for sale?’ The Media Magazine, 1 November 2009, http://www.themediaonline.co.za. (4) ‘Sexpo’s racy ads banned’, Sapa, 21 September 2009, http://www.news24.com. (5) See the advertisement at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BC4ZiKgv_M. (6) ‘Sexpo’s racy ads banned’, Sapa, 21 September 2009, http://www.news24.com. (8) See the image at http://www.chrisrawlinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Teasers_thumb.jpg. (9) Botho Molosankwe, ‘Offensive billboard creates a stir’, The Star, 29 September 2009, http://www.thestar.co.za. (10) ‘Lolly death ‘inescapable’’, Sapa, 5 May 2010, http://news.iafrica.com. (11) Prinsloo, J. 2003. 'Childish images: The gendered depiction of childhood in popular South African magazines.’ in Agenda, 56: 26-36. (12) Silverstone, R. 1999. 'Why study the media?' London: Sage. (13) Boddewyn, J. J., 'Sex and decency in advertising around the world.' in Journal of Advertising, Vol XX(4):25-35. (14) TMedia Monitoring Africa. 2009. 'Reporting a diverse nation. Recorded radio conference series broadcast on SAfm in conjunction with the Open Society Foundation.' Audio CD accessed through Rhodes Journalism Review (29). (15) ‘Do we need naked women to advertise sofas?’ Reproductive health matters. November 2005. http://findarticles.com. (16) Fiss, M.O. 1996. 'The irony of free speech.' Cambridge: Harvard University Press. (17) 'Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls', APA, 2007, http://www.apa.org. (18) Rishworth, A. ‘The sexualisation and objectification of young women and girls’, Australian Labor, 4 February 2010, http://www.alp.org.au. (19) Rape statistics – South Africa and worldwide, 2010, http://www.rape.co.za.	180,024
Degrees and Certifications: Bachelor's: Interdisciplinary Studies- UTSA Master's: Educational Leadership & Policy Studies- UTSA Certifications: Early Childhood- 6th Grade English Second Language Texas Reading Academy T-TESS Mrs. Crystal Flores M.Ed. Hello Stone Oak Family, Welcome to 2nd Grade! This 2023-2024 school year is my 14th year teaching at Stone Oak Elementary. I am the proud parent of 3 precious kiddos. I have 6 year old twins, Christopher & Catherine, and 5 year old, Charlotte, and they attend Stone Oak in 1st grade and Kinder. YAY!! My lovely husband Chris & I have been married 14 years and counting. I love unicorns and rainbows and all things colorful in my classroom. I absolutely enjoy teaching and making the classroom a warm and friendly atmosphere. I have taught 5th grade for 7years and 3rd grade for 6 years. This will be my first year in 2nd grade and I couldn't be more excited. I sincerely look forward to my new group of darling students this year.	299,863
A History of International Research Networking: The People who Made it Happen Copyright © 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA Editor(s): Howard Davies, Beatrice Bressan Published Online: 29 MAR 2010 Print ISBN: 9783527327102 Online ISBN: 9783527629336 About this Book The first book written and edited by the people who developed the Internet, this book deals with the history of creating universal protocols and a global data transfer network. The result is THE authoritative source on the topic, providing a vast amount of insider knowledge unavailable elsewhere. Despite the huge number of contributors, the text is uniform in style and level, and of interest to every scientist and a must-have for all network developers as well as agencies dealing with the Net.	111,172
July 2001 - The Lansing Board of Water and Light, a municipal utility serving 97,000 customers in and around Lansing, Michigan, announced that residential and business customers can now participate in its GreenWise Electric Power Program. Under the program, customers can purchase 250 kilowatt-hour blocks of green power for an extra $7.50 per month. Initially, power for the program will be supplied from a Lansing-based landfill gas facility and two small hydro facilities in Cheboygan County. Customers must subscribe for a minimum of three years. News Release - "Go Green" with our new GreenWise Electric Power	280,046
Israeli researchers Prof. Karen Avraham and PhD candidate Shaked Shivatzki of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine meshed the fine arts with exact sciences to create the winning submission to the recent American Society of Human Genetics art competition. Their project — Hearing and Deafness: Structure and Sequence — is a tribute to deep sequencing, a technology used to describe the major components of the human genome, DNA. It’s one of the most important tools in genetic diagnostics today, says Prof. Avraham, revolutionizing the hunt for genetic mutations. The contest rules were simple, says Prof. Avraham — create a piece that combines genetics and art to reveal the aesthetic beauty in scientific research. “It’s very important to teach the public about science, and one of the ways to do this is to show them the beauty of the field. But a picture is worth a thousand words, and can explain scientific concepts in a clearer way,” she says. The work shows an image of a mouse cochlea, with cells stained with antibodies to denote the different types of cells and their function in the ear, makes up the background. In the foreground are DNA sequences of a gene that, when mutated, causes deafness, which symbolizes deep sequencing, an advanced technique used to reveal variances in cellular DNA or RNA. It was awarded first place and graces the cover of the society’s most recent journal. The gene featured in the image is called Connexin 26. It is now known that mutations in this gene are the most common cause for deafness, found in about 30 percent of the hearing impaired population in Israel, says Prof. Avraham. Much of the early work in terms of diagnosing this mutation was done in Israel and at TAU, she adds. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health NIDCD and I-CORE Gene Regulation in Complex Human Disease.	144,947
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more About The daily news. (San Jose, Calif.) 1886-1886 San Jose, Calif. (1886-1886) The daily news. : (San Jose, Calif.) 1886-1886 - Place of publication: - San Jose, Calif. - Geographic coverage: \| View more titles from this: - Hugh DeLacy and Chas. Williams - Dates of publication: Vol. 6, no. 8 (Feb. 1, 1886)-v. 7, no. 136 (Dec. 30, 1886). - Daily (except Sun.) - California--San Jose.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01206320 - San Jose (Calif.)--Newspapers. - sn 95062008 - Preceding Titles: - Succeeding Titles: View complete holdings information	32,564
Math = EEEEEW. I hate math, in fact, all social workers hate math. And often times social workers say they just, flat-out, refuse to do math. But, a few months ago, I had a fulfilling conversation with a friend and family member that has stuck with me. We discussed a concept of life being like math, as you add, subtract, multiply, and divide. We can either add to the world, subtract from the world, multiply the world, or divide it. And we cannot move ahead in life without solving the problem in front of us…A solution exists somewhere and it is up to us to appreciate patience, learn the skill, and solve the problem before we can move forward. It is a simple and obvious concept, but I find that sometimes the most obvious motivators and solutions need to be said out loud…Who do you want to be? Do you want to add positivity to the world, do you want to take away from it, do you want to multiply the impact you have on the world, or do you want to divide the world? Do you want to find solutions, or cheat your way through? Who are you now, and who do you want to be? During the conversation I was having with these two insightful individuals, we discussed the connection between the math concept and being present in life and opportunity. When we open our eyes to our surroundings, we constantly have opportunity knocking at our doors. It is up to us to recognize it and decide if we take a leap of faith, or if we live in our every day normal. Although these two concepts seem very different, they are related. Our ability to multiply and add to the world enhances our ability to understand and see faith in taking leaps and recognizing opportunity. What is life if we do not try new things, if we do not step out of our comfort zone, and what impact could we have if we change our attitudes and behaviors? In order to live life fully and be open to opportunity, we have to understand our impact on the world; what we add to it, or what we wish to add. When I am fearful and hesitant to take a leap of faith or step out of my comfort zone, the first thing I ask myself is, what is the worst thing that could happen? I allow myself to go there; to the most fearful and risky part of the situation. I play that out, and then I find the solution to that problem, should it happen. Because even in the worst of times, we have proven to ourselves that we can get through it, as we are all still here, right? In the worst of times, we have pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps and gotten through it. I promised myself I would always explore the opportunity in front of me, go to the worst-case scenario, find the solution to that and ask myself if it is worth the risk. I evaluate my options and ask myself how I want to feel at the end of this rainbow…Would I rather have tried and maybe failed, to at least know the outcome? Would I rather take the chance of exploring the opportunity knowing it is where my heart truly is, and if I fail I have a higher faith in knowing it was all meant to be? Or do I live in my current situation, not ever and potentially always wondering what could have been? The choice is up to you and what is most comfortable, which is the beauty of choice. Life is about opportunity, exploration, and happiness. We are not meant to stay within a box of ‘societal norms’ and expectations we put on ourselves. Life is about learning, enjoying, and exploring. It is about taking risks and learning lessons, or taking risks and multiplying our impact when we find that the risk was worth it. Speak your truth, and do not apologize for being exactly who you are. Change brings opportunity. Success comes from taking opportunities and taking that chance. We can create the right opportunity to add to our lives. If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say yes, then learn how to do it later. ~	201,740
BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS.—Stem about 1 foot high. Umbels on long stalks without involucre; flowers small, white; calyx obsolete; carpets 5, with filiform ridges. HABITAT.—Levant and Egypt; extensively cultivated in Europe. DESCRIPTION OF DRUG.—Two or three varieties have been produced by cultivation, the Spanish being the smallest, and usually preferred. In general appearance anise resembles conium very much, but it is distinguished from the latter in being usually longer and more ovate, the mericarps, which usually adhere together, having their five ribs more or less hairy and not jagged, and having about 15 oil tubes, of which conium has none; odor fragrant; taste aromatic, sweetish. The fruit is often accompanied with its adhering short peduncle. Powder.—Characteristic elements: See Part iv, Chap. I, B. CONSTITUENTS.—Volatile oil (1 ½ to 3 per cent.). Ash, not exceeding 9 per cent. ACTION AND USES.—Stimulant and aromatic carminative. Dose: 8 to 30 gr. (0.5 to 3 Gm.). 381a. OLEUM ANISI, U.S.—A colorless or pale yellow volatile oil, having the aromatic odor and taste of the fruit; neutral in reaction; sp. gr. 0.98 to 0.99, depending upon age. Dose: 5 drops (0.3 mil) CONSTITUENTS.—It contains a slight quantity of a light hydrocarbon oil, but principally anethol, C10H12O, which is present in both liquid (liquid anethol) and solid form (anise camphor); by oxidation this anethol is converted into anisic acid; anethol is the principal constituent also of fennel and star anise, the most of the commercial anise oil being derived from the last-named fruit. Anethol is recognized in the National Formulary. Preparation of Anethol.—Obtained by fractional distillation; by oxidation is converted into anisic acid. - Aqua Anisi (0.2 per cent.) Dose: 4 fl. dr. (16 mils). - Spiritus Anisi (10 per cent.) 90 drops (6 mils). - Spiritus Aurantii Compositus (0.5 per cent.), - Tinctura Opii Camphorata (0.4 per cent.), 2 fl. dr. (8 mils).	169,392
Rollover image for closeup Meditation on "There Is A Fountain" - 3-5 OctavesItem #: AL.00-23150 Unrated ( Be the first to review this item ) Arranged by Sandra Eithun. Handbell Music. Voicing/Format: 3-5 Octaves. Level: Level 2. 9x12 inches. Published by Alfred Publishing. (AL.00-23150) Free Shipping on this item in orders above $199 Found in: Folk Sheet Music for Handbell Beautifully flowing setting of the early American melody; developing ringers will learn to ring musically as they work through dynamic and harmonic changes; appropriate for general worship services throughout the year; exceptional choice for the Lenten season	219,056
Currently Browsing: craft tutorial This date night idea will have the two of you enjoying fun and planned out dates all year round. Everything you need to create your own can o’ dates is right here in this post. Create a chalkboard wall for love notes, date invites and your every day schedule! Create a can full of bedroom goodies for a DELIGHTFUL evening of romantic fun! Adorable vacation countdown and it is so easy! FREE printables included! This Mother’s Day, surprise your sweetheart with the ultimate date full of fun DIY details and adventure with the help of our free printables. April showers will bring YOUR man a lot of love with this creative craft! Decorate the house with this super cute and easy DIY St. Patrick’s Day FREE Printable Banner! Your man will be breaking down your bedroom door when he sees this panty wreath! Scrapbooking pro’s and novices will love this scrappy idea that is easy, quick, and inexpensive, hoorah! TONS of printable scrapbook and scrap items! Surprise your spouse with this darling Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt complete with free printable clue and task cards!	129,756
THE group before the picture which had been the subject of dispute was broken up. In one part of the gallery, Lady Loring and Stella were whispering together on a sofa. In another part, Lord Loring was speaking privately to Romayne. “Do you think you will like Mr. Penrose?” his lordship asked. “Yes — so far as I can tell at present. He seems to be modest and intelligent.” “You are looking ill, my dear Romayne. Have you again heard the voice that haunts you?” Romayne answered with evident reluctance. “I don’t know why,” he said —“but the dread of hearing it again has oppressed me all this morning. To tell you the truth, I came here in the hope that the change might relieve me.” “Has it done so?” “Yes — thus far.” “Doesn’t that suggest, my friend, that a greater change might be of use to you?” “Don’t ask me about it, Loring! I can go through my ordeal — but I hate speaking of it.” “Let us speak of something else then,” said Lord Loring. “What do you think of Miss Eyrecourt?” “A very striking face; full of expression and character. Leonardo would have painted a noble portrait of her. But there is something in her manner —” He stopped, unwilling or unable to finish the sentence. “Something you don’t like?” Lord Loring suggested. “No; something I don’t quite understand. One doesn’t expect to find any embarrassment in the manner of a well-bred woman. And yet she seemed to be embarrassed when she spoke to me. Perhaps I produced an unfortunate impression on her.” Lord Loring laughed. “In any man but you, Romayne, I should call that affectation.” “Why?” Romayne asked, sharply. Lord Loring looked unfeignedly surprised. “My dear fellow, do you really think you are the sort of man who impresses a woman unfavorably at first sight? For once in your life, indulge in the amiable weakness of doing yourself justice — and find a better reason for Miss Eyrecourt’s embarrassment.” For the first time since he and his friend had been talking together, Romayne turned toward Stella. He innocently caught her in the act of looking at him. A younger woman, or a woman of weaker character, would have looked away again. Stella’s noble head drooped; her eyes sank slowly, until they rested on her long white hands crossed upon her lap. For a moment more Romayne looked at her with steady attention. He roused himself, and spoke to Lord Loring in lowered tones. “Have you known Miss Eyrecourt for a long time?” “She is my wife’s oldest and dearest friend. I think, Romayne, you would feel interested in Stella, if you saw more of her.” Romayne bowed in silent submission to Lord Loring’s prophetic remark. “Let us look at the pictures,” he said, quietly. As he moved down the gallery, the two priests met him. Father Benwell saw his opportunity of helping Penrose to produce a favorable impression. “Forgive the curiosity of an old student, Mr. Romayne,” he said in his pleasant, cheerful way. “Lord Loring tells me you have sent to the country for your books. Do you find a London hotel favorable to study?” “It is a very quiet hotel,” Romayne answered, “and the people know my ways.” He turned to Arthur. “I have my own set of rooms, Mr. Penrose,” he continued —“with a room at your disposal. I used to enjoy the solitude of my house in the country. My tastes have lately changed — there are times now when I want to see the life in the streets, as a relief. Though we are in a hotel, I can promise that you will not be troubled by interruptions, when you kindly lend me the use of your pen.” Father Benwell answered before Penrose could speak. “You may perhaps find my young friend’s memory of some use to you, Mr. Romayne, as well as his pen. Penrose has studied in the Vatican Library. If your reading leads you that way, he knows more than most men of the rare old manuscripts which treat of the early history of Christianity.” This delicately managed reference to the projected work on “The Origin of Religions” produced its effect. “I should like very much, Mr. Penrose, to speak to you about those manuscripts,” Romayne said. “Copies of some of them may perhaps be in the British Museum. Is it asking too much to inquire if you are disengaged this morning?” “I am entirely at your service, Mr. Romayne.” “If you will kindly call at my hotel in an hour’s time, I shall have looked over my notes, and shall be ready for you with a list of titles and dates. There is the address.” With those words, he advanced to take his leave of Lady Loring and Stella. Father Benwell was a man possessed of extraordinary power of foresight — but he was not infallible. Seeing that Romayne was on the point of leaving the house, and feeling that he had paved the way successfully for Romayne’s amanuensis, he too readily assumed that there was nothing further to be gained by remaining in the gallery. Moreover, the interval before Penrose called at the hotel might be usefully filled up by some wise words of advice, relating to the religious uses to which he might turn his intercourse with his employer. Making one of his ready and plausible excuses, he accordingly returned with Penrose to the library — and so committed (as he himself discovered at a later time) one of the few mistakes in the long record of his life. In the meanwhile, Romayne was not permitted to bring his visit to a conclusion without hospitable remonstrance on the part of Lady Loring. She felt for Stella, with a woman’s enthusiastic devotion to the interests of true love; and she had firmly resolved that a matter so trifling as the cultivation of Romayne’s mind should not be allowed to stand in the way of the far more important enterprise of opening his heart to the influence of the sex. “Stay and lunch with us,” she said, when he held out his hand to bid her good-by. “Thank you, Lady Loring, I never take lunch.” “Well, then, come and dine with us — no party; only ourselves. Tomorrow, and next day, we are disengaged. Which day shall it be?” Romayne still resisted. “You are very kind. In my state of health, I am unwilling to make engagements which I may not be able to keep.” Lady Loring was just as resolute on her side. She appealed to Stella. “Mr. Romayne persists, my dear, in putting me off with excuses. Try if you can persuade him.” “I am not likely to have any influence, Adelaide.” The tone in which she replied struck Romayne. He looked at her. Her eyes, gravely meeting his eyes, held him with a strange fascination. She was not herself conscious how openly all that was noble and true in her nature, all that was most deeply and sensitively felt in her aspirations, spoke at that moment in her look. Romayne’s face changed: he turned pale under the new emotion that she had roused in him. Lady Loring observed him attentively. “Perhaps you underrate your influence, Stella?” she suggested. Stella remained impenetrable to persuasion. “I have only been introduced to Mr. Romayne half an hour since,” she said. “I am not vain enough to suppose that I can produce a favorable impression on any one in so short a time.” She had expressed, in other words, Romayne’s own idea of himself, in speaking of her to Lord Loring. He was struck by the coincidence. “Perhaps we have begun, Miss Eyrecourt, by misinterpreting one another,” he said. “We may arrive at a better understanding when I have the honor of meeting you again.” He hesitated and looked at Lady Loring. She was not the woman to let a fair opportunity escape her. “We will say to-morrow evening,” she resumed, “at seven o’clock.” “To-morrow,” said Romayne. He shook hands with Stella, and left the picture gallery. Thus far, the conspiracy to marry him promised even more hopefully than the conspiracy to convert him. And Father Benwell, carefully instructing Penrose in the next room, was not aware of it! But the hours, in their progress, mark the march of events as surely as they mark the march of time. The day passed, the evening came — and, with its coming, the prospects of the conversion brightened in their turn. Let Father Benwell himself relate how it happened — in an extract from his report to Rome, written the same evening. “ . . . I had arranged with Penrose that he should call at my lodgings, and tell me how he had prospered at the first performance of his duties as secretary to Romayne. “The moment he entered the room the signs of disturbance in his face told me that something serious had happened. I asked directly if there had been any disagreement between Romayne and himself. “He repeated the word with every appearance of surprise. ‘Disagreement?’ he said. ‘No words can tell how sincerely I feel for Mr. Romayne. I cannot express to you, Father, how eager I am to be of service to him!’ “Relieved, so far, I naturally asked what had happened. Penrose betrayed a marked embarrassment in answering my question. “‘I have innocently surprised a secret,’ he said, ‘on which I had no right to intrude. All that I can honorably tell you, shall be told. Add one more to your many kindnesses — don’t command me to speak, when it is my duty toward a sorely-tried man to be silent, even to you.’ “It is needless to say that I abstained from directly answering this strange appeal. ‘Let me hear what you can tell,’ I replied, ‘and then we shall see.’ “Upon this, he spoke. I need hardly recall to your memory how careful we were, in first planning the attempt to recover the Vange property, to assure ourselves of the promise of success which the peculiar character of the present owner held out to us. In reporting what Penrose said, I communicate a discovery, which I venture to think will be as welcome to you, as it was to me. “He began by reminding me of what I had myself told him in speaking of Romayne. ‘You mentioned having heard from Lord Loring of a great sorrow or remorse from which he was suffering,’ Penrose said. ‘I know what he suffers and why he suffers, and with what noble resignation he submits to his affliction. We were sitting together at the table, looking over his notes and memoranda, when he suddenly dropped the manuscript from which he was reading to me. A ghastly paleness overspread his face. He started up, and put both his hands to his ears as if he heard something dreadful, and was trying to deafen himself to it. I ran to the door to call for help. He stopped me; he spoke in faint, gasping tones, forbidding me to call any one in to witness what he suffered. It was not the first time, he said; it would soon be over. If I had not courage to remain with him I could go, and return when he was himself again. I so pitied him that I found the courage to remain. When it was over he took me by the hand, and thanked me. I had stayed by him like a friend, he said, and like a friend he would treat me. Sooner or later (those were his exact words) I must be taken into his confidence — and it should be now. He told me his melancholy story. I implore you, Father, don’t ask me to repeat it! Be content if I tell you the effect of it on myself. The one hope, the one consolation for him, is in our holy religion. With all my heart I devote myself to his conversion — and, in my inmost soul, I feel the conviction that I shall succeed!’ “To this effect, and in this tone, Penrose spoke. I abstained from pressing him to reveal Romayne’s confession. The confession is of no consequence to us. You know how the moral force of Arthur’s earnestness and enthusiasm fortifies his otherwise weak character. I, too, believe he will succeed. “To turn for a moment to another subject. You are already informed that there is a woman in our way. I have my own idea of the right method of dealing with this obstacle when it shows itself more plainly. For the present, I need only assure you that neither this woman nor any woman shall succeed in her designs on Romayne, if I can prevent it.” Having completed his report in these terms, Father Benwell reverted to the consideration of his proposed inquiries into the past history of Stella’s life. Reflection convinced him that it would be unwise to attempt, no matter how guardedly, to obtain the necessary information from Lord Loring or his wife. If he assumed, at his age, to take a strong interest in a Protestant young lady, who had notoriously avoided him, they would certainly feel surprise — and surprise might, in due course of development, turn to suspicion. There was but one other person under Lord Loring’s roof to whom he could address himself — and that person was the housekeeper. As an old servant, possessing Lady Loring’s confidence, she might prove a source of information on the subject of Lady Loring’s fair friend; and, as a good Catholic, she would feel flattered by the notice of the spiritual director of the household. “It may not be amiss,” thought Father Benwell, “if I try the housekeeper.” Last updated Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 11:52	307,923
Mpls. Public Schools To Change Discipline StrategiesThe Minneapolis Public School system is reevaluating how they discipline children. This comes after some alarming numbers got the district some negative attention. Records show minority students and those with special needs are getting harsher punishments than white students. Last year, black students were suspended at a rate more than five times that of white students.	246,616
Click here for a slide show of Weed Removal Methods Removal of Hazardous Vegetation Conditions will help Prevent Wild Fires. 1. Grass, noxious weeds, trash, rubbish, and other flammable material need to be cut and removed from vacant lots, yards, courtyards, parkways, and other locations. These types of vegetation, when dry, become a fire hazard and must be maintained throughout the year. 2. Trees and branches – Remove any portion of a tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of any roof, chimney, or stovepipe. 3. Native brush and chaparral near any improved property (structures) need to be cleared or thinned. All ground litter must be removed from vacant lots, yards, courtyards, parkways, and other locations. The diagrams below show how to properly prune a single native bush (see illustration below) and how to create a defensible space around a home (see illustration below) or other structure by simply removing the dead and dying brush and, in some cases, some living plants, thereby reducing the overall concentration of flammable material. 4. All cleared, thinned, or cut materials must be removed from the property to an approved county landfill site or green waste facility for proper disposal. 5. Methods of cleaning properties by the County include discing and hand labor. 6. Open burning is prohibited by regulations of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Defensible space gives the firefighter a chance to succeed. Imagine a wildland fire moving through heavy brush or woods toward wood-roofed, wood-sided structures. The fire is pushed by strong winds and burning embers are starting new small fires well in advance of the main fire front. Vegetation surrounds the back of the structures and comes within 10 feet in many places. The flames burning through the vegetation reach 50 feet in height. The firefighter has little chance to succeed. There is insufficient space within which to defend the structure safely. The radiant heat and spotting will surely ignite the structure and prevent the firefighter from mounting an aggressive attack. If the same situation occurs and the structure has 100 feet or more of defensible space, the firefighter has a much better opportunity to succeed. The firefighter can attack the fire from the exposed side of the structure. In addition to providing the fire service a realistic chance to save structures, defensible space provides other positive benefits. If a fire department's resources become stretched up an interface fire (with many critical fire problems and not enough fire units), then the structure with defensible space has a chance to survive on its own. In addition, the defensible space also protects the wildland from flies that begin in structures. A fire can generally be contained within the clearance between the structure and vegetation. Defensible space is a primary solution to the interface fire problem. The three primary benefits of defensible space include: - Opportunity for the fire department to succeed. - Opportunity for the structure to survive an interface fire on its own. - Opportunity to stop fire spreading from structures to vegetation. \|Noxious weeds: \|\|A weed is designated noxious when it is considered by a governmental agency to be injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife, or property. \| \|Cut: \|\|Plants or weeds that are cut off at the ground level. \| \|Cleared: \|\|Plants or weeds that are completely cut or otherwise removed from the landscape. \| \|Thinned: \|\|A simple removal of some plants instead of all plants, 20% to 50%, depending upon the situation. This is commonly used where houses are adjacent to native scrub. \| \|Discing: \|\|A method of weed removal that uses a series of concave discs pulled by a tractor that dig into the soil, and lift and turn over the weeds. \| \|Hand Labor: \|\|A handheld gas or electric string weed cutter that cuts weeds at the ground level. \|	104,142
Ramon Casadesus-Masanell; Jordan Mitchell \|Also Available In:\|\|English Hardcopy Color\| \|List Price: $6.93\|\|Source: Harvard Business School\| \|Publication Date: Jul 6, 2007\|\|Product #: 708418-PDF-ENG\| \|Discipline: Social Enterprise\|\|Length: 25 p, English PDF\| \|Revision Date: Nov 28, 2009\| To maximize their effectiveness, color cases should be printed in color. Nearly all environmental organizations have a similar aim: to stop the degradation of the natural environment. However, the strategies which environmental organizations choose to employ are sometimes starkly different. Compares the models of two dissimilar environmental powerhouses: Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). Active in 100 countries, WWF works with governments, businesses, other NGOs, and communities to set up conservation programs to preserve natural habitat. In contrast, Greenpeace works to campaign for environmental change against governments and corporations and accepts funding only through individuals and foundation grants. Explores the detailed history and business models of both organizations. Includes color exhibits. Air pollution; Biodiversity; Business models; Carbon emissions; Climate change; Environmental organizations; Environmental protection; Global business; Land use; Natural resources; Nongovernmental organizations; Social responsibility; Strategy; Waste disposal	90,985
Award-winning Civil War historian Noah Andre Trudeau has written a gripping, definitive new account that will stand as the last word on General William Tecumseh Sherman's epic march—a targeted strategy aimed to break not only the Confederate army but an entire society as well. With Lincoln's hard-fought reelection victory in hand, Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union forces, allowed Sherman to lead the largest and riskiest operation of the war. In rich detail, Trudeau explains why General Sherman's name is still anathema below the Mason-Dixon Line, especially in Georgia, where he is remembered as ''the one who marched to the sea with death and devastation in his wake.'' Sherman's swath of destruction spanned more than sixty miles in width and virtually cut the South in two, badly disabling the flow of supplies to the Confederate army. He led more than 60,000 Union troops to blaze a path from Atlanta to Savannah, ordering his men to burn crops, kill livestock, and decimate everything that fed the Rebel war machine. Grant and Sherman's gamble worked, and the march managed to crush a critical part of the Confederacy and increase the pressure on General Lee, who was already under siege in Virginia. Told through the intimate and engrossing diaries and letters of Sherman's soldiers and the civilians who suffered in their path, Southern Storm paints a vivid picture of an event that would forever change the course of America. Hardcover: 688 pages Publisher: Harper (August 5, 2008)	10,107
William J. Astore, a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF), has taught at the Air Force Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School. He currently teaches at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. A regular contributor to TomDispatch, he is the author of Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism (Potomac, 2005). His email is wastore at pct.edu. Why you should expect more bombs to be dropped everywhere. An Air Force veteran explains how we all got drafted into the American national security state. War! What is it good for? Profit and power. Since the dawn of air power, supporters have advanced fantasies that, again and again, have failed to pan out—while civilians die in often staggering numbers. Petraeus may have had the affair, but we're all responsible for the U.S' worshipful embrace of our military generals. Why the real victor in Campaign 2012 won’t be Obama or Romney. Weapons manufacturing in America is still going strong, even if the wisdom or morality of arms deals is rarely discussed. The United States’ current conflicts abroad are “1 percent wars”—remote, imperial wars of choice in which 99 percent of Americans have no stake. At the highest levels, what’s civilian and what’s military are increasingly difficult to tell apart as the two spheres blur and blend. Our wars and their impact are kept in remarkable isolation from what passes for public affairs in this country, leaving most Americans with little knowledge and even less say about whether they should be, and how they are, waged.	184,283
- The Spot - http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot - Does downtown Denver tax district take money from DPS? Posted By Jeremy Meyer On October 30, 2013 @ 11:31 am In Budget,Colorado Government,Denver City Hall,Education \| 1 Comment Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez at Monday’s council meeting made an impassioned speech against supporting the continuation of a series of downtown Denver tax districts that could raise and expected $65 million for downtown improvements. The measure ended up passing on first reading with Lopez the only dissenting vote. The final vote is set for Monday. Among Lopez’s arguments was tax-increment financing that collects sales and property taxes from specific areas takes money away from Denver Public Schools. “Any time we use tax-increment financing, we take away from our school district,” Lopez said. “We have to ask ourselves is this a worthy endeavor?” So does the tax increment financing take money away from the school district? The short answer is, “yes.” But the long answer is more complicated. The bills would allow the city to continue TIFs in downtown that were created as early as 1992 to foster redevelopment. The original TIFs were created to pay off $60 million in bonds that were used to create the Pavilions, restore Mercantile Square that is now the home to the Tattered Cover bookstore in LoDo and build the Adam’s Mark Hotel that is now the Sheraton. The bonds were paid off in September, but the city wants to continue to keep the sales tax and property tax revenue through the life of the TIFs — which end in 2017 and in 2020. The theory is about $65 million could be collected, which could be used to refurbish the 16th Street Mall, build a downtown plaza and change the one-way 18th and Welton streets into two-way streets, among other things. Other plans include helping build a King Soopers, creating homeless facilities and even $3 million to help build a downtown school for Denver Public Schools. But how much money would be diverted that normally flow to the schools because of the TIFs? Denver Public Schools Chief Operations Officer David Suppes explained the annual amount of the downtown TIF revenue diverted from DPS is about $6.4 million. Of that, a little over half is backfilled by the state under the school finance act. That means approximately $3 million a year is diverted and not returned to DPS. Over the four years remaining on the TIF , that equates to about $15 million. Local property tax revenues associated with voter-approved bonds or mill levy overrides do not go through the state — the amounts and purposes/uses for those funds are determined and approved locally, Suppes said. The School Finance Act does set limits on the amount of local mill levy overrides that can be levied. When those mill levies are diverted, there is no backfill from the state and only a partial backfill from other property taxpayers across Denver. The district recovers the vast majority of those funds from the state’s “backfill” and other local property taxes. In 2013, for example, DPS is only out about $1 million because of the downtown TIF. Denver officials say the advantage to the TIF is that ultimately the redevelopment will bring back much more tax money than if the redevelopment would have never happened. They point to the condition of the downtown in the early 1990s and how it is today. In 2012, downtown Denver’s retail establishments collected $37.5 million in sales tax revenue for the city and county of Denver, according to the Downtown Denver Partnership. In 2006, the area collected just more than $25 million. Article printed from The Spot: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot URL to article: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2013/10/30/does-the-downtown-denver-tax-district-take-money-away-from-dps/102130/ URLs in this post: Paul Lopez: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/topic/paul-lopez/ tax-increment financing: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/topic/tax-increment-financing/ The theory is about $65 million: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/811754-downtown-bonds-tif-proposal.html TIF: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/topic/tif/	300,969
By David Kelly \| University Communications Over the last year, Robert Roach and his fellow researchers have traveled the world’s high places searching for clues into how people adjust to the challenges of altitude. Their mission has taken them from Breckenridge to Bolivia and beyond. “This isn’t just about recreation and mountain climbing,” Roach said. “Our research has major implications for lung disease, heart disease and even cancer. We believe our work can lead to new treatments and drugs.” Roach, PhD, was speaking last Tuesday at a reception for the Altitude Research Center (ARC) where he serves as director. The center, part of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is the only civilian institution focused on studying the effects of altitude on human physiology. More than 100 people came to learn about the latest research, including famed mountaineer Tom Hornbein, MD, who scaled Mount Everest via the daunting West Ridge in 1963. Hornbein chairs the ARC Foundation. Academy-award nominated photographer and National Geographic contributor, James Balog, was also on hand to talk about his work on climate change. Balog has stationed more than 30 time-lapse cameras from Greenland to Mount Everest, capturing stunning footage of glaciers in full retreat. “This isn’t fiction, it’s not imaginary,” Balog said. “Climate change is a fact and it’s happening right now.” The evening was a celebration of ARC’s mission to “improve life through research on how hypoxia affects health and performance.” Hypoxia occurs when the body is deprived of sufficient oxygen, resulting in anything from headaches and nausea to life-threatening cerebral or pulmonary edema. For months now, the center has been testing subjects brought to high altitudes to better understand the genomic basis of how they respond to hypoxia, or acute mountain sickness (AMS), and perhaps even how to cure the ailment. A new test by Roach can now predict with 90 percent accuracy who is likely to get sick and who isn’t. In 2012, the team spent the summer at 17,200 feet near the summit of Mount Chacaltaya in Bolivia studying 21 college students from Eugene, Oregon. They hoped to determine how the subjects adjusted to a low-oxygen environment. While the results are still pending, some intriguing observations were made. “When people acclimatized and then went to a lower elevation they did not seem to lose the benefits of acclimatization when they returned to altitude,” said Ryan Patterson, MD, one of the CU School of Medicine researchers who accompanied Roach to Bolivia. “Our research is the first to show that these benefits persist.” But those benefits fade somewhere between seven and 21 days of leaving the mountain, he said. Roach told the audience inside the Fulginiti Pavilion on the Anschutz Medical Campus that if they were immediately taken to the top of Everest most would lose consciousness and die within 30 minutes. And yet, with time to acclimate, they would likely survive. Roach hopes to market an AMS test kit so those likely to get sick can take precautions before going to altitude. He also wants to study populations living in the high mountains of Ethiopia and Ladakh to see how they have adjusted genetically to their environment. “Skiers, climbers, soldiers and those suffering from a number of serious medical conditions can experience the results of our research,” Roach said. Balog then took the floor and began showing his remarkable time-lapse footage of melting glaciers. Rivers of ice became rivers of water. Icebergs as tall as 60-story buildings tumbled magnificently into deep blue seas while some glaciers disappeared altogether. His documentary, Chasing Ice, has won worldwide acclaim for its depiction of the slow, inexorable retreat of earth’s great ice sheets. “The story of climate change has typically been told with charts and graphs that appeal to the left brain,” said Balog, who lives in Boulder. “I felt what was lacking was a more visual approach that would touch the right side of the brain.” Balog explained that a glacier is a very slow moving river of ice that forms when more snow falls in winter than melts in summer. “The vast majority of glaciers around the world are retreating due to warmer temperatures,” he said. “But I realized that photos were not enough. So we built a whole network of time-lapse cameras, powered by solar energy and timed to fire every half-hour to make a record of these melting glaciers.” His cameras capture glaciers literally shrinking to nothingness. Others melt before viewers eyes. In the Andes, he said, glaciers are retreating one to three vertical feet per year. “Glacier National Park will need a new name soon because all the glaciers will vanish in a few decades,” he said. Balog explained that climate change affects everyone. Floods and wildfires have become more frequent, more devastating and more expensive. Skeptics of climate change believe earth goes through natural heating and cooling cycles and reject the notion that humans impact those phases. Balog was once a skeptic himself. Then he traveled to the Arctic in 2005 for a National Geographic assignment on climate change. What he saw changed his life forever. “Humans have always felt that the basic operating system of the earth would take care of itself. But the idea that the earth is unchangeable is quickly disappearing,” he said. “We have entered what some scientists call the Anthropocene era which says that we are the dominant agent of change on earth today.” The notion that humans can’t impact the planet, he said, “is going into the dustbin of history.”	160,219
The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering & Applied Science, Engineering Science Corps Outreach Program’s mission is to increase awareness and interest in the many fields of Engineering. Its goal is to support local middle and high school students in their academic pathways to engineering, including providing support in math and science course work and offering experiences to students who are interested in learning more about engineering. Engineering Science Corps High School programs: Engineering Science Corps Undergraduate programs: Our programs aim to impact the number and diversity of students successfully pursuing engineering education. We encourage you to visit the program websites to learn more about the individual programs and how you might participate. If you have additional questions about Engineering Science Corps, our programs, or potential collaborations please refer to the information below to contact our staff. Skip UCLA Homepage	216,366
When Angels Are Born by Ron Starbuck Saint Julian Press I awake most mornings at 5 a.m., shuffle around the house in half sleep, make coffee, and then I sit quietly to watch the arrival of another new day through the window. On most of these mornings, just as the sun reaches up to the sky, I turn on my laptop computer and my attention is immediately taken by the white hot flash of an LCD screen. This morning was different. After a few moments sitting quietly looking out the window at the light changing outside over the silhouetted black buildings as the coffee machine gurgled away in the kitchen, I went over to the bookshelf and pulled down Ron Starbuck’s latest volume of poetry, When Angels Are Born. I don’t know why I did that instead of turning on my computer, but I am grateful. It is as though a part of me needed a different kind of nourishment. Something softer and more contemplative, a kind of wish to make a connection to something that speaks to a deeper part of myself–a “secret self that we all have,” as the writer Katherine Mansfield once said. It surprises me now to realize how little an effort is required to make one’s morning seem holy and significant. We just need to be attentive and to listen much like Ron Starbuck says in the introduction: “to open ourselves to the mystery of life.” Reading his poetry is to accept a gentle invitation from a friend to go walking in the fields of the spirit. You enter his words like a song, deeper and deeper still into “the mystery of life” and all of its “infinite possibilities,” much like the lightning bugs he describes in the poem “Youth & Rebellion:” who guide us home and guide us still. When Angels Are Born is an honest and heartfelt invocation, a calling out to the sacred that is so desperately needed today “in a world that undervalues such an intimacy of spirit.” It is also a spiritual journey where we are continually aroused from our sleep and brought to think and to feel our common human situation. We are encouraged gently to “pay attention” and to “welcome the embrace \| of heaven found in a single moment, between breathing in and out.” Ron Starbuck’s psalms, or sacred songs and prose easily guides us onto the path of many contemplative traditions and mystics like Meister Eckhart and Thomas Merton. And in the light of those traditions, we are asked to travel further than the known, to “empty out our small separate selves and to recognize the truth of who we really are–”to become a sacrament of seeing.” There are no clear cut answers offered to the great metaphysical questions but rather a deepening of those questions. He speaks directly into the heart of each of us, as though drawing from an ancient source, giving us voice to our deepest and most powerful intuitions and longings. The question of what does it really mean to be alive is echoed throughout the book and his penetrating verse assures us that the world is filled with the Absolute and that we need only to listen and discover for ourselves that we are not separate–that we are all part of something much larger. Even difficult spiritual concepts like compassion, emptiness, and rebirth are distilled down to their essence and made accessible in a language easily understood by the heart. In the poem “Death,” for example, Ron Starbuck says: Look at someone you love today For one minute, As if you saw them for the first time. When Angels Are Born is a gift. It is a wonderful book that can be read again and again. It serves to remind us to ask what is being given to us in each moment. Ron Starbuck’s poetry encourages us to try to see the world through fresh eyes, and to open ourselves up to gratitude for this life, or as he so eloquently puts it: “to give birth to our own angels in the world every day.”	274,122
Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital and its largest city. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation’s center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security, politics, economics, cultural heritage, and diplomacy of Cambodia. Once known as the “Pearl of Asia”, it was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Phnom Penh, along with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, are significant global and domestic tourist destinations for Cambodia. Founded in 1434, the city is noted for its beautiful and historical architecture and attractions. There are a number of surviving French colonial buildings scattered along the grand boulevards. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phnom_penh) It’s easy to get to the Capital, with their International Airport. There are many carriers who fly there. You can also get some great deals. Once you are there, you have a good choice of gay and gay-friendly hotels and guesthouses. There’s a lot to do and see in the day time. There are the reminders of the civil war in the 1970s – Toul Sleng Genocide and Cheoung Ek (Killing Fields) are very moving experiences. The Royal Palace and National Museum make a great day out in themselves. You can also hire a pleasure boat on the Mekong (US$20 an hour for the entire boat!). There are also hidden gems, such as Wat Phnom, where you can feed the monkeys and sit and enjoy the view. There’s plenty of good restaurants, with an abundance of French and local food to choose from. The night life is electric and there are many bars, clubs, saunas and spas to keep you out of (or in to) mischief. A night stroll along the Sisowath Quay, can possibly lead to a meeting of some of the local Khmer community. For a romantic evening try a Dinner River Cruise at sunset.	288,643
I was outside looking at lightening storms, and for the rare perseid meteor then the following occurred.First object; orange gold coloration, orb/spherical in shape. fast walking from west to east. traveled entire horizon in less than 4 minutes. after disappearing over horizon line, approximately 2 minutes passes, then either the same object made a 100 plus degree turn and traveled at the same speed towards the northeast at the same high rate of speed. third object seen 10-15 minutes later traveling north to south. appeared larger (or possibly lower), blueish silver in color traveling slightly slower than the other two. to early in the evening for satellites,also these objects/craft were moving far faster than satellites. iss on the other side of the planet, no standard aircraft in the area at that time. no iridium flares. no color changes nor changes in brightness. my feelings were thus; its about time that i was able to see something i could not identify. all object sightings lost at horizon lines.	66,111
I really like Apple products. I don’t have a Steve Jobs tattoo on the small of my back like Preston but I prefer their products to the competition. In my household we have two iPhones, a Macbook Pro, a 27” iMac, an iPod touch, two iPad Classics and we’re planning on buying a MacBook Air this summer. Yeah, I like their stuff. Despite all of my fanboyism there are some aspects of Apple that I just don’t agree with – like the Course Manager for iTunes U. I’ve been playing around with their iTunesU Course Manager which lets you aggregate, organize and deliver your course in a modular sort of fashion through iTunes. It really is a pretty slick ad easy to use web based app. You can add all sorts of information from discussion questions, assignments, just about any type of files (video, audio, PDF, Word documents, links etc.) and the Course Manager is web based which means it works on any computer with an Internet connection regardless if it’s an Apple product or not. You only need an Apple ID (which is free). So far, everything sounds fine and it is! Using the software is So far, it all looks great and it is until students need to access the course. They can only get it from iTunes (fair enough-we need a delivery system after all) and they have to view on their iPad and . . . well that’s really all they can view it on. This is the problem. Read on past the break to see what can be done about it A friend of mine summed it up pretty well by saying “Apple wants everyone in the world to have an iPad,” which of course they don’t. Why not let people view it on their computers inside of an iTunes U app? We can create it from any type of computer as long as you have Internet access. Apple doesn’t do this and probably won’t anytime soon. So what are the options? The school buys iPads for everyone one of its students and teacher. A lot of the content won’t display properly on an iPod touch/iPhone so iPad is your only option. If the school purchases it and provides it for each student than iTunes U goes from being a novelty to a very powerful medium to deliver rich and meaningful content to students nearly instantly. Awesome but costly. Especially when you start considering cases, keyboards and extra iPads for those that are destroyed, lost, stolen or simply forgotten at home from time to time. This coupled with a powerful LMS like Edmodo, Schoology or Moodle can render textbooks as a mere starting point for research, instead of the only destination for research (as many students and teachers tend to do). Require students to buy and bring their own iPad. The school should still have some extras on hand but this can get quite costly for the families, especially if they have more than one student attending that school. Also, if the iPad breaks, then they need to replace and soon since that is the only way they can consume that information. That’s at least another $500 (Apple has no educational Especially if it will be more or less replacing your textbooks or supplementing them. This Have a true BYOD program where students have the option of bringing in iPads or laptops. This means that some of the students can get at the content on iTunes U and others cannot. The results here are very predictable. Teachers don’t want to fragment the way to get information to the students so most probably won’t use iTunes U at all or rarely, because whatever they do on iTunes U they will have to do someplace else as well. Double the work. Not very ideal and teachers simply won’t do it. Take a pass on iTunes U for the time and wait until it can be consumed on other devices (if that time ever comes). Unless your school is dedicated and jumped completely into the Apple ecosystem and are dedicated for the long haul, this may not be a worthwhile endeavor for you or your school. It’s cool, but little more than a novelty right now. Despite this disappointment I still love my Apple products 🙂	275,237
How To Find Relationship Between Variables, Multiple Regression The general purpose of multiple regression (the term was first used by Pearson, 1908) is to learn more about the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and a dependent or criterion variable. For example, a real estate agent might record for each listing the size of the house (in square feet), the number of bedrooms, the average income in the respective neighborhood according to census data, and a subjective rating of appeal of the house. Once this information has been compiled for various houses it would be interesting to see whether and how these measures relate to the price for which a house is sold. For example, you might learn that the number of bedrooms is a better predictor of the price for which a house sells in a particular neighborhood than how "pretty" the house is (subjective rating). You may also detect "outliers," that is, houses that should really sell for more, given their location and characteristics. Personnel professionals customarily use multiple regression procedures to determine equitable compensation. You can determine a number of factors or dimensions such as "amount of responsibility" (Resp) or "number of people to supervise" (No_Super) that you believe to contribute to the value of a job. The personnel analyst then usually conducts a salary survey among comparable companies in the market, recording the salaries and respective characteristics (i.e., values on dimensions) for different positions. This information can be used in a multiple regression analysis to build a regression equation of the form: Salary = .5Resp + .8No_Super Once this so-called regression line has been determined, the analyst can now easily construct a graph of the expected (predicted) salaries and the actual salaries of job incumbents in his or her company. Thus, the analyst is able to determine which position is underpaid (below the regression line) or overpaid (above the regression line), or paid equitably. In the social and natural sciences multiple regression procedures are very widely used in research. In general, multiple regression allows the researcher to ask (and hopefully answer) the general question "what is the best predictor of ...". For example, educational researchers might want to learn what are the best predictors of success in high-school. Psychologists may want to determine which personality variable best predicts social adjustment. Sociologists may want to find out which of the multiple social indicators best predict whether or not a new immigrant group will adapt and be absorbed into society. See also Exploratory Data Analysis and Data Mining Techniques, the General Stepwise Regression topic, and the General Linear Models topic. The general computational problem that needs to be solved in multiple regression analysis is to fit a straight line to a number of points. In the simplest case - one dependent and one independent variable - you can visualize this in a scatterplot. In the scatterplot, we have an independent or X variable, and a dependent or Y variable. These variables may, for example, represent IQ (intelligence as measured by a test) and school achievement (grade point average; GPA), respectively. Each point in the plot represents one student, that is, the respective student's IQ and GPA. The goal of linear regression procedures is to fit a line through the points. Specifically, the program will compute a line so that the squared deviations of the observed points from that line are minimized. Thus, this general procedure is sometimes also referred to as least squares estimation. The Regression Equation A line in a two dimensional or two-variable space is defined by the equation Y=a+bX; in full text: the Y variable can be expressed in terms of a constant (a) and a slope (b) times the X variable. The constant is also referred to as the intercept, and the slope as the regression coefficient or B coefficient. For example, GPA may best be predicted as 1+.02IQ. Thus, knowing that a student has an IQ of 130 would lead us to predict that her GPA would be 3.6 (since, 1+.02130=3.6). For example, the animation below shows a two dimensional regression equation plotted with three different confidence intervals (90%, 95% and 99%). In the multivariate case, when there is more than one independent variable, the regression line cannot be visualized in the two dimensional space, but can be computed just as easily. For example, if in addition to IQ we had additional predictors of achievement (e.g., Motivation, Self- discipline) we could construct a linear equation containing all those variables. In general then, multiple regression procedures will estimate a linear equation of the form: Y = a + b1X1 + b2X2 + ... + bpXp Unique Prediction and Partial Correlation Note that in this equation, the regression coefficients (or B coefficients) represent the independent contributions of each independent variable to the prediction of the dependent variable. Another way to express this fact is to say that, for example, variable X1 is correlated with the Y variable, after controlling for all other independent variables. This type of correlation is also referred to as a partial correlation (this term was first used by Yule, 1907). Perhaps the following example will clarify this issue. You would probably find a significant negative correlation between hair length and height in the population (i.e., short people have longer hair). At first this may seem odd; however, if we were to add the variable Gender into the multiple regression equation, this correlation would probably disappear. This is because women, on the average, have longer hair than men; they also are shorter on the average than men. Thus, after we remove this gender difference by entering Gender into the equation, the relationship between hair length and height disappears because hair length does not make any unique contribution to the prediction of height, above and beyond what it shares in the prediction with variable Gender. Put another way, after controlling for the variable Gender, the partial correlation between hair length and height is zero. Predicted and Residual Scores The regression line expresses the best prediction of the dependent variable (Y), given the independent variables (X). However, nature is rarely (if ever) perfectly predictable, and usually there is substantial variation of the observed points around the fitted regression line (as in the scatterplot shown earlier). The deviation of a particular point from the regression line (its predicted value) is called the residual value. Residual Variance and R-square R-Square, also known as the Coefficient of determination is a commonly used statistic to evaluate model fit. R-square is 1 minus the ratio of residual variability. When the variability of the residual values around the regression line relative to the overall variability is small, the predictions from the regression equation are good. For example, if there is no relationship between the X and Y variables, then the ratio of the residual variability of the Y variable to the original variance is equal to 1.0. Then R-square would be 0. If X and Y are perfectly related then there is no residual variance and the ratio of variance would be 0.0, making R-square = 1. In most cases, the ratio and R-square will fall somewhere between these extremes, that is, between 0.0 and 1.0. This ratio value is immediately interpretable in the following manner. If we have an R-square of 0.4 then we know that the variability of the Y values around the regression line is 1-0.4 times the original variance; in other words we have explained 40% of the original variability, and are left with 60% residual variability. Ideally, we would like to explain most if not all of the original variability. The R-square value is an indicator of how well the model fits the data (e.g., an R-square close to 1.0 indicates that we have accounted for almost all of the variability with the variables specified in the model). Interpreting the Correlation Coefficient R Customarily, the degree to which two or more predictors (independent or X variables) are related to the dependent (Y) variable is expressed in the correlation coefficient R, which is the square root of R-square. In multiple regression, R can assume values between 0 and 1. To interpret the direction of the relationship between variables, look at the signs (plus or minus) of the regression or B coefficients. If a B coefficient is positive, then the relationship of this variable with the dependent variable is positive (e.g., the greater the IQ the better the grade point average); if the B coefficient is negative then the relationship is negative (e.g., the lower the class size the better the average test scores). Of course, if the B coefficient is equal to 0 then there is no relationship between the variables. Assumptions, Limitations, Practical Considerations Assumption of Linearity First of all, as is evident in the name multiple linear regression, it is assumed that the relationship between variables is linear. In practice this assumption can virtually never be confirmed; fortunately, multiple regression procedures are not greatly affected by minor deviations from this assumption. However, as a rule it is prudent to always look at bivariate scatterplot of the variables of interest. If curvature in the relationships is evident, you may consider either transforming the variables, or explicitly allowing for nonlinear components. See also Exploratory Data Analysis and Data Mining Techniques, the General Stepwise Regression topic, and the General Linear Models topic. It is assumed in multiple regression that the residuals (predicted minus observed values) are distributed normally (i.e., follow the normal distribution). Again, even though most tests (specifically the F-test) are quite robust with regard to violations of this assumption, it is always a good idea, before drawing final conclusions, to review the distributions of the major variables of interest. You can produce histograms for the residuals as well as normal probability plots, in order to inspect the distribution of the residual values. The major conceptual limitation of all regression techniques is that you can only ascertain relationships, but never be sure about underlying causal mechanism. For example, you would find a strong positive relationship (correlation) between the damage that a fire does and the number of firemen involved in fighting the blaze. Do we conclude that the firemen cause the damage? Of course, the most likely explanation of this correlation is that the size of the fire (an external variable that we forgot to include in our study) caused the damage as well as the involvement of a certain number of firemen (i.e., the bigger the fire, the more firemen are called to fight the blaze). Even though this example is fairly obvious, in real correlation research, alternative causal explanations are often not considered. Choice of the Number of Variables Multiple regression is a seductive technique: "plug in" as many predictor variables as you can think of and usually at least a few of them will come out significant. This is because you are capitalizing on chance when simply including as many variables as you can think of as predictors of some other variable of interest. This problem is compounded when, in addition, the number of observations is relatively low. Intuitively, it is clear that you can hardly draw conclusions from an analysis of 100 questionnaire items based on 10 respondents. Most authors recommend that you should have at least 10 to 20 times as many observations (cases, respondents) as you have variables; otherwise the estimates of the regression line are probably very unstable and unlikely to replicate if you were to conduct the study again. Multicollinearity and Matrix Ill-Conditioning This is a common problem in many correlation analyses. Imagine that you have two predictors (X variables) of a person's height: (1) weight in pounds and (2) weight in ounces. Obviously, our two predictors are completely redundant; weight is one and the same variable, regardless of whether it is measured in pounds or ounces. Trying to decide which one of the two measures is a better predictor of height would be rather silly; however, this is exactly what you would try to do if you were to perform a multiple regression analysis with height as the dependent (Y) variable and the two measures of weight as the independent (X) variables. When there are very many variables involved, it is often not immediately apparent that this problem exists, and it may only manifest itself after several variables have already been entered into the regression equation. Nevertheless, when this problem occurs it means that at least one of the predictor variables is (practically) completely redundant with other predictors. There are many statistical indicators of this type of redundancy (tolerances, semi-partial R, etc., as well as some remedies (e.g., Ridge regression). Fitting Centered Polynomial Models The fitting of higher-order polynomials of an independent variable with a mean not equal to zero can create difficult multicollinearity problems. Specifically, the polynomials will be highly correlated due to the mean of the primary independent variable. With large numbers (e.g., Julian dates), this problem is very serious, and if proper protections are not put in place, can cause wrong results. The solution is to "center" the independent variable (sometimes, this procedures is referred to as "centered polynomials"), i.e., to subtract the mean, and then to compute the polynomials. See, for example, the classic text by Neter, Wasserman, & Kutner (1985, Chapter 9), for a detailed discussion of this issue (and analyses with polynomial models in general). The Importance of Residual Analysis Even though most assumptions of multiple regression cannot be tested explicitly, gross violations can be detected and should be dealt with appropriately. In particular outliers (i.e., extreme cases) can seriously bias the results by "pulling" or "pushing" the regression line in a particular direction (see the animation below), thereby leading to biased regression coefficients. Often, excluding just a single extreme case can yield a completely different set of results.	30,237
Shannon Miller Lifestyle Types & Stages of Ovarian Cancer According to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, there are more than 30 different types of ovarian cancer which are classified according to the type of cell from which they start. Cancerous ovarian tumors can start from three common cell types: - Surface Epithelium – cells covering the lining of the ovaries - Germ Cells – cells that are destined to form eggs - Stromal Cells – Cells that release hormones and connect the different structures of the ovaries Common Epithelial Tumors – Epithelial ovarian tumors develop from the cells that cover the outer surface of the ovary. Most epithelial ovarian tumors are benign (noncancerous). There are several types of benign epithelial tumors, including serous adenomas, mucinous adenomas, and Brenner tumors. Cancerous epithelial tumors are carcinomas – meaning they begin in the tissue that lines the ovaries. These are the most common and most dangerous of all types of ovarian cancers. Unfortunately, almost 70 percent of women with the common epithelial ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced in stage. There are some ovarian epithelial tumors whose appearance under the microscope does not clearly identify them as cancerous. These are called borderline tumors or tumors of low malignant potential (LMP tumors). Epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOCs) account for 85 to 90 percent of all cancers of the ovaries. We must continue research and expand our knowledge about this group of cancers in order to improve treatment and save lives. Germ Cell Tumors – Ovarian germ cell tumors develop from the cells that produce the ova or eggs. Most germ cell tumors are benign (non-cancerous), although some are cancerous and may be life threatening. The most common germ cell malignancies are maturing teratomas, dysgerminomas, and endodermal sinus tumors. Germ cell malignancies occur most often in teenagers and women in their twenties. Today, 90 percent of patients with ovarian germ cell malignancies can be cured and their fertility preserved. Stromal Tumors – Ovarian stromal tumors are a rare class of tumors that develop from connective tissue cells that hold the ovary together and those that produce the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. The most common types are granulosa-theca tumors and Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors. These tumors are quite rare and are usually considered low-grade cancers, with approximately 70 percent presenting as Stage I disease (cancer is limited to one or both ovaries). Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma The removal of one’s ovaries eliminates the risk for ovarian cancer, but not the risk for a less common cancer called Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma. Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma is closely rated to epithelial ovarian cancer (most common type). It develops in cells from the peritoneum (abdominal lining) and looks the same under a microscope. It is similar in symptoms, spread and treatment. Stages of Ovarian Cancer Once diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the stage of a tumor can be determined during surgery, when the doctor can tell if the cancer has spread outside the ovaries. There are four stages of ovarian cancer – Stage I (early disease) to Stage IV (advanced disease). Your treatment plan and prognosis (the probable course and outcome of your disease) will be determined by the stage of cancer you have. Following is a description of the various stages of ovarian cancer: Stage I – Growth of the cancer is limited to the ovary or ovaries. Stage IA – Growth is limited to one ovary and the tumor is confined to the inside of the ovary. There is no cancer on the outer surface of the ovary. There are no ascites present containing malignant cells. The capsule is intact. Stage IB – Growth is limited to both ovaries without any tumor on their outer surfaces. There are no ascites present containing malignant cells. The capsule is intact. Stage IC – The tumor is classified as either Stage IA or IB and one or more of the following are present: (1) tumor is present on the outer surface of one or both ovaries; (2) the capsule has ruptured; and (3) there are ascites containing malignant cells or with positive peritoneal washings. Stage II – Growth of the cancer involves one or both ovaries with pelvic extension. Stage IIA – The cancer has extended to and/or involves the uterus or the fallopian tubes, or both. Stage IIB – The cancer has extended to other pelvic organs. Stage IIC – The tumor is classified as either Stage IIA or IIB and one or more of the following are present: (1) tumor is present on the outer surface of one or both ovaries; (2) the capsule has ruptured; and (3) there are ascites containing malignant cells or with positive peritoneal washings. Stage III – Growth of the cancer involves one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following are present: (1) the cancer has spread beyond the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen; and (2) the cancer has spread to lymph nodes. The tumor is limited to the true pelvis but with histologically proven malignant extension to the small bowel or omentum. Stage IIIA – During the staging operation, the practitioner can see cancer involving one or both of the ovaries, but no cancer is grossly visible in the abdomen and it has not spread to lymph nodes. However, when biopsies are checked under a microscope, very small deposits of cancer are found in the abdominal peritoneal surfaces. Stage IIIB – The tumor is in one or both ovaries, and deposits of cancer are present in the abdomen that are large enough for the surgeon to see but not exceeding 2 cm in diameter. The cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes. Stage IIIC – The tumor is in one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following is present: (1) the cancer has spread to lymph nodes; and/or (2) the deposits of cancer exceed 2 cm in diameter and are found in the abdomen. Stage IV – This is the most advanced stage of ovarian cancer. Growth of the cancer involves one or both ovaries and distant metastases (spread of the cancer to organs located outside of the peritoneal cavity) have occurred. Finding ovarian cancer cells in pleural fluid (from the cavity which surrounds the lungs) is also evidence of stage IV disease. These statistics, and the information regarding tumor stage and grade, demonstrate that there is a critical need to establish an agenda for more research into the areas of basic and translational research, genetic susceptibility and prevention, diagnostic imaging, screening and diagnosis, and therapy. These could hold the most promise for future discoveries that will lead to improved prevention, detection, and treatment of ovarian cancer, particularly the common epithelial cancers. About the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition The mission of the NOCC is to raise awareness and promote education about ovarian cancer. The Coalition is committed to improving the survival rate and quality of life for women with ovarian cancer. More than 20,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and approximately 15,000 women die annually from the disease. Unfortunately, most cases are diagnosed in their later stages when the prognosis is poor. However, if diagnosed and treated early, when the cancer is confined to the ovary, the five-year survival rate is over 90 percent. That is why it is imperative that the early signs and symptoms of the disease are recognized, not only by women, but also by their families and the medical community. There is currently no early detection test for ovarian cancer. Pap tests do not detect ovarian cancer. Until there is a test, the key to early diagnosis is awareness. And the key to awareness is knowing the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer and urging women to take early action and live. Through national programs and local Chapter initiatives, the NOCC’s goal is to make more people aware of the early symptoms of ovarian cancer. In addition, the NOCC provides information to assist the newly diagnosed patient, to provide hope to survivors, and to support caregivers. Our programs are possible only with the help of our volunteers; committed men and women dedicated to the mission of the NOCC in communities across the country. We encourage you to join them. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of women affected by ovarian cancer. Together, we can break the silence. Visit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition on the web at http://www.ovarian.org/ 5 Responses to “ Types & Stages of Ovarian Cancer ” Courtney Mulligan Says: You have been a hero of mine since I was young and I’m so sorry to hear that you are going through this. Glad that you caught it so early and I look forward to your continued success. May God Bless you and and your family. Did your OB/Gyn run the new OVA 1 test to help diagnose your ovarian cancer? My Mom lives in Edmond and just told me tonight about your ovarian cancer. She was listening to your radio program today and also sees your photo in Pan’s salon every time she gets her hair done. Did you have a BRCA test to determine if your cancer may be due to Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndrome? Positive results may impact your risk for other cancers and impact other family members. InformedDNA provides genetic counseling to individuals at risk for hereditary diseases and syndromes, including HBOC. Other national organizations dedicated to the prevention, early detection and/or treatment of ovarian cancer include: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) FORCE was created for women whose family history and genetic status put them at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, as well as entire families dealing with BRCA mutations. Its mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Best wishes for success in educating women about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. Shannon Miller Says: So nice to hear from Edmond! I did not have BRCA testing done prior to my cancer diagnosis. I have no history of ovarian cancer in my family so had not really considered it. However, my cancer was a germ cell (immature teratoma) tumor thus no clear genetic link. Thank you for sharing this information. The more information and advice we can share the better! Love to Oklahoma! Ruthie Snyder Says: Hi Shannon, I am a 17 1/2 year survivor of stage 3c Ovarian Cancer with metastasis to my diaphragm. There is hope for you and all other women and girls with this disease. God be with you and yours. Ruthie	192,612
Cloud computing has become one of the most important fields in technology. Amazon Web Services, the largest provider in the industry, launched its cloud computing solution in 2006. Since then, the cloud has grown to the point that more than 94% of enterprises use it in some way. If you want to build a career in this field, one of your many options is to become a cloud administrator. What Is a Cloud Administrator? A cloud administrator is an IT professional charged with developing, maintaining, and managing cloud computing resources. In other words, this role is focused on ensuring organizations have seamless access to all their cloud-based systems. Below are a few key responsibilities of a cloud administrator: - Provisioning new cloud systems and ensuring they are appropriately connected to other computing resources - Maintaining cloud systems through the application of updates, setting permissions, and deploying services - Monitoring network performance and making data-based decisions to maximize performance, security and reliability - Defining, implementing, and enforcing policies for the management of cloud-based systems - Protecting cloud-based resources with firewalls and anti-malware solutions as well as identity, credential, and access management What To Expect In most organizations, the cloud administrator is a mid-level position. Depending on the size of the organization, this role may report to the chief technology officer, a vice president, director, or a senior cloud administrator. Typically, a cloud administrator will have had work experience in a junior IT or systems administration role. This may be directly related, such as an associate cloud administrator, or indirectly related, such as a network administrator. Eventually, someone in the associate cloud administrator role may earn a promotion to senior cloud administrator, cloud engineer principal, director of cloud technology or a similar role. How Do I Become a Cloud Administrator? Typically, to become a cloud administrator, you need to have a degree in a relevant field such as computer science or information systems. You’ll probably want to have a master’s degree or three to five years of experience in systems administration or information technology. Prior experience as an associate cloud administrator is ideal, but other roles are often acceptable including systems administration and help desk. The Key Skills Needed for Cloud Administration Beyond education and experience, a strong candidate for a cloud administrator role should demonstrate skills in key competency areas for cloud computing. This includes, but is not limited to, working with Unix, Linux, Windows, virtualization, data management, network administration, and IT infrastructure. Naturally, the requirements of a specific position may vary. However, working to develop the following will also help better prepare you for your cloud career: - Systems Administration: You should be familiar with Unix-based systems and Windows. Many organizations use Linux in the cloud (although Windows Server is also popular). - Virtual Machines: Cloud solutions rely on virtualization to create computing instances. Understanding how to provision and manage VMs is a must. - Databases: Many organizations store data in the cloud. This can include SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, NoSQL and similar database technologies. - Cybersecurity: Although some organizations may have cyber security specialists, cloud administrators should have a basic understanding of key security concepts such as firewall implementation and maintenance, encryption, and ICAM are all important in cloud environments. In addition to the above, you should have a strong understanding of the top cloud providers (AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform). Make sure you brush up on other skills that might be important in a team or leadership setting, such as budgeting or communication practices so you can be ready for all the demands that come with being a cloud administrator. Start Learning the Skills You Need for a Career in Cloud Technology Are you interested in becoming a cloud administrator or following another career path in the cloud computing field? INE provides in-depth education and training in cloud computing concepts and skills.	42,807
Alleged Mossad agent Ben Zygier, known as Prisoner X before committing suicide while jailed solitary confinement, handed Hezbollah sensitive information that led to the arrest of Lebanese agents in Israel’s service, according to previews of an expose to be released by Der Spiegel on Monday. The German news weekly alleges that before his death in an isolated Israeli prison cell, Zygier managed to transfer to Hezbollah the names of two Lebanese agents also operating at the Mossad’s behest. The two Lebanese agents, Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awada, were subsequently arrested in May 2009 and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences for espionage. The article, which cites an internal investigative report obtained by Der Spiegel, brands Zygier as “Israel’s biggest traitor” and describes how the “Zionist turned into a defector.” According to Der Spiegel, Zyiger was recruited into the Mossad in 2003 and assigned to work with European companies doing business in Iran and Syria. But the Israeli intelligence agency wasn’t pleased with his work, and in 2007 ordered him to return to Israel. Zygier quit the Mossad in 2008 and went home to his native Melbourne, Australia. For more, go to Haaretz.com	32,210
We all must confess that chemicals and toxins are all around us. There are chemicals and toxins in the food we are eating, environment we are living, clothes we are wearing and our homes are not safe anymore. In order to maintain ore homes safe and free of toxins we must throw away few ingredients that most of us already have in their homes. Here are which household items needs to be thrown away from our homes: 1. Non-stick cookware Most of us use non-stick cookware because it is very easy for cleaning. But, the worrying thing is that when the non-stick pan or pot gets heated up, its coating begins to decompose at a molecular level and might release numerous of dangerous toxic particles and gasses which are carcinogenic. We advise you to use ceramic pots and pans because they are much safer. 2. Artificial sweeteners Numerous people replace sugar with other alternatives, but the majority of them is even worse than sugar itself. Such dangerous artificial sweeteners include: – Sorbitol – can’t be completely digested in the intestines, so it leads to bloating, gas, diarrhea – Acesulfame K – might affect pregnancy, lead to tumors, and may be carcinogenic – Aspartame – is linked to skin cancers and can be deadly in the case of phenylketonuria – Saccharin – indigestible, it is excreted unchanged by the liver, and leads to bladder cancer. – Hence, you should replace the above ones, with the following natural ones, cultivated without refining: – Erythritol – doesn’t affect the levels of insulin, blood sugar, cholesterol – Xylitol – improves bone density and reduces the risk of tooth decay – Stevia – may lower blood pressure and blood sugar – Yacon syrup – helps in the case of constipation since it feeds the good intestine bacteria 3. Plastic Bottles and Food Containers Most of us are using plastic food containers to keep the remaining food. But, actually these containers are full of toxic chemicals which may enter to our body through the food stored into it. The most commonly used chemical in plastic products is Bisphenol A. There is a many studies that proved that this chemical can has negative effects on our health. 4. Air fresheners Air fresheners get rid of noxious gas and pungent odors, but newest research has shown that they are also releasing fumes which are even more dangerous than cigarette smoke, and may lead to respiratory issues, such as asthma, and hormonal imbalance. According to a study conducted by the Public Health England’s Center for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, there’s a “considerable” amount of formaldehyde in the content of common air fresheners, which enters the group of “known human carcinogen” by the United States’ National Toxicology Program. Hence, the overexposure to air fresheners has been linked to nose and throat cancers. On the other hand, you can replace them with essential oils, and your home will smell pleasant, and you will also benefit from their use. All you need to do is to add 10-15 drops of some essential oil to a cup of distilled water and spray the solution all over the house. 5. Commercial Cleaning Products We already know that most of the common cleaning products are filled with toxic and chemical ingredients. We are unaware that these chemical and toxic ingredients might cause many health issues, allergies, respiratory infections and so on. Avoid consuming these cleaning products and prepare your own natural cleaners. Just mix little baking soda and vinegar. This combination will eliminate bacteria and can be more effective than those commercially available cleaners.	98,747
Cogeneration Has Seen Decline Despite Its Ability to Help California’s Clean Energy Goals By Media Office Staff A promising energy technology has suffered a downturn. In recent years, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, also known as cogeneration, has seen a decline despite its ability to help California achieve clean energy goals. Cogeneration generates on-site electricity and thermal energy so less fuel is used to produce heat. Power plants can use this heat, typically lost when making electricity, rather than getting a separate heating power system. Wastewater treatments are ideal for CHP systems because they use the waste heat on-site to warm the digesters and contribute excess electricity to the grid. As of 2017, about 7,649 megawatts (MW) of CHP were installed statewide. Since 2010, California’s CHP fleet has decreased 8 percent in nameplate capacity and 25 percent in annual electrical generation, according to the report. Still, the technology shows potential and there has been legislation to encourage its development. The Waste Heat Recovery and Carbon Emissions Reduction Act, also known as Assembly Bill 1613, provides CHP facilities up to 20 MW in size a secure revenue stream if they meet efficiency and performance requirements. Two major state laws also encourage CHP development. Under Assembly Bill 32, the California Air Resources Board prepared a scoping plan that set a carbon dioxide emissions reductions goal from the increased use of CHP facilities. Senate Bill 32 established a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s 2010 Clean Energy Jobs Plan calls for 6,500 MW of new CHP by 2030. The Energy Commission is conducting research to develop and help bring to market CHP technologies that produce environmental benefits, increase electricity reliability, and reduce costs.	229,580
If I could give this book 10 stars I would. The Trial of Lizzie Borden. Format: Paperback Verified Purchase. After a period of mourning she realized that she would have to do what she had once written she dreaded most, "Having to take care of myself. Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account. Custer later wrote that he fell deeply in love as of their first formal meeting. Like a flash photograph, I took in the situation at a glance. Tragedy marked much of her childhood, with her three siblings and mother all dying before Elizabeth's thirteenth year. to Libby Custer Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The General Custer Trevilian Collection and Libbie's Love Letters home by a wounded man or some messenger, and the Yankee love letters. “My more than friend,” began her first letter to him; and soon, she wrote, she a kiss “4, times,” she remembered; now she wrote home she was prouder to be his Libbie Custer departed the West pale and with drooping head, feeling, she. Several of the officers' wives gathered at the Custer home, staying past Countless letters arrived. . Custer admitted his failings in a plaintive letter to Libbie. This is a cheap book Seeing he is in a tight spot, Blackmar addresses the men. President Ulysses S. The General Custer Trevilian Collection and Libbie’s Love Letters – Cowboys and Indians Magazine Custer and his wife, Elizabeth, corresponded about the Civil War, the perils of frontier life, and the chain of events that would lead to his tragic death at the Little Big Horn in Montana Territory. Of her life with Autie she wrote, "I lived through a blaze of sunshine for twelve years," but on June 25,that life came to an end with the death of General Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. After an all-night ride, they enter their camp. Video: Libbie custer letters from home Voices: George Armstrong Custer She makes it clear in the letter that she does not have a say in any decisions, but makes her wishes very clearly known, nonetheless. Custer and his wife, Elizabeth, corresponded about the Civil War, the perils of frontier. Letters from Libby « Seeking Michigan Elizabeth published the many letters she received from General Custer were stored in a large cardboard box that ended up in the house in Brooklyn with. More than 70, items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus's letter describing the New World to soldiers' letters from World War II. I never noticed the surroundings until I found we were almost in the midst of an Indian village, quite hidden under the bluff. The statue was designed by Edward Clark Potter, who is best known for his design of the lions at the entrance of the New York Public Library. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. Cara Robertson. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. From the Foreword: "This assembling of their intimate letters was prepared at Mrs.	79,084
\|home > all about cherries All About Cherries Tart Cherry Industry Overview An in-depth look at all aspects of the business of growing tart cherries, from planting to processing. The red tart cherry, Prunus cerasus, is a perennial tree fruit related to the plum, peach, apricot, almond, and numerous other species of the north temperate zone. It is grown commercially for its tart and juicy fruit, which is primarily used in baking and cooking. Fully ripened tart cherries may be eaten raw, but are too acid for many palates. The raw fruit stores poorly and its shelf life is too short for the fresh-market trade. The different types of cherries are discussed, including the varieties that are commercially important and their history and culture. Cherries occupy the Cerasus subgenus within Prunus, being fairly distinct from plums, apricots, peaches, and almonds. They are members of the Rosaceae family, subfamily Prunoideae. Prunus avium L. is the Sweet Cherry, and Prunus cerasus L. the Sour Cherry. As a group, cherries are relatively diverse and broadly distributed around the world, being found in Asia, Europe, and North America. Tart Cherry Processing Tart cherries are extremely perishable and are processed canned, or frozen, immediately after harvest. This page gives a brief description and a few photographs of cherry processing. Cherries are ready to harvest when the fruit is red and the stem detaches easily from the pit. Mechanical harvesting (shaking) has replaced hand picking. Harvesters shake the fruit from the tree onto a fabric apron. After cherries are removed from the tree they are placed in cold water to prevent scalding (discoloration). Cherries are delivered to the processing plant in water. For this reason, cherries are bought by volume.	269,180
Barclays bank is now reported to be the largest retail bank in Africa and is the largest UK bank operating on the continent. This puts it in a position of responsibility with regard to the way it operates and the role it can play in the economic future of some of the poorest countries in the world. In the wake of the global crisis, Africa’s economy has enjoyed one of the strongest growth rates across the world. Weak economic performance in rich countries and rapidly rising commodity prices have resulted in a steady increase in foreign investment, totalling US$50 billion in 2012 – as much as is received in overseas development aid. However Africa still suffers extreme poverty and under-development. Between 1990 and 2011 the number of new-born children who died in sub-Saharan Africa went up from 1.0 to 1.1 million, and the number of hungry people increased from 175 million to 239 million.	8,213
Guest Blog by Rachel Chapman Daugherty, Texas Christian University; Lydia McDermott, Whitman College; and Patty Wilde, Washington State University Tri-Cities Greetings from the 2019 Feminist Workshop co-chairs! This year’s workshop, sponsored by the Feminist Caucus, “Living Feminist Lives: Materialities, Methodologies, and Practices” continues a conversation that we started in Kansas City last year on intersectionality. Both a tool for “critical inquiry and praxis” (Collins and Bilge 31), intersectionality calls us to recognize intragroup differences in experiences of oppression and work to dismantle the systems that create such inequities. Using this lens to consider both professional and personal issues, we began to explore ways that intersectionality can help us recognize, challenge, and change the inequities that we encounter in the everyday labors that we conduct as feminist teachers, administrators, scholars, and rhetors. This year, we turn this intersectional lens onto our lives as feminists. Echoing Sarah Ahmed, we urge panelists and participants to ask: ethical questions about how to live better in an unjust and unequal world…how to create relationships with others that are more equal; how to find ways to support those who are not supported or are less supported by social systems; how to keep coming up against histories that have become concrete, histories that have become as solid as walls. (1) We recognize that the practice of intersectional feminisms is ongoing and recursive. We cannot check the box and be done. To this end, we’re excited to carry forward the conversations and connections formed during the 2018 workshop into this year. We will continue to explore ways to use intersectionality to resist and transform the systemic biases that we encounter in our classrooms, in the field, in the academy, and beyond. Feminist Workshop 2019 In this year’s workshop, we have an exciting lineup of presenters and topics focusing on ways to do feminist work toward a more equitable future. In the morning, presentations focus on methods of archival and transfer research. They will include discussion of methods of transnational archival work that avoid the trappings of neo-colonialism by Tarez Samra Graban, and the archival work of Raquel Corona, which seeks to understand Dominican feminist history on its own terms. Helen Sandoval will ask us how to hear the voices and see the bodies of the women of color whose history is one of exclusion. Meanwhile, Lena Liedtke will ask us in what ways a feminist lens might reveal hidden biases and power struggles in teaching models that encourage transfer. Pamela Takayoshi will end our morning with a reflection of the part passion does and should play in our academic research. The afternoon promises to be just as engaging, beginning with a presentation by collaborators, Jacqueline Jones Royster and Gesa Kirsch, who will reflect on how they enact, embody, and teach feminist rhetorical practices in scholarship and teaching, in institutions and in communities. Continuing the discussion of how living feminist lives should impact our communities, Lara Smith-Sitton will discuss her involvement with a project with Georgia refugees impacted by DACA. Finally, Tamika Carey will bring us to rhetorics of impatience that highlight the public and private work of self-care that bell hooks and other feminist scholars consider essential for wellness, work that involves making “it evident to all observers of our social reality that black women deserve care.” Feminist Workshop 2018 As we look forward to continuing this work in a few short weeks at CCCC in Pittsburgh, we want to take a moment to recall and reflect upon the conversations that transpired last year. Our 2018 workshop “Feminist Rhetorics of Resistance and Transformation” asked presenters to consider methods for cultivating feminist pedagogical techniques, mentoring of students and colleagues, and providing opportunities for the examination of disciplinary theory as a springboard for conversations on professional narratives of success in rhetoric and composition and across the academy. Our presenters responded by sharing narratives, resources, and strategies for intersectional academic work along two main themes: ways our field currently engages with intersectional modes and methods, and strategies for forging forward with intersectional praxis. Addressing the first theme, David Corwin, Thomas Polk, Robyn Russo, and Lacey Wooton highlighted how feminist research methods encourage collaboration and reciprocity, but feminist researchers are less likely to identify themselves as such. Vani Kannan’s archival research on The Third World Women’s Alliance showed that historical practices and pedagogies of anti-imperialist intersectional practices can offer grassroots methods for intersectional interventions. Rounding out our morning panel, Alexandra Hidalgo argued that a feminist approach to storytelling honors the intersectionality of relationships, demonstrating these practices by sharing her own documentary film Desaparecido, which weaves together home videos and her own family history research to create resistant counternarratives through storytelling. Kicking off the afternoon session, Leslie Anglesey explored intersections of feminist and disability rhetoric as a way of resisting the institutional forces that seek to silence these perspectives. Drawing on her experiences transitioning from WPA in an English Department to a university faculty development position, Staci Perryman-Clark discussed how applications of Afrafeminism shape the ways in which Black women navigate higher education leadership. Continuing a questioning stance toward Western patriarchal power structures, Malea Powell looked at how indigenous women scholars bring the traditional role of “aunty” with them into their lives as feminists, teachers, scholars, and community members in organizations like the CCCC. Concluding the day, Krista Ratcliffe explored how a practice of rhetorical listening can help us formulate multiple responses, especially given the recent rise of “alt right” discourse in the mainstream public sphere. We look forward to resuming our conversations on intersectionality at the 2019 CCCC Feminist Workshop in Pittsburgh, PA. Please join us as we spend the day contemplating “living feminist lives” as teacher-scholars of rhetoric and composition. If you have questions, please contact the Feminist Workshop Chairs Lydia McDermott at firstname.lastname@example.org and Patty Wilde at email@example.com. Archived live Tweets from previous years can be found at #4C18femwk #4C17femwk #4c16femwk #4c2015femwork Feminist Workshop 2019 Co-Chairs: Lydia McDermott, Whitman College Patty Wilde, Washington State University Tri-Cities Violet Dutcher, Eastern Mennonite University Sherry Rankins-Robertson, University of Arkansas Angela Clark-Oates, California State University, Sacramento Kate Pantelides, Middle Tennessee State University Kayla K. Bruce, Olivet Nazarene University Rachel Chapman Daugherty, Texas Christian University Holly Hassel, North Dakota State University Erin Wecker, University of Montana Mindy Williams, Central Oregon Community College Sara DiCaglio, Texas A&M University Lana Oweidat, Goucher College Leslie Anglesey, University of Nevada Reno Ahmed, Sara. Living a Feminist Life. Duke UP, 2017. Collins, Patricia Hill, and Mirna Blige. Intersectionality. Polity Press, 2016.	245,592
Considered one of the most outstanding singers in the history of rock, Robert Plant was a member of the band Led Zeppelin from 1968 to 1980. When the group disbanded in 1981, he began a solo career that allowed him to venture into a number of musical universes - 1950s R&B, New Wave, Asian and African music... In 1994, he teamed up with Jimmy Page, an accomplice from his Led Zeppelin days, for the No Quarter project. In the early 2000s, he explored new horizons with the group Strange Sensation, and then branched out into a number of projects, including collaborating with bluegrass musician Alison Krauss. In 2011, Robert Plant received the Spirit Award, given by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Robert Anthony Plant was born August 20, 1948 in West Bromwich, England. Passionate about the blues, he was particularly influenced by Robert Johnson, Bukka White and Skip James. Two formative events, at the start of his career, in the mid-1960s, stand out. First, the creation of the group Band of Joy, with the help of an extraordinary drummer, John Bonham. Then, a fruitful collaboration with Alexis Korner, a pillar of the British blues scene, alongside whom Plant would ply his talents as singer and harmonica player. In 1968, the lion-maned performer encountered guitarist Jimmy Page, a seasoned studio musician who'd been with the Yardbirds for two years. The group had just broken up, and Page was in the process of forming his own band. He had already secured the services of another studio hound, bass and keyboard player John Paul Jones, but was still on the lookout for a singer and a drummer. One day, spotting Plant at Korner's place, he approached him. Plant accepted the invitation, suggested Bonham on drums, and Led Zeppelin was born. Until its dissolution 12 years later, the foursome reigned in the rock universe. John Bonham's tragic death in 1980 put an end to the adventure. Robert Plant began a solo career that, two years later, bore results. Recorded with guitarist Robbie Blunt and drummer Phil Collins, the album Pictures at Eleven made the top five on both sides of the Atlantic. The same team created The Principle of Moments (1983). On The Honeydrippers Vol.1, a retro-style project released in 1984, Plant covered several R&B standards from the 1950s. Jimmy Page appears uncredited on one of the cuts. Shaken & Stirred, put out the following year, reveals shades of the electronic sound that was popular at the time. Ever since the start of his solo career, Plant had been trying to distance himself from Led Zeppelin. But following a three-year hiatus, there was a reconciliation, resulting in Now & Zen. Jimmy Page plays six-string guitar on Tall Cool One, a tune that includes a sample from the famous Led Zeppelin number, Whole Lotta Love. Page and Plant officially joined forces on No Quarter, in 1994. Flanked by bassist Charlie Jones and drummer Michael Lee, the two long-time accomplices called on a symphonic ensemble as well as some North African musicians to revive Zeppelin classics such as Kashmir and Gallows Pole. They also came up with a few new compositions. The resulting album and televised concert were both deemed unqualified successes. Four years later, the singer and the guitarist struck again, with Walking Into Clarksdale, a disc entirely made up of new compositions. Once again, the pair called on Jones and Lee to form the rhythm section, and retained the services of independent rock producer Steve Albini. A global musician At the start of the 2000s, Plant put together Strange Sensation, a group that allowed him to go even farther in exploring the musical territories that fascinate him, in particular the music of Morocco and of the Atlas region, as well as American West Coast psychedelic rock. On the disc Dreamland, he added blues and folk to the mix. It also features covers (Bob Dylan, Tim Buckley, Skip Spence...) and two original titles. That same year, he released the retrospective Sixty Six to Timbuktu, which encompasses all the phases of his career - except for the Zeppelin years. In 2007, a high-level collaboration with bluegrass singer and violinist Alison Krauss spawned the disc Rising Sand. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, it was lauded by the public, the critics and the music industry. Backed by a team of musicians that included Marc Ribot on guitar, Dennis Crouch on bass and Jay Bellarose on drums, Plant and Krauss flirted with country, folk, and blues. America's extremely fertile musical soil also gave rise to Band of Joy (2010), whose title is a reference to Plant's very first band. This time, the singer shared the title of producer with guitarist Buddy Miller, and recruited back-up singer Patty Griffin. The following year, on the occasion of his first visit to the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the artist received the Spirit Award, to highlight the quality and the innovative nature of his work, as well as the definitive influence of this singer-songwriter on international popular music as a whole.	160,366
Science Museum News Stars Over Springfield at the Springfield Science Museum Springfield Science Museum August 26, 2011 Jack Megas of the Springfield Stars Club will present, "Late Summer Observing" at the Springfield Science Museum on Friday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 pm. Following the talk, the museum’s large rooftop telescope will be opened to view the night sky. If it is cloudy, a planetarium show will be presented instead. Stars Over Springfield observatory programs are offered on the first Friday of each month from September through May. The program features an introductory program on topics such as space exploration, seasonal sights of the night sky, current astronomical research, or an explanation of events such as an eclipse or the appearance of a comet. The programs are best suited for families with children ages 8 and older, however younger children are also welcome. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children 17 and under. For information about astronomy programs at the museum, call 413.263.6800, ext. 318.	234,743
Footprint Vs Biodiversity A country ecological footprint is a measure of how many renewable resources it uses to feed and support its citizens. These resources can come from around the world—a country’s ecological footprint can exceed its own country’s capacity if it’s using resources that are taken from other countries. And if we look at the last 40 years, while wealthier country’s ecological footprints have risen drastically—implying that they are using more ecological resources than before—their biodiversity (as measured by the Living Planet Index) has increased. At the same time, the biodiversity of poorer countries using more resources at the expense of the less-well off? Ground Water: An Endangered Resource The region is using great Lakes groundwater faster than nature can replenish it. We all have a responsibility to protect and conserve our waters not for a single interest, but for our families, wildlife and the future. We can all take steps now to protect our groundwater resources and help keep the Great Lakes healthy forever. Coral Triangle Marine Turtles & their Protection Status Long before humans appeared in the Coral Triangle, marine turtles were already swimming the region’s seas and laying eggs on its beaches. These iconic species are not only crucial links in the Coral Triangle’s ecosystems, they also attract visitors from all around the world. Endangered Species – Top 20 Countries About 900 species of plants and animals have gone extinct in the last five centuries, and more than 10,000 others are now on the verge of joining them. Here’s a look at some of the countries with the greatest potential for both disaster and improvement. How we’re Endangering Animals Humans affect climate change by adding greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere, which raise the planet’s temperature, consequently melting ice caps, raising sea levels and warming oceans. Climate change also creates droughts, which threaten animals’ food and fresh water sources. The largest man-made contributions to climate change come from running factories and power plants, heating and cooling homes, and driving automobiles.	302,471
And find homework help for other essay lab questions at enotes how can a student write a good thesis statement about responsibility and teen pregnancy. Essay on responsibility: free examples of essays, research and term papers examples of responsibility essay topics, questions and thesis satatements. Responsibility essays being responsible refers to our ability to make decisions that serve our own interests and the interests of others we first need to be. Social responsibility essay issues thesis/claim your thesis statement/claim should not be a fact be a question include any personal pronouns. A thesis statement: is in the introduction (usually last sentence in your intro paragraph) answers the prompt is a roadmap to your essay subject + opinion +. For instance, when asked to write a responsibility essay, you have the duty to follow the proper with the above points, we can now consider a personal responsibility essay 110 satire essay topics list for writers, bloggers and students. On our blog, you can find essays on responsibility and many other essays concerning different topics contact our team and you will be pleased with the results.	263,721
Early Agriculture in the This article is an overview of the pre-ceramic cultures which inhabited the Southwestern region of what is today known as the United States. I will focus specifically on the time period ranging from about 1200 B.C. to around 200 A.D. and the degrees to which agriculture was introduced in various areas of the Southwest during this time. Due to the nature of variability among climates and topography, as well as general preservation issues of organic artifacts in this region, the timetable associated with the development of agriculture is somewhat discontinuous and difficult to determine. There have been a handful of researchers interested in this topic and I will include the studies of such archaeologists as Emil Haury, Bruce Huckell, R.G. Matson, Barbara Roth, and W.H. Wills just to name a few. Each of these archaeologists has made significant contributions to scholarly knowledge of the beginnings of agriculture and each has developed their own thoughts and hypotheses on what actually occurred among the cultures of these In the past few years, our knowledge regarding specific times that are important to the introduction of agriculture has increased greatly. There are two phases associated with agricultural history in the southwest known as the San Pedro Phase (1200 B.C.-800 B.C.) and the Cienaga Phase (800 B.C.-200 A.D.). The earliest maize remains have been discovered at a Middle Archaic site, Sweetwater Locus, and date back to a time between 1400 B.C. and 1600 B.C. Although these remains were found to belong to the Middle Archaic Period (also known as the Early Agricultural Period) (Huckell 1995), the San Pedro Phase has proved to be a more popular source of study since maize has been recovered from all sites occupied during this time (Roth and Wellman 2001). The San Pedro Phase is defined by the San Pedro point, which is a shallow side-notched assemblage. The sites from this phase consist of small, oval pit houses (Huckell 1995). The Cienaga Phase sites are characterized by larger and more formal structures, a diverse variety of artifacts and numerous storage pits. The formality of these sites is reason to believe the groups which inhabited them led a more sedentary life than in previous years (Roth and Wellman 2001). Theories and Models Several archaeologists have proposed models which try to explain the processes surrounding agriculture's movement across the Southwest. The first theory is based on findings by Emil Haury's excavations and formulations from 1962. This model postulates that crop plants and the technology needed to cultivate these plants was introduced into a region of an already existing hunter/gatherer population. In 1981, Haury's initial model was updated by Ford which suggested that the spread of agricultural plants such as maize, squash, bottle gourd, and beans first reached into the higher altitudes of the Southwest. These were not initially used as their main source of fuel, but as a supplement to their hunting and gathering lifestyle. It was a way of gathering food in an area that could be predicted from year to year. In 1985, Minnis termed this model as "casual agriculture" and thought that it could be introduced to a population without creating any dramatic changes in their lifestyle, as long as agriculture didn't completely replace the hunting and gathering form of acquiring subsistence. Minnis also developed theories on why a hunter/gatherer population would adopt agriculture as their main source of subsistence. His main suggestion was that it may have been necessary for survival, as in the case of increased population density, or possibly could have created a chance for opportunity since it has the ability to increase economic security. Other researchers have suggested that these groups adopted agriculture as a response to growing population during the late pre-ceramic period and where natural resources were low. The second model postulates that immigration and the spread of pre-existing agricultural populations into the Southwest, displaced hunter/gatherer populations. These types of models are based more on archaeological evidence than the first group of theories. Due to droughts in the lowlands during this period, immigrant groups were forced into the highlands which fostered the growth of agricultural settlements. When the climate in the lowlands returned to normal, these agricultural populations were then free to move about the entire region. The final model is one that includes ideas from both models, and that agriculture may have been introduced in different areas depending on the area and time period being addressed. R.G. Matson has created a "maize evolutionary model" (Fig. 1.1) based on the history of changes in maize. His idea is that changes in the actual genetic makeup of the maize itself, allowed for better adaptation to colder and dryer environments. As the maize evolved, it was able to spread across a greater region and had improved viability. Although we can't prove that one model fits the development of agriculture better than another, we can see that the spread of agriculture was a complex process (Matson 1991). Economic Impact and Food Production Archaeologists often interpret agricultural origins by measuring the amount of surplus production. Some archaeologists believe that agriculture during the Late Archaic was practiced in a casual manner. If we take into consideration a few theories, this casual farming doesn't seem to be a plausible explanation. If obtaining a food surplus was one goal of agriculture, this would require a large pool of labor and a large seed crop since "overplanting would need to take place to compensate for loss from climatic factors, predation, disease, and differential seed viability (Wills and Huckell 1989)." This adoption of a new food source would increase the predictability of subsistence which would possibly lead to the intensification and further organization of foraging activities. Also important to agricultural economies is the idea that the production of a surplus yield requires a certain amount of labor investment and since plants are not mobile, becoming an agricultural community requires a certain amount of sedentism. Of course there are other factors which would result in increased sedentism, so in order to better understand agricultural intensification we will compare three different regional sites. The first is located in the Eastern Tucson Basin, which include sites in the Santa Cruz, Cienega, San Pedro, and Sulphur Spring Valleys that all have thick deposits of cultural remains (Wills and Huckell 1989). Remove space above and below this text. Valley and Eastern <ぐ颵ᇏ芻ꨀ봀噓۷?譗Ѿ譟廎䁟?ދ삅ٴｐࡑڋ셃˨잃㬄狘뿛惈捛쀳蔏ⶩ娶｣ၵ桓㡰捚냩ĭ退邐邐╼捙■捙◌捙犐捙犐捙◸捙☤捙狘捙狘捙猘捙猘捙獐捙獐捙玐捙玐捙珐捙珐捙琐捙琐捙瑐捙瑐捙璈捙璈捙瓈捙瓈捙甀捙甀捙畈捙畈捙疀捙疀捙痈捙痈捙≌捙椘捙椘捙♐捙♼捙‐捙‼捙捙瞠捙瞠捙⚨捙硘捙硘捙矨捙矨捙砠捙砠捙碘捙碘捙⛔捙✀捙✬捙❘捙❼捙➠捙⟄捙ₔ捙捙⠰捙欠捙欠捙檀捙檀捙檨捙檨捙櫐捙櫐捙梸捙梸捙⡔捙⢀捙⢤捙⣈捙⣈捙⣬捙⣬捙⤐捙⭐捙櫸捙櫸捙⥨捙⤼捙⦘捙⧄捙⧰捙⨔捙⩀捙⩬捙⪐捙⪴捙⪴捙┌捙┌捙⫘捙⫼捙귗捛媊捛堀捛찈捧찿捧蟶捨駑捝ﺫ捩捱捱Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤晦捲恤捲娬捲嫎捲Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤葙捣Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤戝捲챰捦捱捱捱ۗ捵ᔈ捲㖑捲捵ଢ଼捤劳捲匫捲厝捲吕捲嗁捲嘹捲ツ捲펶捲펶捲뙖捩땛捩뢢捩띮捩혮捠컏捞㵈捳Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤멯捵ଢ଼捤멯捵ଢ଼捤멯捵ଢ଼捤捱䧨捧捲⨽捲⮒捲⳧捲荈捫ⶏ捲细捫ṕ捲ᝬ捲Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤⎺捴烀换ᶩ捴Ṏ捴꼖捣㰰捳㳹捳퐃捩㮅捳㯺捳㸡捳Ѵ捵ଢ଼捤㶚捳䭕捲>Tucson Creek Basin (Fig. 1.2), adjacent to the Santa Cruz and San Pedro valleys, has a climate that is wetter and cooler compared to the rest of the region. Precipitation is bi-seasonal with late summer and winter rainy seasons with spring and fall droughts. The Cienaga Basin is surrounded by mountain ranges with diverse biotic communities including riparian, semi-desert grassland, oak woodland, and pine forests. This area is also characterized by a rich and varied group of fauna including both small and larger mammals. These environmental characteristics I have mentioned make the Cienaga Basin a very productive subsistence environment for humans. But to what extent did the late pre-ceramic inhabitants utilize this rich environment for agriculture? Although we cannot determine the answer to this question by assessing only a percentage of agricultural remains found in the diet, we can assess the macrobotanical and bioarcheological evidence. evidence includes artifacts and natural remains such as architecture and food remains. Archaeologists at the Donaldson and Los Ojitos sites have uncovered remains including fragments of maize cobs, some kernels, maize pollen, and domestic beans at Los Ojitos (Wills and Huckell 1989). Evidence of maize remains with a high ubiquity value, at almost 100%, has been found at both of these sites. Even though we must take into consideration the possibility of excellent preservation, due to rapid burial and the physical makeup of the corn cob itself, this abundance of evidence has revealed that maize agriculture was an important part of life in southeastern Arizona. We also find evidence of bell shaped storage pits which could have held massive amounts of corn ears. Huckell calculated that the average storage bin could have held almost 9,200 ears of maize, which would provide 364 person-days of food (Huckell 1995)! In addition to these remains, we have also excavated agricultural sites which are located on terraces at the Milagro site on Tanque Verde Creek. The results of a wood charcoal assay have dated to 2800±90 B.P. and maize remains from the same site at 2780±90 B.P., are some of the earliest evidence of agricultural remains in this area (Wills and Huckell 1989). Bioarchaeological evidence includes interpretations made by assessing human remains that have been discovered. One method of interpretation includes analyzing human tissue for evidence of maize in the diet. This is a complicated and involved technique where collagen is extracted from the bones to determine the isotopic composition of the carbon since the genetic makeup of maize yields certain distinct test results. Dental attrition has also been used in determining maize consumption among the people of the southwest since agriculturalists tend to have angled wear patterns on their teeth. This approach has been used to evaluate dental remains in the Los Ojitos and Matty Canyon One of the two San Pedro phase sites located in the Tucson Basin is the Milagro Site which yielded pithouses, storage pits, hearths, and basin pits dated to 2775-2930 B.P. This site was most likely occupied year round based on the construction of the houses, large storage pits, and the presence of both spring and summer crops. The other site in this region is the Costello-King site, dated to about 2600-2800 B.P. The most important discovery here are the irrigation canals, which may be the earliest canals in the southwest. The only evidence that suggests an agricultural community is the plant processing tool assemblage and a few pollen remains of maize and cactus seeds (Roth and Wellman 2001). Studies completed on groups of the Tucson Basin have indicated that the there was a substantially different socioeconomic system than was present during the Middle Archaic Period. Before the Late Archaic, there is no evidence of storage features or the co-association of structures. Many burials found at these sites suggest that there was some idea of land ownership, which is often expected from an agricultural community (Wills and Huckell 1989). Colorado Plateaus (Fig. 1.3) The earliest reported maize date in this region has been collected from Three Fir Shelter and dates to 1600 B.C. Of course, we must take this one date for being a possible outlier. We then find that the majority of radiocarbon dates put the earliest cultigens in the northern basin and plateau between 1000 and 800 B.C. Most of the earlier remains have been found at campsites without architectural structures, although structures and storage do appear across this region between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. and have been associated with maize. Most of the cultigens in this area date at about 500 B.C.; a modest estimate considering the much earlier date found at Three Fir Shelter. In addition to cultigens; storage pits, slab-lined cists, roasting features, and hearths, have all been discovered at this Basketmaker rockshelter (Wills and Huckell 1989). The Black Mesa area in general, has an extremely complex pattern of land-use. Some evidence suggests rockshelters were in use by 500 B.C. and used as storage or for domestic activities. On the opposite end, there is evidence of open-air habitation sites used for about 200 years starting in 1 A.D. located in southeast Utah, also has good settlement data which is useful in the comparison of early agricultural land use. The BM II culture at Cedar Mesa lasted approximately 200 years, starting in 200 A.D. The site is located in a densely forested area with piñon-junipers. The abundance of these natural resources may have led inhabitants to believe this was a suitable area for agriculture, leading them to settle there. Cave was a rockshelter in the Jemez Mountains. Originally excavated in 1934, it wasn't until the 1950's that archaeologists realized it contained early maize remains. Even though this site was badly looted, it yielded evidence of maize cobs in deeper levels similar to those found at Bat Cave. These were radiocarbon dated to 2440±250 B.P. Sadly, we don't know much more about this site (Huckell 1990). From the sites I have just mentioned, it can be determined that the BM II groups in the Colorado Plateau invested in food storage as well as maintained a highly mobile lifestyle. The strong similarity of BM II sites across large areas suggests that interaction among other populations was an integral part of life (Wills and Huckell 1989). The Mogollon Highlands are located in the higher elevations of west-central New Mexico and east-central Arizona. For a long period of time, the highlands were thought to have acquired agriculture at a much earlier date than the rest of the Southwest. Since the remains from Bat Cave, an important site for this region, have been reassessed, we now know that dates for other sites are equal to those found in the highlands. Another important characteristic of the highlands seems somewhat contradictory in nature. There is currently no evidence of any open-air pithouse sites until one or two millennia after the initiation of agriculture to this area. The sites in this area are usually known as the "classics" and include Bat Cave, Tularosa Cave, and the Cienaga Creek site (Wills and Huckell 1989). Cave (Fig. 1.4), located in west central New Mexico, was first excavated in 1947 as part of the Peabody Museum project. This site was chosen in hopes that pre-ceramic data could be collected. This site consists of a large shelter and four smaller chambers, as well as remains of maize. This maize, along with other cultigens, was originally dated using unreliable radiocarbon methods and was thought to have been part of the third or fourth millennia before Christ. This date was later revised in 1967 by Mangelsdorf, Dick, and Camara-Hernandez who thought the maize existed no earlier than 2300 Cave and Cordova Cave were excavated in 1950 by Paul Martin in order to gain better temporal knowledge of the Mogollon Culture. Instead, they found maize ears, cobs, loose kernels, squash, bottle gourd, and beans. At Tularosa Cave, Radiocarbon dates of 2223±200 B.P. and 2112±200 B.P. came in earlier than those found at Bat Cave. The abundance of maize remains found at this site suggests that there was a significant dependence on these cultigens. The abundance of stalks, leaves, and root fragments also suggests that the maize was probably grown closely to the habitation area. Lawrence Kaplan reported similar plant remains from Cordova Cave in 1963. Unfortunately, we don't have many direct dates on this site due to poorly followed archaeological excavation procedures. The Cienaga Creek Site was also an important discovery for the study of pre-ceramic agriculture. This site was excavated by Emil Haury in 1955 and is located south of Point of Pines in the mountains of east-central Arizona. This open site revealed a record of human occupation in three major geological deposits. Interestingly, Haury never reported any maize remains, but when a pollen sample was conducted it was positive for maize pollen. The radiocarbon samples were then sent to two different laboratories, each which found dates differing by 1500 and 1800 years! Haury seemed to favor the older dates, which placed the pollen at around 4000 B.P. However, later down the road more reliable tests were conducted and placed the remains at around 3000 or 2000 B.P. which were in the range of the earlier date (Huckell 1990). Despite some questionable dating techniques, we do know that the presence of agriculture in the highlands was very intensive. Unlike areas in the Sonoran Basin and Colorado Plateau, the earliest agriculture in the highlands was not associated with habitation structures. We don't see much sedentary habitation until the early ceramic period which most likely means there was a long period characterized by mobile agriculturalists (Wills and Huckell 1989). As is presented in this article, we can see the uncertainties and discontinuities still present in the data for the spread of early agriculture in the Southwest. Even some of the more well-documented sites are difficult to interpret. The spread of agriculture most likely didn't follow a nice, even pattern of growth. It was most likely a punctuated period of both growth and stagnation. It is also known to vary between regions within the American Southwest. For example, the people in the Colorado Plateau seem to have followed a more migratory lifestyle as compared to other regions. What we can be sure of, despite conflicting opinions and poor data is that major changes took place during the Late Archaic which dramatically changed the economies and food production systems of the major cultures in the Southwest. Hopefully there will be more accurate analysis and reconfiguration of studies done in the past as well as those which shall be done in the future. 1. Huckell, Bruce Benjamin. Late Preceramic Farmer-Foragers in Southeastern Arizona: A Cultural and Ecological Consideration of the Spread of Agriculture into the Arid Southwestern United States. (UMI Dissertation Services: Michigan, 1990); pp. 132-137. 2. Wills, W.H. and Bruce B. Huckell. "Economic Implications of Changing Land-Use Patterns in the Late Archaic," (1989); pp. 34-52. 3. Huckell, Bruce B. Of Marshes and Maize: Preceramic Agricultural Settlements in the Cienega Valley, Southeastern Arizona. University of Arizona Anthropological Papers No. 59, (University of Arizona Press: Tucson, 1995); pp. 11-15. 4. Roth, Barbara and Kevin Wellman. "New Insights into the Early Agricultural Period in the Tucson Basin: Excavations at the Valley Farms Site (AZ AA:12:736)," Kiva. (Vol. 67, No. 1, 2001); pp. 60-79. 5. Matson, R.G. The Origins of Southwestern Agriculture. (University of Arizona Press: Tucson, 1991); pp. 203-243.	33,222
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents\| October 6, 2011 Contact: Office of Communications US Department of Labor's OSHA to host conversation Occupational hearing loss dialogue scheduled for Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will host an informal stakeholder meeting to solicit comments and suggestions on occupational hearing loss prevention. The purpose of OSHA's public meeting is to provide a forum and gather information from stakeholders on best practices for hearing conservation programs, personal protective equipment, and feasible engineering controls. OSHA is holding this meeting as part of its commitment to work with stakeholders on approaches for preventing occupational hearing loss. The meeting will take place in Washington, D.C on November 3, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Between 20,000 and 25,000 workers suffer preventable hearing loss every year due to high workplace noise levels," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "In January, OSHA launched an education, outreach and consultation initiative on preventing work-related hearing loss. As part of that initiative, OSHA committed to holding this stakeholder meeting to elicit the views of employers, workers, noise control experts and public health professionals." The meeting will be held at the Frances Perkins Building, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-4437 A/B/C/D, at 200 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, DC. Interested parties may register online, call 781-674-7374, or fax a request to 781-674-7200. Faxes should be labeled "Attention: OSHA Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss: Stakeholder Meeting" and include the stakeholder's name, contact information, and company or organization. The deadline for registration is October 27, 2011. For more details on the upcoming meeting, please visit the Federal Register notice or contact Frank Meilinger, Director of OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 or Meilinger.Francis2@dol.gov. OSHA's Noise and Hearing Conservation Web page provides background on health effects of noise exposure, warning signs of hearing loss, and examples of workplace engineering controls. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov. U.S. Labor Department news releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this release will be made available in alternative format upon request (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the Central Office for Assistive Services and Technology. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. \|OSHA News Release - Table of Contents\|	6,400
Written by: Rebecca Chenevert and Daniel Litwok In the workplace, we expect age to be an important factor in how much people are paid—as we get older, we gain experience and our value to employers increases. However, that expectation may not hold for those who leave the workforce for an extended period of time, for reasons including raising children or getting additional education. We can study the link between age and experience through the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), which asks people detailed questions about their current and past employment. The answers respondents provide make it possible to see how age, education, experience and earnings relate to each other. Figure 1 shows work experience by age separately for men and women and for levels of educational attainment. We can see that women have similar levels of experience as men early in their careers. However, on average, women accumulate experience more slowly starting around age 25. This information comes from the 2008 SIPP and is consistent with mothers staying home with young children more often than fathers do (for additional information on the ages of mothers and those who stay home, see America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2007 and Births: Final Data for 2008). We also found that working-age people without a high school degree (or equivalent) spend less time working than their peers. High school graduates of every age group have more work experience than people without degrees in the same age group. The difference grows as they age; people without a high school diploma gain an additional 4.6 years of experience as they age from 22 to 30. Those with a diploma gain an average of 5.9 years of experience. The SIPP data have rich information about earnings. For information about how work experience and length of time with a particular employer is associated with earnings, please see www.census.gov/people/laborforce/. For detailed statistics by age, experience and job tenure, please see www.census.gov/people/laborforce/publications/employment_history.html.	1,099
Dan Rodricks's commentary "Big fix: Buried power lines, anyone?" (Sept. 4) offered a creative idea to improve America's infrastructure. But something more radical is needed. Flooding or other environmental problems could still disturb buried power lines. Wireless electricity could solve the problem of transmitting electricity in a way that is both safe and economically sound. In the early 1900s, Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla saw wireless electricity as the wave of the future. In a speech he said "We must be able to transmit things from other places over long distances — pictures, the news [and] energy."	283,162
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License - n. A crystalline salt containing alcohol in place of water of crystallization. - n. An alcoholic extract of plant material; a tincture. - n. An alkoxide. from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English - n. A crystallizable compound of a salt with alcohol, in which the latter plays a part analogous to that of water of crystallization. from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia - n. A compound in which a hydrogen atom of alcohol is replaced by an alkali metal, as potassium alcoholate, or ethylate, C2H5OK, formed, with evolution of hydrogen, when metallic potassium is dissolved in alcohol. Sometimes contracted to alcoate, alcohate. Sorry, no etymologies found. The essence and the alcoholate are also employed, the former obtained by distillation, the latter by macerating the fresh seeds in alcohol.	289,659
Schön war Draussen: aufzeichnungen eines 19jährigen Juden aus dem Jahre 1945 Nonfiction. It was an awful sleep full of images of the past night. I saw in my dream figures of many people who looked at me and I read in their glance that they were begging for my help, that they called and screamed "Rescue us! We are still so young, we don't want to die yet!" And I who also was sentenced to die, just as they were, could not help at all. 6 pages matching Block Elder in this book Results 1-3 of 6 What people are saying - Write a review We haven't found any reviews in the usual places. alive already angefangen Apel Arbeit areme arrived Autos back barracks beautiful befandet began Birkenau Block Elder brothers Buchenwald Canada Place Charlotte Weber comrades concentration camp crematorium days dead dead bodies death Drausen entire evening everything Familie father first found friends gas chamber Gedanken gekant gekommen German geworden Ghetto great grester Teil Häft Häftlinge hands happened hear Heinrich Himmler help Hirschberg Hitlerism hours imagine immediately inmates Israel jetzt Jews jezt Jiddisch Juden Kanada know Kreften Krem Lager last Leben left life live long looked march Max Perkal Menschen monstrosity morning Nacht Nelly Sachs night notebooks o'clock Obersturmführer passed people place Platz prisoners quickly received roll-call room Rudolf Höss S.S. Männer same schrecklich Schtil second selection sentenced sleep small stood strength take things think thoughts time took transport trucks unsere viel wagons want wanted wiso work detail years young Zugerberg zusamen	298,599
(read : "chendrawassee"), THE UNHAPPY BIRD OF PARADISE () A Story from Irian Jaya by Maria Elvire Mr. and Mrs. Brown Bird were two plain birds with plain, brown feathers. They lived among the low bushes of a forest in Irian Jaya. It was a safe place for them because their enemies could not find them easily. One day Mrs. Brown Bird laid some eggs. Mr. Brown Bird was so happy that he brought some special food home for his wife. Mrs. Brown Bird had to stay in the nest for several days waiting until her children came out of the eggs. Mr. Brown Bird was sitting and talking with his wife when suddenly they heard a loud noise. The noise came closer and closer to their nest. After a while they heard a mans voice. "Wheres that bird? Didnt it fly over here?" Then another mans voice said, "Lets stop talking. We shouldnt make too much noise because birds dont like noises and theyll fly away. Lets just try to find that green bird." So, it was the green bird. These men were trying to catch Mr. Green Bird. Mrs. Brown Bird said to her husband, "Well, dear husband arent we lucky? We are not like Mr. Green Bird. We look so plain that no one likes our feathers. No one in the world wants to catch us for our plain, brown feathers." She smiled and peacefully went to sleep. Mr. Brown Bird didnt feel that way. "So, Im plain and brown, and no one likes my feathers. No one likes a plain, brown bird like me. How sad am !" He thought and thought about his plain, brown feathers for days. He felt very unhappy. He became quieter and quieter. One day Mrs. Brown Bird asked him, "My dear husband, why are you so quiet now? Are you sick?" "No, Im not sick," said Mr. Brown Bird. "I just feel unhappy. Why do I have to have such plain, brown feathers ? Why cant I be more beautiful, like Mr. Green?" "Oh, dont be silly," said Mrs. Brown Bird. "Your plain, brown feathers are the safest ones in the whole forest. Beautiful feathers like Mr. Green Birds are dangerous. Be happy with your own feathers. They are nice and warm, and most of all, theyre safe." But Mr. Brown Bird still felt unhappy with his plain, brown feathers. He never stopped thinking about them over and over again. "Hey, isnt that Mr. Green Bird ?" he said to himself, yes, it was Mr. Green Bird sitting on a branch of a tall tree. He was cleaning his beautiful green feathers. The sun was shining from above the tree directly onto the green feathers and made them look shiny and beautiful. Mr. Brown Bird came closer to the green bird. "Good morning, Mr. Green Bird. You look so beautiful with your shiny green feathers," said Mr. Brown Bird. "Thank you, Brown Bird," said the green bird. He went on cleaning his feathers. He brushed them carefully one by one. The green feathers looked so very beautiful. "Mr. Green Bird, why do you have such beautiful green feathers," asked Mr. Brown Bird, "and why do I have such a plain color for my feathers?". The green bird laughed and said, "Poor you, Brown Bird. Youre just unlucky. The Forest God likes me, and thats why I have these beatiful green feathers." The green bird smiled and showed off more of his beautiful feathers. Mr. Brown thought, "Ill have to ask the Forest God to change the colour of my feathers." He quickly flew to the palace of the Forest God where he immediately asked him, "Oh, Forest God, why did you give me such plain, brown feathers? Cant you give me beautiful feathers like Mr. Green Birds?" The Forest God was silent for some time. Then he answered, "Listen, my dear bird. I can give you what you ask for, but it will bring you unhappiness." "How is that possible? Beautiful feathers will surely make me happy. They will make me happier. I know it," said Mr. Brown Bird. "All right," said the Forest God, "now tell me, what colour do you want for your new feathers?" "I .well, I dont know," answered Mr. Brown Bird. "You must make a choice," said the Forest God. "You have to choose the color of one thing for your new feathers. Only of one thing, remember. You have one day to make your choice. Tomorrow you must come back here and tell me what your choice is." Now Mr. Brown Bird had a real problem. He didnt know what color he wanted for his feathers. Should it be the color of the sky, or of the sea? He went from one place to another. He tried to find something with a truly beautiful colour, but he couldnt find what he wanted. The next day he got worried. He still didnt know what colour he wanted for his new feathers. But he had to go back to the palace of the Forest God. When the Forest God saw him, he asked, "Have you found the color you want?" "Forgive me, Forest God," answered Mr. Brown Bird, "but I havent found it yet." "Now," said the Forest God, "I will count to ten and you must give me your answer before the count of ten. After that it will be too late to get another colour for your feathers." Then the Forest God began to count, " One , two, .three, " Mr. Brown Bird looked around. He was hoping to find something beautiful. He had to find a beautiful color for his feathers. Nothing seemed beautiful enough. The Forest God was still counting, "Six, seven, ." "Stop ! Ive found it", cried Mr. Brown Bird. Way up in the blue sky he saw beautiful colours curving down to the earth. Yes, it was a rainbow. He wanted the colours of the rainbow for his feathers ! "O, Forest God, please give me the colors of the rainbow for my new feathers," said Mr. Brown Bird. The Forest God looked at the rainbow for a long time. Then he put his hand on the brown birds breast and made it red. The birds head he made yellow and green. The feathers of the birds tail grew longer and longer, and they curved like the curve of the rainbow. There were many beautiful colors on the birds tail. He now had feathers of beautiful colors, the colors of the rainbow. Mr. Brown Bird moved his wings and tail. He felt so different and so very beautiful. Then asked the Forest God,"My dear Forest God, please give me a new name." The Forest God said to him : "Now you are no longer a brown bird. You are now a Cendrawasih, a Bird of Paradise. You are the most beautiful bird on Earth and in Heaven. But remember: your beauty will bring you danger and unhappiness. Be careful!" Mr. Brown Bird then became Mr. Cendrawasih. He felt very happy. He quickly flew down to his nest, "Look here, wife! Look at my new feathers," he announced happily. His wife was surprised, "Hey, you! Who are you? Dont get close to me, Go away!" The new Mr. Cendrawasih was really surprised. Slowly he said to his wife, "Look at me, Im your husband. But I am no longer a plain, brown bird.. I asked the Forest God for new feathers. Now I have the colors of the rainbow for my feathers. Dont I look beautiful?" Mrs. Brown Bird looked sad. Tears came to her eyes and cried, and then said to her husband, "Oh, youre so silly. Your beautiful new feathers will bring us danger. Enemies can easily find our nest so its dangerous for the children. You must go away. Wait until the children are big and can fly by them selves. Then you may come back." The beautiful Cendrawasih felt very sad. "I never thought it would be like this," he said to himself. Then he looked at his beautiful new feathers with the colors of the rainbow. There were tears in his eyes also. He flew away from the nest to a high branch of a tall tree. Then he realized that with the beautiful feathers he had now, he had lost his freedom and his family too. What good was it to be so beautiful, when he was so lonely and sad. High up on a branch of a tall tree, the beautiful Cendrawasih remembered his happy old days as a plain, brown bird, and he felt very unhappy. () From the book : "Cendrawasih the Unhappy Bird of Paradise" by Maria Elvire. Publisher : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta 1992.	177,316
Welp, time to pack up and call it a night. Boston Dynamics’ all-terrain robot BigDog, a brother bot to ones that could run 40 mph, jot, and rollover, has now learned the sweet art of destruction. In the organization’s latest video, the DARPA-funded robot has been equipped with a front-facing arm/head that could grab a concrete cinderblock and toss it aside, using its body as a force to hurl blocks at least 15 feet away. While we can’t figure out exactly why one would ever need robots that can fling concrete bricks, the video is both amazing and terrifying all at once. Since BigDog replies on its hydraulic legs to stay steady, it’s also amusing to see the robot slightly lose balance when it first picks up the cinderblock. The destruction that cometh after, however, is a whole ‘nother story. Perhaps one could argue that a robot with the ability to pick up heavy objects and toss it away could be helpful in clearing obstructed path in military searches and missions, but it’s obvious everyone else is thinking BigDog is eventually going to be made for offense. That’s a pretty wild thought knowing that a giant automaton will possibly hurl objects at enemies – given its additional specs include a 240-pound body, legs that can run nearly 13 miles without stopping, and ability to carry 340 pounds and climb slopes up to 35 degrees under all-weather terrain. What other tricks could Boston Dynamics teach this dog? We’ll just have to wait until the team integrates voice recognition. Scared or impressed, the development makes for an interesting video to watch, so here is BigDog in all its glory. Doesn’t it look like it had a bit too much to drink?	86,713
HOME \| LAWS \| ORGANIZATIONS \| CASES \| LEGISLATION \| HEADLINES \| COMMON CORE House Bill 1235: An Act to Raise the Compulsory Attendance Age The Committee on Education at the request of the Governor. Bill would raise the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 for all students. \|1/25/2006\|\|First Read in House and Referred to House Education Committee.\| \|2/9/2006\|\|House Education Committee Hearing, do pass 13-2.\| \|2/10/2006\|\|House of Representatives, do pass as amended 51-14.\| \|2/13/2006\|\|First Read in Senate and Referred to Senate Education Committee.\| \|2/16/2006\|\|Senate Education Committee Hearing, do pass 4-2.\| \|2/17/2006\|\|Senate deferred to another day passed.\| \|2/16/2006\|\|Senate Do Pass Amended Failed 11-23.\| Your calls made a tremendous difference. The bill that would have subjected 16 and 17-year-olds to compulsory attendance, House Bill 1235, was soundly defeated in the Senate Tuesday. The bill that would have subjected 5 and 6-year-olds to compulsory attendance was defeated in the Senate yesterday. H.B. 1235 had significant momentum. It was requested by the governor, and sailed through a House committee, the full House, and Senate committee. Finally, after an outpouring of your calls, a motion on the Senate floor to pass the bill failed by a vote of 11 to 23. Raising the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 would subject South Dakota home educators to the requirements of the homeschool statute two years later than now required. (You do not need to share this reason with your legislators.) Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, the two states with the highest high school completion rates, Maryland at 94.5% and North Dakota at 94.7%, compel attendance only to age 16. The state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon: 75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (Figures are three-year averages, 1996 through 1998.) Twenty-nine states only require attendance to age 16. Older children unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence, making learning harder for their classmates who truly want to learn. It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16-year-old is ready for college or the workforce. (Some 16-year-olds who are not academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom.) Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools. When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum "Raising the Compulsory Attendance Age Fails to Achieve Significant Results." \| Other Resources\|	33,191
In the words of Dr. King, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” The Cultivating Consciousness Conference aims to foster dialogue about current events in South Los Angeles and, ultimately, inspire and empower residents of South Los Angeles to take action. Focusing on the cultivation of our personal and collective consciousness about our individual role within community as well as our community itself, this conference is designed to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr by challenging ourselves to be conscious of our conscience. In partnership with our ServiceWorks, Public Allies Los Angeles programs and Santee Education Complex, we will be focusing our conscious building efforts on building the capacity of the individual and the community in remembrance of Dr. King. The conference will offer workshops in which our youth, our residents, our community leaders can learn to partake in social change in a variety of ways from personal action to community action. Through this conference, participants will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue about leadership, community planning and resident’s rights. For more information about the conference, please contact Lucia Torres at email@example.com or (213) 763-2520 x.245	297,583
The day-to-day achievements of a radiologist are enough to make her a superhero to patients and their families. In a field that's constantly growing, there are numerous chances to become famous—depending on what you mean by famous. If you just do the job as expected, you'll only be famous in a local legend kind of way. And don't get us wrong; that's great. It's just not red carpets-and-paparazzi-type fame. If you want that more serious fame, just choose to research a particularly notorious killer like breast cancer or pancreatic cancer, then cure it. Or find a way to make radiation therapy more effective, with fewer side effects, and cost much less money. Take your love of technology and information and build new software or even machinery based on what you know. Major innovations equal major fame. Being included in national "best of" medical provider lists also gets your name in the spotlight—even if, as a radiologist, you prefer the dark.	140,065
Frank is pictured with his car on Memorial Day 2007. This Saturday, a 1929 Model A Ford continuously owned and operated for nearly 80 years by the same man will ride to its new home at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pa. The car will become a part of the Museum’s permanent collection as willed by its now-deceased owner. The story of Francis “Frank” Hartmaier and his Ford are well known in Model A circles. In the spring of 1929, Frank, then 17 or 18 and living in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, Pa., asked his mother if he could join a local flying club and take flying lessons. His mother refused his request saying he was too young and could get hurt. Frank then asked if she would allow him to purchase a new Ford with money he had saved from his job at a local auto parts plant. With his mother’s consent Frank took the trolley into Pottstown, PA and ordered a new Ford Model “A” Roadster from the William Young Ford Agency located on West High Street. With the optional spare tire and rumble seat, the price was $560.00. Through various enterprises, Hartmaier had managed to save $305.00 toward the car; the remainder was borrowed through the Pottstown Finance Company. Frank took delivery of the rose beige and seal brown painted Ford, Serial Number A1533466, on May 16, 1929 and a friendship began that would span almost 80 years. It wasn’t long after Frank acquired his Ford that he was laid off from his job due to the depression. Not to be deterred, he found a job delivering newspapers for the Pottstown Mercury. His route covered 109 miles, Monday through Saturday. On Sunday he delivered the Philadelphia Record for another 85 miles, a total of 739 miles for the week. Frank and his dependable Ford delivered newspapers throughout the depression until he was able to find work as a machinist at the onset of World War II. When the speedometer broke in 1944, Frank and his Ford had traveled a total of 416,000 miles. In 1940 Frank was married after courting his future wife, Elizabeth, in the Ford from New Jersey. In 1942 he drove her to the hospital in the Ford for the birth of their only child Judy. The Ford was the only car they owned at the time and it carried them on vacations throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. The Ford was retired from active service in 1960 and was completely restored by Frank in the late 1960’s. Hartmaier never treated his car like a pampered classic. He and his “A” were well known in the car community. In his retirement, he would think nothing of driving the car all the way from Pennsylvania to Dearborn, Michigan for a Ford gathering. Sometimes he would travel with friends, but if no one was available, he would go it alone. He continued these trips into his 80s. Model As are not high-dollar exotic cars, but Hartmaier was known to have turned down many substantial offers to sell the car, reportedly stating that it was simply not for sale at any price. He was once quoted in an automotive magazine as saying, “you can only put money in the bank; you can’t ride around in that on a nice day and get an ice cream cone.” Although the speedometer was eventually repaired, the actual mileage is unknown. However, it is estimated that the car has been driven over 600,000 miles since Frank took delivery in 1929 until his death on January 27, 2009, at the age of 97. It should be noted that the original engine is still in the car having been rebuilt four times during its lifetime. Incidentally, Frank Hartmaier did fulfill his dream of flying, obtaining his pilots license in 1931. He remained an active pilot until a few months prior to his death. “I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Harmtaier in 2003 when the AACA Museum first opened to the public,” states Museum Curator, Jeffrey Bliemeister. He toured the Museum with his friend, Fred Servis. “The two gentlemen told me about the car and its history and left me with a copy of a newspaper article done on Frank several years before. He mentioned his intention to leave the car to the Museum upon his death. Several months ago we received a call from Fred letting us know that Frank had passed away in January of 2009. True to his word, the car was to come to the Museum.” Friends and family members have detailed the Model A and made all the arrangements for its delivery to the Museum in Hershey. Although still operable, it will be trailered to the occasion. Fred will then have the honor of driving the Model A to a welcome area in front of the museum. A ceremony, complete with a cake designed like the Model A, will begin at 2 p.m. Members of Frank’s extended family, plus friends and neighbors, are expected to attend. The car will remain on display in front of the Museum on Saturday, then it will be moved to the museum’s detail shop before going on exhibit in the ‘20s Scene on June 4. More information is available on the Museum website at: www.aacamuseum.org A great deal of documentation will come with the car. Particularly noteworthy is the Pennsylvania State title for the Model A in Frank Hartmaier’s name. It is the original ownership document and dates to 1929. Frank managed to convince Penn-Dot to allow him to keep this document when the car was officially re-registered with antique plates. Apparently, at one point, he and his friends contacted the Guinness Book of World Records to qualify the car and owner for record of longest continuous ownership of a vehicle. The status of that attempt are unknown, but the Museum plans to continue the effort. CLICK HERE to tell us what you think in the Old Cars Weekly forums	63,162
Glenrowan was a quiet little hamlet used as a stop-over and coach staging point between Benalla and Wangaratta until the events of June, 1880, blazed it's name and that of Ned Kelly across world headlines. The Glenrowan siege was Australia's first widely reported and photographed criminal drama. Telegraphy and outdoor photography were new, and news from Glenrowan via Benalla and Wangaratta telegraph operators, appeared in special newspaper editions almost as it happened. Dad took Charly and Ro Ro to re-live the excitement of the siege at the Computerised Animated Theatre while Wanna and I called on the helpful man at the Australia Post agent in the newsagency to track down my friend, Ruth's, phone number the old fashioned way - via the Wangaratta White Pages! We eventually hooked up for lunch with her lovely family at the Milawa Cheese Factory but not before we had our photos taken in front of the Ned Kelly Statue and played in the playground opposite the quaint railway station. Ned was an Irish-Australian bushranger, and, to some, a folk hero for his defiance of the colonial authorities. Following an incident at his home in 1878, police parties searched for him in the bush. After he killed three policemen, the colony proclaimed Kelly and his gang wanted outlaws. A final violent confrontation with police took place at Glenrowan in 1880. Kelly, dressed in home-made plate metal armour and helmet, was captured and sent to jail. He was hanged for murder at Old Melbourne Gaol. All a bit bleak for me, so I was very glad to skedaddle outta there and head straight on to the Port of Melbourne to catch the Spirit of Tasmania I. Alas, I have no photos as the weather was windy, the waves were high and the sky bleak and this land lubber had to take sanctuary in the theatrette to watch 'Mao's Last Dancer' and stagger, literally, to the cabin. No chance I was going to see " Melbourne's city skyline ablaze as the setting sun shone its final rays of the day across Port Melbourne" like the brochure says. Spirit of Tasmania I and II were built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland. They have a displacement weight of almost 30,000 tonnes and a length of 194.3 metres. Spirit of Tasmania I and II cross Bass Strait at a cruising speed of 27 knots which is the equivalent of 50 kilometres per hour. The 429 kilometre voyage across Bass Strait is roughly twice the distance by road between Devonport and Strahan, on Tasmania’s west coast. Stretched end-to-end, the vehicle lanes on each ship would be almost two kilometres long! Our trusty Honda took up some of that space. Tassie here we come!	221,908
Published: May 27, 2010 Cooking meat at high temperatures is known to create toxins called heterocyclic amines, which have been linked to some cancers. Marinating lowers the risk by preventing the formation of the toxins. But one ingredient that makes a big difference is rosemary. Studies show that adding it to ground beef and other types of muscle meat before grilling, frying, broiling or barbecuing significantly reduces heterocyclic amines. In a study published in The Journal of Food Science in March, scientists tested extracts of rosemary on ground beef patties that were cooked at temperatures from 375 degrees to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The extract was added to both sides of the meat before cooking. The higher the concentration, the greater the reduction in heterocyclic amines (in some cases by over 90 percent. Scientists attribute this to specific antioxidants in rosemary: rosmarinic acid, carnosol and carnosic acid. Another study two years ago compared several marinades and found that the one that was most protective was a Caribbean mixture, which, they wrote, “contained considerable amounts” of the same three antioxidants. If rosemary is not your thing, or you have an allergy, try marinades with garlic, onion and lemon juice. They have also been shown in studies to be effective (garlic and onion much more so than lemon juice). THE BOTTOM LINE Studies show that marinades with rosemary help eliminate some carcinogens in grilled meat.	55,794
Unidad 3 Dia 5. Chillin ’ . Calentamiento. Write/Read the questions below and answer them according to the paragraph. What time does Hector leave for school? What does he order for breakfast? Who is he with? Does Hector like school? What does Hector eat for lunch? Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author.While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. Unidad 3Dia 5 Write/Read the questions below and answer them according to the paragraph. Chocolate and Churros Rafael and Lorenzo Jam and Cheese sandwich, apple juice, and dessert. The house has 8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and a game room Yonecesito los guantesparasalirafuera. Youso los guantes en el invierno. El Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a 16th-century citadel. I located on the northwestern-most point of the island of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Named in honor of King Philip II of Spain, the fortification was designed to control the entry to the harbor, guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay, and defend the city of Old San Juan from it’s seaborne enemies. The construction of the Castillo San Felipe del Morro began in 1539 when King Charles V of Spain authorized its construction. For 400 years additions were made and El Morro's walls grew in sizeto be 18 feet thick. Today, El Morro has six different levels that rise from sea level to 145 feet high. In 1942 El Morro was still an active military post and was used during World War II. A concrete artillery observation post and an underground bunker wereadded to El Morro to defend against possible German attacks. In 1983 El Morro was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. Pg. 10Ejercicio D # All Pg. 11Ejercicio E # All Ejercicio F # All Pg. 13Ejercicio H # 2, 3, 6 Ejercicio I# 1, 2 Ejercicio J # ALL I am funny. You are tall He is intersting. We are outgoing They are hardworking Ellos son trabajadores. The chart for the verb IR I am going to sing. Voy a cantar You are going to dance. Vas a bailar He is going to listen. El va a escuchar. We are going to work. Vamos a trabajar. They are going to eat. Ellos van a comer. Location: Frequency words go at the FRONT or back of a sentence. The Frequency word can go in front or in-between the subject and the verb. Nosotrossiemprevamos a la playa los veranos. A veces- sometimes Ellos van al parquea veces. Yonuncaleolibros en la cocina. Casi- almost (we use this WITH Siempre and Nunca to express that something is almost always or almost never done) Túcasisiemprehaces la tarea en casa. Practice conjugation of AR, ER, IR verbs with whiteboards Write a 7-10 sentence paragraph about you and your friends. Include the following information: What you do together, what you eat together, what activities you are going to do together and where you will do them. Don’t forget to give adjective statements about you and your friends. Include what activities you do alone and what activities you do with your friends. Say what your friends do when they are together. This should be in the YO, NOSOTROS, and ELLOS/ELLAS forms!!!!!	200,512

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