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Complete Tech facts & tips behind : internet,gadgets & latest technologies
Friday, 6 September 2013
Thursday, 29 August 2013
NFC near field communication
What is NFC?
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a set of short-range wireless technologies, typically requiring a distance of 4cm or less to initiate a connection. NFC allows you to share small payloads of data between an NFC tag and an Android-powered device, or between two Android-powered devices.
Tags can range in complexity. Simple tags offer just read and write semantics, sometimes with one-time-programmable areas to make the card read-only. More complex tags offer math operations, and have cryptographic hardware to authenticate access to a sector. The most sophisticated tags contain operating environments, allowing complex interactions with code executing on the tag. The data stored in the tag can also be written in a variety of formats, but many of the Android framework APIs are based around a NFC Forum standard called NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format).
Tags can range in complexity. Simple tags offer just read and write semantics, sometimes with one-time-programmable areas to make the card read-only. More complex tags offer math operations, and have cryptographic hardware to authenticate access to a sector. The most sophisticated tags contain operating environments, allowing complex interactions with code executing on the tag. The data stored in the tag can also be written in a variety of formats, but many of the Android framework APIs are based around a NFC Forum standard called NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format).
- NFC Basics
- This document describes how Android handles discovered NFC tags and how it notifies applications of data that is relevant to the application. It also goes over how to work with the NDEF data in your applications and gives an overview of the framework APIs that support the basic NFC feature set of Android.
- Advanced NFC
- This document goes over the APIs that enable use of the various tag technologies that Android supports. When you are not working with NDEF data, or when you are working with NDEF data that Android cannot fully understand, you have to manually read or write to the tag in raw bytes using your own protocol stack. In these cases, Android provides support to detect certain tag technologies and to open communication with the tag using your own protocol stack.
A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as:
- Access control
- Consumer electronics
- Healthcare
- Information collection and exchange
- Loyalty and coupons
- Payments
- Transport
Developers can learn more about NFC in the section on interoperability.
Key Benefits of NFC
NFC provides a range of benefits to consumers and businesses, such as:
- Intuitive: NFC interactions require no more than a simple touch
- Versatile: NFC is ideally suited to the broadest range of industries, environments, and uses
- Open and standards-based: The underlying layers of NFC technology follow universally implemented ISO, ECMA, and ETSI standards
- Technology-enabling: NFC facilitates fast and simple setup of wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.)
- Inherently secure: NFC transmissions are short range (from a touch to a few centimeters)
- Interoperable: NFC works with existing contactless card technologies
- Security-ready: NFC has built-in capabilities to support secure applications
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Beneath the coupled gold faints the painless catalog.
Beneath the coupled gold faints the painless catalog.
Friday, 16 August 2013
Secure E-Mail Services Shuttered over Fears of Government PRISM Reprisals
Secure E-Mail Services Shuttered over Fears of Government PRISM Reprisals
By +kiran lal | August 16, 2013 |
Revelations of the U.S. National Security Agency'sPRISM program continue to have worldwide ripple effects. Nearly two months after U.S. federal prosecutors charged NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden with espionage and theft of government property for blowing the lid off of the clandestine surveillance program, the company that secured Snowden's electronic communications with journalists and international officials has shut down its encrypted e-mail services.
Texas-based Lavabit LLC announced August 8 that it was suspending operations due to unspecified legal pressures. The move prompted another company, Silent Circle, to likewise drop its own encrypted e-mail service on August 9 before becoming the target of similar legal scrutiny. Meanwhile, concerns over the NSA's snooping have prompted the opposite reaction in Germany, where two of that country's biggest Internet service providers—Deutsche Telekom AG and United Internet AG—say they will now encrypt customers' emails by default.
In a note posted to Lavabit's homepage, owner and operator Ladar Levison suggested that a long, secretive turn of events led to his decision to scuttle the service. "As things currently stand, I cannot share my experiences over the last six weeks, even though I have twice made the appropriate requests," the site says. He also notes that, a "favorable decision" by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals would allow him to "resurrect Lavabit as an American company."
Levison launched Lavabit in 2004 under the name Nerdshack. By 2009 the site boasted 140,000 registered users with more than 260,000 email addresses. Most of those accounts belonged to individual users, although the company did provide corporate e-mail services to about 70 companies.
Lavabit developed its secure e-mail platform around asymmetric encryption. This means that incoming e-mail messages were encrypted before being saved on the company's servers and could be decrypted only by someone with a password for that e-mail account.
Most e-mail programs support encryption via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, developed in the mid-1990s as a cryptographic tool to encode communications over TCP/IP networks. SSL uses a cryptographic system with two keys—a public key to encrypt the data and a private key, known only to a message's recipient, to decipher it. SSL encrypts messages sent from the user's machine to their ISP. As messages move through the core of the Internet, they are usually unencrypted, however. "Unless somebody is doing something intentionally to put encryption on the messages, the messages are decrypted at each hop along the way and are visible there," cryptographer Paul Kocher, president and chief scientist of Cryptography Research,recently told Scientific American.
Silent Circle posted a note to its homepage Friday implying the company has shut down its secure Silent Mail service—which encrypts messages sent between Silent Circle customers—before being forced to comply with any government subpoenas, warrants, security letters or other legal demands for customer information. Phil Zimmermann, creator of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) program to encrypt and decrypt e-mail messages, co-founded the Washington, D.C., company, which claims to have its network located in Canada.
Silent Circle points out in the same note that its "end-to-end" cryptography meant that it had "nil" exposure to customer data. Yet the company's FAQ states that, if the company is managing a client's encryption keys (the other option would be for customers to manage their own keys), then Silent Circle can hand over client messages to law enforcement when legally compelled to do so. Silent Circle will continue to offer secure voice and text services because it has control over the infrastructure supporting them and can guarantee that messages were not intercepted or tampered with en route, the BBC reported Friday.
Zimmerman's company apparently anticipated run-ins with the law. A Web page recounting Silent Circle's history states: "We believe in honest transparency, and protecting individual and business privacy. We will post the requests we get from Government, Law Enforcement and worldwide legal entities for users data." It goes on to declare: "We know that we'll have a target painted on us from day one."
The NSA crafted PRISM as a means for collecting data on people suspected of plotting terrorist attacks, spying or other forms of malfeasance. The government claims that information gathered via PRISM has disrupted dozens of potential terrorist attacks. Yet the program's legacy is having other, likely unintended consequences on electronics communication. Lavabit's Levison notes that, unless changes are made to current U.S. surveillance policies, "I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States."
Sunday, 7 April 2013
10 best blog topics that generate maximum traffic and earn more
The thought of becoming an entrepreneur and building your own empire in no time was a dream few years back, but with online money making opportunities today, it is all possible. The urge to start a blog and becoming rich and popular at the same time is increasing day by day, resulting in producing thousands of Newbie Bloggers each week. However, it greatly disappoints them when soon they realize that their blog would hardly generate any revenue for them, forcing them to leave this domain to earn money.
It's important to figure out about the most productive niches that generate maximum revenue, even before planning to start a blog. What happens for example is, a person might be a good painter and plans to share his painting techniques and his creations on his blog. The idea is appreciable if we talk in terms of talent, but such a blog would hardly attract any traffic. The reason behind this is, the global change is making lives busy where people do not have time to read about your skills, but are in search of fulfilling their own thirst.
Many of our readers have been complaining since a long time that their blogs are not paying them anything, so here is something they need to check about their blogs.
Many of our readers have been complaining since a long time that their blogs are not paying them anything, so here is something they need to check about their blogs.
If you are looking forward to high profits in return of easy blogging, you must first know which niche to choose as your blog topic.
As the world going online, people are now interested to find solutions for their health related matters online. This blogging niche enjoys an open traffic where there are no barriers of culture, state or society. A person from Pakistan would be equally interested to know about the remedy for losing his weight as a person from USA. If you have a command on medicine and fitness related issues and think you have the potentials to provide people worth-reading and then worth-following tips regarding fitness and Health, then you will see a huge traffic following your blog in no time.
Health and fitness blogs are mostly visited only by those who are either going through some disease or are way to curious to learn tips for their fitness. But above health blogs, comes Fashion. Knowing about health is need but learning all about fashion is addiction. If you have got that glamorous side of yours and enjoy learning and sharing about Fashion trends leading the society, you can really earn huge money with it. People all over the world find internet as the most easiest access to know about fashion and follow it.
Recent statistics have shown that 90% of the people have an emotional part in their personalities that leaves an effect on the entire life per fifteen hours a day as an average. People find internet as the most secure way to improve their relationships, believing in the idea of self-aiding learning online about professional working relationships, love relationships and getting advises from people around the globe. According to the latest reveals, blogs with this domain enjoy huge traffic.
Man's love for Money will last till the end of this world. This common nature of people to learn ways to double their money forces them to search about such methods. Blogs having a domain related to ways of improving their finances and helping them setting up their own business, telling ways to manage their money always appeal them, further generating good traffic for a blog.
6. Question and Answer Blogs
Let us go back to school to make the concept clear. Which teacher you preferred to visit the most in times of need, the one who always had a solution for your problems or the one who used to tell you to "come later"? We all have same views about it I hope. Similarly, starting a blog with a niche of active question and answer session will soon generate considerable revenue for you. People look forward to places where they can be listened and can get their queries been answered. Just like answer.com, you can start a question and answer blog and make real dollars with it!
5. Celebrities
The easiest- yet the most interesting niche to adopt in a blogging career is undoubtedly to start writing reviews, updates, latest photos and everything associated with them, is the celebrities. The best part about this domain is, all you need to have as your qualifications to rule is your interest in entertainment world
4. Buy and sell
Online shopping has taken up the physical market with a great pace. Now you choose all what you want to buy from your living room and get it delivered at your doorsteps. If you have the ability to work like a middle man, establishing a forum similar to olx.com, you can attract bulk of visitors each day.
3. Social Media
This post will be too less to describe the power of social media at this time of life where one might not have a bank account but must be having three or four accounts on different social networking websites. Due to the huge number of Social media users, the sites that write about every single happening on Social media get the most of the benefit. Take an example of Mashable.com. What do you think is the reason for the success of this site? It can't be uniqueness, there are much better unique sites available than it, it can't also be a good grammar, as even I have been noticing grammatical mistakes in the posts plenty of times. Then what makes it a hit? It's the domain of the blog! People want to know each and everything about their social media. Therefore, picking this niche to start a blog is one of the best choices available among the most productive niches.
2. Technology
Techcrunch.com has been making Millions of Dollars each year by simply cashing its niche. In this Hi-tech world, staying up to date with the latest technology been revealed in the market is mandatory. Moreover, the biggest benefit of choosing this niche as your blogging topic is , when a new gadget/device is launched in to the market, it automatically creates a hype, big enough to bring visitors to your blog to know more about it. This happens every time-little too often, ensuring a continuous inflow of money.
1. Blogging Tips
Blogging has recently become too popular even in the developing countries. The best sources to learn for the new bloggers are the blogs themselves. Just like MBT, blogs having a domain of sharing tips and tricks, making blogging easy with tutorials and everything related to blogging world are earning considerably large at this time. However, such domains require you to have the capability and knowledge about web designing and web development so that whatever content you share, it gains reliability for you from your readers.
The decisions you take on initial stages while starting a business, decides the future of it, therefore always play it safe and think about your potentials and pick the domain that goes most smooth with it.
All the best
Monday, 1 April 2013
Six ways to make money via blogging
There are so many ways of adding advertisements to your blog. Choosing the right method depends on what type of ads you want shown on your blog and which online advertising program you want to sign up with. Some of the most popular ad publishing companies for blog advertising include Google AdSense and Yahoo Publisher but there are many more options available. Once you have chosen which publishers to use to add ads to your blog you can sign up for their service through their website and follow their requirements for displaying ads on your blog.
Google AdSense
- 1Place contextual ads on your blog using Google AdSense. Contextual ads work by first determining what type of content is shown on your blog and then delivering ads that match the nature of the content (for example, if your blog is about real estate the contextual ads may be about real estate agents). You don't have to worry about which specific ads to show because Google does that for you.
Yahoo Publisher
- 2Use Yahoo Publisher as an alternate to Google AdSense if you have a blog that gets a lot of traffic (high number of visitors each day). Yahoo Publisher only displays contextual ads on websites and blogs that have high traffic but the revenue is generally considered to be higher than Google AdSense, so if you qualify to place ads on your blog through Yahoo Publisher it can prove beneficial for you.
- 3Take a risk by using Adbrite for contextual ads if you feel the risk is worth taking. There is a risk involved because even though using Adbrite can increase the income that you earn through your blog, many of the ads displayed by Adbrite are for gambling and promiscuous businesses. Such ads may offend your blog viewers and decrease your blog traffic, depending on the nature of your blog content and target audience.
Advertising Networks
- 4Pick specifically which ads you want to display on your blog through advertising networks. You have to have very high blog traffic to be considered by advertising networks (at least a few thousand visitors per day) but if you qualify, you can depend on a more steady income coming through well-established advertising corporations that usually pay handsomely to place ads on your blog. You can also provide information directly about your blog and select what type of advertisements you want shown. Here are some advertising networks that you can look into for adding advertisements on your blog.
- Blogads
- BuzzMachine
- Federated Media
- TechCrunch
- Blogads
Affiliation Advertisements
- 5Add affiliation ads to your blog if you feel that your blog visitors would be interested in purchasing products from another website. For example, if your blog is about books you could join Amazon's Associates Program, which is an affiliate program that will pay you every time someone goes to Amazon using an advertisement on your blog and makes a purchase. Usually you are paid a percentage of the purchase amount, similar to how a salesman earns commission for selling products that are offered for sale by other companies.
Links Within Blog Text
- 6Sign up for services such as Text Link Ads if you want to get paid for text links on your blog. For example, let's say you wrote a blog post about auto repair. Text Link Ads or a similar online advertising program may decide to pay you for changing the words "auto repair" in your blog into a text link that leads to the website of the auto repair company that is paying for the advertisement. 1 great benefit of text link ads is that they don't use any additional space on your blog design to add ads to your blog, you merely change the text that already exists into a link
- *infollinks etc.
Ad publishers for the advertisers
Apart from the Google adsense and yahoo publishers there are lots of ad publishers to advertise various products and services through various websites and blogs. based on the topic advertisers have the freedom to choose which is the best website or blog to place there ad's. one of the important thing to be noted is the traffic of the blog/website which you are going to place your ad. then only get the maximum viewers to your ad. some of the Ad publishing sites are as follows.
Infolinks etc.
Infolinks etc.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
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John Isner told us yesterday that he'd be practicing with a left-handed junior to prepare for his fourth-round match tomorrow against Fernando Verdasco, a power leftie. We caught up with the lucky junior, 17-year-old Evan King, after they hit on Practice Court 2.
King called the experience "pretty sweet" and had nothing but praise for Isner. "The guy's incredible," he said. "When he doesn't even try, he bounces his serve over your head." Did he give Isner a cross-court workout? "Hopefully."
King himself doesn't play for a couple of days. He's the top-ranked player in the USTA Boys' 18-and-Under group, and he's competing here–and hitting with the pros–while his fellow freshmen move into their dorms at the University of Michigan. He was clean-shaven, but that's a recent development. "Coach is making me shave [my beard]," King told MGoBlue.com, a Michigan sports site, last week. "He says it's all about representing Michigan. He doesn't want me to look like a bum."

subset: commoncrawl


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Square D
Square D brand by Schneider Electric is an electrical industry leader, second to none. Yukon stocks "New" and "Refurbished" Square D products at our distribution warehouses, including current and obsolete models such as "I-Line", "PowerPact", "MasterPact" and more.
The product refinement feature below is a simple way for you to find the specific Square D part you need. In addition, Yukon has professional sales and support team members available by phone to assist you with all of your requirements
Yukoncorp has been specializing in new, reconditioned and obsolete Square D Circuit Breakers and other electrical supply products for over 50 years. Call Us today 1-800-426-6314


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Ant Download Manager Pro 1.3.1 License Key & Keygen
Ant Download Manager Pro 1.3.1 License Key & Keygen is just a downloader that is fast quite happy with help for video packages! Function: Full integration most abundant on the internet that is popular: Internet Explorer 8+, Mozilla Firefox 32 +, Google Chrome 31+ and their clones (Pale Moon, Opera, Vivaldi, Slimjet, ComodoDragon, etc.).Built-in video clip grabber enables you to install movie from any video clip websites and solutions.
Ant Download Manager is just a downloader that is fast quite happy with help for video packages! Whenever video clip that is shooting AntDM constantly provides sound removal from the video clip and transform it into MP3 format.A handy feature preview video files in the first selection of packages.Ant Download Manager is just a downloader that is fast quite happy with help for video packages. Media states F4M, M3U8, RTMP (x).Support for HTTP proxies (S), FTP, SOCKS 4,5.
Aids the most used website link that is premium (Debris).All downloaded files are conserved in data by groups by their MIME kind.
Ant_Download Manager Pro 1.3.1
Ant Download Manager integrates with browsers Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, support web sites protocols, (HTTP), FTP-servers (FTP), the packages by category and install speed, multi-language support, animated preview associated with product list that is installed. Ant Download Manager is just a downloader that is fast quite happy with help for video packages!
This system features a graphical user interface that is convenient. Design and also the menu is standard, the screen that's right the installed files, you can activate the left menu, right above the core in charge of downloading the video clip from YouTube, including a brand new file, delete the file, the file load control product and settings key. Russian help can be acquired, establishing the very least and they're standard because of this variety of system, being a appears being the whole IDM and externally as well as in regards to settings, although programs of the category act like virtually all.
Key features:
• Built-in video grabber browser (YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, etc. ..)
• Multithreaded download
• Accelerator download speed
• Downloads by category
• Downloads list, complete information, sorting options
• Capturing links from the clipboard
• Integration in browser
• Multi-lingual support
• HTTP support, HTTPS, FTP protocols
• Portability
• Drag and drop (Drag and Drop)
• User-friendly interface is beautiful
• No ads
- Full Pro Version
- Not limited download speed
- No flow restrictions on downloading
- Download video from browser pages using video knop ki
- Convert Media Files
Whats New:
- updated Chrome extension
- removed a significant delay of the "Add Video Downloading" dialog form after press button "Do."
- fixed a bug in the algorithm of the video merger
- fixed_a_bug in F4M protocol downloading
- fixed & improved M3U8 downloading of the fragment files
- Updated Rutube.ru parse algorithm
- Added Dutch(Netherlands) language. Thank Ron Doomen for translation.
- Added the Slovak language. Thank PEPEK, PESISOFT SK for translation.
- Thank Richard Lane for proofreading the English translation.
- Added an option enable\disable icon animation to Config (For those who are annoying or unpleasant of an animation)
- fixed the resize of the main AntDM window when it overlaps a taskbar refactoring and bug fix
Operating System:
- Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10
Installation Process:
- Click To Download Button.
- Software Auto Download.
- Open Download File.
- Click to Install The Setup.
- Wait Till Complete.
- All Done.
- Enjoy Software.


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I was talking to a friend the other day and mentioned that I was starting to question myself as a quilter. I haven't quilted with any seriousness in ages. Sure I little around chipping away on an overdue wedding quilt and stitching the occasional appliqué block. I feel disconnected, in more ways than one. She encouraged me to reach out to make connections. Maybe the real solution is to reconnect with those I have already made. You are a part of that.
I wonder what would happen if I wrote more, even if it was essentially about nothing? An experiment then. Let's begin.
It was a fine day. A quiet one at work, the Friday at state government kind of quiet. I was actually making some progress that I can also apply to my personal life–teaching myself Adobe InDesign while creating an org. chart for our division. Life skills of the graphic design sort.
I left at close to my regular hour as I was scheduled for a week overdue haircut. This is key as with short hair you have to keep it shaped and the neckline tight. I get it cut every five weeks. I arrived and my stylist was washing someone else. As it turns out I was an hour late. I had rescheduled the previous week because I could't make my regular appointment due to a public meeting conflict. I must have entered the wrong time in my phone when I updated the appointment. This is wholly my fault, but it immediately turned my mood foul. She is booked until November. Fortunately I book two appointments out and have one scheduled towards the end of October. But damn, if I can't get in before then things are going to be rough. Fingers crossed a cancellation opens and it matches with my availability.
So. Here I sit. Writing it out.
I made an emergency comfort treat which should be cold enough to eat in a couple of hours. I also bought this pattern which I've seen pop up on the interwebs lately and which makes my 1980s heart smile and aligns with my love of mixtapes.
How do you get out of a funk, quilting or otherwise?


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Eurostation Restaurants
Westchester, CA - 2,000 square feet
Orange, CA - 1,800 square feet
A European-style waffle and crepe restaurant franchise designed to stand out in a mall environment among similar sized storefronts. The aesthetic was reminiscent of a contemporary European café. The design for the Orange location served as the model for other locations.


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No Mercury! No Metals!
No Kidding!
No Kidding!
White Dental Fillings - Tooth Colored Fillings
For years, the silver-mercury amalgam was the standard filling material used in dental practices, and many practices still use it. While they are a reasonable restoration, amalgams have certain shortcomings. Metal does not bond well to teeth, so decay can and does eventually leak into the tooth. But the biggest reason many of our patients are choosing the white bonded fillings has to do with the way they look. Many people just don't want an ugly black plug in their teeth. We offer modern restorations that are a natural-looking white, contain no metals, and can actually strengthen your teeth. They also bond very tightly with the healthy part of the tooth so there is much less chance of decay in the future.
Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd Clemmons, NC 27012


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Rajasthan Tourism
www.tourismpoints.com - Rajasthan Tourism Operators provides info about Rajasthan Culture, Cuisine, History and Handcraft to explore the Land or Destinations of Rajasthan India that'll be surprising you.
India Tourism Guide
www.tourismpoints.com - We are the Travel Agents in India providing best services to tourists to enjoy the Journey of India with India Tourism Guide which will give you the best guidance to make your Tours to India enjoyable and affordable.
Incredible India Tourism
www.tourismpoints.com - Tourism Points is an Organization that arranging Tours and Travel in India such as Domestic, Inbound, and Outbound tourism for Tourists who travel to and stay in India.
Holidays In India
www.royalindiantour.com - If you want to enjoy mesmerizing fascination of India tours, and need of a reliable travel agent in India, give us an opportunity to serve you and travel India with more and more preferred way.


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Snack Review
Taste test: Unlike some of the limited-edition Oreos that get lots of prerelease buzz before we can find any, this one just popped up out nowhere. And oh, boy did it pop up! Lots of stores suddenly had huge, not-so-limited supplies. And they even packaged them in the same 15.25-oz. packages as original Oreos, rather than the 10.7-oz. ones that have been used lately for limited editions.
The sandwiches looked like regular Oreos, with no change in color to the cookies or filling. But when we crunched in, they certainly didn't taste the same. There was a strong, sweet, fake-fruit flavor that quite reminded us of Fruity Pebbles cereal. It reminded us even more of a past (non-mystery) limited-edition Oreo: Fruity Crisp Oreo, which added some colorful spots to the white filling but otherwise seemed the same as these. The flavor just didn't work as an Oreo filling. Too sweet, and didn't go well with the chocolate. Don't even try it without some milk to wash it down. I think people are going to end up with a lot of unfinished packages of these!
Shop: Buy Oreos on Amazon #ad
Smell test: Very sweet, like Fruity Pebbles.
From the package: "Mystery flavor cream artificially flavored" ... "Limited Edition"
Online store: Buy Oreos on Amazon #ad
Company: Mondelez
Reviews of similar snacks:
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Moment Four: Sinister
The glass door supporting Driew swung open. He collapsed onto the spongy rain-soaked doormat just inside the doorway. His body lodged the door open, leaving him both inside and out. Raindrops gathering on his lenses distorted an attractive teenage figure standing over him, wearing a sinister smile. Killiope released her grasp on the door.
"Where have you been, little bother?" she asked, wiping her wet face. "I've been waiting in the rain while you're here, hanging out. Oh dear, what have you done?" Straddling him, she dropped onto Driew's body. She pinned his arms with her sharp knees. "Your glasses are wet. Let's clean those." She licked her thumbs then smeared them across his lenses like boney windshield wipers. "Get up, you little bother. Let's go!" she said, leaving little room for Driew to stand.


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Eye of Newt became a popular ingredient in witches spells from the Shakespearean play "Macbeth"
There are only a few different theories on these Shakespearean ingredients. Only a small number of people are convinced it represents a real eye of a salamander or small fish, most people today believe that it is in fact an herb. In fact, most of these items in the incantation are herbs.
Most Herbalists believe that Eye of Newt actually refers to a Mustard Seed. This is the most common understanding of Shakespeare's words. However, there are those who believe it is actually the red berries of the belladonna plant. It is a plant in the same Solanaceae family as tomatoes, and has a long history of being both a poisonous narcotic and a very useful medication.
But what about the rest of them? The rest of the incantation is as follows.
"Eye of Newt, Toe of Frog
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
And, of course… Their meanings:
Toe of Frog, a Bulbous Buttercup Leaf, Known for its ability to inflame and blister the skin!
Wool of Bat – Holly Leaves – A Medicine known to ease hypertension, or high blood pressure. (Note, the berries are poisonous, so be careful!)
Tongue of Dog – Houndstongue – While toxic when dry, the roots were used for treating shortness of breath, and was said that boiling the leaves and applying the liquid could preserve hair from falling and ease the pain of burned skin.
Adder's Fork – Adder's Tongue – This plant has 2 versions, the European and American types. The European version is said to be good for treating eye problems and making ointments for wounds. The leaves of the American plant can be applied to the skin to treat skin ulcers.
Lizard's leg – Ivy – Not poison Ivy mind you, this plant can be used as a Diuretic, Astringent, Tonic, and gentle stimulant. Also good for Kidney diseases and indigestion.
Owlet's wing – Owl's Clover – To be honest with you I couldn't find any botanical information about this plant, or what it was used for historically. Other clovers however are often used as Antispasmodics.
The only one of the group from Shakespeare's verse that actually related to a real animal was the Blind Worm's Sting. This referred to the Venom of an Anguis Fragilis Worm.
In the dark ages, "witches" also known as "pagans" and the like would use names like these to scare common-folk so that nobody would really know what they were up to. It was a means of protection to practice Herbology in a time when you were considered evil for doing as such.
Good things times have changed, right?


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Putting Green Installation
Do you love golf? Do you want to give your guests something to talk about? Consider adding a putting green to your yard. Putting greens are a great way to entertain guests, enjoy some relaxation outdoors, and they are also easy to maintain. Whether you want a single hole or multi hole putting green installation, our guys are up to the task. For more information, call us today to schedule a consultation and see whether or not a putting green is right for your home.
Installation and More
We offer professional putting green installation services to our customers. Our team uses high grade synthetic turf, which won't get muddy, need mowing, or turn brown in the summer. Putting greens are a great way to conserve water when you swap them out in place of real grass, but they also offer added fun and functionality that plain old synthetic turf is lacking.
Complement your new putting green with:
- Synthetic grass
- A dog run
- Pet turf
- Pergolas
- Arbors
- Hardscaping
- Low voltage landscape lighting
- And more
We are also happy to install a new putting green or bocce ball court as part of a larger landscape design project.
Bocce Ball Court Installation
Another great way to add fun and eccentricity to your backyard is to opt for a bocce ball court instead of traditional grass or rock. Bocce ball is a fun sport for all ages and all backgrounds, and our courts don't take much in the way of maintenance. Add some spice to your yard while also cutting down on maintenance and water costs. Call Exotic Gardens today and ask about bocce ball court installation in Morgan Hill and nearby areas.


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"For a recent client located in the San Francisco area, we provided the Form product for their command and control centers and in their training area. Form was the right fit for their complexity and ability to manage change over the long term. After the installation was complete, the customer, of their own initiative, expanded the extent of product and areas to receive Innovant's Form product. I think that speaks for itself. The customer's IT services team were also extremely impressed with the accessibility and ease of integrating their technology requirements within the consoles. Innovant's consoles have now been successfully installed in several of facilities with very positive reception in all instances." Read More>
- Robin Wille, LEED AP, President at Wille Design


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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The Portrait Collection
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, one of the most admired musicians of his age, assembled an important collection of musician portraits in the course of his life. The collection, which contained around 400 pictures, offers an extraordinary view of his knowledge of musical and cultural history. Its scope is enormous, and ranges from contemporary composers, virtuosi and singers, through music theorists, scientists and philosophers, back to figures of music history and mythology. Members of the Bach family are represented, alongside Bach's own friends and colleagues. The collection made a vital impact on Bach's contemporaries. As the first of its kind in Germany it was particularly valued, and it inspired other music-lovers to build their own portrait collections. Long considered to have been lost, it was reconstructed in connection with the C. P. E. Bach Complete Works edition. This exhibition brought together and presented in public for the first time some of the most important portraits in this remarkable collection.


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Welcome to Thompson Auto Sales, the best used car dealer in Pueblo, Colorado. We have worked hard to build a reputation for selling high quality used cars backed by extraordinary service. A good portion of our business is done with individuals who've never even driven the vehicle or seen it in person prior to purchasing. Only two things make that possible: unequaled quality and a high level of service.
We offer a variety of car financing programs to meet the individual needs of our customers, and provide our customers with a variety of extended warranty plans to protect their used car after a purchase has been made.
Please use the menu above to browse our current inventory and learn more about us. If you have any questions please feel free to call us at 719.545.5421.
I hereby consent to receive text messages from or on behalf of dealer at the mobile phone number I provided above. I understand that I am opting in to receive text messages from dealer or their employees. I include consent to receive phone calls at the mobile phone number I provided. I understand that message and data rates may apply.


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New Inground Vinyl Patterns for 2010/
We are happy to announce the new patterns for inground vinyl liners for 2010.
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We are happy to announce the new patterns for inground vinyl liners for 2010.
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We get asked often enough, "How do you measure a for a replacement liner for an above ground pool?" Having just replied to one of these questions I figured I'd take that as an opportunity to re-purpose it on the site. Between Oval and Round pools there are very minor differences when it comes to measuring. For an oval you need to measure both the length and the width, on a round pool the diameter is needed. You should check that the measurement is consistent at a few points around the pool.
We also like to have the perimeter of the pool. Having the perimeter measurement allows us to double check and adjust a cutom liner to ensure that the liner will fit your pool. To do that you usually need a cloth tape measure, about a 100 foot long should work, and you measure around the top on the steel wall, under the top rail, where the liner overlaps (for overlap pools) or the bead clips in (for beaded pools).
The last piece of information needed is thewall height. Measure the distance from the top of the cove or sand bottom to the top of the wall (where the overlap or bead receiver is).
If we get this information, and it's acurate, we can ensure you'll be swimming in a fresh pool again in no time.


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The end….
Learning is amazing. You always start out, thinking you know a bit, or maybe quite a lot and then discover you know next to nothing really. In the end you know more than you did, but most importantly you know there is so much more out there to learn!
What I have learnt in this journey?
I think the key things I have learnt in this journey are;
1. The pedagogy has got to change in order to take advantage of digital opportunities
2. The planning and leadership required to effect that change is huge, but possible
3. Despite the fact I can talk a lot, I'm not big on writing as much -
How did I learn them?
Stepping out of my comfort zone has been important and trying things that were not really my first choice. I found the discussions on the Learn site fantastic, but struggled to follow the flow of ideas on twitter. Blogging has been great, and I aim to carry on this train of thought beyond this course as it will be a great resource for me to return to as I try to improve my practice. The valuable input from our lecturers has been noted by many participants and I agree it was a vital piece of this puzzle. All of these aspects are supported by the reading I have been doing to find the trick of effective eLearning - time to play, support from peers, effective & knowledgeable leaders.
I am including a link to my final essay - mainly so I can come back and remind myself what I have learnt when I am lost and not sure where to start again. Hopefully it gets me a passing grade! I'll list some of my favourite articles at the end of this post
Where to from here?
Taking the theory into practice - I have already started down the digital road – armed with enthusiasm, snippets of knowledge and many ideas. Now I have a little more knowledge I know to look further than my school, taking in the big picture, while still noticing the little things. I know to get in and get my own hands dirty, learning with my staff and giving them opportunities to lead as well. I know to take time to play and explore and reshape. I know to follow the data to focus on what is working. I know to share my knowledge and enthusiasm. And I know there are 1000 new ideas, just a tweet away!
Hopefully this will help make the path lead to greater success for my students, more fun for my staff, and more learning for me!
Hopefully this will help make the path lead to greater success for my students, more fun for my staff, and more learning for me!


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2011-03-15 (Re Published on Request of Prasant Patnaik,Sr.TV Journalist,India-TV
( Ref orissabarta FEEDBACK)
Orissabarta:- Madam please tells us about your child hood ?
Rupa:-Most of my education till graduation I studied in Cuttack only. I was deeply influenced by the world of cartoons. Nature has been my perennial source of inspiration since my childhood. Even as a student life I always exhibited leadership qualities and participated in cultural activities with full zest. All through, the challenging world of media business fascinated me a lot . So being an Image Consultant I was indeed by choice rather than by chance.
Orissabarta:-Please tell us about your family Background and nativity ?
Rupa:- I am the great granddaughter of the famous ayurvedic doctor Shri Raghunath Dash of Cuttack, Orissa. My father Shri Siba Prasad Dash who is a businessman and mother Smt Anita Dash is a social worker & activist. I recently got married to an Oriya scientist Dr Upendra Kar from Dhenkanal working in the University of California, Los Angeles. Those moments I stayed with my husband were the most memorable ones in my life. So I can proudly say there is always a man behind a successful woman.
Orissabarta :- Your portfolio ?
Rupa:- I am expert in Brand & Media Management and has worked as a consultant with a global set of clients like Common Wealth Games Village, Warner Brothers, BlackBerry(Research In Motion), Ranbaxy, Revlon, Panasonic, Indian Premium League-Rajasthan Royals and Airtel.My rich celebrity management experience is an asset. I always possesses excellent communication, relationship management, and team building skills with dexterity in maintaining healthy relationship with celebrities and politicians of national & international repute.
Orissabarta:- What is your memorable period in profession ?
Rupa: - I am proud that I have worked with Abhishek Bachan, Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Shane Watson, Shane Warne, Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar, Mayawati and Amir Khan, to name a few. The achievements of Rupa at a young age have firmly established me as an icon; I set an example worth emulating for all women, especially for those in Orissa. I have designed an array of media properties.It was me who conceptualised and launched the 3G services and Wi-Max services in India. I also launched High End Hayabusa in India and conceptualised the global premiere's of Warner Brothers' Hollywood flicks in India. Another feather in her cap is the BlackBerry Bold and Storm launch in India. My media management of famous Bollywood films like Page 3 and Fashion created waves bringing her accolades from different quarters. Back home, I designed the Bihar Sudhar Prasashanik Mission for the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitesh Kumar. I ably supported the media awareness drive of Vibarnt Gujarat for the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi.
Orissabarta:- Extraordinary experience Please ?
Rupa :- A salient feature of my career is very impressive international experience. I adorns the honour of being the youngest woman from Orissa to represent ICT delegation in Korean Electronic Show. I have also recently won the "Young Evangelist in ICT"
Orissabarta:- Please tell us about your Student Carrier ?
Rupa:- At 27 year old I hold a master degree in Strategic Communication in International Business from Indian Institute in Foreign Trade, New Delhi. Prior to this I had completed my PG in Media & Advertising from National Institute of Advertising & Media, New Delhi and BBA from Utkal University.
Orissabarta:- Hobby Please ?
Rupa:- My hobbies are varied. It's a connoisseur of paintings, and loves to dance. Despite my busy schedule, I am a frequent blogger.
Orissabarta:- Rupa please tell us your Political view ?
Rupa:- I strongly dislike 'ideologies,' be it liberal, conservative, libertarian, whatever. Politicians, she says never care about solving the problems faced by the common man. Their populist policies are framed to suit vote bank politics. According to me, politics should be synonymous with philanthropy; it should be a platform for social service and welfare of the nation. Then the politics of defection will become a forgotten nightmare.
Orissabarta:- What is dream for Odisha ?
Rupa:- I cherish a spritely dream for my home state – Odisha. A dream that envisages Odisha built upon the fundamental processes at work, within the Odisha society. Many like Rupa, are committed towards the realization of that dream, even unto the last drop of their blood.I want Odisha to be free from beggary and corruption. I also looks forward to the day when Odisha will win a sizable number of medals in Olympics. But, this can happen only if the state spends more money on sports. And no state is in a position to spend money on sports, when its people die of starvation or survive on mere mango kernel. But, hopefully, Odisha will embrace changes in every sphere. A time will come, when Odisha will be the progressive face of the nation. And people like Rupa, its ambassadors, will proudly proclaim, "Mera Odisha Mahan."


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Wordless Wednesday
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
And don't miss my What to Expect giveaway for moms and babies worth over $123! I don't have many entries. Enter today!
For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ
Thanks for stopping by!
- Serena said...
Linking up for WW. Love the tall trees and small boys. You can feel the sense of wonder as they walk beneath.
- May 4, 2011 at 9:11 AM
- I am Harriet said...
I love that! I'd be there every day if I lived by there.
BTW- I promoted your giveaway on my Posh linky this week :)
- May 4, 2011 at 1:16 PM
- Aimee said...
Aw, that's a great photo!!
- May 4, 2011 at 1:28 PM
- Russ said...
They look like they were enjoying their walk. Wonderful scenery.
- May 4, 2011 at 1:54 PM
- Meg said...
Looks like a very serene and peaceful place to go for a walk!
- May 4, 2011 at 2:27 PM
- Elaine A. said...
I was always in awe of such tall tress when I was little like that. Beautiful place!
- May 4, 2011 at 4:47 PM
- blueviolet said...
BEAUTIFUL! I want to go strolling down that path.
- May 4, 2011 at 7:28 PM
- Veronica Lee said...
I would love to take a stroll down that path too. Beautiful!
Happy Thursday!
- May 5, 2011 at 1:56 AM


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Carole McCue
FDA Approves First Emergency Treatment for Chemotherapy Overdose
Carole McCue, RN, MS, CNE 12/29/2015 0
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vistogard (uridine triacetate) as the first and only antidote for the emergency treatment in adult and pediatric patients ...
Cathy Cole
Getting Back to Nursing Basics
Cathy Cole, RNC, NP, MPH, CHES, CBPN-IC 8/28/2015 2
It was a lovely summer wedding. The weather along Oyster Bay in New York could not have been better. And of course, the bride was beautiful. I was at the wedding of my dear ...
Cathy Cole
Breast Cancer Can Be a Heart-Breaking Experience
Cathy Cole, RNC, NP, MPH, CHES, CBPN-IC 1/21/2015 3
It was bound to happen eventually. You are so focused on taking care of patients with breast cancer and the potential for treatment-related side effects, when you hear a Code Blue ...
Beth Faiman
Airbus Oncological Emergency: How Prepared Would You Be?
Beth Faiman, PhDc, MSN, APN-BC, AOCN 4/17/2014 9
Last week I was renewing my Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. As we were reviewing the 2010 American Heart Association Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) guidelines for adult ...
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My core role as an ONP is to follow up with new chemotherapy patients and patients discharged from the hospital proactively, as well as to perform comprehensive assessments, ...
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Preparing Healthcare Workers for an Unexpected Stay at Work
Maggie Hughes, LMSW, Medical Oncology Social Worker 1/31/2014 16
As healthcare professionals, we are often called upon to stay at work when our friends and family have "snow days." While folks are uploading pictures of snowmen and warm chili ...
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Evaluating Critical Care Costs & Patient Outcomes
Dianna Ellison, RN, OCN, CCM 11/25/2013 7
According to a recent article from WebMD, critical care doctors believed they provided futile care to 1 in 5 patients in the ICU by needlessly prolonging their lives.
Monica Key
Atypical Confusion & Ammonia Levels
Monica Key, APRN, CCRN, AOCNP 10/18/2013 7
Recently a 66-year-old male with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presented to the hospital due to acute onset of confusion witnessed by his family members.
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The Subtle Dangers of Febrile Neutropenia
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Has this ever happened to you?


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Warrior Brass Chain Bracelet with Open Bronze Heart
Includes Clear Genuine Swarovski Crystal.
Small/Medium is approximately 7.5 inches
The Little Warriors jewelry line is designed by Orange Avocado Jewelry, and is exclusively available through Little Warriors.
Warranty: All items are non refundable. Sizes are approximate as each piece is individually made. Logo, tags, and clips will vary slightly as each piece is individually made. If the item breaks the designer will fix this free of charge, given the buyer pays for all shipping expenses to and from Little Warriors. If a piece from an item is lost (i.e. crystal) the buyer will be required to pay for the replacement and shipping. No charge will be applied to the repair. Please call Little Warriors for details. As per CRA rules tax receipts cannot be issued.


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The benefits of regular exercise are numerous and well documented. With a variety of exercise methods and fitness classes on offer, it can be difficult to know which will be the right one for you.
Whether you are a complete beginner, or an advanced trainer, using the correct training techniques is imperative for continued improvement.
We will help you find the right training patterns and exercises to help you achieve the levels of health and fitness you desire.
Sports massage is a systematic manipulation of the soft tissues of the body that focuses on muscles relevant to a particular sport.
Many different movements and techniques are used in sports massage which include; Swedish style massage, effleurage, petrissage, vibration, gliding, stretching, percussion and trigger points. These movements and techniques are used to try to help the athlete's body achieve maximum performance and physical conditioning with a decreased chance of injury or pain and a quicker recovery.
Located at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester. Whatever your goals, whether it's fitness, toning, weight loss, during or after pregnancy, skiing or even training for an event, we can help. We have a range of different programmes and ideas to help you achieve your goals and we are here to make sure you get the most from every session.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your fitness requirements or any other issues related to the gym and personal training.
Jogging On - Winchester
The Education Centre
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Romsey Road
Jogging On - Romsey
19 The Hundred
07817 251362
Luke has been personal training me now for about 8 years, as a busy professional I find that the hour or two I spend with him each week is time that just wouldn't get spent on physical exercise otherwise...
Luke has made the gym fun again!!! I have been working out for years and the gym has just been getting a bit boring and I just wasn't seeing any results anymore...
Great Trainer, Great Facility. Jogging On is a great place to work-out and the workouts are fantastic!
Training here for almost 7 years and love it. Great facility. I definitely recommend Jogging on and Luke.


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Spend a summer on the water exploring the rivers of Southwest Montana with kayak programs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced paddlers
For ages 10-18, Groups split into 10-14 and 15-18 year olds
Participants divided into beginner and intermediate and advanced groups based on experience
Kayaking two days per week
No prior experience necessary
Participate in one or both 6 week sessions
Cost: $700 six week session/ $1300 for both sessions
Wave Train Kayak Team does not supply equipment for our programs. Please see Equipment Page for details
Six-Week Session 1
Runs May 15 - July 4th
High Water Fun and a good full season of kayaking adventure.
Six-Week Session 2
Runs July 8th - August 22nd
Warmer Water and lots of surfing days!
Sign-up for both Sessions for discounted rates!


text: Jul 19 Best web designer in jammu Best web designer in jammu UI/UX expert Parvaiz Hassan's formula is simple – 'On a good day, I make the website more awesome. On a bad day, I make it suck less'. A content strategist and user experience designer, Parvaiz has over 5 of years experience of making big, complicated websites. He is currently managing partner of Digitwebs. By : Parvaiz Category: blog


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Fresh Herbs for Life
Ever since tasting my favorite tomato basil omelet at Mimi's Cafe, I have been obsessed with herbs. There is no substitute for fresh herbs. They are the best ingredients. Over the years, I have spent more than I care to admit buying fresh herbs for recipes. A couple of years ago I decided to start growing my own so that we can save money. I discovered, there is much more I enjoyed about growing my own herbs.
First, saving on groceries is a huge benefit! I small bushel of herbs can cost at least $2.00 each. Many times I didn't use all of the herbs and couldn't preserve them, so had to toss the rest. It was disheartening to waste those precious ingredients. I love knowing I can go to my backyard to clip what I need instead of constantly running to the store for fresh ingredients.
They make very pretty centerpieces. If you like fresh cut flowers like me, you will love the natural look of herb centerpieces. They look great on the kitchen table and counter tops. Now after snipping stems of the herbs I need for cooking, I place some left-overs in a mason jar, oil bottles, old metal cans, or whatever I feel like recycling. Choose a variety of herbs in different containers for a unique grouping.
They smell so good! Have you ever smelled fresh herbs? My favorite fragrance is Rosemary. Oh, who am I kidding! My favorite is Basil. They all smell so good. My back porch is so fragrant. I really enjoy sitting on my porch to read or relax while enjoying the fragrance from my variety of herb plants. This indulgence is what inspired me to make my own herb scented candles. I prefer fresh natural fragrances over perfumes.
Fresh herbs tastes so much better than dried. Fresh herbs impart a purer and fresher flavor to foods than dried. Dried herbs lose some essential oils. Besides, you can't make salad dressings and sauces from dried herbs.
Herbs are so good for you! You can add more antioxidants to your diet by just adding flavor to your food. Research has shown that many of the herbs used in cooking have more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables. So, spice up those meals, and get healthier.
Are you part of the club of herb lovers? If so share your comments below. Be sure to visit often as we continue the herb series.


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SCRIPTURES – Acts 3:11-21; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36-49
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you. Acts 3:19-20
What a great verse from the Bible! "Repent, that times of refreshing may come." Times of refreshing; what does this bring to your mind? I'll bet lots of things.
Ø A change of place: away from the office; the train; the traffic; the airport; away from the factory; away from the house with the piles of laundry, the cluttered rooms, and the messy yard. Away to someplace else, someplace different and beautiful… just away. That would be refreshing!
Ø Times of refreshing are also when you're away from the usual people: the sneezing people on the crowded train; the irritating people on the phone; the customers who are never satisfied; the complainers and the whiners. It is refreshing to be away and among people who are happy and carefree!
Ø Times of refreshing come with a change of clothing, from a business suit or work uniform to shorts and casual shirts. Times of refreshing do not feature bad coffee and a sandwich from a lunch cart but a relaxing dinner and a cabernet, perhaps in a nice restaurant.
Ø Maybe even a change of smells comes to mind. How about fragrant ocean breezes instead of stale tobacco smoke or a stuffy office?
Times of refreshing are vacations to exciting destinations; or, perhaps they are simply relaxing times at home with a good book and no other demands.
Times of refreshing: they are great, and are all too infrequent. And even while enjoying them our usual times interrupt and nag. The cell phone with its texts, emails, voice mails – and even phone calls! – constantly interrupts and calls you back, away from times of refreshing.
You can shut off your phone. Really! You can! You can't shut off your mind. Nagging doubts, feelings of inadequacy and the whispered memories of a guilty conscience can ruin any and every time. How do you shut them off?
Repent! Turn away from your attempts to get away and escape; from your efforts to silence inner voices by immersing yourself in entertainments; from trusting in anything you have done or will do to gain God's blessing. Turn to Jesus, whom God sent for you and who did all things well for you. Turn to Him and trust in Him, and the best times of refreshing will come.
"Repent!" cries Peter today; but, what does he mean? Consider the crowd to whom he spoke, the people who were in Jerusalem some 2-3 months after Jesus had been crucified. They come running after Peter heals a man who had been lame from birth and who is now walking and leaping and praising God. They come to see him and Peter, and Peter directs their attention to Jesus. "You remember Jesus," he says. "He was God's servant, holy and righteous; and you denied Him, delivered Him over to Pilate, and killed Him." Now, that's harsh. Many of the people Peter addressed were probably not even there when that happened! But this did not matter to Peter. "You did this," he could truly say, for it was God's will that His Christ should suffer for all people. Jesus died bearing the sins of everyone… down to this day; including you and me. To repent is to not dodge or deny, or claim ignorance and so innocence, but to say, "I did this." The voice of your guilty conscience is real and true, for we are all guilty, responsible for denying and crucifying the Holy and Righteous Son of God!
But He chose to bear your sin and guilt. God the Father had sent Him for this, and as the Father's Holy and Righteous Son, He embraced the suffering and death for sins that were laid upon Him. He remained the Holy and Righteous One even while bearing them; and so He gained the victory over them. Your sins could not remain but were blotted out and erased by His holiness and righteousness. Jesus is also the Author of life, and so death could not could not hold Him. God raised Him from the dead, and He lives forevermore. Our risen Lord is the perfect health and wholeness of body and soul, and He gives His health to those who turn away from themselves to trust in Him.
What do you have when you repent: when you confess that you are sinful and guilty, and turn to Jesus; when you trust in His holy life, sacrificial death, and resurrection to eternal life for you? "Your sins are blotted out," Peter says; just as in his day words on a wax tablet were rubbed out and erased. Your sins are gone! They will never be seen again by God! Their whispers of guilt are forever silenced.
"Peace to you," Jesus says; and you can be at peace, at peace in your mind and in your heart. Are you a sinner? Of course you are! But this does not matter to God. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." (1 John 3:1) When God looks upon you – and His eyes are always upon you; He does not wish to look anywhere else! – He is not looking upon a sinner but upon His child whom He loves It doesn't really matter, then, what anyone else sees in you or says about you. It doesn't even matter what your own mind and heart says. God is the final word, the final Judge; and He is your Father who loves you forever in His Son. "Peace to you!"
Are you sick; or suffering; or afraid because of what aging will bring; or worried because of the many uncertainties of this life? "Peace to you!" Like the lame man Peter healed, the time will come when you will walk and leap and praise God!
In fact, that time is now. When Peter said, "Repent and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you," he was not just looking to that wonderful day when Jesus returns again from heaven to restore all things. The times of refreshing are when the Lord sends Christ to you; as He does this day in that most sacred and blessed and mysterious of ways, in the simple bread and wine of Holy Communion. "Take and eat; this is My body… Take and drink; this is My blood," Jesus says. What greater refreshing could you ever have than that which you enjoy when you receive into your sinful body the body of the Holy and Righteous One who bore your sins and death and silenced them forever? What greater refreshing could you ever enjoy than when you receive into your sick and aging and dying body the living flesh and blood of Him who swallowed up death forever by His resurrection? Your Father from heaven here sends the Christ appointed for you. Repent and receive Him! The time of refreshing has come.
Enjoy the times of refreshing you get in this life: days off and vacations and relaxing meals and good books. Give thanks to God for them. We need them! Especially enjoy the refreshing times of hearing Christ's word of peace, of forgiveness, and the receiving of Him into your very body. These are truly the times of the greatest refreshment, a foretaste of the never-ending time of refreshment there will be when Jesus returns and restores all creation. What a time that will be! To the praise of His name, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns as our God forever. Amen!
Copyright © 2012 St Peter Lutheran Church, Norwalk, CT. All Rights Reserved.


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How to Deal With Your Pets Fighting
Would You Break Up a Cat-Dog Fight With a Chain Lock?
A co-worker of mine recently shared an idea of how she breaks up her cat and dog when the play fighting turns blood-drawing, head-in-mouth real. She lives in a flat with roommates, and while the humans are away, the pets play. Poor kitty needed a break from the boisterous Labrador but was finding it hard to hide. The solution? My co-worker drilled a chain door lock on the outside of her bedroom door. When she leaves for work, she keeps the door open but latches the lock, and voila, an opening just wide enough for the cat to squeeze in and claim sanctuary until she is ready to be friends again.
Would you try it, and if not, how do you break up fights between your pets? Share in the comments!
Source: Flickr User Greencolander


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As they say: RESULT! And a UNANIMOUS decision to boot. I have bolded certain key lines in case you want to scan read. Horrendous torture. Just verdict. Hopefully this is the start of further needed and just actions. PS On a similar note here's the Queen with a lawsuit against her: … [Read more...]
War Crimes Tribunal Tries Bush, Blair 2011 – Malaysia
Brief video about this trial starting: [youtube]-ftC7vTXkJU[/youtube] For a previous post on this topic: click here. … [Read more...]
"Bush And Blair To Be Tried For War Crimes" – 21st October 2011
Read the below... What I don't get however, is how come there is no real consequence if Bush and Blair are found guilty....Here's what I mean: "In the event the tribunal convicts any of the accused, the only sanction is that the name of the guilty person will be entered in the Commission's Register of War Criminals and publicised worldwide. … [Read more...]


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Commercial & Private Event Furniture Hire, Chair Hire, Catering Equipment Hire, Cutlery, Glassware & Event Crockery Hire UK Download brochure
Rectangular tablecloths for hire are very much in demand in the summer… more
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Estate, A312 / Hampton Road West,
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Unit 7, Stakehill Industrial Estate
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With Micronutrients.
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Investment Strategy
CSG, through a collaborative process with INPRS, will target investment opportunities that are in the State of Indiana or with a nexus to the State. More specifically, the IIF approach will be:
- Identify and invest in both fund managers and companies for direct and/or co-investments.
- Focus on investment opportunities either located in Indiana or with a meaningful connection to the State. On an opportunistic basis, regional funds and companies will be considered provided that they have a willingness to move a significant part or all of their operations to Indiana.
- Invest in Private Equity Funds, Real Assets, and Credit Investments.
- Directly invest or seek to co-invest in companies across varied sectors through either equity, debt or mezzanine participation.
- Seek investments that build upon the strengths of the Indiana economy.


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Ethical Concerns and Principles
Acceptable Recruitment Methods
Who May Recruit
Recruitment Materials Needing IRB Review
Special Cases
Ethical Concerns and Principles
The researcher and the IRB must consider the following ethical concerns when evaluating a recruitment strategy:
Does the recruitment strategy respect an individual's reasonable expectations for privacy? Will patients be upset when they learn researchers not involved in their care have read their medical records without permission?
Is the study introduced in a way that allows subjects ample time to consider, with no undue pressure because of timing of the request, who makes the request, how the request is made, or the offering of excessive inducements? Will patients be put in a situation where they may hesitate to say "no" to their own physician? How will pressure be minimized?
Unbiased presentation of the study
Is all information accurate, balanced and free of misleading emphases that make the study excessively attractive? Is the information as complete as is appropriate for each stage of recruitment?
Avoiding the therapeutic misconception
Patients tend to believe a clinical trial — or anything proposed by health care providers — will benefit them, even if they're told there is no assured benefit. Does the recruitment strategy work to counteract this misconception?
Conflicting concerns of care providers and patients
Subjects may prefer that someone involved in their care contact them about research, but they may find it hard to say "no" to a care provider. Clinicians may find their clinical judgment in conflict with a desire to enroll patients in their research.
Also keep the following principles in mind when developing your recruitment strategy:
Avoid initial contact by "unknown" individuals
Prospective research subjects generally should be contacted by people directly involved in their care, not by unknown researchers.
Restrict medical record access
Avoid giving access to medical records and identifiable health information to people not directly involved in a patient's care.
Minimize the amount of protected health information (PHI)/identifiable information gathered and the number of people who have access to identifiable information.
Exceptions to these principles may be granted where necessary. The IRB application must explain why exceptions are necessary; approval is not automatic.
Acceptable Recruitment Methods
You will be asked to explain your method(s) of recruiting subjects in the IRB Application. The following recruitment methods have been used in studies conducted at UCSF and its affiliated institutions. Depending on circumstances, any of these methods may be in compliance with both the federal (45 CFR 46) and the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR 164), but there also may be ethical and practical problems with any of the methods.
Click on the proposed recruitment method for more details, important considerations and/or restrictions.
1. Clinics maintain a separate IRB-approved recruitment protocol.
Clinics, departments or other groups asks patients if they will agree ahead of time to be contacted for research. See the sample Consent to Be Contacted For Future Research consent form. Investigators contact patients about particular studies in accord with their signed consent.
2. Study investigators enter basic study info on a searchable public website.
To keep patients informed of potential research opportunities, many departments maintain lists of current studies on their websites or other public websites, such as the NCI's cancer clinical trial listing. Making your study available to the public in this fashion is optional.
Based on FDA guidance, you do not need to submit the website text to the IRB if the it only provides basic trial information, such as:
- the title,
- purpose of the study,
- protocol summary,
- basic eligibility criteria,
- study site location(s) and
- how to contact the site for further information.
If the listing contains additional descriptive information about the study, submit the text of the website so the IRB may assure that the description does not promise or imply a certainty of cure or other benefit beyond what is contained in the protocol and the informed consent document.
ClinicalTrials.gov and UCSF Clinical Trials Finder: If your UCSF study is open and listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, it will automatically be pulled into the UCSF Clinical Trials website. This new tool lets potential participants search for active studies at UCSF and contact the study team. Study information is extracted at least weekly from ClinicalTrials.gov, so please keep information about your study current on ClinicalTrials.gov and and respond promptly to potential participants.
Learn more about the launch of the UCSF Clinical Trials finder, and visit the HUB for ClinicalTrials.gov registration requirements. Please note that the IRB does not need to review submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov, but you must provide the IRB with the clinical trial identifier (NCT#).
Reminder: IRB submission and approval is still required for other types of advertisements, including web-based recruitment materials.
3. Advertisements, notices and/or media are used to recruit subjects.
The IRB must first approve the text of these items. Subjects who respond to these will contact the study investigators. See advertising guidelines for more information. Note: No HIPAA-regulated PHI is used in this recruitment strategy.
4. Study investigators provide their colleagues with a "Dear Patient" letter describing the study.
This letter is signed by the treating physician(s) and informs the patients how to contact the study investigators. The study investigators are prohibited from having access to patient names, addresses or phone numbers; patients must initiate contact. The IRB has created a sample recruitment letter. See 8.b below for additional options.
5. Study investigators send a "Dear Doctor" letter to colleagues asking for referrals of eligible patients.
If interested, the patient will contact the PI, or the PI may directly recruit the patients with documented permission from the patient (e.g. a note in the medical record that the patient agreed to be contacted). Investigators may give the referring physicians a study information sheet for the patients.
You do not need to submit the "Dear Doctor" to the IRB for review. However, submit any materials that will be distributed to potential subjects.
Note: If the referring health professional will be providing a detailed description of a specific study to patients as part of the recruitment process, the IRB should review the recruitment script/materials.
6. Study investigators who are also clinicians providing direct care recruit their own patients directly.
Investigators, or nurses or staff working with the investigators, approach the patients. This approach respects privacy, but also raises ethical concerns because of the difficulty of saying no and the therapeutic misconception (see the discussion of ethical concerns above). If recruiting by letter, see our sample recruitment letter.
7. Study investigators recruit potential subjects who are unknown to them.
Examples include snowball sampling, use of social networks, direct approach to unknown people in public situations, and random dialing.
8. Study investigators request a waiver of consent/authorization for recruitment purposes.
In all cases, the waiver must be justified in the "Waiver of Consent/Authorization for Recruitment Purposes" section of the application. Waivers are granted in four primary situations:
a. Minimal risk, no-subject-contact studies: In minimal risk studies in which subjects will be not be contacted (e.g., many chart review studies) researchers request a complete waiver of consent/authorization. The application must explain why the study cannot be done without the waiver.
b. Review of charts before recruitment: If the study requires researchers to review charts to identify prospective subjects who will then be contacted and asked to be in the study, the justification for the waiver to review charts must show why the study cannot be done without the waiver. The waiver covers collecting only the minimum amount of information needed to make contact; consent is obtained before additional information is gathered.
The IRB's usual policy is that patients identified through chart review should be approached by someone already involved in their care. "Already involved in their care" includes health care professionals directly involved in their care, as well as administrative and research staff working with the health care professionals.
c. Direct approach by someone not involved in the patient's care: In some circumstances it may be necessary for members of the research team who are not involved in the patient's care to make the approach, either in person or by phone or letter. The application should explain why the study cannot be done unless the researchers approach subjects directly. Direct approach by someone not involved in the patient's care is an exception to the usual policy but may be approved in exceptional circumstances such as emergency care research.
d. Large-scale epidemiological studies and other population-based studies: These types of studies may need to identify subjects through registries, medical records in multiple institutions, or other sources. The researchers may need to contact prospective subjects directly rather than through professionals involved in the prospective subjects' health care. This approach involves a greater invasion of privacy than other methods, because researchers without approval from patients gather significant private health information about the patients, and then contact the patients directly.
Because this approach is an exception to the IRB's usual policies, the application must explain in detail why it is impossible to do the study unless the IRB 1) waives authorization/consent to obtain subjects' identities and 2) allows researchers to contact subjects directly.
Who May Recruit
Individuals initiating contact (in person or by phone) with potential subjects must have basic knowledge about the study (so they can answer questions) and training in the voluntary nature of research participation. They also should be prepared to provide prospective subjects with
- a researcher's name and phone number (for questions about the study) and
- the phone number of the IRB (for questions about a research subject's rights).
The IRB's usual policy is that patients identified through chart review should be approached by someone already involved in their care. See method 8b above for more info.
Recruitment Materials Needing IRB Review
The following types of recruitment materials must be submitted as part of the initial application for IRB review. Any additions or changes to these items must be submitted as modifications of the study.
Submit all letters to subjects or their representatives, regardless of who signs the letters, including the PI, a primary care provider or an organization the subject has joined. The IRB has created a sample recruitment letter. You do no need to submit "Dear Doctor" letters for review.
Submit all advertisements in all media, including flyers, posters, newspaper ads, radio or television announcements, and informational videos. Ensure the ads meet the advertising guidelines.
Note: TV ads or videos used in subject recruitment must be reviewed and approved by the IRB, just like other recruitment tools. Investigators should obtain IRB approval for a concept or script before making a major investment in video production. When a video has been prepared in advance by a sponsor, it should be submitted for review (as a DVD or disc). If the video is not approved, the IRB may allow the study to proceed as long as the video is not used by the local investigator and the local investigator does not accept referrals from any advertising campaign that uses the video.
Do NOT submit the sponsor's national recruitment materials if they will be reviewed and approved by a central IRB or commercial IRB
The UCSF IRB does NOT have to review a study sponsor's national recruitment campaign materials — e.g., TV ads, radio ads, online ads, podcasts, central call center script, etc. —provided that these materials will be reviewed and approved by a central IRB or commercial IRB. Sometimes the sponsor outsources this work to a company, which acceptable as long as a central IRB or commercial IRB will review and approve the national recruitment campaign.
The investigator should state in the IRB Application that the study sponsor will have a national recruitment campaign and all of the national recruitment materials will be reviewed and approved by _________IRB (name the central/commercial IRB).
The UCSF IRB should still review any local recruitment materials that will have UCSF contact info on it or that will be posted, sent out, or managed by the UCSF investigator.
Recruitment scripts — New sample script available!
Submit scripts or guides that will be used for in-person or telephone recruitment interviews.
NEW Sample Phone Recruitment Script: We've provided a sample script for you to adapt for your study.
In telephone surveys, the initial recruitment call sometimes leads directly into the consent process. In such studies, the script should include, at least, the names of the persons responsible for the study, reference to UCSF, a description of the types of questions that will be asked, an estimate of the time it will take to complete the interview, and the direct question of whether or not a person wishes to participate. The interviewers also should have available an investigator's telephone number in case the prospective subjects have questions about the study that the interviewer cannot answer, and the IRB phone number if there are questions about a research subject's rights.
Submit printouts of postings or pages used for direct recruitment. Informational descriptions posted on websites that have policies insuring that study descriptions are accurate and balanced (e.g. clinical trial sites maintained by the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center) need not be submitted for review.
Special Cases
CTSI's Consultation Services program can implement cohort identification and direct mail campaigns for patient recruitment. Provide the IRB with the following information if you are using this service.
1. IRB Application, "Recruitment" section:
Use the following template language to indicate that you will be using the CTSI Consultation Services:
We are collaborating with the CTSI Consultation Service to provide cohort identification and direct mail for recruitment. The Dear Patient letter (attached) will be sent to individuals identified from the APeX record systems via a data extraction by Academic Research Systems (ARS) of patients with a diagnosis of [XXX]. These patients [are/are not] known to or under the care of the researchers.
Also, the IRB's usual policy is that patients identified through chart review should be approached by someone already involved in their care (see above). Explain why the study cannot be done unless the researchers approach subjects directly. See the CTSI Consultation Services website for more information.
2. IRB Application, "Waiver of Consent/Authorization for Recruitment Purposes" section: Answer all questions and explain what info will be collected prior to obtaining informed consent.
3. Attach the recruitment letter: This letter must be printed on the PI's departmental letterhead and approved by the IRB.
The CTSI Consultation Service will print, prepare and mail the letter on departmental letterhead on behalf of the study staff. Interested subjects will be able to contact the study staff as described in the letter. The data extract will be delivered to the CTSI Consultation Service's MyResearch account in order to facilitate the direct mail activities while ensuring privacy and confidentiality of the patients identified.
Keeping information about individuals who decline participation
In general, no identifiable information may be kept about prospective subjects unless they consent to even this limited participation in the research. The IRB Application should describe how this consent will be obtained. With IRB approval, non-identifying information about refusers may be collected. See the PHI definition and list of 18 identifiers for a description of items that identify subjects. If the research cannot be done if refusers' consent to record basic information is required, the IRB will consider waiving consent.
- In general, UCSF does not permit its researchers to provide subject contact information to sponsors. Sponsors may not directly contact prospective subjects based on information from UCSF researchers.
- If the sponsor plans a national or local advertising campaign to recruit subjects, all materials must be submitted for IRB review, including any scripts or guides used when prospective subjects call the sponsor's representatives.
Recruiting researchers' students and staff
Researchers should not directly ask their students or staff to be research subjects, as it may be hard to refuse such a request. The IRB prefers that researchers post flyers and allow volunteers to initiate contact about the study. No pressure should be applied to encourage participation.
Potential participation in research must be presented as a voluntary option. Participation cannot be tied to grades. It must be clear that there will be no stigmatization of students who decline to participate. If class time will be taken for research participation, alternative activities should be provided for those who decline (especially in pre-college levels).
Per-patient incentive payments or referral fees, whether paid for each referral or each enrollment, are not allowed. Such payments may encourage recruiters to put inappropriate pressure on prospective subjects and are illegal in California. Lump-sum payments not tied to the number of patients referred or enrolled may be allowed in particular studies. Include all information about incentives and/or referral fees in the recruitment section of the protocol.


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Politics & Government
Former Nirvana bassist finds his new beat: politics
Actors and musicians often use their celebrity to draw attention to political or social causes.
Rarely, though, do they relish the nitty-gritty the way former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic does.
A founding member of one of the most influential bands in history, Novoselic also has influenced politics in his rural community in Washington state. The one-time Democratic Party chairman for Wahkiakum County (population 4,000), Novoselic can speak with authority on such topics as unassembled caucuses and the intricacies of Prop. 14, the voter-approved but legally challenged call for a "top-two" California primary.
"I am interested in rules and procedures," Novoselic said of his wonky inclinations. "I know all the party rules and bylaws. I just have a knack for it."
Now 45, the 6-foot-7 Novoselic is no longer the same goofy guy who got conked on the head during a 1992 MTV performance by the bass guitar he had just thrown in the air. Yet he retains a youthful, unfettered quality, bringing great sincerity and enthusiasm to a phone interview in which he discussed his sense of civic responsibility.
Novoselic left his county Democratic post ("They weren't really interested in any kind of innovations") and went independent early this year. But he still chairs FairVote, a national nonprofit devoted to election reform and increased voter turnout.
More generally, Novoselic is interested in the First Amendment idea of freedom of association, and how social networking fuels association. He will address those topics during a free lecture this evening at California State University, Sacramento.
"I have been associating ever since my late teens and early 20s, with punk rock," Novoselic said. "People come together when they need something, or they share the same values."
He kept up with politics while in Nirvana. "We read the newspapers, and were aware," Novoselic said. "I have voted in every election since I was 18."
But he did not become proactive until after Nirvana ended following Kurt Cobain's April 1994 suicide.
Read more of this story at SacBee.com


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Notwithstanding the major disagreements among nations on the framework of a climate agreement, a voluntary 1 Gigaton Coalition coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and supported by Norway has been launched at Lima.
The coalition aims to highlight efforts to save billions of pounds and billions of tonnes of CO2 emissions each year by measuring and reporting reductions of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries.
"Energy efficiency and renewable energy, while growing in use and prominence, are still in many ways an untapped goldmine that can greatly reduce the threat of severe climate change, save money and help meet The Sustainable Energy for All Initiative's goal of giving everyone on this planet access to clean and modern forms of energy," said Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.
With the ongoing tussle over who should do how much, on whether adaptation or mitigation should prevail, and a review of national strategies, the voluntary coalition under the UNEP aims to acknowledge the many unsung projects already in place.
With many countries failing to measure or report the reductions in emissions accruing from renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, the coalition believes that, when measured, these reductions would amount to around one gigatonne a year by 2020.
The UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2014 found that in order to limit global temperature rise to 2°C, global carbon neutrality should be attained by mid-to-late century.
The report found that the gap between emissions levels consistent with meeting the target and levels expected if country pledges are met is likely to be almost 17 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2030.
Emissions saved
Energy efficiency and renewables can play a key role in closing this gap, says UNEP.
For example, a global shift to energy-efficient appliances and equipment could reduce electricity consumption by over 10%, and reduce CO2 emissions by 1.25 billion tonnes per year.
World electricity generation is forecast to grow by 67% from 22,126 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2011 to 37,000 in 2030. A major part of this additional capacity is expected to be based on fossil fuels.
From 1990 to 2010, improvements in energy efficiency have reduced cumulative global energy demand by over 25%.
Between 2000 and 2013, Germany documented the effects of its implementation of renewable energy, and found a drop in emissions by 148 million tonnes by 2012. It amounted to billion euros saved by avoiding fossil fuels.
Studies have shown that low carbon energy can be achieved by mid-century at moderate costs while the renewable energy agency Irena claimed this can be done cheaply.
Renewable power capacity has grown 85% over the past 10 years, reaching 1,700 GW in 2013, and renewables today constitute 30% of all installed power capacity.


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Although the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan first ordered the building of the Taj Mahal in 1632, it took 20 years or so to build it. Ustad Ahmad Lahouri was likely the architect that oversaw the majority of the work.
The emperor wanted the structure built to house his wife's remains. The building is made of white marble. It has designs in it formed by semi-precious stones. The building took a vast amount of physical labor. It took at least 20,000 people to create the massive structure, along with a large number of elephants. It is a world heritage site visited by several million people each year.


text: SCT submitted an application to the FDA for an Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD), the formal process for requesting FDA approval to begin clinical studies in companion animals. Allen Gardner, a member of the SCT board, remarked, "Over 150 thousand dogs are living with type-1 diabetes in America, and it is estimated that an additional 400 thousand are undiagnosed. These dogs are cared for by loving family members who diligently perform daily glucose monitoring and insulin injections to keep their pet alive. As soon as the FDA approves this trial, we will begin working with a few select families to treat their pets with SCTs breakthrough therapy. All of our data show that this treatment will provide their pet with a permanent cure of diabetes and free them from the burden of daily insulin therapy. We are committed to working with the FDA to begin this trial soon and assure that it is performed to the highest scientific standards."


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Sex, Reporter und das Internet (German)At the end of the last century, I got really, really upset about how the German media was portraying this neat new technology called "the Internet". So I wrote a parody and put it online, where it got around a bit. A polished version was published in "Spiegel Spezial" in February 1996, a big break for me as a writer.
(An anecdote: When the "Spiegel" editor called to discuss the details, my kid sister -- about eleven years old at the time and very much the petulant teenager -- answered the phone. She was expecting one of her friends and tossed the phone to me with a loud "Es ist nur der 'Spiegel'" ("It's only the 'Spiegel'"). The editor was flabbergasted: Just what kind of people usually call you, Mr. Stevenson?)
The text is wonderfully dated. Note the references to Charles and Di, and the part where I crow about how there are no ads on the Internet. Those were the days.
Peter Gutmann used my text as the basis for a New Zealand version.
Ogger (Python Program)I started off programming with BASIC, then moved up to 6502 assembler on the VC-20 (VIC-20 in some countries) before writing started sucking up the time I had spent coding. By the time I started C, my priorities had shifted.
Years later, I taught myself Python, reading the books on Berlin public transport (the Python Cookbook got lots of stares) before rushing home to test code. Why Python? Because it is clean and elegant and I can remember what to do even if I don't get to program for half a year. "Fits your brain" indeed.
Ogger is glue code thrown around cdparanoia and oggenc. I used it to rip my CD collection to my Linux computer (yes, for my personal use only). It turned into an excuse to experiment with threads, the option parser, and batch processing. It is completely out of date now, thanks to iTunes. But if you know Python and would like a giggle, you can download it. At your own risk, of course.
Wider den Begriff "US-amerikanisch" (German)Wer über die USA schreibt, kommt nicht umhin, Stellung zu einer sprachlichen Gräueltat zu nehmen: Dem Begriff "US-amerikanisch". Hier wird erklärt, warum ich ihn nicht benutze und warum ich sogar der Meinung bin, dass niemand ihn benutzen sollte.
The Mock Mainframe Mini-HowtoExplains how to set up a computer system for a small group of people that is inexpensive and easy to maintain. Part of the The Linux Documentation Project, my second contribution after the original X-Terminal Howto. I don't have that sort of a system anymore, so this text is not maintained.
Backup Disk Use with Time Machine: A Preliminary Empirical StudyThe best part about OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is the backup software Time Machine. Because my wife and I use laptops as our main computers, I wanted to put the backup drive on our Ubuntu server in a RAID 1 (mirrored) configuration. But how large would those two drives have to be? To find out, I wrote a shell script to check the disk use for a few days, and then wrote a little text on the results. Overkill, of course, but fun.
A Time Machine and File Server with RAID, Samba and XenA step-by-step report describing how I built our home server. I wrote this text for myself so it will easier to do it all over again if alien face-huggers burst through the floor and destroy the computer with their acid blood. I am publishing it on the Internet in case somebody else has a similar project in the works. Not maintained because I stopped using Xen after Ubuntu stopped supporting it. Also available as a PDF.
Using Twitter to Warn of mdadm RAID FailuresIn May 2009, I finally joined the ranks of Twitter with my own account. Unfortunately, my life isn't interesting enough to tweet about (so don't waste your time following me). But I found out you can use the service to let your server warn you if something goes wrong with the RAID array. This is a short text that explains how.
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