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Sticky Platelet Pipeline — Finally Tickless
Tick and Tickless
A little while ago I posted an example of a simulation, with platelets moving down a pipeline together. When platelets bumped into each other, they stayed stuck together forever in a clot, and moved (or stayed put) together. The original code used a tick barrier, as many of my simulation examples do, to keep the simulation in lock-step. An alternative way to keep the simulation in lock-step is to make sure that every process in the pipeline communicates exactly once with its neighbours each timestep, which makes the tick barrier redundant. In this post I will show how to make my previous platelet example tickless, using this alternative method. I will be working in the formal Communicating Sequential Processes algebra, CSP (with a small extension); a Haskell implementation will follow in my next post.
The Ticking Version, in CSPc
We will start by looking at the ticking (original) version of the simulation in CSP. In fact, I will be using CSPc (CSP with conjunction); CSP doesn't have the idea of conjunction in it, so I am using /\ as an added conjunction operator (akin to the logical conjunction operator) that conjoins two events into a single event that will occur when, and only when, both of its constituent events occur. All of the processes in this post are site processes: they represent a piece of space in the pipeline that does not move, and may or may not be occupied by a single platelet. A site that is occupied by a platelet is said to be full; otherwise it is empty. Let's begin with the full site process:
FULL(prev, next) = FULL_WILLING(prev, next) |~| FULL_STATIONARY(prev, next)
The full process is making an internal choice between being willing to move this time-step and being stationary for the time-step. The internal choice means that FULL will make the decision itself and no other outside process (collectively referred to in CSP as its environment) can influence the decision. In our original Haskell implementation we made the choice randomly; a site would be stationary in 5% of the time-steps, and willing in the other 95% of time-steps. The stationary process refuses to do anything until the end of the time-step at which point it loops round to become the FULL process again:
FULL_STATIONARY(prev, next) = tick -> FULL(prev, next)
In contrast, the willing process offers two choices. It will move forwards if the process before it in the pipeline signals that is empty, or if the process before it in the pipeline is willing to move too. (So it will move if the process before it is empty, or full and willing, but not if the process before it is full and stationary.) We specify this using our conjunction operator:
FULL_WILLING(prev, next) = prev.move /\ next.move -> tick -> FULL(prev, next) [] prev.empty /\ next.move -> tick -> EMPTY(prev, next) [] tick -> FULL(prev, next)
(/\ binds most tightly above, then ->, and [] binds least tightly.) This model is an accurate rendering of my original CHP program, but it contains a race hazard. It is possible that a site that is willing to move in a time-step does not do so and ticks instead; if all the sites in a clot (a contiguous group of full cells) were willing, they could just tick repeatedly and never move at all. The details of the CHP library's implementation prevented this occurring in my original CHP program (and hence I did not realise there was a race hazard), but it is a sin to rely on a library's implementation of synchronisation for your concurrent program to be correct. (If I had been able to model-check this code, I could have discovered this problem; see the summary at the end.) The problem could be removed if we gave priority to the movement event; see the previous discussion of priority on this blog and Gavin Lowe's paper on implementing priority with a small extension to CSP.
The empty site is as long as the full site, but that is because it is repetitive:
EMPTY(prev, next) = prev.move -> ((next.empty -> tick -> FULL(prev, next)) [] (tick -> FULL(prev, next))) [] next.empty -> ((prev.move -> tick -> FULL(prev, next)) [] (tick -> EMPTY(prev, next))) [] tick -> EMPTY(prev, next)
The empty site is willing to optionally accept a movement from behind it in the pipeline and/or signal to the process ahead of it that it is empty, before ticking. Like the full site, this again has the race hazard that it could tick without accepting the movement of a willing platelet from behind it.
To wire up our pipeline, we start with N EMPTY sites in a row (with the next event of each connected to the prev event of the following process as you would expect) synchronising on the tick event together with a GENERATOR at the beginning, but the END process does not need to synchronise on the tick event — the latter two processes being defined as follows:
GENERATOR(next) = ON(next) ; OFF(next) ; OFF(next) ; GENERATOR(next) ON(next) = next.move -> tick -> SKIP [] tick -> SKIP OFF(next) = tick -> SKIP END(prev) = prev.move -> END(prev)
The generator sends out a platelet every three steps (and again has the aforementioned problem that EMPTY and FULL have). The END process doesn't need to synchronise on the tick event because it all it does is synchronise on move as frequently possible; the FULL process already rate-limits itself to one move event per time-step, so this is acceptable behaviour. In this ticking CSP version, we don't really need this END process at all, but it's instructive to include it because our tickless version will need one. The CSP up to this point makes up the full model of our original clotting program (minus the wiring, which isn't very interesting).
The Tickless Version, in CSPc
The design of the tickless version is more complicated than the original version. In a simulation with a tick event, we can use implicit signalling. Each process will offer to perform some actions, then eventually it must agree to synchronise on the tick event (if all the processes didn't eventually tick, we'd get deadlock!). So you can gain information if you offer a choice of event A with your neighbour, or tick with everyone, and the tick happens. This means that your neighbour did not choose to offer event A to you before it offered tick. We often use this implicit information in the simulation. In the previous platelets code, a full site not willing to move would not offer a movement, and would wait for a tick. A full site willing to move would offer to move with its neighbours, but if tick happened instead, it knew that one of its neighbours was not willing to move, and they had implicitly agreed to stay put by synchronising on tick instead. (The idea is good, but my use of it above led to the problem where willing platelets may not end up moving — this can be solved in the tickless version, though.)
If we want to remove the tick event from our pipeline, we therefore have to add more events between the processes, to allow them to explicitly communicate what they used to implicitly communicate. Peter Welch suggested a possible solution — but he saw that his suggestion had the problem now revealed in the original version, mentioned above. I was able to improve on his idea to remove the problem, and I describe my improvement to his solution here. The tickless version involves introducing two new events (besides move and empty) that indicate further information: canstay and muststay.
If there was only one stay value, then that is all that full stationary sites would offer. But willing full sites would also have to offer to stay, in order to synchronise with stationary neighbours (if one platelet in the clot stays they all must). So all willing sites would offer to stay, and this could allow a clot of willing platelets to agree to stay even though they were all willing to move. This is the same problem as we had in our ticking version. To remove the problem, we differentiate the events offered by a full stationary site (who will offer muststay) and a full willing site (who will offer canstay). Here is how they are used in the new FULL_WILLING process:
FULL_WILLING(prev, next) = prev.empty /\ next.move -> EMPTY (prev, next) [] prev.move /\ next.move -> FULL (prev, next) [] prev.empty /\ next.canstay -> FULL (prev, next) [] prev.canstay /\ next.canstay -> FULL (prev, next) [] prev.muststay /\ next.muststay -> FULL (prev, next)
The first two cases are just as before, in the original version. The middle case is for when the process is at the beginning of the clot; it synchronises on empty with the process behind it, and canstay with the process ahead of it in the clot. The last two cases can be thought of as perpetuating the canstay/muststay event through the pipeline.
The new FULL_STATIONARY process is as follows:
FULL_STATIONARY(prev, next) prev.empty /\ next.muststay -> FULL (prev, next) [] prev.muststay /\ next.muststay -> FULL (prev, next) [] prev.canstay /\ next.muststay -> FULL (prev, next)
The first case is for if this process is at the beginning of the clot; it synchronises on empty with the process behind it, and muststay with the process ahead of it. Looking up at the FULL_WILLING process, we can see that any FULL_WILLING process (from the last case) and any FULL_STATIONARY process (from the middle case immediately above) that synchronises on muststay with the process behind it will also synchronise on muststay with the process ahead of it. So if the process at the start of the clot synchronises on muststay, all processes ahead of it in the clot will also synchronise on muststay (by induction).
The third case of the FULL_STATIONARY process indicates that the processes behind the stationary one may offer canstay, and it will then offer muststay to all the processes ahead of it. The canstay event will only be offered from the previous process if it is in the FULL_WILLING state (FULL_STATIONARY only offers muststay to the process ahead of it, and we will see shortly that EMPTY only offers empty to the process ahead of it), which must then synchronise either on canstay with the process behind that (which, again, must be a FULL_WILLING process) or empty (which means it's the start of the clot). All the full processes after FULL_STATIONARY, following the logic in the previous paragraph, will synchronise on muststay regardless of their state.
The new EMPTY process is as follows:
EMPTY(prev, next) = prev.empty /\ next.empty -> EMPTY (prev, next) [] prev.muststay /\ next.empty -> EMPTY (prev, next) [] prev.move /\ next.empty -> FULL (prev, next)
All cases offer the empty event to the process ahead of it. It will accept from behind: the empty case (when the previous site is empty), the move case (when the previous site is full and able to move forward) and the muststay event (when the previous site is part of a clot that cannot move). It does not accept the canstay event, which is crucial, for reasons explained in the next section.
The new ON, OFF and END processes are:
ON(next) = next.move -> SKIP [] next.canstay -> SKIP OFF(next) = next.empty -> SKIP END(prev) = prev.empty -> END(prev) [] prev.muststay -> END(prev) [] prev.move -> END(prev)
You can think of as ON as being the "forward half" of a FULL_WILLING site that is receiving empty from behind it; similarly, OFF is the forward half of an EMPTY site and END is the "backward half" of an EMPTY site.
Since conjunction is an extra feature in CSP, there is no direct model-checking support for it. (We have designed a mapping from CSPc to CSP, but that causes a state space explosion and does not yet have automated tool support.) I will offer instead, inductive proofs about clots. By proving a statement for the beginning site, and optional middle/end sites based on the neighbour behind them, this should inductively cover all non-empty clots. This can be done by considering the pairings of prev and next events, to see when offering a set of events from the previous site, what might be offered to its next neighbour.
So, let us consider a clot of willing platelets. The site at the beginning of the clot can only synchronise on prev.empty (as that is all the empty site before it will offer). Therefore the site at the beginning of a clot will only offer move or canstay to the next site. Any middle site that synchronises on move or canstay with the previous site will offer the same thing to the next site. So inductively the last site of the clot will only offer move or canstay. We can see that the empty site following the clot will only accept move, not canstay, so a clot of willing processes may only move and may not stay put. This solves the problem that we had with the ticking version, and is why the EMPTY process does not offer to synchronise on canstay. (This result also shows that any line of sites at the beginning of a clot will only offer move or canstay to the sites ahead of it.)
Now let us consider a clot with one or more stationary platelets somewhere along its length (but not the beginning). We have seen in the previous paragraph that the willing sites at the beginning of the pipeline will offer move or canstay to the first stationary site in the clot. This stationary site appearing after these willing sites will only accept canstay, and will then offer muststay ahead of it. We can see that all full sites, stationary and willing, will only synchronise on prev.muststay with next.muststay, so regardless of the stationary/willing state of sites ahead of the first stationary site, muststay will be the event offered at the end of the clot. The empty site will accept this, and so a clot with one or more stationary sites after the beginning will all agree to stay. If a stationary site is at the beginning, it will synchronise on prev.empty and next.muststay, and then the rest of the clot will also synchronise on muststay, so again the clot will stay put. Thus any clot with one or more stationary sites will stay put.
So we have a system, expressed in a few lines of CSPc, of a sticky platelet simulation without a tick event. I will show a translation to CHP in the next post, which works the same as the original version (minus the potential problem). This work is interesting from a formal perspective because we have no direct support to model check this CSP, due to the conjunction extension. We have devised a mapping from CSPc to CSP, but it generates a large number of events; I believe it would be in the order of 4^N for this problem. We don't have a tool to generate the CSP just yet, and even if we could, I suspect the model checker may choke on that size of problem. However, by taking advantage of conceptual features of the simulation, namely clots, I was able to perform some inductive reasoning about the problem. The reasoning was aided by the neat symmetry of the problem; each site in the pipeline offered a pair of (prev, next) events in conjunction, which could be thought as a sort of normal form.
From a practical perspective, it can be seen that this is not really a very concurrent simulation. The chained conjunction along the pipeline means that all processes must resolve their actions for the time-step together, and really the power of the simulation is in the resolution of all the choices (which could be written as a single sequential/functional piece of code: transforming the list of all platelets at time-step T to the list of all platelets at time-step T+1), not in the concurrency of the sites. The advantage of the way we constructed our solution is that we have encoded the behaviour of each site by only referring to the two neighbours of a site. These are local rules, that when resolved for all sites, produce the emergent behaviour of sticky platelets bumping, forming clots, and advancing down the pipeline together. There is no global visibility of the system in our code (only in the run-time system) to complicate things. This investigation of emergent behaviour is part of the ongoing CoSMoS research project that uses process-oriented technologies to produce this kind of simulation, and which builds on the original work of the TUNA project from which this blood clotting example is taken.
January 27, 2010 at 2:21 pm


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The Children's Defense Fund: Not Part of the Solution
By Kay Hymowitz
Summer 2000
Sacrificing the Children
By Mark Tooley
September 4, 2008
Child's Play
By Jonah Goldberg
January 24, 2007
Belafonte Reasserts Bush 'Worst Terrorist'
By WorldNetDaily.com
January 13, 2006
25 "E" Street NW
Washington, DC
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) describes itself as a "child advocacy" group that works to improve the health care, education, and day care programs available to American children. It was established in 1973 by attorney Marian Wright Edelman. In Edelman's calculus, children were an identifiable constituency on whose behalf she could advocate for the adoption of leftist social agendas (most notably the expansion of the welfare state), given society's wont to regard as sacrosanct most programs citing the benefit of children as their primary concern. "When you talked about poor people or black people you faced a shrinking audience," she later explained. "I got the idea that children might be a very effective way to broaden the base for change."
The "change" envisioned by CDF was the implementation of a host of federally funded social welfare programs designed to function as "preventive investment" measures that would save "at-risk" children from the potential ravages of poverty, abuse, disease, mental illness, scholastic failure, drug addiction, and incarceration -- all of which CDF considers by-products of the societal heartlessness bred by capitalism and by America's allegedly rampant racism. "We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities," says CDF, which aims to address the inequities purportedly caused by the foregoing societal vices.
In her 1999 book Hell to Pay, the late Barbara Olson wrote: "Edelman's great insight was to put children squarely in front of almost every domestic policy debate. This is central to the CDF's mission and a marvelous marketing tool. ... The CDF has browbeaten lawmakers for such programs as Head Start or the nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children, as well as expanding welfare and public housing programs, guaranteed employment, and higher minimum wages. ... When critics argued that America's welfare program was subsidizing illegitimacy and creating a culture of government-dependent poverty and victimhood, the CDF countered that any attempt to reduce the welfare state was a direct assault on children."
CDF classifies its work into four major Divisions:
(1) Early Childhood Development Division: This Division is founded on the dual premise that "children need high-quality early learning experiences to help them succeed in school and in life," and that "families also need child care services so parents can work." To meet both these needs, the CDF Early Childhood Division calls for massive taxpayer subsidies for the following projects:
(a) Head Start: Created in 1965, this program seeks to give children aged five and under what CDF calls "a sound early learning experience so they can be ready to succeed in school." Head Start's 2005 budget of $6.8 billion provided services to more than 905,000 children, at an average cost of about $7,500 per child. According to a Government Accounting Office research summary, there is little evidence that this program makes any long-term impact on children's development. Based on her review of the pertinent literature, Abigail Thernstrom reports that Head Start "really has done almost nothing for kids academically, basically nothing."
(b) Child Care: "Families struggle to find and afford quality child care, and scarcity of after-school programs leaves school-age children home alone. The funding for child care assistance does not come close to serving those who are eligible."
(c) Pre-kindergarten Education: "The number of children in pre-kindergarten programs is increasing. Yet, low-income children are still much less likely to have access to these programs than other children."
(d) After-School Care: "The majority of school-age children have parents who work. These children need safe places to go during their out-of-school hours when parents are still at work. … Low-income children have the greatest need for after-school programs, but they are less likely to have access to constructive activities during their out-of-school time."
(2) Youth Development Division: This Division advocates increased taxpayer funding of programs in the areas of after-school child care, gang violence prevention, high-school dropout prevention, mentoring, substance-abuse prevention, truancy prevention, and tutoring.
(3) Family Income Division: This Division works "to help families get the financial resources they need to support their children," including: "jobs that pay livable wages; education to help parents compete for better jobs; tax benefits to help support their children and lift themselves out of poverty; [and] other help such as cash assistance, food stamps and low-cost housing." To help parents obtain these resources, the Family Income Division works with members of Congress "to promote policies that increase access to resources necessary to support a family"; "works with federal agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the Internal Revenue Service"; and "connects families with tax credits and federal government benefits."
(4) Child Health Division: Advocating a taxpayer-funded, government-administered system of socialized medicine, this Division works "to ensure all American children have health insurance so they can get health care and mental health services."
To supplement the foregoing Divisions, CDF runs three major campaigns to advance its agendas:
(A) Emerging Leaders Project: Aimed at cultivating a new generation of social change activists, this project "brings together early care and education advocates and provides them training, resources, networking, and technical assistance."
(B) Tax and Benefits Outreach: Through this program, CDF "gives information and free tax assistance to help poor and near-poor families," helping them "find existing federal and state benefits to improve their living standards, health and opportunities." These benefits include such things as Food Stamps, which, according to CDF, in 2002 "added more than $200 a month to the income of the average poor family with children who received them."
(C) Cradle to Prison Pipeline Initiative: "Poor and minority children face risks and disadvantages that often pull them into ... marginalized lives and premature deaths." This CDF Initiative works to break this cycle by focusing its resources in the following areas:
CDF's most notable supporter and affiliate is Marian Wright Edelman's longtime friend, Hillary Clinton. During the summer of 1970, Hillary (whose name, at that time, was still Hillary Rodham) interned for Edelman in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1973, Hillary moved to Washington and took a full-time position as a staff lawyer with CDF. Clinton joined the CDF Board in 1978 and chaired the Board from 1986 to 1992. She was also named Chairwoman of the New World Foundation, which had helped launch CDF in 1973.
CDF's current national headquarters are in Washington, DC. The organization also has 13 local and regional locations in California, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
The Children's Defense Fund receives financial support from the Aetna Foundation, the Altman Foundation, the American Express Foundation, the American Federation of Teachers, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the AT&T Foundation, the BP Foundation, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, the Bush Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Chartwell Charitable Foundation, the Citigroup Foundation, the Columbus Foundation and Affiliated Organizations, the Commonwealth Fund, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Freddie Mac Foundation, the General Mills Foundation, the Gerber Foundation, the Hess Foundation, the Hugh J. Anderson Foundation, the J. Aron Charitable Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Kansas Health Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, the Metropolitan Life Foundation, the Mobil Foundation, the Monterey Fund, the National Education Association, the Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation, the Otto Bremer Foundation, the Procter & Gamble Foundation, the Prudential Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, the RGK Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Sara Lee Foundation, the St. Paul Companies Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, the Travelers Companies Foundation, the US West Foundation, the Wasserman Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
In addition, CDF received a grant of more than $700,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York while Teresa Heinz Kerry sat on its board of trustees; Marian Wright Edelman received the Heinz Award for the "Human Condition" in 1995.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Yes, I know Halloween was so last week, but we've been so busy that I've not had time to post the fun we've had. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that Halloween is not my favorite holiday or time of the year, but I do try to make it enjoyable for the kids.
Our dairy farm/pumpkin patch field trip earlier in the month was postponed due to weather and was rescheduled for Oct. 31. Our Halloween Happenings all took place the week before the actual holiday, so we would be free for two major field trips. I thought I would share some of the "Best of" Halloween at our school. Maybe it will help me be more in the spirit next year when I come back to see what we did.
Our class dressed up in costumes for the morning.
We watched as the younger kids paraded through our room to show off their costumes.
My co-worker's husband designed this awesome robot costume for their son, using common household items. Definitely the best handmade costume I saw this year.....
Here's some of the best treats I saw....
Our favorite party game...."Wrap the Mummy!".
We divided the class into teams, with each team wrapping one member, but it was so much fun, eventually the rest decided to wrap themselves, too!
Since our field trip to pick pumpkins to fill our pumpkin patch in dramatic play had been postponed, we made our own pumpkins to fill our pumpkin patch out of brown paper lunch sacks and paint.
And my favorite bulletin board was done by some of our infants. We've had a major baby boom with our staff recently, so this was an especially special "Bumkin Patch"!
I'll post soon about our wonderful trips to the dairy farm/ pumpkin patch and to the fire station!


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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) � A barrage of mortar shells hit government-held areas of the northern city of Idlib today, killing 14 people and wounding at least 40, Syrian state media said.
Idlib is the provincial capital in northwestern Syria, and it has been under the control of President Bashar Assad�s troops since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in March 2011. Rebels trying to overthrow Assad�s government control the areas around the city. They have been besieging the city for more than two years, firing mortars into the government-held areas and clashing with Assad�s troops at its outskirts.
The state-run SANA news agency said mortars shells fell on several parts of Idlib today, including a residential area and a market. State TV said children were among those who died.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
State TV blamed �terrorists� for the attacks, a term the Syrian government uses for rebels trying to overthrow Assad�s government.
Also today, activists reported heavy clashes between several Syrian rebel factions and an al-Qaida breakaway group fighting for control of a border crossing with Iraq in eastern Syria.
The fighting in the town of Boukamal, on the border between Syria and Iraq, between rebel groups and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant comes just hours after the jihadi group declared the establishment of a transnational Islamic caliphate.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the infighting was concentrated in the town and the nearby border crossing as different factions sought control of the frontier.
The al-Qaida breakaway group, which yesterday declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, controls much of northeastern Syria. In Iraq, it has recently captured cities and towns as well as border crossings, effectively erasing the frontier.
The group says its Islamic state stretches from northern Syria to the Iraqi province of Diyala northeast of Baghdad, and has called on all Muslims worldwide to pledge allegiance to it.
Last week, beleaguered fighters of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which has previously fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in opposition-held territory in northern and eastern Syria, defected and joined the jihadi group in Boukamal � effectively handing over the border town to the powerful group, which controls the Iraqi side of the crossing.
As rebel-on-rebel clashes intensified in Boukamal today, the Islamic State brought reinforcements from Iraq into Syria, the Observatory said.
Rebel infighting has turned into a war within a war in Syria, three years after the conflict began with largely peaceful protests against Assad, whose family has ruled the country for more than four decades.
After the government brutally cracked down on the protest movement, many Syrians took up arms to fight back. As the uprising shifted into civil war, the Western-backed Free Syrian Army emerged � a loose term for a collection of self-formed brigades and defectors from Assad�s military that fight under a nationalist banner.
But Islamic fighters became the dominant force in the armed opposition, ranging from religious-minded Syrians calling for rule by Shariah law to more extreme al-Qaida-inspired fighters.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was at the time Iraq�s al-Qaida branch, barged into the Syrian war in 2012.
Other rebels initially welcomed the jihadis as allies against the Assad government but soon turned on the group after accusing it of hijacking the uprising for its own transnational goals and imposing a brutal form of Islamic rule in the territories under its control.


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Blogging is one of the world's most powerful mediums. It has changed the way that we send and receive information, and it has dramatically altered the face of news reporting. Because of blogging, if you have something to say, you can say it to millions, and you do not first have to get approval from editors, bosses, or anyone at all. However, because of the millions who are trying to get their voice heard, it becomes that much more difficult to stand out from the crowd. In order to do so, you have to make sure that you create the best blog that you can. So to help you out, here are five steps towards creating an amazing blog.
1. Find Your Hook
Your chances of having a successful blog will increase if you can find a specific niche to write on. Unless you are a celebrity already, there are not many people who will be interested in reading a miscellaneous collection of your thoughts. But if you focus it on one specific topic, be it a certain sport or team, politics, or a hobby, you will attract people who share a similar interest. The main thing to remember when choosing your topic is to make it something about which you are passionate, as that will keep you interested and produce your best writing.
2. Interesting Content
Once you have your topic, you need to start generating interesting content. The content is the main thing that drives traffic to your blog, so make sure that you come up with articles that are compelling and shareable. When you do this, people will want to share your work with others and you will receive more readers.
3. A Good Design
It might sound superficial, but a good design can be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful blog. Sometimes when something is difficult to look at, it can be tough to get past it and pay attention to the content. You can draw people to your blog through appealing design and interesting images. Get a photo editor and create some interesting unique images. These can then be shared on places such as Pinterest and Facebook, and drive traffic to your site.
4. Create Blog Partnerships
Blogging is something of an online community. When you write a blog that fits into a particular niche, you can reach out to others in the same niche, and rather than viewing them as competitors, treat them as partners. You can then help each other out by sending people to each others' sites, and featuring posts from guest writers.
5. Use Social Media
Social media is the best way to interact with your followers, as well as pick up potential followers. Make use of every avenue, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Also, submit your articles to sites such as Reddit and StumbleUpon. These sorts of sites will encourage readers to visit your blog and increase the chances of them staying to browse.


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Thread: 3-11-2012 This Day In History
Results 1 to 3 of 3
#1 3-11-2012 This Day In History03-11-2012, 12:13 PM
Congress establishes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
On this day in 1779, Congress establishes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help plan, design and prepare environmental and structural facilities for the U.S. Army. Made up of civilian workers, members of the Continental Army and French officers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played an essential role in the critical Revolutionary War battles at Bunker Hill, Saratoga and Yorktown.
The members of the Corps who had joined at the time of its founding in 1779 left the army with their fellow veterans at the end of the War for Independence. In 1794, Congress created a Corps of Artillerists and Engineers to serve the same purpose under the new federal government. The Corps of Engineers itself was reestablished as an enduring division of the federal government in 1802.
Upon its reestablishment, the Corps began its chief task of creating and maintaining military fortifications. These responsibilities increased in urgency as the new United States prepared for a second war with Britain in the years before 1812. The Corps' greatest contribution during this era was to the defense of New York Harborthe fortifications it built not only persuaded British naval commanders to stay away from the city during the War of 1812, but later served as the foundations for the Statue of Liberty.
In subsequent years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers evolved from providing services for the military to helping map out the uncharted territories that would become the western United States. Beginning in 1824, the Corps also took responsibility for navigation and flood control of the nation's river systems.
Today, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is made up of more than 35,000 civilian and enlisted men and women. In recent years, the Corps has worked on rebuilding projects in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the reconstruction of the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Revelation 15:1
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Also, in 1861 the Confederate Congress adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.
Mar 11, 1903:
Lawrence Welk is born
For the generation that grew up on the big bands of the 30s and 40s, The Lawrence Welk Show was a blessed island of calm in a world gone mad for rock and roll, and it aired like clockwork every Saturday night from 1955 to 1982. But for the children and grandchildren watching along with them, it seemed more like the "television show that time forgot." The man at this generational flash point was an accordion-playing, Alsatian-accented bandleader who kicked off each number with "A vun and a two" and ended with a cheery "Wunnerful, wunnerful." Although he delighted the older crowd, youngsters were usually not so enamored. As polarizing in his own folksy way as Elvis Presley was in his, the inimitable Lawrence Welkcreator and King of "Champagne Music"was born in rural North Dakota on March 11, 1903.
Welk's parents were immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine who spoke only German to the nine children they raised on their farm outside Strasburg, North Dakota. In fact, Lawrence Welk did not learn English until his early 20s, which explains the accent that became his trademark. A dutiful son, Welk dropped out of school in the fourth grade to work full time on the family farm, but he decided early on that he wished to pursue a career in music. He learned to play the accordion from his father, who carried his own antique instrument with him when he immigrated to America. Lawrence wore out the inexpensive, mail-order accordion bought for him as a boy, so he made a deal with his parents: In exchange for a $400 loan to purchase a professional accordion, he would stay and work on the family farm through the age of 21. Playing small professional gigs in the surrounding area, Welk honed his musical skills and earned enough money to pay his parents back when he left home for good in 1924.
By the early 1930s, Lawrence Welk had earned a degree in music and made a name for himself as the leader of a traveling orchestra. He had also failed in a restaurant venture selling "squeezeburgers" cooked on an accordion-shaped grill, but he had succeeded in developing a unique brand as the proponent of a pleasing pop style dubbed "Champagne Music" for its light and bubbly quality. After two decades of success in the Midwest, Welk made his way to Los Angeles in 1951, taking up residence with his orchestra at the Aragon Ballroom in Pacific Ocean Park. He made his first appearance on local television the following year, and his show was picked up by ABC in 1955. When ABC dropped The Lawrence Welk Show in 1971, Welk independently arranged a syndication deal that kept him on the air for another 11 years and made him one of the richest entertainers in America. Born on this day in 1903, Lawrence Welk died at the age of 89 on May 17, 1992.
Revelation 15:1
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
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A Stroke Can Happen to Anyone
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs and begins to die.
Warning signs include weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, facial drooping, confusion and the inability to talk.
As this story from WIS-TV shows, stroke can happen to anyone – including a seemingly healthy 25-year-old.
According to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
Stroke is an emergency. Call 911 at the first sign of stroke. Modifying your lifestyle can help prevent stroke.


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When director Zack Snyder's opus of underwear modeling amidst geysers of animated blood, 300, first arrived eight years ago, no one expected a sequel. And not just because 299 of the 300 Spartans were way too dead to return. Technically, 300: Rise of an Empire isn't a sequel: It's a prequel…and a side-quel…and a sequel… Look, to fans of the first film, all that really matters is swordfight, naval battle, crazy sex scene, severed head toss and hunchbacks throwing fireballs. Any questions?
The non-sequel sequel opens with the widowed Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) readying Spartan warriors for battle. Rightfully super pissed about her husband's decapitation, Gorgo tells the troops about what started the conflict between the Persian Empire and the Greek city states. Using language lifted from Dick Cheney's Mad Libs, Gorgo explains that the Persians "hated the Greeks' freedom." Flashing back to years before the original 300, we see a chubby Persian king try to show Greeks democracy is dumb by killing them. Only, Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) kills him in front of his son, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). That's old school diplomacy.
From the past, the new film catches up and spends a long time occurring simultaneously as the original; Themistokles and the outnumbered Greeks are holding off a Persian naval invasion while Leonidas and the 300 are dying elsewhere. Sadly, the crappy Greek ships seem to be made of balsa wood and bubble gum, and the bad guys have an awesome naval commander, Artemisia (Eva Green). Dressed like a Goth dude's dream girl, Artemisia was born in Greece but was sex trafficked into Persia by fellow Greeks. Now she wants to kill them all. The only hope of defeating the superior force is if the Spartans join the Greek army to avenge the 300 warriors who are dead by the third act of this film. It's far less complicated than it sounds.
In fact, it feels like there almost is no real plot, as if it is nothing but face stabbing and a truly unique sex scene between Artemisia and Themistokles. In the middle of an epic battle, the two leaders hatefully consummate their feud atop a strategy map. It's one of those "thin line between love and hate" moments, where the only thing that prevents it from being an extension of patriarchal rape culture is the fact that Artemisia initiates, dominates and terminates said weird intercourse.
New director Noam Murro is clearly ghost-directed here by Snyder, imitating every stylistic choice from the first film. This isn't bad, but also isn't surprising or original, thanks to the scores of imitators who copycatted the original film. It should be noted that part of the "fun" with this graphic violence is the unreality. As plumes of human juice spurt in impossible shapes and quantities, the movie becomes less and less real and more and more cartoony/comic booky (and more and more enjoyable). Elevated only by Green's gleefully demented performance, 300: Rise of an Empire, to its credit and its detriment, plays like a fun but needless extension of its predecessor.
Grade = B


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I would rather get kicked in the smurfberries than have to watch this movie again.
Since the events of "The Smurfs", Gargamel (Hank Azaria) has become a world-famous magician, creating tricks and illusions using his Smurf-essence powered magic wand. He's begun to run low on essence, however, so he's forced to hatch a new plan to obtain the coveted magic liquid. This time, instead of capturing Smurfs, he decides to make them. If he can get the secret formula that Papa Smurf (voiced by Jonathan Winters) used to turn Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry) into a real Smurf, then Gargamel can make his own Smurfs, turn them blue, and extract their essence. It's a plan that would essentially give him access to a limitless source of power.
In order to trap Smurfette and get her to reveal the secret Smurf conversion formula, Gargamel sends two of his grey Smurf creations, whom he calls "Naughties": the scheming Vexi (voiced by Christina Ricci), and the dim-witted Hackus (voiced by J.B. Smoove). These two bad intentioned little characters kidnap Smurfette, then try to get her to be naughty with them in order to win her over and have her reveal her secret.
Meanwhile, Papa Smurf discovers that she's missing, and leads a team of Smurfs (Clumsy, Grouchy and Vanity) to come rescue her from the human world. Of course, they'll need the help of Patrick Winslow and family again (Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, and this time Brendan Gleeson) if they want to succeed.
Along the way, you can be sure there will be plenty of jokes aimed directly at children. I can respect that, but it seems as if the humor here is aimed at dumb children. You know how Adam Sandler movies are dumbed down to that lowest common denominator level of humor? Think of that, on a 6-year-old level, and you have the humor of Smurfs 2. It's as if it didn't even respect the kids film audience's intelligence. It's filled with lifeless pratfalls, poor characters, and using the word "smurf" as a substitute for any word imaginable. It was a frustrating movie experience.
In the first Smurfs film, at least I had the pleasure of discovering Hank Azaria's Gargamel. Azaria fully gave himself to bringing the silly cartoon character to life onscreen, and I admit to finding some laughs in his interpretation of the part in that film. His performance is still the only redeeming quality to the franchise for me, but having seen it once, apparently, is more than enough. Because here, a second helping revealed that it had already overstayed its welcome. Now it joins the annoying Smurfs and Neil Patrick Harris' and Jayme Mays' bland "Live Action" characters (a misnomer here if ever there was one) as another pitiable, pathetic component of this turgid turd.
I normally love animated movies. It's rare that they'll score less than a B with me, because honestly, how bad does a movie have to be to ruin the enjoyment of watching a cartoon? Here though, it's easy for me to shred into this film, because it's so patently, egregiously bad. "The Smurfs 2" is a terrible film, I feel sorry for parents who will be dragged to this by their children, it's a painful, excruciating, insulting hour and forty-five minutes of film.


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Updated fingerprint analysis
Investigating Officer(s): Det. S. Murphy. Det. T. Armstrong
Incident No.: 001388-14G-2011
Case Description: Investigation of suspicious finding in Shops and Stores
The YCSD obtained records of Butch Weaver's 1995 arrest in Panola County, copies of Rhonda Pendergrass's liquor license for The Juke Joint, Carly Brock Turner's nursing license, and Richie Turner's accounting license.
Their fingerprints from those records were submitted to the State Crime Lab for comparison against the unidentified fingerprints found in the hidden room discovered in the UM Physical Plant Shops and Stores building.
In addition, their fingerprints were compared against the unidentified print found on the washer attached to the key found with Kevin Gilmore's body.
Preliminary findings are summarized below.


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The "Project Runway" season seven cast has been revealed – who will be in? And who will be out?
The Lifetime series returns to New York City with host Heidi Klum, mentor Tim Gunn and judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia dishing out the fashion advice and critiques to 16 new designers vying for a shot to make their way to Bryant Park and make a splash at Fashion Week.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Heidi Klum: From Supermodel To Super Mom
The designers will be competing for an editorial feature in Marie Claire magazine, the opportunity to sell their line on Bluefly.com, a $50,000 technology suite by HP and Intel to create, design and run their business, and a cash prize of $100,000.
Season seven of the hit reality series premiers on January 14, 2010, at 10 PM EST, followed once again by the premiere of season two of "Models of the Runway," where 16 aspiring models paired with the designers will compete for $25,000.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Jet Set Chic: Stars Travel In Style
The "Project Runway" Season Seven designers are:
Amy Sarabi, 26 - Hometown: Plano, TX; Resides in Oakland, CA
Anna Lynett, 23 - Hometown: Whitefish Bay, WI; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Anthony L. Williams, 28 - Hometown: Birmingham, AL; Resides in Atlanta, GA
Ben Chmura, 30 - Hometown: South Meriden, CT; Resides in Tampa, FL
Christiane King, 30 - Hometown: Abidjan, Cote d' Ivorie/Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Emilio Sosa, 43 - Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Resides in New York, NY
Jay Nicolas Sario, 31 - Hometown: The Philippines; Resides in San Francisco, CA
Janeane Marie Ceccanti, 28 -Hometown: Willows, CA; Resides in Portland, OR
Jesse LeNoir, 25 - Hometown: Painesville, OH; Resides in Orlando, FL
Jesus Estrada, 21- Hometown: Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Resides in San Diego, CA
Jonathan Joseph Peters, 29 - Hometown: Woonsocket, RI; Resides in Providence, RI
Maya Luz, 22 - Hometown: Santa Fe, NM; Resides in New York, NY
Mila Hermanovski, 40 - Hometown: Dallas, TX; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Pamela Ptak, 47 - Hometown: Pittsfield, MA; Resides in Riegelsville, PA
Ping Wu, 33- Hometown: Chendu, Sichuan Province, China; Resides in Chicago, IL
Seth Aaron Henderson, 38 - Hometown: San Diego, CA; Resides in Vancouver, WA
The "Models of the Runway" Season Two contestants are:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Stars With Amazing Style
Alexis Broker - Hometown: Denver, CO; Resides in Highlands Ranch, CO
Alison Gingerich - Hometown: Leesburg, OH; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Brandise Danesewich - Hometown: Saskatchewan, Canada; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Brittany Oldehoff - Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL; Resides in Miami, FL
Cerri McQuillan - Hometown: Dublin, Ireland; Resides in New York, NY
Elizaveta Melnitchenko - Hometown: Salzburg, Austria; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Holly Ridings - Hometown: Roscoe, IL; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Kasey Ashcraft - Hometown: Salisbury, MD; Resides in Los Angeles, CA/Miami, FL
Kelly Gervais - Hometown: Livingston, NJ; Resides in Haledon, NJ
Kristina Sajko - Hometown: Zagreb, Croatia; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Lorena Angjeli - Hometown: Albania; Resides in New York, NY
Megan Davis - Hometown: Des Moines, IA; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Monique Darton – Hometown: Brainerd, MN; Resides in New York, NY
Sarah Bell - Hometown: Cincinnati, OH; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Sophia Lee - Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Valeria Leonova - Hometown: Tula, Russia; Resides in New York, NY
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Access Extended: Heidi Klum Talks Victoria's Secret's American Model Search
PLAY IT NOW: Heidi Klum Talks 'Project Runway' & Pregnancy
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Project Runway - Tim Gunn - Heidi Klum - Lifetime - Style


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BENEFITING: OLPC Foundation
ORGANIZER: Horn Group
Horn Group wrote -
We're bringing together the biggest names in tech media for a nationwide fundraising campaign/interactive listening party on turntable.fm – all for an amazing cause, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).
It's a fundraising, music and tech mashup. It's Tech the Halls, and this is your official invite!
Our goal is to raise $10,000 – the equivalent of 50 laptops – all through crowdsourcing and social media. These aren't just any old laptops – they'll be going specifically to students with disabilities, helping make education and technology more accessible than ever before.
You can click here to find out more details, but really all you need to know is this: the biggest names in tech will be duking it out in live DJ battles, with YOU as the judge.
Best of all, the money raised will be donated in the winning DJ's name!
Donate and join with us!


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You are unable to utilise the shopping cart function from this location.
There is a minimum number of hotpoints you must earn before you are eligible to claim rewards or reward vouchers. Hotpoints terms and conditions apply. Reference to non-Westpac websites are provided for your convenience only. Westpac accepts no responsibility for the availability or content of such websites. hotpoints® is a registered trademark of Westpac Banking Corporation. Westpac's current credit card lending criteria apply to all applications and transfers. The information on this page is presented subject to our legal page and any other terms and conditions that Westpac may impose from time to time. It is subject to change without notification. Westpac New Zealand Limited.


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What could the Bright Star have been?
Great question Raphael. Indeed, what was the "star' that seems to have triggered Keats' poem? I never really thought about it. The article actually takes more of an "astrological" approach, than an "astronomical" approach. I don't mean to quibble here. There is a big difference between the two.
Interesting article, but I can't see Keats writing any poem stemming from detailed astrological exegesis on the level depicted by this author (Frawley). Greek mythology - sure. Granted, that Greek myth is also tied with astrology. We can all see the integration of Keats' Greek mythological background informing his work. But I think this article overreaches its grasp. I certainly am not aware of any significant detailed astrological musings in Keats' letters. Perhaps this is a sticky wicket because of the collusion of Greek myth with astrology. Just my own musings on this. If I had time, I wouldn't mind checking into this more.
I wonder if the "star" were Rigel in the constellation "Orion" (out in the Winter sky) or Sirius, the brightest star in the northern winter? It could also be the star Vega in the constellation "Cygnus" (which is part of the 'Summer Triangle'). These are my best candidates since they are the brightest stars in the northern sky. And yes, these are all astronomical objects you can find in any astronomy textbook.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
La Fortuna's FIRST GAY Hotel- Abercam
*** As of January 2010 Abercam La Fortuna has closed it's doors for good =( ***
Our little town, La Fortuna, Costa Rica, finally has its OWN, all inclusive, men only (sorry ladies- you understand) gay hotel. And, I must say, it would make any gay man PROUD. It's called Abercam La Fortuna. We've had the chance to stay there, but the best part, the owners Tim and Wayne have become good friends of ours after D'Angelo and I reviewed their place a while back. Needless to say, we've been back MANY times since. Not because we spend the night per se, but they also sell day passes where you can hang out at the 'clothing optional' pool area (not that we would EVER take our clothes off, wink, wink) and enjoy the surroundings with your favorite frosty beverage. And with the glorious Arenal Volcano in view, you couldn't ask for better 'surroundings'.
Before you know it, La Fortuna will be right up there with Manuel Antonio as another popular gay destination in Costa Rica, although I never see the day where Lake Arenal will have a gay beach, hehehe. So, if you ever get the chance, visit Abercam La Fortuna, and don't forget to call us, we're always looking for a day off.
The below video is our review of Abercam La Fortuna and to go to their site: Abercam La Fortuna
La Fortuna's FIRST GAY Hotel- Abercam
Abercam La Fortuna|Arenal Costa Rica|GAY Costa Rica|La Fortuna Costa Rica|Travel Videos|
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DeviantArt.com is home to the largest art community on earth. Home to over 26 million registered members and over 251 million unique artist generated works of art, DeviantArt has established itself as the online capital for creative interaction where artists and art lovers are able to share, teach, and even sell the products of their digital imagination. This innovative web-based environment redefines the boundaries of art and technology and has created unparalleled opportunities for artists to promote and profit from their work. It is also a massive social network with visitor and page view totals that place DeviantArt in the top 100 of all trafficked websites on the Internet. DeviantArt is based in Hollywood, CA.
We are always looking for bright and talented individuals to join our team. Apply now!


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The winner as picked at random is.........
15. Tracey Mo
Please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com so I can send you your discount code.
The top 3 are...
2.Kaly sto
19. Especially for you cards
Please grab your top 3 badge and add it to your blog with pride.
Now onto the new challenge for this month and we want you to get inspired by love. Whether it is a creation for a good friend, a wedding or your loved one we want to feel the love 💓
with a "with love from me to you" card using Sweet Dixie Spring Sentiments paper pad, Dovecraft Back to Basics heart doily edged with Tim Holtz's Victorian Velvet distress ink, stamped hearts, stamped sentiment, ribbon and little daisies cut from the backing paper.
Using a 5x5 scalloped card, First editions black out paper, red pearls, The image is from the greeting farm Cutesy Anya, coloured with spectrum noir illustrator pens all put together with collall glue and 3D gell to make her stand out from the rest of the card.
The little hearts around the edge and the main sentiment are from stampin' up sealed with love stamp set. If you would like to find out more about Stampin' Up please feel free to email or message me :)
Using 'Hugs & Kisses' stamped image from the Everyday In Moonbeam Meadow, stamped using Versafine onyx black. Coloured using various Tim Holtz distress inks onto 'Ranger' watercolour paper. Using a '5" square white card blank' covered with 'Floral Muse' design papers by Dovecraft all stuck together using 'Collall' all purpose glue
I used a 6 x 6" card blank and some First Edition Botanical Notes Papers, I have distressed the edges of everything and inked them with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The butterflies are the Flit and Flutter dies from the Sara Davies Butterfly Lullaby Signature Collection and the flourish is the Fancy Flourishes die from the Sara Davies Butterfly Lullaby Signature Collection. The sentiment is from the Big Sentiments stamp set stamped with Onyx Black Versafine ink. Everything has been put together using Collall All Purpose Glue and Collall Glue Gel.
I jumped right into the love theme this month! I used the adorable Moonbeam Meadow stamp and inked the sky with Distress Ink. Teamed with these gorgeous Dovecraft Bright Spark Papers and White Pearls. Finished with Glossy Accents over the sentiment Die cut to give it a shiny plastic look.
There's nothing like a heart to say love! Using a 6x6 card blank I took inspiration from these fabulous Story Teller papers from First Edition - such rich colours with glittery gem effects and some pearlecents too - they're gorgeous. I die cut some hearts and using a whole stack of papers layered them up inside and out using Collall all purpose glue and some Collall 3D glue gel for added dimension. I then embellished with some lovely Dovecraft Bohemian sequins - perfect with those purples and pinks in the papers. The cute little peg is from Dovecraft
Finally the sentiment also from Dovecraft stamped on the little diecut heart finished it off perfectly


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Johnson's Popcorn Favorites
Our Featured Products
Johnson's Caramel Combo
Popcorn Lovers Gift Box
Johnson's Summer 2020 Basket
Johnson's Popcorn Tower
About Johnson's Popcorn
Since 1940, Johnson's Popcorn has been one of the most famous icons of the Ocean City, New Jersey's Boardwalk. The aroma of hot caramel tossed over giant kernels of popcorn has lured millions of visitors to Johnson's Popcorn's storefronts that lie beneath the red and white awnings on Ocean City's famous boardwalk!
All of Johnson's Caramel Popcorn is "Hand Mixed" in large copper kettles. This mixing process always draws a crowd of fascinated eyes and hungry snackers during the summer season. So don't forget to order your favorite hand mixed Caramel Popcorn today!


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Costs & Budgeting
Figure includes tuition for full-time student status covering 12-18 points, deposit and required registration fees, and several program activities and excursions. For each point taken in excess of 18 points in a semester, there is an additional charge per point.
Non-NYU Students
If your college or university has a partnership with NYU Global Academic Programs the cost of tuition may be less than the posted figures. Inquire with your study abroad office to find out if there is a partnership with NYU.
Students participating in this program are required to live in NYU housing. Please note that costs may fluctuate with the exchange rate. NYU does all it can to keep housing costs low while maintaining the high quality of services and facilities we provide - which are among the most comprehensive in the Study Abroad field. A cancellation fee may be assessed if a student's written request to cancel the housing license be approved.
Cost is estimated. Students may dine out at one of the many affordable restaurants, eat at a casual local kiosk, or cook in their apartments.
Students planning to travel extensively outside the program parameters on weekends and holidays should budget accordingly. With the exception of tuition, all costs are estimated and may vary depending on the student's budget.
Total (per semester)
|$29,622 - $34,410
|Undergraduate Tuition & Fees*
|$2,967 - $6,755
|$3,750 - $3,900
|Round-Trip Airfare
|$1,350 - $1,500
*The rates listed are for the 2019-2020 academic year. NYU students pay their individual school tuition, which may differ by college. Rates for the 2020-2021 academic year will be posted soon.
Disclaimer: The Board of Trustees of New York University reserves the right to alter the schedule of fees without notice.
***For a review of prices for typical items you may purchase while abroad, take a look at this updated list.***
Global Travel Assistance
Provided at no additional cost to the student, this service provides assistance through one of the world's largest providers of medical and security evacuation as well as general travel aid (e.g., lost document assistance). This company provides 24-hour global services with the help of our site staff to our students abroad.
NYU's Electronic billing system is the official means of generating tuition bills for all enrolled students. Within a few weeks of registering for classes, students (with the exception of visiting students whose home schools choose to bill them directly for their term at NYU) will receive a message at their official NYU e-mail address notifying them that a bill for tuition, fees, and housing is now available.
Please visit the NYU Bursar Web-site for details about the E-bill process.
Students going to NYU Shanghai (except for freshman) will be billed an estimated housing charge. This estimate is used as a "placeholder charge" until we place students in their final housing assignment; the initial charge is unrelated to the final housing charge. There are two reasons we do this:
- Students on financial aid have loans and grant funds released to them earlier.
- Students can budget ahead and pay the bulk of their charges earlier, rather than waiting until final housing assignments are made.
Once the actual housing placement has been made, the E-bill is adjusted, resulting in either a credit or an additional charge. The final charge will appear on the student's E-bill within 2-3 weeks following the start of the program.


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Fast, powerful, and easy to use.
Managing files in more than 125 countries.
Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10.
Just one license (US$ 39.95) covers all your computers.
Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and many other languages.
20.90.0800, released 25-Jul-2020
Windows 10, Server 2019, Server 2016, 8.1, 8, Server 2012, 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003; 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
XYplorer is a file manager for Windows. It features tabbed browsing, a powerful file search, a versatile preview, a highly customizable interface, optional dual pane, and a large array of unique ways to efficiently automate frequently recurring tasks. It's fast, light, and portable.
XYplorer is a portable file manager. It doesn't require any installation, stores all configuration data in the application data folder, and running it doesn't change your system or registry. Take it with you and start it from a USB stick. File management to go.
Tabs let you switch between folders most easily. Drag them around, hide them, lock them, name them, or drop files onto them. The tabs remember their configuration individually and across sessions. On top of this you get tabsets and dual pane.
XYplorer has been designed to make you faster. Numerous usability enhancements in an attractive interface help to streamline your workflow and increase your efficiency. You will definitely save a lot of time.
Yes, you can program this app. Individual solutions for individual tasks. No plugins needed, scripts run out-of-the-box. Even beginners can benefit from this feature since many ready-to-use scripts are available in the forum.
Speed has always been a major design goal with XYplorer. The code is constantly optimized for performance, zero tolerance for slowness. On top of that the app uses very little RAM, the executable is light (7 MB), and it loads almost instantly.
You can trust XYplorer. It works as intended and expected, and is very hard to destroy. Any issues are immediately attended and usually fixed within hours. A large community is closely watching the development and permanently testing the frequent beta versions.
You can fine-tune the app to look and behave exactly as you want it. This ranges from fonts and colors to custom toolbar buttons and even file icons and program associations. And every bit of it is fully portable. Even the dark mode.
Your customer voice is listened to and taken seriously, most of the time you get instant feedback, and your wish might actually get implemented sooner than you'd think.
Find out why so many folks around the globe pay US$ 39.95 for a file manager...Download 30-day Free Trial Now
20.90.0800 | 25-Jul-2020 | 4.3 MB
Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10
The trial is fully functional with only minor limitations.
For details see overview, screenshots, feature list, highlights, and usage tips. And here for news and testimonials.
Download the latest version of XYplorer.
20.90.0800 | 25-Jul-2020 | 4.3 MB
Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10
If you have not registered yet, the download runs as 30-day trial version free of charge. The trial is fully functional with only minor limitations.
How to select the interface language: XYplorer supports 26 different interface languages. Use the command Select Language in menu Help to download and activate the interface language of your choice.
How to upgrade: Close any running instance of XYplorer, and install the new version over your current one. Done. Your license and settings are preserved. Note that you can upgrade right from the app via menu Help | Online Support | Check for Updates.
For options and details see here. Check out what's new.
The XYplorer Standard License Pro costs US$ 39.95 per user. It is valid for all of the user's computers and never expires. As a bonus it includes a full year of free upgrades. The latter is the only difference to the Lifetime License Pro (US$ 79.95) which comes with free upgrades forever. Note that Upgrade Discounts are offered below.
Valid for one person on all of his/her computers. The license never expires.
Bonus: The Standard License Pro includes free upgrades for one year!
Valid for one person on all of his/her computers. The license never expires.
Bonus: The Lifetime License Pro includes free upgrades forever!
If you already own a Standard License Pro you can get a new Standard License Pro or a Lifetime License Pro at a reduced price (20% off the regular price).
Valid for one person on all of his/her computers. The license never expires.
Bonus: The Standard License Pro includes free upgrades for one year!
Valid for one person on all of his/her computers. The license never expires.
Bonus: The Lifetime License Pro includes free upgrades forever!
We love to hear from you. Please consult FAQ, Support, and User Forum first, thanks!


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U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble not convinced U.S. should take action in Syria
U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble isn't convinced the United States should take military action in Syria in the wake of alleged use of chemical weapons in the conflict-stricken nation.
He told "UPFRONT with Mike Gousha" on Sunday that more than 90 percent of his constituents are opposed to intervention in Syria.
"I think the president's battle here is not so much what he's trying to do to convince Congress; he's not made the case for the American people," Ribble said on the program, produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. "Think back to Vietnam; when the American people lost support of it; things fell apart. You cannot go to war without the backing of the American people, and they are weary of war."
Even with heavy opposition in northeastern Wisconsin's 8th CD, the Sherwood Republican said he's looking forward to hearing President Barack Obama administration's case during a classified briefing this week.
"I'm going to have to hear that we're threatened," Ribble said. "I'd also have to see what the plan is. What do you hope to accomplish? What's the risk of escalation?"
Although the use of chemical weapons is banned by international law, Ribble said the outrage is misplaced over such use in Syria and fears that a lack of consequences will result in more chemical attacks. He said while chemical weapons possessed an unmatched deadliness in the early 20th century, modern weaponry has far outpaced them.
"A single missile strike can kill hundreds and thousands of people already without the use of chemicals." Ribble said. "We have to be careful about talking about the means of death and not focusing on death itself."
Although he agrees with Obama's decision to seek approval ahead of military action, Ribble expressed worry legislative directives will jeopardize the success of an intervention effort in Syria.
"Every single time that Congress has tried to move into that and actually dictate to the military what they can do and what they can't do and create the rules of engagement, things have gone bad for us," Ribble said.
--Ribble said although he voted to repeal or defund the the Affordable Care Act around 40 times, he doesn't think a government shutdown is a good solution.
Rather he pointed to an opportunity to delay the individual mandate for a year, citing a recent executive order that pushed back corporate healthcare mandates until next year. Ribble said Obama's order suggests the government isn't prepared to execute a complex overhaul of the health care system.
Ribble said disagreement on healthcare reform, a sticking point for many, won't disrupt work in the Congress.
"We'll reach an agreement on a budget. I'm very optimistic," said the second-term Congressmen said. "It requires both parties to be at the table. The best opportunity, from my standpoint, is to do this when we have split government."
Ribble is a member of a congressional coalition called the "No Labels Problem Solvers." The bipartisan movement aims to foster conversation in the often bitterly divided Congress.
"You have to begin to get to know people so that you can build trust,"
Ribble said. "You have to create a venue within Congress where members of Congress can actually talk to each other."
--Also on the program, Milwaukee County Superviso David Bowen made the case for an ordinance that would mandate a minimum wage above the federal requirement for public workers in Milwaukee County.
Three other Wisconsin municipalities already have similar ordinances; in the city of Milwaukee workers are paid a minimum of $9.39 per hour, in Dane County they receive $11.09 per hour; and the city of Madison mandates workers receive $12.19 per hour. There are 140 minimum wage ordinances across the country.
Bowen said an increase in pay will keep public workers out of poverty and will use taxpayer money more effectively.
"People are continuing to rely on public assistance programs because they're not being paid enough," Bowen said.
The ordinance would require private companies contracted with Milwaukee County to increase wages to meet the mandated minimums.
Bowen conceded many opponents worry wage requirements will hurt business relations but maintains similar ordinances in other cities are effective.
"I think we've seen around the country that this has been done and does not hurt business," Bowen said.
--With a possible wealthy candidate for governor, Mike Gousha says Wisconsin Democrats may increasingly turn to candidates who can self-fund their races.


text:
|Janne Hellsten <email@example.com>
|Safe Haskell
Ok type is a simple error handler, basically equivalent to
Either [SomeException].
One of the primary reasons why this type was introduced is that
Either SomeException had not been provided an instance for
and it would have been a bad idea to provide an orphaned instance for a
commonly-used type and typeclass included in
Extending the failure case to a list of
SomeExceptions enables a
more sensible
Alternative instance definitions:
<|> concatinates
the list of exceptions when both cases fail, and
empty is defined as
'Errors []'. Though
<|> one could pick one of two exceptions, and
throw away the other, and have
empty provide a generic exception,
this avoids cases where
empty overrides a more informative exception
and allows you to see all the different ways your computation has failed.
- data Ok a
- = Errors [SomeException]
- | Ok !a
- newtype ManyErrors = ManyErrors [SomeException]
|Errors [SomeException]
|Ok !a
newtype ManyErrors Source
a way to reify a list of exceptions into a single exception


text:
This is one of the most enjoyable and instructional DVD in my collection (I have all of them). I've watched this with 2 different groups of senior level Systema instructors. Each time it evoked the same reactions; head shaking, jaw dropping, eye-numbing disbelief.
The ingenuity, expertise and b..read more >>


text:
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2.0 TDCi 163 Titanium 5dr Powershift
- 2012
- 81,947 miles
- Diesel
Images shown are of actual vehicle
Car Details
Key Facts
- £205 tax per year
- CO2 159 g/km
- 47.1 mpg
Vehicle Overview
|1997 cc
|81,947 miles
|MPG (Average):
|CO2 Emissions:
|159 g/km
|Tax (6/12 mths):
|Body Type:
Fitted Extras (when new)
|Gloss paint
|Glass roof
|Sony stereo audio system with CD player that reads MP3 CDs ; digital and RDS, Connections for USB, Amplifier, Eleven upgraded speakers
|Fitted when new cost:
A comprehensive list of the cars features and equipment when new*.
|Auxiliary input socket
|'Quickclear' heated windscreen/heated washer jets
|Automatic dimming rear view mirror
|Body colour bumpers
|Body colour door handles with chrome trim
|Body colour door mirrors
|Chrome bodyside mouldings
|Chrome finish on upper door line
|Chrome plated radiator grille
|Electric front and rear windows + one touch + global open/closing
|Electric heated + adjustable door mirrors
|Front fog lights
|Headlamps with delay
|Headlight levelling control
|Heated rear window
|Privacy glass
|Side window demisters
|Silver roof rails
|Solar reflect windscreen with automatic wipers and headlights
|Tailgate wiper - intermittent with electric wash
|12V accessory sockets - front and rear
|2 height adjustable headrests - 3rd row
|2 individual fold flat 3rd row seats
|2 tie hooks for luggage nets
|3 height adjustable headrests - 2nd row
|3 individual fold flat 2nd row seats
|Air recirculation system
|Anti submarining/fully reclining front seats
|Centre console with cupholders
|Chrome finish to interior door handles
|Courtesy light in luggage compartment
|Courtesy lights - 2 front theatre-style dimming
|Door puddle lights
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|Drivers seat with electric height adjustment + manual lumbar support
|Dual electronic automatic temperature control
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|Footwell illumination
|Front carpet mats
|Front seat armrests
|Front seat storage pockets
|Front seatback tables
|Front sports seats
|Full length overhead console + Child observation mirror
|Fully adjustable front headrests
|Isofix child seat attachment
|Leather gear knob
|Leather handbrake
|Leather trimmed steering wheel
|Pollen filter
|Reach + rake adjustable steering column
|Rear air conditioning
|Rear carpet mats
|Rear cupholders
|Rear map reading lights
|Rear overhead dome courtesy light
|Rear seat easy entry
|Rear seats fold flat
|Stainless steel scuff plates-front doors
|Steering wheel audio controls
|Sunglasses storage
|Tonneau cover
|3 point seatbelts on all seats
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|Child proof door locks
|Driver and passenger airbags
|Driver and passenger side airbags
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|Electronic stability programme with traction control + emergency brake assist
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|Digital clock
|Door ajar warning lamp
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Everything from the cars length to its top speed is shown below.
|Tax (6/12 mths):
|CO2 Emissions:
|159 g/km
|Fuel Type:
|Insurance Group:
|0 - 60mph:
|10 seconds
|1884 mm
|No. of Doors:
|Front wheel drive
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text:
U.S. District Court via AP file
U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright said Friday, May 17, that Arkansas' law probably wouldn't pass constitutional muster.
A federal judge barred Arkansas from implementing one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws Friday, calling it "more than likely unconstitutional."
The law, which the Legislature enacted over Gov. Mike Beebe's veto in March, makes abortions illegal after only 12 weeks of pregnancy. It's scheduled to take effect in August.
At a hearing Friday in Little Rock, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright granted a temporary injunction sought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued that doctors who provide abortions would suffer "irreparable harm."
Wright said the 12-week standard criminalizes some abortions before the generally accepted medical standard of viability for a fetus, which is 24 weeks.
"The Supreme Court has consistently used viability as a standard with respect to any law that regulates abortion," Wright said. "This act defines viability as something viability is not."
Wright didn't rule on the constitutionality of the new law itself, dubbed the Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act (.pdf).
But in a clear signal of how she was leaning, she said the 12-week standard criminalizes some abortions before the generally accepted medical standard of viability for a fetus, which is 24 to 28 weeks, while "the Supreme Court has consistently used viability as a standard with respect to any law that regulates abortion."
"This act defines viability as something viability is not," she said.
Josh Mesker, a spokesman for the nonprofit Arkansas Family Council, told NBC News the ruling was "disappointing, but it's not unexpected."
Mesker said the ultimate aim is to get the law before the U.S. Supreme Court, where "we expect to prevail" in a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized most abortions across the U.S.
"It's not outside the realm of possibility for the current Supreme Court to readdress Roe v. Wade in a way that leans toward our position," he said.
Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project, ridiculed the law as "an extreme example of how lawmakers around the country are trying to limit a woman's ability to make the best decision for herself and her family."
"These laws are designed with one purpose — to eliminate all access to abortion care," Camp said in a statement.
That was a reference to similar anti-abortion measures recently approved in North Dakota, Kansas and Mississippi. The North Dakota law, which was also passed in March, is the toughest in the U.S., banning abortions after only six weeks.
Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com
In the Arkansas case, the ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights are representing Tom Tvedten, medical director of Little Rock Family Planning Services, which provides abortions, and Louis J. Edwards, a gynecologist at the clinic.
In the suit, filed last month against the State Medical Board, they argue that the new law "presents physicians in Arkansas with an untenable choice: to face license revocation for continuing to provide abortion care in accordance with their best medical judgment, or to stop providing the critical care their patients seek."
Wright rejected the state's motion to dismiss the case Wednesday, citing Supreme Court rulings that Roe v. Wade drew a line saying abortions generally could be banned only upon a fetus' "attainment of viability."
Anticipating just this sort of legal wrangling, Beebe, a Democrat, vetoed the measure in March, saying that defending a "blatantly unconstitutional" law would be crushingly expensive for the state.
Abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell convicted of first-degree murder
'Fundamental culture change' on abortion: Conservatives make gains on restrictions
This story was originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 3:04 PM EDT


text:
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The First Draft by Kevin Broom
The first draft of everything is ****. — Hemingway
NBA Player Production Average
No In Between — A Mystery Novel
Richard Cohen
Richard Cohen Needs A Gag
November 12, 2013
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text:
Freezer biscuits
Everyone needs a treat now and again! These oat-packed biscuits are designed to be stored in the freezer – simply bake when the mood strikes
Nutrition and extra info
- Freezable
- Easily doubled / halved
Nutrition: per serving (with dried fruit)
- kcal138
- fat8g
- saturates5g
- carbs16g
- sugars8g
- fibre1g
- protein2g
- salt0.21g
- 200g pack butter, softened
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- 200g soft brown sugar
- 2 eggs
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g self-raising flour
- 140g oats
Oats are processed by rolling (steamed and pressed) or steel-cutting (cut into pieces). There is…
Your choice of flavours
When the butter is really soft, tip it into a bowl along with the sugar. Using an electric hand whisk or exercising some arm muscle, beat together until the sugar is mixed through. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, if you like. Stir in the flour and oats. The mixture will be quite stiff at this point. Now decide what else you would like to add – any or all of the flavours are delicious – and stir through.
Tear off an A4-size sheet of greaseproof paper. Pile up half the mixture in the middle of the sheet, then use a spoon to thickly spread the mixture along the centre of the paper. Pull over one edge of paper and roll up until you get a tight cylinder. If you have problems getting it smooth, then roll as you would a rolling pin along a kitchen surface. You'll need it to be about the width of a teacup. When it is tightly wrapped, twist up the ends and then place in the freezer. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To cook, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and unwrap the frozen biscuit mix. Using a sharp knife, cut off a disk about ½cm wide. If you have difficulty slicing through, dip the knife into a cup of hot water. Cut off as many biscuits as you need, then pop the mix back into the freezer for another time. Place on a baking sheet, spacing them widely apart as the mixture will spread when cooking, then cook for 15 mins until the tops are golden brown. Leave to cool for at least 5 mins before eating.
Recipe Tip
Emma says...Everyone needs a treat now and again, and these biscuits are packed with oats, which makes me more comfortable about handing them out to children. Kids will also love rolling the dough into a sausage shape and deciding what flavours to add. The biscuits will keep for ages in the freezer and are great for filling a fractious half hour or as a pick-me-up after a long day.


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Today's Broadsheet column on Salon (via the SF Chronicle) clues us into yet another disturbing vagina-modification procedure that seems to be making the rounds: "The G-Shot". Touted as a method to increase sexual pleasure, "The G-Shot" is a two-thousand-dollar procedure invented by L.A. plastic surgeon Dr. David Matlock — he of the wonderful Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Institute of America! — in which collagen is injected into a woman's G-spot in order to increase its size, and, presumably, the patient's sexual response. Notwithstanding the fact that many sex experts — including the wonderful Betty Dodson — are skeptical about the very existence of such an area, and the fact that in order to administer the shot some doctors feel it necessary to "arouse" their patients, what does this all mean? Will the obsessive, aesthetic assault on our reproductive systems never end? Are cervixes next? Or, Lord help us, is our uterus ugly???
Perfecting Your Private Bits [Salon]
Enhanced Romance [SF Chronicle]
Related: Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Institute Of America


text: About Cancer Biology The Cancer Biology Department is the home of a dynamic, collaborative and highly interactive faculty with cutting-edge research programs that span a wide range of cancer-related topics. Every new discovery and success in our laboratories—big and small—is putting our dreams of eradicating (or controlling) cancer closer than ever to reality. We hope you will join us in our fight against cancer through basic and translational research at this most opportune and exciting time. We invite you to learn more about: Our History Chair's Corner Faculty Graduate Program Seminars & Symposia


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You are here
One Bedroom/Two Bath/Deluxe
This large one-bedroom / two-bath room is a south-facing, fourth floor corner apartment. Highlighted by two full baths, a roomy bedroom and a bright, open ambiance, suite 418 offers a private balcony and wood-burning fireplace in the bedroom as well as the living room. The well-equipped kitchen is enhanced with granite countertops and the apartment's corner location allows for extra windows facing south towards Aspen Mountain, as well as west towards Shadow Mountain.


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The men being sought for "Snow White and the Huntsman" keep getting progressively less famous, younger and more Australian.
Chris Hemsworth, who's about to become globally famous with the release of "Thor" on Friday, is Universal's first choice to play the male title role in "Snow White and The Huntsman," opposite Kristen Stewart, reported Variety.
In the film, the Huntsman takes Snow into the woods with instructions to kill her, but has second thoughts, instead helping her make a run for it.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
First Viggo Mortenson, 54, was in the cross hairs. then Hugh Jackman, 42, said No Thanks, and Joel Edgerton, 37, has been sought, and could possibly still get the part. But Hemsworth, 27 - who, like the two previous choices is from Down Under - has suddenly become the studio's first choice.
"Snow White and The Huntsman" already has Stewart aboard as Snow, and Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen. With the Huntsman options getting closer and closer to Snow's age, it's likely that Universal may be considering a shift in the film's storyline.
There are of course possible scheduling issues, with Hemsworth committed to "The Avengers," which is due May 4, 2012. In any event, "Snow White and The Huntsman" should be here Dec. 21, 2012.