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Any 2x5 Step and Repeat is commonly used at official events, trade shows, conventions, exhibitions etc. A Step and Repeat works great for both indoor and outdoor use. With proper storing and maintenance you can use it multiple times for many years.
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Commonly used at formal events, trade shows, conventions, media events, etc. Step and Repeat banners are digitally printed on a 13 oz or 18 oz semi-matte or matte vinyl material using high resolution, water resistant ink. Semi-matte and matte are most commonly used, because this finish doesn't have a "reflection" when pictures are taken with flash, video recordings are made or when bright lights are used. This is especially important when the step and repeat banner is being used as a backdrop for photos. They can also be printed on both sides which is extremely helpful for very large events since attendees wouldn't have to wait as long to have their pictures taken in front of the backdrop, because both sides would be utilized. Step and Repeat banners will raise your happening to another level, giving it a glamourous feel and making it memorable for your audience and visitors.
Step and Repeat banners are a tremendously effective and reliable advertising tool, and no event should take place without them. Examples include press releases, awards ceremonies, fashion shows, red carpet and charity events, business conventions, conferences and tradeshows, weddings, birthday parties, and much more. They can even be used for very large storefront windows when displaying a tremendous amount of products isn't needed and so the company logo can be displayed instead and in this way doubling as a business sign. Step and repeat banners are eye-catching and make the perfect backdrops. They can be placed outdoors and used as a focal point to the entrance of an event creating an immediate positive impact to attendees. And because they are mobile step and repeat banners can be easily moved to another spot or indoors, making this banner the perfect multipurpose advertising tool.
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The companies and people that decide to use these banners for various types of events gain a competitive advantage and can attract the attention of their viewers. Step and repeat banners are versatile and are the best choice for a wide-range of target audiences. They never lose their unique character, can make an immediate impact, adapt to any company or personal event's specific needs and can be used indoors or outdoors. Step and repeat banners are considered to be an essential component of formal events and will make them even more memorable for visitors. At business events or galas the step and repeat banner , which usually repeats a logo o brand name across the banner, offers the company using it the opportunity to emphasize and promote their company logo and brand, as well as any sponsors they may have.
At business events such as tradeshows, using something as simple as a step and repeat banners in combination with other vinyl banners, such as table cover banners, hanging vinyl banners and pole banners creates a homogeneous and impressive effect which will attract an even larger amount of visitors. Presentation is key and the overall look of your booth, is crucial for your business and will bring traffic to your booth. These additional visitors translate to more potential customers, business relationships and increased revenues. They are suitable for any industry due to their diversity in size, format, and style and have the added bonus of being low-cost.
Step and repeat banners are advertising tools that are an investment, especially since they aren't made of disposable materials and can be used for multiple years. Vinyl banner material is very durable and can last from 1 year to 10 years depending on how frequently they are used, and how often they are used outdoors and exposed to harsh weather conditions. If you are planning to use your step and repeat banner outdoors it would be wiser to choose the heavy duty 18 oz vinyl material.
It is not difficult to maintain and store a step and repeat banner, and the better it's done, the longer it will last. When storing your banner for later use, we recommend rolling it up and not folding to help avoid creases, and avoid placing it very hot and dusty areas. Of course if the banner is too large then it would be easier to fold and the wrinkles will disappear after hanging for a while.
To take good care of your step and repeat banner, regularly clean it with warm water and give some time to air dry before puting it back to storage. For easy storing, roll it up and keep it in a dry area at room temperature. Any wrinkles in your banner should come out within a couple of hours in the sun or heat.
One of the easiest applications is to install a step and repeat banner.
A very helpful video from YouTube can be found here:
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Special, Celebration and Seasonal Banners
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How To Report Deductions(p26)
In this situation (Example 2), you cannot use Form 2555-EZ since you had self-employment income and business expenses.
In this situation (Example 4), you would probably not want to choose the foreign earned income exclusion if this was the first year you were eligible. If you had chosen the exclusion in an earlier year, you might want to revoke the choice for this year. To do so would mean that you could not claim the exclusion again for the next 5 tax years without IRS approval. See Choosing the Exclusion in chapter 4.
In this situation (Example 5), you cannot use Form 2555-EZ since you had earned income other than salaries and wages and you had business expenses.
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subset: commoncrawl


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After the election, we have seen much discussion about why the Republican Party lost the Presidential election and failed to pick up some initially-promising Senate seats. One of the proposals that we hear often is that the GOP should jettison "social conservatives", or at least declare a "truce" on "social issues" like abortion and the re-definition of marriage.
Far be it from me to give advice to the sage experts who have piloted the GOP to such electoral triumphs. Nor is it my business to get involved in political strategy for a party that I am not even a member of.
The reason I am interested in this question is that we are starting to hear a similar idea from pro-lifers — a sense that the political mission of our movement has either failed, or reached a final impasse, and that we need to re-direct our energies away from the political and public policy arenas, and focus instead on a more cultural approach to defending and promoting life.
I think this is a fundamental mis-diagnosis of the current state of things in our nation, and it falsely sets up an unnecessary either/or, zero-sum choice.
The current state of the pro-life movement's political and public policy status depends on where you are standing. Obviously, things may seem quite bleak in a place like New York City, which is essentially a one-party state dominated by a Democratic party that is almost completely dedicated to hard-line pro-abortion policies. But that view can be deceptive. In other areas of New York State, there is a functioning GOP that is at least theoretically supportive of pro-life policies, and there are still some staunch pro-life Democrats around. The picture here in New York is quite daunting, there's no doubt about it — but it's certainly not time to throw in the towel.
Of course, New York is not all of America (it's not even part of the real world, but that's another issue). If you were standing in Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, Florida, South Carolina, or many other states, the picture would be much more encouraging. Many public officials and candidates in those states proudly proclaim their pro-life views, and they have passed common-sense pro-life laws, like parental notification, informed consent, and abortion clinic regulations. In fact, the public policy and political successes of our movement on the state level have proven to be a consternation to the pro-abortion forces, who continually complain about how many laws we have been able to pass.
At a time when our movement is making progress on the state and local level, it's no time to declare defeat — or a "truce".
But it's more than a mere question of how many bills are passed, or how many candidates are willing to say they're "pro-life". We're engaged in a battle over our culture, which means that we're striving to convert the hearts and minds of our brothers and sisters. Our goal is not just to make abortion illegal, but to make it unthinkable.
In this kind of struggle, it would be folly to abandon an entire field of the contest. The real question isn't "politics or culture", as if we can only work on one thing at a time. Our challenge is to get better at transforming both.
We absolutely need to ramp up our efforts to provide assistance to expectant mothers and fathers in crisis — that's ground zero in the struggle to eliminate abortion. We definitely need to offer more resources for those who are suffering the aftermath of abortion. We have to reverse the anti-life, anti-chastity messages of our media, which create a climate of sexual adventurism and a contraceptive mentality. All these are legitimate areas for the pro-life movement to improve and enhance our work.
But law and politics are part of culture too. They affect public opinion and shape private actions. There is a growing body of opinion, especially among young people, that our nation has gone too far on abortion — that it's a disgrace that 41% of New York City pregnancies end in abortion (the numbers are even worse in the African-American community), that horrifically unsafe abortion clinics are allowed to maim and kill women with impunity, that parents are excluded from their children's key decisions about abortion and contraception, that handicapped children are routinely aborted, and that women are not being presented with all the choices available to them.
Fewer and fewer people are satisfied with our country having the most liberal abortion laws in the world, and with a political, media and cultural "elite" who are so degraded that they think this is a good thing.
There is a quiet cultural and political revolution on the way. Our young brethren will lead it. This is no time to end the struggle over abortion in the public square.
It's time to stand firm.


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A peculiar Druid tidbit – 2.4
Now, I'm not a druid so I can't say how great or terrible this is, but still I think it is a fun one to look at.
The talent is Nurturing Instinct. It's a tier 5 Feral – 21st and 22d points in that tree – talent, which means it's not usually going to be grabbed by most of the Healing Druids who'd have to give up treeform – sorry, Tree of Life – to get it.
Now right now, it's an OK supplement to the tanking druid who has to toss off the once-in-a-while heals:
Increases your healing spells by up to 50% of your Strength, and increases healing done to you by 5/10% of your Attack Power while in Cat form.
But in 2.4, it changes:
Nurturing Instinct increases your healing spells by up to 50/100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 10/20% of your Attack Power while in Cat form.
If you're a druid tank, how hard is it, really, to get 400 AGI or better? +400 healbonus AS A TANK?
I anticipate a lot fewer takers of the Tree of Life. Why? Tree of life adds 25% of spirit to your heals. Say you strongly invest for the mana regen – 600 spirit. That gives you +150 healbonus. A miserly 200 agi, and nurturing instinct instead of Tree of life give you more.
Oh – the feral tree being what it is, I expect most of the danger of this to show up in arenas. Almost makes me want to roll a druid.
Now, I've not thought through all the ramifications of this as a healer, but a few things come to mind. First, keep in mind the bear still has to shift to humanoid to cat (as far as I know, anyway). Which means for the Main Tank in deep nastiness this is probably not a Good Thing.
But as an offtank/emergency healer? ooooo. Toss in a macro or addon that swaps (some) gear as you change form so you've got a good gear healbonus as well, and tie it all to an 'emergency heal' button… [changeform; changegear; cast instantheal; changeback — two presses, one GCD].
Now let me push this just a tiny bit further. Tree of life's big thing is it gives a bonus of 25% of spirit to heals. You can sacrifice that to get 100% of AGI. Let's assume, just for a moment, that you have 600 Spirit. If your AGI is over
8 Responses to "A peculiar Druid tidbit – 2.4"
Kirk, are you writing this from the perspective of raid healing? From what I've gathered from most raiding druids, the ToL "big thing " is NOT the bonus to heals, but rather the reduced mana cost.
This change is mostly to make ferals more viable "emergency healers" in 5 mans. Previously, even with the old Nurturing Instinct, in feral gear, their healing spells lacked enough punch to be effective enough to make it worth shifting out. This will also help them while soloing, as adding +heal from agility will also increase their HPM when they have to heal themselves after af fight, making it easier to not go oom when you have a mana pool of only 4-6k.
It will affect PvP somewhat, in the same way that it will affect 5 mans and feral soloing – ferals will be better at emergency (they'll still go oom really fast) and self healing.
This won't affect raid roles at all, nor will it affect resto specs at all. Islin is right, the 25% of spirit to +heal on your party is a lousy reason to take the ToL talent; 20% reduced mana cost on all HoTs is the clincher.
The major advantage to Tree of Life, as noted above, isn't the aura. To be fair, the aura is a little more complex than "gives you 25% of your spirit as +healing"- it's "gives 25% of your spirit as +healing whenever a heal hits a target in the same group as you". Much nicer with multiple healers hitting your target (Free 150 +healing to all healers who target a tank? Please!)
The other thing, and the major reason, is, as noted above- mana costs are cut by 20% for spells you can cast. It's shiny.
To clarify the bit on Druid shifting, shifting out of a form does not initiate the GCD, but shifting INTO a form does. With I believe patch 2.3, Druids can now shift between forms instantly; previously, we'd have to shift out to humanoid, then to form, now we skip the human part.
Anything that activates the GCD while attempting to switch will stop the switch though. For example, tanking druids can now macro a potion/healing-usable so that they lose their form, pop the pot, and get back to form instantly. If they were to try to throw up a life bloom after shifting out, they'd be caught in the GCD and in humanoid form… going splat.
"This change is mostly to make ferals more viable "emergency healers" in 5 mans. Previously, even with the old Nurturing Instinct, in feral gear, their healing spells lacked enough punch to be effective enough to make it worth shifting out."
Change 5 mans to Arenas, and then I think we're moving in the proper direction. Previous to Season 3, feral Druid gear had some amount of healing in addition to it's offensive stats. Season 3 changed that with feral gear having completely offensive stats, there by making it far more difficult to play a hybrid dps/clutch-healer style.
With the healing arena weapons, and an estimated 600 agility (might be closer to 500, I'm not quite sure), feral druids should be pushing around 1200 healing. While not great, it's certainly an improvement.
Frost Mage / Feral Druid 2s combo video from the end of season 1 for example.
Just to note, "and increases healing done to you by 10/20% of your Attack Power while in Cat form." has been changed to a straight 20% healing done is increased, ala Fel Armor / Quick Recovery. Kitty Druids are squishy, but with 20% of 3600 attack power as additional healing, it might've been a bit of overkill.
The ToL aura is best in raids if you are in the Tanking group, for instance a druid and 4 tanks, means all tanks will get +150 heals.
If you have the Idol that can be boosted up to a further +194, pop another druid in there (if it stacks of course) and you can have almost +400 heals on a tank which is pretty good imho.
But the biggest thing is indeed the mana consumption.
Came across this page by accident but felt I had to reply…
Firstly, there are two reason's why raiding druids take ToL , firstly is the 20% mana cost reduction to all spells that are castable in ToL form. Secondly, it's for the _group_ buff. I currently raid with over 780 spirit, double that if I have Jaina's buff in Mount Hyjal.. This means I give all healers in the raid an extra 195 or 390 Bonus Healing (BH) to all targets in my group. Where else are you going to find a buff this powerful for all the healers in the raid?
If I was going to drop ToL form, it would be to take some of the balance points, like 25% of my intellect turned into BH/SD. To me, the mana efficency is what I love about it so it's not something I would consider while planning on raiding.
As was pointed out before, this change was to make feral druids a little more suitable for arena. It means they get a little more BH and get an increased % of healing done to them (similar to rogues if specced for it and warlocks with the correct armor spell) if they are in kitty form only. It also makes levelling a little easier for them since they can cast a HoT on themselves while grinding.
Just to re iterate, ToL buff does not effect all of your healing and only your healing, it effects everyone in the raids healing on anyone in your group.
Tree is for life 🙂
Sorry, missed the last post before mine for some reason


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A STOLEN US space agency laptop containing codes that control the International Space Station (ISS) did not put the orbiting lab in peril, a NASA spokesman said today.
The unencrypted notebook computer went missing in March 2011 and "resulted in the loss of the algorithms used to command and control the International Space Station", NASA Inspector General Paul Martin told politicians this week.
But the US space agency insisted that international astronauts were never at risk aboard the research outpost.
"NASA takes the issue of IT security very seriously, and at no point in time have operations of the International Space Station been in jeopardy due to a data breach," spokesman Trent Perrotto said.
The theft was alerted to Congress on Wednesday along with 5408 computer security "incidents" that resulted in unauthorised access to NASA systems or installation of malicious software in the past two years, Mr Martin said.
Perpetrators are suspected to include small-time hackers, organised criminal networks and foreign intelligence services.
The attacks affected thousands of NASA computers and cost the agency more than $US7 million ($6.51 million) in 2010 and 2011, he said.
Over the past few years, investigations have resulted in the arrests and convictions of hackers from China, Great Britain, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and Estonia, he said.
One cyber attack still under investigation happened in November 2011, when NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California reported "suspicious network activity involving Chinese-based IP addresses", he said.
"Our review disclosed that the intruders had compromised the accounts of the most privileged JPL users, giving the intruders access to most of JPL's networks," he added in testimony to the House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee.
"In other words, the attackers had full functional control over these networks."
To better guard against such attacks, "NASA needs to improve agency-wide oversight of the full range of its IT assets" and must encrypt more of its mobile and laptop devices, of which just one per cent are currently encrypted, he said.
Until then, NASA "will continue to be at risk for security incidents that can have a severe adverse effect on Agency operations and assets".
NASA's spokesman said in response that the space agency is in the process of implementing his recommendations and has made "significant progress to better protect the agency's IT systems".
Originally published asNASA loses control codes for space station


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Sony to Launch a 6.44-inch Smartphone at MWC 2013
Sony to Launch a 6.44-inch Smartphone at MWC 2013
With many smartphone manufacturers moving into the 5-inch and above territory, it's unsurprising that they will go with bigger screens in a matter of time. While we weren't expecting this soon of course, a post from Chinese forum digi-wo.com has indicated that Sony might go with an odd 6.44-inch display for its upcoming device. The leaked image shows the device "with Sony branding" and is said to be made for a phablet device "with a 1080p display". With Mobile World Congress happening in a month's time, we might be able to see it in its full glory at the annual mobile-centric event.
Source: Digi-wo.com via BGR


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E-Delivery is a service in which the library scans articles from journals and books that it owns in print, and delivers them electronically to your Interlibrary Loan account. E-Delivery is free and takes less than two business days.
Who can make an E-Delivery request?
This service is available to current faculty, graduate students and distance learners.
Submitting an E-Delivery Request
You make E-Delivery requests through your Interlibrary Loan account, the same way you would request an article or book chapter not owned by UT Dallas. Access your account through the Interlibrary Loan website:
Once you've accessed your account, you can fill out a request form by selecting "E-Delivery" from your account's main menu. If you're not sure about the Call Number or Location of the item you need, you can also submit an E-Delivery request by selecting "Request an Article" or "Request a Book Chapter" from the main menu.
For more information, contact the Interlibrary Loan Department at [email protected] or 972-883-2900.Page Last Updated: October 25, 2019


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Oscar Fashion, Grown-up Style
Mirren leads the red-carpet showstoppers
Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage/Getty Images (left) / Michael Caulfield/WireImage/Getty Images (right)
Women of a certain age need look no further than the beautiful Helen Mirren to understand elegant and appropriate dressing for black tie affairs such as the Academy Awards.
Mirren, who Sunday night was stunning in a fitted gunmetal Vivienne Westwood gown, has been a hit on the Oscar red carpet for three years running, since her win in 2009 for The Queen. She has a fit body and impeccable taste. She also wears her dresses with the confidence that any Oscar winner should.
Mirren, 65, and other acting veterans reigned at the Oscar ceremony, while parading along the red carpet and while winning many of the night's biggest awards. They injected the evening with some time-honored Hollywood glamour and individuality — even if, for the most part, it was understated.
Among the talked about looks of the night was that of TV mogul Oprah Winfrey, who presented a documentary award. Winfrey, 57, wore a Zac Posen gown featuring a very tightly fitted bodice and ombre sequins below that hugged her full figure.
Continue for more great looks:
Rick Rowell/ABC/Getty Images
Jeff Bridges, smart in black tuxedo and traditional bow tie, his wife, Susan, and their three daughters easily take the honors for best-dressed family. Bridges, 61, who won the Oscar last year for Crazy Heart and was nominated for True Grit this year, will soon be a grandfather. Daughter Isabelle (right) is expecting.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Colin Firth, 50, can wear a T-shirt and look gorgeous (which he did in some fair trade coffee ads for Oxfam). But his wife, Livia, gets the fashion props for Oscar dressing; she wore an "upcycled" Gary Harvey gown. "All the pieces we are using are from the era of The King's Speech. Gary is all about authenticity, so wanted to be sure we get the right fabrics and the right vibe," she wrote earlier last week on her UK Vogue blog. "Every element — including zips, corsetry and the original toiles — is recycled. The only thing that we've used that is new is the thread that actually stitches the dress together."
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, pulling red-carpet interview duty for ABC, could not have chosen a better look in which to chat up the A-list celebs. A pale pink brocade column of a gown (and matching jewels) highlighted her admirably fit figure.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Sharon Stone, 52, was one of the few stars who wore black, and she turned heads in her 1940's inspired one-shouldered Dior gown garnished with severe gray and black feathers. Her hair went to new heights, adding even more drama.
ABC/Getty Images
Annette Bening, 52, who was nominated for The Kids Are All Right, got mixed reviews — for fashion, that is. Her gray Naeem Khan wasn't a standout, but the emerald earrings certainly were.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Geoffrey Rush, 59, who has been sporting a variety of hats at award shows all season, was hat free at the Oscars, which he attended with his wife.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Composer Randy Newman, 68, went vintage with a retro striped silk tux. His Oscar became a terrific accessory.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Kathryn Bigelow, 59, last year's winner for best director, draped her statuesque figure in a daring red column dress with a thin gold belt, shoulder cutouts and matching jewelry.
WireImage/Getty Images
Designer Diane Von Furstenberg, 64, attended the Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood in sparkles and huge turquoise jewelry.
Jeff Vespa/WireImage/Getty Images
Madonna, 52, wore very little to the Vanity Fair Oscar party, fishnet stockings and a lacey overdress. Her daughter Lourdes, 15, was dressed more age appropriately than her mom.
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"[A] sweet, sun-drenched, lovely book." –The Boston Globe
"The considerable appeal of As Sweet as Honey is that East and West, romance and novel, coexist so enticingly." –The Washington Times
"The imaginary Indian coastal island of Pi . . . works beautifully as the setting for this East Asian homage to To the Lighthouse. . . . Irresistible." —Kirkus (starred review)
"Beautifully crafted." –People
"Whether she is describing verdant, lush Pi or bustling, crowded London, Ganesan brings two worlds . . . to vibrant life." –Booklist


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Same Place.
Dear Folks,
Just a few lines tonight to keep you informed that Im still O.K. or in other words every thing is as usual. There is a hitch in the mail somewhere for I havent got a word from you for about three weeks. I hope they will get some mail to us by Christmas anyway, and thats giving them nine days.
We are getting down to real hard work now, and before long I expect I won't look quite as chunky as I do at the present time. I had all good intensions last night of getting my picture took today, but as usual I forgot it or didn't have time.
We had a grand opening of the new Y.M.C.A. building here this afternoon. Brig. General Cole, and Maj. General Edwards were present and were among the speekers. They got a warm reception from all the officers and men. The band played the company to the building and of coarse that was a job for your's truly.
This Y.M. is a large building in which a thousand people can be seated. Y.M.C.A. again for you and say this organization deserves all the backing and praise you folks back home there can give it. It is wonderful, the work they are doing. Personally, Ive come in contact with their help, ever since we left America.
Tonight being Sunday, I was studying one of the many books we have to study, when my mind drifted back home, and I wondered how everything was. The only way to find out is write and see, so, (the letter). The watch, every time I look at it (and it is some often now I tell you) I wonder how things are at home. Before leaving the U.S. I was thinking of leaving this watch at home there and byeing a cheaper wrist watch. Now, I realize that I would have regreted it very much for it is one thing I prize. These pictures in my pocket also keep me in close touch with you, and they will also be on my person when I step on good old American soil some time in the future. A year or so anyway, but that isnt long, considering some of these poor chaps that have been at it now for over three.
Did my letters reach Madge, Mollie, Little Mary, Mrs. Holland and Lil yet. Im hoping to hear from somebody pretty soon. I realy believe I deserve a letter for Ive surly written enough latly to warrent one. It is now 9.30 and call to quarters has blown, Taps in 15 minutes and then the lights go out. We've just got enough time to make our bed and craul in.
My one hope is that I will continue in the good health and nature that Ive enjoyed since the 25th day of July –17. Hoping you folks are as well off (at least as I am) I remain and will stay the same
P.S. Love to all. How's Pa?
© Copyright 2008 by Richard Landers, All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.


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Sea ice
One of the most dramatic signs of climate change has been seen in the extent of Arctic sea ice.
Sea ice typically covers up to 15 million square kilometres of the Arctic Ocean, and up to 19 million square kilometres of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, during their respective winter seasons. This seasonal cycle of sea ice is one of the most dynamic components of the Earth's climate system.
Satellite records show a constant downward trend in the area covered by Arctic sea ice during all seasons, in particular in summer, with the minimum recorded occurring in the autumn of 2012.
In October 2013, however, CryoSat measured about 9000 cubic km of sea ice – a notable increase compared to 6000 cubic km in October 2012.
Unlike icebergs, which are chunks of ice that have broken off the edges of ice-shelves or fronts of glaciers where they reach the sea, sea ice is seawater that has frozen. It contains little salt as most of it is rejected as it forms. Each year, the polar oceans experience the formation and then melting of vast amounts of sea ice. At the North Pole, an area the size of Europe melts every summer and then freezes again the following winter. The thickness of this sea ice plays a central role in polar climate because it moderates heat transport by insulating the relatively warm ocean from the cold polar atmosphere.
In addition, the seasonal changes of sea ice have a significant influence on the global ocean circulation pattern known as the thermohaline circulation. As ice melts, there is an influx of freshwater into the surrounding ocean. This reduces the salinity and, consequently, the density of the water. Conversely, as the seawater cools and sea ice forms, the salinity and density of the surface seawater increase. This density increase causes the surface waters to sink and effectively to act as a pump, driving deep ocean currents towards the equator and away from the polar regions. To compensate for this loss, a return flow of warmer, less dense surface water is drawn northwards from low to high latitudes.
The Gulf Stream, which carries warm surface water northwards from the Gulf of Mexico to the sub-polar ocean east of Greenland, is extremely important for moderating the climate in Europe. The coastal waters of Europe are a few degrees warmer than waters at the equivalent latitude in the North Pacific. These warm waters mix with surrounding water, and cool and sink as they reach the Arctic. If this circulation pattern were disturbed by reduced sea ice in the Arctic, there could be a profound effect on the strength and direction of this current. Clearly, an improved understanding of the fluxes of Arctic sea ice is important for predicting Europe's climate.
Regional sea-ice models have been successfully developed over the last decades. However, given the impact that sea ice has on the climate, it is essential to acquire more comprehensive data on sea-ice thickness to improve sea ice models for their implementation in general climate studies.
To further our understanding of the impact that sea ice has on climate and to ascertain whether there is currently a trend towards reduced sea-ice cover, CryoSat is providing new and authoritative data on fluctuations in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice.


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A few days after she'd been in the spotlight, Chinese Taipei's Lee Chia Hsin crashed out of the JATI BWF World Junior Championships today.
Lee had authored a sensational upset in the World Junior Mixed Team Championships over reigning World Junior champion Akane Yamaguchi, but she failed to cross the first hurdle in the Women's Singles event for the Eye Level Cup. Lee had a healthy lead against Malaysia's Ho Yen Mei at 14-7, but could not maintain her advantage and Ho picked off nine straight points to take the first game. Although Lee did well to pocket the second game, she was no match for Ho in the third as the Malaysian completed a 21-17 14-21 21-11 victory in 48 minutes.
Other Women's Singles players to progress were Malaysia's Goh Jin Wei, Korea's Jang Na Ra, Chinese Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun, Frenchwoman Yaelle Hoyaux (right) and Hong Kong's Fan Ka Yan. Fan was a trifle lucky to finish her match early as her opponent Ira Banerjee (England; featured image) walked off in tears in the second game with a leg injury. Fan was leading 22-20 17-14 when she retired. The injury however was not serious, for Banerjee returned for the Women's Doubles with Jessica Pugh and eased past Botswana's Tshoganetso Banewang/Tessa Kabelo, 21-4 21-8.
Malaysia had an impressive win in Women's Doubles, with Goh Yea Ching and Peck Yen Wei getting the better of 9/16 seeds Kim Ga Eun and Kim Hyang Im in an aggressive contest. Goh was the livewire on the Malaysian side, scurrying around and firing jump smashes to keep the pressure on the Koreans. There was plenty of hard hitting from both ends and the match was poised evenly until the third game when Goh's relentless attack dented Korean confidence and the third game was won quickly, 21-15 17-21 21-8.
"We had lost to them in a friendly match at the same event last year," said Goh, "so we were keen to avenge that defeat."
Among the close contests of the day was Wun Yan Huang/ Yueng Nga Ting Lianne's (Hong Kong) three-game defeat of Germany's Eva Janssens/Judith Petrikowski, 18-21 21-10 21-18. Also through in three games were Indonesia's Brigita Marcelia Rumambi/Jauza Fadhila Sugiarto, Malaysia's Eng Pui Yee/Tew Jia Jia, and Mexico's Haramara Gaitan/Sabrina Solis. The Mexicans saved a match point in a thriller against Illmee Warangana De Silva/Waduthantri Kavindika Binari De Silva, 21-14 15-21 22-20.
* Kanta Tsuneyama, who had won a point for Japan in the team tie against China, took just 11 minutes and conceded three points as he raced to victory over Bilegjargal Bayarbyamba of Mongolia in Men's Singles, 21-1 21-2. Also through to the second round were Kazuki Kirita (Japan, above), Ng Xin Rei Ryan (Singapore), Sean Vendy (England), Nabin Shreshtha (Nepal), Adulrach Namkul (Thailand), Joel Eipe (Denmark) and India's Harsheel Dani and Talar Laa.
* Despite her loss in Women's Singles, Lee Chia Hsin can look to her Mixed Doubles event. Lee and partner Lee Chia-Han escaped a tight situation in the second game against China's Yao Zhidi/Hu Yuxiang, 21-13 22-20. Most of the Mixed Doubles matches were decided in straight games, but there were a few exceptions. Korea's Choi Jong Woo/Kim Hyang Im needed three games to get past Alexandre Hammer/Yaelle Hoyaux of France as did India's Sankeerth BR and Mira Mahadevan, 21-12 18-21 21-14 victors over Czech Republic's Jan Somerlik/Monika Svetnickova.


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Mid-Week Links: Perfect Storm
October 4, 2012 2 Comments
A ludicrous amount of stuff is happening this week in the City. Though much of the week has already gone by, Fleet Week and America's Cup, along with others and your regularly-scheduled weekend fun, are still to come.
So take transit and spare yourself the pain of hunting for parking (though if you do, download SFPark and get your passengers to tell you where to go). If you don't live near a stop, use one of the park & rides. Golden Gate Transit has the rundown for its added service. Unfortunately, that won't include Route 29 to Larkspur Landing, so you'll have to bike, drive, or walk from Lucky Drive.
So for the sake of your sanity, your nerves, and the good people of San Francisco, leave the car in Marin.
Marin and Beyond
- Regional transit service to and from Marin will be the subject of a new study funded by the Community Transportation Association of America. All transit options are on the table, but whether anything will come to fruition is another story. The study is to be completed by 2013. (News-Pointer)
- If your home shares walls with another, you've got a year to quit smoking. San Rafael will ban smoking in attached homes like apartments, as well as on downtown sidewalks, starting next October. (Pacific Sun)
- 75,000 square feet of downtown Tiburon has been sold to real estate investment firm for an undisclosed sum. The sale means the buildings will likely receive some long overdue renovations. (IJ)
- The stink of rotting algae at Spinnaker Point in San Rafael has raised the ire of residents and BAAQMD, though nobody who can do anything about the problem wants to pay for it. (IJ)
- San Anselmoans took back downtown from the car for last Sunday's Country Fair Day, bringing out the young, the old, and the stormtroopers. (Patch)
- Y'know that new train control system on Caltrain being paid for by High Speed Rail money? Yeah, it's a gigantic waste of money and won't do anything it's supposed to do. Just like the last train control system. (Oakland Tribune, Systemic Failure)
- Apparently, President Obama wants to keep freeways out of the suburbs. The position Marin took 40 years ago has reached the White House. Sadly, Congress has yet to get the memo. (Washington Post)
- And…: San Rafael needs a new parking manager, and it seems there's room for the office to do some reform. (City of San Rafael) … Forcing people to wear bicycle helmets is a sure way to harm bicycling and make everyone less healthy and every bicyclist less safe. (NYT) … The Ross Police Department faces dissolution if Measure D doesn't pass. (IJ)
The Toll
This week, Hailey Ratliff was struck and killed by a driver. Eight others were injured.
- Dalton Baker, a high school student, critically injured himself when he was clotheslined while riding his bike in Healdsburg. He ran full-speed into a parking lot cable that he apparently didn't see. He's lost part of his liver and may lose both kidneys. (PD)
- Two pedestrians crossing the road were injured by a hit-and-run driver in San Rafael. The driver rear-ended another car, which in turn struck the pedestrians. Police are searching for the culprit. (IJ)
- A four-year-old was injured after a driver pulling out of a driveway bumped him in Mill Valley. It's extremely important not to dismiss such incidents, as children are frequently killed this way. (IJ, Kids and Cars)
- A woman whose tires disintegrated on the road lost control of her vehicle, crashing it and injuring herself in Novato. (Patch) … A woman crashed her car into a Petaluma fire hydrant, injuring herself and causing a geyser. (PD) … Two were injured when a driver wasn't paying attention to the road and caused a three-car crash in Santa Rosa. (PD)


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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Inside the mixed martial arts studio, Stuart Scott lifted the black T-shirt that read, "Everyday I Fight." Beneath was a footlong scar that bisected the ESPN anchor's washboard abs.
"It's a sign of life," he said, though it is the spot where cancer surgeons have opened his abdomen three times to remove parts of him.
Scott's fight continues. He has had 58 infusions of chemotherapy. He recently switched to a pill. But the drugs have not fully arrested the cancer that struck first in 2007, when his appendix was removed. It returned four years later. And it came back again last year. Each recurrence seems more dire, and yet after each, Scott has returned to his high-profile work at ESPN, ensuring that his private fight has become a public one.
Friends, family, colleagues and strangers ask how he is faring. Yet Scott, 48, says he does not want to know his prognosis.
"I never ask what stage I'm in," he said recently over lunch. "I haven't wanted to know. It won't change anything to me. All I know is that it would cause more worry and a higher degree of freakout. Stage 1, 2 or 8, it doesn't matter. I'm trying to fight it the best I can."
Scott's approach once puzzled Sage Steele, a fellow ESPN anchor and one of his closest friends.
"I've asked him on two occasions: 'What does this mean? What do the doctors say?' " she said. "And I'm nervous asking it, but after hearing his answer for the second time, I choose not to ask again. I don't know if I could do it the same way."
Scott's sister, Susan, says she understands her brother's psychology.
"I think he can only live with this by not even incorporating the potential end of it," she said in a telephone interview from North Carolina. "It's too weighty. It doesn't mean he doesn't think about it, but to let it in starts to validate it and gives it more heft." But, she added, "Every time I get a call that Stuart's in the hospital, I have to think about what this means for his mortality, and is this the time?"
Scott's absences from ESPN are noticeable because he remains one of the network's most familiar personalities. Hired in 1993, he soon became one of the signature anchors on "Sports-Center" and on the network's N.F.L. and N.B.A. programming. "SportsCenter" stars like Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen left the network over the years, but Scott has remained. He has always projected a cool vibe, blending hip-hop language and pop culture references with sound effects and catchphrases like "Boo-yah!" and "Cool as the other side of the pillow," and he has delivered highlights and commentary in youthful outbursts and in the cool, brooding form of a poetry jam.
Recently, during the N.F.L. scouting combine, he used the debate over Johnny Manziel's quarterbacking future as grist for an antic, one-on-one conversation with himself.
"I don't need to do that to keep myself engaged," he said. "I think it's unique and part of who I am."
On the job, Scott seems unaffected by three bouts with cancer. His demeanor on "SportsCenter" is unchanged: excitable, energetic, creative, even a bit wild. But his face looks thin, and his colleagues are concerned.
"There are some days when I say, I don't know how he's doing it," said Mark Gross, a senior vice president for production who has known Scott for two decades.
On the night he returned to "Monday Night Countdown" last November in Tampa, Fla., Scott received a text from his sister, who calls him the crown prince of their parents' four children. It included a quotation from Arthur Ashe: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
"I wasn't trying to bring him to tears, but I felt, as a family member processing this, each time is scary," she said. "The last time was really scary."
A return to a regular routine, like Scott's traveling to a "Monday Night" location or grappling in an M.M.A. gym, is a significant marker in a cancer survivor's life. So are the nights he co-anchors "SportsCenter." But the effort can sap his strength. Soon after returning from his last operation, Scott frequently needed to lean back in his chair and relax during commercial breaks, often not hearing much of what his producer said.
Steele said that for years, Scott had masked his pain when the cameras came on.
"I've visited while he's been getting chemo; it shook me up," she said. "But then I'd put the TV on at 11 that night, and he's still Stuart Scott."
Restoring Energy
Thin but muscular, Scott uses mixed martial arts and high-intensity cross-training workouts to restore the energy that chemotherapy saps from him.
Dressed all in black for a recent workout, he popped in a mouthpiece inscribed with the initials of his daughters, Sydni, 14, and Taelor, 19, and then walked onto the blue and gray padded floor to face Darin Reisler, the sculptured owner of the gym. For 90 minutes, they battled and sparred.
Despite his weakened condition, Scott is skillful, quick and graceful. His breathing grew labored as the workout progressed, but he was happy to be back. He needs the physical contact, he said, the jolt of competitiveness.
"Jab! Cross! Hook! Jab!" Reisler shouted. Scott's punches shot out in quick combinations that smacked off Reisler's hand pads, echoing in the nearly empty gym.
The kicks came next — three in rapid succession. Then Scott leapt and delivered a flying kick at Reisler. "You kick like an ox," he told Scott.
Scott and Reisler moved on to chokeholds and arm bars — sometimes both stopped to explain their submissions as if teaching a class — and wrapped up by fighting in a steel cage.
"God, that felt good," Scott said as he pulled off his custom-made blue helmet and left the cage.
Still, there are indignities and frustrations. After his third operation last September, his wound did not close for more than two months. During the last few weeks he was attached to a wound VAC, which drained the surgical site. It is "a pretty interesting contraption if it's not attached to you," he said.
He was forced to wait five months, until late February, so his abdominal area would not be vulnerable to the kicks, punches and grappling of the Muay Thai and Brazilian jiujitsu he practices. So far, Scott said, his cancer has not spread beyond where it was found. But he would not give a doctor permission to speak about his condition or provide further details.
"My colon has been resected," he said. "But it's not colon cancer. No doctor has ever said that it has spread to my kidneys or lungs."
Paul Mansfield, an appendiceal cancer specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said the disease has various forms that range from benign to very aggressive.
Although he could not comment directly on Scott's case, he said that the oral drug that Scott recently switched to, regorafenib, "is fairly toxic."
Mansfield said: "It doesn't really create a response in patients but may stabilize things. It's pretty far down the list of what we'd use."
Scott said that he had continued to be flexible about the course of his chemotherapy, even considering experimental treatments.
"We've talked about doing a clinical study," he said, "which I might do at some point. We're going to see what happens with this new drug. And I guess I could go back to my old regimen. There is some evidence that it did some help, but chemotherapy is not an exact medical science. I heard an oncologist say that in the world of oncology, two and two doesn't equal four, it equals five or six or three."
Daughters' Questions
Scott speaks frequently about his daughters, with pride and melancholy. He is divorced from their mother and they share custody. Taelor, the 19-year-old, is in college.
When he first learned he had cancer, the girls asked him a lot of questions. Taelor once asked if the cancer would kill him, he recalled. "I said: 'It could, and that's why we're doing everything we can. That's why I'm taking every medicine I can and that's why I keep working out so we can keep traveling the way we do and so I can act silly and goofy and keep embarrassing you.' "
Now the girls ask fewer questions. He figures that they are typical teenagers who prefer not to discuss what scares them.
"I know they worry about it," he said, "probably more than I want them to."
As he drove from his recent workout to lunch, he turned on a video of Sydni, the soloist in her school choir, singing the pop song "Skyscraper."
"I watch this once or twice a day," he said, as Sydni's strong, mature voice filled the car's interior. "She doesn't like me to play it for people, but I said, 'Dude, I got bragging rights.' "
He listened, almost in silence, until she sang the last words.
"The end," he said, "gives me chills."


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One of the most recognizable names in rock is Johnny Rotten, a phenomenon based entirely on the outrageous and revolutionary ride he took with the SEX PISTOLS, a band at the forefront of the UK punk movement that released a grand total of one studio album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols". Though the recognition is well deserved for his contributions to that album, most famously for covered-to-death classics "Anarchy in the U.K". and "God Save the Queen", there was always far more to John Lydon than his stage name would suggest, not the least of which is a genuine contempt for the status quo and a deep intellect that was sometimes masked by his perpetual state of surly defiance. Those characteristics would serve Lydon well in a creative sense when he rose above the sensationalist punk rock fray and began making the music he wanted to make with the formation of PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED (hereinafter referred to as PIL).
A little punk, a little new wave, a little rock, and a whole lot of dark humor and fuck-it experimentalism would define the too often overlooked PIL. That always intriguing, sometimes confounding mix of elements is captured on "Live at Rockpalast 1983", a gig recorded for German television. Also captured is Lydon's unintentionally charismatic stage presence. Everything from Lydon's phrasing and pronunciation to his sardonic wit and an appearance that could never be mistaken for anyone else ensures all eyes remain on him for the duration. Surely it wasn't for his anti-choreographic English duck movements that some might define as "dance", and yet Lydon is the only one that manages to look cool doing it, much like Barney Greenway's (NAPALM DEATH) herky jerky gyrations.
Musically, if PIL's style of usually unpredictable and often unconventional song structuring was never your thing, then "Live at Rockpalast 1983" won't do a damn thing to change your mind. Aside from the comparatively conventional fare of songs like "Public Image" (played as opener and encore), SEX PISTOLS cover "Anarchy in the UK" (given a distinct PIL sheen), and "(This Is Not A) Love Song" (which would end up on the harder rocking and more melodically centered "That What is Not"), much of the material tends to rely more on groove and primal pulse than overt melodicism. It's not that "Annalisa", "Low Life", the hit 'n funky "Bad Life", or the snarky pointedness of "Religion" are atonal or unstructured by any means; only that it's more about the penetrating quality of the lines sung and strength of the thump felt than any kind of overt hook. But on "Under the House" it's all about the primal as guitarist Joseph Guida (who turns in some deceptively creative work throughout the gig) and bassist Louis Bernardi join drummer Martin Atkins as percussionists, as Lydon belts out the lyrics in what ends up one of the gig highlights. "Flowers of Romance" doesn't get stripped to the same bare essence, but the tones are felt in the gut and the dark wonderland of weirdness created gets the gray matter bubbling to a sensory boil.
The production qualities are surprisingly sharp on the DVD, considering the timeframe in which it was recording. The clarity is more than satisfactory and the time-period warmth endearing, while there is something about the meat 'n potatoes visual presentation that transports the listener back in time to Zeche in Bochum, Germany to attend the gig on October 31st. The brief bonus interview with Lydon is well worth watching and sees Lydon doing his best to seem interested in the interviewer's questions. The bonus rehearsal footage is ok as an extra, but hardly worth a second visit.
Bottom line? If you are at all interested in PIL or the John Lydon Experience in general, you'll watch "Live at Rockpalast 1983" with rapt attention. Then you'll shake your head and smile in thinking about how far ahead of most other bands PIL was in 1983. Finally, you'll laugh at just how good Lydon makes "not giving a shit" look.


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Check out what ET has!
ET has Breaking Dawn Extended Features Video
I love Rob and Kristen cracking up at the end!!! lol
Really don't understand why Kristen would be mad if a stunt double has too be put in place unlike her Taylor is more trained at this.
Kristen would be mad because she likes doing her own stunts. What's wrong with that?
She doesn't have as much experience as Taylor, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like to do stunts.
I agree with you. If I was in Kristen's shoes, I would want to do my own stunts if I felt comfortable and safe with them. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do your own stunts even if you're not as experienced and ready.
Most young actors and actresses would like to do their own stunts, if they are capable. If you're getting paid millions to be on screen, you want to be on screen. The more stuff you can do on screen, it can open more doors later on for future projects. This is why she would be mad.
Also as she is close friends with Taylor, especially Rob, and the others. If she sees them doing their own stunts, she's gonna want to prove it to them that she can do it.
Lastly… this is Kristen we're talking about. Her wanting to do everything she can do, fits her personality like a T. 🙂
5 days.


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Drink of the Week: The High and Dry
Yes, Drink of the Week has been away. And, yes, we'll be away again as we continue our slower pace while DOTW Central relocates to its new digs at DOTW Plaza. Still, I'm finding some time to work new drinks into my schedule between chats with contractors ("It's going to cost HOW much?") and figuring out just what an HOA actually is.
One type of drink I'll be trying to give you more of in 2014 are tiki-inspired and rum-based drinks, at least some of the easier ones. That will partly be because my own interest has been peaked by my soon-to-be neighbors at the mostly downright excellent North Hollywood lounge, Tonga Hut, as well as the far pricier and tonier, but also pretty downright great, Cana Rum Bar in not-so-far away away Downtown Los Angeles. Towards that end, today we have a drink which has just a touch of tiki about it, and which came with a bottle of really good rum attached to it, fairly literally.
The brand is Brugal Extra Dry, the white rum relative of the outstanding Brugal 1888 we've featured here on a couple of occasions. It's unusual for a white rum in that it's flavorful enough you might actually want to drink the stuff straight on the rocks our maybe with a splash of soda. Nevertheless, we're about cocktails here, and this particular cocktail is a really delightful tiki-esque treat that would be really easy to make if it were for the slightly tricky business of muddling an apple slice when you don't quite have a proper muddler handy. Fortunately this drink, created by New York bartender Trevor Schneider and modified very slightly by yours truly, is worth a little effort.
The High and Dry
2 ounces Brugal Extra Dry Rum or standard white rum
1/2 ounce Velvet Falernum
1/2 ounce simple syrup or 2 1/4 teaspoons superfine sugar
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 apple wedges (one for garnish)
2 ounces soda water
3 dashes Angostura or other aromatic bitters
Muddle (smash) one of your apple wedges in the bottom of cocktail shaker. Add all of the other ingredients, soda excluded. Throw in lots of ice and shake with great vigor. Strain over fresh ice into a Tom Collins or similar type glass. Top off with about 2 ounces of soda water and add your leftover apple slice for garnish. Toast the makers of fine rum, all over the world
I should start by saying that my version of this recipe differs in a few minor ways from the original recipe. For starters, I interpreted the original version's "cane syrup" to mean a simple syrup made with cane sugar, which I suspect is not precisely the same thing as cane syrup — a thought which didn't occur to me until the point where I was just about to start writing this post. Never mind, because the results were fantastic every with plain old sugar water. When I substituted an equivalent amount of superfine C&H, the results were also just dandy; perhaps slightly sweeter.
Also, the original recipe called for just one ounce of club soda. I found that it didn't matter whether I used club soda or seltzer water but that about two ounces produced a more enjoyably refreshing concoction than just one. Since it's the only healthy ingredient aside from the lime juice, I saw no reason to be stingy.
All I all, I really like the High and Dry. I found it to be a very reliably refreshing concoction that goes down real easy and will be a perfect summertime libation a few months hence. My test subjects enjoyed it very much and they found the combination of sweet, sour, tangy, and spicy/complex notes to be as delightful as I did. I also found it to be the kind of drink that doesn't completely fall apart if you screw some small part of it up. Which is my way of saying I forgot to add the bitters a couple of times, and another time was forced to use mostly flat soda water, and it was still pretty darn good.
Aside from the Brugal Extra Dry, the other key alcoholic ingredient in the High and Dry is Falernum. If you're a tiki cocktail afficionado, you're familiar with the stuff but, otherwise, probably not. It's an extremely sweet liqueur — almost a syrup — which is no surprise as it is made from sugar cane syrup and includes a few assorted spices which wouldn't be out of place in your favorite cookies, candies, or eggnog. I understand there are much better regarded Falernums out there if you know where to find it, and some ambitious folks even make their own. However, the standard is John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum and I think it's pretty tasty stuff. (It's not bad with some soda water and ice, if you're feeling like a slightly alcoholic cream-ish soda.)
While this drink was created for Brugal Extra Dry, and it's a truly excellent rum that's definitely superior on its own to some of the cheaper, better known brands of white rum, I also have to admit I experimented by making a High and Dry with one of those very Brand X rums. I found the results to be about as delicious. Forgive me.
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Posted in: Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Vices
Tags: cocktails, Drink of the Week, Falernum, Happy Hour, High and Dry, John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, white rum


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05 August 2009
Chris Boyne - Shore Drive
Shore Drive inventories the small bits of information that accompany some of my prized memories. The memories themselves are not necessarily portrayed because it is the details that are of interest to me. These details are typically obscure and inaccurate. They are representational and not factual. Sometimes they have become all there is because their value has surpassed that of the memories they support. They then become statements about me.
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