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My bad. I thought an altar with guns was mandatory for gun enthusiasts. Look in your man cave, if you have one.
I think it's the 18th shooting incident this year in total but the 6th (or 8th depending who's counting) one where people were injured or killed.The rest were firearms discharges in or around school grounds
Maybe we could start looking into having the school safety officers being armed.Good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun.Maybe even start letting qualified teachers conceal carry?More good guys with guns to stop bad guys with guns.I'm very sorry for all the parents and relatives who will have to live through this tragedy.And, yes, I'm sorry if I have offended any gun control fanatics but my answer is in fact having more guns in the hands of good guys who have been vetted and are qualified to use them.
I hear what you are saying, and I do believe it would be effective but I am wary of the peripheral costs of such an approach, again in a densely populated, confined area.
The controlled entrance(s) and metal detectors method is also certainly not desirable in the least but I think it might be the only thing that would prove effective immediately.
Frankly, I do not think there really is a 'good' solution to this problem and that is the most unfortunate aspect of all IMO. I do not like problems without solutions and suspect no one does but that is what this appears to be: a problem without a solution, only undesirable ways to address it with unknown costs, though they will be substantial, and unknown benefits.
It is a matter of statistical analyses and such. Yes, having armed guards and teachers DOES increase the likelihood of peripheral damage. But when the choice is, for example:1) Lose many good lives by a bad intruder.2) Lose many fewer good lives by a bad intruder stopped by a good person and in the process possibly a collateral good life.The choice seems more rational. Of course, there are many other possibilities. But I bet if one examines all the outcomes, based on actual situations, one will find out the second choice wins, by a wide margin. Seeking solution that expects a perfect outcomes all the time is doomed to failure in one or more metrics.But it is only affordable or practical where the risk is so high that it makes sense. Some schools already do this- in areas with a history that shows it is necessary. Otherwise, we are just what I call "fighting lightening".... lightening is random and disastrous but also rare and incredibly unpredictable.About the only rational thing to do is to research what causes some students to go haywire. The same haywire students can stab a bunch of people, run a car over dozens of students in the school playground, or throw a gasoline bomb through a classroom window. We might not like the conclusions... I can even guess some of them:* Breakdown of the nuclear family* Lack of proper parenting* Lack of morality teaching (in whatever flavor it comes)* Social media pressures* Smart phones* Lack of mental health resources* Over pampering of students (no child left behind, awards for non-merit, lack of goal settings, etc)* Lack of discipline and holding people responsible for their actions (instead of the "everyone is a victim game)So you replace one impossible situation with few answers with a whole bunch of other perhaps somewhat lesser impossible situations with few answers. I bet those factors are all the same when looking at child suicide.
(basically setting up a manned entrance point where fast screening for metal (metal detector portal only) is done and nothing more. I am absolutely NOT talking about airport level security here but rather a fast scan and pass = enter, fail = [no entry] but no further testing.
The idea of screening all personnel entering a public school would be the same: metal detector goes off, you do not get in.
As to your social fixes and changes, all of that may be an excellent idea also but it will not work in the next 30 days:
One last point: as far as the statistical analysis, I am afraid that will not work in practice. I am not saying it is a bad idea, in fact I believe it is absolutely correct but the extremely simple emotional approach will kill that with 'what is one child's life worth'.
As stated previously elsewhere (& which I don't think you would necessarily disagree about) the problem for you guys is that the genie is out of the bottle as far as guns are concerned.
The sheer number of guns available is quite frankly staggering:
The sheer number of guns available is quite frankly staggering:The estimated total number of guns (both licit and illicit) held by civilians in the United States is 270,000,0001 to 310,000,0002"The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reported in a national survey that in 1994, 44 millionpeople, approximately 35% of households, owned 192 million firearms, 65 million of which werehandguns.Seventy-four percent of those individuals were reported to own more than one firearm. By 2007, the number of firearms had increased to approximately 294 million: 106 million handguns, 105 million rifles, and 83 million shotguns."Source: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdfComparison on guns per 100 Head of populationRank Country Guns per 100 residents 1 United States 1012 Serbia 58.21 3 Yemen 54.8 4 Cyprus 36.4 5 Saudi Arabia 35 6 Iraq 34.2 7 Uruguay 31.8 8 Norway 31.3 9 France 31.2 10 Canada 30.8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimated_number_of_guns_per_capita_by_country
As stated previously elsewhere (& which I don't think you would necessarily disagree about) the problem for you guys is that the genie is out of the bottle as far as guns are concerned. All you can do is try & chip away at the problem. Sadly there is no quick/easy fix.<snip>
I'd be interested in info on a sub thousand dollar 3D mill.
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What We Believe
The Bible: We believe the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God; inerrant in its original autographs; the sole basis of faith and practice.
The Godhead: We believe in one God, infinite in holiness, in truth, in knowledge and in power; Creator of the universe; eternally existent in three Persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Further, He rose bodily from the dead, ascended into Heaven, where at the right hand of the majesty of High, He is our High Priest and advocate.
The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit, Who convicts men of sin, makes men children of God through the single ground of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and permanently indwells all who so believe.
Man: We believe that all men by nature and choice are sinners, and, as such, are lost, separated from God, and in need of the Savior.
Salvation: We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, and thus become children of God.
Eternal Security: We believe in the eternal security of the believer's salvation.
The Church: We believe that the church is composed of believers in Jesus Christ, united in the Body of which He is the Head. In this present age, the Church is manifested in local, organized assemblies composed of born-again, baptized believers, voluntarily united for the purpose of the worship of God, the fellowship of believers, the observance of the ordinances, and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Governance of the Church: We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and the Head of the Church, and that every local church has the right under Christ to decide and govern its own affairs.
Ordinances: We believe that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation.
The Priesthood of Believers: We believe in the priesthood of each believer, giving him the right and responsibility of personal, direct approach to God.
Our Blessed Hope: We believe in the personal and premillenial and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this "Blessed Hope has a vital bearing on the personal life service of the believer.
Our Eternal Destiny: We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost: the saved unto the resurrection of life and the lost to the resurrection of damnation.

subset: commoncrawl


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| 8.1°C Belfast
Jo Brand will be presenting The Great British Bake Off's new spin-off show.
The comedy star will be hosting An Extra Slice, on BBC Two, in which she interviews the week's eliminated contestant, What's On TV reported.
Jo said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have been asked to be part of An Extra Slice.
"As someone who obviously loves cakes, but also keeps a very strict eye on my figure and exercises assiduously to keep healthy, I hope I'm a worthy candidate to represent the Borough Of Baking," she joked.
Jo will be chatting about the night's episode and introducing unseen footage in An Extra Slice, which starts directly after the main show, presented by fellow comediennes Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, has finished on BBC One.
A studio audience will be asked to bring in their own bakes inspired by the week's theme and viewers can share photos of their own creations.


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Yesterday's Federal Reserve announcement of a reduction in its bond-buying program came on the heels of lower than expected first quarter GDP growth. The central bank seems confident that warmer weather will stimulate more activity after the harsh winter.
Temperatures are not all that is drifting higher. Corporate bonds have been enjoying a resurgence in demand after last year's lackluster returns.
One of the reasons for an uptick in corporates is lower issuance. While higher-quality new issues are running about flat from last year, high-yield new issues are down by about 50% from 2013. This will likely lead to continued outperformance of credit versus Treasuries for the rest of 2014. Increased demand for bonds, especially by pension plans, has also led to higher prices. Apple Computer's bond deal, for example, is nearly three times oversubscribed.
We continue to recommend a fixed income portfolio that is dominated by lower-duration corporate and mortgage-backed paper, while Treasuries should be underweighted (or avoided).


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Historical:How to install actions in Photoshop
The easiest way to install actions in Photoshop is to drag and drop the actions file on the opened photoshop window. This should work both on Mac and on Windows.
Caution! Photoshop stores actions in the default photoshop preferences file. This file may get corrupt and must be deleted or is replaced automatically by photoshop. Keep your actions file somewhere for safety.
However, photoshop actions can be installed 'by hand': Put them somewhere on the file system, then in photoshop open actions palette and click the tiny triangle in the upper right corner. From the appearing menu choose 'Load Actions', then choose the file from the file open dialog.
On windows there are actions in some subfolders of the photoshop installation folder depending on photoshop version, preferable in 'Required' and 'Presets\Photoshop Actions'.
You can also keep your actions in a different folder, even on a different drive. Just tell PhotoShop to load the actions, and navigate to their location. This way you can keep your downloaded and custom actions in a safe place. --Add360.com 02:36, 30 Oct 2005 (EST)


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OMG look at those fingers!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
3D Ultrasound Reveals My Baby is Nosferatu
2 comments:
- Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah said...
I think we should have all seen this coming.
I wasn't one bit surprised when one of my twins was born with the number of the best on his/her scalp.
- Mon Feb 01, 08:57:00 AM
- Emma said...
AWWWW! She's napping. :)
- Wed Feb 03, 09:31:00 AM


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Home Depot CEO Talks (& Demos) Tools
Home Depot CEO Frank Blake shows how innovation is changing traditional tools -- from a leaf blower & drill powered by the same lithium-ion battery, to a flashlight that can be submerged in water and dropped from 30 feet -- in this excerpt from a Big Interview with WSJ's Wendy Bounds.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... Tyson was all in ever way ... the economy anything can like go one this is Travis when I was ... yes he did not do so this is been treated with a gun to the process they say this will bounce they did so they will wells off and see how that ... low ... debt ... for more time ... so I was a flood like this you know on corn syrup a LibraryThing ... group with the system distorts the put ... that's not that so that's not balancing on the go so with the product introduction like that will have a separate ... often ... Howlett or they are a ... and half of it ... just to display it and so the customers can see what's new and eventually it'll go listen to the Department of actual ... sin of this flashlight out as interested in this because this is this is in a flash light of the defined flashlight they say that it can ... you can drop a for profit from anywhere very thing it's waterproof ... this advice Landis the floor laughing ... about ... that ... I didn't take a final cuts gold ... scouts is right in the water near the bed back on ... emerging water to ... their ego headed to the Editor I read ... last thing here were looking at is the legal fees of the day visiting the sense that this ... this isn't nailed on the news is that lithium ion battery technology you're talking about ... here you would need an air compressor make this work exactly so is there for the benefit to the consumer says that this that everything go from here ... to this to the tothe screwdriver to believe whatever can attest so you've got the battery that can go a lot ... of forms and also it is so much lighter write what you are using it wherever you are using it and ... from then ... he left to go before we Blossom call all that said some of you that you are the first CEO we've ever had to our call on them and hear pricey like you are the Manfred and yet ... I summer testing when the things that people worry about that the technology is is the battery can run out before I'm done and how how awful is it so ... that's one of the things that scientists all that with him on an index ... and the lithium ion ... batteries that power of the euro ... tumbling blacks and Indians go with it and it worked to lower temperatures that have lots of fun ... so this person would do it this is that people cadmium batteries so we'll see the golf balls moving out of the animals up but the sales floor probably ... the ... not that that takes a while but not all of us went out so that the nickel cadmium so ... you've got more power and four times ... the runtime on this ... with the high on ... his test that one goal although but down the right moment it ... you can hear ... the people ... of limited even although he has um I've gone on to you ...


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This is the most search engine friendly method for redirecting web pages or entire websites, which is referred as Moved Permanently . Moreover, it's the safest option if you think of changing file names or moving pages around. Apart from that, it will also be useful for any canonical issues you experience.
The equivalent to the 301 Redirect method is this one here. Basically the old URL is redirected to a new one. This redirect form is just temporary and advisable not to avoid.
This error refers to "Page not found error", which means the server couldn't find the requested page. Make sure that files that actually exist provide a 200 error and requested file that do not exist give a 404 error.


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Syracuse routs Montana in NCAA tournament
AP Sports Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- After being sent cross-country to open the NCAA tournament, Syracuse is in no hurry to go back home.
Brandon Triche scored 20 points, C.J. Fair added 13 and the fourth-seeded Orange shut down No. 13 seed Montana with their zone defense in a 81-34 victory in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday night.
Michael Carter-Williams chipped in four points, eight rebounds and nine assists as the Orange (27-9) raced out to an early lead that grew as high as 50 points and coasted past the Grizzlies (25-7) to their most lopsided tournament win since beating Brown 101-52 in the first round in 1986.
Syracuse advanced to play 12th-seeded and local favorite California (21-11) on Saturday for a spot in the East regional in Washington, D.C. next week. The Golden Bears beat UNLV 64-61.
The Orange were the lone team from the Eastern time zone to play in San Jose this week, joining five teams from the Western half of the country and Oklahoma State and St. Louis from the Midwest. Syracuse traveled a day earlier than usual to prepare for the game and looked sharp from the start.
The Orange led by 23 points at halftime and then turned it into a laugher with a 17-2 run to open the second half. Trevor Cooney's 3-pointer midway through the second half made it 62-20.
The Orange were reeling a bit at the end of the regular season, losing four of their final five games capped by a blowout loss at rival Georgetown. Syracuse recovered to win three games to make the final of the Big East tournament and have now started the NCAAs off with a win for the fifth straight year.
For the second straight year, the Grizzlies won the Big Sky tournament to earn an NCAA tournament bid only to fall flat in their opener. They fell 73-49 to Wisconsin a year ago, shooting 38 percent for the game, including a 3-for-14 performance from star guard Will Cherry.
Cherry was hoping for a better performance this year, especially with this game being played less than an hour from his hometown of Oakland. But he scored just two points on 1 for 12 shooting.
The Grizzlies, playing without injured leading scorer Mathias Ward, shot just 20 percent (11 for 54), missed 27 of 31 3-pointers and had more turnovers (17) than made baskets.
With much of the Bay Area crowd still basking in the earlier win by California, Syracuse got off to a fast start to put to rest any questions about whether a third straight double-digit seed team would win in San Jose following wins by the Bears and Oregon earlier in the day.
Fair handled the early scoring load, scoring nine points in the opening 6 minutes to give Syracuse an 18-4 lead. The Orange made seven of their first nine shots as their superior athleticism and size created easy chances almost every time down the floor.
That size gave Montana problems on the other end against Syracuse's 2-3 zone. The Grizzlies struggled to penetrate the defense and got few easy looks, missing eight straight shots in a span of more than 6 minutes early in the game to fall into a hole that proved too big to overcome.
Christmas followed Fair's 3-pointer with an alley-oop dunk off a nice feed from Carter-Williams and James Southerland's 3-pointer from the wing made it 30-11 with less than 6 minutes to go in the half.
Fair himself had matched Montana's scoring total at that point and the deficit only got bigger at the half when Triche hit a floater and then scored on a breakaway dunk off a block by Baye Moussa Keita to make it 38-15 at the break.


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Welcome to The Sanaghan Group
The Sanaghan Group is an organizational consulting firm specializing in five areas:
1) Collaborative Strategic Planning
2) Leadership Development and Transitions
3) Meeting Design and Facilitation
4) Executive Coaching
5) Building High-Performance Teams
We have worked in hundreds of organizations and with leaders in higher education,
non-profits and the corporate sector.
We pride ourselves on providing state of the art, carefully crafted programs and services to meet the unique needs and culture of the organizations we work with.
We partner with our clients to achieve meaningful outcomes and results.


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- Length: 42:06 minutes (38.55 MB)
- Format: MP3 Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)
In this webcast recorded on January 16, 2013, we kicked off the Designers for Learning project. Dr. Richard Schwier, professor of Educational Technology and Design at the University of Saskatchewan, joined our first discussion. Rick's bio ... http://www.usask.ca/education/people/schwierr.htm
Contact us on Twitter @schwier (Dr. Schwier) or @jenm (Jennifer)This webcast is part of the Designers for Learning project. Find out more about the project at http://designersforlearning.org/


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Good morning Angie,
Let me start by saying Thank You for promoting the AMTA Massage conference in Minneapolis. Without you our school would not have gone and I would not have had the amazing experience I did. I was in awe of all the different product and the people in the massage world. Student day was also spectacular. The speakers were so inspiring. Michael McGillicuddy was especially inspiring to me. I am 45 years old and until I heard him speak I was thinking "old". Not anymore. I can do almost anything in this massage profession that I put my mind to. It is never to late! Thank you for that wonderful experience.
Thank you for giving our school the boost it needed to come to the convention. GLOBE UNIVERSITY LaCROSSE campus. Thank you for the opportunity to help with the Sanctuary. It was truly a wonderful experience. Something that I will never forget…
Being one of the students that has recently graduated. I am fortunate to have a job lined up with a Chiropractor office in our area. He has 6 locations and will need product to get me started. I will make sure that he gets a catalog from Massage Warehouse and you can bet I will be assertive that this is where we buy what we need. I personally will always buy from no one else other than Massage Warehouse. You have won my heart and my dedication. (along with the other 3 graduates that were at the convention). I would like to repay your generosity by getting as many people on board with your company as I can.
Again Angie, THANK YOU so very much.
God bless,
Gena Allen
Tags: AMTA, Angie Patrick, chiropractor, Gloge University, massage profession, Massage Warehouse reviews


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Welcome to the 1/16 Summit gallery. Here you can post pictures of your new ride, upgrades, bodies etc.
- Maximum picture size should be 640x480
-Anything off topic will be deleted. PLEASE NO CHIT-CHAT, PM the person if you want to know more.
-Any bad links will be deleted.
-One post per member, contact an administrator to add to your post
Now lets see those rides!
Casper - 2001 Dodge Cummins (my baby)
Keep all images to a size of 640 x 480 pixels or smaller.
Last edited by ksb51rl; 11-21-2010 at 09:59 PM.
Big Block KB
ERBE Tekin rx8
MERV Basher
Here is mine with a few upgrades.
Keep all images to a size of 640 x 480 pixels or smaller.
Last edited by ksb51rl; 11-21-2010 at 09:59 PM.
Summit VXL and big brother...
1/16 Summit VXL
Vintage Tamiya
Snow Summit
1/10 Rally.
My African Safari-Style Summit
Is it a "fleet" yet?
Last edited by ksb51rl; 01-13-2011 at 12:11 AM.
Spike 553
My summit finally done!
You think you got a monster truck?
No you cant drive it
my RC is owner operated only
MERV to SumV conversion in progress:
Shock oil & springs, wheels & tires, LT rockers installed...
and then with the very limited edition black plastic pushrods & toe links...
Pinion is not yet swapped out. The exocage is on-hand, but the bumpers and body are still on their way. As of now it's still a Summer-V.
Last edited by ksb51rl; 01-13-2011 at 12:16 AM.
Alt-248 on the number pad = °
Mine with my kb rally
KB rally & 1/16 summit
94 ford ranger 2.3T
Lipo powered, changed to street tires.
Last edited by djrey; 01-17-2011 at 11:43 PM.
Jato 3.3 Revo 3.3 Savage X 1/16 Summit VXL
Adding to the collection of sweet Lil' Summ's
President - North East Ohio Chapter 'RC Anonymous'
Well, im finally able to post up some pics!!
Lots of upgrades- Proline Epics, Geolanders, Purple shocks springs, 60wt, Dual Steering Servos and GPM Steel telescoping shafts all the way around...Oh and a half eaten ham sandwich courtesy of my 4 year old.
2011 Traxxas Summit 1/16 VXL - White
Picture of my Summit
I'm posting this from a suggestion. I wish I had gotten the mini summit, but was given a merv instead. But here is where I'm at with it so far.
FPV details on http://goprohacks.blogspot.com/2010/...lotage-en.html
Video samples: http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...om+summit&aq=f
Hey guys this is my summit vxl that I just bought about two weeks ago
I'm going to send in the esc and couldn't bare to wait so...I bought this too a week after..
I need to be driving something while I wait! :P
Here is my summit with stock wheels and 2.2 Dirt Hawg Tires. This set is lower than stock tires.
Bellow is using 4 front Rustler wheels and 2.8 Road Rage tires. This set is a little taller than stock tires.
Jato 3.3 Revo 3.3 Savage X 1/16 Summit VXL
Just got mine on a trade, here she is new wheel/tire setup soon. Any recommendations?
Everything overpowered...
Anyone else enjoy reverse-wheelies? lol
Everything overpowered...
1/16 summit(stock)
My young'uns mini summit with some LED's from the Shack.
Recently converted the merv to the summit, still waiting on parts... but this is how she sits for now. NOW this truck is beast, so glad I did the conversion!
Mini Summit / Rally
It's the last picture after many modifications. transmission parts are changed, the 2 diff cases and gearbox, and all driveshafts.
Green Summit[IMG][/IMG]
GPM SS Toe Links/Turnbuckles
RPM Axle Carriers
Traxxas Alum hex hubs
Proline Dirt Paws
The Toyz Heat sink/fan
Rc Lights white x4
GPM Shocks
SS Bearings
SS 14t Pinion w/SS 55t Spur
Maxamps 1850mAh 11.1v LiPo x2 in parallel
Maxamps 1050mAh 9.9v LiFe x2 in parallel
DTX 7.4v 1600mAh x2 in series (14.8v)
Parma Midnight Pumpkin Body (the Summit body is on my slash)
Well, I dyed my chassis, rockers and pushrods so it's all black, took a couple of hours but I love the way it came out. Here's a couple of pics of my summit, just the body, bumpers and wing is a Revo, everything else is Summit... Wait, should I be in the Revo section of the forum, I hope you guys don't think I'm a traitor Thanks forum members for all your posts, I don't post allot usually just finding my answers in a search. Anyhow, onto the pics.
Last edited by 05RAVEN; 07-23-2011 at 10:47 PM.


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This pair of Mega Man sneakers is equally cute and awesome. Created by Bobsmade.com, it is just one in a long line of equally great-looking custom-made shoes—you can check out the others on the website.
Dayshot is an image-based feature that runs every morning, showcasing some of the prettiest, funniest game-related screenshots and art that we can find. Send us suggestions if you've got them.
Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.


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Namibia: German GIZ directly engaged with dispossessing indigenous peoples of their lands and territories
By Earth Peoples
The history of the Germans invading, oppressing, enslaving, exploiting, and ruthlessly killing the people of Namibia is an extremely shameful one.
It is important to understand Germany's terrible past, to consider why especially German involvement through it's GIZ branch in support of Namibia's Land Reform efforts are highly inappropriate.
To ensure monopoly rights to exploit mineral deposits in Namibia, German bankers, industrialists and politicians illegally and fraudulently founded the German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika, DSWA) as a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915. The colonial aim was to dispossess the people of their land, for use of German settlers, as well as a source of raw materials and a market of German industrial products.
Under Bismark's policy, an (il)legal system of the German colony was passed, creating a dual system with laws for Europeans and different laws for the original people of the land.
Countless uprisings took place against German rule, well before the Herero and Nama wars of 1903-1907, that lead to the first genocide of the 20th century, known as the Herero and Namaqua genocide - done by the Germans.
1915, the German South-West Africa colony was taken over by the Union of South Africa (as part of the British Empire) and administered as South-West Africa, until Namibia became impendent in 1990 and the youngest member state of the United Nations until recently.
In 2004, the German government recognized and apologized for the genocide, but has ruled out financial compensation for the victims' descendants.
Today, Germany's governmental development aid agency GIZ priority areas of activities in Namibia are economical development and management of natural resources.
Indigenous peoples, Himba and Zemba, told Earth Peoples that they experience Namibia's land reform laws as a push to privatize their land. They call it the "land grab reform".
Once again, Germany, through GIZ's political and financial engagement with Namibia's Land reform laws and policies is directly involved to dispossess indigenous peoples from their traditional lands and territories.
Himba Ovahimba - Ovatwa, Khoikhoi - Nama, Khoisan- San, Zemba - Tjimba are in urgent need for legal recognition of their collective land rights. As much as one may think that this is exactly what Namibia's Government is thriving to do, and that communal land use laws, programmes and policies are ensuring just that, you got it partly right, but also utterly wrong.
Through land reform, the Namibian Government aims to redistribute land from the large-scale commercial sector to landless people and those with only marginal access to land. The reform is seen as the prerequisite for social and economic development, and is implemented through two parallel land reform programmes, communal land reform and commercial land reform.
Communal land reform involves "improved" control and regulation of the communal areas or 'tribal' land under traditional authority through communal land rights registration, whilst commercial land reform involves the redistribution of commercial farmland into previously disadvantaged hands through the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme and National Resettlement Programme.
This is a good initiative and certainly a step in the right direction, but here is the main PROBLEM:
Himba and Zemba, two indigenous people, have in their view no legitimate representation, because the Government of Namibia doesn't recognize their traditional leaders, their chiefs, as "Traditional Authority".
In the case of the Zemba people, the Government of Namibia even suggests that they are not Namibian's, and should go back to Angola, entirely overlooking that they always lived on both sides of the border, as is the case with San and Himba, and for a matter of fact, the situation of most indigenous peoples that never had a say when state borders were created. The traditional chief of the Zemba people, recognized by Zemba people, is also not recognized as a "traditional authority"by Namibia.
To enter into complicated details, it seems that all Namibian tribes migrated once upon a time from other areas into current Namibia. Khoisan also known as Bushmen, or Hai//om (people who live around Etosha National Park) are the original people that lived there before anyone else of the tribes arrived that exist in today's Namibia.
But let's not discuss here what came first, the egg or the chicken.
As long as the situation of legitimate "traditional authority" recognition is not ensured by the state, and the legal recognition of indigenous peoples traditional territory in its entire, of the Himba and any other indigenous peoples, and the implementation of international human rights standards pertaining to indigenous peoples, GIZ should not engage with Namibia's land reform processes.
Not as long as they take the land rights away from the indigenous peoples that wish to maintain their identity as a people, that are holding on to their way of life according to their ancestors.
But let the indigenous peoples themselves explain to you:
HIMBA chiefs oppressed and not recognized by Namibia
Councilor of Epupa Constituency- HON. NGUZU MUHARUKUA explains the Problems of HIMBA people in Namibia
Another video about the problems with the non-recognition of the traditional Himba leaders as "Traditional Authority" and the Communal Land Reform Act:
And this is what the Himba people's traditional leaders are saying about the negative impact of the Land Reform in their Human Rights Complaint Declaration, that was submitted to the United Nations, African Union, as well as to the President of Namibia:
" To our great grievance, the Namibian government has destroyed our ancestral traditional governance structure, by disposing and withholding the official recognition of 33 of us as rightful traditional leaders.
We and other traditional leaders from other tribes went to the High Court, and we won the case on December 13th 2001, and the Government of Namibia was ordered to re-install us in our rightful positions as Traditional Authorities.
But the state did not comply with the Court order to this very day, and we remain not recognized leaders, removed from our legal powers.
Today we have only 3 traditional chiefs that are recognized by the state, that share overlapping jurisdiction of the entire Kaokoland.
Our people and we strongly object to the states' ruthless interference by the Government of Namibia that is disabling our people to choose their own leaders and destiny.
We therefore declare that the Government of Namibia deliberately disempowering us to govern ourselves within our Kaokoland to hinder us and our people to determine our own future, such as to ensure the continuity of our cultural identity, traditions and customs and our political institution, that we wish to preserve for the future generations.
Because we are no longer allowed to govern, and are not recognized by the Government of Namibia as the legitimate leaders of our people and land, we see our traditional territory being invaded by the ruling Owambo ethnic group in Namibia, that controls the ruling SWAPO Party which in turn runs the government.
The ruling SWAPO Party has been imposing on us laws, programs, leaders and projects that we don't want, but we are made voiceless. We are not consulted, not included in any decision-making processes, nor are we heard when we object.
We are therefore the marginalized and oppressed tribe in our country Namibia.
We are currently facing a law that allows any citizen of Namibia to apply and receive 20 hectares of our land. (Communal Land Reform Act 5 of 2002).
We strongly object this law that is forced upon our throats against our will and consent.
This is a land grab! We are loosing our land. Our land is being fenced by outsiders that are not from our area."
(To read the entire Traditional Himba leader's Declaration, click here: http://earthpeoples.org/blog/?p=1070)
Himna and Zemba protested for a third time in the past months, for the reason of the negative impact of the Land Reform Act on their land rights, as well as other human rights violations, including the lack of implementation of their Free, Prior and informed consent (FPIC) which has been ignored by the state while pushing forward with plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on their territory in the Baynes Mountains' Kunene River. To read about their protest, click here http://earthpeoples.org/blog/?p=4071
And here a visual manifestation of Himba culture:
Video: HIMBA DANCE in Omuhonga, Kaokoland desert, Namibia (February 2012)
Click on image for larger view
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Date: 30/03/2013
Categories:Indigenous Peoples
Land Rights
Press Contact Information
Name: Rebecca Sommer
Telephone: 1234567890


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Cambridge, MA --- After spotting visiting WPI a two-run lead in the first inning, MIT came back with four in the bottom of the first and never trailed again as it took the opening game of a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference baseball series by a final of 11-7. Sophomore Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, CA) and senior Ricardo Perez (Vienna, VA) and three RBI apiece to lead MIT, while senior Shane Sampson (Worcester, MA) also drove in three for WPI.
It did not take WPI (9-16, 4-8 NEWMAC) long to score in the first as its second batter, freshman Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, MA), hit one off the top of the fence in left for a quick 1-0 lead. Freshman Alex Venditti (Newton, MA) followed with a single and later moved to second when a pickoff attempt got away. Sampson then beat out an infield single and moved to second when the throw to first was wild, allowing Venditti to score.
MIT (12-3, 8-1 NEWMAC) wasted no time in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, getting the first two hitters aboard on a double and a walk. With one down Cornwell slapped one to center to score both runners and tie the game. Perez then followed with a shot over the fence in left to make it 4-2. MIT extended the lead in the second when Cornwell plated senior James McKinney (Wakefield, RI), who had stroked a two-out double, with a double of his own to make it 5-2.
A passed ball and a wild pitch led to a WPI run in the fourth, but MIT answered when junior Creed Mangrum (Sandy, UT) hit one over the fence in right to make it 6-3. MIT starter, senior Max Ockner (Chesterfield, MO), ran into trouble in the fifth when WPI loaded the bases with one out on a single, an error and a walk. Freshman D.J. Ouellette (Watertown, CT) singled in one run, leaving the bases loaded for Sampson who was hit by a pitch to bring in another and make it a one-run ball game. Ockner escaped the jam, however, getting the next hitter to ground to third where junior Patrick Dayton (Archer City, TX) stepped on the bag and threw home to nail the runner at the plate for the third out of the inning.
After picking up a run in the sixth on an RBI single from McKinney, MIT came up with a big two-out rally in the seventh to give it the runs it would need to win the game. Consecutive singles from Dayton, freshman Kendall Helbert (St. Louis, Mo.), junior Jon Rea (Palo Alto, Calif.) and sophomore Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, N.C.) brought in two runs. With Rea at third and Tew at first, the pair then pulled off a double steal to make it 10-5.
MIT made it 11-5 in the eighth after a sac fly by Perez before WPI rallied for a pair in the ninth. With one away Capuano walked and Venditti doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Senior Henry Zhu (Overland Park, KS), who had come in from the bullpen to pitch the ninth, struck out the next hitter, but then surrendered a two-run single to Sampson. Zhu then struck out the final hitter to close out the game.
Cornwell went 4-for-5 at the plate to lead MIT, including a pair of doubles. Tew went 3-for-5, with four other hitters colleting a pair of hits apiece. Sampson finished with a 3-for-4 day for WPI, with Ouellette going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Ockner picked up the win for MIT, improving to 3-1 after going five innings and scattering seven hits while striking out six. He gave up five runs, two of which were earned. Sophomore Andrew Portera (Alpharetta, GA) started for WPI and took the loss, giving up seven runs on 11 hits over five innings.
MIT and WPI will finish the series tomorrow with a doubleheader at Rochdale Park in Leicester, Massachusetts starting at Noon.
Release Courtesy MIT Sports Information


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God that made me happy yesterday when Miley Cyrus Twitter-slapped Katy Perry for shaming her tongue by jamming it in her Twitter-face that John Mayer is a pig and Russell Brand's tongue probably travelled the world. Miley followed up with another tweet later on:
She's The BEST. And it was a great day in gossip.
Katy eventually replied to Miley's shots with a tweet of her own:
Conciliatory, right? It was a "let's laugh this off" tweet. She knows she doesn't have what it takes to hit back hard. Or, oh wait, does she?
Because I saw that tweet yesterday. But now I don't see it anymore. I just checked with Melissa Grelo too – she's like the Yoda of Twitter – and she doesn't see it either. It's gone. Katy pulled it down. Katy rescinded her olive branch. If she doesn't want to make up does that mean she wants to throw down? Good. Fine. But Miley fights like a roughneck. I'm not sure Katy can handle it.


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For the first time this season the Philadelphia Union managed to earn points on the road. Fighting back from a 2-1 deficit, the Union were able to down the Houston Dynamo in their backyard in a thrilling 3-2 match.
Watch: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Union rookie Danny Mwanga scored in injury time for the second consecutive week, a goal that thrust the Union to their second win of the season.
The last gasp goal was the reward for all the hard work the team put in during the match, something that team manager Peter Nowak knows they deserved.
"I think for the team, it means the work paid off," Nowak said. "It was a tough environment we played in, and a victory like that over the Houston Dynamo is very good because it's very difficult to play here."
It was a thrilling night for the Union, who outplayed the Dynamo and fully deserved the three points. A complete team effort was necessary in getting the win and that is what Nowak's squad was able to produce on Saturday night.
"We come back to score a goal in injury time, and it's very special," Nowak said. "I feel like this is a work in progress. This is still a very young group who wants to work and win the games, and for me it's a work in progress."
Going up on the Dynamo in the first half, the Union seemed destined to win points on the road. The second half was a different story, though, as the home side scored two impressive goals off of set pieces.
Union keeper Chris Seitz was pleased with the effort in the first 45 minutes, but he knows the Dynamo goals should have been avoided.
"I think, in the first half, we came out and did what we wanted to do," Seitz said. "We kept possession of the ball, we created chances, and we went into the half up 1-0. In the second half, we gave up two free kicks in two dangerous areas. Houston is always dangerous at free kicks. That's their bread and butter, and they got two good goals off it."
Going down 2-1, the Union kept their heads up and were able to eventually break down the Dynamo for their second goal. The winner came via a late third from Mwanga.
The No. 1 overall draft pick was thrilled with his late tally.
"It was a great feeling," the 18-year-old said. "I came in the last game and was able to score a goal, and that was definitely a great effort. As a forward, you know you need to bring something to the table to help your team, and I was able to score that goal and help my teammates, and I am very excited for it."
Up next for the Union will be the Chicago Fire as their road trip continues ahead of their official home opener at PPL Park on June 27.


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June 13, 2000
The President Signs H.R. 371/P.L. 106-207 the "Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 2000"
On May 26, 2000, the President signed into law H.R. 371 (P.L. 106-207) the "Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 2000."
As enacted, the law:
- Removes naturalization barriers for certain Hmong by waiving the English language requirements and providing special consideration for the civics requirement. To qualify, the Hmong must have been admitted into the United States as a refugee from Laos and served with a Laotian-based special guerilla or irregular unit in support of U.S. forces at any time from February 28, 1961 through September 18, 1978.
- Allows up to 45,000 Hmongs to apply for naturalization under these special provisions no later than 18 months after May 26, 2000.
Although the bill does not establish new SSI eligibility categories, aged, blind, and disabled Hmong who enter the United States after August 22, 1996, will find it easier to become U.S. citizens and, as such, would remain eligible for SSI.


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Prosecutor: US soldier had blood of victims on him
Norwood native faces hearing in Afghanistan massacre
The soldier accused of killing 16 villagers in a nighttime rampage in Afghanistan returned to his base wearing a cape and with the blood of his victims on his rifle, belt, shirt and pants, a military prosecutor said Monday.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was incredulous when fellow U.S. soldiers drew their weapons on him when he returned to Camp Belambay in southern Afghanistan last March, prosecutor Lt. Col. Jay Morse said as a preliminary hearing opened at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Bales then turned to one sergeant at the scene and said: "Mac, if you rat me out ..." Morse said.
Bales, 39, has been charged with 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder in one of the worst atrocities of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Nine of the victims were children. The hearing will help determine whether the case goes to a court martial.
Bales has not entered a plea. His attorneys have not discussed the evidence in the case, but say Bales has PTSD and suffered a concussive head injury during a prior deployment to Iraq.
The father of two from Lake Tapps, Wash., sat beside one of his civilian lawyers, Emma Scanlan, in green fatigues as an investigating officer read the charges against Bales and informed him of his rights. Bales said, "Sir, yes, sir," when asked if he understood them.
Morse said Bales seemed utterly normal in the hours before the March 11 killings. With his colleagues, Bales watched the movie "Man on Fire," a fictional account of a former CIA operative on a revenge rampage.
Just before he left the base, Morse said, Bales told a Special Forces soldier that he was unhappy with his family life, and that the troops should have been quicker to retaliate for a roadside bomb attack that claimed one soldier's leg.
"At all times he had a clear understanding of what he was doing and what he had done," said Morse, who described Bales as lucid, coherent and responsive.
Bales is accused of slipping away from the remote outpost with an M-4 rifle outfitted with a grenade launcher to attack the villages of Balandi and Alkozai, in a dangerous district.
American officials have said they believe Bales broke the slaughter into two episodes – walking first to one village, returning to the base and slipping away again to carry out the second attack.
The prosecutor said Bales returned to the base at one point, telling a colleague about shooting people at a village. The soldier apparently took it as a bad joke and responded: "Quit messing around."
Prosecutors played for the first time a video captured by a surveillance blimp that showed a caped figure running toward the base, then stopping and dropping his weapons as he's confronted. There is no audio. Morse said Bales was the caped figure.
After being taken into custody, Morse said, Bales said: "I thought I was doing the right thing."
The hearing is scheduled to run as long as two weeks, and part of it will be held overnight to allow video testimony from witnesses, including an estimated 10 to 15 Afghans, in Afghanistan.
Bales' attorney, John Henry Browne, said the hearing will give the defense a chance to see what the government can prove. They are expecting a court martial.
Bales is an Ohio native who joined the Army in late 2001 – after the 9/11 attacks – as his career as a stockbroker imploded. An arbitrator entered a $1.5 million fraud judgment against him and his former company that went unpaid, and his attempt to start an investment firm in Florida also failed.
He was serving his fourth combat tour after three stints in Iraq, and his arrest prompted a national discussion about the stresses posed by multiple deployments.
Scanlan, his attorney, declined to say to what extent the lawyers hope to elicit testimony that could be used to support a mental-health defense. Bales himself will not make any statements because his lawyers said he would have nothing to gain.
Bales' wife, Karilyn, who plans to attend the hearing, had complained about financial problems on her blog in the year before the killings, and noted Bales was disappointed at being passed over for a promotion.
Browne described those stresses as garden-variety – nothing that would prompt such a massacre – and has also said, without elaborating, that Bales suffered a traumatic incident during his second Iraq tour that triggered "tremendous depression."
Bales remembers little or nothing from the time of the attacks, the defense said.
Scanlan, who deferred an opportunity to give an opening statement, said the Army had only recently turned over a preliminary DNA trace evidence report from the crime scenes, but defense experts have not had time to review it.
Bales, who spent months in confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., before being transferred to Lewis-McChord last month, is doing well, Scanlan said.
"He's getting prepared," she said, "but it's nerve-wracking for anybody."


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i've been looking for a reason to do another one of these posts. truth is they've been featured on some of my favourite blogs lately, and i've received many kind emails from readers saying how much they like them. man, people on the internet are nice! so i dipped into my folders of saved vintage photos (all from doctor macro) & paired them with portraits that i love. ended up making way too many for one post… more to come later.
marilyn monroe / al greco – a lady in a fur wrap
susan hayward / ivan g. olinsky – serviceman's wife
james dean / charles w. hawthorne
janet leigh / leigh louise gadbois
natalie wood / picasso – la toilette
sharon tate / félix vallotton – la liseuse


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Maps, Macs And Mobile Dominate Apple Conference
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Apple tweaked several features in its mobile operating system to try to enhance its ability to entice users to stay within its ecosystem. The upgrades marked a bolstering of Apple's arsenal as it tries to keep its top-down applications and hardware environment ahead of competition from Android device makers such as Samsung Electronics and Motorola Mobility.
But the highlight was the debut of Apple's in-house mapping service after years of development, a direct challenge to the same Google service that is one of the most popular functions on both Android smartphones and the iPhone.
Apple's new mobile software - the iOS6 - will be available in the fall. It comes with a mapping system "built from the ground up," said software chief Scott Forstall.
It will be replacing Google Maps, until now a pre-loaded app on the iPhone and iPad, with its own in-house map service, delivering a big blow to Google, which gets about half its mobile map traffic from Apple mobile devices.
The move signals how the friendship between the two tech giants - former Google CEO Eric Schmidt once sat on Apple's board - has become a bitter rivalry shaping the evolution of the mobile industry. Late co-founder Jobs was famously quoted as saying he was willing to go "thermonuclear" on the search leader, after it decided to position Android against the iPhone.
Now Apple will do its utmost to reduce its reliance on Google, said Colin Gillis, analyst with BGC Partners.
"What happens if one day Google decides to not provide Apple with maps," said Gillis. "You can't have that kind of dependency on a competitor."
Apple's map service comes with three-dimensional images of cities called "Flyover" along with real-time traffic updates and also turn-by-turn navigation, the last a feature that Google has in Android devices but had not made available in Apple devices.
And Siri, the innovative voice-activated iPhone search-feature users have criticized as faulty and inadequate, will now also be available on iPads and recites a larger database of answers, especially sports, restaurants and movies.
Siri is also integrated into the new mapping service so users can ask for step-by-step directions.
While Apple is late to the game with turn-by-turn directions, Forrester analyst Charles Golvin said that Apple's new service featured various nice touches, demonstrating Apple's ability to take an experience offered by rivals and "go even further."
He also cited a new app for iPhone and iPads called Passbook that organizes a user's electronic airline tickets, movie tickets and restaurant loyalty cards. The app is a "harbinger of them doing much, much more," said Golvin, pointing to the electronic payment and mobile commerce market.
Finally, executives said Apple has integrated No. 1 social network Facebook deeper into the operating system, allowing Siri-users to post photos with voice commands.
The Edge
Long lines marked the beginning of the week-long annual Worldwide Developers' Conference, where Apple developers rub shoulders with employees, test the latest products and software, and connect with peers. Apple kicked off proceedings by touting its hardware, its biggest edge over Google.
The consumer device giant introduced an all-new addition to its MacBook Pro lineup, Apple's highest-end laptops. At 0.7 inches and weighing under 4.5 pounds, the new MacBook Pro ranks among the thinnest laptops in the market and will hit store shelves months before many Microsoft Windows-equipped "Ultrabooks." They will employ the "retina" displays that have won strong positive reviews for the new iPad, but start at $2,199.
Along with the introduction of the new MacBook Pro, Apple also updated it current Mac lineup including the MacBook Air.
Marketing chief Phil Schiller outlined how the redesigned MacBook Air notebooks will be about $100 cheaper on average than predecessors, but sport quicker Intel Corp processors, potentially eating into territory staked out by Hewlett-Packard, Dell Inc and other PC makers.
Analysts have speculated that the company will begin aggressively competing on price, gradually shrinking the premium its Macs carry in general.
More than ever, Apple finds itself in a pitched battle with Google: in smartphones, cloud computing, and a never-ending competition to attract the best software developers. That is crucial as Apple looks to draw users deeper into its applications ecosystem.
Cook told the audience that customers have downloaded more than 30 billion Apple apps so far, choosing from more than 650,000 apps - the largest library in the industry.
Battling in many arenas, the rivals employ different weapons. Apple's vise-like grip on its ecosystem - with the closely managed app store and seamless integration with hardware - stands in stark contrast to Google's free-for-all approach.
The open system approach, reminiscent of Microsoft Corp's hugely successful strategy of creating standard-setting software that runs on a variety of hardware, has allowed Android to capture the market lead in smartphones, albeit with nothing close to Apple's profit margins.
Android has also helped create several potent hardware rivals to Apple. Samsung Electronics' Android-driven Galaxy SIII is drawing favorable comparisons to iPhone and Amazon.com Inc's cheaper Kindle Fire is challenging Apple in tablets and digital content.
The move - years in the making - to replace Google Maps is a dramatic example of how the rivalry between the companies has been evolving.
Google has invested huge sums in mapping technology over the years, and about half its mobile map traffic now comes from iPhones and iPads. Among other things, the traffic from those devices reveals valuable location data that helps improve the mapping service and provides features like real-time traffic reports.


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University News
PAC Presentation June 1
May 22, 2012
MACOMB, IL -- A presentation to share final interior and exterior finish choices for the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Western Illinois University will be held from 11 a.m.-noon Friday, June 1 in the University Union Capitol Room. The presentation is open to the public.
Cannon Design will present final finish selections (e.g. brick, color palettes and fixtures). In September, architects from Cannon Design and Pelli Clarke Pelli (PCP) presented the approved Performing Arts Center (PAC) design and discussed the next stages of the project, and in November 2011, Cannon Design presented finish selections and lighting designs.
The construction document phase is currently underway and tentatively scheduled to be completed by November 2012. Architects will develop the technical documents that will be used to bid the project later this year. Construction is estimated to begin in Spring 2013 and is expected to take approximately 2.5 years. The projected opening is Fall 2015.
The Performing Arts Center, which will support the academic mission and programs in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) will include a 1,400-seat proscenium theatre auditorium with two balconies, a 250-seat thrust stage and a 150-seat studio theatre. There also will be dance, jazz and theatre rehearsal studios to facilitate the academic mission of the building, which complements numerous academic programs; dressing rooms adjacent to the theatres; a scenery/design workshop and a costume shop; a box office; administration offices; and a loading dock that will accommodate semis and buses for professional touring companies and orchestras.
The Performing Arts Center, which will be located on the southwest side of campus along Western Avenue, will connect to Browne Hall and consolidate performance spaces close to classrooms in Brown, Memorial and Sallee halls. The newly renovated residence hall, Corbin Hall, which will re-open this fall, will be adjacent to the PAC and will include a Fine Arts Floor for students to complete the living and learning aspect of an arts quad.
The $71.8 million capital project is funded by the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB). While the CDB funded the renovation of Memorial Hall on the Macomb campus and the construction of the WIU-Quad Cities Riverfront Campus, a new building on Western's Macomb campus has not been funded through the state since the Malpass Library in the 1970s. The new Performing Arts Center was first approved in December 2002, when the Illinois Board of Higher Education recommended a $22.5 million FY'04 appropriation for partial PAC construction funding. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held nine years later, in April 2011.
The PAC will include several naming opportunities, including the performance venues, rehearsal spaces, the gallery, scene shop, lounges, VIP room and green rooms. Individuals may also purchase naming rights to seats in the proscenium and thrust theatres. During the 2011 ceremonial groundbreaking celebration, a seven-figure bequest for the Performing Arts Center's operation from Tate Lindahl, a retired WIU administrator and Macomb resident, was announced.
To view architect's renderings of the Performing Arts Center, visit wiu.edu/university_planning/masterplanpac.php.
Posted By: WIU News (email@example.com)
Office of University Relations


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Boffins hope to be rolling in cash after finding a new way to use plasma to make light bulbs.
The research team, which was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, has made wafer-thin, flexible sheets of light by putting plasma in an array of micro-cavities in a sheet of aluminium foil, and now hopes to build a company from the discovery.
The foil has a thickness of just 125 microns, and then the cavities are sealed with very thin sheets of glass, creating a "bulb" that is one or two millimetres thick.
A number of gases can be used to make the plasma needed for the arrays, but in the commercial versions of the lights, rare gases produce ultraviolet light and special phosphors convert the UV into visible light.
The company set up to market the bulbs is called Eden Park Illumination after the two boffins who came up with the arrays, Gary Eden and Sung-Jin Park.
Apart from being flat and flexible, the new lights are more energy efficient because of their shape: an ordinary fluorescent light tube has an efficiency of around 75 to 80 lumens per watt, but a lot of that is lost because of its 360 degree design. The arrays have a utilisation efficiency of over 90 per cent so a smaller array has the same output.
The plasma lights can be dimmed, they don't contain mercury and they generate far less heat than LEDs. You won't be seeing the bulbs at your corner shop anytime soon though, because although the materials to manufacture the arrays are cheap, the rate of production isn't up to speed yet. ®


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Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
Patients who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer may have persistent, refractory or recurrent cancer following treatment with surgery and first-line chemotherapy. Persistent cancer refers to residual cancer growths or cells that persist during and following initial treatment. Patients who have achieved complete remission following initial therapy and who subsequently experience a return of cancer cells after treatment are said to have relapsed or recurrent cancer. Patients with ovarian cancer who experience progression or continued growth of the cancer during treatment are said to have refractory cancer. Patients with persistent, recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer can benefit from additional treatment with second-line therapy, which is often referred to as salvage therapy. A patient's treatment options will differ depending on whether the cancer is persistent, recurrent or refractory.
A variety of factors ultimately influence a patient's decision to receive second-line treatment of ovarian cancer. The purpose of receiving cancer treatment may be to improve symptoms through local control of the cancer, increase a patient's chance of cure, or prolong a patient's survival. The potential benefits of receiving cancer treatment must be carefully balanced with the potential risks of receiving cancer treatment.
The following is a general overview of second-line or salvage treatment of ovarian cancer. Circumstances unique to your situation and prognostic factors of your cancer may ultimately influence how these general treatment principles are applied. The information on this Web site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to facilitate a mutual or shared decision-making process with your treating cancer physician.
Most new treatments are developed in clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. The development of more effective cancer treatments requires that new and innovative therapies be evaluated with cancer patients. Participation in a clinical trial may offer access to better treatments and advance the existing knowledge about treatment of this cancer. Clinical trials are available for most stages of cancer. Patients who are interested in participating in a clinical trial should discuss the risks and benefits of clinical trials with their physician. To ensure that you are receiving the optimal treatment of your cancer, it is important to stay informed and follow the cancer news in order to learn about new treatments and the results of clinical trials.
Recurrent or persistent ovarian cancer may be detected by several methods. Some patients will experience abdominal swelling, pain or symptoms related to the spread of cancer cells (metastases) to the bone, liver, or brain. Other patients may simply have an increase or persistent elevation in the CA-125 level, a blood test commonly used to monitor ovarian cancer activity. When an increase in the CA-125 occurs, most patients will undergo ultrasound or CT scanning of the abdomen and pelvis or other diagnostic procedures in order to determine the location of recurrent cancer. The availability and effectiveness of additional treatment depends on the kind of chemotherapy previously administered, the duration since last treatment and the extent of recurrent cancer.
Despite recent improvements, initial or first-line chemotherapy fails to produce a remission in more than 70% of patients with ovarian cancer. Furthermore, approximately 40-50% of the women who do achieve a remission after first-line chemotherapy will experience a recurrence of cancer within 3 years. Patients who have failed initial surgery and first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer are broadly divided into three groups: those with persistent ovarian cancer, recurrent ovarian cancer or refractory ovarian cancer. Currently available salvage chemotherapy can often prolong survival, but is rarely curative. The treatment option that may offer the greatest benefit to patients who wish to pursue aggressive or potentially curative treatments may be participation in clinical studies that are evaluating new and innovative treatment strategies.
Persistent Ovarian Cancer
Patients with persistent ovarian cancer have cancer cells that are detected after initial surgery and first-line chemotherapy. Persistent ovarian cancer is detected either by an elevated CA-125 blood level, abnormal x-rays and CT scans, or with a biopsy performed during second-look laparotomy.
Individuals with persistent ovarian cancer following first-line chemotherapy have a number of treatment options. Additional debulking surgery to remove as much persistent cancer as possible may be considered before resuming further treatment. Further treatment is still necessary since undetectable microscopic deposits of cancer can still exist and cause recurrences even after successful debulking surgery. Patients may elect to receive treatment with additional standard chemotherapy; however, some doctors feel that patients with persistent cancer should receive a different treatment or consider participation in a clinical trial.
Continued Standard Chemotherapy: The standard course of initial chemotherapy is approximately 6 cycles, or about 4 months of treatment. If, after 6 cycles, there is a small amount of persistent cancer, some doctors feel further chemotherapy treatment for 10 or 12 cycles may continue to cause shrinkage of the cancer. Some patients may achieve a complete remission with continued standard chemotherapy.
Second-Line Chemotherapy: Not all patients are able to undergo secondary debulking surgery or are expected to improve with continued treatment with a first-line chemotherapy regimen. Salvage or second-line chemotherapy with other anti-cancer drugs that destroy cancer cells by a different mechanism may provide additional benefit over the continuation of first-line chemotherapy. For more information of available salvage chemotherapy regimens, please see the section on " Salvage Chemotherapy" below.
Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
Patients with recurrent ovarian cancer have experienced a period of "remission" following initial surgery and first-line chemotherapy, but have subsequently developed a cancer recurrence. Both the effectiveness and type of available therapy depends on the first-line chemotherapy received, the length of time since finishing treatment and the extent of recurrent cancer.
In general, salvage chemotherapy treatment is used to improve a patient's quality of life by reducing symptoms of recurrent cancer. Certain patients can derive significant benefit from additional treatment. Salvage chemotherapy is typically associated with lower response rates and a shorter duration of remission than first-line chemotherapy. The average duration of survival after recurrence of ovarian cancer is about 12 to 18 months. Fewer than one in ten patients survive beyond 5 years following standard salvage chemotherapy treatment.
The length of time between the completion of first-line chemotherapy and the development of recurrent cancer affects treatment options. Patients who develop recurrent cancer more than 6 months after first-line chemotherapy can experience another remission following treatment with the identical first-line chemotherapy that was previously used. Patients who develop recurrent cancer within 6 months from first-line chemotherapy are less likely to improve with the same anti-cancer drugs and should consider treatment with a different chemotherapy regimen. All patients with recurrent cancer should also consider participating in clinical trials.
Recurrence after 6 Months from Therapy
Patients who develop recurrent cancer more than 6 months after first-line chemotherapy or have not been treated with platinum and taxane chemotherapy have a good chance of improving with these drugs. Debulking surgery to remove as much cancer as possible may be considered before resuming chemotherapy treatment. The length of time between the completion of first-line chemotherapy and the development of recurrent disease can help determine whether additional treatment with a taxane and platinum will be effective in shrinking recurrent cancers. Over half of patients who develop a recurrence longer than 12 months from initial treatment are likely to improve with further chemotherapy, compared with less than half of patients who develop a recurrence between 6 and 12 months from initial treatment.
Not all patients will improve following re-treatment with taxane and platinum chemotherapy. Some patients are also unable to receive these anti-cancer drugs due to limiting side effects. Patients unlikely to benefit are typically offered salvage or second-line chemotherapy with one or more of many available anti-cancer drugs. They may also consider participating in a clinical trial.
For individuals with recurrent ovarian cancer, Doxil®, Hycamtin® and Gemzar® chemotherapy have been shown to be effective in producing responses and prolonging survival time. Recent findings of a comparison study of Hycamtin® and Doxil® suggest that Doxil® improves survival in selected patients, is more convenient to receive and is associated with fewer side effects than Hycamtin®.
Researchers from 71 different medical centers treated 474 women with ovarian cancer that had recurred after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients received treatment with either Hycamtin® or Doxil®. In patients with platinum-resistant disease, the response rates were 7% in those receiving Hycamtin® and 12% in those receiving Doxil®. The average survival time was 51 weeks for Hycamtin® and 53 weeks for Doxil®. However, patients with cancer that was still responsive to platinum survived on average 83 weeks if treated with Doxil®, compared to 63 weeks if treated with Hycamtin®.
The side effects of the treatments were also quite different. Hycamtin® produced more severe damage to the bone marrow, causing lower blood cell counts than Doxil®; therefore, patients receiving Hycamtin® were more likely to require additional treatment with growth factors and to receive blood and platelet transfusions. Twenty-five percent of patients treated with Doxil® had severe tingling, burning, redness, swelling and blistering of the hands and were also more likely to develop mouth sores, but were much less likely to experience hair loss. Three patients treated with Hycamtin®, compared with no patients in the Doxil® group, died of treatment-related complications. The researchers noted that Doxil® was easier to administer, with only 6 infusions over 6 months compared with 40 infusions of Hycamtin®, and that patients taking this agent were better able to maintain a "normal" life during treatment.
Gemzar® is another chemotherapy agent that has been reported to produce anti-cancer responses in 11%-28% of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Although single agent Gemzar® appears very active, combinations of other chemotherapy drugs and Gemzar® have even greater anti-cancer activity.
Recurrence within 6 Months from Therapy
Patients who develop recurrent cancer within 6 months from first-line therapy are less likely to improve with additional treatment that utilizes the same first-line chemotherapy drugs. In general, patients with recurrent ovarian cancer that occurs shortly after initial therapy have few standard treatment options. Most patients will have already received taxane and platinum chemotherapy, and are considered resistant to these drugs. Certain patients can derive significant benefit from additional treatment with salvage or second-line chemotherapy or from participation in a clinical trial designed to evaluate promising new treatment strategies.
Role of Surgery
Typically, women who have ovarian cancer are initially treated with surgery, followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. If the cancer recurs (returns) after treatment, a combination of chemotherapy drugs is often used to increase survival time and relieve the symptoms of the cancer. More recently, researchers in California have reported that the use of a second surgery plus chemotherapy (and radiation therapy in some) to treat recurrent ovarian cancer may prolong survival times.
In this clinical study, 106 women who experienced a recurrence of ovarian cancer 6 months or more after their initial treatment received additional therapy. The treatment for recurrent cancer consisted of a second surgery to remove all visible cancer. In addition, 40% of the patients received chemotherapy before the surgery, and the other 60% received chemotherapy after the surgery. Some patients also received radiation therapy after the surgery. The results of this study showed that surgeons were able to remove all visible cancer in 82% of patients. After the surgery, 3% of patients had small amounts of residual cancer remaining and 15% had large amounts of residual cancer remaining. The average survival time with this treatment regimen was 36 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 28%. Women who had a long interval between initial treatment and the cancer recurrence had better outcomes, as did those who had only small amounts of visible cancer at the time of the second treatment. Side effects of treatment included 2 deaths from treatment-related complications.
The researchers concluded that women who have a second surgery to treat recurrent ovarian cancer appear to have a longer survival time than those who receive only chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy without additional surgery.
Salvage Chemotherapy
A number of newer chemotherapy drugs have demonstrated an ability to kill cancer cells even when first-line chemotherapy is ineffective. Salvage chemotherapy may consist of single chemotherapy drugs or combinations of anti-cancer therapies. When one chemotherapy drug stops killing cancer cells, sometimes switching to a different anti-cancer drug is effective. In general, the chances of remission become smaller and smaller as drugs are changed, yet the potential side effects continue to increase with each new drug.
Doxil®: By packaging the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin in tiny liposomes, the drug is less likely to be broken down by the body and is more likely to reach cancer cells. A number of clinical studies have evaluated the use of Doxil® in patients who are resistant to paclitaxel and Platinol® chemotherapy. Doxil® has been directly compared to Hycamtin® and found to have equivalent or improved survival with fewer side effects than Hycamtin®
Gemzar®: Gemzar® has demonstrated significant anti-cancer activity in patients who are resistant to taxanes and platinum chemotherapy. Gemzar® appears to have similar anti-cancer activity to Doxil® and Hycamtin®, but may be associated with fewer side effects. Additionally, the combination of Gemzar® and Platinol® appears to kill more cancer cells than each drug given alone. Doctors have reported that the combination has produced a partial or complete disappearance of cancer in 69% of patients.
Etoposide: Etoposide is an anti-cancer drug that can be taken orally. In a clinical trial conducted by the Gynecologic Oncology Group, over 25% of patients whose cancer was resistant to Platinol® experienced a remission following treatment with etoposide.
Hycamtin®: A number of clinical studies have evaluated the use of Hycamtin® in patients who are resistant to Platinol®. About 14% of Platinol®-resistant patients achieved remission following treatment with Hycamtin®, indicating that it might be an effective treatment option for these patients.
In a clinical study conducted in Europe, Hycamtin® was directly compared with paclitaxel in patients who were resistant to Platinol®. Hycamtin® was at least as effective as paclitaxel for killing cancer cells and producing cancer shrinkage. Over half of the patients who received Hycamtin® survived at least one year from the start of the clinical trial.
Strategies to Improve Treatment
The following are all new treatment strategies for treatment of ovarian cancer. Clinical trials are currently underway to evaluate these strategies alone or in combination. Given the poor outcomes of treatment for ovarian cancer, the greatest benefit to patients wishing to pursue aggressive or potentially curative treatments may be participation in clinical studies that combine more than one of the following treatment strategies.
Phase I Trials: New chemotherapy drugs continue to be developed and evaluated in patients with recurrent cancers in phase I clinical trials. The purpose of phase I trials is to evaluate new drugs in order to determine the best method for administering the drug and whether the drug has any anti-cancer activity in patients.
Monoclonal Antibodies: Monoclonal antibodies can be produced in a laboratory and are able to identify specific proteins on the surface of certain cells and bind to them. This binding action stimulates the immune system to attack and kill the cells to which the monoclonal antibody is bound.
OvaRex® is a monoclonal antibody that has been designed to identify and bind to CA 125, a protein found on the surface of most ovarian cancer cells. Researchers from the Vancouver Cancer Center recently conducted a clinical trial evaluating OvaRex® in 13 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who had failed multiple treatments. Over half of the patients in this study demonstrated a significant immune response to treatment. Following treatment with OvaRex®, one patient survived more than 18 months and two patients are still alive after almost two years.
Higher-Dose Chemotherapy: Since conventional-dose chemotherapy appears to cure some women with ovarian cancer and since more chemotherapy kills more cancer cells, the delivery of very high doses of chemotherapy may be able to destroy enough cancer to improve a patient's chance of cure.
Several clinical trials have been performed that evaluate modest increases in the chemotherapy dose of Platinol® and/or cyclophosphamide. Results of these trials have been inconsistent with only 3 of 9 trials demonstrating improved patient outcomes with higher dose therapy. Because the dose of chemotherapy has only been increased 2 to 3 times over standard doses, some doctors believe that an even larger increase in dose will be necessary in order to achieve a more consistent improvement in survival. They advocate utilizing "dose-dense" therapy and/or high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.
Dose-Dense Treatment: Rapid administration of several different single chemotherapy compounds at the maximum tolerated dose allows higher doses of chemotherapy to be delivered and may prevent cancer cells from developing chemotherapy resistance. Dose-dense treatment approaches are being evaluated in clinical trials.
High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell Transplant: Chemotherapy targets and kills rapidly dividing cells such as cancer cells. High- dose chemotherapy (HDC) kills more cancer cells than lower-dose conventional chemotherapy. Unfortunately, HDC also kills more normal cells, especially the blood-producing stem cells in the bone marrow. Stem cells are immature cells produced in the bone marrow, which is the spongy material inside bones. Stem cells eventually become either red blood cells, which provide oxygen to tissues, white blood cells, which fight infection; or platelets, which aid in blood clotting.
HDC destroys cancer as well as bone marrow stem cells. When bone marrow is destroyed, stem cell stores are depleted, which leads to low levels of circulating blood cells. When these cells reach critically low levels, complications such as anemia, infection and bleeding can occur. As these complications could result in death, it is imperative to restore stem cell levels as quickly as possible. Stem cell transplantation is an attempt to restore the blood-producing stem cells after HDC has reduced them to dangerously low levels. In autologous stem cell transplantation, the patient's own stem cells are collected before chemotherapy treatment, frozen, and infused back into the patient after treatment to "rescue" the bone marrow.
Since 1983, physicians in France have been evaluating high-dose chemotherapy as a treatment for ovarian cancer and recently presented their cumulative experience in utilizing this treatment. In this clinical study, 181 women with advanced stage III or IV ovarian cancer were treated with high-dose chemotherapy after primary debulking surgery and 6 cycles of platinum chemotherapy. Several different high-dose chemotherapy regimens were utilized. The treatment was reasonably well tolerated, with a mortality rate of 2.5%. At 5 years from initiation of treatment, 36% of patients survived and 23% survived without evidence of cancer progression. Patients who achieved optimal surgical debulking and were subsequently treated with high-dose chemotherapy had a 5-year survival rate of 51%. The researchers concluded that high-dose chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer is feasible, safe and may be superior to conventional chemotherapy treatment approaches.
Doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas recently reported the results of a clinical trial designed to incorporate Hycamtin® into a high-dose chemotherapy treatment regimen that also utilized cyclophosphamide and Alkeran®. In this treatment program, patients whose cancer had returned or progressed following initial treatment for ovarian cancer were enrolled to determine the optimal dose of Hycamtin® that could be delivered in combination with cyclophosphamide and Alkeran®. All patients received the high-dose chemotherapy treatment supported by peripheral blood stem cells with acceptable side effects. Almost 92% of these patients who had previously failed therapy experienced a partial or complete disappearance of their cancer following treatment. This represents significant anti-cancer activity and the physicians will continue to evaluate the 3-drug combination of Hycamtin®, cyclophosphamide and Alkeran® in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The doctors in France, as well as other countries, are currently conducting clinical trials that directly compare high-dose chemotherapy to standard or conventional-dose chemotherapy treatment programs.
Biological Modifier Therapy: Biological response modifiers are naturally occurring or synthesized substances that direct, facilitate or enhance the body's normal immune defenses. Biologic response modifiers include interferons, interleukins, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. In an attempt to improve survival rates, these and other agents are being tested alone or in combination with chemotherapy in clinical trials.
Proleukin® Therapy: Proleukin® is a biological modifier that has been used extensively to treat others cancers. Recently, phase I studies in women with ovarian cancer whose disease progressed following Platinol®-based chemotherapy have established a dose and schedule of Proleukin® that can be administered intraperitoneally (into the abdominal cavity). In this phase I study, 6 of 35 women (17%) achieved a complete remission and the overall response rate was 26% with intraperitoneal Proleukin® alone. Several trials are now ongoing to confirm this observation and to use this approach for consolidation treatment after achieving a complete remission.
Nolvadex®: Nolvadex® is a hormonal agent that blocks some of the actions of the female hormone estrogen. Some patients who are resistant to Platinol® will experience cancer shrinkage with Nolvadex®. The advantage of Nolvadex® is that it is taken by mouth and has minimal side effects.
Combined Approaches: Combining one or more new strategies may offer the greatest hope for patients. For example, a patient could receive dose-dense induction chemotherapy, followed by interval debulking and high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant, which together should produce the highest chance of achieving a complete remission. Patients in remission could then receive additional treatment with anti-cancer agents, such as maintenance chemotherapy
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In the recent past, rapid scientific and technological developments have had tremendous impact on human society. Notably, the personal computer, internet and mobile telephones changed the world and shrank our planet. These developments are vastly different from the forecasts by science fiction authors who promised us space travel and intelligent humanoid robots. Could real scientists have done a better job in forecasting the future? What can we say about the future now?
Many science fiction fantasies will never materialize. Some will, but only over time spans of millions of years rather than a couple of centuries. Nature's laws are very strict and forbidding but also show gaps that might promise fantastic possibilities for a scientific future, even within our lifetime.
Gerard T' Hooft was born in 1946, and raised in the Netherlands. He studied theoretical physics at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, completing his thesis work in 1972, under the supervision of Martin Veltman. For two years he continued his research at the European particle physics laboratory CERN, Geneva. After lectureships at Utrecht and in the USA (Harvard, Stanford), he was appointed full professor at Utrecht University in 1976. Among his many honours, he and Veltman were awarded the The Nobel Prize in physics 1999, ""For elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics"", which refers to their joint work in 1972. More recently, T' Hooft became a member of Perimeter Institute's highly esteemed Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).
His research brought important new insights showing how to use quantized fields to describe sub-atomic particles, such as renormalization, magnetic monopoles, quark confinement and the physical effects of instantons. Later he turned his interest to the quantum aspects of gravitation and black holes. Dr. T' Hooft also supports educational outreach activities and considers the communication of fundamental science to the public as one of his most important duties.


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Warburton Size 3 Lexan Series Trumpet and Cornet Mouthpiece Top
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The Warburton Lexan Trumpet and Cornet Mouthpiece Tops are arranged in a progression from large to small in ascending numerical order. The Warburton ...Click To Read More About This Product
Preferred by many players for hot weather use.
The Warburton Lexan Trumpet and Cornet Mouthpiece Tops are arranged in a progression from large to small in ascending numerical order. The Warburton Size 3 Lexan Trumpet and Cornet Mouthpiece Tops feature a .670-inch inner diameter and a 1.080-inch outside diameter. The Lexan material offers excellent feel for hot weather use because it is less prone to slide around on sweaty skin. The Size 3 mouthpieces feature nine cup designs to offer the player the most efficient mouthpiece with which to perform in any given playing situation. The ESV, ES, S, SV or M cups are an excellent choice for the player looking for a studio lead trumpet sound. The S, SV or M cups work well for a piccolo trumpet sound. The M, MC or MD cups work well for a brass quintet sound. The MC, MD, D or XD cups are designed for an orchestral sound. Once the desired cup is found, it can be combined with a Warburton Trumpet Backbore (sold separately) to best balance the sound and resistance of the mouthpiece and allow the player to fine tune their sound.


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Jeffrey Michael Shadbolt and Kristal Ann Smith, both of Morenci, have announced their engagement.
Jeffrey is the son of Kenneth and Lynne Shadbolt of Morenci. He graduated from Morenci Area High School and Siena Heights University. He is employed as a car salesman at CR Motor Sales in Hudson.
Kristal is the daughter of Kimberly Bond of Findlay, Ohio, and John Smith of Kenton, Ohio. She is a graduate of Liberty-Benton High School and Owens Community College. She is employed in Member Service at TLC Community Credit Union.
The couple is planning a May 15, 2010, wedding at Christ Church in Wauseon.