text:
Insert poop joke here
Men's Room Mayhem is basically Flight Control, with blood, poop, and urine (often times all at once). Instead of tracing lines on the screen to direct different types of aircraft towards a landing strip to prevent an accident, you'll be directing people into urinals and stalls to prevent "accidents" of a different kind.
If patrons run into each other, there will be blood spilled. If someone doesn't get to a stall on time, there will be urine on the floor. And oh yes -- there will be poop. The concept really isn't that hard to grasp.
Men's Room Mayhem (Android, iPhone, PlayStation Vita [reviewed])
Developer: Ripstone
Publisher: Ripstone
Release Date: May 23, 2013
MSRP: $0.99 (Android) / $1.39 (PlayStation Vita)
Men's Room Mayhem feels like an amalgamation of Diner Dash and Flight Control, but it's not quite as good as either one of them. Essentially, you control the fate of restroom patrons one at a time as they enter the bathroom to relieve themselves, tracing lines on the Vita's screen to chart their course. Some have a drop of urine over their heads -- you'll trace them to the urinals. Some have toilet paper icons -- you'll trace them to a stall.
After they do the business, you'll have the option to trace them to the sink to wash their hands, and then trace them to the exit. If two characters collide, they'll fight, and you'll have to touch them on the screen to break it up -- six fights and it's game over. If you space out your patrons, you'll earn an "etiquette" bonus. That's about it, really. You do that over and over in a time-based fashion, and attempt to complete certain challenge objectives such as "complete two rounds without one fight" as you work towards unlocking new stages.
It works surprisingly well and the unique visuals are charming enough, especially on the Vita's large, vibrant OLED screen. I had little trouble getting patrons to do what I wanted them to do, and the premise is simple enough to pick it up almost instantly. Objectives are extremely clear, and don't leave you in the dark as to what you need to do next.
But unlike Diner Dash (which was surprisingly deep), new concepts aren't constantly thrown at you rapid fire to keep you on your toes -- they're drip-fed to you at a snail's pace. Essentially, each map will give you a new mechanic to deal with (like Old Men who take longer to do the deed), but there really isn't a whole lot of strategy other than the core concept of "make sure patrons don't run into each other."
The challenge system, which could have served as a great way to nudge you along, is poorly implemented. Simply put, if you complete all three given objectives in a round, they don't reset. That's right, you just keep doing wave after wave on each map until you get bored, and only then do the challenges refresh. It just doesn't make any sense at all, as it forces you to constantly play missions with no real objectives just for the sake of elongating the game.
As you progress through each round wave by wave with no real objectives, the grind of the game starts to set in. It's an odd setup that basically betrays every iOS challenge based game since Jetpack Joyride, which normally follow the basic premise of constantly refreshing goals to keep you interested and engaged.
Although it features a pretty lengthy campaign and an uninspired time attack mode, Mayhem can be played in short spurts as you complete all three objectives one round at a time. Considering the lack of variety, it's probably better if you experience it that way. Literally, this a game you could play on the toilet.
Men's Room Mayhem has a great premise that expands upon the initial concepts of Flight Control, but the monotony quickly sets in due to poor pacing and a lack of mode variety. With a few simple tweaks, it could be a true "must have" on the Vita marketplace -- mostly given its competitive mobile pricing. But as it stands, don't go in expecting much more than a repetitive, yet occasionally fun time waster.
Men's Room Mayhem reviewed by Chris Carter
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy it a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
How we score: The Destructoid reviews guide


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Low Bond Yields Send European Investors To Stocks
With euro-zone bond yields becoming ever more compressed, perhaps it should come as no surprise that investors are chasing European equities. But how much upside can they reasonably expect on stocks? WSJ's Alen Mattich has the story on MoneyBeat.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... been been been been been ... we are back European bought meals and lodging to get it knows it's an investor's in response are turning towards equities is the search for returns ... how much further can European equities rise ... economy still struggling to right itself ... Alan that you wrote about this for our MoneyBeat blogged here ... that the plague as Alan hell are you ... but ... I know he was very strange to see on the ten year Spanish bond yields ... fall below the U S By Neal ... and does what I'd ... shift isn't it ... but it is I mean he got the look on in in ... in prospective broken Spanish ... inflation rate is um is next to nil so the real yield in Spain and the inflation adjusted field is still pretty hard but ... what to write a mean it's it's like touching the ... the ... headline yield is ... as below the US isn't in fact Italy's is getting closer and a ... and I'm in there and with a more competitive in that respect is well ... yet so few investors obviously area are looking for us to look for other sources of ... of you who drove it were to make money right and so actually ... looking at equity to see European stocks doing well ... thought out where where are they in terms of their historical ... returns ... will the impact could be the equity indices themselves are ... setting aside the doubts the German index arm which is a slightly only for various reasons but ... most of markets was the well well down on there um on their historic audience the ... in the French indexes is still about a third balloon speak the Spanish and Texas but a quarter below of the party in indexes halfway ... of course the Greek indexes is only a quarter of the way to ... of of of the way back to its arm ... to its all-time highs sue ... you if you look of the charts you think will these markets have of ... you have a huge long way to go to the unit to testify to ... that manager at levels two were ... state the ... the the the American markets are ... yep of course that stalked the story ... the ... on ... the business but the story is the charm is not tough price earnings ratios in Europe or ... are looking sort of coffee I mean there's ... there's ... marginally above the long-term average they can still go up a little bit ... before you start worrying about ... about them being outside of ... normal bounds but to ... open all looking cheap so ... you know you look above you look above ... the of the charts you think while these markets ... have a lot of upside left ... the new look that PE ratios music well that's the main event on such are ... such a huge bargain after all ... yes I am obviously I depend on happens that the economy ... and we have to leave it there Alan thank very much

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Phongsaly, LaosKirsty Turner
Situated in north Laos, not too many people venture into the town of Phonsaly. However, those who do take the time and trouble will find an area rich in traditional culture and natural beauty. With more than twenty ethnic tribes living in the area, this is a good place to discover the diverse life styles, dress styles and religious practices that make these tribes unique. (more…)


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Last Updated: August 30th 2011 (*)
Pictures are available on request. All items are as described with no box or paperwork unless specified. Items are complete if listed as ?Good Condition? unless noted.
Payments via paypal and Money Orders accepted. Trades are always welcome!
*Sixshot ? Near total junker. Right wing and right half the nose snapped off but present, major sticker and paint wear.
*Pretender Grimlock ? Inner robot only, no accs, loose joints
*Steeljaw ? NO stickers, no accs, otherwise, okay
*Sideswipe ? Black deco, Most stickers still good, no accs, otherwise good
*Scorch ? Euro G2, Missing all accs, Some sticker and paint wear
*Rotorstorm ? Euro G2 release, missing all accs, some sticker wear, otherwise pretty good ON HOLD
*Manta Ray ? Minor rust on screws and paint wear, no accs, but still okay
*Dreadwing ? Junker, Still enough to transform well, but missing all accs and some damage to a wing joint
*Sizzle ? Loose hips, no sword, frayed wiring, but body in good shape
*Electro ? One arm snapped at elbow (GPS), but present, includes 2 swords (2nd sword negotiable separately)
*Hooligan ? Missing Missiles and tail fin piece, otherwise good
Beast Wars/BW2/BWN
*McDonalds TM Blackarachnia ? x2 Good Condition
*Croco-Megatron ? Total junker, might have some salvageable parts, bite marks
*Cheetor ? Japanese Release (Red bot eyes), minty Good Condition
*Waspinator ? c8, missing Missiles, but otherwise great
*Buzzsaw ? Missing Wings, gun and missiles, otherwise good condition
*Manterror ? Missing Disk/missiles, otherwise good
*Iguanas ? Missing tail/gun, otherwise good
*Corahada ? BWN, Missing whip section of tail, otherwise good
*Skyshadow ? Missing Missile, otherwise good
*B?boom - Good Condition
*Inferno ? Missing missiles, head antenna, and one engine panel tab is damaged, otherwise good
*Fox Kids Dinobot ? Missing Mutant helm, otherwise great
*Transmetal Terrosoar - Good Condition, Even chrome
*Transmetal Airazor - Good Condition, Fair Chrome
*Transmetal 2 Cheetor - Good Condition, even chrome
*Transmetal 2 Spittor ? Missing club, otherwise good
*Transmetal 2 Dinobot ? One loose joint, chipped chrome, otherwise complete
*BWN Bump vs Bazooka ? Repacked, complete w/ cards and inst. Some minor box wear
*BWN MachKick ? Repacked, complete w/ card and inst. Some box wear, very minor paint wear
*BWN D-36 Archadis - Repacked in box, Good condition
*BWN Mach Kick - Repacked in box, Good Condition
*BWN Sling - Repacked in box, good condition
*BW2 Big Mos - Repacked in Box, Good Condition
*BW Metals Quickstrike - Repackaged in box, In good condition
Beast Machines
*McDonalds Megatron ? Good Condition
*McDonalds Tank Drone ? Good Condition
*McDonalds Cycle Drone - Good Condition
*McDonalds Jet Drone - Good Condition
*SpyStreak ? One missile, and in Good Condition
*Jetstorm ? No Missiles, otherwise Good
*Mirage ? Good condition
*Obsidian ? Good Condition
*Blastcharge - Good Condition, Missing one Missile
*Dinobot Striker - Good Condition
*Dinobot Airraptor - Good Condition
*Dinobot Dinotron - Good Condition
*Dinobot T-Wrecks - Good Condition w/ all parts
*Mutant Poisonbite - Good Condition
*Optimus Primal (Deluxe) ? Minor Paint wear, otherwise good
RiD/Car Robots
*Hightower/BuildHurricane ? (Not sure which I had both at one point), Missing Pistol, otherwise good
*NightCruz ? No missiles, minor paint scratch
*Mirage GT ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Crosswise - Good Condition w/ Gun
*Kaybee Crosswise ? Different shade of blue, no pistol, otherwise in Good Condition
*Kaybee Redeco Crosswise ? Red Translucent Redeco w/ pistol
*Ironhide ? x2, Good Condition, no guns
*Prowl 2 (Spychanger) ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Daytonus ? Complete and Good Condition
*R.E.V ? Complete w/ gun and in Good Condition
*Kaybee Clear R.E.V ? No gun, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*Mirage ? Complete w/ Gun, and in Good Condition
*Wars ? No gun, otherwise in Good Condition
*X-Brawn (Skychanger) ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Hot Shot ? No gun otherwise in Good Condition
*Kaybee Clear Hot Shot ? No gun, otherwise in Good Condition
*Sideburn (Spychanger) ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Sideswipe (Spychanger) ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Car Robots Build King - 100% complete w/ all accs. Might even still have his box (Pending)
*Spychanger Prowl ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Spychanger Silverstreak ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Heavyload ? No minicon, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*Universe Spychanger Optimus Prime (G1 colored Scourge mold) MISB
*Universe 2.0 Blades - Complete and in good condition
*Scavanger ? No minicon, otherwise great
*Red Alert - 100% complete, w/ sticker, instructions, accs, minicon, the Lot.
*Powerlinks Red Alert ? Complete, Good Condition
*Megatron ? Missing Minicon, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*Cyclonus ? x3 of them, all complete with missiles and minicons, all good
*Cyclonus ? No minicon, otherwise complete and Good Condition
*Powerlinks Cyclonus (Green) ? No minicon, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*Sideswipe (1) ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Sideswipe (2) ? No Minicon, has pistol but no dagger, otherwise in Good Condition
*Wheeljack ? x2 No minicons, otherwise in Good Condition
*Sunstorm ? No minicon, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*Thrust (1)? Complete w/ minicon and in Good Condition
*Thrust (2) ? No Minicon, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*McDonalds Armada Set ? Most if not all of them, all with additional paint apps.
*Hotshot ? x2, both complete w/ minicons. One with some added paint apps.
*Thundercracker ? No minicon, missing one missile, otherwise in Good Condition *ON HOLD*
*Skywarp ? No minicon, otherwise complete and in Good Condition ON HOLD
*Starscream ? Missing one missile, otherwise complete and in Good Condition
*Ramjet ? Missing minicon, and missiles, otherwise in good condition
*Blurr ? Missing minicon, otherwise in Good Condition
*Powerlinks Optimus Prime, PL Jetfire, and Energon Ultra Magnus Set: Complete with all accs and minicons except the Requiem Blaster redeco
*RapidRun ? No minicons, otherwise in Good Condition
*Scorpinok ? Complete, and in Good Condition
*Ironhide ? Complete and in Good Condition
*Jetfire ? Missing missile, otherwise in Good Condition
*Rodimus ? Missing Gun and Missile, otherwise in Good Condition
*Swerve - Complete and in good condition (Not certain which planet key is his though)
*Longarm - Good Condition, complete
*Bobblehead Optimus Prime (Movie 1), misb, some box wear.
*Bumblebee vs Shadow Striker (Legends two-pack) - Bumblebee ONLY, but mip, never took him out.
*Swoop ? Loose Complete
*Shockwave - MISB ON HOLD
Knock Offs
*Knockoff SkyGarry, very low quality plastic, but it is serviceable, Quirk of the design he has separate legs, includes 1 gun and nosecone section.
Power Rangers
*Tor the Shuttlezord ? Junker, Sticker wear, missing horn and platforms, One cannon has Chew damage, Very poor condition overall honestly but someone will want it.
*MMPR Red Tyrannosaurus Zord ? Missing tip of tail and a foot, otherwise good.
*MMPR Pink Pterodactyl Zord ? Missing Wings, one tab snapped off.
*Red Thunderzord Dragon ? Junker No accs, no head, claws are glued in place oddly
*White Falconzord ? Chrome wear, stickerwear, but good body condition.
*Power Rangers Zeo - Zeo Megazord - Mainly junker, bad paint and missing parts, one clip on red zord broken, ask for details.
*Power Rangers - Dragonzord part - The stand for making his staff weapon in combined form. JUST the column portion, no handle or base.
*Red Timeforce Zord, central body piece, good condition
*Blue Centurion?s Zord ? good condition, has Knife, Shield and 1 wrist gun.
*Various Rocklords, PST for Listing or specifics
*Several MOSC Gobots Power Suits, 3 from each set. PST for specifics.
*Microman Magne Acromonsters set of 3 (http://www.microfore...acromonster.htm) - Repackaged and in good condition, induvidual releases, boxes in poor shape but present.
*Mircoman Magne Giant Acroyear Set (http://www.microfore.../magnegiant.htm) - Gotta be honest, not sure if all the parts are in here, It's been a decade since I opened it last...But should mostly all be in there I hope.
*Xevoz ? Infiltraitor ? MOSC
*FF7 Sephiroth figure - original 90s release, in package (Can't recall if I ever opened it)
*Misc Animorphs figures including Visser3/HorkBa'jir, Mega Tobias and more. Most are complete and in good condition, ask for specifics
*Resident Evil 2 - Mr X, leather Coat version, MISP, packaging C6
*Web Diver - Gryphen - Repacked in box, In good condition
*web Diver - Phoenix - Repacked in Box, In good condition
*Dai Gandar Pteradactyl - Repacked. Possibly missing 1 missile/staff piece.
MUGENBINE and other Machine Robo Figures
Finally decided to clear most of these out. I plan to keep a few sets, but I have most of A thru O and several of the special sets I plan to sell. I need to get an afternoon to sort them and repack them in their boxes. Most all are in very good condition and will be repacked in their original boxes wherever possible. Several Machine Robo Rescue figures will also be joining them.
Tech Cards *Will be included with their figure if not already noted
* Car Robots ? C-001 thru 010, C-15x2, C-002 x2, C-004 x2, C-016, C-017, C-022-C027, D-001-D005, D-009, D-012 x2
* BW 2/Neo ? LongRack, (razorbeast), Cohdra, Bump, BigMos, Saberback, Hydra, thrust
* BW Japan ? ShadowPanther, Inferno,
* BW ? TM RatTrap, TM Rhinox, TM AirRazor, Depth Charge, Airhammer, Sonar, Prowl, Silverbolt, TM Waspinator, TM2 Dinobot, Rampage, Dinobot (original release), Stinkbomb, TM2 Spittor, TM2 Jawbreaker
* MW Megaplex
* Energon ? Rodimus, Prowl, UltraMagnus, Ironhide, Jetfire, Inferno, HotShot, Starscream, RapidRun, Barricade, Scavanger, Downshift,
* Armada (stickers) ? Optimus Prime, HotShot, RedAlert, Smokescreen, Scavenger, Blurr, Optimus Prime (Dexluxe), Jetfire, Sideswipe, Hoist, Overload, Powerlinx RedAlert, Megatron x2, Starscream, Cyclonus, Demolisher x2, Sideways, thrust, Thundercracker, Wheeljack, TidalWave, Skywarp,
* BM ? Mirage
* Mutants - Soundwave
WANTS: ? Loose and complete unless otherwise noted
Animated BlackOut
Animated Ironhide
Animated Safeguard
BWJ Tigatron ? Tailgun ONLY
BW Bat Optimus ? Just need one sword
Classics Astrotrain
Classics Cheetor
Classics/Henkei Dinobot (prefer Takara Release)
Classics Devastator set (Energon mold, G1 colors)
Classics Safeguard (the Minicon w/ Vector prime 3.0)
K-Mart Exclusive Minicon sets - The one with Overcharge and the dino redeco's
G1 Brainstorm ? Head (Arcana)
G1 Highbrow - Need the whole thing
G1 Snapdragon - I need All of it, head, accs and body too
Micromasters and bases (PST with which)
G1 Scramble City style combiners (Parts and limbs, pst with which)
G2 Sizzle ? Just Need his Sword
G2 Smokescreen (jet) ? Need one gun, and 2 missiles
Energon Energon Starscream (the G1 redeco)
Energon Tidalwave - White one, no minicon needed
Energon Combiner Parts: Blackout (Purple copter), Blight (yellow tank,) Bonecrusher (yellow dozer), 2x Energon Stars (both factions)
Energon Landslide/Landquake (Prefer the white one)
Cybertron Menasor (Or just his minicon partner Wideload)
Cybertron Dirtboss
Cybertron Mudflap (or any redeco of that mold)
Beast Wars 10th Optimus Primal (the black Cybertron ape mold), no board needed
Japanese DVD Minicons and X-Dimension sets (PST with which)
RM Lio Convoy
BWN Big Convoy
Movie 1 Jetstorm (White C-Jetfire redeco)
RotF Superion Set (Target Exclusive, Energon Molds)
Spare Energon Weapons, mainly need Spears and SS swords
TFCC Nexus Maximus Limb bots: all 4 needed!
Robotech Alpha and Beta Fighters, the Toynami editions
Generations/RTS: Lugnut, Windcharger, Maybe the Yellow Wideload redeco
PCC: Skyhammer and Waterlog w/ minicons definitely, Over-run and Salvage are maybes.
Edited by Vestras, 30 August 2011 - 12:56 PM.


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So you have there is this really cool painting that you gave away. Do you want it to be worth a lot or a little ? It depends on who you gave it to. If you gave it to the Worcester Art Museum, you want it to be worth an awful lot. If you gave it to your nephew, not so much. That is because you get an income tax deduction for the fair market value of property you give to charity and you are subject to gift tax on the fair market value of property that you give to a relative. If you left the painting to your nephew, he might prefer a higher value, but if your estate is taxable, the rest of your heirs will want a lower value. Of course when you hire an appraiser, she should not be giving you a different answer depending on what your purpose is. The fair market value is the fair market. Right ? Those people who work for the IRS. They are really nice people, but a little cynical and not many of them art experts. They're probably going to think that if you gave it to charity you might have encouraged the appraiser to go on the high side, but that an executor might have pushed for a lower value.
This is why the IRS has an Art Advisory Panel. The panel is made up of art experts. The objectivity of the panel is helped by a clever technique:
Information provided to the Panelists does not include the taxpayer's name, type of tax, the tax consequences of any adjustments to the value, or who did the appraisal. To minimize recognition by the Panelists of a taxpayer's entire collection, the art works are usually discussed in alphabetical order by artist or, in the case of decorative art, by object type. In the event of a conflict of interest involving a Panelist and a work of art under review, the Panelist does not participate in the discussion and is excused from the meeting.
The panel met twice in 2012 reviewing 444 items, which according to the taxpayers were worth a total of $281,859,200. That's a pretty big number, but when you consider that only 43 taxpayers were involved, it is really impressive. I don't think a cynical revenue agent would find the results all that surprising:
The Panel recommended accepting 51% and adjustments to 49% of the appraisals it reviewed. Two percent of the appraisals reviewed require additional staff development before the Panel can make a value recommendation. The Panel recommended total net adjustments of $66,066,800. On the adjusted items, the Panel recommended a net 52% reduction on the charitable contribution appraisals and a net 47% increase on items in estate and gift appraisals.
It is true that the panel is working for the government, but if the rules are being followed they don't know which way the government would want the value pushed on a particular piece they are looking at. Makes me think the system might be working well, but I may not be a good judge. This whole art thing sometimes escapes me. I have a theory that if something costs twice as much, it should be twice as good. Pictures that you hang on the wall being worth on average over half a million dollars don't fit well with that world view. So I asked my friend Matt Erskine what he thought about the panel's results. Matt's firm specializes in providing legal and fiduciary services for the owners of unique assets. Here is what he had to say:
The great preponderance of the panel members are from the New York art market.
Without looking at the individual adjustments to the artwork cited, it strains credulity to have results where the taxpayer valuations are wrong 49% of the time, that of that 49%, 90% of the Gift and Estate Tax Valuations go up (so increasing tax) and 90% of the charitable deductions go down (again increasing tax). Either the guidelines and competency of the appraisals are wrong, or the Panel does not follow the guidelines in making the valuation.
I suspect that, like in the Sonnabend Estate, high profile art valuations of iconic works can be influenced by media and political attention.
As an aside, the New York Art Market is similar to Investment Banking, by and large. They do not make money unless an object goes into motion. So, just like going to Goldman Sachs for a valuation of your company, they have an incentive to give the highest valuation possible, since that will earn them the most fees, for artwork they transact. The same would be true for the art being valued for the Panel.
The only true test would be to see if any of the items valued were transacted within 24-36 months of the valuation (basically two to three cycles of the art market) and then compare the actual net auction proceeds to the heirs to the valuation by the Panel.
I should note that most of the works being valued by the panel are being valued for estate tax purposes, so an overall bias toward going high would work in favor of the government. Also they do sometimes come up with adjustements that are taxpayer favorable. On the surface, it strikes me that the panel might be doing OK, but, of course I'm probably as cynical as the average revenue agent - and know as much about art. That's why I ask Matt about things like this.
You can follow me on twitter @peterreillycpa,
I have been a CPA for over 30 years focusing on taxation. I have extensive experience with partnerships, real estate and high net worth individuals. My ideology can…
I have been a CPA for over 30 years focusing on taxation. I have extensive experience with partnerships, real estate and high net worth individuals. My ideology can be summarized at least metaphorically by this quote: "I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer." - Brendan Behan. Nobody I work for has any responsibility for what goes into this blog and you should make no inference that they approve of it or even have read it.


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Jan 15, 2008
Infinity Ward has said it's blown away by PC piracy and the amount of people willing to steal games.
"...we pulled some disturbing numbers this past week about the amount of PC players currently playing multiplayer (which was fantastic)," the developer rep has said of Call of Duty 4 on blog FourZeroTwo.
"What wasn't fantastic," they continued, "was the percentage of those numbers who were playing on stolen copies of the game on stolen / cracked CD keys of pirated copies (and that was only people playing online)."
"It blows me away at the amount of people willing to steal games (or anything) simply because it's not physical or it's on the safety of the internet to do."
The post was headlined: They wonder why people don't make PC games any more.


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Bettegb2 on Family Tree Circles
view: full | list
Journals and Posts
Barrett , Frederick
Looking for Frederick Barrett born November 22,1910 in Bradford, England,
Looking for Murphys of England ( Balham)
Have the original birth certificate of Phyllis Ellen Murphy, Born January 20, 1912 at 4 Chesil Place -Balham Sub district: Streatham, Country of London, Registered in Wandsworth. Father: Charles Murphy, Mother: Phyllis Caroline Murphy( formerly Martin) Baptised: Arcension Church - Balham Hill February 25,1912 .
Phyllis sister is Florence Ada Murphy born January 27, 1913 , Surry , England.
Lots of information on the Martin Family:
Phyllis Caroline Martin ( Phyllis Murphy Grandmother) Born December 2, 1891 at Portland Cottages, Balham - registered Wandsworth.
Father: William Henry Martin, Mother Ellen Jane Martin (formerly Robinson). Bith registered January 19, 1892 signed by Ellen J Martin at 4 Hazelhurst Rd, Lower Tooting. Mother Phyllis Robinson died March 15, 1912, age 70- interred at Streatham Cemetary Grave #495.
Mary Ann Martin ( wife of Edward Charles Bennett ) died July 18, age 43 interred at Streatham Cemetary Grave # 670G
William Henry Martin died June 22,1925 age 28, interred at Tooting Churchyard 868 Garratt Lane, Tooting.
My Grandfather Charles Murphy said his family was from Cork , Ireland and had a large family. I met one of his sisters who resided in Penetanguish,Ontario.
My Grandfather said they sailed to Canada in 1923 but cannot verify this date.
Murphy of Australia
Looking for information on James Murphy family from victoria , Australis. He was hung at HM prison, Geelong on November 6th, 1863 for murdering a policeman O'Boyle. Apparently he was the last person hung at this prison.
- Displaying 1-3 of 3 Journals
- 1
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Today's new challenge @ Scrappy Hands is to use stripes of paper.
I created this card, and then another variation...
Cute & simple, isn't it?
Sunday, May 04, 2014
New cards: stripes of paper
8:00 AM Posted by Unknown
labels Card, Scrappy Hands
1 comments:
Cute, clean and simple. A favorite style of card. Very nice.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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iPhone 5 vs. HTC One vs. BlackBerry 10: Judging phones by their form factors
Oh, internet. It seems like only last year the iPhone 5's design was decried as boring and lacking innovation, but fast forward to now, and the BlackBerry Z10 and HTC One (or at least a supposed render) stand accused of being too iPhone 5-like in their design. We just want to hate on everything, don't we?
The truth is, the black slab archetype has been around for years. When you combine a giant screen with a minimalist chassis, there isn't a lot you can do to differentiate the essential look, unless you're willing to abandon the feng shui of curves, or compromise the lines for the sake of non-functional adornments.
If you love the iPhone, take it as a compliment. If you love something else, take it as a chance to own it. Because the details of each are unique, especially when viewed side-by-side (above). The differences in size, in materials used, in heft and feel -- the confluence of a million tiny implementation details add up to a palpable difference. And when you turn the screen on, forget about it.
iOS, Android and Sense, BlackBerry 10 are all very different approaches to mobile computing.
I'm going to keep on saying it -- we're getting to the point where hardware is so good, software and services are becoming far, far more important to the near future of mobile.
Ultimately, saying one black slab looks like the other is like saying one little black dress, tuxedo, or hypercar looks like the other. It ignores all the details, and everything going on inside.


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Module System/Virtual Library
From Gambit wiki
List of papers, books, articles, online discussions or other information that may be relevant for our work. (This doesn't mean those definitely will have an impact on our work; it's not a "references" list in the sense as used by papers written after finishing some work.)
- Composable and Compilable Macros by Matthew Flatt
- MetaScheme, or untyped MetaOCaml by Oleg Kiselyov
- The Scheme of Things: Implementing Lexically Scoped Macros by Jonathan Rees
- Syntactic Closures by Alan Bawden, Jonathan Rees


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Molly Graves & Abigail Shaffer
Molly Graves & Abigail Shaffer
Enjoying lunch at Spiaggia
Helen Berkun & Elizabeth Margulis
Corri McFadden & Bridget White
THE PARTY Approximately 60 stylish insiders gathered at Cafe Spiaggia for eDrop-Off's Spring Fling luncheon celebrating the luxury designer consignment company's eighth anniversary. THE SCENE Guests sipped white wine and nibbled hors d'oeuvres during a cocktail reception before sitting down to an elegant lunch of a mozzarella, prosciutto and apple salad, a choice of mushroom pasta or roast chicken, and tiramisu. A few lucky guests took home prizes from Kryolan Cosmetics, NTC Lincoln Park, Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique and keep.com. Photography by Galina Shishakova
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Angiogenesis is a multistep process that requires coordinated migration, proliferation, and junction formation of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) to form new vessel branches in response to growth stimuli. Major intracellular signaling pathways that regulate angiogenesis have been well elucidated, but key transcriptional regulators that mediate these signaling pathways and control EC behaviors are only beginning to be understood. Here, we show that YAP/TAZ, a transcriptional coactivator that acts as an end effector of Hippo signaling, is critical for sprouting angiogenesis and vascular barrier formation and maturation. In mice, endothelial-specific deletion of Yap/Taz led to blunted-end, aneurysm-like tip ECs with fewer and dysmorphic filopodia at the vascular front, a hyper-pruned vascular network, reduced and disarranged distributions of tight and adherens junction proteins, disrupted barrier integrity, subsequent hemorrhage in growing retina and brain vessels, and reduced pathological choroidal neovascularization. Mechanistically, YAP/TAZ activates actin cytoskeleton remodeling, an important component of filopodia formation and junction assembly. Moreover, YAP/TAZ coordinates EC proliferation and metabolic activity by upregulating MYC signaling. Overall, these results show that YAP/TAZ plays multifaceted roles for EC behaviors, proliferation, junction assembly, and metabolism in sprouting angiogenesis and barrier formation and maturation and could be a potential therapeutic target for treating neovascular diseases.
Jongshin Kim, Yoo Hyung Kim, Jaeryung Kim, Do Young Park, Hosung Bae, Da-Hye Lee, Kyun Hoo Kim, Seon Pyo Hong, Seung Pil Jang, Yoshiaki Kubota, Young-Guen Kwon, Dae-Sik Lim, Gou Young Koh
The mechanisms that promote the generation of new coronary vasculature during cardiac homeostasis and after injury remain a fundamental and clinically important area of study in the cardiovascular field. Recently, it was reported that mesenchymal-to-endothelial transition (MEndoT) contributes to substantial numbers of coronary endothelial cells after myocardial infarction. Therefore, the MEndoT has been proposed as a paradigm mediating neovascularization and is considered a promising therapeutic target in cardiac regeneration. Here, we show that preexisting endothelial cells mainly beget new coronary vessels in the adult mouse heart, with essentially no contribution from other cell sources through cell-lineage transdifferentiation. Genetic-lineage tracing revealed that cardiac fibroblasts expand substantially after injury, but do not contribute to the formation of new coronary blood vessels, indicating no contribution of MEndoT to neovascularization. Moreover, genetic-lineage tracing with a pulse-chase labeling strategy also showed that essentially all new coronary vessels in the injured heart are derived from preexisting endothelial cells, but not from other cell lineages. These data indicate that therapeutic strategies for inducing neovascularization should not be based on targeting presumptive lineage transdifferentiation such as MEndoT. Instead, preexisting endothelial cells appear more likely to be the therapeutic target for promoting neovascularization and driving heart regeneration after injury.
Lingjuan He, Xiuzhen Huang, Onur Kanisicak, Yi Li, Yue Wang, Yan Li, Wenjuan Pu, Qiaozhen Liu, Hui Zhang, Xueying Tian, Huan Zhao, Xiuxiu Liu, Shaohua Zhang, Yu Nie, Shengshou Hu, Xiang Miao, Qing-Dong Wang, Fengchao Wang, Ting Chen, Qingbo Xu, Kathy O. Lui, Jeffery D. Molkentin, Bin Zhou
Tumors are capable of coopting hematopoietic cells to create a suitable microenvironment to support malignant growth. Here, we have demonstrated that upregulation of kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), also known as VEGFR2, in a myeloid cell sublineage is necessary for malignant progression of gliomas in transgenic murine models and is associated with high-grade tumors in patients. KDR expression increased in myeloid cells as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) accumulated, which was associated with the transformation and progression of low-grade fibrillary astrocytoma to high-grade anaplastic gliomas. KDR deficiency in murine BM-derived cells (BMDCs) suppressed the differentiation of myeloid lineages and reduced granulocytic/monocytic populations. The depletion of myeloid-derived KDR compromised its proangiogenic function, which inhibited the angiogenic switch necessary for malignant progression of low-grade to high-grade tumors. We also identified inhibitor of DNA binding protein 2 (ID2) as a key upstream regulator of KDR activation during myeloid differentiation. Deficiency of ID2 in BMDCs led to downregulation of KDR, suppression of proangiogenic myeloid cells, and prevention of low-grade to high-grade transition. Tumor-secreted TGF-β and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) enhanced the KDR/ID2 signaling axis in BMDCs. Our results suggest that modulation of KDR/ID2 signaling may restrict tumor-associated myeloid cells and could potentially be a therapeutic strategy for preventing transformation of premalignant gliomas.
Yujie Huang, Prajwal Rajappa, Wenhuo Hu, Caitlin Hoffman, Babacar Cisse, Joon-Hyung Kim, Emilie Gorge, Rachel Yanowitch, William Cope, Emma Vartanian, Raymond Xu, Tuo Zhang, David Pisapia, Jenny Xiang, Jason Huse, Irina Matei, Hector Peinado, Jacqueline Bromberg, Eric Holland, Bi-sen Ding, Shahin Rafii, David Lyden, Jeffrey Greenfield
Controlled angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are essential for tissue development, function, and repair. However, aberrant neovascularization is an essential pathogenic mechanism in many human diseases, including diseases involving tumor growth and survival. Here, we have demonstrated that mice deficient in C-type lectin family 14 member A (CLEC14A) display enhanced angiogenic sprouting and hemorrhage as well as enlarged jugular lymph sacs and lymphatic vessels. CLEC14A formed a complex with VEGFR-3 in endothelial cells (ECs), and CLEC14A KO resulted in a marked reduction in VEGFR-3 that was concomitant with increases in VEGFR-2 expression and downstream signaling. Implanted tumor growth was profoundly reduced in CLEC14A-KO mice compared with that seen in WT littermates, but tumor-bearing CLEC14A-KO mice died sooner. Tumors in CLEC14A-KO mice had increased numbers of nonfunctional blood vessels and severe hemorrhaging. Blockade of VEGFR-2 signaling suppressed these vascular abnormalities and enhanced the survival of tumor-bearing CLEC14A-KO mice. We conclude that CLEC14A acts in vascular homeostasis by fine-tuning VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 signaling in ECs, suggesting its relevance in the pathogenesis of angiogenesis-related human disorders.
Sungwoon Lee, Seung-Sik Rho, Hyojin Park, Jeong Ae Park, Jihye Kim, In-Kyu Lee, Gou Young Koh, Naoki Mochizuki, Young-Myeong Kim, Young-Guen Kwon
Different tumor microenvironments (TMEs) induce stromal cell plasticity that affects tumorigenesis. The impact of TME-dependent heterogeneity of tumor endothelial cells (TECs) on tumorigenesis is unclear. Here, we isolated pure TECs from human colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) that exhibited TMEs with either improved (Th1-TME CRCs) or worse clinical prognosis (control-TME CRCs). Transcriptome analyses identified markedly different gene clusters that reflected the tumorigenic and angiogenic activities of the respective TMEs. The gene encoding the matricellular protein SPARCL1 was most strongly upregulated in Th1-TME TECs. It was also highly expressed in ECs in healthy colon tissues and Th1-TME CRCs but low in control-TME CRCs. In vitro, SPARCL1 expression was induced in confluent, quiescent ECs and functionally contributed to EC quiescence by inhibiting proliferation, migration, and sprouting, whereas siRNA-mediated knockdown increased sprouting. In human CRC tissues and mouse models, vessels with SPARCL1 expression were larger and more densely covered by mural cells. SPARCL1 secretion from quiescent ECs inhibited mural cell migration, which likely led to stabilized mural cell coverage of mature vessels. Together, these findings demonstrate TME-dependent intertumoral TEC heterogeneity in CRC. They further indicate that TEC heterogeneity is regulated by SPARCL1, which promotes the cell quiescence and vessel homeostasis contributing to the favorable prognoses associated with Th1-TME CRCs.
Elisabeth Naschberger, Andrea Liebl, Vera S. Schellerer, Manuela Schütz, Nathalie Britzen-Laurent, Patrick Kölbel, Ute Schaal, Lisa Haep, Daniela Regensburger, Thomas Wittmann, Ludger Klein-Hitpass, Tilman T. Rau, Barbara Dietel, Valérie S. Méniel, Alan R. Clarke, Susanne Merkel, Roland S. Croner, Werner Hohenberger, Michael Stürzl
Angiopoietin-2 (ANG2) regulates blood vessel remodeling in many pathological conditions through differential effects on Tie2 signaling. While ANG2 competes with ANG1 to inhibit Tie2, it can paradoxically also promote Tie2 phosphorylation (p-Tie2). A related paradox is that both inactivation and overactivation of Tie2 can result in vascular remodeling. Here, we reconciled these opposing actions of ANG2 by manipulating conditions that govern its actions in the vasculature. ANG2 drove vascular remodeling during
Minah Kim, Breanna Allen, Emilia A. Korhonen, Maximilian Nitschké, Hee Won Yang, Peter Baluk, Pipsa Saharinen, Kari Alitalo, Christopher Daly, Gavin Thurston, Donald M. McDonald
The angiopoietin/Tie (ANG/Tie) receptor system controls developmental and tumor angiogenesis, inflammatory vascular remodeling, and vessel leakage. ANG1 is a Tie2 agonist that promotes vascular stabilization in inflammation and sepsis, whereas ANG2 is a context-dependent Tie2 agonist or antagonist. A limited understanding of ANG signaling mechanisms and the orphan receptor Tie1 has hindered development of ANG/Tie-targeted therapeutics. Here, we determined that both ANG1 and ANG2 binding to Tie2 increases Tie1-Tie2 interactions in a β1 integrin–dependent manner and that Tie1 regulates ANG-induced Tie2 trafficking in endothelial cells. Endothelial Tie1 was essential for the agonist activity of ANG1 and autocrine ANG2. Deletion of endothelial
Emilia A. Korhonen, Anita Lampinen, Hemant Giri, Andrey Anisimov, Minah Kim, Breanna Allen, Shentong Fang, Gabriela D'Amico, Tuomas J. Sipilä, Marja Lohela, Tomas Strandin, Antti Vaheri, Seppo Ylä-Herttuala, Gou Young Koh, Donald M. McDonald, Kari Alitalo, Pipsa Saharinen
Lymphatic remodeling in tumor microenvironments correlates with progression and metastasis, and local lymphatic vessels play complex and poorly understood roles in tumor immunity. Tumor lymphangiogenesis is associated with increased immune suppression, yet lymphatic vessels are required for fluid drainage and immune cell trafficking to lymph nodes, where adaptive immune responses are mounted. Here, we examined the contribution of lymphatic drainage to tumor inflammation and immunity using a mouse model that lacks dermal lymphatic vessels (K14-VEGFR3-Ig mice). Melanomas implanted in these mice grew robustly, but exhibited drastically reduced cytokine expression and leukocyte infiltration compared with those implanted in control animals. In the absence of local immune suppression, transferred cytotoxic T cells more effectively controlled tumors in K14-VEGFR3-Ig mice than in control mice. Furthermore, gene expression analysis of human melanoma samples revealed that patient immune parameters are markedly stratified by levels of lymphatic markers. This work suggests that the establishment of tumor-associated inflammation and immunity critically depends on lymphatic vessel remodeling and drainage. Moreover, these results have implications for immunotherapies, the efficacies of which are regulated by the tumor immune microenvironment.
Amanda W. Lund, Marek Wagner, Manuel Fankhauser, Eli S. Steinskog, Maria A. Broggi, Stefani Spranger, Thomas F. Gajewski, Kari Alitalo, Hans P. Eikesdal, Helge Wiig, Melody A. Swartz
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. Impaired blood-retinal barrier function leads to macular edema that is closely associated with the deterioration of central vision. We previously demonstrated that the neuronal guidance cue netrin-1 activates a program of reparative angiogenesis in microglia within the ischemic retina. Here, we provide evidence in both vitreous humor of diabetic patients and in retina of a murine model of diabetes that netrin-1 is metabolized into a bioactive fragment corresponding to domains VI and V of the full-length molecule. In contrast to the protective effects of full-length netrin-1 on retinal microvasculature, the VI-V fragment promoted vascular permeability through the uncoordinated 5B (UNC5B) receptor. The collagenase matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP-9), which is increased in patients with diabetic macular edema, was capable of cleaving netrin-1 into the VI-V fragment. Thus, MMP-9 may release netrin-1 fragments from the extracellular matrix and facilitate diffusion. Nonspecific inhibition of collagenases or selective inhibition of MMP-9 decreased pathological vascular permeability in a murine model of diabetic retinal edema. This study reveals that netrin-1 degradation products are capable of modulating vascular permeability, suggesting that these fragments are of potential therapeutic interest for the treatment of DR.
Khalil Miloudi, François Binet, Ariel Wilson, Agustin Cerani, Malika Oubaha, Catherine Menard, Sullivan Henriques, Gaelle Mawambo, Agnieszka Dejda, Phuong Trang Nguyen, Flavio A. Rezende, Steve Bourgault, Timothy E. Kennedy, Przemyslaw Sapieha
The lymphatic vasculature is essential for maintaining interstitial fluid homeostasis, and dysfunctional lymphangiogenesis contributes to various pathological processes, including inflammatory disease and tumor metastasis. Mutations in
Anees Fatima, Ying Wang, Yutaka Uchida, Pieter Norden, Ting Liu, Austin Culver, William H. Dietz, Ford Culver, Meredith Millay, Yoh-suke Mukouyama, Tsutomu Kume
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Saturday Snowstorm Over; Lake Effect Begins Overnight
Don't get too comfortable with the idea of snow not falling from the sky.
The storm that dropped snow on Saturday is moving out of Michigan, but winds will be shifting overnight and will give us lake effect snow all day Sunday.
Hope you are ready for another round of shoveling or snowblowing (or have kids you can put to work)!
FOX17 reports:
Winds will eventually shift to the north overnight, then eventually to the west. That means lake-effect snow will develop overnight and continue through most of Sunday. Winter weather advisories have been extended for most of our area (especially along/west of U.S. 131) through Sunday as another two to four inches are expected compliments of Lake Michigan this time.
WZZM-13 reports:
Sunday will be mostly cloudy with lake effect snow showers producing 1-2" inland and 2-4" along the lakeshore. Blowing snow will continue. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 20s. Winds will be west-northwest at 8-16 mph inland and 12-22 mph along the lakeshore. Wind chills will be around 10-14 degrees.
The National Weather Service's Grand Rapids Office has issued a winter weather advisory for Sunday.


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Religion comes to Davos forum
DAVOS, Switzerland—Who created Davos, and why does it exist?
Questions about God and religion were rife at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos this year — providing a philosophical break from the more temporal concerns that tend to dominate the annual gathering of business and political leaders.
"Religion is more relevant now than ever," asserted Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, a leader of the Russian Jewish community.
Studies around the world show conflicting trends: while Christianity and Islam are showing steady growth in developing countries, the number of people who identify with no religion is on the rise in the richer world.
Goldschmidt quickly found himself in a deep debate with Arizona State University theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss that reflected age-old tensions over religion, science and reason.
Why believe in explanations that lack evidence, and obsess about a book written by ancients who "didn't know about the revolution of the Earth around the sun," Krauss asked.
Narkis Alon, a youthful Israeli social activist on the same panel, countered that the religious instinct in essence required no particular proof.
"For me religion is the connection to something higher," she said.
Sister Carol Keehan, head of the Catholic Health Association, a group representing more than 600 hospitals around the United States, noted that people all over the world have a need to believe in a higher power.
An analysis of more than 2,000 polls, census and other data by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 84 percent of the world's 6.9 billion people identified with a religion as of 2010. Christians were the largest group with 2.2 billion, followed by Muslims with 1.6 billion.
However, the study also found about one-in-six, or 1.1 billion people, have no religious affiliation, making them the third-largest group after Christians and Muslims. The unaffiliated mostly live in Asia, with a majority in China, where the government controls official churches.
The debate at Davos reflected a widening gulf within and among nations between the deeply devout and those who identify with no faith.
The conflicts can be seen in recent lawsuits in Italy over displaying crucifixes in public schools and another in the UK where a marriage counselor cited his religious beliefs when refusing to work with a same-sex couple. Both cases reached the European Court of Human Rights.
In the United States, Americans with no religion are becoming as important a constituency to the Democratic Party as religious conservatives are to the Republican Party. The "nones," who overwhelmingly support abortion rights and gay marriage, comprise about a quarter of voters who are registered as Democrats or lean toward the party.
Roman Catholic and other religious conservatives have found themselves on the losing side of culture war battles that a few decades ago they could have won. Gay marriage has been legalized in Belgium, Spain, Canada, Portugal, Argentina and other countries.
Standouts remain, not least in Russia, where 20 gay rights campaigners and militant Orthodox Christian activists were arrested Friday in Moscow near the Russian Duma as it overwhelmingly backed a bill that would ban "homosexual propaganda."
In Israel, there is a protracted culture war between secular and ultra-Orthodox Israelis, especially in Jerusalem.
Within religions, clergy are facing a crisis of authority caused in part by the Internet. Rank-and-file believers are as likely to turn to Google for information about faith as they are to seek guidance from recognized scholars.
The issue has been especially vexing in the fight against Islamic extremism. Muslim religious edicts, or fatwas, have proliferated across the Internet, along with YouTube video lectures, where dangerous teachings are presented as mainstream religious thought.
In response, many religious groups have been beefing up their online presence, holding lectures and worship services on Facebook and other platforms that include live chats with pastors, study of scriptures and virtual baptisms conducted via Skype.
Meanwhile, religious freedom is an increasingly important consideration in international policy making.
In a study tracking freedom of religion worldwide over three years, Pew found that three-quarters of the world's population live in countries with tight government restrictions on religious expression.
In Pakistan, Islamist groups have pushed through laws that marginalized Christians and other religious minorities. In Egypt, where the Coptic Christian minority has persistently faced discrimination, violence has flared more frequently between Christians and Muslims following the Arab Spring uprisings. Radical Islamists are behind deadly violence in Mali, Nigeria, the Philippines and elsewhere.
At several of the Davos meetings, speakers debated the consequences of the rise of political Islam across the Middle East as a result of the Arab Spring. Is there something in Islam that is antithetical to liberal values? Definitely not, insisted former Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa and Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu; these are distortions of Islam.
Mohammed Ashmawey, head of an Islamic charity, argued that faith-based charities were behind much of the health care system in his native Egypt.
He drew support from Rabbi David Saperstein, a Reform Jewish leader from the United States, who acknowledged that religion was a force for bad as well as good.
On balance though, he said it was "immensely positive."
Sania Nishtar, a Pakistani health care activist, almost jumped out of her seat.
"The interplay of religion and politics is very exploitative," she said.
She argued that religion was behind the absence of family planning in much of the developing world and that clerical objections were raised against even vaccinations.
Like much of the discussions at Davos, this one yielded mostly an agreement to disagree.
Krauss, a militant secularist, said he was open to tweaking his views.
If the stars realigned in the night sky to spell out the words "I am here," Krauss said he would reassess.
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Cooking For Engineers
Analytical cooking discussed.
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Smoke & Mirrors: Recipe Selection to Improve Your Cooki
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Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Camp Hill, PA
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:37 pm
Post subject: Smoke & Mirrors: Recipe Selection to Improve Your Cooki
Everyone knows one of those people who seem to do no wrong in the kitchen. Everything they cook seems almost too perfect. Its as if they employ some wizardry unavailable to the rest of us, some secret touch for which theyve sold their soul. Or they possess a genetic coding developed by their ancestors in the Old World and passed down through the generations. They make cooking look incredibly easy. Its as if they decide they are hungry, stick their head in the fridge, and throw random ingredients over their shoulder to have them careen off of the spice rack, bounce through a heat source to land deliciously on a serving platter.
I am not one of those people.
I do ok. Much of what I cook is appetizing. Some is pretty good. I can even dare to say that its been quite some time since my last total flop. But lets be clear: I do not make it look easy. Folks must look into my kitchen with a sense of concern. They must see a guy having a spastic fit with a carrot while drinking a beer and re-reading a recipe for the billionth time. They must wonder how that guy hasnt fatally harmed himself with the sharp cutlery. They must wonder about the flour in my hair, BBQ sauce on my chin, and balsamic on the back of my shorts. I wonder. So Im always a little surprised when people say they enjoy my food. Im downright shocked when people tell me Im a good cook.
Ive been thinking, I dont possess the skills or training to be considered a good home cook, nor can I produce sufficiently consistent results to be considered a good cook. So why do friends and family think otherwise? Certainly experience and self education have had a positive impact on my abilities. But my secret to alleged success is an almost whimsical aspect of preparing meals, a facet that seems commonly overlooked and inadequately considered, something that happens before the fridge is opened or a dish is dirtied, something that can make or break a meal. Im talking about the art of recipe selection.
What we choose to cook significantly skews our likelihoods for success or failure. Careful consideration of our meal plans make us better cooks, or can at least make it seem that way to casual audiences. Focusing on our personal strengths while limiting exposure of our culinary soft underbellies is essential to success. And our strong points extend beyond our breadth of cooking knowledge and cooking skills. They also include the extent of kitchen equipment we own and ingredients readily available to us.
Experience is an excellent ally. Repetition as well as exposure to different cooking techniques, equipment, and ingredients bolsters our abilities. To apply your experience level to the selection process, ask yourself a few questions. Am I comfortable with the methods employed by the recipe? Have I previously used the cooking vessel, heat source, blending machine, or other tools required? Do I have a clue what all those exotic ingredients taste like or what they do to the dish?? If youre answering no, it may be time to file the recipe in the ever overflowing future experiments pile and open a different cook book for todays eats.
Do you have the equipment called for? You may get away with using a blender instead of a food processor, or a wide pot in lieu of a skillet. But a waffle cooked without a waffle iron will not be a waffle. The same goes for ingredients. You might get away with one or two substitutions. If youre winging half the ingredient list, its time to move on to a different dish.
The first time or two through a new recipe, variations and improvements should be avoided. Make sure the recipe works (for you) with desirable results as it is written. It can be upgraded with better success after it has been proven functional. If you cant shake the uncontrollable urge to bugger with the mix, urge yourself instead towards a different meal.
Forget about new recipes that are obviously flawed. If they are clearly flawed, its probably subtly flawed as well. For instance, if the ingredient list calls for a cup of sugar, step 1 in the instructions uses ¼ cup of sugar, and theres no other mention of sugar in the rest of the recipe, there is definitely trouble a foot. Should the ingredient list read ¼ cup? Should step 1 involve a whole cup? Or is there ¾ cup missing from step 3? Even if you have a solid, educated guess, the question what else is wrong with this recipe? begs to be asked.
The same goes for confusing directions. If the instructions are unclear when read, its unlikely a flux capacitor level epiphany will be achieved during implementation.
It sometimes helps to work with flavors or dishes that you enjoy. The odds of success improve if you like the dish you are cooking or ingredients you are cooking with. On the flip side, avoid unappreciated ingredients. Dont like hot stuff? Then leave chile laden dishes alone. Like hot stuff, but think habaneros have an unnatural, plastic flavor? Then skip the Caribbean, move on to Mexico or Asia.
Playing to guests whims can also be effective. Should company love seafood, but are usually too cheap to buy themselves fresh fish, by all means, serve them ocean fare. The importance of scoring a 10 on the dish is diminished by the simple pleasure taken by being served something special. But beware the picky bastard. PB swears he loves fried bologna sandwiches. Its only after you serve him one that you learn he only likes a specific brand of bologna, it must be sliced extra thick, fried until just shy of browned, served on Wonder Bread with expensive brown mustard imported from Bavaria. And of course, nothing else will do.
Experimentation is an important aspect of culinary growth. It expands our skill sets and knowledge base to enable us to ultimately choose from a larger pool of recipes. In other words, it allows us to develop new strengths. For sake of this topic, it is important to note that careful recipe selection can also benefit experiments. Pick ones that limit the number of new things to be tried. If you introduce too many variables, the odds of hitting a home run go down, and debugging a strike out will be more difficult. If you try a dish using a new cooking method, a handful of unfamiliar ingredients, and an ingredient substitution, and the results suck, what do you do differently on the next attempt? Instead, try recipes having one new cooking technique, or one new piece of equipment, or one (maybe two) new ingredient. Then if the results are not as advertized, tinkering with that one thing during subsequent attempts should quickly lead you to better results.
Simplicity is a very effective tool. Uncomplicated recipes based on a few fresh ingredients produce very flavorful meals with minimal fuss. No fuss means fewer variables, which should parlee into desirable results. In fact, the K.I.S.S. principle can be the single most useful topic discussed herein when it comes to meal planning and recipe selection.
If I assume anyone bothered reading this far, Ill also assume that some folks are thinking, duh. The notions of pre-planning, forethought, and playing to ones strengths is obvious to some, or perhaps unconsciously intuitive to others. But through a mysterious left brain-right brain thing, there are normal people out there who have not reached this level of understanding. I know just such a person. For sake of this discussion, well simply refer to the person in question as the Anti-Thor.
During a visit to Thors realm, AT noticed a recipe for white chicken chili in one of my old cooking magazines. The recipe features lime, cilantro and three varieties of chiles, Anaheim, poblano, and jalapeno. AT wrote down the recipe and I quickly forgot about the event.
I ended up making the chili for a small group of friends who kept me company during a Bears playoff game. These were the type of friends who have low standards and no expectations: perfect guinea pigs. The preparation was straight forward with the exception of pureeing a portion of the veggies in a food processor to thicken the dish. No big deal. The only ingredient unfamiliar to me was poblano chiles. I compensated by tasting each poblano for hotness. Likewise, I also tasted the other familiar chiles. I found no need to scale back the chile quantity to safeguard the masses. Said masses, arguably fueled by alcohol, tore through the entire pot leaving none for the cook. The plate of mini-burgers Id made as backup went untouched. I was pleased with the results.
It was several weeks later before reports of ATs chili attempt surfaced. It turns out AT needed a chili recipe to use in a church chili cook off, which had been the impetus behind the interest for the dish. AT has no prior exposure to aneheim or poblano chiles, and finds anything including jalapeno, or pepperoni for that matter, too spicy. Of course, the batch of chiles used turned out to be mouth scalding hot. AT was unable to eat the chili, and the triple batch entered into the cook off did not impress the judges.
So while I admire both ATs sense of adventure and ATs involvement in the community, I have a difficult time understanding the whys associated with this event. Why choose an untried recipe for a public affair? Why gamble with unfamiliar ingredients? Why pick a recipe with primary ingredients that are inedible by the chef? Why not at least test the recipe before tripling efforts for a cook off? This chili was certainly not appropriate for this circumstance. If this intelligent individual is susceptible to such a pitfall, there must be others as well. Its for these folks that I ramble so. Lets dig a little deeper.
My old Websters thinks a recipe is a set of instructions for making something (as a food dish) from various ingredients. Logic then suggests cooking is simply implementation of those directions. Amass the materials and tools needed, manipulate as per directions, eat. Therefore, cooking should be easy like putting together a prefab book case or assembling your kids two wheeled Christmas present. The results should be predictable; the result should resemble the picture on the box. But if three individuals make the same recipe in their homes and bring their result to the company picnic, why do all three look and taste differently? Each chefs personal experience, collection of cookware and ingredients, collectively our strengths, all affect the finished product. Additionally, our personal interpretation of the instructions will also affect the outcome.
The experience angle is pretty straight forward. Someone who has previously prepared a dish dozens of times will have an easier time than someone struggling through their first attempt. Or a person who cooks a bunch may gleam a better understanding of the dish than a person who occasionally dabbles in the kitchen.
Someone using the appropriate cookware may get different results from those who have to improvise. Quality of cookware arguably produces variations. Type of heat source, be it electric, gas, induction, or grill may also leave a mark.
But the choice of ingredients coupled with ones interpretation of the recipe lends the largest impact. Lets consider chicken stock in the ingredient category. This source of prevalent chickeny flavor comes in a variety of formats all having slightly different tastes, all having potential to provide a different outcome. Theres homemade, canned, boxed. Theres also salted to death or unsalted, makeshift from bouillon or paste, or freezer burned. And if store bought, theres brand variation. Throw in something equally as variable, say white wine, and your pan sauce becomes wholly unique. You picked sauvignon blanc, your neighbor chardonnay, her neighbor pinot blanc from France, the person who wrote the recipe pinot blanc from Oregon. . . .
Now lets factor in interpretation. Recipes, while precise in ingredient measurement, can be nebulous with regard to implementation. What the heck to these mean: large skillet, medium dice, small onion, medium high heat, blend until just combined, medium eggplant, medium garlic clove minced fine, dry wine, fork tender, stir occasionally until golden, etc. This type of imprecise terminology is extensively utilized. And these terms can mean wildly different things to different people. You and the person who authored the recipe are different people.
Because of this vast potential for variability, its necessary to think about the context in which the recipe is found. Considering where the recipe comes from can help you decide if your skills and supplies are appropriate for the tasks at hand, and hence, whether the recipe is right for you. It can also clarify some of the fuzziness associated with ingredient choices and non-specific terminology. For instance, good cookbooks include much more than just collections of recipes. They should also have tons of background information like descriptions of ingredients commonly used throughout the book, where to buy any special stuff if unusual, if any special treatment is required to utilize the stuff, and a recipe for the authors chicken stock . Same goes for equipment and cooking techniques. There should be enough background to successfully complete the recipe in the fashion intended by the author.
On the other side of the coin there are those sources that lend very little insight. My favorite is the 3x5 card laden recipe box inherited from Mrs. Thors grandma. One side of each card sports the ingredient list written in a shorthand similar to Sanskrit. The other side has the cooking instructions, many of which are as elaborate as mix; bake at 375.
The quality of many recipe sources fall between the good cookbook and the 3x5 card levels. By factoring in some of the same considerations previously applied directly to recipes, we can decide if the recipes source fits our talents, and hence, the likelihood of successfully executing the recipes therein. If you understand the concepts presented, if you have the equipment commonly recommended, if you can readily obtain the ingredients specified, there are no apparent errors, and you feel that you have a clear picture of the authors intent, then you have an excellent chance of successfully completing the recipes contained within the given source.
While there are no physics, chemistry, or differential equations needed to apply these principals, there is definitely a science to choosing recipes. A simply applied methodology based on forethought and a touch of self analysis can improve our cooking results. At a minimum, a good dose of these measures can create the illusion of cooking abilities beyond our means to impress and please our friends and families.
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Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 89
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 12:32 am
Post subject:
That is a very interesting article, I hope you posted it in other places as well because I think only me, Michael, and DrBiggles will brave through it.
I couldn't agree with you more on most of the things you said. Sadly, I am one of those people that can't help but change the recipe the first time they use it. My nemesis up until now was sushi rice, every recipe had a different ratio, a different cooking time, a different cooking method, and a different seasoning. I have FAILED at making sushi rice around six times (meaning I literally had to throw a whole batch out), and it was partly because I thought it was a simple four step process:
1) wash the rice
2) put 1:1 parts rice and water
3) cook for 15 minutes
4) optionally add the vinegar seasoning
The only recipe that really and truly worked is the one I found on wikibook and videojug, which was more like 8 steps:
1) wash AND scrub the rice repeatedly in a lot of water until the water you put in the bowl runs clear
2) let the rice soak in 1:1.20 parts rice to water for at least 30 minutes
3) put the lid on securely and let it heat up to boiling
4) bring the heat down to low and let it cook for 15 minutes or less
5) turn off the heat and let it sit for no less than 10 more minutes
6) prepare the vinegar, sugar, and dashi seaoning
7) scoop the rice out into a large bowl and sprinkle on the seasoning
8) gently mix the rice and seasoning in one hand while fanning to cool it with your other hand.
This method has yielded consistent results that rival the sushi rice I've eaten in restaurants. In my earlier attempts skipping some steps like the soaking or the fanning, and I always felt it was way too much vinegar (turned out the one I was using just tasted terrible).
I just started going to college and I've exposed my cooking talent to people who've said "this is the best meal I've had in years", which surprised me because I felt like I overcooked the meat, and in my haste I let a whole dish of cooked food fall and splatter on the ground right in front of their faces (silicon oven oven mitt + greasy porcelain dish + a cook thats been cooking non stop for five hours = bad). I almost never follow recipes except for their method, and all the food I serve is to some degree of my own creation.
(I have more to say, so I will be back to continue my response)
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This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
OWASP Australia AppSec 2008 Conference
Welcome to the OWASP Australia Application Security Conference for 2008. Following on from the great success of OWASP Conferences in 2006 and 2007 in the United States and Europe, the first ever Asia Pacific & Australia Security conference will take place in February 2008. The conference will offer an opportunity for security professionals, developers, and managers to hear from industry recognised speakers on the latest critical security risks associated with application security. The conference includes a number of high quality presentations from industry speakers and business professionals with also the opportunity to network with relevant application security vendors and professionals.
**NEW** The Live Photo Blog is online, you can now see some photos from the conference.
We will attempt to upload photos throughout the conference.
- 1 Conference Details
- 2 Latest News
- 3 Cocktail Party and Asia Pacific Launch of The New face of Cybercime Wednesday Night
- 4 OWASP Conference Training: Wednesday 27th February 2008
- 5 Agenda and Presentations: Thursday 28th and Friday 29th February 2008
- 6 Technology Expo
- 7 Conference Fees
- 8 Registration
- 9 Conference Accomodation & Hotel Registration
- 10 OWASP Australian Security Conference 2008 Sponsors
- 11 Conference Committee
Conference Details
Conference Training Day (Wednesday 27th February 2008).
Main Conference Presentations (Thursday 28th and Friday 29th February 2008).
The 2008 Conference will be held at the Gold Coast Convention Center in Queensland Australia.
The Conference includes a Vendor Exhibition, Welcome Cocktail Party and Gala Dinner.
Latest News
The Conference Training & Presentation Agenda's are all online now. Registrations are filling fast, so please get in before registrations close. Also OWASP has decided (based on popular requests) to extend the "Early Bird" registrations until the end of January. This means you can save up to $50 off the already discounted conference registrations.
The Conference committee have arranged all the facilities which will be excellent, and the food selection has taken place, (Everyone will enjoy the excellent food offerings as well as the Gala Dinner prepared for the Thursday Night which is all inclusive of the conference fees.)
If you have any questions please let us know, we look forward to seeing everyone at the conference.
Cocktail Party and Asia Pacific Launch of The New face of Cybercime Wednesday Night
The guys at Fortify have once again come to the party and are sponsoring a Fortify OWASP Cocktail Party on the Wednesday Night (27th February 2008) from 6:00PM until 7:30PM. This will be held on level 1 of the Gold Coast Convention Centre (Foyer E), and all conference attendees are welcome to join us. Free Drinks, Cocktails and light food will be provided. The showing (video launch) in Australia for the New Face of Cybercrime video will also be played during the cocktail party. Please come and join us for a great initial night of drinks, good people and networking opportunities.
OWASP Conference Training: Wednesday 27th February 2008
Training Day: The Training to be offered at the Conference is a one day course on Application Security Testing, and Coding Security Techniques. This course provides an understanding of how to Identify Vulnerabilities in Web Applications, how to exploit them, and also techniques and methods to address the problems within the Application code. (Examples will be provided in .NET and Java).
This course will be delivered by Mr. Jonathan Carter and Peter Freiberg, both are Application Security Experts within Australia and have previous development backgrounds in Microsoft .NET and Java Programming Languages.
Agenda and Presentations: Thursday 28th and Friday 29th February 2008
Agenda is now ONLINE. Mark Curphey (Founder of OWASP, and currently with Microsoft is speaking) along with a number of other industry experts from Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, and the US and UK. With planing, we have tried to cover nearly every topic relating to Application Security so attendees should gather a wealth of Technical and Business related content for Application Security.
Technology Expo
Leading vendors in the application security space will be at the conference giving technology demonstrations and providing access to their technical staff so they can answer in-depth questions and demonstrate the capabilities of their products or managed services.
The technology expo will be open during the conference in the meeting area. All attendees will be available to meet and discuss with any of the vendors during morning, lunch, and afternoon breaks.
More information about conference sponsorship and participating in the technology expo is available by contacting the conference Committee.
Conference Fees
Standard: $475, OWASP Members: $425,
Membership Discounts Available:
AISA Members: $25
Auscert Members: $25 (Select Group Special when registering)
Conference Fees are inclusive of all presentations and agenda (including the Cocktail Reception and Gala Dinner)
Conference Tutorial (One Day Training):
$650 ($750 if attending tutorial only)
Early Registration Discount (* Extended until 25th Jan 2008): $50
Note: To save on processing expenses, all fees paid for the AppSec 2008 Conference are non-refundable. OWASP can accomodate transfers of registrations from one person to another, if such an adjustment becomes necessary. (Please note that all fees are in USD) (Conference Fees are kept to a minimum and follow the US/UK Conference Pricing)
When selecting Group Membership discounts when registering, you will be asked upon the conference day to show your membership details to the conference registration desk.
Registration is now open!! Here is the registration page.
Conference Accomodation & Hotel Registration
OWASP has negotiated a deal with the Sofitel Hotel near the conference Facility. You can download the registration form from the OWASP web site and fax the registration directly to the Hotel. This hotel is within 5 minutes walking distance from the Conference Facility. [Registration http://www.owasp.org/images/0/05/OWSAP_FEB_2008.doc]
For other Hotels, you can try the Jupiters Casino which is also within walking distance, or try www.wotif.com and Gold Coast (Broadbeach Hotels for places to stay nearby the Facility).
The Sofitel Hotel is nearly full, the next closest hotel is the Bel Air at Broadbeach. They currently still have rooms available on Wotif, or you can contact the Hotel directly.
OWASP Australian Security Conference 2008 Sponsors
The following organizations are sponsors for this conference. If you are interested in sponsoring the OWASP Australia AppSec 2008 conference, please contact the conference committee.
Current OWASP Australia Application Security 2008 Conference Sponsors are:
The conference is currently supported by
Conference Committee
OWASP Australian Conferences Chair: Justin Derry - b-sec Consulting - jderry 'at' owasp.org
Currently assisted by (and with thanks)
OWASP Conferences Chair: Dave Wichers - Aspect Security - dave.wichers 'at' owasp.org