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Prof Peter Higgs: New portrait of boson particle physicist
- Published
A new portrait of the scientist who gave his name to the Higgs boson "god particle" has been unveiled in Edinburgh.
Prof Peter Higgs came up with the theory on how matter attains its mass.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh commissioned leading Scottish painter Victoria Crowe to produce the portrait, which was unveiled on Friday.
It said it wanted to honour Prof Higgs' outstanding contribution to the understanding of particle physics.
The Edinburgh University physicist hit upon his defining concept during a walk in the Cairngorms in 1964, when he started to consider the existence of a particle that gives matter its mass.
He wrote two scientific papers on his theory and was eventually published in the Physical Review Letters journal, sparking a 40-year hunt for the Higgs boson.
In July, a team from the European nuclear research facility at Cern, Geneva, announced the detection of a particle that fitted the description of the elusive Higgs.
Earlier this year First Minister Alex Salmond announced an annual prize for school students who excel in physics was to be named after Prof Higgs.


text: Online shopping seems like a straightforward process: hunt down the perfect item, trudge through the checkout pipeline and await a package's inevitable arrival. The trip between a warehouse and your doorstep, however, involves meticulous organization on a massive scale. In order to pull off such a feat, United Parcel Service (UPS) relies on Worldport in Louisville, Ky.: a 5.2 million-square-foot processing facility that's capable of sorting up to 416,000 packages an hour. Within Worldport, 70 aircraft docks and 155 miles of conveyor belts await the arrival of packages from over 220 countries and territories. So, what happens when UPS gets ahold of those parcels destined for air delivery? The folks clad in brown took us inside their largest sorting hub to find out.

subset: commoncrawl


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Product Description
Gorgeous asymmetrical clutch featuring a martini. Hand crafted to perfection. All bags come with a removable cross-body chain, logo dust bag, clear vinyl inner pocket, and are individually signed.
Dimensions: 12 x 7 x 1
Proudly handmade in the USA.
Individually signed by the Artist Kent Stetson.
Product Reviews
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text:
Many of you have requested images of the Ice Light in Action along with some final images. We have broken the image galleries out into different looks. Here are a few behind the scenes and final images by photographer Andrew Faulds.
The Ice light is a portable handheld daylight light source that is fully-dimmable. The Ice Light allows photographers a portable option if there is limited space to setup an entire photo studio. If you don't have an assistant, the Ice Light is easy to mount, with a built in 1/4″ #20 threads on both ends. The beauty of continuous light is that you can see how light patterns fall before the shot, therefore eliminating the test shot and creating a better workflow. The Ice Light was Created for multiple uses including photography and videography.


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We're still open!
Being a small and independent creative business, all the design-led products that are on offer have been crafted in small batches. Seeing as most of them are made to order, the products have primarily been created in isolation in the Edinburgh studio.
With this in mind, there has always been one person preparing, crafting or hand finishing the handcrafted products at any one time. This situation has bided well in maintaining control over the quality of work produced over the years and now could not be more befitting with the existing condition of social distancing and isolation within the spread prevention of COVID-19 government guidelines.
Additional measures have also been introduced within our studio & creative practices during this challenging time in order to protect everyone concerned (you, the community and us), also adhering to government advice and guidelines. Our studio will still be operating, but on a very limited scale, this is what we have put in place:
- Stopping all activities that involves physical face to face or direct contact with one another, i.e. courses, open studios, site project visits and meetings, shows, fairs, etc. We will review this situation on a week-to-week basis, in accordance to government guidelines; however, our preliminary plan will be to somewhat resume again at the start of September 2020.
- We have put all of our custom made products and services on hold until lockdown is eased or lifted.
- Orders and deliveries of products will only be available on the interior accessories range, products of which we have existing stock of already, i.e. coasters, placemats, selected cushions and samples.
- This means that although we are not trading in the conventional way, you can still access our products online, purchased directly from our website.
- When you place an order for the available products, this will be prepared in isolation in the studio adhering to our updated hygiene protocol of:
- Regular hand-washing,
- The use of hand sanitizers,
- Preparation of any products for deliveries with the use of gloves and face masks in a regularly cleaned/ sterilized preparation area,
- Products being dispatched using the no contact services available through Royal Mail and selected courier service. And then delivered to your door by means of no contact method as well.
Due to the current limitations, we are asking for your patience while we're trying to deliver the best service we possibly can under the circumstance. Please expect delays in the delivery times and our overall services.
You can still buy gift cards, physical or electronic as a gift to someone, should the availability and timing of our products and services become an issue at this time. This gift card can be redeemed on any of our products and services offered on our website once things resume again, i.e. bespoke services, courses, products. This will also be the lifeline for us in continuing with our craft for when we have overcome this challenge.
To show our goodwill and support during this challenging time, also contributing to some positive vibes, we would also like to offer a 10% discount on any purchases made on the website until 31st May 2020. This discount will apply to any products and services, course bookings for future dates and gift card purchases available on the website. Please enter ROCKLOBSTER at the checkout for the discount to be applied. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
We hope that you stay at home and stay safe! 🙂
Much love,
Designer/ Maker & Owner of Moody Monday
This announcement was posted on: Tues, 28th April 2020


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No, no, I am not talking about Greater Nepal for just like Akhanda Bharat, this is just a distant dream. I am advocating that our leaders especially PM Oli take a page out of President Trump's book and do as he says. Whilst our PM is trying his best being hospitable and opening diplomatic relationships all over the world, the President of the USA has embarked on a different path. He no longer follows the adage of a countryman of his who advocated the very successful slogan, 'How to Make Friends and Influence People'. No DT is just the opposite. His daily onslaughts on Twitter are basically to annoy others and get his own objective fulfilled. His thoughts on Global Warming, which he disputes and his action on raising tariffs against the rest of the world annoy everyone.
To protect the Japanese farmer the Japanese government has always raised tariffs against the import of rice into Japan. It is perhaps because of our open border and agreements with India that we cannot enforce a rule such as this. Once upon a time Nepal was known not only as a rice exporter but also of timber. During World War II, when the British who then ruled India had to transport troops quickly to the war front, it was Nepal which rose to the occasion and supplied timber to lay down the railway lines. Now the situation has changed and it is India and China who are helping us to build railways here!
What is happening in Nepal is that the whole country is being flooded with the agrarian and industrial products from all over the world. It may because we did not have the resources to provide jobs and continuous sources of energy that our young lads left the country to work elsewhere. One hopes that this situation will now change. Some who had gone to distant lands to work have come back with the realisation that if they worked as hard as they were forced to toil in distant lands, they would earn enough for their needs. It is these countrymen who we have help to be able to stand on their own feet. They are taking innovative steps, such as doing agriculture with minimal water or growing new varieties of fruits and vegetables. Sometime ago a vernacular daily gave news of the move to get each household of Nepal to plant or two lime trees in their compound so as to ensure a year round supply of the fruit and to reduce imports from elsewhere. Our Nepali countrymen should be encouraged to live and work in motherland Nepal. Unfortunately a hard working Nepali does not get a fair deal for the efforts that he puts in.
The styles and modes of living in Nepal have changed and are changing further. Though not so for everyone, many of us are spending more and perhaps eating better. It is no secret that prices of food products have sky rocketed recently. Who is making the money? Not the farmer who is producing the product concerned – be it the cereal, fruit, vegetable, poultry or the animal for consumption. It is the middle man, the fixer who imports or buys from the producer in the land at minimal prices and sells to the consumers at exorbitant rates.
It is common practice for sugar factory owners to not weigh the sugarcane brought by the farmers immediately but make the carts wait at the factory gates for a few days so that the cane loses moisture and thus weighs less, thereby giving the farmer a raw deal. Now the problem is different. Sugar from distant lands which cost much less because of mechanisation is displacing the local produce. Sugar produced in Nepal is lying in the godowns whilst the traders are selling off the imported cheaper product at greater profits.
The other day I listened to the difficulties of a farmer in Dhankuta who narrated his tale. Currently he is having difficulties exporting his produce elainchi or tomatoes to India. Rather than sell it at give away prices he is letting his produce rot on the land. He has now reached a stage where he is contemplating giving up farming all together as the government of our land is not farmer friendly. It is not that Nepali farmers are neither innovative nor enterprising. Some are growing fruits such as kiwi, which is new to Nepal. Others are breeding turkeys and ostriches. To protect these domestic farmers, the government has to levy tariffs on food stuffs coming into Nepal from other lands. One reads periodically of the stopping of certain agricultural exports of Nepal e.g. ginger or tomatoes on some pretext or the other at the border. Delay of a day or two can lead to great loss if the goods are perishable. As our trade practices with India or China should be simplified it is also necessary that both our Northern and Southern Big Brothers should make allowances and accept our placing tariffs on their products. Such action should not be taken otherwise but rather as an effort to make the Nepali products more competitive in their own land to enable local farmers to survive. After all our products such as tomatoes, onions and garlic exude a certain aroma or even odour that the imported varieties lack!
These are crucial days for Nepali agriculture. Whilst existing products are not in a position to be sold in the country because of cheaper products from outside, the Nepali farmer presently has to cope with the floods and landslides that the country is going through. Is there a silver lining to the dark clouds that are presently overshadowing us all?
VOL. 14 No. 05, October 16, 2020 ( Ashwin 30, 2077) Publisher: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75
VOL. 14 No. 04, September 18, 2020 ( Ashwin 2, 2077) Publisher: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75
VOL. 14 No. 03, August 21, 2020 ( Bhadra 05, 2077) Publisher: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75


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THOUSAND student places are being scrapped at the city's leading university because of a row over funding.
The University of Birmingham is to shed the places over the next three years, causing misery for school-leavers.
The university, a member of the prestige Russell Group, is slashing its student intake from this week.
Vice-chancellor Prof Michael Sterling said: "We are one of the most popular universities so we have a high number of applications."
The Higher Education Funding Council pays universities for a fixed number of UK and European Union students.
It then allows the more popular universities to take up to five per cent more students, but they have to fund the extra numbers from within their own budgets.
The current £3,000 a year tuition fee meets around a fifth of a student's total teaching cost.
Prof Sterling, chairman of the Russell Group, added: "This depresses the overall amount of money you can spend per student, so it's a pretty big disincentive to take on more.
"We have, at the moment, about 1,000 more students than we are funded to take, but we can't afford to continue doing that unless the HEFC comes up with more funded places.
"It's not viable because you are essentially teaching them for a fifth of the resource. The hope always is that if the government wants to expand student numbers they will provide us with extra funding, but there has been no sign of that."
A HEFC spokesman said there was a "fixed pot" of money, with the Secretary of State placing a duty on them to monitor student growth carefully and not exceed planned numbers.
"Higher education institutions are mindful of that."


text:
|Detecting a watermark embedded in an information signal
|Digital watermarking
|Cox et al.
|Methods for surveying dissemination of proprietary empirical data
|Spread spectrum watermark for embedded signalling
|Protecting images with an image watermark
|Braudaway et al.
|Compression embedding
|Sandford, II et al.
|Watermarking process resilient to collusion attacks
|Image processing method and apparatus for adding identifying information to an image portion and forming the portion at a lower of plural resolutions
|Data embedding
|Sandford, II et al.
|Method and apparatus for embedding authentication information within digital data
|Steganography methods employing embedded calibration data
|Method and apparatus for reducing quantization artifacts in a hierarchical image storage and retrieval system
|Color correct digital watermarking of images
|Braudaway et al.
|Compressed video text overlay
|Digital data watermarking
identifying, within the block-level bitstream, a potentially skipped block for alteration which, if image information in the potentially skipped block is altered, a decoded sequence of images containing the potentially skipped block would be inconsequentially impacted;
selecting said identified block within a frame as a selected block;
combining the selected block with a block containing watermark information; and
whereby the block level bitstream is watermarked.
providing a watermark image;
performing a discrete cosine transform upon said watermark image to produce a plurality of DCT coefficients; and
quantizing said DCT coefficients to produce at least one block of quantized DCT coefficients that form said block of watermark information.
altering user data of the block level bitstream to include watermark decoding information.
identifying a busy region within the frame; and
selecting said block within said busy region.
identifying a certain region within the frame using a subjective criterion; and
selecting said block within said certain region.
replacing the selected block with a block containing watermark information.
a frame and block selector for identifying, within the block-level bitstream, a potentially skipped block for alteration which, if image information in the potentially skipped block is altered, a decoded sequence of images containing the potentially skipped block would be inconsequentially impacted, and for selecting the potentially skipped block within a frame as a selected block;
a watermark encoder, coupled to said frame and block selector, for producing a block containing watermark information; and
where said frame and block selector combines the selected block with said block containing watermark information to watermark the block level bitstream.
a discrete cosine transform unit for performing a discrete cosine transform upon said watermark image to produce a plurality of DCT coefficients; and
a quantizer for quantizing said DCT coefficients to produce at least one block of quantized DCT coefficients that form said block of watermark information.
a user data processor for altering the user data of the block level bitstream to include watermark decoding information.
The invention relates to image processing systems and, more particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing digital watermarkingofa digital image sequence.
With the advent of digitization of images, digital image distribution and digital video availability, copyright protection of such digital imagery has become a substantial issue for image publishers and authors. One technique used to identify digital video ownership is a digital "watermark" that is embedded into an image sequence. Such watermarks must be secure and robust to intentional corruption and to compression processing, not be unreasonably complex to embed and extract, and be compatible and interoperable with conventional image processing systems. For authentication applications, the watermark is generally invisible to a viewer of a decoded image sequence. However, in some applications, it is desirable to produce a visible watermark that can be removed by an authorized image decoder and that can not be removed by an unauthorized decoder.
Various digital watermarking techniques have been attempted for both still and video images with varying levels of success. The use of spread-spectrum techniques are disclosed in Hartung et al., "Digital Watermarking of Raw and Compressed Video", Systems for Video Communication, October 1996, pp. 205-213 and Hartung et al., "Watermarking of MPEG-2 Encoded Video Without Decoding and Reencoding", Proceedings of SPIE 3020, Multimedia Computing and Networking 97 (MMCN 97), February 1997. The first of these papers discloses a technique that spreads the energy of a watermark image throughout a video sequence to be "watermarked" using a pseudo-noise signal. Once the pseudo-noise signal has been embedded into the video sequence, the system encodes the video sequence containing the watermark. In this manner, the watermarking is accomplished in the pixel domain. As such, any coding losses in the video coding process apply to the watermark as well as the images in the video sequence. At the decoder, the spread watermark is correlated and extracted from the video sequence. The use of a spread-spectrum technique requires substantial synchronization and signal processing hardware at both the encoder and decoder to facilitate recovery of the watermark and the video. As such, pixel domain watermark processes are generally avoided.
The second of the aforementioned papers disclose a bitstream domain watermarking technique where the "block" of an image frame within the video sequence is coded and then combined with a coded watermark signal. Specifically, a block is generally an 8×8 pixel portion of an image frame. The block is coded using a discrete cosine transform (DCT) to form a coded block. A watermark image is similarly divided into blocks and DCT coded. The DCT coefficients representing the coded watermark block and the coded image block are then added together to form a combined block. The combined block is quantized and error coded. Thereafter, a selection process is performed to transmit only the "watermarked" coefficients that will not increase the bit rate necessary to transmit the encoded video sequence. This selection process compares the number of bits required to encode coefficients of the combined block with the number of bits required to encode coefficients of the image block only. If the number of combined block bits is greater than the number of image block bits, the system transmits the image block bits; otherwise, the combined block is transmitted. Clearly, such a selection process eliminates some of the watermark information and thus distorts the watermark. In some extreme cases, the watermark information may not be transmitted at all or such a small amount may be transmitted that the watermark is rendered useless. Also, due to the randomness of transmitting or not transmitting each bit, this technique is restricted to spread spectrum or other highly redundant watermarking techniques. The redundancy may be used by an attacker to locate and remove the watermark.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a watermarking technique that does not remove any amount of watermark signal by inserting a watermark into the encoded bitstream representation of an image sequence.
The disadvantages associated with the prior art are overcome by the present invention of a method and apparatus that inserts watermark information directly into an encoded video bitstream. The invention identifies certain blocks or macroblocks in an encoded video bitstream and inserts the watermark information directly into the bitstream such that these certain blocks or macroblocks are replaced with a block or macroblock containing watermark information. In its broadest sense, the invention may replace video information in any macroblock or block within a macroblock with a macroblock or block containing watermark information. One form of macroblock that can be replaced with watermark information is a "skipped" macroblock. So-called skipped macroblocks are macroblocks of video information that are deemed inconsequential to the decoding process and, as such, are identified by the encoder as macroblocks that are not to be encoded and transmitted, i.e., skipped. Additionally, macroblocks may contain blocks of information that may be "skipped" and, as such, although a macroblock itself is not skipped, a block within the macroblock may be skipped. Consequently, the invention may insert watermark information into such a skipped block.
In a block-based encoding technique such as MPEG encoding, the video is encoded as defined groups of pictures, where each group of pictures contains particular types of frames known as I, P and B frames. If the watermark information is placed in blocks within B-frames only, then the watermark will generally be invisible. B-frames are not used to predict other frames during decoding; therefore, the watermark will only appear on the screen for a fraction of a second. If, however, the watermark information is placed in an I- or P-frame, where the frame information is used to predict other frames during decoding, the watermark information will be visible in the decoded video unless the watermark is removed from the bitstream by an "authorized" decoder. To further adjust the visibility of the watermark, the amplitude of the discrete cosine transform coefficients that comprise a watermark is adjusted as well as the quantization scale that is used to quantize the watermark DCT coefficients.
The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a block-based video encoder incorporating the present invention for watermarking the encoded video bitstream;
FIG. 2 depicts a detailed block diagram of a watermark processor of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of a method of operation for the watermark processor of FIG. 2.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures.
FIG. 1 depicts a block-based video encoder system 100 containing a block-based encoder 102, a watermark processor 104, and an optional transport stream generator 106. The block-based encoder 102 is illustratively an encoder that satisfies the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) standards for such encoders of video image sequences, i.e., the encoder is generally referred to as an MPEG encoder. This MPEG encoder 102 produces a "block level" bitstream containing a picture header(s) and a sequence of encoded blocks of pixels that represent a frame (picture) within a sequence of images (video). The encoder also produces a plurality of motion vectors (MV) that are related to the encoded frame and are imbedded within the bitstream. The encoded frames are generally classified as I, P and B frames, where I frames are not predicted from any other frames, P frames are encoded using a reference frame, i.e., I frame information or information from another P frame, and B frames are frames that are encoded using two reference frames. i.e., information from an I frame and a P frame or information from two P frames. A detailed description of the encoding process used by an MPEG encoder is described in ISO/IEC International Standard 13818-2, Jan. 20, 1995, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Although the present invention is discussed as being operative with an MPEG encoder, the inventive watermarking apparatus should be understood as being applicable to any image sequence encoding process that uses a block-based encoding technique, e.g., H.261, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and the like.
One feature of a block-based coding system that the watermarking technique of the present invention exploits is the feature that skips transmission of certain select blocks of information to conserve transmission bandwidth. For example, in MPEG encoding, a video frame is divided into a plurality of macroblocks, where each macroblock is comprised of a plurality of blocks. In a 4:2:0 chrominance format, a macroblock comprises four 8×8 blocks of luminance data and two 8×8 blocks of chrominance data. In a 4:2:2 chrominance format, there are four blocks of chrominance data and, in a 4:4:4 chrominance format, there are eight blocks of chrominance data. Each macroblock is encoded by performing a discrete cosine transform (DCT) upon each 8×8 block. The DCT coefficients are then quantized to form a plurality of 8×8 blocks containing quantized DCT coefficient blocks. For certain portions of the image, e.g., "flat" regions, the blocks contain very little or no DCT information. Since these blocks contain information that is inconsequential to the decoding technique, the encoder marks these blocks as not necessary to be transmitted (or stored) by the encoder system. As such, they are marked to be "skipped". The marking is accomplished using a "macroblock address increment field" that identifies a particular macroblock's relationship to a previous macroblock. If the increment skips a number, the number skipped is a skipped macroblock. For example, if a first macroblock is associated with an address "158" and the next macroblock has an increment field containing the integer "2" to identify it as macroblock address "160", then the 159th macroblock is a skipped macroblock. The macroblock address increment field is defined in the MPEG standard 13818-2.
Additionally, the skipped blocks may be within a macroblock such that a macroblock may contain some blocks of relevant information and some blocks of irrelevant information. In such instances, the blocks with irrelevant information are not coded and are skipped. These skipped blocks within a macroblock are identified by a "coded block pattern" (CBP) field within the rame header. Generally, the CBP contains a multiple bit word, one bit for each block in a macroblock (e.g., in a 4:2:0 chrominance format there are 6bits in the CBP for each macroblock, where a "1" indicates that the block is to be coded and a "0" indicates that the block is to be skipped. The present invention inserts watermarks into a bitstream on either the macroblock or block level, or both.
Although in the illustrative embodiments of the invention the watermark information is inserted into the bitstream at locations of the skipped blocks or macroblocks, the invention may be utilized to insert watermark information into any block or macroblock within a bitstream. In particular, a certain criteria can be used to select particular blocks or macroblocks and insert watermark information by substituting the watermark DCT coefficients for those of the blocks, by adding the watermark DCT coefficient values to those of the blocks, or by otherwise combining the DCT coefficients of the watermark with those of the blocks in the bitstream. The block selection criteria may be one of any available criteria. One example is to identify blocks within a "busy" or complex region of the video image and inserting the watermark information into that area. Such a region may be identified by monitoring the amplitude of high frequency DCT coefficients within the video frames or using a subjective standard such as a Just Noticeable Differences (JND) technique as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/730,275, filed Oct. 15, 1996 and incorporated herein by reference. By inserting the watermark into a busy region, any image distortion caused by the watermarking process will be unnoticeable because the busy region masks the distortion. The present invention is embodied in the watermark processor 104. This processor generates a watermark, processes the watermark to produce a representation that is compatible with the bitstream (i.e., for an MPEG encoder, the watermark is divided into blocks, then DCT processed and quantized to form a plurality of compatible macroblocks), selects certain ones of the "skipped" macroblocks or blocks, replaces the selected skipped macroblocks or blocks with watermark macroblocks or blocks and outputs the watermarked bitstream. The watermarked bitstream is then further processed, as needed, by the optional transport stream generator 106 to form an MPEG compliant transport stream.
To insert an invisible watermark, the watermarking technique is generally applied to B-frames. As such, the watermarked frame is not used by the decoder to reconstruct any other frames and, consequently, the watermark would only appear on the screen for a fraction of a second. Although the watermark only appears in a single frame or multiple frames distributed throughout the decoded sequence the decoded video can be searched and the watermark could easily be identified to authenticate a transmission. On the other hand, if a watermark is intended to be visible, the watermark can be inserted into one or more I or P frames. As such, the watermarked frame would be used by the decoder to reconstruct other frames and, consequently, would appear on the screen for long durations. Additionally, the watermark can be made more or less prominent within a display by adjusting the amplitude of the DCT coefficients of the watermark and adjusting the quantization scale used to quantize the watermark DCT coefficients.
FIG. 2 depicts a detailed block diagram of the watermark processor 104 of the present invention. The processor 104 comprises a frame and block selector 220, a watermark encoder 210, a watermark generator 208, an encode/skip code generator 214, a user data processor 216, and a compliance tester 218. The frame and block selector further comprises a storage device 200, a block processor 202, a block selector 204, and an address generator 212. The block level bitstream is coupled to the storage device 200 within the selector 220 where a picture header and its accompanying data, e.g., macroblocks and their constituent blocks of quantized DCT coefficients, are sequentially stored. Note that the term "blocks" is used generically to mean any size or shape group of DCT values (or quantized DCT values) representing the information within a portion of an image, and this term is intended to include macroblocks as well as the blocks within macroblocks. As the blocks are stored, the block processor 202 identifies the blocks that are "skipped" within a selected frame. The skipped macroblocks are identified by reading the macroblock address increment field and the skipped blocks are identified using the CBP field. The block processor 202 is also provided with the storage address (ADDR) for each block. As such, the block processor 202 correlates the skipped blocks with a storage address and provides the storage address of each skipped block to a block selector 204.
The block selector 204 contains a register 206, where the skipped block storage addresses are temporarily stored. The block selector 204 determines how many blocks are available in a selected frame for use as watermark blocks. In other words, the block selector counts the number of skipped blocks within the selected frame by monitoring the macroblock increment field and/or the CBP field. The block selector 204 provides the number of blocks (NUM) that are available for watermarking to the watermark encoder 210 and provides a first address of a first skipped block that is to be watermarked to the address generator 212. The address is generally provided to an address load port (ADDR LOAD) of the address generator 212.
The watermark encoder 210 is coupled to a watermark generator 208. The watermark generator 208 may provide either a deterministic or pseudorandom watermark code. A deterministic watermark can be a digitized logo or a company name that has been converted into an ASCII character string and then into a binary number string. A pseudorandom watermark is a pseudorandomly generated binary number string that can be used as a secure watermark. A combination of the two forms may use a pseudorandom code generator to spread the energy of the logo over an image region. In short, any form of watermark or other identifying code can be used as a watermark.
The watermark encoder 210 encodes the watermark by dividing the watermark into a plurality of blocks. The number of blocks is defined by the number (NUM) of skipped blocks selected by the block selector 204. The watermark blocks are DCT processed and quantized to form blocks that match those that are contained in the bitstream. Other well-known processing may be accomplished to conform the watermark to the bitstream such as decimation, filtering, scaling and the like. These encoded watermark blocks are stored in the storage device 200 at the addresses of the selected skipped blocks. The storage addresses are provided by the block selector 204 to the address generator 212. When the address generator 212 is enabled, the address at the address load port is coupled to the address line of (ADDR) the storage device 200. Consequently, the watermark block is stored at that address location in the storage device 200 and replaces the previously stored block at that location. This is repeated for each available watermark block until the selected skipped blocks are all replaced.
Once the frame has been updated with the watermarked blocks, the address generator 212 is initialized to generate sequential addresses such that the bitstream is retrieved from the storage device 200 in the order that is was stored. The retrieved bitstream is coupled to the encode/skip code generator 214 which provides updated CBP field and watermark increment field information to the storage device 200. This new field information are inserted into the picture header to identify the watermarked blocks as blocks that are encoded.
The bitstream is then coupled to a user data processor 216 where the user data within the bitstream is updated with any information that is necessary to decode and/or remove the watermark from the images. This information is provided by the watermark generator 208 and coupled to the user data processor 216. For example, if the watermark is a pseudorandom code, the "seed" for that code may be transmitted as user data such that a decoder can decode the watermark and remove it from the decoded video stream.
Lastly, the resultant bitstream is compliance tested using compliance tester 218, to ensure that the bitstream, as watermarked, complies with the MPEG standard, e.g., the compliance tester checks the byte alignment at the end of each slice of picture information by monitoring the number of block insertions accomplished within a particular slice and the virtual buffer verifier constraints to ensure that a buffer overflow or underflow does not result when watermark blocks are inserted into the bitstream. If an underflow or overflow condition is imminent, feedback can be supplied to the encoder to increase or decrease the bits used in the next macroblock that is encoded to compensate for the watermark insertion.
As a result of using the watermark processor of the present invention, a watermark code or encoded watermark image is inserted directly into the bitstream. The MPEG compliant bitstream is now ready for optional packetization into a transport stream for transmission to a decoder.
FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram that summarizes the operational method 300 of the watermark processor 104 of FIG. 2 that inserts the watermark information into skipped blocks within a macroblock. The method 300 begins at step 302 and proceeds to step 304 where the number of skipped blocks are identified. At step 306, a certain number of the skipped blocks are selected for watermarking. The selection is generally based upon the total number of blocks necessary to contain the watermark and, the location of the blocks within the image, e.g., placing the watermark in a "busy" region of the frame. If the watermark is a rather simple code then less blocks are needed; however, if the watermark is an image or logo, more blocks are needed to contain the watermark data.
For example, in an MPEG encoder, the bitstream can be scanned to find a B-frame containing a CBP field having the following bits 111100 representing a macroblock where all the Y blocks are coded, but not the U and V blocks. The U and V blocks within the macroblock are to be skipped.
At step 308, the CBP field that identifies the skipped blocks as those blocks to be skipped is updated to indicate that those blocks are to be encoded. In the simple example, the CBP is changed to 111110 to indicate that one of the previous skipped blocks, the U block, now contains encoded data. In a system for inserting the watermark information on a macroblocks level, step 306 monitors the macroblock address increment field to identify skipped macroblocks and step 308 updates the macroblock address increment field to identify macroblocks that now contain watermark information.
At step 310, the selected blocks are replaced with blocks containing the watermark information. Generally, the watermark information is encoded as an array of Huffman coded, zig-zag scanned, quantized DCT coefficients. An appropriate number of zeros may be required to be inserted at the end of the slice containing the watermark block. Such zero insertion preserves the byte alignment.
At optional step 312, the method inserts watermark decoding information into the user data of the bitstream, as needed. This step adds information that assists the decoder in locating and decoding the watermark. Such data may be a seed for a pseudorandom code that formed the basis for the watermark and/or a location identifier for each watermark such that the decoder can easily remove the watermark from the decoded image sequence.
As such, an authorized decoder can remove a visible watermark to produce a "clean" image sequence; while an unauthorized decoder would produce a distorted image sequence containing the visible watermark. If any video signals were removed from the stream to insert the watermark, the information can be sent to the decoder as "user data" such that an authorized decoder can replace the watermark information carrying blocks with the video signal information carrying blocks and produce an undistorted frame.
At step 314, the method tests the watermarked bitstream for compliance with the encoding standard, e.g., MPEG. The resultant bitstream is a compliant bitstream containing a watermark in certain select blocks of certain select frames of the stream. If the bitstream is, for example, deemed to violate a bit budget for the stream (i.e., too many bits are being used to code the image that the decoder will not accurately decode the image sequence), the stream may be adjusted to compensate for the extra bits added by the watermark information being in the stream. Such compensation can be accomplished by removing data blocks from the stream until the bit rate is within bounds.
When decoded, the watermark will either be visible or invisible depending upon the types of frames into which the watermark was inserted and the "strength" of the watermark, i.e., the magnitude of the watermark DCT coefficients as well as the quantization scale used to quantize the watermark DCT coefficients. Generally, to have an invisible watermark (a preferred condition when the watermark is to be used for authentication), the watermark information is placed within skipped blocks in one or more B-type frame. As such, upon decoding, the watermark information does not propagate to other frames since B-frames are not used to predict other frames. Consequently, the watermark would appear (flash) on the screen during the frame time of the decoded B-frame, e.g., 1/30 of a second. Further invisibility is produced when low magnitude, high frequency DCT coefficients are used to represent the watermark and the watermark is inserted in a "busy" portion of the frame
In applications where the watermark is to be visible, the I or P frames are selected to carry the watermark information. P-frames contain skipped blocks that may be replaced as described above; however I-frames do not have skipped blocks and actual data carrying blocks would need to be replaced by the watermark blocks. By using low frequency, high magnitude DCT watermark coefficients, the watermark would easily be seen on the screen as the I and P-frames are used to predict other frames such that the watermark image would appear on the screen in many of the decoded frames.
If not enough skipped blocks are available to carry the watermark information or I-frames are to carry the watermark, then the present invention selects blocks having low energy (e.g., high frequency, low magnitude DCT coefficients) for replacement with the watermark blocks. In addition, to utilize the invention without selecting skipped blocks, the watermark information could be inserted into the bitstream as added information or to substitute information within any low energy blocks. Thus, the block processor 202 would identify low energy blocks rather than skipped blocks. The remainder of the system of FIG. 2 would operate as described above without the need to update the fields that identify skipped blocks. Also, if a block is replaced by the watermark information, the information from the replaced block could be inserted as "user data" in the bitstream such that a decoder would be able to use that data for image regeneration.
The watermark information that is contained in the block(s) can be the same for every block or, to combat unauthorized attempts to alter the watermark, the watermark information may change from block to block or frame to frame.
Using the embodiment of the invention described herein, watermark information is inserted directly into the bitstream representation of an image sequence. Consequently, a standard image sequence encoder, e.g., MPEG encoder, can be used to produce a compliant block level bitstream. The bitstream is altered to insert the watermark information. The insertion process permits the watermark, upon decoding, to be selectively visible or invisible depending upon the location in the bitstream that the watermark was inserted, i.e., the type of frame used to carry the watermark. Consequently, the invention provides a flexible and robust technique for watermarking a sequence of images.
Although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings.


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Golden Sands Oceanfront Development Site in Miami Beach Sold
- By
- Apr 18, 2014
By Balazs Szekely, Associate Editor
CBRE Hotels has announced the sale of the former Golden Sands development site. A team comprised of CBRE Hotels representatives Christian Charre, Paul Weimer and Natalie J. Castillo along with CBRE Capital Markets brokers Robert Given and Gerard Yetming spoke for the seller—a subsidiary of Lehman Brothers—in the transaction. SMG/Shamrock and W Capital Group of Miami Beach teamed up to acquire the 0.93-acre parcel.
Located in the highly sought after residential North Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach the site received approval in 2005 to allow up to 40 residential units comprising 57,945 net sellable square feet, 2,887 square feet of retail and 55 parking spaces in a 20-story building. Adjacent to the Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa, the vacant lot at 6901 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Fla. boasts over 125 feet of ocean frontage.
The venture intends to build a 14-unit boutique, luxury 20-story tower comprised of 4,500 square-foot exclusive residences, each occupying an entire floor. The top two floors of the tower will make up a single 7,000 square-foot penthouse residence and just like the other units below it, it will offer unique oceanfront and bay views.
Construction work is expected to kick off around the end of this year.
W Capital provides shareholder liquidity for private equity investments and purchases individual investments, portfolios of equity investments from private equity and venture capital firms, financial institutions and company founders. Since its inception the company has completed more than 70 transactions.
Photo credits: Google Maps


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How Israel sees Egypt
Israel's fear of unrest in Egypt is not irrational. For 30 years Israelis have lived without the fear of an Egyptian attack. And now they see Iran's proxy in control of Lebanon, the Muslim Brotherhood knocking at the door in Egypt and the ongoing problem of an Iran surrogate (Hamas) in Gaza. But there has also been a shift. Israelis will say that there has been a positive shift in America and the West from insistence on a swift departure for Hosni Mubarak to support for a more orderly, extended path to an Egypt with a more democratic government after Mubarak leaves office.
I'm not sure whether the United States has changed all that much (in its total incoherence it's hard to discern if the mushy rhetoric is shifting in any particular direction). But it is fair to say that while by no means optimistic, Israelis have begun to come to terms with the reality: There is going to be something post Mubarak. That might be, in an ideal world, a secular democracy. Less ideal but livable might be the Turkey of 2011: more Islamist, less pro-West but not focused on Israel's destruction and with significant ties to the West. And then there is the Iran of 1979 outcome, a revolutionary Islamist state. While we might find the Iranian analogy entirely inapt (we already saw that unlike Iranian security forces, the Egyptian military won't mow down its own people), Israel survives by planning for and worrying about the worst of all worlds.
Indeed, at the Herzliya Conference deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon said as much on a panel discussion. He spoke about a Turkish model and the potential for an outcome that would not be a threat to Israel.
Savvy Israelis understand that diplomacy requires that one deal with reality -- where we are now. In that regard, the Obama administration and the Israeli government have similar interests. Both the United States and Israel would prefer to find a combination of secular and military forces to prepare Egypt for the transition to what one hopes will be no worse than the 2011 Turkey option. And considering the options and the unsustainability of Mubarak, Turkey 2011 (complete with a functioning economy) may not be a step backward from an economically impoverished Egypt that is seething with anger and increasingly anti-Semitic.
Imagine, however, what this does to Israel's willingness to "take risks" for peace. If a 30-year peace treaty can be imperiled, should Israelis and Americans expect a Palestinian deal (even if one could be reached) to last a 10th as long? No doubt a more reliable and warmer U.S.-Israel relationship would give Israel some confidence in these troubled times. However, as we know, everyone must deal with the reality that is -- an overwhelmed and out-of-its-depth U.S. administration, our diminished influence in the region (also due to Obama's ineptitude), and the collapse of repressive, aging despots unable to guarantee peace and stability. It certainly doesn't provide comfort to Israel or anyone else when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is already putting out the welcome mat for the Muslim Brotherhood. ("In an interview airing Sunday on National Public Radio, Clinton was noncommittal about the fundamentalist group's role in talks to try to end Egypt's political crisis, but she said that the decision suggests 'at least they are now involved.' ") Yes, it's going to be a bumpy road, but there is no going back.
Jennifer Rubin
| February 7, 2011; 12:18 PM ET
Categories: foreign policy
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Washington's change of heart towards the embattled Egyptian president has not passed unnoticed in Israel, where the dominant reaction has been one of criticism — in government circles, among analysts and in the press.
"One gets the impression that Washington was pretty anxious to throw Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak overboard" once he became a cumbersome ally, a senior Israeli official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
"Even if the American position has become more nuanced in the last few days, it doesn't make it any less of a desertion. That's what is most worrying," he said.
"Loyalty is priceless, especially in the Middle East," he said, warning that Washington's sudden apparent ditching of the Egyptian leader could undermine the credibility of American foreign policy.
Posted by: KaddafiDelendaEst | February 7, 2011 12:24 PM | Report abuse
If Israel would stop sabotaging any peace deal with Palestinians, I would have a lot more sympathy for them. It is almost as if they prefer extending the status quo to gobble up more Palestinian land for their settlers. They need to make a choice, are they going to be occupiers for the forseeable future (in which case they need to build infrastructure for the Palestinians)? Or, are they going to be partners in peace (in which case they need to stop all settlements and compromise)?
As things stand now, they are not reliable partners in the Middle East. Our partnership in their occupation damages our standing with every other country there. They treat the Palestinians as badly as apartheid South Africa treated native Africans and we treated native Americans. They have moved way beyond self-defense into the realm of oppression. They need to find a just way, or we should abandon them to the hell they create for themselves.
Just as our support of Egypt made us complicit in Mubarak's numerous crimes, our support of Israel makes us complicit in their crimes.
Posted by: billyvw | February 7, 2011 12:59 PM | Report abuse
Obama's hasty and badly advised betrayal of Hosni Mubarak has shaken Israel, and has shaken even relatively stalwart American allies like Jordan and Saudi Arabia. This treacherous American act will influence the entire international community and cast a shadow of doubt over American reliability for as long as Obama is in the White House.
The riots in Egypt have also shown all Israelis that in a trade of territory for a peace treaty, no matter with whom it is signed, that land is forever, and a peace treaty is just a piece of paper.
Posted by: Beniyyar | February 7, 2011 1:04 PM | Report abuse
So, now it's all about Israel?
Posted by: jckdoors | February 7, 2011 1:06 PM | Report abuse
billyvw, maybe if the Palestinians would at least sit down with Israel and negotiate they could accomplish something.
Of course you probably think that Israel is preventing the Palestinians from even negotiating, right?
Posted by: Beniyyar | February 7, 2011 1:09 PM | Report abuse
Israel needs to get its settlers out of Hebron and the West Bank. When Israel had its Southern flank safe from Egyptian attack, perhaps it could afford to take risks in the hope of gaining territory. That time is now past. Israel should relinquish the dream of a "Greater Israel," either as a national aspiration or even as a negotiating ploy.
Israel's position that it would keep Arab land in order to trade land for peace is a failed policy. It has not lead to peace and it has not lead to any recognition of its right to lands.
It is also demographically suicidal. Limited to even just its internationally-recognized borders, Israel has a minority population of more than 20% non-Jews. Such a large population of another ethnic group already threatens the idea of a "Jewish" state because such a large part of its population is not Jewish.
It is not in Israel's interest to keep settlements in the West Bank and Hebron.
Posted by: forrest3 | February 7, 2011 1:38 PM | Report abuse
Most Middle East nations face the same demographic issues as Egypt; a massive number of young people who simply cannot find jobs and are extremely unhappy with their inability to start families or purchase homes. Here is a look at just how desperate the situation is for young and highly educated Egyptians:
Posted by: Baywoodfarm | February 7, 2011 1:45 PM | Report abuse
Israel would be safer if it respected its neighbours and dealt with them on a principle of equality and fairness instead of arrogance eminating from the barrel of a tank. Israel feels it is militarliy superior to its neighbours so respect will need to take a back seat.
Now it is afraid that the Egyptian people will elect a democratic regime which will not tolerate 'operation cast iron' etc where the IDF goes into Gaza with impunity and massacres 1100 people the vast majority civilian and get away with it.
Israel is afraid with a freely elected regime in Egypt it will find it harder and harder to occupy more land from its Palestinian neighbour and that Egypt will demand it treat the Arab people better.
Thats the real fear of israel and its supporters because no one in their right mind would imagine a democratic regime in Egypt instantly waging war on Israel.
No matter what you people do, the genie is out of the bottle, you used Mubarek to your advantage with deadly accuracy, fooled entire Arab nation for 30 years, secretly and silently feeding the Egyptian so they would not rise and revolt, but how long can a corrupt regime survive? another 5 years, 7 years, then what? You cannot keep democracy away from Egyptians forever, sooner or later Israel will have to learn to live with a free independant puppet free Egypt next door, in fact it should prepare for a puppet free regime in Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Yemen, etc
The people are awakening, they are rising from years of neglect, and shaking off the drowsiness, the fact that the US enabled their dictators for so long, making the people oblivious to what was going on, who was pulling the strings.
Israel better wake up and start behaving itself better, or else will find itself in real hot waters as it has already lost Iran and Turkey.
Posted by: nowthetruth | February 7, 2011 1:55 PM | Report abuse
"It certainly doesn't provide comfort to Israel or anyone else when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is already putting out the welcome mat for the Muslim Brotherhood"
Any rational thinking person would immedidately understand that you TOO are putting out the wlecome mat for the MB.
For two weeks now you have been plugging democracy nearly every day. Democracy in Egypt means inclusion of what everyone agrees is the best organized and largest political party.
Only you could possibly maintain this oxymoronic stance that democracy in Egypt does not include participation of the MB.
Posted by: johnmarshall5446 | February 7, 2011 2:24 PM | Report abuse
Poverty has often forced the best of us to sell our family treasures. National pride should not stand in the way of the Egyptian people, they can sell the King Tut exhibit with bricks from the pyramids. It would stimulate the Egyptian economy and put billions into the pockets of the malcontents.
Posted by: morristhewise | February 7, 2011 2:28 PM | Report abuse
Posted by: dseigler2 | February 7, 2011 2:28 PM | Report abuse
So Obama was supposed to "manage" the Egyptian situation for Israel's benefit?
You need to get right out there to Tahrir Square, Miss Rubin, and tell those protesters where their priorities really need to be. Silly people. How could they be so inconsiderate to the US and Israel?
Posted by: karlmarx2 | February 7, 2011 2:35 PM | Report abuse
Check this piece by Kristol as an antidote for the poison generated by Rubin above. And imagine,an editorial,by a Neo-Con,favoring the Revolutionary process in Egypt,and without any concern for Israel.
Posted by: rcaruth | February 7, 2011 2:54 PM | Report abuse
Do we need the jews?
After all, we created the articial state and now we regret it.
Posted by: analyst72 | February 7, 2011 2:59 PM | Report abuse
Israel's 'irrationality' is carrying out self-serving policies under the assumption that the friendly Egyptian dictators would continue. Where is the surprise that Mubarak is on the way out -- maybe only that he is leaving while still alive? Did Israel actually think the friendly Egyption dictators could be continued indefinitely with the massive the US bribes?
The problem with Israel is that Israel doesn't want to come to terms with the Palestinians in a way that would be satisfactory to the Palestinians. A two-state solution that would be acceptable to Israel would certainly have to be forced on the Palestinian people (as is well shown in the WikiLeaks Palestinian Papers). Thus, such a two-state solution would only be sustainable by force.
So, a Democracy is good for Egypt because democracy is good; and Egyptian democracy is good for Israel and Palestine because it will force Israel to get real by getting honest in dealing with Palestian.
Posted by: riskpref | February 7, 2011 4:51 PM | Report abuse
Beniyyar: If you read the Palestine papers, you will see that the Palestinians were negotiating in good faith. The Israelis decided to sabotage talks by resuming settler activity in Palestinian lands. Unilaterally deciding to build on other people's land is not exactly a sign of good faith. I guess they figure they can get squatters rights in any final agreement. If I were in the Palestinians' shoes, I would have walked away too.
Posted by: billyvw | February 7, 2011 4:53 PM | Report abuse
Calm down folks, the people of Egypt only aspire to overthrow a corrupt 30 year old regime, people are just tired of looking at Mubareks face daily.
The Egyptian people are not new on the world scene, they are wise and will not encourage fanatic co-religionists to make their future as dark as their past.
The danger of Egypt falling the way of Iran is overblown, and the Egyptians are sunni, and sunnis have always been moderate globally.
by Norman Macleod, 1857.
Courage, brother! do not stumble,
Though thy path is dark as night;
There's a star to guide the humble--
Trust in God and do the right.
Let the road be long and dreary,
And its ending out of sight;
Foot it bravely--strong or weary,
Trust in God and do the right.
Perish "policy" and cunning,
Perish all that fears the light;
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God and do the right.
Trust no party, trust no faction,
Trust no leaders in the fight;
But in every word and action
Trust in God and do the right.
and goes on.....
Posted by: nowthetruth | February 7, 2011 5:00 PM | Report abuse
So, now it's all about Israel?
- This Rubin's article is. Israel is obviously of interest to her.
Why? Not exactly our business. Why Mark Twain wrote a special story of Heck Finn, but not of Becky Thatcher?
Maybe she is a Jewess, maybe she is an Arab woman, maybe she politically admires Netanyahu, or maybe Nefertiti was among her grand-nd-nd-nd-nd-ndmas. It is all the Mystery of the East, Jack. We can't understand it.
Posted by: boroda | February 7, 2011 5:53 PM | Report abuse
nowthetruth quotes the powerful verse:
Trust no party, trust no faction,
Trust no leaders in the fight;
But in every word and action
Trust in God and do the right.
- I am almost ready, the only question remains - in which God we trust? Since 1857 we have seen remarkable proliferation of deities and their detractors.
Posted by: boroda | February 7, 2011 6:01 PM | Report abuse
Do we need the jews?
After all, we created the articial state and now we regret it.
- I learned in my childhood that Jews were created by God. We... did it? Besides, why did he need them?
Posted by: boroda | February 7, 2011 6:06 PM | Report abuse
Rubin article should be considered in the context and as fair response to Aaaron Miller small trickery with words: "Why Israel fears a free Egypt?". So she has had her day on the page.
My interpretation of Israel's predicament is quite opposite to the Rubin's. Israel has absolutely nothing to fear from Egypt, even the Brotherhood is a bunch of very nice (though unshaven guys). But all the Israelis should be scary of one kind of freedom - the cavalier freedom with which certain Aaaron David Miller feeds us with propaganda.
Posted by: boroda | February 7, 2011 6:24 PM | Report abuse
Beniyyar wrote:
"Obama's hasty and badly advised betrayal of Hosni Mubarak has shaken Israel, and has shaken even relatively stalwart American allies like Jordan and Saudi Arabia."
Are any of these states secular democracies Ben? If not, what have you got against democracy? Is it not in Israel's interests to encourage democracy in the region?
"This treacherous American act will influence the entire international community and cast a shadow of doubt over American reliability for as long as Obama is in the White House."
The treachery is Obama's against the populations of the region. Obama is trying to undermine them by maintaining the Mubarak regime.
The riots in Egypt have also shown all Israelis that in a trade of territory for a peace treaty, no matter with whom it is signed, that land is forever, and a peace treaty is just a piece of paper."
Israel has already demonstrated this by violating it repeatedly. The reason Israel is worried about the treaty, it not that it would be discarded, but that it would be forced to abide by it.
Posted by: Shingo1 | February 7, 2011 6:33 PM | Report abuse
"Israel survives by planning for and worrying about the worst of all worlds".
No comment.
Posted by: ratl | February 7, 2011 7:34 PM | Report abuse
"Israel survives by planning for and worrying about the worst of all worlds".
That's called a self fulfilling prophecy.
Posted by: Shingo1 | February 7, 2011 8:05 PM | Report abuse
Israel has found it expeditious to continue the conflict with the Palestinians in order to steal their land.
Peace with Egypt was an important part of that strategy.
Posted by: russellglee | February 7, 2011 9:06 PM | Report abuse
If Egypt vitiates the treaty Israel should tell the Palestinians to contact them when they have a fully functioning democracy. What gall it would be for the Egyptians to keep the Sinai and not honor the peace treaty, after telling Israel that all they had to do was trade land for peace. Let's hope the people of Egypt have more honor than that.
Posted by: pella5 | February 7, 2011 9:41 PM | Report abuse
Bush 43 fought a war for "a free and democratic Iraq" even though any dim bulb could see the likely outcome would be an Iran leaning shia led government. Really though Jennifer you would have more credibility if you would stop Obama bashing. What does the right wing support consistently? Bush let Israel embarrass themselves in Lebanon. The elections in Gaza were won by Hamas. All under the hapless Republicans. Killing Muslims daily is what is destroying US credibility in the Middle East. Far too much civilian blood has been spilled and Baghdad still has massive unemployment and little electricity. Maybe that is the real reason our influence is declining and Iran's rising.
Posted by: chucko2 | February 7, 2011 10:52 PM | Report abuse
Israel has already violated the peace treaty. You might remember something about treating the Palestinians with respect and withdrawing from the OT?
What do you suggest the Egyptian do about that?
Posted by: Shingo1 | February 7, 2011 10:57 PM | Report abuse
Freemasons and Dajjal (The Anti-christ) by Kamran R'ad ...
Freemasons and Dajjal (The Antichrist) FREEMASONRY, A SECRET SOCIETY: FORMED IN THE TIME ... DISMANTLING OF THE MUSLIM KHILAFAH, NAQSHE-DIL, ATATURK, FAMOUS MUSLIM FREEMASONS, ... Muslim Nursery Rhymes. 4. The Soul's Journey After Death ...
www.simplyislam.com/iteminfo.asp?item... - United Kingdom - Cached - Similar
Suppression of Freemasonry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freemasonry is illegal in most of the Islamic world. .... later reinforced ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppression_of_Freemasonry - Cached - Similar
Islamic world
After the condemnation of Freemasonry by Clement XII in 1738, Sultan Mahmut I followed suit outlawing the organization and since that time Freemasonry was equated with atheism in the Ottoman Empire and the broader Islamic world.[10] The opposition in the Islamic world has been reinforced by the anticlerical and atheistic slant of the Grand Orient of France.[10]
Perhaps the most influential entity interpreting Sharia, or Islamic law, the Islamic Jurisdictional College on July 15, 1978 issued an opinion regarding Freemasonry asserting that it is a "dangerous" and "clandestine" organization.[10]
Freemasonry is illegal in most of the Islamic world. It is prohibited in all Arab countries except Lebanon and Morocco.[10]
Who is Dajjal
Dajjal and FreeMasons in Islamic Perspective PROFICIENCIES OF THE HOLY .... we all have starting loving this world's wealth and are frightened from death? ... Every Muslim will be able to read these letters whether he is literate or ...
www.scribd.com/doc/24511194/Who-is-Dajjal - Cached - Similar
Muslim anti-Masonry
Further information: Iraqi Baathist Anti-Masonry and The Covenant of Hamas
Posted by: shaiarra | February 8, 2011 1:37 AM | Report abuse
Jennifer, I'm glad you've finally caught on that Egyptian "democracy" will not likely be a salutary development for the US or our ally Israel.
I think the Turkish example is inapt for two reasons. First, Turkey has been a far more secular society than Egypt since the days of Ataturk almost a century ago. Turkey has had pluralism, a powerful westernized middle class, a free press, multiple political parties, and other prerequisites of democracy that Egypt still lacks. Even so, the Turkish military has historically been forced to intervene periodically when the politicians have failed.
Second, Turkey is no longer that great an example of a favorable outcome. Its Islamist Prime Minister Erdogan is cautiously but relentlessly transforming Turkey from a secular, democratic, pro-Israel member of NATO to a fundamentalist, authoritarian friend of Hamas and Iran. A young Turkish blogger, for instance, was just sentenced to two years in prison for criticizing Erdogan. Erdogan has slowly neutered the army, the free press and the Kemalist legacy of secularism. While he has proceeded cautiously, as Islamists don't control the guns, he has described democracy as a street car that you ride to your destination, then get off.
The MB in Egypt would reach their destination much quicker than Erdogan. Eight-two percent of Egyptians are anti-American, according to a poll released this week, and big majorities in a recent Pew poll favored death to Muslim apostates, amputation of limbs, stoning of adulterers, and other barbaric features of sharia law. If the Egyptian public gets what they want, we won't like it and they probably won't either.
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
H. L. Mencken
Posted by: eoniii | February 8, 2011 4:38 PM | Report abuse
Ohhhh, THAT's why Israel is an "island of democracy" in the midst of repressive Arab regimes. It's because they've had the U.S. prop up those dictators in order to maintain their own unjust existence, denying everyone but themselves the right to self-governance and self-determination. No wonder that popular Arab sentiment is anti-Israel, as it's because of Israel that Arabs have had to live under dictators. Well, at some point, Israel is going to realize they have to share the land with the other people who are native to the area, and democracy is not achieved by excluding people.
Posted by: yihe94703 | February 9, 2011 1:18 AM | Report abuse
Great, let's pull out all of our military donations to our dictator allies in the Middle East, let democracy flourish, and save our taxes. With all that money we spend on military messes over there, we could have converted to renewable energy by now.
Posted by: yihe94703 | February 9, 2011 1:25 AM | Report abuse
"Turkey has been a far more secular society than Egypt since the days of Ataturk almost a century ago. Turkey has had pluralism, a powerful westernized middle class, a free press, multiple political parties, and other prerequisites of democracy that Egypt still lacks. Even so, the Turkish military has historically been forced to intervene periodically when the politicians have failed."
The success behind Turkey's progress towards independence and self determination (ie. freedome from Western interference) is due to the fact that Erdonag was able to wrestle power away from the military and end the days on totoalitarianism and militarism. Mubarak never tried to do that because unlike Turkey's military (which was intended to defend the country), Egypts mlitary was always intended to be used against the people of Egypt.
Turkey is a shining example os an excellent outcome. It's status in the world has risden considerably, it's economy is booming and it had taken a lead in the Middel East as a power. Some are predicting that Turkey may become a superpower, at least economically.
Erdogan has listened to his contituents and embraces Islam while keeping the extremsists at bay. The extremists have no foothold in Turkey because they have no following. Erdogan realized that the US was a decaying and falling empire and as such, made the wide descision to establish good relations with Tuerkey's neighbors as opposed to maintaining hostile ones to keep Washington happy.
Erdgon, along with Egypot, has demonstrated that Washington is not remotely interested in democracy when it comes to the Middle East. Afer all, it was Paul Wolfowitz who admonished the Turkis military for not ignoring Ankara's order not to participate in the Iraq war. According to Wolfowitz, it showed that Turkey wasn't a democracy.
That's what Washington thinks of democracy when it comes to the Middle East.
Egyptians have not typicalyl been anti-America, but given the spineless and lame rhetotic from Washington, they have udnerstandably turned on the US, and are disgusted with out gutlesss leadeership. They were told by Bush that the US wanted to spead democracy throughout the Arab world, and they learned the hard way that Washington is full of it.
Posted by: Shingo1 | February 9, 2011 7:37 AM | Report abuse
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« Cellphones in School: Who Makes the Call? | Main | NEA and AFL-CIO: A Steep Hill to Climb? »
Teacher-Data Reports in New York City
Lots of divergent reactions to the teacher-data report cards in New York City, see here and here. Per Elizabeth Green over at Gotham Schools, the city wants to extend the initiative for another year. (Hat tip to Elizabeth for breaking this and following it up on her blog.)
These reports are based on teachers' individual "value-added" contributions to student learning. They aren't supposed to be used for accountability purposes, merely to help the teachers improve. (The United Federation of Teachers has OK'd the use of test score data in the city's schoolwide performance-pay programs, but not for use in judging individual teachers.) I wrote a bit more about this issue here.
It'll be interesting to see if this comes up in the debate about whether to renew the mayoral control of schools, an arrangement that has put NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC Chancellor Joel Klein into power.


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Yesterday, I came across Aetna's Tumblr, which features posts proclaiming they'll help you to 30 days of mindfulness. Mindfulness is something that's been hard-won in my life. I always find myself rushing, looking forward to what I'm doing after work, or tomorrow, or this weekend, or next month. I find it very hard to find peace with myself in any particular moment, and my guess is that this comes from my longtime issues with anxiety and my inability to ever sit still. However, due to an onslaught of personal mental, physical and emotional health issues in recent months, I've taken it upon myself to stop and smell the roses more often. So when I came across Aetna's #Mindful30 challenge, I thought I might just take it.
Let me just start by saying I'm horrible at this stuff, from those photo-a-day Instagram challenges to giving up sweets for Lent to juice cleanses and everywhere in between. I basically just do what I want with no rhyme or reason and usually no filter, but this seems like a good one to stick with. I do a lot of yoga and meditation, which requires a lot of the aspects of mindfulness, so it's not like I'm going whole-hog here from the get-go.
Anyway, Aetna's day one challenge reads as follows: "Today, take a few moments to pause and be with yourself as you are. Start with paying attention to a few breaths as they move in and out of your body. Notice thoughts and feelings without self-judgment or criticism. And keep returning your attention to your breathing. This practice can help you have less anxiety and feel happier now and in the long run." I took a few moments alone last night, in between shutting my book and turning off the lights to go to bed, to do this. Lately, it's been easy for me to flip on the TV and fall asleep to the sound of "Friends" episodes I've seen a dozen times, but I declined doing this last night, instead choosing to do a little nighttime meditation I learned in a yoga therapy session two months ago in which I count my breaths with my fingers, which distracts my mind from traveling beyond my breathing and my body. It worked, and I slept better than I have in weeks without the aid of alcohol or melatonin or Monica and Chandler.
Today's challenge is "Bathe in mindfulness," meaning: "Practice being aware of the here and now. A great way to get started is during the morning shower – when you're usually thinking about the day ahead of you. So for today, focus on the experience: the smell of the shampoo, the feeling of the water as it hits your shoulders and the touch of your fingers on your scalp. You'll enjoy your shower more and take in an everyday moment, making it mindful." I didn't have time for a shower this morning because I had to run to the post office, so I'm going to give this one a shot tonight, but I will say the shower is my favorite place to relaxed. The aforementioned yoga therapy session helped me take longer showers to use as "me" time — to reflect and enjoy the water flowing over me, and to even do some stretching to ease sore muscles either at the end or beginning of a long day.
I'll keep track of my progress here as best I can, mainly because if I do, I know the handful of family members and friends who read this will continually ask me how my mindfulness challenge is going, which will keep me *just* determined enough to hopefully stick it out.
Namaste, friends.
(This is in no way sponsored by Aetna, even though they've partnered with several other bloggers I follow, which is actually how I found out about this and thought it sounded beneficial to me in many ways. Just so you know.)


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Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the #DeleteFacebook movement burst onto the scene but with very little to no real impact on the social media giant. Despite brands like Playboy and figures like Elon Musk taking up the moniker of Facebook deserters, overall there has been a distinct lack of backlash from the masses. Instead, Facebook's shares ironically climbed by 4.5% as Mark Zuckerberg began to testify on the scandal.
However, there is an increase in distrust from the public, celebrities and businesses alike, with whistleblowers coming out left and right to highlight just how much information companies like Facebook and Google have on all of us (really… you only just figured that out?). In fact, the distrust following the data mining revelations is so prevalent that brands like Unilever, a conglomerate comprised of household names like Magnum and Persil, have threatened to pull their ad budget. Just yesterday Wetherspoons announced their departure from social media entirely! Announcing, funnily enough, on Twitter that they would be stepping down from social media platforms due to concerns regarding the "misuse of personal data" and "the addictive nature of social media". It may not be earth-shattering, but there is a shift happening.
Some influential figures in the technology world have spoken out about the scandal themselves. CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, spoke on the situation when asked what he would do, should he be in it, by saying: "I wouldn't be in this situation." Later going on to say: "If our customer was our product, we could make a ton of money," Cook said. "We've elected not to do that." However, Apple famously takes a different approach to data protection, with a recently leaked memo highlighting the measures it goes to in order to prevent staff and partners from sharing company sensitive information.
Zuckerberg had little to say about Cook's comments, simply stating that they were 'extremely glib.' In fact, many have been quick to say that they think Zuckerberg has come across as generally unaffected by the controversy; and perhaps that is quite telling of someone who isn't overly worried.
Looking to the future, it's highly unlikely that Facebook will disappear, most are saying that the social media and it's 2.2 billion users worldwide are too big to be seriously impacted by the revelations. However, how will they regain the trust of the public and more importantly the people who spend money on their platform? Could the answer be its sister platform Instagram?
Facebook bought over Instagram back in 2012 for $1 billion when it was made up of only 13 employees. The photo-sharing app now has 700 employees and a whole bunch of new features. What was once a relatively smaller, artsy app, used for showing off photography skills, has now become a massive storytelling and personal brand building platform. It's also worth noting that Facebook bought over messaging app WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. This app is now also under scrutiny following Cambridge Analytica, with France opting to build an equivalent due to security concerns and criticism of the new photo recovery feature, which highlights that data is being stored much longer than previously thought. Surprisingly, WhatsApp founder Brian Acton has joined the #DeleteFacebook movement, tweeting simply "It's time. #DeleteFacebook". Despite this, Facebook has spoken out to assure worried users that their messages cannot be interceeded by other parties. However, this is just another sign that the public are distrustful. Going back to Instagram, from stories to its very own non-chronological feed to those in the know, it's clear that this isn't the app it used to be. It may surprise you, but unlike WhatsApp, a lot of people don't actually know that Facebook owns Instagram, and Facebook is more than happy to keep it that way.
If you're someone who advertises on social media, and specifically Facebook, you are more than likely going to be aware of this, with Facebook and Instagram paid content running from the same ads manager. Facebook implemented their own advertising business model with Instagram and in result, the app now contributes to 18% of Facebook's annual revenue. Facebook and Instagram are well and truly integrated into a well oiled, money-making machine. But, from the view of the general public, this is not something they are overly aware of and this might end up being the key to Facebook's ongoing success.
Signups for Instagram are rising, in fact, at the end of 2017 there were 800 million users recorded, it's likely that this year they will break the 1 billion mark, something very few social media platforms do. This is the influence that Facebook has had on the app. There are now 25 million businesses using Instagram and a large portion of them are likely to be pumping ad budget into Facebook's ad manager, according to the Motely Fool it's estimated that Instagram brought in $4 billion in revenue in 2017 and this is only set to increase. With users of Facebook more aware of what is being advertised to them following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Instagram is looking like a more covert option.
The audience on Instagram is mostly younger than Facebook's with the platform being used mainly by 18 to 29-year-olds, which is a big plus for many advertisers and for marketers. The younger demographic is more likely to buy through social and is generally more active online than their parents. However, with the younger demographic being more aware of Facebook's current situation and what it means for their data and privacy, it could make them more likely to delete their profile and not engage with its content; resulting in following generations who are less likely to sign up for it. Meaning Facebook's audience could start dwindling in time.
There is a chance that Zuckerberg has had other platforms in the back of his mind as a second resort, should things go south with Facebook. Just last week, amidst Zuckerberg's enquiry, Instagram announced a new in-app focus feature, allowing those with lower quality cameras on their phones to take images that rival a DSLR. Taking a little of the limelight away from the negativity swirling around Facebook and shifting it onto the photo app, highlighting to the public that this is an easy-going, artsy and friendly app, providing you with the tools to make the most of it and take beautiful images. With Facebook's meme and fake news overloaded news feeds, to the public, Instagram is a welcome escape.
Despite Facebook generally being somewhere to connect with family and friends, the feed on Instagram seems almost more personal, with the ability to see into the lives of celebrities and influencers that you hand pick, share things you have created and almost put a filter on your life. Instagram is celebrated as a great way to keep up with people, be yourself and share what you're interested in. It does have downsides like the lack of link inclusion, however, that is something that we will likely see remedied in the future. We have seen growth in the app already with the inclusion of stories. Stories were so widely celebrated when they were introduced to Instagram that it turned many a head in the Snapchat loyalist club, despite it being almost an exact copy initially. Instagram is also a loved platform by celebrities, making it even more desirable for many, with some influencers able to sustain themselves on paid for ads from an Instagram career alone. There's plenty of money to be made and spent on this platform. Something the heads at Facebook are more than aware of. However, Facebook's involvement with Instagram is only ever mentioned when convenient, like with advertisers, overall the platforms are kept and regarded separately. Could a potential scandal like this be the reason why? Has Instagram always been Facebook's escape pod?
With Facebook now owning the 1st and the 3rd largest social media companies in the world (WeChat in China coming in 2nd), it's not hard to imagine that, if Facebook cannot be recovered in full, Zuckerberg will quietly shift focus onto its successor Instagram. The lack of knowledge from the public regarding the association between the two companies is certainly something that will play in favour should this happen, but only time will tell...


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On the edge of the Stanford campus is the Dish. It is a radiotelescope that is still in use for research.
The area is owned by Stanford University but is open during the day for recreational use. It includes a paved trail for runners and walkers that's about 3.5 miles long. Unfortunately no animals or bikes are allowed but considering how busy it can get it is quite understandable.
From the highest point there are pretty views of the Stanford campus. Rumor has it that it is possible to see the San Francisco skyline if it is a clear day. When we first arrived there was still fog in the valley, providing a pretty view.
For more information visit https://dish.stanford.edu.


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3 out of 10
7 out of 10
40 minutes
At the school
Open file
"Why do you want to be a doctor?" Report Response
"Do you know what you want to be? " Report Response
"Anything else you'd like to tell about yourself? " Report Response
"Mock interview, SDN, read their catalog, looked over AMCAS" Report Response
"It is a very nice school with high tech facilities. Also everyone is really really friendly. They are very warm and make you feel really comfortable. " Report Response
"It was a very laid back interview. More like a conversation then an actual interview. It felt like I was interviewing them more than the other way around. Gave a lot of time to ask questions. " Report Response
Browse all Questions & Responses


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Imagine if you could save 90% on a flat-screen TV by going to your neighborhood electronics shop instead of the fancy mega-store across town. You'd never set foot in the pricier location.
But consumers regularly visit the most expensive health care locations, often without realizing it. Recent studies illustrate how much prices can vary across different facilities.
Among hospitals in the New York City region, MRI scans go for anywhere between $428 and $4,544 — a difference of nearly 1,000%, according to a recent report by the Pioneer Institute, a public policy research organization in Boston. Medicare reimbursed hospital outpatient facilities an average of $1,784 for a 22-day colonoscopy episode (including pre and post-care), versus $1,322 for one at a doctor's office, according to a study by Avalere Health. And when Blue Cross, Blue Shield members opted for an angioplasty performed in an outpatient facility, they saved an average of $1,062 per procedure out-of-pocket, compared to what they would have paid at an inpatient facility, according to a report by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Blue Health Intelligence.
The Pioneer study focused on prices that patients would pay without using insurance, while Blue Cross Blue Shield focused on that particular carrier and Avalere looked at Medicare payment rates. Regardless of our insurance coverage, most of us don't know what we're responsible for paying for a procedure until it's over, when we get the bill. What's more, we have no idea what we might have saved if we had received care somewhere else.
"Why do we know what a TV costs but we don't know what medical care costs?" said Ron Mastrogiovanni, founder and CEO of HealthView Services, a Danvers, Mass.-based company that provides retirement health care cost data and tools to financial advisers.
While upfront price information remains hard to come by, the stakes for making cost-effective choices are rising for consumers along with deductibles. The average deductible for individual coverage in a bronze plan offered on Healthcare.gov is $5,731, according to HealthPocket, a technology company that compares and ranks health plans. Employer-sponsored group plans generally have lower deductibles, yet it's still common for those members to have to pay upwards of $1,000 before their insurance kicks in.
Medicare deductibles are even lower than those in most commercial group coverage, yet patients face an unlimited amount of cost-sharing under original Medicare. By contrast, most private insurance caps patients' annual out-of-pocket costs for in-network care.
Patients may be surprised that about 70% of the cost of some medical care is attributed to the facility itself, not the doctors working there, according to an analysis of 38 colonoscopy insurance claims by Vitals, a firm that helps consumers shop for health care with cost and quality transparency tools. "Regardless of the setting, the doctor gets the same amount of money," said Mitch Rothschild, executive chairman and founder of Vitals.
Facility charges reflect the overhead of that particular facility. Hospitals need to be open round-the-clock, maintaining full capabilities for whomever might come through the door. What's more, hospitals are required by law to treat emergency room patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Freestanding centers generally operate during normal business hours and concentrate on one type of service — whether that's imaging or infusions — and as such can offer care more cheaply.
Overhead isn't everything, though. The Pioneer Institute study found big price variations among hospitals alone. Researchers looked at the size of the hospital and other factors and didn't find any metric that adequately explained the differences, said Barbara Anthony, senior fellow in healthcare for the institute.
Enjoying care close to home
When Mastrogiovanni was caring for his aging parents, he would drive them the 15 miles from the house they all shared in Topsfield, Mass. to a top academic medical center in Boston. Price was no object — he took them to where he thought they would get the best care.
His parents did get excellent care at the top medical center. The drive into Boston grew harder as they got into their late 80s, but they continued to make the trip.
Mastrogiovanni later learned that his local hospital also offered excellent care, so he started using it himself. Had he known about that good local option when his parents were alive, he would have taken advantage of it, saving time and perhaps money.
Mastrogiovanni's parents had typical maladies of older age that didn't demand the expertise of a world-class facility. "I'm not talking about having a heart transplant," he said.
Indeed, certain conditions may require the care of specialists at top hospitals, which will charge more than a local community hospital or a free-standing clinic. But in general, experts say patients shouldn't assume that they have to pay up for good care. "It's not like in most other businesses, where cost and quality are directly related," Rothschild said.
Obtaining price estimates in advance
So what's a patient to do? While it's not always easy, those who need a non-emergency procedure can gather price estimates in advance from various facilities. An estimate will be just that, subject to change since doctors might find something that changes the course of the procedure or follow-up treatment — like if a colonoscopy uncovers a polyp that needs a biopsy. But a starting amount will at least allow patients to compare prices across various settings.
Many insurers offer online tools that give plan participants an estimate of what they'd pay for a given procedure at a given facility. Very few members actually use these, since as a nation we're still getting used to shopping for medical care, Rothschild said.
To help obtain a price estimate, both commercially insured and Medicare patients can ask their doctor for the procedure codes for their planned procedure and then call their insurer to ask how much they'll have to pay for that particular service. Those with only original Medicare and no supplement plan can call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) with the procedure codes. Note that it's often more than one code —a colonoscopy may involve anesthesia and lab work, for example, said Matthew Katz, board member of the Physicians Advocacy Institute, which commissioned the Avalere study.
It seems counterintuitive, but sometimes consumers can save by not using their insurance at all. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that hospitals, imaging centers and other facilities are giving deep discounts to patients who pay upfront in cash. A drawback to this strategy is that if insurance is bypassed, the amount paid will typically not count toward the plan's annual deductible.
Keep in mind, Anthony said, that "it does make a difference where you go."


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The PACE Trouble-Code Analysis helps you to better understand both your car and its error messages.
A control light turning on inside your car can have many different causes. Often, even the descriptions in the manual of your car are not exact enough to really understand the problem.
With PACE, you can read the specific trouble code from the memory of your car. Like this, you can find out the exact problem behind it.


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Safety Tips
Cycling is a fun and healthy activity that most people can do. Cycling can be done for both recreation or transportation.
To learn about the many health benefits of cycling review the Active Transportation and Health factsheet from Region of Waterloo Public Health & Emergency Services.
Visit BikeWR's Campaigns page for more information and resources related to our past safety campaigns like Thumbs Up Waterloo Region.
There is safety in numbers! It has been shown that as more people cycle regularly in a community, the number of crashes involving cyclists actually decreases over time¹.
- Be visible. Use lights, reflectors and wear reflective material
- Be predictable. Signal your intentions, ride with traffic and obey all road signals
- Always have room to maneuver. Don't squeeze between curbs and other vehicles
Region of Waterloo created the following Cycling Tips resource, which is available in multiple languages. Visit regionofwaterloo.ca/cycling for more information.
Tips for sharing the road and preventing collisions
Ministry of Transportation- Cycling Guides
CAN-BIKE- Cycling courses |City of Waterloo's CAN-Bike page
Tips for parents
Your children will need to learn how to cycle safely wherever they ride. Check the following link for some tips.
Cycling into the Future- bike training course


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This satellite image shows an area of the Himalaya mountain range in northeastern Nepal, about 8 km south of Mount Everest (not pictured).
The Himalayas are the world's highest mountain range and home to the world's highest peak, Mt Everest (about 8850 m), as well as dozens of other peaks over 7000 m high. These high peaks are covered permanently with snow.
The range is also home to thousands of glaciers, including the Imja glacier in the upper-central part of this image. Studies have shown an increase in the rate of glacial retreat for Imja and many other glaciers in the region – and in the world.
Glaciers are important reservoirs of freshwater on our planet, and their melting or growing is an indicator of climate change. Satellites can help monitor changes in glacier mass and, subsequently, their contribution to rising sea levels.
Glacial runoff from the Himalayas has a direct effect on the nearby rivers such as the Indus and Ganges, and is very important for lower-lying regions where there is a very large human population.
At the foot of the Imja glacier is the Imja lake, pictured in the upper-left. Melt-water makes this one of the fastest growing lakes in the Himalayas, and a threat to downstream communities.
This image, also featured in the Earth from Space video programme, was acquired by South Korea's Kompsat-2 satellite on 14 January 2013.


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Latest News
In Full . . .
Cycle rack for station
Posted on September 29 2017 at 1:38:15
A cycle rack is still to be installed at Alvechurch rail station by London Midland, even though they will no longer have the franchise.
Parish chairman Andy Humphries welcomed this, but said the council had put in a complaint about their grass cutting contractor who had again cut back too soon the wildflowers sown after the station upgrade.
Monthly Archive


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I click on the Obama Foundation Fellowship application and two questions smack me in the face. I spend the next week thinking about them while riding my bike before I apply.
I know it's a long-shot that I would be one of the ten people selected, but that doesn't matter. I will ask myself those two questions when I look in the mirror every morning of my life from now on.
They are: What public problem do you want to solve? How will you solve it?
Does clarity about purpose in life get any more simple than that? Is there any reason why I can't start working on what I said I would do on that application?
I also just devoured Richard Branson's quick-read book, Screw It; Just Do It. And so, let's get on with it. There's work to be done.