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Global Production of Biofuels Regains Momentum, According to New Research by Worldwatch Institute
By Christina Wright, Worldwatch Research Intern
Global production of biofuels increased 17 percent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion liters, up from 90 billion liters in 2009. High oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States, among other countries, are contributing to the surge in production, according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute's Climate and Energy Program for the website Vital Signs Online.
The United States and Brazil remain the two largest producers of ethanol. In 2010, the United States generated 49 billion liters, or 57 percent of global output, and Brazil produced 28 billion liters, or 33 percent of the total. Corn is the primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol, and sugarcane is the dominant source of ethanol in Brazil.
In the United States, the record production of biofuels is attributed in part to high oil prices, which encouraged several large fuel companies, including Sunoco, Valero, Flint Hills, and Murphy Oil, to enter the ethanol industry. High oil prices were also a factor in Brazil, where every third car-owner drives a "flex-fuel" vehicle that can run on either fossil or bio-based fuels. Many Brazilian drivers have switched to sugarcane ethanol because it is cheaper than gasoline.
Although the U.S. and Brazil are the world leaders in ethanol, the largest producer of biodiesel is the European Union, which generated 53 percent of all biodiesel in 2010. However, some European countries may switch from biodiesel to ethanol because a recent report from the European Commission states that ethanol crops have a higher energy content than biodiesel crops, making them more efficient sources of fuel.
In the United States, however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made the decision to dramatically lower the country's production target for cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel that is made from woody plants or crop waste and that can be converted to ethanol much more efficiently than conventional ethanol, resulting in lower associated greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA's target reduction reflects the technical challenges and high costs of commercializing so-called 'second-generation' biofuels. Instead of the 950 million liters required initially under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, the final target will be a much smaller 25 million liters.
Proposed legislation in the U.S. Senate would cut current ethanol production subsidies while maintaining tax credits for related infrastructure such as refilling stations. If supports like subsidies and tariffs are removed, sugarcane ethanol from Brazil will likely become more prevalent in the United States. Although sugarcane ethanol has the benefit of being cheaper and more efficient to produce, there are concerns that increased production will speed deforestation in Brazil as more land is cleared for feedstock cultivation.
The new Vital Signs Online article highlights both the increases in global production of biofuels and the factors behind this growth. It presents the latest facts and figures on the major biofuels producers and outlines new laws and mandates that will affect production of the fuels.
Subscribe to Vital Sigs Online today.


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Kidnapping victim recounts harrowing escape
At first glance, there's nothing physically imposing about Viet Tran. In a blue T-shirt, dark blue denim jeans and black Chuck Taylor sneakers while sporting black, rectangular rimmed glasses, it's not far-fetched to envision him as a college student working on his second degree while also repairing computers to keep a little spending money in his pocket.
What would probably not jump out to almost anyone is that the now 25-year-old who stands 5-6 and weighs all of 150 pounds had the most harrowing experience of his life two years ago when he was kidnapped – and then managed to escape.
Summer 2010, Tran was working for a long-time friend of his where he would fix customer's computers in their home. On Thursday, Aug. 5, Tran gets a call from a gentleman named "Gary Underwood" asking Tran if he can fix his computers. Tran declined and told the man he'd have to go through his boss because he didn't do work on the side out of respect. The next day, while having lunch with a friend at Jason's Deli in Central Mall in Port Arthur, his phone rang. It was Underwood again, urging Tran to fix his computers.
Tran again declined and said he'd have to call his boss. Apparently, Underwood told Tran that Tran's uncle "Charlie" had recommended him. Tran was convinced "Charlie" was his uncle, since it's not uncommon for Vietnamese to have American names in addition to their Vietnamese names.
Sure enough, Underwood called Tran's boss, who agreed to let Tran do the work on the man's computer. A few hours later after a couple more phone calls, Tran made his way to an abandoned, run-down brick house at 3748 Proctor St. that Friday afternoon.
"I didn't have a very good feeling when I got to the house," said Tran. "The whole situation made me feel uneasy."
But it was broad daylight, probably sometime around 2 p.m. and another hot day in Southeast Texas, so while the easy-going Tran had reservations – which would turn out to be correct – he was also still relatively new on the job, so he wanted to get the work over with.
In an exclusive interview with The Examiner, he said, "I sat there in my car and told myself, 'Just man up and do it.'"
Tran pulled up and immediately noticed the house was in squalor, but "Gary Underwood," whose real name is Patrick Chaney, immediately introduced himself and told Tran that he had bought the house at a good price and planned to fix it up. That made Tran feel a little better, but he was still ready to leave. There was a white van parked behind the house and Tran removed two computers from the van after Chaney told him he didn't have to fix them at the house. Tran was relieved and ready to leave.
But Chaney asked Tran if he could help him get two more computers out of the house. Unsure, Tran went to the front door, peeked inside and saw a filthy mess — furniture covered in mold, the floor collapsed in and broken glass and ceramics littered everywhere.
Seeing his hesitation, Chaney insists Tran come inside.
"I finally go inside," Tran said.
No sooner had he stepped inside the house than a Hispanic man later, identified as Rigoberto Valenzia, jumped out from behind the door wearing a blue bandana across his face and wielding a sawed-off, double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun.
"You better not look at me," the man said to Tran after he instructed him to get down on the ground with his face on the dirty carpeted floor. "I thought the house was his or he was just going to rob us," said Tran, not knowing at the time that Chaney was in on the deal, too.
He lay on the floor in silence for a few minutes – which he said felt like forever.
"I was freaking out; this guy's got a shotgun to my head, he's breathing heartily and I'm thinking I'm too young to die," he said. "There's just this rush of adrenaline, and all the cliché things you can think about rush through your head, and I'm lying there. I'm going to die."
While he's on the floor, Valenzia removes the contents of Tran's pockets, duct tapes his wrists together behind his back, takes his glasses off, and duct tapes a bandana over his face. He then takes him to the van, puts him in the back and duct tapes his ankles together. While in the back of the van, however, Tran, lying on his back, could still see through the thin bandana and noticed through the passenger window that Valenzia and Chaney are talking to each other. At that point he knew the two were in on the kidnapping together and he'd been set up. Valenzia had also made mention about killing his family and made specific remarks only someone close to the family would know.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the plan was for Valenzia to take Tran back to his apartment and meet up with Chaney and the mastermind behind the plan – Kevin Nguyen.
"Kevin didn't think he was going to get caught," said Paul Arvizo, a 26-year veteran of the Port Arthur Police Department who was working part-time with the ATF at the time of the kidnapping. "He put a lot of work into that kidnapping, and it was fairly well-thought out."
Nguyen was convicted by a jury in federal court last Thursday, Aug. 2, for carjacking, conspiracy to commit carjacking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime for his role in the kidnapping. While the feds couldn't charge him with federal kidnapping charges because the kidnapping didn't cross state lines, they were able to charge him with carjacking since Tran's car was taken during the commissioning of the kidnapping.
Tran had known Nguyen previously and had worked for him at his computer repair shop in Port Arthur across from Christus St. Mary's Hospital back in 2008. Business slowed, so after two months, Tran left, and the two never spoke again.
"He was a nice guy, but there was always something about him that I couldn't trust," said Tran. "He was always trying to come up with ways to get rich quick."
The get-rich scheme in 2010 involved using two guys he'd known for only three months – Valenzia and Chaney – and doing about a month's worth of surveillance and planning before going through with the kidnapping, according to Arvizo.
"They were going to hold him for ransom, but how many times have you ever heard of someone being released after the ransom's been paid? I don't know of any cases like that, but then again, this was my first kidnapping case," said Arvizo.
Fortunately for Tran, it never came to a ransom being demanded or paid by his family because it never got that far. With Tran duct-taped in the back of the van, they had left the house and the van was moving. But Tran was actually able to feel around and grabbed the shotgun that had been placed on the floor by the passenger seat. Tran slid the gun underneath him, turned over – hands still taped behind him and the bandana still over his face – and had the gun's barrel propped up against the driver's seat.
He pulled the trigger.
It wasn't loaded. Suddenly, another rush of adrenaline came over Tran and he realized that if was going to die, it wasn't going to be from a shotgun blast. Valenzia, who was driving, heard the click. Energized, Tran was able to jump up on his feet, and when Valenzia turned around, Tran head-butted him. He then jumped into the front seat, wedging himself between the steering wheel and Valenzia. His shoe had fallen off, which freed his feet up, and he was pushing on the center console of the van while wedging himself, rocking violently back and forth against Valenzia the whole time.
"I don't know why, I guess it's because I'm an apologetic guy and I don't really like confrontation, but I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry,' the whole time I'm slamming into him," Tran said with a sheepish grin.
With a firm grip on Valenzia's arm, he hears the driver's door open. He falls out. The van speeds off.
"I jumped up and had no idea where I was at," said Tran, who turned out to be in a cemetery, of all places. The Calvary Cemetery, to be exact, located at Ninth Avenue and 25th Street in Port Arthur, still in shock, Tran ran over to a washateria across the street and pleaded for help, which one woman was reluctant to give.
"I'm screaming at this woman for help, and she just looks at me," said Tran, adding that his torn clothes, bloodied leg, duct-taped wrists and missing shoe apparently weren't enough to signal that he was in distress. "She said she was going to call the police on me, and I told her to do it!"
Fortunately, a motorist driving by the cemetery noticed Tran fall out of the van and watched it speed off, and he called the police while following the van. It was quickly pulled over and Valenzia was arrested. Chaney turned himself into police the next day. As for Nguyen, he actually fled to Houston and hid out there for almost 18 months before he was arrested by police last December trying to pass counterfeit $20 bills.
"That speaks to his arrogance," said Arvizo of Nguyen. "He thinks he's smarter than everybody in the room and he's going to smooth talk his way out of everything. Didn't work this time."
Arizo added that everybody that worked on the case did a phenomenal job and the convictions are a product of exceptional teamwork beginning with the investigation and ending with the prosecution.
"This thing was a like big jigsaw puzzle thrown on a table, and you had to put it together," said Arvizo. "The amount of hours the U.S. Attorney's Office put into this was just incredible."
Arvizo was especially appreciative of the job done by Baylor Wortham, who was the lead prosecutor in the case. "He was aggressive, he was unrelenting, I mean, we really worked this case, the countless interviews… We worked hard on this case and it paid off."
In fact, it took a jury less than an hour to come back with a guilty verdict after a four-day trial.
Nguyen still faces federal sentencing, which could be as far as three months away. He faces up to 25 years in federal prison. He also faces state charges for kidnapping. Last August, Chaney and Valenzia were sentenced to 97 and 116 months in federal prison, respectively for carjacking. They were also each convicted of aggravated kidnapping by the state of Texas and face five years in prison for that charge.
As for Tran, he said it's taken time to get over what happened, but he's extremely grateful for getting out alive. He said the experience certainly made him very untrusting for a time, and he's careful not to trust or hang around anyone outside his close circle of friends.
"Mr. Tran is a very intelligent man," said Arvizo. "He chose not to be a victim and was thinking the whole time, 'What am I going to do?' He did whatever he could, considering he was bound; he still decided to fight back and in the end. That's what resulted in his freedom."
Tran said he thinks about the situation from time to time, but moving forward he said he's learned a valuable lesson.
"Don't judge a book by its cover," he said, "Kevin saw me and thought he could do whatever he wanted. He didn't expect me to fight back. And I did."

subset: commoncrawl


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The Foundation
Broadcast.org Media Foundation ("the Foundation") is a non-profit organization structured as a 501(c)(3). The foundation is dedicated to bringing quality educational content to the global community. Using the latest technologies of interactive television, streaming and on-demand video interfaces, the organization will provide noncommercial, educational and conscientious content for children, teenagers and adults within reach of any internet connected device.
The Foundation will also license content that was previously unavailable to production facilities for use in development of third party programming. By doing so, it will become a video aggregator for non-profit and educational organization around the world. The Foundation will be funded by contributions, subscriptions and content licensees.


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March 4, 2008
BABSON PARK, Mass. - The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its 2007-08 men's basketball post-season awards on Tuesday. NEWMAC tournament champions Coast Guard led the way with three All-Conference selections while WPI's Antoine Coleman was named Player of the Year.
Junior Jimmy Bartolotta was MIT's lone representative on the all-conference teams, earning his second consecutive first team selection. The two-time and reigning NEWMAC scoring champion lost his bid for Player of the Year for the second time under eerily similar circumstances. After Bartolotta and Coleman finished the voting tied for the conference's most prestigious individual honor, the remaining five coaches conducted a second vote to determine the Player of the Year. Bartolotta was on the wrong end of another 3-2 decision that enabled WPI to hang on to the league's top individual award. After guiding WPI to the regular-season NEWMAC Championship, Ryan Cain was named Player of the Year in 2007.
Junior Craig Johnson and senior Al Sowers joined Coleman and Bartolotta on the first team, while senior Jeff Prebeck was named to the second team.
While Coleman was named NEWMAC Player of the Year, his coach Chris Bartley was named NEWMAC Coach of the year. Wheaton sharpshooter Anthony Coppola was named the NEWMAC Rookie of the year, as a unanimous selection, and was also selected to the All-Conference second team.
Clark University took home the league's Sportsmanship award while Babson senior Kyle McDonald rounded out the NEWMAC First Team All-Conference honors.
2008 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team
NEWMAC Athlete of the Year: Antoine Coleman, WPI
NEWMAC Rookie of the Year: Anthony Coppola, Wheaton College
NEWMAC Coach of the Year: Chris Bartley, WPI
NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award: Clark University
Kyle McDonald, Babson
Craig Johnson, Coast Guard
Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT
Al Sowers, Coast Guard
Antoine Coleman, WPI
Mark Alexander, Clark
Jeff Prebeck, Coast Guard
Jamaal Gibbs, Springfield
Anthony Coppola, Wheaton
Jim Marois, WPI


text:
Dallas County, IAHome Menu
County Calendar
Please click on the links below to obtain additional information.
Immunization Clinic for Children & Adults
- Date: 02/15/2018 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
- Location: Dallas County Public Health
25747 N Ave, Suite C
Adel, Iowa 50003
Return to full list >>
Monthly immunization clinic in Adel.
Please make an appointment by visiting our clinic page or calling 515-993-3750.


text:
Providence ElderPlace offers a unique
solution to today's often-complicated care
system for seniors.
Providence ElderPlace, in consultation with a team of health care providers, has selected a list of medications that represent the prescription therapies believed to be a necessary part of a quality treatment program. This list, called a formulary, is updated every two months.
In-home services offer seniors who
direct their own care the ability
to continue living in their home
with support from ElderPlace. Inhome
services are one part of the
comprehensive package you get with
Providence ElderPlace.
Providence ElderPlace health and social center locations.
Providence ElderPlace Milwaukie
serves seniors in designated areas of
Clackamas County. Our facility is
located in the Providence Milwaukie
Healing Place building on the hospital


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Moderator: Cartographers
Gilligan wrote:Sorry to be stupid... But is this map made up or is it geographical?
tonbomorphew wrote:i hate this map tisha
tonbomorphew wrote:i hate this map tisha
Tisha wrote:I am weird
Spockers wrote:Tisha wrote:Spockers wrote:What is it??
umm... The Puget Sound. Do u see Seattle? It's a city in Washington
So it's neither a state or a city? what is it?
wicked wrote:It's a region.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users


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Jan. 4, 2005
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Senior Dave Lohrey was named Second Team All-America by the American Water Polo Coaches Association, which announced its postseason accolades for the 2004 campaign. Traditionally one of the nation's most competitive teams, Lohrey's appointment marked the seventh straight season that an MIT water polo player has garnered All-America honors.
Lohrey finished second for the Engineers with 64 goals on the season, although he paced Tech's attack from the two-meter position all year. He was named to the Northern Division All-Conference team along with teammate Dan Jacobs, while Lohrey and John Rogers elicted All-Tournament honors at the Division III Eastern Championship.
Lohrey's inclusion into the Engineers' lineup has coincided with the best four-year stretch in the history of the program. Finishing at 14-14 this season, Lohrey's class became the first at MIT to post a .500 or better winning percentage all four years.
The 2003 squad obliterated the school record for wins with 23, while becoming the first MIT varsity team to earn a No. 1 ranking by a national media.


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Buying the Best Bandeau in 2018https://www.pleasuresexylingerie.com/collections/bandeau-top-bathing-suit
The Foolproof Bandeau Strategy
The very best choice of bandeau swimsuit designs and design alternatives can be found by seeing a typical brick-and-mortar store or a net shop which lets you mix and match tops and bottoms for the perfect fit. The reason this style has actually arrived back into focus is that of the necessity of several teenagers and also women to cover even more but still have the convenience of a two-piece swimsuit. There are great deals of bandeau designs in vogue nowadays, which are quite not likely to remain in style for long. If you need a style that will, however, function next year then opt for a focus on texture. Really, presently there are a lot of layouts available in bandeau bikini that you 'd be perplexed. The two of these designs are incredibly figured complementary to make sure that it's just a concern of exactly how daring you should go. It's possibly best to steer clear of bustier bandeau styles as they will not supply you a lot of assistance and are able to look unflattering.
What Is So Remarkable Regarding Bandeau?
The swimsuit is reported to be the outright most well-known ladies' beachwear worldwide. The Brazilian micro swimwear could be one of the most recent fashions in the swimsuit world, and also it has grabbed the rate of interest of people from throughout the USA There's additionally no denying the ability of pink and ought you dress you in a bandeau bikini swimwear, you will be the middle of attention, and also you could use such a beach bikini anywhere.
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University of Alabama at Birmingham
December 21, 1999
(Replaces policy dated August 5, 1991)
Related Policies and Procedures
UAB Enterprise Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment PolicyClinical trial agreement policies and procedures
UAB strongly supports the participation of its faculty and staff in the discovery, application, and dissemination of knowledge. The costs of extramurally sponsored teaching, research, and service projects to achieve these ends carried out at UAB and/or by UAB employees include direct, as well as indirect costs. It is, therefore, appropriate for UAB to seek compensation for all such costs in a responsible and equitable manner.
For purposes of this policy, the following definitions apply:
The term "indirect costs" is synonymous with the newer designation "facilities and administrative costs" as used in the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21. In that circular, such costs are defined as costs "that are incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified readily and specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity."
A "clinical trial" is the systematic investigation in a human population of the effects of an experimental drug, treatment regimen, or device for a particular disease or disorder conducted according to a formal protocol. Specific criteria defining clinical trials are included in a separate document available from the Office of the Provost.
Policy Statement
If a proposed clinical trial is reclassified as a standard grant or contract because it did not meet the UAB criteria for clinical trials, the appropriate full indirect cost reimbursement rate will apply.
The Office of the Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration is responsible for implementation of the financial management aspects of this policy.
The Office of the Provost is responsible for implementation of the grant and contract aspects of this policy and for overall coordination of procedures necessary for implementation.


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I guess I know what it this month in a big way , now that frame # 18 for july is about to go to the painter. Yes, nearly 20 frames built this month-that's why I have not made any entries on the blog lately. What's up for tomorrow ? Drive up to Ashland and teach a tig course at UBI......at least I'll only have to build one frame in two weeks instead of nine , but I will oversee the building of eight frames by the students. You can call me a poser, you can all me as s.o.b. , all sorts of stuff-but this summer you'll have to top off the pile of explitives with 'framebuilder', too. I wrote about the genuine fake framebuilder last time so here are the things that let you know when you are truly a framebuilder: # 1, The faster you build 'em, the longer the list gets. # 2, You get emails and phone calls from places where there's now way they should even know you exist.# 3, folks bring by deceased people's bikes to hang in your shop. # 4, Your shelves are filled with many frame tubes, so many that you don't stand a chance of using them all before you quit, die or both. #5, You are excited to build yourself a new frame, even though there's no way you need it and/or can afford to build it up. # 6, People order a frame and tell you: " Take your time...." and actually mean it. #7. There's a few projects hanging up in the shop that date back to the '90's that you swear you'll finish this winter. #8 , All of your bikes are filthy and you never take the time to work on them or clean them. #9 , Your hands are never completely clean except at the end of the two-week vacation that you never get, at least not in the last 4-5 years. # 10, You have set aside enough time to do X number of jobs and still take in another one even though it will burn you out , make you sick and most likely not get done on time. Well, those are the ones I could come up with. Add your own if you like . Of course, these are merely my obsevations and are not necessarily applicable to all, or even many framebuilders-just ones that are as primitive as me. Cheers, Paul.
Friday, July 31, 2009
You know you are a framebuilder when.......
Posted by swiggco world at 8:10 AM
3 comments:
- AnonymousJuly 31, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Brother Paul,ReplyDelete
Some of us have known you were the real deal for a long time (15yrs?) now! Keep up the good work!
That's a lot of aluminum!ReplyDelete
#5, You are excited to build yourself a new frame, even though there's no way you need it and/or can afford to build it up.ReplyDelete
....so it's not just me then!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Twins Clobbered By Atlanta Wednesday
The Atlanta Braves jumped all over Twins starter Vance Worley Wednesday afternoon in an 8-3 win at Turner Field.
Worley allowed eight runs on ten hits, including three home runs, in just 3.2 innings of work. For his efforts, he was shipped to AAA immediately after the game.
Worley allowed a run in the first inning and wriggled his way out of allowing more runs when the Braves had a runner cut down at the plate by left fielder Josh Willingham.
Atlanta scored a pair of runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Ramiro Pena hit a solo home run off of Worley, followed by an RBI single from Chris Johnson.
Atlanta broke the game open in the fourth inning on a solo home run from BJ Upton and a grand slam from Evan Gattis that made the score 8-0.
Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia had solo home runs for Minnesota to highlight another otherwise lackluster day at the plate.
The Twins get no break as the look to snap their eight game losing streak Thursday night at Detroit.


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a blog about photography, design, art, architecture, ephemera, found objects, pop culture, anonymous, outsider art, folk art, self-taught art, illustration, beauty, esoterica, auctions, discovery, art environments, mystery, vintage stuff and the magic that can be found in everyday things.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Japanese Boro Textiles
(Above) 19th c. Japanese Boro. Click image for larger view.
(Above) Detail of above. Click image for larger view.
(Above) 19th century Boro textile. Click for larger view.
(Above) Detail. Click for larger view.
(Above) 19th century Boro textile. Click for larger view.
(Above) Detail. Click for larger view.
(Above) Boro Cotton Kimono, Yamagata Prefecture (Northern Japan) c. 1900
I OWN A SINGLE JAPANESE BORO. IT REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS IN MY COLLECTION. Boro textiles were made in the late 19th and early 20th century by impoverished Japanese people from reused and recycled indigo-dyed, cotton rags. What we see in these examples are typical—patched and sewn, piece-by-piece, and handed down from generation-to-generation, where the tradition continued. These textiles are generational storybooks, lovingly repaired and patched with what fabric was available. Never intended to be viewed as a thing of beauty, these textiles today take on qualities of collage, objects of history, and objects with life and soul.
Objects found at kimonoboy.com, and 1stdibs.
15 comments:
- LIRIO said...
these are incredibly beautiful
the loveliness of the stitches and the indigo fabrics
they put me in mind of the over patched jeans of the 70's
thank you so much for posting these
- September 3, 2009 at 2:17 AM
- Maureen said...
They're beautiful, and look so modern. That kimono is amazing.
- September 3, 2009 at 7:31 AM
- Albert said...
I love these. I think they are very structural and controlled. It's funny to compare them to African American quilts from the South and see the color and pattern difference. Lovely!!!
- September 3, 2009 at 9:37 AM
- John Foster said...
Hi Lirio—
Glad you stopped by. Yep, like patched and worn jeans from the 60s and 70s— there's an authenticity to these objects that make them almost fetish-like. They are beyond wonderful....
- September 3, 2009 at 7:12 PM
I remember my last visit to my landlords apartment before he died last summer, he was wearing something very similar. I remember noticing how stitched and patched it was. There are some, but not many, people in Japan who still value textiles.
Sadly though, modern Japan is the most "throw away" society I have ever seen. I still cringe at the memory of my friend who suddenly remembered her family had a samurai warrior armor in their attic and called her mom to check. Mother's reply: "Oh that old stuff? I threw it out a couple years ago". Probably 10 000$ worth of antiques.
- October 6, 2009 at 2:55 AM
- Jane Waggoner Deschner said...
Reminds me of an old, oft-viewed snapshot or photo album where the paper has become soft from handling.
- December 20, 2010 at 7:44 AM
- male said...
Xmas greetings from downunder,
see Yohji Yamamoto's Boro (use)
- December 25, 2010 at 8:40 PM
- Thombeau said...
I absolutely love this.
- January 14, 2011 at 8:17 PM
- tamara kane said...
Very beautiful indeed. I recently began using Boro techniques in my own sewing.
- March 31, 2013 at 6:48 PM
- Olga Cabello said...
Very interesting.
- May 30, 2013 at 11:02 AM
- )eannie )oseph said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- September 28, 2013 at 5:48 PM
- )eannie )oseph said...
So beautiful, so very wabi sabi.
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- January 19, 2016 at 3:16 PM


text:
Predators hold off Flames to win home finaleby John Manasso
NASHVILLE – Nashville Predators rookie forward Austin Watson has endured a wild ride during the past few weeks, one that culminated in his first NHL goal on Tuesday in his team's 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone Arena.
The goal helped Nashville to end an eight-game winless streak that cost them a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Watson, the Predators' first-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut on April and played five games before returning to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on April 16. He proceeded to play three games in three days with the Admirals in Milwaukee, Chicago and then Peoria before he was recalled on Tuesday, marking his fourth game in five days.
If the 21-year-old is feeling the effects, it's not showing. He called scoring the goal "better than a dream."
"A little bit of adrenaline rush right now," Watson said. "We're happy with the win, obviously. For myself personally, it's an exciting moment."
The 6-foot-4, 193-pound Watson scored by finishing off a 3-on-2 with a wrist shot low to Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff's blocker side at 3:17 of the third period. The goal came in Watson's sixth NHL game.
The Predators have been forced to go with a youth movement because of a rash of injuries to their top forwards. A Michigan native, Watson will play his first game at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday against the team he grew up rooting for, the Detroit Red Wings. Nashville coach Barry Trotz said he thought the goal could give Watson, a prolific scorer in the Ontario Hockey League, some confidence.
"I think he's enjoying the experience," said Trotz, who referenced two other rookies, Kevin Henderson and Daniel Bang, who have gone up and down from Nashville to Milwaukee along with Watson. "I think all the guys. We've had Kevin Henderson score his first goal [in his NHL debut last Friday] and he's going back and forth. Daniel Bang is doing the same thing and Austin Watson. The goal for Austin, I think, will really help him.
"Kevin and Daniel are a little older and they have a little more of that veteran poise, if you will. I think getting a goal for Austin, who's still a real young guy who's 21, will hopefully give him some confidence going forward."
Another Nashville rookie also earned his first NHL point earlier in the game. Rookie Filip Forsberg, the 11th player taken in the 2012 draft, earned an assist in his fourth game. He was acquired from the Washington Capitals on April 3. Forsberg said he was not aware he earned a point until he heard the goal announced.
Matt Halischuk scored Nashville's fourth goal, the eventual game-winner, at 4:40 of the third. He has three goals in his last two games after scoring two in his first 33.
Calgary pulled to within one goal at 15:10 on its second shot of the period. Roman Cervenka scored his second goal of the game, deflecting Chris Butler's shot out of midair and into the net.
Calgary had won six of eight entering the game. The Flames suited up numerous young players recently called up from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League and sat healthy veterans such as Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak, Matt Stajan and Cory Sarich. Calgary was outshot 32-18 and had six shots in the second period and three in the third.
"There's a lot of new guys playing," said Kiprusoff, who made 28 saves. "The young guys they work real hard but sometimes it's open up a little bit. You know, it's not fun to lose but it's good to see our young guys. They played well again and good to see them getting chances to play."
The Flames, who had won three in a row, satisfied coach Bob Hartley with their effort, if not the results.
"We had a couple of mistakes defensively and they beat us out of the corner on two or three goals, so obviously that leaves a mark," he said. "Apart from this, I think we worked hard. I would've liked us to put more pucks at the net than we did."
"I felt that we passed on a shots and opportunities that we could have put pucks on the net rather than trying a pass in the high slot, and they took advantage of this to create outnumbered situations on us. I can't fault the effort. I think the effort was there, but better communication and couple of missed assignments cost us a few goals."
Nashville had gone 0-7-1 entering the game -- the Predators' last victory was a 3-1 home win against the Colorado Avalanche on April 2. The win was just the second of the month for the Predators, whose 1-8-3 slide knocked them out of the playoff race. Previously, they had qualified for the postseason in seven of the past eight seasons.
Nashville tied the game at 2-2, as Bang earned a power play when Calgary's Mark Cundari hooked him following a breakaway attempt that Bang shot wide. Shea Weber picked up his second primary assist of the game, this time with a soft shot that Nick Spaling deflected between his legs at 18:31 of the second period. Spaling has nine goals in 45 games, one off his career high, which he set last season in 77 games.
Cervenka scored a breakaway goal at 7:06 of the second period to put Calgary on top 2-1 on the Flames' first shot of the period. Forward Sven Baertschi pitchforked the puck from along the left boards below the faceoff dot and hit Cervenka in stride in the neutral zone. Cervenka had plenty of time to line up his shot and beat Pekka Rinne [15 saves] high to the blocker side.
With 5:21 left in the first period, Nashville evened the score on David Legwand's team-leading 12th goal and the 200th of his career. Weber let loose one of his trademark bombs from the right point and the rebound was too much for Kiprusoff to control. Legwand put it in from the doorstep.
T.J. Brodie put Calgary on top 1-0 in a 4-on-4 situation at 5:59 of the first period. With Rich Clune and Akim Aliu in the penalty box for coincidental roughing minors, Brodie faked his way around Nashville center Chris Mueller and deposited a quick wrist shot from the right circle.
The Predators went through a lot of losing in recent weeks, which made the events in their final home game of the season feel somewhat odd.
"I was sort of chuckling when I came in here," Trotz said. "We won the game. We weren't quite sure what to do. It was a new feeling. Guys have been working hard and not getting rewarded. Tonight they get rewarded."


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text:
(BPT) – Facing a rare disease diagnosis wasn't easy for Mary Ann Farley of Hoboken, N.J. Family and friends had never heard of the disease, her doctor had never treated a patient with it, and with little information and resources available, Mary Ann felt alone.
"With a rare blood cancer like essential thrombocythemia, information and resources can be hard to find. So there was no easy way for me to learn more, or to connect with others who were going through a similar experience," she says.
In 1999, at the age of 40, Farley was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET), which belongs to a group of rare and closely-related blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). ET causes the body to produce too many platelets and puts patients at risk for blood clots and abnormal bleeding.
Farley had been experiencing troubling symptoms since her 20s, and was relieved to finally receive a diagnosis after suffering from a rare jaw bone infection. But it wasn't a very clear diagnosis.
"All of these things were going wrong with my health at once, but no one could pin down what was causing the problems," she says. "It was a scary, uncertain time. And even once I knew that ET was the cause of my health issues, there was little information about available treatments or my future health outlook."
Not only was her diagnosis vague, but her ability to connect with others like her, or to establish a network of support around her, was also limited.
"It became much more real for everyone when I started developing complications," Farley says. "I didn't 'look' sick, so those around me didn't understand the severity of what I was going through until I began spending long periods of time in the hospital."
Medical research to discover and develop treatments for rare diseases also tends to happen more slowly because of the low number of reported cases. In the decades since Farley was first diagnosed, there haven't been any new treatments approved for her disease.
In addition, when medical questions arise, it's challenging for these patients because many doctors aren't familiar with rare diseases. Farley is the only patient with ET that her doctor and hematologist have treated in the last 30 years.
Community awareness initiatives can help bring attention to rare diseases and offer opportunities for patients to connect with others like them. A new program, Voices of MPN, got its start among advocacy groups in the MPN community, with the intent to shine a light on these rare diseases, but to also encourage support and connection for those affected.
The Voices of MPN program website, www.voicesofmpn.com, provides information about the diseases, educational programs, community activities and shared stories from patients, caregivers, health care professionals and advocates for MPNs. In addition, the program includes Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest pages which invite people to learn more about MPNs and become advocates themselves.
Farley appreciates the ability to increase her connections with people who understand first-hand what it is like to live with a rare blood cancer.
"In terms of support, I have now found it in my own circle of family and friends, but you can always use more," she says.
Honoring those who take action and create awareness or change is another important part of Voices of MPN. MPN Heroes, a recognition program sponsored by Incyte and in collaboration with CURE Media Group, publishers of CURE magazine, acknowledges and celebrates the otherwise unsung heroes of MPN, from people living with the diseases to organizations that have gone above and beyond in providing care, leadership and commitment. More information is available at www.MPNHeroes.com.
"This is real news for people in the MPN community," Farley says. "You get used to the fact that you're somewhat alone in this disease that will affect you for the rest of your life. You learn to accept it and just do your best to have a happy and fulfilling life. But programs like these that acknowledge what we go through, and connect us with others who are going through a similar experience, help make it a little bit easier."


text:
Bordering Luggage Weight Limit
You know that you travel too much when you are getting really good at hand-measuring your luggage weight.
Some budget domestic airlines in Australia, like Jetstar, have a weight limit of 20kg per person.
So I packed and measured my luggage bag briefly in Jerine's apartment before we left for Tasmania Airport.
Thinking" It shouldn't weigh more than 20kg."
Arriving at the airport, I hulled my bag onto the weighing machine at the check-in counter,
the meter showed...
Man I'm GOOD!
I think my weighing machine at home has just lost it's remaining purpose.
9 kissed Nicole
Power la you!ReplyDelete
YOU TOTALLY PWN!!! XDReplyDelete
- Lim Sze Shien24/9/09 12:18 AM
Lucky you... :PReplyDelete
woww damn accurate! hahah maybe cus you are a well experience traveller thats y... =)ReplyDelete
Ya, you are damn good!ReplyDelete
- Harima24/9/09 7:33 PM
lol so damn lucky!!ReplyDelete
Awesome!!!! Lol. The one you have at your mate's place not accurate lahhh =)ReplyDelete
Wow.. You're good !!ReplyDelete


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"Soybean King" Kip Cullers surpassed the 100-bu./acre soybean yield mark with record harvests in 2007 (154 bu.) and 2006 (139 bu.). But when will soybean growers see varieties consistently break the 100-bu./acre barrier?
Probably not anytime soon, says Brian Diers, University of Illinois soybean breeder. Between 1973 and 2007, the average yield gain has been just .448 bu./acre/yr. The current national average is about 41 bu./acre. You do the math. But that's not to say there isn't room to increase the size of these yield gains. With molecular-assisted selection, breeders are making strides.
Monsanto, for example, is taking a three-pronged approach to increasing yields: a combination of conventional breeding and marker-assisted selection, agronomic systems that focus more on crop inputs (such as fungicides and insecticides) and management to boost yields, and biotechnology, says Roy Fuchs, global oilseed technology lead, Monsanto. Taking this approach, the company is committed to doubling soybean yields by 2030, he says.
Monsanto has used marker-assisted breeding and biotechnology to develop the Roundup Ready 2 Yield platform and will launch several late Group I to late Group III Roundup Ready 2 Yield varieties for 2009 planting. The company has field tested the new technology, and over the last four years, the new varieties have produced on average 7 to 11% higher yields than those with the original Roundup Ready trait.
Fuchs points out that the last soybean product developed via biotechnology was introduced in 1996. The Roundup Ready 2 Yield platform will be the foundation from which Monsanto launches biotech products (such as dicamba-tolerant soybeans) in the future.
Tech combo
Pioneer Hi-Bred also has launched a new generation of soybeans, including 32 new varieties introduced in 2008. The Y series represents the largest volume of commercial products launched in the company's history.
Pioneer says that field testing of these new soybeans has indicated a 5% yield improvement over competitive varieties, with some yielding 6 to 10% better. John Soper, soybean research director, says that Pioneer developed the soybeans using its Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT), which uses a combination of gene mapping, field and molecular breeding technologies, doubled haploids and precision phenotyping.
Before using AYT, Pioneer breeders were seeing a 1% yield gain per year. Soper expects that, using the new technology, the breeders will be able to obtain yield gains of 2% per year. Soper says that yield enhancements will be seen across all maturity groups.
Although it is unlikely for soybeans to consistently break 100 bu. across all maturities, growers could see 100-bu./acre yields more often in elite lines in certain Group II and Group III maturities under favorable environmental conditions, says Steve Knodle, NK soybean brand manager and AgriEdge manager. "Soybeans are where corn was over a decade ago regarding new levels of yield potential," he says.
Allen LeRoy, soybean breeding and genetics project leader, Purdue University, agrees that yield gains will most likely be seen in maturity Groups II, III and IV because they are the maturities that are grown in regions of the country with the greatest amount of good soils.
No silver bullet
Over the next several years, growers could see yields increase by as much as 10 bu./acre due to improved breeding, but also due to new herbicide yield-enhancing trait technology that will allow growers to manage glyphosate weed resistance, Knodle says.
Marker-assisted selection will help increase yields, as will the new Roundup Ready 2 Yield technology and improved disease resistance genes that do not adversely impact yield, LeRoy says.
Diers cautions that, although improved genetics will help growers obtain higher yields, there is no silver bullet. To obtain high yields, growers also must have optimal weather conditions, good soils and good crop management. Growers need to match the best variety for their fields (taking into account insect and disease pressures, for example) and make sure fertility is right.
Pioneer's Soper observes that higher farm gate prices for soybeans have boosted the use of fungicides, which could continue to have positive impacts. Fungicide use could help result in 2 to 3% increases in yield, he says.
Jim Specht, professor of soybean genetics and physiology, University of Nebraska, says that one of the best things a grower can do is to plant soybeans early enough in the season to help the plants realize their full yield potential. Potential yield can drop every single day that planting is delayed.
Consistent 100-bu./acre yields will be a long time coming, Specht says, adding that Nebraska growers currently produce just 55 bu./acre under irrigation. Some growers produce 80 to 90 bu./acre with some degree of consistency, but that's with irrigation and good river-bottom soil, Specht says.
Global demand for soybean oil and protein will continue to expand. This, coupled with a finite amount of arable land, will keep soybean breeders and growers striving to increase per-acre efficiency. Although 100 bushels of soybeans per acre may not become the national average in our lifetimes, the industry is making significant gains. Some growers may even come close to giving Soybean King Kip Cullers some stiff competition.


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An internal investigation at a union super fund failed to uncover how members' phone numbers and home addresses ended up in the hands of union officials, a royal commission has been told.
Queensland company Lis-Con complained after people posing as CBUS staff "threatened and intimidated" its employees.
Staff from superannuation fund CBUS told the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption they don't know who sent private contact information to the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).
CBUS executive team member Maria Butera said an internal investigation was ordered after Lis-Con complained about its employees being contacted.
Counsel assisting commission, Jeremy Stoljar SC, asked Ms Butera why the investigation was limited to just one employee's emails.
"The CEO instructed me to do something, and I did it. In our world, that's what we do," Ms Butera told the commission in Melbourne on Monday.
A KPMG audit found 68 examples over 17 months where members' private information was exposed to people outside the fund.
Earlier, Lisa Zanatta, a coordinator at CBUS, said she was given more private information than she asked for when asked to access Lis-Con's superannuation payments.
That information, including phone numbers and home addresses, ended up with the CFMEU's NSW branch.
John Agius SC, representing the CFMEU also asked commissioner Dyson Heydon to investigate possible leaks from the commission, after evidence collected in private hearings was leaked to the media last week.
Mr Agius said the information could only have come from someone working within the royal commission who had access to private documents.
Commission chief executive Jane Fitzgerald said the leaks had not come from within the commission.
Commissioner Heydon rejected the application.
The commission's public hearings will continue in Melbourne on Tuesday


text:
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text:
Earnhardt Jr.'s Priority Shift
Prior to his pairing with crew chief Steve Letarte last season, the life of Dale Earnhardt Jr., at least at the track on race weekends, was quite simple.
The philosophy, in a nutshell, was to show up and drive. That is all.
Letarte changed that when he moved over to sit upon the pit box of the No. 88 Chevrolet Earnhardt drives for Hendrick Motorsports. Having helped guide veteran Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon to five consecutive Chase berths as Gordon's crew chief, Letarte had a certain way of going about his business that was unlike anything Earnhardt had previously experienced.
"I never really had anybody ask that much of me as far as a crew chief goes," Earnhardt said recently at the HMS shop. "They were more like, 'Just be there with your helmet when it's time to drive, and be ready to drive.' But he's asked me to do other things separate from the driving job itself. He's got expectations of what he wants me to do as a driver that help him be a better crew chief."
What has been required of Earnhardt is more of a full-time commitment to the team. He fills out post-race forms just like team engineers do, describing what he believed was going on with the car during certain stages of a race. He sits in on more team meetings -- sometimes morning, afternoon and night in between on-track practices.
The public perception often has been that Letarte is a good fit for Earnhardt because the upbeat Letarte is such an open cheerleader in interviews and on the team radio during races. But it turns out his most important attribute is as taskmaster. Upon becoming Earnhardt's crew chief, he told his driver bluntly that he expected Earnhardt to arrive at the job long before his first practice run and be prepared to stay late on days at the track.
"He wanted me there early," Earnhardt said. "I was grumbling about it at first, but he just said, 'That's the way it is, man.' ... As soon as I got to the truck in the morning, I never left until the day was over with. I never did that my entire career until [last] year. I would go back to my bus in between practices. I was never there early, or did any of those things in the 10 years before that."
Letarte chuckled when told of Earnhardt's self-admission about grumbling.
"I guess I didn't even care about his grumbling, because I didn't even have to sell [the idea to him]. I just told him, 'This is the schedule. This is how we're going to go about our business.' He never really grumbled to me," Letarte said. "He was there; he was there on time and ready to work. I appreciate that about him. He's the ultimate professional -- and from everything I've seen, I would expect him to continue being the ultimate professional.
"He's a huge part of the team. He's the only guy in the car, and we need him to be a part of it. He's never said anything but 'Sure, I'll be there.' And he's always said it with a smile on his face."
The payoff
The hard work paid dividends as Earnhardt made the Chase last year for the first time since 2008 -- the first year he drove for Hendrick -- and finished seventh in the final point standings, his highest finish since fifth in 2006 when he was still driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Team owner Rick Hendrick, who orchestrated the move to have Letarte become Earnhardt's crew chief, insisted that the Letarte-Earnhardt duo has barely scratched the surface of their true dual potential.
"Nothing surprised me, but I never realized what a cheerleader Stevie could be -- or how much Junior could take tough love. Stevie knew just when to deliver that, and when to put his arm around him," Hendrick said. "I think a lot of the other guys were scared of him, and so they would hold it in and then get mad and say something, and then Junior would get mad and we didn't go anywhere.
"But now Stevie knows exactly when he can pull that trigger, or just riding to the races with him and just how to work on him in more relaxed settings like that. I give Stevie a tremendous amount of credit. They haven't shown their true potential yet, but I think you'll see it this year. The communication, the confidence level ... I just wish we had put them together earlier on. I had no way of knowing it would be as good as it is."
And what exactly does Hendrick see as their "true potential?" As good as they were together last year, they never won a race. Earnhardt still hasn't won since June of 2008 at Michigan, carrying a 129-race winless streak into this season that has to wear on the driver like a set of bad tires that he wishes could have been changed hundreds of pit stops ago.
"I just feel like they'll win races and they'll be back in the Chase. I think they'll be better than they were last year," Hendrick said. "They made a huge step last year from where they were. We hit on some things at the end of the year that they really liked. It's amazing how close these cars can be, but then how different some of the setups need to be from driver to driver. Sometimes it takes a while to get all of that to fall into place.
"I just feel like the relationship between those two ... Stevie is not going to lay down; he's not going to accept Junior not being [a true pro]. And Junior needs that confidence that his crew chief is doing what he needs to do, and not slacking off because Junior's maybe in a bad mood or he doesn't want to do what the crew chief wants him to do that day. Stevie, that just rolls right off his shoulders. He doesn't care about that. The mutual respect is unbelievable there."
What's next?
Letarte said one of the keys to his developing such a trusting relationship with Earnhardt so quickly is that he refused to buy into anyone else's perception of the situation before he stepped in to form his own opinions. Even though he had worked at Hendrick since 1995, when he was only 16 years old, and obviously knew a great deal about Earnhardt, Letarte's first opinion was that you never really know a man until you get close to him.
"I personally never asked anyone their opinion of Dale Jr., nor did I listen to anything about him that was ever offered to me," Letarte said. "I went to Dale Jr. and introduced myself as if we had never met, and we started the process with a completely blank slate. So I had no expectations of what he would be like, and I think he's been great. ... I had no other expectations other than my expectations of his commitment and what I expected him to do as a race car driver. But I had no other expectations based on past history.
"In my opinion, when you line up on Sunday with 43 cars on the grid, what you did yesterday or last week or even how many championships you've won, it doesn't matter. Forty-three guys have a chance to win the race."
As it so happened , Letarte and Earnhardt became fast friends away from the track as well as clicking as coworkers on it.
"It's just very easy to spend time around him, and I think he thinks the same of me," Letarte said. "We get along really well. We're friends. He spends time with me and my family. He respects what's important to me, and I respect what's important to him. We have a level of respect between us that all great friendships are built upon, and I think we have one.
"It's very hard to go into battle with someone when you don't have a great foundation. I don't think you have to be friends, but you have to respect one another. Fortunately, we are friends -- but we also respect one another. I never question his desire; I hope he never questions mine. That allows us to go into battle and when things get tough, we can be very matter of fact about what the issue is -- and not have to work through a whole bunch of other mud to get there."
Earnhardt added simply, "We seemed to really click right from the get-go."
As for this year, they'll again play summer basketball together -- Earnhardt is a "decent shooting guard" and the much taller Letarte more of an inside force. They'll also probably cook out once or twice and hang out. But in between all that, and much more importantly, they expect to be more competitive than ever on the race track. Earnhardt said he's even looking forward to those early-morning skull sessions in the garage on race weekends.
"I understood once we got to doing it that I found that place enjoyable and that I wanted to be there," Earnhardt said. "It's been good. He's an easy guy to be around. None of this works is he doesn't have the right personality. He deserves a lot of credit. He took on a tough job here; it's a tough little gig for him. But he's done well with it so far.
"I don't ask a whole lot of him other than not to change. The guy he was last year was perfect. The more of that, the better."


text:
Longtime NFL outside linebacker Joey Porter will assist the Colorado State coaching staff in 2013 as he works to finish his undergraduate degree in liberal arts with a focus in social studies, the school announced Wednesday.
"I'm extremely happy to have opportunity to work with the CSU football team as an undergraduate student assistant," Porter said in a statement issued by the school. "It's an honor for me to come back and be a part of the CSU family, and I'm extremely excited to see what happens with the 2013 season."
Porter, 36, had 14 sacks in his final season with Colorado State in 1998. The Steelers drafted him in the third round of the 1999 draft. He played eight seasons with Pittsburgh before moving on to Miami (2007-2009), then Arizona (2010-2011).
Porter told Matt L. Stephens of the Fort Collins Coloradoan that a "hectic" last semester as he prepared for the NFL Draft was a factor in him not finishing his coursework the first time around, but the former NFL standout indicated he wants to finish the job this time. Porter called his coaching work an "extra gift" from Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain.
"Getting my degree is the biggest thing. It's good for me to have, it's good for me to stress to my kids," Porter said, according to the Coloradoan. "I went to college, but didn't graduate. Now I can finish my whole story."


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Re: Bye...
Why are you leaving???
Re: Bye...
"It's Going To Be LEGEND wait for it DARY.....LEGENDARY"-Barney Stinson (How i met your mother!)
Re: Bye...
No!!! Don't leave!
"everything was going so well, why are you doing this Stephen? I made you breakfast, and we were eating and...... The scramby eggs!" -Chip Douglas, the cable guy
Re: Bye...
So sorry to hear you're leaving!
Take care!
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text: it was great meeting you, too, Forrest- and there certainly was a lot of music this past weekend! Forrest is too kind to mention this, but he had the rare "honor" of sitting next to me during Stephan Micus' (incredible beyond words) set and, halfway through, watching me weep like a disgraced televangelist. I've been an admirer of the guy's music for tens of years, and knew a little of what to expect, but he went WAY beyond that.


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Open Source Animated Movie Shows What Can Be Done Today
from the just-think-what-comes-next dept
For years, one of the points we've raised in answering the movie industry's $200 million challenge to us (i.e., "how do you keep making $200 million movies?") is that, in part, it's asking the wrong question. No one asks "how do we keep making $10,000 computers?" Instead, they look for ways to make them cheaper (and better, at the same time). But in the world of Hollywood accounting, there's little incentive to make cheaper movies (sometimes the incentive goes the other way). And, we keep showing how the world is reaching a place where it's cheaper and cheaper to make good movies. We've pointed out nice examples of people making high quality movies for next to nothing. The idea is not that movies should be made for nothing, but that the technology is making it so that movies can be made for less. In fact, with two of the examples of cheap movie making we've highlighted, the makers later went on to score deals to do higher end movies for more reasonable budgets.
Now, lots of people are talking about the excellent new open source, partially crowd funded, computer-animated short-film Sintel:
- The technology keeps getting better and the cost to do such high quality work keeps decreasing. This movie did cost $550,000 to make -- involving a 14-person team. But, that's a hell of a lot less than it would have cost not so long ago for anything of this level of quality.
- The creators used some crowdfunding: They offered up a bunch of reasons to buy as a way to get people to preorder and pay up front. Note that they didn't just say "please give us money," but provided a bunch of benefits for doing so.
- The release is totally open source: They're using a Creative Commons license that only requires attribution. That is, they have no problem with commercial uses.
- The movie itself is also promoting something else: The movie comes from the Blender Foundation, and helps promote their open source 3D content creation suite, which is helpful for their business. This is a point that we've tried to make many times in the past. All content advertises something, and it's often important to figure out what that is. In this case, Sintel helps "advertise" Blender's tools. It's yet another example of content as advertising, and doing so in a way that's not intrusive or seen as "product placement." If you have content, it's important to realize what that content is advertising.


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No matter how many pages of farm bill regulations you muddle through, or how many reams of paperwork your turn into your local Farm Service Agency office, the question on the mind of most growers, is how much money will I get, and when will I see a check?
Determining how much money you'll get and when you'll see that check require calculating at least two long multiplication problems. Direct and counter-cyclical payments are calculated by multiplying your base acreage times 85 percent, times either your direct or counter-cyclical applicable yield, times the applicable rate times your share in the crop.
For example on a farm with 100 acres of cotton base, a 750-pound direct yield and a 900-pound counter-cyclical yield, you would multiply 100 times 85 percent, times 750, times the direct payment rate of $0.0667 to come up with a direct payment of $4,252.00.
Direct payments, on the other hand, are guaranteed payments Similar to the PFC payments made under the 1996-2002 farm bill, direct payments are guaranteed and growers can choose the month they want to get their check. You can wait until Jan. 1, 2003, to take that payment, or it can be made anywhere between Dec. 1 and Sept. 30. The final 50 percent of any direct payment will be made after Oct. 1, 2003.
To figure the maximum counter-cyclical payment for the our farm with 100 acres of cotton base, you multiple 100 times 85 percent, times 900, times the maximum projected counter-cyclical payment of $0.1373, for a potential counter-cyclical payment of $10,503. That's the maximum you could receive, but remember it could also be zero, depending on the current market price for that commodity.
Calculating counter-cyclical payments is eerily similar to the way deficiency payments were made prior to the 1996 farm bill. The old deficiency payment program was based on a target price and a loan rate. If the weighted average market price was higher than the loan rate, the difference between the target price and that weighted average market price equaled your deficiency payment.
There's one major difference between your old deficiency payments and counter-cyclical payments, though. Counter-cyclical payments are not guaranteed payments. Payments are issued only if the average selling price for that market year is less than the target price minus the direct payment for that crop. For corn, soybeans and grain sorghum the marketing year runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. For cotton and rice it runs from Aug. 1 through July 31, and for wheat and oats, the marketing year runs from June 1 to May 31.
According to Farm Service Agency officials, advance cotton and rice counter-cyclical payments of up to 35 percent are scheduled to be made between Oct. 1, 2002 and Jan. 31, 2003. Growers can not designate a month during this period to receive the advance payment.
"You make a choice whether you want that advance, or don't want that advance. Once you make that choice we are going to process payments as quickly as we can. If you don't want any money in this year coming from counter-cyclical payments you don't need to take the option for the first 35 percent advance," advises Robin Richardson, Farm Service Agency CED in Sunflower County, Miss.
A second advance counter-cyclical payment of up to 70 percent, less any previous advance, may be made beginning Feb. 1, 2003. If you want advance payments, but don't want anything until after the first of the year you're more than likely going to take this option. Then after Feb. 1, 2003, if the secretary determines that the Farm Service Agency is going to make second advance counter-cyclical payments, they'll make it at that time."
Final counter-cyclical payments, if applicable, will be made after the end of the marketing year for each crop.
The currently projected counter-cyclical advance rates are 4.81 cents per pound for cotton, and 0.58 cent per pound for rice. No advance counter-cyclical payments are currently projected for other crops.
Advance cotton and rice counter-cyclical payments for 2003 of up to 35 percent made be made from Oct. 1, 2003, until Jan. 31, 2004. "That's a hard decision for somebody to make on counter-cyclical payments. We're making a decision now at sign-up that's going to affect us the end of the next tax year. That's a hard decision to make, and something you need to think about. It's going to take some planning to know what you want to do before you come in to sign-up.
A second 2003 crop year advance counter-cyclical payment of up to 70 percent, less any previous advance, may be made beginning Feb. 1, 2004. That advance can be made anytime up to the time final payments are determined. Your final counter-cyclical payment, beginning with the 2003 crop, will be made after the end of the marketing year for each crop.
Adjusted gross income provisions will apply beginning with the 2003 crop year. The rule says you are ineligible for either Farm Service Agency or Natural Resource Conservation Service program payments and benefits if your adjusted gross income is in excess of $2.5 million, unless 75 percent of more of your income is from farming. Income calculations are based on the average of the three tax years previous to the year for which benefits are requested, excluding zero income years. It's effective for the 2003 through 2007 crop years, and applies down to the individual level and to the entity level.
In addition, substantial beneficial interest provisions do not apply. Any person with a share in a farm, no matter how small, must file an adjusted gross income certification. For example, public pension funds, which own farmland and lease it out for a crop share will be required to certify the adjusted gross income of every member of that pension fund. "That's probably going to change the situation to cash rent," says Richardson.
The provision does not apply to landowners unless they are in a crop share agreement with the producer. The rule applies only to those people earning a program payment, and any members of any entities earning payments.
Under the 2002 farm bill, payment limitations are $40,000 per person for direct payments, $65,000 per person for counter-cyclical payments, and $75,000 per person for marketing gains and loan deficiency payments.
While the $75,000 payment limitation for marketing gains and LDPs has been doubled in recent years, Richardson says, growers shouldn't expect that to happen again. "Don't look for this to change to $150,000. There is too much pressure on payment limitations nationwide already," he says.
Producers also need to be aware of loan repayment provisions using Commodity Certificates. Once beneficial interest is lost, commodities are ineligible for loan. Richardson explains, "If you place a commodity under loan and you choose the option to redeem that loan with Commodity Certificates, the gain realized by doing that will not be subject to your $75,000 limitation."
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The government body responsible for allocating billions of pounds of taxpayers' money to schools, colleges and academies has been strongly criticised by MPs for being too slow to intervene in failing institutions. The Education Funding Agency was set up by the Department for Education in 2012 in order to ensure "efficiency, accountability and transparency" in the distribution of more than £50 billion-a-year in public funding.
But the Commons Public Accounts Committee said that the agency lacked both the systems and the data it needed to carry out its responsibilities effectively. It found there was no systematic or forensic analysis of the data it did hold in order to identify "at risk" institutions where there were problems of poor governance or financial management.
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Instead the agency relied on a combination of whistle-blowers, outside auditors and "broad, desk-based reviews" which were "not sufficiently risk-focused" - with the result that when it did intervene it was often too late. Even when the agency is presented with data that should trigger concerns and lead to further investigation, the agency has not always taken action quickly enough," the committee said.
While almost one in 10 academy trusts had failed last year to submit their annual accounts on time, the agency had only used its penalty powers to issue "financial notices" - removing some financial freedoms or flexibilities - on just eight occasions. The committee also expressed concern that the agency did not have a "fit-and-proper persons" test for academy trustees and chief executives and it warned of the dangers of conflicts of interests where individuals with links to academy trusts and private firms were able to exploit their position for commercial gain.
While the agency had investigated 12 so-called "related-party transactions", where there was a potential conflict of interest, the committee said there were likely to be many more cases which had gone unchallenged and it called for a complete ban on such deals. Committee chair Margaret Hodge said: "The agency is too reactive and does not spot risks or intervene in schools quickly enough. It is essential that the agency now gets to grips with effective oversight to improve public confidence in the system."
The general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Mary Bousted, said: "The PAC report reveals the dog's dinner of a mess the Government has made of holding academies and academy trusts accountable for the huge sums of public money they receive."


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New London Mayor Finizio will not seek second term
New London — In a move that surprised many, Democratic Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio announced Tuesday night that he will not seek a second term and instead will focus on stabilizing municipal finances in his final 21 months in office.
"Too much of the debate in our city has been focused on me instead of our real financial problems," Finizio said in his annual budget address. "We cannot face the challenges before us if for the next two years this political paradigm exists. The city must be put first."
The mayor had already spoken in support of a bonding package proposed by the city's finance director that he said would close out 20 years of bad management of capital accounts, double the city's fund balance, and resolve its cash flow problems.
"I cannot simultaneously lead the city out of this situation, do what is necessary, and continue to speak uncomfortable financial truths, if every proposal from my administration is perceived as a political maneuver designed to get me re-elected," he said. "It is for that reason that I have decided I will not be a candidate for re-election next year, but will instead dedicate myself fully to the task at hand."
Wade A. Hyslop, City Council president and a Finizio supporter, said he learned the news in a meeting with the mayor about 5 minutes before the budget address began.
"I am heartbroken by it, only because I have been supportive of him, and I believe that he has honestly represented the city," Hyslop said. "I also believe that there are people who do not want to see the city go forward. They want to see the city fail, and they're going to be happy about this. I don't see how anyone can be happy about anyone who is willing to take their own personal feelings out of the running. … He is willing to sacrifice his own political career to see the city move forward. I'm dissatisfied with him doing it, but I see why he is doing it."
In an interview prior to his address to the council, Finizio said he believes his decision not to run again puts him in a stronger position to make the city solvent and that he has every intention of stabilizing municipal finances by the time he vacates office in December 2015.
"The debate has become focused around me, not the issues," said Finizio, who in 2011 became the city's first elected mayor in 90 years. "The tone of every discussion now is where (people) stand with me versus the real issues."
While Finizio acknowledged that harsh and constant criticism has taken a toll, he said it is not the reason he's not seeking a second term.
"My partner and I knew when we started this together in 2010 that it would be a sacrifice, and it has been, but the decision is not related to that alone," Finizio said.
He has come to realize, he said, that the good of the city has to take precedence over mayoral politics, and his sole focus will be on straightening out city finances and moving along other projects, such as construction of the National Coast Guard Museum.
City finances will be his top priority, he said.
"Not only are we out of money, but we are out of time. There is no other magic trick to be played," said Finizio, saying that for the two previous decades, city leaders held the line on taxes and depleted the city's fund balance, leaving New London in financial peril.
"We've got a cash flow problem and a potential state takeover," he said, adding that anyone who doubts that should study past city audits.
The 36-year-old mayor, who earns $86,000 annually, was elected in a landslide in November 2011 after running a "boots on the ground" campaign that led the city newcomer from virtual political obscurity to a household name. Finizio topped a field of six candidates, including two longtime native sons, Republican Rob Pero and Democratic write-in candidate Michael Buscetto.
Finizio said he intentionally made himself a "strong" elected mayor, because he believes that was the intent of the 2010 charter change that eliminated a city manager and instead provided for an elected mayor to run New London for a four-year term.
"The office needed to be established as a strong office," he said. "There needs to be a point person, someone to blame and to be held accountable. And you only get one chance to establish that right of authority."
Despite controversies that have swirled about him and his administration, Finizio said he has no regrets about his tenure and has every intention of continuing to be a strong leader.
He said he believes he could have won if he ran again. While he acknowledged that he had filed paperwork for the purpose of fundraising for re-election, he said he always thought he would likely only be a single-term mayor. The decision not to seek another term, he said, was not all that difficult to make.
"No one enjoys a high-stress job for life," he said, adding that being mayor is a 24/7 job and except for trips to Washington, D.C., for work, he hasn't left the city overnight in two years.
"No vacations," he said.
Finizio said he's not sure what he will do for work when his term ends, but he will continue to live in New London.
"I was born in Westerly, but that's my parents' home. New London is my home now," he said.
He also said he's made every effort to let his critics have their say and not respond to their personal jabs, commenting back only on policy issues.
"Responding only feeds that kind of negativity," he said.
Finizio wouldn't speculate on who he thinks will try to replace him, and one likely opponent, Councilor Michael Passero, was not at Tuesday's meeting.
Other councilors said they were surprised.
"At first we thought it was an April Fool's joke," said Councilor Anthony Nolan. "I just hope if it is what he is really going to do, that his decision is not based on the naysayers; that it is based on him having planned for whatever he is going to do next. If he decides to leave, I can only wish him luck."
Republican Councilor Martin T. Olsen said, "I think this only changes the political calculus in the city, and how that plays out, only time will tell."
Staff writer Colin A. Young contributed to this story.
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Blowin' in the Wind
When I was a master electrician working for a manufacturing facility, the company was in the process of a $1.5 million ventilation system upgrade. I wired all of the controls and feeders for the entire system, part of which included a 15-hp, 3-phase squirrel cage exhaust blower. Once I wired the blower up, I turned it on and air came out. The job was done, or so I thought. Once the system went online, it never seemed to be exhausting the room properly. After calling in the designer of the system and the manufacturer of the blower, the company concluded that I had wired the exhaust fan in reverse.
Jim Shevlin
Derry, N.H.
A Prickly Predicament
Many years ago as a young electrician in southern Arizona, I was assisting a new A/C installation in a rural desert location. The project journeyman was around a corner, bending a length of conduit when I heard his screams for help. As I turned the corner, I saw my associate's plight: the bender had broken just as he was leaning back for leverage, dropping him squarely in the middle of a patch of prickly pear cactus. As he screamed for help, I approached and held out my hand to him. However, before I could secure a good foothold, he quickly grabbed my hand and proceeded to pull me down right next to him, face-first in the cactus. As we moaned from the pain and laughed at our circumstance, we gingerly pushed ourselves up and out of the patch. But it only got worse later when we set to work plucking the hundreds of needles from our swollen bodies.
Charles W. Mueller
Illustrations by Clint Metcalf
Got a story about a jobsite blunder? Send it to [email protected]. If we publish it, we'll send you a check for $25.


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One of the goals I want to achieve for Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) is to make scanning really easy. So I've been working on Simple Scan:
Please try it and report any problems you have.
To install add the PPA and install the simple-scan package or build from source.
The GUI is a mess
Yes. This is the first functional release. The GUI is being redesigned for 0.8. The 0.7 release should contain all the functionality required for 1.0.
Who is simple scan for?
This application is designed for the 95% of users who just want to connect their scanner and quickly have the image/document in an appropriate format.
How does this relate to GNOME scan?
Simple scan does not use the GNOME scan to get the scan data. This is because Ubuntu 10.04 is a Long Term Support release and bringing the whole GNOME scan stack into main is risky (it was previously proposed for 10.04 but was not found to be stable enough). There is an open bug to change to gnomescan when that is appropriate.


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Don't throw the board behind when you are going to crash!
Just sidewards!
The wind will blow it below you and you can crash on it when thrown behind you!
When you have flat water between the waves slides etc are no problem.
I do Jesus Walks in choppy water, works. Even some darkslides.
Just try and see what is possible. Have fun!


text: Hi I have a problem with php session on my site that is structured like this: http root = /var/www/site.com/web https root = /var/www/site.com/web/secure/content I'm using name based virtrualhosts on apache2 (Fedora x86_64). I'm doing a test with two simple files: file1.php in http root Code: <?php session_start(); $_SESSION['test'] = 'test'; ?> and file2.php in https root Code: <?php session_start(); print_r($_SESSION); ?> I'm not sure if I did everything right (I never used the sessions with php) but the output of file 2 (in ssl root) is always 'Array()' which means that does not get the session variables (right?). I also tried to set session variable via 'GET method' in a link but nothing to do. I will post configurations if needed. Hope u can help me ... Thanks


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Division One: PRESIDING JUSTICE ROBERT M. MALLANO
Justice Mallano, born in Los Angeles, was confirmed as an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Division One, in 2000. He was made Presiding Justice of Division One in 2008. Before that he was on the Los Angeles Superior Court for twenty years and on the South Bay (Torrance) Municipal Court for two years.
After graduating from Mt. Carmel High School in Los Angeles, he attended Yale University on a scholarship, where he lettered in varsity football, and Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, where he was an associate editor of the law review and a member of Order of the Coif. He also studied law in Rome.
He served as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County for three years and engaged in the private practice of law for eleven years before being appointed to the bench in 1978.
He was elected Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court by his peers. He served as a member of the Judicial Council and of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics.
He was one of the founding members of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Educational Foundation organized to support local public schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and was a member of the Los Angeles Orphanage ("Maryvale") Advisory Board from 1972 to June 2010.
He has received the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California 1994 Columbian Award, the Boalt Hall Alumni Association 1995 Distinguished Service Award and the California Judicial Council 1996 Jurist of the Year Award.
Married to Kathleen Baker Mallano, a former public school teacher, they have four children and seven grandchildren. He enjoys cycling, fly-fishing, and literature


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One prominent antievolutionary argument put forward by the Intelligent Design Movement (IDM) is that significant amounts of biological information cannot be created through evolutionary mechanisms – processes such as random mutation and natural selection. ID proponent and structural biologist Doug Axe frames the argument this way (his comments begin at approx. 15:19 in the video):
"Basically every gene, every new protein fold… there is nothing of significance that we can show [that] can be had in that gradualistic way. It's all a mirage. None of it happens that way."
The importance of this line of argumentation for the IDM can be seen clearly in Stephen Meyer's book Signature in the Cell (published in 2009). In this book, Meyer claims that an intelligent agent is responsible for the information we observe in DNA because, in his words, natural mechanisms "will not suffice" to explain it:
Since the case for intelligent design as the best explanation for the origin of biological information necessary to build novel forms of life depends, in part, upon the claim that functional (information-rich) genes and proteins cannot be explained by random mutation and natural selection, this design hypothesis implies that selection and mutation will not suffice to produce genetic information … (p. 495)
It's hard to overstate the importance of this argument for Meyer in Signature, and for the IDM as a whole. In the conclusion to a pivotal chapter entitled "The Best Explanation" Meyer presents the following summary of his case:
Since the intelligent-design hypothesis meets both the causal-adequacy and causal-existence criteria of a best explanation, and since no other competing explanation meets these conditions as well –or at all–it follows that the design hypothesis provides the best, most causally adequate explanation of the origin of the information necessary to produce the first life on earth. Indeed, our uniform experience affirms that specified information … always arises from an intelligent source, from a mind, and not a strictly material process. So the discovery of the specified digital information in the DNA molecule provides strong grounds for inferring that intelligence played a role in the origin of DNA. Indeed, whenever we find specified information and we know the causal story of how that information arose, we always find that it arose from an intelligent source. It follows that the best, most causally adequate explanation for the origin of the specified, digitally encoded information in DNA is that it too had an intelligent source. (p. 347)
Put more simply, Meyer claims that if we see specified information, we infer design, since we know of no mechanism that can produce specified information through an unintelligent, natural process. As a logical argument, Meyer's position only works if (and this is a big if) – his premises are correct.
The issue is that Meyer's case is open to refutation by counterexample, and even one counterexample would suffice. If any natural mechanism can be shown to produce "functional, information-rich genes and proteins", then intelligent design is no longer the best explanation for the origin of information we observe in DNA, by Meyer's own stated criteria. His entire (500+ page) argument would simply unravel.
The obvious problem for Meyer's case is that biologists are well aware of a natural mechanism that does add functional, specified information to DNA sequences (and in some cases, creates new genes de novo): natural selection acting on genetic variation produced through random mutation. Not only are biologists aware of some examples of natural selection adding functional information to DNA, this effect has been observed time and again, and in some cases it has documented in exquisite detail. When I reviewed Signature for the American Scientific Affiliation journal Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith (PSCF) what struck me, repeatedly, was that Meyer made no mention of the evidence for natural selection as a mechanism to increase biological information. I fully expected him to dispute the evidence, certainly – but the surprise for me was that he simply denied it to be sufficient without addressing any evidence. The closest Meyer comes in addressing natural selection in Signature is in a section discussing evolutionary algorithms used to simulate evolution. As I said in my review:
Meyer's denial of random mutation and natural selection as an information generator notwithstanding, in a discussion about evolutionary computer simulations, Meyer makes the following claim:
If computer simulations demonstrate anything, they subtly demonstrate the need for an intelligent agent to elect some options and exclude others- that is, to create information.
Employing this argument, Meyer claims that any mechanism that prefers one variant over another creates information. As such, the ample experimental evidence for natural selection as a mechanism to favor certain variants over others certainly qualifies as such a generator. Meyer, however, makes no mention of the evidence for natural selection in the book.(pp. 278-279)
In the PSCF review I went on to point out a few examples of known instances in biology where random mutation and natural selection have indeed led to substantial increases in biological information, but the limitations of space in that format precluded me from exploring those examples in more detail, or from presenting that information at a level readily accessible to non-specialists. In this series of posts I will attempt to remedy that shortcoming by exploring several examples in depth. The question of how new specified information arises in DNA, far from being an "enigma", is one of great interest to biologists. While the IDM avoids this evidence to present a flawed argument for design, responding to this flawed argument provides an excellent opportunity to discuss some particularly elegant experiments in this area.
Of course, it should be noted that describing how specified information can arise through natural means does not in any way imply God's absence from the process. After all, natural processes are equally a manifestation of God's activity as what one would call supernatural events. So-called "natural" laws are what Christians understand to be a description of the ongoing, regular and repeatable activity of God. As such, the dichotomy presented in ID writings of "naturalism" versus theism is a false one: is not God the Author of nature, after all?
In the next post in this series, we will examine an ongoing experiment over twenty years in the making: the Long Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) on E. Coli conducted in the laboratory of Richard Lenski at Michigan State University.


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Reader Pawan Ahuja has sent us a photograph of his friend Mathew along with Mandira Bedi at Dilli Haat, a food plaza and craft bazaar in Delhi.
If you encounter/meet/see film or television personalities and take a photograph or a video of the star(s), please scan the photograph(s) and mail the pictures and video clips to us. We will feature the best images and video clips right here on Rediff Movies.