text:
We call it "enhancing the reading experience."
Dear Word Detective: What is the best connection you can dream up between "lying" and "drawing a long bow"? Is it related to what I call "adding to the truth"? I used to see it as related to playing on a violin but I could never get anywhere with that. — Ken in Alaska.
Ah, yes, the violin, the most deceptive of musical instruments. So fragile and delicate, yet so shamelessly manipulative. The mere sound of swelling violins on a film soundtrack has long been recognized as a signal of impending hokum and hornswoggling, and violins are, of course, anathema to cats. No instrument, save the harmonica, is so redolent of deceit and perfidy. And it doesn't help that the things make anyone playing one look like Richard Nixon in his worst "I am not a crook" moment. The furrowed brow, the trembling jowls; like a bulldog eating an end table.
Thank heavens that violins have nothing to do with the phrase "to draw a long bow," eh? It's an idiom dating back to at least the 1660s meaning "to exaggerate; to tell tall tales," so it's both more and less than simply "lying." There's something about the topic of exaggeration, incidentally, that brings out the colorful phrases. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Historical Thesaurus lists such synonyms for "draw the long bow" as "to go beyond the moon" (circa 1430), "to turn every goose into a swan" (1621), "to overegg the pudding" (1845), and, of course, "to lay it on with a trowel" (which, a bit surprisingly, dates back to around 1616).
The "long bow" in the phrase is the English "longbow," a fearsome weapon which dominated European warfare from its rise in the 13th century until the widespread adoption of gunpowder in the 16th century. The longbow was indeed "long," usually roughly the height of a typical archer, made of English yew wood, and required a hefty 90-110 pounds of force to "draw" in order to fire an arrow. Using a longbow required long training as well as development of the physical strength required to use one. But in trained hands, the longbow was capable of punching an arrow through Medieval metal armor at great distances, and the English victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 was both the most famous victory and the high water mark of the longbow.
By the way, to "draw" (pull back) the bowstring on a bow employs "draw" (from the Old English "dragan," to pull or drag, also related to "drag") in its original sense of "to pull." When an artist "draws" a picture, the pencil, etc., is "pulled" across the paper. "Draw" in the archery sense dates to the early 14th century; the "create a picture" sense arose around 1200.
As the "killer app" of Medieval warfare, the longbow inspired a large body of popular lore about the extraordinary feats of its users. English folk legends centering on Robin Hood, for instance, depict him as a master of the longbow and an almost supernaturally gifted marksman, easily capable of hitting tiny targets at enormous distances. The longbow also featured in a number of popular sayings still used today. "To have many strings to one's bow," a reference to archers carrying at least one spare bowstring into battle, means to have several alternatives or resources available ("Miss Bertram … might be said to have two strings to her bow," Jane Austen, 1814). "To shoot another's bow" means to practice an art or skill not your own, and "the bent of one's bow" refers to a person's character or inclination ("I have the bent of his bowe, that I know," 1562).
Given the centrality of the longbow to English culture and the number of legends and "tall tales" that sprang up about the near-magical skills of its users, it's not surprising that someone relaying an exaggeration or fantastic story would be said to be "drawing a long bow" as if relating Robin Hood-esque feats of derring-do. Appearing first in print in 1668 ("There came to us several Tradesmen; the first of them a Poor Rogue that made profession of drawing the long Bow"), to "draw the long bow" is the equivalent of telling the traditional "fish story" about the huge catch that got away. It's not really lying, because no one within earshot truly believes it's true.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Fordow uranium enrichment plant is beneath a mountain near the city of Qom, buried beneath tons of rock to protect it against potential Western air strikes.
New details of the Fordow complex are revealed in The Daily Telegraph's exclusive satellite images today.
The pictures are revealed as Fordow plays a central role in international talks being held in Kazakhstan aimed at persuading the Iranians to close down their nuclear programme.
Meeting in Almaty, officials from Britain, the US, France, Germany, Russia and China on Tuesday offered to relax curbs on Iran's trade in oil and gold if Tehran agrees to concessions over Fordow.
The West has been forced to negotiate over Fordow because its underground construction makes it highly resistant to aerial attack. Most "bunker-buster" ground-penetrating bombs would probably be useless against a facility shielded beneath hundreds of feet of rock.
Construction of the Fordow site began in secret in 2006 but in 2009 the US, UK and France revealed the facility's existence to the world. Our image confirms the remarkable lengths to which the Iranians have gone to conceal from view a site they say is wholly peaceful in nature.
One large building is only partly underground and partly visible, but the rest of the site is hidden beneath the surface. The picture shows two main entrances, each up to 11m (36ft) wide and linked by a paved road. The road curves smoothly without sharp turns, potentially allowing long vehicles like articulated flatbed trucks to navigate it.
A third entrance to the underground complex is also visible, potentially a service tunnel or emergency escape route.
Visible near the top of the mountain is what appears to be a ventilation shaft, as well as evidence of its construction.
The entire complex is ringed by a security fence and a well-lit perimeter road.
Other images show a military barracks and an air defence site, both a few miles from the complex. The air defence site has been constructed since Fordow's existence was disclosed in 2009. Fordow is the focus of concerns that Iran's nuclear programme is not, as its government claims, for civilian use.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, as of December, the site had produced 101kg (222lb) of uranium enriched to 20 per cent purity. Such material could be used for a nuclear weapon if further enriched.
Evidence gathered by the agency suggests the Iranians are operating the facility far below its full potential.
Of the 2,710 enriching centrifuges in the plant, only 696 are in use. Why so many centrifuges are unused is unclear, though some analysts speculate that Western-sponsored sabotage may have contributed.
Last September, the head of Iran's atomic energy programme disclosed that "saboteurs" had struck the site, blowing up its power supply cables.
Last month, an unverified report suggested there had been a large explosion at the facility, leaving many workers trapped underground.
The Daily Telegraph's imagery, however, shows no outward sign of any damage, or any trace of the large-scale rescue operation that might have been expected to follow such an event.
The talks in Kazakhstan have the modest objective of building confidence. Baroness Ashton, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, presented a "revised proposal" to Iran during a day of negotiations.
A western diplomat said this included sanctions relief that would come in return for Iranian concessions over Fordow and the enrichment of its stockpile of uranium to 20 per cent purity. If Iran took "concrete actions to address the international community's most immediate concerns", the diplomat said the pressure on its economy could be eased.
The EU described Tuesday's talks as "useful" and said they would resume today. The precise details of how sanctions relief would be traded for Iranian concessions were still being argued over on Tuesday night. No breakthroughs were expected, but the fact that Iran was negotiating at all was regarded as progress.
Last week, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a senior member of the Iranian parliament, said that Fordow will "never" be closed down because "our national duty is to be able to defend our nuclear and vital centres against an enemy threat".


text:
Forstall Left Apple Because He Refused to Apologize for Maps [REPORT]
Apple asked Scott Forstall to leave the company because Forstall refused to sign his name on a letter apologizing for Apple's Maps app, according to a report.
Citing "people familiar with the matter," The Wall Street Journal reports that Forstall (pictured), a 15-year veteran at Apple, wanted the company to address the poor reception for Maps without apologizing. However, CEO Tim Cook disagreed and sent an email to customers on Sept. 28 stating that Maps "fell short."
Forstall, who oversaw Apple's mobile software unit, was one of two top execs who left Apple on Monday. The departure of the other exec, Retail Chief John Browett, was unrelated, according to the report. Browett, who joined Apple nine months ago from UK retailer Dixons, "failed to fit in at Apple and made some mistakes. They included the faulty implementation of a new staffing formula that cut some employee hours too severely," according to the report.
The report adds that Forstall angered other Apple employees by lording his close relationship with company co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs over them and by not cooperating. For his part, Forstall was frustrated that, with Jobs gone, there was no "decider" at the company. Some members of Apple's iOS software team also told the WSJ that Forstall "felt the group wasn't working on enough big ideas in mobile software."
In Forstall's absence, SVP Eddy Cue will take over Siri and Maps, according to the report.
Image courtesy of Flickr, pazca


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Hill Country Mysteries
Main Navigation
Home Page
Writing and Living in the Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country...a land where quiet streams turn into raging rivers. And stories seep from the ground and whisper through the air.
I'm revising the manuscript of my first murder mystery now, set in the New Braunfels area. In the story, greed and the Guadalupe River roll together into death. For more of the journey, join me on my
Or email me via: writer(at)hillcountrymysteries.com
Content copyright


text:
PC Gamer have gone mad. Building a new rig for reviews and testing, they didn't settle on components that meet today's "recommended" specs. They went for components that meet "Thor's Mighty Mjölnir" standards, and the results are terrifying.
Using the very best gear throughout, the foundation of the rig are four GTX Titans. Four. Good lord.
And yes, I know, it's part-commercial. Mr. Digital Storm there doesn't seem as impressed as he should be that his company's logo is all over the clip.
But I don't care. This is PC hardware porn at its finest
The results? Check 'em out below. That's ArmA III running on 2560x1440. As a warm-up. They'll be kicking the tyres over the next few weeks, ramping games up to 4k and 5k resolutions.
In other words, it'll be like Dead End Thrills, only instead of sacrificing melted cards in the name of screenshots, they'll be playing games.
Introducing the Large Pixel Collider, a computer of uncomfortable power [PC Gamer]


text:
Word around campus is that Neil Marshall will direct the film adaptation of the graphic novel "Kong: King Of Skull Island". The story is set after the original tale of King Kong and follows the events after Kong's body had disappeared. I have nothing sarcastic to say about this because it sounds awesome. I will though point out how ridiculous it sounded when Tim Curry said "gorilla" in 1995's "Congo".
I have absolutely no idea how the movie business works. I say this because Dimension films has just picked up the rights to "Horns", the big screen adaption of the Joe Hill novel starring Daniel Radcliffe. This confuses me because the film has been in the works for a while now and I assume has wrapped on filming so why the hell is it it just getting picked up? I mean I get it when it's some B-movie softcore porn flick but this is Harry Potter. Someone explain this to me? I don't understand things.
Screen Gems has bought the rights to "The Unsacred", a new supernatural thriller from writer Amanda Gusack. You might know her from the 2005 horror film "In Memorium" but most likely you recognize the name from my one man all drag stage show based on the life of John Cusack. Think about it for a second, it makes total sense.
Jason Blum, the guy who's produced every horror movie you've scene in the past 10 years, is teaming up with Kevin McCormick to bring "White Smoke" to life. As you might have guessed by the title the project will follow a number of spooky time events that put the Vatican on its heels. No word yet on when the project will see the light of day but Jeff Richard and Mark Bianculli are lined up to pen the script for the project. Priests, they're so hot right now.


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'It's encased entirely in a comfortable, rubberized soft touch housing. '
'the Nexus 5 display is immaculately sharp.'
'At this size it's an easy phone to manage, especially with some devices now getting too big to handle as phablet popularity grows. '
'Beastly specs usually mean high prices but the Nexus 5 retails from £299, making it one of the most affordable high-end smartphones ever produced. . '
'high peak brightness'
'It's a decent, slim and lightweight phone. '
'the One mini doesn't feel sluggish, which is the important point.'
'Amazing build quality and design.'
'Updated with Motorola's newest Mobile Computing System, which is comprised out of a natural language processor, contextual computing chip, and a quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM, we're seriously impressed by the Moto X's super snappy responsiveness. '
'However, sharpness is slightly disappointing at the resolution, with less fine detail in evidence than the best 8-megapixel phones. '
'With normal use, we could picture most people getting an entire day's life without any battery-saving adjustments. '
Google and Moto almost made a truly standout Android phone
'decent overall spec'
'The HTC Desire is one of the best looking smartphones available right now.'
'It looks and feels like a great little phone, but it's impossible to view it in isolation and on the current market there are choices which present better value for money at (and in fact below) this price point. '
'The Desire 500 tackles the essentials well, doesn't cost the Earth and has a more interesting design than most budget smart phones. '
'Nice aluminum design.'
'Fingerprint scanner's location makes it difficult not to swipe the camera lens.'
'excellent display and stellar battery life'
'As with the regular HTC One, image quality is incredibly sharp, while brightness, colour and contrast are all excellent.'
Powerful processor, and a brilliant screen
Huge long-lasting 3200mAh battery
Powerful performance, good low-light camera, brilliant screen
Swift processor, fat battery offset by cheap plastic
Advanced controls and preset modes are easy to use
Good value-for-money for a convergence device
10x zoom lens and dedicated camera controls
Good battery life, Decent web browsing
Svelte metallic design, Pentaband radio
Thinnest smartphone in the world
Stylish, powerful enough for most uses
The Ascend P6's physical design is impressive but it has too many other issues to recommend
'The HTC Desire 601 is a phone that gets close to the sort of specs you'd get in a top-end One-series phone, but at a slightly lower price.'
'The viewing angles of this IPS LCD screen are also quite decent.'
'capable dual-core processor'
Want BoomSound and Zoes but without the expense?
Appealing design, Vivid 4.3 in display
ReviewGist helps you find the best products to buy by making sense of online reviews. We are currently aggregating 376,500 reviews covering over 29,474 products.


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Talk:Funtoo Linux Kernels
config-extract need update, doesn't work with recent debian-kernels. binary flag not working as there is no default .config generated by config-extract. http://kernel.alioth.debian.org/config/ providing kernel configs used in debian releases
I am using my laptop for development and all desktop stuff. (LXDE with compiz - looks great, works fine, consumes few power)
When I switch on my machine I see my funtoo grub theme. This is followed by my funtoo boottime splash. This is also schown when suspending, hibernating and waking up and shutdown. This works great with tuxonice-sources and splashutils.
Each time "funtoo" starts, I feel save and home. This is my machine, it looks good and works even better.
Maybe somebody else wants his/her machine to fit exactly his/her requirements. Then You may want to have a look at tuxonice-sources.
--Danielv (talk) 18:22, June 27, 2015 (UTC)
FIrst see http://www.funtoo.org/Funtoo_Linux_First_Steps
# emerge -av app-portage/eix
To see avail kernels, I do this command
# "eix -# sys-kernel/"
for a brief listing
# eix -c sys-kernel/'
for more detail
Let's say you want to look at sys-kernel/genkernel
# eix sys-kernel/genkernel/'


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Welcome to the Official Traxxas Unlimited Desert Racer Video Gallery. This is a place where you can post your videos to show off your truck and/or your driving skills. Please read the following guide lines:
This thread is for videos of your Traxxas UDR only. If you have a question for one of the people posting a video, please send them an e-mail or a PM so the thread does not get filled up with people talking. This is a place for videos not people asking what body or tires someone is using.
When you post a video, it would be greatly appreciated of you would post a detailed summary of what hop-ups you had on your vehicle at the time the video was taken.
Anything off topic will be deleted.
Any dead links will be deleted.
Last edited by Nitro Chicken; 03-31-2018 at 08:48 PM.
"Fortunately son, I says fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency!"
Foghorn Leghorn
Last edited by camping; 03-04-2018 at 03:53 PM.
pretty good slo-mo vid
how did you follow the truck with the camera to make this smooth shots?
Sand Run footage at 2:23
Monsterair, I think you can hear the camera man running after it in one of the first shots with sound. Still really smooth and clean. Nice video.
the last video i posted, the maker said he ran along the truck with a gimbal and camera in one hand, radio transmitter in the other.
Dynalube gearing, sand intrusion.
Last edited by camping; 04-02-2018 at 05:58 PM.
Hello everyone!
Go check out my UDR videos.
Dirt oval run
Speed tests
New clear body custom paint
Installing the battery bumper to run a single battery
Thank you
Last edited by Rcplayground; 04-05-2018 at 10:20 PM.
Last edited by Rcplayground; 04-05-2018 at 10:18 PM.
Customizing the new UDR!! Check it out!
Follow up on the new clear UDR body PN 8511
Your truck looks awesome......love all the little details.......did mine the same way....even changed the panels on the roll cage to orange......the new blue body is sweet.......waiting on my new clear body to come in.
A unique twist on jumping in this one guys, hope you like it!
My UDR on Cavi Beach (6S)
Second run and first jump
Hey guys, just uploaded my EPIC First Run with this awesome truck!! More videos are coming soon!
RC Tutorials - YouTube.com/RemoteControlChannel
FPV with goggles - :Audio warning:
FPV on board recording - :Audio warning:
Last edited by Ripi; 05-30-2018 at 04:04 PM. Reason: added audio warning
My First UDR Bash
My unboxing/review. Run time videos above and below this one
Stock out the box speed test. Literally never turned a wheel before I shot this.
Traxxas UDR Bash
Heres my first attempt. The overhead shots were pretty cool.
The pilot is actually my Wifes Step Father and it was his first time flying the new drone so we were still getting a feel for both vehicles.
Hoping to upload some more videos
Love this truck
How to go faster for just 6 bucks!
How To Change the UDR Pinion Gear
First Speed Test....
mind that rock!
Awesome batteries!
Just had my first run with this truck. Loving it!!!
A small slow-mo jump with paddle tires.
Rear wing! Fabricated one
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Made my first UDR video, hoping to get drone shots next time.


text:
Sarasota Square Mall Now Open!
Come check out our newest location!
Located between Costco and the Food Court!
Stop in and check out our awesome Artists!
Stop in and check out our amazing Piercers!
Atomic Ybor and Chopper in the News
Check out Chopper in the News!
Filmed at Atomic Tattoos Ybor!
ABC Action News Coverage!
Millenials and Body Art in the Workplace!
What the Puck?
Who will win the 2015 Stanley Cup?
Johnny and Cody think they know!
They tattooed the winning team logo on each other!
Before the final match!
Would you?
Find out who got which logo now!
Semicolon Tattoos & Deidre Zinn
Check out Deidre Zinn on ABC News!
Why are people getting semicolons?
Learn more about them!
Check out Deidre's tattoo portfolio!
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For Crisis Center of Tampa Bay!
Featured on Tampa Bay Times
Read More About It!


text:
"Characterization of 5`nucleotidase specific for modified nucleotides" and " The Regulation of nanos RNA"
Juliane studied Biochemistry at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg. Nucleotidases catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleoside monophosphates and thus regulate the intracellular nucleotide concentrations. There are several nucleotidases known which are highly conserved and differ from each other in their substrate specificities. During my diploma thesis I identified a nucleotidase in D. melanogaster that is able to hydrolyze modified nucleoside monophosphates. Now I am completing the characterization of this nucleotidase and its homologues in human. After that, I am planning to study the translational regulation of the Drosophila nanos mRNA.
Supervisor: Prof. Wahle


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Sony Sweating a Possible Weekend Invasion
May 6, 2011 12:40 PM PT
The hackers who penetrated Sony's PlayStation Network, Qriosity music service and Sony Online Entertainment are planning to launch another major attack against the company this weekend, a reader of an Internet Relay Chat channel used by the hackers reportedly told Cnet.
The hackers claim to have access to Sony's servers and plan to publicly post all or some of the information they can pilfer, which could include names, credit card numbers and addresses.
Meanwhile, Sony CEO Howard Stringer issued an apology to customers on Thursday and said the company is offering a free US$1 million identity theft insurance policy to its U.S. customers.
Sony provided additional details on the complimentary enrollment for an identity theft protection program it announced on April 30. The program will be available to PSN and Qriocity account holders in the U.S. only. Sony is currently working on similar programs in other countries. Sony has made arrangements with Debix, an identity protection firm, to provide AllClear ID Plus at no cost to account holders for 12 months.
Users will have until June 18 to sign up. The program includes cybermonitoring and surveillance of the Internet to detect exposure of personal data, according to Sony. The plan also includes priority access to private investigators and identity restoration specialists. A $1 million identity theft policy will provide users with financial relief to cover possible identity theft costs.
On another front, Sony said it has reached a milestone in testing its PSN system and is working around the clock to restore service. Its "Welcome Back" program will include free content downloads and a 30-day subscription to PSN Plus and Qriocity Music Unlimited.
Can Security Be Priority No. 1?
Consumers typically trust vendors to take care of security behind the scenes so they can go on their merry way. When a breach the magnitude of Sony's occurs, however, the magic spell is broken, and the trust dissolves.
"Security is something our industry always has to think about, but consumers never want to," Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist at In-Stat, told the E-Commerce Times.
Now that consumers are on high alert, Sony will have to rethink everything from a security standpoint, he said. "This is something we're going to see more and more of. If your security solutions are software only, they will be breakable. Any software can be hacked. All of these solutions out there have failed, because we can't figure out how to get people to pay for them. We need to get to the point where we take security seriously as an industry. It's going to create more problems, and it will keep some players at the sidelines."
The answer may be in the hardware. You can enhance security by adding an abstraction layer, noted McGregor. The problem is, it's expensive.
Cyber-Egg on Sony's Face
As Sony's problems snowball, the company looks increasingly unable to manage security. It's an understatement to say that so far, it has not handled this well.
"Sony has been slow to react, so it's been a black eye politically and in terms of customer expectations," said McGregor. "When something happens of this size, it will linger for some time. Consumers thus far have been willing to put up with it -- but there has to be a greater emphasis put on security. Consumers also have to say enough is enough. Consumers need to start fighting for better security."
Can Sony Make It Work?
If hackers kick Sony while it's down, the blow could be even worse than the original attacks.
"Any kind of attack like this can be painful for a vendor and it customers," Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, told the E-Commerce Times. "The first order of business is to get things up again and be sure it doesn't happen again. Sony hasn't been able to do that. If another hack comes on the back of what's happened, it not just painful from a PR standpoint -- it raises questions about their ability to manage their infrastructure."
Sony not only has to patch up holes in its networks and strengthen its security parameters, but also patch up its customer relationships and regain trust.
"You have to think that if this goes on for much longer, there will be questions in people's minds about staying with them," said King. "We've seen other classic security lapses such as TJ Maxx. They suffered in the short run. But I can't think of any company that has suffered the ongoing breaches that Sony has. Customers will have questions about how long they can stay before exiting and going with someone else."
Nearing the Last Straw
If hackers land another successful attack, then things could get very bleak for Sony.
"Another breach right after the last one could doom their e-commerce business," Carl Howe, director of anywhere consumer research at the Yankee Group, told the E-Commerce Times. "It's a bit like a bank recovering from a robbery. If they get robbed again the week after they reopen, I think customers are going to be afraid to keep their credit cards there."


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MendoCoastCurrent, March 14, 2011
Dear President Obama,
Continuing to hear comments that you, your administration and your cabinet members consider nuclear power as a clean, renewable solution is most alarming.
Mr. President, let's consider the nuclear event occurring in Japan right now and learn the simple truth that any safe renewable energy portfolio DOES NOT include nuclear energy.
The ramifications of the current Japanese nuclear trauma will be felt worldwide as will the fall-out, for months and possibly years to come.
Mr. President, I strongly encourage your team to change course, hit the ground running in alternative, renewable and sustainable energy r&d right now.
Here's a solution that may be started TODAY ~ http://bit.ly/t7ov1
I call it Mendocino Energy and am not attached to the name, yet very passionate about this important safe, renewable energy development concept. Time has come for us to get rolling!
Mendocino Energy ~ At this core energy technology incubator, energy policy is created as renewable energy technologies and science move swiftly from white boards and white papers to testing, refinement and implementation.
The Vision
Mendocino Energy is located on the Mendocino coast, three plus hours north of San Francisco, Silicon Valley. On the waterfront of Fort Bragg, utilizing a portion of the now-defunct Georgia-Pacific Mill Site to innovate in best practices, cost-efficient, safe renewable and sustainable energy development – wind, wave, solar, bioremediation, green-ag/algae, smart grid and grid technologies, et al.
The process is collaborative in creating, identifying and engineering optimum, commercial-scale, sustainable, renewable energy solutions with acumen.
Start-ups, utility companies, universities (e.g. Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford), EPRI, the federal government (FERC, DOE, DOI) and the world's greatest minds gathering at this fast-tracked, unique coming-together of a green work force and the U.S. government, creating responsible, safe renewable energy technologies to quickly identify best commercialization candidates and build-outs.
The campus is quickly constructed on healthy areas of the Mill Site as in the past, this waterfront, 400+ acre industry created contaminated areas where mushroom bioremediation is underway.
Determining best sitings for projects in solar thermal, wind turbines and mills, algae farming, bioremediation; taking the important first steps towards establishing U.S. leadership in renewable energy and the global green economy.
With deep concern & hope,
Laurel Krause


text:
Oh how interesting. Catholic hospitals don't always say that a fetus is a person. For instance, how about when an on-call obstetrician doesn't answer the page when a pregnant woman is in the ER having a heart attack and she ends up dying? And then her husband files a wrongful death suit?
The lead defendant in the case is Catholic Health Initiatives, the Englewood-based nonprofit that runs St. Thomas More Hospital as well as roughly 170 other health facilities in 17 states. Last year, the hospital chain reported national assets of $15 billion. The organization's mission, according to its promotional literature, is to "nurture the healing ministry of the Church" and to be guided by "fidelity to the Gospel." Toward those ends, Catholic Health facilities seek to follow the Ethical and Religious Directives of the Catholic Church authored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
You know, the Ethical and Religious Directives that say St Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix did a wicked wicked thing by terminating a pregnancy to save the woman's life. Those Ethical and Religious Directives.
…when it came to mounting a defense in the Stodghill case, Catholic Health's lawyers effectively turned the Church directives on their head. Catholic organizations have for decades fought to change federal and state laws that fail to protect "unborn persons," and Catholic Health's lawyers in this case had the chance to set precedent bolstering anti-abortion legal arguments. Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.
As Jason Langley, an attorney with Denver-based Kennedy Childs, argued in one of the briefs he filed for the defense, the court "should not overturn the long-standing rule in Colorado that the term 'person,' as is used in the Wrongful Death Act, encompasses only individuals born alive. Colorado state courts define 'person' under the Act to include only those born alive. Therefore Plaintiffs cannot maintain wrongful death claims based on two unborn fetuses."
To be fair, maybe Catholic Health isn't being hypocritical; maybe Catholic Health, like the administration of St Joseph's Hospital, refuses to obey the bishops on this issue.
Who knows. There shouldn't be any ambiguity on the subject either way. The Ethical and Religious Directives should be a dead letter.


text:
Speaking of Changes
So how come J-Fed can demote a commander and replace him instantly without going through the Commander applications that haven't been submitted and processed yet?
Sounds like the entire process has been exposed as bullshit. Again. Way to build up that "trust" factor there J-Fed.
Labels: changes


text:
However, you see that there are only 99 pigs for sale. The only other animals there are chickens for 1 dollar each, and cows for 80 dollars each.
If there are enough chickens and cows for you to buy as many as you wanted, how can you end up buying 100 animals using exactly 800 dollars?


text:
Yes, yes, indeed, a 71-year-old man is a member of a Chinese organization that promotes people hydrating with urine as a cure for 'almost any illness.'
According to a recent interview with Chengdu Economic Daily, the dude, who is a chief managing director for the China Urine Therapy Association, had his first encounter with a 'urine therapy campaign in 1993. He claims after a mere three months of urine therapy his eyesight's improved to the point he doesn't need glasses anymore.
Alright bruh, you do you. I'll be over here in the corner, chilling, content with life, sippin from a cold bottle of beer.
- Reposted by


text:
Tivoli Theatre
4922 S. 24th Street,
No one has favorited this theater yet
The Tivoli Theatre opened in the early-1930's with seating for 510. The theatre closed in the early-1950's.
Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Structure looks to be vacant retail. It is huge and spacious. At the front center of the building but inside is an old wrought double wide staircase that leads down just like the Roseland a couple doors down. If you google the address and click the street view, it's the structure with the mini red awning. The buiding with the white front sits between it and the Roseland.
as long as I can remember this building was used as a thrift shop, first as a Goodwill in the 70's and then a privately owned thrift store. I believe it is still vacant. I have vague recollections of walking down that staircase when I was 4 or 5; I think they had furniture down there. In later years the staircase was chained off.
The building is not open to the public; it is used as a storage facility for a private business.
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This is a huge disco ball. The hugest, actually. Michel De Broin's newest site specific installation One Thousand Speculations was created for Toronoto's Luminato Festival. The piece consists of disco ball over 25 feet in diameter hoisted 80 feet into the air, spun and spotlit each night of the festival. The
thousand of the piece's title likely refers to the ball's mirrors — a thousand of which reflect on David Pecaut Square below. Each of the individual mirrors reflect a large swath of light that travels over the yards and buildings each evening. The surrounds, perhaps unavoidably, seem to feel just a little more light-hearted — via Beautiful/Decay Artist & Design
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Maine Mall silences Salvation Army bell-ringing
Red kettle collectors given bell cardboard cutouts
The Salvation Army's kettle drive wraps up on Christmas Eve, and the agency says this year's effort is falling short of the organization's goal.
So far the Salvation Army has raised $100,000 but they were hoping to raise $160,000.
A major with the organization believes one of the reasons for the drop in donations is that bell-ringers have been banned from ringing the bells at the Maine Mall.
Mall managers said they have a good working relationship with the Salvation Army, and let the organization know early this fall that bell-ringing wouldn't be allowed.
A mall spokesperson said shoppers complained, and the noise upset kids.
Salvation Army Maj. Stephen Ditmer said the mall bell ban is affecting donations.
"When you're walking down the corridor of the mall you hear the bell and it draws your attention to the kettle. When you're coming across the parking lot of a store you hear the bell and it draws your attention to the kettle. Without the audible stimulus , if you will, to be attracted to the kettle, it does make a difference," said Ditmer.
The Maine Mall would not allow News 8 cameras inside the mall on Tuesday.
We were told the bell-ringers are holding cardboard cutouts that are shaped like bells and have the words "ding, ding," printed on them.


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Ain't Them Bodies Saints director David Lowery. Photo: Eugene Hernandez
Each year the Sundance Film Festival introduces an "it girl," but this time around the person worthy of that distinction is a guy. David Lowery, the Dallas based filmmaker, ushered a whopping three feature films to Sundance 2013 and they were among the most exciting and distinctive films of this year's festival.
"It's been a significant 12 months, I have to say," David Lowery told The Daily Buzz as we began our conversation about the films he worked on this past year.
Lowery not only wrote and directed his latest feature, Ain't Them Bodies Saints (a movie that sold to IFC Films for a reported $1 million just last night), he co-wrote Yen Tan's gay Texan story Pit Stop and co-edited Shane Carruth's anticipated New Directors/New Films entry Upstream Color.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, plays out as a classic American tale of star-crossed Texas outlaws who head off in different directions in the wake of a crime. The title for the film came from a song lyric that Lowery says he misheard. He kept it anyway because it applies literally, but also establishes an appropriate tone for his tale.
Lowery explained that he sees Ain't Them Bodies Saints as a movie in the tradition of other American stories.
"There's a muscular tone that I really admire and I wanted to make something in that vein, something that felt in sync with folklore in America," David Lowery elaborated, "a story that had been told for a long, long time."
That tone expresses itself not only in the story, but in the striking cinematic components of the film, from the music and cinematography to the design and the costumes.
Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck in Ain't Them Bodies Saints.
Lowery's team included cinematographer Bradford Young, production designer Jade Healy and costume designer Malgosia Turzanska, with a score by Daniel Hart.
"Texture is something thats hugely important to me," Lowery explained. "I love having films where you feel like you can sink your finger into or bite into them, that there's something that would rub off… from the tenor of the character's voices to the light that was hitting their cheek bones."
David Lowery also brought a texture to Pit Stop, working with good fried Yen Tan on dialogue for the naturalistic look at gay life in Texas. An accomplished editor on numerous indie features, Lowery had hoped to also edit the movie, but Tan started shooting Pit Stop just as Lowery was making Saints.
In the case of Shane Carruth's Upstream Color, Lowery was editing Sun Don't Shine by the film's co-star Amy Seimetz when Carruth tapped him to work on his second feature. While Carruth was still shooting the film, he sent a hard drive with footage and Lowery began assembling the movie. Lowery finished with just days to spare before he hit the road for Louisiana to shoot his own feature.
"That's a collaboration I am truly proud of. I was just on his wavelength," Lowery enthused about Carruth. "I feel so lucky to be on that wavelength because I think he's a true genius."
David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints gained momentum one year ago after Lowery participated in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and was quickly signed by WME. A few of this year's Lab Fellows joined program head Michelle Satter and sat down with The Daily Buzz to tease their upcoming projects on this final edition of our Sundance festival series. Also on the show are Rose Kuo from The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Ira Deutchman from Columbia University and Emerging Pictures, as well as filmmakers Lucy Walker (The Crash Reel) and Robert Stone (Pandora's Promise).
Interview Segment:
David Lowery – Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Pit Stop, Upstream Color
Interview Segment:
Michelle Satter – Sundance Institute
Chinaka Hodge – 700th and International
Russell Harbaugh – <em>Love After Love
Pamela Romiaowski – The Adderall Diaries
Interview Segment:
Lucy Walker – Sundance Institute
Sara Bernstein – HBO
Interview Segment:
Robert Stone – Pandora's Promise
Festival Veterans:
Ira Deutchman – Columbia University, Emerging Pictures
Festival Veterans:
Rose Kuo – Film Society of Lincoln Center


text: The Staggers 21 August 2010 WikiLeaks founder accused of rape Swedish police issue then retract arrest warrant, as Julian Assange warns of "dirty tricks" campaign Sign UpGet the New Statesman's Morning Call email. Sign-up The BBC reports that an arrest warrant has been issued in Sweden for the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, on charges of "rape and molestation". Assange was in the country last week to talk about his work with the whistleblowing website. Last month, WikiLeaks published more than 90,000 secret US military documents relating to the war in Afghanistan, many of which detailed civilian deaths and targeted assassinations. As John Pilger reported in his recent NS column, US officials have vowed to hunt down Assange and discredit his organisation in revenge for publishing the documents: In Washington, I interviewed a senior official in the defence department and asked: "Can you give a guarantee that the editors of WikiLeaks and the editor-in-chief, who is not American, will not be subjected to the kind of manhunt that we read about in the media?" He replied: "It's not my position to give guarantees on anything." [. . .] A Pentagon document states bluntly that US intelligence intends to "fatally marginalise" WikiLeaks. The preferred tactic is smear, with corporate journalists ever ready to play their part. So far, little information about the rape allegations, which were made in the Swedish tabloid Expressen, has emerged. Assange, communicating via the WikiLeaks Twitter feed, said he had been warned of a "dirty tricks" campaign. In another message, he said: "the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing." Assange had recently signed up as a star columnist with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, which has now suspended the arrangement. The legal blogger Jack of Kent makes the point that scepticism about the timing of the allegations does not mean that any rape complainant should automatically be branded a "liar": The better response to this emerging news is not to jettison our liberal value of taking allegations of rape seriously and treating the alleged victim with appropriate respect. [. . .] The defendant should now have the presumption of innocence until proved guilty; and during this process, assumptions about culpability and credibility, either of the defendant or the alleged victim, should not be too readily made by the rest of us. UPDATE: The Swedish Prosecution Authority has now cancelled the arrest warrant. According to the BBC: "The Swedish Prosecution Authority website said the chief prosecutor had come to the decision that Mr Assange was not suspected of rape but did not give any further explanation." › David Miliband's party tips Daniel Trilling is the Editor of New Humanist magazine. He was formerly an Assistant Editor at the New Statesman. Subscribe To stay on top of global affairs and enjoy even more international coverage subscribe for just £1 per month!


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Tuesday, July 19, 2011
New Fernando Valenzuela Bobblehead Pictures
The Dodgers will commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Fernandomania" with a bobblehead giveaway presented by Kaiser Permanente on Tuesday, July 26 (7:10 p.m. vs. COL).
The Dodgers did a really good job on this bobblehead. Looks nice! It's right up there with the Matt Kemp against the wall bobblehead from last year.
And here's the photo that inspired it's design.
9 comments:
- hypnotic23 said...
Fernando valenzuela will be doing autographs at viva los dodgers sunday july 24,2011
- July 19, 2011 at 4:45 PM
- Roberto Baly said...
Yes, I posted that info earlier today. Thanks! :)
- July 19, 2011 at 4:53 PM
- hypnotic23 said...
no prob. robert do u know i u need a ticket to the game to enter autograph alley
- July 19, 2011 at 5:14 PM
- Dodgerbobble said...
Love it!
Thanks for the update Roberto!
- July 19, 2011 at 7:04 PM
- Roberto Baly said...
@ hypnotic23 - I've noticed sometimes they check the tickets and sometimes they don't.
@ dodgerbobble - You're welcome!
- July 19, 2011 at 7:08 PM
- hypnotic23 said...
Cool thanx for the info. im still going to the games but was just curious. thanx again.
- July 19, 2011 at 7:13 PM
- hypnotic23 said...
i wounder if u can take a bat for autograph then take back to my car, anyone with info please post.
- July 19, 2011 at 7:16 PM
- jonathan said...
Yea Ive seen ppl with equipment at the viva los dodger signings before but if not u just take it to ur car and make sure u have a back up plan to get signed
- July 19, 2011 at 8:29 PM
- hypnotic23 said...
Yeah for sure my baseball thanx for the info
- July 19, 2011 at 8:47 PM


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The serpentine road lies ahead of me
naked, with its fangs spread out to curse and bite
I walk along melancholy ,with sounds of rustling leaves,
empty skies , and hardly any soul in sight
Maybe there is someone ,but I fail to see
coz the mirage at the horizon
hinders my vision, and retards my senses
What lies ahead i know not,
They say
Its the journey that makes the destination worthwhile ...
I like the road for what it is ,
it hides thy insanity and thy vices
and so I move on , until the knees weaken and the stance falters
until the walk becomes a monologue of empty thoughts ..
until the walk reduces to a crawl
Bruised and broken, but hopeful still
I move on,only to find not one ,but two...
Two serpentine roads opening up to a new horizon
disappearing, melting into the same molten pot
of mixed fortunes, mixed faiths ,and distorted realities..
Why the choice? Why the contradiction?
in the end, It will matter not...
Its right there in thy face...
mockin ,teasing and making thee aware
of the life ,the blood inside thy veins
caught right at the threshold of oozing out
as a sacrificial offering to the two serpants staring at me
I think I know which way to go
but they say
the grass is always greener on the other side
I try to hear the silence of my thoughts
but seems like theyr'e too smug and preen
they just blink like a cursor on an empty screen
I need an answer, a slight nod of the head
to reaffirm ,to reassure my broken spirit
I feel a hand in mine, like a lost companion returned
A beautiful pair of eyes intrude my hazy vision,
and a new breath reinforces my own
"it goads me on to pretend away the fears, of traversing a path untried..
of reaching for a destination unknown.."
I close my eyes for once
and let my companion guide me
not thinking about what is and what can be
But content in the belief that I tried
and my gloated ego for once i belied...
coz its said by those who ever won:
Theres only one rule on the crossroads...
Half done is not undone
Posted by Aupsy-The cOOlest One!! at 7:25 PM 7 comments
Labels: Mind over matter
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Bunn Tea Urn (1 qty)
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Most of our auctions sell with no reserve prices with shipping and delivery options available anywhere.


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FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Adobe PDF Print Engine?
The Adobe PDF Print Engine is a Software Development Kit (SDK) which renders PDF job content, converting graphics, text and images to rasters for driving digital presses, wide format printers, label printers and platesetters..
What is new in version 5 of Adobe PDF Print Engine?
Version 5 of the PDF Print Engine includes:
- Enhancements for Expanded Color Gamut printing
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What is the Mercury RIP Architecture?
Mercury is a parallel processing framework which harnesses multiple instances of the Adobe PDF Print Engine in tandem. It assures maximum efficiency for digital production printing, and large format printing. Additional information can be found here.
How can I buy the Adobe PDF Print Engine?
The Adobe PDF Print Engine is deployed as part of prepress solutions offered by an Adobe print solution partner. For a complete list, please click here.
How can my company incorporate the Adobe PDF Print Engine in its offerings?
Does your company manufacturer printing equipment, or develop DFE software for rasterizing PDF files? If yes, then please click here to learn about partnering with Adobe.


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Well, summer is approaching (not fast enough) and everyone knows that the best concerts are in the summer, so who are you guys going to be seeing/wanna see?
KISS is coming to town, I'm hoping to be able to make it out for that... Linkin Park is opening up for them.
Nickelback is coming too, I already saw them two years ago with Staind, so I'll have to see who is coming with them before I go. They're fun to watch though with all their pyro shit.


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Watch Movie Wish I Was Here For FreeDownload Wish I Was Here High Quality with duration 120 Min and broadcast on 2014-01-18 and MPAA rating is 26.
Original Title : Wish I Was Here
Movie title in your country : Wish I Was Here
Year of movie : 2014
Genres of movie : Comedy, Drama,
Status of movie : Released
Release date of movie : 2014-01-18
Companies of movie : Wild Bunch, Worldview Entertainment, Double Feature Films,
Countries of movie : United States of America,
Language of movie : English,
Durationof movie : 120 Min
Average vote of movie : 7.9
Youtube ID of movie : kw8VCDx399I
Translation of movie : EN,RU,ZH,ES,FR,DE,PT,
Actors of movie :
- Zach Braff ( Aidan Bloom )
- Kate Hudson ( Sarah Bloom )
- Joey King ( Grace )
- Pierce Gagnon ( Tucker )
- Donald Faison ( Anthony )
- Mandy Patinkin ( Saul Bloom )
- Ashley Greene ( Janine )
- Jim Parsons ( Paul )
- James Avery ( Audition Actor #2 )
- Alexander Chaplin ( Rabbi Rosenberg )
- Josh Gad ( Noah )
Life is an occasion. Rise to it.
Wish I Was Here Synopsis:
Play Streaming Wish I Was Here Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, is 35 years old and still trying to find a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he'd always dreamed he'd be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.
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Norman school officials warn parents about man exposing himself
Tune in to KOCO-5
Officials with Norman Public Schools sent a communication to parents on Tuesday about a man who exposed himself near an elementary school.
Here is the entirety of the message:
We have been informed that an adult, white male with short blond hair and approximately 6 feet tall has allegedly approached east Norman elementary students after school and exposed himself to some students at bus stops. The Norman Police Department is aware of this situation and informs us the suspect was reportedly driving a newer red Chevrolet truck with "Jim's Mobile Auto" on the vehicle.
The safety and welfare of our students is always our top priority. Please discuss with your child the importance of being aware of his or her surroundings and of avoiding contact with any strangers in any situation outside of school. Using the buddy system at bus stops and while walking to and from school provides more protection for young children, and other stranger danger safety tips to stress to children include:
Never go anywhere with anyone unless your parents know who you are going with and where you are going.
Know your address and phone number.
If you are playing with friends at a park or other location and they leave, leave with your friends.
Try to always walk places with friends.
In any emergency, call 9-1-1.
Never be embarrassed to tell your parents, the police and your teacher about something you observed or that happened that you think was not right.
Please contact the NPD by calling 9-1-1 if you have any information that may be helpful to this investigation. Please also share any information you believe will be of assistance with your school's main office.


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VENTURES AFRICA examines the 5 largest economies in Africa;
No African nation has yet joined the ranks of the developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), but there are some sizeable economies on the continent, and economies that are gradually increasing in size. Though South Africa is by far the continent's wealthiest state in terms of GDP, accounting for 30 percent of the continent's GDP, economies such as Egypt and Nigeria are on the rise and could overtake South Africa in coming years. And with seven of the fastest ten growing economies in the world in Africa, there is plenty of scope to suggest that the list of the 5 largest economies below may be an oft-changing one in years to come as Africa's economic development continues apace.
South Africa
Africa's biggest economy has an estimated GDP of $524 billion. The main contributor to GDP is the services sector at 66.7 per cent, followed by industry at 30.8 percent. Agriculture is relatively unimportant compared to the rest of the continent, contributing just 2.5 percent to GDP. All is not bright for the South African economy, however. Of the country's 50 million people an estimated 25 percent are out of work, with the World Bank concluding recently that rife inequality was a threat to economic growth. The richest 10 per cent of South Africans account for 58 percent of the nation's income, while the bottom 10 per cent accounts for 0.5 percent, the global Bank said. The bottom half earns less than 8 percent of the nation's income. Unemployment in the first quarter of 2012 rose to 25.2 percent, up from 23.9 percent in the previous quarter, and black people form the bulk of the jobless. Modest economic growth, which averaged 3.2 percent since 1995, had proved "insufficient to absorb the wave of new entrants to the labour market from dismantling apartheid's barriers", the report said.
Egypt has a GDP estimated at $497.88 billion, primarily driven by the services and industrial sectors. Agriculture contributes 14 percent. Though unemployment is relatively low at 9.7 percent, the economy faces challenges after last year's Arab Spring and the election of a new government. Rising debt and lower growth may threaten to derail Egypt's revolution even more than grasping generals do. New president Mohammed Morsy's political fate may depend on whether or not he can turn around a staggering Egyptian economy, which saw growth plunge from 5.1 percent in 2009/10 to 1.8 percent last year, according to the IMF. The IMF expects growth to be just 1.5 percent this year. Poor education and feeble governance have scared off the foreign investment and stifled the private entrepreneurship that drove the economic miracles in China, India and Indonesia. Unless Morsy manages to create more jobs and boost incomes, the disaffected and disappointed youth of the nation could turn on their elected leaders in a destabilising cycle of perpetual unrest.
Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation but its GDP has traditionally been well below that of South Africa. Its GDP of $377.9 billion is provided by industry, agriculture and services. But this looks set to change, according to a Renaissance Capital report. This year, Nigeria will change the base year for its GDP to 2008 from 1990. This looks likely to revise the size of its economy dramatically upwards. Depending on the scale of the revision, Renaissance Capital says Nigeria could surpass South Africa as the continent's largest economy as soon as 2014. When Ghana's GDP was rebased in 2010, the size of its economy was found to be 60 percent bigger than previously recorded – $31 billion, compared to $18 billion. Nigeria is expected to rebase its GDP sometime this year, having missed an earlier January target because of nationwide fuel protests. Rebasing involves changing the weighting of sectors of the economy to reflect changes in economic activity over the past three decades. The new figures would, for instance, put more weighting on the country's telecommunications industry, which has grown strongly over the past 10 years.
The Algerian economy is expected to remain in relatively good condition in 2012 despite global economic uncertainties. It's GDP of $251.1 billion, provided mostly by the industrial sector, is expected to grow by 3 to 3.5 percent. Economic growth remained strong in 2011 as oil prices strengthened the country's foreign reserves and budget. "Public expenditure plans will keep growth in non-oil sectors at 5 percent and boost up GDP by 2.5 percent," the IMF said. Increased food prices in international markets and the augmentation of public wages in Algeria was not reflected in inflation rates due to ongoing food subsidies, increased family savings, increasing demand for imports, and prudent monetary policy. "Budget deficit will likely remain at 4 percent of the total GDP as public expenditures as well as wage augmentation continue," added the IMF.
These are not good times for Morocco, Africa's fifth biggest economy, where in April the new Islamist government finally passed its 2012 budget, four months late. This saw protests outside parliament, previously unheard of in the stable and relatively prosperous North African country. Its budget is overstretched, its farm fields drought-stricken, its credit rating is wobbly, and economic crisis is hobbling its closest trading partners in Europe, even as protests by disgruntled Moroccans are on the rise. Abdelilah Benkirane's government came in with a five-year plan predicting 5.5 percent growth, which it then had to revise downward at the beginning of the year to 4.2 percent. Then at the end of March, the central bank, noting the crisis in Europe and impending drought, cut its own predictions to less than 3 percent.


text:
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Water SA
versión On-line ISSN 1816-7950
versión impresa ISSN 0378-4738
Water SA vol.35 no.5 Pretoria oct. 2009
Nitrate-nitrogen removal with small-scale reverse osmosis, electrodialysis and ion-exchange units in rural areas
J Schoeman*
University of Pretoria, Department of Chemical Engineering, Water Utilisation Division, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in water supplied to clinics in Limpopo Province is too high to be fit for human consumption (35 to 75 mg/ℓ NO3-N). Therefore, small-scale technologies (reverse osmosis, ion-exchange and electrodialysis) were evaluated for nitrate-nitrogen removal to make the water potable (< 10 mg/ℓ NO3-N). It was found that the reverse osmosis process should function well for nitrate-nitrogen removal. Nitrate-nitrogen could be reduced from a concentration of 35 to 43 mg/ℓ in 1 case to a concentration of between 1.4 and 5.5 mg/ℓ in the treated water. In another case it could be reduced from 54 to 72 mg/ℓ to 12 to 17 mg/ℓ in the treated water. The water was also effectively desalinated. The ion-exchange process could also reduce the nitrate-nitrogen concentration to less than 10 mg/ℓ in the treated water. However, the water could not be efficiently desalinated and the process should function better when the level of total dissolved solids in the feed is not very high. The electrodialysis process should also function well for nitrate-nitrogen and salinity removal. However, the electrodialysis process is more complicated to operate. The reverse osmosis and ion-exchange processes are therefore suggested for nitrate-nitrogen removal at clinics. Capital costs for small-scale reverse osmosis and ion-exchange units are estimated at ZAR7 000 and ZAR10 000, respectively. Operational costs for reverse osmosis and ion-exchange are estimated at ZAR3.16/m3 and ZAR3.60/m3 of treated water, respectively.
Keywords: Water quality, nitrate-nitrogen removal, reverse osmosis, ion-exchange, electrodialysis, costs
Many borehole waters in rural areas in South Africa are not fit for human consumption because the nitrate-nitrogen (>6 mg/ℓ), fluoride (>1 mg/ℓ) and salinity (>1 000 mg/ℓ) concentrations are too high (Schoeman and Steyn, 2000). High nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in drinking water can cause an illness called methaemoglobinaemia or 'Blue Baby Syndrome' in small children. This happens when the nitrate is reduced to nitrite in the gastrointestinal tract and the nitrite reacts directly with haemoglobin in the bloodstream to produce methaemoglobin with consequent impairment of oxygen transportation. The reaction of nitrite with haemoglobin can be especially hazardous in infants under 3 months of age. Serious, and occasionally fatal, poisoning in infants has occurred following the ingestion of untreated well waters with nitrate-nitrogen concentration levels greater than 10 mg/ℓ (Holden et al., 1970). Other adverse human health effects associated with high nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in water include spontaneous abortions, the possibility of malformations in children, increased incidence of hyperthyroidism (goitre), and bladder cancer (Weyer, 2001).
The nitrate-nitrogen concentration of many borehole waters near clinics in the Limpopo Province is very high (30 to 70 mg/ℓ NO3-N). In many cases this is the only source of water nearby, and this water is not suitable for potable purposes, although the water is consumed for these purposes. Consequently, the nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the borehole waters should be reduced to potable standards (< 10 mg/ℓ NO3-N). Many clinics require only about 250 ℓ/d of potable water. Therefore, small-scale treatment technologies are required for water denitrification.
Reverse osmosis (RO), ion-exchange (IX), electrodialysis (ED) and biological denitrification technologies, which are successfully used for large-scale denitrification of water, should all be suitable technologies for small-scale application. A newly-developed membrane biofilm reactor also appears to have merit for small-scale usage (Chung et al., 2007). However, each of these technologies has its own advantages and disadvantages for water denitrification. Biological denitrification, for example, can remove nitrate-nitrogen very effectively from water. However, the perception that the water is in contact with bacteria, which are responsible for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen, is not always acceptable to people. The control of a biological process could also be difficult in a rural area. Reverse osmosis, IX and ED can also remove nitrate-nitrogen very effectively from contaminated waters (Tisseau, 1998; Kesore et al., 1997; Lauch and Guter, 1986). The control of these processes in rural areas should be easier than that of a biological process. Very little information is available regarding the biofilm reactor for nitrate-nitrogen removal. Therefore, the RO, IX and ED processes were selected for the small-scale removal of nitrate-nitrogen from boreholes serving clinics in rural areas.
The objectives of the investigation were to:
- Evaluate RO, IX and ED for nitrate-nitrogen removal at clinics
- Establish the most suitable technology for use at clinics
- Determine the preliminary economics of the processes
- Recommend the most suitable technology for use at clinics
Nitrogen sources
Waste of organic origin in soil contains nitrogen in protein form. The 1st transformation step is protein degradation (proteolysis and ammonia fixation of molecules) into ammonia-nitrogen by micro-organisms (DWAF, 1996). The 2nd step is the nitrification (2 phases) performed by autotrophic bacteria:
- NH4+ is oxidised into NO2- by Nitrosomonas
- NO2- is oxidised into nitrate (nitration) by Nitrobacter.
It is believed that high nitrate concentrations in borehole waters in rural areas originate from natural organic matter in soil and from pit latrines in the vicinity of boreholes. Other potential nitrogenous sources include runoff from agricultural land, wastewater and domestic water (Tisseau, 1998). However, it is doubtful whether any of these sources contribute significant quantities of nitrate-nitrogen to the groundwater in rural areas.
Water quality at clinics
The water quality experienced at some of the clinics in the Limpopo Province is shown in Tables 1, 2 and 3 ( Crosby, 2003), along with the resulting classification of this water quality in terms of an applicable water quality assessment tool (DWAF, DoH and WRC, 1998). The high nitrate-nitrogen concentrations are due to the location of pit latrines and other community sewage-disposal systems in the vicinity of production boreholes. It should be noted that the nitrate-nitrogen concentration levels (Class 4) indicate a dangerous water quality totally unsuitable for use. The salinity levels, including chlorides and hardness, are also high in some of the waters. Therefore, water desalination would be required to reduce water quality to potable standards.
Clinic A
Reverse osmosis unit
An RO Model 10F4 with booster pump was used at Clinic A (Fig. 1) (Schoeman, 2004).
The RO unit containing Filmtec TW30-18-12 membranes (96% rejection) was tested in the laboratory prior to installation at the clinic in order to ensure correct procedure of operation and performance. Water flow rates, water recovery and salt rejections were determined on tap water.
Feed water at the clinic was supplied from a 10 m3 plastic tank (4 m high) to the RO unit that was installed indoors against a wall. Water flow rates (product or permeate and brine), water recovery and salt rejection were measured on a regular basis. Personnel from the clinic assisted in sample taking. The nitrate-nitrogen concentrations of the RO feed, product and brine were determined by chemical analysis. The major ions in the RO feed, product and brine were also determined at irregular intervals, along with the bacteriological composition of the untreated and treated feed.
IX unit
A POU-200-N600 Ion-Exchange Nitrate Removal Unit containing Lewatit M600 strong base anion resin was used at Clinic A (Figs. 2a and 2b) (Schoeman, 2004). The IX unit is similar to the units that are used for water softening.
A bag of salt (25 kg) was put in the regeneration tank (height of water = 22 cm ; tank diameter = 41.5 cm ; volume = approx. 30 ℓ; anion-exchange resin was regenerated with approximately 10% salt solution (0.4 bed volumes (BVs); 1 BV = 20.5 ℓ)). Excess salt was removed by water rinses before the service cycle was started. A breakthrough curve was first established by taking hourly samples of the treated water for nitrate-nitrogen analysis. The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the treated water was plotted as a function of throughput and the number of BVs produced at nitrate-nitrogen breakthrough (10 mg/ℓ NO3-N). Note that 20.5 ℓ resin (1 BV = 20.5 ℓ) was used.
Nitrate-nitrogen removal with the IX unit was studied over a 7-month period. Treated water was collected for approximately 1 to 3 hours every day in a 200 ℓ container (Fig. 2b). Samples for nitrate-nitrogen analysis were taken where the treated water entered the 200 ℓ container through a float, and the treated water volume (throughput) was recorded. Personnel from the clinic assisted in the taking of samples and flow-meter readings.
The IX unit is an automated unit (Schoeman, 2004). Regeneration is conducted with salt using an Autotrol 400 series control. The resin is first backwashed, then regenerated, followed by rinses to remove excess salt prior to the service cycle. Salt must be added to the regeneration tank when the salt bag (25 kg) in the tank is empty. Water is automatically sucked into the regeneration tank when it is empty.
ED unit
A laboratory-scale ED unit with an effective membrane area of 81 cm2 was evaluated in the laboratory for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen from borehole waters obtained at the clinics (Fig. 3) (Schoeman, 2004). The experiments were performed in the batch mode; 4 ℓ feed and 1 ℓ brine (feed) were used. The feed and brine solutions were circulated through 10 cell pairs (Selemion AMV and CMV membranes) at a constant cell stack voltage (20 V), and the decrease in electrical current was measured as a function of time. Samples of the treated water were taken regularly for nitrate-nitrogen analysis.
Clinic B
A similar RO unit to that used at Clinic A was used at Clinic B (Schoeman, 2004). Clinic B receives water of a poorer quality than that received by Clinic A. Note that the membrane module size was 5 cm by 25 cm at both clinics.
Results and discussion
Clinic A
RO test results on tap water
The RO unit was first tested on tap water prior to installation at the clinic. The desalination performance of the RO unit on tap water is shown in Table 4.
Salt rejection and water recovery were 96.06% and 27.01%, respectively. The low water recovery is due to the low feed inlet pressure (approx. 300 kPa). The product water output was 10.26 ℓ/h or 246.24 ℓ/d (1 d = 24 h).
RO test results on borehole water at clinic A
The nitrate-nitrogen concentration, measured in the RO feed, product and brine over the test period, is shown in Fig. 4. The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO feed varied between 35 and 43 mg/ℓ. The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO product varied between 1.4 and 5.2 mg/ℓ. Therefore, a high quality product water could be produced with RO desalination of the water. The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO brine varied between 46 and 56 mg/ℓ; this concentration was not much higher than the feed concentration due to the low water recovery.
The initial nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO product was 1.4 mg/ℓ. This concentration in the product water was 5.2 mg/ℓ when approximately 23.3 m3 of the feed water had been treated. Therefore, it appears that there was a steady increase in the nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the product water. However, the nitrate-nitrogen concentration of 5.2 mg/ℓ in the product water at the end of the run was still far below the value of 10 mg/ℓ which is recommended for potable purposes.
The per cent nitrate-nitrogen removal, as a function of throughput over the test period, is shown in Fig. 5. The percentage nitrate-nitrogen removal varied between 96.7% and 86.7%. The results showed that there was a decline in the percentage nitrate-nitrogen removal from the beginning to the end of the run. However, there were highs and lows in the percentage nitrate-nitrogen removal over the test period. This phenomenon could not be explained at this stage.
The electrical conductivity of the RO feed, product and brine over the test period, as a function of throughput, is shown in Fig. 6. The electrical conductivity of the borehole water varied between 1 279 and 1 310 µS/cm over the test period and was very constant. The product water conductivity was lowest at the beginning of the run (78.9 µS/cm) with a maximum of 116 µS/cm occurring during the run. It also appeared that there was a steady increase in the conductivity of the product from the beginning to the end of the run. Brine conductivity varied between 1 560 and 1 722 µS/cm. There was again not much difference between the brine and the feed conductivity as a result of the low water recovery, and the brine could be used for toilet flushing.
The percentage conductivity rejection as a function of throughput over the test period is shown in Fig. 7. Conductivity rejection varied between 91.14% and 93.56% over the test period. Conductivity rejection was the highest at the beginning of the run (93.95%) and was 92.03% at the end of the run. This decline in conductivity rejection might indicate some degree of membrane fouling. However, the reduction in conductivity rejection was minimal and it appeared that membrane fouling should not be a serious problem.
It is interesting to note that the highs and lows in the conductivity rejection (Fig. 7) correspond with the highs and lows in the percentage nitrate-nitrogen removal (Fig. 5). These highs and lows in ion removal could be ascribed to a non-constant feed pressure during desalination.
The RO product and brine flow rates, as a function of throughput over the test period, are shown in Fig. 8. The product flow rate started at 120 mℓ/min, increased slightly, then declined slightly, increased again and was 135 mℓ/min at the end of the run. Therefore, the output of product water was higher at the end of the run than at the beginning of the run. This could indicate that membrane fouling should not be a problem. Brine flow rate varied between 264 and 438 ℓ/min over the test period. The brine flow rate was not significantly higher than the feed flow rate due to the low water recovery.
Water recovery as a function of throughput over the test period is shown in Fig. 9. Water recovery was 31.25% at the beginning of the run, declined to a low of 20%, then increased again and was 28.1% at the end of the run. (Note: The increase in water recovery and product flow is due to higher feed water temperatures during the summer months.)
The pH of the RO feed varied between 6.62 and 7.02 over the test period and was fairly constant. The product water pH was lower and varied between 5.61 and 6.59. This lower pH of the product water is due to the removal of alkalinity from the feed with the RO membranes. Brine pH was higher and varied between 6.77 and 7.15.
The 5 µm cartridge filter ahead of the RO membrane was replaced after 17.63 m3 of water had been processed. The cartridge filter had a brownish colour on the outside but was still white on the inside showing that no contaminants had leaked into the membranes. The brownish material entrapped in the filter consisted of 72.33% iron and 16.12% silicon as analysed by EDX (Schoeman, 2004; Isner and Williams, 1993).
A typical chemical composition of the RO feed, product and brine is shown in Table 5.
High-quality water could be produced with RO treatment (Class 0). This quality of water is ideal for life time use. The bacteriological quality of the RO feed, product and brine at the end of the run is shown in Table 6.
Reverse osmosis membranes are a good barrier against bacterial contamination. This is demonstrated by the results shown in Table 6 (Class 0). The heterotrophic plate count, however, was high. This showed that the water should be further disinfected by chlorine, prior to use.
Performance of the IX unit for nitrate-nitrogen removal at Clinic A
Data from a breakthrough curve has shown that approximately 100 ℓ (995 ℓ; 48.54 BVs) of denitrified water could be produced with ease (Schoeman, 2004). The nitrate-nitrogen concentration was only 0.8 mg/ℓ after 995 ℓ of water had been treated. It should be possible to produce significantly more denitrified water (approximately 2 000 ℓ) before regeneration would be required.
The electrical conductivity of the feed to the IX unit was 129 mS/m and the conductivity of the product water was significantly higher (146 mS/m) at the beginning of the run due to the displacement of chloride by nitrate from the resin. The conductivity of the product water, however, dropped to lower levels towards the end of the run.
The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the treated water as a function of throughput over a number of regeneration and service cycles is shown in Fig. 10.
The IX unit was set at 1 regeneration per week at the beginning of the run. The feed flow rate was set at 13.2 BVs/h (1 BV = 20.5 ℓ) and a sample of the treated water was taken after approximately 2 to 3 hours every day, at the float. The tap at the outlet of the product water collecting tank was then closed and the tank was allowed to fillup to approximately 200 ℓ, when the float stopped the production of treated water. Therefore, at least a 1 000 ℓ of treated water was produced each day.
The data in Fig. 10 show that between approximately 2 and 3 m3 of denitrified water (< 10 mg/ℓ NO3-N) could be produced between regeneration cycles (zero to 31.03 m3 throughput; 1 regeneration per week). The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the product water exceeded 10 mg/ℓ when approximately 3 m3 of product water had been produced. However, the run was continued waiting for regeneration to commence with the result that the product concentration was approximately the same as the feed concentration prior to regeneration. Therefore, the resin should be regenerated more frequently, i.e. at least twice per week.
The ion-exchange unit was set at 3 regenerations per week after 33.9 m3 of product water had been produced. The data in Fig. 10 clearly show that a product water with a nitrate-nitrogen concentration of 10 mg/ℓ and less could be continuously produced (from 35.9 m3 to 57.1 m3 throughput). Regeneration was not very effective (possibly no salt was added) at a throughput of between 57.6 m3 and 67.9 m3, and a poor quality product water was produced. However, water quality improved after a throughput of 68.9 m3, lasting for a short period until a throughput of 70.3 m3 (0.4 to 0.2 mg/ℓ NO3-N) was reached. Regeneration improved again and highquality water was produced at throughputs of between 74.3 m3 and 102.6 m3 (28.3 m3). Water quality then deteriorated (101.3 m3 to 107.4 m3 throughput) and further deteriorated from 107.9 m3 to 112.7 m3 throughput because no salt was added to the regeneration tank by the operator.
It was determined that approximately 90 ℓ of an approximately 10% salt solution was used for each regeneration of the resin.
The nitrate-nitrogen removal performance data show that it should be possible to continuously produce a good quality water (< 10 mg/ℓ NO3-N) with ion-exchange treatment. However, care should be taken that salt is always added to the regeneration tank once all the salt has been used. A disadvantage of the ion-exchange unit was that it was not refilling the regeneration tank properly with water after regeneration, with the result that the tank had to be filled manually. This problem, however, should be rectified by using an improved controller.
The chloride concentration in the borehole water is approximately 181 mg/ℓ (Class 1) (Schoeman, 2004). However, the chloride concentration in the treated water is approximately 300 mg/ℓ and higher (Class 2). Therefore, the treated water quality deteriorates as a result of the release of chloride ions into the treated water. However, a higher concentration of chloride ions in the treated water should be less of a problem than a high nitrate-nitrogen concentration. An excess concentration of chloride ions in the feed water and an excess total dissolved ion concentration will limit the use of ion-exchange for nitrate-nitrogen removal. Use of sodium bicarbonate as a regenerant instead of sodium chloride offers the potential of not adding chloride ions to the treated water (Matosic et al., 2000).
Performance of the ED unit for nitrate-nitrogen removal at Clinic A
The nitrate-nitrogen removal results are shown in Table 7.
It should be possible to reduce the nitrate-nitrogen concentration from 42 mg/ℓ in the feed to less than 10 mg/ℓ in the product water with ED. The ED process, however, is a much more complicated process to operate than the RO and IX processes. Electrodialysis is therefore not suggested for water denitrification in a rural area.
Clinic B
Performance of the RO unit for nitrate-nitrogen removal
The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO feed was significantly higher at Clinic B than at Clinic A. The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO feed varied between 54 and 69 mg/ℓ (Fig. 11). The initial nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the RO product was 21 mg/ℓ and declined to approximately 15 mg/ℓ after approximately 1 m3 of water had been processed and remained at this level until the run was terminated (10.8 m3). The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the brine varied between 73 and 101 mg/ℓ.
The RO product flow rate started at 216 mℓ/min and was 198 mℓ/min after 10.8 m3 of water was treated. Brine flow rate was 318 mℓ/min at the beginning of the run and was 330 mℓ/min at the end of the run.
Water recovery decreased from 40.5% at the beginning of the run to 37.5% after 10.8 m3 of feed had been treated. The feed pH was 6.92 and the product pH was 5.98. Brine pH was slightly higher than the feed pH. The chemical composition of the RO feed, product and brine is shown in Table 8.
A high quality water could be produced with RO desalination. This is a Class 0 water, with the exception of nitrate-nitrogen concentration (Class 1). The nitrate-nitrogen removal characteristics of the small RO modules that are currently available are not high enough to produce a treated water with very low nitrate-nitrogen concentration from high nitrate-nitrogen feed waters. Such membrane modules should be developed. It was also found that the low pressure RO feed pump became damaged after use as a result of the relatively high TDS of the feed. Improved quality pumps should be used for this type of water.
Performance of the ED unit for nitrate-nitrogen removal
The nitrate-nitrogen removal results are shown in Table 9.
It should again be possible to reduce the higher nitrate-nitrogen concentration at Clinic B to approximately 10 mg/ℓ with ED. It should also be possible to reduce the salinity of the feed to potable quality.
The estimated capital and operational costs of the RO and IX technologies for use in rural areas are shown in Table 10 (Schoeman, 2004).
Summary and conclusions
Small-scale RO, IX and ED units were evaluated for water denitrification at clinics. The following conclusions can be made as a result of the investigation:
- High-quality water (1.4 to 5.5 mg/ℓ NO3-N) could be produced with RO desalination at Clinic A, where the feed-water nitrate-nitrogen concentration was lower (35 to 43 mg/ℓ NO3-N) than at Clinic B. However, the heterotrophic plate count of the treated water was high and the water should be disinfected before use. Small-scale RO should be a suitable technology for the treatment of this type of water.
- The quality of the RO treated water (12 to 17 mg/ℓ) at Clinic B, where the feed-water NO3-N (54 to 72 mg/ℓ) concentration was higher, was less satisfactory. The heterotrophic plate count of the treated water was also high and the water should be disinfected before use. Small-scale RO should be a suitable process for treatment of this water, especially with the high salinity of the water. However, higher rejection nitrate-nitrogen membranes should be found for this application.
- The ion-exchange process should be a suitable process for treatment of the water at Clinic A. Nitrate-nitrogen should be reduced to less than 10 mg/ℓ with ease. The ion-exchange process, however, adds chloride to the treated water, which might adversely affect the taste of the water. The ion-exchange process also does not desalinate the feed water properly and would not be a suitable process for a high TDS water as is the case at Clinic B.
- Electrodialysis should also be a suitable technology for the treatment of the water at both clinics. However, the ED process is considered to be too difficult to operate and maintain in rural areas.
- The RO process appears to be easier to operate and maintain than either the IX and ED processes and is therefore recommended for use at clinics. The RO brine concentration is only slightly higher than the feed concentration and can be used for the flushing of toilets. The IX process should also be a suitable process where the salinity of the feed is not too high. Proper maintenance of these units is very important and is the key to success for use in rural areas.
- The capital and operational costs of a small-scale RO unit (output of 195 to 259 ℓ/d) are estimated at approximately ZAR7 000 and ZAR3.16/m3 treated water, respectively (membrane replacement costs excluded).
- The capital and operational costs of an IX unit (output of approximately 3 m3/d) are estimated at approximately ZAR10 000 and ZAR3.60/m3 treated water, respectively (resin replacement costs excluded).
CROSBY R (2003) Personal communication. AGES, PO Box 2526, Polokwane 0700. [ Links ]
CHUNG J, RITTMANN BE, WRIGHT WF and BOWMAN RH (2007) Simultaneous bio-reduction of nitrate, perchlorate, selenate, chromate, arsenate and dibromochloropropane using a hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor. Biodegradation 18 199-209. [ Links ]
DWAF (DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY, SOUTH AFRICA) (1996) South African Water Quality Guidelines (2nd edn.) Vol. 1, Domestic Water Use. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria, South Africa. [ Links ]
DWAF, DoH and WRC (DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH and WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION) (1998) Quality of Domestic Water Supplies Vol. 1: Assessment Guide (2nd edn.). WRC Report No. TT 101/98. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa. [ Links ]
HOLDEN WA, CHURCHILL A and CHURCHILL J (1970) (eds.) Water Treatment and Examination. 104 Gloucester Place, London, UK. [ Links ]
ISNER RJD and WILLIAMS RC (1993) Analytical techniques for identifying reverse osmosis foulants. In: Amjad Z (ed.) Reverse Osmosis, Membrane Technology, Water Chemistry and Industrial Applications. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. [ Links ]
KESORE K, JANOWSKI F and SHAPOSHNIK VA (1997) Highly effective electrodialysis for selective elimination of nitrates from drinking water. J. of Membrane Sci. 127 17-24. [ Links ]
LAUCH RP and GUTER GA (1986) Ion-exchange for the removal of nitrate from well water. J. AWWA 78 (5) 83-88. [ Links ]
MATOSIC M, MIJATOVIC I and HODZIC E (2000) Nitrate removal from drinking water using ion-exchange comparison of chloride and bicarbonate form of the resins. Chem. Biochem. Eng. Q. 14 (4) 141-146. [ Links ]
SCHOEMAN JJ and STEYN A (2000) Defluoridation, denitrification and desalination of water using ion-exchange and reverse osmosis. WRC Report No. TT 124/00. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa. [ Links ]
SCHOEMAN JJ (2004) Evaluation of reverse osmosis, ion-exchange and electrodialysis for nitrate-nitrogen removal from borehole water at clinics in the Northern Province. Unpublished report, available from: firstname.lastname@example.com. [ Links ]
TISSEAU MA (1998) Nitrates. In IWSA (ed.) The Blue Pages, The IWSA Information Source on Drinking Water Issues. IWSA . [ Links ]
WEYER P (2001) Nitrate in drinking water and human health. Review paper prepared for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Agriculture Safety and Health Conf., March 2001. URL: http://www.cheec.uiowa.edu/nitrate/health.html (Accessed 2009) [ Links ]
Received 22 December 2008; accepted in revised form 28 August 2009.
* To whom all correspondence should be addressed.
+2712 420 3569; fax: +2712 362 5089;
e-mail: email@example.com


text:
The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2007
Thank you for the support and hope that you will join again next year.
Hello everyone. I've decided to come up with this writing project of identifying new and emerging blogs that are making an impact to its readers in 2007. These are blogs that started anytime from August 1, 2006 to the present. They are gradually gaining a considerable amount of readership and influence.
To join this effort, please do the following:
- Write a blog post and pick your choice of 10 (or less) emerging influential blogs. Any blog in the world can be picked. (You can update the same post entry up to July 28.)
- Include a link to this post to help spread the word. (Hope you can also vote for it in Digg)
- Post a comment and let us know about your entry. Only one entry per blogger. Cut-off date and time for submission of entries is on July 28, Saturday, 5:00 pm (GMT+8). Afterwards, submission of comments in this page shall be closed.
- List the blogs that you've chosen. Only those that are blogs and created from August 2006 to the present shall be listed.
- List of blog post entries from participants.
- Feature one sponsor per week. Thanks to Galing Pinoy, RegaloService, InfoTxt, Jardine Distribution Inc., Dominguez Marketing Communications, Philippine Internet Review, and DigitalFilipino.com Club, YesPayments, YesPinoy, and Yehey! for supporting this project.
(Interested sponsors can email me through digitalfilipino at gmail.com)
- Make a final review of posts. We will post a message in your entry to inform you that we've completed the review and no more updates shall be entertained afterwards.
- Note that we have the right to disqualify entries and the citations they made, if we are not able to confirm or authenticate the blogger's identity on or before July 29. This is especially true to blogs with anonymous identities and those with pre-dated entries (versus its blog date creation).
- List the The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2007 based from your posts.
- I will pick ten entries in random who will get one hundred dollars (US$100) each.


text:
This is an Amazon patent for shipping a package to a general region, and while the package is in transit, assigning it for delivery to a specific address.
Kinda like you one-click, then get up to answer the doorbell, as a van with the product happened to be cruising the neighborhood.
Claim 1
- A method, comprising:
performing, by one or more computing devices: determining a status of one or more shipped packages currently in transit to respective destination geographical areas, wherein said respective destination geographical areas include multiple delivery addresses to which said package is deliverable, wherein at least one of the one or more shipped packages comprises one or more items that have been shipped before an order has occurred for the one or more items in the at least one shipped package, and wherein the one or more shipped packages were shipped to a respective destination geographical area without completely specifying a delivery address at time of shipment, such that at the time of shipment, each shipped package is deliverable to said respective destination geographical area but is not deliverable to any delivery address; for a given one of said one or more shipped packages,
analyzing one or more business variables related to said one or more items included in said given shipped package;dependent upon analyzing both said one or more business variables and said determined status,
determining a disposition of said given shipped package.


text:
In this economy, even money isn't enough to buy happiness, a new CNBC national survey finds.
The CNBC All-America Economic Survey of 800 Americans throughout the country finds attitudes towards the economy are about as bleak as they were during the recession, which technically ended two years ago.
But there's a new twist: Now the wealthiest Americans have abandoned their optimism.
Nearly two-thirds of the nation (63 percent) is pessimistic about the current state of the economy and its future, with just 6 percent optimistic about both. The attitudes of wealthier Americans—those with incomes greater than $75,000 or more than $50,000 invested in the stock market—are now in line or even more downbeat than the nation as a whole.
In fact, just 26 percent of Americans with incomes above $75,000 believe the economy will get better in the next year, four points below the national average. In December, it was five points above. For the first time in the survey's five-year history less than half of those with $50,000 or more in the stocks investors think it's even a good time to invest in the market.
The only bright spot in the survey: the percentage of Americans who believe the economy will get worse dropped to 30 percent from 37 percent in March. As a result, 36 percent believe the economy will stay the same over the next year, a six point gain from March. Given the current state of the economy, that's not exactly a hopeful sign.
Among the survey's other findings:
—Americans are more pessimistic about the outlook for their home valuesthan at any time since the survey began. Just 15 percent of respondents believe their home values will increase in the next year, down from 18 percent in March. Average Americans believe their home price will fall by 1.6 percent over the next year, tied for the survey's worst reading ever.
—Americans expect their wages to drop 0.7 percent in the next year, equal to the second-worst survey reading.
—Democrats are more optimistic than Republicans but, in a troubling sign for the Obama administration, the economic views of Independents hue much more closely to the downbeat attitudes of Republicans.
—60 percent of the public is reacting to higher food and gas pricesby scaling back on summer vacation plans, 63 percent are saving less, 64 percent are driving less and 70 percent say they are spending less on out-of-home entertainment like movies, restaurants and concerts.
—22 percent of the public says they are using their credit cards more to make ends meet, up from 16 percent in March. Inside the number, 20 percent of the wealthiest Americans say they're using more plastic because of higher prices, compared to just 12 percent in March.
In another blow to Democrats and the Obama administration, the survey finds that about half of the American public sides with the Republican stance in debt ceiling talks. The survey finds that 49 percent of the public believes it is worse for the nation to raise the debt limit and go further into debt, that is, to not cut spending, than for the government to default on Social Security payments and other government obligations. Only 25 percent say it's worse for the nation to not pay its bills. One in five Americans says they don't know enough to answer the question. The views of Independents are far closer to those of Republicans than Democrats on the issue.
When it comes to the deficit, the only good news for President Obama is that the public doesn't finger him and his policies as the biggest contributor. He's the second biggest. About 40 percent of the public say the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq contributed most to the deficit, followed by the 26 percent of respondents who blame the economic stimulus plan and spending by the Obama administration. About equal numbers (14 percent and 13 percent, respectively) say the biggest contributors to the deficit are the Bush tax cuts and the recession.
Two-thirds of the public believes it is unlikely that Democrats and Republicans can come together and agree to a deal to reduce spending in the next several months. But 60 percent of the public say both parties would be to blame for the failure to cut spending. Not surprisingly, Democrats blame Republicans and Republicans blame Democrats, but Independents blame both parties.
Married men and people living in the South are among the most pessimistic in the nation. And Republicans are newly twice as downbeat on the economy as Democrats. Independents are about as pessimistic as Republicans.
About the Survey: The CNBC All-America Economic Survey is a quarterly national poll of 800 Americans throughout the country, among the most in-depth looks at the nation's views on the economy. It was conducted June 16-18 by Hart-McInturff, which also conducts the NBC-WSJ. The survey was launched in 2007.