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The Manhattan district attorney's office said yesterday that it was investigating a powerful explosion in a century-old Chelsea building where volatile chemicals were stored to see if criminal charges were warranted. State and federal officials began separate inquiries.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said he had asked the district attorney's office to step in after fire investigators identified more than 1,000 gallons of acids and flammable chemicals that they said were improperly stored in the basement.
On Thursday, at least 42 people were injured, including 12 critically, by the eruption in the basement of 121 West 19th Street, part of an 11-story tan brick building between the Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue.
As the most seriously wounded remained hospitalized yesterday, the City Buildings Department vacated the damaged building and part of the one next door, at 111-119 West 19th Street, because of safety concerns, a department spokeswoman said.
The damaged building is not in danger of collapse, but is not fully sound, said the spokeswoman, Ilyse Fink, because the stairwell, considered a critical component, was damaged. The order to vacate will not be lifted until the safety issues are resolved, she said. The first floor and cellar of the building next door were vacated because a nonstructural wall shared by the buildings collapsed at the first-floor level. West 19th on that block is closed to motor vehicle traffic for three days, the authorities said.Continue reading the main story
Fire marshals have cited the owner of the chemicals, Kaltech Industries Group Inc., a tenant in the building, for four violations of the fire code, including one for not having the proper permit to store the chemicals and for storing them incorrectly, Fire Department officials said.
Michael C. Posner, a lawyer for Kaltech, said he had not received any notice from the Fire Department about the fire code violations. He said he doubted criminal charges would be lodged. ''I don't think that's the situation here,'' he said. ''It is an accident and accidents happen, and it is up to the proper authorities to determine what caused the accident.''
Officials from the department and the State Department of Environmental Conservation were reviewing their records yesterday to determine whether Kaltech, a sign-making and silk-screen business, had ever been cited for improper storage of chemicals before.
The explosion occurred about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, shortly after Kaltech workers in the basement had transferred some of the chemicals, which are used for etching, from a leaky 55-gallon drum into another container, the Fire Department said. The blast sent cinder blocks, bricks and shards of glass flying in all directions, causing broken bones, burns, severe gashes and trauma.
Kaltech could also face state or federal civil penalties, officials said. The state environmental department and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration have begun their own investigations.
Kaltech is owned by members of the Khalfan family. Members of the family who were contacted yesterday declined to speak to a reporter.
The blast shook the building violently, blew a hole in its facade and enveloped the stunned and bleeding victims in black smoke. It also blew apart some of the 55-gallon drums full of chemicals in the basement, making for a messy and hazardous cleanup, the authorities said.
Samples of the chemicals are still being taken and tested, but late yesterday, the Fire Department had identified some of them, including ferric chloride, lacquer thinner, hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, polyurethane and contact adhesive.
Kaltech, considered a large-quantity hazardous-waste generator, is regulated by state and federal authorities. But the company was not required to have a state permit because it did not store its materials or manufacturing byproducts for more than 90 days, said Jennifer Post, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Conservation. The state is investigating whether the chemicals were properly labeled, safely handled and properly tracked before disposal, she said.
OSHA compliance officers were on the scene within 20 minutes of the blast and were determining whether employees were exposed to any hazards, said Kate Dugan, a spokeswoman in the regional office. A final report will be issued within six months, she said.
Investigators with the federal Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which looks into chemical accidents, arrived on the scene yesterday, said Diane L. Shinn, a consultant for the agency.
Although the explosion initially reminded people of the shock of Sept. 11, or of the recent violence wrought by suicide bombers in the Middle East, city officials quickly dismissed any possibility of a link to terrorism and traced the blast to the chemicals owned by Kaltech.
The improper presence of the chemicals combined with the injuries could lead to criminal charges, the authorities said. Fire officials have turned over their evidence to prosecutors.
''We have opened an investigation to determine whether or not it rises to the level of criminality,'' said Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau of Manhattan.
Officials are investigating ''what was kept in the basement, what was the cause of the blast,'' said one law enforcement official. Regarding the way the chemicals were used and stored, the official added, ''they certainly weren't supposed to be doing what they were doing.''
Before the explosion, the workers were using an electric pump to move chemicals from the full but leaking container into an empty one. One investigator said some chemical reaction might have occurred in the transfer process. It was undetermined yesterday what chemicals were being transferred or if chemical residues were in the empty container. It is also possible that a spark from the pump ignited vapors that were released into the room, the authorities said.
''The transfer of chemicals that the workers were engaged in appears to have precipitated this incident,'' said Francis X. Gribbon, a deputy fire commissioner. ''Investigators believe that the flammable chemicals that were stored there somehow ignited and were the source of the explosion.''Continue reading the main story


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2019 Season Highlights
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subset: commoncrawl


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NAA finds Maggi dealer guilty of profiteering Rs 90,778
New Delhi : The GST anti-profiteering authority ( NAA )has found a UP-based dealer of FMCG product Maggi guilty of not passing on tax rate cut benefits to the tune of Rs 90,778. The National Anti Profiteering Authority (NAA) has asked UP-based Kunj Lub Marketing to pay Rs 2,253 to the complainant and deposit the remaining Rs 88,525 profiteered into consumer welfare fund.
The case before the NAA stated that dealer Kunj Lub had not passed on the benefit of GST rate cut from 18 per cent to 12 per cent on 'Maggi Noodles pack of 35 gms' (Rs 5 MRP pack) to buyers. The complainant (a retailer of Maggi Noodles) alleged that despite GST rate cut on November 15, 2017, the base price of the product was increased to bring the MRP at par with pre-tax rate change price.
Kunj Lub, however, said that the benefit which accrued in respect of Rs 5 MRP pack had been passed on by reducing the price of Rs 12 MRP (70gm) pack of Maggi. It was further submitted that MRP of Rs 12 pack was reduced by Re 1 which was more than what was required post GST rate cut.
The NAA in its order said that Kunj Lub has no such liberty to arbitrarily decide in respect of which products he would pass on the benefit and in respect of which products he would not pass such benefit. "As per the provisions of Section 171 of the Act the benefit has to be passed on to each recipient and the same can not be selectively granted or denied.
"It is also clear that the Maggi Noodle pack of 35 gms is distinct from a 70 gms pack and both the packs may be bought by the different recipients/customers and hence the benefit accruing to one customer can not be given or denied to another nor can the benefit given to one set of customers arbitrarily enhanced and set off against the another. No such adjustments are permissible under the Act," NAA said.
It also asked the dealer to reduce the price of the product commensurate to the reduction in the rate of tax. The quantum of profiteering was Rs 90,778, of which Rs 2,253 has to be refunded along with 18 per cent interest to the complainant.
"Since the other customers of the product are not identifiable, the respondent is hereby directed to deposit the balance amount of Rs 88,525 along with the interest at 18 per cent till the date of deposit in the respective Central or State Consumer Welfare Fund within a period of 3 months," NAA said.
PwC India Indirect Tax partner and Leader Pratik Jain said this is another ruling which mandates that any benefit arising as a result of reduction in GST rate has to be passed on at each stock keeping unit (SKU) level and the same can not be passed on at a product or entity level.
"The authority has interestingly rejected the plea of legal tender issue (fractional pricing) citing that it is for the customer to furnish the required legal tender and a supplier can not resort to profiteering on account of the same. "The ruling of NAA that pricing has to be done for each SKU is likely to lead to issues for certain industry segments specifically FMCG, which deals with number of SKUs," Jain said.


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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Mostly Modern in Miami
Who knew our condo in Miami was a hop, skip and jump away from such a fabulous block of vintage shops? I finally ventured to NE 125th to explore some of the boutiques I had seen listed and lusted over on 1st Dibs but unfortunately not all of them were open (a lot of the shops on the block tend to keep atypical hours – many owners live nearby and have phone numbers on their doors to call so they can come open up for you but I was in too much of a rush to wait). The handful that I did get to explore made quite the impression with their merchandise, reasonable pricing and friendly staff so I am excited to return on my next trip.
One of my favourites was Mostly Modern, with its funky mid century mod pieces at extremely affordable price points.
I had to resist the urge to snap up this Fornasetti ashtray with its black white and gold colouring and architectural arches on the apron.
This turquoise and white bedroom set would be so fabulous with a glam white patent upholstered tufted headboard – so over the top and delicious!
This side table reminds me so much of the brass and smoked glass beauty I have in my own living room from Chair Table Lamp.
Like a glass of fresh squeezed Florida OJ, this bedroom set promises a pleasant wake up! I love how the traditional Chippendale lines are totally amped up with the orange lacquer!
This vintage pottery collection reminded me so much of Jonathan Adler. Apparently I was right on tune because the owner informed me that Jonathan and Simon had stopped by previously and swooned over it!
The shop had a great collection of black and white jasperware from Wedgewood. How great is the brass column lamp!
I am still lingering over the great original C. Jere wall sculptures that were displayed. The townhouse with its cafe chairs and umbrella in front may need to be transplanted to my wall!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Craigslist Console
A lot of stuff you see listed on c-list is drek, but my consistent efforts to troll the site for decor gold was reassured when I saw this fabulousness:
This mirrored console is 80s glam in a Kelly Wearstler way. I love how its facets step back outwards – reminds me of a New York skyscraper.
If I was working on a foyer right now for an adventurous client, I'd snap up the console, top it with two tall cloisonné vases and a fabulous vintage print, flank it with two show stopping chairs, upholster the walls in a shimmering grasscloth and lay down a greek key runner for instant drama and fun! The finishing touch would be an iconic Hermes ashtray to use as catchall for keys. Who wants to sign up?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Laid Back L.A. Chic
For our speedy trip to L.A. last weekend, we spent our first night at the home of our good family friends and Canadian expats who live in a lovely neighbourhood by UCLA. The house is the epitome of laid back California chic, with quirky hits of colour, preloved antiques, tastes of mid century mod and vintage charm to spare!
Here are some of my favourite spaces within the cozy home:
A vintage poster, lush orchids and one of many pieces of art depicting the family's love of dachshunds artfully displayed on on a shield back chair immediately greets you at the door.
The living room has a host of delightful surprises, such as a mix of caned back chairs with teal track arm sofas, bursts of orange upholstered accents and a collection of cameos juxtaposed with a mod leaning mirror.
The kitchen's mix of carrera marble and butcher block countertop, warm cream cabinetry, antiqued cup pulls, imported French tiled-floor, pastoral tiled backsplash above the range, farmhouse table and shield back chairs was utter heaven for my sister Marlie and perfectly practical for Oscar.
The powder room's beadboard walls are painted barn red and totally make the pale French blue gilded Trumeau mirror pop!
The family room's blend of weathered antiques and comfy seating means you can really put up your feet and relax in the eclectic space. I love the collection of blue and white plates hung on the wall, the bead board wainscoting and framed American flag.
The dining room mixes deco, mod and French provincial with contemporary black and white photography in a diverse space that still feels warm and cohesive.
One of the most personable elements of the house is the gallery wall of treasured photographs of family and friends which are hung from floor to ceiling along the hallway of the second floor. It's hard not to stop and look at each one and see how their amazing family has grown up over the years!
This is the sunny and oh so comfortable bedroom we stayed in. The pale turquoise headboards are detailed with a ruched border and contrast piping and they really pop against the earthy coral walls.
Last but not least, one of the stone outdoor terraces is a great spot to sit with your morning coffee and was especially welcome to Marlie and I after leaving minus 12 degree weather in Toronto!
Thanks again to Donna and Todd for being consummate hosts and for giving us an amazing few days in LA. (and shout out to Gilly!)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
La La Land
I am feeling super dazed and jet lagged after my bizarre yet awesome foray to LA for the Grammy's – the result of a silent auction package benefitting charity that was so kindly gifted to my sister and I. I have some great pictures to post of the eclectic and warm home we stayed at for a night, but until my brain returns to normal, I will instead share some random highlights of the trip.
The grammy's of course were cool to attend, but our less than stellar seats meant you probably saw more sitting at home on your couch than we did way up in the rafters of the Staples Centre. The sound was still great though and it was very cool to see so many varied names in music under one roof (and so many Canadians!) It was even more amusing to see so many people dressed up in satin gowns climbing the steep concrete stairs of the Staples Centre in their high heels. It's a miracle no one broke their neck!
A post-grammy dinner of steak tartar and mac and cheese at Boa was quite tasty - and it turned into quite the scene when barricades of paparazzi started to catch celebs like Drake, Elton John and Jamie Foxx coming in for a bite.
The night continued to turn around when we walked across the street to Trousdale, where the always amazing Kings of Leon were hosting a crazy after party, which apparently was the best of the bunch, a little rowdy with more than one person being escorted out, and had a host of random guests from glee guys to glam American idols drinking and dancing up a storm in one furious bunch. I have to agree with all of the above that's been written about the epic night - in fact I agree so much that I couldn't get out of bed and missed a day's worth of shopping and exploring because it was just too much fun. Oops!
I promise more normal decor posts later on in the week once my head adjusts…
(image of arcade fire via grammy.com, mac and cheese via amber eats LA, Followill boys via Just Jared )
Monday, February 7, 2011
Wondering What To Do This February 14th?
With only a week to go, here are some ways you can plan to celebrate Valentine's Day this year:
Channel your elementary school days - but with a naughty twist - by handing out obnoxious valentines courtesy of someecards.
Make a difference while simultaneously treating a loved one! Save a Child's Heart has partnered with Zelcovia Cookies so when you enter the Coupon Code "heart4you" you receive a 10% discount on your purchase which is then designated back to the life-saving charity.
If you're looking for love, you could gather your fellow singleton's in the kitchen for a laid back dinner party and make "You Won't Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Pasta" courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
Do yourself a favour and fight the urge to snack on crappy drugstore candy bars, and treat yourself instead to a tasty indulgence instead which has now been proven to be the next superfood when it comes to polyphenols and flavanols: dark chocolate! Bake up some treats using Hershey's Cocoa, which is non-alkalized and therefore retains more nutrients.
Brighten your coworkers' days with little cutie pie wrapped bags of red, white and pink candies, as seen in this gorgeous photo by Gemmaa Comas.
Pearls For My Girls
I am very lucky to have an amazing group of close girlfriends and family to call my bridesmaids. I was stumped trying to imagine a clever way to ask them to stand next to me on my special day, so I decided to combine the bridesmaid gift with "the ask"…
The result is a riff on Lu Lu Guiness's mantra, "Put on Your Pearls Girls" which alluded to their present: a vintage pearl necklace which they will each don the day of the wedding.
I handmade the cards, using an archival image of Jackie O's bridal party that I found online showing her maids all in pearls too! (not that I'm Jackie-O material but it doesn't hurt to try and channel her class act on this important occasion). I used my trusty doily-lace scallop-edge punch from Martha for the top detail and finished it off with a single ivory bloom sticker with a pearl pistil. I wrapped the boxes in black and white tissue and a hand-tied ballet pink satin bow completed it all perfectly (could this be a clue to my colours perhaps…)
More wedding posts will be coming up so keep reading if you're feeling bridally-inclined!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Snapshots from IDS 11
The adventurer atmosphere of Atelier 688
The gorgeous blooming wallpapers from Graham and Brown
The chic cottage vibe of the textiles from Manor12
The unexpected plaid woven into Sung outdoor furniture
The rustic and raw look of Bunnet Live Edge Furniture
The colourful comic book chandelier from Eurolite
My favourite dream Missoni china at John Paul and Co
The second life Union Jack rugs from ELTE, which I had never seen before and now may be a more attainable purchase then the Rug Company's version…
The amazing side tables and hits of gold at Snob
The luscious colour and fanciful illustrations at Style at Home
UpCountry's industrial glam tablsescape


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Legal Notice
May 2006
The Laboratoryin the News
Commentary byRaymond J. Juzaitis
Imagers Provide Eyes to See Gamma Rays
Protecting the Nation's Livestock
Measures for Measures
Looping through the Lamb Shift
Patents and Awards
S&TR Staff
THE ability to detect gamma rays is a vital tool for many areas of research. Gamma-ray detectors allow scientists to study celestial phenomena and diagnose medical diseases, and they have been used to determine the yield in an underground nuclear test. Today, these detectors are an important tool for homeland security, helping the nation confront new security challenges. Government agencies need detectors for the scenarios in which a terrorist might use radioactive materials to fashion a destructive device targeted against civilians, structures, or national events. To better detect and prevent terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is funding projects to develop a suite of detection systems that can search for illicit radioactive sources in different environments.
Livermore researchers have been applying their expertise in radiation detection for more than 30 years. For example, detectors designed for use in treaty inspections can monitor the location of nuclear missile warheads in a nonintrusive manner. (See S&TR, October 1995, Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectroscopy.) These detectors measure the gamma rays emitted from the isotopes of nuclear elements contained in weapons. Over the years, Laboratory researchers have developed a range of radiation detection instruments, including detectors on buoys for customs agents at U.S. maritime ports (see S&TR, January 2004, Smart Buoys Help Protect Submarine Base), cargo interrogation systems (see S&TR, May 2004, Screening Cargo Containers to Remove a Terrorist Threat), and high-resolution handheld instruments that emergency response personnel could use to search for a clandestine nuclear device (see S&TR, September 2004, Radiation Detection on the Front Lines).
Gamma rays have the highest energy in the electromagnetic spectrum. They tend to go straight through matter, rather than reflect or bend as visible light does. Mirrors or lenses cannot be used to depict, or image, gamma rays, but their energy can measured indirectly by observing how photons interact with a detector material. For many applications, however, researchers need to accurately determine where gamma rays originate, and doing so requires imaging technology.
For example, many radiation detectors have excellent energy resolution and sensitivity to sources within a range of several meters. At greater distances, however, the source can be lost in a clutter of background gamma-ray emission from the environment, including concrete, natural mineral deposits, and some foods.
Detector developers want to design instruments that quickly survey large areas at a distance and accurately distinguish illicit from background signals. However, when a detector covers a large area, the signal from an object in the background can mimic the signature from a source of interest, even though the sources are widely separated. For example, a concrete building 20 meters from the detector may register the same as an illicit source located farther away. This similarity makes the detection of weak signals impossible unless the characteristics of the background are known in advance—unlikely in searches for clandestine radioactive materials.
Two current projects at Lawrence Livermore are focused on creating gamma-ray images without mirrors or lenses. A multi-institutional collaboration led by Laboratory researchers has developed a large-area gamma-ray imager that significantly increases detection capabilities. Another Livermore team is designing a portable system that relies on Compton scattering to locate gamma-ray sources.
Accurate and Quick Detection
The technology to image gamma rays was introduced in 1957 by Hal Anger, an electrical engineer who worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The camera he developed uses gamma radiation to image metabolic processes within humans, allowing researchers to observe, for example, how blood flows and kidneys function. Biomedical and nuclear medicine research has resulted in improved technologies for gamma-ray imaging. Livermore scientists have partnered in several of these research efforts, such as the small animal radionuclide imaging system. (See S&TR, November 2004, Probing the Universe with Mirrors That Trick Light.) Advancements in nuclear medicine are thus contributing to the development of gamma-ray imaging systems for homeland security.
In 2003, Livermore's Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program funded a project to demonstrate that imaging techniques could enhance the search capabilities over a large area. Led by Laboratory engineer Lorenzo Fabris, the project team included researchers from Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge national laboratories, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California's (UC's) Space Sciences Laboratory at Berkeley. The collaboration demonstrated a large-area gamma-ray imager that can detect millicurie quantities of a cesium isotope located 85 meters away, even while the imager is traveling at 16 kilometers per hour.
With funding from DHS, the team developed the next-generation prototype imager in 2005. The instrument, which is approximately the size of a sofa, can detect gamma-ray energies ranging from 50 to 3,000 kiloelectronvolts—the energy range of interest in most national security applications—and its sensitivity is much greater than that of nonimaging instruments. Fabris says, "Because we are making an imager that can capture and distinguish many signals within a large area, we can design the radiation detector to be larger." The prototype instrument, which costs about $400,000, can be mounted on a small truck and used to surveil large areas quickly.
Combining a mask with an antimask whose hole pattern is the inverse of the mask's pattern effectively removes background signals outside the surveyed area.
Masks Reveal True Signals
In designing this imager, the team adapted an imaging method originally developed for high-energy astrophysics. With this method, a coded aperture—a lead mask with holes drilled in a special pattern—is placed in front of a detector array. As the detector picks up gamma-ray signals, the photon energy passing through the mask casts shadows on the detector elements, which the imager records. The detector elements also measure the signal count and position. As the instrument travels through an area, it accumulates several shadow patterns, or "shadowgrams," and creates a pixel map of the radiation field of the surveyed region.
"Each pixel represents an area in the field of view," says Fabris. "The pixels are small enough that, when combined, they generate a detailed image of a source of interest. With one map of pixels, we can cover distances out to 100 meters."
The image generated from a coded-aperture process is derived from the variation in gamma-ray signal counts versus signal position on a detector. In an ideal situation, only the shadow cast by the mask would cause these variations. However, one shortfall of coded-aperture imagers is that gamma-ray sources outside an instrument's field of view can contribute to the signal count. This incident radiation may create shadows that cause the image to blur.
(a) In the disk configuration, the Compton imager has orthogonal strips on each side connected to a preamplifier and a digital data-acquisition system to determine the three-dimensional (3D) position for each gamma-ray interaction. (b) In the cylindrical configuration, the outside contact is divided into pixels that, when analyzed with a digital signal processor, provide the necessary 3D information.
To compensate for the incident radiation, the team designed an antimask whose hole pattern is the inverse of thepattern on the mask. Fabris explains, "The mask and the antimask are exposed to the source at the same time. Background signals outside the field of view would be extraneous signals. By subtracting the measurement taken with one mask from the inverse measurement taken with the antimask, we are left with only those signals that passed twice through the masks—once through the mask and once through the antimask." Each lead mask is 2 meters long and weighs 1,000 kilograms, comprising the bulk of the instrument's weight.
Pacific Northwest performed modeling studies to determine the best detector configuration. Fabris says, "The most practical material for the large-area gamma-ray detector is cesium iodide. It's less sensitive to potential damage induced by temperature changes than detector materials such as sodium iodide, and it is fairly inexpensive to produce in the large sizes necessary for this instrument." The cesium iodide is arranged in two arrays, one for the mask and one for the antimask. Researchers at the Space Sciences Laboratory and Oak Ridge provided navigational data and the image reconstruction and mapping algorithms. Physicist Klaus Ziock, who previously worked on the Livermore team and is now at Oak Ridge, contributed his expertise on coded-aperture systems.
The imager provides one-dimensional images simultaneously from both sides of a vehicle—a design choice based on its intended use in suburban or light-urban areas. The team is also considering a two-dimensional (2D) system that could image both gamma rays and visible light for use at choke points such as border crossings and tollbooths. "Ideally," says Fabris, "we want to integrate several small imagers that could track moving targets, for example, cars changing from one lane to another. In addition to serving homeland security, the technology could be used in imagers designed for medical research, by replacing the pinhole, or collimator, with coded-aperture masks.
The Compton imager is named after Arthur Holly Compton, who in 1923 observed that the wavelength of high-energy photons, such as x or gamma rays, increases when the photons interact with electrons in a material. This phenomenon is known as the Compton effect. According to quantum theory, a photon can transfer part of its energy to a loosely bound electron when the two collide. Because x- and gamma-ray photons have high energy, such collisions may transfer so much energy to an electron that it is ejected from its atom. The scattering of photons as they pass through and interact with a material is called Compton scattering. Compton won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1927 for his work on the scattering of high-energy photons by electrons.
Compton scattering is the principal absorption mechanism for gamma rays between 100 and 3,000 kiloelectronvolts. Uranium and plutonium both naturally emit radiation within this energy range. Below this range, photoelectric absorption is the dominant interaction type.
Compton imaging systems can be designed using various detector materials in different configurations. The key to optimizing imaging
efficiency is to induce multiple interactions between the gamma ray and the detector material so the system can detect the full energy of the incident gamma ray. The gamma-ray interactions must be separated in space sufficiently so that they can be easily distinguished from each other and their positions can be accurately measured to obtain high angular resolution.
One requirement for Compton imaging is that a gamma ray must interact with electrons at least twice—once to induce Compton scattering and once to allow photoelectric absorption—although more than one scatter can occur. For example, a
1-megaelectronvolt gamma ray averages three Compton scattering interactions before it is finally photoelectrically absorbed by germanium. When an x- or gamma-ray photon is scattered or absorbed, high-energy electrons are ejected. The subsequent deposition of electron energy produces a large number of ionized atoms. The ionization from Compton scattering or photoelectric absorption is then recorded by the detectors.
Tracking Every Gamma Ray
Livermore's large-area gamma-ray detector has demonstrated that imaging can greatly improve detection sensitivity. Recent advances in semiconductor detector manufacture and signal processing are allowing Livermore researchers to increase detection sensitivity further by designing gamma-ray imagers with omnidirectional capability. In another LDRD project, a Livermore team, led by physicist Kai Vetter, developed a gamma-ray imager that operates without a collimator or coded aperture. Instead, it relies on the principles of Compton scattering—the effect that occurs when a high-energy photon interacts with an electron in a material, resulting in a free electron and shifting the photon's energy and direction. If the gamma-ray photon still has enough energy after the interaction, the scattering process is repeated until the photon is stopped by the photoelectric effect, an atomic process that fully absorbs photons.
Livermore's Compton imager can also merge images of gamma rays with visual images. In one experiment, the team combined a camera and a Compton imager to demonstrate that the system can visually identify a gamma-ray source containing an isotope of sodium.
Because the imager does not require gamma rays to enter the detector through a mask, it can identify radiation from all directions. Vetter says, "Compton scattering occurs whenever photons in the energy range of about 150 to 5,000 kiloelectronvolts are present. Our imager takes advantage of this effect. It calculates the angle of the incident gamma ray by measuring the positions and energies of the first two interactions with the detector."
Imaging systems based on Compton scattering were proposed 30 years ago for astrophysics and nuclear medicine applications. However, technology to improve sensitivity and reduce the system's size became available only in the past 10 years. Until recently, a Compton imager could not differentiate photon interactions in the scattering process because it could not determine the three-dimensional (3D) position of a gamma ray with sufficient fidelity. One technology breakthrough has been the 2D, segmented semiconductor detectors, which use materials such as germanium and silicon to improve energy resolution. The digital signal-processing equipment that is now available provides the necessary 3D position capability.
Designing the Optimal Imager
With funding from DHS, the Livermore team is developing a compact, portable Compton imager that will detect and identify sources between 120 to 3,000 kiloelectronvolts and provide unsurpassed sensitivity. The team has planned three generations of the instrument so design changes can be evaluated at each stage. Monte Carlo simulations showed that the highest sensitivity could be achieved by combining high-energy and position-resolution semiconductor detectors to maximize efficiency. Vetter explains, "For the imager to create an image based on data from the Compton effect, incoming gamma rays must interact with the detector at least twice—once to scatter the photon energy and again to absorb the photon. A semiconductor with a low atomic number, such as silicon, induces scattering very well, while one with a high atomic number, such as germanium, is effective at absorbing gamma rays."
Livermore's Compton imager uses four layers of detectors: two silicon crystals and two germanium crystals, together measuring about 8 by 8 by 6 cubic centimeters. The detectors are manufactured at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Research Centre Jülich in Germany. With its 3D position capability and combined detector materials, the system can track gamma-ray interactions to a resolution of
0.5 millimeter.
A detection system based on tracking gamma rays provides unprecedented sensitivity not only for Compton imaging but also for nuclear spectroscopy, which is used to identify nuclear materials. "The Compton imager can distinguish gamma rays that deposit only partial energy in the detector from those that are fully absorbed," says Vetter, "so background signals can be more easily eliminated." The system applies the Compton scattering formula to the positions of the first and second interactions to deduce the angle of the incident gamma ray to within a certain cone-shaped area.
According to Vetter, the ultimate gamma-ray detector would be one that can precisely determine the path of an electron after a gamma ray initially impacts the detector. Such a system would require a resolution of better than 10 micrometers. He adds, "If we could measure the electron's path, we could determine the direction of the incident gamma ray unambiguously, rather than within the area of a cone."
The high-resolution silicon and germanium detectors must remain at low temperatures to operate, so UC's Space Sciences Laboratory built cryostats cooled by liquid nitrogen for the Compton imager. The second-generation instrument uses two cryostats—one for the two silicon detectors and one for the two germanium detectors. The third and final Compton imaging system, which the team plans to complete in 2008, will have one cryostat for all four detectors.
Incoming gamma rays interact with the detector through Compton scattering. (a) The energies and positions of the first two interactions define a cone of incident angles. (b) The cones can be projected onto a plane or sphere (one circle per gamma-ray event) to produce a two-dimensional image of the source.
Future Design Possibilities
One drawback to using liquid nitrogen is that it requires frequent refills and large dewars, which complicate the instrument's operational capabilities. The team will explore the use of mechanical cooling for future systems. With mechanical cooling, the imagers could be used remotely for a wider range of applications. The Laboratory has developed portable radiation detectors, such as Cryofree/25 and RadScout (licensed by ORTEC under the name Detective®), which use germanium detectors that are mechanically cooled. The team will also research the possibility of using materials such as silicon and cadmium–zinc–telluride so the detector could operate at room temperature. The overall effort will define a Compton imaging module that is best suited for homeland security. "Once we complete the design of the third-generation Compton imager," says Vetter, "scaling to larger systems would just be a matter of assembling multiple modules."
The team is using measurements taken with the first-generation system to calibrate such parameters as energy, depth, and position interpolation and is assembling the second-generation instrument. Livermore's imager is the most efficient and sensitive, fully operational Compton imaging system that has been built. The only other deployed system is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's COMPTEL telescope. COMPTEL, built in 1989 to study gamma-ray sources such as pulsars and supernova remnants, uses large-volume sodium iodide detectors, which provide limited sensitivity.
Ultimately, Livermore's Compton
imager will provide a spatial resolution of about 3 by 3 square meters or less at a distance of 100 meters, with a 500-meter-diameter field of view. Weighing less than 460 kilograms, this portable system will allow security officials to conduct wide-area surveillance from the ground or in the air.
The goal for researchers designing radiation detection instruments is to maximize an instrument's sensitivity in detecting and identifying gamma rays from illicit sources in the midst of radiation from other sources. Livermore's large-area gamma-ray imager and its Compton imager add two powerful instruments to the DHS arsenal of equipment designed to help keep the nation safe.
—Gabriele Rennie
Key Words: coded aperture, Compton imager, gamma-ray imager, large-area gamma-ray imager, radiation detector.
For further information
on the large-area gamma-ray imager contact Lorenzo Fabris (925) 423-1258 (email@example.com); on the Compton imager contact Kai Vetter
(925) 423-8663 (email@example.com).
Download a printer-friendly version of this article.
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Excellent Course. Professor Susser does a thorough, careful job of bring the Middle East up to date to 2013 or so. Would love to see an additional week added dealing with developments up to today.
One of the very best courses available, the historical examination of continue changing in the Middle East, allows students think the pieces that derive in actual regional struggle.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.


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I had banana, cottage cheese and cinnamon on toast for breakfast - thought it was a bit weird sounding but is surprisingly delicious. A wrap coming up for lunch and Pumpkin soup for dinner. I'm sure I'm eating more than I used to and feeling my body thank me.
Monday morning never felt so good. I am looking forward to Wednesday, not for the number but to see the rewards of my hard work.
I found these two today and think it sums it up quite nicely:
So I will continue to eat myself well, eat more energy and exercise my body fit.


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Enki looked like he crawled out of a temple statue commemorating the Ancients. He had a reddish brown well-manicured beard that hung like a spike off his angular chin. His eyes were brown flecked with green, red and yellow. His ears swooped upward into delicate little points. His skin tones were like that of soil. It's coloration altered as moved through the light of the spacious shippers lobby. A progenitor of the wood elves, Shamoo mused, save for the perceived pretentiousness of his attire, he could blend into any woodland environment. His costume was complete with an ornate golden-jeweled cylindrical headdress six inches high in the back angling down to four inches in the front, triangular pointy armored shoulder pads and trapezoidal chest plate, and a utility belt with a rucksack hanging on his right side, and a knee length armored kilt each pleat alternated between a copper and bronze like material. His lower torso was bare revealing a taut muscled abdomen. Slung across his left shoulder, under his armor, was a red sash with blue and yellow stitches composing a curious pattern. He carried no weapons save for a smooth wooden walking stick about six feet in length, which he now used in his right hand. It too was very curious; indeed, both ends were capped with strange metallic substances that appeared to be growing into the wood itself like it were a climbing vine.
Shamoo's jaw dropped and she absentmindedly chuckled at the sight of him. What kind of nut has my cousin agreed to interview Shamoo thought? Was there some galactic holiday I missed while we were out delivering fuel to Androcon? Shamoo realized that she was staring. She shifted her gaze away from the staff to the kilt to the sash to the headdress and then to his face. When Enki met her eyes for a brief moment she saw extreme age radiating with power. It was like looking into a reactor with tinted safety glasses or gazing at the sun too long. Rapidly Shamoo averted her gaze. She looked down as if she was a slave and he was the master. Shamoo felt like Enki had peered deep into her bones, into her genes, into her essence, into her soul. But when Shamoo looked back, everything she experienced in that moment evaporated into a puff of cloud; all she saw was ageless radiant beauty. Deeply troubled, she was not laughing anymore.
"Who…what are you," Brakoog asked in awe of his presence, completely oblivious of the interchange that just occurred between Enki and his cousin, "Royalty? A prince or duke perhaps? But you don't look GP."
"I'm trader and an adventurer who was born on one of the free independent worlds. Urukoo, to be exact," Enki said confidently. "And no, I am not royalty. I am something else. I came about the ad."
"Oh…yes…we have a few openings," Brakoog replied. "Would you like to join us in the conference room? It is right this way." Brakoog and Shamoo led the way, walking abreast, out of the main shippers lobby to the common conference room shared by four other shipping companies. Shamoo peaked her head inside to check the schedule. Fortunately, no one else had booked it. Shamoo held the door open while Brakoog and Enki walked in. Light streamed through bay windows ten feet high comprising two of the room's walls. In each of the corners were tall potted plants with waxy dark green fan shaped leaves. Taking up the bulk of the space was a long table that could seat about fifty. It was a huge slab of wood two inches thick, five feet across, and twenty-five feet long with a polished glass like finish. It had been crafted from a single log dark brown almost red in color, flawless without knots. The floor, too, was wood with a luxurious silky finish. The chairs also looked like they had been constructed of the same material. They were without cushions and had tall straight backs. Enki sat down at the table's head with his back to the door, which was not something he usually did. Shamoo and Brakoog sat across from one another on either side of him and angled their chairs to face the interviewee: Shamoo on the right and Brakoog on the left.
Straight away Brakoog began the interrogation, "What are your piloting skills like? Have you flown a one seater through inverted space before? How about the multitasking computer? Can you pilot and shoot plugged into the terminal? Do you have a resume?"
"Ok…yes, yes…uh…I've piloted many small cruiser's like your Lavinia. And I am familiar with several models of multitasking couches with gel interfacers and control gloves too. I can even fly manually. I can shoot, operate foot and hand-sticks, wash windows, and talk all at the same time. Multitasking terminals are a chinch to operate. I, myself, prefer the challenge of the old fashioned way. Leavers, wheels, hand controls, and keyboards. Uh…what was your last question Mr. Brakoog," Enki replied.
"Can I have your resume? I'm assuming you have one," Brakoog inquired?
"Urukoo…Urukoo…Uru-koo-to?" Shamoo lost in thought puzzled, not realizing that Brakoog had already begun the interview? "Like Urukooto, the paradise, told about in children's stories? No, you must mean Urukain― the GP throne world?"
"No! I thought already told you, I am not of the galactic! You know, …there are a lot of systems in the galaxy. It's not possible to know them all," Enki said in annoyance as he reached with vigor into a pocket on the inside seam of his sash and pulled out a thin flat thumb sized film and handed it to Brakoog.
Driven by intense curiosity, Shamoo snatched the memory chip out of Brakoog's hand and inserted it into her personal palm computer-interfacing device. 'He seems a little sensitive about his origins,' Shamoo thought beginning to settle back into herself. 'I wonder where he is really from? I wonder what his game is? What his story is?'
"Did you know that the Hivers don't use multi-terminals," Enki directed towards the cousins.
"You mean their pilots don't plug into the computer," Brakoog asked? "What do they do? Row their boats with raw muscle power," he joked?
"How old are you," Shamoo changed the subject while looking into the display? "You've been to a lot of worlds and done a lot of odd jobs too. It say's here you worked as an instructor for quite some time…"
"It is my understanding, that under GP labor law you're not allowed to ask that question," Enki sidestepped her questioning.
"What?" Shamoo said quizzically as if she had just been slapped.
"My age. It is against the law to discriminate against age," he said in a testing manner. "Ok, Ok…I am older than you are. Is that satisfactory?"
Shamoo let it drop. She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with that line of questioning. This interview was quickly spiraling out of control. She decided that it was time to drop the big question. She paused, looked inward, and regained her professional composure before asking, "Why do you want to be a mercenary pilot?"
"Mercenary? I thought you were interviewing me to be a partner," Enki stated. "Your past gunner was a partner. Have I done my homework wrong?"
"What do you mean," Shamoo asked her eyes narrowed in annoyance?
"All your ship hands are said to be partners," Enki continued with raised eyebrows.
"No. My cousin, Shamoo is my only partner! I don't need a third one," Brakoog countered in irritation. "What you heard was sort of correct, but not really. Some of the crew are shareholders, but most are mercenaries employed by the corporate shipping alliance whose office building we share. The shareholders get their cut after Shamoo and I take our half."
"Could I buy in as a shareholder then? I have equipment and weapons you could use. One of which could be sold on the black market. …The profit would be enormous," Enki said in hushed tones.
"We don't deal with criminals; we are honest law abiding business persons" Shamoo raised her voice!
"That's not what I heard," Enki scoffed! "Rumors say, your grandfather purchased two mini-rip lancers and a military grade reactor from a Hooman crime boss― on the other side of the galaxy― in the Bambino system after he almost lost both his life and his boat after being boarded by pirates. Both of you were young in your vocation then; almost still considered children by your people's standards. It was a several cycles before your grandfather passed on to the Ancients. You were still learning the ins and outs of the shipping trade. It is my understanding that those weapons are not permitted on merchant class vessels by the GP. It amazes me that you haven't been busted. My question is how did he ever pay for it? A new reactor and rip lancers cannot be afforded by simple furniture movers..." Enki's words hung in the air like a gaseous expulsion.
"Are you a GP cop or spy?" Brakoog spoke with aggression while vigorously jumping out of his seat with clenched fists! "Humph! That's why you're wearing that freaky clown suit!"
"Calm down…settle down my children," Enki said chuckling. "Here's my offer. I'll trade you 13-quantum chameleon torpedoes― if scanned, sensors will read their signature as industrial strength asteroid busters― and my wisdom as a mind scientist. It is a long standing tradition of the Ninutratic dynasty to forbid boarder worlds gifted youth entry into their mind science academies for fear of reawakening the royal lineage of their individual peoples. They consider those rooted to growing things to be inferior to them, which is also why they restrict the kinds of armaments vessels are allowed to carry. They station garrisons in your systems claiming that it is for your protection, but deny you a militia of your own to defend yourself from Hivers or other threats. And you know why? The elves of stone and steel fear you. It's a feud that goes back to the days before we left the first planet. They allied themselves with the Hoomans― those new arrivals born from dirt and clay― who taught them how to work stone and forge metal. And they who built armies and cities waged war against nature and themselves…. The Ninutra dynasty rules as it does in fear of another civil revolt."
Brakoog pondered Enki's words in silence before speaking up, "If you would excuse us for a time, Shamoo and I would like to discuss your offer. You can wait here. We are going to go down to our office and check a few of your references. We'll come back when we're done deliberating."
Enki watched them get up and exit the conference room. Out of curiosity, he got up himself and went over to the bay windows overlooking Barinza Prime's city and spaceport from the tenth floor. Spacing into the moment, he found himself stroking his beard and further twisting the long reddish-brown hairs together hanging from his chin. The city itself had an ancient feel. Many of the houses and small business were built out of whatever was at hand like mud, river rocks, packed dirt blocks, baked bricks, wood, and a few were constructed of modern plastoid materials. Much of the commerce was also old-world: farmers markets, street vendors, open bazaars, flea markets, cafes and whatnot. If it was a means to churn out a living it was there. The monopolies and conglomerations of the galactic power didn't seem to have had much effect out here on the border worlds. Most of the streets hadn't even been paved or cobbled with stones. And the traffic, that was another story altogether. It was a jumble of technologies from multiple parts of the civilized galaxy. Many of the Barinzain farmers and hunters preferred wagons and carts drawn by beasts of burden. The Hoomans liked non-GP built anti-grav scooters and cars. A few even used internal and external combustion engines in their vehicles. Most of the citizens of Barinza walked or used muscle powered carts or whatnot. 'The future truly is the past,' Enki mused.
The urban district was home to a hodgepodge of species that contrasted starkly with the industrial-commercial district. The apparent affluence of the interior of this particular shippers office building was vastly different than that of the café Enki had enjoyed an ethnic morning meal. Most of the Barinza natives were hunters or agriculturists. Fewer than fifty thousand of them lived and worked in the city. Elvish engineers and shipwrights did beautiful elegant work. Barinza brand commercial and merchant vessels were some of the best made in this part of the galaxy. There weren't many tall buildings either in this city though the spaceport itself was a large, most of the structure was subterranean. It moored a thousand vessels from small one seaters to large cruisers on any given day. The shipyard with its conjoined mining refinery was the biggest single structure in the city. It wasn't exactly in the city itself, but it was within walking distance. A long walk anyhow. However, the largest building, that wasn't really a building, on the world was the temple. It was built on a bluff above the city fifteen miles away and it towered nearly a thousand feet into the heavens. Enki looked eastward and spotted it immediately. He could see its top through the forestlands surrounding it. Smiling, he thought that it was good to know that these people had priorities. That they hadn't been completely corrupted by civilization or the galactic power and the others they lived and worked with.


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|This is the result of my first painting tutorial on gumroad. Part one gumroad.com/l/LLxsS and part two gumroad.com/l/gzkg
|Deviant Art
|This is the result of my first painting tutorial on gumroad. Part one gumroad.com/l/LLxsS and part two gumroad.com/l/gzkg
!! Prints are available at GlennRane.com !!
!! Demo Videos at: gumroad.com/glennrane !!
More Art on facebook.com/GlennRaneArt
Employer: Blizzard Entertainment.
Title: Art Lead, Creative Development
Glenn heads a team of elite artists who create "high profile" illustrations for Blizzard Entertainment. Purposes of artwork include book covers, game box covers, magazine covers, concept art and patch artwork.
Visit www.sonsofthestorm.com for more of Glenn's work.
Thank you all for the favs, encouragement, and compliments! Special thanks to the people at Blizzard, who make me a better artist. Extra big special thanks to Chris Metzen who provides most of my creative/art direction.
Due to the volume of messages I receive and,unfortunately, my limited time to respond to them, I'm starting this little FAQ section. Please review before sending any further messages. Thanks!
*How long have you been an artist?
I started as a toddler and have always had an interest in art, but got super serious about it in High School.
*Did you study art in College? Yes. I went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. There I majored in Illustration and received a BFA.
*What made you want to get into doing game art?
Warcraft 2. That and Baulder's Gate.
* What inspires you to keep making artwork?
My job, my drive to become a better artist, fans, and I just like drawing and painting.
*How do you deal with artists block?
I try to force the doubt out of my mind. Sometimes I turn on music or a movie, and sometimes I draw with my left hand, then switch back to my right. It comes with the territory and you just have to push through it.
* Who did you work with before Blizzard? How was it different?
I worked at Vivendi Games, the parent company of Blizzard. I worked on covers for a variety of games, from Jump Start to Leisure Suit Larry... it wasn't nearly as cool.
* Exactly what about being an art director is different from an artist? Leading and Managing people and being the keeper of the house style. Basically more responsibility.
*What's the most important thing to keep in mind when drawing concept art? If you are working on a concept, someone is asking you to solve a problem. You have to make sure you are solving that problem in the coolest way possible within the design boundaries.
* And what's the most important thing to keep in mind when drawing magazine, box art, or book covers? Logo placement. Another thing to consider is how the product will be presented on the shelf.
* How much freedom do you have in constructing your illustrations?
My main job is to make sure Blizzard's requirements are hit. After that, I have all the freedom I want.
*What is your process? How do you work? What programs do you use? First I gather creative direction. I then sketch thumbnails with pencil and paper; usually about 6 different ideas. I'll send those out for review. I work up a final drawing in Photoshop. I then work out a value and color comp. Once I decide on a direction, I typically finish the painting in Photoshop, however, sometimes I use traditional media such as Oil.
*What Brushes do you use in Photoshop? I tend to use the standard round brushes, with very slight taper, and with an opacity jitter. I have one odd shaped bush that I use with these same settings.
* What tablet do you use? I use a Cintiq at work and a Intuos 3 at home. I have no problem working on either interchangeably.
* How do I learn to paint and draw? How do I become a better artist? I think people learn by doing. It's all about mileage. Do something once and you probably suck at it. Do something 50 times and you're probably starting to get the hang of it. Do something 500 times and you are probably getting pretty good at it. Do it 10,000 times and you're a master. School is good, but in the end, your education rests solely on you.
* Besides skill and such, in your opinion, what's the most important attribute to have in the industry? Professionalism. This means being easy to work with, doing what is asked of you, and taking criticism well.
* How much training would you say is needed to work as a game artist (education and otherwise)? Enough training that makes you competitive with people already working in the games industry.
* What advice would you give to someone who wants to make art for games? Be competitive with the people already working in the industry and show in your portfolio how you will benefit your prospective employer. Also, be professional. This is how you get a job.
*How long does it take you to do a concept or painting? Concepts can take a couple of hours to a couple of days, while a painting can take a week or three. It really depends on the level of rendering needed, the size of the piece, the amount and scale of alterations and feedback, and the deadline. In the end, you always have to hit the deadline.
* What's your favorite non-Blizzard game? Red Dead was fun. Assassins Creed is great also.


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Angela Lewis, aka ALove of Dallas, GA was recently selected to work closely with us in our mission to assist in helping others reach their dreams and greatest potential through her God given talent with over a decade of experience as a Relationship Coach, Master Connector, Entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Hot Wife Hot Life LLC, an organization that brings awareness to the importance of strong marriages to the foundation of families. Angela, now the Motivational Consultant and Events Planner for Dreamland Productions will be planning Production motivational events that provides networking opportunities, via seminars, workshops, conferences, personal consultations, hosting, speaking and promoting on site at various beauty, entertainment, style and fashion productions. Angela, a visionary and solutionist always looking for ways to help people reach their goals and dreams. Angela's outstanding qualities as a wife and mother have landed her the role as a woman who have advanced in the business world because her image, passion and impact defines the quality of her work.
Angela, welcome to Dreamland Productions... "Where Dreams are Made Real"
Dreams Made Real - Dreamland Productions lands search for Dream Seekers in Dallas, Ga
Breaking News Reported in Dallas New Era
News Paper - Please click the link below!
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Everyone loves incentives, don't forget to reward your employees or Give your Star Talent an Award!
Your brand and your identity communicates a powerful message to your target market or ideal customers.
Know your competitors, let us help you look as good as your competition. Branding and Marketing go hand in hand with communication.
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UK Chart Roundup: Take That's 'III' Is #1
Meanwhile, the That's seventh album III becomes their sixth to hit the top the album chart after selling 145,000 copies. That's a far cry from the 520,000 the band's last album, Progress, racked up in its first week back in 2010 (250,000 of which was done in the first day alone), but they had the benefit of people jamming Barbie Doll legs up themselves back then over the return of Robbie Williams.
Plus, Howard Donald is still a super sexy piece of hot tail, so whatever.
The UK Top 10:
1. "Thinking Out Loud" - Ed Sheeran *2 weeks*
2. "You Got It All" - Union J *new*
3. "These Days" - Take That
4. "Blank Space" - Taylor Swift
5. "Wrapped Up" - Olly Murs feat. Travie McCoy
6. "Real Love" - Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
7. "I Loved You" - Blonde feat. Melissa Steel *new*
8. "Steal My Girl" - One Direction
9. "Dangerous" - David Guetta feat. Sam Martin
10. "Outside" - Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding
Labels: Ed Sheeran, Take That, U.K. chart


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It's once again time for a Crate Paper color challenge…and, this one's truly a fun one!
And I totally love what I made…:)
It's been a while since I decorated a mini-canvas…I love these…I need to do this more often..:)
That's my sister and mom foolin' around =) Aren't they cute? And don't they look so much alike? Haha,…
The colors for this month are pink, yellow and red…fun, eh? Tara's doing such a splendid job w/the colors…:)
And she makes such great inspirationwires too :) Go drop by the blog and join the challenge :)
I covered the sides too..I simply love this sheet of patterned paper from the Emma's Shoppe-collection…sigh…both the A and B sides are gorgeous..there's red polkadots at the backside…I really need more sheets of this particular paper! Oh, and I added blings (KaiserCraft) to the banner..
Flowercluster made by flowers from Prima and Maya Road, as well as trinkets from the latter..
Speaking of Crate Paper, did you catch this?
Oh yes, there's tons of wedding inspiration coming your way from the Crate-blog next week…'this the season, and all…I mean, I'm in Oslo atm, shooting the celebration of Tove+Trym (Den Store Trym og Tove skal være sammen for alltid-festen)…although they're not really marrying per se, they've decided to do a big, big celebration where they'll declare they'll be together forever and all..so yes, this really is the season for weddings and stuff…but I digress…here's the info from the Crate blog about the event:
We've a very special week ahead that we're formally inviting our blog readers to take part in and admire starting next Monday! Crate Paper has lined up five whole days of "I thee wed" handmade creations suitable for the soon-to-be bride and groom that'll help to make the year'(s) long journey a one-of-a-kind display of memorable moments and experiences. Our designers are going to share with you both traditional & non-traditional designs using Crate's Collections that'll apply across the entire spectrum of the wedding affair - from start to finish, the team will have for you ideas in creating invitations to thank-you notes, as well as thoughtful favor gifts and ceremonial decor. In supplement of the display of inspiring projects, Crate Paper is giving away four prize packs that'll well-suite and bid all of you to join in on the "tie-the-knot" festivities - details will be fully disclosed on Monday!
Wedding Week begins Monday, June 6th and will conclude Monday, June 13th. Add it to your calendar and inform those planning for the big day as well! We look forward to you accompanying us at Crate's first ever, "Wedding Week"!
Enjoy your weekend fellas!


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Why is Core Muscle Strength Beneficial?
By Sara Butler
When it comes to the health of your back, your core muscles are pretty darn important. This group of muscles in your abdomen is the link between your upper and lower body; many movements you go through every day originate from these muscles. If they're weak they can cause other muscle groups, such as the muscles in your back, to pick up the slack – and that's a recipe for injury and back pain. So, what are the benefits of working on your core? Here are a just a few!
It's All Connected
It's important to understand just how your core can impact the rest of your body. Because of the placement of these muscles in the center of your body, they are an important link in your body's chain or motion. If they are inflexible or weak, then it can affect not just your back but your arm and leg function, too.
Building up your core properly gives your whole body more power and enhances the stability and balance of your body. So, it can help you to prevent injuries and falls in nearly all activities, from sports to household chores.
Everyday Benefits of a Strong Core
When you think about the ways in which a strong core can impact your life there are a few things you might be missing. A strong core has an impact on:
- Everyday tasks – Whether it's bending over to tie your shoes, leaning over to scoop up your pet or even turning your torso to look at what is behind you, your body is relying on your core to be strong in order to complete these tasks. These are things you may not notice since they are so mundane, but if you become injured due to a weak core you will definitely notice how painful or difficult these everyday tasks can be.
- Job Tasks – If you have to do a lot of twisting, lifting or even just standing over the course of your work day you are relying on your core more than you may know. But other tasks at work, including sitting at a desk, typing at your computer or talking on the phone, also engage your core. If you have poor posture and aren't engaging your core during these tasks you might notice your neck and back are stiff and sore at the end of the workday.
- Sports and exercise – No matter what you like to do in order to stay active, you need to make sure you're engaging your core as you do it. You need flexibility and strength in your core to stay away from injury and do your very best.
If you need some tips on how to work on your core muscle strength and flexibility, your chiropractor is an excellent resource!


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This last block looked like it would not take a long time to stitch but I was only able to do one section out of four each day.
I enjoy reading and have been working my way through a series of books that the story lines take place in an English country village. But now I am taking a short break to read a quilt related fiction story by Frances O'Roark Dowell called "Birds in the Air". She has written children's books in the past so this is her first adult novel. I am up to chapter six and liking it thus far. I will be doing a book review soon.
Additional info added:
I have had a few people ask what books I am reading about the English country village. Right now I am reading books by Rebecca Shaw and there are 18 or 19 of them. Previously, I read the series of books by Miss Read that was about an English country village teacher and the small school. I think there were 18 books in the series. I find them used on Amazon.


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Toby Joe Stevens, loving husband, brother, son and friend, lost his life Tuesday, March 15, 2005. Toby was born in Loyalton, Calif., in 1962 where he lived until 2003. Toby spent many years working in the woods, beginning in 1977 when he was 15 years old.
He operated heavy equipment for the family logging business. Toby moved to Paradise, Calif., where he met and married Juli; they moved back to Loyalton. He left working in the woods and went to work for the Truckee Public Works Department from 1990 to 2003.
He and his wife moved to Idaho. Toby went to work for the Idaho Transportation Department in 2004. He and his wife had just purchased a home in Grangeville where they had decided to settle.
Toby was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting and fishing. He was involved in archery, the National Wild Turkey Federation youth program and was teaching hunter education in Grangeville. He was in his element in the woods.
He is survived by his wife Juli Stevens of Grangeville; her parents, Billy and Shirley Adkins of Kamiah; his parents, Royce and Elaine Stevens of Loyalton, Calif.; a brother, Chris Stevens of Reno, Nevada; a niece Brandi Stevens of Oregon; and a host of friends and loved ones.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 19 at 1 p.m. at the Blackmer Funeral Home, Grangeville. Memorial services will follow in Loyalton, Calif., on Saturday, March 26.
The family suggests memorial contributions may be made
to Hunters Education, c/o Blackmer Funeral Home, 305 No. Mill St., Grangeville,
Idaho 83530. Send condolences to the family at


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Photos: Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders comes to Springfield
Help us save student newsrooms
In conjunction with Save Student Newsrooms day on April 25, we launched our $3,500 campaign to provide our newsroom with some of the tools and resources needed to compete in the digital world.
We are asking for your generosity at this time to help us update our multimedia equipment.
We have not been able be purchase any multimedia equipment since 2013 and are working with lenses that are 17 years old. Unfortunately, we often rely on students using their own equipment.
Your donations will not only help Emerald Media Group produce better content, but it will also better prepare our student journalists for professional positions by giving them opportunities to use state of the art equipment.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the Emerald Media Group and our student journalists.


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Producing true analog tone with modern technology, the Peak polysynth can easily be tweaked plus the sounds are warm and rich with filthy biting overdrive. The Novation Peak is an eight-voice desktop polyphonic synthesiser with three New Oxford Oscillators for each voice. The oscillators sound completely analogue by being high-quality NCOs (Numerically-Controlled Oscillators), but gain the flexibility of the digital domain with 17 digital wavetables. They can also become a linear FM source using either the analogue-sounding NCOs or digital wavetables – so are able to cross-modulate in an recursive loop.
Novation Peak Polyphonic Synthesizer Features
Novation Peak polyphonic synthesizer
USB cable
Power supply
Novation Peak is class compliant, so will work with any modern Mac, Windows or Linux PC. For further information see the Novation web site.
• Ableton Live Lite music making software
• Loopmasters sounds and samples
MSRP: $64.99 Save: $25.00 (38%)
MSRP: $31.90 Save: $15.95 (50%)
MSRP: $131.00 Save: $31.01 (24%)
MSRP: $499.00 Save: $149.01 (30%)
MSRP: $16.47 Save: $3.48 (21%)
MSRP: $129.00 Save: $29.05 (23%)
What started as a simple string and pedal sales catalog has grown exponentially over the past thirty years. The early days were a time where catalogs didn't have much of a presence in the industry, but what began as a college dorm room operation grew rapidly. In 1986 we moved to a full product offering and 64-page catalog, which over the years has grown to 162 pages. Join the AMS family and get your free catalog now!
Copyright © 1996-2018 American Musical Supply, Inc. All rights reserved. American Musical Supply reserves the right to correct pricing and/or product specifications in the event of typographical errors found in our print catalog or on our website. If a product is listed at an incorrect price due to such errors or because of inaccurate information received from a supplier, American Musical Supply shall have the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed, whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is canceled, American Musical Supply will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge.


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Hawaiian Rumble Mini Golf Open Year Round!
Home of the Masters EVERY October!
In Myrtle Beach on vacation, be sure to stop into Hawaiian Rumble. Rated the #1 Mini Golf course in the WORLD, this 18-hole miniature golf course is centered around a tropical Hawaiian Garden with a massive 40 foot Volcano in the middle with the relaxing melodies from the best Hawaiian musicians.


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Show All Answers
Groundwater connected to surface water sources could be considered renewable if it is replenished as described above. However, the Denver Basin Aquifers can be several thousand feet below ground surface where hydrologic activity does not, for practical purposes, replenish these aquifers.
ACWWA is currently under Stage One - Voluntary Watering Restrictions, for all areas and no fines are being assessed.
Here are some ways to reduce your exposure to lead:1. When water has been standing in your pipes, run the cold water tap until the water gets noticeably colder. The lower temperature indicates you have cleared the water that has been standing in the pipes.2. Use only water from the cold water tap for drinking, cooking, and for making baby formula. Hot tap water dissolves lead faster and is likely to contain higher levels of lead if present.3. When repairing or replacing plumbing, insist on lead-free solder and lead-free fixtures.


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They are called cheater rolls by some. That may tell you most of what you need to know.
In fact, they've become a necessity for distributors to carry - adding to the problem - because in some cleaning departments, cost-per-case ranks higher than value-per-case. "They" are reduced-size bath-type toilet tissue rolls.
These smaller rolls were created to appear more competitive. Sometimes the paper core is increased in diameter to make the rolls seem more normal in size. Sometimes the paper is wound loosely for the same reason. But the fact in this case is, less is less.
There are two issues involved where a single focus on cost-per-case is relied upon. The first of those issues is that focusing on reducing line items in the supply segment of the cleaning budget affects, at most, about 5% of the facility maintenance department budget overall. So if a year's worth of effort re-negotiating and trying different products reduces costs in that segment by 10% on average - something that would represent a banner result - there is just a half percent of difference in the grand scheme of the overall budget. A budget, by the way, that is dominated by people costs.
The problem with a focus on only 5% of the cleaning budget is that repeated efforts to cut corners on supplies are all but guaranteed to reduce both productivity and stakeholder satisfaction.
5% of the budget - based on pursuit of lowest cost - can have an adverse effect on 95% of the budget - based on people who need to perform at their best, and supplies that need to reduce the potential for complaints.
"The most expensive thing in a corporate or retail restroom environment is a complaint."
Although it sounds like blasphemy in an era of cost-shaving, in many cases the supplies budget literally needs to increase so that advances in technology can come to bear in improving custodial efficiency and effectiveness. Not to mention user satisfaction.
The second issue is that when sheet sizes become smaller, your price should be not only be lower because you are buying less, but you need to consider the increased costs related to rolls that have to be replaced more often (also potentially creating more stub-roll waste depending on dispensing system), and requiring increased labor. Unfortunately, when a smaller roll (or case size) is offered, the new price does not always fully cover the corresponding decrease in what you receive, much less provide an overall discount.
Surely, the reason more cases of smaller (and smaller) rolls are being sold is not that as managers, we don't want to do the math. And surely, we aren't looking to have to increase the frequency of custodial staff checks on restroom supplies. Being out more often or fielding more restroom complaints is also an unlikely motivator.
The villian, it seems, is probably the thought that a case is a case is a case.
This belief may be based on the fact that for most of the last 50 years, both commercial and home-use tissue rolls were based on the unfailing standard of 4.5" x 4.5" by 500 sheets.
We've put together this quick overview of what "little changes" in sheet size do to the overall capacity of the case. We have used a random sampling of roll sizes. If your size does not appear, the closest size on this chart will get you in the ballpark. The far-right column shows the size of case you would receive compared with the former industry standard of a full, 4.5" x 4.5", 500-sheet refill. "Former," because in some brands, the full size is no longer even offered. But for comparison, it still serves as the baseline from which toilet paper started and will help you compare.
If you long ago left the 4.5" x 4.5" inch standard, then just follow this formula (making sure the rolls have the same number of sheets and the cases have the same number of rolls):
- Multiply the width times the length of sheets in the case you are considering.
- Multiply the width times the length of sheets in the case you are using currently.
- Divide the first number by the second. If the case you are considering is smaller, the number will be less than one and is the percentage of product you will be receiving. .716, for example, would be about 72%. If the case you are considering is larger for some reason, you will get a number greater than one. 1.15, for example would be a case 15% larger.
So, if you are quoted a case that is 72% of your current case volume, and you are offered a discount of 25%, you are coming out 3% behind where you already are, and will possibly have labor and run-out issues to contend with to boot.
If the case of tissue you are being considered has no specifications regarding size printed on the container at all, this is a particularly questionable situation. No news is potentially bad news. There is no good reason we can think of for leaving the size specifications off the container, yet this is becoming more common.


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Your wedding day is one of the most important days in your life. Wouldn't it make sense to document your day by hiring the best Connecticut wedding photographer around?
I make it my personal passion to document your special day from beginning to end. Why trust just anyone to capture your memories? Explore my website and see why I am committed to capturing the excitement, beauty and detail of your perfect day.
© Copyright 2017 PC Foto. All rights reserved. Home - Portfolio - Recent
Weddings - Information - Contact Us
PC Foto serves Southern New England including Connecticut, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Newport, RI. We are also available for destination weddings


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- Poster presentation
- Open Access
Upregulation of Egr-1 biosynthesis in human neuroblastoma cells following activation of epidermal growth factor or muscarinic acetylcholine receptors
© Rössler et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2007
- Published: 23 March 2007
- Epidermal Growth Factor
- Neuroblastoma Cell
- Carbachol
- Human Neuroblastoma Cell
- Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor
The zinc finger transcription factor Egr-1 controls many biological functions in the nervous system, including neuronal plasticity, cell death and proliferation. Egr-1 connects cellular signaling cascades with changes of the gene expression pattern. Here, we show that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and carbachol stimulated the biosynthesis of Egr-1 in human neuroblastoma cells. The analysis of a lentiviral transmitted Egr-1-responsive reporter gene, embedded into the chromatin, revealed that Egr-1-dependent transcription was upregulated following stimulation. The signalling cascade initiated by carbachol involved the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors type I and III and the activation of diacylgycerol-dependent protein kinase C isoforms. Both signaling cascades, initiated by EGF or carbachol, required the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase ERK. In addition, we observed a striking enhancement of the transcriptional activation potential of the ternary complex factor Elk 1, a key transcriptional regulator of serum response element-driven gene transcription. Incubation of neuroblastoma cells with EGF or carbachol also triggered an upregulation of MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) that dephosphorylates and inactivates ERK in the nucleus. Lentiviral-mediated expression of MKP-1 completely blocked Egr-1 biosynthesis following EGF or carbachol stimulation, indicating that MKP-1 functions as a nuclear shut-of-device of EGF or carbachol-induced Egr-1 gene transcription in neuroblastoma cells.
Authors' Affiliations
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd.


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Anchor Hocking 93012 is a beer tumbler with a 13-ounce capacity. It is made of clear glass, with a clarity that allows you to show off the drinks you serve while making refills easier for your servers. The tapered design of the glass allows it to enhance the flavor and aroma of beer, while simultaneously making the smooth glass easy to grip. The glass also features a heavy base, which helps add stability and balance.
The Barbary beer glass is a durable glass, suitable for use in a commercial environment and safe for use in a commercial dishwasher. It also carries the Sure Guard™ Guarantee. This guarantee ensures that Anchor Hocking will replace the glass or refund its price if the rim or foot obtains a chip during normal use.
Product Details
- Part of Anchor Hocking's Barbary line
- 13-oz. beer tumbler
- Made of smooth, clear glass
- Flares out slightly from the narrowest point near the base, making it easy to grip
- Thick base helps provide balance
- Dishwasher safe
- Carries the Anchor Sure Guard™ Guarantee against chipping
- Overall Dimensions: 61⁄4 in. H x 3 in. dia.
Beer Tumbler, 13 oz., Barbary. Typically ships in 14 to 21 days.
Important Prop 65 information for California residents.
Anchor 93012 Specifications
|Product Type
|Beer Glass


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It's coming up to Father's Day again. Dads everywhere start to
dread get excited about whatever homemade goodies their lovely kids have been 'creating' at school. It's not always easy to subtly remove a dried macaroni picture from pride of place and hide it in the attic you know! How about we celebrate Dads a little. Let's get them something they actually want. (If anyone has any ideas for an avid golfer/ gardener- please let me know- I'm way out of my depth again!!) Here's our list of Awesome Father's Day Gift ideas for a motorhome loving Dad. (Or Grandfather. Husband. Partner. 🙂 ) I admit, they're not always the 'cutest' presents, but let's face it- Motorhoming/ camping Dads don't always want cute- or dried macaroni- they're practical men who like practical things. All of these are things we love & use ourselves so we can highly recommend them!
(There's an excellent chance this post contains affiliate links, meaning if you buy through them we get a small commission which allows us to keep this site going. We appreciate your support- thank you. Wandering Bird Adventures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com/ amazon.co.uk)
10 Awesome Father's Day Gift Ideas for a Motorhome Loving Dad
Nespresso Double Walled Travel Mug
Driving for hours at a time is never much fun- and the only way Mr WB survives it is with cola bottles (the sweets, not the soda!) and a hot drink. He LOVES his Nespresso travel mug. Seriously, I think if we ever forgot it we'd be turning around and going back for it!! It's double walled, which means you can pick it up straight after you've poured boiling water into it, and it keeps a drink hot for HOURS. I used to use mine on a night shift and it would easily keep a hot chocolate warm for 3/4 hours. When the lid is shut, you can turn it upside down and not a thing leaks out. (Ok, so it turns out I LOVE my Nespresso mug too!!) We've now had ours for over 2 years and use it weekly.
Go Pro
Go-Pros are great fun and we use ours a lot, especially when we're mucking around and don't want to risk our cameras. The Go-Pro is small, light and easy to pop into a pocket or backpack, and the camera quality is excellent. And let's face it- Dads love to record stuff. Instead of arguing about it, embrace it and get him something cool to play with. This one is waterproof to 10m, shoots in 4K, is stabilised to reduce shaking, has voice control and is compatible with millions of accessories. We have ours on a 'selfie stick' so we can take wide shots when filming, and we also have a chest mount for it (for when we're doing crazy things like a toboggan run!!)
Motorhome Travel Journal
Having lived on boats for 14 years, one of our favourite things is to read over our old logbooks and remember our adventures. Blogs, photos and videos are great, but there's something about seeing it written down on paper that makes it even better. We love to put silly comments in ours about the drive, the weather, our musical tastes or some strange event which occurred. Trust me- you'll love looking back on it in years to come. I've just treated us to a new one of these for our Motorhome Adventures for this summer- can't wait to see it all filled in! There's space for activities, food, mileage, route and plenty more.
Reversing Camera
They may NEVER admit it, but parking a motorhome is not always easy, especially if you've been driving a long time. Mr WB is a big fan of our reversing camera- to the point that although I do what we've always done and stand outside waving my hands around to get him into the parking space, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even look at me any more. He relies totally on a little black box on his dashboard (excuse me while I go sob into my pillow…) This is the exact camera we fitted into our Motorhome- and it really is brilliant. It has two cameras, which allows us to check the bikes when we're driving and also the bag which we strap to the bike rack. The screen is very clear- useful when you're trying to see just how close you are to that post! We've now used this for 6 months and highly recommend it.
Tabletop Portable Gas BBQ
We love BBQs- and they go so well with motorhome life! However, most people don't have space in their van to store a full-size BBQ, so this is a great alternative. We've had one on our boat for years- it's easy to clean, cools fairly quickly (we leave ours overnight to be sure) and easily cooks enough food for 4 hungry people. The legs lock in place for stability and you can run it on either Butane or Propane gas. My Dad is the King of BBQs- personally I think he just likes an excuse to stand outside away from all the hub-bub! (Hi Dad! ;))
Motorcaravan Manual
It's easy in these days of Google to believe that you can always find the answer to whatever you need at the click of a button. However, Motorhomes have an uncanny ability to sense weakness- and they seem to know just when you're out of 3G range before they break down or do something crazy. Heck, you might not even have a phone signal to call someone. Having an actual book around is always a good idea. Whether it's a question on construction, maintenance, wiring or a million other little things you need to know as a motorhome user, this book pretty much has it covered. It also has loads of practical tips and ideas to keep your van running smoothly. Even if you're lucky enough to never have a problem at all, there's plenty of pictures and sections for Dad to enjoy browsing through.
DJI Drone
I admit, you have to REALLY like your Dad for this one- or to have screwed up so badly that only a massive gesture will do! But if he travels, a drone is a great present. We love capturing some of the magical places we visit (if you haven't already- check out our videos!) Just be really careful to check the rules in each country you want to use it in- even across Europe, the rules are wildly different. We personally use the DJI Mavic Pro, but the Spark is a great place to start and has a beginner setting to help you learn how to fly it safely. You'll definitely be favourite child with this one!
Funny Father's Day Gift Ideas for a motorhome loving Dad
Head Torch
No Father's Day is complete without a spoof present- and this is the gift that keeps on giving!! You get to give him something practical and then you get to laugh at him. A lot. NOBODY looks good in a head torch. I bet even Scarlett Johanson couldn't pull that off… Yep- I've just Googled 'Scarlett Johanson Head Torch". Just in case. You never know. Sadly, no pictures of her in a head torch. But I did find this, which made me laugh…
I bet you never thought we'd go from Head Torch to Scarlett Johanson doing… well, I'm not quite sure what she's doing! Anyway, we use Energizer Head Torches when wild camping in our motorhome. They last for ages, have a range of light settings, including red which we use more often than I thought we would, especially when trying to set up night photography or something technical like that. You learn to embrace the uncoolness and just be grateful you can see the path!!
Funny Motorhome Mug
It just wouldn't be Father's Day list without a comedy mug! This one made me laugh out loud, (let's face it, nobody loves toilet duty!) but if you click on the link you'll find plenty of other options which might suit your Dad more.
It's not always easy finding Awesome Father's Day Gift Ideas for a motorhome loving Dad, so I hope this has given you some ideas! And for all the Dad's out there, I hope you have a wonderful day. If you found this useful, feel free to share it on social media, and if you want to save it for later, here's the pin: