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Mass Timber and Wood Framing
By Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on Nov 09, 2012 with Comments 0
Mass Timber and Wood Framing
New and traditional approaches reduce cost and meet code for mid-rise construction
Article From: Aritectural Record Continuing Education Center HERE (All rights reserved)
Mid-rise construction is becoming increasingly popular as a means of boosting densification, containing urban sprawl, and respecting infrastructure limits while maintaining neighborhood charm and community appeal. Multi-family construction in particular has grown, increasing 46 percent between 2009 and 2011. This year, the sector is expected to continue to advance, rising 23 percent over 2011.1
Wood has a key role to play in mid-rise construction. It has proven to be more affordable than concrete or steel, and has a lower environmental footprint than either material. Architects for Stadhaus, a nine-story wood apartment building in England, found that compared to concrete, a wood building offered cost savings of more than 15 percent,2 and that 186 tons of carbon were sequestered within its structure.3
Codes now allow wood as a structural material in five- and six-story wood-frame structures, in most U.S. states and throughout Canada. Traditional wood-frame construction is a proven solution for current mid-rise structures up to six stories, and mass timber is a possible solution for even taller buildings. Both are being used to achieve durable, code-compliant, economical mid-rise developments that add vibrancy at a human scale.
This article will provide a high-level comparative overview of the systems themselves. Wood-frame construction systems including balloon, platform, and semi-balloon framing will be discussed as will mass timber solutions including cross-laminated timber (CLT), glue-laminated timber (glulam), and laminated strand lumber (LSL). Case studies will showcase how architects are using these systems to full advantage either through code-compliant situations for additional stories or by turning to alternative solutions—methods of construction that are not included in the building code per se, but can be used to meet the intent of code—to build taller, smarter, and more efficiently with wood.
The University of British Columbia Earth Sciences Building is a five-story wood structure that uses CLT, glulam, and LSL. Architect: Perkins+Will Canada Architects Co.Photo by K. K. Law |
For centuries in North America, the dominant method of building homes and low-rise apartments has been wood frame construction, which has shown strength, longevity, and stability. Mid-rise light wood-frame structures are widely considered to be cost effective, due to relatively low material costs, reduced construction time, availability of resources and labor.4 The development of prefabricated component systems increases the strength and affordability of wood frame construction. Also, when built according to building codes and industry standards, wood-frame structures can provide hurricane and seismic resistance.
Platform framing uses shorter lengths of lumber for the studs, generally 2x4s spaced 16 inches on center.Image courtesy of American Wood Council |
Wood-frame construction entails the use of wood-framing members, typically dimensional lumber, I-joists, or prefabricated wood trusses, spaced relatively close, and used with sheathing or decking to create a structure that can withstand loads. Modern wood framing essentially includes three types: balloon, platform and semi-balloon framing.
Balloon Framing
With long lumber lengths, vertical load-bearing framing studs run continuously from foundation to roof. Intermediate horizontal floor joists are nailed to the sides of the vertical studs and bear on a ledger. The ledger is notched into the stud. Typically this system is more common in two-story buildings due to the stud length availability. However, a variation of this method could be used in increments of two stories. The advantage to this is that it would eliminate the shrinkage that may occur from the floor joists.
Platform Framing
Over time, platform framing replaced balloon framing as the dominant framing method. Platform framing uses shorter lengths of lumber for the studs, generally 2x4s spaced 16 inches on center. The walls are typically framed with a sill or sole plate, studs and two top plates, then floor joists bear on the top plates. Platform framing does not require hangers, while semi-balloon framing does as described below.
At each story, joists are covered by subflooring providing a platform, or work surface, on which walls and partitions are easily erected. The benefits of platform framing include the fact that walls can be constructed on the ground and less effort is involved in lifting them into place than in balloon framing. Notching of the stud is not required, and after one story is constructed, the framers can utilize it to construct the next story. Platform framing also accommodates various prefabricated methods.
Semi-Balloon Framing
Semi-balloon framing is a cross between balloon framing and platform framing. Where balloon framing has a continuous stud from foundation to roof, semi-balloon framing does not. Balloon framing does not require hangers, whereas semi-balloon framing does.
While platform framing is more dominant overall, modern semi-balloon framing, in which the floor joist hangs from the double top plates, is more common in buildings that are five stories and up, and is ideally suited to certain circumstances. According to Michelle Kam-Biron, P.E., S.E., senior technical director, lead for mid-rise construction for WoodWorks, "In the U.S., where most states follow the International Building Code, semi-balloon framing is often used as an alternative to platform framing in structures where fire requirements or shrinkage may be a challenge." Type III construction requires non-combustible exterior walls but there is an exception in the code that allows for fire-retardant treated wood (FRTW). "Designers will sometimes utilize semi-balloon construction, hanging the joist off the top plates and eliminating the penetration of the exterior wall building envelope," Kam-Biron says.
(Left) Semi-balloon framing is more common in buildings five stories and higher; (Right) it is often used as an alternative to platform framing where fire requirements or shrinkage may be a challenge.Photo courtesy of US WoodWorks |
Mass Timber Products and Systems
Advancements in wood technology, systems and products, together with performance-based building codes have fueled interest in building with mass timber in mid-rise construction and even taller buildings. Engineered wood products offer the architectural community alternate materials and systems with comparable or better performance and environmental attributes than other construction materials. Canadian architect Michael Green, in fact, sees mass timber—CLT, parallel strand lumber (PSL), and LVL—playing a major role in buildings up to 30 stories5. Performance-based building codes are accommodating the use of such new technology. While some of this new generation of wood products are not referred to specifically in the building code, architects can propose them as an alternative solution. As an example, buildings that were previously permitted only to be of non-combustible construction, can now be built of wood, provided it is sufficiently demonstrated that the structure provides equivalent fire safety.
Differentiated from dimensional lumber by having minimum dimensions required by the building code, modern mass timber6 refers to a family of products including sawn stress-grade lumber, timber tongue and groove decking, glulam, and CLT—that offer advantages in terms of increased strength, and also have quickened the construction process and enabled the use of wood products as solid walls, floors, elevator shafts, and columns to construct an entire building. Modern heavy timber products are particularly suited to mid-rise/multi-family housing, schools, large-span recreation centers, and supermarkets—buildings that must stand up to extreme loads caused by strong winds, heavy snow loads, and earthquakes.
Panel sizes vary by manufacturer. CLT is currently available in North America with dimensions up to 19-1/2 inches thick, 18 feet wide and 98 feet long.
Image courtesy of FPInnovations |
CLT is one type of new mass timber assembly that is comparable in strength to steel and concrete,7 but weighs less. A CLT panel has at least three glued layers of boards placed in orthogonally alternating orientation to the neighboring layers. In special configurations, consecutive layers may be placed in the same direction, giving a double layer to obtain specific structural capacities. Modern CLT exemplar include the eight-story H8 in Bad Aibling, Germany, which was completed in three weeks. Experts maintain that the structural performance of CLT makes it possible in situations where wood has never been used before.8 In North America CLT solutions are emerging in mid-rise buildings, setting records for versatility and speed.
Case Studies on Traditional and Innovative Wood Systems
The following case studies illustrate a variety of ways in which architects approach wood-frame mid-rise construction utilizing both traditional and new methods to maximize functionality. These examples cover a wide array of conditions and challenges, including cost, climate, seismic activity, and adherence to safety codes.
Balloon Framing as a Means to Reduce Shrinkage | ||
Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the six-story Skyline Condominiums enjoy an idyllic location and postcard views. Designers used balloon framing to reduce the potential for shrinkage. "Normally, the wood member shrinks approximately 3/8 of an inch per floor for 12 percent moisture in the wood. To avoid that, we used plywood, joist hangers for the joists, and balloon framing," says Pradip Misra, principal, Misra Architect Ltd. Because wood shrinks to a greater degree across the grain than parallel to grain, it's the horizontal members, such as the sills and joists than can be problematic, rather than the posts and studs. "The joists are hung from the side of the bearing walls. This eliminates the floor shrinkage in the total building shrinkage," says Steve Hoel, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., principal, JSH Engineering Ltd. Skyline's location is prone to humidity, seismic activity, and wind. This resulted in more than a few design challenges. Buildings in this area are required by code to withstand the most severe earthquake loads in Western Canada, and there is always a tendency to build with either steel or concrete. However, the design team and the owners went with wood. Wood-frame structures, which have numerous nailed joints, have more load paths and are inherently more ductile than those with a rigid connection—which make them more flexible and allows them to dissipate energy when subjected to the sudden loads of an earthquake. "The mass of the building also contributes," says Sukh Johal, technical advisor for WoodWORKS!BC. "Wood buildings are lightweight, but perform well structurally." Since forces in an earthquake are proportional to the weight of a structure, wood-frame buildings that are properly designed and constructed perform exceptionally well. Misra says that mechanical options were also a factor in seismic design, notably "hold-downs," known as continuous tie rod systems or 1-inch diameter steel bars that extend from the concrete slab to the upper floors. "This is a self-adjusting system to keep all floors intact in the event of seismic forces." Wood also offered advantages in terms of cost. Developers, who opted for a six-story structure in response to the increased height allowed in B.C., compared the costs of concrete, steel, and wood in an extensive study. "A concrete-and-steel superstructure ran 20 to 25 percent more than wood, and a structured steel superstructure 12 to 15 percent more than wood," says Biki Kang of Kang & Gill Construction Ltd. "Wood was found to be the most economical choice." |
Platform Wood Construction Brings Affordable Urban Appeal | ||
The Quattro 3 condominium opened in September 2012, the first multi-family six-story building in Metro Vancouver, built from wood. The project used platform framing to increase affordability and occupant comfort. Featuring 164 units from studios to two-bedrooms and one floor of commercial space, Quattro 3 is part of a larger planned community that will include up to 1,900 homes. While experts say that mid-rise wood frame construction is too new to B.C. to make a definitive statement about the cost competitiveness of wood, what can be said is that based on projects under construction in 2011 the above-grade cost of wood mid-rise construction will reduce costs by ten percent vs. steel or concrete construction. "There's always a difference between concrete and wood in terms of affordability," says Charan Sethi, president and CEO of the Tien Sher Group of Companies, developers of Quattro 3. "In the Surrey market, concrete units sell for $50 to $75 per square foot more than comparable wood units." Sethi feels the mid-rise wood building benefits from lower per-unit land costs and construction costs that can then be passed along to the consumer. "We're always looking for ways of bringing affordability to the working class market," Sethi says. Sustainability, locally sourced materials, and ease of construction were other factors that drew Sethi to wood. Sethi says, "Construction was completed by our experienced framing crew and on-site staff. The process was efficient." Occupant comfort was a prime concern. Noise transmission is a performance challenge in any multi-family building and in wood construction there are several solutions to mitigate sound transmission, including greater mass, increased stiffness, sound-absorbing insulation, resilient metal channels, and structural discontinuity between noise and occupant. At Quattro, 1.5-inch lightweight concrete topping between floors was used for additional soundproofing and robust insulated double 2-inch-x-6-inch framed party wall construction was employed to minimize vibration and sound transfer between homes. Fire experts maintain that six-story wood-frame buildings are as safe as any other form of buildings. "For a sprinklered occupied building, there is absolutely no safety issue," Sethi says. According to Len Garis, Surrey's fire chief and president of the Fire Chiefs' Association of B.C., "the fire safety of people living in six-story wood-frame buildings should be equal to the safety in any other building." Garis was quoted as saying, "These buildings are fully sprinklered and our research suggests to us that in a sprinklered building, a fire is likely to never leave the room of origin, has historically never left the floor of origin in a building. Where the sprinkler system needed to operate to put the fire out, it put the fire out."9 Quattro 3 makes an ideal introduction to mid-rise wood buildings in Metro Vancouver not only in terms of affordability, but in occupant comfort and safety as well. |
Seattle Hybrid: Wood Platform Framing and a Concrete Podium | ||
The Marselle is a hybrid wood and concrete structure consisting of five stories of wood-platform framing plus a wood mezzanine and a six-story concrete podium, of which, two stories are above ground. The combination of "five and one-half over two" made Marselle the tallest modern wood-frame structure in Seattle. Marselle's main distinction lies in the way wood framing was used to maximize the value of the finished space. Two key code requirements allowed that to happen. The City of Seattle's 2003 Building Code (SBC), under which the Marselle was built, was based on the 2003 International Building Code (IBC). Under the 2003 IBC, mezzanines were limited to 33 percent of the floor area beneath. However, SBC allowed five stories of wood construction over two stories of Type I construction plus 50 percent for a mezzanine. Mezzanine levels are not considered floors. Under the SBC, Type V-A construction allowed a fully sprinklered 70-foot maximum height for five stories while Type III-A allowed a fully sprinklered 85-foot maximum height for five stories. Zoning regulations allowed a maximum height of 85 feet. Therefore, the design team took advantage of Type III-A construction by adding a mezzanine level on top of the allowed five-story structure, to fill in the building envelope to the 85-foot maximum zoning height allowed. The other criteria concerned construction type. According to architect Michael Shreve with PB Architects, "under the 2003 SBC, section 504.2, the allowable height for buildings of Type III-A construction in Group R-2 could be increased to five floors of wood-frame construction above two stories of Type I concrete construction and an 85-foot maximum height. The two floors of concrete construction were required to be Type I construction with a three-hour horizontal fire rating separating the wood construction from the concrete construction." "Once built, the top level units would have water views of Seattle's Lake Union," explained structural engineer Panos Trochalakis, P.E., S.E., principal with Yu & Trochalakis, PLLC. "For obvious reasons, the developer wanted to take advantage of that." The extra half-story mezzanine added about $250,000 to the construction cost of the building, but the architect and builder estimated that the added height and space increased the value of the complex by $1 million and afforded revenue-generating views on the top floors. Attention was devoted to maximizing the strength and durability of the wood members, with architects designing for potential shrinkage. As is typical with wood-framed podium structures, Marselle's contractors used a continuous rod tie-down system with a shrinkage compensation device to limit deflection and avoid wall separation due to wood shrinkage under wind and seismic forces. They also included an expansion joint in the cladding; were careful to specify proper panel spacing in the exterior wall sheathing; and included a provision in the mechanical system to allow for movement. The use of wood also had a positive impact on schedule and budget factors, with pre-panelized walls enabling a speed of construction that made a big difference. The panels, which ranged from 4 to 20 feet long, were pre-assembled by a local framer in an off-site warehouse, and then quickly and easily lifted into place at the job site by crane. "If you can install the walls on a building the size of Marselle in less than two weeks per floor, then you lower construction costs significantly," Trochalakis says. "Lower construction costs were the number one reason to use wood. Wood-frame construction is virtually impossible to beat in terms of cost."10 |
Mass Timber for a Simplified Design and Greater Structural Capacity | ||
Billed as the most innovative high-performance building in North America, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at the University of British Columbia is expected to be the university's first LEED® Platinum building, and is on track to receive Living Building Challenge recognition. The building was envisioned as a new baseline in sustainable high-performance buildings, and incorporated regenerative design—an emerging alternative to current green design practices that seeks not merely to reduce harmful environmental impacts, but to actually improve both the natural environment and the lives of their human inhabitants. Mass timber played an important part in achieving these goals. CIRS features a simple structural design, comprised of a combination of glulam members, dimensional lumber, plywood, and a minimal amount of concrete. The moment frame structure was designed to create an open, column-free floor plate for flexibility of use and interior arrangements, and to allow for large openings in the walls that maximize daylight and views11. The members' size and solidity make the structure non-combustible heavy timber construction under British Columbia Building Code—a designation that simplifies the building design. In order to reinforce external charring in case of fire, designers sized all members slightly larger than required. A building-wide sprinkler system and on-site water supply and water pump were also incorporated to enable the heavy timber wood structure to meet the requirements for non-combustible construction required by code. Designers opted to size the structure to support a live load of 100 pounds per square foot (4.7 kilonewtons/square meter), double the requirements of the British Columbia Building Code, to achieve an increased capacity that allows for additional equipment and future changes in use. Structural members were larger where larger loads required more support, notably in the auditorium where beams and columns were sized to handle both a long span over the seating and the load of the green roof. "From a structural point of view, the modern engineered materials…have increased the strength of wood so that they have a much greater structural capacity," says Paul Fast, managing partner, Fast+Epp. |
CLT, LSL, Glulam in a five-Story Academic Building | ||||||
The University of British Columbia's Earth Science Building (ESB) at the Point Grey Campus in Vancouver is composed of two five-story wings connected by an atrium. The ESB's new five-story north wing will house the academic research, lecture, and office spaces and, unlike its neighboring concrete laboratory south wing, uses wood as the primary structural material. Designed for LEED® Gold status, the north wing is supported by glulam columns and beams; floors consist of LSL and concrete; and the roof and canopies are built with CLT. According to the University, it is North America's largest panelized wood project and its largest application of CLT to date.12 Composite floor system. The floors in the north wing are constructed predominantly of a composite system that was first adopted in Europe and is well regarded for its engineered technology and ability to achieve long spans. The floor system consists of 3.5-inch-thick laminated strand lumber panels topped with foamed board insulation and four inches of reinforced concrete poured in situ. Hybrid floors in Europe are often a prefabricated element; however, this being one of the first hybrid floor applications in North America, it was fabricated on site for this project. The composite connectors are secured into slots cut into the face of the wood panels. These plates extend past the layer of the insulation to support the reinforcing bars for the concrete topping. The insulation provides an acoustic break and also acts as a barrier to prevent moisture infiltration while the concrete sets. This assembly is over 50 percent lighter than a solid concrete floor, allowing for larger spans which increase the 'loose fit' opportunities for designers. The ends of the 22-foot-long wood-composite floor panels are supported by steel beams above the first floor of the ESB project, and on glulam beams to create the ceilings for floors two through four. The University plans to implement the floor system at its Okanagan Campus Fitness and Wellness Centre in Kelowna. 13 Vibration. Designers chose a wood-concrete composite floor system in part to provide a high level of vibration performance. With a sandwich of 3.5 inches of LSL, one inch of foam board insulation and four inches of reinforced concrete, the wood-concrete composite system's acoustic performance offers excellent sound absorption.
Fire resistance/building code. As the British Columbia Building Code prescribed fire safety requirements did not allow an entire heavy timber or wood-frame construction, an engineering assessment was documented in a peer-reviewed Building Code Alternative Solution. The assessment examined how the wood construction might perform in both the pre-flashover and post-flashover fire environments. Flashover is the point in a developing fire when all combustibles within a room ignite nearly simultaneously and begin to burn. This phase of fire's growth is critical since environmental conditions are not survivable and the heat impact on walls and ceilings becomes severe. To stop fire before it reaches this phase, designers specified an automatic sprinkler system, and a fire retardant coating to alter the surface burning characteristics of the woods interior finishes, a technique used to slow or completely eliminate fire from growing across the wood's surface. Further, analysis showed the risk of fire growth and spread would inherently be limited by the building's many separate, individual offices and rooms, creating many compartments each capable of containing a small fire. The wood structure was also engineered to account for the charring of the wood members and the gradual loss of cross-sectional area. Sufficient uncharred fiber remains so the wood elements continue to resist the expected gravity loads during the fires duration. Steel beams to wood columns. Wood performs favorably in compression circumstances when forces act in parallel to the grain, as opposed to when the grain is perpendicular to the load path. On the ESB's second level, long steel beam spans connected to wood required a butt connection in which the top flange of a steel beam is notched into a glulam column and pinned for structural support. Wood beams to wood columns. Throughout the project, the structurally engineered timber systems used quick, safe and efficient connectors. Approved for load bearing timber construction, these connectors are designed for easy assembly of even the most complicated nodes. Like the traditional dovetail connection, these connectors consist of two parts that lock into place to create a form-fitting connection. With each connecting system designed, forces are transferred perpendicular to the installation direction for tension and compression purposes. The hardware can be factory pre-installed in the beams and columns, ultimately reducing on-site assembly time. Connectors are completely concealed, and would be protected during a fire by the insulating char layer that would form on the encapsulating wood members. Heavy timber shear bracing. As part of the Seismic Force Resisting System (SFRS), at the end walls of each story, diagonal glulam heavy timber braces were integrated to provide controlled resistance to the shear loads across the structure. Since the glulam members themselves do not have the ability to dissipate energy, the system relies on the predictable ductility of the connections, achieved by using multiple steel knife plates with a large number of tight-fitting, small-diameter pins. The slots in the glulam where the knife-plates are inserted were designed with longitudinal slack, which leaves room for controlled movement under shear loading that allows the tight-fit pin connection to yield in tension and compression. The precision required for these sophisticated connections was enabled by prefabricating both wood and steel components with computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery. Full-story transfer truss connections. Throughout the second story, steel diagonal braces and steel beams, together with the glulam columns and glulam beams with an integrated concrete top plate, create a type of truss structure. The first story above grade consists of a building-wide assembly space, with the ceiling structure of the second floor supporting the entire building above it. To carry this load, full-story steel glulam hybrid transfer trusses were designed to essentially convert the entire second floor structure into a 'roof truss' capable of carrying the load of the remaining floors across the entire span of the structure below. 'Free-floating' staircase. Located within the impressive atrium linking the academic and laboratory wings is a five-story free-floating cantilevered solid timber staircase. The clean and elegant lines of the massive timber demonstrate the innovative aesthetic and structural capabilities of wood in construction. Based on a German wood-steel composite, the rigid composite of the wood with glued-in steel connectors pushes the envelope of load bearing capabilities of wood construction. Adopted from projects in Germany, this system uses similar steel plates but for the slots that are cut into the ends of the glulam slabs and glued into place with special adhesives.
The Future of Wood in Mid-Rise Construction
When it comes to mid-rise development, architects have a code-compliant, cost-effective resource in wood. Over the years, wood-frame construction has shown strength, longevity and stability, and is widely considered economical, with low material costs, reduced construction time, and availability of resources and labor.14 Mass timber products including sawn stress-grade lumber, timber tongue and groove decking, glulam, and CLT offer an accelerated construction process and the increased strength to serve as structural systems for taller buildings. Developments in both wood-frame and mass timber are bringing mid-rise wood buildings to a new level of affordability and transforming our understanding of what is possible with wood construction. In some cases, it is necessary to use alternate solutions to meet the intent of the building code. Pursuing this route is well worth the effort—architects throughout North America have and will continue to use alternate solutions to save time and money, to debunk myths surrounding fire safety and, to set new standards in affordable green design.
Wood also plays a key role in reducing a project's environmental footprint. Wood products have less embodied energy, are responsible for lower air and water pollution, and have a lighter carbon footprint than other commonly used building materials.15 The wood materials in the University of British Columbia's Earth Sciences Building, for example, will sequester some 2,600 tons of CO2 (which equate to 497 cars off the road for one year or energy to operate a home for 221 years). The University's CIRS project is a net positive building because of wood—the project sequesters about 600 tons of CO2 (which equate to 115 cars off the road for one year or energy to operate a home for 51 years) in its wood structure which is more carbon than all the carbon emitted by the construction process, and all the carbon emitted in the manufacture of all the other materials in the building.16
As increasing numbers of wood mid-rise structures take shape throughout North America consistent with stringent building codes, the message is becoming clear. Affordable and energy-efficient with a unique ability to sequester carbon, not only is wood a viable, even preferable, option for buildings of six stories and above, it is creating a new paradigm in building construction.
naturally:wood is a comprehensive information resource that brings together the latest data about wood performance, green building, variety of wood products, manufacturers, and sustainable forest practices. Visit www.naturallywood.com for more info. |
Complete Article From: Aritectural Record Continuing Education Center HERE (All rights reserved)
Filed Under: Anatomy of Buildings • Architectural Technology • Buildings • Engineered Systems & Materials • Science & Technology • The Virtual Architect


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subset: commoncrawl


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College Plus - Celebrates Program and Generous Donation
Though it was an emotional day for those who gathered to celebrate the continuing success of Voice and Vision's peer support initiative, College Plus, the May 11th ceremony at the Newtown Campus of Bucks County Community College left guests with a feeling of hope and accomplishment. Honorees of the event were current supporters of College Plus and Joseph and Almerinda Gaskill of Chalfont who created the Joseph G. Gaskill Fund, which is named for their late son.
The event spotlighted three people who went through the three-year-old College Plus program: Matthew Zbik; who attends BCCC in hopes of pursuing a career in human services; Cori Pappert, who graduated from the community college last May with an associate's degree in art; and Helena Lohr, who is studying journalism.
"Thank you College Plus for putting me on the path," said Matthew, who praised the program for allowing him the independence to succeed at his own pace.
"All I really needed was a chance," said Cori, who discussed her breakdown in 2006 as the catalyst for her seeking help.
The Gaskills, whose son Joseph committed suicide in 2006 as the result of an undiagnosed mental illness, were on hand to receive a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners for their $80,000 donation to the Philadelphia Foundation to benefit College Plus. Almerinda told guests that after losing their son, she and her husband wanted to "transform pain into something useful." She explained to the audience that recovery from mental illness is possible and encouraged participants to urge people to seek treatment for mental health issues. She ended her talk by reading a poem Joseph wrote for her on his last Mother's Day.
Said Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, "This is a great program. Just never give up. Keep going."
"We are very grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Gaskill for sharing their son and his gift with us. We are hoping people will donate directly to us for College Plus or to the fund so we can really expand," said Voice and Vision Executive Director Valerie Melroy.
Each year College Plus will receive 4% of the amount in the fund from the Philadelphia Foundation. To make a donation to College Plus through the Philadelphia Foundation, visit philafound.org, and search "Gaskill" and click on the Joseph Joselino Gaskill Education Fund. Or donate directly by sending a check to The Philadelphia Foundation,
1234 Market St., Suite 1800 , Philadelphia , PA 19107. Make checks payable to The Philadelphia Foundation and write "Gaskill Fund" in the memo line. Also, tax deductable donations can be sent directly to Voice & Vision through their website or by mailing a check to 600 Louis Drive, Ste. 106, Warminster, Pa 18974. Please write College Plus in the check memo line. Thanks.
College Plus is accepting applications from people who have a mental illness and reside in Bucks County for the fall 2011 semester. Please email firstname.lastname@example.com for an application or for more information, or call Caren at 1-800-734-5665.


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From Green Right Now Reports
Here's a useful tip you'll get a charge out of: Utilizing a one-time change to the computer power management setting on your home computer can save the average residential electric customer more than half of one month's electric usage each year.
(We'll pause here to let that sink in.)
Home electronics is a growing portion of each household's electricity usage, close to 20 percent, according to Scott Pigg, co-principal author of a year-long field study of consumer behavior and usage patterns around consumer electronics in homes across the state of Minnesota. The phantom power suck from home electronics is a problem that has creeped up on us over recent decades: federal data show that in 1980, the average home had only three such electronic gadgets.
"We're finding that these devices in total can use more electricity in one year than a major appliance, like a refrigerator. The difficulty is that this usage is spread over 30 to 40 devices in the average home. This made it more difficult to identify where the energy savings might lie," he said.
The Energy Center of Wisconsin completed the study with the funding support of the Minnesota Office of Energy Security and Minnesota Power Company. Past studies have examined either total usage or consumer attitudes, but the Energy Center's study is the first study in the nation to examine usage data and consumer attitudes together.
"Up until now we didn't have a good in-depth picture of how these appliances were used and what consumers were willing to turn off," Ingo Bensch, co-principal author of the study, said in a statement. "By gathering energy data and pointing out usage that occurred when no one was using these devices, nearly every household expressed interest in making an easy change to reduce its energy use," he said. "This finding points the way for program opportunities for utilities," he added.
Other opportunities for consumers lie in turning off printers, space heaters, dehumidifiers and little-used entertainment devices. Consumers were more reluctant to unplug cable TV set-top boxes and satellite TV equipment, citing the complexity of these systems. "Reducing energy use when these devices aren't being used is probably best addressed at the manufacturing level," added Pigg.
In the study researchers used in-home metering devices to measure power draws and electricity consumption for more than 700 devices in 50 homes, including data on active-mode and standby power. Researchers also interviewed homeowners about their energy awareness and usage habits.


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ACKC in the Press
Newsday Article April 20, 2004
On a Mission to Cure Kidney Cancer
Activists Argue for More Attention and More Research
Jay Bitkower of Manhattan was 61 when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
His left kidney was removed, and now, three years later, Bitkower is free of cancer. But the experience altered how he looks at the disease and started him on a mission to generate more awareness for it.
Last year, Bitkower, a computer consultant, and a group of survivors started Action to Cure Kidney Cancer (ACKC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and increase government and private funding for research. The survivors met at a support group in Washington, D.C., organized by the Kidney Cancer Association.
Although that organization includes advocacy as part of its mission to educate patients and work with medical professionals, Bitkower and the others left the meeting with the impression that little was being done to lobby Congress to spend more to screen for and treat the disease.
The members of the newly created group started doing their own research and soon learned that while the Department of Defense spends $150 million per year on breast cancer research, $85 million per year on prostate cancer and $10 million a year on ovarian cancer, nothing was being spent on kidney cancer. They discovered that National Cancer Institute funding is also disproportionate, Bitkower says. Of the 56 research programs conducted by the institute, 11 are dedicated to prostate cancer and 10 to breast cancer. There is only one funded for kidney cancer.
"There is no major investment by the federal government who, through the National Cancer Institute, does research," he says. "There is hardly any private investment compared to other cancers. There is no private fund- raising for kidney cancer research. We realized if we didn't form a grassroots organization, it would continue the same way, and more people would die and wouldn't get treated."
"What we're looking for is fairness," says Fred Atkin, a kidney cancer survivor from Commack who was diagnosed in 2001 and now serves as ACKC's vice president. "We want a fair share of the research dollars."
Kidney cancer specialists seem to agree. "It is a significant cause of death," says Dr. Berton Zbar, chief of the Laboratory of Immunobiology at the National Cancer Institute. "It needs attention. There are about 35,000 cases of kidney cancer in the U.S. each year. The number of cases seems to be rising. It's not entirely clear why.
"It seems to be rising faster in the African-American community than the [white] community, but it is rising in both."
The numbers About 12,000 deaths result from kidney cancer each year.
Kidney cancer accounted for 3 percent of estimated new cancer cases among U.S. men in 2003, compared with an estimated 33 percent of new cases attributed to prostate cancer in the same year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Bill Bro, chief executive of the Kidney Cancer Association, noted kidney cancer's status as "not quite a rare disease," with more than 200,000 people in the United States living with it.
"When it comes to cancers that affect adults later in life, the sad reality is that they will always be under funded," Bro says.
Unlike other cancers, there is no screening test to diagnose kidney cancer, and chemotherapy is not reliable. According to Dr. Walter Stadler, a nationally recognized kidney cancer researcher based at the University of Chicago Medical Center, most kidney cancer diagnoses are made by CT scan. When the cancer is confined to the kidney, symptoms include blood in the urine. Most patients exhibiting symptoms have advanced disease.
Surgery is the treatment of choice for cancer that hasn't spread. For metastatic disease, the standard of care is either interferon alpha or interleukin-2, or both. These are both considered immunotherapy, Stadler says. Interferon-alpha has been demonstrated to improve survival, while interleukin-2 has been successful in 3 percent to 8 percent of patients with metastatic disease. Those patients have a 60 percent to 80 percent chance of long-term survival. "We have modest success with traditional chemotherapy … with 10 to 15 percent of patients experiencing tumor shrinkage, but we don't know whether this actually improves survival," Stadler says. "People who have metastatic disease that has spread beyond the kidney don't have a lot of options," Zbar says. "The options they do have are primarily what might be called experimental. More options are needed."
Lobbying for awareness
Now Bitkower spends his days researching what treatments are on the horizon. He investigates where money would be best spent if he and the others succeed in obtaining their goals. As a group, they contact physicians and members of Congress to raise more awareness of kidney cancer patients' plight.
"It's become a full-time job," says Bitkower, who, like the others, is not paid for his efforts.
The first step, they believe, is to get Congress to take notice. Recently, Bitkower and Atkin joined other kidney cancer survivors and physicians on a trip to Washington, D.C., where they gave messages to the House of Representatives Cancer Caucus.
"We hope that in this session of Congress there will be an appropriations bill that will start the process," says Pat Thaler of Amagansett, a kidney cancer survivor who is active in the group and whose brother, former New York City mayor Ed Koch, has helped open some doors. "It's a tough fight. There is a huge national deficit. There is a sense that Congress doesn't want to increase appropriations. But this is our fight, and we will do whatever we can," she says.
Bro, of the Kidney Cancer Association in Evanston, Ill., has been fighting the same battle for several years now and says ACKC has a point. "Clearly, there is disparate funding between kidney cancer and other genitourinary cancers," he says. His group recently started a governmental affairs committee at Bitkower's urging to help set the organization's agenda for advocacy at the state and local levels.
Although he says he's not sure why a separate organization needs to exist, he says he can appreciate why the survivors who are working for it are trying to fulfill their goals. "Understanding the urgency that seriously ill people without a definite cure for a disease feel, there is nothing I would do to discourage an independent effort." Still, he adds, "the path to a cure for the disease is seldom a straight line."
Stadler agrees, stating that progress often comes from unexpected sources. "If you focus funding very narrowly on a disease, it does not necessarily mean you are going to make better progress than if you focus funding more broadly. I'm always a little bit leery when organizations say we want funding for disease X, because you can not always predict where success in a field is going to come from. I think a broader vision is important.
"I think we're far better off having a broader vision of funding that can be applied to various diseases and problems."
Debbe Geiger is a freelance writer.


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Dwight Howard is a) very good at playing professional basketball and b) going to be a free agent next summer. In today's NBA, that means his impending free agency becomes a story the minute he's eliminated from the playoffs the season before his last season. Or, as you might have figured out from context clues, right now. Dwight Howard becoming a free agent next summer is news now. That's just how it works.
But Dwight Howard doesn't want it to work that way. So he tweeted about it, because that's another part of today's NBA.
"Y does it seem like the writers of Orlando sentinel are tryna push me out of Orlando with dumb articles. It's annoying. Can I enjoy my summer and get ready for next season in Orlando. Pls. Same thing u guys did to Shaq. Smh"
"I'm not blaming the media. I'm saying stop with the dumb articles. They don't make be decision of mine. I jus don't want Orlando fans to believe them. Cuz they don't know. I love my city"
Just to clarify — Dwight Howard is not blaming the media for the dumb articles that they are writing about him. He is just saying they shouldn't write dumb articles because they are dumb. Ease up, dummies.
It's not hard to understand Dwight's position here. It has to be annoying to hear you're going to leave Orlando over and over again, even if you haven't really considered your opportunities. No one would like that.
However, an easy way for Dwight to end those "dumb articles" is to sign the extension he's been offered. Sure, he says it doesn't exist — highly unlikely, considering the Magic desperately want him to re-up and have been planning to extend him this summer since last offseason — but I'm positive if he wanted to sign an extension it would appear. Marketable superstars who are great at basketball tend to make those sort of things happen. That would be a simple way to nip this in the bud.
Of course, that won't happen. Dwight will play through this season with questions of his departure lingering over the Magic until he's either traded or he opts out of his contract next July. Maybe he re-signs with the Magic — he does "love [his] city," after all — or maybe he doesn't. That's not the point yet. The point is that Dwight doesn't like these "dumb articles," but won't do the one thing that would completely end them.
That being the case, maybe it's not the best to call out the group of people covering the Magic. We all know it's only going to lead to more articles anyway. Probably dumb ones, too. Like this one.
(via EOB)


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My Fund Watchlist
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions from pension scheme members.
A better retirement starts here
This site is designed exclusively for members of occupational Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Schemes that offer JPM Life Funds. Here you can learn how a DC pension scheme works, see which type of investment funds could be right for you and follow the performance of your chosen JPM Life funds. If you are not a member of a DC pension scheme but want ideas on investing for retirement, please go to the our site dedicated to private investors.
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Complete our quick Investor Profiler questionnaire to find out what type of investor you are.
Commentary & Analysis
Keep up to date with the views and analysis on events across world financial markets.
Keeping you up to date
The government has announced details of its proposal to replace the basic state pension and all additional state pensions with a simplified flat-rate state pension.
Simon Chinnery Head of UK Defined Contribution, joins a panel of industry experts to discuss how auto-enrolment and default design are changing the face of DC.
As inflation fears were rising last year, many scheme trustees were questioning if their investment line-ups were equipped to handle the re-emergence of inflation risk.
The coalition government has introduced a number of changes to pension legislation – some substantial, some minor. What impact do these changes have?


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Test Results
TweakTown uses a different method for testing CPU heatsinks which allows for an even playing field across all product tests. We feel that by using the same ambient temperature and strict lab-like testing procedures we are able to accurately compare one product to another. More information on our testing procedure can be found in the T.E.C.C. article here.
The Xigmatek Achilles S1284C performs right about where I expected it to in the trio of testing I have recently done for Xigmatek. While falling behind the Thor's Hammer by about 2° at idle and 3° at load from the two fan results previously posted, for this solution which only offers a single fan cooling configuration, I think it shows an admirable performance.
While the Achilles isn't going to set any records with the low amount of noise that emanates from this cooler at full speed, 53dB is nothing to scoff at. I feel Xigmatek did a nice job of mating flash and function with the Achilles overall.


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WSRPD20140100700 January 27, 2014
On Monday morning, January 27, 2014 at 11:30 AM the West Shore Regional Police Department was dispatched to the Goodwill Industries store in the 1000 block of Hummel Avenue in Lemoyne for a report of a woman who was in the store who had previously been there on January 15th at which time she had taken a handbag valued at $9.95 from a display and had left without paying for the item. (See previous post from January 24th – WSRPD Still Looking to Identify Retail Theft Suspect)
Maricela Altagracia AGUILAR was taken into custody and transported to the Cumberland County Prison for Retail Theft booking. She was subsequently issued a summary citation charging her with Retail Theft and was released.
The stolen handbag was recovered from Aguliar's vehicle.


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Pureology Continues Support for National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Throughout 2009, Pureology will continue its support of ovarian cancer research and awareness as the exclusive haircare and styling Premier Sponsor of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC). Pureology will be on location at each NOCC Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer taking place across the country this summer and fall. Along with sponsoring the 19 walks, Pureology is encouraging salons and stylists to get involved in the cause in other ways. Ideas include virtual walk teams, where stylists raise money and then wear walk T-shirts or dress in teal on the day of their local walk to show support; donating tips the day of the local walk and allowing clients to contribute; having salon owners match employees' gifts to NOCC; and having a NOCC day, week or month and giving a percentage of profits from the sale of either Pureology products or special service packages to NOCC. For more fundraising ideas, or to find a walk near you, visit pureology.com. —L.M.
Sexy Hair recently announced the promotion of Karl-Heinz Pitsch to president and CEO. Pitsch is a beauty industry veteran, having held positions at
"Sexy Hair is an amazingly strong brand, loved by stylists and consumers, and it has a great distribution base," Pitsch said. "We will capitalize on those assets and continue to invest in the technical and emotional relevance of our brand."
Pitsch will take over for Jim Morrison, who will retain his position as director of Sexy Hair and will also become vice chairman of parent company Luxe Beauty Holdings. "This change will enable Sexy Hair to continue on the same growth track that we've been on while affording me the luxury of looking for other ways to increase the company's growth," said Morrison, who will act as an advisor to Pitsch. —L.M.
Matrix brought education and style together for the Vavoom Style Remix Tour and the launch of the new Vavoom Design Pulse styling line. The four-city educational tour opened in March in Philadelphia, followed by stops in Cleveland, Los Angeles and Dallas. The sold-out tour featured Vavoom Artistic Director Ammon Carver and Matrix Artistic Designer Nick Stenson, who led more than 1,000 Matrix C.R.A.F. T. Rewards stylists through eight new hands-on Style Remix techniques using the new Design Pulse line. A Styling Contest was also held, featuring four stylists from the audience who styled mannequins on stage that were judged by Carver and Stenson. The grand-prize winner from each city received a $100 i Tunes gift card. —N.P.
In recognition of its workplace safety, NIOXIN got the Award of Excellence from the State of Georgia Department of Labor, Safety Engineering Division for the fifth year in a row.
L'ORÉAL USA has acquired the operations of Idaho Barber & Beauty Supply (IB&B). IB&B operations will become part of Maly's West, a division of SalonCentric professional products distributor.
Celebs love its self-tanning creams, and now XEN-TAN has introduced Perfect Bronze, a transparent bronzing powder for natural-looking, brushed-on color that never looks orange or pink. xen-tan.com
Click to subscribe to this magazine


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Jetting out into the ocean (and only a mere few miles from Cuba), the Florida keys have long enticed visitors who come to the chain of tiny islets for the warm ocean waters, great beaches, snorkeling and diving and repose from the real world. The largest of the Florida Keys, appropriately named Key Largo, is located south of Miami and offers travelers plenty of blue sky days, warm ocean waters and sandy beaches.
The keys are also a popular launching point for many casino boat cruises, which sail the Caribbean and Atlantic waters off the coast and allow passengers to lay down real bets on the black jack tables. If you are not a gambler, you certainly will not be bored in Key Largo, as there are plenty of glass bottom boat tours that allow you to check out what goes on underneath the water (without having to put a snorkel mask on) and there are plenty of beach-y things to do.
If you are feeling like you want to suit up and explore the ocean depths, Key Largo is often called the diving capital of the world with its access to an extensive reef system and lots of tropical fish, coral and even sharks to peek at.
Because the keys are not even big enough to really be considered islands, there is clearly limited space for hotels and resorts, which means the hotels tend to be smaller and there is a much more limited selection of accommodation options. However, there is a Hilton Key Largo Resort and Beach Club as well as a Ramada. If you want a more, um, unique experience, you can also opt to stay in Hilton Key Largo Resort and Beach Club as well as a Ramada Key Largo. If you want a more, um, unique experience, you can also opt to stay in Jules' Undersea Lodge, which is an underwater hotel located 21 feet below the surface.


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Thursday, December 05, 2013
Jake Darwen has a remarkable gift; the Kiwi kid is breaking new ground on what is possible in skateboard photography. Each snap of his shutter comes after a meticulously planned picture is carefully composed in his mind's eye.
After making the move to Australia in 2012, Jake quickly made himself known in Australian skateboarding, his prolific submissions peppered the pages of Slam & Skateboarders Journal.
His extraordinary ability to creatively capture the landscape around the subject, utilise strobes or natural light with intricate detail will no doubt see him become one of the world's leading skateboarding photographers.
We're stoked to officially welcome Jake into the Element family.
(Oh, and just so you know, we stole most of these words from the kind folk at Slam magazine)
Check out more of Jake's work on his newley renovated site: www.jakedarwen.com


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Follow-Up Postings:
Everything looks great. Rain is the key. Two weeks ago my lawn was brouwn and dormant. It's nice and green now. I'd love to be able to try the butia fruit. It sounds good. Keep it up, your yard looks awesome. |
- Posted by panamajack 10 (email@example.com) on Mon, Aug 8, 11 at 11:29
Love the first picture, reminds me of tropical rain in my native Panama. I miss pounding rain, and I wish we had more here in Los Angeles. Things do look cleaner, healthier and just happier with fresh sky water. You have really nice trees too! Plant more palms! :) |
PanamaJack, ha, that thrills me to be referenced to central america! Yes, when our rain had been shut off from what usually falls, you know your babies out in the yard are yearn'in for a drink of the magic stuff. Thanks |
Everything is looking great. Bet when that rain fell you could see your yard change instantly. |
- Posted by earthworm73 WA z8 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 8, 11 at 16:29
@Dixieboy man ya yard looks great. Palmetto in the rain is my fav pic. @Chadec I think I read something to the affect that there is nitrogen in rain water so that might explains the instant change after a storm. |
Thanks Chad, it didn't take long before i could see things standing at attention & love'in the long awaited moisture. |
Glad you enjoyed the pic. There's something in that rainfall that put's an extra skip in plants for sure. Thanks for look'in! |
Nice! We finally got some rain here a few nights |
Whoa Jim, that's a lot of wind, hope most of it will rebound for you. We here on the coast have them 'h' things to keep in the back of our minds during August & September. |
Rain? What's that? Haven't had any real rain in my Coastal Delaware garden all summer. Sad. |
Hey dixieboy, Glad to hear you got some rain.Is that a single trunk T.nainital in the fourth picture?If it is it has a very fat trunk,it's huge.It looks like everything is doing great for you this year.You have a great palm collection that looks like there all thriving.Bye the way,I like the crepes also.I have a big white one and a big red one,or I call it watermelon colored.Love the pics.as always. Randy |
Rain? What's that? Haven't had any real rain in my Coastal Delaware garden all summer. Sad. |
Well i sure hope things change for you, rain surely is missed when it's so vital to your babies outside. Yes Randy, it's a single but there is a s.palmetto behind it, makes it look bigger than it actually is, it is a nice specimen though. Would like to see a little cooler weather move in now, 90's almost every day but like 80's better! Thanks Bud!!! |
Finally got a good soaking rain this evening-- first in many weeks. Wasn't nearly enough and all the heaviest storms passes north this morning and farther south with this shower. But am grateful. |
- Posted by loveplants2 8 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 9, 11 at 23:19
Hey Dixieboy, Great looking pictures...as usual!!! ( Big Southern Fan Here..LOL!!) Have you ever tried to make jelly from the fruit from the Pindo..AKA Jelly Plam? I have and its quite tasty!!! Let me know if you want the recipe and i will send it to you.... Everything looks wonderful...isn't it great what the rain does for our lawns, trees!!! That's why i collect the rainwater and use it on my containers...Liquid gold to me!!! Take care everyone... Laura in VB |
Hey southern lady from VB, lol, trust every thing is well with you? Yes, we've tried the jelly but i have a friend in Morehead that gives us plenty. Rain was welcomed in this household! Trusting that it will fall in more even increments now. Thanks Laura & have a good day! |
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Prayer Circles
Read Prayers. |
Castleberry 10/24/2001 22:39 |
Father, Mother, Infinite Spirit, Please guide us in this time of trouble and confusion. May we be shown the path that will lead us to a world filled with peace, joy, harmony, and love. Amen. |
shomerah 12/4/2001 00:39 |
Please, lord, guide human beings in the ways of peace, if it be thy will. Help me to listen to the ways of peace, to listen to the reality of my fellow beings. Bestow your peace on my family and every family. Amen |
jabezk 2/17/2002 21:30 |
Loving and creator God, I ask you to bless me, my family and the all your children who have been choosen to live in this generation. Lord I ask that each of us discover our giftedness that we may sing our own song and that this world will be a better place because we have lived in it.Help us to know how very special we are in your eyes that we in turn may see in others the unique gift they are, and that we may speak life in all situations we find ourselves in.God take us where you want us to go.Put the people in our path you want us to meet. Tell us what to say and keep us out of the way. Amen |
uphex 5/6/2002 03:03 |
Today father, i feel oh so lost. i feel like every door has been shut on my face and all i feel is emptiness.all i can hear is the resounding voice of despair and loss.Father, i need your reassurance for i cannot make it without you.Give me strength, give me forgivenes and give me comfort and direction.I pray for so many others like me who may be in pain or are hurting..be their unique vision and guide them. i especially commit my family to you lord that you may touch each and every one and meet them at their point of need. I ask this in your precious name.Amen |
jlanchor 8/16/2002 22:13 |
Heavenly Father, divine healer of hurting souls, be with all who are in pain today. Help us to know your infinite love and mercy, not as an intellectual abstraction, but as the very breaths we take. Help me, a sinner, who strives to offer you his faltering new beginning every day. I commend all who seek you, (and especially all who don't even realise they seek you), to your compassion and loving-kindness, in Jesus' name, Amen. |
Has problems James J 02/12/2008
My Uncle Dennis Worthington 02/12/2008
My marriage Kat Mounce 02/12/2008
A good friends mother, who has cancer everyone who needs prayer universal 02/12/2008
Pray for Michelle and Carlos N. 07/08/2008
"This prayer is to help us sell our home."
Pray for Donald H. 07/07/2008
"The love of my life has cancer."
Pray for Amanda B. 07/06/2008
"Please pray for my daughter and her unborn child."
Pray for Janice A. 07/05/2008
"One of my most favorite people in the whole world needs your prayers today. Please spread this and include Janice in your daily prayer."
Sign up to receive a daily feed of the prayer circles that need your prayers the most, delivered directly to your Beliefnet community profile. Sign up now! Not a member yet? Register here.


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Diffee Motor Cars South is a family owned business that prides itself on providing a pleasant hassle free buying experience. Since 1987 thousands of our valued customers have benefited from our Buy Here Pay Here and Bad Credit Car Loan programs allowing them to re-establish their credit. We also work with conventional bank financing to make sure you have plenty of financing options to choose from
So whether you are trying to buy a car after bankruptcy, repossession or have bad credit our dealership can finance you with one of our bad credit car loan programs.
Not only do we serve the used car & truck needs Oklahoma City but customers in the surrounding areas such Bethany Yukon, Midwest City Norman Mustang El Reno Guthrie, Edmond and Shawnee.


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With each passing game carrying less meaning than the one before, the Raptors simply look to move back above .500 at home (currently 16-16) against one of the worst rosters in NBA history. If that matchup doesn't excite you on a Friday night, I don't know what will…
Archive for the 'Game thread' Category
Game Thread: Raptors (25-40) vs. Bobcats (14-50)
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Charlotte Bobcats, Game thread on Mar 15, 2013
Game Thread: Raptors (25-39) @ Celtics (34-29)
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Boston Celtics, Game thread on Mar 13, 2013
The Raptors head into Boston to face a Celtics team that's coming off of a puzzling loss to the Bobcats.
Game Thread: Cavaliers (21-41) @ Raptors (24-39)
Posted by Oliver Macklem under Cleveland Cavaliers, Game thread, Rudy Gay on Mar 10, 2013
Heading into this final meeting of the season, Cleveland leads the season series 2-1. The last time they met in Toronto, Kyrie Irving sunk the Raptors with a three-point dagger just before the buzzer. More recently, the Raptors fell to an Irving-less Cavs squad led by Dion Waiters and Luke Walton. Read the rest of this entry »
Game Thread: Raptors (24-38) @ Lakers (31-31)
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Game thread, Los Angeles Lakers on Mar 08, 2013
The Raptors are looking for their first season series sweep over the Lakers in franchise history, while L.A. is looking to finally climb above .500 for the first time this season.
Game Thread: Raptors (23-38) @ Suns (21-39)
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Game thread, Phoenix Suns on Mar 06, 2013
The Raptors look to end a five-game losing skid tonight against a Suns team that is suddenly streaking.


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RAD 235: Radiographic Pathology
Prerequisites: Successful completion of RAD 223 and RAD 234 and concurrent or successful completion of MATH elective, RAD 233, and RAD 236. This course introduces concepts related to various disease etiologies and processes, especially as they apply to radiology. Terminology and disease classifications are discussed. The basic manifestations of pathologies of various body systems, including respiratory, digestive, urinary, skeletal, endocrine, cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive, are examined. The course emphasizes the effect of pathology on the technical factors used to obtain a radiographic image and its radiographic appearance. Appropriate radiographic imaging procedures and interventional techniques are identified. 2 HRS


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Results 1 to 2 of 2
I am writing a device driver that needs access to a certain I2C controller. Is there any way of doing this generic, or should I simply write custom access routines ...
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- 12-20-2011 #1
- Join Date
- Dec 2011
- Posts
- 1
accessing i2c from within a device driver
(the system is an embedded PowerPC board with a few peripherals spread over several I2C buses/controllers)
- 12-26-2011 #2
- Join Date
- Apr 2009
- Location
- I can be found either 40 miles west of Chicago, in Chicago, or in a galaxy far, far away.
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- 11,994
Have you looked at the i2c kernel code? There are certainly ways to access the controller in a more controlled fashion that reinventing the wheel, and ending up interfering with the normal operation of the i2c sub-system.
Sometimes, real fast is almost as good as real time.
Just remember, Semper Gumbi - always be flexible!


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We want to be a part of it... yes it's New York! Although it might not be possible for all of us to live in The Big Apple, we can at least get the next best thing with our fantastic selection of New York skyline wallpaper murals. Our New York city wallpaper murals allow you to have the skyscrapers and busy streets of Manhattan in your own home or business premises, and allows you to gaze at the famous empire state building or statue of liberty without lifting a finger.
We've got all the iconic buildings and famous views in our selection of New York wallpaper for walls, including the empire state building, views of the brooklyn bridge and more, so whichever landmark is your favourite we can print custom wallpaper for you.
Our new york wallpaper for walls allow you to soar high above the rest in terms of the images you choose, and also the superior quality of wall mural that we provide. As standard, our murals are the best quality you can get, so when you're admiring your mural of the Big Apple you'll be safe in the knowledge that it's going to look as realistic as possible.
City scenes, and particularly our New York city wallpapers have such a broad spectrum of designs that they can virtually installed anywhere. Loft spaces and rooms above the first floor are excellent places to install New York skyline murals where you're high in the sky as they give a great effect of being high up. Other great places for our wallpapers are in office spaces whether this be in the home or in an actual office environment.
If you are looking for a specific mural or image and you cannot find it above, then you can also choose from even more murals by clicking the 'Millions More Images' graphic on the right of this page.


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Latest News
| STREAM LIVELaCrosse TalkInformation about and from LaCrosse Talk WI's Do Not Call List or call (866) 966-2255 MN's Do Not Call List or call (800) 921-4110 Federal Do Not Call List or call (888) 382-1222 |
Two Busted With Pot In Tomah
Tomah's crack down on drug's made it's mark again Saturday night with the arrest of two Tomah men caught with almost 4 pounds of pot.
Police watched as 40 year old John Krosinksi left another man's home with almost 5 ounces of pot....which led police to serve a search warrant on the home. The find.......3½ pounds of marijuana, over $3400 in cash and various items used to grow and harvest marijuana.
Both Krosinski and 30 year old Scott Streeter were booked at the Monroe County Jail on various drug charges.
DNR To BurnThe state Department of Natural Resources will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on various State Natural Areas and some private lands in Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Pepin, and Trempealeau counties. Parcels are typically burned on a two to five year rotation and vary in size from 90 to 340 acres. Fires are used in grassland management to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species and reduce wildfire potential.
Prescribed burns also: Stimulate prairie grass growth and improve habitat for upland game and waterfowl. Create pockets of open water for waterfowl amidst cattails proliferating in low areas. Improve cover type for upland nesting birds, such as pheasants, and spur native vegetative growth for songbirds. Help preserve grasslands and native flora, plant species sustained by natural fires prior to intensive European settlement. Prosser, Koppenburg Pick Up Votes in La Crosse, TooCanvassing work on this week's elections continues in Wisconsin. La Crosse county clerk Ginny Dankmeyer says her vote totals became official yesterday. Both supreme court justices gained ten votes after re-evaluating write-ins. She says some voters wrote in the names of the candidates instead of just marking their ballots correctly.
Ginny says most vote shifts during canvassing are typically very small. Not hundreds and certainly not, she says, thousands of votes added to tallies two days after the election. Outside Spending Expected in 94thIf the campaign donation pattern persists for the 94th assembly special election, there's going to be thousands of dollars from outside the district flowing in. Campaign finance reports filed right before Tuesday's primary for the 94th have republican John Lautz and democrat Steve Doyle raising over 22 thousand dollars each before the election. For Lautz, about forty percent--just over nine thousand dollars--of that came from outside the district. Less than ten percent of the money Steve Doyle raised came from outside the 94th.
Activitst Training from Conservative Group on SaturdayWant to get involved in politics, now?
A supreme court recount battle is looming. There's a special election in the 94th assembly district coming up next month. A recall election is somewhere on the horizon. Perfect timing for some activist training. Which is coming to the La Crosse RAdisson tomorrow, courtesy of the group, American Majority Matt Batzel is state director for the group. He says the training is for people to be more effective in their activism. American Majority's a conservative group, but Batzel insists he welcomes all-comers to the training. Registration begins Saturday at 2:30. |


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I was at a memorial service and a church lady had made this cold salad that had: Rice, whole shrimp, whole cashews, celery and green pepper and it was colored yellow. I've looked all over and nothing really comes close. It served cold and was fantastic. If anyone knows of this recipe, the name etc. let me know. It's the little things like spices, the binder be it mayo, sour cream or I don't know that I just couldn't figure out. Unfortunately whomever made it wasn't there. Thank you. |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by ginger_st_thomas (My Page) on Thu, Oct 25, 07 at 6:20
This is from findarticles.com which is spyware hell so here it is copied & pasted. Just subtract or add but it may give you a basis to figure out the recipe. PAELLA SALAD 1 6-ounce package frozen, peeled, |
Thank you Ginger, it is a good jumping off place and thx for the heads up on avoiding the website. |
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Hi, We're going to be doing some work in our yard and are considering doing some minor grading to help better direct runoff from rain. The previous owner had a pool which they removed, surrounded by a concrete walkway. We had the walkway removed, so we now have some spots to fill in, so we'll already be back there moving dirt around. We don't have much in the way of water problems, usually only the low spot in the yard (where the pool was) seems to retain water. During last week's flash floods here in Illinois, the entire yard turned into a lake, and the runoff seemed to be rushing in from the yard towards the house, into the basement stairwell, and ultimately underneath the door. Part of the problem is that the neighbor behind us has their house some feet higher than ours, and their yard slopes down towards ours. I know the general rule is to direct water away from the house, and from reading it seems like most people send it to the back of their yard. Does that still make sense to do here, knowing that the neighbors and our runoff would both head to the same point? Or should we direct the water towards and ultimately to the side(s) of the house via grading and either a swale or french drain? I attached some pictures of the yard, currently in disarray, but it should give an idea of what I'm dealing with. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
"...it seems like most people send it to the back of their yard." One doesn't arbitrarily select the general direction that water must flow. It must go toward the lower elevation and the path out of your neighborhood. Your yard must be higher than at least one adjacent yard or the street. It's not clear in the photos, but it looks like the neighbor behind you might be lower. If so, then that's the general direction water should flow. Since only one elevation line (708) is shown in the first photo, it can't be determined from that where the lower elevation is. If you can see a wider view and find other elevation lines, that would give you an idea of the neighborhood topography prior to development. It would only give you a general idea, not specifically how it lays today. |
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With school starting, we're back to the grind! I thought I'd give you some quick weeknight dinner ideas to see you through at least a night or two.
Quick and Easy Lasagna. No need to cook the noodles first – just layer and go!
Fast and Easy Italian Sausage and Potatoes. I love the sausage-potato combo!
Crockpot Chicken Alfredo. Yum. That's all. Just yum.
Taco Salad. This is one salad that everyone in our family loves… even if it includes sour cream, usually a no-go around here.
Gourmet Grilled Cheese. This is a staple at our house… and I love this list of 10 ways to jazz it up!
Grilled Shrimp Kabobs, Mideast Style. Shrimp is another big fave around our house. This recipe will work for fresh or frozen.
P.S. Got a fast weeknight recipe? Please share!


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