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Hamas swaps video of Israeli soldier for prisoners
JERUSALEM In the first video images since he was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006, Israeli Sgt. Gilad Schalit – looking thin but healthy, his hair freshly trimmed – sent love to his family, appealed for his freedom and held up a newspaper to prove the footage was recent.
Israel freed 19 Palestinian women from prison on Friday in exchange for the video, raising hopes for the young soldier's release and taking a step toward defusing a key flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.
In the West Bank, jubilant Palestinians cheered and waved flags as the freed women returned home, some with prison-born babies in tow. And in Gaza, ruled by the Hamas militants holding Schalit, the prime minister called the swap a victory for Palestinians.
Looking fresh-faced and at times nervous in the video, Shalit talked of his love for his parents and siblings and recalled a family prayer on a roadside with a view of snow-capped mountains.
"Shalom, I am Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Schalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel," the fatigue-clad 23-year-old soldier said in Hebrew at the beginning of the two-minute, forty-second video, which at several points showed him smiling tentatively. "My ID number is 300097029."
By pulling on the heartstrings of Israelis, nearly all of whom have loved ones in the military, the video could increase domestic pressure on Israel's government to meet Hamas' demand for Schalit's release: freedom for hundreds of jailed militants.
Friday's deal, brokered by Egyptian and German mediators, could also herald an end to a crippling, Israel-led blockade of Gaza, which has prevented the territory from rebuilding after Israel's bruising war there last winter. Israel has said it will not consider easing the embargo until Schalit is home.
In the footage, Schalit sat on a plastic chair placed against a blank wall and read from a piece of paper tucked behind an Arabic-language newspaper. He said he was in good health and that his captors were treating him "excellently."
At one point, he rose and took a few steps – apparently to show he is able-bodied. At another, he held the newspaper to the camera to show the date – Sept. 14, 2009 – as proof the footage was taken recently.
"I hope the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu will not squander now the opportunity to reach an agreement and that I can finally realize my dream to be released," he said.
"I want to send greetings to my family and tell them I love them and miss them very much and wish for the day I will see them again," he added.
Speaking lucidly and reading clearly, the clean-shaven Schalit recalled in detail a 2005 visit his family paid to his military base, an apparent attempt by Hamas to prove he was not an impostor.
There were hints of circles around the young man's eyes, which were without the glasses he had worn before his capture.
A spokesman for Netanyahu, Nir Hefetz, said that "although the path to Gilad's release is still long and arduous, the fact that he is healthy and well encourages us all." He also held Hamas responsible for the soldier's well-being.


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Healthy, productive land and water resources, wildlife habitat, parks and open space, culturally and historically significant landscapes, and available and accessible recreation lands are fundamental to the American way of life and our future prosperity," notes a recent report by the private, bipartisan Outdoor Resources Review Group.
"At stake now and for future generations is the health of our people, our economy, our communities, and the lands and waters on which we depend, in short, our quality of life."
This wide-ranging review, sponsored by the Outdoor Resources Review Group, looked at how Americans engage with and value the nation's land and water resources and its outdoor recreation assets.
A summary of the report calls for a comprehensive overhaul of programs and policies to safeguard these resources for future generations and to meet the needs of a growing population.
"The American environmental movement has focused so much on preserving nature that it has neglected to do enough to preserve a constituency for nature. It's important not only to save forests, but also to promote camping, hiking, bouldering and whitewater rafting so that people care about saving those forests," wrote Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times.
The protection of wilderness lands presents a unique paradox. Wilderness lands, which are defined as "untrammeled by man" will only be preserved if people use them. In the eyes of many, if the land isn't utilized, it holds no value and thus, there is no need to protect it.
"Will baby boomers constitute the last generation of Americans to share an intimate, familial attachment to the land and water?" Richard Louv asked in his book Last Child in the Woods.
This growing detachment of youth from the natural world is part of a national trend. This detachment is evident in the Adirondacks as well. If our youth do not use and enjoy the local woods and waters, they will see no need to protect them. What will happen when the next generation takes over?
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Jay Maisel is an internationally acclaimed photographer who is equally gifted in his ability to distill the wisdom earned from decades of capturing light, color, and gesture through the lens of his camera.
Category Archives: News
Special ACE Exam Webinar with The Photoshop Guys
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WALLA WALLA -- Registration is now open for the annual Walla Walla County Cereal Grain Seminar.
Attendees need to register by Friday. The registration fee is $25 and includes lunch. Brochures with registration forms are available at the Walla Walla County Extension office, 328 W. Poplar St., or wallawalla.wsu.edu.
The seminar will be held Tuesday at Walla Walla Regional Airport's main terminal meeting room. Sign-up is at 8 a.m. and the program will start at 8:30 a.m.
Agenda topics will include agronomic crop problem identification, clearfield program information and requirements and research results on cheat grass bacteria, rattail fescue and prickly lettuce and soil borne wheat mosaic virus.
The seminar is being sponsored by Walla Walla County WSU Extension office. Six Washington pesticide license recertification credits are available and Oregon credits are pending.
Information is available at 524-2685 or by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
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RTW on a thumper... Round the World ADVenturization
View Single Post
SS in Vzla.
Totally Normal? I'm not!
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: Banana Republic of Black Gold
Oddometer: 1,210
Originally Posted by
BTW you might want to rethink that border crossing from Colombia to Venezuela that I saw on your map, that crossing down Puerto Paez is a complicated one with the aduana and immigartion, I would use Arauca, the next one up but below the main one at Cucuta. Arauca is mucho tranquillo
and very nice riding around El Coyue in Colombia, might not be the safest thou to the South of there
Furthermore, depending on the time of the year (rainy season), the stretch from Puerto Carreño COL to Puerto Gaitan COL is not passable even in a well kitted out 4WD due to very long stretches being flooded.
If you do hit it during the dry season, it is a very nice road, secluded, with great vistas, lot's of off road riding (there are about 600 kms of mainly sand, gravel and mud) but you need to be totally self sufficient, because there are very few people to be found and no fuel.
This is not a normal border crossing. It is there, and it is used as a free transit zone between the small town of Puerto Paez VZ and medium city of Puerto Carreño COL by a lot of people on a daily basis, but they just go back and forth without any paperwork, because they don't go further than the cities AND they don't cross with vehicles. VERY few people use this border if they are crossing in a more permanent way (like if they need their passport stamped) or even fewer if they cross with a vehicle (like maybe only one or two vehicles per year). The border crossing is complicated, especially if you "do not fumar español" because it involves getting permission in Puerto Paez VZ (where the actual "legal" river border crossing is), then riding 70 kms to Puerto Ayacucho VZ, (where customs and immigration are), then riding back to Puerto Paez and after the authorities there are satisfied with the paperwork you brought from Puerto Ayacucho (which they might not, just because they are on a power trip... as is normal
), then you need to get in touch with one of the boat captains authorized to make the "international" crossing and negotiate a price.... It's not "hard" per-se, it just involves a LOT of patience, understanding how the local authorities' minds work and some luck... And IMO speaking decent Spanish is a must...
It DOES make for a very adventurous border crossing and route and if you end up deciding on taking it, I'll help you with all the details and tracks... just drop me a note. (As well as for any more info for Venezuelan and Colombian interesting roads, sights and any of the other border crossing details). Oh yeah, I've been known to drink a beer or two with fellow ADVRiders on occasion of them being in my neighborhood
Buen viaje!
SS. '98 BMW F650 / '06 WR250F / '07 KTM 990 Adv
Caracas, Venezuela
SS in Vzla.
View Public Profile
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WebMD Physician Directory
Broomfield, Colorado
Snake Bite (Snake Bite)
What is a venomous (poisonous) snake bite?
A venomous (poisonous) snake bite is a bite or a puncture wound made by a snake that is capable of injecting, secreting, or spitting a toxin into the penetrated ...!--*ICCChunk-4095*-->
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*Provider Directory Terms of Use:
The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval.


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About Schools in Sanborn, NY
Sanborn offers a range of educational opportunities with one elementary school.
Contact a Coldwell Banker® real estate agent to learn more about the schools and school districts in Sanborn, NY.FIND AN AGENT
Sanborn, New York is located in Niagara County. Nearby cities and towns include Ransomville, North Tonawanda, Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Lockport, Tonawanda, South Lockport, University at Buffalo, Tonawanda, Youngstown, Grandyle Village, Wilson, Rapids, Kenmore, Eggertsville, Newfane, Williamsville, Olcott, Harris Hill, Clarence Center, Gasport, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Sloan, Depew, Clarence, Lancaster, Barker, Middleport, Akron, West Seneca, Lackawanna, Town Line, and Blasdell. Sanborn is a rural community with a population of 1,646. The median household income is $53,999. In Sanborn, 50% of residents are married, and families with children reside in 28% of the households. Half the population of Sanborn commutes 18 minutes or less to work, with 67% of residents holding white collar jobs and 33% residents holding blue collar jobs. The median age of homes in Sanborn, NY is 40 years, with 73% of those homes owned, 23% rented, and 3% not occupied. In the previous year, 28 Sanborn properties were sold. The median sale price of a home in Sanborn in the previous year was $105,873.
Sanborn offers a range of educational opportunities with one elementary school.
Contact a Coldwell Banker® real estate agent to learn more about the schools and school districts in Sanborn, NY.FIND AN AGENT
See if your personality and goals are right for real estate.SEE ALL REAL ESTATE CAREERS
Community information and market data Powered by Onboard Informatics. Copyright ©2015 Onboard Informatics. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
This information is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be relied on in making any home-buying decisions. School information does not guarantee enrollment. Contact a local real estate professional or the school district(s) for current information on schools. This information is not intended for use in determining a person's eligibility to attend a school or to use or benefit from other city, town or local services.


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MARC PALO ALTO THE Apartments501 Forest Ave Ofc, Palo Alto, CA 94301 View On Map (650) 328-1030
For rates, availability, and other information fill out the availability request form and a representative from MARC PALO ALTO THE Apartments will contact you shortly
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48 CFR 8.802 - Policy.
prev | next
(a) Government printing must be done by or through the Government Printing Office (GPO) (44 U.S.C. 501), unless—
(1) The GPO cannot provide the printing service (44 U.S.C. 504);
(2) The printing is done in field printing plants operated by an executive agency (44 U.S.C. 501(2));
(3) The printing is acquired by an executive agency from allotments for contract field printing (44 U.S.C. 501(2)); or
(b) The head of each agency shall designate a central printing authority; that central printing authority may serve as the liaison with the Congressional Joint Committee on Printing (JCP) and the Public Printer on matters related to printing. Contracting officers shall obtain approval from their designated central printing authority before contracting in any manner, whether directly or through contracts for other supplies or services, for the items defined in 8.801 and for composition, platemaking, presswork, binding, and micrographics (when used as a substitute for printing).
(1) Further, 44 U.S.C. 1121 provides that the Public Printer may acquire and furnish paper and envelopes (excluding envelopes printed in the course of manufacture) in common use by two or more Government departments, establishments, or services within the District of Columbia, and provides for reimbursement of the Public Printer from available appropriations or funds. Paper and envelopes that are furnished by the Public Printer may not be acquired in any other manner.
(2) Paper and envelopes for use by Executive agencies outside the District of Columbia and stocked by GSA shall be requisitioned from GSA in accordance with the procedures listed in Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR) 41 CFR part 101, subpart 101-26.3.
[48 FR 42129, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 52 FR 9037, Mar. 20, 1987; 54 FR 48982, Nov. 28, 1989; 59 FR 67032, Dec. 28, 1994]
Title 48 published on 2014-10-01
no entries appear in the Federal Register after this date.
Title 48 published on 2014-10-01
The following are ALL rules, proposed rules, and notices (chronologically) published in the Federal Register relating to 48 CFR 8 after this date.


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Latest news
Starts-ups creation
Focus on three immersions in entrepreneurship
Celebrating thirty years of creating start-ups, Inria invites you to meet some of those who have built these businesses, and to discover the stories of their adventures as entrepreneurs, and the colleagues and partners who have helped them along the way. Follow their stories of success as they unfold across the coming months. Today, three chief executives of Inria start-ups, all originally researchers or engineers, tell the stories of their leap into the unknown world of entrepreneurship.
Business creation
Inria celebrates 30 years of business creation
1984: Inria becomes a shareholder in a first company, SIMULOG. It was the start of a history of company creation which is still going strong today! Today, and over the coming months, Inria is turning the spotlight on 30 years of exciting entrepreneurial ventures. It is an opportunity to remind ourselves that the creation of businesses is one of the areas Inria decided to focus on in its search for economic and societal impact. Interview with Antoine Petit, managing director of Inria and Eric Horlait, Inria's deputy managing director responsible for transfer and industrial partnerships
FIEEC Award
Vincent Roca receives an award for his industrial transfer work
Vincent Roca, a researcher with the Privatics team, has received the third FIEEC 2014 Applied Research award for his work on industrial transfer towards the French SME Expway, which specializes in broadcasting services such as live television and datacasting via IP and mobile networks.
Inria & PRIME
A new partnership to strengthen innovation in the United States
Inria has just signed a partnership with PRIME, the American subsidiary of Paris Région Entreprises, whose mission is to promote the Paris region as a centre of innovation.
With this partnership, Inria seeks to consolidate its activities in the United States and, in particular, support and promote the economic development of its start-ups with the help of the Inria Alumni network.
Fabien Gandon, Inria (équipe Wimmics) - © Inria / Photo G. Maisonneuve
Semantic Web
The Wimmics Team and Viseo Give Meaning to Data
The Wimmics Inria–I3S project team and the Viseo R&D centre have created a joint laboratory (LabCom) to widen the scope of research on natural language processing and the Semantic Web. Dubbed SMILK, it will receive funding from the French National Research Agency over a period of three years. The goal is to apply research findings to the design of commercial tools for targeted marketing
Open-source license
CeCILL licence recognised by the Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has just recognised the CeCILL 2.1 licence, the first free software licence that complies with French law. Proposed by the CEA, the CNRS and Inria, it is one of a family of three licences which cover a broad range of needs of developers and users.
Competition 2013 for the creation of innovative start-ups
Competition for the creation of innovative start-ups
On 2nd July, Geneviève Fioraso, the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, announced the results of the 15th national competition to help create innovative technology businesses.
Of the 175 award-winning projects, four originate from Inria's research work and were recognised in the "Creation & Development" category, which rewards candidates who have already demonstrated the viability of their project:
Call for Papers
Conférence Internationale Mobicase
MobiCASE, the International Conference on Mobile Computing, Applications, and Services, is dedicated to cutting edge research on mobile applications and services.
In its 5th edition, MobiCASE has become the premier scientific forum bringing together academic researchers and industrial professionals to jointly advance research in the area of Mobile Computing, Applications, and Services.
As in previous years, MobiCASE 2013 is scheduled to include high-quality paper presentation sessions revealing the latest in mobile computing research, to demo industry's most exciting mobile applications and services, and to engage participants in hands-on projects and tutorials.
Inria & SME
A new public research transfer policy for company competitiveness
On 7 November, Geneviève Fioraso, French Minister of Higher Education and Research, together with Arnaud Montebourg, Minister of Industrial Recovery and Fleur Pellerin, Deputy Minister for SMEs, Innovation and the Digital Economy, presented their new research transfer policy.
fOSSa conference 2012, origins of open source
Inria & EuraTechnologies are happy to announce you the fOSSa 2012 Edition! fOSSa conference will take place on the 4, 5, 6th December 2012 in Lille, France, nearby London, Paris and Brussels.


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South Park: The Stick of Truth gets a new trailer, and it's awesome.
As a long-time South Park fan, news that the show's creators were working hand-in-hand with Obsidian to bring us a full-blown South Park RPG was pretty much the greatest thing ever. Not only is Obsidian a great RPG developer, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone would be doing the writing for the game themselves.
At the same time, my enthusiasm has been tempered by the dubious state of publisher THQ. The struggling game publisher needs big hits to stay afloat right now, and those big hits are simply not coming. Darksiders 2 was a good game, but not a great game and sales reflected that.
Now South Park: The Stick of Truth has been pushed back once again, this time all the way to May 2013. The trouble here isn't that a delay is inherently bad—indeed, I'd rather see a game delayed so that it can be polished and released without a host of bugs and other issues—it's that everyone knows THQ is in rough waters.
Either way, the game looks like it's going to be incredible. If you're a South Park fan, you get a game that looks and sounds exactly like the show. But you also get an epic, over-the-top story about the mysterious Stick of Truth, a fully-fledged turn-based RPG system, and Kenny dressed in drag. And lots of Cartman, of course.
Here's the trailer:
For my part, this is easily in my top-ten most anticipated titles of 2013 list. I really hope it's as awesome as this trailer makes it look.
The game will launch on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in May.


text: Jannat Zubair Rahmani, the cute little girl from Phulwa will be playing young Mehrunissa in an upcoming serial based on the book The Twentieth Wife. The novel that traces the life and times of the Mughal Queen is slated to air on Epic channel. Talking about the role, Jannat's father Zubair Rahmani says that he wants his daughter to play different roles. "She has played a village girl in Phulwa, a modern girl in Haar Jeet, etc. This serial gave her the opportunity to play a royal historical character, which is why we took it up." Jannat had to train herself in language and diction, informs her father. Jannat, who has several serials to her credit, is best remembered as the naughty and chulbuli Phulwa.


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Sandy Hook Hours of Operation
NPS / JERRY KASTEN, Volunteer-In-Parks
Looking for something fun to do?
Gateway's latest seasonal Program Guide includes nature walks and history tours and programs for Sandy Hook as well as the areas of the park in New York.
Park Hours
Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Lighthouse Keepers Quarters / Visitor Center
Group Tours of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse
Can I bring my pet to Sandy Hook?
Pets and their owners may visit bayside beaches throughout the year. Pets can visit oceanside beaches from Labor Day through mid-March only. Pets are not permitted on oceanside beaches during the spring and summer because that is when the threatened piping plover builds nests in those locations. Pets must always be on a leash.
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Tour the site where radar once guided nuclear missiles during the Cold War, with actual Nike veterans. Find out what is was like to go on full alert, stand the nuclear missiles up, and await further orders with your finger on the switch.


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34 year old man | Jersey City, NJ, USA | Seeking women 21-35 within 50 miles
Active within 24 hours
Laid Back Guy looking for a Laid Back Girl
I am a well rounded individual that likes a myriad of things. From travel to film to sports, I feel that I can pretty much strike up a conversation with the majority of people. I take interests in others and id love it for them to take an interest in me as well. I am a laid back person. I basically am looking for a person who is really cool and just a nice person in general. I love people who are wordly and willing to try new things. If she has a good list of traveling experiences, that be really cool too. Just looking for someone to make me a better person.
Coffee and conversation , Dining out , Movies/Videos , Music and concerts , Nightclubs/Dancing , Playing sports , Travel/Sightseeing
Football, Golf, Martial arts, Soccer, Weights / Machines
I exercise 1-2 times per week.
I like Birds, Cats, Dogs, Exotic Pets, Fish, Gerbils / Guinea Pigs / Etc., Horses, Reptiles
Middle of the Road
Argentina, Brasil, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, Australia, Vegas.
Travelling, Music, Sports, Good Company, Live Shows, Travelling :-)
I am a pretty laid back guy that likes a myriad of activities. I am down for some scuba diving, bball, etc. However, Travelling is my passion without question!
Last novel I read was a biography of Abe Lincoln. Im not really into historical novels, but this was very enlightening as it showed another side of one of the Great Presidents in US History. Guess u truly can judge a book by its cover.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|5'11" (180cms)
|3'0" (91cms) to 8'0" (243cms)
|Body type:
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|No preference
|No preference
|No preference
|No Way
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|$100,001 to $150,000
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Yes, my parents are from Asia. But I was born here.
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|English, Other
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|Bachelors degree
|No preference


text:
The Prince William School Board in Virginia has taken the rare step of voicing opposition to residential development, saying that three planned housing developments in the district will exacerbate school overcrowding. Some in the community argue that housing developers should pay more to support public education costs.
View Full Article in:InsideNoVa.com (Manassas, Va.)
Published in Brief:


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An interactive messenger method sends a computer-controlled interactive agent to a recipient via a communication channel such as email. A sender of the messenger provides content specific to one or many recipients and typically has a particular objective for sending the messenger, such as to invite the recipient to an event, introduce the sender to a new product, or conduct a survey. When the recipient selects a link in the received email message, an interaction between the messenger and recipient is initiated, for example, through a desktop application that opens on the recipient's computer. In addition to having a standard character persona, the agent delivers to and receives from the recipient specific information tailored to the recipient or the sender. For example, a Naughty Cupid messenger invites the recipient on a date, on behalf of a sender, but can also engage in conversation related to Cupid's personality and history. The interaction is mixed initiative: the messenger completes an agenda but also responds to questions or comments initiated by the recipient. The messenger can be sent through any communication channel such as email, telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or wireless device.
1. A method for creating an interactive messenger, said method comprising the steps of:
a) creating a computer-controlled agent that engages in an interaction with a recipient via a communication channel;
b) enabling said agent to employ content in said interaction with said recipient, wherein at least some of said content is provided by a sender; and
c) providing a start mechanism for said interaction, wherein said start mechanism is sent to said recipient over said communication channel.
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[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/171,208, filed Dec. 15, 1999, which is herein incorporated by reference.
[0002] This invention relates generally to interactive agents. More particularly, it relates to an interactive agent acting as a messenger that can be sent over a communication channel to a recipient with whom it interacts in a specifiable manner.
[0003] Recent developments in software technology support the creation of interactive agents that can interact with people, with one another, and with other computer-controlled systems. Some of these agents can interact in natural language, sometimes including speech input or output. Some agents may be "embodied" in animation and include animated gestures or expressions in their interactions. Some agents may perform their functions on web sites, in stand-alone applications, or in email. They may interact via desk-top or lap-top computers, telephones, hand-held wireless devices, or other communications media. Some agents may have personas, including a biography, personal data, emotional or other psychological qualities, etc. Some agents may perform particular jobs, such as customer service, sales assistance, learner assistance, survey administration, game play partnering, entertainment, etc. They may personalize their interactions to known preferences or profile data of individual users. Agents also may interact with other computational entities, such as databases, e-commerce systems, web browsers, etc. It will be apparent to one familiar with these developments that interactive agents may exhibit a great variety of specific combinations of features and functions, not unlike the great variety of specific features and functions exhibited by human beings. However, current interactive agents reside at Web sites or other destinations. In order to interact with them, users must go to the destinations where they are deployed. Accordingly, applications for interactive agents are limited to those that can operate successfully in the present location-based mode of deployment.
[0004] Of course, there are ways to dispatch a customized message to a designated recipient, via proactive communication channels. Several types of messages can be sent on these channels, including standard text, text containing a URL link to a web site, graphics images, and recorded voice messages, sometimes including questions for user response (e.g., "If this is Ms. Jones, please say "yes" or press the #1 on your phone.").
[0005] In addition, recent technical innovations allow more sophisticated, media-rich messages to be sent over these communication channels.
[0006] For example, electronic greeting cards, or e-cards, have become popular for sending greetings that were previously sent on paper cards through the mail. To send an e-card, a sender enters a request at a Web site of a provider of e-card services, such as Blue Mountain or Hallmark. The sender selects a type of card, enters the email address of the recipient, and may be able to type a short personalized message, such as "Congratulations, Judy! I always knew you could do it." At the time requested by the sender, the e-card provider sends an email to the recipient alerting the recipient that he or she has received an e-card. The message contains a link to a Web site containing the specific e-card. The recipient clicks on the link, which opens a browser at the site of the e-card. Typical e-cards have pictures and words related to a particular holiday, event, or sentiment. Some cards play animations or music. While these cards are wonderful to receive, they often hold the attention of the recipient for only a few minutes and have extremely limited functionality. In particular, they do not engage recipients in meaningful exchanges of information. More generally, they do not yet take advantage of the full range of interactive agent technology available. Therefore applications are limited to those that do not require more advanced interactive functionality.
[0007] A few companies, such as Radical Mail and ToggleThis, have developed products similar to e-cards, but incorporating more sophisticated streaming video or animation technology. In some cases, recipients can click on certain items in the display in order to influence the animation or the course of the presentation or to signal an interest in a particular product or feature. Again, however, while these media-rich messages are wonderful to receive and even to interact with, they do not allow for sophisticated interactions or rich information exchange with recipients. They do not yet take advantage of the full range of interactive agent technology available. Therefore applications are limited to those that do not require more advanced interactive functionality.
[0008] Accordingly, the present invention makes use of existing interactive agent technology to enable senders to dispatch interactive messengers to initiate or solicit personalized interactions with designated recipients, via pro-active communications channels, including email, phone, and PDA. The interaction between messenger and recipient can be mixed-initiative, with either of the two participants initiating a conversation by making a comment, asking a question, or making a gesture, and the other participant responding if and how they choose. Moreover, an interactive messenger may have an individual persona and related behavior, other behavior associated with the specific purpose of a particular messenger application, or information or behavior personalized to the recipient.
[0009] Specifically, the present invention provides a method for creating an interactive messenger, containing the following steps: creating a computer-controlled agent that can engage a recipient in an interaction via a communication channel; enabling the agent to employ content provided by a sender while engaging the recipient in the interaction; and providing a start mechanism for the interaction to the recipient via the communication channel. Activation of the start mechanism initiates the interaction between the agent and the recipient. The sender and recipient typically have a relationship such as employer-employee, enterprise-customer, teacher-student, friend-friend, professional-client, representative-constituent, or partner-partner. The messenger interaction is preferably designed to achieve a particular objective corresponding to the relationship.
[0010] Preferably, the interaction includes delivery of dialogue by the agent or recipient, including initiating dialogue and responding dialogue such as questions and answers. The interaction can also include actions such as gestures, control of a browser or other application, or reading to and writing from a database. The agent preferably contains content such as a persona, mood, visual appearance, audible voice, or chat topic. A mood of the agent or recipient influences and is influenced by actions of the agent or recipient.
[0011] The messenger can be sent over any communication channel such as email, telephone, personal digital assistant, or wireless device. The start mechanism that initiates the interaction is either one that requires a permission signal from the recipient, such as a URL that is selectable by the recipient, or an automatic start mechanism that is triggered when the recipient receives the mechanism.
[0012] Preferably, the method also includes generating a report that includes information about either sending the start mechanism or, after the interaction has been started, about a component of the interaction. For example, the report can describe actions performed by the messenger or recipient during the interaction, such as the recipient's answering a question, initiating actions, or providing information. The report can also include a statistic summarizing a feature of the interaction. The report is preferably sent to the sender of the messenger or recorded in a database.
[0013] The content employed by the agent includes instructions about actions to perform, conditions under which the actions are performed, an address of the recipient or sender, or a database in which a report of the interaction can be written. If the messenger is sent to a single recipient, the messenger content is preferably obtained from values of slots in a form filled out by the sender, and then either manually or automatically incorporated into the messenger. Alternatively, if the messenger is sent to a plurality of recipients, the recipients and associated messenger content are listed in a database. Viral distribution, in which a recipient provides new messenger content, and the start mechanism is sent to a new designated recipient, is also provided.
[0014]FIG. 1 is an image displaying a gesture of a Naughty Cupid persona used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0015]FIG. 2 shows a customizable messenger role created for Naughty Cupid.
[0016]FIG. 3 shows the Naughty Cupid messenger role of FIG. 2 with customized values specified by a sender named Barbara for use in interaction with a recipient named Rick.
[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates a request form filled out by a sender named Barbara to specify the variable values the Naughty Cupid messenger should use when interacting with the recipient named Rick.
[0018]FIG. 5 is a transcript of Naughty Cupid's interaction with the recipient named Rick, following specifications for customizing messenger variables provided by the sender named Barbara.
[0019] Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following preferred embodiment of the invention is set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
[0020] The preferred embodiment of the interactive messenger of the present invention uses interactive agents created and run with a commercially available authoring tool "Imp Character Development Kit (ICDK)" and run-time system "Imp Engine," developed by Extempo Systems, Inc. using inventions described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,549, entitled "System and Method of Directed Improvisation by Computer Characters," and U.S. Patent Application, "System, Method, and Device for Authoring Content for Interactive Agents," both of which are herein incorporated by reference. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the proposed interactive messenger can be created with alternative interactive agent authoring tools and run-time systems.
[0021] In the preferred embodiment, development of an interactive messenger starts with the creation of an interactive agent, which includes a persona and a customizable messenger role. In particular, let us take the example of an interactive "Naughty Cupid" messenger.
[0022] Naughty Cupid was created as an agent possessing a humorously naughty persona related to the mythical character Cupid, including a backstory, appearance, animated gestures and expressions, emotional dynamics, and chat topics related to love and romance. FIG. 1 shows an image displaying one of various gestures of a "Naughty Cupid" persona used in the preferred embodiment. In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates a "talk" gesture of Naughty Cupid. Cupid was also given content enabling him to understand various messages a user might type in to him ("How are you Cupid?", "Do you really use those arrows?"), dialogue for responding to those messages ("Loverly, my romantic friend.", "I only use them when love is war."), additional dialogue for initiating conversations of his own ("Care for a little romantic chat?"), various stories and jokes he can tell the user ("I remember the time I lit the spark for Antony and Cleopatra . . . "), etc. He also was given moods that make him happy when the user praises him and sulky when the user criticizes him, along with mood-sensitive variations in his dialogue and gestures.
[0023] All of the present Naughty Cupid persona content was created using the Extempo ICDK for subsequent operation using the Extempo Imp Engine. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that Naughty Cupid's persona content also could be created with alternative development tools and operated with an alternative run-time engine. Similarly, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that it is possible to create agents possessing a great variety of alternative personas, representing real (e.g., celebrities such as Martha Stewart), mythical (e.g., Santa Claus), fictional (e.g., Peter Pan), or invented characters (e.g., Molly Bear), and to substantiate them with distinctively appropriate appearances, gestures, dialogue, moods, etc.
[0024] Typical holiday characters include Cupid, the Easter Bunny, a Halloween witch, a Thanksgiving Turkey, and Uncle Sam. Fictional characters can be taken from sources such as books, stories, myths, fairy tales, films, television shows, plays, songs advertisements, and operas. And it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the content implemented for such an agent could be implemented for delivery using various communications channels (e.g., email, phone, PDA) and user interface technologies (e.g., 2D or 3D graphics or animation, text-to-speech, speech understanding, text chat, etc.).
[0025]FIG. 2 shows a customizable messenger role created for Naughty Cupid. The role contains a sequence of interactive steps that Naughty Cupid will work through while interacting with a messenger recipient. Notice that several of the steps contain variables, such as sender-name, recipient-name, sender-message, and sender-question. These variables are replaced by customized values specified by a sender, as explained below, for use in interaction with a designated recipient. For example, the variables in the present Naughty Cupid messenger role might be replaced with alternative values, such as: sender-name="Barbara" vs. "Mom," recipient-name="Rick" vs. "Aaron," sender-question="Would you like to have dinner at Postrio?" vs. "Did you get something for your girlfriend?", messenger-mood=happy vs. sad. In this manner, a sender can instruct Naughty Cupid to deliver customized interactive messenger behavior to different recipients or to the same recipients on different messenger missions. For example, FIG. 3 shows the Naughty Cupid messenger role of the present example, with customized values specified by a sender named "Barbara" for use in interaction with a recipient named "Rick." Similarly, different senders can instruct Naughty Cupid to deliver their own customized interactive messenger behaviors to their own recipients by specifying appropriate values for his interactive messenger role variables.
[0026] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present interactive messenger role created for Naughty Cupid is only one of a large class of interactive messenger roles that could be created in the same manner to provide a variety of kinds and patterns of messenger interactions with recipients. A messenger role might include various actions, such as: saying a message (e.g., "I'm Cupid, the love god."), asking a question (e.g., "Are you ready for Valentine's Day?"), answering a question (e.g., "I only use my arrows when love is war."), telling a joke or story (e.g., "I remember the time a lit the spark between Antony and Cleopatra . . . "), operating a web browser of other application, changing a mood (e.g., becoming sulky when insulted by the recipient), displaying a gesture (e.g., slumping body language when feeling sulky), recording information in a database (e.g., record the recipient's response to a question), etc. Similarly a messenger role might include various action sequences and conditional sequences of varying lengths. Finally, a messenger role might include different numbers and types of variables whose values can be customized by different senders for use with different recipients.
[0027] A sender specifies how an interactive messenger, such as Naughty Cupid, should customize its interactive messenger behavior for a given recipient by providing replacement values for each of the variables in its interactive messenger role. In the preferred embodiment, this can be achieved in alternative ways.
[0028] In the preferred embodiment for individually customizing Naughty Cupid for individual recipients, a sender fills in a standard electronic form with pre-defined slots for the variable values needed in the present messenger role to customize Naughty Cupid's messenger interactions with a designated recipient. This information is automatically compiled into a recipient database from which Naughty Cupid automatically retrieves variable values using standard database queries and inserts these variable-values into appropriate parts of its interactive behavior during any interaction with the specified recipient. For example, FIG. 4 shows how, in the present example, the sender named Barbara would fill out a form for the Naughty Cupid Messenger in order to specify the variable values he should use when interacting with the recipient named Rick.
[0029] In the preferred embodiment for mass customizing Naughty Cupid for a number of different recipients, a sender creates a recipient database, with necessary variable values specified for each recipient listed in the database. Naughty Cupid uses standard database queries to automatically retrieve and insert appropriate variable-values for a given recipient into its interactive behavior during an interaction with that recipient.
[0030] Finally, in the preferred embodiment, a sender may use the ICDK to enter recipient-specific variable values directly into Naughty Cupid's content knowledge base. If the sender wishes to use Naughty Cupid with different recipients, he or she must also insert appropriate preconditions into his knowledge base, making selection of alternative values for each variable dependent upon recipient identity. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these and other standard content specification methods may be used by a sender to specify how Naughty Cupid or other interactive messengers should customize their messenger behavior during interactions with different recipients.
[0031] In general, the messenger role and associated customized content may be a large or small fraction of an interactive messenger's available interactive behaviors. For example, Naughty Cupid has a modest messenger role with a modest number of customization variables, but in his persona as Cupid, he is fully versed in the art of love, famous lovers in contemporary life, history, and fiction, his own romantic life and marital history, as well as those of the other gods on Mt. Olympus, various stories, poems, and jokes about love and romance, as well as some related "naughty" bits.
[0032] During an interaction with a recipient, Naughty Cupid can respond to the recipient's comments and questions about any part of his knowledge or persona at any time, even in the midst of pursing his interactive messenger role. FIG. 5 shows an illustrative transcript of Naughty Cupid's interaction with the recipient named "Rick," following specifications for customizing messenger variables provided by the sender named "Barbara." In this transcript, Naughty Cupid performs his messenger role, replacing variables in his dialogue and behavior with appropriate values as specified by Barbara and in dependence upon Rick's behavior during the interaction and using those values to customize his interactions with Rick. For example, Naughty Cupid selects and displays instances of the types of gestures specified by Barbara (e.g., say, ask, greet, farewell) and in dependence upon his current mood (e.g., neutral, happy, sad). He also interleaves responses to unrelated comments or questions initiated by Rick that occur during execution of his messenger role, for example: "Hi Cupid. What's new?" In some cases, Naughty Cupid uses variable values specified for his interactive messenger role to customize some of his non-messenger behavior. For example, he inserts the recipient's name in non-messenger dialogue, such as his greeting: "Greetings, Rick. Love awaits you." It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that an interactive messenger such as Naughty Cupid can be created to engage a recipient in various mixed-initiative interactions, customizing and interleaving gestures and dialogue associated with its messenger role and its persona. Moreover, it will be apparent that similar interactive messengers can be created by the same method for different character personas, different messenger roles, and different customized content.
[0033] After Naughty Cupid has been given his customized content for a given recipient, standard techniques are used to send an email to that recipient, where the email informs the recipient that Naughty Cupid has an interactive message and supplies a link the recipient can click to activate Naughty Cupid. When Naughty Cupid is activated, he opens up a user interface on the recipient's desk-top and establishes a communications link to the Imp Engine that accesses his content and controls his behavior and runs on a remote server. Naughty Cupid greets the recipient and proceeds to engage the recipient in accordance with his interactive messenger role and also to engage in other interactions initiated by the recipient. The recipient may spend as much time as he or she desires interacting with Naughty Cupid in messenger-related and non-messenger-related interactions. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that Naughty Cupid interactive messenger, and other interactive messengers, may be dispatched to a designated recipient over a variety of communications channels, including email, phone, and PDA. Moreover, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that Naughty Cupid, and other interactive messengers, can be invoked automatically upon receipt by recipient or by recipient's selection of a URL, selection of an active element in an interface, voice command, push-tone selection, or a variety of other standard techniques whereby the recipient signals permission to interact. Thus a start mechanism for the interactive messenger can be an opt-in mechanism triggered by a specific permission signal by the recipient or an automatic initiation mechanism triggered by receipt of the mechanism by the recipient.
[0034] In the context of the interaction between Naughty Cupid and the recipient, the recipient may be given an opportunity to customize and send Naughty Cupid as an interactive messenger to another recipient of his own. This opportunity may be communicated to the recipient by a button or other interface element that accesses a customization form, for example. This opportunity can be offered to the recipient and facilitated by Naughty Cupid himself. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that, regardless of how this opportunity is communicated to the recipient, it creates a possibility of "viral" spread of Naughty Cupid and other interactive messengers.
[0035] Naughty Cupid sends two types of reports regarding his interactive messenger services back to his sender: when he has been sent to a recipient and when he has been engaged in an interaction with a recipient. In both cases, he reports a variety of information, for example: Date, time, sender, recipient, messenger behavior, recipient behavior. Specifically, he reports on recipient actions such as answering a question posed by the messenger, providing information requested by the messenger, initiating other actions, and offering information to the messenger. The report can also include a statistic summarizing a particular feature of the interaction, including the number of interactions with the recipient, the duration of the interaction, the number of actions by the messenger, the number of actions by the recipient, the number of questions answered correctly by the recipient, and the number of times the messenger fails to understand the recipient's dialogue. Naughty Cupid delivers his reports directly to the sender via email. He also can deliver his reports into a recipient database. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these types of reports can be generated for any interactive messenger and delivered to the sender via email, database, or other channel.
[0036] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the above embodiment merely illustrates one of many possible embodiments of the invention, each of which has many possible interactive messenger applications, for example: personal shopper, learning guide, survey agent, customer care agent, employee benefits agent, social secretary agent, holiday greeting agent, event greeting agent, etc. In general, the messenger interaction is designed to achieve a particular objective. Possible objectives include, but are not limited to, acquiring information from or delivering information to the recipient; inviting the recipient to attend an event or participate in an activity; making an appointment with the recipient; delivering a social, holiday-related, or birthday message to the recipient; managing a customer relationship with the recipient; providing customer service to the recipient; developing awareness of a brand in the recipient; assisting the recipient in making a purchase or obtaining a service; conducting a survey in which the recipient is asked to participate; running a contest in which the recipient is invited to participate; persuading the recipient to perform an action; helping the recipient learn something; and promoting an event, service, enterprise, person, or product. Note that the objective is dependent upon the type of relationship between the sender and recipient. Possible relationships include, but are not limited to, employer-employee, enterprise-customer, teacher-student, friend-friend, professional-client, representative-constituent, and partner-partner.
[0037] For example, an interactive messenger role for a personal shopper might follow this pattern: greet the shopper, announce the shopping occasion, ask if the shopper wishes to consider shopping now, if no: make a future date for shopping & farewell, if yes: inform shopper of the recommended shopping sites and product offerings, determine which sites the shopper wishes to visit, escort the shopper to the desired sites, at each site display the recommended products, track the shopper's purchases, farewell.
[0038] As a second example, an interactive messenger role for a learning guide might follow this pattern: greet the learner, introduce the lesson, administer a knowledge assessment pre-test, provide appropriate feedback and encouragement, present alternative lectures depending on the outcome of the knowledge assessment, invite and answer questions, summarize the lecture, administer a knowledge assessment post-test, provide appropriate feedback and reinforcement, say goodbye.
[0039] More generally, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the above embodiment may be altered in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims and their legal equivalents.
Referenced by
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text:
After the rain, desert colors spring to life
The brittlebush, one of the most prolific desert bloomers, is ablaze with its yellow flowers now. It's a survivor, says the brochure. "When it rains, chemicals wash off its leaves into the ground below (keeping) other plants from sprouting nearby and competing for water."
The tall, long-lived ocotillo is not yet in full orange bloom on this trail but should be by mid- to late March. It can live to be 200 years old.
One of the loveliest of the blooming beauties here is the wild heliotrope, its purple flowers abundant throughout the trail. You'll also find the fragrant desert lavender and the deep purple indigo plant Indians favored as a dye.
It can be hard to distinguish the indigo bush from the smoke tree, both with very spiky, thorny pale gray, almost whitish leaves that might even appear dead. The smoke tree also has deep purple blooms.
The cheesebush is in abundant bloom now, too, sporting pale green, whitish flowers that can easily be missed because they blend into the bush's leaves.
Nothing is as exciting to me as the bright fuchsia blooms of the beavertail, and they're sticking out all over now. Besides the barrel cactus, you'll also see the blooms on the fishhook cactus, as well as the cholla.
Among the amazing discoveries in a spring desert wildflower season are the tiny blooms that cover the sandy desert floor. You have to look closely for these little wonders. See if you can spot the yellow and pink sand verbena, the bright yellow gold poppies, and the tiny white rock daisies.
Check the state park's official Web site for flower area updates and a map. Also check the wildflower pages on the Web of the Anza Borrego Foundation for dates of guided hikes to the blooms. It also has a wildflower hotline, (760) 767-4684.
It's a good idea to stop at the visitors center in Borrego Springs to ask the volunteers there for the latest bloom reports, too.
Priscilla Lister is a freelance writer from San Diego.


text:
Artistophanes wrote: "Trust is no longer a business consideration for Kodak. It makes no difference to the bottom line anymore. Kodak invested billions of $$$'s in their films and the brand, and their customers walked away. The currency of trust in private contract makes no sense when your customer is flirting with everything else in sight."
I was actually talking about "trust" in the sense that Kodak, for a long time now, have been promising to support analog, then, within months, discontinuing products one after the other. That's nothing to do with customers choosing alternatives, analog or digital....it is just hubris, bad management and failure to compete on the part of Kodak. You can't blame the customers.
But it is another reason for customers to choose other brands with a better "image" of trust and reliability, particularly as the Kodak name disappears from shops and shelves.


text: late 14c., title of a treatise on astronomy by Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria, extended in Middle English to other works on astrology or astronomy, from Old French almageste (13c.), from Arabic al majisti, from al "the" + Greek megiste "the greatest (composition)," from fem. of megistos, superlative of megas "great" (see mickle). Originally titled in Greek Megale syntaxis tes astronomios "Great Work on Astronomy;" Arab translators in their admiration altered this.


text:
Yasutaka Okabe PhD
Associate Research Scientist in Immunobiology
Departments & Organizations
- BS, Waseda University, 2000
- M.S., Waseda University, 2002
- Ph.D., Osaka University, 2006
Selected Publications
- Okabe Y, and Medzhitov R. "Tissue-specific signals control reversible program of localization and functional polarization of macrophages." Cell, 157, 832-844, 2014.
- Okabe Y, Sano T, and Nagata S. "Regulation of the innate immune response by threonine-phosphatase of Eyes absent." Nature, 460, 520-524, 2009.
- Nakaya M, Tanaka M, Okabe Y, Hanayama R, and Nagata S. "Opposite effects of rho family GTPases on engulfment of apoptotic cells by macrophages." J. Biol. Chem., 281, 8836-8842, 2006.


text:
World's First
LG to unveil world's first 3D smartphone
January 31, 2011
The 3D bandwagon continues to gain momentum, if not followers, with the news LG plans to unveil the world's first 3D smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2011 later this month in Barcelona. The LG Optimus 3D will pack a glasses-free LCD panel as well as a dual-lens camera for capturing 3D images and vides to help address the current lack of 3D content. It will also feature 3D-capable HDMI 1.4 and DLNA connectivity options for sharing 3D content. Read More
Fujitsu introduces world's first biodegradable mouse
By Paul Ridden
January 30, 2011
Last year, Fujitsu introduced a keyboard where nearly half of the plastic normally used was replaced with biodegradable bio- or wood-based substitutes. The company continues its green crusade this year with the introduction of what's claimed to be the world's first biodegradable computer mouse. The M440 ECO optical mouse sports a PVC-free USB cable and is made from a combination of the same Arboform and Biograde materials used in the keyboard – reducing our dependence on oil-based resources one click at a time.. Read More
Turn of fortune for NASA as solar sail successfully deploys
January 24, 2011
What looked like a failed mission has turned into an unexpected win for NASA with the successful deployment of the first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit. More than a month after the NanoSail-D nanosatellite failed to eject from its parent satellite, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center were pleasantly surprised when the 3.9 x 3.9 x 14.9-inch unit spontaneously separated from the Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) last week. On January 20, after a timed three-day countdown, the ultra-thin, 100-square-foot polymer sail carried by the nanosatellite was unfurled 650 km above Earth where it will remain in orbit for up to 120 days. Read More
World's first full HDR video system sees like the human eye
By Ben Coxworth
January 18, 2011
Anyone who regularly uses a video camera will know that the devices do not see the world the way we do. The human visual system can perceive a scene that contains both bright highlights and dark shadows, yet is able to process that information in such a way that it can simultaneously expose for both lighting extremes – up to a point, at least. Video cameras, however, have just one f-stop to work with at any one time, and so must make compromises. Now, however, researchers from the UK's University of Warwick claim to have the solution to such problems, in the form of the world's first full High Dynamic Range (HDR) video system. Read More
World's first skyscraper design up for auction
By Karen Sprey
January 16, 2011
While the debate continues as to whether the world's first skyscraper was the the Home Insurance Building built in Chicago in 1885, or New York's seven floor Equitable Life Assurance Building built in 1870, it seems that the British pipped the Americans to the post in terms of a design. British architect Charles Burton designed a 1,000 foot (305 meter) high metal and glass building in response to a call to redesign The Crystal Palace, the famous London exhibition building, 30-odd years before the American buildings were erected. Burton's historic design sketch is headed for the auction block this week. Read More
We have previously reported on the development of prototype adaptive focus glasses at the University of Arizona (UA) that were able to switch focus electronically. Unlike manually adjustable focus glasses, such as TruFocals, that place a flexible liquid lens between two rigid lenses, the lenses of the prototype glasses consisted of a layer of liquid crystals sandwiched between two pieces of glass. By applying an electric charge, the orientation of the liquid crystals – and therefore the optical path length through the lens – was able to be changed, resulting in glasses that changed focus electronically. This technology is now on its way to consumers with PixelOptics showing its emPower! glasses at CES 2011. Read More
Earlier this year Sauter Carbon Offset Design unveiled its Super Nova 60 megayacht – a design which harnesses energy from a variety of sustainable sources including solar, wind and waves to produce "the world's first carbon neutral megayacht." Now the company has gone one step further with plans for its Ocean Empire Life Support Vessel (LSV). This 144-foot Catamaran design adds hydroponic farming to its array of sustainable technologies making it, according to the designers, the world's first totally self-sufficient zero carbon LSV ... meaning it could theoretically stay at sea indefinitely. Read More
Korea begins first commercial electric bus service
By Gizmag Team
December 27, 2010
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has claimed a world first by deploying electric buses on a commercial route. Previous electric bus operations have all been trials, or in the case of Expo 2010 in Shanghai, free public services. The buses went into service on December 21 after an 18 month development project with Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hankuk Fiber. Read More
Functional intestinal tissue created from stem cells
By Ben Coxworth
December 13, 2010
In a world first, scientists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have created functioning fetal intestinal tissue from pluripotent stem cells. It is now hoped that such lab-grown tissue could be used to research treatments for gastro-intestinal diseases, or for transplantation. Read More
World's first solar-powered Christmas tree lot
December 9, 2010
San Diego residents can feel particularly warm and fuzzy this festive season as their Purdy Farm Christmas trees have been lovingly trimmed and lit up via solar power. In what is believed to be a world first, Stellar Solar's Mobile Solar Station has been contracted to power the Purdy Farm Christmas tree lots in Del Mar, Carlsbad, and San Diego. The Mobile Solar Station is being used to power the compact fluorescent lights (CFL) on the lot perimeter and the electric chain saws used to trim customer's trees. Read More


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Topic: public health
Did the NIH Just Accidentally Blame Itself for Ebola in U.S.?
The speed of political social media is such that extraordinarily silly and dishonest claims are subject to an efficient round of public shaming almost immediately. That is currently taking place with regard to the desperate attempt by the left to blame Republicans for everything terrible that's ever happened, and thus also the spread of Ebola in Texas. With Democrats in control of the executive branch, you might wonder just how such a masterful feat of duplicity could even be attempted. The answer is illuminating.
The speed of political social media is such that extraordinarily silly and dishonest claims are subject to an efficient round of public shaming almost immediately. That is currently taking place with regard to the desperate attempt by the left to blame Republicans for everything terrible that's ever happened, and thus also the spread of Ebola in Texas. With Democrats in control of the executive branch, you might wonder just how such a masterful feat of duplicity could even be attempted. The answer is illuminating.
Government bureaucracy depends on taxpayer dollars and rejects transparency, proper oversight, and–most importantly–accountability. So when it can be blamed for something under its purview going wrong, it will immediately turn on the American public. Federal bureaucracy is an obese creature for which your money is the main source of sustenance. Feed it, or it will come looking for you. And now that Ebola has been contracted on American soil, the head of the National Institutes of Health needs a scapegoat. And that scapegoat is you, America:
As the federal government frantically works to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and as it responds to a second diagnosis of the disease at home, one of the country's top health officials says a vaccine likely would have already been discovered were it not for budget cuts.
Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, said that a decade of stagnant spending has "slowed down" research on all items, including vaccinations for infectious diseases. As a result, he said, the international community has been left playing catch-up on a potentially avoidable humanitarian catastrophe.
"NIH has been working on Ebola vaccines since 2001. It's not like we suddenly woke up and thought, 'Oh my gosh, we should have something ready here,'" Collins told The Huffington Post on Friday. "Frankly, if we had not gone through our 10-year slide in research support, we probably would have had a vaccine in time for this that would've gone through clinical trials and would have been ready."
How convenient. For future reference keep that quote in mind. Bureaucrats simply sub in the appropriate word, depending on what it is they want money for. It's a great trick: whatever the crisis, it can always be deployed. If only you had given me your money, [enter crisis here] would never have happened in the first place. It's the Mad Libs of governmental blame deflection.
As National Review's Jim Geraghty notes, the (tax-exempt) group Agenda Project is out with an ad blaming Republicans for budget cuts and Ebola death, and accompanied it with a press release that included the following thoughtful, not at all psychotic message:
Today the Agenda Project Action Fund launched "Republican Cuts Kill," a multi-pronged blitzkrieg attack that lays blame for the Ebola crisis exactly where it belongs– at the feet of the Republican lawmakers. Like rabid dogs in a butcher shop, Republicans have indiscriminately shredded everything in their path, including critical programs that could have dealt with the Ebola crisis before it reached our country. Yesterday, a health worker tested positive for the virus– now, the effects of the GOP's fanatical hatred for our government may finally be exposed.
Now, conservatives might be tempted to be offended by that acid trip. But really, it's Democrats who deserve the sympathy here: imagine having to treat the above as a serious, legitimate policy analysis. Leftists who aren't off their rocker might feel some obligation to pretend that press release isn't completely bonkers. And that can't possibly be easy.
Over at Reason, Nick Gillespie does a good job debunking the idea behind the "Republican Cuts Kill" ad, and points out that President Obama requested funding cuts, so it's not exactly an evil Republican death budget, or whatever is plastered on Democrats' sandwich boards today.
But debating the numbers is only part of the story. The more important lesson here is twofold. First, I mentioned earlier the ridicule this argument is getting online. One way to see that is by checking in on the #TookMoneyFromEbolaResearch hashtag on Twitter, which is among the ways conservatives are drawing attention to the various money wasters in the budgets of the federal health agencies. (And seriously, Collins didn't see that coming a mile away?)
In this way, the NIH blundered, because it becomes a familiar story of how federal bureaucracies waste money in such large sums and in so many ways as to redirect the criticism. If funding for Ebola prevention is the problem, then the NIH itself ought to take the blame, because the money was there. It wasn't the American public that lit a pile of taxpayer money on fire instead of devoting it to infectious disease prevention.
The other important aspect of federal intervention here is the existence of layers upon layers of red tape on the road to getting treatments and vaccines to market and maintaining their availability. No doubt a fair portion of health regulations are useful in weeding out harmful medicines. But the cost and time necessary to get lifesaving medical breakthroughs to market clearly in many cases act as a hindrance to public health.
So it's risible to blame budget cuts when what we're really looking at is the irresponsible management of taxpayer money, bureaucratic waste, and miles of red tape. Government physician, heal thyself.
The Soda Ban and Helicopter-Mayoring
Today the Michael Bloomberg era in New York City drew to a close. Not officially, of course; Bill de Blasio's mayoralty was inaugurated at the beginning of January. But today it can begin in earnest, and in modest acclamation: the soda ban is dead. And with it exits a style of governing that will most indelibly be remembered for perhaps its greatest flaw: an obnoxious paternalism that told even the city's starving homeless precisely what they can and cannot consume.
Today the Michael Bloomberg era in New York City drew to a close. Not officially, of course; Bill de Blasio's mayoralty was inaugurated at the beginning of January. But today it can begin in earnest, and in modest acclamation: the soda ban is dead. And with it exits a style of governing that will most indelibly be remembered for perhaps its greatest flaw: an obnoxious paternalism that told even the city's starving homeless precisely what they can and cannot consume.
New York State's highest court today rejected the final appeal to keep the ban on large sodas in place. The New York Times headline on the story is "City Loses Final Appeal on Limiting Sales of Large Sodas," but I think we're all winners here, the city included. Bloomberg is to be commended for some of his policies: the full-throated defense of public safety chief among them. But Bloomberg got caught up in paternalistic social engineering and the soda ban was one of the most invasive–and illegal–results. The Times reports:
In a 20-page opinion, Judge Eugene F. Pigott Jr. of the State Court of Appeals wrote that the city's Board of Health "exceeded the scope of its regulatory authority" in enacting the proposal, which was championed by former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
The decision likely will be seen as a significant defeat for health advocates who have urged state and local governments to actively discourage the consumption of high-calorie beverages, saying the drinks are prime drivers of a nationwide epidemic of obesity.
Two lower courts had already sided against the city, saying it overreached in attempting to prohibit the purchase of sugared drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces, about the size of a medium coffee cup. By a 4 to 2 vote, the justices upheld the earlier rulings.
In that article, however, you can see who Bloomberg's real constituents were: first and foremost, the media. Proponents of intrusive statist powers are, according to the Times, "health advocates." Simply because they say so. Even though some of the schemes the "health advocates" have pursued have been shown to produce exactly the opposite result–that is, the population's choices become less healthy. But as with most liberal projects, the intentions are all that matter. Who wouldn't want to ban large sodas? Think of the children.
The irony of the Bloomberg administration's overreach on sugary drinks is that such helicopter-mayoring overshadowed other policies and came to identify him. He's been replaced by a much more liberal politician, who may actually restore some of Bloomberg's reputation. Say what you will about Bloomberg's nanny statism, but he did not acquire his inspiration for public service by watching the Marxist Sandinistas.
Bloomberg's record on public safety threatens to be undone by de Blasio, whose election ended the era of hugely popular and undeniably successful police commissioner Ray Kelly, after which the police were instructed to stop gun violence by smiling at passersby. It's too early to say if the resulting recent spike in violent crime is here to stay, but all indications are that de Blasio's terrible ideas about public safety are just as irresponsible and unserious as they seemed when they began emanating from Planet Brooklyn during the campaign.
The biggest initial threat to de Blasio's public approval was his staunch opposition to charter schools. De Blasio prefers to delegate his education policy to the unions, with the result that minority students have even fewer opportunities. De Blasio soon realized that trashing proven educational opportunities perhaps struck the wrong "tone." (We can cut de Blasio some slack here though: it's doubtful the Sandinistas had anything to say about charter schools, so the mayor was learning on the job.)
De Blasio represents a different kind of progressivism than Bloomberg's version of city governance. For Bloomberg, that has advantages. Had he been followed by a more conservative mayor, his successor would have simply built on the better policies Bloomberg instituted while quietly scrapping the restrictions on fizzy bubblech. Instead, he's being followed by an ideologue testing the limits the people will place on his airy radicalism, using New Yorkers as crash-test dummies.
That may leave New Yorkers pining for Bloomberg, but there's a caveat: de Blasio has so far shown himself responsive to public opinion. If that ends up curtailing his leftist impulses, such populism will distinguish itself from the pompous elitism with which New Yorkers had in recent years been treated.


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Larson Electronics Releases a Pneumatic Light Mast With Five 750 Watt Quartz Light Heads
Industrial lighting specialist Larson Electronics has announced the release of a 3,750 watt pneumatic light mast that provides a safe and effective way for operators to quickly deploy five 750 watt quartz lights to elevations up to 13.5 feet in height.
Kemp, Texas (PRWEB) May 07, 2014
The PLM-13.5-5X500Q rugged telescoping pneumatic mini light tower from Larson Electronics is designed to allow operators to quickly and safely deploy 52,500 lumens of flood light in locations where the equipment must be elevated to heights up to 13.5 feet for effective applications. This air powered light boom can be extended to 13.5 feet for maximum area coverage and collapsed to 5 feet to bring the equipment closer to the target area as well as transporting. The tower is constructed of high strength, heat treated aluminum tubing for strength and durability. The tower is comprised of four sections and includes a locking top mounting plate for easy removal of the lights.
Included with this mast are five of our wet area suitable 750 watt quartz light heads mounted to a removable mast head. Each light head is equipped with a 500W and 250W bulb producing 15,750 lumens, for a combined total of 78,750 lumens at 3,750 watts. Each light is independently adjustable which allows operators to position each light head precisely for optimal beam spread. This mast is elevated using an included 250 watt 220 volt AC, 1/3 horsepower air compressor. An air release valve located at the base of this pneumatic mast allows operators to lower the tower. The 16/3 AWG wiring is internally routed, meaning there is no loose wiring when the tower is collapsed and no exposed wiring to fray or become damaged. The PML-13.5-5X500Q includes a three-wire internal wiring harness with 12 inches extending from both ends of the tower to allow easy installation and connection.
"The light heads features a push button switch allowing operators to cycle through 250W, 500W, and 750W configurations," said Rob Bresnahan with Larsonelectronics.com. "This feature makes this unit very versatile allowing the user to select the amount of illumination that is needed."
Larson Electronics carries an extensive line of light towers, portable distribution panels, explosion proof lights, portable work lights and industrial grade LED area lights. You can view Larson Electronics' entire line of lighting by visiting them on the web at Larsonelectronics.com. You can also call 1-800-369-6671 to learn more or call 1-214-616-6180 for international inquiries.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/larsonelectronics/pneumaticlightmast/prweb11830703.htm


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Office Management Training Programs and Requirements
Office managers are often responsible for overseeing office operations, such as social media pages and companies' websites updating, personnel management, office maintenance management and supply ordering. In many offices, office managers also work closely with the accounting staff in regards to budgeting and payroll. Office management training programs are commonly offered at the associate and bachelor's degree level, although certificate programs are also available.
Training Requirements and Recommendations
The size of the hiring company and the specific duties of the office manager generally determine the type of educational background required. While more and more offices are requiring management applicants to possess a bachelor's degree, smaller offices may hire an experienced office manager who possesses no more than a high school diploma. Specific skills in common office software programs, including Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, Access and PowerPoint, are generally required and knowledge of accounting software programs, such as QuickBooks, may be needed. Training in, or knowledge of, Spanish is typically preferred.
Formal Education
At the 2- or 4-year degree level, future office managers typically participate in a practical internship experience. Certificate- and degree-seeking students also take part in computer labs, where they learn up-to-date skills in common business software programs.
Certificate Programs
Certificate programs are available in general office management as well as dental, medical and construction office management. Students learn to navigate the Internet and use common office software programs. Through skills labs, they also become skilled at typing quickly and accurately, using office equipment and maintaining electronic and paper records.
Associate Degree Programs
Often conferred as an Associate of Applied Science in Office Management or an Associate of Science in Business with a concentration in Office Management, students gain skills in verbal communication, business writing and organizational efficiency. They take classes in human resources, workplace regulations and bookkeeping.
Bachelor's Degree Programs
A bachelor's degree in business is a versatile degree, which is not only a preferred degree for office managers but also a common degree for entry into most sales, business or management professions. Business students learn concepts in marketing, finance, economics and statistics. They also take administration classes, such as supervisory methods and operations management and hone their skills in critical-thinking and decision-making.
Job Experience
Experience in the field is essential, and while some companies promote from within, most employers prefer to hire office managers with 3-5 years of experience in office management or an equivalent role, such as executive assisting or human resources management. Individuals with minimal education and no experience can begin their career path toward becoming an office manager by working as secretaries or administrative assistants first and working their way up. Working in these types of office positions lays a foundation for future office managers, who must be knowledgeable in front- and back-office procedures.
Licenses and Certifications
Office managers interested in earning a professional credential can look to the International Association of Administrative Professionals (www.iaap-hq.org). The organization offers the Certified Administrative Professional credential to individuals who pass their four-part exam.
Workshops and Seminars
Many continuing education resources are available to office managers. Specifically, the American Management Association (www.amanet.org) offers informative webcasts, which typically run between one and two hours. Additionally, the organization sponsors conferences and seminars, which can last from one day to five days. Interested office managers can learn about trends in office management technologies, personnel relations regulations and time management strategies.
Niche office managers may also be able to find specific organizations catering to their particular office environment. Dental office managers, for instance, may participate in workshops offered by the American Association of Dental Office Managers (www.dentalmanagers.com).
Additional Professional Development
At times, offices may decide to upgrade computer systems or software programs. In order stay knowledgeable about their office's technological advances, office managers may enroll in college computer courses. Office managers can also search the Internet for specific software company websites, which often offer online tutorials to aid new users.
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Information and Privacy Commissioner
Information and Privacy Commissioner
Administrative Officer
| J. Angus MacLean
180 Richmond Street
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE
Tel: (902) 368-4099
The 2013 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for the Province of Prince Edward Island has been tabled intersessionally and may be accessed online. Printed copies are availabe at this office and will also be available at Island Information Services.
2013 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Province of PEI
During a recent inquest into two deaths, some witnesses remarked that privacy legislation would need to change to allow for more sharing of information without permission. Our law allows for the disclosure of personal information if someone's health or safety is threatened. Clause 37(1)(cc) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act permits the disclosure of personal information when the disclosure is reasonably expected to avert or minimize danger to the health or safety of any person. Other clauses permit disclosure under various circumstances, including to employees, if necessary for the delivery of a common or integrated service, and to law enforcement agencies. The Act does not apply to matters of child protection investigations, but the Child Protection Act permits disclosure of information without consent subject to the discretion of the Director of Child Protection.
You can learn more about our province's privacy provisions around disclosing personal information on page 25 at section 37 of Act. Here's the link:
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Information and Privacy Commissioner: Maria C. MacDonald
Role of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
News Releases and Communications
Joint Resolutions of Canada's Information and Privacy Commissioners and Ombudspersons
Access and Privacy Services is a section of the Community Safety and Justice Policy Division of the Department of Environment, Justice and Labour of the Government of Prince Edward Island. It processes applications for access to information and provides government-wide policy advice and support regarding the operation of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act ("FOIPP Act") and regulations, policies and procedures.
Contact the Provincial Manager, Kathryn Dickson, to submit requests for access to information from the provincial government and for assistance with the FOIPP Act.
Kathryn Dickson, Provincial Manager
Requests for information in the custody and control of certain public bodies are not processed through the Access and Privacy Services Division. Contact information for some of the FOIPP coordinators of these public bodies can be found under the following link to the Access and Privacy Services website:
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPP) Coordinators


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Sewn w/ love
posted 6 years ago
These are fun to make and fun to come up with colors and styles. Sometimes a bit tricky but with some help (atleast for me) I can pull them off! All though I will say most of them become gifts my dog hates them!
Pros: fun to make
Cons: you have to make them!
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Released: Dec 18th, 2009
Running Time: 121 Min.
Director: Uncredited
Company: Devil's Film
DVD Extras: Cumshot Recap, Music-Free Option, Still Gallery(ies), Trailer(s)
Cast: Christian (I), Vin Deacon, Yasmin Lee, Mark Galfione, Mandy Mitchell, Kelly Shore, Jesse (III) (Trans), Celeste (IV) (Trans), Jezebel Yum
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