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2010 Lone Star Rally in Review
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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The shell of an abandoned hotel on a remote point of the seawall stands as a stark reminder that this area is still on the mend from Hurricane Ike. But for one weekend in November, respite comes in the form of a marauding army of two-wheeled invaders on thunderous machines who fill the bars, restaurants and hotels on Galveston Island. They come
Motorcycle USA traveled to Galveston to take in the fun and festivities at one of the biggest motorcyle events in Texas, the 2010 Lone Star Rally, where cruising the seawall or riding down The Strand were just as popular as the bike shows and meeting the stars of the Celebrity Bike Builder Lot.
from all walks of life, from weekend warriors to one percenters, all congregating on The Strand for four days of friendship and fun, bar hoppin' and boozin.' They participate in benefit rides for our troops or wear the patch of the Christian Motorcycle Association offering fellowship. By most accounts, the ninth annual
Lone Star Rally
(LSR) appears to be a success based on a turnout Galveston's Daily News puts at 400,000, few incidents and no fatalities.
Ten accidents have been reported, one minor mishap we saw the aftermath of on 61st Street where a rider hit a curb, went down and suffered minor injuries. On Saturday, a helmetless rider suffered head injuries when he clipped another motorcycle, got rutted in the trolley tracks and went down. The tracks in the roads here are treacherous for bikers, a lesson this particular rider learned the hard way. But considering the amount of traffic along the seawall and in the downtown district, to have only ten motorcycle accidents reported is just short of miraculous. For the most part, it has been a peaceful assembly with Lt. Joel Caldwell
Miss Ratsmate 2010 poses on the 'Best of Show' during the first Rat's Hole Custom Bike Show held in Texas during the 2010 Lone Star Rally.
of Galveston PD reporting only a handful of public intoxication arrests and a few scraps. Considering the various patch-wearing clubs that were in town, this lack of confrontation attests to the high spirits of most bikers in attendance. One person did have their 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa stolen, so not everybody will be going home happy.
Big RVs and trailers lined the seawall for miles as riders set up camp with the waters of the Gulf of Mexico serving as their front yard. You can't get much closer to the Gulf, and what a treat it is to watch the sun rise over the foamy green waters. Mother Nature cooperated with sunny skies and temps around 70 degrees every day, making it ideal riding weather.
The favorable conditions contributed to the good turnout for Friday's Follow the Flag – Ride for Heroes along Seawall Boulevard. With sirens from the police escort wailing, a procession of motorcyclists, many flying black and white POW or American flags fixed to their motorcycle, made their way around the island as they followed a Galveston fire engine carrying two patriotic symbols. One was a flag that flew over Ground Zero and the second was an American flag that has flown over the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Sponsored by the Post 911 Foundation, the tribute ride ended with an emotional ceremony at Pier 21 in honor of public safety workers.
A swing by the Celebrity Bike Builder Lot in a corner of Pier 21 let us catch up with Michael Ballard and Angie Clarkson of Full Throttle Saloon fame. Ballard said that FTS had a phenomenal year, which was all captured on film for the upcoming season of the hit truTV series called appropriately
Full Throttle Saloon
Season 2
airs next Wednesday on truTV and FTS merchandise was flying off the tables.
The Lone Star Rally had a Mardi Gras spirit about it, including beads being thrown from the balconies. Cruising The Strand was a
popular attraction and bands like The Hectic playing on the outdoor Budweiser stage kept energy levels high.
"Anniversary years are always good," said Ballard, this year being the 70th anniversary of the Sturgis Rally. After the LSR, the Full Throttle Saloon rig is packing up for the trip up to Louisville, Kentucky where they will set up shop at the Easyriders Bike Show Tour. Ballard doesn't plan on attending the West Coast shows but said he was going to be at most of Easyriders' East Coast swing.
We also had a chance to chat with Bagger Nation's Paul Yaffe who recently completed the Copper Chopper in honor of his home state of Arizona's 100th anniversary celebration. Unlike most people in the industry, Bagger Nation has been enjoying record sales. Read more about the conversation with the mind behind Bagger Nation in our
Yakking with Paul Yaffe at the Lone Star Rally
Colorful custom builder Rick Fairless meets some of his youngest fans at the Lone Star Rally.
A true Texas longhorn is all smiles as he makes his way down The Strand during the Biker Promenade.
The Celebrity Bike Builder Lot also featured Stroker's Rick Fairless. His Dallas shop/bar/tattoo parlor has been a popular haunt for bikers for quite some time. Fairless also actively promotes the motorcycle lifestyle by frequently holding bike nights and special events at his establishment. He's also a host of the radio program, Texas Hardtails Scooter Show. If all that didn't keep him busy enough, he's currently starring in truTV's popular new show,
Ma's Roadhouse
, which features his spitfire 71-year-old mother who likes her booze and cigarettes and has a vocabulary that'd make a sailor blush. Fairless' psychedelic motorcycles Pam and the Beatles bike were on display and garnered plenty of attention as testaments to his mastery of paint. His new show is doing well apparently because he had the longest line of fans with pens and cameras in hand eager to meet him and his crew.
Lastly, we caught up with Two Wheel Thunder's host Jay Barbieri who was hanging out with his buds at the Strip Club Choppers booth. Barbieri's a long-time veteran of the rally scene from his tenure as host of American Thunder. He's also penned a book based on his experiences titled the
Biker's Handbook
. We had a spirited discussion about the demise of print mags in the time of instant information but both agreed that there will always be a market for it. There's nothing like the feel of the pages, the color in print and their value as collectibles. We then laughed about the girls Strip Club Choppers hired being late to work.
"Strippers are always late," Barbieri said with a smile.
Big Daddy Rat lives!
From the Celebrity Bike Builder Lot you could see the 20-foot-tall inflatable green rat that serves as the mascot of the Rat's Hole Bike Show. It was the first time the Rat's Hole, a staple of Daytona Beach's Bike Week scene, had made the trip over to Texas to hold its world-class show. Rat's Hole didn't disappoint, as almost 80 custom motorcycles lined the harbor at Pier 21 to vie for "Best of Show" honors. That title went to All Things Chrome out of Hendersonville, Tennessee for a slick 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa. It was cool to see a sportbike take top honors, a rarity at most custom bike shows I've attended. Another of All Things Chrome's custom motorcycles was the hit of the show, though, a 2007 Hayabusa with the biggest back tire you'll find on a sportbike. It easily was the most talked about and photographed bike at the event. Read more about the show in our
Rat's Hole Bike Show at Lone Star Rally
One of the most popular things to do at the rally was watching the constant procession of motorcycles riding down The Strand. This reached its apex on Saturday evening when the Biker Promenade commenced. A modest turnout of bikers dressed in costumes riding decorated motorcycles congregated at the Heaven's Saints Moto Ministry booth for judging before setting out for a promenade down the center of town. With so many riders wearing neoprene skull face masks in general, it was hard to tell who was in the parade and who wasn't from the constant tide of riders parading down The Strand. An ominous looking biker with muscular arms in a Predator mask on a slammed sportbike played the Predator role well with an occasional blast from his exhaust as he rode by. A Pee Wee Herman look-alike on a pseudo Schwinn rolled by, eliciting big laughs from the crowd. Another favorite was a vet flying several flags on the trailer of his bike and wearing a true Texas longhorn helmet, the massive spread of the steer horns matching the broad smile on his face.
The weather was perfect for cruising down Seawall Blvd. and the Texas and American flags proudly flew over the rally. Beer is good.
One of the best things about rallies is the people you meet and the new friends you make. I was sharing a spot at the counter of the Awful Waffle (aka the Waffle House) when I met one of the founders of RigRiders Houston, an Oilfield Riders Group. Oil is the lifeblood of this region and the men and women who pull crude out of the ground are a breed apart. Roughnecks didn't acquire their name by chance. A lot of oil workers are motorcyclists and RigRiders gives them a place to get together to share their common bond. Besides going on rides, they also do a lot of charitable work. The Houston Chapter of RigRiders recently presented a $7500 check to Oil Field Helping Hands to benefit "those in need in the Houston area." Philanthropic efforts are a staple of the motorcycling community, proving that despite being rough around the edges, bikers have big hearts.
A few final random observations about the 2010 Lone Star Rally. There was a higher turnout of sportbike riders than any other rally in recent memory as quite a few sportbike clubs from Houston made the ride down. They like LEDs in Texas. Watching bikes all lit up at night cruising along the seawall
The sun sets over Galveston Bay and the Lone Star Rally - until next year.
was fun to watch. If I was a company that specialized in equipping motorcycles with LEDs, I'd hit every Texas rally I could. There ain't no noise regulations being enforced in Texas, that's for sure. California, eat your heart out. They still adhere to the creed that "Loud pipes save lives" around here. Revving engines and blasting pipes is still a primeval form of chest-thumping in these parts. Finally, just kicking back with a cold beer in hand watching bikes cruise down The Strand was a popular pastime. From the architecture of the historic buildings downtown to the people dangling beads off balconies, the 2010 Lone Star Rally had a scaled-down New Orleans look and a Mardi Gras feel. Maybe that's why people at the rally exhibited a "Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler" attitude.
2010 Lone Star Rally Photo Gallery
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William -www.dynamicleather.com
November 30, 2010 01:26 AM
Thanks for summerizing Lone Star rally. We'll be there next year on 24th Street.
November 15, 2010 08:36 AM
Edie B -LSR FAN 4 LIFE
November 12, 2010 08:41 AM
We have attended the LSR since the 1st year in Galveston and have been going ever since--with exception of Hurricane Ike year. I was over the top this year. It is such a WONDERFUL event. My husband & I do not ride bikes (yet) :) & we love it!!!!! THe music, & the other couples & people we meet are the greatest. Every year is totally different and you never know who or what you'll see Cheers to all behind the scenes that make the LSR a success.
Wayne Hanks -Motorcycle Lover
November 11, 2010 09:22 PM
This was my 3rd Lone Star Rally in a row. We(me,wife & kids) had a blast. Great weekend,already looking forward to next year's rally.
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Assessing the Security of Your Web Applications
Now we know in theory how a malicious user thinks. We also have some idea about who may be at risk. The remainder of this article will focus on security issues and measures that can be implemented by web site developers in protecting an organization's assets. This is important because the web site administrators cannot easily enforce the client-side security measures. What follows is a list and description of security-related exposures.
A cookie is a small piece of data which is sent from a web server to a web browser when that browser visits the server's site. The cookie is stored on the user's machine, but it is not an executable program and cannot do anything to that machine. However, cookies may allow a malicious user to hijack web sessions and view, modify or otherwise exploit the information related to another user's session. A hacker may obtain the cookie by various means, including physical access or network sniffing, as well as guessing the cookie's contents. Next, the hacker can try to impersonate the user by hijacking the user's sessions. This is an especially serious issue with shared workstations, cyber cafés and public kiosk environments.
Sometimes cookies are used to store information such as user host name, password, account ID, session ID and other user profile information. Cookies are often used to maintain session information between the user and his shopping cart. Two types of cookies exist:
Persistent cookies have an expiration date and are stored on a user's hard disk until that date. A persistent cookie can be used to track a user's browsing habits by identifying her whenever she returns to a site.
Non-persistent cookies are stored in the web browser's memory. They last only until the browser is closed and are then destroyed.
If a user is able to capture the cookies by sniffing on the network, or by any other means, he may be able to gain unauthorized access to personal information, including credit card number, passwords, user ID and mailing address.
The security measures you can take are:
Use non-persistent cookies instead of persistent cookies.
If you must use persistent cookies, then specify a short duration for the cookie's life. The longer the time until cookie expiration, the larger the risk.
Avoid application features that use persistent cookies to store privacy-related information. Example: "Please check to remember user name and password."
Use the secure tag, so that the cookie is sent only if a secure channel (https) is being used.
Encrypt the information in the cookies. Some web sites split one cookie into many cookies that are further encrypted.
Very simply, form manipulation involves saving a web site's form and editing it off-line. Many times, this involves adding more entries to pull-down lists or increasing the size of text fields. The intent is usually to cause a buffer overflow on the server. In the past, client-side form validation has been used to offload the performance load from the server. While client-side validation is a good technique from a performance point of view, it is not the preferred solution from a security point of view. Poorly designed web applications may contain hidden fields that contain user IDs, account IDs or other key fields that define user sessions. Again, all this information can be manipulated off-line to gain access to another user's session.
Form manipulation is a simple technique and requires only a knowledge of HTML. Experienced programmers may be able to alter and submit forms by guessing the server-side code used to process the forms.
The following measures should be implemented to improve the security of an application against form manipulation:
Perform referrer checks on the server side. This will ensure that a given form was reached from the page that contains the hyperlink providing access to the form.
Do not rely on the form field-length checks or JavaScript to ensure form input integrity. Perform form input-length checks on the server as well.
Process and validate the form input field values entered by the user for range, expected input (e.g., numeric vs. alphabets), strange characters and any other associations specific to the user.
Do not store critical user information in hidden fields in the form.
Tools and Technologies for Scale and Reliability
by Linux Journal Editor Bill Childers
Sponsored by IBM
Scheduling Crontabs With an Enterprise Scheduler
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|June 2015 Issue of Linux Journal: Networking
|Jun 01, 2015
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|Jun 01, 2015
|My Humble Little Game Collection
|May 28, 2015
|New Linux Based OS Brings Internet of Things Closer to Reality
|May 27, 2015
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|May 26, 2015
|Dr Hjkl on the Command Line
|May 21, 2015
- June 2015 Issue of Linux Journal: Networking
- Download "Linux in the Time of Malware"
- New Linux Based OS Brings Internet of Things Closer to Reality
- Initializing and Managing Services in Linux: Past, Present and Future
- Dr Hjkl on the Command Line
- Using Hiera with Puppet
- My Humble Little Game Collection
- Gartner Dubs DivvyCloud Cool Cloud Management Vendor
- Infinite BusyBox with systemd
- Goodbye, Pi. Hello, C.H.I.P.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Movpak fits an EV into a backpack
May 27, 2014
Gizmag has covered several potential solutions to "last-mile transportation" that aim to help people get from, say, the train station to the office, or the bus stop to home. The latest such transportation device to come to our attention is the Movpak: an electric skateboard-like EV that fits into a backpack, and still leaves some room for carrying stuff.
Movpak is the work of a Brazilian startup of the same name, and whether there's a direct influence or not, appears to be an evolution of the same general idea that gave rise to the Olaf, the Micro Luggage, and the Fly.
However, Movpak boasts a significant benefit over the previous efforts in that this skateboard-like device has electric drive and can speed along at up to 15 mph (24 km/h) for up to 9 miles (14 km) before needing a recharge – which itself takes a couple of hours. Movpak measures 60 x 30 cm (24 x 12 in), weighs 7.7 kg (17 lb), and can also be pulled along like a luggage trolley. When in operation, the Movpak is steered like a skateboard (with the backpack sitting to the rear) and acceleration is controlled with a wireless controller that the company is still refining.
The developers granted Gizmag access to non-public video footage that shows the backpack-to-electric skateboard transformation mechanism to be nice and slick. One simply pulls up the backpack with a snap, releasing the board, and it's stowed away by pushing the board back into the bag. There's also enough room left in the backpack for a laptop and some clothes.
Brazilian-born designer Ivo Machado, who co-founded Movpak and helped design the device, told Gizmag that after two years in development, a prototype has been built and Movpak will soon be launched on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter.
Early backers will be given the opportunity to grab a Movpak for US$1,190, while additional backpack covers will be available in several colors and pitched at $160 each. Those interested can sign-up to be informed of the release date and further details by following the source link below.
Source: Movpak
I tend to just walk as its healthier anyway and I need more opportunities to walk anyway. But this thing is rather cool. If I lived or worked in a more urban environment I could see myself using this.Rann Xeroxx
Great idea, pity the backpack doesn't sit in the middle of the board to allow you to spread your feet for stability. The first rock/decent bump etc is going to throw you, especially since you can't apparently even lift the front wheelsOzuzi
I think this is a neat idea, especially if one is slow and trying to keep up with others. I think it would be great for big cities like NYC or Boston.BigGoofyGuy


text:
A RFID method and system are provided to aid consumers in making an informed decision prior to purchasing products from a vending or other type of dispensing machine. The products in the machine are associated with a smart tag that contains information regarding the product that may be of interest to a consumer prior to purchasing the product. A smart tag scanner is incorporated with the dispensing machine and used to retrieve the product information from the smart tags.
1. A product dispensing machine configured with a RFID information system, comprising:
a machine cabinet having storage locations for a plurality of products to be dispensed from said machine;
at least one smart tag associated with each different type of product to be dispensed, said smart tags containing information related to their respective products;
a smart tag scanner disposed within range of said smart tags;
a pre-selection mechanism operatively configured with said scanner by which a consumer pre-selects a product contained within said cabinet, said scanner configured to retrieve said product information from said smart tag associated with the pre-selected product and cause said information to be conveyed such that a consumer may make an informed decision as to whether to purchase the product from said machine.
2. The dispensing machine as in
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18. A product dispensing machine configured with a RFID information system, comprising:
a plurality of products stored within said machine;
a smart tag associated with each said product, said smart tag containing information related to their respective products;
a smart tag scanner; and
wherein said scanner provides a consumer with said product information upon the consumer pre-selecting a product prior to purchase such that the consumer may make an informed decision as to whether to purchase the product from said machine.
19. A method for providing consumers with information related to products within a product dispensing machine, said method comprising:
associating a smart tag with each type of product within the machine, the smart tags containing product information related to the respective products;
configuring a smart tag scanner with the machine, wherein the scanner retrieves the product information from the smart tag associated with a product pre-selected by the consumer; and
displaying the product information retrieved from the smart tag to the consumer prior to the consumer purchasing a product.
20. The method as in
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25. A product dispensing machine configured with a RFID information system for use by a consumer associated with a smart tag for conveying a personal information, comprising:
a plurality of products stored within said machine, each product associated with product information stored on a memory device;
product information associated with each said product;
a smart tag scanner adapted for reading information from the smart tag associated with the consumer; and
means for electronically obtaining information about consumer needs or preferences pertaining to at least one of said products by using the information read from the smart tag associated with the consumer;
wherein said scanner recommends to the consumer a selection of one or more products responsive to said information about consumer needs or preferences.
The present invention relates generally to the field of article dispensing machines, and more particularly to a system and method for previewing articles in a dispensing machine prior to selecting or purchasing such articles.
Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs) are low-cost, passive "smart" chips or "tags" that can be embedded in or attached to articles, products, and the like to convey information about the product via a scanner. The smart tags are generally small label-like devices with a micro-chip and a miniature embedded antennae. The tags may be passive or active, the active tags requiring an internal power supply. A reader or scanner interrogates the smart tag with an electronic "trigger" signal. The tag in turn generates an electromagnetic pulse response that is readable by the scanner, the response containing the product information. RFID smart tags can be embedded in or attached to product packaging, or incorporated directly into the product, and may convey conventional "bar code" information, as well as other more detailed information.
Various commercial applications have been suggested for smart tags, particularly in the area of retail marketing and sales. For example, RFID technology may be used to gather information related to consumer trends, purchasing habits, consumption rates, etc. It has also been suggested that RFID technology has promise in the areas of inventory control, manufacturing process and control, product accountability and tracking systems, etc. Manufacturers, shippers, and retailers may be able to follow a given product through their respective systems from initial production through to point of sale. It has been suggested that other applications may include shopping carts that automatically charge a bank account, refrigerators that tap into the Internet to automatically reorder items that are running low, and interactive televisions linked to such refrigerators that will feed targeted commercials and special offers to consumers. (See, "They Know What You Eat," by Kayte VanScoy, Smart Business, January 2001).
The present invention relates to a novel implementation of RFID technology in the field of article dispensing machines, particularly vending machines.
The use of article dispensing machines, for example conventional vending machines, as a mechanism for storing and distributing any type of article or consumer good is widespread. Food product vending machines may be found in virtually any business establishment. The use of food product vending machines in schools, cafeterias, hospital canteens, work place break rooms, and so forth, is convenient for both consumers and distributors. Vending machines are also commonly used for the distribution of protective clothing items in hospitals and medical facilities, over-the-counter medications, beverages, etc.
A drawback with conventional dispensing machines is, however, the fact that the consumer is not given "hands-on" access to the articles until they have been paid for. In the case of food products, the consumer does not have the opportunity to preview the dietary or nutritional information contained on the product packaging unless the product is purchased and dispensed from the machine. This situation may be particularly problematic for individuals having food allergies. Such individuals must read the ingredients listed on the labels of food products to avoid ingredients that may cause potentially serious allergic reactions. This is generally not possible with conventional vending machines and the individuals must thus avoid purchasing unfamiliar products from vending machines.
Consumers also read food product labels for other reasons. For example, with the growing awareness and appreciation of the health risks associated with obesity and excess weight, dietary and nutritional considerations are an important concern for many individuals. Other individuals may wish to avoid meat products and by-products for religious, moral, or other reasons. Individuals with particular medical conditions or taking medications may need to avoid certain types of foods or certain medications or other products that can be dispensed by a dispensing machine. For example, individuals with hypertension may wish to avoid sodium. Such information is gleaned from the product packaging and, thus, is not readily available if purchasing the product from a vending machine.
The same issues apply to the distribution of medicines from vending machines. For many individuals it is very important to review the precautions and warnings provided on the packaging of medications, for example to determine if there are any conflicts with existing medical conditions or medications the individual is already taking. Consumers of non-food goods distributed from dispensing machines may wish to learn more about the article prior to purchase as well. For example, many individuals are extremely allergic to latex and may wish to determine if an article of clothing or protective gear they are about to purchase from a vending machine contains latex. With conventional vending machines, the consumer may be able to view the products through a transparent door or panel prior to selection, but is provided with little additional information about the products. This prevents many consumers from purchasing products from vending machines altogether, and is generally inconvenient for the consuming public as a whole.
The present invention provides a RFID system and methodology that may address drawbacks to the use of conventional vending machines.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
A methodology and system according to the invention involves, in general aspects, the incorporation of a RFID smart tag system with any manner of dispensing machine used to remotely distribute goods to consumers. The type of dispensing or vending machine, and type of goods or articles dispensed, are not limitations on the invention.
The system includes the use of smart tags "associated" with the products stored in the dispensing machine or with the consumer or both. The smart tags contain or provide pointers (links) to any manner of information on the products in the machine and/or the consumer who wishes to use the machine. A smart tag scanner may be used for obtaining and conveying the product information so that a consumer may make an informed decision about a product prior to purchasing the product from the machine.
In one embodiment, the system comprises smart tags associated with the consumer. Consumer needs or preferences can be obtained automatically via scanning the smart tag associated with the consumer, which may contain the consumer information directly or provide a code for retrieving the information from a consumer database or other electronic means such that the smart tag indirectly provides the desired consumer information. The consumer information (e.g., a warning that the consumer is allergic to peanuts) is then used to screen products and enable an appropriate selection by the consumer. Screening of the products may be done based on product information obtained via smart tags associated with the products. Thus, an RFID scanner in the dispensing machine may scan a smart tag associated with the consumer, poll a database to obtain personalized data about the consumer, compare the personalized data with information associated with the ID codes of the products in the dispensing machine, and then make a recommendation for suitable products that can be dispensed, or take other actions such as preventing the vending of unsuitable products. The consumer's ID can also be used to determine an account for billing the consumer, such that coins or currency need not be used.
The smart tags may be provided with each individual product, for example adhered or otherwise attached to the product package, or a single smart tag may be assigned for each type or brand of product. For example, a vending machine may dispense six different types of soft drinks, and the machine may include six smart tags (one tag associated with each type of drink). As mentioned, the smart tags contain information relating to their respective product, including electronic product identification codes which can be used as pointers to detailed product information. Thus, the smart tags can directly provide information, or provide a pointer or link to detailed information in a database or other source, which can be retrieved as needed. Virtually any type of information is within the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, with food products, the smart tags may be pre-programmed with information such as ingredients, and nutritional and dietary information such as calories, fat grams, carbohydrates, etc. The information can also include a list of possible contaminants, MSDS data, manufacturing history, freshness date, packaging composition, place of manufacture, manufacturing company or parent company thereof, list of preservatives or artificial colors or flavorings, recycling categories (e.g., ability of a product to be recycled), amount of recycled material or post-consumer waste used in product packaging, presence of materials that may be choking hazard, etc. In general, the food product information may be any information which may be of particular concern to consumers with food allergies or dietary and nutritional concerns, or taking certain medications or having other health indications. In this way, consumers with special food allergy, dietary, medical, or nutritional concerns may make informed decisions prior to purchasing or consuming the food products.
The smart tag scanner may be configured with the vending machine in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the scanner is an integral component of the machine and may be, for example, integrated with the machine's selection mechanism. The machine may have a pre-selection mode wherein a consumer "pre-selects" a product of interest through a keypad or other selection device. Alternatively, a pre-selection may be made based on information provided in a readable smart card or accessible from a database using a personal RFID code pertaining to the consumer and read by an RFID scanner. (e.g., personal information read from a consumer database for an automatically identified consumer may indicate that the consumer is allergic to peanuts, in which case the pre-selection may comprise one or more products that are certified to be free of peanuts. Alternatively, the personal information may indicate that the consumer does not wish to purchase products from certain countries with human rights problems, in which case products made in the list of unapproved countries would be excluded in the pre-selection. Specific manufacturers may also be excluded, for example.) Consumer purchase history may also be used to automatically recommend one ore more products that are likely to be desired by the consumer.
Pre-selection results in a signal intelligible to the consumer (e.g., a visible or audible display) indicating that one or more products have been pre-selected for vending, and may also cause detailed information about the one or more pre-selected products to be made readily available to the consumer to enable an informed purchasing decision to be made. A purchase decision can then be made and the item purchased.
The information provided to the consumer about pre-selected products may be obtained in any of several ways and provided by visual, audible, or other means. For example, information about each product may have been previously entered into machine-readable memory, either by direct downloading or entry of data, or by reading a product ID code (either an RFID code from a smart tag, a bar code or two-dimensional data matrix code from a printed label, and the like). The machine-readable memory may be physically integrated with the dispensing device, or may be in a remote location such as a product database on a server that may be queried by a processor in the dispensing device, using an RFID code or other electronic code such as a URL (Universal Resource Locator) as a pointer.
In one embodiment, product information for pre-selected products is obtained from a database via the RFID product code read by a smart tag scanner associated with the vending machine, and this may be done after the preselection is made, or the information can have been previously obtained and then simply retrieved when the pre-selection is made. To obtain product information via RFID means, a smart tag scanner transmits an excitation "trigger" signal. The excitation signal is received by the smart tags and causes the tags to generate a signal that is received by the scanner. The scanner processes the signal and may directly cause the product information contained in the signal to be displayed to the consumer, if the smart tags independently contain the needed information, otherwise an electronic product code emitted by a smart tag may be used to access associated information in machine-readable memory such as from a database, and the obtained information or a pertinent subset thereof may be provided to the consumer. Thus, product information may be obtained directly or indirectly via scanning of smart tags.
In one embodiment, the scanner may "excite" all of the smart tags in the machine and simply filter out or disregard all but the signal received from the selected product. In another embodiment, the scanner will emit a product-specific excitation signal that is tuned only for a particular smart tag, and which is ignored by the other smart tags. In another embodiment, the RFID code for each product is obtained separately, either by scanning a representative product for each group of identical items in the vending machine as the products are loaded, or by having a short-range scanner positioned near the article to be dispensed make a reading of the smart tag code in the article to be dispensed. A plurality of scanners may be used in such cases, or a single scanner may be adapted to move to multiple locations to provide the reading without interference from other products.
The vending machine may include a visual display screen configured with the scanner to display the retrieved information. In another embodiment, the machine may be equipped with synthesized voice capability wherein the product information is relayed in a voice message to the consumer. In one embodiment, narrow beams of sound are projected to the consumer such that others do not hear the message. Hypersonics sound technology, such as that provided by American Technology (San Diego, Calif.), employs narrow ultrasonic beams that can be projected to a single user, wherein nonlinear effects can create audible sound when a human ear is in the beam path. Principles of hypersonic sound systems are described in a white paper entitled, "Theory, History, and the Advancement of Parametric Loudspeakers: A Technology Overview," by James J. Croft and Joseph O. Norris, Revision D, American Technology Corporation, San Diego, Calif., 2002, available at http://www.atcsd.com/pdf/HSSWHTPAPERRevD.pdf. Exemplary applications of hypersonic technology are illustrated at www.popsci.com/popsci/hometech/article/0,12543,351353,00.html.
It is also within the scope and spirit of the invention to retrofit existing vending or other dispensing machines with the RFID system according to the invention.
In an alternative configuration, the smart tag code may also include a link to a remote database that contains additional information about the product. For example, the code may contain a URL link to an Internet website or other database. In this embodiment, the scanner may be configured with an internet browser that uses the URL to access the website or database. The website or database may be maintained, for example, by the manufacturer of the product, and provide any manner of additional information about a selected product. In this embodiment, the scanner may be Internet accessible, or linked with an Internet accessible system or linked directly to a database or Intranet. A display screen may be provided to display the web site or database information, and the system may be interactive such that the consumer can navigate the web site or select information displayed from a database. The web site or other interactive means may allow the consumer to enter personal information in order to recommend a suitable product. For example, a vending machine that dispenses bottles containing lotion or shampoo may query the user for information pertaining to skin or hair care needs (or access such information from a consumer database after identifying the customer using RFID technology or other means), and then make a selection from a plurality of products based on accessible product information to recommend a suitable product or mixture of products to the consumer.
The invention also includes associated methods for providing consumers with product information on products dispensed from a vending or dispensing machine prior to the consumer purchasing such a product. (Such information may also be obtained after a product has been purchased.)
Additional aspects of the present methodology and system will be described below with reference to the figures.
Reference will now be made in detail to one or more embodiments of the invention, examples of which are graphically illustrated in the drawings. Each example and embodiment are provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be utilized with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.
Any variation of products 12 are stored at distinct locations within a machine cabinet 102 of the dispensing machine 100. Typically, the same type or brand of products 12 are assigned to a common storage location, such as location "A1." A different product 12 may be stored in location "A2," and so forth. At least one smart tag 14 is provided within the cabinet 102 and associated with each type of product. For example, the products 12 within storage location A1 are associated with a smart tag 14 containing product information on the respective products in location A1. Likewise, the products 12 in location A2, C1, D2, and so forth, are associated with smart tags 14 containing product information particular to the products in the respective locations.
In one embodiment, the smart tags 14 may be attached directly to each product 12. For example, the tags 14 may be adhered or otherwise attached directly to the package or wrapping of the product 12. With this embodiment, the order or location of the products 12 within the various storage locations is not particularly important. In another embodiment, a smart tag 14 is assigned to each storage location and contains the product information (or pointers to the product information) on the products put into the location. It is not necessary that the smart tag 14 be physically located in or even adjacent to the storage location. For example, all of the smart tags 14 may be contained in a common "bank" or location within the cabinet 102 Thus, this embodiment requires far fewer smart tags 14, but it should be ensured that the proper products are restocked in the proper locations within the cabinet 102.
It should be apparent that various options exist for restocking the machine 100 with products 12. As mentioned, the products 12 may be individually labeled or attached with a smart tag 14. In this case, the products 12 may be stored in any of the locations A1, A2, . . . Alternatively, a smart tag 14 is located within the machine cabinet 102 for each storage location and may be permanently programmed with "core" information for only one particular product. In this case, it must be ensured that the right products are restocked in the cabinet 102. In another restocking system, product-specific smart tags are provided with the bulk packaging of the products. Upon loading the products 12 into a particular location, the respective smart tag is placed within the machine cabinet 102, for example at the storage location of the products 12. With this system, the types or brands of products dispensed form any one machine may be easily varied.
As discussed in greater detail below, the tags 14 transmit coded product information 20 in response to an electronic "trigger" signal 18 from a scanner 16. The type or content of the product information may vary widely. For example, if the products 12 are food products, the product information in the smart tag code or accessible from a database via the smart tag code may include, for example, information about all ingredients contained in the food product, the nature and quantity of any preservatives and artificial colors, sodium levels, cholesterol content, sugar level, nutritional and dietary information, the presence of animal products or by-products, yeast content, genetically modified material content, kosher status, the presence of dairy goods, packaging or manufacturing date, freshness level (e.g., days left until food is no longer considered fresh), and so forth. For medicines, the product information may include any warnings or precautions concerning the use or consumption of the medicine, and so forth.
The vending machine 100 is configured with a smart tag scanner 16. In one embodiment, the scanner is an integral operating component of the machine and is built into the machine during the manufacture thereof. In another embodiment, the scanner may be retrofitted to existing dispensing machines. For example, the scanner 16 may be mounted to a side or top of the machine cabinet 102, as indicated by the dashed line scanner 16 in
RFID smart tag technology is known and understood by those skilled in the art, and a detailed explanation thereof is not necessary for purposes of describing the method and system according to the present invention. Generally, conductive or passive smart tags 14 consist of silicon or other semiconductors, a coiled, etched, or stamped antennae, a capacitor, and a substrate on which the components are mounted or embedded. A protective covering is typically used to encapsulate and seal the substrate. Inductive or passive smart tags have been introduced by Motorola under the name "BiStatix". A detailed description of the BiStatix device may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,367 B1, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Another commercial source of suitable smart tags is Alien Technology Corporation of Morgan Hill, Calif., under the technology name FSA (Fluidic Self-Assembly). With the FSA process, tiny semiconductor devices are assembled into rolls of flexible plastic. The resulting "smart" substrate can be attached or embedded in a variety of surfaces. The smart tag technology under development at the Auto-ID Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.) can also be used within the scope of the present invention. Further information on smart tags and related technology is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,154, "RFID Manufacturing Concepts," issued Sep. 17, 2002 to Grabau et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,493, "System and Method for Finding a Specific RFID Tagged Article Located in a Plurality of RFID Tagged Articles," issued Mar. 12, 2002 to Mon; PCT publication WO 02/48955, published Jun. 20, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,738, "Reader for Use in a Radio Frequency Identification System and Method," issued Mar. 26, 2002 to Vega; D. McFarlane, "Auto-ID Based Control," White Paper for the Auto-ID Centre Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Feb. 1, 2002, available at http://www.autoidcenter.org/research/CAM-AUTOID-WH-004.pdf; and Chien Yaw Wong, "Integration of Auto-ID Tagging System with Holonic Manufacturing Systems," White Paper for the Auto-ID Centre Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, September 2001, available at www.autoidcenter.org/research/CAM-WH-001.pdf.
Other RFID technologies believed to be of value for the present invention include those produced by Microchip Technologies (Chandler, Ariz.), which provides remote read-write chips at several frequencies. Also of potential value are the I*CODE chips and readers of Philips Semiconductor (Eindhoven, The Netherlands), which, in one embodiment, are said to include 384 bit configurable read/write memory with 64 bits for a unique serial number (e.g., an electronic product code). Sokymat (Lausanne, Switzerland) markets the PICCOLO read-only RFID disc tag which transmits data to a reader station by an AM radio signal. The tag is said to have 64 bits of data that can be programmed during manufacturer by laser fusing of polysilicon links in order to store a unique code on each tag.
Texas Instruments (Dallas, Tex.) offers RFID technology as part of Texas Instruments RFID (TI*RFID™) Systems, formerly known as the TIRIS� system (Texas Instruments Registration and Identification System), which is used to track and identify various assets using devices such as the TI Tag It™ chip.
Gemplus (Gemenos, France) provides smart tags (sometimes called "smart labels") and smart cards employing RFID technology, which may be used as smart tags. They also market interfaces, antennas, scanners and software that can be adapted for use with smart tags.
Nedap (Groenlo, The Netherlands) provides smart cards and a 13.56 MHz smart tag using RFID technology with 512 bits of read-write memory with a range of about 120 cm. It is claimed that about 20 such tags per second can be read successfully by a scanner.
Checkpoint Systems Inc. (Miami, Fla.) offers a smart tag with WORM technology (write once, read many). One example is the MCRF355 chip, described more fully at http://www.idsystems.com/reader/1999—05/join0599.htm.
PDA-like reader systems and other portable readers for RFID technology are marketed by Omron Company (Tokyo, Japan), such as the Model V700 or V720 series.
High frequency bands can be used in RFID technology, such as bands between 300 MHz and 10 GHz. SCS Corporation (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.), for example, markets smart tag technology at 2.45 GHz. Ultra-wide band technology can also be adapted for RFID systems.
A related technology within the scope of the present invention is Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology. For example, InfoRay (Cambridge, Mass.) markets a passive smart tag that is said to achieve long ranges (up to 30 meters) using a Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) device. On a chip coupled with an antenna. The SAW device converts a radio signal to an acoustic wave, modulates it with an ID code, then transforms it to another radio signal that is emitted by the smart tag and read by a scanner. The ID code of the smart tag is extracted from the radio signal. The scanner is said to compare the spectral content of the signal with a database of signatures and to derive the ID code. This method enables a read range of up to 30 m (typical 10-20 m). The system can operate in the 915 MHz band and 2.45 GHz band. RFSAW, Inc. (Dallas, Tex.) also provides minute Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) RFID devices that can be used within the scope of the present invention.
The antennae embedded within the smart tags 14 is generally one component of the device, though it is recognized that alternatives to antennas may exist in some applications. (For example, for some metallic objects, the smart tag need not comprise an antenna but the metallic object itself can serve as the antenna.) The excitation signal 18 from the scanner 16 must be received by the antennae to "activate" the smart tag. The received excitation signal 18 is the power source for the smart tag 14 and results in the generation of the electromagnetic pulse containing the coded product information signal 20. A detailed description of RFID smart tag antennas may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,556 B1, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
In an alternate embodiment, the smart tags 14 may be active devices. In this configuration, the smart tag 14 includes active transceiving circuitry that has the capability to selectively respond to coded request signals transmitted by a scanner 16. The active smart tag 14 may include the capability to delete its core data, and receive and store new or additional information beyond the information contained in its fixed code. An active smart tag 14 requires an internal power supply, such as a micro-battery, thin film battery, or the like. With the present invention, active smart tags may be desired in certain embodiments, for example where the dispensing machine contains individual smart tags for respective product storage locations and it is desired to vary the types or products dispensed. As a new type of product 12 is restocked, an associated active smart tag 14 may be reprogrammed with "new" product information for the new product.
A pre-selection mechanism 25 is configured with the dispensing machine 100 to enable a consumer to retrieve and view the product information of a product 12 within the machine prior to purchasing the product. The pre-selection mechanism is operatively tied to the scanner 16 such that upon selecting a product 12 for preview, the scanner 16 emits the trigger excitation signal 18 and receives and decodes the product information signal 20. The pre-selection mechanism 25 may be, for example, a touch activated device, such as the keypad 22 illustrated in the figure. The keypad 22 may contain a button for each storage location within the cabinet 102. For example, the buttons may be labeled "A1, A2, . . . " to correspond with the labeled storage locations within the cabinet 102. To preview a product 12 stored in location A1, a consumer pushes or activates the button A1, which in turn causes the scanner 16 to emit the excitation signal 18. In one embodiment, the signal may be a general signal that causes all of the smart tags 14 to respond. In this case, the scanner 16 is programmed to filter out or otherwise ignore the product information signals 20 from all but the selected product. For this purpose, each signal 20 may contain a prefix identification code that is recognized by the scanner 16. In another embodiment, the scanner emits an excitation signal 18 that is specific for only the smart tag 14 associated with the selected product. For example, the signal 18 may be modulated or coded for each different smart tag 14, and the smart tags 14 are "tuned" so as to only respond to that one particular excitation signal 18.
In an alternative embodiment, the pre-selection mechanism 25 is integrated with the machine's product selection device 27. In other words, a single device may serve for both pre-selection and final product selection. In this embodiment, The consumer may push or activate the appropriate button prior to some required act necessary for product purchase, such as insertion of money or a credit card into the machine, or a repeated number or sequence of button pushes.
The scanner 16 may be of conventional RFID hardware and software architecture. The scanner 16 receives the coded product information signal 20, and decodes the signal into usable commands and data. The scanner 16 includes a microprocessor and software programs for this purpose. The scanner 16 provides an output to the consumer that may be in various forms. For example, the scanner 16 may visually display the product information by way of a visual display screen 24. Alternatively, the scanner 16 may cause a voice message to be conveyed, or a printed message, and so forth.
In a more sophisticated embodiment, the dispensing machine 100 may be accessible to the Internet or a remote database by any conventional wired or wireless communication system. The product information signal 20 may include a link or code to the remote database for retrieval of additional product information. For example, the signal 20 may include a URL code to launch an Internet browser application. In this way, the scanner 16 may provide the consumer with Internet access to websites containing additional information about the selected product. In this embodiment, the scanner 16 may be an Internet accessible wireless device, such as a PDA (personal data assistant). The touch pad 22 or a separate keyboard may be provided with the scanner 16 for interactive communication via the Internet or remote database. The websites or databases may be maintained by, for example, the manufacturers, suppliers, or vendors of the food products.
It should be appreciated that the RFID smart tag/scanner system may be configured to accommodate consumers having visual impairment, language difficulties, illiteracy, etc. For example, the scanner 16 may contain a visual display 24 that conveys the food product information in different languages. The scanner 16 may emit voice messages in selected foreign languages. Various configurations of the scanner 16 in this regard are within the scope and spirit of the invention.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the system and method according to the invention have wide applications, and that the example and embodiments set forth herein are merely exemplary. It is intended that the present invention include such uses and embodiments as come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
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Whether they are red, yellow, purple, or black, homegrown raspberries are full of robust flavor. The hardy and thorny canes of raspberry plants are easy to grow and very productive. Various ripening times and colors make it possible to enjoy harvest from raspberry bushes from midsummer through fall. Red and yellow fruits grow one or two crops on stiff, arching canes. Black and purple fruits grow one crop on trailing canes that require trellising. Raspberries grow best where they receive long cold winters and a long, cool spring. Well-drained soil is also a must.
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Learn how to grow raspberries in containers.
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Pick in the morning when fruits and plants are dry and cool. Carry the berries in shallow trays because they are easily crushed. They are also highly perishable and need to be stored in a cool, dry place.
more varieties for Raspberry
'Bristol' black raspberry
bears large, firm, glossy black berries for weeks in summer. This cultivar is especially good for the South and West. Zones 4-8
'Canby' red raspberry
bears large, firm berries in midseason. The plants are semi-thornless and do best in well-drained soils in the west and northwest. Zones 5-8
'Fall Gold' raspberry
produces tawny-colored berries with a sweet flavor. It produces two crops; one in fall and one in early summer. It grows best in northern regions. Zones 4-8
'Heritage' red raspberry
bears medium-sized fruit in July and September. The stiff, upright canes need little support and it is known for its excellent ability to produce a fall crop. Zones 3-8
'Jewel' black raspberry
is a popular and very productive plant. The flavorful fruit is a lovely black-purple hue. Zones 3-8
'Meeker' red raspberry
produces bright-red, firm berries on notably strong, disease-resistant plants. This productive cultivar is a favorite in the Pacific Northwest. Zones 4-8
'Reveille' red raspberry
bears early season berries with excellent flavor. The vigorous plants produce vast quantities of fruit. Zones 4-8
'Royalty' purple raspberry
is a very vigorous plant with large, sweet fruit that is good for eating fresh, cooking, and preserving. The disease-resistant plants are easy to grow. Zones 4-7
'Titan' red raspberry
produces exceptionally large fruit. The plants demand well-drained, light soils. Zones 5-8
'Willamette' red raspberries
bears large, round, firm berries that ripen midseason. They are exceptional for canning and freezing. This vigorous plant is a popular commercial variety and good for the West. Zones 5-8
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Reunion.com > Eva Stamps - Carrie Stastyshyn > Karin Stanton - Lynne Stanton > Lauren Stanton
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BlogAbout My Personal Life I'm working in Grand Rapids as the morning and noon news anchor at WZZM 13, the ABC station. I got married in Oct. of 1999 to Bob Stanberry. We met when I was working at Channel 6 in Lansing. He's a police officer and I had to interview him for a story. We love Grand Rapids and just bought a house in Ada.
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Disney International College Program: May 2011 working in Attractions (Voyage of the Little Mermaid & Disney Junior: Live on Stage!)
i wanted to do something like that Josh but didn't know how lol ;)
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what the one Ross had laminated? - no, no its not
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Latest news from the International Union for Conservation of Nature
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The Observer Ethical Awards has honored Carole Saint Laurent, IUCN Senior Forest Policy Advisor, as one of the 20 global figures who will exert influence in 2011. …
24 Jan 2011 | Article
The forests that provide most of Beijing's water are being given a new lease of life by the partial lifting of a logging quota for the first time in 20 years. …
24 Jan 2011 | Article
More resources should be dedicated to protecting our invaluable forest wealth and to restoring degraded forest landscapes, according to IUCN. … | French | Spanish
24 Jan 2011 | News story
Heavy rains and floods have caused large mudslides in south-eastern Brazil. The floods have not only caused damage to human life, which totals around 500 deaths so far, but also thousands have been made homeless and key infrastructure has been destroyed. … | Spanish
14 Jan 2011 | News story
A rescue plan for the five Democratic Republic of Congo sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger will be the focus of today's high-level meeting organized by the Congolese authorities and UNESCO. … | French
14 Jan 2011 | News story
Development of water resources in the Eastern Himalaya region is expanding at a rapid rate and there is a serious lack of information to guide conservation and development planning. This is putting freshwater ecosystems and the species within them at risk, along with the livelihoods and economies of local communities which they support. …
13 Jan 2011 | International news release
As the people of Haiti mark a painful anniversary this week and slowly rebuild their earthquake-torn country, scientists from Conservation International (CI) and the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) report news they hope might become a source of pride and hope for the country's environmental future: the surprising re-discovery of six species of globally unique frogs in the country's severely degraded tropical forests, which had been lost to science for nearly two decades. …
12 Jan 2011 | International news release
The oil and gas company Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (Sakhalin Energy) announced on December 4th its intention to begin planning for construction of a third offshore oil and gas platform in the Piltun-Astokh field along the coast of Sakhalin Island, eastern Russia. As this platform would be located near the primary feeding ground of the endangered western gray whale population, Sakhalin Energy requested the advice of an independent panel of scientists, convened by IUCN, to minimize risks to the whale population. …
07 Jan 2011 | News story
The world's forests are essential to life in all its diversity and to attaining humanity's biggest goals such as reducing poverty, curbing climate change and achieving sustainable development. Throughout 2011 IUCN will work towards making sure that forests deliver their maximum potential for human well-being and biodiversity conservation. … | Spanish
03 Jan 2011 | News story
IUCN welcomes the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly yesterday to establish a new international body designed to boost the global response to the loss of the world's biodiversity and ecosystems. …
22 Dec 2010 | News story
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Account for nature to better share waterBy Isabelle Fauconnier, Water Policy and Sustainability Adviser, IUCN Global Water Programme. As I ...
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Do brown bears still exist in Syria? A fuzzy photo generates much interestBy Dave Garshelis, Co-Chair of the Bear Specialist Group of IUCN's Species Survival Commission. In ...
29 Apr 2015
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Japan PM Abe sings national anthem as a step to "take back Japan"
Published on Jan 7, 2013 3:05 PM
TOKYO (REUTERS) - Hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling party kicked off their first full working day of 2013 by singing the national anthem, seen by critics as a symbol of past imperialism and militarism.
The return of the 58-year-old to the premiership following his conservative Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) landslide win in an election last month has raised concerns at home and abroad about a shift to the right in Japanese politics.
"We have returned the government to a party that can stoutly sing 'Kimigayo' at the start of business and truly been able to take a first step to 'take back Japan'," the Sankei newspaper quoted Mr Abe as saying after he and other LDP members sang the anthem at a meeting.
"Take back Japan" was one of the LDP's slogans in the campaign for the Dec 16 election that returned the long-dominant party to power just three years after a huge defeat at the hands of the novice Democratic Party of Japan.
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DMW Marine Group, LLC. has completed a number of projects for the U.S. Navy and foreign Navies in recent years, claiming a place as a go-to supplier for Navy departments globally.
Shipping freight rates on the world's busiest route, from Asia to Northern Europe, fell by the largest percentage amount since 2008, reflecting wild volatility
Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has received an order from DP World Australia to deliver two new Kalmar automatic stacking cranes (ASCs) for its semi-automated terminal in Brisbane.
Crowley Maritime Corporation's petroleum services division has once again been honored by Marathon Petroleum Company (MPC) with its annual Elite Vessel Award, which
Myanmar's navy found a boat carrying more than 200 Bangladeshis, the government said on Friday, after the military chief said some migrants landing in Malaysia
The Royal Australian Navy's helicopter frigate HMAS Anzac has arrived in Portsmouth, England, as part of her NORTHERN TRIDENT 2015 deployment.
Anzac departed Sydney in March 2015,


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I'm 4 months pregnant. Thanks in advance for your answer.
Anonymous Patient
The inactivated (injectable) flu vaccine is definitely recommended by all the public health (CDC) and professional organizations of physicians for all pregnant women. In recent years, the H1N1 flu strain has hit pregnant women worse than most other groups (severe cases and deaths). The vaccines produced without preservatives may be safer for you. With all medical interventions, you should, of course, check in with your own obstetrician, but I do not see any reason for waiting any longer.


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Re: SUNDAY PREMIUM SERVICE PLAYS
At 4:15 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Raiders plus the points over the NY Jets. Last week, New York was our "Roadkill Game of the Month", as Cincinnati fell into a nasty 0-13 ATS angle, and the Flyboys rewarded us with a 26-14 win and cover. But now Eric Mangini's squad is the one that falls into a winless situation. Two games back, New York put up 56 points in a blowout win over Arizona, but NFL teams which score more than 50 points, and then follow up that game with an win, are a dismal 0-11 ATS since 1980 in competitively priced games with pointspreads less than 5 points. Look for Oakland to bounce back from its blowout loss to the Saints. Take the home dog Raiders.
At 1 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Ravens plus the points over Miami, as Baltimore falls into several bounce back systems of mine that are 78-33, 55-15, and 77-26 ATS. Last week, of course, the Ravens laid an egg in Indianapolis, and lost 31-3, but Baltimore matches up much better against a run-oriented Miami team than it did against Peyton Manning and the Colts. The Ravens rank first in rush defense and give up just 66.4 rushing yards per game. Finally, Miami is a dismal 0-15 ATS since 2003 at home when NOT an underdog of +3 or more points, and not off a 3 point or greater win. With Miami off a 29-28 loss to Houston, and now favored over the Ravens, the Dolphins fall squarely into its 0-15 ATS team trend. Look for Baltimore to pull the upset in south Florida on Sunday. Take the points.
At 1 pm, our member selection is on the New Orleans Saints plus the points over Carolina. Last week, Carolina went on the road, and took on NFC South division rival Tampa Bay. The Panthers were blown out in that game by 24 points, and could suffer a hangover vs. New Orleans on Sunday. Since 1980, NFL home favorites off a 20-point or worse road loss to a division rival are a terrible 43-67 ATS. The road team has won 12 of 15 straight up in this series, and has covered the last 13 in a row, so lets take the points here with the Saints.
Re: SUNDAY PREMIUM SERVICE PLAYS
David Chan
13-3 NFL Run
Play on the Minnesota Vikings to win one unit.
I haven't been impressed at all by the Chicago Bears this season. Last week I faded them in Atlanta, a close game, but an easy ATS cover for the Falcons. After that devastating loss I don't see them coming back strong against a surging Vikings team.
Everyone is going to be down on the Vikes after that closer than expected win over the Lions last Sunday. Not me. I think it's a positive sign that Minnesota is finding ways to win the close ones. That's back-to-back victories by three points or less. The win also gives them three 'w's in their last four games, putting them right back in the thick of the NFC North race.
The Bears have had mixed results at Soldier Field this season, losing to the Bucs before defeating the Eagles in a Sunday night game.
There's been a lot of talk about the improved Bears defense, but I'm not completely sold. Few teams have tried to really force the issue on the ground, something the Vikings will likely do this Sunday. Although Chicago is giving up only 74 rushing yards per game, they've been hit for 3.5 yards per carry. In two games against them last season, Adrian Peterson ran for over 300 yards and five touchdowns. That's a good season for a lot of backs.
I'm a lot more comfortable backing the Vikings as an underdog as they're quite simply a team built for that role. Adrian Peterson has been relatively quiet, but I look for him to bust out on Sunday, while the Vikes defense does the rest against a shaky Kyle Orton.
Play on the NY Jets to win one unit.
This certainly looks like the proto-typical 'trap game' on paper. The good news is, the game isn't played on paper.
I don't see the Jets over-looking the Raiders, that's just not the type of mindset that Eric Mangini has instilled in his team. At 3-2 there's no time for letting up, in fact, this game and next week's game against Kansas City give the Jets a perfect opportunity to gain some ground before traveling to Buffalo in three weeks.
It seems like I say this every week, but Brett Favre is becoming more and more comfortable in this Jets offense. He's not trying to do too much, instead he's letting his playmakers at wide receiver do their thing. Thomas Jones has been excellent in the red zone this season, and that has taken a lot of the pressure off of Favre and the passing game in spots where he has been prone to INTs over the course of his career.
The Raiders are an absolute mess, and that's nothing new. They're not getting nearly enough from JaMarcus Russell, especially when you consider they're playing from behind just about every week. Last week's loss in New Orleans showcased just how bad this offense is, as they gained only 85 yards on the ground and 141 through the air. I expect Russell to get himself into plenty of trouble against a ball-hawking Jets secondary.
These two teams have met twice since the 2005 season, with the Jets winning both of those games by a combined 36 points. Their narrowest margin of victory this season has been six points, and their last two wins have come by a combined 33 points.
Play on the Pittsburgh Steelers to win 1.5 units.
I went against the Bengals last Sunday, and while it took the better part of four quarters to get the cover, the result was never really in doubt.
Cincinnati continues to get beaten down more and more both mentally and physically with each passing week. They're back home after playing three of their last four on the road, but how much of a home-field advantage can you possibly have when you're 0-6? Even the Bengals own fans are growing weary of this team.
Carson Palmer will miss his second straight game, leaving the quarterback duties to Ryan Fitzpatrick. The journeyman QB hasn't been completely awful, but he hasn't been good either. He has found the end zone once while throwing three picks so far this season, and brings an ugly 57.7 quarterback rating to the table.
Cue the Steelers blitz packages.
I don't see how the Bengals can gain much ground against this tough Steelers defense. The bye week has allowed them to get a little healthier, and there's even a chance that Casey Hampton could make his return this Sunday. Not as if they need any help. They're giving up only 164 passing yards and 67 rushing yards per game.
Pittsburgh will get a major boost on offense with the return of Willie Parker. Again, not as if they needed it. Ben Roethlisberger has been among the most efficient quarterbacks in the league again this season, completing over 63% of his pass attempts and throwing seven touchdowns and three interceptions. The Bengals haven't been all that bad against the pass, but that's only because teams have chosen to run through their swiss cheese run defense.
The Steelers took both meetings by double-digits last season. This has been an intense rivalry over the last several years, but Pittsburgh certainly has the leg up in '08. Best of luck, DC.
Re: SUNDAY PREMIUM SERVICE PLAYS
Tommy Rider
WAS -7 vs CLE
Last week the Browns caught the Giants in a perfect spot. I had Cleveland on Monday night but you could see how flat the Giants were. Same thing happened to the Redskins last week against the Rams. After beating the Cowboys and Eagles on the road, Washington was flat. So we have one team that isn't nearly as good as it looked last week and another that is much better than they looked. In my opinion, the Redskins play the most physical brand of football in the NFC. I think the Skins defense gets after Derek Anderson and I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Brady Quinn in this game. My guy in Washington tells me the team was much more focused this week and are looking to bounce back at home after laying an egg against the Rams. I agree. Skins win big.**2 UNIT PLAY**
GBP / IND Over 47
Not a huge write-up needed for this one. The Colts can't stop the run. The Packers can't stop the run. The Colts have a hot quarterback. The Packers have a hot quarterback. I see these two teams going up and down the field today. At worst I think you are looking at a 28-24 games, which puts it over. My numbers have this game coming in at 58, so I see an easy win here on the over. **2 UNIT PLAY**
IND (-125) vs GBP
I took the over here too but the more I look at this game, the more I like the Colts in this matchup. I'm not a big fan of this Packers team and if you look at last week, they beat up on a Seattle squad that had a high school quarterback under center. I really like what I saw out of Indy last week. Remember, a lot of their top players missed the preseason and I think they are just starting to get in sync. The Packers are one of my fade teams over the second half of the season. Also, with losses already to Dallas and Atlanta at home, the Packers Lambeau magic is gone. The Packers will score but the Colts will score more. I'm going with the Indy ML but don't be afraid to lay the short number here, as the Colts will pull away in the second half. **2 UNIT PLAY**
TEN -9 vs KAN
This Chiefs team is a mess right now. I just talked to a friend who was in KC this week and he told me he doesn't remember seeing a team this dysfunctional and uninterested in playing football. If the Titans show up to play this game - something they almost always do - they will win this game by four touchdowns. I don't like laying this kind of wood to the Chiefs at home but this is a KC team that you can't follow historical trends with. They are just terrible. The Titans defense eats them up today. **2 UNIT PLAY**
Re: SUNDAY PREMIUM SERVICE PLAYS
Stephen Nover
Double-Dime Bet
TEN -7.5 vs KAN
Analysis: When we last witnessed the Chiefs they were being held to 127 yards in a 34-0 loss to Carolina, of which 50 of those yards came during a meaningless fourth quarter. It was the Chiefs' lowest yardage total in 22 years.The Chiefs are horrible on offense. Quarterback Brodie Croyle is winless in seven career NFL starts. The Titans are holding foes to an NFL-low 11.2 points per game. They've held each of their last 10 opponents to less than 20 points during regulation, while averaging 23 points themselves during this span.Kerry Collins is playing well for Tennessee. He's only been sacked once despite his lack of mobility. The Titans have good morale and a huge coaching edge with both teams coming off a bye.Morale is terrible on Kansas City. The veterans feel betrayed by Herm Edwards already looking to next year. The fans are down on the Chiefs, too. Arrowhead Stadium has lost its luster. The Chiefs are 2-7-1 against the spread during their past 10 home contests.Tennessee, on the other hand, is 13-5 against the spread in its past 18 contests.The time to play this game is now as the line is just going to keep climbing.
Chargers-Bills Over 44
Double-Dime Bet
Forget LaDainian Tomlinson and his toe injury. The Chargers aren't primarily a running club anymore. They've become a darn good passing club. Philip Rivers has emerged as a force throwing for at least three touchdown passes in four of six games this season. He has at least one touchdown throw in 13 consecutive games.Rivers should have another big day with a healthy corps of wideouts operating against a beat-up Buffalo secondary that could be without two cornerbacks. The Bills also could be without their best pass rusher, Aaron Schobel. He hasn't practiced all week because of a foot injury.The Bills' passing attack has picked up enough where Buffalo should be able to put up its share of points against a weak San Diego secondary that no longer is protected by a strong pass rush. Trent Edwards has been steady and Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch are playmakers.Both teams are very live for special teams touchdowns, too, because of excellent kick and punt returners.
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More than 2,000 Princeton University students will graduate at Commencement on Tuesday, June 2. In this video, the graduates thank family, friends, academic advisers and staff members who aided them in getting to Princeton and helped them succeed once they arrived. Read more.
Princeton graduate student Warren Rieutort-Louis' twin passions are engineering and music, and over the last few years he has been able to delve fully into both of his interests. Read more.
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India's top mobile phone firm, Bharti Airtel, on Tuesday reported a nearly 61 % jump in quarterly profit from a year earlier, helped by easing competition and a wider customer base.
Bharti, the fourth-largest cellular firm globally by subscribers, said in a statement consolidated net profit for the financial quarter to June climbed to 11.08 billion rupees ($184 million), compared with 6.89 billion rupees a year earlier.
Revenue jumped 13.3 % to 229.6 billion rupees.
The profit increase marked a third straight quarter of earnings growth after Bharti clocked nearly four consecutive years of decline.
But the company's African operations, purchased as part of Bharti's bold move four years ago to increase its global footprint, racked up more losses.
Net loss for the telecom giant's African business was $137 million from April to June, compared to $52 million in the corresponding period last year.
The figures come a day after the company announced that it now had 300 million customers, an increase of 100 million in less than two years.
The company, controlled by billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal and one-third owned by Singapore Telecommunications, operates in 20 countries.
Managing director Gopal Vittal said that the pace of growth "across all segments has been satisfying" but highlighted a 68.2 % growth in revenues from mobile data, according to the Press Trust of India.
Fierce tariff competition had pushed Indian call rates down to among the world's lowest. But a 2012 court ruling scrapping licences of some smaller firms over a scandal-tainted spectrum sale, reduced congestion and gave firms scope to raise call prices.
The number of telecoms players has fallen with just three firms -- Bharti, Vodafone and Idea Cellular -- accounting for nearly three-quarters of revenues and both Bharti and Vodafone bought more wireless spectrum in February to expand service.
The biggest danger for Indian telecom players now, analysts say, is the looming entry of a new deep-pocketed rival, Reliance Jio Infocomm belonging to conglomerate Reliance Industries, controlled by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani.


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Noble Drilling announced today that the Noble Discoverer, which has spent the last several months in Seward, would be dry towed to a shipyard in Korea for unspecified repairs. A timetable has not yet been announced.
For those, like myself, who don't know the differance between a wet tow and and dry tow, here is a what a dry tow operation looks like.


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Sure, there have been erudite books about our odd yet remarkable relationships with animals. But John Grogan's best seller, "Marley & Me," published in 2005, was a quasar of pleasure.
"Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog" was the rest of the title of the former newspaper columnist's not-so-shaggy memoir about a yellow Labrador and the family he helps build. That is, when he isn't chewing furniture, pulling up linoleum or baying at thunder.
The book has a rightful place alongside John Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley: In Search of America," about his road trip with his beloved standard poodle.
Just as Steinbeck's observant volume captured a relationship with a dog, but also to a vast nation, Grogan's presents a nuanced story that teaches us about a dog, but also about love and marriage, career and family.
Small wonder fans' hackles were raised in anticipation of the big-screen version.
Settle, friends. "Marley & Me" turns out to be the best — and truest — film about humans and our animals to arrive onscreen in a dog's age.
Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are young marrieds John and Jen Grogan, early-career journalists who've relocated to West Palm Beach, Fla., from Michigan.
John is encouraged by friend and fellow journalist Sebastian (Eric Dane of "Grey's Anatomy") to get a dog to assuage Jen's baby yearning. How hard can it be?
How hard, indeed. The 22 adult dogs and puppies that inhabit the lead character are very good at being very bad.
Marley's life provides a perfect frame for telling a couple's evolution over the course of 14 years.
Aniston and Wilson have frisky chemistry as the Grogans. They canoodle, bicker, make up. They hunger for each other, get frustrated — with Marley, with each other — and stick together as kids start to expand their family.
It's been too long since we've seen Wilson used to maximum effect. He doesn't push the laugh lines and wry asides, of which there are plenty. He relaxes into them. He lets them find us. Yet he's never slacking. This is authentic stuff.
"Marley & Me" doesn't merely hit grace notes about a dog who's so clearly, hilariously, infuriatingly untrained. It reveals with bemusement and tenderness the challenges that young couples face.
When Jen and John edge toward starting a family, the movie nails their anxieties, hopes and fears. There is a scene of sorrow so unexpected in what is basically a romantic comedy that it takes "Marley & Me" from very good to classic.
In "Marley," we learn other things that might resonate. For instance: why a hip couple would decide to move to Boca; why a successful writer might choose to become a stay-at-home mom; and why, too, she might still get angry about her choice from time to time. Aniston captures Jen's moods and smarts with ease.
The best lifestyle columnists find their greatest material in the common detail. Director David Frankel translates that eye for the lived to the screen.
The screenwriters come with fine pedigree too. Scott Frank wrote "Out of Sight" and "Get Shorty." Don Roos wrote and directed two lovely indie comedies ("The Opposite of Sex" and "Happy Endings") that captured the bittersweet details of connection.
The son of Max Frankel, former executive editor of The New York Times, the director also has a nice understanding of print journalists' lives.
John's worries about his career ring true. Alan Arkin is gruff fun as the newspaper editor who gives the aspiring reporter a column, where he began writing about Marley.
Our thanks to him are sincere.
"Marley & Me"
PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language. 1 hour, 55 minutes. Directed by David Frankel; written by Scott Frank and Don Roos; from the book by John Grogan; photography by Florian Ballhaus; starring Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Eric Dane, Alan Arkin. Opens today at area theaters.


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AAA Expecting Record Number Of Holiday Travelers
Heading out for the holidays. A record number of Americans and millions of Marylanders are expected to hit the roads for what could be the busiest holiday travel season ever.
Protests Impact Annual Washington Monument Lighting
The protests in Baltimore led right to Mount Vernon, where protestors overwhelmed the Washington Monument lighting.
2 Tickets for a New Year's Eve Cruise from Spirit Cruises of Baltimore
Cruise, dine, dance, cheers to the New Year! Spirit of Baltimore's New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise Celebration will give you front row seats for the dazzling fireworks display over Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
2 Tickets to the National Aquarium
Your adventure begins in Blacktip Reef, where sharks, rays, a 500+ pound green sea turtle and hundreds of tropical fish bring an Indo-Pacific reef to life.
Berger Cookie Gift Pack
Two packs of cookies, two snack packs, a tee shirt and a hat.
4 VIP Harlem Globetrotters Tickets
A Family Four Pack of Tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters.
Marylanders Raise More Than $8 Million On #GivingTuesday
Marylanders were in the giving spirit on Tuesday.
Comptroller Kicks Off Shop Local Tour
Comptroller Peter Franchot is urging Maryland residents to shop locally over the holiday season.
25 Baltimore Area Holiday Events This December
Here are 25 festive and fun happenings in and around Baltimore to help you make the most of the holiday season.
Long Trip Home For Millions Of Thanksgiving Travelers
Returning home. Millions of holiday travelers end their Thanksgiving driving, riding and flying home.
Holiday Gift Giving: Secret Santa Vs White Elephant
Use this handy guide to plan your gift exchange this year.
Black Friday Begins Earlier Than Ever In Md.
Hunting for the best deals. Shoppers across Maryland hit the stores to get a start on their holiday shopping.


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Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Center - Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria Endocrinologist Doctors for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Type of Physician: Endocrinologist
What is a Endocrinologist?
A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners treat disorders of the internal (endocrine) glands such as the thyroid and adrenal glands. Endocrinology also deals with disorders such as diabetes, metabolic and nutritional disorders, pituitary diseases, and menstrual and sexual problems.
Specialty: Endocrinology
Common Name:
Endocrinologist Doctors in Santa Maria *
Michael K Lai MD
Borgardt MD Inc
Pacific Coast Physicians
J Dustin Bernard DO Medical Cor
Roger B Steele MD Inc
Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic
Sansum Clinic Multi-Specialty
Sansum Clinic Multi-Specialty
Sansum Clinic Multi-Specialty
Sansum Clinic Multi-Specialty
Sansum Clinic Multi-Specialty
Sansum Clinic Multi-Specialty
John J La Puma MD
Chochinov Endocrinology
Chochinov Endocrinology
Martha Gonzalez MD
Chochinov Endocrinology
Chochinov Endocrinology
Santa Maria, California
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Introduction to Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism (having too low levels of thyroid hormones) in the United States. The condition was named after Dr. Hakaru Hashimoto, the doc...
Other Related Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Articles
Emergency Contact for Santa Maria
Nearby Santa Maria Hospitals *
Marian Regional Medical Center
Arroyo Grande Community Hosp
Lompoc Valley Medical Center
California Men's Colony
French Hospital Medical Center
Sierra Vista Regional Med Ctr
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hosp
*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.