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North America
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Farr 280 Tuning Guide
Farr 30
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Melges 32
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All Downwind Sails
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V-Series Asymmetric Spinnakers
V-Series Symmetric Spinnakers
G-Series Gennakers
Code Zero (A0) Asymmetric Spinnakers
Gennaker Handling Video
Color Me Fast!
Class Sail Development
Alerion 28 & 20
Beneteau 36.7
Beneteau 36.7 Sails
Beneteau 36.7 Tuning Guide
Beneteau 36.7 Class Rules
C&C 30 Sails
C&C 30 Tuning Guide
Farr 280
Farr 280 Sails
Farr 280 Tuning Guide
Farr 30
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Farr 30 Tuning Guide
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Farr 40
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Farr 40 Tuning Guide
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Flying Tiger
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J/30 Tuning Guide
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J/88 Tuning Guide
J/105 Sails
J/105 Tuning Guide
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J/109 Sails
J/109 Tuning Guide
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J/111 Sails
J/111 Tuning Guide
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M-32 Sails
Melges 32
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MC 38 Sails
MC 38 Tuning Guide
Soto 40
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Swan 45
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Proper sail maintenance is easy and takes little time, but it can make a big difference in the life and performance of your sails. Whether you have new racing built from aramid or Dacron cruising sails that are several years old, a little care can maximize the value of your investment.
Avoid flogging
The best way to maintain the strength and shape of your sails is to minimize the amount of time they are flapping in the breeze. Flogging and leech flutter degrade cloth properties quite quickly, so every effort should be made to avoid these actions. This is especially true with aramid sails, which could lose all their strength in a few hours.
There are a few specific ways to increase the life of your sails. Don't motor into the wind at full throttle when hoisting your main. If you are powering with the main up, keep it trimmed so it doesn't flap. In heavy wind, reduce sail enough so you don't have to flog the main. Always keep your main and genoa leech lines tight enough to stop the leeches from fluttering.
Don't exceed the recommended wind range
One of the quickest ways to destroy a sail is to use it in more wind than it was built for. The best way to avoid this is to stay strictly within the maximum wind speed recommended by your North sailmaker for each sail. Usually this limit is stamped on the clew of each racing headsail. If it isn't, find out what the maximum is from your sailmaker and write it on the clew so the crew knows each sail's range.
Reduce chafe
Chafe is another enemy of sails. The more a sail rubs against any part of the boat or spars, the sooner it is likely to show failure. There are a couple of good ways to extend the life of sails: First, avoid chafe whenever possible, i.e. don't let the running backstays rub against the leeward side of the mainsail; don't drag sails over non-skid decks, around shrouds, or along the dock.
Second, when you can't avoid chafe, at least minimize it. Use tape or leather to cover spreader tips, stanchion tops—any part of your rig that constantly rubs on sails. This is especially important when using light sails such as spinnakers or light genoas. Check your boat for untaped cotter pins, sharp corners on fittings, unprotected burrs, screw heads, halyard hooks, etc. and tape them. Remember to check the front of the mast carefully, since your genoas drag across it every time you tack.
Protect from the sun
Direct sunlight is one of the worst enemies of sails since it will eventually cause breakdown of the cloth. Therefore, your goal should be to keep your sails out of the sun whenever you are not using them. A roller furling headsail, for example, should definitely have UV material on its leech and foot for protection when it's rolled up. If you flake your main on the boom, always put a cover on it.
Store sails dry and folded
When not in use, your sails should be stored dry, free of salt, and folded in their sailbags. Don't fold them on the same creases every time, as you will have eight or ten permanent creases instead of many light ones that gradually shake out by the time you reach the starting line. Most one-design sails will last longer if they are rolled in their sausage bags. Store a spinnaker dry and loosely stuffed in its turtle or folded in its envelope bag. Don't store spinnakers wet for any length of time, as darker colors will bleed into lighter ones, and dampness promotes the growth of mildew.
North's state-of-the-art fabrics give sails a better shape and longer racing life than ever before. We test every lot of material used in North sails to get the best value for your money. However, today's fabrics also require a bit more care to keep them performing to their potential as long as possible.
Sails made of Mylar film laminated to a polyester substrate provide good strength for their weight, but they are also relatively fragile, so it's wise to:
Never exceed your sail's recommended wind range
Never use a genoa that doesn't have spreader patches
Don't flog the sail unnecessarily
Don't overstretch the luff of a Mylar sail. Mylar sails need only a bit of luff tension to position the draft correctly. Therefore, tension the halyard and Cunningham only enough to remove horizontal wrinkles from the luff. Mark the genoa halyard so you don't over-tension it when coming into the leeward mark.
There are other precautions you should take with Mylar sails. Don't let any solvents (such as diesel fuel or cleaning agents) get on them, because these will dissolve the glue and cause separation. Mylar film is sensitive to heat, so be sure not to let your sail touch any part of the engine or even rest against an interior.
Aramid is exceptionally strong for its weight, which means it won't stretch nearly as much as Dacron or Mylar. That's why you'll find aramid in many racing sail leeches, where loads are the greatest. However, aramid can also break down quickly if not treated properly. The key with a aramid sail is to avoid flogging and leech flutter.
Polyester (Dacron)
This material is the most widely used for both racing and cruising sails. It offers very good durability, but all of the precautions mentioned here should still be taken to maximise the life of your sails.
Nearly all spinnakers and Gennakers are made out of nylon. This material is popular because it is lightweight and strong. However, since nylon is light it can tear quite easily, so be careful when handling it. If you get a small tear, you can tape over it temporarily, but get the sail repaired by your sailmaker as soon as possible.
No matter what your sails are made of, there are a few guidelines you should follow to prolong the life of each particular sail.
Headsail Care
The most common sail damage is caused by using headsails, particularly light No. 1s, in too much wind. If a puff comes through unexpectedly, ease the sheet to keep the sail from loading up too much. If the increase in wind is sustained, change to a heavier sail. Another common cause of damage is tearing or splitting caused by backing the sail against the spreader. The first thing you should do is have spreader patches installed in the proper locations. Also make sure the spreader ends (and the forward stanchion tops) are well-protected with leather and/or tape. Even with these precautions, however, the sail may fail if it's backed hard on the spreaders.
Here are some good ways to prevent failure:
Make sure your jib tailer casts off the jib sheet early enough on the tacks and doesn't overtrim coming out of the tack
Don't use wheels, rollers or pads that extend the spreader tip beyond the shroud (less protrusion means less damage)
Inspect seam stitching in spreader areas periodically
Keep the leechline tucked away in its pocket— not flying free
If you have a grooved headstay, be sure to use the pre-feeder so you won't rip the luff tape
Don't trim on the sheet until the halyard is all the way to the top
Mainsail Care
Mainsails take a lot of abuse because they are used in all conditions. Therefore, it's especially important to treat them carefully in order to maximise their useful life. As mentioned, the most important consideration especially with a aramid main, is to avoid flogging. Always trim the sheet hard enough to settle the sail and prevent hard flogging of the leech.
Some other ideas:
Keep the leechline tight enough to stop flutter
Don't pull too hard on the Cunningham of a laminated sail
Make sure the battens are inserted properly
Use colored sailties when reefing so you won't miss them when unreefing
Make sure the reefing line is led so you don't pull too hard on the foot
Spreader patches will help the main last longer when it is eased against the rig for running
Spinnaker Care
Nylon is relatively stretchy, so it's able to absorb large loads without breaking. However, spinnaker material is quite light and can easily fail from use in too much wind. Explosive refilling after a collapse is definitely a problem. Another common cause of failure in spinnakers is tearing on sharp objects. This often happens on sets or takedowns, so be sure that these areas are catch-free. You should also be sure that your genoa halyards are free of "meathooks" and that the pulpit doesn't have any snags.
One Design Sail Care
Like all other sails, avoid flogging. Sometimes, such as starting, this is unavoidable, but in between races you should definitely drop your sails instead of letting them flap. It's a good idea to break new sails in for a few hours before using them in racing conditions. Yarn-tempered sails should be rolled when not in use. If your sail has a window, avoid storing it in high-temperature areas like car boots/trunks. A good way to keep sails salt-free is to put them up on a CALM day, hose them off and let them dry in place.
At the end of the season, if you bring your sails to your North Sails Service Centre, we can check them over and do any necessary repairs. Though all sails age with time, properly cared for sails will give you much more value for your money than those left flogging in the breeze.
Ensure that the sails are aired regularly, especially after rain. This may mean unrolling the headsail at the mooring for an hour, on a calm, dry day.
Exposure to sunlight is helpful but too much causes other problems.
Do not put away damp or salty (the salt attracts and retains moisture), and store in a dry location.
If the boat is to be left for more than a week or two, take the sail off the rig and store it dry, or arrange for somebody to air it regularly and especially after rain.
If mildew occurs...
Treat mildew at the earliest possible moment. If you do not, it can spread quickly. There is an excellent chance of getting mildew stains off when they are new, relatively small, and close to the surface. There is little chance once they have spread and set into the fibres.
Isolate mildew-infected sails, anchor lines, covers, and so forth, from clean sails. The quickest and surest way to spread mildew is to rub an existing growth against a receptive surface.
The single most popular mildew killer and remover is simple household bleach. This is also known as sodium hypochlorite, sold in the U.S. in 5.25% solution with water. This is potentially nasty stuff and manufacturers recommend diluting it quite a bit further before using. Tilex
and other "mildew removers" are mainly sodium hypochlorite in solutions of about 3%, which is still a pretty healthy dosage.
CAUTION: DO NOT use BLEACH (Sodium Hypochlorite) ON ARAMID or NYLON, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!
This is one of the few known, proven solvents for these fibres. We have seen people poke their fingers easily through spinnakers rinsed in chlorine-treated (same as bleach) swimming pools. Of course, this means you should not clean aramid and nylon with Tilex
or other commercial mildew cleaners that contain sodium hypochlorite.
. The result is phosgene gas which killed and disabled thousands in the First World War. This little home science experiment continues to kill and cripple people to this day.
For particularly stubborn, deep set stains, surface cleaning will not work. It is necessary to immerse the stain in a fungicide for 12 hours or more, to allow it to get in to where the stain is. It is not necessary to use a particularly high concentration, only to get the fungicide where the stain is. No amount of vigorous surface scrubbing will do what a good soak will do.
After washing with bleach, always rinse thoroughly with plenty of fresh water. Bleach that is not removed can cause long-term structural damage that is more harmful than the cosmetic damage caused by the mildew.
If the mildew stain does not come out after one good wash with the proper equipment and chemicals, give up. Experience shows that further washings/scourings/ treatments remove very little additional stain and cause a lot of other damage.
and related water repellents do not have any properties that either kill or prevent the recurrence of mildew. They may be marginally effective at repelling some of the moisture and nutrients on which mildew feeds, and might make cleaning easier by holding the stains away from the fibres. However, there is not much evidence either way on this.
, a commonly available household disinfectant, is the most powerful and effective fungicide and inhibitor you can use to prevent recurrence and spread of mildew. Various health and environmental agencies prohibit the use of stronger fungicides since the same thing that kills fungus has similar effects on higher life forms, as most of us would like to picture ourselves.
Anything you use on a sail to kill or remove mildew and stains, will wash or wear away in a relatively short time. This is directly analogous to anti-fouling bottom paints. North NorLam™ fabrics are treated with the most powerful commercial fungicide we can use without jeopardizing the health of employees and customers. It is 100% effective in preventing mildew in laboratory conditions, and demonstrably less effective in the real world.
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Item: Lodge 10" Chicken Skillet Fryer with Iron Cover
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Hi all, I just made a super-easy and tasty green smoothie that I thought I'd share with you - blend the following: 3 bananas, 1/2 of a papaya, 2 handfuls of leafy greens (I've got a mix of spinach, kale, and swiss chard). Blend these ingredients with 2-3 cups of water (depending on how thick you want the smoothie to be). This yields a big batch of green smoothie - I was able to nearly fill two large mason jars. My day hadn't started out great; I slept in and so I was already running behind on all my Saturday errand-running. But when I made this batch of green smoothie, it felt like I had done something good for myself. And not only am I getting vitamins and minerals in this tasty drink, but I'm also getting hydrated. Win-win! Happy Saturday everyone, and for any other Canadian Kickstarters, happy Thanksgiving weekend!
This smoothie sounds great. Thanks ! Speaking of smoothies I have read different opinions about drinking your greens. Would love some input from Susan as to what she thinks. Some people say it spikes blood sugar and should only be considered an occasional treat and others drink them daily as a great healthy addition to a plant based diet. I love the idea of getting your greens in through a smoothie. And is it different if you use a blender versus a juicer ? I believe the juicer collects the fiber outside of the drink and the blender includes it. ( ?) Thanks so much !!!!!
I'd be interested in Susan's opinion on this also - I've read differing opinions, too.
As for myself, I imagine the green smoothie wouldn't spike your blood sugar like a green juice might.
If you're making a green smoothie, you're also getting the fiber (since everything is going into the drink and nothing is being extracted out of it).
If you run the greens through a juicer, you'd be removing the fiber, so I can see how that could spike your blood sugar.
Then again, I'm not an expert - I just enjoy tasty food and drinks
Update: I've finally gotten myself a Vitamix (after wanting one for years) - yay!! I foresee many more smoothies in my future
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Books that will make ur heart melt, pound and skip a beat all at once.... Snapdeal brings to you the ultimate collection of new releases by Pan Mcmillan!!!
Book Description:The next installment in a wonderful fantasy of assassins, thieves and magic . . . Its been three months since Drothe killed a legend and unexpectedly elevated himself into the ranks of the underworld elite. Now, as the newest Gray Prince managing the citys underbelly, hes learning how good he used to have it. With barely an organization to his name, Drothe is already being called out by other Gray Princes. And to make matters worse, when one dies, all signs point to Drothe as wielding the knife. Members of the Kin begin choosing sides mostly against him for what looks to be another impending war. Then Drothe is approached by a man who has the solution to Drothes problem and an offer of redemption. The only problem is the offer isnt for him. Now Drothe finds himself on the way to the Despotate of Djan, the empires long-standing enemy, with an offer to make and a price on his head. And the grains of sand in the hour glass are running out, fast . . .


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PIMCO on:
Get the App:
Asia Pacific
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA (May 29, 2014) – PIMCO, a leading global investment management firm has hired Rick Chan and Jason Goldberg as Executive Vice
Presidents and Portfolio Managers, based in the Newport Beach office. They will focus on equity and interest rate derivative strategies and report to Josh
Thimons, a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager who manages the firm's volatility strategies.
Said Mr. Thimons: "Rick and Jason have significant expertise in derivatives trading and they will further strengthen our team and will help us to continue
bringing the best investment ideas to PIMCO's clients."
Mr. Chan and Mr. Goldberg join Harley Bassman, known as "The Convexity Maven", who PIMCO hired earlier this year and who will begin with the firm in July.
Professional Background of Rick Chan
Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Chan was most recently a managing director of interest-rate derivatives trading at Merrill Lynch, based in New York. In that
role, he helped the bank rebuild a trading platform to integrate the legacy infrastructure of Bank of America after the two financial institutions merged.
He worked for the bank for more than decade. Mr. Chan holds a B.A. of Commerce Specialization: Finance from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver
and is a CFA charter holder.
Professional Background of Jason Goldberg
Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Goldberg built and managed an equity dispersion and volatility portfolio for the hedge fund Och-Ziff Capital Management, based
in New York. In 1998, he was co-founder of the hedge fund Onyx Capital Management. Mr. Goldberg earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Claremont
McKenna College in California.
PIMCO is a leading global investment management firm, with offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1971, PIMCO offers
a wide range of innovative solutions to help millions of investors worldwide meet their needs. Our goal is to provide attractive returns while maintaining
a strong culture of risk management and long-term discipline. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider.
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored
investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations,
including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which
such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such
* Effective March 31, 2012, PIMCO began reporting the assets managed on behalf of its parent's affiliated companies as part of its assets under management.
PIMCO uses a video fiber-optic feed directly to a hub in Hollywood, California. We connect to a video carrier worldwide via a local exchange or satellite.
No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660, 800-387-4626. ©2015, PIMCO.
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Straight Talk Android is very compact. Compared to phones from other manufacturers, android straight talk is a handy size, is almost the same size as the iPhone. So that people can do it anywhere they like, and very light, unlike other gadgets for Android now that keeps getting bigger. This is a typical screen of the menu. Has a menu, the Back, Home and Search button, which is designed for less than 3.2 inches. We can find a camera launch button on the right side of the phone. We will find the number, and an SD card slot on the left side. On the side we find the power button, or maybe the screen lock, and the head phone jack, so you can listen to your favorite songs from Straight Talk.
Characteristics of Straight Talk Android
The bottom of straight talk is the charging port or data cable. In the back, as always, is the camera without flash. The compact size is the value of Straight Talk Android because the biggest size Android gadgets are growing in size. It is compatible with the android operating system 2.2 and offers many features. We can access the Android Market and download and install as many games and applications you want.
Other features on Straight Talk Android
Straight talk also has GPS, which will also allow us to use Google Maps, 3G data speeds, WiFi connectivity, instant messaging, YouTube, Bluetooth and MP3 player. One feature we like is the keyboard Swipe. We can control speed texting when we're already used to the keyboard slide. But we must remember that straight talk android is an entry level, not many programs can run simultaneously. Although the programs have been tested work very well. We may need an SD card as the phone has no internal storage. It will support up to 32 GB to expand inside on Straight talk android.


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Here's my most recent posts over the past month, all of them on matters of politics and/or history:
Ferguson, Missouri and the Fog of Partisanship and Ideology
93% of Democratic Senate or Governor Candidates Are White
Where I Was On September 11 (a repost of the annual remembrance)
Is The Democratic Party Proud of its History of Slavery & Segregation?
Mid-September Polls Are Not The Last Word On Senate Races
The Federalist:
History Is Not On The Democrats' Side In 2016
Presidential Battleground States: A History]]> ]]>
At RedState:
Halbig's Critics Hoist By Their Own Petards
Obama Peddles Impeachment Conspiracy Theories To Raise Money
John McCain on the Decline & Fall of the United States Senate
Josh Marshall & TPM Promise a "BOOM," Deliver A Dud
Obama Administration Lied About Insurance Company Bailouts
At the Federalist, a cross-posted version of the Obamacare bailouts piece.]]> ]]>
DC Circuit Blocks Obamacare Subsidies, Mandate in 36 States (updated with the Fourth Circuit's decision)
Could Elizabeth Warren Face Ted Cruz In 2016?
8 Myths In The Immigration Debate
At The Federalist:
17 Ways Driverless Cars Could Change America
The polling tells us that the bulk of 2014's contested Senate races are basically dogfights. So why are so many Republicans optimistic? Because it's still June, and some of the elements of the dynamics of 2014 may not be fully baked into the polling yet. How good a year this is for the GOP will depend on those factors.
If you look at the chart at the top of this post, what you pretty clearly can see from the data is that the Senate races right now seem to be sorted into three general groups (although in each group I'm including one race that is less favorable for the GOP than the rest).
Group One, three currently Democrat-held seats in deep-red territory without real incumbents, is the likely GOP blowouts. Montana and South Dakota are both looking locked up, and the South Dakota polling may get even uglier for the Democrats if the third-party support for Larry Pressler (a former Republican Senator running as an independent) fades. West Virginia is closer, close enough that a giant gaffe or scandal or something could put it back on the table, and in a different year or state a 10-point lead would not look insurmountable. But it's hard to see where that support comes from, in a 2014 midterm in West Virginia.
Group Two is the tossups, nine states that are really too close to call right now. Seven of the nine are Democrat-held seats, five with incumbents (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana and North Carolina) and two open seats (Iowa and Michgigan). One of the two GOP-held seats has an incumbent (Kentucky), the other is open (Georgia). The Democrats have settled on candidates in all nine, Republicans still have a primary in Alaska (the poll average here is the matchup of frontrunner Dan Sullivan against incumbent Mark Begich), a runoff in Georgia (the poll average here is the matchup of frontrunner Jack Kingston against Democrat nominee Michelle Nunn), and a "jungle primary" that will probably result in a December runoff in Louisiana (the poll average here is the runoff matchup of frontrunner Bill Cassidy against incumbent Mary Landrieu). In only one of these races, in Michigan, does the current leader have a 5-point lead; in five of the nine races the frontrunner is below 45%, and in eight of the nine (all but Cassidy in Louisiana) below 46%. While a 2 or 3-point lead in the polls in October may be meaningful, a race with a lead that size in June and 10-20 percent undecided is functionally a tossup, at least until you take into consideration the various factors (national environment, state electorate) that are likely to pull the race in one direction or another as we enter the fall.
Why do Republican analysts feel so optimistic? Because polls, as we recall from 2010 and 2012, are only as good as their ability to project who will turn out and vote, and we are probably still a few months from pollsters being able to really make accurate assessments of what the fall electorate will look like. As Sam Wang, Ph.D., has noted, the various models for predicting how the Senate races will go are predicting different things depending on the extent to which they look beyond the polls to incorporate predictive elements like the economy, the effect of incumbency, the President's approval rating, and the like. Sean Trende, here and here, offered a model based mainly on Obama's approval rating, and found even after some tweaks to incorporate a few other variables, that Democrats could be projected to face double-digit Senate seat losses if the President's approval rating was 43% or lower on Election Day.
That's just one way of skinning this cat, but right now, Obama's approval sits at 41.5 approval/53.9 disapproval, and has been trending rather sharply downward for the past month, with his approval on the economy, foreign policy and healthcare all consistently worse than his overall approval rating. (Via Ace, it's even worse in the battleground states). In that national environment, with midterm elections in general tending to produce Republican-leaning electorates, and with the historic poor performance of second-term presidents in sixth-year midterms, you really have to feel pretty good about GOP chances of winning most of those nine races. That may seem improbable, but there were basically seven Senate races that went to the wire or involved potentially big Democratic upsets in 2012 - Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Missouri - and I didn't think at the time they would run the table and win all seven. They did. In a few of those, like Virginia and Wisconsin, the Senate races tracked almost precisely the outcome in the Presidential race, meaning turnout from the top of the ticket was decisive. If the national environment really does show as sour across the board for Democrats in November as it looks from today, eight-for-nine or nine-for-nine could be a possibility. If the environment (including the parties' turnout operations) swings back to a more neutral one, I'd be looking more at the GOP winning five of the nine, which would net a six-seat overall gain in the Senate, enough for control of the chamber but by a very narrow margin that might not last beyond 2016.
For now, that's still a big if, not reflected in polls showing voters not really ready to commit to either side in most of those races. It's why Republicans are waiting for the wave. But it's also a reminder that those races won't win themselves - Democrats ran the table in 2012 by fighting all the way to the whistle in every race with every resource they had. One thing helping the GOP may be the Governor's races: for example, Rick Snyder is now comfortably ahead in the polls in Michigan, and the Colorado GOP dodged a repeat of the 2010 trainwreck by picking Bob Beauprez over Tom Tancredo; Beauprez may not beat John Hickenlooper, but he'll give him a tough race without Tancredo's divisiveness.
Finally, there's Group Three, the races in which the polling shows the Democrats safe for now - but, depending on the national environment, maybe not safe enough just yet to declare those races over. Incumbents Jeff Merkley in Oregon, Al Franken in Minnesota, Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire all have leads around 10 points, and Mark Warner in Virginia has a sixteen-point lead on Ed Gillespie. (It's also always possible some other races could come on the board; there hasn't been much in the way of general election polling in Mississippi or New Mexico, for example. But we'll have to wait and see). But none of them are regularly polling above 50%, the usual rule of thumb for a safe incumbent.
Realistically, those are "reach" races that only go on the board if things really get ugly for the Democrats. Oregon is, I would guess, the best hope for the GOP relative to its present polling given the Cover Oregon fiasco, New Hampshire the toughest of the OR-MN-NH trio due to Shaheen's personal popularity and the likelihood of a landslide win for the Democrats in the Governor's race (the other two will have tight GOV races). Also, Al Franken has a huge warchest, so his race with self-funder Mike McFadden could get ugly and expensive. Virginia, of course, is the longest reach, but Gillespie should be sufficiently well-funded and anodyne to take advantage if Warner slides into the neighborhood of actually being vulnerable.
Predictions? Anybody who's predicting the fall elections in June with too much certainty is nuts. But right now, Republicans have a lot of opportunities in the Senate. If Obama's approval rating keeps tanking, the GOP avoids any major campaign-killing gaffes, and the Democrats don't come up with a magic turnout bullet, the swing in the Senate could be bigger than anyone is realistically talking about right now. Don't count your chickens; this is just the optimistic scenario. But it is not, from the vantage point of late June, an unrealistic one.
It is not the job of the court system to tell us what is right, or just; to make policy for us or govern our lives. But it is the job of the court system to police the basic rules of the road that keep our various elected officials, administrative agencies and lower courts from exceeding the powers the People, in the Constitution and laws, have entrusted to them. And today was a good day for the rule of law and a bad one for abuses of power:
1. The Supreme Court held 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Breyer, that President Obama abused his recess appointment power by unilaterally appointing members of the NLRB withouut asking the Senate. The Court split 5-4 on exactly how broad the recess-appointments power is, but all agreed that the President cannot just unilaterally claim that the Senate is in recess (for purposes of bypassing it) when the Senate itself (even Harry Reid) says that it is not in recess. That renders many of the NLRB's acts over a period of years invalid (although proper appointments were eventually made). So much for Obama's vaunted status as a Constitutional scholar; even his own appointees didn't buy his nonsense.
Justice Breyer left some wiggle room, however, for future debates over exactly when the Senate is recessed:
Justice Scalia, joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas and Alito, would have gone further in scaling back the recess power. Scalia reminds us of a favorite point of his, that separation of powers is the true backbone of Constitutional liberty:
2. The Court also held, in a 9-0 loss for Martha Coakley (now running for Governor of Massachusetts) that Massachusetts abused its power under the First Amendment by a blanket ban on protests within 35 feet of an abortion clinic. As Chief Justice Roberts observed, this ban was so draconian that it prevented women entering the clinic from being exposed to peaceable forms of persuasion:
Petitioners are not protestors. They seek not merely to express their opposition to abortion, but to inform women of various alternatives and to provide help in pursuing them. Petitioners believe that they can accomplish this objective only through personal, caring, consensual conversations. And for good reason: It is easier to ignore a strained voice or a waving hand than a direct greeting or an outstretched arm....Respondents point us to no evidence that individuals regularly gather at other clinics, or at other times in Boston, in sufficiently large groups to obstruct access. For a problem shown to arise only once a week in one city at one clinic, creating 35-foot buffer zones at every clinic across the Commonwealth is hardly a narrowly tailored solution.
Justice Scalia would again have gone further, noting evidence that the buffer zones were deliberately intended to discriminate against pro-life viewpoints:
This is an opinion that has Something for Everyone, and the more significant portion continues the onward march of abortion-speech-only jurisprudence.
3. Meanwhile, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, by a 6-1 vote struck down former Mayor Mike Bloomberg's Big Soda ban in a challenge brought by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The court concluded that the agency that passed the ban was not entitled to create policy-making legislation (a common feature as well of President Obama's agencies). A few key excerpts explain why unelected executive agencies (like courts) should not set policy:
Indeed. A good day for a government of laws, not of men.]]> ]]>
Does it matter whether Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was a deserter, or worse, a traitor? In evaluating President Obama's decision to trade five high-ranking Taliban terrorists for Bergdahl, it absolutely does.
Given the public-relations fiasco around the Bergdahl deal, liberal commentators are circling the wagons. Their latest argument, designed to compartmentalize the pieces of the controversy so they can't be considered as a whole, is that the President's calculation of what it was worth giving up to get Bergdahl back should not have taken consideration of the facts of Bergdahl's conduct and disappearance, specifically his abandonment of his comrades and mission under circumstances suggesting a deeper betrayal than simple desertion. This argument (which is summarized here by Brian Beutler at the New Republic, although it's been coming from people all over the left side of the commentariat the past two days), goes more or less like this:
1) Either you believe the military should have an ethos of "leave no man behind," or you do not.
2) Either you believe deserters should be court-martialed, or you do not.
3) You can't have a court martial until you've brought Bergdahl back.
4) If you believe in 1) and 2), you should want Bergdahl back first before deciding if he deserted, which is a matter for the court martial system, and he is presumed innocent until then.
As Beutler put it on Twitter, "this standard of rendering verdicts against POWs while they're in captivity and using them to oppose rescue is disgusting."
There are two related problems with this syllogism that illustrate its dependence on simple-minded sloganeering in lieu of sober judgments of reality. First, it confuses purely military decisions with major national security decisions. For soldiers, "leave no man behind" is more than a slogan - it's part of the deep ethos of military service, the knowledge that your comrades have your back even if you get lost or wounded or just screw up. It's the second-highest value the military has, and it's why commanders won't think twice about rescue missions that may put the lives of more soldiers at risk than those that are being rescued. Of course, there's a fair amount of bitterness at Bergdahl's desertion - his decision to leave everyone behind - among his former Army comrades and especially those who lost loved ones trying to get him back. But nobody really argues the point that the military should make efforts like that to get guys like him back.
But an exchange of high-value detainees is not a purely military decision. It's a national-security decision of precisely the type that has always been reserved, not to military men according to their military code, but to the elected civilian political leadership that makes the really big decisions with an eye beyond today's battlefields to the greater interests of the nation. After all, the military's highest value, even higher than its commitment to the lives of its men and women in uniform, is the mission itself - and it's the civilian leadership that sets the mission and chooses what sacrifices we ask of them. There are serious downsides to making ransom deals with terrorists, including setting dangerous men free and setting bad precedents and incentives for the future. Even President Obama had to admit that we could live to regret this deal in terrible ways:
"Is there a possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? Absolutely," Obama told a news conference in Warsaw.
"That's been true of all the prisoners that were released from Guantanamo. There's a certain recidivism rate that takes place."
The existence of downsides, even grave ones, may not convince us to adopt an absolute rule against deals with terrorists; national security decisions often involve a choice among lesser evils, and if your foreign policy can be summarized on a bumper sticker, you will probably get in a lot of accidents. But they illustrate why the pros and cons and competing values need to be weighed carefully, rather than letting one motto ("leave no man behind") or another ("we don't negotiate with terrorists") do our thinking for us. Our principles, as always, must remain a compass, not a straitjacket. And once you concede that the decision involved weighing competing values rather than blindly following a single overriding rule, you have to take consideration of the fact that - while of course we all wanted Bergdahl back - retrieving him was not as compelling a value as retrieving a soldier who did his duty as best he could and unquestionably remained loyal to his country.
Which brings me to the second problem with the syllogism being proposed: that it asks the President of the United States to make vital national security decisions while wearing lawyer-imposed blinders as to the facts. Yes, as a legal matter under U.S. criminal law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Sergeant Bergdahl is innocent until proven guilty of desertion or any graver misconduct. But every day of the week, every hour of the day, Presidents make decisions on matters large and small, in the national security area and other areas, affecting the lives of many people, based on facts that have not been litigated in court. The idea that the facts of Bergdahl's disappearance could simply be wished away or pretended not to exist, simply because no court-martial had been convened, is ridiculous and juvenile. It's not as if we could get the five Taliban back if we tried Bergdahl and found him guilty, after all. Presidents make decisions based on the best information they have. Sometimes, that information doesn't come from sources that conform to the legal rules of evidence, or from sources that could ever be disclosed in a courtroom. And sometimes, facts come out later that show that the President was misinformed - but those facts arrive too late for a decision to be made. These are the adult realities of the Presidency, and only an appallingly misguided legalism can lead President Obama's own supporters, in the sixth year of his presidency, to remain blind to it.
The military owed Bowe Bergdahl its promise to try to rescue him, even if he walked away. The nation did not owe him an agreement to compromise national security by surrendering five high-value prisoners without asking what we were getting in return.]]> ]]>
This election season's primary results, in particular Mitch McConnell's lopsided trouncing yesterday of Matt Bevin, have produced their share of obituaries for the Tea Party. But the experience so far of Tea Party and other insurgent showdowns against the GOP establishment just goes to show that candidates and campaigns still matter - and that's not likely to change. While both "Establishment" and Tea Party campaigns have gotten savvier in learning how to play the primary game, we are likely for the foreseeable future to see Tea Party challengers win when they are good candidates, with some prior political experience, talent and funding - and lose when they lack one or more of those attributes. I'd like to look here in particular at the importance of political experience, and whether Tea Party campaigns has been losing races because it was running complete political novices.
As my analysis below shows, the answer to that question is not cut and dried - but on the whole, the Tea Party candidates with the staying power to win both a primary and general election have tended not to be people jumping into the political fray for the first time in their lives. As we'll see, political novices are most likely to win when they are business executives running for governor without an incumbent opponent, and candidates without prior elective experience are best suited to win when they have some family connection or other appointed entree into politics.
Experience isn't everything; Tea Party challenges have also failed for being underfunded and for having a crowded field that divided the anti-Establishment vote. But these and other aspects of successful campaigns - the ability to raise money, unite factions behind a single candidate, and avoid disabling gaffes - tend also to be byproducts of experience. The lesson is that activists who want to win statewide races behind Tea Party challengers to entrenched incumbents should begin by building a bench of Congressmen, state Attorneys General, state Treasurers, Secretaries of State and Comptrollers, state legislators, Mayors, district attorneys, and other intermediate rungs on the ladder to governorships and Senate seats.
For the analysis below, what I did was go through the list of Republican primary battles in Senate and Governor's races from 2010 through 2014, and isolate the races that can reasonably be classified as "Establishment" versus "Tea Party" races. Now, this involves a fair amount of generalization, and I show my work so you can draw your own conclusions. The Establishment, broadly speaking, refers to the official party committees (the RNC, NRSC, RGA and the state-level parties) and large organizations (e.g., the Chamber of Commerce, Karl Rove's group), but also to the constellation of donors, officeholders, and pundits that collectively tend to circle the wagons around party leadership and more moderate or less rock-the-boat candidates. Not every "Establishment" organ or figure has taken sides in each of these races, and each can argue for their own won-loss record, but it's usually not hard to tell who has the implicit or explicit backing of party bigwigs. The "Tea Party" is an even more amorphous collection of insurgent groups across a variety of issues, including the Club for Growth, the Senate Conservatives Fund, FreedomWorks, and a host of smaller groups with "Tea Party" in the name (some of which are more legitimate than others, some of which are frankly scams on donors and candidates), social conservative groups, and individual figures like Jim DeMint, Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, and of course Erick Erickson. And again, different figures in this space have made different choices in different races. That said, it's still possible to see fairly sharp distinctions between the candidates who have "Establishment" backing and those who had to run against a headwind of opposition and rely on Tea Party support. I left off some races like the 2012 Ohio Senate race, where Josh Mandel had a lot of early Tea Party support but had no real Establishment opposition; ditto John Boozman's 2010 Senate campaign in Arkansas.
I also rated the candidates' experience on a 4-point scale - which again oversimplifies, but allows us to perform a quantitative comparison. I gave 3 points to incumbents and other candidates who had previously won a prior Senate, Governor or At-Large (i.e., statewide) House race; 2 to candidates who had won prior elections above the local level; 1 to candidates who had some political experience (appointed or local office, or working as a full-time activist or pundit) but nothing on the level of a Congressional or even state legislative race; and 0 to true political newcomers. Those ratings are listed under "TE#" and "EE#" and the difference between the Tea Party and Establishment candidate in a race listed under "Diff".
Let's walk through the races, grouped by outcome, and then sum up the findings at the end. Note also that in a few places I've listed a "win" that was delivered, not by primary voters, but by a party convention or by one side dropping out of the race.]]> ]]>
The last diehard supporters of Obamacare have a new excuse for its pervasive and persistent unpopularity: that there are just too many negative ads out there convincing Americans that Obamacare is a bad idea. But this argument is based on obviously misleading statistics.
President Obama's April 1 now-infamous a football-spiking "Mission Accomplished" speech kicked off the latest round of this meme:
[T]his law is doing what it's supposed to do. It's working. It's helping people from coast to coast, all of which makes the lengths to which critics have gone to scare people or undermine the law...Many of the tall tales that have been told about this law have been debunked. There are still no death panels. (Laughter.)...[T]he debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay.(Applause.)
...And we didn't make a hard sell. We didn't have billions of dollars of commercials like some critics did. But what we said was, look for yourself, see if it's good for your family. And a whole lot of people decided it was. So I want to thank everybody who worked so hard to make sure that we arrived at this point today.
The latest entrant in this sweepstakes is a "study" the media has presented as being done by "nonpartisan analysts":
The report, released Friday by nonpartisan analysts Kantar Media CMAG, estimates $445 million was spent on political TV ads mentioning the law since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Spending on negative ads outpaced positive ones by more than 15 to 1.
Outside of Social Security and Medicare, "no other law has come close to these amounts, much less within such a short period of time," said Elizabeth Wilner of Kantar Media. "It speaks to the intensity of the opposition among the ACA's political critics" and their belief that the health care issue will benefit their party in this year's elections, she said.
As the November midterm elections approach, the picture looks much the same, Wilner said, although a few pro-Democratic ads are countering with messages supporting the health law and a few pro-Republican ads have gone from a flat-out call for repeal to a message of replacing the law with "free-market solutions."
In the 2014 congressional races, 85 percent of the anti-Obama ads were also anti-"Obamacare" ads, the analysis found. In some competitive races, 100 percent of the pro-Republican TV ads aimed at Democrats contained anti-health law messages.
Over the four years, an estimated $418 million was spent on 880,000 negative TV spots focusing on the law, compared to $27 million on 58,000 positive spots, according to the analysis. Nearly all of the spending was on local TV stations, in races ranging from state offices such as treasurer and governor to Congress and the presidential election.
Steve Benen of the Rachel Maddow Show Blog presents this analysis in pie chart form, and asks:
[W]hy does the public still disapprove of the Affordable Care Act? Perhaps because they've seen some of the 880,000 attack ads. In fact, maybe I'm the oddball on this, but given the one-sided advertising, shouldn't the ACA be a lot less popular?
There are four big problems with this analysis. First and foremost, it ignores the fact that the landscape of commentary on Obamacare, and even specifically paid advertising, has been limited to the subset of ads considered by this study. What is missing is the $674 million in taxpayer money spent to market and promote the virtues of the ACA, most of it in the past year, a tidal wave of spending that easily dwarfs the political ad buy:
Second, that's without counting the free media generated by the President of the United States and his celebrity allies in touting the benefits of the ACA. It's egregiously dishonest to suggesting that this wasn't a "hard sell" but just a scrappy, underfunded plucky little federal government outnumbered and outgunned by the big bad Koch brothers. As Caleb Howe noted:
You didn't make a hard sell?? In what universe are the OFA ads, the thousands of carefully crafted tweets, the celebrity endorsements, the endless speeches by the President and every other democrat in every city, county, state, region, principality, protectorate, bus station, nebula, star cluster, dimension and PLANE OF EXISTENCE EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF EVERY SINGLE DAY SINCE THEY FIRST PULLED OBAMACARE OUT OF THEIR COLLECTIVE NO NO AREAS NOT A HARD SELL???
Pitching from every rooftop and every television and every station. Is that a hard sell?
I'm sorry. I probably seem agitated. I should get some Obamacare for that.
But I'm asking. Is having Ellen say America owes our thanks to Obama for this program a hard sell? Are campaign ads touting Obamacare a hard sell? Are dozens and dozens of town halls a hard sell? Are the hours of free air time from MSNBC, including ridiculous ad campaigns for the network touting Obamacare, a hard sell? Are the hundreds of "viral" content pushes a hard sell? Are sports legends telling you to Get Covered a hard sell? Is Valerie Jarrett hocking her wares in Hollywood a hard sell? IS THAT a hard sell? Tell me! Tell me what a hard sell is!
Is asking citizens to investigate which of their friends and family aren't pro Obamacare and then berate them for it...is THAT a hard sell?
As you'll recall, that sales campaign was so reeking in desperation that it was parodied on Saturday Night Live with Obama kissing Justin Bieber on the mouth to sell insurance. pushing moms to evangelize Obamacare to their kids.
UPDATE: Then there's Organizing For Action, the Obama campaign arm, which is now cutting back staff it had employed to market the ACA:
[T]he group's workforce has shrunk in recent months from a high of more than 200 to just over 100 paid employees, according to a Democrat familiar with the group's workings.
The reduction came as OFA was winding down a major enrollment push for Obama's health care law. The group had staffed up for that campaign and to manage 1,700 participants in its fellowship program, and some were on temporary contracts. Most - but not all - of the departing staffers worked on those projects.
But somehow, now after all of that, when it turns out that Obamacare is still unpopular, the problem is that, gosh-darn it, nobody has tried to sell it.
Third, Obama and Benen are basically admitting the failure of one of their chief talking points, to wit, their contention that the 2012 election was a referendum on Obamacare. Obama, after all, spent a billion dollars getting re-elected, and we've been told that "the debate is over" because that election ratified Obamacare, sort of the way the 2004 election ratified the Iraq War. To say that not a penny of the pro-Obama spending was pro-Obamacare spending is to implicitly admit that he did not get re-elected on the popularity of his healthcare plan. And it's not as if Democrats and their billionaire backers, unions and dark-money interest groups - who are not, contrary to spin, being massively outspent by the Koch brothers - are unable to put more money into advertising; the fact that ACA critics are running campaign ads on the topic and its defenders are not is a sign that political professionals know the public has already made its mind up, and their money speaks louder than words as to what they think the voters will respond to.
Fourth, Obamacare's unpopularity is not a new thing. RCP's polling average goes back to November 2009, and the program's popularity has been at least 4.7 points underwater every single day of the past four and a half years, and more than double digits underwater for the great majority of the period (only for a few days in August 2012 did it rise above -5):
The only really large-scale spike in unpopularity came in late 2013, and was associated not so much with campaign ads as with the disastrous rollout of the online exchanges. If anything, the persistence of the polling on this issue suggests that few minds are likely to be changed by TV ads (you'll recall that a major theme of the 2012 postmortems was the ineffectiveness of TV ad campaigns at changing minds). At some point, you just have to admit that the reason Obamacare is unpopular is that people don't like it.]]> ]]>


text:
LONDON—Even Mitt Romney is not immune from the traffic gridlock crippling city streets here ahead of Friday's opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was forced to abandon his motorcade and walk to his only public meeting of the day: a sitdown with Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Along the way, he shook hands with random people who stopped to greet the American politician on the street.
At the Irish Embassy, reporters were ushered in the room just as Romney was responding to an inaudible question from Kenny. "Just being governor of Massachusetts, which is almost a part of Ireland," Romney was heard saying, in mid-sentence.
It was not immediately clear what Romney was discussing. Soon, the two were taken to a seating area, where they made small talk as the media observed.
"So you had to walk from the hotel?" Kenny said, per a pool report.
"Not bad at all. I enjoyed the walk. You also had to walk?" Romney replied.
"Yes, we're used to walking in Ireland," Kenny said.
"I guess we don't have to walk, it's enjoyable to walk. It's a beautiful day," Romney replied.
Within minutes, reporters were shown from the room.
The Republican candidate is planning to attend Friday night's Olympic opening ceremonies with his family—including wife, Ann, and sons, Tagg and Craig and their families. He's scheduled to leave London tomorrow for Israel, the second country he'll visit on his seven-day overseas tour.


text:
Softchoice CorporationLocations:
- Toronto, Ontario
Headcount: 1,200 employees
- Computers
- Computer Software
Organization Profile
As a leading North American provider of technology solutions and services, Softchoice combines the efficiency and reliability of a national IT supplier with the personal touch and technical expertise of a local solutions provider. Softchoice's holistic approach to technology includes solution design, implementation, asset management and cloud services, as well as access to one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective technology distribution networks in North America. With over 1,200 employees, Softchoice manages the technology needs of thousands of corporate and public sector organizations across the United States and Canada.
Contact Information
Joel Hoidas
Manager, External Communications
Tel: 416-588-9002 ext. 222590
Twitter: @Softchoice
Latest News Releases
Softchoice finds 21% of servers still running on Windows Server 2003
June 17, 2015 10:43 AM
Softchoice CEO Welcomes Microsoft's Plans to Open New Datacenter Facilities in Canada
June 2, 2015 12:25 PM
Softchoice recognized with two Country Awards at Cisco Partner Summit 2015
May 1, 2015 8:44 AM
Softchoice celebrates 10 years as a Best Workplace in Canada
April 10, 2015 9:52 AM
Softchoice leaps into the Top 10 of the world's best managed service providers
March 31, 2015 10:31 AM


text:
- With an increasingly international workforce, culture and marketplace, the skill set and knowledge base that an anthropology degree develops are in high demand.
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The anthropology major is both exciting and practical with career options that range from forensic anthropologist to urban planner, from product developer to consumer affairs investigator, from museum curator to park ranger. Your degree will prepare you for a professional career related to various people-oriented positions in the public and private sector. In addition, the degree provides excellent preparation for graduate training in anthropology, law, health care and business. We offer both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology. Our faculty members are trained in the four subfields of anthropology: cultural, physical, archaeology and linguistics.


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Our mission is to help individuals who want to add years to their lives and life to their years by empowering them to take control of their health. We provide aggressive, compassionate care to patients in a timely manner. Our health professionals are dedicated to helping people realize their potential with their health, lifestyle and attitude.
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Inclement weather policy
Please be advised that we follow the Fort Worth ISD rules for inclement weather. If the FTWISD is closed we too will be closed. Please call ahead if you have an appointment to confirm we will be open.
Announcing our new Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Aziz is happy to announce the addition of our new Nurse Practitioner. Deepa Patel, RN, CCRN, MS, ANP-BC is board certified and has been specially trained by Dr. Aziz. She will be seeing his follow up and new patients for Colonrectal cancer screenings. Please help us welcome her to our staff.


text:
After the neat refresh of Bing Bar 7.0 with useful app buttons, the Bing team has released Bing Bar 7.1 with a slew of new features that provides richer access to your social network, more entertainment options, and updates to the popular Bing Bar apps.Read More
Bing and Skype have collaborated on a promotion where users may redeem Skype Credit through the Bing Rewards program.Read More
One of the Bing marketing executives fired last week for the misappropriation of company assets commented with positive things to say about his former employer.Read More
Bing marketing executives Eric Hadley and Sean Carver were fired from the company following an internal investigation, which revealed that they had mismanaged company assets.Read More
Earlier today, the Bing team announced a set of changes to improve the design and usability of map pushpins, popups, and the transit system.Read More
Bing and Twitter's new found partnership in September last year seems to be showing results. Bing's results are probably influenced by the number of shares on Twitter.Read More
Microsoft on Tuesday released an SDK that provides map controls that developers can implement in Metro-style Windows 8 apps.Read More
Microsoft have released three slick Metro apps for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview — Finance, Weather, and Maps — that are each powered by Bing for download in the Windows Store.Read More
Microsoft and Nokia have recently created to roll out a uniform map design on Bing Maps and Nokia Maps. Bringing various improvements to the table, this is one of possibly many collaborations in the future that we can expect to see from the two companies.Read More
Claim yuor pages on Bing and link them to your Facebook profile.Read More
If you're a proud owner of a Windows Phone, you will be able to take advantage of two new Bing features announced today: Bing Vision, and Bing Image Matching for Newspapers.Read More
Google and Bing gained U.S. search engine market share in December 2011, while Yahoo fell further down in the league tables.Read More
Bing announced on its Community Blog today, a new enhancement to Bing search results called "Editors' Picks".Read More
In a blog post, Microsoft announced that it has teamed up with the Mozilla team to release a new version of Firefox with Bing, which includes Bing as the default search engine. Well, don't get too excited about that. This will be released as a separate version along with the default version which is powered by Google search.Read More
Bing has introduced a new set of features that enhances Bing for Mobile Browse experience for the mobile browsers at m.bing.com with the help of Facebook integration and some new additions.Read More


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Arabian desert
7,959pages on
this wiki
this wiki
|This needs a stretch.
|Arabian desert
|Vital Statistics
|Other Statistics
|Production Details
|First appearance
|TRR/SDS: Scooby's Desert Dilemma
The Arabian desert is a desolate part of the world.
The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show
Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo, and Shaggy Rogers visited there on camel-back. (Scooby's Desert Dilemma)


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This concert will feature the 6th grade band, the 7th and 8th grade combined concert band, and the Cadet Jazz Band.
In addition to the large bands, this concert will feature multiple solos and ensembles that scored a superior or distinguished at the Solo and Ensemble Festival last month.
SurfKY News
Information provided by Henderson County School District
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Just in time for the holidays, a very special LEGO-X podcast featuring an interview with Xander.
Wow, Joey has gone a long way from his first podcast, made for fun with his little brother almost 2 years ago. I think he was 13 back then. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us next because I have to say they are getting better each time. Meanwhile do leave him comments in the special chat box on his blog as he is continuously looking to improve his next productions.
The list of all his podcast as seen on LEGO-X.com/podcasts
Lego-X also produces podcasts for it's readers to enjoy. They talk about LEGO news, new MOC's, and much more! Check 'em out:
Podcast 1: jojoguy10 and DKdude talk together about LEGO news
Podcast 2: Lego-X talks about basic LEGO news and people's MOC's
Podcast 3: Lego-X talks about blog updates, and a special interview with NXT puny
Podcast 4: Lego-X talks with Marc-Andre about his famous Wall-E
Podcast 5: Lego-X talks with the founder of Dexter Industries
Podcast 6: LEGO-X's 1st Video podcast! We talk to Xander Soldaat and other various things.


text: Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Doctor James Boles is announcing his retirement as CEO of People Incorporated. Boles assumed the leadership position at People Inc. in 1981 and in 33 years oversaw the growth of the agency from 200 staff members and a $2 million annual budget to one with more than 3,200 staff serving 12,000+ individuals and a budget of $144 million. Rhonda Frederick will take over on October 1st. High honors for Buffalo General Medical Center. U.S. News & World Report has named it as a 2014-2015 high performer in orthopedics. It is the only hospital in the Buffalo area to receive orthopedic recognition. The magazine says a high performing hospital had to have a score that placed it in the top 25 percent of eligible facilities in at least one specialty, using the same methodology that identifies nationally ranked Best Hospitals. Is the Pizza Plant looking to set up shop at Canalside? Buffalo Business First says the owners of the pod specialists are negotiating with Benderson Development to occupy street level space at the One Canalside building. Pizza Plant could serve downtown by the first of the year, and has two Amherst locations. More downtown development. Nick Kotrides, the owner of Toro and Faherty's tells Buffalo Business First he and his business partner have leased an Ellicott Street warehouse to establish Niagara Distilling. The plan is to make vodka, gin, rye and other potent potable from scratch using natural ingredients made by local farmers. He hopes to start selling in the fall.


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Oil watchers around the African continent have initiated a campaign, calling on African governments and oil transnational companies to leave the oil in the soil because the balance sheet of oil production has historically shown a negative trend if judged on economic, social harmony and environmental protection.
They argue that oil exploration and production in Africa have a history of creating social and economic inequality, deepening poverty and slowing down the pace of economic growth and development.
According to them, oil cash has reproduced the lack of interest and focus on the part of political and economic elites in pursuing national development agenda and the specific concerns of citizens in addition to the negative environment effects caused by processing of extractives.
Indeed, the injection of oil cash makes leaders and political elite in oil dependent African countries to lose interest in their fellow citizens as they try to get access to free cash. By rushing on the ?free cash? they also forget and lose focus of the direction of national economy,?they added.
The call was made at a two-day international conference hosted by the Oilwatch-Ghana in Accra early this week. It was on the theme, Oil over Africa: oil, Economic Boom and Burst.
The Conference deliberated on the recent proliferation of oil and gas exploration, development and production projects in Africa and their impact on Africans, particularly the socio-economic and environmental costs associated with these new investment flows and extractive activities in the oil and gas sector.
The conference brought together members from Oilwatch Africa network, Civil Society Organizations including members of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, grassroots organi sations, community-based organisations, traditional authorities and academics.
Participants were of the view that, the cost of oil exploration to the ordinary citizens of Africa and their economies presently was so high that some believed it was meaningless extracting the resources any further.
They called for a paradigm shift in pursuit of alternative responses by African governments to challenges posed by the globalisation and international capital.
They explained that their radical position was in recognition of the fact that activities of transnational oil and mining companies did not dispose to a positive response to the development priorities of national economies and rural communities of the people of Africa.
In a presentation, Nnimmo Bassey, Chairman of Friends of the Earth International, observed that ?oil does not translate to prosperity , it is a creator of poverty and generator of conflicts in the communities.
He emphasised that since the governments of Africa did not generally provide its people the environment to live and develop, the people must ensure that they defended their environments.
Contributing to the discussions, Faith Nwadishi, Publish What You Pay-Nigeria, lamented that Africa was gradually forfeiting its natural resources because most of the African countries were too much in a rush to rake in the dollars.
She maintained that Africa had a lot of natural resources but those who benefitted from the resources were from outside the African continent. The problem, she indicated, arose because the issues were too technical for the local people to understand.
African leaders, she noted, must continuously engage the people ?if not by the time we realize, we would have sold the whole continent to multinational oil companies.? She reiterated earlier the position by previous speakers that the crude must be left in the ground.
Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Acting Director of the Legon Center for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) who chaired the conference, said the debate on whether or not oil was the solution to the problems of Africa would continue to take center stage.
?Oil is wealth but oil is death, however, governments proud themselves with oil find. But when pollution comes they do not want to take the blame,? he noted.
He stressed that if the exploitation did not benefit the people of Africa, it was better to leave the oil in the soil. He equally espoused the idea that African leaders must change the African development philosophy.
Noble Wadzah, a representative of Oilwatch Ghana stressed that Oilwatch Africa aims to ultimately stimulate a transition from fossil energy dependency to completely renewable energy options as viable and sustainable alternatives.
Oil Watch-Ghana is a member of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas and an affiliate of Oilwatch International, an international non-governmental organization network committed to promoting appropriate energy sources such as renewable as an alternative to fossil fuels.


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Posts Tagged 'paul rudd'
I Accept AdmissionTina Fey gives it the old college try in this comedy.
Like all right-thinking persons, I adore Tina Fey. Yet for all her glorious work on TV, she still hasn't made the great comedy film that we all know her to be capable of. Her latest, Admission, falls agonizingly short of grea...


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What is Nerd Nite?
Think science lectures with beer. Think tomorrows super-heroes today. Think Nerd as the new rock star. Think global warming, now think green; now think technology. Who on earth can save the planet? Batman and Nerds, and we haven't seen the real Batman, well, ever.
Nerd Nite is an informal gathering at which Nerds and non-nerds alike meet, drink and learn something new. If the future of going out at night is to explore and make real the social networks we pre-form online, then Nerd Nite is the forerunner of everything that's about to happen over the next five years as an entire industry shifts gears.
Chocolate, peanut butter. Birds, bees. All discussed, dissected, and mated about.
Be there and be square.
Tickets to the next Nerd Nite can be found HERE
For more info, check out nerdnite.com
Nerd Nite Rocks ;)
Photo of: The Brilliant and Fantastical Matt Wasowski - Nerd Nite's Founder and Creator


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Bella Slings are handcrafted, custom baby slings and other baby products made by a mommy in Tampa, Florida.
Introducing the Bella Podaegi!
I have finished up my design for the Bella Podaegi. You can click on the link under Bella Sling Types for more information about this fun, simplified carrier with Korean roots!
If you are local and would like some FREE hands-on wearing instructions, please e-mail me at email@example.com and set up a time to meet with me. I would love to help you learn to use your sling comfortably and safely.


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Open Hack Night
Regular recurring Hack night. Open to the public. ($5 donation gratefully accepted)
Hack Nights happen every Thursday unless otherwise noted.
Bring your bot, idea, toy, skill, or question.
Hang out, meet everyone and find out what a hackerspace is all about.
Learn something, build something, meet someone. Most Hack Nights have no set agenda but sometimes we have a prepared presentation or theme.
Regular members don't always RSVP on Meetup so come on out even if it the numbers look low.


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Archive for February, 2012
Echoes from 527: Light the tower
Wrigley field raises a flag high above their vintage style Scoreboard...
backinblue.ca is now fully interactive!
We are pleased to announce that with our new layout we have added the ability to fully interact with other BIB/Blue Jays fans. Registered members are now able to change their Avatar pic and profile ...
Blue Jay of the Week!
I can smell it, I can feel it, it's almost here... Spring Training!
Fan Blog: The Bigger Picture by Christian Bebis
As Blue jays fans we know that we need to get where we once were.
Echoes from 527: Introduction
The introductory blog of BIB's newest team member Andrew Hendriks.
VIDEO: Back in Blue Video Podcast – Episode 6
Reid rejoins the podcast after a 2 week vacation.
VIDEO: Back in Blue Bonus Podcast – Kelly Gruber Interview
Here it is! The very special full-length interview with Kelly Gruber.
Blue Jay of the Week!
Who's it going to be this week? Spring Training is just around the corner .
A View from the Couch: My love of the game
Most people would assume that hockey is the sport of choice for every Canadian. As much as I enjoyed playing and watching hockey, baseball is my sport of choice, and many factors contribute to this. ...
Back in Blue now on iTunes!
Back in Blue is now available for download on iTunes.


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At the approach of cold weather, the Dedlocks close Chesney Wold and move to their place in London. Their lawyer, Tulkinghorn, is a frequent visitor there, and, for Lady Dedlock, a discomfiting one. Guppy, the law clerk from Kenge and Carboy, has written her numerous letters requesting that he be allowed to visit her. Thus, one day she receives him, and he tells her that a long investigation has led him to believe that Lady Dedlock might have "a family interest" in knowing that the father of Esther Summerson (a name Lady Dedlock nervously admits knowing) was Captain Hawdon (Nemo).
After Guppy leaves, Lady Dedlock breaks into tears as she realizes that her daughter is alive. Her sister (Miss Barbary) lied about the child's having died shortly after birth.
In this chapter, Lady Dedlock, one of the book's principal figures, learns a fact so momentous that all of her subsequent actions are bound to be highly significant. In this way, suspense is heightened.
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Before Allan Woodcourt sails away to China and India as a ship's surgeon, he leaves behind a
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Product Details
- Brand: PAPYRUS
- Contents: 1 Card with corresponding envelope
- Size: 5 in. x 7 in. (127 mm x 178 mm)
- Envelope: Peach with floral liner
- Process: Foil, embossed, photocorners
- Packaging: Cello sleeve
- Recipient: For Her
PAPYRUS believes that life is a celebration.
Our fabulous selection of greeting cards, custom invitations, stationery, gift wrap & more are perfect for any occasion.


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Network for New Music ConcertNetwork for New Music Concerthttp://www.haverford.edu/calendar/details/205951Roberts Marshall Auditorium2013-04-12T20:00:002013-04-12T22:00:00
April 12,2013 8:00PM–10:00PM
Roberts Marshall Auditorium
The Department of Music presents NETWORK FOR NEW MUSIC in Roberts Hall, Marshall Auditorium. This concert is free and open to the public.
Network for New Music Ensemble
On Friday, April 12 at 8 PM, the Department of Music presents the Network for New Music Ensemble performing "Projecting Light". Composers Eric Chasalow, Benjamin Broening, David Taddie, Mark Zaki and Maurice Wright find new ways to illuminate the deepest places in the human experience, using acoustic instruments, electronic media, and projected video in a multi-faceted, incandescent evening. A pre-concert event at 7:30 PM features the West Chester University Laptop Ensemble. This evening of music will be held in Roberts Hall, Marshall Auditorium, and is free and open to the public.
For More Info
Nancy Merriam
Responsible at Event
Nancy Merriam


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There are several types of biting lice that affect chickens and other poultry. These are known as ectoparasites or external parasites as they live on the outside of the bird.
Lice are between 1 to 4mm long depending on the type of louse. They can be found crawling on the bird at the base of the feathers but are fast moving so soon move out of the light when feathers are parted. They spread from bird to bird by direct contact and clumps of eggs are usually found at the base of the feathers below the vent.
Off the bird lice can survive for a few days so although less likely, can also spread from bird to bird via the hen house or litter. Most chickens will have a few lice on them from time to time and won't be particularly bothered by them but it's important not to let the numbers get out of control or they will be causing severe irritation and feather loss as they over groom, trying to rid themselves of them.
On chickens it is usually Menopon gallinae that infects them. These are a straw-yellow colour flat louse about 2mm long. They are fast moving - if you part the feathers you can see them run for cover amongst feather shafts. Waterfowl usually suffer with shaft lice Holomenopen spp which are dark, thin lice. They are longer around 4mm but again soon dash for cover when exposed. They can be found on feathers close to the shaft as well as on skin. Due to their colour, they are quite hard to spot on dark coloured birds.
The photo to the right shows louse eggs (called nits) firmly attached to the base of a feather, found below the vent. These will take up to 3 weeks to hatch. Often, these can be confused with a slightly 'messy' bottom and it isn't until you take a closer look that you can recognise them. The photo below shows an area below the vent which is typical when a hen becomes infested with lice.
Nits are very hard to remove, although with care and a little warm soapy water, they can sometimes be broken off with the fingernails bit-by-bit. If there are a lots of nits, it is often easier to wait for them to hatch and kill the lice by using a powder approved for dusting on hens or by using drops of Ivermectin on the back of the neck under the guidance of a Vet which is detailed below under 'Treating Lice'.
Chickens will keep the number of lice they are carrying down with dust baths and preening, Diatomaceous Earth can be added to the dust bath which will help, although make sure it isn't too dusty because chickens are prone to respiratory problems.
Inspect ex-battery hens that have had their beaks trimmed (de-beaked) regularly, since they cannot preen themselves very well so are more likely to become infested with lice.
Avoid contact with other birds that have lice. Check newcomers to the flock and dust them down with a louse powder as a precaution before introducing them. If you are showing poultry, always dust birds down on their return during their quarantine period.
Ivermectin is by far the easiest way to remove lice on chickens, it also kills most common poultry worms and has a residual effect once applied, however it is unlicensed for use on poultry and avermectins are more toxic to waterfowl so you should only use it under the guidance of your Vet. Ivermectin is available online (details on our Ivermectin page in the Medication section) in drops that are put onto the skin at weekly intervals or as your vet advises for 3 weeks.
Powders containing the Pyrethrium are also effective however most are not licensed to be used on birds themselves so again, you should be applying these at the instruction of your vet.
Organic powders often contain tea tree and other ingredients that the lice don't like. Diatomaceous Earth (like Diatom or Smite Powder) can be effective with a few regular treatments each week over a couple of weeks, this works by drying the lice up but getting the bird dusted all over can be difficult. It is sometimes useful to add these powders to nesting areas, bedding and into dust baths (in the case of chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl) so that birds can effectively apply these themselves.
The life cycle of biting lice is around 3 weeks - so it is important when using a product to remove them that you re-check regularly and re-treat as necessary after a week as most products will not kill the eggs and these will hatch over this period.


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Hillel welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. As the largest Jewish student organization in the world, Hillel builds connections with emerging adults and inspires them to direct their own Jewish journey.
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Rice's small size allows personal interaction between students and professors, while our eminent faculty foster the intellectual excitement of a major research university. At Rice, undergraduates at all levels participate in cutting-edge research with world-class faculty in the humanities, social sciences, engineering and natural sciences. Premier architecture and music professors enhance classroom experiences with their exceptional talent and artistry. A Rice education offers personal involvement and excellence in programs that prepare graduates for a changing world.
For more than 80 years, Houston Hillel has provided Jewish students with an avenue to express and embrace their Jewish identify and heritage. We operate student centers at both Rice University and the University of Houston. Our primary facility, the Ida and William Zinn Hillel Student Center, was purchased in 1997. This facility acts as both a student center and a community resource. The purpose of Houston Hillel is to encourage and actively sponsor activities that enrich the Jewish identity of Jewish students and faculty at Houston`s university and college campuses. Houston Hillel fulfills this purpose by organizing and/or supporting a broad array of Jewish social, religious, cultural, educational and community service programs. Houston Hillel also represents Jewish students and the Houston Jewish community to the administration of Houston`s institutions of higher learning and maintains visibility on the campuses in interfaith functions. Houston Hillel understands that programmatic diversity is the key to increasing student participation. As a result, Houston Hillel offers a wide variety of regular programming including: a Welcome Back BBQ, Weekly Services and Dinners, Festival Celebrations, a Jewish Student Music Recital, Jewish Student Art and Photo Exhibits, the Herzstein Jewish Medical Ethics Lunches, Campus Lunches, Jewish Legal Ethics Lunches, birthright israel trips to Israel, State-wide Hillel Retreats, Jews and Brews for graduate students and young professionals, Scholars-in-Residence and Social Action programs
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text:
Evidence of Exceptional Testing.
Industry: Medical Device
Problem: Residual Solvents per USP method <467>
Solution: Modified <467> - read full case study
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Problem: Stability Sample Testing Support under cGMP
Solution: Validated Method - read full case study
Industry: Medical Device
Problem: Contamination caused solid precipitate to form in a brine solution
Solution: ICP Analysis - read full case study
Industry: Plastics
Problem: Unknown white residue was contaminating the surface of black molded plastic parts
Solution: Contaminant ID - read full case study
Industry: Automotive
Problem: Automotive supplier needed to understand why chrome plated ABS substrates were exhibiting a visual "streak" or "worm track" blister that had resulted in warranty claims.
Solution: Failure Analysis - read full case study
Industry: Consumer Products & Plastics
Problem: Consumer product supplier needed to determine if Bisphenol-A (BPA) was present in their final products: polymer containers, lids, and storage bags.
Solution: BPA Testing - read full case study
Problem: Medical device manufacturer needed to know if alternative machining and molding processes were altering mechanical properties of R&D products at the wear surfaces.
Solution: IA identified and applied a chemical process to stabilize the material and clearly stain the micro-phase domains. TEM images of cross sections afforded direct comparison of surface and bulk morphologies, enabling informed evaluation of manufacturing processes.
Problem: Manufacturer of precision polyurethane foam polishing pads for the semiconductor industry needed a method to measure cell size and open cell area for quality control, as well as for comparison with competitive products.
Solution: Impact modified an existing optical microscopy ASTM method, for measurement of the cell size of the micro-porous PU foams in the scanning electron microscope. Impact developed a method for comparative measurement of the percent of open cell area of the polishing foams.
Problem: Contaminant on surface of steel engine parts caused production slowdown and rejection of product.
Solution: Impact examined the shape (morphology) and analyzed the elemental composition of the microscopic metal particles of contaminant in the scanning electron microscope. Comparison with a sample of blasting media used to polish the parts during production identified this media as the contamination. Impact recommended more thorough cleaning after this interim polishing step.
Industry: Food Packaging
Problem: Manufacturer of multi-layer films for the food packaging industry needed to measure the thickness of layers for quality control. Customer also desired measurement and identification of the layers used to construct competitor's products.
Solution: Impact used a combination of polarized light microscopy and infra red microscopy to photograph, measure, and identify the separate layers of the film in cross section.
Problem: R&D team needed to test the success of surface modifications to a particulate additive, by characterizing the adhesion of the additive to the surrounding epoxy matrix.
Solution: Impact photographed the fractured surfaces of the samples at high magnification in the scanning electron microscope, to clearly document the difference in surface adhesion as a result of experimental modifications. Results enabled the team to pursue a modification technique producing consistently superior surface adhesion of the particles to the matrix, as verified by IA microscopy data.
Industry: Plastics/Automotive
Problem: R&D department of automotive parts manufacturer needed to characterize the separation of polymer phases in a thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).
Solution: Impact used precision cryoultramicrotomy technique to create ultra thin sections of the material for examination in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Chemical staining provides contrast to clearly identify polymer phases in representative digital micrographs, supplied within the report to the customer.
Problem: Plastic fuel line splitting during manufacture.
Solution: A three layer, co-extruded plastic fuel line component was splitting when sent to a supplier for unit assembly. The problem appeared in an otherwise stable production process. A sample of the split component was examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy. When imaged at high magnification, the fracture surface characteristics indicated poor fusion was occurring in the middle layer during the co-extrusion process. When fittings were inserted, the fuel line split from the applied hoop stress. The fuel line extrusion step was producing a product that appeared normal by usual quality control inspection but had a hidden defect. The analysis suggested the molding conditions be evaluated and corrected.
Industry: Consumer Products
Problem: Ink Jet cartridges plugging prematurely.
Solution: Cartridges for ink jet printing were plugging before the ink was consumed. Rejects and returned product were increasing. Disassembly and microscopic evaluation of the cartridge components revealed contaminant fibers collecting on the cartridge filter screens. Characterizing the fibers aided in determining the source. The ink manufacturer was able to make adjustment to the ink processing and eliminate the problem.
Industry: Mechanical Parts Industry
Problem: Foreign Contaminant Identification.
Solution: A manufacturer of machined metal parts was finding contamination of a bearing surface. A third party coating applier denied contamination was occurring during its process. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) were used to evaluate the contaminant and applied coatings on the parts. The SEM/EDS analysis indicated the elements present in the contaminant were the same as those applied in a coating process by the third party. The part manufacturer was able to prove the contaminant was the applied coating and work with the third party supplier to eliminate the problem.
Problem: Unknown residue appeared on the surface of an extruded plastic car window jamb after environmental testing at one facility, but not at another.
Solution: Removed residue from the surface of the window jamb and analyzed with FT-IR spectroscopy. Analysis determined the material to be an oil (or oleamide), a material often used as a slip agent in the molding process. Oil was also found in the resin of one of the plastics used in the window jamb. Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmed that the oil found on the surface of the part and the resin was the same, and enabled the customer to decide whether to change the resin used or change the conditions of environmental testing.


text: Business Google's Offer Extensions rolling out within a week, integrating deals with search February 21, 2013 4:02 PM John Koetsier 0 If you're not reaching, engaging, and monetizing customers on mobile, you're likely losing them to someone else. Register now for the 8th annual MobileBeat, July 13-14, where the best and brightest will be exploring the latest strategies and tactics in the mobile space. Google's Offer Extensions, which pair ads in search result pages with Groupon-like deals and special discounts, is set to roll out to all advertisers by the end of February, according to an ad industry insider. The new offers capability has been in limited release for some time. With it, advertisers can add a coupon-like discount offer to their AdWords ads, either for immediate redemption online or for printing and in-store use, and it's now on track to roll out to all advertisers, according to Larry Kim, the CEO of search marketing company WordStream. Above: Example: the Google Offers Extension ad productImage Credit: WordStream He's excited about the new opportunity for advertisers. "It's a way better deal than Groupon, who requires 50-90 percent discounted pricing, then takes 50 percent of that for themselves," he wrote me in an email. "Also, advertisers can track this. Local businesses can connect the dots between online marketing and in-store purchases … not possible before!" One thing that's not so certain but would be absolutely huge: integration with Google Maps, which would enable Google to deliver incredibly targeted, relevant, and immediately actionable advertising right to your mobile device. "Local Deals + Google Maps = perfect match!" Kim said. As Kim writes in a blog post on the subject, Google famously attempted to buy Groupon for $6 billion a few years ago, when Groupon was still in its ascendancy and could, seemingly, do no wrong. Now, of course, the company is not quite as hot, sporting a market value of just $3.8 billion. Offer Extensions, well integrated into Google's vast array of mapping, email, web search, and other properties, cannot be a good thing for the Chicago deals company. But they will be a good thing for advertisers, says Kim: "Coupons mean more eyeballs and attention for advertisers. Even if users see your deal, save it for later, and forget about it, they've still interacted with your business and brand more than they might have if you didn't put out an ad offer." I asked Google for a comment, and a representative said essentially that the company has been testing Offer Extensions, among other AdWords extensions, since 2010, and that advertisers using enhanced campaigns (AdWords campaigns that include information like maps, phone numbers, or more product info) now also have access to offers. photo credit: mark knol via photopin cc VB's research team is studying mobile user acquisition... Chime in here, and we'll share the results.