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Purpose: An Immigrant's Story by Wyclef Jean is both the biography of Jean and the life story of the Fugees, one of the most successful hip-hop & R&B bands of the 1990s. Originally from Haiti, Jean is the son of a pastor and the grandson of a Voodoo priest. In this revealing new memoir, Jean recounts his early life – from his early years in the LaSerre slum to international superstardom in the 1990s. And finally, he describes his humanitarian work in Haiti and his unsuccessful bid for Haiti's presidency.
After his early childhood in Haiti, he joined his parents in New York, where he was raised by his no-nonsense grandmother, the family matriarch. It took quite some time to get accustomed to his new life in America. He grew up in tough neighborhoods, often ravaged by drugs and guns. He also faced anti-Haitian prejudice throughout his youth in New York. Jean grew up in a very musical (and religious) household. He refers to his family as the "Haitian-American Partridge Family." Because his father would not allow him to play secular music, his first band was a Christian rock group. He immersed himself in classic funk and rock songs and modified the lyrics so that the resulting song was a Christian one. Once he finally embraced secular music, there was no looking back. As one of the founding members of the Fugees and successful solo artist, Jean has sold millions of records. Perhaps the most compelling section of the book is the story of the Fugees and the recording of their mega-hit, The Score.
He says The Score is essentially the soundtrack of his relationship with Lauryn Hill. Although the relationship ended badly, it became an all-consuming affair that inspired the beautiful, soulful songs on The Score. After the Fugees broke up, Jean set out on his successful solo career, almost ran for the President of Haiti and is now focused on his family and music. Purpose: An Immigrant's Story is highly recommended to biography readers. but also anyone interested in the history of hip-hop.
When legendary restaurant critic Frank Bruni challenged his colleagues Julia Moskin and Kim Severson, both writers for the New York Times, to duke it out in the kitchen, they readily accepted. Their culinary contest is detailed in the unique new cookbook CookFight: 2 Cooks, 12 Challenges, 125 Recipes, An Epic Battle for Kitchen Dominance. Moskin and Severson first faced a challenge to cook a dinner party for six guests on a budget of only $50. Bruni judged the contest for the newspaper and ruled it a tie. After that initial challenge, their friendly rivalry evolved into a yearlong series of contests that ranged from their Farmers' Market challenge based around local, seasonal cooking to a Thanksgiving challenge in which both cooks crafted their spin on the perfect Thanksgiving feast. Each month, Moskin and Severson battled for culinary glory. Every chapter chronicles one month's battle with the contestants' menus, narratives explaining their different approaches to the battle, beautiful color photos of their dishes, and recipes. So who won their contest? You decide.
If CookFight whets your appetite for culinary competition, follow it up with Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook. The recipes are taken from Quickfire segments of the first five seasons of Bravo's hit television show Top Chef. This collection of 75 recipes from fans' favorite "cheftestants" includes color photos, recipes, and behind-the-scenes information about the contestants. Intrepid fans will also learn how to hold their own Quickfire Challenges at home.
Seth Casteel, award-winning pet photographer and animal rights activist, presents amazing images of over eighty dogs in aquatic settings in Underwater Dogs. Each canine has an individual portrait which captures the unique personalities in exuberant action shots chasing a ball. From the human perspective, this game of chase seems simple – ball is thrown, dog retrieves it, and surfaces triumphantly. But beneath the water, there is a major drama playing out complete with bared teeth and arched bodies. From leaping lab to diving dachshund, each dog approaches this game a little differently. Some lounge in the water and paddle slowly, while others are aggressive and shark-like in their focus and determination. Of course, the elegant poodle still manages to maintain an air of refinement even when soaked. Casteel started this project by posting the photos on his blog, and since that time the viewership has surpassed 150 million.
Who doesn't love puppies? Photographer J. Nichole Smith offers photographs of twenty-five different baby canines in Puppyhood: Life-size Portraits of Puppies at 6 Weeks Old. The coffee table size allows the puppies to be shown in full actual life size at six weeks. These engaging photographs show all the details that make puppies so irresistible, from their pink bellies and tiny teeth to their soft ears and oversize paws. The book features purebred and mixed breed doggies in a variety of puppy pastimes such as sleeping, staring down the photographer, and of course, playing. All of the photographs will have readers yearning for their own puppy to cuddle. And indeed that is part of Smith's plan, as her epilogue is complete with information on adopting all of the twenty-five pictured pooches, as well as providing contact information for a number of national shelter networks and the breeders of the purebreeds featured in the book.
As a cog in the wheel of an industry that survives on its image, Jacob Tomsky knows a thing or two about hotels. His new book, Heads in Beds, a Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality, takes a sassy, insightful look inside the lodging establishments that employed him for over a decade. Humorously eye-opening and slightly bawdy, Tomsky's take on the hospitality business is everything you ever wanted to know (maybe) but were afraid to ask (really) about what goes on in the "heart of the house." Little in Tomsky's background prepared him for his career path. Armed with a philosophy degree, he ends up working the valet stand at a newly opened luxury hotel in New Orleans, where he quickly moves from parking cars to front desk clerk to overnight housekeeping manager. Fifteen hour shifts come with the territory, as do lying, finessing, and bartering, all in the name of good customer service. Eventually he hits the big time when he is hired by an upscale Manhattan hotel, where for fun he and coworkers race down hallways on a power scooter at three a.m.
There are plenty of anecdotes that make this part-travel memoir, part-industry exposé a brisk, entertaining read. Some of it is disturbing, like knowing the housekeeper may be spraying furniture polish on your drinking glasses for that spotless shine. The author is also happy to share helpful insider tips, like how to get that coveted room upgrade and techniques for disputing mini-bar, also known as "fridge of joy" charges. Naturally, tipping figures prominently. Tomsky's honest introspection about the coworkers who form this closed society extends his writing to more than just a tell-all. With a clear-eyed wit, he deftly peels away layers of the hotel trade and its practices in order to enlighten even the most frequent traveler. Don't be surprised when the amusing and helpful appendices at the book's end bring a wide smile.
Many of us can remember receiving a life-changing book and the story behind it. Maybe it was a childhood birthday present, a memento from a failed relationship, an impulse buy, a bequest from a late relative, or a suggestion from a favorite teacher. Whatever the reason, the ways in which these special books enter our lives can often be as powerful as the books themselves. The Books They Gave Me: True Stories of Life, Love, and Lit, based on editor Jen Adams' blog of the same name, chronicles over two hundred anonymous anecdotes about the books we give one another and why.
These candid submissions – with themes ranging from "How did she know?" to "What was he thinking?!" – celebrate the humorous, profound, and sometimes disastrous connections that our lives make through literature. A good number of the stories focus on breakups, but the collection never feels dull thanks to the constant stream of different voices and experiences. In fact, this charming, accessible little book can easily be read in one sitting. For those looking for further reading, this collection doubles as an extensive book list, cataloging a variety of classic novels, memoirs, poetry, self-help guides, and even dictionaries. Color illustrations of each featured title provide appealing visuals from beginning to end. The Books They Gave Me is a bibliophile's dream and encourages readers to reflect upon their own treasured books. As one contributor beautifully puts it, "I believe that giving a book to a person is like giving a piece of your soul to them."
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen is a fascinating look into the world of infectious diseases, specifically those that travel from animals to humans, otherwise known as zoonosis or spillover. Humankind is all too familiar with zoonoses in the form of influenza, Ebola, SARS and AIDS. In order to get a sense of the scope of interspecies diseases, keep in mind that about 60% of all infectious disease cross between animals and humans. According to Quammen's research, zoonosis has killed 30 million people since 1981. To investigate spillover viruses, he travels all over the world with virus hunters. He describes multiple mysterious outbreaks of disease, coming from a wide range of animals such as bats, gorillas and pigs. Quammen believes the next major pandemic will come from a nonhuman animal virus that will infect and spread into the human population.
David Quammen is a terrific science writer and he knows how to tell a good story. He is excited about his subject and takes a warm, personal approach with his readers. He makes this very complicated and frightening subject accessible and easy to understand. Spillover is thoroughly researched, includes an extensive bibliography and is chock-full of fascinating, engaging material. Although Quammen takes issue with Richard Preston's Hot Zone, readers who enjoyed Hot Zone will love Spillover.
If you're looking for fresh DIY ideas for your home, look no farther than Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update, and Show Your Home Some Love by Sherry and John Petersik. The Richmond, Virginia couple bought their first home in 2006. It was in need of a lot of TLC, and they soon began a blog where they documented their home improvement projects. The popularity of their Young House Love blog grew beyond their wildest expectations, currently receiving over 5 million hits per month. After the Petersiks' daughter Clara was born, they purchased a second fixer-upper and started the process all over again. They are now chronicling the transformation of their new home on their blog.
Their new book pulls together some of their favorite budget-friendly ideas with clear photos and step-by-step instructions to help you create the same looks for your own home. The Petersiks warn readers that they will have to get their hands dirty to complete the projects in the book and that home improvement may be addictive. Creative projects like dressing up an old dresser with wallpaper, creating wall art from a drop cloth, or crafting 3-D butterflies from pages of old books are inspiring. Each project includes the cost of materials as well as an estimate of time and skill level required for completion. Their style includes a variety of textures and pops of color that add modern flair. The Petersiks' engaging narrative makes Young House Love great for both DIY-ers looking for new ideas and less-motivated readers who prefer watching HGTV to tackling their own projects.
For the children of the eighties, big hair and make-up ruled the music world. MTV made music visual, and successful artists embraced the music video as both a promotional tool and a method of self-expression. Perhaps no band embodied the visual storytelling of this decade as completely as Duran Duran, Britain's "other" Fab Five. John Taylor, founding member and bass player, chronicles the band's career highs and lows with In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran.
While Taylor does venture into the confessional arena, revealing the typical rock-star excesses of sex and drugs, the true pleasure of this biography lies in his first-person account of British music in the seventies and eighties. As a teen in Birmingham, he and friend Nick Bates (later Rhodes) pooled their pence in order to see their idols perform live. Sitting at the proverbial feet of Queen, Bowie, and Roxy Music, they soaked up music like sponges and learned that the look was as vital to the success of the music as the beat. The band that would become Duran Duran was born from these young lessons learned. As they grew into their ruffled shirts, their conceptual lyrics combined with new wave, highly-synthesized music to give birth to the sound known as New Romanticism. Duran Duran was perfectly poised for stardom at the start of the MTV era, and the band created ground-breaking videos that still set the standard today such as "Girls on Film", "Hungry Like the Wolf", and "Rio."
In the Pleasure Groove is not a tell-all, nor is it simply an insider's guide to the biggest names in eighties music. It is a smooth glide through more than twenty years of music history. Fans of eighties music, as well as those of us who were teenagers then, will enjoy reliving the decade's watershed moments such as Madonna writhing in a wedding gown, and Bob Geldof's charity extravaganza Live Aid. Perhaps the quietest Duran member, Taylor reveals enough about the band to keep Duranies happy; they will certainly want to read this book more than once.
It used to be really difficult to make things. First, you had a great idea. Then you had to design it, build a prototype, and get a company to buy it. That company would then take your idea, send it through committees, change it to be mass manufacturable, and finally (maybe years later) sell it to the public. By the time your great idea goes through all that, it might not be so great anymore. But with twenty-first century technology, there is a better way. In his book, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, Chris Anderson of Wired magazine envisions faster, cheaper, more open, and more individualized ways to make products that can be sold to a global audience.
Say you want to make an innovative watch using your own design. Nowadays you can buy desktop manufacturing equipment and make the parts in your garage. Or you can post your idea on a website and have people from around the world fund your production costs by preordering the final product. Or you can collaborate with other inventors online to collectively transform your idea into a tangible object. According to Anderson, the people who use this more hands-on personal approach to manufacturing, called Makers, are gaining momentum as a new force in the global marketplace. He advocates the Maker movement as a way for America to reestablish itself as a manufacturing hub through a million individuals and small businesses creating products using the Maker mindset and selling them worldwide. In a book that is as much manual as manifesto, Anderson provides insider tips on how to get started making your own ideas into reality. A Maker-turned-businessman himself, Anderson's enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. Tinkerers, creative souls, and budding entrepreneurs will be itching to start making after finishing this inspiring read.
James Beard-nominated author, columnist, blogger, and dessert expert Nancy Baggett is back with a well-timed compendium of America's favorite baked goods: Simply Sensational Cookies: Bright Fresh Flavors, Natural Colors & Easy, Streamlined Techniques. Baggett, who has been cooking and baking from her Maryland farmhouse for many years, explains her purposes for writing this cookbook and how cookies have changed over the past few decades. No longer are people satisfied with one-note flavors or simple textures. The demands for the freshest spices and chocolates, unusual infusions, and above all, natural ingredients, have made the home baker of the 21st century reconsider many tried and true methods. Even savory ingredients, such as chiles, lavender, and cheese varieties have made their way into some of her new recipes. Purists need not despair, as there is a bounty of well-known favorites that have been improved for the contemporary baker.
After covering the basics of choosing the best ingredients, equipment, and baking methods, Baggett answers a Cookie FAQ, and then gets down to the business of the appealing recipes. She is dogged in her insistence that the ingredients should be easy to obtain, and the amount of time to create the cookies and to clean up is reasonable. Each recipe clearly indicates the ease or difficulty of the cookie, and how to best store them. While not all cookies are photographed, the pictures that are included are attractive and highlight the finished products delectably. With cookie swaps and the holiday season fast approaching, this contemporary collection of recipes is sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth, and those who bake for them.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
And it's interesting to see that Lake Wintergrasp is so [redacted!]. Wait, what? You don't want to know which levels match up with which zones in Wrath of the Lich King? Just in case you think this list is a spoiler, we've gone ahead and thrown it, uncensored, after the break. Read on for where you'll be when.
Borean Tundra: 68-72
Howling Fjord: 68-72
Dragonblight: 71-74
Grizzly Hills: 73-75
Zul'Drak: 74-77
Sholazar Basin: 76-78
Crystalsong Forest: 77-80
Storm Peaks: 77-80
Icecrown: 77-80
Wintergrasp: 77-80
Ahem. As I was saying, it's interesting to see that Wintergrasp is so high, though that's definitely the best way to make sure everyone's playing fair. And though it's obvious now, I almost forgot that Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord started off right at 68 -- does this mean that Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley are now as useless as Silithus? Not to mention that you'll note there are not one but three zones scheduled for 77-80 (not counting the PvP zone), so if the next expansion starts at 78, does that mean that Blizzard will be throwing three whole zones away?
Kind of a shame. But that's all in the future, of course: we're excited about Northrend for sure.


text: "This turned out much better than I'd expected. Used a picture of my kids, added their first names, added the year, and got a perfect gift for relatives. Grandparents & aunt loved it! Paper is nice and thick, like almost coaster thick. Still light enough to hang from a tree."


text: Lord & Taylor will be starting their Black Friday sale on Tuesday, with even more deals from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Web busters include the Ed Hardy Coffret Fragrance Set for Men for $27 (reg. $45) and the Estee Lauder Lip Gloss Coffret is on sale for $19.50 (reg. $88).


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KUHNER: The betrayal of the Navy's SEAL Team 6 – Washington Times
By MB Snow at June 9, 2013 | 1:00 am
Did the Obama administration put a target on the backs of members of Navy SEAL Team 6? This is the question that parents of slain SEALs are now asking — and rightly so. Forget Benghazi, the IRS, Eric H. Holder Jr. and the National Security Agency spying on U.S. citizens. Important as these scandals are, what happened to SEAL Team 6 could very well dwarf them. Our ... Go To Article
Commentary , Featured , General , Politics , Terrorism
ANDREW McCARTHY:: If you see something, say nothing – The New Criterion
By MB Snow at June 5, 2013 | 9:43 am
by Andrew C. McCarthy -- It was a report of the now numbingly familiar sort. Witnesses at the synagogue in Paris recounted that an Iranian immigrant had been screaming "Allahu Akbar!" while he chased the rabbi and his son. When he finally caught up, he slashed away at them with a box-cutter, causing severe lacerations. Nevertheless, the Associated Press assured ... Go To Article
Andrew C. McCarthy , Commentary , Featured , General , Politics , Terrorism
BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is now talking, and we can hear him – CW 56 Boston | CW TV
By MB Snow at June 4, 2013 | 10:48 pm
BOSTON (WHDH) -- After seeing his face all over the news and in the papers, the public knows exactly what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev looks like. But what about hearing him talk? "Everything is good, please don't say anything," he said in a voicemail to his mother. For the first time, we're hearing the younger Marathon bombing suspect's voice. From a Federal prison ... Go To Article
STEPHEN F. HAYES: Intel Chair: Release the Bin Laden Documents | The Weekly Standard
By MB Snow at June 3, 2013 | 1:22 am
12:00 AM, JUN 3, 2013 • BY STEPHEN F. HAYES Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, added his rather important voice to the growing number of current and former officials who believe the Obama administration should expedite the release of some documents captured during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. And Rogers, in an ... Go To Article
Barack Obama , Commentary , Featured , General , Islam , Middle East , News , Politics , Terrorism
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Obama's Dorothy Doctrine – WaPo
By MB Snow at May 31, 2013 | 1:00 am
By Charles Krauthammer, Thursday, May 30, 5:10 PM "This war, like all wars, must end. That's what history advises . . ." Nice thought. But much as Obama would like to close his eyes, click his heels three times and declare the war on terror over, war is a two-way street. That's what history advises: Two sides to fight it, two to end it. By surrender ... Go To Article
Barack Obama , Charles Krauthammer , Commentary , Featured , General , Politics , Terrorism
ANN COULTER:: Send us your violent bigots, yearning to butcher our citizens | Human Events
By MB Snow at May 30, 2013 | 9:30 am
By: Ann Coulter 5/29/2013 05:45 PM -- It's been a bad few weeks for cultural assimilation. Last month, two welfare-receiving immigrants in the United States, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, set off bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds. By the end of the week, they had murdered a cop and engaged in a wild shoot-out and ... Go To Article
Commentary , Featured , General , Islam , Politics , Terrorism
DENNIS PRAGER: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie | RealClearPolitics
By MB Snow at May 29, 2013 | 11:03 am
By Dennis Prager - May 29, 2013 The alleged butcher of the off-duty British soldier, Drummer Lee Rigby, defended his carving up of a living human being by claiming that he was engaging in "an eye for an eye" because the British army is killing Muslims in Afghanistan. Normally there is no reason to respond to the justifications offered by terrorists and other ... Go To Article
Commentary , Featured , General , Islam , Politics , Terrorism
P.J. O'ROURKE:: Stupid | The Weekly Standard
By MB Snow at May 28, 2013 | 9:22 am
9:01 AM, MAY 27, 2013 • BY P.J. O'ROURKE -- "You're stupid," is not something even his most severe critics usually say to President Barack Obama. But on Friday morning I picked up the Wall Street Journal and learned that the president had given a speech about the war on terror saying, "This war, like all wars, must end." That story was at the top of ... Go To Article
Barack Obama , Commentary , Featured , General , Politics , Terrorism
PETER COLLIER: Progressives with Bombs | The Weekly Standard
By MB Snow at May 27, 2013 | 3:05 am
JUN 3, 2013, VOL. 18, NO. 36 • BY PETER COLLIER The whitewashing of the Weather Underground At one point in The Company You Keep, Robert Redford's new film about the residue of the Weather Underground, a character named Sharon Solarz is captured by the FBI after living under a series of aliases since her involvement in a Michigan bank robbery decades earlier in ... Go To Article
Barack Obama , Commentary , Featured , General , News , Politics , Terrorism
DIVERTED PAKISTAN FLIGHT:: 2 men arrested after flight from Pakistan diverted in UK airspace – CNN
By MB Snow at May 24, 2013 | 3:53 pm
London (CNN) -- Police arrested two men Friday on suspicion of endangering an aircraft after a flight from Pakistan to the United Kingdom was diverted to Stansted Airport, outside of London. A UK fighter jet was scrambled to escort Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK709 from Lahore as it was diverted from northwestern England's Manchester Airport to ... Go To Article


text:
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If you wish, you can register and receive this letter (pdf) directly into your email box. You can also read directly this topic.
If you wish to unsubscribe, simply click on the link provided for that purpose in the next email we send you the letter CONIDIOPHARE.
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text:
The Bachelorette
New Ben Flajnik Interview: I Am Portrayed Exactly as I Act in Real Life
Ben Flajnik was almost a rocker instead of a lover. What would
Constantine Tzortzis Ashley Hebert have done without him?
Before he was the low-key winemaker of The Bachelorette Season 7, Ben F. was a music production major at the University of Arizona and played in a few bands. According to his childhood friend and fellow Evolve Winery founder Mike Benziger, Ben moved to San Diego after college graduation and talked about going on a reality TV show like American Idol.
We're not Randy Jackson, but that idea sounds pitchy, dawg.
Thank goodness Ben's sister decided to secretly send in his Bachelorette application. According to a cool and very detailed new story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Bachelorette producers called Ben when he was working at an Internet advertising firm he started in San Diego. He was ready for a change, so he said yes. And unlike some of his fellow bachelors — who get stalked by the tabloids and paparazzi — Ben has had a pretty drama-free ride on Season 7.
"That's kind of the way I roll, I'm a low-key dude," Ben told the Press Democrat. "It's nice to know after seeing this program that I am portrayed exactly as I act in real life."
Wine buddy Mike agreed with the edit his friend received. "I think they're doing a really good job of portraying exactly who he is," Mike said. "He's a big sweetheart, very genuine, down to earth."
He's not even hidden away. Ben and Mike are holding viewing parties with friends in San Francisco. "I'm out and about," Ben said. "My life feels as normal as ever."
(That's another thing. Since when are contestants allowed to give detailed interviews while still competing on the show?)
The owner of Sunflower Caffe in Sonoma told the Press Democrat that "gaggles of girls" in their 20s have been giggling their way into the cafe, requesting Ben F.'s wine. Ladies have been going on Ben's Facebook page to tell him if Ashley doesn't pick him, they are available.
However, Mike said he met Ashley during the hometown visit — which we'll see tonight, July 18 — and he said she's lovely with a great sense of humor.
"We'll see what happens, but I feel like they have some great chemistry," Mike said. "In the past, he dated a lot, and he just wasn't fully into it. I think he went in a little skeptical about finding love, but I think as the show progressed, he realized it was kind of a real thing."
Read the full interview for more from Ben and his Sonoma pals.
Are you hoping Ashley picks Ben? If not, should he be the next Bachelor or would you rather he just call you directly?
Source: The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Need your daily dose of The Bachelorette? "Like" us on Facebook! After all, you'd get our final rose.


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Showing your Appreciation
Okay, maybe you cannot converse in any more than the English language; however, you can still get by communicating if you know some positive phrases. Not only will you strike a chord of goodwill by doing so, you can make communicating a little easier too. For example, you can be polite in one of several ways. "Thank you" is denoted as:
- Merci (in French);
- Grazie (in Italian)
- Danke (in German); and
- Gracias (in Spanish).
Introducing Yourself Formally
To introduce yourself, you may want to say, "My name is . . .:
- Je m'appelle (in French);
- Mi chiamo (in Italian); or
- Me llamo (in Spanish).
Date and Time
You get the idea. By knowing some keynote phrases, you will enjoy your timeshare vacation in another country far more and start to understand the language of the countries you are visiting better too. But communication entails more than just a few basic phrases when you are traveling in foreign countries. It also means understanding how locals categorize addresses, dates, decimals, times, temperature, and floors of buildings too. Don't forget that the day and month are reversed in dates. For example, 07-25-10 is 25-07-10 in Europe. Also, 1 p.m. is indicated by 13:00 in Europe or 3:00 p.m. is 15:00 on the continent.
Be Careful where you Place a Comma or Decimal
In addition, Europeans also reverse their usage of decimals and commas. For example, two dollars is expressed as 2,00 while two thousand feet is denoted as 2.000 [feet].
Floors of Buildings
With respect to temperature, 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or freezing in America is 0 degrees Celsius in Europe. Also, when you walk into your timeshare, and, say, are told that you are located on the first floor, you'll find your unit on the second floor. That's because the ground floor in Europe is the bottom floor, the first floor is the second floor and the second floor is the third floor.
Get Acquainted with your Destination Country
After awhile, though, you will get used to the distinctions in the language of the country you are visiting, and can overcome any barriers that may exist. Familiarize yourself a little bit with the language and customs of the place then before leaving on your trip. That way, you'll be better able to cope with any miscommunication along the way.
Finding a timeshare in a foreign country is indeed exciting. No doubt, acquainting yourself with some of a country's idiosyncrasies will make your trip just that much more interesting.


text: Greetings Bros! Today we will moving our all our bro-tastic images over to FAIL Nation, to hang out with more of the FAIL fraternity. Don't worry if you only want to Bro-out, you can still have a one-on-one bromance by following here. This site will soon automatically redirect you over, so don't worry about having to change any bookmarks. Fistbump.


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Gases such as pollutants are discerned in the open air, preferably using a laser to emit an infrared light beam along a sight path for illuminating the gases. A telescope is directed along the sight path and collects light from the gases, the combination of the laser and telescope permitting redirection of the sight path to any target, such as fugitive emissions of a stack. An optical tunable filter is coupled to the telescope for selecting a particular optical wavelength or band, and focusing the filtered wavelength on a detector. A processor 72) is coupled to the detector output and pulses the laser. The processor analyzes the light levels as a function of wavelength to discriminate for the presence of selected gases by determining a characteristic pattern of light absorption and light emission by the gases. The tunable filter has an acousto-optical crystal of Tl3 AsSe3, in which an RF acoustic wave is generated for varying diffraction of light by the filter, thereby selecting a wavelength. A nonlinear output crystal selectively generates harmonics for increasing wavelength coverage, and can also be Tl3 AsSe3. When the laser is off, the filter acts on infrared emissions of the gases. Sensitivity to narrow emission lines is increased by modulating the RF drive to the tunable filter, producing derivatives of the spectra.
1. An apparatus operable to remotely detect the presence of selected atmospheric gases in a sample, comprising:
an infrared laser operable to emit a laser beam along a sight path intersecting the sample, the laser beam exciting gases in the sample at particular excitation wavelengths, thereby causing the gases to emit light at certain emission wavelengths, and to absorb light at certain absorption wavelengths, the emission wavelengths and the absorption wavelengths being characteristic of particular component gases in the sample;
viewing means directed along the sight path for collecting light from the gases in the sample responsive to the laser beam;
an acousto-optical tunable filter coupled to the viewing means, the tunable filter being operable controllably to diffract light collected by the viewing means for selecting particular optical wavelengths and to direct said particular optical wavelengths onto a detector means; and,
an analyzer coupled to the detector means and to the tunable filter, the analyzer being operable to control the tunable filter for selecting a plurality of said particular optical wavelengths and to discriminate for presence of said particular component gases by determining a characteristic pattern of the emission and absorption wavelengths detected.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector means comprises two detectors and further comprising memos for generating simultaneously two orthogonal acoustic waves in the acousto-optical filter at different frequencies, the two detectors receiving light from diffraction at the different frequencies, respectively, such that the two detectors measure two wavelengths simultaneously.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output crystal between the laser and the sample, the output crystal producing a harmonic of a wavelength of the laser beam such that the gases are excited at a plurality of wavelengths.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means coupled to the analyzer, for switching the output crystal controllably into and out of the sight path.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the means for switching the output crystal includes a gimballed mirror.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the analyzer includes a processor operable to control the laser for providing a pulsed illumination along the sight path in an infrared band, the analyzer discriminating for both the absorption wavelengths and the emission wavelengths in the infrared band.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said viewing means comprises a telescope, and wherein the laser and the telescope are mounted together on a movable mount defining the sight path, whereby the sight path can be redirected in open air.
8. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a controllable oscillator controlled by the processor and coupled to the tunable filter for selecting said particular optical wavelengths directed onto the detector means, and wherein the processor is operable to discriminate for a plurality of emission and absorption spectral patterns characteristic of different gases.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the acousto-optic tunable filter comprises Tl3 AsSe3.
10. A method for remotely measuring atmospheric gases in a sample, comprising the steps of:
directing an infrared laser beam through on the sample, so as to excite the sample and cause the sample to emit and to absorb light at particular wavelengths that are characteristic of component molecules in the sample;
receiving the light from the sample and applying the light to an acousto-optical tunable filter having means for applying an acoustic wave at a predetermined frequency for diffracting the light into a spectrum, and applying the light to a detector;
varying the predetermined frequency to select among a plurality of wavelengths of absorption and emission at the particular wavelengths that are characteristic of the component molecules;
measuring a level of the light at said particular wavelengths;
analyzing a pattern of the light, at the particular wavelengths for detecting the component molecules in the sample.
11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising redirecting the infrared laser beam for selecting the sample by selecting a sight path.
12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising generating harmonics in the laser beam so as to excite the sample at a plurality of wavelengths.
13. The method according to claim 12, comprising repetitively pulsing the laser and analyzing successively for particular wavelengths characteristically absorbed by at least one pollutant gas.
14. A method for remotely measuring atmospheric gases in a sample, comprising the steps of:
providing an exciting light beam via an infrared laser controllably operable to emit at selected wavelengths, and mounting the laser to emit along a beam path intersecting the sample such that the laser excites component molecules in the sample;
receiving infrared radiation from the sample, the infrared radiation having absorption and emission spectra characteristic of the component molecules;
applying the infrared radiation to an acousto-optical tunable filter and an associated detector means, and tuning the filter by applying to the filter an acoustic wave at an predetermined frequency to diffract the infrared radiation such that a selected wavelength is applied to the detector means;
measuring a level of said infrared radiation at the selected wavelength;
tuning the filter by successively applying additional frequencies, measuring the level at the additional selected wavelengths, and proceeding through a set of frequencies sufficient to define the absorption and emission spectra of the sample; and,
determining the component molecules of the sample from the absorption and emission spectra.
15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising redirecting the laser beam to select the sample.
16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising inserting an output crystal into the beam path and directing the laser beam through the output crystal for obtaining a plurality of simultaneous wavelengths of illumination.
17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising varying an output wavelength of the infrared laser so as to select an illumination wavelength, tuning the filter and defining the absorption and emission spectra under illumination at a plurality illumination wavelengths.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said detector means comprises two detectors and the method further comprises applying to the filter a second, orthogonal acoustic wave; simultaneously diffracting the infrared radiation along separate paths to the two detector; and measuring the level at two different selected wavelengths simultaneously.
19. An apparatus operable to remotely detect the presence of selected atmospheric gases in a sample,
an infrared laser controllably operable to emit a laser beam along a sight path intersecting the sample, the laser beam having an on-state and an off-state, the laser exciting gases in the sample at particular excitation wavelengths when in the on-state, thereby causing the gases to emit light at certain emission wavelengths, and to absorb light at certain absorption wavelengths, the emission wavelengths and the absorption wavelengths being characteristic of particular component gases in the sample;
viewing means directed along the sight path for collecting light from the gases in the sample responsive to the laser beam;
an acousto-optical tunable filter coupled to the viewing means, the tunable filter being operable controllably to diffract light collected by the viewing means for selecting particular optical wavelengths and to direct said particular optical wavelengths onto a detector;
an analyzer coupled to the detector and to the tunable filter, the analyzer being operable to control the tunable filter for selecting a plurality of said particular optical wavelengths and to discriminate for presence of said particular component gases by determining a characteristic pattern of the emission and absorption wavelengths detected; and,
wherein the analyzer is operable to collect the emission wavelengths during the off-state of the laser.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and apparatus for monitoring air quality, in particular for identification of airborne molecules, concentration measurements, and measurement of the dimensions of localized concentrations, for example the emissions of a particular stack of a manufacturing plant. A combination of long path infrared absorption and emission spectroscopy, and range finding, is effected by an automatically controlled and redirectable spectroscopic device.
A pulsed CO2 laser is aligned with a receiving telescope and can be directed selectively through or around a doubler crystal for operation in different frequency bands. An electro-acoustic tunable filter and detector arrangement discriminates for absorption and emission at particular frequencies characteristic of pollutant gases, and a computer decodes the timing and absorption/emission information as a function of optical wavelength and distance. The computer preferably also generates and records a profile of gas concentrations along the redirectable sight path, including the concentrations of hazardous pollutant gases.
2. Prior Art
Infrared spectroscopy is a known method for assessing concentrations of gases in samples. Systems that use a laser and an acousto-optic tunable filter are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,490,845--Steinbruegge et al; 4,622,845--Ryan et al; and 4,652,756--Ryan et al. The technique generally involves passing an infrared band laser beam from a source to a detector, across the flowpath of gases in a stack. Reflectors can be used to pass the beam across the stack more than once, thus increasing the extent to which the beam is affected by the sample of gases in the stack. Typically, however, the path of the beam is "closed," i.e., the light passes from the source, through the gas, to the detector. Gases in the stack absorb the illuminating radiation selectively at specific frequencies due to the molecular and atomic structure of the gas molecules. The detector discriminates for known patterns of absorption, i.e., absorption at certain wavelengths and not at other wavelengths.
Gas also may emit radiation at specific frequencies due to fluorescence effects following the application of sufficient excitation energy or by thermal excitation which produces blackbody radiation. Fluorescence effects are a form of reflectance. Normally, fluorescence is very low in power compared to the illuminating energy. Thus fluorescence is difficult to detect in a closed path arrangement during illumination, or in a closed path arrangement wherein the detector determines absorption as a function of wavelength in the range of illumination. Fluorescence measurements also typically are conducted at close range, to enable application of sufficient excitation energy to produce a detectable response. By analyzing the energy received as a function of frequency or wavelength, it is possible to detect the presence of particular molecules, and to assess the concentration of these molecules in the stack gases. According to the patents to Ryan et al, stack monitoring is done repetitively in an automated manner using a computer controller and analyzer for controlling a tunable filter at the receiver.
Monitoring stack gases requires a detection arrangement that is fixed and applicable only to measure the instantaneous concentration(s) of gas(es) in the stack. In conjunction with a flow measurement technique, this information can be converted into a gas volume figure that may be meaningful with respect to any air pollution at large. However, it would be advantageous to enable fast and automated measurements in the open air, and to provide a system with the versatility needed to discriminate for a wide variety of gases.
In general, there are five open path remote sensing techniques applicable to assessment of gas concentrations in the air. These are fluorescence, differential optical absorption spectroscopy, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, differential absorption lidar spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. These are each methods for measuring the wavelength-specific behavior of the gas molecules such that characteristic patterns that represent particular gases can be identified in the data.
The fluorescence technique measures the light intensity emitted by specific gases at characteristic wavelengths. The light is emitted when electrons in the gas molecules return to a lower energy state after the molecules have been excited, typically by radiation from a high intensity light source. Fluorescence measurement is restricted to measurements in the ultraviolet, where OH radicals and SO2 can be effectively discriminated by characteristic spectroscopic signatures. However, expensive equipment is required and the equipment is designed to measure only for specific pollutants. The technique lacks versatility and is operable only with respect to a sample that is very close to the illumination source and the detector.
Differential optical absorption spectroscopy involves measuring the differential intensities between absorption peaks and valleys versus wavelength in the ultraviolet-to-visible regions. The light source is usually a high intensity lamp and the maximum path length is around 800 m. This method has good specificity for discriminating among gases, and is the only method that effectively measures NO3 radicals. Equipment for making the measurements is readily available, for example as embodied in the OPSIS system, installed at various locations in Europe. However, because the system does not encompass the mid-to-far infrared spectral band, it is ineffective for discriminating most molecular hydrocarbon concentrations, which unfortunately include many pollutants that it would be desirable to detect.
Mid-IR tunable diode lasers are available for tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. A tunable light source, as opposed to a wide band light source, can simplify the equipment required for light absorption spectroscopy because the sample can be illuminated at the wavelengths of interest, and the absorption of the light at these frequencies can be examined. The tunable diode approach has high time resolution, excellent specificity, high sensitivity for NO2, and also measures HNO3, NH3, HCHO and H2 O2 at trace levels. It detects pollutants that other techniques cannot, and/or has a higher sensitivity due to precise control of illumination wavelength. However, laser diodes of sufficient power do not exist for the far-IR region where most hydrocarbon pollutants absorb. In the wavelengths where tunable diode lasers operate, power constraints of the source and sensitivity limitations of detectors limit atmospheric absorption measurements to a path length of about 300 m.
Instead of using fixed reflection targets, differential absorption lidar spectroscopy uses atmospheric backscatter of tunable pulsed lasers. This technique measures absorption and has been most successful in the ultraviolet and visible regions, where molecular scattering is prevalent. In the IR band, aerosols must provide the scattering. This technique has the advantage that range-resolved profiles over a substantial distance (e.g., 3 km) can be developed, i.e., the concentrations of detected gases as a function of distance from the source/detector. The present invention also uses a pulsed laser and has a ranging capability, which enables localization and volume measurements of pollution clouds. The invention, however, is arranged to operate in the mid-to-far infrared, and uses a tunable receiver.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy involves interferometry. A beam from a high intensity lamp is propagated through the atmosphere and split into two beams at the receiver. One beam is directed to a fixed mirror and the other beam to a moving mirror. The two beams are recombined to form an interferogram from which the absorption spectra is obtained. This technique is useful in the two IR atmospheric transmission windows where many toxic pollutant chemicals absorb, i.e., 3.3 to 4.2 μm and 8.3 to 13.3 μm. The method is good for relatively high pollutant concentrations, but it is limited in that the sensitivity for most pollutants is not sufficient for ambient monitoring in moderately polluted or unpolluted areas, where it may be desirable to detect and measure for traces. Moreover, the range is limited to about 500 m.
Unless one desires to measure only for the specific type of gas and concentration range, and perhaps at a specific location for which the foregoing monitoring systems are respectively designed, more than one of them is needed to avoid the drawbacks of power, frequency and sensitivity limitations of each. It would be possible to combine all the foregoing types of monitors in one system, to provide a measurement and detection system that enjoyed the advantages of the respective techniques. This would be prohibitively expensive and complex.
According to the present invention, laser infrared spectroscopy techniques are applied to a redirectable sighting device having an automated tunable filter detector arrangement and a multi-band source having means for selectively directing an illuminating beam through a nonlinear crystal to produce harmonics. The tunable filter is preferably an acousto-optical tunable diffractor, e.g., comprising at least one crystal of thallium arsenic selenide (Tl3 AsSe3) or any other acousto-optic material. This crystal has piezoelectric aspects, and is operable as a tunable diffractor by varying the frequency of a modulating electro-acoustic wave passed through the crystal by application of a radio frequency modulating field.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,196--Feichtner et al discloses how to make and use a thallium arsenic selenide or "TAS" crystal as a controllable diffractor. The acoustic wave generated in the crystal produces alternating compression and rarefaction fronts, which have different indices of refraction. The wave fronts form a diffraction grating that spreads the spectrum of light passed therethrough, and diverts the received beam as a function of wavelength. The angle of refraction of the grating can be increased with the frequency of the acoustic wave, and the amount of light diffracted increases with the intensity of the acoustic wave. Therefore, by varying the acoustic frequency the crystal is tuned such that a particular wavelength can be directed on a detector. Furthermore, the angular shift of the diffracted beam can be mostly compensated by creating a wedge at either the input or output optical face of the acousto-optic tunable filter, with the result that the diffracted beam always appears at the same angle to the detector irrespective of the acoustic frequency. The output of the detector is digitized and stored to develop absorption information as a function of optical wavelength. A computer then determines the concentrations of gases along the sight path from their characteristic absorption spectra.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,550--Steinbruegge discloses an acousto-optic tunable filter in infrared bandwidths, useful for imaging equipment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,575,186--Gottlieb et al, and 4,705,362--Ryan et al disclose variations including, for example, a plurality of crystal arrangements for operating in different bands to enlarge the bandwidth of the filter as a whole. Each of the foregoing patents is hereby incorporated as if set forth in full.
It is an object of the invention to provide a long path infrared spectrometer arrangement that is highly specific, versatile and inexpensive.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an automated spectrographic analyzer that can be redirected to test for fugitive emissions of specific target sites, measuring gases rapidly, in situ, and avoiding the loss of radicals.
It is a further object of the invention to employ acousto-optical crystals for controllable selection of illumination at basic and harmonic illumination wavelengths, and to selectively filter light reflections, absorptions and emissions of gases to identify particular molecules by detecting spectral patterns characteristic of the molecules.
It is another object of the invention to probe regions that are not accessible to point monitors, and to automatically control illumination and measurements for completing a scan for hazardous pollutants in a short time.
These and other objects are accomplished by selectively discerning gases such as pollutants in the open air, using a laser to emit an infrared light beam along a sight path through the air, thereby illuminating gases along the sight path. A telescope is directed along the same sight path, and collects light from the gases in the air, the combination of the laser and telescope permitting redirection of the sight path to any target, such as fugitive emissions of a stack. An optical tunable filter is coupled to the telescope for selecting a particular optical wavelength or band, and focusing the filtered wavelength on a detector. A processor is coupled to the detector output and also controls the laser. The processor analyzes the light levels as a function of wavelength to discriminate for the presence of selected gases by determining a characteristic pattern of light absorption and light emission by the gases. The tunable filter has a piezoelectric transducer crystal bonded to Tl3 AsSe3 or another acousto-optical material. An alternating electric field is applied to a transducer bonded to the crystal to set up an acoustic wave for varying the wavelength of the light which is diffracted through the filter, thus selecting a wavelength. The electric field can be changed rapidly in frequency, to advance the detector arrangement from one wavelength to another, and collecting spectrographic information. A second crystal preferably is selectable by the controller, to generate harmonics as an alternate source of laser illumination in a different optical band. The second crystal, namely the output crystal, can also be Tl3 AsSe3 or another nonlinear optical material. The output crystal is disposed between the laser and the sight path, and produces at least one harmonic wavelength, whereby the laser is selectively operable to illuminate the gases along the sight path at a plurality of illumination frequencies.
The invention is illustrated with respect to particular embodiments that are exemplary rather than limiting. Reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the specific embodiments disclosed as examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed. In the drawings,
FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional control and measurement arrangements of the components.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing application of the tunable optical filter.
The invention applies acousto-optic tunable filter technology and tunable laser capability in the mid to far infrared (IR) band, to provide an instrument for optical remote measurement of concentrations of atmospheric gases. A multitude of the hazardous air pollutants, including pollutants specified in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments can be distinguished in this manner, and furthermore, localized concentrations can be measured as to size, concentration and component molecules. In the mid to far IR, most hydrocarbons can be identified by their absorption spectra, thereby complementing measurements in ultraviolet (UV) and visible bands, where homonuclear and light molecules have their main absorption spectra.
The measurement according to the invention is very fast. For example, 2 minutes is sufficient to collect enough information as to absorption/reflectivity of the gases along the sight path to distinguish 120 particular gases. The redirectable long path nature of the apparatus is such that a large area can be covered. The invention is applicable to a long path up to about 6 km in length (3 km out and back), enabling monitoring of over 36 times a larger area than other approaches. By taking wavelength specific measurements as a function of time, not only is the presence of a pollutant gas discernable, but a convenient automatic distance measurement by optical ranging determines the position of any reflecting target.
FIG. 1 illustrates the elements of a preferred embodiment. The monitoring system 35 measures atmospheric absorption by hazardous air pollutants 30 over long paths, e.g., a 6 km path (3 km to a reflecting target), and the path is selectable manually by the operator or by automatic preprogrammed means. A 15 mJ pulsed CO2 laser 22 is operated at a pulsed frequency of 300 Hz, at an optical wavelength from 9.2 to 10.8 μm. The intensities of light returning along the sight path from hazardous air pollutants, e.g., in a band from 9.2 to 10.8 μm, are measured and digitized, developing spectrographic information which is analyzed by the processor/controller 48, including a numerical processor 72 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, to assess the presence of selected gases.
An optional enhancement is preferably employed selectively to enlarge the optical illumination bandwidth. A harmonic generator or doubler 42 increases the CO2 laser output frequencies into the 4.6 to 5.4 μm spectral range. The doubler 42 can be inserted automatically into the output illumination path for spectral analysis of absorption/reflectivity in this band.
As shown in FIG. 1, the hazardous air pollutants monitor 35 according to the invention comprises four main components. These are a CO2 laser 22, a nonlinear crystal or doubler 42, a receiver 44 including an acousto-optic tunable filter 46, and a computer 48 for analyzing collected data and for controlling system operation. Preferably, these elements are coupled optically using a beam expander 52, a gimballed turning mirror 54, and a directable receiving telescope 56. The laser 22 and beam expander 52 direct illumination along the beam path 80, and are mounted commonly with the telescope 56 to illuminate and view along a common path between the measuring system 35 and a remote topographic target. The telescope 56 focuses light from the sample on at least one, and preferably two detectors 62, 64. The detectors, which may be point detectors, line arrays, or focal plane arrays, can include a 7-14 μm detector 62 and a 3.5-7 μm detector 64, which are operated selectively in conjunction with control of the illumination wavelength selected by the laser output means, generally designated 76. The detectors 62, 64 are controllably coupled to an electronic controller, preferably provided as a function of computer 48, that sequences system operation and analyzes the collected data to decode the measurement results.
The computer or other controller 48 cycles through a range of wavelengths, collecting spectrographic information regarding the absorption or reflection of light returning from the gas 30 and/or the topographic target. The computer then correlates the absorption lines detected in the spectrograph with particular gas compositions in the sample, and logs or reports the results.
The system as shown preferably also functions as a CO2 laser range finder, determining the range of target gases by monitoring for the time difference between pulse generation and reception of the light reflected from the target gases. The thickness of the gas concentration 30 is likewise detected by monitoring for broadening of the pulse due to reflections of gases in the concentration 30 at different distances from the measurement system 35. The range finding function enables measurement of the distance to any reflecting target. Accordingly, no separate system is required for measuring distance, nor is it necessary to cross reference distance and absorption/reflectivity information in order to develop meaningful information.
The receiver portion 44 can be line-tuned for specific optical wavelengths, and the pulse/measurement operation can be accomplished at a high repetition rate (e.g., 300 Hz) for quick measurements sufficient to identify the absorption signatures of a number of different gases in the spectrographic data collected. The wavelength specific data is collected at the high resolution of the laser bandwidth (≈0.01 cm-1).
The laser output means 76 and the telescopic input to the receiver 44 are mounted commonly. Accordingly, the measurement device 35 readily can be redirected at a new target, in real time, simply by redirecting the output beam. Thus, large areas can be quickly monitored by undertaking measurements along several beam paths. Similarly, the beam path can be changed quickly to respond to fugitive releases wherever they may occur or be suspected.
The CO2 laser frequency preferably can be doubled via a nonlinear crystal 42 as shown in FIG. 2. The crystal can be a Tl3 AsSe3 nonlinear crystal, as discussed in the infrared imaging patent disclosures discussed in the prior art section, above, which patents are hereby incorporated in their entireties. Preferably, the gimballed mirror 54 allows the laser beam to be directed through or around the doubler crystal 42, under control of the processor 48. Preferably, the apparatus 35 is controlled to analyze for absorption characteristics in a band centered at the basic laser wavelength, and then at the shorter harmonic wavelengths provided by the doubler crystal 42. An advantage of the shorter wavelengths provided by this option is that some gases (e.g., CO, NO, HBr, HI, OCS, and N2) absorb in the 4.6 to 5.4 μm range but not in the 9.2 to 10.8 μm range. According to the invention, electronically activated two-position turning mirrors 54 direct the CO2 laser beam through the crystal 42 for short wavelength operation and around the crystal 42 for long wavelength operation. The mirrors 54 can be operated by a control signal from the processor 48, which triggers operation of a solenoid or the like (not shown) to divert the mirrors 54 from the beam path or to insert the mirrors into the beam path and thereby redirect the beam through or around the doubler crystal 42 as required for that phase of system operation.
The telescope 56 collects and concentrates returning light on the acousto-optical filter 46. The filter 46 includes an acousto-optic Tl3 AsSe3 material and an RF generator or oscillator 84, shown in FIG. 3. The oscillator 84 is controlled by the processor 48 for directing an acoustic wave through the crystal at a selected radio frequency, coupled to the crystal via transducer 90, bonded thereto. The acoustic wave fronts 92 form a diffraction grating in the crystal 46. By varying the acoustic frequency, the diffraction effects of the crystal 46 are changed, selectively varying the wavelength band applied to the detector 62 or 64, which can have a narrow slot input as shown in FIG. 3. The crystal of the tunable filter is used in this manner to direct a selected wavelength portion of the beam to the proper detector 62, 64. Two transducers 90 can be bonded to orthogonal faces of the crystal, for diffracting the incoming infrared radiation to the two detectors 62, 64.
The acousto-optical filter 46 has two key functions in the receiver 44. During absorption measurements, the narrow filter passband greatly increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the system by restricting the radiation applied to the detector 62, 64 from the atmosphere to a narrow spectral range, e.g., (2-10 cm-1), around the absorption line which is then selected. The frequency of the acoustic beam determines the center wavelength of the optical passband and is electronically controlled to center the passband around the laser wavelength. During emission measurements, direct spectroscopy or derivative spectroscopy can be applied in which the acousto-optical filter 46 is tuned to between 3.5 and 14 μm. Sharp emission lines are measured by modulating the acoustic frequency at a fixed frequency, e.g., 1 KHz, to sinusoidally shift the passband of the acousto-optical filter. The modulation does not affect radiation which has a relatively constant intensity over the acousto-optical filter passband, but modulates the intensity from emission lines much narrower than the passband. A phase locked amplifier 96 tuned to the modulation frequency separates the modulated signal from the background. For narrow lines in a blackbody background at the same temperature, this approach gives a signal-to-background ratio of 11 at 10.6 μm, increasing to 43 at 5 μm.
The measurement system 35 can operate repetitively to sequence through a series of measurements intended to identify particular pollutant gases by their absorption spectra. Derivative spectroscopy can also be accomplished using the same equipment applied to the absorption measurements. In that case, the short laser pulse is replaced with a longer pulse to accommodate the slow modulation frequency. Key emission lines can be monitored during those scheduled times when absorption measurements are not being taken. If preset thresholds are exceeded in the absorption measurements (i.e., if the processor detects in the data a predetermined concentration of one or more pollutant gases), the system can be programmed to switch automatically to detailed measurements, selection of certain bands or wavelengths for more extensive analysis and/or selection of derivative spectroscopy measurements to supplement absorption measurements. This dual emission/absorption monitoring under automatic control of the processor/controller 48 reduces the volume of information that needs to be processed routinely, as compared to a system that collects all possible data all the time.
The processor 48 controls and sequences operations, and analyzes collected data for characteristic spectral lines. The processor 48 can comprise a commercial personal computer having data acquisition means 112 which sample and digitize the detector output levels, and one or more outputs 82 for controlling the tunable filter 46 and gimballed mirror arrangement 54. The processor 48 determines concentrations from the measured spectroscopic data. The processor 48 can include a numeric processor for analyzing the data and an electronic controller which may be a separate processor operable to control the laser, the acousto-optical tunable filter, and the directional optics. Alternatively, the numeric and control functions can be embodied in one computer 48.
Preferably, processed information from the data is displayed on a screen monitor 122. The raw and/or processed data can be stored on disc for later analysis, printed, reported remotely, used to trigger alarms, etc.
Whereas the measurement system as a whole can be oriented in any direction through the open air, the invention is able to probe regions inaccessible to point monitors. The measurement system 35 can be directed manually at desired target sites, or can be automatically positionable, e.g., by motor drives (not shown) under control of the processor 48. In this manner the processor 48 can sequence through measurements of a number of preprogrammed sites, and in each case measure and log information on the gases detected. The orientation of the measurement beam 80 can be encoded and stored with the spectral data, to associate the specific measurements with specific sites.
The processor 48 can proceed rapidly through a number of particular wavelength and illumination (absorption), excitation (fluorescence) and/or thermal emission measurement steps. Thus it is possible to determine concentrations of a large number of gases in minutes, rather than hours. The gases are sampled in-situ, thus avoiding losses of radicals that might occur from testing relying on sample collection and later testing.
Path-averaged measurements are available in this manner for accurate area monitoring. The system is further capable of responding rapidly to changing situations, e.g., the system can be arranged to hunt for fugitive releases or to take detailed measurements relating to a localized gas concentration such as the plume of a single stack.
There is a significant financial advantage to the automated monitor of the invention, particularly when large areas such as cities are to be monitored for a range of potential pollutants. Notably, the method and apparatus according to the invention is substantially less labor intensive than point monitoring, and at the same time provide advantages with respect to measurement capabilities over other monitoring techniques. Fluorescence, for example, has been used over long ranges at altitudes above 30,000 feet, but on the ground is primarily a point monitor.
A tunable diode forth of laser measurement according to the invention may become viable with the development of more powerful diode lasers become available, but is presently not preferred as being too restricted in power and wavelength coverage to be effective. Thus a controllably pulsed CO2 laser is employed in the exemplary embodiment shown.
The differential absorption lidar approach is applicable to any pulsed laser range finding arrangement, and preferably is employed according to the invention as an analytical technique. Differential optical absorption spectroscopy normally encompasses the UV to near-IR regions, whereas Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, like the present invention, is useful in the mid-to-far IR regions. Thus, a complete analysis system according to the invention employs differential optical absorption and the monitor discussed above, to encompass a full range of wavelengths of interest. It is also of course possible to restrict the function of the arrangement, for example, embodying the apparatus only to take path averaged absorption measurements or the like, for applications in which the full range of measurements are not needed.
Although the monitor of the invention does not cover the broad 3-13 μm absorption spectral range of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the invention does cover the most important spectral ranges, i.e., those ranges in which most hazardous pollutants absorb. In any event, the monitor of the invention is substantially faster and less labor intensive than present techniques for measuring the concentrations of several gases.
In principle, a Fourier transform infrared spectrum can be collected in less then 10 ms. However, to achieve good sensitivity it is necessary to integrate the collected data over many measurements. A total time of about four minutes is thus used to integrate over 170 samples. By comparison the automated monitor according to the invention can integrate over 170 samples per gas in about 1 second, thus completing the analysis for 240 gases in the same four minutes.
In absorption measurements at short wavelengths, the invention has an operating distance and sensitivity comparable to a Fourier transform technique. However, the resolution of the monitor of the invention can be made narrower than with a Fourier transform technique. At the longer wavelengths containing the characteristic absorption lines of most hazardous pollutants, the CO2 pulsed laser according to the invention is over 100 times brighter than the brightest incoherent sources, thereby making the invention much more sensitive than a Fourier transform analyzer and allowing the monitor to cover an area about 36 times larger than a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The monitor of the invention is 10 to 40 times more sensitive in emission measurements and encompasses the same wavelength range as a Fourier transform analyzer for this measurement application. The invention also enables measurement associated with fixed targets such as buildings or with mobile targets such as pollution clouds, whereas the known Fourier transform arrangement cannot. The invention thus has a major advantage in providing unattended automated operation and in localizing sources of fugitive releases.
The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.
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A former employee has been arrested after more than $54,000 worth of metal parts were stolen from a company near North Charleston this month.
Travis Nathaniel Green, 34, of Woodwind Court in North Charleston, was arrested Sunday and charged with two counts of grand larceny and obtaining goods by false pretenses, according to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.
Fifteen baskets of metal joint pins, worth more than $54,000, were stolen Dec. 14 from Hesco Bastion on Azalea Drive, according to an incident report. Green had been recently laid off from Hesco and was listed as a suspect.
He was being held Monday in the Charleston County jail on $80,000 bail.
Another man also was charged in the steel heist. Robert McLeod Grant, 63, of Plow Ground Road on Johns Island, was arrested Dec. 19 and charged with two counts of grand larceny and two counts of obtaining goods by false pretenses. He was released on bail, according to jail records.
Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553.
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ok thanks nightstah, i'll give that a go. just hope i don't brick it!!!
If your wii is so old that it doesn't show a version number you will probably be able to install bootmii as boot2. Once you get HBC and bootmii/boot2 be sure to make a nand backup, at that point you will be pretty much brickproof! That is only if you can get boot2 though.


text:
Same-sex attraction is not a gift, Christian essayist argues
Catholic World News - July 31, 2012
A Christian with same-sex attraction explains why he does not identify himself as a "gay Christian" in a thoughtful essay for First Things.
Daniel Mattson remarks that many "gay Christians" see their sexuality as a gift from God. He responds:
I think it is a mistake to view homosexuality as a gift, in and of itself. Those who identify as gay speak of the great gifts that supposedly flow from their homosexuality. But of course, any goods that are supposedly unique to homosexuality are common to man, and all that is good in man is the result of being made in the image and likeness of God.
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Posted by: AgnesDay -
Jul. 31, 2012 5:31 PM ET USA
Daniel Mattison is an admirable man, and his article is inspirational.


text:
In the single hung window, the bottom sash moves up to open and allow in air flow. The top sash is fixed. Since it opens and closes without protuding, single-hung windows are an excellent choice for rooms facing walkways, porches or patios.
Explore Milgard single-hung windows by product line or frame material below.
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Ultra™ & WoodClad™ Series
Beautiful to look at ---- with little upkeep required, Ultra™ Series fiberglass windows are built to last. A WoodClad™ Series option offers the warmth of a wood veneer interior.
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text:
James McFadden has completed his move to Sunderland on a short-term contract.
Manager Martin O'Neill revealed on Thursday that the 29-year-old former Scotland international would put pen to paper within 24 hours, and the Black Cats have confirmed he has now done that as he attempts to rekindle his career.
Free agent McFadden spent six months at Everton last season after being released by Birmingham.
He will spend the next three months on Wearside as O'Neill assesses whether or not he can return to the form which brought him 48 senior caps.
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