text:
In particular for reducing the waiting time at the checkouts of self-service supermarkets, articles are registered by providing each article with a microcircuit (24) having a loop for picking up high frequency energy and for responding to an interrogation by transmitting a modulated message at high frequency representing an article-identifying signature. An article (20) is taken into account by exciting its microcircuit by applying an energy-supplying and interrogation high frequency signal thereto to cause it to transmit the modulated signal of the signature, the modulated signal is picked up by memory means causing the signatures to correspond to the prices of articles, the price of the interrogated article is stored in a memory, and it is displayed, and the price of the article is added to that of any articles that may previously have been taken into account.
1. A method for entering into account and checking articles picked up by a customer, comprising the steps of:
providing each of said articles with a microcircuit having means for receiving high frequency energy and means for transmitting a modulated high frequency message in response thereto, said message being representative of a signature identifying the respective article;
generating an energy supplying interrogation high frequency signal at a predetermined location in a path of transfer of each of said articles which is transferred by a customer into a customer available receptacle, whereby the microcircuit of said selected article, when passed through said predetermined location, delivers the respective message, said microcircuit being arranged for becoming inert upon delivery of said message,
directing each said message to circuit means carried by said receptacle and programmed for indicating a price of each said article upon receipt of the signature thereof,
electronically storing said price, displaying said price and adding said price to an accumulated amount representing the sum of the prices of previously transferred said articles;
and passing said receptacle through a checking location where a high frequency energization and interrogation field prevails for detecting microcircuits which have not been previously rendered inert.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that a high frequency field is generated which is modulated with a special code and which is transmitted only when the price of the article has been taken into account.
3. Apparatus for entering into account and checking articles purchased by a customer, comprising:
on each of a plurality of articles available for purchase to customers, a microcircuit having means for receiving high frequency energy at a predetermined frequency and means for transmitting, in response thereto, a message which is representative of a signature identifying the respective article, said microcircuit being arranged for becoming inert upon delivery of said message;
on each of a plurality of receptacles available to customers, circuit means for generating an energy supplying interrogation field at said predetermined high frequency, said means arranged for any said article which is transferred by a customer into the receptacle, to cross said interrogation field, said circuit means being programmed for indicating a price of each said article upon receipt of the signature thereof, for electronically storing said price, for displaying said price and for adding said price to an accumulated amount representing the sum of the prices of possibly transferred said articles;
and means for generating a further high frequency energization and interrogation field at a check-out location for detecting possible microcircuits which have not been previously rendered inert.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the display is provided with an input circuit connected to a validating and inhibiting circuit (54) for transmitting an instruction to the microcircuit of an article for inhibiting subsequent operation of the microcircuit.
5. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said circuit means on each said receptacle comprises a reader containing a transducer for coupling with each said microcircuit and connected to an interrogation path having a memory for storing a general interrogation code for the microcircuits and to a reception path having: a decoding circuit; a transcoding programmable read-only memory for causing each article signature provided by the microcircuit of an article to correspond to a price; and a display associated with totalizing means.
6. A method for entering into account and checking articles picked up by a customer, comprising the steps of:
providing each of a plurality of articles available to customers with a microcircuit having means for receiving high frequency energy and means for transmitting a modulated high frequency message in response to receipt of a specific interrogation high frequency code, said message being representative of a signature identifying the respective article;
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein each said signature is identified as a word having a plurality of bits and wherein said sequence successively comprises:
testing whether articles exist whose signature includes a predetermined value of most significant bits among said plurality of bits,
if the test is negative, testing whether articles are present whose signature includes other values of said most significant bits,
if the test is positive, testing whether articles are present whose signature includes said predetermined most significant bits plus at least one predetermined less significant bit, and
repeating said sequence with an increasing number of bits until all articles have been identified.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein identical ones of said articles have a signature consisting of a common article multi-digit code and of a multi-digit extension number which is not the same for all said identical articles.
9. A method for entering into account and checking articles, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing each of a plurality of articles with a microcircuit having means for receiving high frequency energy and means for transmitting a modulated high frequency message in response to receipt of a respective interrogation high frequency code in the form of a word having a plurality of bits, said interrogation code and said message being representative of a signature identifying the respective article;
(b) generating an interrogation sequence at a predetermined location in a path followed by a plurality of articles among said articles, as an energy supplying interrogation high frequency signal, said signal sequentially containing the specific interrogation codes for all possible articles present in said receptacle;
(c) collecting each signature message at said predetermined location and directing it to circuit means for precising said signature message and for giving and storing identification indication;
wherein said interrogation sequence comprises:
(b1) a first interrogation as to whether there is at least one article among said plurality of articles whose interrogation code includes at least one predetermined most significant bit;
(b2) if a message is received in response to said first interrogation, a second interrogation as to whether there is at least one article among said plurality of articles whose interrogation code includes said predetermined most significant bit and at least one predetermined immediately less significant bit;
(b3) if no message is received in response to said first interrogation, another interrogation as to whether there is at least one article among said plurality of articles whose interrogation code includes at least one most significant bit different from said one predetermined most significant bit, and
(b4) repeating steps (b1), (b2) and (b3) with more and more bits until the least significant bit in the interrogation code of all said plurality of articles is identified.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein identical ones of said articles have a signature consisting of a common article multi-digit code and of a multi-digit extension number which is not the same for all said identical articles.
generating an energy supplying interrogation high frequency signal at a predetermined location in a path followed by a receptacle containing articles purchased by a customer for check out, said signal sequentially containing the specific interrogation codes for all possible articles; and
collecting each signature message at said predetermined location, directing each signature message to circuit means programmed for determining price of each said article upon receipt of a signature thereof, electronically storing said price, and adding said price to an accumulated amount representing the sum of the prices of previously identified said articles, wherein:
said message identifying said signature consists of a plurality of bits, having predetermined most significant bits and predetermined less significant bits, and
said interrogation high frequency signal first contains one of said specific interrogation codes only containing predetermined most significant bits belonging to a plurality of possible ones of said signatures and proceeds with interrogation codes further including predetermined less significant bits only if a test reveals that there are signatures including said predetermined most significant bits.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/828,954, filed Feb. 7, 1992, by RAIMBAULT et al., entitled Method and Apparatus for Registering and Clocking Articles, now abandoned.
The invention relates to methods and to apparatuses for registering (which term should be understood as meaning taking into account and totalizing the prices of articles purchased) and checking articles, and a particularly important (though not exclusive) application thereof lies in self-service super- and hypermarkets.
At present, a major complaint made by the customers of large stores of this type is the waiting time at the checkout, as made necessary by the need to check articles purchased one by one, to register them, and to pay for them. By using scanning devices for optically reading the bar codes carried by each article, a considerable saving in time is obtained by avoiding the need for the clerk to key in each individual article code or price on the checkout machine. However, because each article is verified by an employee, such a solution is merely a palliative since the time taken by each customer to pass through the checkout is substantially proportional to the number of articles purchased, given that payment time generally represents only a small fraction of the total time spent at the checkout. Taking account of articles purchased requires all of them to be placed on a moving surface, each of them to be verified individually, and then they need to be reloaded.
Another source of dissatisfaction is the near impossibility for a customer to check that the price actually taken into account does indeed correspond to that shown on the shelves. Finally, customers are reticent because they can evaluate the amount they are going to need to pay only quite approximately until the total is displayed at the checkout.
Apparatuses that have been proposed in the past for enabling customers to do their own checking before reaching the checkout solve the second problem in part only and have no effect on the first.
It is an object of the invention to to provide a method and apparatus that satisfy practical requirements better than those known in the past, in particular in that they avoid the drawbacks mentioned above, or at least they attenuate them.
For this purpose, the invention provides in particular a method whereby, given that each article contains a microcircuit having means for picking up high frequency energy and for responding by transmitting a modulated high frequency message representing an identification signature for the article: an article is taken into account by exciting its microcircuit by applying a high frequency signal thereto that provides it with energy and that interrogates it to cause it to transmit the modulated signal of the signature, the modulated signal is picked up by means including a memory for making the signatures of articles correspond to their prices, the price of the interrogated article is stored and displayed, and the price of the article is added to the price of any articles that may previously have been taken into account.
This method may be implemented in numerous different ways.
In a first implementation, which requires the customer to perform an operation in addition to transferring the selected article from a shelf to a receptacle, the microcircuit in each article is individually excited in turn by passing the article through a read location where it receives an interrogation code common to all of the articles, with each microcircuit being designed to make itself inert after transmitting its code, and all of the purchased articles contained in the receptacle are caused to pass through a location where a high frequency excitation and interrogation field extends, thereby enabling the presence of microcircuits that have not been rendered inert to be detected.
A circuit may be rendered inert automatically after it has finished transmitting its code. However, to limit the risks of error and of fraud, it is preferable to cause circuits to render themselves inert by subjecting a microcircuit to a high frequency field that is modulated with a special code which is transmitted only after the price of the article has been taken into account. Such taking into account may be indicated to the customer by emitting a sound signal, thereby inviting the customer to repeat the read operation if it has not taken place properly.
For the customer, this solution has the advantage of requiring the customer to perform only one operation on going past the checkout, namely to pay, assuming that all of the instructions for taking goods into account have been followed. A drawback that becomes significant only if customer hesitations and clumsiness occur too frequently is that there is no chance of changing one's mind on checking out: a customer who decides not to purchase an article can only do so by going through a conventional checkout where all of the articles actually purchased are identified, unless special means are provided to reactivate the microcircuit of an article that is put back on the shelves while simultaneously deducting its price, and that would complicate the system.
In another implementation of the invention, this drawback is avoided: the microcircuits of all of the articles are excited at a location through which all of the selected and taken articles pass, where a high frequency field is established to provide energy and where successive interrogation codes are transmitted for all possible articles. As explained below, the time required for such interrogation can be kept very short by implementing a sequence of interrogations including tests each serving to determine whether there exists at least one article in a given group (corresponding, for example, to same-value more significant bits in the signature), and omitting interrogation concerning an entire group of articles if the test demonstrates that there are none in the group.
The invention also provides apparatus for implementing the above-defined method.
The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of particular embodiments given by way of non-limiting example.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principles of apparatus constituting one embodiment of the invention, in which to take account of an article the customer is required to perform a read operation which is distinct from transferring the article from a shelf to a receptacle;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electronics contained in the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the principles of apparatus constituting a different embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing one example of a sequence during the accounting operations that take place when going through a gateway in the embodiment of FIG. 3.
The apparatus of the invention may have the physical structure shown in outline in FIG. 1. The apparatus is carried by a lockable frame 10 on the top of a cart or trolley 12, e.g. locked by means of a lock enabling the frame 10 to be removed after passing the checkout should the customer desire to push the cart to a parked vehicle. The frame 10 carries an electronics block 14 provided with a display 16 and a reader 18.
Each article made available to customers contains an identification label 24 to which the customer cannot gain access so long as the packaging remains intact. Each label 24 contains a microcircuit which does not have its own independent energy supply. However, the microcircuit does include means for picking up high frequency energy, means for transmitting a signature that identifies the article in response to receiving an interrogation code constituted by modulation on a high frequency carrier F1, and means for storing sufficient energy to enable the microcircuit to operate.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the microcircuit incorporated in each label includes a power supply loop 26 for placing in a high frequency field F1. This loop is connected to a rectifier circuit 28 for storing energy on a capacitor 30. The loop 26 also serves to pick up the interrogation code which is the same for all articles in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.
An interrogation code detecting branch includes a bandpass filter 32 for isolating the interrogation frequency F1, a clock recovery circuit 34, and a decoder circuit 36. When this circuit identifies the interrogation code, it excites a circuit 38 for transmitting the signature of the article in the form of a signal at a high frequency F2 which is modulated in amplitude or frequency. The signature may be constituted, for example, by a word comprising a plurality of bits. The modulated signal at the frequency F2 is applied to the loop which then serves as a transmission antenna.
The microcircuit also includes a deactivation member 42 capable of operating in a manner explained below to inhibit the code-transmitting circuit 38 after the article which contains the microcircuit has been taken into account.
The electronics 14 includes a transducer 44 fitted with an antenna (not shown) enabling a field to be radiated at a high frequency F1 and supplying a signal when placed in a field at a high frequency F2. The electronics includes an interrogation branch constituted by a memory 46 for storing the interrogation code and a generator 48 for generating a signal constituted by a carrier at the frequency F1 which is either pure or modulated by the interrogation code 46. A reception branch includes a decoding circuit 50 which is generally provided by an inlet bandpass filter centered on the frequency F2 and a transcoding programmable read-only memory (PROM) 52 making each article signature correspond with a price and possibly with an identification message. The output from the PROM is applied to the input circuit of the display 16 which includes totalizing means. In the embodiment shown, this display input circuit is connected to a validation and inhibition circuit 54 having the following functions:
causing an inhibition instruction that excites the circuit 42 to be transmitted to the microcircuit in the article; and
sending a confirmation pulse 56 to the counting means of the display 16 when the emission circuit 38 of the microcircuit ceases to transmit its signature because it has been inhibited.
The sending of the confirmation pulse may be indicated to the customer by means of a sound signal and/or by means of a visible signal.
For greater simplicity, FIG. 2 does not show the power supply to the various circuits, nor does it show conventional clock and synchronizing circuits in the electronics block 14.
The apparatus described above operates as follows.
The customer seeking to purchase an article must cause the article to be taken into account before placing it in the cart 12. To do this, the customer causes a reader 18 to scan either the entire article or else a special zone of the article containing the microcircuit 24 transducer 44 (assuming that the location of the label can be seen from the outside). The reader may be provided with an on/off pushbutton so as to prevent it operating continuously. The reader then transmits successive and separate sequences each constituted by an initial train that is continuous for delivering the energy required to charge the capacitor 30 in the microcircuit, followed by a train that is modulated with the interrogation code.
When the microcircuit is in the transmitted field and when it identifies an interrogation, it responds by transmitting a signal via its loop 26 during the silences between the sequences transmitted by the electronics block 14. The signal is constituted by a carrier at a high frequency F2 which is different from F1, and which is modulated with a signature characteristic of the article. The decoded signature is transmitted to the transcoding PROM 52 which may be updated periodically. The output from the memory causes the price of the article to appear on the display 16, optionally accompanied with an indication of the kind of article concerned.
Once an article has been effectively taken into account, the input circuit to the display excites the inhibition circuit 54 which applies a signal to the transducer 44 for inhibiting the transmission circuit 38 of the microcircuit. The inhibition instruction may be transmitted at the frequency F1, particularly if interrogation has come to an end. After it has received the inhibition instruction, the microcircuit no longer transmits its signature. This interruption of transmission is detected by the decoding circuit 50 (the interruption of transmission could be replaced by transmitting a final word indicating that inhibition has occurred). Once inhibition has been observed, an instruction is transmitted by the circuit 54 confirming that the article has been taken into account, and the price of the article is added to the total that has already been taken into account.
The apparatus of the invention further includes checking means situated at a location through which all purchased articles pass: this location may be constituted by the empty space delimited by the frame at the inlet to the cart 12 in which all articles must be placed if they are to leave the store via the checkout. A simpler solution consists in providing such a location upstream from each of the payment checkouts. This location may be constituted physically by a door-frame or gateway through which the receptacle passes. The gateway (not shown) contains electronics for transmitting sequences identical to those provided by the generator 48 in each electronics block 14, but it provides an electromagnetic field that is much more intense than do the readers, thereby enabling it to excite the microcircuits of all articles passing through the checking location.
If one or more of the microcircuits have not been inhibited, then the corresponding signatures are transmitted. Such emission is detected and raises an alarm that requires the customer to pass through a conventional checkout where articles are checked manually. The detection means at the location delimited by the gateway must be more sensitive than those in each of the electronics blocks 14, given that the transducers may be at a greater distance from the microcircuits.
To avoid damaging microcircuits that have not been inhibited as they go through the check location, i.e. where the energy received by the loop 26 may in some circumstances be very much higher than the energy received during normal reading, the energy storage means 28 may be provided with charge-limiting means (not shown). In practice, it is sufficient to have a capacitor capable of storing the energy required for transmitting a signal during several milliseconds.
In the embodiment of the invention shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3, the microcircuit contained in each article has components that are similar to those shown in FIG. 2 and which are therefore designated by the same reference numerals. The microcircuit of FIG. 3 includes a power supply loop 26 connected to a rectifier 28 provided with an energy storage capacitor 30. An interrogation code detection branch includes a bandpass filter 32, a clock recovery circuit 34, and a decoding circuit 36. This circuit is designed, for example, to provide in series on its output 138 the V bits of a word representing the "signature" of an article whose presence is to be determined. The successive bits are loaded into a shift register 40 connected to a V-bit comparator 142 which also receives the identification signature of the article in question as stored on manufacture in a read-only memory (ROM) 44. To make searching for articles brought to the read location faster, the comparator 142 is advantageously designed to provide a first signal on an output 46 when coincidence occurs between a determined fraction of the signature stored in 44 and the corresponding fraction provided by the decoder 36, and to provide a second signal on an output 48 in the event of full coincidence. These signals are applied to a generator for generating a modulated frequency F2 so as to apply a different signal to the loop 26 depending on whether it is merely some of the bits that have been observed to be identical (e.g. the Vm more significant bits), and a second signal in the event of full coincidence.
If it is now assumed that the detection location is physically constituted by a gateway 51 placed immediately upstream from the checkouts, the gateway may be associated with means capable of identifying and taking account sequentially of the various articles placed, for example, in a cart passing through the gateway.
The gateway includes a generator for generating a signal at the frequency F1 and associated with a modulator 53 for encoding short duration pulses at the frequency F1 with interrogation codes that correspond to the signatures of articles that may be passing through the gateway. The generator 152 is connected to an antenna contained in the gateway. The antenna is also connected to a reception path including an assembly for filtering the frequency F2, for decoding the presence messages provided by 50, and for identifying them. This assembly is designated 156 in FIG. 3 and in the event of recognition it causes the identified article to be taken into account by means of a transcoding table (where the transcoding table is a PROM 58 which takes account of the price of a product and which displays corresponding data via a display 60). The signature identifying the product is applied to the transcoding table 58 via 53.
The apparatus further includes confirmation means which may be of the same kind as those shown in FIG. 2.
The flow chart for interrogation and taking into account may be as shown in FIG. 4 in a relatively rudimentary embodiment in which each article is designated by a V-bit signature comprising Vm more significant bits representing a number lying between a determined value NO and a maximum value Nm, and less significant bits defining a number lying between nO and a maximum value nm :
in a first step, a check is made to determine whether articles exist including signatures that belong to the subgroup whose more significant bits represent a given number, with all possible numbers N being tested in succession; and
only once the test has shown the presence of at least one such article, all of the numbers capable of being represented by the less significant bits are interrogated in turn.
At the beginning of the operation (FIG. 4), a test 62 is performed to determine whether articles are present whose more significant bits represent a predetermined initial number NO (which may be zero). If the test gives a negative result, NO is incremented by unity. Before performing the test 62 again, a check 64 is performed to ensure that the new value NO does not exceed the maximum Nm : if it does that is the end of the process.
If the test indicates that there is at least one article, then each of the numbers that can be represented by the less significant bits is interrogated by comparing n with nO (which is initially at a value that may be zero, and which then is incremented through successive values by unity).
In the event of full coincidence, display and taking into account operations are performed and the loop then returns to the beginning.
In a more elaborate embodiment, suitable for reducing the number of ineffective tests, the flow chart includes a larger number of loops. The first test is performed on the most significant bit only. Successive tests are then performed on two bits, three bits, etc.
The duration of an identification sequence for an article can be reduced to about 10 ms, which makes it possible even with a very large number of articles to keep the waiting time required at the read location down to about one second.
The above-described mode of interrogation using identification by binary modulation in baseband does not work when the cart contains a plurality of identical articles. This drawback may be avoided by extending the article code by three or four digits. During manufacture of a batch (carried on a pallet) all of the articles in the batch are given the same article code, but they are given different extension numbers (from 000 to 999 or from 0000 to 9999).
It is thus unlikely that a customer will take two identical articles from the shelves having the same extension code. It then suffices merely to continue the depth of the questioning to determine reliably the number of articles concerned.
If the location at which articles are taken into account is the inlet to the cart, i.e. if the cart is provided with electronics, then the sequence for taking articles into account as they are inserted can be simplified by providing display means that require the customer to hold an article taken from the shelves at the read location until a confirming sound beep is given and by providing a visual display of a wrong operation.
The invention may be implemented in other ways and it must be understood that the scope of the present patent extends to such variants, and more generally to any other variants that may be considered equivalents.
Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
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There's no doubt liberals will read the cover story of the latest issue of The New Republic with delight. The piece, titled "This is How the NRA Ends" by Alec MacGillis, claims the failure of Congress to pass any gun control measures this year despite the way advocates were able to successfully exploit the Newtown massacre was misleading. The article is filled with breathless accounts of how families of gun violence victims and other activists have joined forces to create what the magazine terms a viable grass roots rival to the National Rifle Association.
TNR predicts the pressure these groups are exerting as well as the financial clout of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Super Pac — which is already spending big on ads criticizing those senators that opposed the Manchin-Toomey amendment on background checks for gun purchases — has permanently altered the equation on the issue. Not only does the piece predict that another background checks bill will eventually succeed in this session of Congress but seems to predict that this alleged sea change will expose NRA's vaunted influence as being based on an illusion.
But the problem with this thesis is easily exposed in Michael Scherer's TIME magazine column on Bloomberg's targeting of the four Democrats who opposed Manchin-Toomey. Democrats like Mark Prior of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska are in the mayor's well funded cross-hairs right now but the impact of this campaign won't win any new votes for background checks or the more far-reaching proposals to ban various types of weapons that the gun control movement will try to implement if that more moderate measure is ever passed. As Scherer rightly points out, attempts to replace those senators with Democrats who will promise to vote for restrictions will only result in victories for the Republicans in November 2014 that could tip the balance in the Senate back to the GOP. If anything, the long-term impact of Bloomberg's efforts will make gun legislation even less likely to pass in the future.
Unlike President Obama and other Democrats who have hoped to use the revived interest in gun control after Newtown to help their party, Bloomberg's targeting of Prior and Begich is in line with his non-partisan approach. But by attacking pro-gun Democrats in red states while also taking potshots at Republicans in blue states like New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte, Bloomberg is setting the president's party up for a fall.
MacGillis is right to point out that the gun control boomlet isn't to be dismissed altogether. The joint effort by pro-gun senators like Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey did get closer to victory than any other gun measure has in more than a decade. Moreover, their efforts, along with the group organized by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, which is also geared toward a moderate pro-gun ownership audience, does give the gun control movement a much broader appeal than the liberal base that has always backed these ideas.
It should also be stipulated that the NRA hasn't exactly covered itself with glory these past six months. Though its membership numbers have soared and it succeeded in stopping every gun control measure that came up for a vote, it came across as insensitive after Newtown. By failing to embrace an inoffensive measure like that of Manchin-Toomey, it lost an opportunity to defuse the pro-gun fervor with something that would have done nothing to endanger Second Amendment rights.
All that and the willingness of some of the Newtown victim families to be used by the gun control movement in a shamelessly emotional manner will not allow the issue to be pigeonholed. It is possible that they will yet triumph either later this year or sometime next year when another such background checks proposal will make it to the floor for another vote. But Bloomberg's calling Democrats like Pryor out actually makes this less likely since a reversal would allow opponents to brand him as a senator that takes orders from New York's City Hall, something that would doom him in 2014.
But the point about this struggle is not whether an anodyne measure like Manchin-Toomey is ever signed into law. Rather it is the next round of gun control — whether aimed at so-called assault weapons or other types of guns — that will be the controlling factor in the debate.
The NRA succeeded in stopping Manchin-Toomey in large measure because even its supporters couldn't claim that it would have prevented the tragedy in Newtown. Many pro-gun voters and their representatives in Washington also understand that the bland assurances about protecting the Second Amendment they have received from the president are simply not credible. They know liberals want more far reaching measures and will never be satisfied with merely increasing background checks. That will ensure their own not inconsiderable fundraising and activism will continue to be intense. Contrary to MacGillis' analysis that means members of Congress will continue to view its power as real.
Moreover, the electoral math of 2014 makes it hard to see how anyone would look at the upcoming matches in the Senate and the House and foresee the imminent demise of the NRA's influence. At the very least, a re-energized Republican base angered by the Obama administration's scandals will enable the GOP to hold its own next year. But without few if any vulnerable Republicans up for re-election (including Ayotte who will face the voters in 2016) and a plethora of incumbent Democrats on the ballot, a GOP majority isn't out of the question. Indeed, Prior and Begich (who was elected in 2008 in a fluke caused by the now discredited federal prosecution of the late Ted Stevens) are vulnerable to a liberal challenge in a Democratic primary but they might be strengthened in a general election by Bloomberg's labeling them as cats' paws of the NRA.
For all of its mistakes and the increased strengths of its foes, the NRA isn't going away anytime soon. In fact, the more its liberal opponents seek to expand their reach into pro-gun states, the more likely it is that it will continue to ensure that the pro-gun rights faction in Congress has enough votes to block the liberal agenda on guns.

subset: commoncrawl


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|The most helpful favorable review
|The most helpful critical review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
By Unknown Infidel from USA on 2011-08-06 12:18:39Things I liked:It has some nice weight to it. It's also every bit a true revolver since the entire clip does in fact advance as you shoot. It also fires double and single action. I was hoping for a metal frame but can't complain since it's the only bb revolver i know about on the market. Wnt accuracy at a distance, it has a place under the barrel for a laser.
Things I would have changed:The loafing directions are a bit in conflict. To put the gun on safe you pull the safety to the rear. To load you push the safety forward past fire. The direcions state to put the gun on safe then load. This physically can't be done. If you put it on safe you can't load it.
What others should know:The m&p stands for military and police, but I can't see a military or police force that would use a revolver over a 9mm semi-auto. This seems more like a home defense type of gun since it does require frequent reloads.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
By lentil from USA on 2012-03-23 07:30:32Things I liked:Not much
Things I would have changed:All plastic internals resulting in heavy, rough and gritty movement from cylinder, hammer and trigger. Single action pull is 10-11 lbs; about the same in double action. Feels nothing like a real revolver in either heft or action.
What others should know:The Crossman 357W is far superior to the MP R8 (both in feel and function) and is almost half the price.
|By Ted from Canada on 2013-11-14
|By Ted from Canada on 2013-03-04
CheckoutSubtotal (USD):
does not include shipping and tax


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Glsof-Queries Check Open Files
Glsof-Queries is a GUI for the lsof (list open files) UNIX command with many query options. After a complete rework the open source tool is now available in version 1.0.0.
In this Glsof release the application was ported from C to Java with SWT libraries. The Glsof-Filemonitor was also made a separate app.
Glsof-Queries allows custom requests to Lsof, with the results sortable into columns. The tool also provides statistics, such as the number of opened files per process or user. The software is accompanied by a guide in PDF format; for now the program and documentation are available in English only.
Glsof-Queries is under GPLv3 licensing. The project page includes .jar files and the SVN repository of source code.
Issue 178/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
Qemu Flaw Lets the Guest Escape
Xen project announces a privilege escalation problem for Qemu host systems
Android Bug Threatens Millions of Users
Attackers can compromise an Android phone just by sending a text message
Lenovo and Canonical Announce Laptop Deal
PC vendor will pre-install Ubuntu on portables in India.
Mozilla Firefox Blocks Flash
More embarrassment for Adobe's embattled multimedia tool
Security Problem in Firefox's NoScript Add-On
Mozilla's script blocker add-on could be putting malware sites on the whitelist.
RIP SSLv3
The Internet community officially banishes the notoriously unsafe Secure Sockets Layer protocol.
Mate 1.1 Arrives
Popular desktop environment continues the Gnome 2 legacy – with new support for the Gnome 3 toolkit.
US Government Requires HTTPS
The Obama White House has issued a memorandum telling all US government agencies they must use HTTPS for all websites and web communication.
Mozilla Signs Firefox Add-Ons
New program will dial up security for the Firefox browser.
Fedora 22 Arrives
Red Hat's community distro embraces the cloud.


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STYLE; Generation V
Published: February 8, 2004
Is the next Missy Elliott now attending Princess Anne High? Judging from this small survey of juniors and seniors, music is what rocks their world, up there with clothes, surfing and skateboarding. The girls like hip-hop labels like Rocawear and Baby Phat. The guys are more generic. Their style is ''laid back'' ''chill mode.'' They all have a picture of what they'll be doing in five years. And maybe because they make mostly A's and B's, angst is not high on their agenda. So who are their favorites? The Neptunes and 50 Cent and Missy Elliott. No surprise there. But they also love Red Hot Chili Peppers, Moby, Kurt Cobain and -- are you ready, Grandpa? -- Paul McCartney.
Photos: Gospel Truth: ''Gospel music inspires me to be myself,'' says Nashae Watkins, left. But when it comes to style, her inspirations are Beyoncé and Baby Phat. L.A.M.B. top with skirt, $98, and pants, $168. Tank top at Atrium, 644 Broadway. Pants at Bigdrop, 174 Spring Street. Jeremy J. White, opposite, loves Garth Brooks and Tupac, Volcom and Quiksilver. He's wearing an Etro shirt, $305. At Etro. H Hilfiger silk tie, $50. See www.tommy.com. 55 DSL sunglasses.; For Brittney Tompkins, this page, it's all about R&B and Rocawear, Mary J. Blige and shopping. Original Penguin shirt, $42. At Original Penguin store, 1077 Avenue of the Americas. Von Dutch trucker cap, $42. See www.vondutch.com.; Dress Codes: Clockwise from top: What Chanda Cross loves about Virginia Beach is its diversity: ''We have Filipinos, Chinese, blacks, whites, Mexicans, everything.'' Her music taste is equally broad, from 'N Sync to Linkin Park. She's wearing a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, $98. See www.tommy.com. Paul & Joe top, $112. At Bloomingdale's. L.A.M.B. pants, $168. At Bigdrop. Stephen Evans is a fan of both 50 Cent and his mother. His style is ''chill mode,'' as in this H Hilfiger shirt, $98, and silk tie, $50. Façonnable blazer, $595. At Nordstrom. Façonnable boutique, 636 Fifth Avenue. Erika Leyva, a fan of Andre from OutKast, likes clothes that ''are different from everyone else.'' Studio Chereskin Woman argyle sweater, $70, and cotton tennis skirt, $80. At Dillard's. For Shelby Rector, the best thing about Virgina Beach is that ''you can just chill with your boys and girls, and still have fun.'' She hangs in a DieselStyleLab cotton T-shirt, $120. At Macy's. Von Dutch trucker cap, $42. See www.vondutch.com. Jennifer Day's preferences range from rap to alternative rock to Rocawear. L.A.M.B. sweater, $98. At Henri Bendel. And David Thornton, who aspires to join the Navy Seals, goes for what's ''comfortable and durable.'' His zip jacket, $125, and cap, $42, are by Von Dutch.; Wear With All: Clockwise from top left: In Jesse Wright's mind, Virginia Beach is ''rap plus surfers plus health nuts.'' For his own style, he likes ''pushing the prep'' in an Etro blazer, $1,030. At Bergdorf Goodman. Façonnable shirt, $115. At Nordstrom. Vintage Oleg Cassini pants, $145. At What Comes Around Goes Around, 351 West Broadway. Vans Sneakers. Though Brian Fockler, left, loves Red Hot Chili Peppers, and his brother Adam prefers Linkin Park, they both describe their look as ''skater.'' On Brian, Etro shirt, $205. At Etro stores. Von Dutch knit cap. On Adam, an H Hilfiger shirt, $98. See www.tommy.com. Josh Young, a punk and alternative fan, is ecumenical enough to list Paul McCartney as his favorite artist. Etro shirt, $245. At Barneys New York. Buckler pants, $225. At Saks Fifth Avenue. Josh's own cap. Y-3 T-shirt. Vans sneakers. Chris Swanson, who dreams of diving in the Caribbean, naturally likes reggae. H Hilfiger shirt, $98. See www.tommy.com. Ralph Lauren Purple Label cashmere sweater, $695. At Ralph Lauren stores. Façonnable blazer, $595. At Nordstrom. Carrie Carver, a fan of Volcom, Earl jeans and Christian Dior, describes her style as ''beach girl meets city girl.'' MINT hoodie, $120. At Blue Genes, Atlanta. Meagan Travers declares that she's a laid-back girl. Her top by MINT, $105. At Bloomingdale's. Von Dutch cap. Market associate: Lindha Jacobsson. Fashion assistant: Maiga Mumuni. Research by Winston Virgo.; Allison Colden likes ''comfortable and spunky,'' which means she loves Gwen Stefani's look and fashion by Roxy and Kate Spade. Von Dutch jacket, $72, and T-shirt, $42. See www.vondutch.com. (Photographs by Rankin; Styled by Mimi Lombardo)


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Gear Question
hay im 5' 8" and 110 i am looking for a...
hay im 5' 8" and 110 i am looking for a new board i ride a 149 burton punch and its delaminating. I ride alot of pow and im staring to spin of kickers but the burton punch isnt helping im willing to pay 400 and down but the lower the beter. any sugestions and should i move up to a 151-154?
I would say 151 if you ride a lot of park. You're pretty light so I don't think you want to be on a 154, you may find it a bit stiff. The 151 will be good in park and because the tip and tail are turned up it will do fine in pow too. I would also recommend a burton hero if you want reverse camber. It is softer and would be slightly better for park riding. For the hero you could stay at the 149 or bump up the a 152.I weigh 90lbs more than you and ride a burton hero 158 (just a litter softer than the joystick and a slightly different shape) and it floats like crazy in pow and is unreal in the park. Whichever board you buy I would recommend 149-152 (mainly because of your weight).
View More Details on Burton Joystick Snowboard - 09/10


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Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry crowned 'Oldie Of The Year'
Posted: February 05, 2014|
Bath's Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry has been honoured as the "Oldie Of The Year" at an annual awards bash.
The 78-year-old onetime Bath High School pupil and judge from the hit BBC series rose to the top at The Oldie magazine's celebration lunch recognising the contribution of mature familiar faces.
Actress Anne Reid – one of the stars of BBC1's Last Tango In Halifax – was awarded the Pin-up Of The Year prize at the Oldie Of The Year bash.
Broadcaster Nicholas Parsons – who is still hosting his Radio 4 series Just A Minute after 46 years at the age of 90 – collected the Dorian Gray Award. Organisers and judges often tailor the awards to those they feel are worthy of recognition.
Former prime minister Sir John Major was rewarded with the Campaigner Of The Year prize, while Joan Woolard – a Barclays investor who told bank executives "I don't know how you sleep at night" – was named Heckler Of The Year.
Judges for the awards, staged at Simpsons-In-The-Strand in central London and hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, included broadcasters Jon Snow and Libby Purves as well as the magazine's founder Richard Ingrams.
The Wannabe Oldie Of The Year title went to Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP for North East Somerset – who is known for dressing older than his years.
Bath-born food writer Mary Berry had her first flush of stardom in the 1970s as a celebrated writer of cook books, but left the limelight to bring up her family throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Sir Terry Wogan spoke movingly about her return to being a household name again in recent years.
"She is all over the place – like a cheap suit," he said.


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Team Competitions
The JPL Annual Invention Challenge is a friendly, yet challenging competition open to JPL employees and contractors, their family members, and students from local middle and high schools. Each year, a different engineering challenge is selected. The goal of the Invention Challenge is to show students that math, science, and engineering can be fun.
The theme for this year's contest was:
"Keep It Moving Contest"
Create a device that can move a billiard ball at least 5 meters from the starting point using three or more different modes of transportation and then have the ball initiate a portion of the device that makes an audible sound exactly 20 seconds after starting. The winner will be the team whose device complies with all of the rules and completes the task closest to 20 seconds.
› View Results


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Chicago Toy and Game Group's Playfest to feature Giant Settlers of Catan®Oct 17, 2012
On Friday, October 19th a special FREE game festival is coming to Pioneer Plaza in Downtown Chicago, called Playfest! Among the games represented is Mayfair's Giant Settlers of Catan® game, which measures a monumental 81 square feet!
If you're going to be in the Chicago area this weekend, you should check out Playfest, and then come play in the Catan North American Championship pre-qualifier being held at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair (ChiTag).
For more information on playtest and ChiTag go to: www.ChiTag.com


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'This is an absolutely super Sibelius program containing a well-chosen selection of some of his finest theater music.' ClassicsToday.com
The SACD layer is both 5.1 channel and 2-channel.
Sibelius Theatre Music
The foundations of Sibeliuss reputation are his symphonies, tone poems and increasingly his songs but the music he wrote for the stage throughout his creative life includes some of his finest scores.
This CD presents his theatre music from 2 distinct periods – the 1900s (contemporary with his Violin Concerto, and the Second and Third Symphonies) and the 1920s, including some of the last works of his to survive.
At the time when Sibelius was emerging as a major creative figure, drama was pivotal to the development of cultural and social attitudes in Scandinavia. One need only mention 3 of his contemporaries: Ibsen, Strindberg and Bjornson. Sibelius was attracted to theatre as early as 1893, when he started work on an opera, The Building of the Boat. It was a visit to Bayreuth that caused him to abandon work on this, but the prelude survived as one of his most perfect pieces: The Swan of Tuonela. Its striking economy of expression and intensity are characteristics shared by much of his incidental music for the stage. In his stage music, Sibelius tends not so much to accompany dramatic action but to set scenes, create atmosphere or provide a prelude or intermezzo to the action for what were predominantly exotic or mystical dramas.
Recording information:
Recorded at the Usher Hall Edinburgh
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Philip Hobbs and Calum Malcolm
Post-production by Julia at Finesplice


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Book reviews
Reviews By Rebecca Adcroft
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The Handmade Marketplace
USD$12.77 - Save $5.84 31% off - RRP $18.61
- Published: 27 Feb 2010
- Format: Paperback
Finally... plain english!
written: 16 Jan 2012
Over the last 12-18 months I've been stuggling to write a business plan and make sure I have everything in place to set up a small business from home. I read through this book and it vertually wrote itself! Good, clear tips which are easy to follow. Tax and tiwtter are now de-mystified! It... See full review
The Serpent's Shadow
Currently unavailable
- Published: 01 May 2012
- Format: Paperback
Always a pleasure never a chore!
written: 21 Jun 2012
Rick Riordan does it again. I 1st came across him when my nephew was reading Percy Jacksons 1st adventure. My nephew is now 20 years old and both of us are still reading Ricks books! This is the 3rd book based on the Egyptian Gods, Carter and Sadie Cane get in to all sorts of scrapes and come ... See full review
The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue...
USD$16.14 - Save $1.81 10% off - RRP $17.95
- Published: 01 Sep 2006
- Format: Paperback
A Real Rollercoaster
written: 10 Jul 2012
Told from Captain Bluebears view point, we travel with him through far away lands chased by all sorts of beasties and laugh and cry all the way. Another book leant to me by one of my nephews, I bought a copy for my niece this year and I'm currently reading my copy with my step daughter. Some of... See full review


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- Attorney General Brad D. Schimel
- Fighting Crime
- Victim Assistance
- Consumer Protection
- Media Center
- About Department of Justice
- Topical Index
This Google™ translation feature is provided for informational purposes only.
The Office of the Attorney General is unable to guarantee the accuracy of this translation and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information resulting from the translation application tool.
Please consult with a translator for accuracy if you are relying on the translation or are using this site for official business.Contact the Department of Justice
MADISON – Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that on Friday, August 13, the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania filed their brief and supporting papers with the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, in response to briefs filed by defendants U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
The federal district court in Chicago hearing the federal nuisance lawsuit to enjoin the introduction of Asian carp into Lake Michigan through the Chicago area waterway system scheduled for next Monday, August 23, the first arguments on the States' motion for preliminary injunction. The court also reserved Monday and Tuesday, August 30 and 31 for hearing testimony in the matter, if necessary.
The States are asking the court to immediately order defendants to implement best available methods to block the passage and to capture or kill bighead and silver carp in the Chicago waterway, including installing block nets, gates and screens, and other interim physical barriers to fish passage between the waterway and Lake Michigan, and temporarily closing and ceasing operation of the locks at the O'Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago River Controlling Works except as needed to protect public health and safety.
"We are asking the court to order both immediate preventive and long-term solutions. In the short term, we want certain locks closed, effective barriers created to prevent continued fish migration, and Asian carp killed that have already passed the Barrier System.," said Van Hollen. "Long-term, we think the best solution is the one nature once provided: the physical separation o the Great Lakes basin and the Mississippi river systems."
In their submissions, the defendants argued the threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes is neither imminent or irreparable, that the court should favor operation of the locks as usual over implementing measures that might interfere with river commerce, and that the nuisance case itself should be dismissed because it presents a political question not suited for the courts and the action is displaced by federal laws related to the problem, such as one setting up an electric barrier demonstration project.
The States' brief responds to all defendants' arguments opposing the preliminary injunction. That brief and accompanying papers can be viewed at
"We look forward to our chance to be heard in court next Monday," Van Hollen said.


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A knee distraction device is provided for facilitating knee arthroplasty. An adjustable force calibration mechanism is disposed in the device to accommodate controlled selection of the ligament-tensioning force to be applied at respective opposite sides of the knee. In preferred embodiments, the tensioning force is provided by a screw-threaded connection with a calibrated compression spring interposed between the tensioning members. According to another preferred embodiment, fluid pressure is applied by means of a calibrated pressure valve to apply the ligament-tensioning force.
1. A knee distraction device for facilitating knee arthroplasty comprising
a tibia-engaging member engageable with a resected tibial plateau of a patient,
a condyle-engaging member engageable with a distal femoral condyle of the patient,
force-applying means for forcibly moving said tibia- and condyle-engaging members relative to one another to tension the patient's ligaments,
and adjustable force calibration means operatively connected with the force-applying means for calibrating the degree of ligament tension applied by the distraction device.
2. A knee distraction device according to claim 1 comprising
two of said condyle-engaging members, one for each condyle of the patient's knee,
wherein said force-applying means includes means for independently moving each of said condyle-engaging members relative to the tibia-engaging member, and wherein said calibration means includes means for independently calibrating the degree of ligament tension applied by the respective condyle-engaging members.
3. A knee distraction device according to claim 1 comprising slidably interengageable guide means for guiding the relative movement of the tibia- and condyle-engaging members.
4. A knee distraction device according to claim 3 wherein said calibration means includes calibration spring means interposed between the guide means.
5. A knee distraction device according to claim 4 wherein said slidably interengageable guide means includes two linear telescoping guide members fixedly attached respectively to the tibia- and condyle-engaging members, and wherein said calibration spring means is interposed between the telescoping guide members.
6. A knee distraction device according to claim 5 wherein one of said guide members is tubular-shaped and is fixedly attached to the tibia-engaging members and the other of said guide members is fixedly attached to the condyle-engaging member and is configured to slidably move along the inside of the tubular-shaped member,
wherein the force-applying means includes a screw-threaded adjusting member, and wherein the calibration spring means is a compression spring interposed between the threaded adjusting member and the other of said guide members.
7. A knee distraction device according to claim 6 wherein low-friction lining means are provided in said tubular-shaped guide member to minimize the frictional resistance to relative sliding movement of the guide members with respect to each other.
8. A knee distraction device according to claim 7 wherein said low-friction lining means includes linear ball bushings.
9. A knee distraction device according to claim 8 further comprising a polyformaldehyde polymer spacer interposed between the calibration spring and the other of said guide members.
10. A knee distraction device according to claim 3 wherein said force-applying means includes means for applying fluid under pressure to move said tibia- and condyle-engaging members relative to each other.
11. A knee distraction device according to claim 10 wherein said calibration means includes means for calibrating the fluid pressure applied to forcibly move the tibia- and condyle-engaging members relative to one another.
12. A knee distraction device according to claim 10 wherein one of said guide members is tubular-shaped and is fixedly attached to the tibia-engaging member and the other of said guide members is fixedly attached to the condyle-engaging member and is configured to slidably move along the inside of the tubular-shaped member, said guide members forming a fluid pressure space in said tubular member for the application of the fluid pressure, and
wherein said calibration means includes calibration valve means interposed between the fluid pressure space and a supply of fluid under pressure.
13. A knee distraction device according to claim 12 wherein low-friction lining means are provided in said tubular-shaped guide member to minimize the frictional resistance to relative sliding movement of the guide members with respect to one another.
The present invention relates to a knee distraction device for facilitating knee arthroplasty, especially total knee arthroplasty.
One of the most important objectives in total knee arthroplasty of the type contemplated by the present invention is the restoration of the original anatomy of the patient's leg in extension. An important step in this process is to assure that not only are the bones of the leg properly aligned, but also that the ligament tension at both sides of the knee is balanced. Failure to restore the original anatomical relationships results in abnormally high stresses in the knee that lead to premature failure of the arthroplasty.
The mechanical axis of the leg is an imaginary line in the frontal plane that connects the head of the femur with the center of the ankle. This is the path the load takes between the torso and the floor during weight bearing. With a normal anatomy, the mechanical axis of the leg passes through the center of the knee. This assures that both condyles of the knee carry equal load. In the deformed arthritic patient, the mechanical axis passes to the side of the knee, thereby concentrating most of the load on one condyle.
The joint surface of the knee is spanned on both sides by the collateral ligaments. In the normal anatomy, the collateral ligaments are both equally tight in the extended leg. This tension in the collateral ligaments prevents sideways toggle (varus/valgus motion) of the leg. Additionally, the collateral ligaments help to limit anterior/posterior travel of the femur on the tibia. In the arthritic patient, a varus/valgus deformity often exists. This results in a stretched collateral ligament on the convex side of the deformity and a contracted ligament on the concave side.
To restore normal anatomical functions to the deformed knee, it is required to simultaneously:
(i) lengthen the contracted collateral ligament;
(ii) equally tension both collateral ligaments to such a degree that the extended knee resists anterior/posterior travel and varus/valgus forces and
(iii) confirm that the mechanical axis of the leg passes through the knee.
After these requirements have been met, the femur and tibia are resected in anticipation of the thickness and shape of the prosthetic components. In this manner, when the natural articulating surfaces are replaced with the prosthesis, the anatomical relationships are properly maintained.
Historically, early knee instrumentation systems did not address the knee alignment, tension, and balance requirements of the extended leg. Stability was achieved by replacing the resected bone with a prosthesis thick enough to "shim up" the joint so that at least one collateral ligament was tight. Leg alignment and balancing of the collateral ligaments were secondary considerations.
Knee instrumentation later evolved to include a device inserted into the joint to separate the knee in extension so that the ligaments were stretched and the leg was aligned. Initially the leg was hand-held in this position, while the level of resection was established in anticipation of the prosthetic thickness. While this was an improvement over previous systems, the hand tensioning of the ligaments was not accurate and controllable. Furthermore, it was difficult to balance the tension of both collateral ligaments using this procedure.
The next improvement in instrumentation was the adoption of a device known generally as a knee distractor. The device comprises an instrument inserted between the bones at the opposite sides of the knee joint. Both compartments of the joint can be individually distracted with such a device until the mechanical axis of the leg is aligned over the knee and both collateral ligaments are tight and balanced. By distracting the joint mechanically rather than by hand, the tension and alignment are manitained securely while subsequent resection levels are established in anticipation of the prosthetic thickness. Exemplary of this type of instrumentation is the knee distractor unit marketed by Biomet, Inc., the assignee of the present application, under catalog number 446640. By way of further background information as to the environment of the invention, reference is hereby made to the Biomet, Inc. brochure entitled "A Common Sense Instrumentation Approach to Achieving Accurate Knee Replacement Alignment, Balance, and Collateral Ligament Tensioning," Form No. BMT-001-0482, April, 1982, the contents of which brochure are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Although joint distractors presently available are useful and distinctly superior to the prior art, they still exhibit certain limitations with respect to the establishment of the level of distraction being applied across the knee and the establishment of the level of distraction being applied to each of the two collateral ligaments so that they can be balanced in tension. Generally, knee distractor devices are designed in such a way that the load is applied to cantilevered arms in each of the two knee comparatments. The cantilevered loading causes considerable friction in the opening mechanism. This friction precludes adjusting the tension in each compartment according to the "feel" of the opening mechanism. Consequently, the surgeon must feel the collateral ligaments to get only a qualitative assessment of collateral ligament tension and balance. This assessment is further complicated by the fact that each collateral ligament consists of a group of fiber bands. For given tension across the knee, each individual fiber band will have varying amounts of tension. Therefore, an accurate assessment of collateral ligament tension requires considerable experience, reinforced with post-operative follow-up of the patient's stability.
The present invention concerns an improvement in knee distractors of the type described above. According to one aspect of the invention, a force gauge is interposed between the distraction force-applying mechanism and the distraction arms or members engageable with the respective leg parts. In this manner, a "calibrated" knee distractor is obtained.
The clinical application of the calibrated knee distractor of the present invention is as follows. The surgeon "dials in" a predetermined tension to each of the two compartments of the knee. This assures that not only is there the proper tension across the knee, but also balanced tension on both collateral ligaments. The tension is exact and not just qualitative. If, while the knee is held in proper tension, the mechanical axis of the leg passes through the knee, then proper anatomy has been restored. If, while the knee is held in proper tension, the mechanical axis does not pass over the knee, then the collateral ligament on the concave side of the leg must be lengthened until the proper anatomy has been restored.
A first major advantage of the calibrated knee distractor of the present invention is that it takes the guesswork out of the tensioning and balancing of the knee and simultaneously reduces the time involved for this part of the arthroplasty. A further advantage is that the increased accuracy of the calibrated knee distractor makes it possible to better diagnose a ligament contracture. Furthermore, in any case, the ability to load the knee with a predetermined load assures consistency from patient to patient and eliminates the learning curve involved with conventional distractors.
According to especially preferred embodiments, the calibrated knee distractor is designed with an ultra low-friction mechanism so that the limitations inherent in a knee distractor caused by friction are eliminated. With a low-friction device, the force generated by the force-applying mechanism is very close to the force available in the joint for tensioning ligaments. This not only facilitates the operation and application of the device, but also enhances the accuracy of the controlled calibration of the device.
A first preferred embodiment of the invention incorporates a threaded mechanism to apply distracting forces to the joint and a calibrated compression spring to act as a force gauge. A low friction linear bearing supports each of the distractor arms. This construction is especially advantageous in that a simple, reliable, lightweight construction is provided.
Another preferred embodiment is contemplated wherein the distraction force is applied by means of fluid pressure-actuated cylinders, with force measurement being accomplished by way of a calibrated pressure gauge.
These and further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a frontal diagrammatic view showing a distractor device according to the invention positioned on the leg bones of a patient;
FIG. 2 is a frontal view of a knee distractor constructed in accordance with the present invention, with portions broken away;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the knee distractor of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the knee distractor of FIGS. 2 and 3; and
FIG. 5 is a partial frontal view showing a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, with protions broken away.
FIG. 1. schematically depicts the knee distractor of the present invention in position on a patient's leg in extension, with the femur F disposed above the tibia T. The distraction device 1 includes a tibia-engaging member 2 and a pair of femoral condyle-engaging members 3 which are separately adjustable vertically with respect to the member 2. In use, the bottom surface 2A of the tibial-engaging member 2 rests on the resected tibial plateau while the upper surface 3A of the condyle-engaging members 3 engage the respective condyles.
The mechanism for adjustably forcing the members 2 and 3 apart is best illustrated in FIG. 2. A tubular member 4 is fixedly connected to the tibia-engaging part 2 and exhibits a lower internally threaded region which is threadably engaged with threads 6 of an externally threaded adjusting member 7. Adjusting member 7 includes a manual operating knob 8 for rotating the same. The condyle-engaging member 3 is carried on a cylindrical shaft 9 which is slidably movable within the tube 4. To reduce sliding friction between the shaft 9 and the tube 4, linear ball bushings 10 are provided at the inside of the tube 4. A calibrating adjusting spring 11 is disposed inside of the tube 4 and has its lower end engageable with the threaded adjusting member 7 and its upper end engaged against Delrin polymer spacers 12, which in turn abut at shoulders 13 of the shaft 9. Delrin polymer is a polyformaldehyde of greater than 15,000 molecular weight sold by DuPont. The lower part of the shaft 9 extends downwardly as cut-away portion 14 through a hole centrally located in adjusting member 7, and includes force calibration markings 15 at its lower end which depict the relative position of the adjusting member 7 and the shaft 9 in a readily readable manner at its point of emergence below operating knob 8.
The application of the predetermined tension at the right-hand condyle-engaging member 3 (referring to the FIG. 2 right-hand illustration) is as follows. First, the tibia-engaging portion 2 is placed on the tibial plateau, and the patient's leg is placed in extension with the members 3 spaced from the facing condyles. The operating knob 8 is then rotated to effectively push the member 3 away from the member 2 and into contact with the condyles and then forcibly begin to tension the ligaments at the right-hand side of the knee. Since there is substantially no frictional resistance between the slidable shaft 9 and the tube 4, the compression spring 11 only begins to be compressed after a forcible engagement of the member 3 against the condyle. The operator can then rotate operating knob 8 to the desired compression spring force to be applied, and the member 3 will be correspondingly moved with the compression of the spring 11 corresponding to that selected and readable by the operator. Thus, irrespective of the initial distance between the condyle and the tibial plateau with relaxed ligaments, a predetermined, reliable application of force is obtainable with this arrangement. The left-hand condyle-engaging member 3 (as shown in FIG. 2) is operated in substantially the same way. If, when the same calibrated spring force is applied to the two sides of the knee, the distances between the tibial plateau and the condyles are different for the two sides of the knee, such that the mechanical axis of the leg is not correctly oriented, then appropriate adjustment of the ligament lengths is to be performed.
In particularly preferred embodiments, the knee distraction device is designed so that it can carry an alignment rod R (FIG. 1) for checking the alignment of the leg bone parts once the balanced ligament tensioning has been applied. In the illustration of FIG. 1, the rod R is disposed to pass through the middle of the knee joint by being disposed at the center of the knee distraction device 1 and should then extend to the center of the femoral head CF. The rod R should also be aligned with and can be moved downwardly through the holder at the distraction device 1 so that it passes through the center of ankle A. The frame connection for the tubes 4 and the tibial-engaging member 2 includes a slide guide arrangement schematially depicted at 16 for accommodating the detachable connection of the rod R, so as to facilitate a checking of the leg bone alignment after the ligament tension has been applied and balanced for both sides of the knee in the manner described above.
FIG. 5 depicts a modified embodiment for the force-applying and force-calibration device of a knee distractor constructed otherwise in the same manner as illustrated and described above with respect to FIGS. 2-4. In FIG. 5, only one side of the modified knee distractor device 1' is shown, with primed reference characters corresponding to like reference characters in the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4. In the FIG. 5 embodiment, the shaft 9' for the condyle-engaging member 3' is constructed at its lower end with a widened portion 17 bounded by a low-friction seal 18 so as to form a piston face 19 communicating with a cylinder space 20 formed by the lower portion of the tube 4'. Force is applied to the surface 19 by way of line 21 from a pressure source 22. A calibration valve 23 and pressure gauge 24 are provided in the line 21 for controlling the pressure of the fluid supplied to the space 20.
The operation of the FIG. 5 embodiment is as follows. In the same manner as for the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4, the tibial plateau-engaging member 2' is placed in position. Subsequently, very low pressure is applied via line 21 to cylinder space 20 to force the shaft 9' upwardly until tensioning of the ligaments begin. Subsequently, valve 23 is adjusted to the predetermined desired pressure force to be applied, moving the condyle-engaging member 3' to tension the ligaments to that force. Since there is very little frictional resistance to the relative movement of the shaft 9' in the tube 4' due to the linear ball bushings 10' and the minimal extra frictional force caused by the engagement of the seals 18 at the walls of the tube 4', substantially all of the fluid pressure forces are applied as ligament-tensioning forces. Although the predetermined ligament-tensioning force could be immediately dialed in on the valve 23, it is preferred to apply the low-pressure force to move the member 3' up to the position where the ligaments are just beginning to be tensioned. It is also contemplated with the embodiment of FIG. 5 that the threshold pressure for overcoming the friction resistance at seal 18 be considered in calculating the pressure force available for ligament tensioning.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4, an appropriate abutment stop connection may suitably be provided at the lower end of shaft 9 so as to prevent the same from being lifted upwardly out of the tube 4 when not in use engaged against a patient condyle.
Embodiments of the invention are also contemplated which include other than the tubular sliding guide connection of the tibia- and condyle-engaging members. One contemplated arrangement for minimizing the sliding friction effects provides for the arrangement of a pivot axle for the condyle-engaging member and the application of force at a position disposed at the opposite end of the pivot axle, so that the same operates in the manner of a see-saw, with minimal frictional resistance.
While I have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as would be known to those skilled in the art of the present disclosure and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as they are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.
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The extra sunny weather calls for a BBQ mode and celebration this weekend. And you know what else does? My bougainvillea post featured on Links à la Mode this week, that's what! Grinning ear to ear, I'm thrilled to be a part of the ever popular Independent Fashion Blogger's weekly round up post, along with 19 other exceptional bloggers.
Let's check out all the chosen ones, shall we?
- A Brit Greek: Leather – 50 Shades for Maximum Impact
- April & Black: We Love Love Love Manish Arora
- Banjo Eyes: The Long and Short of It
- Can You Come Home: What Should I Wear To Work With The Bougainvilla Flower Trend?
- Dress Code: High Fashion: Altelier Swarovski Diana Vreeland Legacy Collection
- Elle Yeah: Haute Couture Week Highlights
- Emma Louque: Richard Nicoll for Topshop Bridal Love
- Fashionopolis: Fashion Blogging 101
- Fashion is Evolution: DIY Ombre Rhinestone Necklace
- Fresh Squeezed: Ralph Lauren's Olympic-size Controversy
- Girl Loves Color: Walking on Sunshine (Color Spotlight: Yellow)
- Les Finer Things: Crazy Yin Love
- Moments With Meera: Prints, Prints, Prints!
- Oranges & Apples: Some Thought on Clothing Challenges
- Soychild: In Defense of Outdated Trends
- Tickle Me Chic: Real Girls Making A Real Difference
- The New Lady Times: Bride, Borrow or Steal
- The Curvy Elle: Fashion Trends Adapted for Plus-Size
- The Penny Rose: Moonrise Kingdom
- Zsasa and Everything Else: The OMG Necklace
Are you on IFB? If so, feel free to friend me over there (one of the bazzilion ways to connect online = D)


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The Overview Dashboard shows a high level summary of the MySQL instances and hosts that are monitored by MySQL Enterprise Monitor.
The Overview summarizes various key statistics related to the group that is selected, such Database Availability, Connections, Database Activity, Query Response Times, and any current MySQL Instances or Hosts that have active Critical or Emergency level events against them. It is designed in this way to give you a quick high level picture of assets that require immediate attention, as well as give you an up to date profile of how MySQL Instances within environment are behaving.
The Group Overview configuration bar enables you to define the default group to view in the Overview dashboard. It also enables you to define the period for which the data is displayed.
By default, the Group Overview is set to All. To edit the overview, click Edit. The Group Overview edit bar is displayed.
The controls in the Group Overview configuration bar are described in the following table:
Table 14.1 Group Overview Configuration
|Group Overview
|Drop-down list containing all groups defined in MySQL Enterprise Service Manager.
|Graph Time Range
|Drop-down lists containing the time periods to apply to the graphs. The
possible values are:
Graph time ranges apply to the timeseries graphs, only. They do not apply to the Availability, Problem, or Current Emergency information.
|Applies the new configuration to the Overview dashboard.
|Save as Default
|Sets the selected group and time range as the default.
It is not possible to save a date range, using From/To, as the default for a group.
|Resets the group overview configuration to the previously saved values.
If the default group is deleted, an error is displayed on the Overview dashboard.
The Database Availability statistics show an aggregate of availability statistics, generated by the MySQL Availability Advisor, for all MySQL Instances within the selected Group, and allows you to monitor your Service Level Agreements for availability.
The MySQL Availability Advisor must be enabled for this functionality to work. It is enabled by default.
Database Availability is computed by each individual MySQL Enterprise Monitor Agent attempting to make a connection to each monitored MySQL Instance on a frequent basis (by default every 1 second, but this is configurable within the Advisor), to check whether the MySQL Instance is actively accepting new connections.
Depending on the response from the MySQL Instance, the availability is broken down in to four categories:
Available: The instance was actively monitored, and we could make a new connection.
Up: The instance
Uptime status variable reported it was up
when we last logged in, but we were not actively monitoring at
this time. This can happen when you start monitoring for the
first time from an Agent, or if the Agent was down for some
period of time.
Unreachable: The Agent could not get a
response from the MySQL Instance, however when we logged back
in we detected that the instance was up for that period of
time from the
Uptime status variable. This
can happen for various reasons, such as a
max_connections limit being reached, or
some networking problem between the MySQL Enterprise Monitor Agent and the
MySQL Instance that is being monitored.
Down: The Agent could not get a response from the MySQL Instance at all.
For each time range, the bar chart is split up in to slices of time (1 or 2 pixels each, depending on the width of the display), which represent a period of time; Day = 4 minutes, Week = 20 minutes and Month = 2 hours. Within those slices, the time within each availability state is aggregated across all MySQL Instances within the selected Group, and shown as the percentage of the total time in the slice.
For example, if you have four MySQL Instances within the selected group, with three of them being up and one of them being down for a 4 minute period within the day, the slice representing those 4 minutes would be 75% dark green, and 25% red.
MySQL Availability reporting is only available when using a MySQL Enterprise Monitor Agent of version 3.0.0 and above.
The remaining Databases Statistics graphs are designed to show a high level picture of the concurrency (Connections - All MySQL Instances), throughput (Database Activity - All MySQL Instances) and response times (Query Response Time Index) of the MySQL Instances within the selected group. These allow you to quickly spot if the profile of activity within the environment has changed.
For more information on the Query Response Time index (QRTI), see Section 23.2, "Query Response Time index (QRTi)".
The Current Problem MySQL Instances and Current Problem MySQL Hosts list the top 5 MySQL Instances and Hosts respectively, based on whether they have open events with a current status of either Emergency or Critical.
The results are sorted by the total time that each event has been within these statuses, by Emergency descending, and then Critical descending. This means that the MySQL Instances, or Hosts, that have had Emergency, then Critical events open for the longest will float to the top of the list.
This is extremely useful in environments that are monitoring many MySQL Instances, as it allows you to focus in to which MySQL Instances or Hosts to tackle next, by telling you those that have the most problems against them.
When a MySQL Instance or Host has any open Emergency events against them, the row for that asset will be shown in red:
The Current Emergency & Critical Events panel lists a stream of the currently open events with an Emergency or Critical status. These are listed separately to the Current Problem MySQL Instances or Current Problem Hosts panels, as these might not show all assets within an environment that is monitoring five or more of either asset type.
This allows you to see all current high priority events within a single panel for all monitored assets.


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Lets Hear It For The Craftsman
A series of blog posts are going around about cowboys vs. craftsman. I first noticed it via Coding Horror, then today on GeekDaily.
I have to say I agree with GeekDaily and Justin Etheredge assessments. While there will always be cowboys out there, their contributions will be minor to software development as a whole. Like Justin, I too couldn't believe the commenter who said
I'll tell you one thing, the Gang of Four book is probably one of my most disappointing programming reads of all time. Completely useless to me. Strange that I can have a successful programming career without understanding that book…
If this person doesn't get the GoF, they won't grow as a programmer, and that is a shame. This is the kind of developer that wants to either be told what to do or how to do it without learning something new that can expand their knowledge and better their code.
While Justin likens software to carpentry, I've always thought of development likened to painting. You can teach someone how to paint, but that does not make them an artist. At best they will learn how to paint by color, never expanding and learning. They may change their medium from watercolor to oil, but still painting inside the lines.
With regards to SOLID, SCRUM, whatever, I'm not a big methodology person. Doesn't mean they don't have their place, but in my experience they don't last largely due to business reasons more than anything else.
When it comes to TDD, I'm not a write-the-test-first kind of guy, I do believe tests are essential especially in an enterprise situation. In my personal projects I don't write tests all that often, but in a team environment with a lot of people touching the code it can be a real headache saver.
Justin absolutely has it right:
I have never been so reminded of how immature our industry is than at this point. And I'm not talking about the individual people, I'm talking about the fact that we have sitting in front of us a really good chance at introducing a little bit of rigor into the way that we think about and implement software systems, but people just blow it off. People just want the easy way out, and they don't want to take the time to actually have to learn and apply some of this stuff.
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en: Ahh, the Adventureland torrents are finally adequately seeded. Um, not that I'd EVER download a movie illegally or anything... 07/14/09 07:57am en: for those who have elbow or forearm pain: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090711085220.htm 07/14/09 07:57am en: Poll: what do u call the athletic things u wear on ur feet when u workout or run dance etc?? 07/14/09 07:57am en: stupid tweetgrid wont let me reply or retweet ppl #clothdiapers 07/14/09 07:57am
- : $Mr. Ghettistory$ 07/14/09 07:57am
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text:
(NBC News) More than a day later investigators are still searching through the twisted metal, debris and battered rail cars after Sunday's fatal commuter train accident in New York.
The early thought is that speed played a factor in the deadly accident as investigators continue to examine the evidence and interview those on-board when the train left the tracks.
Today, massive cranes helped to upright and move the battered cars as investigators continue to search for why the metro north commuter train left the tracks killing 4 passengers and injuring more than 60.
"It could have been a problem with the track. It could have been quote unquote equipment failure. There were some rumors to that or it could have just been operator error human beings make mistakes," said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
NTSB investigators plan to talk with the driver and conductor of the train today.
The conductor has said there was a problem with the brakes as the train entered a sharp turn along the Harlem and Hudson Rivers.
The team is also now analyzing vital data from the black box recorder pulled from the wreckage.
"We'll know the speed of the train we'll also know what brake applications may have been as well as the throttle settings," said the NTSB's Earl Weener.
There were about 100 people riding the train at the time of the crash.
"A couple of people were hurt very badly right in front of me. Yeah....literally, the woman in front of me, her, ah, she was bleeding from her head pretty bad. And we really couldn't get out," said passenger Dennis O'Neil.
As many now begin to recover from their physical wounds doctors warn the mental scars could take much longer to heal.
"I think it's gonna be different for different people. We certainly have the ability to provide outpatient mental health and crisis counseling services here," said emergency room physician David Listman of St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.
That's just part of what will be a long difficult recovery in the wake of the deadliest commuter train crash in New York in the last 20 years.
The investigation is going to take some time as well.
Teams will be on the ground here for a week to ten days; but determining the official cause of the accident could take a year or longer.
Copyright 2013 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Shopping Trophies by artist Pucci de Rossi are modern versions of wall mounted animal heads within whose stylized antlers are trademarks, logos and brand names like Nike, Gucci, Coca Cola, Prada and more.#31334
Gio Tirotto re-interpreting the "habit" of temporary seat on your Vespa, presenting it again with the most classical Italian designs' shape. Vespino is an elastic product that can adapt itself to any place or situation.#31333
Sonya Rykiel reveals for the first time her drawings in pencil, markers, pastels, private sketchpads and notes for an exhibition and private sale held in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Pres.#31332
Auction house Wright is offering this amazing clothesline of lamps designed by Gaetano Pesce in collaboration with Sandro Cammilli on June 8th as part of their Important Design Auction.
A sculptor is using 80,000 sugar cubes to recreate London's Tate Modern and its adjacent development for London Festival of Architecture.#31323
Universal has been hyping the upcoming ride, King Kong 360 3-D, by staging Kong's footprints and destruction in real life locations around Los Angeles, including Dodger Stadium and the beach at the Santa Monica Pier.#31320
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Everybody knows the great pixelart of eBoy (eBoy FixPix). Now there is their first iPhone App available: Tilt your iPhone to explore eBoy's mind-boggling art and find the right angle to solve the puzzle.#31307
Take our photo tour of Governors Island's Building 110 — an exciting new studio, performance, and exhibition space from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.#31301
Influenced by the way that wax melts from a lit candle and created this collection of beautiful drip-like jewelry.Include 18K plated sterling silver chain and a natural big quartz pendent drop.#31300
BeatBelly fitness family, designed by We Are Perspective from Amsterdam. These breakthrough fitness benches lets people train their stomach and trunk muscles in an intuitive manner.#31297
Two hand built school chairs that explore the relationships and connotations of an early childhood memory through their connection to one another.#31295


text:
I noticed in the code for CassandraFileSystemStore.java that it tries to read cfs.replication from the system properties. What is the correct way to set this in a settings file? Should this go into $BRISK_HOME/resources/hadoop/conf/core-site.xml? Or is there a cassandra config file where this should get set. I'd like to boot up the cluster with CFS replication set to 3.
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Changing CFS replication factor(4 posts) (2 voices)
Hi Matt,
The beta1 packages don't include this hook yet (we will add to initial startup config in beta2) but for now you can change this using the cassandra-cli
update keyspace cfs with strategy_options=[{replication_factor:3}];
If I set this as a system property (ie: -Dcfs.replication=3 at JVM invocation) in one of the startup scripts then it should get picked up right?
Thus far, I haven't started the task-trackers on my cluster, so the CFS keyspace hasn't been created yet.
Ah ok, then you can start it manually like so:
brisk cassandra -t -Dcfs.replication=3


text:
Simco shoe store window display, ca. 1970
Physical Details: Photographic print : 1 item : col. ; 09 x 09 cm.
Creator: Don Eddy (1944-), photographer
Description: Snapshot taken by Eddy as a source for a photorealistic painting, perhaps his New shoes for H, 1973-74.
Donated in 2009 by Don Eddy and Leigh Behnke.
Forms part of: Don Eddy and Leigh Behnke papers, 1966-2009
Rights Statement: U.S. public domain
Citation: Simco shoe store window display, ca. 1970
Digital ID: 12781
- Painting from photographs
View all Image Gallery items from the Don Eddy and Leigh Behnke papers


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I finished up this lovely necklace from a Sivia Harding kit. It was really easy to do this beaded knitting.
That is just beautiful, and I would be most happy to wear it.
Looks pretty great. Haven't a clue how you do it.
Promoting and inspiring the art of knitting amongst men.
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