text:
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 5 Encore brings media hubs to luxury
updated 06:05 pm EDT, Mon July 25, 2011
B and O BeoSound 5 Encore reaches US
Bang & Olufsen set out to have an upscale approach to networked media hubs Monday and unveiled the BeoSound 5 Encore. The device serves as both a central control and aggregator for media in the home, both taking in music from the local network as well as serving as a gateway for most any USB and line-in device, including external hard drives, iPods, and AirPlay through an AirPort Express. As many as eight of the 10.4-inch touchscreen devices can be linked together and share the same collection eve as they play music in different rooms.
Internet radio plays a strong part and has an unusually deep amount of curation, with the Danish company checking not just whether the content works but overall uptime and reliability. The Encore also has a Genius-style automatic playlist generator that can pick up on track styles from local collections and play related music on its own.
The unique 'floating' design is designed to be both freestanding and wall-mountable to integrate with a home. Always-attached connections like Ethernet can be kept hidden while exposing only USB and line-in to the outside.
As with most of its designs, Bang & Olufsen is charging a premium for the new BeoSound add-on. It should cost $3,350 when it arrives in stores in August.


text:
OQO to show Model 2+ With 1.86GHz Atom, OLED
updated 06:15 am EST, Wed December 31, 2008
OQO 1.86GHz Model 2+
UMPC maker OQO will soon release the successor to its Model 02 portable PC, which is expected to be as much as twice as fast. The Model 2+ is reported to sport an uncommon 1.86GHz Intel Atom CPU along with 2GB of RAM. In comparison, the fastest chip offered in the current device is a 1.6GHz CPU from VIA, and the model is restricted to just 1GB of RAM. Further differentiating the new model from the older one is the new embedded OLED touchscreen which replaces the older active digitizer.
Like the older model, the Model 2+ will have Wi-Fi capabilities and integrated wireless broadband access to 3G data networks. Other details on specs are unknown, but the updated device should at least match the older model's options of 40GB, 60GB or 120GB hard drives or 32GB or 64GB solid state drives, as well as a choice between Windows XP or Vista operating systems. The current device offers a 5-inch screen size with 800 by 480 pixel resolution and external display support with HDMI, VGA and DVI connections.
Actual release dates and pricing information are still unknown for OQO's Model 2+, but the basic Model 02 starts at nearly $1,300, so prices of the new model should be similar. [via GottaBeMobile]

subset: commoncrawl


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150% Money-Back Guarantee - In the highly unlikely case you do not receive the tickets you ordered in time for the match, we will refund 100% of your money back, plus we will offer you a credit worth 50% of your original purchase towards another match.
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Robin Van Persie score an injury time free kick to send Manchester United six points clear at the top of the Premier League after beating rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The Dutchman's late hammer blow ended City's unbeaten home record and capped off a miserable week for Roberto Mancini after his side crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage on Tuesday.
And they lost further ground in the title race despite coming close to snatching an unlikely point after recovering from going two goals behind to Sir Alex Ferguson's men before half time.
Buy tickets for Manchester United, Manchester City tickets, Tottenham Hotspur tickets and tickets to see Arsenal FC securely online now!!
Wayne Rooney had set United on the way to avenging last season's double derby defeat to City by scoring twice in the first half against the run of play to take his career league tally to 150 goals.
City's staged a second-half comeback, with Yaya Toure netting on the hour and Pablo Zabaleta equalizing in the 86th minute.
But Van Persie, who Arsenal claimed had been made an offer by City in the offseason, struck the late blow that ended the hosts' unbeaten league home run - stretching back to December 2010.
"Today was a special one simply because they haven't lost at home for two years, both of us are contending at the top of the league," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "It was a fantastic game, you couldn't take your eyes off that."
About 1st4FootballTickets.com: Thousands of football tickets are on sale on Europe's biggest football ticketing website: We have English Premiership 2012/2013 tickets such as Liverpool football tickets, Newcastle United tickets and tickets for Everton. But also football cup tickets such as FA Cup Tickets and Champions League tickets.


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Blog: Weight Loss Surgery Center
Overweight? The weight is over. If you are struggling with your weight and wish to live a longer and healthier life, the Centegra Weight-Loss Surgery Center offers you many opportunities to take charge of your health. My team and I are proud to have been designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. This national recognition highlights the high volume and superior quality patient care we are proud to provide.We offer a variety of minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures customized to an individual's need. Weight loss surgeries can eliminate many medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, joint and back pain and the need for medications. This allows patients to live a better quality life.If you'd like to learn more about the Centegra Weight-Loss Surgery Center, come to a free bi-monthly informational session to meet our team and some of our former patients. Call 877.CENTEGRA for more information about how Centegra Health System can help you take charge of your health.


text:
Graded absolutism
|Part of a series on
|Philosophy portal
Graded absolutism is a theory of moral absolutism which resolves the objection to absolutism that in moral conflicts we are obligated to opposites. Moral absolutism is the ethical view that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong regardless of other contexts such as their consequences or the intentions behind them. Graded absolutism is moral absolutism but qualifies that a moral absolute, like "Do not kill," can be greater or lesser than another moral absolute, like "Do not lie". Graded absolutism, also called contextual absolutism or the greater good view, is an alternative to the third alternative view and the lesser evil view, both discussed below, regarding moral conflict resolution.[citation needed]
According to graded absolutism, in moral conflicts, the dilemma is not that we are obligated to opposites, because greater absolutes are not opposites of lesser absolutes, and evil is not the opposite of good but is instead the privation of good. Since evil is the privation of good, only the privation of the greater good counts as evil, since whenever there is a moral conflict, we are only obligated to the greater good. The real dilemma is that we cannot perform both conflicting absolutes at the same time. 'Which' absolutes are in conflict depends on the context, but which conflicting absolute is 'greater' does not depend on the context. That is why graded absolutism is also called 'contextual absolutism' but is not to be confused with situational ethics. The conflict is resolved in acting according to the greater absolute. That is why graded absolutism is also called the 'greater good view', but is not to be confused with utilitarianism.
The third alternative view[edit]
This is the view that there are never any real moral conflicts [1] and that there is always a third alternative. However, if there is no real dilemma, what is the need for a third alternative? And surely moral dilemmas exist which have no real third alternative. When asked by a potential murderer the location of a would-be victim, it is possible to either consider it more important to save the potential victim's life—or it is possible to consider it more important to tell the truth to the victim's would-be murderer—it is not possible to do both, and there is no third alternative between them.
However, even in such cases, lateral thinking may produce creative alternatives with that could be effective. A tactic that has been noted for resolving this dilemma, which would work in certain contexts, would be simply to state, "I would rather not say."
The lesser evil view[edit]
The lesser evil view is the view that the only way out of a moral conflict is to violate one of the moral absolutes and choose the lesser evil. For example, if we disagree with Kant's thoughts on the categorical imperative and say that lying is a lesser evil than helping a would-be murderer, the lesser evil view would have us lie rather than help a would-be murderer. This violates the ought implies can principle and defeats itself in obligating evil.
The greater good view[edit]
Graded absolutism, or the greater good view, is the view that there are real moral conflicts between absolutes, but rather than requiring a third alternative (as in the case of the third alternative view above) or obligating evil (as in the case of the lesser evil view above), this view obligates the greater absolute, or greater good. For example, when one saves a life rather than telling the truth to a would-be murderer, one is committing the greater good of saving life, rather than violating the lesser good of telling the truth or committing the lesser (than aiding a murderer) evil of lying. Since evil is the privation of good, only the privation of the greater good counts as evil, since whenever there is a moral conflict, we are only obligated to the greater good.
Works cited[edit]
- [1] Ethics: Knowing Right from Wrong; by Stan Reeves.
- [2] Any Absolutes? Absolutely!; by Norman Geisler.
- [3] "Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Perspective" by Norman L. Geisler and Paul D. Feinberg; Baker Academic; 2nd edition (May 1, 1987); ISBN 0-8010-3818-9.
Further reading[edit]
- Christian Ethics: Options and Issues by Norman L. Geisler; Baker Academic; 2nd edition (1989); ISBN 978-0-8010-3832-7.
See also[edit]


text:
Development of a transoral robotic surgery program in Canada
1 Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Western University, London, ON, Canada
2 London Regional Cancer Program, London, ON, Canada
3 Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
4 Department of Oncology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
5 Department of Pathology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
6 Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
7 Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Victoria hospital, London Health Science Centre, Room B3-431A, 800 Commissioners Road East, London, ON, N6A 5W9, Canada
Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 2013, 42:8 doi:10.1186/1916-0216-42-8Published: 1 February 2013
Due to significant differences in healthcare structure between the United States and Canada, there are unique barriers to adopting new medical technology in Canada. In this article, we describe our experience developing a transoral robotic surgery (TORS) program at Western University. Specifically, we outline the steps that were necessary to obtain institutional and multidisciplinary team approval, financial support, as well as surgeon and allied healthcare personnel training. This experience can potentially be used as a roadmap for other Canadian institutions pursuing a TORS program.


text:
Moments after the St. Paul City Council voted on the fate of his troubled apartment complex, Nephi Anderson stood outside the council doors and shook his head in disbelief. "Well," he said. "I'm homeless."
Despite pleas for more time, the remaining households at Westminster Court will have until Monday, July 9, to move out of the two condemned East Side apartment buildings. The council on Tuesday voted 6-0 to uphold orders to condemn and vacate the properties at Westminster Street and Maryland Avenue. Council Member Russ Stark was absent.
A few families remain in the 60-unit complex, which landed on the city's radar nearly a year ago for some 600 building and fire code violations, including a bed bug infestation, doors with no locks, apartments with no heat, exposed electrical wiring and rats. The properties, the site of frequent police calls, were condemned by the city's Department of Safety and Inspections on June 1. About six households attended the highly-charged appeals hearing, which ran for about two hours Tuesday night.
Just before the council vote, DSI director Ricardo Cervantes informed the council that anyone still living in the apartments on Monday could be subject to police action.
"If the units have not been vacated, we'll ask for the assistance of the police department," Cervantes said. "If they choose not to leave, we're going to rely upon the police to take the next action, which may be arrest."
The council heard condemnation appeals Tuesday from Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services and the Minnesota Tenants Union.
Since then, the properties -- which were formerly owned by Randall and Peggy Chun -- have been bought out of foreclosure by Pine Ridge Investments, which released a court-appointed receiver from overseeing them. Pine Ridge recently hired Equimax Real Estate to manage the apartments.
Balconies and decks were condemned Feb. 17, but legislative hearing officer Marcia Moermond said she frequently sees evidence that tenants are still using them. Equimax officials have called property damage frequent and said air conditioners have disappeared and ended up in pawnshops. They offered tenants up to $300, damage deposits and June's rent to move out before the end of June.
The remaining tenants said they need more time, but how much more time remains unclear. Several residents told the council that an Equimax property manager opened their doors unannounced this week, tapping a gun tucked into his pants while demanding they relocate immediately. But they said they have nowhere to go.
"We're asking for time," said Anderson, addressing the council. He said he hasn't found work since losing his job unloading Walmart trucks in 2008 and moved into Westminster Court, the only place that would take him, a year ago. "Unfortunately, I can't say how much."
Council member Amy Brendmoen said Westminster Court was the first issue she confronted upon taking office in January, and it's kept her up at night for months. But it's time to move on.
"The place is in pretty tough shape, and I've heard people say again and again tonight, 'the conditions have worsened, and yet we're fighting to stay,' " said Brendmoen, noting that Catholic Charities and other groups have met with residents to help relocate them. "Displacing people, creating homelessness, is never a desired outcome, but the buildings are unsafe."
Tovah Flygare, an attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, told the council that some tenants have said they have new housing lined up for later in July, but "I hesitate to give you any solid promises."
Her offices filed an "emergency tenant remedy action" with Ramsey County District Court last month asking Pine Ridge and Equimax to help the remaining tenants find new permanent or temporary housing. She believes at least 10 households remain in the complex. The next hearing date in that case has yet to be scheduled.
Equimax Real Estate president Wade Shatzer told the council that a top-to-bottom rehab of the properties was not realistic with tenants living in the buildings, which have had a long history of serious code violations stretching back 20 years. "The fact of the matter is, it just doesn't work," he said.
Peter Brown, an attorney with the Minnesota Tenants Union, said DSI had effectively allowed property owners to walk away from their responsibility to maintain livable housing for rent-paying occupants.
"The housing codes aren't for the purpose of gentrifying an area," Brown said, "but instead are to make those places livable for people."
Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172. Follow him at twitter.com/FrederickMelo.


text:
Pitfalls of Medicaid expansion
Medicaid expansion is an expensive endeavor that studies show does not provide better or more-affordable health care. Many of the expansion plans that Pennsylvania legislators are considering would use federal dollars to expand the state's Medicaid program to more people, creating new costs that the federal government may not always be willing or able to cover, leaving state taxpayers on the hook for the new liabilities.
Pennsylvania has yet to approve an expansion of Medicaid. But in September 2013, Gov. Tom Corbett released a proposal that would accept federal funds and extend Medicaid to about 500,000 individuals, who would be moved into the ObamaCare federal health insurance exchange.
Like several other programs being considered in other states, Corbett's proposal, known as "Healthy PA," emulates Arkansas' premium assistance model. Under the Arkansas model, the state provides funds for those newly eligible for Medicaid to purchase private insurance through the ObamaCare insurance exchange. Medicaid recipients choosing the private option would face many of the same requirements as traditional Medicaid beneficiaries, including co-pays and a premium-sharing requirement. Participants would be required to pay a portion of their premiums, up to $35 per month.
According to the Commonwealth Foundation, Healthy PA would make several changes to the state's current Medicaid program, including a reduction in the cap on certain medical services, which would cut the funds managed care organizations use to pay doctors; a reduction in the number of benefit packages in traditional Medicaid from 14 to two; a premium-sharing requirement based on a sliding scale of $1 to $25 per month; and new co-pays for doctor visits..
Healthy PA has several shortcomings. First, despite the private-market feel of the program, it still represents an expansion of Medicaid, where multiple aspects of the insurance plan are dictated by the federal government and the beneficial aspects of real market competition are lost. Second, once expansion occurs, it will be extremely difficult to roll back.
Medicaid expansion is expensive. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, expansion in Pennsylvania would add $43 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that a plan like Healthy PA could cost state taxpayers an additional $3,000 per enrollee.
One alternative states should consider is the pilot program currently underway in Florida, known as the "Medicaid Cure." The program is a premium support model that provides existing Medicaid recipients with a range of premiums and plans from which to choose, dramatically improving health care competition and consumer choice. The results have been promising; the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration found a 64 percent improvement in health outcomes over managed care and an 83 percent satisfaction rate.
Without significant reforms, Medicaid will remain fiscally unsustainable. Instead of expanding a flawed model that is overly costly, delivers subpar health care and shifts more power to the federal government, state lawmakers should focus instead on reform options like those piloted in Florida, which reduce costs and offer better care.
Matthew Glans is senior policy analyst for The Heartland Institute.
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text:
NeroAacEnc for livestreams, MP4 container unsuitable for live streaming
NeroAacEnc for livestreams, MP4 container unsuitable for live streaming
Apr 2 2009, 00:53
Post #1
Group: Members
Posts: 168
Joined: 1-April 09
Member No.: 68578
Hi, I'm running a webradio and I was using aacplusenc as an external encoder to crreate AAC streams.
Since NeroAacEnc is supposed to be superior in quality, and supports ABR streams, I'd like to use that.
Problem is, NeroAacEnc encapsulates the AAC+ data into an MP4 container, which is unsuitable for streaming.
Since I'd use it as external encoder, that reads and writes into pipes, I make NeroAacEnc write to /dev/stdout. I'm struggling to find a solution, how to get the data out of the MP4 container, while streaming live, maybe even encapsulating it in a MPEG2 container, so I can feed a streaming server with that data.
Does anybody know a trick how to do this?
I stumbled upon mpeg4ip which is so old (1997) that the code won't compile, I'm debugging it, so maybe I could use it to extract the AAC stream from the MP4 container on the fly.
Anyway, it would be nice to have an option in NeroAacEnc to inhibit it from putting the AAC stream into the MP4 container and write to STDOUT.
External encoders/decoders work with pipes when used in my radio software.
I f you happen to know anything that might be helpful, please answer!
Apr 4 2009, 21:01
Post #2
Group: Members
Posts: 128
Joined: 3-January 04
Member No.: 10920
I am amazed. This seems to be a briliant setup. Perhaps I'm going to listen to your stream if it's publicly available before trying to set something up for my-self.
Thanks for the pointers.
BTW I'd appreciate generation of raw aac streams as well.
|Lo-Fi Version
|Time is now: 1st December 2015 - 21:29


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Bestselling novelist Oke is a mainstay in the Christian fiction market but, unfortunately, this newest offering, coauthored with her daughter, falls flat, despite a promising plot. Dana, a young teenager, is diagnosed with a terminal illness and her solidly Christian family deals with the resulting turmoil. Oke and Logan make a noble attempt to show that Christian families don't always enjoy rosy lives in the midst of suffering and affliction. A teen son strays, a younger child feels neglected and a sister struggles with bitterness toward God. Yet despite chapters of narration describing the family's daily life before the cancer wreaks its havoc, there is little character development. The book is wooden where it has the chance to evoke deep emotions. For example, when the siblings wait at the house for the call telling them Dana's bone-marrow transplant surgery is completed, sister Erin notes, "We were all a bit anxious." No kidding. There are a few sweet moments, including one in which Dana's little brother, Corey, chooses a spot for his tree where she can see it from her window. However, everything is wrapped up quickly, neatly and unbelievably in the end. After pages of bitterness over her sister's disease, we see the younger sister's attitude toward God changed in a few paragraphs. This passionless story falls short of other titles in Christian domestic fiction, including Oke's own work. (Apr.)Forecast: Oke's books have sold more than 20 million copies to date, so this will surely enjoy strong sales among her many fans. New readers, however, will likely be disappointed, and lackluster reviews won't drive many to the book in any case, hobbling the crossover ambitions for this one.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Erin Walsh doesn't understand what's happening to her family. First, older sister Dana loses her bubbly personality and wants to stay home all the time. Then, Granddad dies and Grandma comes to live with them, forcing older brother Brett to move into the basement and her youngest brother, Corey, to move in with her and Dana. Her parents, David and Angela, ask the kids to bear with them as they all adjust to the changes and to pray about their problems. Faith has always been a strong part of the family's life, but after a move to a larger house in the country and a change of school districts, the family starts falling apart. And then Dana is diagnosed with leukemia. While her siblings deal with feelings of rejection and anger as their parents focus on helping Dana, Erin must also deal with her anger toward God for allowing these events to happen. This emotionally wrenching journey through the devastation that cancer wreaks on a family is particularly suitable for teens.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
I listened to the audiobook--the reader was fantastic--it was very hard to listen to and drive because it was so sad and I couldn't see to drive for crying. Read morePublished on Jan. 29 2004 by Beverly Foust
This story related to what my family is currently going through. My mom is fighting breast cancer. Mrs. Oke's writing came alive to me. I felt everything that Erin felt. Read morePublished on Dec 15 2001
Dana's Valley explored a family's struggle in a very real way. Through the eyes of Erin, we see the family in a very real and human way. Read morePublished on Aug. 21 2001
After reading a very negative review on the book, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading. Read morePublished on July 18 2001 by Kathy McElhaney


text: Originally posted by Merrill Higginson: Yes, you can use regular HTML <input> tags with autocomplete attributes. Just be aware of the fact that an <html:text> tag automatically sets its value to the value of the ActionForm bean property, whereas an <input> tag does not. You would have to write JSP code to handle this yourself.


text:
Berlin's Co-Production Market line-up confirmed
This year's Berlinale Co-ProductionMarket will feature 44 projects from 24 countries, including three projects from the forthcoming CineMart in Rotterdam.
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text:
|TGFβ1 induces IL-6 and inhibits IL-8 release in human bronchial epithelial cells: the role of Smad2/3.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 20607798 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
|Human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells contribute to asthmatic airway inflammation by secreting cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and transforming growth factor (TGF) β1, all of which are elevated in asthmatic airways. This study examines the signaling pathways leading to TGFβ1 induced IL-6 and IL-8 in primary HBE cells from asthmatic and non-asthmatic volunteers. HBE cells were stimulated with TGFβ1 in the presence or absence of signaling inhibitors. IL-6 and IL-8 protein and mRNA were measured by ELISA and real-time PCR respectively, and cell signaling kinases by Western blot. TGFβ1 increased IL-6, but inhibited IL-8 production in both asthmatic and non-asthmatic cells; however, TGF induced significantly more IL-6 in asthmatic cells. Inhibition of JNK MAP kinase partially reduced TGFβ1 induced IL-6 in both cell groups. TGFβ1 induced Smad2 phosphorylation, and blockade of Smad2/3 prevented both the TGFβ1 modulated IL-6 increase and the decrease in IL-8 production in asthmatic and non-asthmatic cells. Inhibition of Smad2/3 also increased basal IL-8 release in asthmatic cells but not in non-asthmatic cells. Using CHIP assays we demonstrated that activated Smad2 bound to the IL-6, but not the IL-8 promoter region. We conclude that the Smad2/3 pathway is the predominant TGFβ1 signaling pathway in HBE cells, and this is altered in asthmatic bronchial epithelial cells. Understanding the mechanism of aberrant pro-inflammatory cytokine production in asthmatic airways will allow the development of alternative ways to control airway inflammation.
|Qi Ge; Lyn M Moir; Judith L Black; Brian G Oliver; Janette K Burgess
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal Detail:
|Title: Journal of cellular physiology Volume: 225 ISSN: 1097-4652 ISO Abbreviation: J. Cell. Physiol. Publication Date: 2010 Nov
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2010-09-15 Completed Date: 2010-10-12 Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 0050222 Medline TA: J Cell Physiol Country: United States
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 846-54 Citation Subset: IM
Copyright Information:
|© 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
|Respiratory Research Group, Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. firstname.lastname@example.com
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
Asthma / immunology*, metabolism
Binding Sites
Blotting, Western
Bronchi / drug effects, immunology*, metabolism
Case-Control Studies
Cells, Cultured
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Epithelial Cells / drug effects, immunology*, metabolism
Inflammation Mediators / metabolism*
Interleukin-6 / genetics, metabolism*
Interleukin-8 / genetics, metabolism*
JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism
Middle Aged
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology
RNA, Messenger / metabolism
Respiratory Mucosa / drug effects, immunology*, metabolism
Signal Transduction
Smad2 Protein / antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism*
Smad3 Protein / antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism*
Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / metabolism*
Young Adult
Reg. No./Substance:
|0/IL6 protein, human; 0/IL8 protein, human; 0/Inflammation Mediators; 0/Interleukin-6; 0/Interleukin-8; 0/Protein Kinase Inhibitors; 0/RNA, Messenger; 0/SMAD2 protein, human; 0/SMAD3 protein, human; 0/Smad2 Protein; 0/Smad3 Protein; 0/Transforming Growth Factor beta1; EC 126.96.36.199/JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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Antares Rocket Hot Fire Test Conducted At Wallops | Video
Orbital Sciences (NASA Commercial partner) test fired their rocket on February 22nd, 2013 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The company is one step closer to launching their ISS re-supply spacecraft (Cygnas Service Module).
Credit: NASA / Orbital Sciences


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IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR PARAMOUNT - "The Palmer Family" - Left to right, Grace Zabriskie, Ray Wise and Sheryl Lee at the Bigfoot Lodge for the after party celebrating the forthcoming Blu-ray Disc release of Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery on Wednesday, July 16, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Rodgers/Invision for CBS HE and Paramount/AP Images)
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Kenneth Douglas added to his ghoulish count Monday, admitting he had sex with two more bodies while he worked at the Hamilton County morgue.
Douglas, 56, of Westwood, pleaded guilty to two counts of gross abuse of a corpse before Visiting Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Niehaus. He could be imprisoned for a maximum of three years at his Dec. 10 sentencing.
Douglas was employed for 16 years, from 1976-1992, as a night attendant at the morgue. He told authorities previously that while there, he invited women in and partied with them with drugs and alcohol. He also admitted to having sex with bodies being stored while awaiting autopsies.
He is currently serving a three-year sentence for having sex with another corpse that of Karen Range, a 19-year-old murder victim who was nearly beheaded in 1982 and had been in the morgue cooler for hours.
Douglas said nothing Monday except to give respectful, short answers to routine questions from the judge.
The corpses he admitted Monday to abusing were those of two homicide victims awaiting autopsies:
Charlene Edwards, 23, also known as Charlene Apling, was strangled to death. Douglas said he had sex with her body Oct. 1, 1991, on the day she died. She was six months pregnant when she was killed by Mark Chambers, in his Avondale home. Chambers originally was charged with murder but accepted a plea bargain and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sent to prison for 10-25 years. He was paroled in 2000.
Angel Hicks, 24, was pushed from a third-story window and died from blunt trauma. Douglas said he had sex with that body Dec. 8, 1991. Tyrone Williams was charged with murder in the case. He was acquitted months later at trial. There was a question whether Hicks was killed or committed suicide.
Douglas pleaded guilty without a plea deal. Assistant Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said his office would offer no deals to Douglas.
After Douglas pleaded guilty in 2008 to having sex with Ranges corpse officials conducted an extensive investigation comparing Douglas DNA to that of other bodies in the morgue during the time Douglas worked there.
Initially, officials feared there could be dozens of other victims, based on what Douglas told them. They were able to indict him on two additional charges.
He told us he was out of control, Prosecutor Joe Deters said in March after Douglas was indicted on the two charges he pleaded guilty to Monday.
Douglas was first caught when he violated his probation on a previous conviction on drug and alcohol charges, and his DNA was taken by officials and placed in a database. The database showed Douglas DNA matched that of the semen left in Ranges body.
That was good news for David Steffen, who spent 26 years on Ohios death row for Ranges murder but who insisted he never raped her. Now, Steffens attorneys are using Douglas acts to try to get Steffen off of death row.
To follow Hamilton County court news, go to www.twitter.com/kimballperry


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Tashard Choice a mentor to former Georgia Tech teammate
Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer is hoping to keep a streak of sorts intact in April for the Michael Johnson Performance Center. Over the last two years, the center has trained the first running backs taken off the board in Darren McFadden and Knowshon Moreno.
Dwyer has a case, but Clemson's C.J. Spiller might be the favorite going into the NFL Scouting Combine. Dwyer had 1,395 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, which were better numbers than his junior year – 1,328 yards, 12 touchdowns – when he was named ACC Player of the Year.
Dwyer was a teammate of Tashard Choice's at Georgia Tech.
"He's a great guy," Dwyer said. "He's the type of person that always makes you laugh, fires you up, yells, screams all over practice. All I'd do was feed off him … He would tell me what I needed to work on before the season and after the season. He's a mentor to me, like a big brother."


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Welcome to Nerang Community Church
WelcomeThis website will introduce you to our church - where we came from and what our beliefs are. If you wish to know more please review Who We Are. If you are only passing through and would like to find out more about Christianity and being a Christian. You are welcome to join us for Sunday service or Contact us to arrange a visit.
Contact Us2 Arjuna Way
Gaven, Queensland 4211
Email: email@example.com
Click Here if you would like to contact us.
Worship service Sundays at 9:00am. Crèche is provided for most services.


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Landmark Hotel, The
Contact Information
Landmark Hotel, The
Ciaran & John Kelly
Carrick-on-Shannon, Co.Leitrim,
Telephone: +353 (0)71 9622 222
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web: thelandmarkhotel.com
The Landmark Hotel is more than aptly named for it is a truly fine landmark not only in Carrick-on-Shannon itself, but in the general region as it has achieved a huge reputation ...
How to get there
The Landmark Hotel is on the N4 before crossing the bridge in Carrick-on-Shannon en route to Sligo
Good to know
Open: All year save Christmas day
Number of Rooms: 49
Double Room: From €110
Dinner: Yes
Credit Cards: Yes
Parking: Yes
Wifi: Yes
About The Hotel
The Landmark Hotel is more than aptly named for it is a truly fine landmark not only in Carrick-on-Shannon itself, but in the general region as it has achieved a huge reputation for consistent hospitality, comfort, style, service and good food. Carrick-on-Shannon has forever been known as the cruising capital of the River Shannon but, that apart, it is a great central location for a weekend break, the roads are now so good that you are down to Carrick-on-Shannon from Dublin in no time at all, or to use as a base and work your way out on daytrips to other regions. I recommended The Landmark to a group of Americans who were touring Ireland last year and they were absolutely thrilled with the hotel on all counts.
The Landmark stands proud overlooking the river and is fabulously decorated in a lavish contemporary style. All of the bedrooms are beautifully furnished with every creature comfort you could possibly want to make your stay enjoyable. There are four categories of rooms. Executive, Shannon View, Landmark Suites and Landmark Premium. If like me you love to overlook the water then I guess you will go for the Shannon View with wonderful views of the mighty Shannon and the new Marina. The Landmark Suites also have wonderful water views and they have a separate seating area for you to sit and relax, have a glass of wine, or maybe enjoy room service. If you really want to push the boat out, forgive the pun, you can go for a Landmark Premium Suite which is the epitome of elegance and comfort with its own balcony and a really memorable romantic location.
What I also really like too about the Landmark are their great dramatic public areas, smashing bars, the Black Mint Cocktail Bar, the traditional style Mallard Bar, and Boardwalk Bar, two dining options, and a beautiful conservatory with Lloyd Loom chairs which make you feel as if you are relaxing on the River Nile in an Agatha Christie movie– not as good as the River Shannon of course. Food at the hotel's Boardwalk Café is eclectic and modern with something to suit every palate and it offers excellent value in lovely surroundings both for lunch and dinner. The menu covers salads, pasta, platters, mains, burgers, and interesting vegetarian options. There is also the lovely Aromas Café in the conservatory setting which is just perfect for a casual lunch, an all day breakfast, gorgeous afternoon tea, or indeed a great Sunday lunch. You can read more about the food at the Boardwalk and Aromas on the restaurant side of my website.
The Landmark Hotel can be proud of what they offer their guests.
View Hotel On Map
View hotels in a larger map
Other Beautiful Places To Stay!
Muckross Park Hotel
The Muckross Park Hotel is uniquely located in the National Park on the Lakes of Killarney. A hote... more
Fota Island Resort
Fota Island just east of Cork City is one of the most beautiful places in Ireland. It is best know... more
Radisson Blu St. Helen's Hotel
The wonderful thing about the Radisson Blu St. Helen's Hotel is that glorious feeling of bei... more


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A Night with Michel Gondry at The MontalbJuxtapoz // Wednesday, 15 Apr 2009
The line for this week's Cinema Tuesday (curated by Flux) went down the block outside the Hollywood venue, the Nike Sportswear at The Montalbán, wrapped through the parking lot and then spilled out onto the next street over.
The launch party and screening event for Michel Gondry's new dvd was free with RSVP. However, the amount of people who tried to RSVP crashed the Flux site! Which means the party was awesome.
The new DVD, Michel Gondry 2, More Videos (Before & After DVD 1) is a new project Gondry and his team self-produced. The team went out and got all the permissions they needed to release more of Gondry's unique music videos (from the likes of Beck, Radiohead, Donald Fagen, and Paul McCartney), commercials, some behind the scenes from the making of the music videos, his famous Rubik's Cube shorts, and some other rare treats.
The screening gave a glimpse of some of the content, although only a small sample as the dvd is chocked full. It is actually a dual-layer dvd, which means a whole lotta love from Gondry (lots of content!).
The event was a ton of fun. There were complimentary tacos, candy, and popcorn for the screening. Gondry signed dvd's afterwards while everyone had a chance to purchase the new dvd (which he is exclusively distributing) and some of his cool merch - toilet paper featuring his bad joke sketches, tee shirts, and his comic "We Lost the War but Not the Battle."
All those goodies and more can also be found on his new website (www.michelgondry.com) that launched yesterday. Highlights of the night were during the Q&A with Gondry...I found out he doesn't believe in unicorns, does not dream in stop-motion animation, and would love to make a music video for Michael Jackson. --Trina Calderon
Event photos courtesy of Flux
Lead photos by Marla Aufmuth


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(A parade of off-road vehicles)….Technically it is being called a procession.
And, it is being held this evening. Many of the participants in Saturdays SCORE International Imperial Valley 250 will be in the procession. It will be led by the El Centro Police. The Procession begins and ends at the Imperial Valley Mall starting at 6:00 this evening. Also tonight at the Mall will be the Monster Energy SCORE Imperial Valley Goes Green Party.. The public is encouraged to attend. The party will feature a Pit Crew Challenge contest, driver autograph session, vehicle display and Thursday evening contingency. The party is expected to continue until 9:00 tonight. Friday is Tech and Contingency at the IV Mall. Set-up is at 7:00 am, racer registration at 9:00 am. Contingency and vendor row opens at 9:30 Friday morning. The Score International Imperial Valley 250 race is Saturday on an 82-mile course. The first race starts off at 5:15 Saturday morning. Race number 2, with an 8-hour time limit, starts at 11:45 am. Presentations for the race will be Sunday at the Imperial Valley Mall starting at 10:00 am.


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Richard Arsenault
- Filed Under
Allison Cain, RN, has been named unit manager of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Rapides Regional Medical Center. Cain manages the daily operations of the 26-bed MICU. She is a graduate of LSU Alexandria and Northwestern State and holds a Trauma Nursing Core Course certification.
Susan Fonville of Alexandria, Ashley Weatherford of Plaucheville and Robert Gillis of Pollock graduated the Louisiana State Probation & Parole Academy in Baton Rouge on Dec. 6. Officers' Fonville, Weatherford and Gillis will supervise caseloads in central Louisiana out of the Alexandria office.
Louisiana State Probation & Parole Field Supervisor Nicole A. Mitchell and Louisiana State Probation & Parole Administrative Supervisor Karon Waybright were both recently selected for recognition as the Supervisors Of the 3rd quarter for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
Tommy Pinion with Posttension Specialist home of Rock Solid Foundations and Repairs was awarded Builder of the Year 2012 from the Central Louisians Home Builders Association.
In receiving this award it puts Tommy and the company in a very special group of successful individuals in the building industry.
Richard J. Arsenault served as Chair of the Louisiana Bar Association's 19th Annual Admiralty Symposium in New Orleans. He has chaired this symposium since its inception. He was also recently selected for inclusion in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and in the Best Lawyers publication.
Dana P. Grant of Alexandria is a clinical laboratory scientist at Rapides Regional Medical Center and is a member of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. Gov. Bobby Jindal has reappointed Grant to the Clinical Laboratory Personnel Committee.
Barry Hines of Alexandria is the owner of Quality Care Givers, Inc., a health care facility with locations in Louisiana and Texas. Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed Hines to the Grant Parish Port Commission.
Personnel file is compiled by Lindsay Trapp. Submit items to her at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
The Promise and Law create a high expectation of behavior, but, knowing that perfection is an unattainable goal, start with words that underscore the fact that we will fail on occasion. The promise states, "On my honor, I will try," and the law begins, "I will do my best to be..."
It is important to remember that we all fail on occasion and make mistakes. Trying and doing our best does not equate to being perfect, but rather with picking ourselves up after a mistake, learning and moving forward.
How did Girls Scouts begin? Through the efforts of one woman. Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low began the Girl Scouts on March 12, 1912 with a local Girl Scout meeting in Savannah, Georgia. Today, there are almost a million Girls Scout volunteers, and 2.7 million girl members. Since its inception, more than 50 million American women have participated in Girl Scouts.
It going to be a fun year, learning and growing with the girls, and I know that my time invested in this will more than pay off in the long run. While I am sure that I will forget things, become overwhelmed and possibly even lose my temper, I know that today, more than ever, we need girls of courage, confidence and character.
All over our community, city and nation, adults are involved in the time-consuming, but important work of building boys and girls of courage, confidence and character through in-school and after-school activities. I am glad to be able to do my small part. Knowing that along the way, while I am helping others, that I will be learning and growing, and will be reminded of the important promises and values in life.
I look forward to the day I visit my daughter, and carry a box of childhood treasures to her, including her Brownie pin.
On my honor, I will try, to do my best. A motto we should all say every day.
Whether Gun Violence or Abortion Violence, Harming Innocent Human Life Is Always Wrong | Ryan Bomberger
TPP Would Authorize Obama to Set $15 Minimum Wage, Card Check, and CO2 Emissions Regulation—All By Executive Fiat | Michael Hammond
The Heart of the Pro-Life Movement Is a Heart of Compassion: A Response to Colorado | Congressman Diane Black
McCain: Let's face it, Trump's rhetoric is turning Muslims all over the world against us | Allahpundit


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After confirming earlier today that Jean-Eric Vergne was out of the running for the second seat at Red Bull next season, Christian Horner may have just told us something that, in truth, we already knew…
Perhaps that's a little too harsh on Jean-Eric Vergne, who now has to ask himself: "just where is my career going?" The natural progression from Toro Rosso is intended to be Red Bull (even if since 2006 just one driver, Vettel, has actually done so). The likes of Alguersuari and Buemi, as talented as they may have been, were simply cast aside when it was clear that they didn't have the 'Vettel' factor. Frankly, Ricciardo lacks that too, but maybe Red Bull have come to the conclusion that they do not require two like-minded drivers, but instead a partner to support Vettel.
On paper though, snubbing Vergne could be a mistake on Red Bull's part. Indeed, he outscored Ricciardo in 2012 (16 points plays 10) and is also leading this season (13 plays 11), producing a particularly outstanding performance at the Canadian Grand Prix as he finished P6. Incidentally, this was the best result for Toro Rosso since, you guessed it, Sebastian Vettel, who finished 4th in his final race for the team at Interlagos in 2008. The case for Vergne is that he scores more heavily on less frequent occasions – i.e. two hauls of eight versus three hauls of five. Also, he has shown his skill in the wet (Monaco 2012) – what more do Red Bull want?
Personality – and this is where Ricciardo appears to win by a long stretch. Quite a telling sign came at Silverstone.
After qualifying, the usual media sessions got underway in each of the team's hospitality units. I dotted around from team to team before making my way to Toro Rosso – important seeing as Webber had confirmed his retirement two days earlier. Along with another couple of journalists, I was invited to a table that Daniel Ricciardo would soon grace, having qualified an excellent P6. I thought "oh he'll be smiling," reflecting on a conversation about the Australian with a fan at the FOTA Forum.
"He's always smiling."
"Yeah. You could probably run over his cat, and he would still smile at you."
What made his qualifying result all the more smile-worthy was that he lay ahead of his rivals for the Red Bull seat: Kimi Raikkonen and Jean-Eric Vergne. As Daniel walked in, Mark Webber was heading down the stairs of the energy station. They stopped, shared a handshake and a few words for about thirty seconds, both smiling all the while. Of course, compatriots, but this had the element of something 'more'. A few days later, Webber announced his support for Ricciardo in getting the seat, which was obvious to see in this little half-minute interaction.
When he did arrive, the obvious question was asked:
"So that's that Dan, deal with Red Bull signed after qualifying ahead of Kimi and Jev?"
Daniel began to chuckle, before composing himself and explaining how it wasn't his foremost thought, merely a neat coincidence. More questions came along the same vein, causing him to laugh and smile more and more. All the while though, he was being deadly serious when answering questions. I came away from his table thinking "what a cool guy."
Next up, Jean-Eric Vergne. Obviously he wasn't pleased to have missed out on Q3, but this was a driver who in Canada had impressed to finish P6. He went to explain in no uncertain terms how, had it not been for catching a bit of drag off Sebastian Vettel during his final Q2 lap, he would have made it through to Q3 and been able to rival Ricciardo.
"What's changed between here and Canada?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, in Canada you qualified P7 and here you line up 13th."
"No, I've explained, it was the drag, nothing else."
When asked about the Red Bull seat, he was passive, claiming that it was the last thing he was thinking of.
Who knows? In Canada, the attitude of each driver may have been very different, yet Silverstone was 'the time' to start impressing. In the race, Ricciardo ran well to finish P8 whilst Vergne retired thanks to one of the infamous tyre blow-outs. However, what was clear from the two interviews was that Ricciardo is more 'Red Bull' material in terms of who he is. From this, it always appeared to be a two-horse race between himself and Kimi Raikkonen. Now, Red Bull will have to consider which driver will suit Vettel the most, and of course, which personality will suit the team the most.
Images courtesy of Octane Photographic.


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The PTB continue to pile on paper silver shorts. After an FOMC meeting this seems to be standard procedure, especially after Bennie pretty much announced QE for as long as it takes......whatever that means? Basically what the FED stated is that they'll tell you what inflation is AND they'll tell you what percentage of American's are unemployed. Savers have been thrown under the bus to favour speculators. On the plus side, the FED has pretty much ensured silver & gold prices will skyrocket. $32+ silver will seem very cheap in the not so distant future. UC will be trading at multiples of the current SP.
Remember the silver shorts can potentially lose 1/2 billion dollars for every dollar uptick in the price of silver. Essentially the silver shorts are delaying the inevitable. More investors are demanding delivery and rejecting bribery in the form of fiat. Silver will hit an all-time high.........soon! Ivana


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Colombian policemen stand outside "Barra la 44" disco bar in Cali, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, where a shooting on the eve left eight people dead and five wounded. / Luis Robayo, AFP, Getty Images
CALI, Colombia (AP) - Police say eight people have died and six are injured after a man entered a nightclub in the Colombian city of Cali and opened fire.
Cali police Col. Hoover Alfredo Penilla said police captured the suspected assailant after the shooting, which occurred around 9 p.m. Friday in the club "La Barra de la 44." Edward Rodriguez is an investigations director with Cali prosecutors and identified the suspect as 20-year-old Johan Alexander Mosquera.
Club bouncer Reynaldo Campos gave a different account of what he said was a 20-minute shootout. Campos said several men entered the club shooting and searching its three floors.
Rodriguez said the leading hypothesis was the shootings resulted from a revenge attack launched by one criminal gang against another.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read the original story: Colombia club shooting leaves eight dead


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Battle of the Boot Shoe Drive
Saint Louis University is beginning a new shoe drive to help the Shoeman Water Projects. This year University of Missouri St. Louis and Washington University are also collecting shoes for the Battle of the Boot. We'll have to work hard to keep the boot at SLU.
Now is a good time to start your spring cleaning and go through those closets. The Shoe Man will take any type of shoes. Just bring them in and put them in one of the 2 collection boxes in the Allied Health Building, one located in the main lobby and the other between the entrance doors of Fresh Gatherings Cafe. Collection will end May 31.
If you have tennis shoes, please tie them together. Please place each pair of shoes if not tied together, in a small plastic or paper bag and close the bag. By putting the shoes together, it reduces the time needed to sort and match shoes.
If you would like more information on the Shoeman Water Projects, you can check out their website at shoemanwater.org.
Did you know...
- the cost for drilling a well 600 feet through granite is $40,000?
- a pump costs $9,000 and is built in country?
- the generator to provide electricity to run the pump if the village has no electricity is $9,000 and built in country?
- a water tank (needed if the water is not clean enough when pumped) is $1,000 and the purifier is $1,500?
- the purifier is portable so an easy target for theft and so a shed is needed to protect the pump and equipment from theft and costs $3,000?
- one well can cost $49,000 to $63,500?
- shoes generate jobs for street vendors selling shoes as well as jobs for drillers, maintenance workers, and water testers?
- clean water brings parasite free water; opportunity for improved hygiene, reduced diseases, and ability to farm the land using local water pumped in through a well?
- return on shoes is about 50 cents a pair?
For more information or with questions, please contact Jeanne Young in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at firstname.lastname@example.com or 977-8663.


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While URL rewriting can have SEO benefits, it can also cause more SEO problems if it's done hastily, or incorrectly. In today's Organic Search Engine Optimization column, "Dynamic URLs: To Rewrite or Not to Rewrite...That is the Question," Mark Jackson outlines the pros and cons to consider before making a change.
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CreaturGames's Profile
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Java Student
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Posts I've Made
In Topic: Bubtalk - User-friendly bubble chat(not iphone chat).
Posted 7 Jan 2014
modi123_1, on 07 January 2014 - 07:54 AM, said:
CreaturGames, on 07 January 2014 - 01:38 AM, said:Is anyone else going to test this? I need to find bugs so I can continue the project.
Just an FYI - you may want to ease up on the demands. Folks are not obligated to test or debug your site. Everyone is a volunteer (well except for that *ONE* person), and some projects you may need to nut up and just test yourself. />/>
I was just asking. I wasn't demanding it. Sorry if it seemed like such. />
I just wanted some input on the project. Is it a good idea? Or is it a horrible one?
EDIT: Alright, I just added a new feature which is when you join a chat bubble it will fixed on your browser so when other bubbles are added or removed it won't move.
I also made adding chat bubbles more efficient and am going to add chat automatic refreshing soon.
In Topic: Bubtalk - User-friendly bubble chat(not iphone chat).
Posted 7 Jan 2014
Java Student, on 07 January 2014 - 01:10 AM, said:
I meant things that aren't really supposed to occur. For example, I found that I didn't properly add restrictions to creating chat bubbles and users can create blank chat bubbles. Or users can create blank chat bubble messages.
NOTE: I am still trying to add updating to chat messages. Just be patient. Also, some features are not fully implemented, such as the keyword sections.
In Topic: Bubtalk - User-friendly bubble chat(not iphone chat).
Posted 7 Jan 2014Is anyone else going to test this? I need to find bugs so I can continue the project.
In Topic: Bubtalk - User-friendly bubble chat(not iphone chat).
Posted 5 Jan 2014
modi123_1, on 05 January 2014 - 11:19 AM, said:So i thought it was broken until I noticed the giant scroll bars and had to go hunt down my topic / view other folks... this is less than ideal.. figure a better way of organizing the chats.
Sorry about that. I will be implementing something where it will automatically scroll to your chat bubble and you will be able to enter an id so you can automatically scroll to the chat bubble.
I will also implement something where it scrolls randomly around the webpage so you can randomize which chat bubble you go to.
EDIT: I decided to change the layout of chat bubbles so that they are more easily accessible.
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Dear Teri,
Is there a statute of limitations on collections of unsecured debt? This debt is unsecured credit card debt that is over 10 years old, and it is collection agencies trying to collect this debt. No bankrupt filing was made. Also, is it possible to get these collection agencies to quit calling? Can these collection agencies who have gotten judgments against me garnish my paychecks?
David, Fargo
Thanks for writing! I asked the state Attorney General's Office to review your questions. Here's what a spokeswoman told me:
"The questions aren't really 'ask your government,' but more of 'ask an attorney.' We can't answer legal questions.
"We don't even have jurisdiction to take complaints about collection agencies. The best I can do for you is a link to a general explanation of the federal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which you can access at www.ag.nd.gov/Brochures/FactSheet/FactSheet.htm.â€
The state's fact sheet on the topic includes the following:
"The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat you fairly by prohibiting certain methods of debt collection. Harassment, threats of bodily harm or the advertisement of your debt is prohibited.
"You can stop a debt collector from contacting you at all by writing a letter telling it to stop. After that, the debt collector may only contact you to say there will be no further contact or to notify you that some specific action will be taken. Remember, that does not stop the debt collection activities.
"You can file a complaint against a debt collector by contacting the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions at (701) 328-9933.â€
I also sent your question to the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions. Here's what Chris Ludwig, consumer licensing investigator/
examiner, said:
"I am not an attorney and this information should not be considered legal advice. Provisions for statue of limitations can be found in North Dakota Century Code Chapter 28-01. Our department recommends consumers refer to legal counsel when looking to see what actions must be commenced within certain time frames.
"Collection agencies and creditors can attempt to collect debts that may be past the statue of limitations. They are just limited as to their right to take legal action.
"A collection agency that has obtained a judgment can garnish wages in compliance with North Dakota law. This is something that would require legal action through the courts.â€
Dear Teri,
Did North Dakota go along with the 55-mph speed limit on its highways when the U.S. had the energy crisis back in 1973 after the OPEC oil embargo? I believe that the 55-mph limit was imposed nationally by Congress. And then, when did North Dakota authorize higher speed limits?
Steve Hoffbeck
Barnesville, Minn.
Thanks for the question! Here's what Jamie Olson of the North Dakota Department of Transportation found:
"In January 1974, pursuant to Congress, the North Dakota Legislature established a maximum highway speed limit for all public highways of 55 miles per hour. This was for the purpose of conserving fuel during the periods of current and eminent fuel shortages.
"In 1987, Congress allowed individual states to set speed limits. Therefore, the North Dakota Legislature set speed limits on I-29 and I-94 at 65 mph.
"In 1997, the state Legislature passed the following speed limits:
- Interstate system: 70 mph
- Four-lane state highway: 65 mph
- Two-lane state highway: 65 mph during the day, 55 mph during night.
"In 2003, the state Legislature passed the following speed limits:
- Interstate system: 75 mph
- Four-lane divided state highway: 70 mph.â€
Do you have a question for a state government official or agency? Send us your question, and we'll do our best to find an answer.
E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com (Subject: Ask your government).
You may also write to Teri Finneman, c/o Forum Communications, Press Room, State Capitol, Bismarck, ND 58505.
Please include your name, town and a phone number to reach you for verification.


text:
Vanilla is a product of Lussumo:
Documentation and Support.
Director Park, best known to DVD connoisseurs for his Vengeance trilogy, is a past master of emotional violence, and Thirst is his richest, craziest, most mature work yet. He gets valiant work from Song, a top Korean star whose trademark stolidity is a suitable vessel for Father Hyun's stoic battle against the impulses that have invaded his system. But it's the lovely Kim, just 22, who is the revelation here. She can play — no, she can be — a creature of mute docility, then searching ardor, then explosive eroticism, then murderous intent. She is Lady Chatterley and Lady Macbeth in one smoldering package.
Blending plot elements of Double Indemnity and Natural Born Killers with the ripe sensuality of Francis Coppola's take on Dracula, the film should make audiences sit up in startled pleasure, as if they'd just received the most luscious neck-bite. So take a break from the summer's zombified blockbusters and surrender to the crimson ecstasy of Thirst


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Sea Pines RV Resort & Campground
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Are you heading down the shore this summer? If so, then make sure you stay with us at Sea Pines RV Resort and Campground, located in the cozy town of Swainton. Come discover this Cape May RV campground's large, shaded camping area, swimming pool and picturesque lake; all within minutes of the famous Jersey Shore!
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Credit cards are cool. They make online shopping possible. But credit card processing, the system by which money moves from a customer to a merchant, totally sucks.
Let's outline each in their stunning absurdity.
Credit card processing costs a fortune! Typical fees range from 2.5% to 3.5% of every transaction. That's nuts, y'all!
Why should the credit card company collect 10 times as much money on a $10 transaction than on a $100 transaction? They're simply processing data and there is no inherent cost difference in processing one transaction over another transaction. This is reason #1 that credit card processors sucks. Unfortunately, there is no great alternative at this time. So, we have to live with the cost. But, that's the least of your worries.
However, it's still interesting to think about why the fees are so high. I don't work in that industry, so I'm only guessing, but I suspect the percentage-based fee is used to cover the cost of rewards, points, and miles to their customers (the cardholders).
The other "argument" I've heard for the exorbitant fees is that the credit card company's liability increases as the dollar amount of a purchase increases. Nonsense! The credit card company protects their customers from fraud, but not at their expense. No, no, no! Instead, if fraud occurs, they recover the funds from whatever merchant allowed the fraud to take place. That could be you, my friend!
This is reason #2 that credit card processing sucks: liability.
Let me break it down. Let's say someone steals a credit card and uses that stolen card to buy $500 worth of merchandise on my website. A month later, I'm notified that it was fraud. The $500 is removed from my account and the legitimate cardholder is reimbursed, but so is the credit card company! I'm out $500 plus the cost of the merchandise plus the cost of shipping plus a "chargeback" fee for the credit card company's "inconvenience". I'm completely screwed and everything is tilted in favor of the credit card company.
To make matters worse, there are no decent tools out there for a small business to completely eliminate this type of fraud. It's simply a cost of doing business, I suppose. But it's completely absurd that the merchant is left holding the bag because the credit card industry created such an insecure product. It's way too easy for cards to be stolen and it's way too difficult for online merchants to determine if a transaction is fraudulent.
The credit card company's provide us with no effective tools to help determine if fraud has taken place. We get AVS (the address verification system) which is basically useless and the card security code (the 3-4 digit code on the back of the card). Are you kidding me? These two services suck.
Let's start with AVS. This system is supposed to verify whether the billing address entered by a customer matches the billing address that the bank has on file for that credit card. Wonderful, right? No. It's terrible because not every bank participates, banks often don't have a customer's latest address on file, and it's too easy for hackers to obtain this information. AVS is essentially useless.
What about the card security code? Well, what's so secure about a code written on the back of a card with all of the other crucial data? You wouldn't write the combination to your safe ON the safe, would you? Every time you give your credit card to a waiter, they have unfettered access to this information. Nice "security", guys.
As a merchant, we're left to try to figure this all out. The credit card processors provide us with "tips" (inane PDFs with stellar tips like, "Be careful!") Seriously, their main tip is to only ship an order to the AVS-verified address of a cardholder. That sounds fine in theory unless your customer wants to ship to a friend, their business, a family member, a second house, etc. You'll kill your business with a policy like that. So, as a business owner, you take 100% of the risk AND pay the credit card company for the pleasure of taking the risk.
That's reason #2 that credit card processing really sucks.
But the most horrifying aspect of credit card processing is security. The acronym PCI should send you running for cover. It stands for Payment Card Industry and they have a "security council" whose job is to ensure that inherently insecure credit card information isn't compromised by the merchants who are forced to use an outdated system.
The PCI council has a 60-page-long checklist of things every merchant should do to secure their business from hackers. They certify companies to provide security analysis and training to merchants in order to protect themselves from hackers. As a merchant that deals with credit cards, you must be PCI-compliant.
Becoming PCI compliant is not easy and it requires annual or quarterly scans by an ASV (approved software vendor). That'll cost you a few hundred a year (if not more).
But even though you are PCI-compliant, you're still vulnerable to massive fines and penalties should the card issuers (VISA, MasterCard, etc), at their discretion, determine that your business was hacked and credit card information was stolen.
If one of the credit card companies even suspects that card data was compromised from your business, they give you an ultimatum: Hire a PFI (which stands for PCI Forensics Investigator) to determine if, how, and to what extent your business was compromised. The starting price for a PFI is about $10,000! And when the PFI is done, they submit a report to the card company which they use to determine the amount of fine they're going to assess!
That's reason #3 credit card processing sucks and it's the most insidious.
If you're starting to feel that the entire process is rigged against the merchant, you're right!
There isn't much you can do about #1 and #2 (until a whole new paradigm of direct transfers is created and credit cards are eliminated). But, you can reduce your exposure to #3 down to zero. And because #3 represents an open-ended liability, it's the most important.
The solution?
JavaScript. Yep. JavaScript! If you employ a credit card processing system on your website in which card data is transmitted to your processor via AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), your website never sees credit card data. You eliminate the need for PCI-Compliance entirely. Your liability is zero.
There are possibly several companies that offer such a processing solution, but the first I found was Stripe.com.
I suggest switching to Stripe or a company like them immediately. You won't have to pay for quarterly PCI-compliance scans anymore. Your liability drops to zero. You can drastically lower your cyber liability insurance coverage (which should have in place if you don't!). And you can sleep easier at night.
Now, if we can just figure out how to deal with reasons #1 and #2…
Comments ( 10 )
You make a few good points, but avoiding PCI fees isn't quite that simple. PCI validation is not a card brand mandate for level four merchants (most merchants are considered level four).
The card brands have left PCI validation to acquirers, and acquirers handle validation in several different ways. Some charge a "PCI Fee" and do nothing to support merchants, others charge a fee and offer scans and such, and other ignore PCI all together and charge nothing.
In the first two cases, it doesn't matter if a business is technically PCI compliant — it will have to pay a PCI fee if its acquirer dictates that one be paid.
Ben – Unfortunately, your statement illustrates just how insane the whole system is! Nobody (especially merchants) can understand its intricacies!
It's a 70 year old system that is inherently broken. It's too easy to hack and desperately needs to be replaced. It's a joke that we, as merchants, are put entirely at risk for a system that the card issuers have not yet found a way to make secure.
That being said, I'm fairly certain that your website never touching credit card data makes PCI compliance a non-issue. Hit up the guys at Stripe for more details, but they're very clear about that fact.
Jamie I've worked in the credit card industry for 20 years and your right it sucks. There are a few things that you wrote are stretched but for the most part everything in here is correct. The fact of the matter is merchants have a wobbly leg to stand on and at the end of the day at any point it can be kicked out from under them. Part of the problem is these massive breaches that you hear about. When a big breach happens very little of those costs are recovered by the merchant. Thankfully over the next few years our system in the US is being replaced with chip cards like they already have in Europe. At that point we will all have chip cards with a pin which will hopefully eliminate a lot of the fraud and hopefully drive down costs. Now whether merchants really see pricing go down and whether we see major industry changes or not comes down to the all mighty Visa.
And as for Stripe I know them well and right now they have a good setup. At least for now! With them taking on 100% liability we'll have to see if they can sustain that. Fraud happens everyday and all it will take is for one case to mess the entire apple card.
Thanks for posting this Jamie I love your straight forward analysis. Our industry is a crazy industry which will probably not change anytime soon, but it is what it is and unfortunately we all love our credit cards…
I must say that it is certainly different here in the UK. Card rates are typically 1.2% -2%, and a fixed 0.10 – 0.25 for debit cards. The verified by visa system passes the liability to the banks away from the merchants. PCI compliance can be cheap and not need security scans if you use a gateway hosted form.
The credit card company's liability certainly does increase as the transaction value goes up. At the end of the day the credit card company HAS to refund the customer if there is a fraudulent transaction, and then obviously tries to get the money back from the merchant, but if the merchant has gone bust the credit card company foots the bill.
Regarding tools, many UK payment gateways interface with a tool called the 3rd man. This has a fraud score against the transaction (e-mail, address, value, and other data).
Overall I have to agree that the system sucks, that scam artists steal from the merchants, but it is no where near as bad in the UK as you say it is in the USA.
Richard – Good to hear that better tools do exist for determining fraud, but it's a shame that they aren't given to merchants for FREE by the credit card processors. You'd think it would be in their best interest to provide merchants with every possible tool to determine if a transaction is fraudulent. But they don't. And that should give you pause.
But the 3rd man tool is provided free. (well included in the total charges)
A big reason why "credit card processing sucks" is that providers leverage the complexity of fees to take advantage of businesses, but there's also a flip side — providers that over-simply processing fees to the same end.
For example, you're plugging Stripe as a good solution to simply PCI, but Stripes processing charges rely on a bundled pricing structure resulting in significantly greater costs than a merchant would be able to secure through a service like CardFellow that requires processors to separate markup from base costs (interchange-plus or interchange pass-through).
Many merchants, especially higher volume merchants, would benefit more from a cost and value standpoint by taking advantage of more competitive pricing and a vendor that provides PCI validation assistance.
Choosing a processing provider based on a single service detail like PCI support or ease of validation is a mistake.
Granted, there are quite a few providers in this industry that profit from the complexity, but many tools and information are available to educate merchants about how processing and fees truly work.
In this industry, simplicity is expensive, and thousand of processing options are available. There's no substitute for due-diligence and educating yourself about what's available.
A word of advice to merchant…. start by learning the basics. Learn about the components of processing cost such as interchange, assessments, and markup. Learn about the pricing models that processors use to assess charges such as tiered pricing and interchange plus.
Once you have a solid understanding of fees and pricing, look at details such as processing equipment, gateways, and software available. Various gateway options, like Stripe, have varying features and pricing. PCI exposure, validation and support is a single detail in what will be the ideal processing solution for your business. Learn the ropes, weigh the options, and make an informed decision.
Yes! Credit cards do suck, but I've found three alternatives. I happen to be in Taiwan, and ATM bank transfer is very popular. Green World (http://www.ecbank.com.tw/) offers a unique virtual transfer number for every transaction, so you know when a customer pays you money. They even link into the most popular carts like Magento, WooCommerce, Prestashop, and more.
Ok, now my favorite–Dwolla! I love Dwolla. Sign up is a bit over the top, but once you're verified, you can send and receive money using your account. And guess what. Only $0.25 per transaction up to $5K ($10K for business accounts). Yes, only 25 cents no matter what dollar amount you transfer. Easy to use, but it's limited to USD and people with US bank accounts. My referral link here http://refer.dwolla.com/a/clk/5HSBxx
Next is Coinbase. I like the idea behind Bitcoin, and Coinbase allows you to instantly cash out bitcoins to USD for zero exchange risk. No chargebacks, low fees. Only 1% + $0.15 per transaction. I can get with that. Again, a referral link https://coinbase.com/?r=51a4e6063ac9f6d06a00004f
As a side note, stay away from Stripe! If you thought Paypal arbitrarily changes the rules, locks accounts, and holds your money, watch out for this one. If you ever get an e-mail from a fake employee named Maria, you're in trouble. Search and you'll see what I mean.
So ATM, Dwolla and Coinbase. Go!
Shipping only to the billing address of the cardholder, as mentioned in the article, does not protect the merchant for Card Not Present/Internet transactions. In fact, even having a signed delivery receipt from the carrier (UPS / Fedex) at the cardholder's billing address does not protect the merchant. For Card Not Present transactions, the law simply allows the cardholder to commit fraud. The Visa arbitrator will always rule in favor of the cardholder. Oh, by the way, the cardholder can claim fraud up to 9 months after the transaction cleared. If the cardholder was actually defrauded by a friend/relative/worker etc. that had access to receive the package (happens all the time!), then the much larger issuing banks should incur the loss, not the smaller merchants. The law needs to be changed.
Is there any action I can take on a credit card company that charged our business a "cancellation fee" without my knowledge? I changed processing companies after my contract was up, but they are saying my contract renewed automatically and took $495.00 out of my account.