text:
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Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP is a clinical assistant professor of nuclear medicine at State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a PET/CT consultant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. He received his medical degree from Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Egypt.
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Adrienne Carmack, MD completed her urology training at the University of Miami School of Medicine. She received her medical degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center. She has published numerous articles and served as coeditor for the proceedings of an international consensus on bladder cancer. She has also served as a guest editor for Virtual Mentor, the American Medical Association's online ethics journal.
Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD
has written and edited hundreds of medical articles for print, Internet, and CD-ROM products. She is the editor-in-chief of both
Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior, 2nd ed. and
Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco: Learning About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior, both published by Macmillan Reference USA.
Judy Chang, MD, FAASM received her medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. She performed her residency training at the University of California, San Diego, and fellowship training at Stanford University. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Christopher Cheyer, MD is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wayne State School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. He is board certified and fellowship trained in the areas of ophthalmic trauma and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Cheyer is the chief of ophthalmology at Detroit Receiving Hospital and the director of ophthalmic trauma for the Kresge Eye Institute. He attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio for medical school and ophthalmology residency training.
Andrea Chisholm, MD graduated from Boston University School of Medicine in 1995. She completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City.
Dr. Chisholm is a board certified OB/GYN currently in private practice in Salem, MA. She is an active member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology and the North American Menopause Society.
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Marcin Chwistek, MD
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Craig Clark, DO, FACC, FAHA, FASE
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Christine Colpitts, CRT, MA
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Michael A. Cosgrove, MD
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Francine Foss, MD
is an associate professor of medicine and the director of Lymphoma and Experimental Therapeutics in the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Foss is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has more than 15 years of experience teaching and practicing in the fields of internal medicine and oncology.
Lawrence Frisch, MD, MPH
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Michael J. Fucci, DO
is an assistant professor of medicine and diagnostic imaging at the University of Connecticut. He is also the director of nuclear cardiology at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center. Dr. Fucci is a graduate of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England.
Richard Glickman-Simon, MD
is board certified in family medicine and is an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He oversees the curriculum in Complementary and Alternative Medicine for several graduate programs at the medical school, and he teaches courses in both allopathic and non-allopathic medicine to Tufts undergraduates.
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David Juan, MD
is board-certified in both internal medicine and endocrinology & metabolism. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He was formerly on the faculty at Northwestern Medical School, Department of Medicine, and has also worked in the biopharmaceutical industry where he has been responsible for the development of drugs for treating hypertension, stroke, benign prostatic hypertrophy, erectile dysfunction, and osteoporosis. He has written extensively in the area of nutrition, endocrinology, pain relief, and rationale therapeutics.
Arun Kalyanasundaram, MD, MPH is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiology. He completed his medical degree at Madras Medical College in India and earned a master's degree in public health from the University of Maryland. Dr. Kalyanasundaram has written numerous publications on various cardiology topics.
Reena Karani, MD
is board-certified in internal medicine and board eligible in geriatrics. She graduated with honors from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is currently director of the Geriatrics Consultation and Liaison Service and assistant professor in the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Dr. Karani's areas of expertise include aging, end-of-life care, and curriculum design and evaluation in graduate medical education.
Kari Kassir, MD
is a graduate of UCLA and UC Irvine College of Medicine. She is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care, and is currently practicing in Southern California. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Michael D. Kaufman, MD earned his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. He is board-certified in anesthesiology. Dr. Kaufman currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Tufts School of Medicine, Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts.
John C. Keel, MD is a physiatrist at Harvard Medical School and the Medical Director of the Spine Center at Beth Israel Deaconess, in Boston, MA. Dr. Keel is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), electrodiagnostic medicine, and subspecialty pain medicine. He completed his residency at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Keel is a flight surgeon in the Air National Guard, and has experience as a director of a hyperbaric medicine unit. Dr. Keel also has extensive experience in musculoskeletal and sports medicine, and amputee rehabilitation.
Neeraj Kumar, MD is board-certified in internal medicine. Dr. Kumar is a member of the American Society of Nephrology and the National Kidney Foundation. Dr. Kumar earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Grant Medical College, University of Mumbai. Dr. Kumar is currently completing a nephrology fellowship at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Jill D. Landis, MD
is a graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine training at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. After working as a hospitalist, she then pursued a rheumatology fellowship at New York University Hospital. Her areas of expertise include osteoporosis, arthritis, and inflammatory disease.
Robert E. Leach, MD
is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery, and is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Boston University Medical School. He is past president of the American Orthopaedic Association, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and Boston Orthopaedic Club. He was editor of the
American Journal for Sports Medicine
from 1989-2002 and is now editor emeritus. He was also the associate editor of
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and the editor of
American Orthopaedic Journal. Dr. Leach's areas of expertise include sports medicine, skeletal and soft tissue trauma, and joint replacement and resurfacing procedures.
Mervin Low, MD, PC
completed his plastic surgery residency training at the University of Manitoba. He completed a breast surgery and aesthetic surgery fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and an Asian plastic surgery and aesthetic surgery fellowship at the plastic surgery center of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI. Dr. Low has published several professional articles and has been selected to author a chapter in a medical textbook. He has a private practice in California. Dr. Low's interests include the full spectrum of aesthetic plastic surgery with emphasis on breast surgery, body contouring, and facial plastic surgery.
Larissa J. Lucas, MD graduated from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1999. She completed residency training in internal medicine at Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was an internist and instructor in medicine for Harvard Medical School for five years. Dr. Lucas is currently Deputy Editor for DynaMed, an EBM clinical reference tool created by physicians. In addition, she continues as an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Peter J. Lucas, MD graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and New York Medical College. Dr. Lucas completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dr. Lucas joined the Fallon Clinic in 1979 and practiced general Internal Medicine in the Worcester area for 30 years until 2007. Since 2008, Dr. Lucas has worked part time for the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Disability Evaluation Services as a physician advisor and for DynaMed as a peer reviewer.
Rimas Lukas, MD is currently on the faculty at the University of Chicago in the Department of Neurology, specializing in neuro-oncology.
After obtaining a medical doctorate at Rush University in Chicago, he completed an internship in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital/John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. Dr. Lukas is also a sub-investigator in clinical research trials of new therapies for brain tumors.
Daus Mahnke, MD
received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1999, completed his residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut in 2002, and was a fellow in training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver from 2002-2005.
Dr. Mahnke specializes in all aspects of gastroenterology and digestive diseases such as colon cancer screening and reflux disease. He currently practices with Gastroenterology of the Rockies in the Boulder, CO, area, and is on medical staff at Boulder Community's Broadway and Foothills Hospitals, Longmont United Hospital, Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital, and Avista Adventist Hospital.
Julie D.K. McNairn, MD
is board-certified in internal medicine and is currently a fellow-in-training in allergy and immunology at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas city. Dr. McNairn earned her medical degree and completed residency at SUNY Upstate Medical University, including a post-sophomore fellowship in pathology. Research and published articles include work with bird antigen, asthma management, self-harm in adolescents, and Paget's Disease. She is a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Asthma and immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
J. Thomas Megerian, MD, PhD, FAAP
is a board-certified neurologist and pediatrician. Dr. Megerian is the senior medical director at Neurometrix, Inc. and continues to practice pediatrics at the North Shore Children's Hospital, as well as neurology at the Children's Hospital in Boston. He graduated from Union College with a bachelor of science in biology and chemistry. Dr. Megerian received his MD and PhD from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. A recipient of the Neuroscience Academic Development Award, he also completed a one year behavioral neurology fellowship at Children's Hospital where he maintains teaching and clinical appointments.
Laura Morris-Olson, DMD is a general dentist in El Paso, Texas.
Dr. Olson completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Texas Tech University where she was involved in many research projects encompassing a wide variety of topics. Dr. Olson graduated dental school from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry.
Ronald Nath, MD
is a board-certified surgeon. He graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed eight years of training in surgery and cardiovascular surgery at Beth Israel Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston University Medical Center, all in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Nath is presently a senior staff surgeon at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford, Massachusetts and at Winchester Hospital in Winchester, Massachusetts. He is also a member of the active staff and courtesy staff at four other local hospitals. In addition, Dr. Nath is a clinical instructor in Surgery at the Tufts University Medical School and an assistant clinical professor of Surgery at Boston University Medical Center, both in Boston.
Ganson Purcell Jr., MD, FACOG, FACPE is a retired physician, having served 40 years in clinical, academic, and administrative medicine. He now serves on an independent institutional review board and performs some medical consulting.
Dr. Purcell received his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. He was the chairman/director of obstetrics and gynecology at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and a professor and associate chairman at the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center. Other positions include serving the US Navy as a submarine medical officer, as well as being an associate dean of clinical affairs and associate director at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Igor Puzanov, MD
is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. His major interests are phase I drug development, targeted therapy for renal cell carcinoma and melanoma.
Dr. Puzanov earned his medical degree from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
Theodor B. Rais, MD
is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toledo, Ohio and the program director for child and adolescent residency training. He holds board certifications in general psychiatry, as well as in the subspecialties of child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry.
Brian Randall, MD is the clinical editor for EBSCO Information Services' Consumer Health products.
Dr. Randall is board-certified in family medicine. He holds an MD from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts and a BS in Psychology from the University of California at Davis. Dr. Randall completed his residency in family medicine at Tufts University Family Medicine Residency. He currently pactices family medicine at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts and is Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Elie Edmond Rebeiz, MD, FACS
is the acting chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Tufts–New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a professor of otolaryngology at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Rebeiz earned his medical degree and completed his residency at American University of Beirut. He continued with his training as a fellow in otolaryngology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Lahey Clinic Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
Konda Mohan Reddy, MD, FAAP is an assistant professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Reddy is board-certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology.
Dianne Scheinberg MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in nutrition and health promotion from Simmons College. She is the president and owner of Dianne B. Scheinberg and Associates, a nutrition counseling and consulting firm in Newton, MA. Her clients include Bosse Sports and Health Club and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Silpa Senchani, MD is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Senchani completed her residency at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn-Queens in New York, New York. Dr. Senchani is an attending physician at the St. Lucie Medical Center and the Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Florida.
Purvee S. Shah, MD is board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and allergy and clinical immunology. Dr. Shah received a Doctor of Medicine from Albany Medical College in Albany, New York and completed a fellowship in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Shah is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Carolynne Shinn, RN, MS is a medical writer for EBSCO Information Services' DynaMed. She is a registered nurse with a master's degree in health and social behavior from Harvard School of Public Health. Shinn is also a doctoral candidate at Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy. She has authored and co-authored papers for the Centers for Disease Control and the International Journal for Health and Human Rights.
Bridget Sinnott, MD, FACE is board-certified in internal medicine, in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, and in lipidology. Dr. Sinnott is also a fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. She obtained her education at the University College Dublin Medical School in Ireland. She completed her medical and surgical internships in Ireland as well. Dr. Sinnott completed her internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. She also completed an endocrinology fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where she is currently a clinical assistant professor of medicine. Dr. Sinnott is also currently a member of the medical and scientific staff at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.
David N. Smith, MD is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Dr. Smith completed a Bachelors of Science at the University of Connecticut and graduated with his Doctor of Medicine from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He was a post-doctoral fellow in Cardiac Molecular Immunobiology and Clinical Cardiology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he currently serves as an instructor. Dr. Smith holds hospital appointments at Charlotte Medical Center-Union in Charlotte, North Carolina and Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut.
B. Gabriel Smolarz, MD is board-certified in internal medicine and is currently an attending physician of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism in Princeton, New Jersey. Dr. Smolarz completed his fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and residency in internal medicine with a distinction in research at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He has received several awards for research, oral presentation, and professionalism. Dr. Smolarz has also been published with research topics ranging from thyroid cancer and diabetes to physician professionalism.
Tajender S. Vasu, MD is board-certified in internal medicine. Dr. Vasu earned his bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery at Maulana Azad Medical College in India and completed his residency at SUNY in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Vasu's interests include pulmonary medicine, critical care, and sleep medicine. Dr. Vasu is currently completing a fellowship in sleep medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Michael Wein, MD is board-certified in internal medicine and in allergy and immunology. Dr. Wein earned his MD from Brown University. He is a fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Dr. Wein has an outpatient clinical practice and teaches at the Florida State University School of Medicine.
Michael Woods, MD is a deputy editor for EBSCO Information Services' DynaMed and Consumer Health products. Dr. Woods is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and board-certified in pediatrics. He has been a full-time primary care Pediatrician for 27 years since completing his residency in pediatrics at Hershey Medical Center. He is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and has a BA and MS in chemistry from the University of Maine at Orono.
Monica Zangwill, MD, MPH
is board-certified in internal medicine and in preventive medicine. She earned her MD from Tufts University and her master's degree in public health from Harvard University, both in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Zangwill is a medical writer, reviewer, and consultant specializing in primary care, preventive medicine, and public health.
Ross Zeltser, MD, FAAD
is a dermatologist at Westchester Dermatology and Mohs Surgery Center in Mount Kisco, New York. Dr. Zeltser was a surgery fellow at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, MA.
He was a resident and chief resident in the Department of Dermatology at Boston University Medical Center and Tufts-New England Medical Center. Dr. Zeltser is a graduate of Columbia University with a degree in biochemistry. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine.
Last Updated: January 2012
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text:
Thursday, April 7, 2011
* Preschool At Home: Spring Sensory Box
13 comments:
- Alicia Stucky said...
We finally picked up our first sensory box, and I can't wait to fill it up with fun Spring-time stuff. :-)
- April 7, 2011 at 5:30 AM
- Kristin Dudish said...
What a wonderful sensory box... so many bright colors and fabulous textures!
p.s. Thanks for the Wordle link... I'm definitely going to give it a try!
- April 7, 2011 at 7:54 AM
- Karima said...
Hi I am your newest follower/s. Found your link by chance. I Love this blog as I love anything crafty! I am following you through Google friends from both my blogs
www.karimasblogs.blogspot.com, also following your facebook page.
Hope you can return the follow, Karima.
- April 7, 2011 at 9:48 AM
- Jessica said...
This is fabulous! I am an art therapist and have all sorts of items for my sand tray! But, I think my 20 month old is too young for sand in the house (Outside, yes! Inside, not so much!). She usually plays with dry noodles and pasta for sensory stimulation, and she loves this shredded paper! Why didn't I think of that!?!?? Can't wait to try! :o)
- April 7, 2011 at 1:24 PM
- Rebecca said...
Love how 'nature-y' it looks. I like the cute speckled eggs :)
- April 7, 2011 at 2:22 PM
- The Activity Mom said...
ANOTHER great one! love it!
- April 7, 2011 at 3:46 PM
- Heather @ Life, Gluten Free said...
I love those speckled eggs!!
This is perfect because now I know how I can make my daughter a sensory box!! I've been intrigued by them, but everyone that I've seen uses rice as the filler. She's allergic to rice, so I knew I couldn't use it. But shredded paper? Of course! Great idea.
Thanks :)
- April 7, 2011 at 5:31 PM
- Teacher Tom said...
As I am so often, I'm floored by your creativity and I love how you include your daughter in helping you think it though.
At preschool our larger version is our sensory table which we've had full of "spring" grass, eggs, etc., but this really blows me away!
- April 8, 2011 at 11:45 PM
- pink and green mama MaryLea said...
Thanks everyone! We are having fun with our spring box -- I even found a silver bunny ice scoop that we've added to the mix -- perfect for scooping eggs and grass! : )
- April 9, 2011 at 8:29 AM
- Pinkie said...
Wow! This is probably the prettiest sensory bin I've ever seen. I am going to share it with my readers. Thanks!
- April 20, 2011 at 3:21 PM
- Amber Dover said...
Thank you for all your lovely ideas :) I put your link in my blog today and also put pictures of my son and I doing your projects:
God Bless! ~Amber Dover
- April 20, 2011 at 9:20 PM
- Alice said...
beautiful and happy sensory box.Love the idea.love it.
- May 10, 2011 at 1:05 AM
- Natalie Catherine of TheBusyBudgetingMama.com said...
I absolutely loveeeee what you do!! Following you in all ways possible so i don't miss a thing! i think i'll share you and your sensory boxes tomorrow too. I am doing this for my sophia for sure. thanks girl!!
Natalie of thebusybudgetingmama.com
- May 24, 2011 at 10:06 AM
Blog Archive
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- * Royal Wedding Kleenex and Napkin Wedding Dress D...
- * Experimenting With Texture: Homemade Paint Brush...
- * Mommy and Me Pink and Green Mama Rainbow T-Shirt...
- * Homemade Easter Cards with Wordle
- * Easy Way To Dye Easter Eggs With Kids That Is Mo...
- * Kid's Spring Craft: Decoupage Easter Eggs With P...
- * Spring Nature Craft: Pine Cone Eggs
- * My 2011 Peep Diorama: "Vincent Van Peep's Starry...
- * Spring Nature Craft: Tiny Acorn Cap Bird Nests!
- * Preschool At Home: Spring Sensory Box
- * Wordle Fun!
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Optical mouse as CHEAP encoder?
Posted 08 January 2013 - 11:50 AM
I'm working on motorizing my 12" LB for go-to, and was lamenting the cost of everything needed to do so. IN particular is the cost of the encoders, and that got me thinking of ways to do it better for cheaper.
So here was my thought... Drill a hole in the base and insert a disassembled a cheap optical mouse into it so that it looks at the top of the ground board as if it were the top of a desk. As the base is turned, the mouse will see the ground board go by as if it were moving vertically. A bit of quick math here... Lets say a cheapo 400 DPI mouse, placed 6" out from the axis gives 9.55 inches of movement per degree rotation, or 1.4 arc minutes per count... plenty of precision for goto. The same setup could be used to watch the rim of the Alt axis bearing.
If we change to 2000 dpi laser mouse, and use a larger radius, say 12 inches we get a value of 8.6 arcseconds per count... equivalent to a 150k PPR optical encoder on the axis.
Then hook the two mice to the computer by USB and do the math to convert position to angle, and you're done.
This sounds very nice and easy to me, but I am no programmer. The fact it isn't done already makes me think there's a problem. Has anyone heard of this?
Posted 08 January 2013 - 12:04 PM
With that said, if it were able to read a barcode as it went along to correct its true position at regular intervals, that might make this practical since that would make the relative position errors stay small.
Posted 08 January 2013 - 12:24 PM
However, try this experiment: Take a mouse and move it to a reference point on your screen, so your cursor is next to a good reference like a spot you can remember on a picture. Brace it against two of your fingers then move it back and forth with your thumb while looking at the mouse, not the screen. move the mouse back and forth for a few dozen cycles. Look back at the screen and you will notice the cursor is several inches from where you started.
Posted 08 January 2013 - 01:14 PM
Remember that all those optical encoders are just as "relative" as the optical sensor on a mouse, and it's perfectly possible to miss codes and have errors accumulate. The electronics used to decode them are just usually very fast to help make up for this problem and reduce the chance to miss one.
They are made that way because the application requires it, but a mouse doesn't need it because it has your eyes telling it "no, you're not quite there yet, move a little more" and this extra feed back eliminates the need.
I would imagine the polling frequency is not huge, which makes high speed accuracy poor especially on cheapo mice. I would bet the "gaming" mice are much better at speed and accuracy.
As for the surface, I would bet that the standard laminate finish on most mass-produced dob bases if perfect for a modern optical mouse, especially the laser types.
Posted 08 January 2013 - 01:23 PM
With a large Dob altitude bearing, say a 20 inch diameter, a 400 dpi would be about 70 dots per degree...
Posted 08 January 2013 - 04:48 PM
Posted 08 January 2013 - 06:29 PM
(1) if the original mouse's IC is used, as opposed to just use the opto-interrupter with slotted wheel, the IC will only do guestimate and sometimes even add a "tint" (accleration rate based speed-up/dynamic resolution)
(2) the mouse is designed to use human brain as its "accurate positioning" feedback loop, how accurate itself can be really does not matter, as the original mouse designer said, and
(3) friction based coupling (the rubber ball) is not accurate enough.
Clear Skies!
Posted 08 January 2013 - 07:39 PM
Posted 08 January 2013 - 07:53 PM
notice it is designed to read the light and dark transitions inside the rubber wheel. I suspect you can use a printed light/dark pattern of appropriate spacing on both the ground board and altitude bearing.
also looks much easier to mount...
Posted 09 January 2013 - 07:46 AM
Mechanical mouse using optical interrupter (the one that has a ball rolling) has potential. Optical mouse which shines a (laser) beam cannot. The first category most likely will fail for multiple reasons.
(1) if the original mouse's IC is used, as opposed to just use the opto-interrupter with slotted wheel, the IC will only do guestimate and sometimes even add a "tint" (accleration rate based speed-up/dynamic resolution)
(2) the mouse is designed to use human brain as its "accurate positioning" feedback loop, how accurate itself can be really does not matter, as the original mouse designer said, and
(3) friction based coupling (the rubber ball) is not accurate enough.
Clear Skies!
Yeah, you are exactly right...that article from long ago used mice (mouses?) with mechanical encoders.
Posted 09 January 2013 - 08:02 AM
Thanks everyone. Sounds like it's a no go. Can you tell I'm a cheapskate or what?
There are a few of us around here... The problem with being a cheapskate (or the more PC "thrifty") is that it is hard to pass up a bargain, as I like to say:
"It sure gets expensive saving all this money."
Posted 09 January 2013 - 09:51 AM
i still think the pololu sensor board plus a printed paper ring with alternating white and black lines (of the right spacing) would make a pretty decent encoder..
that $2 Omron sensor looks pretty good too. it already has 2 sensors in the package so is all set up for quadrature.
Posted 13 January 2013 - 02:10 PM


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May 31, 2016
Women Democratic lawmakers in Alabama are upset that the Republicans are pushing bills limiting abortions and some types of birth control.
Veteran Democratic Rep. Laura Hall of Huntsville said it seems the Republicans have adopted an "anti-female" agenda. She said an example is a bill that places stricter regulations on abortion clinics. Opponents say it would force some clinics to close while supporters say it would make abortions safer.
The bill has passed the House and is pending in the Senate.
Hall said she believes the intent of Republicans is to make services like abortion and in some cases birth control unavailable to women.
House Majority Leader Republican Rep. Micky Hammon says that's not the case and that Republican women in the Legislature have voted for the GOP agenda.
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MIAMI (AP) - A later-than-usual start for a Madonna concert in Miami angered fans in attendance.
The Miami Herald reports that Madonna didn't take the stage until just after 11:30 p.m. Monday night. She typically begins performing at 10 p.m.
Fans took to Twitter to voice their anger over the Material Girl's tardiness.
Madonna has another concert scheduled for Tuesday night in Miami. Her website says the show is sold out.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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We've been having problems with sending emails to yahoo hosted domains, and whilst I've requested more info from Yahoo accordingly, I'm concerned there's an issue our end... can anyone deduce anything from the following entry in our zimbra.log?
I've removed our domain details (just in case) and replaced it with mydomain.co.uk, and our public IP is replaced with x.x.x.x !Code:Apr 3 19:25:31 server postfix/qmgr[29261]: B2E6EDC8011: from=<email@example.com>, size=5965, nrcpt=1 (queue active) Apr 3 19:25:31 server amavis[21489]: (21489-05) ESMTP::10024 /opt/zimbra/data/amavisd/tmp/amavis-20130403T190642-21489: <firstname.lastname@example.com> -> <email@example.com> SIZE=5965 BODY=8BITMIME Received: from server.mydomain.co.uk ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (server.mydomain.co.uk [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP for <firstname.lastname@example.com>; Wed, 3 Apr 2013 19:25:31 +0100 (BST) Apr 3 19:25:31 server amavis[21489]: (21489-05) Checking: ca2hwLR9XP3B [x.x.x.x] <firstname.lastname@example.com> -> <firstname.lastname@example.com> Apr 3 19:25:35 server amavis[21489]: (21489-05) Blocked SPAM, [x.x.x.x] [x.x.x.x] <firstname.lastname@example.com> -> <email@example.com>, Message-ID: <20130403043959.6332.qmail@bhocxalgii>, mail_id: ca2hwLR9XP3B, Hits: 27.798, size: 5962, 3979 ms
Can anyone give any advise whether there's a computer on our network with a virus etc, or something else ?!


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Have fun!
Pink and Green Mama,
oh this fabulous...all I need is some foam. :)
You are on a roll lately. So many awesome posts and ideas. Thanks so much!
Love it! Now I need to buy more marbles.
Thanks for the idea. It will be fun for my 4 year old and challenging but fun for my 2 year old.
Great activity for fine-motor skills.... how fun!
Oddly enough, I don't have any of those things! LOL
That is brilliant! I am filing this away for Logan later. :) What a great rainy day craft. :)
This is a wonderful idea! I was wondering how old your girls are doing this? I am hoping my Jack can do it if not now, soon! Thanks for so many super ideas!
Hi! Just found your blog and I'm in love so far with all the amazing ideas. Also, I saw the golf tees a few days ago, and tought that they were good to do some activities with my girl like a homemade spindle box and counting. Thanks for another idea!
I LOVE activities using golf tees, and this is a great one! I featured your post and top two photos along with an excerpt from John Bowman's Montessori at Home eBook at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2011/08/29/montessori-monday-activities-with-marbles-and-golf-tees/
Hi, same question as Susana above, how old were E and C when you did this. I tried it with my son when he was 21 months. He managed a few tees but he had more fun destroying the foam, and then the polystyrene (yes I tried more than once). I think I'll try again when he's a bit older and less destructive.
I'll definitely be linking to your Blog on my favourites list though - what great ideas you have.
C would have been just over 2 and a half (2 yrs. 9 months) and E would have been 6 years and 8 Months.
Hope this helps!
(pink and green mama)
I introduced this activity to my Montessori class in September using small pom poms instead of marbles as for safety reasons we're not allowed them in the classroom. But I used Styrofoam instead of foam, I'm finding myself replacing the Styrofoam quite often because the children are making quite a lot of holes in it...what kind of foam do you use and how long does it last?? When I present the activity I place the tee's in the same holes thus avoiding making more holes, but the children enjoy pushing the tee's through the Styrofoam! :-)
I really do love this activity though and the pom poms are a great challenge because they are so light!
Love the idea of using pom-poms! We used floral foam for flower arrangements and only played with it for an afternoon or two so I didn't have multiple kids using it like you do in a classroom setting. I would recommend making a "clay box" pack some non-hardening modeling clay into a wooden box or sturdy tray (with sides) to push the golf tees into -- then, when it's full of holes just knead the clay back together and it can be used indefinitely!
have any alternative for golf tees?
We always used golf tees for this activity. Haven't done it in a few years, my girls are much older now. If you don't want to use golf tees, I'm sure you can come up with something else!
Disclosure of Material Connection: My family and I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in some of my posts for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe my readers will enjoy in connection with my blog theme. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." All opinions expressed on this blog are my own and all content is mine. I do not post pre-written posts from outside parties. My lesson plans and craft ideas are not to be sold for profit by others. Please play nicely. This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on April 21, 2013. Pink and Green Mama is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


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October 31st, 2011
,,,HAAAAAAAAAAPY HALLOWEEN, BITS AND BRAMBLERS! Are you wearing costumes? Are you eating candy? (because let's face it, that is the most important thing about this holiday. Seriously. It's about pretending to be someone else and asking people to give you candy. It's pretty much the most awesome day of the year, right?)
But if you're too old to trick or treat (and you have to get candy in a totally boring way, like…going to the store and paying for it, or something,) then…what is there to do on Halloween? Well…you could visit your faaaaaaaavorite library!
Seriously…it's scarier than you might think. Check it out:
Now…what are you waiting for Bits and Bramblers? Head to your favorite library to grab some spooky stories, eat some candy, and HAVE A VERY SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!


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Our typhoon seemed to blow away in two short days and the skies opened up without much notice. Beautifully clear, good seeing but a little erratic. The good periods didn't hold long, but it held about 8/10 most of the time.
Okay, the colors were simply bombastic. The best I have ever seen them. I particularly was amazed at how the blues mixed with the browns in the NEB. That gave way to a distinct ruddy color. That in turn gave way to a pretty strong tawny NTrZ. And for the first time ever, the GRS was actually orange! Cripes, I nearly feel off my observing chair. Unfortunately, oval BA did not show much color. The monolith following BA had an ape next to it.
The EZ was pretty plain Jane in terms of detail. The EB was weak. But it held a light grey hue with maybe a touch of tawny. Likewise, the SEB had all the usual suspects.
One thing I thought was beautiful to witness, however, was the way the GRS rift appears as it comes across the CM as opposed to the more compact limb aspect. On the limb, they look pretty straight forward, on the meridian they are clearly thinner features with an obvious swept appearance toward the following limb.
The entire NEBn is awash with soft gray clouds. Two brighter rift-lets were spotted. BUT! The NNTB was poking out into the gray NTZ. Now, I am not sure what is going on right near the jetting piece, but something is happening. It kept hinting at some feature there. Gonna watch that area.
Oh! As of earlier tonight, I had exactly three white oval spotted to my credit over the last two years. Today, chalk up two more in one night! One was a repeat, though. That's just fine. Those are small and hard to see. But, maybe once you realize this, they are more often seen. Maybe, but they are still very difficult.
Some banding in the southern regions was quite nice. Oh, the STB is developing nicely as that darker belt rolls under the GRS. It's a little easier to see preceding the GRS. Did I mention the GRS was friggin orange? Crikey.
Anyway, my best Jupiter experience to date. I mean, to date. I am still just amazed at seeing the ruddy NEBn and an orange GRS. That's a first.
Time was 1530-ish (I observed for another hour after the sketch and Ganymede had not quite set behind Jupiter) so the System I was 239 and II was 154. The usual compliment of eyepeices were used, UO 18mm HD Ortho (174x), 1.6x Barlow, no filter.
Crikey! Either I am totally nuts, or Jupiter is really beautiful. Maybe both.


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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Score one for Google Glass — the high-tech eyewear some fortunate few have been sporting.
A traffic court in San Diego has tossed a citation against a woman authorities said was driving while wearing the computer-in-a-pair-of-eyeglasses device.
The court rejected the case because the code that Cecilia Abadie was cited for requires proof the device was in use.
The commissioner found there was no proof beyond a reasonable doubt the device was on when the woman was pulled over. Abadie is believed to be the first motorist cited for wearing Google Glass while driving.
Abadie is a software developer who is among some 30,000 people called "explorers" who have been picked to try out Google Glass before the technology becomes widely available to the public later this year.


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This Week
"This Week" Continued...
Life imitates art?
Movie director and producer Alan Pakula's death was like a scene from one of his movies. A car kicked up a 7-foot section of pipe that had fallen to the road, and it crashed through the windshield of the car Mr. Pakula was driving and hit him in the head. Police say Mr. Pakula lost control of his Volvo and struck a fence. Mr. Pakula, 70, was a mainstay in Hollywood from 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird through last year's The Devil's Own. His peak came with suspense dramas that he called his "paranoid trilogy": Klute (which helped turn Jane Fonda's image from Red-star-starlet to serious actress), The Parallax View, and All the President's Men. Mr. Pakula once told an interviewer that his obsession with paranoia started with a fear of being kidnapped as a child. "Why anybody would kidnap me, I don't know," The London Guardian recalls. "Some false sense of importance, I guess. But if you are a fearful person, or grew up in a fearful childhood, there is a god-like quality in frightening other people."
Prime-time murder
Call it the highest-rated snuff film in American history. Jack Kevorkian's footage of his assisted suicide of Thomas Youk aired on 60 Minutes and gave the show its best ratings of the season-even after six affiliates owned by the A.H. Belo Corp. refused to air the program. Mr. Youk, who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, died Sept. 17; that's less than three weeks after the state of Michigan enacted a law that made assisted suicide a crime (punishable by up to five years in prison). Prosecutor David Gorcyca then subpoenaed CBS for an unedited copy of Dr. Kervorkian's home movie. The charges that Dr. Kevorkian could face include manslaughter, murder, assisted suicide, practicing medicine without a license, and possession of a controlled substance. His license to practice medicine was suspended back in 1991. Faye Girsh, executive director of Hemlock Society USA, cheered Dr. Kevorkian's publicity stunt. She claims thousands of doctors quietly support-and perform-assisted suicides: "Dr. Kevorkian is only the tip of the iceberg." Dr. Kevorkian, who claims responsibility for some 130 suicides since 1990, has already been acquitted in three trials involving five deaths; a fourth trial ended in a mistrial. This time he released the tape to dare authorities to come after him. "If they do not," he told CBS, "that means they don't think it was a crime." At the time of Mr. Youk's death, Dr. Kevorkian was under a court order barring him from assisting a suicide; it came after he was convicted for scuffling with police outside a hospital. For the death doctor, this evidently was the first time he directly administered the deadly dose; before, he used a contraption that let the patient start the flow of poison. Westminster Seminary in California theologian John Frame, author of the book Medical Ethics, says this video opens a window of opportunity for Christians to speak out on the issue. If assisted suicide is legalized in America-as it has been in Switzerland, Holland, and Colombia-the consequences will be horrifying. "When the barriers are taken down," Mr. Frame explains, "people are scared to go to the hospital because they don't trust their doctors anymore."
Which is out of place in this list?
On the eve of impeachment hearings on Capitol Hill, nearly 100 religion scholars issued a stinging declaration on "Religion, Ethics, and the Clinton presidency." It protests "the manipulation of religion and the debasing of moral language" in the national debate about presidential responsibility. "Serious misunderstandings of repentance and forgiveness are being exploited for political advantage," it says. The resulting "moral confusion ... is a threat to the integrity of American religion and to the foundations of a civil society." The statement appears on a Web site the scholars established (www.moral-crisis.org), along with their names and individual comments. The list of scholars displays mostly mainline conservatives but includes many social liberals; the signers represent a variety of universities and seminaries, some of them long known as bastions of liberalism. Hardly any of the scholars would be identified with the religious right. Yet they believe "the religious community is in danger of being called upon to provide authentication for a politically motivated and incomplete repentance that seeks to avert serious consequences for wrongful acts." They were talking about the Sept. 11 religious leadership prayer breakfast at the White House where President Clinton delivered his "I have sinned" statement. The scholars lay out their case in six points. They take Mr. Clinton to task on a number of counts, especially "the debasing of the language of public discourse with the aim of avoiding responsibility for one's actions." They reject the premise that "violations of these ethical standards should be excused so long as a leader remains loyal to a particular political agenda and the nation is blessed by a strong economy." They challenge the "assumption that forgiveness relieves a person of further responsibility and serious consequences." Partisan politics have figured in past debates over public morality, the scholars acknowledge, but "we now confront a much deeper crisis: whether the moral basis of the constitutional system itself will be lost." They call on Americans to get serious about ethics and integrity in both public and private life, and to look on the impeachment process as a constitutional and ethical imperative.
You've got Netscape
Now that America Online is buying Netscape, Microsoft must face a new superpower in the Cold War for the Internet. This $4.21 billion combo joins the dominant online service with the company whose software popularized the Web. "The way great companies get built is through combinations, and this is a combination of a smaller company with two much bigger companies," said Netscape CEO James Barksdale. "This is the way AT&T got built." The duo has access to tens of millions of eyeballs on the Web; AOL has 14 million subscribers, and Netscape's Netcenter Web site alone draws 20 million visitors every month. Recently AOL also gobbled up its rival CompuServe along with ICQ, an Israeli-based chat service with 20 million customers. That means the company that popularized "You've Got Mail" is now a vast corporate empire. And that means Microsoft wants its antitrust suit discarded. Suit supporters, however, say the company's tactics may have driven Netscape into a merger. But what is a combined AOL/Netscape if not competition? The deal "shows how the competitive landscape in our industry can change overnight, making government regulation of this high-technology industry completely unnecessary," said Microsoft counsel Bill Neukom.
Just gimme that big-tent religion
The U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops' letter on abortion is starting to squeeze pro-abortion Republican governors. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge says he will avoid church events after being told by his bishop to stay away. Bishop Donald Trautman said Gov. Ridge's separation of public and private beliefs is no longer acceptable. "Those who justify their actions on the grounds that abortion is the law of the land need to recognize that there is a higher law," he told the Erie Daily Times. So Gov. Ridge decided to bail out on his fellow Catholics: "I had pretty much concluded in my mind that's pretty much what I should do anyhow." However, Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a pro-life Catholic, defended Gov. Ridge at a Republican governors' meeting in New Orleans. He says the bishops should be more open minded. "The Catholic Church is a big tent religion," the Times-Picayune reported. "In this country, we have a clear separation of church and state. We do what our consciences tell us is best to do." Catholic columnist Joseph Sobran blasted this stance, saying it means that the church can't have any position not backed by the political establishment. "Truth imposes limits on opinion," he explained. "You have a legal right to talk nonsense, but that's all. We're talking about the slaughter of millions." Christians who are not horrified by abortion, Mr. Sobran said, "might as well stop being Christian."
Bishops get tough
American Catholic bishops are taking a harder line on abortion. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement saying that parishioners must do more than just hold pro-life positions privately. They say Catholics should vote for pro-life candidates-and abortion-backing Catholic office-holders are violating God's law. "No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life," the bishops wrote. While they say many strong things-"No one but the Creator is the sovereign of basic human rights," they write-they still hold to seamless garment theology, which expands "pro-life" to encompass support for government welfare and opposition to capital punishment. Even so, they say that being "right" on those issues "can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life." This means liberal politicians can no longer claim to be "pro-life" without opposing abortion. Frank Pavone of the Pontifical Council for the Family says this statement will help end the public scandal of Catholic politicians who support abortion. "There is simply no way to be Catholic and 'pro-choice,' when the choice in question involves the taking of innocent life," he says. "Those who hold that there is more than one Catholic position on abortion are mistaken and need to stop misleading others." Just days before the statement was issued, an awards ceremony for New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman was booted off Seton Hall University's law school campus when the school balked at her support for abortion. Seton Hall has a policy not to give public recognition to people who espouse positions "contrary to our Catholic mission," said university president Robert Sheeran.
Sufficient funds
Don't panic! Don't pull your money out of the bank! That's the message from the banking industry, which promises that America's ATMs, credit cards, and bank accounts will be OK during Y2K. Michael ter Maat of the American Bankers Association said that customers could "take out a few extra bucks," but withdrawing massive amounts of cash could make people vulnerable to criminals. And, he stresses, be on the lookout for Y2K con men who offer to "hold" stashes of cash through Jan. 1, 2000. Instead, depositors should pay attention to their monthly statements-and read any Y2K reports from their bank. Paper records should be kept filed away, especially in the last months of 1999. As bankers stress calm to their customers, they aren't taking any chances. The U.S. banking industry is spending more than $8 billion fixing bank computers. A survey by Weiss Ratings reported last month that at least 12 percent of America's banks and S&Ls were behind schedule in preparing for the year 2000. To hold off bank runs by Y2K-panicked people, the Federal Reserve will circulate an extra $50 billion in new currency. Some observers fear that social disorder caused by fear of millennial doomsday will cause more damage than the bug itself.
Bonfire of vanity
Sabbath observances on Nov. 22 did not put a rest to violence in Indonesia. Mobs of Muslim youths attacked and burned 11 churches. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured in fighting between the rioting. Witnesses said other Christian places of worship were attacked, as well as a gambling hall and a Catholic girls' school near Jakarta's main cathedral. This latest attack on Christians followed a familiar pattern: Muslim youths took to the streets in anger after unsubstantiated rumors spread that Christians had attacked a mosque. The violence broke up worship services and at least one wedding. An angry mob barged through the front doors of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Jakarta's Chinatown, where groom Chandra Gunarto and his bride, Threewaty, were about to be wed. The Muslim youths broke stained glass windows, smashed pews, and threw Bibles on a bonfire. The couple, the priest, and about 60 guests ran to a community hall at the rear of the church and barricaded themselves in. Outside, anti-riot police broke up the melee. "After that, the priest asked us if we still wanted to get married. So we had the ceremony in a small prayer room at the back of the church," the 27-year-old groom said. Violence in Indonesia comes as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in 30 years. With inflation and unemployment rates soaring, millions of people are finding themselves in poverty. While Muslim and Christian clashes took place in the capital, looting and arson spread in several areas to the north and west. Five armored personnel carriers were deployed to protect a shopping mall. Squads of soldiers were dispatched to protect churches as night fell.
Nein, danke
More than one-third of cabinet ministers under newly elected German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder say they have no religious affiliation. Polled by a German evangelical news agency, four out of 16 ministers said they had no church affiliation. Two declined to answer. Foreign minister Joschka Fischer and interior minister Otto Schily refused to respond to the survey. Six ministers, including Mr. Schroeder, call themselves Protestant. Four say they are Catholic. The cabinet of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl included nine Catholics and seven Protestants. Mr. Schroeder, elected in September to lead a coalition government of Social Democrats and Greens, took the oath of office without using the pledge, "So help me God."
World in brief
Fleeing death
The widow of celebrated African novelist Alan Paton says she is fleeing South Africa because of rampant crime. Anne Paton, 71, whose husband wrote Cry, The Beloved Country half a century ago, said she will return to England, her birthplace. "Crime is rampaging through the land," she wrote in the London Sunday Times. Mrs. Paton has been attacked at knifepoint in her home and gunmen have hijacked her car. She said nine acquaintances had been murdered since the black majority led by Nelson Mandela came to power three years ago. Mr. Paton was a founder and leader of South Africa's Liberal Party, which lobbied against apartheid beginning more than 30 years ago. Mrs. Paton said her husband "worked all his life for black majority rule. I am glad he is not alive now," she said. "He would have been so distressed to see what has happened to his beloved country." She said growing violence also affects blacks, who do not have the option of emigrating as many whites do. Bring back the beef
The European Union voted to end a ban on British beef that has slaughtered the UK's cattle industry. The ban was enacted in March 1996 after mad cow disease found in British cattle was linked to dozens of deaths in humans. Thirty-two months and multi-billions in losses later, the EU will certify that British beef is okay for export again. Improved animal hygiene and a new tracking system, an animal passport of sorts, led to lifting restrictions, with one final pruning: the upcoming slaughter of 4,000 offspring born after Aug. 1, 1996, to cows infected with the virulent disease.
Sodom and Georgia
Georgia's 165-year-old sodomy law survived a U.S. Supreme Court ruling 12 years ago, but didn't make it past the state's highest court. It voted 6-1 to overturn the conviction of Anthony Powell, found guilty of sodomizing his 17-year-old niece in 1996, saying his privacy was violated. Naturally, homosexual-rights groups, which are still fighting anti-sodomy laws in 18 other states, were overjoyed. David Smith of the Human Rights Alliance says he hopes this will "be a precursor to the U.S. Supreme Court invalidating all the nation's sodomy laws." Three other states-Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania-recently overturned their own versions of the law.
Saddam Hussein's right-hand man narrowly escaped assassination on Nov. 22 when bystanders tossed two grenades at him. Izzat Ibrahim, deputy commander of Iraqi armed forces, was attacked as he made his way to a religious ceremony where he was to give a speech in Mr. Hussein's stead. The attack, characterized by BBC as "extremely serious," was the first on a senior official since 1996.
Nation in brief
Gore gets a pass
Even as President Clinton "pardoned" the White House turkey last week, the attorney general spared the political life of Vice President Gore. She refused-against the advice of some senior advisers, including the director of the FBI-to petition for an independent counsel to probe Mr. Gore's role in the sleazy campaign dealings of the Democratic National Committee in 1996. Where theres smoke...
The 46-state, $206 billion tobacco settlement will cost smokers about a penny per state per pack, as the economics of the deal filters through the distribution chain. The 45¢ rise marks the largest price increase in the history of cigarette retailing. And it comes on top of the approximate 20 cent per pack rise following settlements with four other states. Tobacco industry investment analysts predicted the steep price hikes will make it all the more difficult for governments to raise new taxes on cigarettes-now that the price per pack is set to rise more than 25 percent, to about $2.45. Some economists worry that the high prices will create a black market.


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DEPT: Pop-arazzi
AUTHOR: Ada Tseng
ISSUE: Summer 2013
PHOTOS: Diana King
STYLIST: Skye Stewart- Short
GROOMER: Sonia Lee, Exclusive Artists
Having just completed its sixth season, the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory is more popular than it's ever been (currently the highest-rated show in television with 20 million viewers), and 31-year-old Indian British actor Kunal Nayyar is working on his favorite storyline so far: his astrophysicist character Raj finally falls in love.
"It's fun to explore that side of Raj," says Nayyar, "to see him be vulnerable because he has a legitimate shot with a girl. I don't think we've seen him genuinely like someone yet."
Part of the reason Raj's personal life has been so slow to develop is because he has social anxiety disorder, specifically selective mutism, which makes him unable to talk to women. Early in the first season, Raj discovered that alcohol overrides his psychological fears, and he has since experimented with other pharmaceutical drugs with varying results. Though often played for laughs, it's a serious disorder that thwarts his desire to be a ladies' man.
When Raj meets Lucy (played by Kate Micucci), he asks her out for coffee, only to have her excuse herself to go to the bathroom and sneak out the window. This sends Raj into a mini depression, and his friends find him alone in his apartment, bingeing on lobster, wearing only his tighty whities.
"You know, I'm not insecure about the way that I look, and as an actor, you're just playing the circumstances," says Nayyar. "But it's not like I have a six-pack, so when I saw it, [knowing that] 20 million people were watching, I was like, 'My God, time to go on a diet.'" He laughs. "But in my defense, I was wearing three [pairs of] underwear under the [top] one, because they wanted my tummy to stick out a little more."
To see Raj failing at social interaction is not new, but this time, he wasn't the reason the girl was scared away. Lucy later apologizes, admitting that she suffers from social anxiety and gets nervous around new people. Suddenly, Raj's weaknesses that have crippled him in the past are the same qualities he uses to convince her to give him a chance.
When she finally agrees to a date, he calls out, "You won't regret it! I'm the most pathetic guy you've ever met!"
"For the first time, Raj is the one who's saying, 'You have to put yourself out there,'" says Nayyar. "It's their first date, and he's worried that she's going to have a panic attack, so [he says,] 'let's have a first date in a library,' and 'let's text each other.' He's making an effort to take care of her, which I think is very sweet."
In real life, Nayyar definitely doesn't need help with the ladies — he married former Miss India Neha Kapur in 2011. Nonetheless, as The Big Bang Theory writers have gotten to know Nayyar over the years, they'll sometimes slip in elements of real life into the character.
"Sometimes they'll write something in the script, and I'll be like, 'Oh, that's how I, Kunal, talk,'" says Nayyar. "But sometimes it gets blurred. Sometimes my wife will be like, 'You know, you're sounding like Raj right now.'"
While The Big Bang Theory's ratings have always been high, it wasn't until after the show went into syndication in 2011 that Nayyar truly understood the extent of his reach. Now that people approach him in airports and restaurants all over the world, his success feels more tangible.
"I love playing a character that has this innocence and naiveté about him, because it's rare in the real world," says Nayyar. "I mean, it exists, but I'm not like that, so it's great to be able to play a character that is pure, has good thoughts, loves his friends, and is really just a positive guy."
"I was in Portland, Oregon. I had just turned 21, and I had my first beer; my brother bought me my first beer. I mean, I had had a beer before that, but I remember my first official beer. I went down to show my ID. And I was in a band called the Prince and the Pauper."
— Kunal Nayyar


text: Thanks for all the congrats! I just got around to sending the story to EHJ so.... hopefully all of you can read the story in an up coming issue. The ram was taken in unit 20. My origional plan was to hunt from the river via jetboat but on prior scouting trips all I could spot were very few ewes and lambs. After talking to a few people that had hunted the unit in previous years I decided to backpack in from the upper part of the unit and hunt the upper basins where the rams normal summer range is. My cousin and I backpacked in 12 miles and glassed the high basins for a couple of days and never spotted a sheep. We found a single set of sheep tracks that were several days old headed down a ridge. With nothing to lose we followed them and started to see several more sets of tracks. At around noon we stopped for lunch and discussed our next move. Not 30 minutes later we heard some sticks breaking below us and my cousin excitedly whispered RAM!...RAMS!! get your gun! I couldnt see the sheep for the life of me and thats when my cousin said "No.... 40 yards to your right!" I had been looking right over the top of them... didnt expect them to be so close! There were 4 rams standing 40 yards in front of me and the lead ram was exactly what I had came for, so I took him. He dropped in his tracks and the celebrating began. Hope that works for a readers digest version.... still hopeful the full story will be told in EHJ soon.


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Crown Towers Hotel
Crown Towers is one of the best hotels in Melbourne. Some of the features that this hotel can offer are high-speed Internet, business meeting facilities, gymnasium, casino, jacuzzi and spa. There are many more luxuries that this hotel can offer. If you want to be pampered with the best services, then this luxury hotel is best for you. You can also get some of the best views in this hotel like the bay and the river. You can also indulge in the Six Crown Towers Exclusive Restaurants. This hotel also has its own bowling alley. So grab one of your credit cards and book this hotel now!
Chateau Yering
If you are tired of the busy life in the city, you can escape it by staying in the Chateau Yering surrounded by trees and nature. This is a luxury hotel and a Victorian mansion located in the Pristine Yarra Valley. It has an award-winning garden, some of the best suite, tennis court, vineyard, world-class restaurants, fireplaces and cozy lounges and a lawn court. This is the main reason why it is best to relax in this hotel and these are also the reasons why this luxury hotel is one of the best hotels in Melbourne.
The Windsor
The Windsor is the only 19th century Grand Hotel that is left standing in Melbourne. This hotel has a renaissance revival architecture that you must not miss to see. It also has a twin mansard roofed towers. This is one of the most famous landmarks and one of the best hotels in Melbourne. You will definitely be transported back into time as you stay in this luxury hotel. This hotel is located just in front of the Parliament building. This is also very close to the restaurants and the shops downtown. This hotel has also won a lot of national and international awards for their class, design and hospitality. This is a proof that this hotel is one of the best luxury hotels in Melbourne. So book your flight to Melbourne, take a taxi to CBD and enjoy The Windsor hotel!
Park Hyatt
Park Hyatt is a classic luxury hotel for the elder people because of the different, bold and artsy style that it has. This can offer the best modern architecture and the best hospitality to their customers. This also has the best European restaurant, indoor pool, health center, and it has a lot of art work from some of the most famous artists in Melbourne. You can look at some of these art works online. This will trully make you understand the saying " a picture paints a thousand words."
Sofitel Melbourne
If you are the type of person who likes to see beautiful views, sitting on a balcony, drinking coffee with the one you love, then the Sofitel Melbourne is the best place for you. This is one of the best luxury hotel in Melbourne. It has galleries, boutiques, cafes, and many more.


text:
Meal Type
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16 servings, 1 square each
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Tap or click steps to mark as complete
Dessert can be a part of a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.
Prepare as directed, using raspberry or blueberry jam.
For a frozen treat, prepare as directed. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 15 min. before serving to soften slightly.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
I followed one reviewer's advice & doubled the vanilla wafers/butter mixture. I used my own homemade strawberry jam,& as she advised, froze each layer before adding the next. It was "Out of this world"!Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!!
Very light and fluffy!
easy and good. i doubled the wafers/butter to make thicker crust. then stuck in the freezer. put on strawberry preserves then froze. mixed cream cheese and 1/2 tub of cool whip then froze. i had no troubles with it not setting up. i think freezing in between steps helped.
K:45239v0 :75330


text: Did you know that your unconscious mind strongly influences the strength or weakness of your immune system? Did you know that hypnosis is successfully used in the treatment of many autoimmune diseases such as AIDS and Cancer? Could yours use a boost? If so, join this educational and interactive seminar and experience the amazing power of your unconscious mind to help you maintain or return to health. Ideal (and free) for hospital staff.


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By Wayne Allard
Thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there's a new threat facing motorcyclists nationwide, and possibly all Americans. The danger is posed by a certain blend of motor vehicle fuel called E15, which may damage the engines of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats and powered equipment.
On Wednesday, the American Motorcyclist Association will host "AMA E15: Fuel for Thought" in Washington, D.C. Motorcyclists will ride around the Capitol, rally on the Mall and lobby their federal lawmakers to secure independent scientific research into the effects of E15.
E15 is a fuel blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline that the EPA has approved for use in 2001 and later light-duty vehicles, which include cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles. The blend isn't approved for use in any motorcycle, ATV, boat or other small engine, and may even damage them and void warranties.
The EPA is merely telling alarmed consumers not to use E15.
Since 2011, the American Motorcyclist Association has repeatedly expressed concerns to government officials and federal lawmakers about possible damage to the estimated 22 million motorcycles and ATVs currently in use by the inadvertent use of E15, which is now becoming available at gas stations. That could easily occur even if a rider selects a fuel grade other than E15 on a fuel blender pump and receives E15 leftover in the hose from a previous user.
Furthermore, results released by the Coordinating Research Council reveal that E15 would damage millions of post-2001 model-year vehicles even though the EPA has approved the use of E15 in those vehicles. The study concluded that E15 would result in fuel-system failures in cars and other approved vehicles.
The association wants motorcycles and ATVs to be part of a scientific study on the effects of E15 so that riders know what to expect if they inadvertently put E15 in their gas tanks, or if E15 is eventually approved for motorcycle and ATV use. Not only should the study focus on the short- and long-term impacts on vehicles and engines, it should also quantify the financial toll that increased ethanol in gasoline will levy on consumers, dealers and service facilities, vehicle and engine manufacturers, fuel retailers, distributors and producers, and the environment.
Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican, has introduced a bill, H.R. 875, to require the EPA to stop the use of E15 fuel until it has been studied further. Mr. Sensenbrenner has said there have been several tests highlighting E15's harmful effects on engines, but the EPA has dismissed them all. Because of that, he thinks "we must force the EPA to stop the use of E15 fuel until the serious safety, durability, performance and environmental concerns have been addressed. We have a responsibility to ensure that Americans using gas-powered machinery — whether it be cars and boats or chain saws and lawn mowers — are not put at risk due to faulty fuel that has not been vetted."
H.R. 875 would repeal the EPA's waiver decision approving the use of E15 and would bar the agency from granting further decisions on the use of the fuel until it obtains an independent scientific analysis of the effects of the E15 blend.
Meanwhile, Republican Sens. Roger F. Wicker of Mississippi and David Vitter of Louisiana have introduced legislation to overturn the EPA waivers that allow E15 to be used in many passenger cars and light trucks and would prohibit the EPA from granting any waiver for a blend above 10 percent ethanol. The senators say the higher blend of ethanol has been found to cause engine damage, reduce fuel efficiency, and contribute to higher corn prices and rising food costs for American consumers.
The American Motorcyclist Association supports both the House and Senate bills.
All Americans deserve to know whether E15 is safe for their vehicles. On Wednesday, American motorcyclists will be demonstrating on Capitol Hill to demand answers. Congress needs to take decisive action now to protect consumers, their engines and their wallets.
Wayne Allard is a former U.S. senator and representative from Colorado who is now vice president for government relations at the American Motorcyclist Association.