text:
Budget Control Act of 2011 Raises the Debt Ceiling, But At What Cost?
First the good news: last week's agreement to raise the debt ceiling averted a catastrophic default on U.S. obligations that would have triggered a worldwide financial crisis. Now the bad news: the Budget Control Act of 2011 will immediately result in deep cuts to vital programs for vulnerable populations and will likely result in even greater cuts in the future, without balancing those cuts with increases in revenue. Indeed, it does not provide for any increase in revenue at all. Below is a summary of the main points of the accord, with analysis of what the resolution of this crisis bodes for the future.
The agreement raises the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion, enough that it won't have to be raised again until after the next presidential election in November 2012. The agreement also provides that the deficit will be reduced by more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years, with deficit reduction occurring in two steps.
Step one is a spending reduction of $900 billion over the next 10 years, accomplished with binding caps on annual appropriations bills. All of these cuts will be made to "discretionary spending". Entitlement spending, including safety-net entitlement programs for low-income people, is exempt from being cut. In addition to the "big three" entitlement programs – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – other non-discretionary programs exempted from being cut include:
- child care mandatory assistance;
- child nutrition entitlement programs, e.g., school meals;
- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP);
- child support enforcement and family support programs;
- Pell Grants;
- foster care and permanency programs;
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps);
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
- refundable tax credits, including the Earned income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit; and
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Discretionary programs that are subject to the caps that will result in $900 billion in cuts over the next 10 years include:
- discretionary (non-mandatory) child care assistance;
- Head Start;
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program for low-income women, infants and small children;
- maternal and child health;
- Title X family planning services;
- low-income housing assistance;
- low-income energy assistance; and
- Older Americans Act congregate and home-delivered meals.
Step two is complicated. It begins with the congressional appointment of a 12-member deficit reduction super committee, with three members appointed by each legislative leader. The super-committee's charge is to come up with a deficit-reduction package that saves at least another $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. The super committee is free to consider all possibilities, including more cuts in discretionary spending, cuts in entitlement spending, and revenue-raising measures. If a majority of the super committee agrees on a proposal, then it will be submitted to Congress for an up-or-down vote by the end of this year.
If, as largely expected, the super committee does not reach an agreement on a deficit-reduction package -- or Congress does not approve the package or the President vetoes it -- then federal spending will automatically be reduced by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years through a process called "sequestration." Entitlement programs (listed above) would be exempt from cuts, and revenue would not be increased. Rather, all of the cuts would come from discretionary programs, with half of the reduction coming from domestic programs and the other half from defense spending. This would amount to a 9 percent decrease in both domestic discretionary spending and defense spending – an amount that many believe would seriously compromise national security. The cuts made by sequestration would not go into effect until January 2013.
Speaker Boehner has already announced that the U.S. House of Representatives will not approve any revenue increases that the super-committee may recommend. To understand what the impact of a "cuts only" proposal would be, it's worth considering the deal that President Obama and Speaker Boehner recently discussed. That ultimately unsuccessful deal would have:
- raised Medicare's eligibility age and cost-sharing charges;
- shifted significant Medicaid costs to states;
- modified cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security and other benefit programs (and in the tax code); and
- instituted other entitlement savings.
All of those steps would have saved $650-$700 billion over 10 years, representing only one-half of the cuts that the super committee will have to produce.
One other noteworthy provision in the Budget Control Act of 2011 is an agreement to allow an up-or-down vote of the House and the Senate this fall on a constitutional amendment to balance the budget, threatening to enshrine this popular but fiscally ruinous principle in the U.S. Constitution.
To sum up, the most disturbing aspect of the Budget Control Act of 2011 is that it achieves all of its savings through spending cuts despite polling that shows a large majority of Americans across all population sectors supports a balanced approach that includes increasing taxes on the wealthy and big corporations to help reduce the deficit. This cuts-only approach sets an extremely disturbing precedent for future budget and spending battles.
Second, although some of the most extreme proposals floated this year, such as a global spending cap or super-majority requirement to raise taxes or the debt ceiling, were not included in the final agreement, it does include the mandatory spending reduction mechanism of sequestration. And, while low-income entitlement programs are exempt from sequestration, discretionary programs on which low-income populations rely enjoy no such protection and are, in fact, under a direct threat to be heavily cut.
So what does the future hold? For one thing, it appears that Medicaid is now in the cross-hairs. Conservatives in Congress have consistently signaled a desire to scale-back Medicaid. They receive strong support for this agenda from conservative governors who seek the power to generate state budgetary savings if Medicaid is changed to allow them to cut the program and roll-back eligibility. It's hard to see how any of this can be squared with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, whose health care reforms rely on expansion of the Medicaid program to insure 16 million currently uninsured people.
Now that the debt ceiling has been raised for the time being, the next flashpoint will be the adoption of a budget for the next federal fiscal year beginning October 1. Typically, no agreement is reached by that date, and the government continues to operate based on a series of "continuing resolutions" until a full-year budget is agreed upon. If one of these continuing resolutions runs out without an agreement to extend it, then the federal government shuts down. A sizable majority of the House Republicans just demonstrated their willingness to risk a global financial cataclysm to achieve their policy ends. There is little reason to doubt that they will be willing to engage in such brinksmanship again. Indeed, they may attempt to extract even greater concessions when all that is at stake is the continued operations of the federal government, since they will feel there is less to lose in provoking a crisis. The template for resolving such a crisis, as established by this debt ceiling deal–substantial spending cuts, no revenue increases, a mandatory mechanism to enforce deficit reduction–sets a bad precedent for future policy negotiations, unless different tactics are adopted by proponents of important spending priorities for struggling Americans.
Beyond that, there are a number of events that will be occurring in the lame-duck session just after the next presidential election in November 2012. The Bush tax cuts will be expiring; the January 2013 automatic sequestration cuts (assuming no super committee agreement that becomes law), including deep cuts in national defense, will be taking effect; and the debt ceiling will have to be increased again. The battles that were just waged thus are simply the prelude for many more to come.


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Sports Gossip: The Monday Morning Couch Potatoes
Page 1 of 3Fellas, the "Monday Morning Couch Potatoes" feel your pain. We understand that sometimes in life, you have to make sacrifices. We've all been there before. Spent Saturday night watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with the lady instead of at the bar with the boys? Picked the kids up from the dance recital instead of watching the big game? It's okay. It happens. That's where we come in.
At the start of every other week, the "Monday Morning Couch Potatoes" (Peter Schrager and Adam Weinberg) will fill you in on the important things you missed while trying to pretend like you really care about all the other stuff in your life. Each Monday, you will wake up with an up-to-date summary of all the vital (and worthless) things you might have missed in the past week of sports and entertainment.
These are the six stories that sparked our interest the most during the past week of sports, pop culture and entertainment. This article, and every one of its biweekly successors, will serve as a "cheat sheet" for the various conversations you will have with coworkers and friends over the upcoming week.
So get educated, then hit up the water cooler for some conversation with the boys.
Water Cooler Topic #1:
Danica Patrick is spoken for
There was no doubt that female driver Danica Patrick stole the show at the 89th edition of the Indianapolis 500. Though she finished in fourth place, Danica gave the eventual winner Dan Wheldon a run for his money, and her performance more than lived up to the pre-race hype. In so doing, Danica has brought a lot of light onto the racing world. The 23-year-old's finish was the best ever by a female, and it gave ABC its highest rated Indy race in over a decade.
Adam's take: Okay, if nobody is going to say it, then I will. If Danica Patrick looked like a lumberjack and had a FUPA, nobody would care if she finished in the top five. Now that that's out of the way, let me pose another question: Is there anything sexier than a smoking hot beauty working a racecar? Somebody needs to get a hold of Danica's management team and make sure that they don't fall in the same trap that Anna Kournikova did. They need to make sure that she does no magazine spreads during the season and that the sport still comes first... unless Hef calls. Then Danica needs to drop whatever she's doing and get on the first flight out to the mansion.
Peter's take: IndyCar Racing is not on the rise. You hear me? It's not. How do I know? Because Danica Patrick is engaged. She has a fianc, and is completely not on the market. Somehow, amid several magazine shoots and heavy airbrush sessions, the media forgot to mention this. This chick has a ring on her finger. Off-limits. And in case you've forgotten, think back to how Anna Kournikova went away once Enrique Iglesias slipped right in. Recall how Jennie Finch magically disappeared when that Diamondbacks no-name popped the question. Men, especially us fat ones, like single women. We enjoy the illusion or thought that maybe someday we can be Mr. Danica Patrick. But, as some other dude's old lady, she's just some other dude's old lady. Danica Patrick came and Danica Patrick went. Like a three-legged dog, she was fun to watch once — but not worth giving a second look.
Water Cooler Topic #2:
The hurtbag Royals
As of the end of May, the Kansas City Royals were 13-37 in 2005, and on pace for the worst record in Major League history. Team management responded by forcing manager Tony Pena to resign and replacing him with Buddy Bell. The returns on this change were immediate: The Royals opened the month of June by taking a series from the heavily favored New York Yankees.
Adam's take: Did you know that if you took the Royals to win the World Series right now, Vegas would give you 9,000-1 odds?!? I don't even think the Taylor and Dorn led Indians of Major League would have been 9,000-1 to win. The people who go to Royals games are the same ones who slow down to gawk at an accident when they're driving. About the only thing you can root for as a Royals fan is a rift in the CBA and a lockout.
Peter's take: Before we knock the Royals, we have to analyze their roster. Aside from Mike Sweeney, each one of the team's everyday starters is under the age of 25. Their ace, Zack Greinke, is only 21. These guys make Eva Longoria and Teri Hatcher look like Rose and Dorothy from The Golden Girls. Something's wrong with these kids having to play in the Major Leagues every night. The NCAA or the Springfield, Missouri little league seem like better places for them. Come to think of it, the Royals should get to hit from a tee each time they're up to bat. It's only fair.
The Rangers, on the other hand, are in good shape...
Have a question? Get it answered by AskMen's guyQ.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford men's gymnastics was named 2013 National Academic Team Champion and 13 Cardinal earned All-America Scholar-Athlete honors, as announced Friday by the College Gymnastics Association.
Stanford posted a team grade-point average of 3.445 to claim the nation's top academic mark. Seven student-athletes were named to the first team and five earned second-team honors.
Firstteam All-America Scholar-Athletes include Jonathan Deaton, Mike Levy, Brian Knott, Gabriel Alvarado, Dennis Zaremski, Jordan Nolff and James Fosco. It was Alvarado's fourth first-team honor of his career.
Chris Turner, David Frankl, Cameron Foreman, Sean Senters, Paul Hichwa and Kevin Baker were named to the second team.
Eighty-eight gymnasts received first-team honors for earning a GPA of 3.50 or higher, while 45 were recognized on the second team with a GPA between 3.20 and 3.499.
CGA Top 10 Academic Teams
1. Stanford—3.445
2. William and Mary— 3.397
3. Temple—3.352
4. Springfield—3.304
5. Navy—3.169
6. Nebraska—3.164
7. Michigan—3.147
8. Minnesota—3.115
9. Illinois—3.111
10. Penn State—3.068


text:
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text:
Full ChangeLog for mod_backhand
changes from
Bothered setting up this change log file.
Now supports Linux platform.
Backhand -- directive (directory) added.
backhand-handler -- handler added.
Implements HTTP redirection to other servers in the clutser
Implements shared memory space (like scoreboard) for cluster resources.
Implements client/server communication via AF_UNIX sockets. This will be the means of handing open file descriptors when implemented.
changes from
BrodcastStats broadcastaddr:port -- directive added
Handling loop was debugged for cleaner release of file handles.
UnixSocketDir [directory] was added so the AF_UNIX sockets could be placed as an administrator sees fit.
AcceptStats inetaddr[/mask] -- directive added. Can be cascaded, these only allow statistics to be accepted from trusted sources.
changes from
BroadcastStats inetaddr broadcastaddr:port -- directive changed This will allow httpd to be run as a normal user ID. Before it needed priveldges to determine interface routing selections for outgoing broadcasts to determine an advertised IP address. Now it is specified by the config file.
Made changes necessary to support multiple "BroadcastStats" directives for multiple networks, private networks and upcoming IP Multicast support.
changes from
BroadcastStats inetaddr (broadcastaddr:port | multicastaddr:port,ttl) -- directive augmented to support IP multicast as medium for resource information distribution.
Fixed nasty bug in the proxying loop that munged persistent (pipelined) HTTP requests. Bug could also cause seg faults (exploits) for certain length requests.
changes from
Rewrote the connection proxying code. It now handles persistent connections better and survives broken redirection sockets.
We actually parse the incoming header and the response header now, to allow better error handling and future intentional header munging.
Changed the Backhand directive to specify a function from builtin.c and an optional argument. The functions so far are byLoad and byCPU.
Added a BackhandFromSO directive to allow user functions to be written easily. One is provided as byHostname.c and returns the first host that matches the regex. Directive is BackhandFromSO libexec/byHostame.so byHostname hostname.
Implemented byAge and byRandom builtin candidacy functions.
Changed the inputs to builtin and user-defined decision making functions. It is now (request_rec *, int *, int *, char *) -- see builtin.h header for details. This provides a mechinsims for specifying a set of candidates instead of a single server.
Implmeneted Cascadable Backhand(FromSO) directives. Now users can implement more likeable resrictions: byAge, byLoad, byRandom. This would prune old servers, find the least loaded and choose randomly among them. (each directive is on its own line).
changes from
LICENSE revised to be open-source. (Modelled after the BSD license)
Fixed a bug in the handling or requests that have Content-length headers.
Implemented byLogWindow candidacy functions.
Change the byLoad candidacy function to be by load/#CPUs instead of just by load.
Added "balanced by mod_backhand/VERSION string to the Apache server string.
Separated the operating systems specifics out of mod_backhand.c and back_util.c.
Changed the BroadcastStats directive to MulticastStats.
Now supports Solaris platform.
changes from
Fixed the writing of log notices to go to the logfile instead of stdout when starting Apache.
Works with Apache 1.3.9 better.
Moved the exploration, decisions and uri rewriting to the mime/types stage from the access stage. Other modules were "un"making our decisions.
Moved AddModule mod_backhand.c down below mod_cgi. This allows mod_backhand to redirect things in Location statements with cgi-script handlers (or perl handlers)
changes from
Made small modifications to allow compilation under Sun Workshop C/C++ compiler (asmo.porma at saunalahti dot fi)
changes from
Added a new candidacy function byCost that is still in the experimental phase. It implements a decision making algortihm based on the cost-benefit framework developed and discussed in the following paper by Amir, Awerbuch, and Borgstrom: http://www.cnds.jhu.edu/pub/papers/dss99.ps
Now supports BSDI platform.
Now supports (Net|Free|Open)BSD platform.
changes from
Changed parameter passing architecture for statistics daemon spawning to correct problems on systems where sizeof(int)!=sizeof(void *).
Updated arriba function to eliminate floating point errors on alpha.
Fixed serious request proxying bug that caused "chunked" transfer encoded responses to fail. Chunked encoding is a HTTP/1.1 defined transfer encoding supported by Apache. This should fix any noticed incompatibilities with Microsoft's IE.
Now supports Linux (alpha fix) platform.
changes from
Include file fixes for FreeBSD (Now better supports FreeBSD platform).
Updated cost calculations to accurately account for the power of machines.
Added an optional argument to the byLoad candidacy function. It now takes a floating point number (0.0 if not provided) that subtracts from the local load when sorting. This provides a convenient mechanism for local bias.
Added a new candidacy function addPredition that will add a predictive load to the first candidate (if addPrediction is last, this is the server you choose). So, when assigning a request, you can add a predicted incurred load to that server. See documentation for suggested use.
changes from
Fixed uninitialized variable causing occasional core dumps.
fix for gcc -funsigned-char (Dmitry Khrustalev
Fixed type in addPrediction
Added configure, configure.in, config.h.in, and Makefile.in allowing simple
changes from
Fixed uninitialized variable bug in back_util.c. The effects were that trash values could be found in the server port of the advertised service. This caused different mod_backhand instances to fail when proxying. I could not reproduce this on my Linux machine. Many thanks to Sean Chittenden for the time on his BSD boxes to debug the problem.
Fixed logic error when calculating byLoad with a bias. It did not calculate biases as the FAQ implied. Thanks to Blake Mills.
Changed the byAge candidacy function to never eliminate oneself. Under high loads, the daemon process was often scheduled so infrequently that the local server expired, rendering BackhandSelfRedirect On ineffective.
Changed two accidental snprintf's to ap_snprintf's for portability.
changes from
Fixed issue appending GET style query parameters on HTTP redirected URLs -- patch submitted by Jürgen Brunk
Fixed RFC compliance issue with HTTP response codes that are 304, 204, and less that 200. They are explicitly defined to have no content length.
Some header clean up when fetching proxying documents.
No longer recalculate the arriba if there is a backhand-arriba file available. This should speed things up tremendously and was blatantly unnecessary.
Before the parent Apache process forks children, it now waits to assure that the mod_backhand moderator process is bound and accepting on the unix domain socket required for MBCS.
Added a notes file to detail issues with different platforms. Started it off with a Solaris patch requirement. Insight and debugging courtesy of Kevin Walters.
Better logging and error handling in a few places -- still no docs :-(
Added code to setgid() the moderator processes. Before, we only setuid(). -- original patch from Stephan Seyboth
Added addSelf as a candidacy function. (adds the local machine if it is not already on the list)
Added removeSelf as a candidacy function. (removes the local machine if it is on the list)
Added off as a candidacy function. (just removes all servers as candidates) This is required to turn of mod_backhand in directories that are below enabled directories in the heirarchy.
Added bySessions [identifier] to redirect established sessions to the same machine every time. Read README.bySession for more details. This was contributed by Martin Domig
Moved all builtin candidacy function code into builtins.[ch] so that the addition of new builtin candidacy functions only requires modifications of those two files.
Added a "logger" callback to clean up the r->connection->remote_addr that we intentionally munged if the connection was proxied. Without this the remote address was not correct for subsequent HTTP requests over the same connection (KeepAlives.) This fixes the bug that causes $REMOTE_ADDR to be wrong sometimes.
Now supports FreeBSD-4.x platform.
Removed BackhandProxied: from the headers_in on the proxying machine. This allows SetEnvIf BackhandProxied to work write even when BackhandSelfRedirect is enabled.
No longer remove Content-Length headers from Connection: close responses. This makes users' progress bars work correctly.
Clients speaking HTTP/1.1 were not getting Keep-Alives turned on under certain circumstances. This has been fixed -- I think.
Headers in multiplicity were reduced to a single headers. This breaks some apps that use multiple Set-Cookie headers. This has been fixed.
Fixed bug in moderator restart when mod_backhand is statically compiled into Apache.
Fixed double printing of mod_backhand settings to error_log on startup.
Change the autoconf configuration to automatically add -lm and -lkstat is necessary.
Added the byBusyChildren candidacy function.
Fixed a bug that caused expired sessions in the pool to cause POSTs to hang.
Fixed compilation error on OpenBSD.
Now support Darwin/Mac OS X platform -- Marquis Logan
Fixed AF_UNIX problem on *BSD. Pathnam (.sun_path) was not null terminated correctly.
Added tight timeouts around the MBCS code to protect the child. Hanging indefinitely will not happen now.
precompile now runs configure before installing itself in the apache source tree. Without this, config.h didn't exist.
precompile now augments Apache's configure to force mod_so on if backhand is enabled.
Added BackhandModeratorPIDFile configuration directive. If specified, it will write the new moderator PID in this file.
changes from
Fixed brown-paper-bag problem with byBusyChildren. It was internally calling byLoad. (even worse, it wasn't tagged into this release, see next release)
Added "BackhandConnectionPools (on|off)" to allow the Apache child to do a keepalive-disabled connect instead of the moderator maintaining everything.
Added compile fix under Sun C Compuler 6.1 from luc at ispi dot net
Added correct 100 support -- Stefan Seufert
Removed ap_is_initial_req to allow correct operation with modules like mod_gzip -- Stefan Seufert
Changed serverstats to allow multiple entries with the same IP but different ports -- Mike Cramer
Changed the serverstring to drop "balanced_by".
Integrated parts of Michael Cramer's
cosmetic changes to the /backhand/ page.
Added Rob's NT Backhand Broadcaster.
Now supports Windows NT through ntbhb (see related links) platform
Fix for uninitialized variable causing duplicate resource announcements --
Fix ownership of backhand dir during install with precompile -- Yusuf Goolamabbas
changes from
Fixed brown-paper-bag problem with byBusyChildren. It was internally calling byLoad. :-(
Add diagnostics for erroneous MulticastStats entries -- Ben Laurie
Setting no MulticastStats is fatal -- Ben Laurie
Mac OS X resource acquisition fix -- Marquis Logan
Use apache notes to prevent infinite recursion in the event that failure causes local handling and local handling is backhand_redirection.
Allow the first argument in the two argument MulticastStats form to be a hostname (rather than IP).
Various CRLF fixes from Kevin Walters.
changes from
Update the hostname redirection to allow redirects all the time.
Copyright © 1999 Theo Schlossnagle. All rights reserved.


text:
London City Airport received "Best Airport" at ACI Europe 8th Annual awards ceremony in Madrid. The Airport was recognised for its strong traffic growth, service quality and in particular for its ultra-efficient 'door-to-gate' passenger processing times.
Enter the discussion on all things to do with London City Airport and business travel.
Sign up. For news on competitions, new routes and articles. Be the first to know with our newsletter.


text:
Campfire Blog
National Review takes on Obama's "coolness"
President Obama can hang out with NBA players and Spike Lee and give half-hugs to Justin Bieber all he wants. You know what is not cool? Running the United States of America into the ground.
Oh and this first date sounds like my own personal nightmare:
"It was a cool date," the first lady recalls…Barack apparently showed her "all different aspects of his character." He took her to the Art Institute of Chicago, where they had lunch by the fountain in the courtyard. Obama winks at the camera. "Guys out there: Art impresses people." Then they went to see Spike Lee's movie "Do the Right Thing." Michelle summarizes: "He was hip, cutting edge, cultural, sensitive." Barack smiles complacently and again addresses the camera: "Take tips gentlemen."
Read more from the National Review on the Obama administration's attempts to redefine the role of president into some kind of media mogul.


text:
More New and Used
from Private Sellers
Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers (with MyCompLab NEW with E-Book Student Access Code Card)
ISBN13:by Troyka, Lynn Q.; Hesse, Doug
Prentice Hall
Questions About This Book?
What version or edition is this?
This is the 8th edition with a publication date of 1/1/2009.
What is included with this book?
- The Used copy of this book is not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included.
Related Products
The Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writerswill give you balanced coverage of the writing process, grammar, research, and topics. Troyka and Hesse provide practical advice about the writing you will do in composition courses, in other classes, and in the world beyond. Will answer any question a writer has about grammar, the writing process, or research.The writing process, critical thinking, argumentative writing, style, grammar, mechanics, usage, the research process, how to document sources. Anyone who wants a reliable writing reference book.
Table of Contents
|The Writing Process
|Thinking Like a Writernbsp
|What is the current scene for writers?
|What are the major purposes for writing?
|What does ""audience"" meannbsp;for writing?
|What is ""tone"" in writing? 1e What does ""sources for writing"" mean?
|What resources can help me with writing?
|How do computers shape the writing process?
|What forms of writings do computers enable?
|Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Insights from a Cross-Disciplinary Seminar: 10 Pivotal Papers for Ecological Restoration
Version of Record online: 13 DEC 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2011.00840.x
© 2011 Society for Ecological Restoration International
Restoration Ecology
Volume 20, Issue 2, pages 147–152, March 2012
Additional Information
How to Cite
Eitzel, M. V., Diver, S., Sardiñas, H., Hallett, L. M., Olson, J. J., Romero, A., Oliveira, G. d. L. T., Schuknecht, A. T., Tidmore, R. and Suding, K. N. (2012), Insights from a Cross-Disciplinary Seminar: 10 Pivotal Papers for Ecological Restoration. Restoration Ecology, 20: 147–152. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2011.00840.x
Publication History
- Issue online: 5 MAR 2012
- Version of Record online: 13 DEC 2011
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
- climate modeling;
- coupled social and ecological systems;
- ecological monitoring;
- ecosystem services markets;
- global change;
- novel ecosystems;
- restoration practice;
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Restoration ecology is a deepening and diversifying field with current research incorporating multiple disciplines and infusing long-standing ideas with fresh perspectives. We present a list of 10 recent pivotal papers exemplifying new directions in ecological restoration that were selected by students in a cross-disciplinary graduate seminar at the University of California, Berkeley. We highlight research that applies ecological theory to improve restoration practice in the context of global change (e.g. climate modeling, evaluation of novel ecosystems) and discuss remaining knowledge gaps. We also discuss papers that recognize the social context of restoration and the coupled nature of social and ecological systems, ranging from the incorporation of cultural values and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into restoration, to the consideration of the broader impacts of markets on restoration practices. In addition, we include perspectives that focus on improving communication between social and natural scientists as well as between scientists and practitioners, developing effective ecological monitoring, and applying more integrated, whole-landscape approaches to restoration. We conclude with insights on recurrent themes in the papers regarding planning restoration in human-modified landscapes, application of ecological theory, improvements to restoration practice, and the social contexts of restoration. We share lessons from our cross-disciplinary endeavor, and invite further discussion on the future directions of restoration ecology through contributions to our seminar blog site http://restecology.blogspot.com.


text:
Michigan's Economic Activity Index score fell one point in December to a level of 85. The Index averaged 85 for all of 2010, up 11 points, or 15 percent, from the average for all of 2009. November's reading was revised from a level of 87 to 86.
"Motor vehicle production was a significant drag on our index in each of the last three months of 2010," said Dana Johnson, chief economist at Comerica Bank. "That weakness will reverse in the first quarter given that the Detroit Three have announced sizable increases in output for the first quarter. Looking beyond the rebound in auto assemblies, the Michigan economy in 2011 is poised to make modest gains, against a background of gradually accelerating national growth."


text:
Watch this demo to learn how to use Windows Remote Assistance to allow someone you trust, such as a friend or technical support person, to connect to your computer and walk you through a solution—even if that person isn't nearby.
Windows Remote Assistance: frequently asked questions
How does Windows Remote Assistance affect computer privacy and security?
If you're having a problem with your computer, sometimes it can be difficult to describe it. You might find yourself thinking it'd be a lot easier if I could just show someone what I mean. Well, in Windows, there's a way to do just that. Hi, I'm Andy Sweet…
...and I'm Charlene Shepard. We're writers on the Windows team at Microsoft. Today we're going to show you how to give or get help using Windows Remote Assistance.
Remote Assistance is a feature in Windows that lets you invite someone you trust to have temporary access to your computer over the Internet so they can help you. After you invite someone to help, the other person can view your computer screen and you can chat about what you both see. With your permission, your friend can control your computer and show you how to fix a problem. And you can end the session anytime you want, so you're always in control.
The great thing about Remote Assistance is it doesn't matter if you are on the other side of town or the other side of the world—all you really need is a connection to the Internet—a fast broadband connection, like cable or DSL, works best. So now let's do a quick demonstration. Let's say that I can't remember how to add an item to my Start menu. I've called my friend Charlene on the phone and she said she's willing to help. All I need to do is send her a remote assistance invitation using e-mail.
To get started, click Start, type Remote Assistance in the search box, and then click Windows Remote Assistance.
Now it's important to remember that when you use Remote Assistance, only ask someone you trust, because the other person will have temporary access to anything on your computer.
Since I'm asking for help, I'll click Invite someone you trust to help you.
I'm going to choose the first option: Use e-mail to send an invitation.
Remote Assistance then asks you to create a password for extra security. You'll give this password to the person who is helping you—it's safest to do this over the phone or in person, so you know the password is in the right hands.
I'll type a password, type it again to confirm it, and then click Next.
Remote Assistance creates an e-mail message with the invitation already attached.
I just have to type Charlene's address in the To field and then click Send.
You can see the Remote Assistance window stays on my screen to remind me I've invited someone to help.
As I open the e-mail, Andy calls me back and tells me the password. I double-click the attachment, enter the password, and then click OK, and Remote Assistance opens.
After Charlene clicks OK on her computer, I now see a prompt on my computer asking me if I want to allow her to connect.
I click Yes.
Now Charlene can see my desktop from her computer. I'd like Charlene to be able to see my desktop background so I click Settings, slide the bandwidth usage slider up a notch, and then click OK.
I'm connected to Andy's computer, but I can't change anything yet—I have to ask permission by clicking Request control.
I'll check Allow Charlene to respond to User Account Control prompts. This means she can accept any prompts that might occur, which will speed things up for us.
I click Yes, and Continue. Her screen goes dark for just a second…
...and now I have access to Andy's computer!
We can use the built-in chat window to ask and answer each others' questions. Right, Andy wanted me to show him how to add a program to his Start menu. I'll type a response and then show him how.
It's just like I'm using his keyboard and mouse. Andy can see my mouse move and watch what I do, just as if I was there with him.
Having Charlene help me this way is a lot easier than having her describing what to do over the phone.
And the great thing is, even though I've given her access, I'm still in control because I initiated the invitation.
I can take control of the keyboard and mouse whenever I need to, just by moving the mouse or typing, and I can end the session at any time.
Plus, I can watch how she did this so I'll remember how to do it myself next time.
When we're all finished, I click Disconnect to end the session and then click Yes.
That's it—she's completely off of my computer and no longer has control, and I'm back at work.
Remote Assistance is a great way to get help from friends and family who might be many miles away. So, the next time you're having a problem with your computer...
...and you've got a trusted friend online who can help you, remember to give Remote Assistance a try.


text:
Think about it, we human beings were once accustomed to living in the wild. We gathered food from plants, caught fish, and killed animals to eat. We drank from springs, rivers, and streams. We had crude instruments in which to carry food and to keep water. We eventually had the luxury of fire, but often did not have a fire? So how did human beings survive under such circumstances?
Some scientists and anthropologists may tell you that they didn't live very long, and perhaps the infant mortality rate was high. Yet, still, human beings survived squatting on stumps or the bare ground, dining on natural foods in most unclean circumstances.
Now, today's story from National Geographic talks about the effect from eating food that has been dropped on the floor. There is a notion that if you pick it up in five seconds or less, you can eat it without harm. Then again, new evidence suggests that once food hits the floor, contamination is so great that you should forget about eating it.
Look, I am naturally squeamish. I don't have a pet because dogs, for instance, lick themselves and others, they sniff the private parts, and sniff theirs and others deposits. What makes humans believe that a dog's kiss by the tongue is completely adorable? Not for me.
My shoes have been where dogs have also been, and therefore, my food and I don't belong on the carpet or floor.
As preppers, we must plan for disastrous conditions. To what extent are humans capable of withstanding an onslaught of contamination and a dramatic change from civilized living to living the way of our ancient ancestors? Survival television shows may give to us confidence that we don't need shoes and can shed our clothing, but that just doesn't jive, do you think?
Water as a for instance
"Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have dwelled on this earth for some 200 000 years, most of that time as hunter-gatherers and gradually growing in number. Approximately 50 000 years ago modern man began to inhabit every corner of the world and people were constantly on the move. Occasionally people were troubled by pathogens transmitted by contaminated water, but the general aversion for water that tasted revolting, stank and that looked disgusting must have developed quite early during the biological and cultural evolution of humankind. It has been postulated that the waterborne health risks of hunter-gatherers were small.
Archaeological and written sources concerning water and sanitation can, however, only be found from relatively recent times. Thus, in reconstructing the history of water and sanitation of this hunter-gatherer phase, we have to rely on the analogies of later societies. Modern anthropological studies and recorded mythologies of indigenous peoples play an important role in these analogies while observing primates and other more evolved mammals can also give us useful information.
Some 10 000 years ago, when people adopted an agrarian way of life, mankind established permanent settlements. This new type of livelihood spread everywhere and the population began to expand faster than ever before. Sedentary agricultural life made it possible to construct villages, cities and eventually states, all of which were highly dependent on water. This created a brand new relation between humans and water. Pathogens transmitted by contaminated water became a very serious health risk for the sedentary agriculturists. In this world guaranteeing pure water for people became a prerequisite for successful urbanization and state formation."
"Scientists Study What to Do If You Drop a Cookie on the Floor
The five-second rule: New study says it's safe to eat food that's been on the floor … or is it?
Is this delicious bologna sandwich contaminated with bacteria?
Sarah Whitman-Salkin
for National Geographic
Once again, you've dropped your snack. You bend down, snatch it up, and gently blow off any dust—and, you hope, deadly germs. You're about to put it in your mouth because, after all, you've got the "five-second rule" on your side: Food that's been dropped is safe to consume if it's been on the floor for five seconds or less.
But really, should you eat it? Is the piece of toast or the potato chip or the cookie you just rescued from the ground safe to eat, or contaminated by bacteria? Science says ... maybe.
Researchers at Aston University in Birmingham, England, now suggest that the five-second rule is indeed true.
But a 2007 study of the five-second rule from Clemson University in South Carolina argues that there is no safe window for dropped food. Their data points to a "zero-second rule."
Here's the strange thing: Both the Aston study and the Clemson study used nearly identical methods of investigation, and ultimately had the same results—but with staggeringly different conclusions. So is the five-second rule legit or not?"
Read the rest at the link.


text:
PHOTOS! Here are Playboy photos of Vladimir Putin's Alina Kabaeva. Alina Kabaeva graced Playboy (pics below) but now reportedly impresses Russian head Vladimir Putin.
Alina Kabaeva was first reported married to Putin, a claim Putin denied. Today reports say Alina Kabaeva gave birth to Putin's son Dimitry, a report Putin hasn't responded to. Alina Kabaeva is Russia's most decorated gymnast ever. Currently 26, Alina won 2 Olympic medals, 18 World Championship medals, and two years ago was elected to Russia's parliament on Putin's political party ticket.
Alina Kabaeva Pictures Set 1
Alina Kabaeva Photo 1
Alina Kabaeva Photo 2
Alina Kabaeva Photo 3
ReadRussia.com reports "The most puzzling part of this story is that at press time, not a single major Russian media [outlet] has reported that Kabaeva had a son."
Alina Kabaeva Pictures Set 2
Alina Kabaeva Photo 4
Alina Kabaeva Photo 5
Alina Kabaeva Photo 6
But Page 6 reports it was Putin's child. "Putin is very careful about his public image. Still, considering Russia's Muslim population is about 30 million, it might not hurt him politically to have a beautiful, half-Muslim wife."
Alina is from Tashkent city now the capital of Uzbekistan. Her dad is a professional soccer player.
Correction: The magazine issue was not Playboy but Maxim, 2004.


text:
Results 1 to 15 of 38
Thread: Making of Dreadnought
December 27th, 2011 #1
Making of Dreadnought
Part I
Hi! My name is Alexei (aka Karanak), and Im one of concept artists working on Star Conflicts(http://www.star-conflict.com/en/) design. Today were starting a making of series with this post about one of the largest ships in the game. Ill guide you through the work process.
So, heres the task: make a huge ship-carrier, which will serve as a clan dreadnought for the Federation of Free Planets faction. The ships in-game size is 10 km long. Naturally its a carrier for smaller ships, but its also armed with multiple firing systems. Thats what well talk about today. But first, I want to say a couple of words about the whole idea behind the dreadnoughts appearance.
As soon as I received the order to create this ship, I started to look for inspiration: digging through piles of previous sci-fi works and searching for something capable of sparking my creative thoughts about the monster I was after. No proper inspiration was found. Then I went through some special space fantasy blogs still nothing. I hadnt found anything that even came close to what I was looking for, neither with this enormous size nor with the firepower and functionality of a carrier. So, I turned to the classics. I came across some artwork and screen grabs from Star Wars, and they gave me precious inspiration.
I started making sketches to get my rough ideas down on paper. After coming up with some variations I finally had something to choose between:
Once the generic view was established, I switched to the ships weaponry design. I was expected to make several types of weapons such as mounted AA guns (which will be manned by the player); the main heavy caliber weapons (enormous laser turrets supposed to fire at enemy ships of an appropriate size); smaller laser batteries; and rocket-launching towers.
Well, lets start with the AA complex. Id been thinking about the overall concept for a long time by then. The main idea was to design an automatically controlled turret with its own power generator, so it could be independent from ships mainframe. The sketches didnt take much time to be made, and heres how they looked:
After that I started making 3D sketches with Google Sketchup. I began with the optical sensor section responsible for targeting. The sections had several mounted cameras on it, able to rotate in multiple axes.
When that section was ready I switched to the body of the module, which had an elliptical platform in its base (since it was necessary for the module to contain its own power generator).
Barrels were put into a system of magnetic receivers that were supposed to be able to slide around the curved side of the modules power generator.
And last but not least I had to invent an appropriate attachment mechanism for the whole module. It was given a sliding lock to give it mobility in the horizontal axis.
Finishing the model I copied it into a blank Photoshop layer and gave it some after-effects. I merged the material render from Hypershot and a screenshot from Google Sketchup to enhance the picture without spending much time on it.
Maybe Ill give more details on how I designed that module later, but for now lets move on to the next object.
Next on my list was a small laser turret. This module was designed to carry a lightweight laser gun. Such a weapon would not be able to saw a light fighter in half, but would still be capable of causing severe damage with its pulsing heat beams. This is the sketch of it:
Then I returned to the Google Sketchup environment and began modeling a basic concept. I started with the barrel. It was given a pair of radiators to exhaust excess heat. The element emitting the laser beam was designed as a spiral-shaped block. When spinning fast enough, it would be able to channel a static beam generated inside the turret.
The next step was making a box stuffed with electronic devices and a locator mounted on the top of the container
And finally I made sketch of the turret base that holds the barrel itself. The base is capable to move in vertical and horizontal axis and has wide angle of fire. The laser battery is also installed on it.
In conclusion I improved the look with small details and painted the dummy in slightly different color tones.
Then same as for the AA turret I remastered it in Photoshop and composed a concept list.
Now its time for another gun.
his time it is a heavy laser weapon of enormous size. Basically it has something in common with main caliber cannons mounted on nowadays line ships. This gun is obviously supposed to be the main attack unit designed to destroy enemy spacecrafts of similar size. By design, these lasers will be dreadnoughts killers.
This is how the first sketch of it looked like:
The weapon has two barrels. A large independent generator is placed between them. So, I began my work in Google SketchUp. I started with one of the barrels.
After that when the basic shapes of the barrel were ready I began creating the central part - the portion of the gun which contains the generator and all necessary attachments.
Then the base of the turret was made. I took the smaller laser turret base for beginning, made some changes in the whole modules design. Added some geometry and small details.
Next step adding even more visual features. This is a gun that requires a lot more details to be shown so I had to dig in and make these details.
Then I improved texture of the shell, put some details to main junctions and voila the gun is ready!
The final colored picture was decided to be shown later since I started running out of time with the weapon design. This is how the final list looked like
The last item in the current list of weaponry rocket launchers. I believed that it should be completely classic: a box with an impressive number of rocket slots on a rotating block.
Started with a dummy of the main container. Pretty simple.
In conclusion I made a base that would carry the main portion of the gun
The final image was designed just like the picture of the previous weapon.
At this moment the order for dreadnought weaponry is complete. Maybe there will be additional requests in future but now I have to move to the next part spaceships hull design. But this is a different story which Ill tell later
Last edited by KaranaK; March 15th, 2012 at 01:18 PM.
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December 29th, 2011 #2
Very well done WOW !!Love. Where does it come from? Who lit this flame in us? No war can put it out, conquer it. I was a prisoner. You set me free.
Tons of Tutorials
December 29th, 2011 #3Registered User
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Awesome 'making of', definitely looking forward to Part 2.
January 15th, 2012 #4Registered User
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A really impressive piece of work! Can't wait to fly this babe already .
February 16th, 2012 #5
Part II
Hi guys!
This is Part Two of the article about designing the dreadnought. Originally, I was planning to show you a part of the armor. But it so happened that after the weaponry, I began working on the ships control towerthe bridge.
To start, I decided to create the components that have a specific structure or will be used repeatedly. For example, components that will hold anti-aircraft turrets, repeaters, tanks, and other things ...
After that I moved on to the design of the bridge. First I listed out the tower requirements: whole sensory systems, long-range weapons, various means of communication, radar dishes. Also there were specific componentsfor example, blocks of rescue capsules. Or a scientific section with a central centrifuge. The center itself is also a medical bay. Take a look:
After sketching it out, I began to build up an image in Google SketchUp. Of course I started with the base.
I put the module containing the staffs rescue capsules in the back at an oblique trajectory, so that they wouldnt be ejected with the engines exhaustin more or less a safe zone. I hope the rescue capsule will be useful. For example, when the ship drops to 10-15% of its total defenses, the rescue capsule prepares to shoot into space.
These show the section on the left side of the base, where the laboratory for studying the discovered relics is located. Another section will be located to the right of the bridge.
The next step was drawing the basic "cap" the bridge.
After outlining the base of the central section, I began to create fastenings for the main sensor units (those protrusions that were seen in the earlier stage). In the internal cavity I've drawn a couple of container hangars, which are used for cargo delivery
The editor started chugging, so I decided to temporarily disable the second symmetrical half of the bridge and work on only one part of it. Next I began to work on the body.
Then, in a separate document, I assembled sensor towers and attached these in the appropriate locations.
In the same way, I made the basic two-way radar tower and a spherical signal reflector (backup right and left side).
Then I started to work on the main parts of the bottom with the armor, windows, and detailing of other nodes of the tower.
It was time to pay attention to residential modules. In a new document, I assembled the main unit of the residential section and placed under the bridge. This section contains a pair of communication stations, and in the inner cavity, a few tanks are located.
The bottom of the bow tower is ready. It will be mounted on the right side of the base. A long corridor goes from the tower itself to the bottom of the main bridge.
I added a few important details, such as power relays at the back of the bridge, and finally put the bridge together.
The main tower is ready. Now its time to draw the central compartment. Located in front of the tower, it occupies the central area of the body.
I started with the basic geometry.
I kept creating main blocks and adding metal.
All in all we have:
Proceeding with a separate document, I created the backup radar, which maintains centralized monitoring of all smaller units. The bridge with the radar is located on the right side of the central part. The elevator shaft connects the bridge and the lower body. The radar itself is going to be animated, giving the illusion that its rotating around its axis.
In the rear of the unit, I've placed a pair of laser turrets that I made earlier.
At the front part of the same unit, Ive attached an anti-aircraft tower.
Finally I ended up with this design.
So, the central unit is complete.
Then I created some placeholder modules for the center of the body. Take a look.
Later I'll come back to these, to place shunting engines into these slots, which will be located in the upper and lower parts of the body.
Next time, I'll show you the process of working on modules, hangars, interiors, weaponry, and shunting engines.
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February 16th, 2012 #6
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing. I love watching all of the details build up in sketchup industrial designs... makes me want to get in there and play with the program more.
February 16th, 2012 #7
Wow - thanks for the great walk through Alexei! That's a lot of work just to upload and provide descriptions. I hope Star Conflict is a big hit!What would Caravaggio do?
Plein Air
Still Life
Sight Measuring
March 2nd, 2012 #8
Hi everyone! Let's continue talking about designing a carrier dreadnought. Today's topic: the operation of a modular part of the case (to be precise, the hangars and cannon units with shunting engines). All right, here we go!
Here's a small sketch of the body, to give myself an idea of what it should look like.
Modular construction is optimal for this ship, because it allows different modifications to be made to each of these units. For example, it is possible to create the shock [don't know what's meant by "shock" – should it be "stock" (meaning "standard" or "basic"?)] ship without an aviacarrying area. Or alternatively, a colonial (not armed) transport with an increased total length.
Let's start with work on the hangars. The first step is to make the hangar's outer doors and to decorate the interior.
The doors have a classic sliding mechanism.
The lower shutter is rolls away into the lower cavity, and the upper shutter, likewise, into the upper cavity.
The interior of the hangar uses the same modular system. The principle is simple: from the inner hangars, the fighter has access to an elevator platform, which is located at the end of the starter shaft. Afterward, when a fighter is in the shaft, the "gravity flow" picks up the ship and takes it into space with the optimal initial flight speed.
On the right is the basic acceleration unit, and on the left, the gravitational radiator.
This is how the final configuration looks. At the end of the hangar, in the front hoist elevator, a control station is situated. On each side are acceleration units, and on top and in the bottom, the "anti-gravities."
This is how it looks all together.
Let's return to the main body.
First, I outlined the basic proportions of the modules, lines, and bevels:
Then I created (more or less) three-dimensional details. Further, I elaborated from the structure of these parts.
I began work on the hangar. I set hangar sections apart, so that when you open up the hangar, the doors don't touch each other.
Then I began to create the basic metal constructions.
I outlined a hangar layout with a covering.
In the inner recess between the sections, I installed the flight control unit.
I worked on the surface of the covering. This ship needs to be heavily armored, so I made the components of the main sections multi-staged.
I set the basic caliber implements on the top and in the bottom of the hangar section, and included a pair of bindings for anti-aircraft turrets. These will cover the basic upper and lower hemispheres. To cover the middle of the hangar's anti-aircraft artillery unit, turrets located in the central section will be used. I'll describe these later.
The majority of the covering. The visual filling details are distributed on three levels. The first level is very tight. It is located on the lateral section (in this case, the location of the hangar). The second level is medium. Basic and important elements of the nodes are located in the central sloping block (where equipment is installed) and in the basic protection blocks. The lower, most simple, level is located in the central section. Somewhere it's even the monolith. [I don't know what that means] Thus, one of the basic rules of design is observed: there should always be places that are easy on the eyes, and places that attract our attention. [I think he's saying that some areas should be simple (so the eyes can rest) and some shouldbe complex (to attract attention). Howeverr, a "place for the eye to rest" can also mean "a place for the eye to focus," meaning that this would be the place that commands your attention. If that's what he meant you could say "there should ways be places for the eye to rest—places that attract our attention" with the dash indicating that both of these phrases are describing the same thing.]
After working on the covering, here's what we have:
The main construction of the hangar unit is finished, but setting the anti-aircraft turrets remains. Here's the result of this work:
Next I began to work on the engine correction block and the basic array of secondary weapons. This part was based on my work with the hangar.
The basis for the gun parts:
I produced this by marking the body according to the future locations of the shunting units. The I outlined the covering.
I set modular docking stations around the edges and lined up a few sheets of the main covering:
I established three massive anti-aircraft units at the tower, designed to cover the central part of the body.
An important step: this created the basis for the motor nozzle (heat sinks and radiation reflectors). [I'm assuming the heat sinks and radation reflectors are what make up the motor nozzle. If these are actually three different things, it should be "motor nozzle, heat sinks, and radiation reflectors."]
I installed engine nozzles, which had been created separately. At the same time I took care of the horizontal protective shields.
With the major work on the motor section completed, I continued to work on the central section of the body. I installed four torpedo missile turrets.
I started working on the slopes of the body, placing three laser towers on the top and bottom sides.
Placing components made it look like this:
The final stage – detailing of the part of the covering that's closer to the center of the ship – is one that we have listed as "low detailed."
The module is ready! Here's how it looks:
The last element to be reviewed today is the construction of the main hangar (the ship's cargo space). In the game universe, the hangar's role is to store large objects left behind by the Precursors, and also to transport large ships. The hangar's role in the gameplay is that it's the last vulnerable area of the ship that must be destroyed. This is the place closest to the reactor, and by breaking through the thin back wall of the hangar, you can cause a chain reaction of destruction to the nucleus—and, therefore, the destruction of the ship. But to get into this hangar, you need to perform several tasks. One of them is to destroy the hangar's force field generators, which are located in the bow of the ship.
First, as usual, I made a simple sketch, to be filled in with details.
Gradually I built up the covering, hangar layout, and important elements such as the bridge monitoring hangar, technical units, and "cover" of the reactor.
Today's mission is done! In the next part of the article, I will tell you about my work on the nose and tail parts of the ship.
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March 15th, 2012 #9
Hello, my friends! This is the conclusion of the article about making the dreadnought. Today, I'll tell you how I created the front and back parts of the ship.
This is where I began.
I started with detail work, trying a couple of different variations. These and some other vertical objects in the front part of the ship will be useful in the gameplay. Pilots will fly around them and hide from enemies there. The lateral foreship cavity will be one of the safest ways to reach the final point of destructionthe central hangar (where only a few anti-aircraft guns are located). Of course, this security is relative, since flying in tight spaces requires skill. But experienced pilots will be able to interact with the "terrain"to hide while repairing a ship, or to carry out a sudden attack on the enemy.
I outlined a flap of the foreships shield emitter. This is one of the elements that needs to be destroyed to take the ship down. To get into the foreship, you need to turn this off.
For the next step, I straightened the foreships geometry and outlined the thickness of the shell.
I continued to add detail to the vessels inner cavity. I installed shafts, which are used to transport various pieces of equipment. These shafts can also be used to eject beacons (to identify critical areas), to set up a minefield, and to let out different types of drones.
The covering, life supporting systems, a variety of containers, and moreall of these details are included on the list of the ships required contents. I staged rocket launchers in one of the planes.
In a separate document I created an array of the ships electronics and moved this to the mounting position. In active mode, these are used to deduce hyperspace coordinates. In passive mode, this is the primary electronic warfare systemany other ships that are near this ships nose will not have the opportunity to initiate warpdrive. This item is a duplicated system, since it's an important element of the ship. If the ships warfare system is destroyed, the ship can only perform a "blind" cyber-jump.
In the inner part of the body, a number of transformers have been set. When these are destroyed, the main hangars central forcefield turns off and access to the ships core becomes available.
I continued detailing the body.
I installed two anti-aircraft gun mounts on the inside edge. The body is symmetrical, so there are four installations on the front inner zone. This detail is also a part of the gameplayplayers have to choose whether to fly through an unprotected side zone to the center of the ship (and risk a potential conflict), or to fly through the foreship (where the foreship guns can be met). However, the flight through the upper part of the ship is not very pleasant, either, since anti-aircraft guns will be installed there.
I went on with the body detailing and set the AA gun mount.
Working and working...
I put bottom half of the ship aside and continued to work the middle part of the body.
I gradually filled the body with detailed covering and various modules.
Then I detailed the shield emitters flap.
I worked on the inside of the body
Finally, I detailed the rest of the covering and attached contacts to the shield emitter. To get into the foreships inner cavity, players will have to shoot off these contacts.
This is how the foreship looks in the end.
Next I got started on the final modulea module of engines and gravitational pull. Making the shield emitter was the first step.
Here's the SketchUp [or sketched?] object. Next I worked on the steel structure of the bulkheads.
Here's the outlined, non-detailed version.
Then I detailed it.
Finally I created the holder. There should actually be a capacitor over it. To disable the shield, you need to overload this system. During overload, the shield turns off and gives you an access to the ships rear systems.
Work continued on the body. The ships construction is fairly standard. I began with the basic geometry, and later went on detailing it.
I installed shield emitters on the body.
Then I began detailing the thickness of the covering.
I created the ledges for the future gravity block and outlined the armor sheets.
I created stabilization blocks and part of the bodys layout.
I upgraded this part of the body and set tail shafts similar to those on the foreship.
Step by step, I detailed the major part of the covering.
I created a gravity unit in a separate document and attached it in the right place. This maintains a constant gravity on the ship. When you get close to objects that have gravity (such as planets), the gravity unit helps you perform incredible maneuvers and even stay in a planet's atmosphere for some time (a couple of minutes). To do this, you need to channel all of the energy to the gravitational blockbut there is a risk of draining the reactor core. This system can also be used for an emergency landing, but this landing would be the ships lastthe reactor core isnt powerful enough to survive such an overload.
Speaking of the propulsion system, there are 11 engines at the rear. The central engine is a warpdrive engine. The "triplets" on the left and right are boosters. The extreme "dyads" are for maneuvering.
In a separate document I created a few nozzles.
I began installing these nozzles, while detailing the back of the body. Then I installed the shunting unit.
And warpdrive. I worked on a heat resistant covering for the back part of the ship.
I worked on the remaining piece of the covering.
The last element remaining was the shunting unit. This needed to be installed on the central part of the ship so that it could move vertically. Doing so was easyI created it from an existing module.
The development stage is completed. All that remained was to assemble the ship a process that took about one day.
Then I chose a color scheme.
And next I painted various elements. After assembling and painting, the ship started to look like this:
That's all! To wrap up, I Photoshoped the ship and created the concept list.
fullsize: http://star-conflict.com/upload/imag...ing_of4/50.jpg
I hope players will love this ship!
Technical info:
Project length: about 45-50 days
Folder with all of the dreadnoughts data: 4GB
Final Photoshop file: 210MB
Final SketchUp document (without anti-aircraft turrets): 67MB
Final area: 4,745,000 polygons (without anti-aircraft turrets)
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March 16th, 2012 #10
best!"Of course, everything looks bad if you remember it"
March 16th, 2012 #11
I know, they are going to love it!
March 16th, 2012 #12
Fantastic model, your greebling is superb. And you obviously have a lot of patience- Neil
Website - Blog - Twitter - Facebook - Conceptart.org Sketchbook Thread - DeviantArt Gallery
March 16th, 2012 #13
Dude. That's one fucking beast.
March 16th, 2012 #14
Totally ludicrous and awe inspiring.
March 18th, 2012 #15
fuck dude. that is on a whole other level. amazing
* edit
have you recorded any video of you working in sketchUp ? would love to see something this epic unfold
Last edited by inverse catheter; March 18th, 2012 at 08:43 PM.
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Piatkus to Launch New eBook Romance Imprint!
Whether you're lucky in love or still waiting for The One, we've got something guaranteed to inject a little romance into your Valentine's Day this year…
February 14th sees the launch of Piatkus Entice, their brand new eBook-first romance imprint. With new titles each month from authors including Eloisa James, Laura Wright, Sarah MacLean, Mariah Stewart and many more, Piatkus Entice will be a one-stop-shop for romantic fiction, offering readers everything from virile vampires to fairytale endings, ravishing rakes and so much more besides.
The website is now live at www.piatkusentice.co.uk. Have a look around the site, then follow them on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up to the Entice newsletter for the latest romance news straight to your inbox.
Check out some of the amazing new titles that will soon be available:
If you love romance, then I'm sure you're drooling right about now – I know I am! To sign up to their newsletter then check out their fab new website dedicated to Entice.
Laura and I are really excited about Piatkus new Romance imprint and we can't wait to start reading, so watch out for our reviews coming soon! 😀
Follow Piatkus Entice


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This catalog contains photos and artist statements of the 84 art quilts sent in for the 2009 Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit. The theme, "Home", highlights all the special moments that define what Home means to the 73 participating artists.
The 2009 exhibit benefited Bernie Berlin's animal rescue, "A Place to Bark" and raised $795 to help her in her work of finding permanent loving homes for dogs and cats.
You can read more about the exhibit at www.FibraArtysta.com
I am a fiber artist living in Southeast Michigan. I work primarily in fiber but also have a strong love of mixed media artwork. In addition to creating art, I also enjoy curating art exhibits.
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Where I Stand Published October 27, 2008
With One Voice Published September 28, 2008


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Posted by Yixiu Qingfeng, a Catholic webmaster in China
Online evangelization in China has not developed much and even appears to be at a standstill. Not surprising, perhaps, in a country where internet access is severely curtailed thanks to its infamous Great Firewall.
Most netizens know there is a way to "scale the wall" but even so, if you are a webmaster of any mainland Catholic website, you are likely to have had your site being accidentally blocked or been invited to "have a cup of tea" with security officials.
There are hundreds of large and small Catholic websites in China but more than half of them are no longer active and sites that are unique with frequent updates are very few.
In our diocese, management does not attach any importance to online evangelization, there is no clear direction for future development, or there is a lack of professional webmasters.
A fellow webmaster once told me his bishop allowed them to run a website but never gave support and he was powerless. "We had no money and we did not know who to turn to. The website was often being shut down but no one responded in timely fashion."
This situation is common to many Catholic websites. But why do dioceses not pay attention? Why there is no payoff even when support is given?
Political pressure has brought many internal problems to the Church. The "open" Church community is subject to government interference, even in the area of evangelization, while the "underground" community feels no love from its father (Rome) nor its mother (China) and thus has no motivation – or the time – to promote online evangelization. Coupled with conflicts between the two communities and their own internal frictions, few people have the mind to attend to this work.
You can see what I mean from different websites. The domestic Church news they carry is "very harmonious." They sing praise to the diocesan leaders and to the merits of the dioceses. Of course, this is not a bad thing, but there is no independence at all.
Moreover, the underground community-managed sites seldom report news of the open community and vice versa. A priest explained that "We should not report on that otherwise it may mislead our faithful that we have been united."
It is also unacceptable to report on bad news of the Church as it would "seriously hurt the feelings of the Catholics." Covering up mistakes is said to be upholding the reputation of the Church. Though we often complain that the news of state media is too unreal, we are also walking this path that is full of the color of the so-called "Chinese characteristics." The fourth estate has difficulty gaining a foothold in the China Church too.
Some bishops and elderly priests even think the internet is not a good thing. To them, browsing the internet means playing and wasting time. They have no concept of online evangelization. These all limit the development of Chinese Catholic websites.
Catholic websites endure the difficulties even with so many negative factors.
A leading one is Tianzhujiao Zaixian (Catholic online), which is one of the oldest Catholic websites in mainland China and so far the only portal. It is content-rich and is updated in a timely manner. It dares to disclose disagreeable phenomena in the Church. Compared to other sites, it has greater independence. It is not easy for it to survive in China.
But a webmaster of Zaixian told me that since they position themselves as an online portal, providing all kinds of information, and thus is too extensive rather than intensive.
Another former Zaixian webmaster said its website has never developed its own characteristics. Their news basically are aggregated from different sources – which is a common weakness of mainland Catholic websites.
Another popular Catholic website Tianren Rainbow Bridge, launched in 2002, is in a dilemma while looking for a breakthrough. A revamp of its site which began several years ago has still not completed. Several internet companies terminated their partnership halfway. These companies do not understand the stricter requirements for a Catholic website as they do not understand the Church.
Creating a website needs constant communication to achieve long-term needs. No one has such time and energy to linger on. The lack of a variety of professionals to run a Catholic website or revamping it is always a pain for all webmasters.
But does the problem really lie with the lack of talented people? What a former webmaster of Tianren said may be correct: "Web management must turn into the form of business management before they can succeed."
So this implies the need of huge capital investment, full-time webmasters, technical workers, professional journalists and audio-visual producers. Insiders know that each of these mean "burning money." So far, I do not see any diocese that has invested a lot of capital to create and run a website.
Since we do not have much ability to resolve these problems, other cheaper ways for evangelization, such as massive text messaging, blogs, forums, chatrooms and QQ instant messenger come in full swing.
But yet, they lack a backbone. Only until a site management system is available, all the other online evangelization tools will cohere together naturally. And only by that time the real era of online evangelization will come.


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$X$ is a (continuous time) Markov chain with generator matrix $\Lambda$ and finite state space $G$. I know that for $g\colon G \to R$ $$ M_t = g(X_t) - g(X_0) - \int_0^t (\Lambda g)(X_s)\, ds $$ is a martingale. Is it obvious how to extend this to $f\colon[0,T] \times G \to R$ where $f$ is $C^1$ wrt $t$ i.e. to show that $$ M_t = f(t,X_t) - f(0,X_0) - \int_0^t \left(\frac{\partial f}{\partial u}(u, X_u) +(\Lambda f)(u,X_u)\right)\, du $$ is also a martingale? Any help would be appreciated.
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If this is still of interest, such process can be represented as a PDMP (piecewise-deterministic Markov process) with time being one of the states. In this book M. Davis gives an explicit characterization of the extended generator of a PDMP together with its domain - i.e. you will find both necessary and sufficient conditions on $f$.
We have to show that for all $t\geqslant s$, $$E[M_t\mid\mathcal F_s]=M_s.$$ For $u,v\in\Bbb R$, write $g_u(v):=f(u,v)$. We have to show, introducing the semi-group $\{P_t\}$, that \begin{align}g_t(X_t)-g_s(X_s)&=\int_s^tP_{u-s}(\partial_u f(u,X_u)+(\Lambda f)(u,X_u))du\\ &=\int_0^{t-s}P_v(\partial_v g_{v+s}(X_{v+s})+(\Lambda f)(v+s,X_{v+s}))dv. \end{align} So it reduces to show equality between the derivatives. Let $h\neq 0$. Then \begin{align} f(t+h,X_{t+h})-f(t,X_t)&=f(t+h,X_{t+h})-f(t+h,X_t)+f(t+h,X_t)-f(t,X_t)\\ &=(P_h-I)g_{t+h}(X_t)+f(t+h,X_t)-f(t,X_t). \end{align} We conclude using the definition of $\Lambda$ and the continuity of the semi-group.


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My New Filofax
One of my goals this year is to organise my life. I have started to do this in a variety of ways. One of these ways is by using a Filofax planner.
I have always been obsessed with planners. I used a paper planner all through school and college to keep myself on track. Colour coding and to-do lists have always been a part of me and I wanted to take it one step further.
I bought myself a black personal metropol planner.
Right after I purchased it, I started to panic. I realised that I was becoming obsessed. Browsing filofax blogs. Pinning multitudes of filofax pins to my newly created filofax boards. Following filofax instagram accounts. I was going to become one of those insane planner people who was going to have weekly themes and colour codes and categories for everything. I was slowly going to sink so much money into this little book buying washi tapes and custom pages and special pens and stickers. Is a new obsession and money-sink what I really wanted?
A friend of mine, Carla saw me rambling on Twitter about how I needed ALL THE WASHI TAPES one day and she suggested that we do a mail swap. She would send me some washi tapes and I could send her some things from New Zealand. I won't say here what I sent her way because she has not received it yet but all I can say is WASHI TAPES!!!
She sent me all but two of the washi tapes that I already owned plus the beautiful box that I am keeping them in now. I have so much washi taping ahead of me for my filofax and perhaps some other projects which I may share with you soon.
This week, I have gone with a red theme for Valentine's Day instead of my usual colour coding like in previous weeks (see the first picture). I'm not sure which I like better – coding for different types of events or having one colour theme for the week. Maybe it will depend on the washi tapes. I am still trying to test it all out to see what works for me.
The next thing I'd like to do with my Filofax is develop more sections for meal plans, blogging, and a to-do list. I want to make custom dividers for these. Stay tuned for more filofax goodness! My Erin Condren teacher planner should also be arriving this week.


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Fans of Lauren Oliver's best-selling young adult series Delirium are in for a treat. The abandoned TV show adaptation is getting a limited release on Hulu.
A pilot for the TV series based on Delirium was filmed, starring Emma Roberts, Gregg Sulkin, and Darren Kagasoff, but producers at Fox chose not to pick up the series for the network.
In an announcement today, WIGS and Hulu revealed they are bringing the pilot to viewers online, but for one month only. Starting next Friday, June 20th, fans have just one month to catch the pilot online, and you can watch the trailer for it now.
It's a bittersweet development for the Delirium adaptation, that's for sure -- as the teaser for the pilot looks good, and will likely leave fans wanting more. But alas, there is only this one episode ... well, and three whole books to devour!
What do you think of the trailer for Delirium? Will you be watching?


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BEREA – The Baltimore Ravens have been searching for a top-flight quarterback for several seasons. Ironically, they might have had one on their roster two years ago – and let him go.
Derek Anderson was drafted by Baltimore in 2005, but was released just two weeks into the regular season. The Browns claimed him off waivers and the rest is history.
"We coveted Derek and really thought he had a future, but we got into a roster situation," said Ravens coach Brian Billick, whose team hosts Cleveland on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. "We thought he was a great prospect going forward and we thought we could develop him. Cleveland did a great job of picking him up."
Due to a numbers crunch on special teams, Baltimore attempted to shift Anderson from its active roster to its practice squad on Sept. 20, 2005. NFL rules, however, force teams to put players through waivers before assigning them to practice units. That allowed Browns general manager Phil Savage to claim Anderson, much to the Ravens` chagrin.
"Phil and (Oregon State coach) Mike Riley have a great relationship, that`s probably what prompted him taking a stab with Derek after we let him go," Billick said. "He`s playing the way we thought he would. "You go through (changes), he gets his opportunity, and he steps up and plays brilliantly."
While the Ravens have gotten little production out of Steve McNair and Kyle Boller all season, Anderson ranks among the NFL leaders in numerous categories. Anderson is fourth in the league in passing touchdowns (20), eighth in yards per attempt (7.64) and 11th in passer rating (90.7).
Current Baltimore starter Boller is 23rd in yards per attempt (5.76) and 24th in passer rating (74.6). McNair, who is sidelined with a partially dislocated shoulder, sits 25th in passer rating (73.9) and ranks dead last in the NFL in touchdowns per attempt (1 per 102.5).
If those numbers weren`t bad enough for Baltimore, there is one even scarier stat: The Ravens team has five passing TDs, while Anderson threw for five scores on Sept. 16 against Cincinnati.
"I`ve always thought Derek was a poised quarterback, even when he was here," Baltimore linebacker Bart Scott said. "He was mature beyond his years and he`s a pocket quarterback that makes quick decisions."
Though Scott was quick to offer his training camp memories of Anderson, "D.A." is doing his best to make his release by the Ravens a non-story, even in a conference call with the Maryland media.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder insisted "there are no hard feelings" and "it`s just another week." But he did admit thinking about what might have been had he stayed in Baltimore.
"Possibly, it would have been a little while until I got a chance to play, but who knows what would have happened?" Anderson said. "It`s a business and that`s all it is. I`m just going to prepare and go play. I`m not going to worry about that stuff."
The Ravens, meanwhile, will continue to worry about anything and everything at Anderson`s position. Boller is headed for unrestricted free agency, while the 34-year-old McNair is not expected to be retained in 2008. It`s a mess that Billick will have to deal with sooner, rather than later. For now, though, the quotable coach is happy to watch his former players` development.
"Having been around him, Derek is such a joy to be around. He`s very coachable and very much wants to be good," Billick said. "You get to this point of your maturation and all of a sudden things fall together and you`re playing well. He`s doing that now."
Contact Brian Dulik at 329-7137 or email@example.com.
Browns: Former Raven Anderson paying off for Browns
BEREA – The Baltimore Ravens have been searching for a top-flight quarterback for several seasons. Ironically, they might have had one on their roster two years ago – and let him go.


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Women's Studies Minor
The Helen M. Upton Center for Women's Studies has overseen the interdisciplinary Women's Studies minor since the center was founded in 1990. The Women's Studies minor allows students to explore the experiences, contributions and perspectives of women from a variety of disciplines. Students can choose courses in diverse fields from English to Nursing, Biology to Criminal Justice and each student can construct a minor that will complement her major field of study. The Women's Studies minor will enhance each student's women's college education and prepare themselves for the world they will encounter when they complete their studies. Students have said that women's studies courses help them to clarify important personal, political and professional issues and prepare them for lifelong learning and growth.
"You gain a greater respect and understanding of the different lives other women lead. The more I learned about other women in the world, the more I learned about myself as a woman. " - Anna Quiñones, Class of 2005
The Women's Studies minor "fills in the blanks" left by traditional curricula that focus on men's experiences and accomplishments as the norm. Women have always contributed to society but their stories have not been told nearly as much as men's. The Women's Studies minor tells the stories of women in history, math, science, literature, business, government, art, health and all areas of life. It offers a unique and more complete perspective on the world; a perspective that will be valued by future employers and will complement every field of study.
"Women's studies courses encourage women to be strong, powerful and influential. I am confident that the women who surround me at Russell Sage College are going to make a difference on our campus, in their own communities and in their future endeavors and places of employment." - Mary-Ellen E. Stockwell, Class of 2008
The 18-credit Women's Studies minor can be completed by students in nearly any major. Choosing from courses in diverse fields -- from English to Nursing, Biology to Criminal Justice -- students can construct a minor that will complement their major field of study and enhance the value of a women's college education.
Women's Studies courses help students to clarify important personal, political, and professional issues and to prepare themselves for the world they will encounter when they complete their studies.
Why Study Women's Studies?
- Studying women's studies is more than just learning the laws and theories of feminist scholars. Women's Studies, unlike any other discipline, allows students to gain a new world view instead of studying a static set of rules and laws. Women's Studies allows students to see the world they have experienced since birth through a completely different lens, to ask questions that challenge the status quo, and most importantly, provides students with the knowledge to create change. Women's Studies is a dynamic, diverse, and constantly changing field. It is relevant to every situation in which persons of every gender interact. If that is not enough, in studying at Russell Sage College we have the unique opportunity to examine how our gender manifests as an integral part of our identities. It is this quest to understand how our unique experience as women shapes us that makes women's studies so relevant. It is also the reason that no student of Russell Sage College should graduate without a Women's Studies minor. -- Caitlynne Cash, Class of 2010


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+1 802 2971459
Room #3
Room Detail
Room 3 is a standard room on the first floor. This room sleeps a maximum of four guests and includes two double beds. Room 3 has a private bathroom with a shower stall, A/C in the summer, WiFi connectivity, and a wooded/garden view.
- Microwave Access
- Complimentary WiFi
- WiFi connectivity
- Guest Fridge Access
- Hairdryers
- Soap/Shampoo/Toothpaste
- Printer Access
- Free Parking
- Complimentary Breakfast
- SKi Storage Access


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Download Keane - Myth Lyrics video
Download Keane - Myth Lyrics video on savevid.com
Download Keane - Myth Lyrics streaming video in flv, mp4, avi formats direct easily on Savevid.com.
Keane - Myth Lyrics
- Provider: YouTube Link:
- Rate: Please rate this video Views: 1 Downloads: 1
Download ringtone at --►► ◄◄--
Keane - Myth Lyrics
You built it up, brick by brick,
Put your heart into this baseless myth
Notching it in like a child
Undress its when it rain wild,
You stop to fix your face, someone else step in,
and took your place
Now everything you want knew,
is running in circles around you
A car door slamming in your road,
it tortures like a kick inside.
A year old message on your phone
that catches you when you can't hide.
I see you in the service station sign,
I see you in the supermarket line,
I see your silhouette on the wall,
But i don't see myself there at all.
This fancy and bounce of words(word?),
Is the wagging tail of the neighbourhood,
The busy in cost confort,
And get that taste of the drama,
You stare through mindless daytime shows,
And curse yourself a growing old,
You stare also into your shaving phone,
Reminds you of another world
I see you in the roofless, on the sky
I see you in the ladder stop outside,
I see your silhouette on the wall,
But i don't see myself there at all.
I see you in the sweetness of our child,
I see you supermarket aisle.
I see you and i kneeling on the floor,
And i can't see myself anymore.
Hard times got the over hand
Stone or fervor plant,
Your faces shock me, spin me around,
But i won't lie down
Hard times shape me to the bone,
Face proves, bloody nose,
Shell-shocked, crawling on the ground,
Still i won't lie down
I won't lie down
No, i won't lie down
I won't lie down
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- Category: Flag video


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Findings for PPC in Provo
Provo Ranks Amongst Least Expensive Markets for Google Adwords in USA
SEP's ongoing research into PPC Campaigns has revealed that Provo was the 107th least expensive city in USA in keyword bids in Google Adwords for the month of June 2016. Provo also ranks amongst the least expensive cities in Utah, ranking as number 2nd. In the study, San Buenaventura ranked as the most expensive city in the country, while Ontario ranked as the least expensive city.
Year over Year Google Adwords Prices for Provo are up in June 2016
SEP's research shows that the average price of a click to advertisers targeting Provo keywords increased by (Yr/Yr increase %)% versus the same keywords one year earlier.
Google Adwords Keyword Prices 56% Higher in Provo than West Jordan
SEP's research also tracks Google Adwords price changes and trends in cities across Canada and the U.S. Recent data shows that average prices in Provo are 56% higher than in West Jordan. The average price of a click in Provo is $12.79.
This price difference is understandable though, given the population of West Jordan is less than Provo, which generally means less competition and therefore lower prices.
To understand if prices in Provo are relatively low, we also compared prices with Peoria which has a similar population, and found the average price of a click in Provo was 29% higher than in Peoria. This suggests that perhaps Provo prices are not relatively low.
The Price Rank shows how expensive keywords are in certain industry and segment relative to other cities in a country, region and province.


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The alumni meet will pit the "old-timers" against the current teams. A post-meet tailgate will immediately follow the friendly competition on Friday evening.
The Stanford men's and women's swimming and diving programs have combined to win 16 national titles and 50 conference title over the last three decades.
-- #goStanford --


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Interesting Animal Stories by Curt Miller
Groundhog Day Features Longest Running Weather Forecastby Curt Miller
The world's foremost weather prognosticator has tens of thousands of fans coming to his doorstep on one special day of each year, has his longrange weather prediction mentioned in local forecasts around the globe on that day, and even has a ball held in his honor, along with numerous other celebrations. And, he's been forecasting for 127 years!
3 Most Popular Pets in U.S. Homes - The Latest Demographicsby Curt Miller
Which pets are the most popular ones in the United States? Dogs and cats, of course, but Number Three on the list just might surprise you. And, of all of the various pets we have in our homes, which one reigns as Number One?
5 Reasons Not To Give A Pet As A Giftby Curt Miller
Everything you need to know about selecting the perfect pet and giving it to someone as a gift for the holidays, a birthday or other special occasion, can be summed up in a word. Don't.
Do You Treat Your Pet Like A Person? Take This Quizby Curt Miller
Many people consider their pet to be a full member of their family. And lots of folks believe their pet is part of the family, even though they may not consider it to be a full-fledged member. Read on and then answer a few questions based on the results of a couple of studies designed to show how much we consider pets to be part of the family.
10 College Mascots That Are Really Strange and How They Came To Beby Curt Miller
Some college mascots simply are truly weird ... but every one of them has a really colorful story to tell. Here are a few of them, from Blue Hens to Purple Cows.
Can Litter Boxes Cause Suicide? Link Shows Up In Studiesby Curt Miller
Can a parasite transmitted by cats (commonly found in cat feces) cause changes in your brain and make you want to kill yourself? A couple of recent studies seem to be pointing in that direction.
Testicular Implants for Dogs. Is It Nuts?by Curt Miller
Dogs have long been treated to being pampered with expensive shampoos, special haircuts and nail polishing, visits to doggie spas during the day or while the master vacations, and much more. So where do we go from here? Apparently a long way. In fact, all the way to the advent of artificial testicles.
Why The Honey Badger Is The Most Fearless Animal on The Planetby Curt Miller
The Guinness Book of Records has a category listing the world's most fearless animal. The ferocious carnivore that holds the title has no problem with running up to a lion or leopard on a kill and driving it away. It also has a taste for snakes and routinely enjoys a cobra or other deadly serpent for lunch. Can you guess what it is?
DNA Evidence May Force You To Pick Up After Your Dogby Curt Miller
Next time you walk the pooch and decide to walk away from any droppings left behind by your friend, better think twice about it if you're in an area where dog DNA technology is being used. You may not be on camera and nobody has to witness the dirty deed, but if someone else scoops it up and sends it to a central registry for testing, it's going to cost you. And DNA technology for scoops of poop is growing.
How Safe Are Petting Zoos?by Curt Miller
Petting zoos are great places. Kids get to bond with animals other than a dog or cat. Children learn about animals they rarely see in person, so in addition to being a fun place to visit, they are also educational. The problem is they are also dirty, just like a farm with animals is dirty. So you need to take some precautions when you visit one. Here's a few tips...
continue to page 2 of teasers >>
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During the May 8 episode of the Dr. Oz Show, Diane Keaton shared her struggles with bulimia during her 20's. Also, neurologist David Perlmutter shared the potential for neurological issues from unhealthy carbs.
Diane Keaton's struggle with bulimia
68-year old Keaton shared her struggle with an eating disorder. Keaton described her initial denial of her disease as she lied to her therapist before admitting she had a problem. "I have news for you! I throw up and I not stopping", the actress recalls shouting to her therapist.
Keaton labeled herself a recovering addict as it will always be a struggle to resist the urge to relapse. Keaton had to change her view of beauty and learn to embrace who she is, as she is. Keaton claimed one day she just stopped purging and hasn't relapsed since. Keaton released a book, Let's Just Say it Wasn't Pretty, in April of this year.
Keaton's new book chronicles the actress' life working in the entertainment business where beauty is in the eye of the producer, writer, or director as oppose to the beholder. Keaton shares some private moments that have taken place with her family including her two children. Keaton's two children, daughter Dexter and son Duke were adopted when she was 50.
Gluten and dementia
Dr. Perlmutter is well known for his book Grain Brain in which he claims gluten and unhealthy carbs may be the cause of many neurological issues. Some the illnesses associated with carbs is depression, dementia, chronic headaches, and anxiety.
Perlmutter claims that his 4-week plan will help reverse the damage to the brain created by carbs and gluten. While on the show Perlmutter shared the foods that should be included in our regular diets. Perlmutter's take on the replacement of foods seemed contrary to what Americans have been learning about feed. Butter and saturated fats were at the top of the list of foods that we should be eating.
Perlmutter claims that butter, not margarine, but plain old fashioned butter should be included. Perlmutter compared our needs to the composition of the brain as well as breast milk. Since our brain in mainly fat and breast milk contains saturated fats Perlmutter claims we should include fats in our diet.
Wild caught salmon, whole eggs, avocados, olive and other natural oils were included on the list of foods to include in your diet. Also, according to Perlmutter healthy carbs including apples and berries will aid in reversing neurological issues.