text:
Town Square
Why Trust PUSD?
Original post made by Stacey, Amberwood/Wood Meadows, on Apr 5, 2009
Part of making factual statements is providing transparency on how those statements were arrived at. PUSD is not providing that transparency. Here's another example. On the Budget FAQ they compare teacher salaries with "other districts". They don't tell you which districts those are, if those districts are even comparable to PUSD, and they only pick four of them to rank PUSD with instead of ranking PUSD amongst all the "on the schedule" districts to find a true ranking.
Spin, spin, spin!
Comments (6)
a resident of Downtown
on Apr 5, 2009 at 9:29 am
PUSD is doing exactly what their "campaign managers" have told them to do. Stand alone measure so they have a greater chance of passing their agenda,perpetuating the myth of real estate values and schools, half truth statements comparing apples and potatoes, etc.,etc.,etc.
a resident of Val Vista
on Apr 5, 2009 at 9:38 am
"Spin, spin. spin !"...you are correct. I used to do the same thing in the corporate world at budget time. I could always make the numbers come out in my favor...tell them only what you want them to know, dont tell them where you got your information, and hope that they buy it. I hope the voters in Pleasanton don't just "buy it".
a resident of Downtown
on Apr 5, 2009 at 9:56 am
Why not trust PUSD?
Their 40 year track record is pretty good.
And if you're going to question the current or recent leadership: Why have you let it come to this? There are elections every two years and in the the case of PUSD, we've had several appointments made to the board in recent years. These people work for you and me. Any three adults who reside in Pleasanton (or say they do) can run for the school board. Why be happy to criticize Dr. Casey when you could fire him?
This is America. These schools belong to us. They are being run by people elected by us. If you don't like it... Change it.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Apr 5, 2009 at 10:46 am
When the subject of a parcel tax was first raised, I was among those who thought "save teacher jobs, save programs, $233/year for four years, okay."
But I began reading information posted on the blogs, information I thought couldn't possibly be accurate, so I started doing my own research. I expected my own research would prove those asking questions about the need for a parcel tax to be wrong. What I found out was the more research I did (e.g. reviewing Valerie Arkin's proposal, the BAC paperwork, reviewing previous school board meetings, etc.) the more concerned I became about PUSD financial practices.
I was surprised to discover that indeed, $120K per year is spent to provide administrators with car allowances, and that in addition to those car allowances some administrators also have district gasoline credit cards.
That $120K alone would provide the additional funding needed to completely support the Barton Reading program, keep the Valley View reading specialist on the payroll, and still have money leftover for other programs that directly impact students.
I recognize that in better economic times, administrators were offered perks to attract them to PUSD. But these aren't better times, and all over the country, employers and employees are foregoing raises and bonuses and executives are giving up perks to save jobs and get budgets in line with these troubled economic times.
And it's not just being done in the private sectors.
In Fremont, the Superintendent of Schools had all employees turn in district credit cards, eliminated providing meals and beverages for meetings and nixed any workshops/conference except those that were mandatory to apply for grants or required by the government.
In San Jose, four top officials in City government took a pay cut, and salaries were frozen for 1,000 other management staffers for an annual savings of $2.5 million. That savings more than allows the City to save the police school crossing guard program. City Manager Debra Figone said "Every million dollars helps," and "it is critical that we lead by example."
I think we can all agree that the community's goal is to provide a quality education for our children. But I am also committed to ensuring that PUSD allocate our tax dollars in a way that prioritizes resources to meet that goal.
I don't see how using our tax dollars to ensure that administrators have zero costs for traveling to and from work benefits our children.
I began my research expecting to be convinced that PUSD was using our resources wisely and that a parcel tax was the only viable solution to the budget crisis. I began my research believing that the PUSD budget crisis was entirely due to the State's budget crisis.
The more I researched, the more convinced I became that PUSD hadn't managed our resources wisely, and the more worried I became that parcel tax dollars would allow PUSD to continue its spendthrift ways, and four years down the road, instead of the parcel tax expiring, Pleasanton, just like San Ramon and Livermore would be asked to not only renew the parcel tax, but possibly increase the amount.
I also became convinced that this particular parcel tax isn't necessary - not now. I can and will support a parcel tax in the future once I'm convinced that PUSD has cut all the fat, and put into place the kind of financial oversights that will allocate the bulk of our resources towards educating our children.
But first PUSD must do a line by line evaluation of their budget and look at each item and ask "Does this expense further our goal of providing a quality education?"
Regarding the issue of transparency, I must agree with Stacey. For example, reviewing the School Board meetings, I did discover that indeed, the School Board agreed to pay $100K to relocate the solar panels at Foothill High School due to a PUSD error.
But as you can see below, when PUSD was asked about solar panel costs on the Budget FAQs, there is no mention of the $100K expense. In this case, PUSD has been very selective about the information it's willing to allow the community to know. This error of omission has been pointed out to the School Board, and yet, no change has been made on the Budget FAQs. It's these types of errors of omission that make me concerned about what other information isn't being shared with the community.
I encourage all Pleasanton residents to not rely on the information which PUSD is willing to share, but ask to see actual records of expenses, transcripts of school board meetings over the past few years, and copies of employment and consultant contracts.
Getting this kind of documentation is not easy, but to truly get a picture of why PUSD is in its current budget crisis, it's necessary.
Below from PUSD Website, Budget FAQs section:
Did the installation of solar panels cost the District money?
No. The panels were installed at no cost to the District. PUSD signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Honeywell which enabled Honeywell to install panels on our roofs and enabled the District to buy power at a fixed, lower price. Our current cost for power is 11.5 cents per kwh, and the agreement includes a 4.5% increase annually for inflation. The going rate when we signed the agreement was 15 cents and has now gone to 16. The estimate for first year savings was $35,000, which will probably turn out to be $44,000 in savings this year.
Honeywell is also responsible for maintaining the panels. At the end of the agreement (20 years), the District has the option to continue the agreement, purchase the panels at a depreciated price, or have Honeywell remove them at their cost. In summary, the project has enabled the District to realize a savings to the General Fund.
a resident of Downtown
on Apr 5, 2009 at 11:54 am
Great information from all of the above -- but the best part is that Stacey started another "forbidden" thread and Jeb has not yet closed it down. Nor has he explained why he uses his position as editor to write in favor of a tax that could personally benefit him via saving his wife's job. Man is it gonna be a long time til that election . . .
a resident of Mohr Park
on Apr 7, 2009 at 5:50 am
Sandy is a registered user.
have you emailed your concerns to the public information officer for the district? was there a response?
Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
Livermore trustees demonstrating wisdom
By Tim Hunt | 11 comments | 1,387 views
2017 guide to summer camps
Looking for something for the kids to do this summer, learn something new and have fun? The 2017 Summer Camp Guide features local camps for all ages and interests.


text:
Checked my hives on Sunday. One of my colonies has several swarm cells, one with a larvae and another with an egg. I had a nuc ready, and had hoped to find the old queen and make a nuc. I could not find the old queen, so I closed that hive back up.
We have a cold front moving in, bringing thunderstorms today, and cooler temperatures the rest of the week. High temps Thursday and Friday are 65 and 62, with low to no winds. My question is, would it be too cold to split this hive on Thursday? The high temp will be 65 on Thursday.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ivan Lett
When Emperor Charles V was elected Holy Roman Emperor in June 1519, his influential position became incredibly important for the strength of his family. Only three years before, he had inherited the vast lands of the Spanish Empire, which already spanned the far ends of the globe, and within Europe itself, he personally ruled over Spain, the Low Countries, Austria, and Naples. Charles' aunt, Catherine of Aragon, had married into the Royal House of Tudor in England, one of the few rival monarchies to Charles' Habsburg power. At first, she married the eldest prince, Arthur, but after his untimely death, King Henry VII arranged for Catherine to marry his new heir, the eventual Henry VIII, as his first wife.
We all know the legends of Henry VIII and his six wives, but I always found a sad spot in my heart for poor Catherine. Call me an Hispanophile, but she was in no easy position. After six pregnancies, only Princess Mary survived, and Henry would stop at nothing to have a male heir. By 1525, Catherine, already five years Henry's senior, was over forty and seemed unlikely to become pregnant again. When Henry tried to pressure the Pope into granting an annulment, his envoy was prevented from gaining access because the Pope was Emperor Charles' prisoner. Naturally, he was on his aunt's side, but Henry was determined to prevail. Enter: the English Reformation.
So it's no wonder that these events are the background for a chapter called "Dysfunctional Family" in John Edwards' new biography, Mary I: England's Catholic Queen. The conflict between Mary's parents framed the most significant events of her life, and with a particular focus on Mary's religious faith, which was at the heart of everything she did, Edwards works to bring this controversial Queen into perspective. Most often remembered for her attempts to reverse the rise of Protestantism in England, Mary's reign saw the persecution and execution of religious dissenters. After thoroughly and exhaustively researching the Spanish archives, attempting to sympathize with Mary's Catholicism, Edwards applies his knowledge to casting Mary in terms of religious rather than exclusively personal decisions. It's not that he exalts Mary—you don't get the name Bloody Mary for nothing—and there is little that can be done to overturn nearly five centuries of bad opinion, but he gives a new way of how we can see the violent burnings and actions of her reign. He focuses more on Mary's short marriage to Phillip II of Spain, Charles V's son, the clergy, and the nature of her Catholic rule. After all, Mary, Phillip, and her administrators did truly believe that what they were doing was right in the name of God and their Christian faith.
The book is coming out in September, so enjoy your summertime Bloody Mary before you give pause to think about its namesake. Oh, who am I kidding?: Tomato, Tomato.
(On a final note, Henry VIII's birthday was the same as Charles' election: June 28. Just how intertwined could these two families be?)
Ivan Lett is Online Marketing Coordinator for Yale University Press.


text:
Flag montage from exhibit
ITC touring exhibit on immigration runs through Jan. 14
By Mary Grace Ketner
Curator, UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures
(Dec. 19, 2006)--A multimedia exhibit at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) chronicles the hot-topic issues of immigration on the Mexico-U.S. border.
"Seven-String Barbed Wire Fence: Many Faces of Latino Immigration in the United States" runs through Jan. 14, 2007.
Today's headlines
- La Prensa Foundation is newest member of UTSA Lone Star Society
- UTSA alumna Jordan Kaufmann wins $50K for new stent-graft start-up
- UTSA begins new way-finding sign installation this summer at Main Campus
- USA Today: UTSA long jumper Tyler Williamson rescues three-year-old boy
Article tools
The exhibit documents events that have garnered national attention, and profiles the lives of Latino migrants in the United States through the eyes of New Mexico photojournalist Diana Molina. Stunning large-scale photography, haunting video, three-dimensional installations and informative text and historical content depict the stories and opinions of those most impacted by the current immigration system.
Now an El Paso, Texas-based photographer and writer, Molina created the uniquely balanced, artistic and humanizing photographic exhibit to document the post-9/11 arguments and effects of Latino immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border.
"During the years I've spent documenting the debate over the issue of immigration, marching alongside unauthorized migrants in the desert and in protest, accompanying Minutemen on nighttime border patrols, walking lengths of the wall that divide the United States and Mexico, I've seen a dire need for dialogue and information, if we are to progress," Molina said. "This project aims to provide that information and spur that dialogue by providing a compelling account of the issue."
She and the exhibit's co-producer, Jake Rollow, a reporter with the El Paso Times, traveled the Deep South on the Houston-based namesake route of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride in 2003 and embedded themselves among the Minuteman border patrollers when they launched their mission in 2005 and then came to Texas later that year.
"There are no simple answers," according to John Davis, ITC executive director. "For many, this issue strikes at the very heart of what our forefathers envisioned when they founded a nation of immigrants. Others believe that true national security depends on America's ability to effectively secure her borders. This exhibit will give these varying perspectives a voice."
The exhibit is sponsored in part by Humanities Texas and the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities, the state partners of the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Texas-based Summerlee Foundation; and the City of El Paso Museum and Cultural Affairs Department. The exhibit was launched in August as the feature exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History.
A selection of the exhibit's images is in the permanent collection at the University of Texas at Austin Benson Latin American Collection and the University of Texas at El Paso Special Collections Library.
For more information on the exhibit, call (210) 458-2330.------------------------------
UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures is San Antonio's cultural-experience museum. Established as the Texas State Exhibits Building for HemisFair in 1968 and later designated as a campus of The University of Texas at San Antonio, the museum has spent nearly 40 years telling the stories of Texas' diverse citizens and inviting guests to join in the celebration of Texas' multicultural heritage. ITC is home to the Texas Folklife Festival, Asian Festival and six other cultural events. The museum is closed Mondays.


text:
Office of Inspector General
Functional Statements > Office of Inspector General
This component centralizes the information technology operations capabilities. The unit directs, controls, coordinates, and provides a full range of advanced computer and statistical techniques services required by Audit Services, Investigation Services, and Management Services, conducts IT Audits and Cybercrime investigations. ITACCI is comprised of the Information Technology Audit Division (ITAD), the Computer Assisted Assessment Techniques Division (CAATD), and the Technology Crimes Division (TCD). This centralized concept ensures maximum coordination and cooperation both internally and externally.
Information Technology Audit Division
ITAD uses non-organizational teams to conduct IT audits of internal Departmental systems. The teams are responsible for liaison with the Department and participation on Departmental teams as appropriate.
In performing its functions, the teams:
- Develop policies and procedures on the application of IT audit techniques.
- Provide advice and assistance related to the Department's internal systems.
- Provide real-time assessment of information technology developments.
- Conduct general and application control reviews.
- Conduct system security and vulnerability assessments of the Department's systems and networks.
- Conduct quick response audits.
- Conduct research on best practices and emerging technologies.
- Review proposed IT policies for the Department.
- Establish liaison with other OIG groups and outside audit entities for the purpose of sharing knowledge, identifying the most effective software tools, developing performance standards, and improving audit performance.
CAATD – Computer Assisted Assessment Techniques Division
The Computer Assisted Assessment Techniques Davison directs, controls, coordinates, and provides a full range of advanced computer and statistical technique services to Audit Services, as well as providing advanced techniques assistance to Investigation Services and Evaluation, Inspection and Management Services.
In performing its responsibilities, the Division:
- Develops policies and procedures for the application of advanced techniques.
- Identifies and recommends procurement of software packages that enhance the operations of the Division.
- Modifies and develops innovative methodologies for employing data extraction and analysis software, statistical analysis, and other advanced techniques.
- Provides assistance and guidance to audit teams, investigators, and management team members in the extraction and analysis of computerized files from Departmental and external sources.
- Provides guidance to staff and senior management on data warehousing, data mining, and computer and mathematical modeling.
The Technology Crimes Division (TCD) is the OIZG component responsible for investigating computer security incidents within ED, as well as, conducting forensic analysis of computer systems and other electronic media in support of criminal investigations. In addition, it is responsible for the coordination, tracking, and conduct of proactive data mining activities and projects; referring the results of those efforts to the field for investigation. TCD is comprised of fill-time Computer Crime Investigators (CCIs), technical professionals, and program analysts. All CCIs have full statutory law enforcement authority as granted by Congress.
In performing its responsibilities, the Division:
- Perform cybercrime investigations in response to attacks against, as well as unauthorized access of, Department of Education information systems, networks, computer systems, or databases.
- Investigates the criminal misuse of Departmental computers, which could include the accessing of child pornography.
- Performs forensic analysis of computer media in support of criminal investigations by both TCD and OIG Investigation Services.
- Develop policies and procedures on the application of advanced evidence collection, preservation, and analysis techniques.
- Performs the intermediate step of validation of data query results to reduce or eliminate false positives, cross-checking data with other publicly and privately available databases, conducting sophisticated link analysis, and ultimately generating productive investigative referrals for Investigation Services field offices.
- Conducts proactive data mining initiatives and is responsible for the project management of those products, which includes coordination with field offices, tracking efforts, and reporting results.


text: Hello my fellow Gm Loving friends! haha! arty: So Here I am Saluting you all from The nice and darn cold province Of Quebec in Canada. I am young and looking for wisdom concerning my dreamtruck The Chevy Suburban... I know its been called : A Soccer Dad truck and stuff but I just love them... Drove them in many different trims for work. from LS to brand new Fully Loaded LTZ. My big dillema beeing a truck I saw for sale near the military base I used to be. Its a 2003 Black Chevy Suburban Z71 96 000 Km (60 000Mi) Always maintained at the GM Dealership with full vehicule history... Driven by an 60 Y/Old man 15800$ Nice Canadian Dollars (14800 USD$) What do you guys think about that ? Cheers!


text:
- 453078 000000000 453078000000000
Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand
- Write a Review
The Single Guitar Stand features the innovative Hercules Auto Grab System (AGS) yoke: the arms turn in and up with the weight of your guitar to hold ...Click To Read More About This Product
6-Month* financing available.
- Free Shipping
- Top Rated
- Top Seller
- Lowest Price
- 45 Day Returns
- Ships Internationally
Never accidentally knock your guitar off the stand again.
The Single Guitar Stand features the innovative Hercules Auto Grab System (AGS) yoke: the arms turn in and up with the weight of your guitar to hold it securely and simply open up when you lift it off. All contact points with the instrument feature Specially Formulated Foam (SFF) rubber to protect your guitar's finish. Also features the Hand Grip Height Adjuster, which makes adjustments a breeze with a locking pin to secure the stand in place. A folding backrest flips down to support your guitar and back up for storage and transport.
All Hercules stands are safe for most nitrocellulose lacquer finish guitars*.
*Hercules tests for many types of nitro finish, however some guitar manufacturers change their nitro mixture often. Guitars should never be stored on a stand...always in the case.
- Auto Grab System yoke
- Specially Formulated Foam
- Hand Grip Height Adjuster
- Adjustable backrest
- Height: 33.6"-42.3" (855-1075mm)
- Weight: 3.7 lbs. (1.7kg)
- Base radius: 12.5" (320mm)
- Load capacity: 33 lbs. (15kg)
Stop worrying about your instrument and concentrate on the music. Order today!
Reviewed by 7 customers
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
I recently played a gig, out-of-town, where I was going to use only one guitar -- so I bought the model GS412B stand (I prefer the model with the extension at the bottom, not the one with padded legs). This products stands up to the rigor of the road and minimal (but plenty) of padding to wear out. Over several years of service, I can say with confidence that the padded material does not interact with the finish of the guitar
No worries about securing your priceless guitar. Even if the guitar is not "priceless" monetarily, it can priceless to replace. All guitars are not made the same and when find one that has the sound, string action, etc. -- you don't want to take any chances with it falling over. This guitar stand is definitely one of the most secure guitar stands that operates with a single hand to pick up and put away on stand.
I've had the dual guitar model GS422B Duo for several years of daily use. Nothing flimsy about the engineering of this stand and its latching mechanism. This stand sets itself apart from the inexpensive stands in that it is made of sturdy tubing, adequate spread of the base legs, and the right tilt to keep the instrument stable.
Considering the protection this stand offers and the engineering design, workmanship, and sleek appearance on stage -- the guitar is very inexpensive protection for your valuable instrument. I have played guitar in multi-venue situation where my guitar was on stage while other entertainers did their acts before mind. I was never worried that floor movement or a slight jar would send my instrument flying.
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
The innovation here is two prongs that hang loose when there is no guitar in the stand, and lock when pulled down by the weight of the guitar. The guitar body hangs free. When you grab the neck and lift upwards, the prongs release the guitar. Great idea. But after two months of light use (I took the guitar out of the stand and then returned it at most five times a week, and never moved the stand itself), one prong stayed locked when I tried to take the guitar out. That meant having to force the neck out of the stand, which--at best--caused a string or two to snag on the stuck prong and detune. At worst, it scratched the gloss on the back of the neck (Les Paul). I'm back to an old-fashioned stand that isn't futuristic, but also doesn't harm my guitar.
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
I own one, and work with them while doing that roadie thing. The screw that holds the locking mechanism for the height adjustment likes to come lose, and if you're on the road and want to fix this you better have a punch to disassemble the lock grip, otherwise you'll have to cut a hole into the handle to reinstall the screw. I've done it twice already and with my current stand i've taken it apart and put loc-tite on the screw as a precaution.
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
The G412B Single Guitar Stand is awesome. It holds the guitar securely while at the same time sort of displaying it for everyone. It's also perfect for odd shaped axes and such. A++ on this bad boy! Hercules Stands hits home again.
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
These things are awesome. I have 2 of them. I stand all of my extreme shaped guitars in them, keeps the points sharp (BC Rich, Jackson, ESP, etc...) and no dings on the tips.
- Compact
- Holds Items Securely
- Portable
- Stable
- You have to purchase carrying bag separately
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Performances
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
Use mainly while leading worship at church.
- Compact
- Holds Items Securely
- Portable
- Stable
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Performances
Comments about Hercules Stands GS412B Single Guitar Stand:
Although this item was listed as 'back ordered' the item arrived ahead of the projected date and met all my parameters for timely delivery. The quality was as expected and the shipping packaging was perfect, the item arrived in perfect shape.


text:
St. Louis, Mo. -- Almost everyone had gone home. A lone pair of squeaking sneakers separated Saint Louis University's Chaifetz Arena from silence.
While all his classmates, teammates, and friends departed campus to be with their families for the holidays, redshirt senior guard Kwamain Mitchell stayed behind to get ahead on his rehabilitation.
Just days before the 2012-13 season was set to begin, Mitchell heard a pop in his foot during practice. The news was grim: a fractured left foot meant the 5-foot-10 guard was on the mend for months.
So, in the midst of his winter break, there was Mitchell. Flanked by trainer Jonathan Burch and strength & conditioning coach Erick Schork, the veteran ran through a myriad of drills.
"I felt like me staying back here kind of showed the guys that I'm dedicated," he said. "I'm trying to get back and help the team out. We have to get ready for conference play. The guys were at home enjoying their families, but I was here trying to get ready."
For the second time in his SLU career, Mitchell was apart from his family on Christmas Day. A quick Skype session with his mother Ava between workouts provided context for how far he has come. After all, Mitchell's love for the game began as a tot back in Milwaukee, Wis.
"I can remember getting a Fisher-Price court," he said. "The first shot I took, I was with my mom in her lap, and I just threw the ball up and it went in. My mom from there told me that I was going to have a career in basketball."
Former head coach Rick Majerus agreed with Ava. The late Majerus, known as one of the game's greatest minds, was giddy when Mitchell, a pure point guard and winner of two state championships, committed to SLU over Minnesota and Illinois State.
Majerus, who passed away on Dec. 1, had a front-and-center seat for Mitchell's first three years of eligibility. Although Majerus is no longer there to patrol the sidelines, Mitchell says the culture is clearly infused with his teachings.
"You can tell the impact that Coach made on the team and the players as a whole," Mitchell said. "Every game is for Coach. . . . he always told us to compete our butts off."
Without Mitchell, they've done just that – compiling an 8-3 record heading into Friday's game against SIU-Edwardsville.
Junior guard and Mitchell's roommate, Mike McCall, Jr., has stepped up admirably in Mitchell's absence, averaging 11.4 points per game. He has seen and experienced Mitchell's impact on the team first-hand.
"He's like another coach on the floor," McCall said. "If you make a mistake or do something good, he's going to be the first one off the bench to tell you. . . . we are going to be a way better team [with him] than we are now. Just adding another player that can create for himself and others."
Despite not having played a minute this season, Mitchell (along with backcourt mate McCall, Jr.) was named to the Cousy Award Watch List, an honor eventually bestowed upon the nation's best point guard.
Much of that recognition, he believes, was based upon stellar performance in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. However, what many might not know is that playing in those two games last March was entirely in doubt. A week before SLU faced Memphis in Columbus, Oh., Mitchell badly sprained his ankle. He didn't practice leading up to the game in an effort to allow the injury to heal as quickly as possible. Nonetheless, he poured in 22 points in 37 minutes of play as SLU notched a come-from-behind victory over the Tigers. Another valiant effort against the No. 1-seeded Michigan State Spartans ended the Billikens' season.
Fast-forward nine months. With his team already eleven games deep into its schedule, Mitchell is ready to begin his next trek back from being wounded.
A career in Midtown, filled with stories of both adversity and delight, resumes Friday night. Mitchell will run out onto the court wearing the No. 3 uniform for the first time this season -- an homage to childhood idol Allen Iverson, which he says is based on similarities in on-court ability and off-court upbringing.
"Once I get back to 100 percent and things start clicking, we'll be a tough team to beat," Mitchell said.
With a loaded Atlantic 10 schedule ahead, SLU's chances at making another March run rest to a large degree on the shoulders – and feet – of its heart and soul, Kwamain Mitchell.


text:
DJ Fluker can eat 3 chicken parmigiana's at a succession rate of 20 bites per minute while taking only three breaths of inhalation while maintaining a complete steady body range of motion. All at the same time while being INVERTED.
"You killed my family, and I don't like that kind of thing."
Great stuff .
" Success is never final, but failure can be " B.P.
Aah yes sports science, thee deciding factor in every teams final board....
I remember Sports Science mention how JPP hit the bag with the most amount of Force, which was why his bull rush was so effective. And his wingspan, was that of the mantruvian man. I think 81" wingspan, could be wrong. The same with Hosley on Sports Science, with his leaping ability and able to react and cover ground.
This worries me I'm too superstitious. The giants have drafted someone in the past 3 drafts who had a sports science feature. Hosley, Prince, JPP.
I dunno how many players get these videos made each year; maybe it's a lot.
Last edited by DarceChoke; 04-17-2013 at 11:19 PM.
sports science does pieces on pretty much the top 30 prospects of every draft the past few yrs...dont sweat it. they did one on hosely lol...


text:
Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
Please enter your password to continue.
Jack black makes good quality products but are a bit overpriced. Luckily I was able to use birchbox points to try some other products from jack black. The moisturizer is great. The shave cream is meh. I don't see myself paying that much for something that's doesn't work drastically better than off the shelf drug store shaving cream. Aveno makes a great one that's not that expensive for being premium. The face wash isn't anything spectacular either.3
Jack Black PureScience® Jet Set Traveler is a great value for a full-size sampler pack. I have used Jack Black products of all kinds over the past few years and have found them all to be top quality. Individual product reviews are below:
5/5 stars for the Supreme Cream Shaving Lather: Shaving with this cream is a uniquely satisfying experience. It smells so good, so much like marshmallows that I want to eat it! The cream dispenses from its tube slowly and steadily so it is easy to control. Note a small dollop of cream goes a long way; it readily lathers as soon as it touches water and provides excellent coverage for a close, effortless shave. My face feels really soft after using this cream even before I apply after shave balm.
5/5 stars for the Daily Facial Cleanser: I believe Jack Black's claims that toner is mixed into this product are true because after using this cleanser, I notice my face feels much firmer than after using a scrub or other soap. I couldn't detect a scent, which is good because I like my cleansers unscented. This cleanser worked really well for me because my pores appear smaller and I have noticeably fewer blemishes on my face since I started using it.
4/5 stars for the Double-Duty Moisturizer: This moisturizer moisturizes very thoroughly. However, I am deducting a star from an otherwise perfect review because its fragrance is overpowering. I prefer unscented moisturizer even moreso than unscented cleansers because their fragrance sticks with me longer and later into the day and doesn't mix well with other fragrances I actually choose to wear. I would rather smell like after shave lotion or cologne all day instead of smelling like scented moisturizer.


text:
Throughout history' women have used a variety of herbs such as dong quai' licorice root' chaste tree berry' black cohosh' and fennel. Modern research shows these plants contain natural compounds called phytoestrogens' which offer support for female glandular function. FemTone™ hormone balancing formula combines phytoestrogens from high quality plant extracts with hesperidin and ascorbic acid.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not meant to diagnose' treat or cure any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional supplement program or before using these or any product during pregnancy or if you have a serious medical condition.
Serving Size: 2 Veg Capsules
Servings per Container: 45
Amount per Serving / % DV**
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 100 mg / 167%
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) Root Extract 250 mg / **
Hesperidin 50% (from citrus fruits) 200 mg / *
Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) Root Extract 50 mg / **
Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus) Berry Extract standardized to contain 0.5% agnusides 50 mg / **
False Unicirn Chamaelirium luteum) Root Extract 3:1 50 mg / **
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Root and Rhizome Extract standardized to contain 5% glycyrrhizic acid 50 mg / **
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Seed Extract 3.9:1 25 mg / **
** Daily Value (DV) not established.
Other Ingredients: vegetable capsule (modified cellulose) and magnesium stearate.
Contains no sugar' salt' yeast' wheat' gluten' corn' soy' dairy product' artificial coloring' artificial flavoring' preservatives' or ingredients of animal origin. This product contains natural ingredients; color variations are normal.
* This statements has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose' treat' cure or prevent any disease.
Take 2 capsules three times daily or as recommended by your healthcare professional.
Caution: Discontinue use and consult a healthcare professional if you have a liver disorder or develop symptoms of liver trouble' such as abdominal pain' dark urine' or jaundice. If pregnant' nursing' or taking prescription drugs' consult your healthcare professional prior to use.
Allergy / Dietary Needs
- Corn Free
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Salt Free
- Soy Free
- Sugar Free
- Wheat Free
- Yeast Free
Ratings & ReviewsReview This Item
Overall Rating for FemTone - 90 Vegetable Capsules
Displaying reviews 1-4 of 4
By Justine
from Illinois
Great for hormone issues
My chiropractor/acupuncturist recommended FemTone by Integrative Therapeutics. I'm turning 40 this year and I've been having problems with hormone balance over the past couple of years. I take FemTone along with a daily B12 (same brand) and I notice a huge difference in my symptoms. I'm feeling much more energetic and even-tempered.
Works great. No stomach disturbance.
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
By Rose
from Essex VT
Reduces my hot flashes
FemTone by Integrative Therapeutics noticeably reduced my hot flashes. Hot flashes increase when I run out of this product.
It works well
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
By elizabeth
from flowery branch, GA
not sure
this probably works great for some but i didnt notice that it "fixes" female problems. i think this could be a great source when used properly and under a dr.s care. just hormones dont help us ladies we need adrenal and thyroid levels healthy too. try this under a drs recommendation only. :)
By Sherille
from Evergreen, Colorado
Fem Tone ideal for Women during Menopaus
I was referred to a product called Spectra 305 - 15 years or so ago. It was a Nature-path that introduced me to it. This product was upgraded and the name changed to FemTone by Integrative Therapeutics several years later. I have continued to take it and the benefits through menopause problems have been wonderful. I initially took it primarily for head aches around my cycle and not only are they at a minimum but hot flashes and other issues are at bay.
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
Displaying reviews 1-4 of 4
Questions About This ItemAsk a Question
Please ask any questions you may have about this specific product in the field below.
Your question(s) and our corresponding answer(s) will not be confidential and will be posted publically on this specific product page.
Additionally, PureFormulas is unable to directly recommend products in relation to specific health conditions. Please contact your trusted healthcare practitioner for direct product recommendations.
If you have any general questions regarding orders or our policies and programs, please contact our Customer Happiness Team @ 1.800.383.6008
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medications or have any medical condition, consult your doctor before use. Your healthcare professional is the best source for guidance before beginning an exercise or nutritional supplement program.


text:
Carpenter, Elizabeth. "Jim Dine." In Bits & Pieces Put Together to Present a Semblance of a Whole: Walker Art Center Collections, edited by Joan Rothfuss and Elizabeth Carpenter. Minneapolis, MN: Walker Art Center, 2005.
© 2005 Walker Art Center
For more than four decades, Jim Dine has created a profound vocabulary of iconic images with which to communicate a pantheon of emotions stemming from his exploration of the depths of human experience, both in the mind and in the world. A native of Cincinnati, in 1958 he moved from Ohio to New York, where he was befriended by young and up-and-coming artists such as Red Grooms, Claes Oldenburg, and Tom Wesselmann. There he became an integral part of the burgeoning avant-garde scene that was at once laying Abstract Expressionism to rest and offering an alternative to the prevailing aesthetic of action painting. By the mid-1960s, Dine's work had become synonymous with Pop Art, a movement with which he has never felt a strong affinity. He has long disassociated himself by arguing that his sources are personal, not popular, and that his works pertain more to his lifelong search for the self and for insights into what it means to be human. In 1977, he insisted, "I'm not a Pop artist. I'm not part of the movement because I'm too subjective. Pop is concerned with exteriors. I'm concerned with interiors."1
In the spring of 1966, Dine spent two months in London, where he was commissioned by Paul Cornwall-Jones at Editions Alecto to produce a print portfolio.2 He later returned to England with his wife and three children in June 1967, and decided to abandon painting,3 a moratorium that opened him to other creative endeavors, including printmaking and poetry. By 1969, he had taken up painting again, having sufficiently banished his demons and come to terms with his early success and his self-imposed outsider status.
This personal renaissance led to a series called Painting Pleasures, which includes the Walker Art Center's July London Sun (1969), a work that addresses the subjects of the act of painting itself and Dine's identity as an artist. Following the French Impressionists' tradition of plein air painting, he strove to record the effects of air and light, while also capturing the very particular atmospheric conditions that he had experienced in London and nowhere else.4 Dine has frequently turned to art-trade motifs, such as palettes or color charts, for their abstract qualities but also "to venerate painting for the sake of painting."5 Similarly, in this work he has placed a portable easel with requisite canvas attached in front of his larger, four-panel work.6 The easel, the identical gestural brushstrokes that appear on the lower right canvas and its miniature counterpart, and the ghostly word "pleasures" that the artist stenciled on the bottom edge of the lower left canvas all self-reflexively point to the elation and release brought about by his return to his favored medium after a long hiatus.
Dine's prodigious career has encompassed a wide range of media, including sculpture. In the winter of 1982–1983, he traveled to Los Angeles to work on a large series of bas-reliefs commissioned for the newly renovated Biltmore Hotel, and during his stay, he was invited to teach a bronze-casting course at the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design.7 With the assistance of the art department staff and a select group of students, he began work on The Crommelynck Gate with Tools (1983). Dine had executed a series of paintings two years earlier in which the gate image made its first appearance, and he attributes his use of this motif to a dream he had of the nineteenth-century iron gate that stands in front of the Parisian studio and residence of master printer Aldo Crommelynck. "For eight years I could see the gate from the table where I made etchings, and it became a symbol for me of France and my friendship with Aldo and his wife, Pep," Dine recalls. "I saw in its arabesque shapes a way to make a painting that would be the closest I would ever come to abstraction. Of course, it didn't end up that way. It never does."8 Approximately twice as large as the actual gate, his sculpture includes direct wax castings of his own tools, such as hammers, axes, pickaxes, cutters, and wrenches as well as wooden sticks, which were heated and twisted to alter their appearance, then cast in bronze and welded to the armature of the gate. Tools have been a part of Dine's consciousness since he was a very young boy working in his grandfather's hardware store, and continue to assert a pervasive presence in his oeuvre. He has even gone so far as to refer to them as his "passports to feeling."9 For an artist who has relentlessly exposed his inner life through his art in a fearless search for meaning, this gate with all its talismanic accretions is the ultimate revelatory motif.
Quoted in John Gruen, "Jim Dine and the Life of Objects," Artnews 76 (September 1977): 38. ↩
Dine created a portfolio of ten screenprints with collage entitled Tool Box (1966). ↩
Dine had been feeling increasingly alienated from the New York art world and was also having a disagreement over money with his dealer in New York, Sidney Janis. He spoke freely about this rift in his interview with Germano Celant and Clare Bell in Germano Celant and Clare Bell, eds., Jim Dine: Walking Memory, 1959–1969, exh. cat. (New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1999), 204. ↩
The artist has stated that the Walker's painting relates directly to an earlier work, Long Island Landscape (1963), currently in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Dine, unpublished interview by Martin Friedman, November 18, 1981 (Walker Art Center Archives). ↩
Quoted in Marco Livingstone, Jim Dine: The Alchemy of Images (New York: Monacelli Press, 1998), 92. ↩
His decision to use four canvases in a grid formation was a practical one; his art supply store did not carry anything larger, and he had wanted to work on a very large scale. However, the qualities of formal division had also long appealed to him and he had successfully used this format in the past. See Friedman interview, 1981 (Walker Art Center Archives). ↩
In November 1981, Dine's longtime Los Angeles patron Gene Summers commissioned the artist to create the work for the Biltmore's restaurant. Dine worked with the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design to produce the piece. See Maurice Tuchman, Jim Dine in Los Angeles, exh. bro. (Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1983). ↩
Quoted in Graham W. J. Beal, Jim Dine: Five Themes, exh. cat. (Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 1984), 136. ↩
Quoted in Martin Friedman, "Brushstrokes, Passports and Bones," in Martin Friedman, Jim Dine: New Tool Paintings, exh. cat. (New York: Pace Wildenstein, 2002), 4. ↩
Carpenter, Elizabeth. "Jim Dine." In Bits & Pieces Put Together to Present a Semblance of a Whole: Walker Art Center Collections, edited by Joan Rothfuss and Elizabeth Carpenter. Minneapolis, MN: Walker Art Center, 2005.
© 2005 Walker Art Center


text:
Text size:
Print this page
E-mail this page
July 2011
In NIJ's Research Report Digest, you will find brief descriptions of studies in various criminal justice disciplines, such as criminology and forensic sciences,
and evaluations of technologies in the law enforcement and corrections fields.
This issue includes reports based on NIJ-funded research that were added to the NCJRS Abstracts Database from October-December
Find research reports related to:
Spreading the Wealth: The Effect of the Distribution of Income and Race/Ethnicity Across Households and Neighborhoods on City
Crime TrajectoriesAuthor: John R. Hipp
This research explores the trajectories of crime rates in 14 similar areas, mostly cities, that have seen dramatic population
growth since World War II. It focuses on the composition and distribution of economic resources, race and ethnicity in each
area. The areas are Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Orange County (Calif.), Orlando, Phoenix, Riverside, San Bernardino,
San Diego, Silicon Valley (Santa Clara), St. Petersburg, and Tampa. The data and discussion contribute to the understanding
of the effect of race, ethnicity and economic resources on crime rates at the city and county level.
Read the complete report Spreading the Wealth: The Effect of the Distribution of Income and Race/Ethnicity Across Households and Neighborhoods on City
Crime Trajectories (pdf, 63 pages).
The Memphis Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiatives (SACSI) Project: A Case StudyAuthors: James R. Coldren, Jr. and David R. Forde
The SACSI team collected data to pinpoint the nature and extent of the sexual assault problem before developing problem-solving
initiatives. The team examined offense, arrest and victimization data covering the five years before SACSI started and also
studied geographic (crime mapping) patterns. The team collaborated with various federal, state and local agencies and organizations
to build local partnerships and explore the sexual assault problem through qualitative research methods. The team then developed
a three-pronged approach to reducing sexual assaults, incorporating suppression (law enforcement), intervention and prevention
Read the complete report The Memphis Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiatives (SACSI) Project: A Case Study (pdf, 49 pages).
Contingencies in the Long-Term Impact of Work on Crime Among YouthAuthor: Shun-Yung Kevin Wang
The study describes "ladder jobs," which have significant potential to be the start of an attractive career with a realistic
possibility of upward movement on the status ladder, especially when cumulative experiences are credited. The findings show
that ladder jobs had a significant crime-decreasing effect compared to other types of employment. A job that pays little but
improves the chances of a long-term career is more effective in preventing delinquency than a job that pays comparatively
well in the short term. This suggests that discussions about employment and internships for youth should consider long-term
features of occupations, not only the immediate monetary gains.
Read the complete report Contingencies in the Long-Term Impact of Work on Crime Among Youth (pdf, 225 pages).
Potential of Redemption in Criminal Background ChecksAuthors: Alfred Blumstein and Kiminori Nakamura
In 2007, law enforcement agencies in the United States made more than 14 million arrests. As of December 31, 2006, state criminal
history repositories contained more than 81 million criminal history records. Because of the increase in automation, by the
end of 2006 about 91 percent of these criminal history records were accessible electronically. This has increased the ability
of employers and others to conduct criminal background checks on potential employees and other people. At the same time, increased
access to criminal history records means that people who have led a "clean" life since their arrest may find it difficult
to get a job. The goal of this research project is to provide guidance on the issues surrounding the increased use of criminal
background checks. The report discusses recent trends in the use of criminal background checks. It also addresses the lack
of guidelines for employers to help them understand how the age of the criminal record relates to the level of risk of a new
Read the complete report Potential of Redemption in Criminal Background Checks (pdf, 58 pages).
Crime and Victimization Among Hispanic Adolescents: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study of Acculturation and Segmented AssimilationAuthors: Chris L. Gibson and Holly Ventura Miller
Second-generation and sometimes third-generation Hispanics are more likely to report both offending and victimization compared
to first-generation Hispanics. Few neighborhood differences were found. However, several individual-level characteristics
were associated with crime and victimization. Exposure to delinquent peers and low self-control were predictive. Linguistic
assimilation did not predict outcomes other than the frequency of offending, while victimization and offending did not vary
significantly across neighborhoods. The authors draw from segmented assimilation theory to explore variation in delinquency
and victimization, suggesting that immigrant youth acculturate differently depending on where they live. Those who acculturate
within disadvantaged, inner-city contexts are more likely to experience downward assimilation (i.e., more involvement in crime).
Those in neighborhoods with a high concentration of immigrants are less likely to experience downward assimilation because
of the protective factors associated with ethnic enclaves.
Read the complete report Crime and Victimization Among Hispanic Adolescents: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study of Acculturation and Segmented Assimilation
(pdf, 110 pages).
Anticipating the Future Based on Analysis of the Past: Intercity Variation in Youth Homicide, 1984-2006Authors: Angela Browne, Kevin J. Strom, Kelle Barrick, Kirk R. Williams, and Robert Nash Parker
The findings show that trends in homicide, robbery and aggravated assault for both juveniles and young adults followed the
same general trend between 1984 and 2006. Arrest rates for lethal and nonlethal violence increased in the early years, followed
by a significant downturn after the early 1990s, and then a subsequent and significant upturn in the more recent years of
the period. Although some factors were consistently associated with youth violence across offense type, time, and analytic
techniques, others were significant in only certain situations. Gang presence, gang activity and drug market activity were
consistently associated with the escalation in homicides among juveniles and young adults.
Read the complete report Anticipating the Future Based on Analysis of the Past: Intercity Variation in Youth Homicide, 1984-2006 (pdf, 74 pages).
The Course of Domestic Abuse among Chicago's Elderly: Risk Factors, Protective Behaviors, and Police InterventionAuthors: Karen L. Amendola, Meghan G. Slipka, Edwin E. Hamilton, and Julie L. Whitman
The study found that elderly victims who had been visited by trained victimization officers in the Chicago Police Department
(the "police sample") were more likely to have at least one incident of subsequent abuse compared to those who experienced
no police intervention (the "community sample"). However, for those in the police sample, the number of forms of abuse that
reoccurred decreased. In addition, people in the police sample were more likely to have engaged in protective behaviors or
to have requested services than those in the community sample. These findings suggest that intervention by officers who are
trained to help elder abuse victims can lead to increased engagement in protective behaviors and eventually to a decline in
the number of frequently occurring forms of abuse.
Read the complete report The Course of Domestic Abuse among Chicago's Elderly: Risk Factors, Protective Behaviors, and Police Intervention, (pdf, 132
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Policies for Reducing Sexual Violence against WomenAuthors: Elizabeth J. Letourneau, Jill S. Levenson, Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Debajyoti Sinha, and Kevin S. Armstrong
The study found an 11-percent decrease in first-time sex-crime arrests after 1995, the year in which South Carolina set up
its sex offender registration and notification (SORN) program. This decrease occurred during 1995-2005 compared to the pre-SORN
period (1990-1994). There was significant decline in arrests in the six years after 1999 (the year in which South Carolina
set up its online sex offender registry), suggesting that online notification did not create general deterrence for adult
sex crimes. Across a mean follow-up of 8.4 years, 8 percent of registered sex offenders had new sex offense charges and 4
percent had new sex-crime convictions. Registered sex offenders did not reoffend more than nonregistered sex offenders. The
study infers that SORN, as carried out in South Carolina, seemingly has had a positive impact on general deterrence in averting
about three new first-time sex-crime cases each month. However, the state's SORN policy has had no effect on deterring the
risk of sexual recidivism.
Read the complete report Evaluating the Effectiveness of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Policies for Reducing Sexual Violence against Women
(pdf, 77 pages).
Risks of Violence in Major Daily Activities: United States, 2003-2005Author: Andrew Michael Lemieux The purpose of this Ph.D. dissertation is to quantify the risk of violence Americans are exposed to when they visit different
places and engage in different activities. To date, there is limited research about how dangerous one type of place is compared
to another or how dangerous different activities are. This paper is an application of three closely related criminological
theories linked to the ecology of crime: the routine activity approach; the lifestyle perspective and environmental criminology.
Using victimization and time-use data from the years 2003-2005, the risk of violence in numerous types of places and activities
is quantified. The risk of violence Americans face at home is substantially lower than in other locations. The data also show
that an individual's risk of violence in the home is dependent on the activity. Sleeping is the safest activity; the risk
of violence during other activities at home is 12 times higher than it is for sleeping.
Read the complete report Risks of Violence in Major Daily Activities: United States, 2003-2005 (pdf, 549 pages).
Multiple Perspectives on Battered Mothers and their Children Fleeing to the United States for Safety: A Study of Hague Convention
CasesAuthors: Jeffrey L. Edleson, Taryn Lindhorst, Gita Mehrotra, William Vesneski, Luz Lopez, and Sudha Shetty
This report focuses on women who experienced abuse overseas and came to the United States to protect themselves and their
children, but who then faced civil actions in U.S. state or federal courts for child abduction under international legal agreements.
Researchers interviewed mothers around the world, their attorneys and their husbands' attorneys. The study found that U.S.
authorities and courts often send children back to the care of the allegedly abusive fathers in the home country. Mothers
and children faced great hardship after a Hague Convention decision, including hefty legal fees.
Read the complete report Multiple Perspectives on Battered Mothers and their Children Fleeing to the United States for Safety: A Study of Hague Convention
Cases (pdf, 405 pages).
Computational Methods for Handwritten Questioned Document ExaminationAuthor: Sargur N. Srihari
Questioned document (QD) examination involves the comparison and analysis of documents, printing instruments, and writing
instruments to identify or eliminate people as the source. Questions about documents arise in research, business, and finance,
as well as in civil and criminal trials. A significant part of QD examination concerns handwriting. The goal of this project
was to develop computational approaches such as algorithms, statistical models, and software for two forms of handwriting:
extended writing (e.g., a paragraph or page of writing) and signatures on paper documents. The tools developed showed their
effectiveness in four areas: establishing that handwriting of twins can be distinguished; providing an upper bound on the
error rate of expert human examiners; automatically extracting frequencies of various letter formations for use in forensic
testimony, and determining authorship of a historical document.
Read the complete report Computational Methods for Handwritten Questioned Document Examination (pdf, 46 pages).
A Statistical Validation of the Individuality of Guns Using High Resolution Topographical Images of BulletsAuthor: Intelligent Automation, Inc.
Barrel markings on the bullets fired from a gun are typically unique to that gun. This study extended that premise to most
barrels. Barrels made by Bryco were the notable exception. For Bryco barrels, the variability found on bullets fired by the
same barrel was so extreme that the feasibility of a reliable identification of the firearm from a bullet it fired was questionable.
The study concluded that the ability to find out that a given bullet passed through a specific barrel depends on the individual
barrel itself and not only on its brand. In addition, the automated analysis used in this study is not representative of that
of a trained firearms examiner. A trained firearms examiner will perform better because humans have the ability to perform
pattern matching, and this ability is difficult for an automated system to reproduce.
Read the complete report A Statistical Validation of the Individuality of Guns Using High Resolution Topographical Images of Bullets (pdf, 49 pages).
The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence in the Criminal Justice ProcessAuthors: Joseph Peterson, Ira Sommers, Deborah Baskin, and Donald Johnson
For the five jurisdictions analyzed, the study found the collection of forensic evidence from crime scenes and victims was
extensive in homicides and, to a lesser extent, rapes. However, the evidence was significantly more limited for assaults,
burglaries and robberies. Except for homicides, few of the reported offenses involved forensic evidence sent to crime laboratories
(89 percent for homicides; 32 percent for rapes; and less than 15 percent for assaults, burglaries and robberies). The overall
percentage was also low for reported offenses that had physical evidence examined in crime labs. Except for homicides (81
percent), it was less than 20 percent for rape cases and less than 10 percent for assaults, burglaries, and robberies. However,
examination rates for evidence sent to labs exceeded 70 percent, except for rape cases (58 percent). These findings suggest
that criminal justice officials screen much of the forensic evidence to decide which evidence to send to crime labs for analysis,
giving them significant discretion in deciding evidence-examination priorities and practices.
Read the complete report The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence in the Criminal Justice Process (pdf, 151 pages) .
Knife and Saw Toolmark Analysis in Bone: A Manual Designed for the Examination of Criminal Mutilation and DismembermentAuthors: Steven A. Symes, Erin N. Chapman, Christopher W. Rainwater, Luis L. Cabo, and Susan M.T. Myster
This project developed and presents standard definitions, documentation protocols and analytical methods to enable more accurate
and reliable analyses of saw marks in bone and other hard tissues. To produce these instructional materials, the project first
relied on the creation, analysis and documentation of a comparative sample of human remains cut with various serrated tools
covering the main commercial saw types and classes. The design and evaluation of the instructional materials also relied on
a dissemination strategy that included a series of lectures the authors delivered to various forensic professionals. The experimental
part of the project also examined some common misconceptions about the evidentiary value of some major saw-mark elements.
Read the complete report Knife and Saw Toolmark Analysis in Bone: A Manual Designed for the Examination of Criminal Mutilation and Dismemberment (pdf,
142 pages)..
Forensic Glass Analysis by LA-ICP-MS: Assessing the Feasibility of Correlating Windshield Composition and SupplierAuthors: Abbegayle J. Dodds, Edward M. Pollock, and Donald P. Land
Before conducting this research, the research team validated the use of solution nebulization and laser ablation - inductively
coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for forensic casework in glass elemental analysis. The primary research determined
that some windshield panes examined displayed variation, and about half were composed of significantly different panes of
glass. The study also found that the compositional variation of windshields from individual manufacturers was much smaller
than that found in the total population of automotive windshields. This finding suggests the potential for "fingerprinting"
glass produced by specific manufacturers. Using elemental data to provide investigators with supposed sources of evidentiary
glass fragments is an attractive possibility, since this is a common event in hit-and-run offenses.
Read the complete report Forensic Glass Analysis by LA-ICP-MS: Assessing the Feasibility of Correlating Windshield Composition and Supplier (pdf, 125
Elemental Analysis of Glass and Paint Materials by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)
for Forensic ApplicationAuthors: Tatiana Trejos, Waleska Castro, and Jose R. Almirall
This research expands on prior work to develop a database for the analysis of many glass samples. The results of the studies
described in this report yield excellent precision and low bias for the analysis of glass samples found in forensic casework.
The study also addressed glass sample size.
Read the complete report Elemental Analysis of Glass and Paint Materials by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)
for Forensic Application (pdf, 256 pages).
Development and Implementation of Forensic Science Research and Training Programs at the University at Albany's Northeast
Regional Forensic Institute (NERFI)Authors: Donald D. Orokos, John Hicks, Igor Lednev, Ron Stevens, Tomek Strzalkowski, and Sanjay Goel
This document reports on the cost-free instruction and travel funded through this grant. The University of Albany's Northeast
Regional Forensic Institute trained 104 people in DNA analysis and management assessment. Four topics were available: forensic
DNA training leadership assessment and research; judicial awareness of forensic science; Chat Minder: a safe Internet tool
for parents, and Capitol region cybercrime partnerships.
Read the complete report Development and Implementation of Forensic Science Research and Training Programs at the University at Albany's Northeast
Regional Forensic Institute (NERFI) (pdf, 255 pages).
Application of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to Forensic Science: Analysis of Paint and Glass SamplesAuthor: Michael E. Sigman
The study results show that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), when used with refractive index (RI), provides high
(more than 90 percent) discriminating power for several glass types. These include beverage glass, automobile headlamp glass,
and float glass from automobile side and rear windows. LIBS and RI showed a lower discriminating power for automobile side-mirror
glass, which is commonly found in forensic casework. A comparative assessment of LIBS and laser ablation - inductively coupled
plasma - mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for several common sets of glass samples found that LA-ICP-MS is a more discriminating
analytical technique, although the analysis time is longer. The authors caution that this study did not address the use of
the changing dual-pulse LIBS techniques, which may prove to be more discriminating for glass analysis.
Read the complete report Application of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to Forensic Science: Analysis of Paint and Glass Samples (pdf, 44 pages) .
Quantifying the Dermatoglyphic Growth Patterns in Children through Adolescence Author: J.K. Schneider
The project's objective was to research friction ridge patterns during a rapid period of growth (such as that found in children
through adolescence). The researchers wanted to find out whether a commonality of growth exists and to develop a statistically
valid mathematical model for predicting change during a time of rapid growth. The goal was to improve the likelihood of matching
a person's adolescent or adult fingerprints to his or her fingerprints captured during childhood. The researchers found that
growth patterns of fingerprints do not follow a general pattern and are so individualistic that it is impossible to develop
a single map or family of maps that accurately model minutiae pattern growth.
Read the complete report Quantifying the Dermatoglyphic Growth Patterns in Children through Adolescence (pdf, 57 pages).
National Institute of Justice Visiting Fellowship: Police Investigation of Rape-Roadblocks and SolutionsAuthor: Martin D. Schwartz
This report discusses (1) an exploratory study of the attitudes and experiences of active and experienced police rape investigators
and (2) a pencil-and-paper study of active-duty patrol officers. One conclusion from the findings is that most police officers
are aware of the basic, well known "rape myths" and the "politically correct" answers that challenge those myths. Still, the
findings show that despite many years of training, many police officers still hold attitudes and opinions that undermine their
ability to treat rape victims well. Although the objective of this study was to identify best practices in police investigations
of rape, the study infers there are no best practices worthy of widespread use. The study recommends that police training
in rape investigations be based in solid research and be related to the types of cases most often faced (i.e., acquaintance
rapes rather than stranger rapes).
Read the complete report National Institute of Justice Visiting Fellowship: Police Investigation of Rape-Roadblocks and Solutions (pdf, 77 pages).
Long-Term Effects of Law Enforcement's Post-9/11 Focus on Counterterrorism and Homeland SecurityAuthors: Lois M. Davis, Michael Pollard, Kevin Ward, Jeremy M. Wilson, Danielle M. Varda, Lydia Hansell, and Paul Steinberg
This study examined the long-term adjustments that large, urban law enforcement agencies made to accommodate the renewed focus
on counterterrorism and homeland security. The researchers present case studies of five major law enforcement agencies in
major metropolitan areas to understand their experiences in these areas post-9/11.
Read the complete report Long-Term Effects of Law Enforcement's Post-9/11 Focus on Counterterrorism and Homeland Security (pdf, 177 pages).
Less-Lethal Operational Scenarios for Law EnforcementAuthor: Institute for Non-Lethal Defense Technologies, Applied Research Laboratory of the Pennsylvania State University
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization research organization examined the feasibility and utility of nonlethal weapons (NLW)
in peacekeeping. In September 1999, a policy on NLW was approved for the NATO SAS-035 study. In 2004, the Third International
Law Enforcement Forum explored less-lethal weapons database development; effectiveness and injury potential; tactics and use;
and common standards for development, testing, training and use. The resulting 14 recommendations from this forum contained
four that were directly related to the work contained in the NATO study.
Read the complete report Less-Lethal Operational Scenarios for Law Enforcement (pdf, 23 pages)
Back to: NIJ Research Report Digest home.


text:
Hope College will host a clinic for aspiring female softball players on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the college's Dow Center.
Sponsored by the college's softball team under the direction of head coach Karla Wolters, the clinic will be divided into three sessions -- girls second thru fifth grade, 9-11:30 a.m.; girls sixth thru eighth grade, 12-2:30 p.m.; girls ninth thru 12th grade, 3-5:30 p.m.
The cost is $35 for those who register by February 14th. The cost to register on the day of the clinic is $40.
For further information email coach Wolters at email@example.com.


text:
Exciting news to pass along to Tim Burton fans today, it is being reported that he is planning to do a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of villain Maleficent. I mean … how awesome does that sound?! Here are the deets as reported by Ain't It Cool News:
Hey folks, Harry here with the coolest whisper I've heard in a while. I was chatting to a fella I know tonight, and this person heard that Tim Burton is developing another classic Disney fairy tale in a quasi Live Actiony kinda way. It seems that Tim has a hankering for SLEEPING BEAUTY… but not really… You see, he's going to tell the story from Maleficent's point of view. In fact, it'll be called MALEFICENT.
She was always the most interesting character in that story, but we never knew why she hated those three little fairy wenches… or what indignity she suffered at the hands of Aurora's parents. Yeah, I'm on board… if only it ends with Maleficent with a sword in her heart in dragon form. Cuz that'll rule. Think about how long this plotline was carried out over. She has quite a tale to tell. Let's see where it pops up in Burton's filmography. We're hearing that DARK SHADOWS is stumbling a bit… Let's see what Tim does next, he has some interesting choices before him.
This sounds like fantastic news. I've already been very impressed with Burton's work with Disney thus far (I'm chomping at the bit to see his take on Alice in Wonderland) but for him to tell a classic Disney tale from the point of view of the villain, well, I am 1000% on board. The notion of this movie idea reminds me of the short story that Neil Gaiman wrote that tells the Snow White story from the point of view of the "evil queen". Gaiman's story is titled Snow, Glass, Apples and can be read in its entirety HERE. If Tim Burton is able to do for Sleeping Beauty what Gaiman did for Snow White with his short story then I have no doubt that Burton's Maleficent will be a smash hit!


text:
Elite or not, I am happy to have him, despite any flaws he may have. You have to take the good in with the bad. The thing about Eli haters is that they only look at the bad and the Eli lovers forget about the bad. Stay right down the middle with him and you will be GTG
Nobody has ever accused Phil Simms of being a great analyst or being unbiased. I think Phil is talking out his butt on this one but I have no hate for him and I am not going to spew anger at him. The guy is a legendary NY Giant and one tough SOB.
Phil Simms was a great NY Giant. In another system with another coach, he would have had way better stats, although his career stats are not that shabby. The guy did throw for 500+ in a game twice and had a virtually flawless performance in SuperBowl. Heck, Bill Walsh was scrambling trying to trade to draft Phil Simms because of his size, instincts and arm strength. Can you imagine the numbers Phil Simms would have posted in San Francisco under Coach Walsh?
I have mad love for Phil Simms and will always appreciate what he did for NY Giants. I think Phil is just a little upset because Eli will soon surpass him in virtually every passing category in NY Giants history.
It is okay Phil. You were great but Eli is The Best QB in NY Giants History.
Last edited by BuffyBlueII; 11-14-2012 at 03:16 AM.


text:
Lamictal XR
"About 1 out of 10 people has had a seizure. Do you know what to do if someone has a seizure near you? Read below to learn more.
About 1 out of 10 people has had a seizure. That means seizures are common, and one day you might need to help s"...
Lamictal XR
(lamotrigine) Extended-Release Tablets
LAMICTAL® XR™ can cause serious rashes requiring hospitalization and discontinuation of treatment. The incidence of these rashes, which have included Stevens-Johnson syndrome, is approximately 0.8% (8 per 1,000) in pediatric patients (aged 2 to 16 years) receiving immediate-release lamotrigine as adjunctive therapy for epilepsy and 0.3% (3 per 1,000) in adults on adjunctive therapy for epilepsy. In a prospectively followed cohort of 1,983 pediatric patients (aged 2 to 16 years) with epilepsy taking adjunctive immediate-release lamotrigine, there was 1 rash-related death. LAMICTAL XR is not approved for patients younger than 13 years. In worldwide postmarketing experience, rare cases of toxic epidermal necrolysis and/or rash-related death have been reported in adult and pediatric patients, but their numbers are too few to permit a precise estimate of the rate.
The risk of serious rash caused by treatment with LAMICTAL XR is not expected to differ from that with immediate-release lamotrigine. However, the relatively limited treatment experience with LAMICTAL XR makes it difficult to characterize the frequency and risk of serious rashes caused by treatment with LAMICTAL XR.
Other than age, there are as yet no factors identified that are known to predict the risk of occurrence or the severity of rash caused by LAMICTAL XR. There are suggestions, yet to be proven, that the risk of rash may also be increased by (1) coadministration of LAMICTAL XR with valproate (includes valproic acid and divalproex sodium), (2) exceeding the recommended initial dose of LAMICTAL XR, or (3) exceeding the recommended dose escalation for LAMICTAL XR. However, cases have occurred in the absence of these factors.
Nearly all cases of life-threatening rashes caused by immediate-release lamotrigine have occurred within 2 to 8 weeks of treatment initiation. However, isolated cases have occurred after prolonged treatment (e.g., 6 months). Accordingly, duration of therapy cannot be relied upon as means to predict the potential risk heralded by the first appearance of a rash.
Although benign rashes are also caused by LAMICTAL XR, it is not possible to predict reliably which rashes will prove to be serious or life threatening. Accordingly, LAMICTAL XR should ordinarily be discontinued at the first sign of rash, unless the rash is clearly not drug related. Discontinuation of treatment may not prevent a rash from becoming life threatening or permanently disabling or disfiguring [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
LAMICTAL XR (lamotrigine), an AED of the phenyltriazine class, is chemically unrelated to existing AEDs. Lamotrigine's chemical name is 3,5-diamino-6-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-as-triazine, its molecular formula is C9H7N5Cl2, and its molecular weight is 256.09. Lamotrigine is a white to pale cream-colored powder and has a pKa of 5.7. Lamotrigine is very slightly soluble in water (0.17 mg/mL at 25°C) and slightly soluble in 0.1 M HCl (4.1 mg/mL at 25°C). The structural formula is:
LAMICTAL XR extended-release tablets are supplied for oral administration as 25-mg (yellow with white center), 50-mg (green with white center), 100-mg (orange with white center), 200-mg (blue with white center), 250-mg (purple with white center), and 300-mg (gray with white center) tablets. Each tablet contains the labeled amount of lamotrigine and the following inactive ingredients: glycerol monostearate, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate; magnesium stearate; methacrylic acid copolymer dispersion, polyethylene glycol 400, polysorbate 80, silicon dioxide (25-and 50-mg tablets only), titanium dioxide, triethyl citrate, carmine (250-mg tablet only), iron oxide black (50-, 250-, and 300-mg tablets only), iron oxide yellow (25-, 50-, and 100-mg tablets only), iron oxide red (100-mg tablet only), FD&C Blue No. 2 Aluminum Lake (200-and 250-mg tablets only). Tablets are printed with edible black ink.
LAMICTAL XR extended-release tablets contain a modified-release eroding formulation as the core. The tablets are coated with a clear enteric coat and have an aperture drilled through the coats on both faces of the tablet (DiffCORE™) to enable a controlled release of drug in the acidic environment of the stomach. The combination of this and the modified-release core are designed to control the dissolution rate of lamotrigine over a period of approximately 12 to 15 hours, leading to a gradual increase in serum lamotrigine levels.
What are the possible side effects of lamotrigine?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; fever; swollen glands; painful sores in or around your eyes or mouth; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, depression, anxiety, or if you feel agitated, hostile, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.
Lamotrigine may cause severe or life-threatening skin rash, especially in children and in people who take too high...
Read All Potential Side Effects and See Pictures of Lamictal XR »
What are the precautions when taking lamotrigine extended-release tablets (Lamictal XR)?
Before taking lamotrigine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.
Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: kidney disease, liver disease.
This drug may make you dizzy, drowsy, or cause blurred vision. Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness or clear vision until you are sure you can perform such activities safely. Limit alcoholic beverages.
Older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially dizziness, loss of coordination, or fainting. These side effects...
Last reviewed on RxList: 1/25/2017
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.
Lamictal XR FDA Prescribing Information
Additional Lamictal XR Information
Lamictal XR - User Reviews
Lamictal XR User Reviews
Now you can gain knowledge and insight about a drug treatment with Patient Discussions.
Here is a collection of user reviews for the medication Lamictal XR sorted by most helpful.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Find tips and treatments to control seizures.


text:
When I was a child, I found chocolate fascinating: Where did it come from? How was it made? What magic was behind this sweet and creamy goodness?
The truth is I'm not sure I ever found exactly the answers I was looking for. So, as I endeavor to add a bit of learning into this Christmas for my boys, I went straight to a professional — Bryan Graham, the chocolatier who founded Fruition Chocolate (part of the team behind the Chocolate Space Invaders).
"When I was a child, I had no idea where chocolate came from," Graham told Wired.com. "I certainly never suspected that it came from a tree, otherwise I probably would have lumped it into the category of fruits and vegetables and other inedible and revolting grown-up food!"
Now he's an expert, creating small-batch confections in his "bean-to-bar chocolate workshop" in New York's Catskill Mountains. Graham talked me through why chocolate is so special and how it goes from harvest to the delightful goodness we know and love, especially around the holidays (when many children's chocolate consumption rises).
Wired.com: Chocolate is a special confectionary, what is it about chocolate that has inspired you to create Fruition and what do you want to share with others?
Bryan Graham: My background is in pastry and baking. I've worked for many years as a pastry chef, bread baker and confectioner. I always had an affinity for working with chocolate and eventually began focusing on it exclusively.
After diving in and learning all I could about elaborating chocolate into confections, bars and sculptures, the next logical step (for me at least) was to learn how to make the chocolate itself. After months of poring over dense technical texts and speaking to every expert I could find, I finally put together a small chocolate laboratory in my home kitchen and began churning out small batches of chocolate. Three years later, after countless batches, tweaking and experimentation, I was confident enough to release my chocolate to the world, using my business, Fruition Chocolate, as the vehicle.
Continue Reading "The Science and Art of Chocolate Making" »


text:
Stay connected with us to get the latest health and fitness news, innovative workouts, healthy recipes and wellness tips.
Change Location
ACE Fit Share
Starting Position: Holding the TRX handles or foot cradles in each hand, turn yourself to face the anchor point with your feet wider than hip-width, toes facing forward. Bend at the hips and push them backwards. Keep your weight over your heels and use the TRX to help maintain balance. Reach your arms forward at chest height with palms facing the floor. Keep your head up, looking forward throughout the exercise. Engage the abdominals to support the spine.
Rotation Movement: Exhale. Slowly rotate your torso, reaching one arm behind you and the other in front of your body. The arm reaching to the back will lead the movement. The other arm comes across the front of the body simply as a result of the other arm moving backward. Move through the rotation without turning your head until you reach a point of tension. Hold briefly, inhale, then exhale and rotate in the opposite direction.
Exercise Variation (1): To progress the exercise and mimic the golf swing more closely try moving your feet together and change your starting position so that you are not bending over, but assuming a slightly bent-knee (1/4 squat) position. Extend your arms forward towards your knees rather than to chest level (pushing down on the handles of foot cradles) and rotate as described above. This rotation will exhibit more pivoting off the back foot. Change your head position to look towards the floor.
Exercise Variation (2): Progress the movement to a windmill to increase torso rotation for your golf swing. From the same starting position described in the first progression, rotate both arms together in each direction while keeping your head fixed and facing the floor. This movement will exhibit a greater degree of pivoting off the back foot.
Using the TRX as an assisted device reduces the load placed upon many joints. While this certainly can promote additional range of movement, it requires additional attention to proper form.


text:
Oregon's Pacific University is the oldest chartered university in the West. The Oregon Territorial Legislature granted its original charter as the Tualatin Academy on Sept. 26, 1849. The charter predates statehood by 10 years, and was the first formal act of the territorial government.
Pacific founders were also instrumental in the 1843 vote at Champoeg, which resulted in the formation of the Oregon Provisional Government, the first American government on the Pacific Coast.
The school traces its roots to a log cabin meeting house in Forest Grove where the Rev. Harvey Clark, a Congregationalist minister, and Tabitha Brown, a former teacher from Massachusetts, cared for and educated orphans of the Oregon Trail. The University issued the first baccalaureate degree in the region in 1863 to Harvey W. Scott, later the editor of The Oregonian. Pacific's Old College Hall, built in 1850, housed the original academy and is the oldest educational building in the West.
Today, Pacific University is a comprehensive university with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, optometry, education, healthcare and business. Pacific serves more than 3,600 students on campuses in Forest Grove, Eugene, Hillsboro and Woodburn.


text:
PLEASE NOTE: Friends will not be taking donations this week as they prepare for their annual Summer Bag-of-Books Sale. Thanks!
Log in
I roasted it! It's 10x easier than you think. (1) get a hot air popcorn popper. Yep, that's right: popcorn popper (got mine from Target); (2) get green beans (got mine from local roastery, also check out sweetmarias.com they seem really good); (3) put 1/3 cup in the popcorn popper, wait 5-8 minutes (listen for the "second crack"); (4) cool beans, grind, and enjoy. Done. (Obviously it's a bit more complicated…visit sweetmarias.com or youtube for how-to videos). The longer you roast coffee ("dark roast"), the less caffeine.
It's amazing that every single coffee bean that you see was probably individually picked by someone's hand (machines aren't smart enough for them yet). Coffee is born on coffee trees by the equator. The beans are actually found inside little red fruit cherry balls. Coffee beans are the seeds inside the fruit, small green hard beans that smell like spicy bread. It's hard to imagine why someone roasted them in the first place, but very old civilizations certainly had coffee (there are various theories about how they stumbled on it).
Oh yeah, the biggest question of all: taste. My first batch tasted great and had a distinct smell. Not as good as a fresh cup of Starbucks or Waterstreet, but extremely close. I imagine they will get better. If you are looking to satisfy your do-it-yourself impulse, save some money (about 15-25%), and have the freshest coffee you've ever had, I recommend giving it a try. If you don't like it, perhaps because of the smoke it fills your kitchen with, you've only wasted 25 bucks.
Posted by Matt Smith at 05/09/2013 02:41:27 PM
Books for: Kids, Teens & Tweens


text:
One of my all time favorite shows on the internet right now has to be Written By A Kid on Geek & Sundry.
Full disclosure: I do host a show over on Geek & Sundry called #parent — but I liked this show long before I became part of the G&S family. In fact, I know Josh and Will from my days as a writer on Attack of the Show! – they were two of our favorite actors to have in sketches; they're both super talented, very versatile, and incredibly funny. If you haven't checked out the show yet, you really should click take a look. If you have kids, or spend time with them, you are familiar with the twists and turns their stories can take, and I think this show is doing a genius job of capturing the feel of surrendering yourself, and going on an oratorical journey with a child.
The show up for several awards including TV.com's Best of 2012, under the category Best New Fiction Web Series. They're also up for an IAWTV Award for Best Visual Effects.
And, as we discussed over on Geek Dad: now when you fly Virgin America, you can catch the show on their in-flight programming!
So here we go: My interview with Josh & Will:
Kristen Rutherford: Hi. You don't have to be nervous or anything.
Josh Flaum: Can I pretend to be nervous? [Will], how are you feeling? I'm very nervous.
Will Bowles: Yeah?
JF: Yeah, I got the jitters. The stomachs.
KR: It's me. I'm very imposing.
JF: You are! I'm nervous that you're going to be overly harsh! Continue Reading "Written By A Kid: An Interview with Creators Josh Flaum and Will Bowles" »


text: I'm frightened... Will there be tremors in the Earth when his greatness makes a decision? Can we expect hurricanes and flash floods? Will our planet tilt on it's axis and go spinning out of control through the galaxies? THIS IS BIG GUYS! REALLY BIG! Is he the Messiah??? IS THIS THE APOCALYPSE????? The Gods await his decision.


text:
How-To: Fight SPAM with Postfix RBL
Posted by chantra on 26th September 2013
Spam, spam everywhere! If you are hosting your own mail server, fighting spam can become tricky. Antispam solutions do catch a fair amount of them, but still many spam email can still make their way through.
RBL (Real-time Blackhole) is a database of known spammy IPs which is accessible over DNS. Depending on the response received from the DNS server, the IP is classified as spammy or not.
This tutorial will show you how to set up RBL with postfix.
Tags: email, postfix, security, system
Posted in Administration, HowTo, Networking, System | 2 Comments »


text:
My website comments, feedback and more
So most of you will know me on here and most of you would have seen my website. Well I decide to update it and give it refresh coat of paint. It still needs some work mainly silly spelling mistake that i need to sort out and stuff i want change/update.
MY website is a mixture of a blog and advice for people trying to break into security mainly penetration testing. When I started Six months ago trying to get a junior security job in the UK sometimes it felt like i would have more chance of winning the lottery then getting a job. My site is about trying to bridge the gap to offer free advice on how i got my job the step and things people can do to try improve their chances.
As I value the people on here opinion I am really looking for some feedback on the site and any recommendation on pages or anything that you think may help a newbi.
I am trying to get my site as a really good resource for junior pen tester that will help other like me get the job they really want.


text:
What is in this article?:
- Men Have Big Brains (Read Heads) But Women Have More Connectivity
- Okay, So the Female Brain Is Wired Differently - What Does that Have to Do with Hiring Women Technicians?
Women don't come into their own in math and science skills until they are in their 20s. However their communications skills fare much better than most men by that time. They can be terrific assets in the field as HVACR installers and service technicans.
Image from Contractor magazine's article, "Women forge a path in the trades," by Candace Roulo
At a recent industry meeting where much of the focus was on recruiting and hiring, industry legend and Contracting Business.com magazine Hall of Fame inductee Ron Smith stood up and made the comment that white males account for only one-third of the pool of potential employees. And then followed that statement with the thought that for businesses in our industry to grow and find enough quality employees for the future, business owners must look outside the industry's preconceived idea of what a service technician looks like — read white male. Finally, Ron rolled out the ostrich egg in the hen house with the challenging statement that back in the late 1980s and early 1990's Modern Air Conditioning had 10 technicians who were women.
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, 51% of the labor force will be women by 2018 and yet, in 2013, only 1.2% of the total employed heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration technicians were women.
Ron Smith's comments, these facts from the Department of Labor, and some interesting exchanges with women in the HVACR and plumbing industry made me wonder why more women aren't involved in this industry, particularly in the more technical aspects of the business — technicians, design engineers, even sales?
Women's Brains are Wired Differently
First, research indicates that men's brains are about 10% larger than the brains of women. Some women might say that also accounts for them often having a "Big Head" (pun intended). In fact, some researchers believe that is exactly why men do have larger brains. In general all aspects of a man's anatomy are larger than a woman's so it's only to be expected that the heads of men and, therefore their brains are larger.
Research also indicates that men have about 6.5 times more gray matter than women — meaning more thinking capability. But this does not equate to men being smarter. Women's brains have approximately 9.5 times more white matter than a man's brain — meaning more connectivity between the two hemispheres of the brain.
Researchers found that connections in a male brain most often run between the front and the back of the left side of the brain. However for women the connections are most often from side-to-side, connecting the left and right hemispheres, allowing a woman's brain to work faster than a man's.


text:
UTSA ROTC students train with combat simulator
UTSA ROTC cadets learn about combat
By Omar Hernandez
Public Affairs Specialist
(May 6, 2009)--The current economic downturn has many students wondering what jobs will be available after graduation. That is not the case for the senior cadets of Roadrunner Battalion, since they have already made the decision to begin military careers after graduating from UTSA. So, while the idea of finding a job may not weigh on their minds, the reality of war may.
Today's headlines
- La Prensa Foundation is newest member of UTSA Lone Star Society
- UTSA alumna Jordan Kaufmann wins $50K for new stent-graft start-up
- UTSA begins new way-finding sign installation this summer at Main Campus
- USA Today: UTSA long jumper Tyler Williamson rescues three-year-old boy
Article tools
With the nation battling on two war fronts, the commitment to serve in the military is more dangerous than ever. Fortunately for UTSA cadets, they have access to some of the most advanced equipment the military has to offer. With the support of Fort Sam Houston, UTSA cadets train on the Virtual Combat Convoy Trainer (VCCT) at Camp Bullis.
The Lockheed Martin VCCT is a system that simulates what soldiers likely will see in Iraq or Afghanistan. Training consists of several full-scale vehicles isolated in rooms with 3-D walls. With teams of five per vehicle, each team can "see" other teams in the unit virtually, but not physically. Each team member is assigned a seat in the vehicle and a weapon. Weapons are the size and weight of those issued in active duty.
The simulation takes participants through a virtual tour of cities in Iraq. Throughout the journey, the cadets encounter nonviolent situations such as traffic and crowds of people. However, they also experience small-gun firing, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices from enemy forces.
The training exercise quickly escalates as participants communicate via radio during the simulation. Warren Lewis, who spent a year in Iraq before deciding to become an officer, said the technology even had him "on edge."
"When I got in the passenger seat, I got a little adrenaline rush like I was leaving the wire for the first time," he said. "It was kind of like being in that element again, which is exciting."
Veterans like Lewis know the benefits of good training; it can mean the difference between life and death. But for those less experienced, the VCCT can help cadets discover something about themselves.
"I wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely did help," said Michael Neu, a junior cadet. "I saw a side of me that I never really saw before. I'm usually more reserved, but in this situation I was more vocal in my communication."
Once the cadets finish with the first run-through, they file into an adjoining room to talk about what they encountered in an effort to highlight the positive points and make corrections on any errors. The tension lifts, and while the tone remains serious, the stress in their voices is gone. After a short meeting, they split up, go back to the simulators and continue the training.
For the duration of the cadets' military careers, training will become a huge part of their lives. In a short time, these men and women could lead troops on the battlefield, making exposure to such realistic training crucial.
"You are forcing these future officers into a simulated environment that mirrors what you could see in combat," said Lewis.
Find more information, visit the Roadrunner Battalion Web site or call (210) 458-4622.
The UTSA Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a program that combines electives in military science with practical and unmatched leadership training. The military science courses prepare men and women to succeed in college, become Army officers and develop their chosen careers.