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The Pakistan government for months has witnessed infighting and arguments concerning the best policy to pursue in order to reduce the power of President Musharraf or to get rid of their hated enemy. President Musharraf has resigned and now comes the hard part for the Pakistan government– what exactly are its economic policies and how does it intend to handle the militants in the northwest tribal areas. At present, the chief debate in the government is handling the issue of how or when to restore judges who were sacked by Musharraf last autumn. According to reports, the Pakistan People's Party led by Asif Zardari are less inclined to restore the chief justice while its coalition partner, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, led by Nawaz Sharif are unable to reach an agreement on this point.
Pakistan faces serious economic problems and militancy is rampant in tribal regions, but the coalition government continue arguing as to which judges will be restored and which new ones added to the list. The old game of party politics is alive and well in Pakistan.
Of course, the main issue, which will undoubtedly create turmoil, is who replaces Musharraf as president. We can assume both Zardari and Sharif regard themselves as perfect candidates for the position.


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How-To Geek
Heat Sink
A heat sink is a passive heat exchanger added to computers and other heat-producing electronics to assist in cooling components. Heat sinks range from small and simple finned metal cubes attached to low-temperature components (such as embedded processors) to large tower-like structures with integrated fans attached to high-temperature components (multi-core CPUs and GPU chips).
Problems with heat sinks, including poor adhesion/contact with the chip, dust in the fins, and fan malfunction are all common causes of computer failure. To avoid and resolve such heat-related problems, check out the following How-To Geek articles:
- By Jason Fitzpatrick on 02/17/13

subset: commoncrawl


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Drunken Foot Race In Edison Park After Bears Loss Has Video Of The Year Potential
That. was. AWESOME!
Who needs the Olympics when you have these two guys in a foot race to the death. Highest of entertainment right there. And credit to the guy in the Walter Payton Jersey, Absolute warrior to bounce up from that type of train wreck.
thanks to kevin for the video


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SOASTA, a consultancy that specializes in helping enterprises test their cloud applications, is expanding its horizons. The company announced the launch of its Mobile Services Division (MSD) today, a new business group headed by Mahesh Gidwani. The executive has a strong Silicon Valley background, including plenty of experience in the mobile testing and big data verticals.
"The explosion of mobile development has created a capability gap in the services market that SOASTA uniquely fills with our elite team of experts and partners who have pioneered mobile test automation and cloud testing," said Tom Lounibos, SOASTA CEO. "We launched the SOASTA Mobile Services Division after our customers told us that they often lacked the expertise to implement and execute effective mobile and cloud-based testing strategies."
With the launch, SOASTA is introducing a complete mobile services portfolio that spans strategy, implementation, ad-hoc, optimization and accreditation. The latter is the big enabler behind the Mobile Test Automation Network, which consists of professionals from around the world who are certified to deliver SOASTA's homegrown testing methodologies.
App development and mobile are two huge markets that are drawing the attention of the entire industry, from niche firms such as SOASTA to the big name vendors. Database giant Oracle acquired a minority stake in Engine Yard this week. The firm is known for its widely-used PaaS platform, which supports applications written in Ruby, PHP and Node.js. The latter is the newest of the three, but it's quickly picking up momentum thanks to its server-side performance and convenient syntax.
Also this week, EMC integrated its Syncplicity file sharing platform with SlideShark, a popular iOS app for PowerPoint presentations. This native support allows users to keep their files on EMC's cloud and access them at any time from SlideShark, which complements this accessibility with functionality of its own.


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Australia pushes for victory
Nagpur, India
Page Tools
Simon Katich drives on his way to 99 yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
Simon Katich will have been wincing in his sleep last night after signing off as Australia's No. 3 batsman in a style agonisingly close to perfect. But when he wakes in this frontier town in the centre of India, he will know his 99 helped rip the heart out of India's team, and pushed Australia closer to its most prized series win.
Needing runs after his scores had diminished from 81 to four in his five innings as Ricky Ponting's replacement, Katich played a knock of immense responsibility amid some increasingly difficult batting conditions to patiently draw within one run of a second Test century.
But with the landmark seeming certain, he played back to a ball from left-arm orthodox spinner Murali Kartik that turned in to his pads for an obvious leg before, leaving Katich as the 20th Australian with a Test 99 beside his name.
The one missing run mattered little from his team's perspective. Needing to win the third Test to secure its country's first series in India since 1969, Australia will go into the fourth day leading by 415 runs, at 3-202.
With a declaration likely in today's second session, the Indians will need to create history on an increasingly tricky pitch to win. They will need to break Test cricket's record winning fourth-innings score of 418 by some margin. No team has scored more than 276 to win a Test anywhere in India.
India's frustrations were apparent in the second session, when stand-in captain Rahul Dravid walked the length of the pitch to remonstrate with Justin Langer, possibly because the Australian had said something after an Ajit Agarkar leg before appeal against Katich was turned down.
Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar had to stand between Langer and Dravid to end the spat. Sources last night said the tiff was the result of a misunderstanding. No charges will be laid.
Australia's strong position was also due to the completion of a superb team bowling effort in the morning, in which Jason Gillespie completed a five-wicket haul with the new ball, as India lost its last five wickets for 39 to be all out for 185. Despite a 213-run lead, the Australians ignored the follow-on as they had in their Bangalore victory, and they were supremely confident as Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke went to stumps on 41 and 10 respectively.
"We're definitely in the box seat. You're never assured 100 per cent, but we'd be quietly confident," said Gillespie after his 5-56. "This wicket is doing a bit, especially with the new ball, so it's very encouraging, especially in this part of the world.
"There were some encouraging signs with Kartik bowling into the rough, and spinning a couple past the bat. That's going to augur well for Shane Warne on days four and five."
The Australians were told they would have to play out of their skins to beat India in India. Yesterday they again showed they could change their spots. They have done their homework for this tour and have learnt their lesson from the odd occasion, not only here, when bare aggression failed them.
After the carnage - in which Gillespie led the rout in only 14 morning overs - came the consolidation, with Katich leading along a careful and conservative batting path on another slow but tough day of Test cricket that yielded only 241 runs.
Meanwhile, Darren Lehmann is not viewing his torn hamstring as any possible signal of the end of his Test career, vowing to work back into the Australian side in the near future.
The 34-year-old said yesterday he had still not given up hope of playing in the fourth Test in Mumbai from next Wednesday. That appears unrealistic due to the nature of his injury, but Lehmann is also looking ahead to the Australian summer.
"I am looking forward to getting the hammy right and playing more cricket.
"Hopefully, it will be in the fourth Test, but if not, I will concentrate on getting myself right for the home summer," said Lehmann, who is having almost constant treatment from physiotherapist Errol Alcott.


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Splendid Vintage Downtown 5 minSea
Floor No.(with elevator)
- ファミリー/子供と一緒に泊まれる
- インターネット/WiFi
- ペット可
- エアコン
- 洗濯機/乾燥機
- テレビ
- 喫煙可
- イベントに適している
Accommodation summary
|Rue Verdi, 06000 Nice, フランス
Because the area is very good connections, whether by train, car, bus or on foot, visit all our beautiful and majestic surroundings Nice (Monaco extravagant, luxurious Cannes, Antibes picturesque, charming Grasse the Italian border etc. ..) is a breeze!
Our apartment is an ideal place to spend a pleasant stay in Nice and a unique opportunity to explore the Côte d'Azur. Renovated in 2013 with a view high-end, it combines elegance and comfort. Its high ceilings and work volumes make this spacious three pieces at once bright and cozy. It can accommodate up to 7 people (3 double beds and a sofa bed) and consists of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living room (40 m2) on a kitchen. It is equipped with every comfort: security door, double glazing, kitchen equipped (hotplates, fridge, freezer, oven, microwave, dishwasher) windows, washing machine, LCD TV-HD, Wi-Fi, etc..
Because we want you to have an apartment spotless upon arrival, and not specific to the meaning of the previous tenants :-), cleaning is mandatory for all tenants supplement and is made by professionals. All other expenses are included. The remaining supplements and the Guarantor are to provide arrival (if they have not previously been made). Like their owners, pets are welcome. Thank you however we communicate their arrival in advance.
Discover our neighborhood and our city with sun rays that we offer daily the French Riviera. It is always a pleasure to hear from people around the world. We rent several apartments in Nice and are very responsive to the demands of our guests. Wherever possible, we will try to accommodate your special requests. For longer stays, we also offer competitive rates. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Hoping that our apartment allows you to make the most of our "bella Nizza", we say to you soon!
Prices and options ** **
- Cleaning is a mandatory fee.
- Linen, towels, water, electricity and heating included in the price.
- The Discount for life are available on request.
- Possibility to rent less than a week.
- Pets are welcome with prior arrangement.
Departures and arrivals ** **
- We will meet at the apartment.
- The time of arrival and departure must be agreed in advance.
- Arrivals are preferably after 5h pm.
- Departures are preferably before 10 pm.
- Depending on availability, you will be able to leave your luggage.
To reach the apartment ** **
The apartment is located on the 2nd floor. It is easily accessible by most forms of transport.
- By car, take the street "St. Philip" from the Promenade des Anglais or "St. Philip" output from the fast lane (lane Mathis).
- By train from the central station, on foot about 8min.
- By plane, from Terminal 1, take bus 23 towards the stop "Gambetta / Bottero" (26 minutes) or bus 99 in the direction of the stop "Gambetta / France" (23 minutes).
Finally, some parking (as well as non-street paid parking) are nearby
ハウスルールDeposit 350 euros
|Check-in before
Apartment complety new, very nice, warm and comfortable, bigger than pictures.Excellent location, 1 minute to old Nice, tram stops in front of the door. Salvatore helps a lot answering very quickly and keeping the luggage last day. In the same street, avenue de la Republique, you can find bakery, supermarket,..Garibaldi place is closed the apparment. The only thing it can be improved is the light in the dinner room that the room needs a stronger light during the night.
Nice appartement in a good location; also if it takes a bit of walking to the old town.
All the appointments with Salvatore were perfect, we got the keys for the appartment and a few instructions.
OK. I liked everything. The apartment in the city center. All nearby. Recommend.
Thank you a lot! A great place near the sea where you can enjoy the seaview. Very cozy and charming!
We enjoyed our stay in this studio, however were disappointed by two things. If the weather is warm the windows need to be open and the street noise is very loud. The second disappoinment is that the ceiling height of the mezzanine is about 5ft (1.5m) which means that any Tennant has to stoop. This is not apparent from the photos.
Nice, tiny appartment which was clean and tidy, very close to the shopping strip and 10 min to get to the beach. We didn't meet salvatore, but his cousin who nicely explained everything and handed out the keys.
The apartment is absolutely brilliant - with a great terrace and a nice kitchen suitable for making breakfast and quick snacks. The host is very friendly and helpful – and quick to reply when contacted.
The apartment is located in the more quit part of Nice, and still only 700m from the beach very close to walking street and the old town. There is three Casino supermarket within 200-300m and two bakeries around the corner - the small funky organic "Bread" 50m up Gambetta and the big old school croissant pastry café on the of Gambetta corner. It's also quite easy to get there from airport if u take the cheap local bus 23 and get off at Alsace Lorraine (when u come from the airport it's the second stop on Gambetta). The apartment is also very close the Nice main train station – so u can get to Cannes in 30 min, and Monaco in 20 min.
great location, had everything we needed, extremely small though.
We arrived in Nice, took a bus from the airport to Magnan bus stop (in front of the aparthotel) near Av. Californie as Salvatore advised us to do.
We have been welcomed by Salvatore's workmate Stefan, who showed us the apartment. The studio was ok, very clean and near the beach as Salvatore mentions on description. Swimming pool is basic but very clean and not crowded. There was a few issues like; there wasn't enough toilet paper, washing up liquid, sponge in the apartment so we bought some more at Casino supermarket which is 3 minutes walk from the apartment. Cooker didn't work as expected. There was a good coffee machine, kettle, toaster, microwave, cutlery, cups, plates and bowls etc... All clean and well organised. There was no bottle opener so the nice people at the reception arranged one for us. There was one sofa bed and one pull out bet. They are ok but a bit weak. Linen was provided which was very clean and well packed just like new. Wifi internet is fast and works 24h/day perfectly. There are restaurants, patisseries, supermarkets, pharmacies, pizza, breakfast, sandwich shops very near the aparhotel (5 minutes walk or less). Suitable for couple/small family. I would come back and I recommend this studio flat.
Lovely apartment. Everything worked fine. Wonderful morning sun. Hzge terrasse. Well located. We will go there again for sure
- すべてのお部屋はチェック済み
- どのホストともお電話で直接お話いただけます


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Captain America leaves out the history, focuses on the franchise
Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics in 1941, Captain America was among the first American comic books intended as an explicit work of patriotic, political propaganda: The cover of the first edition, available months before Pearl Harbor, famously featured the titular costumed hero punching out Adolf Hitler.
A nod to that classic beatdown has been worked into a retro-styled poster for Captain America: The First Avenger, but the film, directed by George Lucas protégé Joe Johnston (whose credits include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and The Wolfman), seems itself concerned with a more timely fight: It's the latest, and last, Marvel Universe prequel to superhero supergroup flick The Avengers, finally due out next spring after half a decade of buildup encompassing two Iron Man films, two actors cast as Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk, and the establishment of the de rigueur post-credit teaser scene. (Spoiler alert: Captain America doesn't have one.)
The film concerns the transformation of one Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a "ninety-pound asthmatic" repeatedly declared unfit to fight in World War II, whose persistence impresses Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci, heavily vamping), a German scientist working for the U.S. military alongside billionaire inventor/future Iron Man progenitor Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper). Steve is soon chosen for a top-secret military experiment, for which he'll be injected with a serum that, as Colonel Tommy Lee Jones intones, will turn him from a weakling into a "new breed of super soldier" assigned to "personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell." Not that Hitler or anything else ripped from real history or recognizable life is really on the radar of this hokey, hacky, two-hour-plus exercise in franchise transition/price gouging, complete with utterly unnecessary 3-D.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Directed by Joe Johnston. Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Based on the comic books by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones and Dominic Cooper.
Shortly after Steve emerges from the experiment as an enlarged, greased-up Ken doll, a spy kills Erskine. Without his champion, this human-engineered living weapon is relegated to what an opportunist politician claims is "the most important battlefield of the war": the media offensive. Touring the country fronting a live propaganda show designed to sell war bonds, star of his own comics and short subjects, Captain America becomes a folk hero for the folks left at home. But on the front lines, he's a joke. Then, with no apparent combat training but a roadshow-bred sense of showmanship, he mobilizes a rescue mission to liberate his best friend, Bucky (Sebastian Stan), and incidentally frees 400 Allied soldiers for good measure. Steve gets some vague support from his ostensible love interest, Peggy (Hayley Atwell), a tough-broad British soldier who has some kind of role in the operation that's neither specified nor apparently anything that would muss her lipstick.
The lead villain here is Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), aka The Red Skull, a Nazi who has assembled a splinter cult called HYDRA, through which he operates labor camps focused on harvesting energy from the Tesseract a glowing cube thingy that Schmidt pillaged from Norway and funneling that energy into weapons.
Sadly, the movie doesn't care to grapple with a number of potentially rich parallel-historical details, and there's not so much as a single mention of the ideological divides that plagued the times and spawned the original anti-Fascist Captain America comics. So what is Captain America fighting for? Apparently nothing more or less than screen time in The Avengers.
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VA chairman to host hearing in Roswell
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Congressman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., will host an official committee field hearing in Roswell on Wednesday.
The hearing will be from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, located at 912 N. Main [auth] St.
New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services Secretary Timothy Hale is scheduled attend.
Veterans, Guard/Reserve members and active-duty personnel from throughout New Mexico are encouraged to attend the hearing and present any concerns or issues they may have relating to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is the voice of Congress for veterans in dealing with the VA. It is the authorizing committee for the VA.
The committee recommends legislation expanding, curtailing, or fine-tuning existing laws relating to veterans' benefits.
The committee also has oversight responsibility, and continuously monitors and evaluates the operations of the VA. If the committee finds that VA is not administering laws as Congress intended, the committee can then administer corrective action via a formal hearing process and legislation.
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The search for a missing free diver whose boat was found adrift Monday continued Wednesday as Miami Coast Guardsmen took over the case.
Noah Cullen, 24, of Islamorada, reportedly left at 8 a.m. Monday to free dive near Molasses Reef when his 25-foot sailboat, Jubilee, was found adrift and partially submerged near Dixie Shoal off Key Largo at 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Coast Guard.
The search for Cullen, a 2008 graduate of Coral Shores High School, was passed to Coast Guard Sector Miami on Wednesday given that ocean currents would have likely pushed him toward their area of operations, said Sector Key West spokesman Lt. Peter Bermont.
The Coast Guard search continued to include the 87-foot Cutter Sawfish out of Key West, Station Islamorada response boats and aircraft from Miami and Clearwater, Bermont said.


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The name is an homage to Richard Buckminster Fuller, whose geodesic domes it resembles.
Buckminsterfullerene was the first fullerene molecule discovered and it is also the most common in terms of natural occurrence, as it can be found in small quantities in soot. It's also the largest matter to have been shown to exhibit wave-particle duality
This 3D Printed Buckball was modeled by 3Diversity
You can find more about Buckyball on Wikipedia


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Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our Policies for more information.
Whereas school buses transporting students to and from school are powered by diesel engines;
Whereas the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found that exposure to diesel exhaust, even at low levels, is likely to pose a risk of lung cancer as well as other respiratory risks;
Whereas diesel emissions are well documented as an asthma trigger;
Whereas diesel emissions contribute to noncompliance of various federal health-based air quality standards;
Whereas air quality inside the school building is affected by air quality outside the school building;
Whereas diesel emissions frequently pervade portions of the school buildings when school buses are idling adjacent to the school;
Now therefore, be it resolved, that the Student Transportation Association of Indiana recommends the adoption of the voluntary idling policy relating to school buses.
All buses arriving at schools to load or unload students who are going to remain at the school longer than three (3) minutes will turn off their engines after the appropriate cool-down time and leave them off until the buses are ready to depart. This section also applies to field trips and arrival and departure from those locations.
When extreme temperatures require the idling of the bus to maintain a reasonable level of comfort inside the bus, the above sections may not apply. This section also applies to auxiliary equipment (i.e. lift equipment for loading and unloading students with disabilities.) However, the limiting of extended idling times is still encouraged.
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#1 – So what do you do if you are a C list actor from film and television with B+ name list recognition. You have been through several marriages, one of them extremely high profile, and have suffered through battles with drugs and alcohol and are apparently losing them again. Why, you go on sets and badger co-stars, former co-stars and others to buy Amway or whatever the hell they are calling themselves now. Our actor specializes in victimizing people with bit parts who don't want to upset him and possibly get fired so invariably buy things.
Tom Arnold


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Boca Raton, Fla. (AP) Paul Graham scored 19 points to help lead Florida Atlantic to a 72-69 win against Monmouth in Mike Jarvis' coaching debut for the Owls on Friday night.
Brett Royster and Chris Watson scored 12 points each, while Carderro Nwoji and Shavar Richardson chipped in 10 apiece for the Owls (1-0). Florida Atlantic snapped a five-game losing streak in season-openers.
R.J. Rutledge led the Hawks (0-1) with 18 points, while Travis Taylor added 13 and James Hett scored 12 as both players came off the bench.
Graham kept the Owls ahead early with four of his five 3-pointers coming in the first half, helping Florida International to a 38-31 lead at the break. The teams were close the entire way, as the Owls shot 48.1 percent from the field versus Monmouth's 43.6 mark.
The Associated Press
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Sunday, May 28, 2017
Animals and Plants – In Space!
Framestore and MPC each faced distinct challenges in animating Guardians of the Galaxy's Rocket and Groot. Marvel Studios' ... Continue Reading →
Books We Love – Issue #242
Designing the Secret of Kells By Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart [Cartoon Saloon, $35] The richly detailed, Celtic-inspired art behind Irish indie studio Cartoon Saloon's 2009 ... Continue Reading →
Hulk to the Power of Five
Expect lots of larger-than-life dilemmas, plenty of action and dysfunctional family jokes in Marvel's new series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., premiering this month on Disney ... Continue Reading →
Marvel Kicks off 'Guardians' Production
Marvel Studios has begun principal photography in the U.K. for its next epic film adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy, at Shepperton Studios. The film is slated for release by Walt Disney ... Continue Reading →
'Avengers' Triumphs at Saturn Awards
Marvel's The Avengers nabbed four honors at the 39th Annual Saturn Awards–a film and TV recognition put on by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films–including ... Continue Reading →
International Licensing Industry Announces Winners
This week, the top licensed properties and products of the past year were honored with the International Licensing Excellence Awards at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Skylanders by ... Continue Reading →
Disney Release Plans Include 'Planes' sequel, Marvel slots
Updates to the Walt Disney Studios' release schedule have revealed plans for a 2014 sequel to Planes and two mystery Marvel movies. Planes: Fire & Rescue, a sequel to the ... Continue Reading →
Lights! Camera! Summer Eye Candy!
How two of this season's biggest blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness delivered their spectacular CG visuals. Time was the biggest challenge facing two of 2013′s ... Continue Reading →
Singer Says Quicksilver Appears in 'X-Men' Sequel
Just in time for the Memorial weekend, fanboy favorite Bryan Singer announced on Twitter that American Horror Story star Evan Peters will play Quicksilver in his upcoming sequel X-Men: ... Continue Reading →
Disney XD Sneaks 'Avengers Assemble' on May 26
Disney XD has announced that it will debut Marvel's Avengers Assemble, a new animated series reuniting some of Marvel's most iconic Super Heroes (Iron Man, Thor, Captain ... Continue Reading →


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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Barcelona stool
made by KnollStudio, Germany, 1969 / c. 1990
material stainless steel, leather
size 23 w x 22 d x 12 ½ h in
description Signed with cast manufacturer's mark to one leg: [KnollStudio Mies Van Der Rohe].
condition Faint evidence of use. Overall fine, vintage condition.


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Sugary Drinks and Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked? »
"Nov. 1, 2013 (San Diego)- Women who drink one or more sugar-sweetened sodas a day might raise their risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study that links RA risk to the sugary habit. The study does not prove cause and ef"...
Read the Sugary Drinks and Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked? article »
(gold sodium thiomalate) Injection, USP, 50 mg/mL
Physicians planning to use Gold Sodium Thiomalate should thoroughly familiarize themselves with its toxicity and its benefits. The possibility of toxic reactions should always be explained to the patient before starting therapy. Patients should be warned to report promptly any symptoms suggesting toxicity. Before each injection of Gold Sodium Thiomalate, the physician should review the results of laboratory work, and see the patient to determine the presence or absence of adverse reactions since some of these can be severe or even fatal.
Gold Sodium Thiomalate is a sterile aqueous solution. It contains 0.5 percent BENZYL alcohol added as a preservative. The pH of the product is 5.8 to 6.5.
Gold Sodium Thiomalate is a mixture of the mono- and di-sodium salts of gold thiomalic acid. The structural formula is:
mercaptobutanedioic acid, monogold (1+) sodium salt
The molecular weight for C4H3AuNa2O4S (the disodium salt) is 390.07 and for C4H4AuNaO4S (the mono-sodium salt) is 368.09.
Gold Sodium Thiomalate is supplied as a solution for intramuscular injection containing 50 mg of Gold Sodium Thiomalate per mL.
What are the possible side effects of gold sodium thiomalate (Myochrysine)?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives, sweating, vomiting; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
- unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin;
- skin rash, bruising, severe tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, burning pain in your hands or feet;
- pale skin, feeling light-headed, rapid heart rate, trouble concentrating;
- itching or...
Read All Potential Side Effects and See Pictures of Myochrysine »
Last reviewed on RxList: 11/25/2008
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.
Myochrysine FDA Prescribing Information
Additional Myochrysine Information
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.
Get the latest treatment options


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Airline security regulations mean that traveling with a big tube of toothpaste in your carry-on is a distant memory. Yet, in their selection of mini toiletries, hotels give us bottles of lotion and bubble bath, but not one thing that just about everyone uses: toothpaste. Why is that? No one expects them to give us toothpaste because they don't…because no one expects them to. [More]
Wet Shave And Save!
By July 19, 2009
Wet shaving offers a closer, classier, and cheaper shave than any of the modern junk littering pharmacy aisles. Wet shaving requires a double-edge safety razor and badger-hair brush, along with a healthy dose of practice, but once you have your basic equipment razor refills cost just pennies per month.


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EXECUTIVE SESSION -- (Senate - February 01, 2005)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. MARTINEZ). Under the previous order, the Chair now recognizes the Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the Chair. I talked to the floor manager and indicated I was going to ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Florida, Mr. Nelson, be recognized and permitted to speak for 15 minutes after I yield the floor.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, is there a 15-minute time limit on how long Senator Nelson will speak?
Mr. KENNEDY. That was the time he requested, and that is the time I ask unanimous consent for.
Mr. SPECTER. Sounds good.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, as others have said, this is an extremely important nomination. I think all of us in this body take our responsibilities seriously. Those of us who have expressed some concern and reservation, even opposition, to this nominee are filled with admiration about his own personal story. I have said at other times, I wish I could vote for the story, not the individual, because the story, as has been pointed out, is the story of the American dream.
But there are decisions that were made when this nominee had important responsibilities that I think are in conflict with American values. The primary issue I am concerned about and that I find should be of concern to the American people is his attitude when he was the President's Counsel on the development of a policy of torture, which has been recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, by the Central Intelligence Agency, by the Defense Intelligence
Agency, by the Red Cross.
There is no question that he was at the epicenter in terms of the development of that policy. I think that is what is at issue; at least it is for me. And I think it is important that our colleagues have an opportunity to listen to the record.
I listened to my friend and colleague from Texas speak on his behalf, and I certainly respect his presentation. But I think the facts speak otherwise on a number of important points.
Earlier the chairman of the committee, Senator Specter, said in reference to the correspondence from the Department of Justice that he was not satisfied with the Justice response to Senator Durbin's and my request for the memos relating to a New York Times story, again related to torture. And I am certainly not, either.
What the Justice Department said was that they brief the Intelligence Committee on these memos and the materials then are classified. That does not help the rest of us. We still need to know whether the Times story was accurate. We are all cleared, obviously, as Members of the Senate to classified information. We need the information to decide on the Gonzales nomination, and we should have it before the vote.
In the final paragraph of the note from the Justice Department, it says:
Finally, the Office of Legal Counsel in its recent memorandum of December 30 stated we have received this office's prior opinions addressing issues involving interrogation of detainees and do not believe that any of their conclusions would be different under the standards set forth in the memorandum.
So the Justice Department piles secrecy upon secrecy.
Then in a letter received today, they refused to provide the second Bybee memo.
Justice says basically what the administration has said: Don't worry, it is taken care of. You in the Senate don't have to worry very much about it.
I find that troublesome.
Mr. SPECTER. Will the Senator from Massachusetts yield?
Mr. KENNEDY. I am glad to yield briefly.
Mr. SPECTER. I think the Senator misunderstood me. I did not say that I was dissatisfied with what the Department of Justice had submitted. What I did was to ask them to respond to the letter which I received this morning from you and Senator Durbin, and they responded with a letter which I have put in the RECORD where they have said that the second memo was not a memo that went to Judge Gonzales, but it was a memo that went from the Department of Justice to another client who had inquired as to what were the parameters of appropriate questioning. And the Department of Justice said that it had classified information and they would not release it and that it had been identified in previous correspondence with Senator Leahy and that it had been the subject of a briefing of a chairman of a relevant committee on the customer client.
I think all of this may boil down to a request by the CIA-I am speculating now; I want that clear for the record because that is not what the letter said-in that there was later a briefing to the chairman of the Intelligence Committee. So the matter did not go to Judge Gonzales, and that is a reason for not making the disclosure because he did not actually receive it. But I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for letting me comment. But I had not said that I was dissatisfied with what the
Department of Justice had done.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, this is all about the issue of torture. We are talking about torture and the role that Mr. Gonzales played in the development of the dramatic change in American policy that overrode statutes that had been passed in the Senate and treaties which the Senate had signed. It is about torture. He is the legal counsel for the President. I will get back into the history of his role in this. But to dismiss a relevant document that is about torture, that is related to the subject matter of Mr. Gonzales, and think that we don't have an opportunity or right to review that, I find troublesome. I don't know what the administration is attempting to hide. I will come back to that later in my presentation about the failing of the responsiveness of Mr. Gonzales on these issues. It seems to me that any fair reading of this memoranda, of the questions that Senator Durbin and I asked, and reading of the Department of Justice memorandum would find them completely unresponsive. If that is not what the chairman of the committee says, I say it. I will move on.
This is one of the most important votes the Senate will take this year. The issues raised by Mr. Gonzales's nomination go to the heart of what America stands for in the world and the fundamental values that define us as a nation: our commitment to individual dignity, our respect for the rule of law, and our reputation around the world as a beacon for human rights, not as a violator of human rights.
President Bush said it well in his inaugural address last month:
From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
The world is watching to see if our actions match our rhetoric.
How can the Senate possibly approve the nomination of Mr. Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States, the official who symbolizes our respect for the rule of law, when Mr. Gonzales is the official in the Bush administration who, as the White House Counsel, advised the President that torture was an acceptable method of interrogation in Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and Iraq? Torture is contrary to all that we stand for as Americans. It violates our basic values. It is alien to our military's longstanding rules and tradition. We send our men and women in the armed services into battle to stop torture in other countries, not to participate in it themselves.
These values did not change or become less relevant after 9/11. Americans did not resolve to set aside our values or the Constitution after those vicious attacks. We didn't decide as a nation to stoop to the level of the terrorists. To the contrary, Americans have been united in their belief that an essential part of winning the war on terrorism and protecting the country for the future is safeguarding the ideals and the values that America stands for at home and around the world.
Americans agree that torture is and should remain beyond the pale. A recent pole in USA Today showed that Americans strongly disapprove of the interrogation tactics that have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo, including the use of painful stress positions, sexual humiliation, threatening prisoners with dogs, threatening to ship them to countries known to practice torture. The American public has held fast to our most basic fundamental values. How could our Government have gone so wrong?
Mr. Gonzales is at the center of a torture policy that has run roughshod over the values that Americans hold so dear. On issue after issue in developing this policy he has endorsed expediency over the rule of law. He adopted an absurdly narrow definition of torture in order to permit extreme interrogation practices. He advocated an unjustifiably expansive view of Presidential power, purporting to put the executive branch above the law. He ignored plain language of the Geneva Conventions in an attempt to immunize those who may commit war crimes. He continues to push a discredited interpretation of our treaty obligations to permit the CIA to commit cruel, inhuman, and degrading acts outside of the United States. He refuses to be candid about his interpretations, policies, and intentions.
The administration's policy on torture was established in August of 2002 in a Justice Department document called the Bybee or, more accurately, the Bybee-Gonzales memorandum. The memorandum was written at Mr. Gonzales's request. It reads: "Memorandum for Alberto R. Gonzales, Counsel to the President."
The first two sentences read:
You have asked for our Office's views regarding the standards of conduct under the Convention Against Torture and the Anti-Torture Statute passed by Congress in 1994. As we understand it, this question has arisen in the context of the conduct of interrogations outside the United States.
After its release in August 2002, the memoranda became the official policy on interrogations by the Defense Department and the CIA for 2 ½ years, until it was repudiated just last month at the last minute on the eve of Mr. Gonzales's nomination.
Yet, Mr. Gonzales refused to tell us anything about how the Bybee-Gonzales memorandum was written and why he ordered it. We know from press reports that the C.I.A. asked him for advice on how far the agency could go in interrogating detainees. In July 2002, he held meetings with other administration officials to discuss how to legally justify certain interrogation methods. He refuses to tell us anything about those meetings.
I have here the questions I had submitted, which were filed on January 18:
Did you participate in meetings where specific interrogation techniques were discussed?
I will include the full answers, but included in the answer is this:
For me to provide details about the methods of questioning terrorists mentioned in meetings that I attended would entail discussing classified information, and I am not at liberty to do so.
Could you tell the positions taken by the individuals present at the meetings when these topics were discussed?
Any meeting of the type you described, any records reflecting the information you specify would involve predecisional deliberations, and I am not at liberty to disclose.
What are predecisional deliberations? Is that executive privilege? If so, why don't they say it? If not, he has a requirement, and the committee should not have passed them out unless he was going to answer the questions.
Then it goes on:
Identify any notes or memoranda reflecting the CIA's request, any responsive actions by your office and the Department of Justice.
Any meeting of that type would involve predecisional deliberations and I am not at liberty to disclose.
Well, in preparation for your hearing, or since the hearing, did you review documents relating to the Bybee memorandum and its history?
I have conducted no search to the extent the documents requested may exist; moreover, they would involve deliberative material and I am not at liberty to disclose.
I listened to my colleagues on the other side talk about all of the questions asked, and I have 4 pages, 5 books, 16 documents. These are the answers. This is all part of the record. "I am not at liberty to disclose," he says.
It goes on:
Identify notes or correspondence reflecting advice or assessments, recommendations and your views on these issues.
I have not conducted a search.
The issue was torture.
I have not conducted a search. Any records reflecting the information you specify would involve deliberative material, and
I am not at liberty to disclose.
There it is, Mr. President. I will not take the time to go on. I will include those questions in the RECORD. They conducted a word search about torture, another word. It didn't kick out and they said: We conducted a complete search, and this is the best we can do for his answers. It is an insult to not just the Senate of the United States but the American people on the issue of torture.
We are talking about basically the single issue that is involved in the remarks I am making, about his role in the development of torture. Talk about values in this country, this is torture.
He says he can't remember what specific interrogation methods were discussed.
He can't remember who asked for the Justice Department's legal advice in the first place.
He can't remember whether he made any suggestions to the Department on the drafting of the Bybee-Gonzales Memorandum, although he admits that "it would not be unusual" for his office to have done so.
He doesn't know how the memo was forwarded to the Defense Department and became part of its "Working Group Report" in April 2003, which was used to justify the new interrogation practices at Guantanamo. Those practices, in turn, to use the obscure word resorted to by the administration, somehow "migrated" to U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as if no human hand had been involved in the dissemination.
Torture became a pervasive practice. The FBI says so. The Red Cross says so. The Defense Intelligence Agency says so. The Defense Department says it has investigated more than 300 cases of detainee torture, sexual assault, and other abuse. Additional allegations of abuse-many of them too sickening to be described in open session on the floor of the Senate-are reported almost daily. Yet, Mr. Gonzales can't remember the details of how any of it happened.
The Judiciary Committee has repeatedly asked Mr. Gonzales to provide documents on his meetings, evaluations, and decisions on the Bybee memorandum. These documents would speak volumes about all the issues Mr. Gonzales says he has trouble remembering. Yet he refuses to provide the documents. He won't even search for them. In his responses to our written questions, Mr. Gonzales stated eight times that he has not "conducted a search" for the requested documents. In other words, the documents we want may exist, but he's not going to look for them. It's hard to imagine a more arrogant insult to the constitutional role of the Senate in considering nominations.
Mr. Gonzales refused to answer other questions and requests on the grounds that they would involve "classified information," "predecisional" or "internal deliberations," or "deliberative material" None of these grounds is sufficient. There is no legal prohibition against providing classified material to Congress. It's routinely provided to Congress and discussed in closed meetings. There is no recognized privilege for "predecisional" or "deliberative" materials. The only exception is in the rare case where the President himself decides that his interest in secrecy outweighs the public interest in disclosure, and he himself invokes executive privilege. That hasn't happened here.
It was clear when Mr. Gonzales was nominated that his involvement in the policy on prisoner detention and interrogation would be a major concern of the Senate, and that the Senate would need full information and materials on this subject. Serious abuses of detainees occurred in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo. Mr. Gonzales's role in developing their legal justification goes to the heart of the issue whether he should be confirmed as the Nation's chief law enforcement officer.
If we vote to confirm this nominee without insisting on answers to our Questions, we'll be abdicating our advice-and-consent responsibility and weakening our oversight function precisely when it is needed most.
The Bybee-Gonzales memorandum was not a law review article or newspaper op-ed article. As Mr. Gonzales himself has said, it was the definitive legal opinion by the Justice Department on the rules on torture for the entire executive branch of the Government.
We learned this past weekend from a New York Times article that the Justice Department's Criminal Division-then headed by Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, now the nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security-was advising the CIA on the legality of specific interrogation techniques, using the Bybee-Gonzales memo as its legal guideline.
Further, the Times reported that there is a second Bybee memo which goes into even more detail than the first about which methods of coercion can be used. We have repeatedly asked for information about the original Bybee-Gonzales memo and how it was used. The nominee and the White House have stonewalled us. We have repeatedly asked for other documents to be produced that would be relevant to understanding the first Bybee-Gonzales memo. The nominee and the White House have stonewalled us.
Yesterday, Senator DURBIN and I wrote a letter to the ranking members of the Judiciary and Government Accountability Committees outlining the pressing need for all relevant documents before we proceed to fully consider the nomination. Senator DURBIN and I wrote:
It is clear that the Senate should have the documents before it votes on these two nominations, since such materials go to the heart of the qualifications of the nominees to serve in the sensitive and important positions which they have been nominated for.
As far as we know, until the Department released its revised version of the memorandum last month, the Bybee memorandum was the official and definitive Justice Department opinion on the definition of torture, on the legal defenses for those who commit torture, and on the power of the President to override laws and treaties on torture.
Given the recent New York Times article, it may be that in addition to the second Bybee memo, which we do not have, there are other memos on torture that the White House refuses to disclose.
Harold Koh, a leading scholar of international law and Dean of the Yale Law School who served in both the Reagan and Clinton administrations, calls the Bybee memorandum the most clearly legally erroneous opinion he has ever read. As he told the Judiciary Committee:
If the counsel for the President receives such an opinion, you would have expected him to do at least one of two things: First, reject it on the spot and send it back or, second, send it to other parts of the government and have them give a second opinion, particularly the State Department which, I believe, following the policies in the U.S. Report on the Convention Against Torture, would have said that the opinion is flatly wrong.
Instead ..... that opinion was allowed to become the executive branch policy, was incorporated into the DOD working group report, and remained as executive branch policy for some 2 ½ years, during which time I believe that a permissive environment was inevitably created.
That is what Harold Koh said at the hearing. I hope every Member of the Senate will take the time to read his testimony.
In his response to our questions about the Bybee memorandum, Mr. Gonzales said he has "no specific recollection of [his] reaction to the conclusions, reasoning, or appropriateness as a matter of policy of any of the particular sections of the memorandum at the time [he] received it 2 ½ years ago."
He did say, however, that he believed at the time it was "a good-faith effort" to interpret the antitorture statute. At the hearing, he told Senator Leahy:
I don't recall today whether or not I was in agreement with all of the analysis, but I don't have a disagreement with the conclusions then reached by the Department.
Let's review those conclusions. They are summarized on the memo's final page. The Bybee memorandum made three basic points. First, it said that torture means only acts that inflict the kind of pain experienced with death or organ failure. That is what the memo said: The pain "must be of an intensity akin to that which accompanies serious physical injury, such as death or organ failure."
Second, the memo said that the President has the inherent constitutional power as Commander in Chief to override the prohibitions against torture enacted by the Congress. Application of the antitorture statute "to interrogations undertaken pursuant to the President's Commander in Chief powers may be unconstitutional," the memo said.
Third, the memo said that even if a Government official were to commit torture under the extremely narrow definition set forth, abusers could still invoke the defenses of "necessity" or "self-defense." As the memo states, "necessity or self-defense could provide justification that would eliminate any criminal liability." The memo made this outlandish claim even though the Convention Against Torture, which Congress ratified in 1994, states very clearly that "no exceptional circumstances whatsoever" may be invoked as a justification for torture.
Fourth, the memo states that even if the person inflicting pain knew that severe pain would result from his actions, he would not be guilty of a crime even if he acted without good faith if causing harm was not his primary objective. This analysis defines "intent" in a way that defines away any instances of torture. This is one of the serious errors in the Bybee-Gonzales memo that was contradicted in the new OLC memo of December 30, 2004, which replaced the original memo.
None of these points qualify as a reasonable or "good faith" legal argument. The Bybee memorandum defined torture so narrowly that Saddam Hussein's lieutenants could have claimed immunity from prosecution for many of their crimes. Beating you, suffocating you, ripping out your fingernails, burning you with hot irons, suspending you from hooks, putting lighted cigarettes in your ear-none of these categories are specifically prohibited under the Bybee memorandum since none involve near death or organ failure, the specific conditions required by the memo to constitute torture.
As Chairman Specter himself said today, the original Bybee-Gonzales memo was "erroneous in its legal conclusions," and its definition of torture "was not realistic or adequate."
Nevertheless, Mr. Gonzales allowed it to stand for over 2 years and allowed it to be disseminated to other agencies, such as DOD, where major portions were absorbed verbatim into official policy. And now we know from the Times that it was used in the Justice Department to approve specific extreme methods for the CIA.
Mr. Gonzales also refused to tell us whether the extreme conduct at Guantanamo described in the FBI e-mails is illegal.
This conduct included burning detainees with lighted cigarettes, exposing them to extreme temperatures, giving forcible enemas, holding them in prolonged stress positions in their urine or feces. He explained his refusal to respond by saying to us:
[W]ere the administration to begin ruling out speculated interrogation practices in public, by virtue of gradually ruling out some practices in response to repeated questions and not ruling out others, we would fairly rapidly provide al-Qaida with a roadmap concerning the interrogation that captured terrorists can expect to face.
That is arrant nonsense. Our laws and treaties, our military field manuals all provide specific and clear guidance on where to draw the line on torture. Mr. Gonzales's failure to condemn these acts of torture only weakens America's standing in the world and sets back our efforts against terrorism.
How can we confirm as the chief law enforcement officer a nominee who is afraid to stand up for the rule of law?
To reach this narrow definition of torture, the authors of the Bybee memorandum relied on totally unrelated Federal statutes that define emergency medical conditions for purposes of providing health benefits. The revision last December of the Bybee memoranda refuted this analysis stating that the statutes relied on "do not define severe pain even in that very different context ..... and they do not state that death, organ failure, or impairment of bodily function cause 'severe pain.""
Clearly, the memo's original definition of torture is wrong. If it is applied in other countries, U.S. soldiers and citizens traveling abroad would clearly be at risk.
The Bybee memorandum provisions on executive power are also wholly inconsistent with the separations of power in the Constitution. Article II, section 3 directs the President to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." Yet the Bybee memorandum states that the Federal antitorture statute would be unconstitutional if it "interferes with the President's direction of such core war matters as the detention and interrogation of enemy combatants."
At a press conference in June 2004, Mr. Gonzales refused to say whether this statement remains "good law" for the Bush administration. He would say only that the President "has not exercised his Commander in Chief override; he has not determined that torture is, in fact, necessary to protect the national security of this country."
Mr. Gonzales evaded questions on this issue by committee members. To this day, we still do not know whether the President believes he has the power as Commander in Chief to authorize torture. There is no such thing as a Commander in Chief override.
It is certainly not in my copy of the Constitution. It appears to be something that Mr. Gonzales and his colleagues have invented.
Congress has repeatedly passed laws and ratified treaties prohibiting torture and mistreatment of detainees, and the President does not have the power to violate them.
When a nominee claims that such an override exists, or suggests that those who commit torture might be able to invoke the defense of "necessity" or "self-defense" notwithstanding Cong-Ð ress's categorical prohibition against such a defense, it sends a message that "anything goes" to our troops and intelligence officers in the field. To allow such extreme claims to become official U.S. policy for two whole years was reckless and, in my view, disqualifying in any nominee for Attorney General.
Mr. Gonzales has also demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the rule of law in his effort to facilitate the CIA practice of "ghost detainees." The administration has always claimed to be in full compliance with the Geneva Conventions in Iraq. Yet in the spring of 2004, we learned from General Taguba that between six and eight of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison had not been registered as required by Army regulations and were being moved around the prison to avoid detection by the International Committee for the Red Cross. General Taguba described this practice as "deceptive, contrary to Army doctrine and in violation of international law."
In September, Army investigators told the Armed Services Committee that at the CIA's direction, as many as 100 detainees at Abu Ghraib had been hidden from the Red Cross and that the CIA had refused requests to cooperate with the military investigation. This disclosure drew outrage from both Democrats and Republicans. Senator McCain said:
The situation with the CIA ghost soldiers is beginning to look like a bad movie. ..... This needs to be cleared up rather badly.
Since then, we have learned that Mr. Gonzales was a major architect of this policy. On March 19, 2004, the Justice Department provided him with a draft memorandum-the so-called "Goldsmith Memorandum"-to allow the CIA to ship certain persons out of Iraq. Once again, the memo's first page reads, "Memorandum for Alberto R. Gonzales, Counsel to the President." A separate cover page confirms that the opinion was requested by him. It is hard to imagine a clearer smoking gun.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention specifically states:
Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive.
Violations of Article 49 constitute "grave breaches" of the Convention and therefore qualify as "war crimes" under Federal law.
In spite of the clear, unequivocal language of this provision, the Justice Department ruled that Article 49 does not in fact prohibit, for the purpose of "facilitating interrogation," the temporary removal from Iraq of "protected persons" who have not been accused of a crime. Scott Silliman, an expert in military law at Duke University, observed that the Goldsmith memorandum:
Seeks to create a legal regime justifying conduct that the international community clearly considers in violation of international law and the Convention.
Although the memo was labeled "draft," it was put into action. In October 2004, the Washington Post reported that one intelligence official familiar with the operation said the CIA used the memo:
As legal support for secretly transporting as many as a dozen detainees out of Iraq in the last six months. The agency has concealed the detainees from the International Committee of the Red Cross and other authorities, the official said.
The legal analysis in the Goldsmith Memorandum is preposterous. Yet it appears to have provided a legal justification for the CIA to commit war crimes. As with the Bybee Memorandum, Mr. Gonzales has categorically refused to answer the
Senate's questions about his involvement.
He refuses to provide or even conduct a search for documents relating to his request for the Goldsmith Memorandum.
He refuses to say anything about his discussions with the author of the memo.
He says he does not know whether the CIA acted on the memo, as the Washington Post reported.
He even says that he has never had the "occasion to come to definitive views" about the analysis in the memo.
Far from helping to clear the air, Mr. Gonzales has clouded it further. To let his nomination proceed would
make a mockery of the notion of congressional oversight and accountability.
There are many other issues in Mr. Gonzales's record that should give Members of the Senate pause.
As predicted by Secretary Powell and senior military lawyers, Mr. Gonzales's memorandum of January 2002 on the applicability of the Geneva Conventions to the war in Afghanistan brought a strong negative reaction from even our closest allies and lowered the bar for the protection of our own troops.
According to the Schlesinger report, in September 2003 military commanders in Iraq cited this memo as legal justification for the use of extreme interrogation techniques at Abu Ghraib prison. The worst abuses there occurred from September to December 2003.
In his answers to the committee, Mr. Gonzales made clear that the administration does not consider the CIA to be bound by the prohibition on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Article 16 of the Convention Against Torture. This shift in legal policy was apparently made in a separate Justice Department memorandum which has also not been provided to Congress.
Today, therefore, CIA agents are authorized to treat detainees in a cruel, inhuman, and degrading manner-even if it violates constitutional rules in the U.S.-so long as they do not commit "torture" under the Department's narrow definition. President Bush also exempted the CIA from his directive in February 2002 to treat all detainees "humanely." This shameful change in policy obviously endangers the safety of American soldiers who are captured abroad.
Finally, the New York Times reported that Mr. Gonzales excluded important administration personnel from deliberations on the administration's plan to establish military tribunals at Guantanamo, a plan that was widely criticized as unjust, unworkable, and unconstitutional. Secretary of State Powell, National Security Adviser Rice, and the head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Michael Chertoff, saw the President's Military Order only after it was published in November 2001. Most of the Pentagon's top military lawyers were also kept in the dark. More than 3 years after the order's publication, not a single detainee at Guantanamo has been successfully prosecuted. To the contrary, as predicted by officials who have expertise in the field, the military tribunal process there is falling apart.
Torture has never before been a Republican versus Democrat issue. Instead, it has always been an issue of broad consensus and ideals, reflecting the fundamental values of the Nation. President Reagan signed the Convention Against Torture in 1988.
President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton supported its ratification in 1994. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by Senator Helms and Senator Pell, voted 10-0 to report the Convention favorably to the full Senate.
I hope that this tradition of bipartisanship and consensus will continue today. I hope that all Members of the Senate will cast their vote in a way that upholds our fundamental values.
A "no" vote is the right vote if we care about maintaining America's standing in the world and fighting the war on terrorism. The torture and other abuses of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo have done immense damage to America's standing in the world. The extreme and irresponsible claims in the Bybee and Goldsmith Memorandums have raised basic questions about the genuineness of our commitment to the rule of law.
It is the right vote for our troops. The administration's shameful disregard for our laws and treaties on torture has lowered the bar for the protection of our own soldiers.
It has violated the military's longstanding "golden rule": Treat captured combatants in the manner we expect our own soldiers to be treated. What can Mr. Gonzales possibly say to a country that justifies its torture of a U.S. soldier by citing Mr. Gonzales's own record of support for it?


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Spring Hydrangea Wreath
A beauty! Lush hydrangeas in shades of pink and spring flowers in moss green mix with spring foliage in this generous size wreath. A vine wreath is its base and a lovely pink bow completes the look. Add a graceful accent to your front door. Order today!
22" diameter x 7" deep
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Uncanny Valley
October 2nd, Oni Buchanan and Jon Woodward (more about them
below) will perform a multi-media sonic work entitled "Uncanny
Valley". In this program (featuring a newly-commissioned
concert-length piece by composer John Gibson), the piano
performance of Oni Buchanan joins and reflects the spoken
text of the poem "Uncanny Valley" as performed
by its author, poet Jon Woodward. "Uncanny Valley" is
a long serial poem in 16 sections, meant to be read out
loud, with numerous optional repeats throughout the text.
These repetitions act as accumulations of sound, maddening
as well as hypnotic. Gibson's piece provides a sonic environment
in which the text floats freely, with its pacing determined
by the two performers. Digital samples triggered by both
performers mirror and enmesh the piano and spoken text.
Extending outward from the phenomenon of "semantic
satiation" (whereby a single word loses all apparent
meaning and identity when repeated for even a short duration),
this program investigates whether or not the same satiation
is possible with phrases, sentences, pairs of verse lines,
or musical forms.
In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori coined the term "uncanny
valley" to describe the emotional and empathic chasm
between humans and imperfect human simulacra, a gap created
by their imperfection. The piano work composed by John
Gibson and the poem text written by Jon Woodward cooperate
in a search for what is most uncanny, and most human, in
both language and music.
• Oni
Buchanan's Official Website • Poetry
Performance Video • Wikipedia
Entry on Oni Buchanan • Buchanan
Discusses An Influential Poem • "The
Mandrake Vehicles," A
Visual Poetry Instillation • Listen
to Select Pieces by Oni Buchanan
Oni Buchanan's third poetry book, Must a Violence,
is forthcoming from the Kuhl House Poets Series in September
2012, selected by Mark Levine. Her previous books include Spring,
a Poetry Honors winner of the 2009 Massachusetts Book Awards
and selected by Mark Doty for the 2007 National Poetry
Series, and What Animal, selected by Fanny Howe
for the University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry
Series. Oni is also a concert pianist, has released three
solo piano CDs, and actively performs across the U.S. and
abroad. She lives in Boston with her husband, the poet
Jon Woodward.
• Jon Woodward's
Official Website • View
Woodward's Mockingbird Project • Copyleft,
An Ongoing Poem Added to Daily • Woodward's "Poems
to Stare At," a
digital collection with a twist • Review
of Woodward's "Rain" by
Stephen Burt • Quick
Review of Woodward's Style in "Rain"
Jon Woodward's books are Uncanny Valley (forthcoming
from Cleveland State University Poetry Center), Rain (Wave
Books), and Mister Goodbye Easter Island (Alice
James Books). He lives in Boston with his wife, poet and
pianist Oni Buchanan, and he works at the Harvard Museum
of Comparative Zoology.
VWS Home Page
A Word About VWS
An Interview With Jack Ridl
Previous Visiting Writers
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SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- LoanLove.com is a borrower advice website that provides detailed insights into the mortgage industry in a fun and entertaining way. The team at LoanLove.com is devoted to help empower both first time and experienced homeowners with valuable resources, first-class knowledge and connections to top-rated industry professionals and has the mission of helping consumers and borrowers to obtain the latest information on mortgage lending trends, the real estate market and the U.S. financial landscape in order to help them obtain a home loan that they will love. Loan Love continues to provide excellent service to readers by providing them the latest in mortgage loan news with their updated articles and guide videos. One of their new featured articles, "Cash Out Refinance vs Home Equity Loan (Key Differences)" highlights both cash out refinance and home equity line of credit advantages and disadvantages by going into detail about how both loans function.
The Loan Love article begins by saying: "Thinking of tapping into your home's equity for a major expenditure like home renovations, college expenses or to pay back high-interest debts? Unsure whether a cash out refinance loan vs a home equity loan is a better choice for you? Fret no more, 'cause we're about to lay down a little pro-con information that will help you understand which is the right one for you."
Before deciding which of the two loan options is the better deal, there are a few things a loan borrower should know first. Namely, while both cash out refinance and home equity loans can help home owners tap into their home's equity, they differ in the way they "attach" themselves to the home's property. While a cash out refinance loan is simply an additional mortgage loan that will replace a homeowner's previous loan, a home equity loan is a loan that will be taken out and added on top of a current mortgage loan. This means that those who choose a home equity loan will be faced with having to pay additional loan fees alongside other monthly mortgage loan payments.
The article continues by analyzing the advantages of both: "The biggest "pro" in favor of a cash-out refi: Since a refi is a first-position mortgage – that is, it's the primary loan on your home – the interest rates are usually lower. Shopping for a refi is pretty much the same as shopping for any other mortgage, and you have access to the same low rates as someone who's buying a home. The biggest "pro" favoring a home equity loan is also the biggest "con" associated with a refinance loan: Home equity loans have no closing costs, and that can mean a savings of hundreds – even thousands – of dollars compared to a cash-out refinance loan, which typically comes with all the same closing costs as a purchase mortgage."
There are a number of things that should be considered before choosing which, if either, of these loans would be the best option. Loan Love explains some of these elements in their guide and end by saying: "Sadly – for you – what it usually comes down to is crunching the numbers. So shop around, take advantage of available calculators, and take the time to make sure the loan you choose is the smartest financial move for you." For more information on the advantages of home equity line of credit, please visit LoanLove.com for the full guide.
Media Contact: Kevin Blue, LoanLove.com, 949-292-8401, firstname.lastname@example.com
News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com
SOURCE LoanLove.com


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Well, it is not just any church, but megachurches.
A new study done by the University of Washington has come to this conclusion – megachurch services produce a drug-kind of 'high' on its attenders. this spiritual 'high' is what causes people to come back for more every Sunday.
"The upbeat modern music, cameras that scan the audience and project smiling, dancing, singing, or crying worshippers on large screens, and an extremely charismatic leader whose sermons touch individuals on an emotional level … serve to create these strong positive emotional experiences," Corcoran said.
This may sound positive but this result has one negative picture – it gives weight to the idea that bigger churches has weaker commitment percentage among members compared to smaller ones since services are emotionally-charged and people come back because of how they felt, not on what was said or taught.
Read more regarding this through www.thechruchreport.com.


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This scenario is based on a recent occurence in Florida. (Link at bottom of page.) How would you respond?
You and family members and girlfriends are watching tv. Your fiance sees a man in your driveway saying something about the nice rims on your car, and the man is holding a gun.
Your girlfriend and your brother's girlfriend take the children to a back bedroom while you lock the doors.
You and your brother are now standing in your living room.
BG is pointing a gun (Glock 27)at your two young daughters and sister-in-law in the back yard (they snuck out a window thinking the BG was inside). BG tells you to unlock the sliding glass door and step outside.
You have access to a sawed off shotgun.
What do you do?
In this scenario... you cannot "rewind the tape."
Most of us would never allow the sequence of events to occur as they did.
The facts that are immutable are:
1:You have only an illegal SBR in your posession.
2:Your children and an in-law are being held at gunpoint outside your sliding glass door in the back yard.
Link to actual story


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Asked by older at 7:31 AM on Jun. 10, 2011 in Crazy for CreditsLevel 69 (2,285,492 Credits)
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Summer 2001
Settling basins for open feedlots
by Jeff Lorimor, Department of Ag and Biosystems Engineering
Current Iowa Department of Natural Resources rules require all open feedlots to have settling basins below them to settle out the settleable solids before any liquid is allowed to leave. Proper settling basin design ensures good performance and optimum operator convenience. Good design can help achieve both these requirements.
Settling can occur in basins, terraces, diversions, or other natural areas. The law specifies the following minimum requirements:
Although these requirements sound confusing, we can use some approximations to make settling basin design relatively easy and still be sure to meet the requirements and be effective. The two most important criteria are the storm size and the basin surface area requirement.
size. The
1-hour, 10-year storm varies from 2.1 inches in the northeastern corner
Basin surface area. The second requirement, 8 square feet per cubic feet per hour runoff, coupled with the storm size, determines the minimum basin size. The following example shows a minimum settling basin design for a 1-acre lot using 100 percent runoff and 2.5 inches per hour:
(2.5 inches/hour)
x (1 acre) x (3,600 conversion factor*) = 9,000 cubic feet/hour
By using the Department of Natural Resoruces requirement of 8 square feet of surface area for each cubic foot/hour, the minimum basin size = (9,000 cubic feet/hour)/8 = 1,125 square foot surface area.
We must add solids
storage to this area. (Notice that the ratio of the lot surface area to
the settling basin surface area is 43,560/1,125 = 39). The rule of thumb
for settling basins in
Now that we have determined the size of the basin, we need to design it to maximize its effectiveness and to be convenient to manage. To do so consider the following four criteria.
Slope. Use a very flat slope so the flow slows immediately when it hits the basin. Generally use from 0.5 percent (1/2 of 1 percent) or less slope.
Depth. Settling basins typically should be fairly shallow to allow easy access for cleanout. One to 2 feet is often used, but if the situation warrants, deeper is fine. The shallower it is the more rapidly the solids will dry down. Some situations require settling ponds or tanks rather than flat basins. If you go deeper to more of a settling tank or pond, you must have appropriate cleanout methods available such as a back hoe, dragline, or track-type tractor.
Geometry. Settling basins below small concrete lots may only be 8 to 10 feet in width. Minimum width is the width of your loader bucket. Basins below larger lots comprising several acres will more likely be 20 feet or more in width. The length is determined by the length necessary to intercept all the runoff across the bottom of the lot, or by the minimum surface area as calculated above.
Use a concrete pad where the majority of the solids will settle. Concrete facilitates clean out. Some producers use concrete pads, others use total concrete, and some use no concrete. When using total concrete a continuous vertical concrete curb along each side helps guide the scraper bucket for cleaning and protects the sides from eroding.
Outlet. Design the outlet so the top elevation is 6 inches below the berm. If the outlet plugs, the liquid will still exit at the outlet location. Either vertical or horizontal 0.5- to 1-inch slots work. Horizontal slots are somewhat easier to construct and manage. Location is not critical for the outlet. It can be near an end or in the middle. It should be located, however, so it does not interfere with cleanout, and it should not be directly next to the inlet. A concrete end-wall to push against works well for concrete basins. Tile risers used as outlets need protection from the cleanout machinery.
General guideline summary for settling basins
© 1997-2004, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.
and Nutrient Management Home Page| |Iowa
State University Extension|
Page last updated October 5, 2004
|... and justice for
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.


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I wonder if Petrus is the one to be cut. Tryon is good on special teams and occasionally in sub packages, and I would say that he would be gone, if not for our secondary being so banged up.
Football has been very, very good to us.
After losing seasons 2013-15, the giants put up 11 wins in 16.. they are on way Back
But for now we can console ourselves with this fact-
# of Super Bowl victories since 1985:
1-Chicago, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Seattle
2-Washington, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore
3-San Francisco, Dallas, Denver
4-New York Giants!!!
Let's make it 5 in 2016 so we can be on a LINE NE again!!!
***Stat provided by "Schloss22"***
just read they have till Saturday to make a roster move to 53....
in the Bergen Record
"Measure Twice......Cut Once"
You couldn't be more full of **** if you were break dancing in a Port-a-Potty.......Kruunch


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Revenger-cm Beta review!
First things first, the beta itself is awesome. I don't even have to play the final product to know that this game.... is better than brawls, period.
Friends: there's been bugs lately no letting my friends join or find matches fast, but this is the beta of course. Its a lot of fun to play the game on 2v2, **bleep** great chatting while playing with your friend, never had that in brawl. Yogurt and I made an awesome team, even though i got the beta 1 day later and still learning >.> <.<
Stages: Metropolis and Hades are great maps, don't use Radec on metropolis so much, he is no that good on there. Thats all i have to say for the stages.
Music: Menu theme rocks, i have memorized already for how good it is lol. The music o stages are pretty bad, because they are just to relaxing and don't get you pump to play better. Hope they make a song selection for stages like on brawl.
Volume: The volume of the game is very, very low... needs to be louder, i don't even notice theres a song playing in the background.
Connection: Lets just say in the final product, you won't have to wait 10 seconds and you are in a match already, so don't worry, sometimes the players teleport but thats about it
Items: pertty nice, although i would like to play without them lol
Modes: Again , 2v2 my fav, too much fun working together as a team, free for all is pretty good.
Now onto the chaarcter o.o (no sly ;()
Parappa: Very fast character, quick moves, quicly gets AP, very good to start with, lvl 3 is allright in free for all, but i wish after he used lvl 3 he woulda got a 20 sec double ap gaining or something similiar, that would help.
Kratos: Excellent starting character, he grabbing on the enemy player is good way to start getting used to the controls. Supers are all right except lvl 2, which could use little bit more radio.
Radec: DAAAAA MMMMNNNN , he spams a lot of his sniper. I try to block and jump but sometimes its just impossible to get him b4 he hits you like 5 times. Radec should be little stronge on close combat and maybe the rifle could get weaker in my opinion. He gets 2 lvl 3 easily if he just spams. All lvl 3 supers are fine, his lvl 1 is good but its hard to use.
Sweet Tooth: his perfect, a very fast ap gaining character, easy to play him.
Fat prince: her moveset is all right, but her lvl 3 is pretty bad, its gets you like 2-3 kills from what i've seen.
Anyways, this game is better than brawl, it has no similiarity with brawl execpt that its a 4 player brawler. thats it, so get yourself the game or you will miss a big oppurtinity here. Can't wait for roster with 22+ character roster, i can tell this game is on top 5 games of the year for PS, no doubt.


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Michel Khalaf
President, EMEA
MetLife, Inc.
Michel Khalaf is president of MetLife, Inc.'s EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region and a member of the company's executive group. He was appointed to this position in November 2011.
Prior to assuming his current position, Khalaf was executive vice president and chief executive officer of MetLife's Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
Previously, Khalaf was deputy president and chief operating officer of Philamlife, AIG's operating company in the Philippines.
Since joining Alico's investment department in 1989, Khalaf has held a number of leadership roles in various markets around the world including the Caribbean, France and Italy. In 1996, he was named the first general manager of Alico's operation in Egypt. In 2001, he assumed the position of regional senior vice president in charge of Alico's life, pension and mutual fund operations in Poland, Romania and the Baltics as well as president and chief executive officer of Amplico Life.
Khalaf is a graduate of Syracuse University with a B.S. in engineering and an M.B.A. in finance. He is a fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI).


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|Patriots Look Poised For Another Super Bowl Run
|Bruins Trade For Drew Stafford
|Black and Gold Bruins Turn Yellow On Parade Day
|Inconsistency Will Continue For Bruins Unless A Change Is Made
Update: ESPN reports that talks between the Boston Celtics and Rajon Rondo are not dead like previously reported. Bill Duffy and Danny Ainge met in Cleveland last night after the Celtics offered Rondo a counterproposal to their original 5 year $45 million deal. Terms of the Celtics' offer have not been disclosed though it appears to be enough to reopen negotiations
Multiple sources report that Rajon Rondo will not sign a extension with the Boston Celtics by the October 31st NBA deadline to extend players. The two sides met over the weekend to discuss a new contract for the 23 year old point guard, but the fiscal concerns of both sides hindered the possibility of agreeing on a deal.
If the deadline passes and the two sides can't agree on a deal, Rondo will join teammate Ray Allen along with superstars LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in the free agent market of 2010. What separates Rondo from the aforementioned players is that the Celtics' guard will be a restricted free agent. The Celtics will be able to match any offer Rondo may receive on the open market.
Rondo's agent, Bill Duffy, believes that Rondo should be paid enough to make him one of the top 5 highest paid point guards in the NBA. WEEI reported that the Celtics offered Rondo a five year extention at $45 million. Duffy and his client are believed to be seeking a deal in the five year $60 million range.
The deal Duffy is seeking would potentially give Rondo a more than $9 million pay raise. Rondo is currently making $2.3 million in the last year of his rookie deal.
Tags: Celtics, free agency, Rajon Rondo, Rumors
Celtics and Rajon Rondo Won't Agree On Extension: Multiple sources report that Rajon Rondo will not sign a exte.. http://bit.ly/3PWWXq
You know, it's getting harder and harder to be a sports fan. The insane amount of money going around in every major sport is simply nauseating. The sheer greed, the overwhelming non concern about any semblance of loyalty – it's really getting to be a bit too much.
The Celts offer a kid $9 million dollars a year with a 5 year contract – and he's insulted by the offer! What planet are we on? How can this amount of money be sneered at, and how can we even comprehend the level of self importance that someone must feel to say "No, $9 million a year just isn't enough for my ego to accept?"
With all the "downsized" victims of our current economic situation losing houses and being economically destroyed every day, with thousands of Americans going hungry and/or sleeping in the street or a flop house, how in the world can anyone look at himself in the mirror and say, "Nah, I need at least $12 million a year to be happy. $9 million just won't hack it".
I can't wait to see the next NBA commercial about how the NBA players care so much about our downtrodden.
I've got to stop now before I throw up.


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Thursday, June 24, 2010
Walnuts and mustaches...
4 comments:
- Modern Country said...
Hi Leigha,
I am so sorry it took me so long to respond to your lovely e-mail. I was so incredible happy to read it, you are super positive! And not forget, you know how to Inspire in a very personal way. I want to thank you for that.
Enjoy the weekend in the best possible way,
Lots of hugs,
It is always
- June 24, 2010 at 2:39 PM
- The Shiny Pebble said...
Too cute! It does read like a floral, no? Almost unrelated, but have you seen a quartz wall before? this company carves it into a wallpaper looking surface. Gorgeous in croc or a floral lace type. http://theshinypebble.blogspot.com/2010/03/croc-quartz-wall.html
I would love to see that used somewhere. It sounds so extravagant!
- June 24, 2010 at 7:59 PM
- joanny said...
Oh how lovely it is --- and I bet the picture does not do it justice.
Wonder how it is made? Would love to feel and see a sample piece.
Thanks for visiting my blog your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
Will stop by your lovely blog more often so much to see here.
- June 25, 2010 at 12:14 PM
- The Zhush said...
That's hilarious! I could have stared at this paper all day and not realized it was mustaches! and now that is all I can see...crzy!
- June 27, 2010 at 8:18 AM


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Corporate boards need to monitor social media such as Twitter actively to make sure lies about their companies are not spread, experts say.
YMCA Victoria chair Sue O'Connor said social media was a great way to learn from customers and resolve complaints cheaply, but risks needed to be scrutinised closely.
"Boards need to be actively engaged with ensuring that their organisations are monitoring what's going on," Ms O'Connor said. "It's not something that they can delegate and hope that it's happening."
She was speaking in the aftermath of a scandal in which a senior
Ms O'Connor noted that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission required false and misleading comments to be removed from corporate Facebook pages within 24 hours to avoid legal consequences, so monitoring could not just be a Monday-to-Friday job.
Commonwealth Bank was drawn into a scandal when an unknown person established a Twitter account in the name of an employee of its subsidiary Bankwest, and tweeted damaging material.
The account was live for weeks while the bank went through Twitter's processes to shut it down, and Twitter refused to reveal the account holder's identity, angering the bank.
Social media consultant Laurel Papworth said it was hard to impersonate someone online as long as the person already had a strong online profile.
"It's really risky for organisations to not have a voice on social media," she said.
Ms Papworth pointed out that Commonwealth Bank's choice to call in the lawyers brought press attention to the unhappy customers who caused the ruckus in the first place.
She recommended using social media to correct false messages.
Energy company Shell has also been a victim of a sophisticated social media campaign. A fake site allowed negative user-generated "ads" bearing the Shell logo to circulate on the internet.
A seemingly Shell-linked Twitter account then threatened to sue anyone who forwarded the ads on.
Eventually it was revealed that the website and Twitter account were backed by Greenpeace. Shell is not launching legal action, according to reports.
Social media anonymity can be advantageous for the well known. Many public figures maintain anonymous Twitter accounts that allow them to follow people without being identified as followers.
Similarly, Prince Harry has until recently maintained a Facebook account under the name Spike Wells, allowing him to enjoy the benefits of social media without facing a deluge of publicity.
The Australian Financial Review


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Take Away: How To Make Money While Making What You Love presented by UncommonGoods
Last week I went to How To Make Money While Making What You Love presented by UncommonGoods and hosted by Rabbithole Studio in DUMBO (Brooklyn, NY). Why was I there? To learn from seasoned designers and creators. Who was there? Tina Roth Eisenberg of Swissmiss and Tattly Jeff Davis of Vinylux Nicky Skarstad of Etsy Anna Rabinowicz of Rablabs Here's my take away from the discussion... Branding Remember to always be consistent. From packaging to tone to the product or service, be certain that everything is cohesive. Your brand should be packaged in such a way that everything just aligns, it makes sense, nothing is out of place, nothing seems off. When people see your product or brand, they know that it is, in fact, you (or your brand). Also, you are your brand. Right? I mean if you are solo doing your thing then really you are your brand. I remember back when I was interviewed once a few years ago. The person interviewing me said that my work looked like my work. Meaning it all looked like it was created by one person. That is what your brand should be and it goes along with the paragraph above. The panel also suggested asking yourself "what am I trying to accomplish as a designer?" I love this question because it reminds me to not get stuck inside the world I have semi-created for myself (subway map cuff bracelets anyone?). As a designer and creative individual I am also in looove with color, textiles, furniture, other objects, spaces, behaviors. social design, people....etc. etc. etc....! So I thought of this question as a larger part of my goal as a designer/creator/ innovator/entrepreneur/etc. What am I trying to accomplish as a designer? Well now I have something bigger to think about and put on my five year plan! Packaging Keep packaging costs low. In other words, don't spend all of your hard earned money (or someone else's money) on packaging. I think it was Jeff who said that spending too much on packaging could put you out of business. Keep it simple. For instance, I purchased an iPad case on Etsy a few months ago. It came in a large yellow envelope, the case was wrapped in brown paper with a lovely multicolored string holding it all together. There was a simple but nicely designed tag that had the brand name on it and contact information. Done. Simple. Low cost solution. My Metro Cuffs come in either a poly bag or bubble bag with a very slim sleeve wrapped around each cuff to let someone know exactly what it is that they are looking at. I have to do this because I also have to purchase more packaging when I am shipping each cuff individually. So in order for me to keep costs low I keep the ultimate packaging aka my sleeve very simple. On that note however, the panel suggested putting a little extra love inside or on the package. At Tattly they put lots of different stamps on the outside of the packages. Tina said that she receives so many messages about the stamps and she sees a lot of her customers taking pictures of them and posting them around the web. When you throw in or add-on something a little extra you enhance the overall customer experience. You can do this and still keep the costs low. Trade Shows This group explained the value of trade shows being a testing ground for potential new products. When you have a hundreds upon hundreds of buyers coming by your booth, what better way to test your product? Also, you can find out the level of interest and order accordingly which could save you money and time in the long run. The first year I did the New York International Gift Fair we put out a few prototypes. Buyers came by, expressed interest, some purchased them and when the show was over I put an order in with my manufacturer. I didn't have those styles sitting in my studio or whatever. It didn't matter, I told buyers the date of the launch and they purchased anyway. Any other Advice? Tell your story and tell it well. People love that. That was Nicky's (Etsy) suggestion and I agree with her. When I first started doing this people told me to not talk about how I came up with the idea for the Metro Cuffs. Now I tell it willingly and people like to know because it is interesting, even if you think it isn't. People love to hear success stories or ah-ha moments (if that's what you think it was) or stumbled-upon product or service needs. Maybe it inspires people. Maybe we all just love a good story. But I think there's something more. When you tell a story people start to listen. If you have nothing to say then you can't start a conversation. People will not talk about your work, products, or services and they won't ask questions. I think opening a dialogue and starting a conversation will ultimately help you grow as an individual and as a brand. Feel free to give suggestions!


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Family History
National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia information for family historians.
Australian Capital Territory Library
ACT Heritage Library collection.
New South Wales Library
State Library of New South Wales family history service.
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Northern Territory Library collections and services.
Queensland Library
State Library of Queensland family history information.
South Australia Library
State Library South Australia family history service and collection.
Tasmania Library
State Library of Tasmania family history resources.
Victoria Library
State Library of Victoria genealogy collection.
Western Australia
State Library of Western Australia family history information gateway.