text:
GE Basics
Genetic Information
How Genes Are Transferred
DNA: Example Using Insulin
How To Make Identical Genomes
The cell is the basic unit of life. There are two kinds of cells: prokaryotes
and eukaryotes. Prokaryotes don't have a nuclear membrane - a membrane that
surrounds the nucleus allowing only certain chemicals to pass through. Eukaryotes,
like the cell pictured below, do have a nuclear membrane and other small cell
organelles that prokaryotic cells often lack.
Sometimes a cell can be an organism by itself (yeast, bacteria). Other organisms
- humans, trees, sharks - are multicellular. These organisms are made up of
many specialized cells (muscle, skin, xylem, brain cells ... ). All of your
genetic information is stored inside of almost every single one of your cells.
Humans contain more than 75,000,000,000,000 cells.
Next, find out where the cell stores genetic material.
Locating Genetic Information Next
Explore More: Genetic Engineering
Copyright 2004, Iowa Public Television
The Explore More project is supported by funds from the
Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust
and the USDE Star Schools Program.

subset: commoncrawl


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I just have to get this off my chest. My DH is driving me crazy with the complaining about the sleep. My baby is 8 months old and not a bad sleeper, just not a good one either. He wakes usually about 3-4 times a night, one of which will happen in the early morning hours where he'll just be wide awake and wanting to play. This one particularly drives DH crazy. I especially dislike this particular wakeup as well, and I have no idea how to deal with it. But I do. Yes, I complain occasionally, and I don't mind DH complaining occasionally too, but I hear it from him every day, multiple times a day, in the middle of the night. Plus, DH gets mad at DS, which is probably what I hate most of all. I hate how angry DH gets about it.
Yes, it sucks not getting a full night's sleep and having to get up early. I'm tired every day. But I can deal with it. DH insists he can't. I just want to yell at him that this is what having a baby entails, deal with it, it won't last forever. I don't. I validate his feelings as much as I can, say I understand, try to be encouraging, but geez, it's hard. And it also makes me mad that I'm kinda not allowed to complain about feeling tired myself and feeling frustrated myself with DS's sleep patterns because that just sets DH off more. I have to be the strong, cheerful one, and I want my turn to be the bitchy one!
The thing that really frustrates me is how myopic he is. We'll get a good night's sleep. DH is pleased. The next night will be bad, and DH will go off about how DS's sleep is getting worse and worse, this is a big problem that needs to be fixed, what are we going to do, he can't handle this, etc. The good night is forgotten, any progress from the past is forgotten, everything is horrible. I get feeling frustrated with the lack of sleep. I really really get it! I'm there too. But the constant anger is just not helping anything and it's driving me crazy.
Note that DS is not our first--DD is 3 years old. She was a much worse sleeper than DS, but we got her sleeping through the night by about 15 months. DH doesn't look at the big picture and look ahead to the time when DS will be sleeping through the night, not that long from now, relatively.
Can you move out of the room with your son? Sometimes the stress of dealing with a whiny spouse actually makes it worse for you and the kid. DH was like this with our first one but not our second. He would complain about not getting enough sleep. You're too nice. I would scream like a banshee and ask him if his needs were more important than mine. Don't do that, it doesn't make it better. Experience talking here.
Yeah I had this life once upon a time. To be fair to my dh, he works a LOT of hours, and I'd be home and sleep while the baby napped to catch up, and he'd be going into work on not enough sleep and not have a way to nap. It was hard on him, but his griping bothered me more than the sleep issues. He finally moved into our guest room for that period of time and life was good again. I'd suggest a temporary move somewhere else so he can get the sleep he needs.
Yeah, I think I just need to suck it up, kick DH out of our bedroom, and deal with all the night wakings by myself for a while. Not fair, but then he'll be in my debt and maybe I will get to complain more. :-)
DH is the SAHP, not me. I work full-time from home (but with set hours, just like an office job). I know his job is hard (I have been a SAHM in the past), but I personally think I have the harder end of the deal in our particular situation. Any breaks I get during the day are to nurse DS, not breaks for myself, whereas DH gets multiple breaks all day when I'm nursing--something most SAHPs never get, because usually the working spouse is not at home--and he sometimes gets to take short naps. But I don't dare say that my life is harder. (Most of the time. I do lose it occasionally.) I've learned that it's just not worth it. He enjoys complaining about being a SAHP too, says he has to be with the kids all day so he can't take having to start his day with them at 6:30 am, etc.
My DH sounds really awful, doesn't he--he's not, he just has too much of a temper, and his personality/temperament isn't suited to being a SAHP. It's not a good job fit for him, and as much as he loves our kids, he doesn't like being with both of them all day. I should be the SAHM and he should work, but that's just not possible right now unfortunately.
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Santa Cruz Real Estate
by: AppBuilderOnline.com • 0
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by: AppBuilderOnline.com • 0
This app will aid the buyer or seller in searching for listings, or information on selling in the county of Santa Cruz. Local information about Santa Cruz and the agent Michele Replogle
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Reel in new customers using these striped bass shaped custom stress balls that will attract the attention of any sportsman!
Reel in some big business by adding your logo to these trout shaped custom stress balls for your upcoming giveaways.
This fish shaped promotional hot/cold pack is filled with non-toxic gel beads that stay hot or cold. Perfect for school nurses and daycares.
Ignite your clients' passion for sports with promotional sports gifts from ePromos. Sports have evolved over millions of years, sweeping across nations to become the games that we know today, watching on TV or playing ourselves. Show your clients that your company advocates this great pastime by giving them promotional sports products such as mugs, stress balls, pens, water bottles and fans.


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Howa(ok, alright) let's have a little Friday fun with translating a poem into the Cherokee language. How many of your remember in English lit. reading and doing a report on the classic poem/sonnet "How do I love thee." written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning? For those who may not remember her she was born in 1806 at Coxhoe Hall, Durham, England, Elizabeth Barrett, was an English poet of the Romantic Movement.
The oldest of twelve children, Elizabeth was the first in her family born in England in over two hundred years. For centuries, the Barrett family, who were part Creole, had lived in Jamaica, where they owned sugar plantations and relied on slave labor. Elizabeth's father, Edward Barrett Moulton Barrett, chose to raise his family in England, while his fortune grew in Jamaica. Educated at home, Elizabeth apparently had read passages from Paradise Lost and a number of Shakespearean plays, among other great works, before the age of ten. By her twelfth year she had written her first "epic" poem, which consisted of four books of rhyming couplets.
Two years later, Elizabeth developed a lung ailment that plagued her for the rest of her life. Doctors began treating her with morphine, which she would take until her death. While saddling a pony when she was fifteen, Elizabeth also suffered a spinal injury. Despite her ailments, her education continued to flourish. Throughout her teenage years, Elizabeth taught herself Hebrew so that she could read the Old Testament; her interests later turned to Greek studies. Accompanying her appetite for the classics was a passionate enthusiasm for her Christian faith. She became active in the Bible and Missionary Societies of her church.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Hila advneha Ayv Gvgeyui nihi? Lhesdi Ayv dasehiha hia wigalohisdi.
Ayv gvgeyui nihi aniyaa hia hawini ale ayatena ale galvladi
Ayv adanvto talugisgi ganeha, hilayvi asvndasdiyi vhnai agowatvdi
Nasginai hia dulisdv vhnai gvnodv ale gadolisdi,
Ayv gvgeyui nihi aniyaa hia atlilosdi vhnai nigadv iga.
Hia ayegali udulvti, navi nvdoigaehi ale ukanawi-atsvsdv
Ayv gvgeyui nihi nududalvna, tsilvsdigwv anisgaya alasdi nasginai duyugodv.
Ayv gvgeyui nihi udanvgalisadv, Tsilvsdigwv tsunu agatahvsdi nidvlenvda galvquododi.
Ayv gvgeyui nihi gvdodi hia gvdiha vhnai adageliyotsedi
Hawinaditlv Ayv agayvli uwedolisdi ale gvdodi Ayv advsgi gohiyudi
Ayv gvgeyui nihi gvdodi gvgeyui Ayv igayelisv aniyaa udayohusedi
Gvdodi Ayv ulenahidv Nasganvnva. Aya gvgeyui nihi gvdodi hia kawoladesgv
Ugetsasgv, digaswosdi vhnai nigadv Aya vlenidohv ale hilagoiyu Unelanvhi asuyedi
Aya wili gvgeyui nihi utliyosdv ulosonv ayohuhisdi.


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First a little info about my setup
I've currently got a windows home server V1 sitting in my basement with 8 drives (about 13tb of Movies, Videos, Music, and Photos), in the living room I've got a WDTV being used as the front end. The living room is directly above the closet where I have my server.
I'm running XBMC on my Windows 7 desktop upstairs, and on my Macbook Air.
Here's my dilemma. I was originally thinking of putting together an HTPC for the living room in the next couple of months, and later this year I was thinking of replacing the server in the basement. However giving it some thought I was thinking maybe it would be a better idea to build the server, and run XBMC directly on that computer instead of having 2 separate computers. I'm thinking that I could have the computer in the basement, and use HDMI over ethernet connections to run the HDMI signal from my basement to the living room. (Monoprice PID # 8009) I would use a Lenovo Mini wireless keyboard (which uses RF), and an IPOD touch as the XBMC remote.
Is there a disadvantage to using the same PC as both the client, and storage server? I will not be using more than 1 client at a time.
These are some of the components I am looking at, I assume this is more than enough to play 1080P video seamlessly
Antec P280 Case (3 5.25" bays, 2 2.5" bays, 6 3.5" bays)
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 600W
Intel Core i5-2300
4GB ram
Gigabyte MB with gigabyte ethernet, and 8 SATA ports
EVGA GeForce GT 520 (02G-P3-1529-KR)
Crucial (CT064M4SSD2) 64GB SSD
7 x 2tb Western Digital drives.
Any advice / suggestions?
HTPC + server or just HTPC
Posts: 74
Joined: Nov 2010
Reputation: 13
2012-04-01 22:08 Post: #1
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Posting Freak
Posts: 8,598
Joined: Nov 2010
Reputation: 201
2012-04-01 22:22 Post: #2
well, lemme ask,
if you already have a server going on in basement,
why dont u just get yourself an HTPC to replace your WDTV box?
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Posts: 74
Joined: Nov 2010
Reputation: 13
2012-04-02 02:40 Post: #3
My current server is a HP EX 495, it has 4 drive bays and they are full. Attached to that I've got a 4 bay drive enclosure that's holding the other 4 drives connected via USB. The 8 drives are almost full, and the server is almost 4 years old.
So basically it's time to replace the server with some new hardware. So I'm thinking that since I have to build a new server anyway, I might as well build one box that can handle storing/serving media, and install XBMC on it as well. An added benefit is that it won't be in the same room as my home theatre so no noise. I'm just wondering if most people have 2 separate computers one for storing their media and a second one for playing it, or if it's fine to have everything on one device.
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Posting Freak
Posts: 8,598
Joined: Nov 2010
Reputation: 201
2012-04-02 03:22 Post: #4
well, i dont suggest you get all under the same roof.
for some it might be ok, but it looks like your a good media collector
so drives fill up fast.
best for you to do it right 1 time,
and live happy ever after.
this means, building an unRAID server box to store your media
and build a separate HTPC box for playing it!
(This post was last modified: 2012-04-02 03:22 by eskro.)
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Posts: 74
Joined: Nov 2010
Reputation: 13
2012-04-03 01:07 Post: #5
I guess I'm not personally a big fan of linux, even though unRaid is managed mostly from the web interface I am really not a big fan of having to do a lot of things from the command line.
But regardless of server OS I guess you still recommend having 2 separate computers.
I guess unRaid has 2 real advantages over a Windows setup... Disk Parity (I don't really need this, as I have a set of drives I keep offline as a backup of all my media) And the ability to have shares span multiple volumes (similar to Windows Home Server V1) this is the one thing I will miss the most from WHS. Surprisingly Windows has the cost advantage, I can get WHS 2011 for $83 Canadian, and unRaid pro would run me $119 USD.
Thanks for the advice Eskro...
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Posting Freak
Posts: 8,598
Joined: Nov 2010
Reputation: 201
2012-04-03 01:15 Post: #6
no problem
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text:
Total Electricity Generated Till Date/KWH == 371845090
To download the Pre-Qualification Result, please click here.
To download the RFP, please click here.
The deadline for submission of Bids is 20th July, 2017. Only Pre-Qualified firms can submit their bids.
LAHORE: The Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park, Bahawalpur, the first ever DC installation in Pakistan, is currently producing up to 12pc more power than the energy production requirements set by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).
The first phase of the plant was completed in March last when it started producing 100 megawatt.
"The plant is giving an average yield of 169 gigawatt hour against the annual target of 153GW hour to meet 153 million units production requirement," says Najam Ahmed Shah, the chief executive officer of the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Power (pvt) Limited.
Pakistan is blessed with abundance of renewable energy potential but so far it has not been harnessed except for large hydroelectric projects. The Ministry of Water and Power has prepared the
Renewable Energy Policy of Pakistan in 2006, which envisages mainstreaming of renewable energy in the development plans of the country. The renewable energy according to the scope of the policy
includes technologies like small hydro, solar photovoltaic and wind power generation.
The Government of Punjab, under the vision of Chief Minister Shahbaz Shariff, has dedicated 6500 acres of land near Lal Sohanra, Cholistan, Bahawalpur for the purpose of establishing a 1000 MW Solar Park for generation of electricity from the solar energy. This is an initiative of Government of the Punjab (GoPb), Pakistan to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in generation of electricity and to overcome the ever expanding gap between energy production and demand. 500 acres have been reserved to set up the first 100 MW PV Solar Power Plant.
This project aims to mark the beginning of the Province's journey towards generation of renewable energy and a cleaner and greener future.
Conference for Information on Khadim-e-Punjab Ujaala Program (KPUP) Solarization of 20,000 schools
23/03/16: Pakistan Resolution Day. A day which personifies Unity, Faith and Discipline Long Live Pakistan. Happy Pakistan Day!!
26/10/15: We thank Allah Almighty for keeping our employees and their families safe during the massive earthquake that hit Pakistan today i.e. 26th October 2015. We also thank Allah Almighty for keeping our Solar Plant safe and secure. It is only His will that matters.
We also take this opportunity to pray for all those who lost their lives as well as those who got injured because of the earthquake. May Allah give strength to the families to bear the loss of their loved ones. We stand together with the bereaved families. May Allah bless us all and help us in all times; happy and difficult.
09/9/2015: Press Conf: Please check Downloads Section for Downloads regarding todays press conference by the CM Punjab
12/6/2015: Visit to QA: Please check gallery for Visit of Japanese Delegation to QA Head Office & Site
10/6/2015: Inauguration: Please check gallery for Inauguration Pictures
5/5/2015: Inauguration: QA Solar 100MW Solar Power plant was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on the 5th of May, 2015. Please check media section for news articles. Pictures in Gallery coming soon!
20/4/2015: Energisation: The Grid has been energised. QA Solar Power Plant is now online and feeding the grid! Please see Gallery for latest pictures.
Navigation Tips: Check the "Media" Tab for News Articles about QA Solar. Published Ads and Tender Notices can be found in the "Tenders" Tab. Check all the latest Pictures in the Gallery Tab!


text:
Easier said than done... and girl talk
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: The South
Posts: 66
Thanks so much for the feed back. I know I need to do the right thing and tell the boy. Also, GS, the pre nup idea is something that I totally forgot about thanks for that. I will need to take care of it this week. Me and my guy are commited to each other and ready to take our relationship to the next level so I am really happy about getting married. I spoke with the boy last night. I asked how he was feeling about things (our reatinship/friendship) he told me that he wasn't sure but he does understand my choice to be poly. He mentioned not wanting to change me and forcing me to be unhappy by choosing him and a mono relationship. I told him that I also did not want him to change for me. I let him know that if he finds a nice person to be with that he should take that chance and stop waiting around for me because I'm not going back to my old mono ways. We both agreed that we have a better understanding of each other now. I'm not worried anymore that he'll run off and not be my friend anymore. On a side note I asked him if the fact that I am going to be poly and stay with my guy will be a problem if I want to come visit him (We are both sure there will be sexually stuff on a visit). He told me it wouldn't bother him and he'd be just fine as long as my guy is okay with it (he is). I guess we are taking baby steps. At least I can say that I've been completely honest with him this time around. He doesn't have any false hopes. We may only end up being good firends (again) ad I'm okay with that. Oh, and for groundedspirit, here's some ages: I'm 28, my guy is 38, and the boy is 22. I met the boy when he was 16. We have spent all these years going back and forth with our feelings, each of us trying to make things fall in to place. This is the first time things have actually been enjoyable for him, me, and the other people involved (my guy).
So, thank you again for the help guys.
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Subjects taught at LSE | Services and divisions (administration)
All research groups | Research subject areas
LSE Summer School Office
Houghton Street
Course Content
This course is an introduction to the strategic management of modern diversified firms. It studies how the firm's portfolio of products and its internal organisation can be designed to maximise corporate performance.
The course addresses the following questions facing modern managers:
The issues will be approached by integrating conceptual, empirical and case methods. Particular emphasis will be placed on bringing these different perspectives together. The course will only require basic mathematical knowledge but will call for rigorous reasoning. In the classes, students are expected to make presentations and to participate actively in the discussions.
World-class LSE teaching
The Department of Management was established in 2000, and is committed to advancing the frontiers of the study of management, through its social-science based research, collaboration across the entire LSE, and its engagement with enterprises, organisations, and leaders throughout the world. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework has ranked LSE as the UK higher education leader for Business and Management Studies.
On this three week intensive programme, you will engage with and learn from full-time lecturers from the LSE.
There is no textbook that covers all the issues in this course. A number of optional readings will be provided to students on the course.
* A more detailed reading list will be supplied prior to the start of the programme
**Course content, faculty and dates may be subject to change without prior notice
Session: Two
Dates: 10 - 28 July 2017
Lecturer: Dr Jordi Blanes i Vidal
Level: 200 level
Fees: Click here for information
Prerequisites: A university level introductory course in psychology, sociology, political science, management, or economics.
Lectures: 36 hours
Classes: 18 hours
Assessment*: Project work and one written examination
Typical credit**: 3-4 credits (US)
7.5 ECTS points (EU)
How to apply?
Join our mailing list and access detailed course outline
*assessment is optional – see FAQs
**You will need to check with your home institution. Read more about credit transfer here.
Use of this website is subject to, and implies acceptance of, its Terms of use (including Copyright and intellectual property, Privacy and data protection and Accessibility). The London School of Economics and Political Science is a School of the University of London. It is a charity and is incorporated in England as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Acts (Reg no. 70527).The registered office address of the School is: The London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK; Tel: +44 (0)20 7405 7686


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Make Millions Selling Other People's Products
Business demands a perfect deal of work despite the business avenue you take. The more you're put in the more you are likely to get back. However, the sole proprietorship demands much more time and commitment and a much perfecter degree of risk. developing your own Business is extremely difficult. Unless you have a unique idea that is marketable you are going to have competition with other Bizes. You have to create strategies to attract purchasers away from the already well known Businesses in your area and over to your business. If you succeed the benefits can be immense but if you fail you could lose your money.Affiliate promoting Bizes provide several advantages in this area. First, you are marketing products that are already in existence. Fairly known brands are not so hard to sell especially if the have a good reputation. Good and trusted products will attract purchasers much faster than something new and unknown. Associate promoting takes care of all of this for you.Being a sole proprietor is incredibly risky. If your Biz fails like the vast majorities do your source of revenue has ended. Depending on how much debt your Business had and how your financed the venture, you could lose much more than revenue.Associate advertising takes the risk away. You are paid according to how well you perform. You do not need to worry how the Biz is performing overall. You get your commission based on what you sell. Associate promoting Bizes are usually well established so you don't have to worry about them folding up at a moments notice.marketing is a huge part of any Business. If you're a sole proprietor, advertising depends on you. You have to have enough in your budget to hire someone or devise a campaign yourself. The first costs money and the latter needs a very good deal of time.With Affiliate promoting, the marketing is taken care of for you. You're usually given all you need in the form of leaflets, catalogs and other product information. You also likely given good advice on how best to sell the products. Associate advertising systems should try to help you as much as possible. They better you do the better they do.Finally, many times you need support and advice when you run a Biz. If you're a sole proprietor, you'll have to hire out professionals for this. This runs into extra costs for your Business. With Associate marketing, there should be a representative on hand that you can contact for support and advice. This service is usually free to all members.Biz is tough no matter how you slice it. Either entrepreneur route you take will demand hard work and dedication. However, if you want to work for yourself, why not join a program where most of the work is done for you. With Affiliate promoting, the risk is taken away. This allows you time to concentrate on what needs to be done. Making profits and building your Business.


text: Appleinsider reports that they have "confirmed" that the new MacBooks will utilize NVIDIA's new MCP79 platform. While Intel will continue to supply the main processor for Apple's notebooks, the underlying support chips will be made by NVIDIA: AppleInsider lists several design advantages over Intel's chipset, including: - Smaller physical size using one chip rather than two - DriveCache, which uses Flash storage to speed up boot times - Hybrid SLI which switches from discrete to integrated graphics when battery is low Apple may or may not choose to take advantage of these technologies, but the option exists. The biggest advantage in using the NVIDIA chipset, however, will be its enhanced graphics capabilities. NVIDIA is believed to use a new set of GeForce 9300 and 9400 series integrated GPUs which "will theoretically blow past" the Intel integrated graphics chipsets that currently power Apple's MacBooks. Still, the integrated graphics chipsets will lag behind the dedicated ones that are used in Apple's higher-end notebooks. The use of NVIDIA chipsets will also be of importance when Apple releases Snow Leopard, which will be able to offload general processing onto GPUs. While there had been speculation that Apple might adopt NVIDIA's chipsets, MacSoda first reported confidently that the chipset would be NVIDIA's. Article Link


text: OverviewBack to top Larenim Mineral Make Up - Loose Foundation Dusk Til Dawn - 5 Grams Item# :76512UPC# :670188123428 Brand:Larenim Mineral Make Up Size/Form:5 Grams Ship Weight:0.13 Click here to read a PDF brochure on this product Larenim Loose Foundation Dusk Til DawnLarenim Mineral Makeup Loose Foundation Dusk 'Til Dawn is recommended for those with acne prone and/or oily skin. Larenim Loose Foundation Dusk 'Til Dawn is anti-microbial, very healing, and helps blot excess oil. Also recommended for use by day, in conjunction with Larenim Foundation, to help combat break-outs, soothe and heal skin, and blot excess oil. Simply sandwich a layer of Larenim Loose Foundation Dusk Til Dawn in between two layers of foundation. Apply additional product with concealer brush to stretched out pores for an extra smooth appearance! This is the ultimate pore filler! A must have! Dusk til Dawn facial powder is recommended for those with blemish prone and/or oily skin. Dusk til Dawn is made with healing ingredients that help blot excess oil. Dusk til Dawn also works well to soothe the skin and improve the appearance of the skin for those who suffer from rosacea and eczema. Dusk til Dawn contains no preservatives or common irritants and therefore, is ideal for individuals with chemical sensitivities. This light powder can be applied nightly to allow skin to appear more healthy and natural.Dusk 'til Dawn is one of the best products for those with acne prone and/or oily skin. It works on oil while still helping to detoxify pores. It also helps to minimize the appearance of the flushing associated with Rosacea. Post laser treatment and Poison Ivy sufferers have also reported very high satisfaction. Directions: Buff onto skin with a Kabuki brush before bed. Leave on overnight. I use acne medicine. Can I combine this with Larenim? Yes. Larenim is very compatible with Retin A, Avage, Differn and other acne medications. Larenim mineral makeup is soothing and healing. Note: Larenim's Dusk Til Dawn is an excellent alternative to benzoyl peroxide on acne blemishes and can be applied under foundation. How is Larenim mineral makeup better than conventional makeup? Truly non-comedogenic. Larenim will not block pores!No talc. Larenim will not permanently stretch pore walls, as can happen with traditional makeups. Larenim contains no oils, no fillers, and no FD&C dyes. Does not "spoil." Minerals will not support bacterial growth as ingredients in conventional makeups can. Larenim is easy to apply. It's very natural. Larenim is never mask-like. Larenim gives skin a beautiful "glow." Not tested on animals. Larenim makeups are cruelty-free. Made in U.S.A. Our company is 100% owned and operated locally (in Columbus, Ohio.) Perfect makeup for all skin types! Larenim is appropriate for those with acne, rosacea, lined, sensitive, or post-laser treatment skin. Larenim contains no Parabens. Parabens have been linked to breast cancer. (NOTE: Computer monitors display color differently. Please take this into consideration when buying the product. Thank you.)


text:
I was thinking about eels this week after I read the state of Maine held a lottery to award two licences for fishing glass eels in Maine waters.
Four lucky winners were selected from over 5,000 applicants and they will join four other people to share in a fishery worth a potential $40 million. The fish they are after, juvenile eels, sold for $1 apiece last year and, since it takes 2,600 eels to make a pound, it makes glass eels one of the most valuable fish in the sea. The young eels are sold in Asia where they are grown to adults on eel farms.
The story reminded me of 1973 when I spent the summer sampling glass eels along the east coast of Cape Breton. From April through to June I sampled brooks at night looking for the arrival of glass eels. I always found a few, and on a couple of special nights, I saw thousands and thousands of them moving in from the sea to freshwater lakes. It was an amazing display. Eels have fascinated people for centuries, and the actual facts surrounding their life history wasn't discovered until the 1920s.
The discovery was made by Dr. Schmidt, a Danish oceanographer, who researched eels from 1905 to 1922. By sampling young eels in the ocean, and gradually focusing in on the area where the smallest eels were found, he was able to document their spawning grounds. This was between Bermuda and the West Indies in an area known as the Sargasso Sea.
Work by fisheries biologists in recent years has verified Schmidt's findings and added to our knowledge of this species. We now know that eels spawn in February and March, at depths of up to 350 metres, where the water temperature is 20-25 C. Females spawn up to four million eggs which are fertilized by the male. The buoyant eggs rise to the surface where they hatch and develop into a leaf-shaped larvae called a leptocephalus. Despite recent research no mature eels have ever been collected and it is presumed they die after spawning.
The leptocephali drift with the currents toward North America, a journey that takes approximately two years. The young eels continue to develop over this period and when they approach our shores they are eel shaped, approximately two inches long and transparent. At this period of their development they are referred to as glass eels. Glass eels enter the streams and brooks of Cape Breton in April and May. Guided by the scent of fresh water they migrate at night. Once in fresh water they become pigmented and are called elvers.
Glass eels and elvers are fed on by a variety of fish, including trout and salmon. While North American salmon anglers have been slow to embrace eel patterns, in Iceland flies which imitate eels are common. Joseph Hubert designed his series of Black Sheep patterns to imitate the elver stage. Why the name? When Hubert looked at his new patterns against venerable classic flies from Kelson, Pryce-Tannatt and other masters he thought they stood out like the black sheep of the family. Other patterns, such as the collie dog and elver fly, also attempt to imitate young eels.
Tight Lines.
Tip of the week:
The glass eel fishery in Nova Scotia is closely regulated and there are no new licences so you can forget about making your fortune.
Cape Breton native Don MacLean is a fisheries biologist and a resident of Pictou. He writes on sportfishing for a variety of publications. You can reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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House plans
Published Sunday July 22, 2012 at 6:00 am
A unique layout awaits you inside plan HMAFAPW00754 from Homeplans.com. The two-story design features 2,170 square feet of living space, with a main-floor master suite.
Beyond the lovely wide porch, the two-story foyer is flanked by the sunny formal dining room and an elegant stairway.
In the heart of the home, the great room offers a fireplace, built-in media center, and a snack bar that it shares with the large island kitchen. A desk on the other side of the bar provides a great spot to charge devices and check email. The cooktop island adds even more prep room to the kitchen, and a window over the sink lets you gaze out to the side yard.
Nearby, the breakfast nook opens to the porch outside, and the good-size laundry room leads into the garage.
Also with porch access, the first-floor master suite is appointed with a sitting area, walk-in closet, and a luxurious master bath with an angled whirlpool tub, twin sinks and a separate shower.
Upstairs, two additional bedrooms each enjoy a private balcony and share a full bath that includes linen storage.


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The Little Crane That Could
By Abraham Stolk
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Driving a crane and operating a crane is so much fun. Improve your spatial skills and solve puzzles in this crane simulator, which is enjoyed by over 17 million people, young and old.
A realistic physics simulation gives you full control over the crane: rotate, elevate, bend, extend and grapple. Use your crane to solve a diverse set of challenges. This crane simulator lets you use mobile cranes, dump trucks, forklifts, skid loaders and even a sky crane helicopter.
The Little Crane That Could features 6 free levels and 22 premium levels (1 in-app-purchase unlocks all levels.)
You can follow me @BramStolk on Twitter. Please consider providing feedback on the game, good or bad. I need to know what you are thinking. There is a button in the HELP screen that takes you to the feedback page in itunes. Also, there is a FAQ now at http://stolk.org/tlctc/faq.html
If you open the settings of your device, and go to 'Little Crane' tab, you can reverse the controls to mimic real-life cranes where pulling the lever is boom up, and pushing is boom down.
'The Little Crane That Could' is a game by Abraham Stolk, and it uses the OpenDE physics engine.
Open Dynamics Engine is:
Copyright (c) 2001-2007, Russell L. Smith.
All rights reserved.
HUD graphic design by Matthew Beckman, music by playonloop.com
What's New in Version 6.42
→ New level 'ski jump.'
→ New icon.
→ Fixed iCloud loading for user levels.
→ Replaced ad network.
→ Use new shader management code.
Customers Also Bought
- Free
- Category: Games
- Updated: 23 February 2016
- Version: 6.42
- Size: 38.7 MB
- Languages: English, Dutch, Japanese
- Developer: Abraham Stolk
- © Abraham Stolk
Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Top In-App Purchases
- premium levelsUSD 4.99


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Tweets from @TBHomeTeam/writers
MORE from our HomeTeam writers.
Sat. March 16, 2013 | Times Staff
Tampa Bay athletes had a banner day Saturday at the USF/Steinbrenner Invitational, from Jeremiah Green's national-best effort in the high jump to the Lakewood boys' team victory to Bobby Harris' meet record in the high jump.
These were just a few of the highlights from Saturday. Read our roundups from Hillsborough, Pinellas and the North Suncoast for more:
Terrier goes real long for U.S. best
Sprinter helps carry Lakewood to title


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Exterior Excellent exteriors.
Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Quality of some plastics used are not that good, rear seats are bit cramped, Central locking shld have been there for active model. Another bad thing is Warranty is very limited meaning Fiat doesn't allow the car to be upgraded in fiat-tata showrooms also, they cut down the warranty if we upgrade some of the features...which is not the case compared to maruti and some other car manufacturers].
Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Fuel economy & gear box is average. Engine is good.
Ride Quality & Handling Good. Ride quality and handling is good, infact very good compared to same car range.
Final Words Honestly great car to buy, although it should improve on some areas. reply to this and tell your views.
My overall rating: 4/5.
Areas of improvement
1. After sales service.
2. Interiors should be improved.
3. Marketing should be drastically improved.
4. Warranty should be flexible [should not cut down warranty for upgradation in fiat-tata showrooms]
5. Fuel economy.
6. Little price should be reduced for better competition.
Inappropriate Review? Report Abuse
Arun on 04 Jan, 2012 at 02:51 PM
i read in today's times of india that Fiat is going to come out of the 50:50 JV with Tata. I think with this the quality of servicing and spares would not be a problem in future.
Raj on 04 Jan, 2012 at 11:38 AM
Dear Friends,I have written a review on Fiat Grande Punto and look forward to your comments on it.Review Link: Worried about after sales service and parts Thanks.


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Barrel organ for sale
A barrel organ, also known as a roller organ, is a mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and one or more ranks of pipes housed in a case, usually of wood, and often highly decorated. Now you know, a barrel organ for sale is available. Though the basic principle of the barrel organ is the same as a traditional pipe organ, the barrel organ is activated either by a person turning a crank, or by clockwork driven by weights or springs rather than being played by an organist.
The pieces of music are encoded onto wooden barrels or cylinders using metal pins and staples, which are analogous to the keyboard of the traditional pipe organ. Pins are used for short notes, and staples of varying lengths for longer notes. Each of these barrels carry several different tunes. The size of the barrel varies depending on the number of notes in the organ and the length of the tune to be played. The more notes, the longer the barrel. The longer the tune, the greater the diameter of the barrel. Using one barrel will produce only a pre defined tunes as the music is hard-coded onto the barrel and if we want to play a different set of tunes, the barrel has to be replaced.
Though a single barrel can only play some pre defined music, different tunes can be played from one barrel by moving the barrel laterally to bring a different set of pins and staples under the keys. Usually, a street barrel organs play 7 to 15 tunes.
The barrel organ was the traditional instrument of organ grinders and they used one of the smaller, more portable versions of the barrel organ that could only play 7 to 9 tunes. Use of these organs were limited by their weight. Most weighed 25 to 50 pounds and some may weigh as heavy as 100 pounds.
Larger versions of barrel organ can be found in churches, fairgrounds, music halls, and other large establishments such as sports arenas and theaters. They are powered by very heavy weights and springs or even sometimes, hydraulically powered with a turbine or waterwheel arrangement giving the mechanical force to turn the barrel and pump the bellows. The last barrel organs were electrically powered, or converted to electrical power. With time, because of the complexity in operation, large barrel organs had their barrel actions removed and were converted to play a different other format of music like cardboard books or paper rolls. An original barrel organ for sale is available and can be yours to make a precious collectors piece.
Casio Cdp-100 Versus Yamaha Np-30 – Digital Piano Comparison
There are numerous individuals who might want to play the piano in there own home. Be that as it may, customary acoustic pianos offer numerous disadvantages. They are enormous, substantial, costly and they leave tune. Rather than an acoustic piano, an undeniable option would be to get a computerized piano. They offer none of these disadvantages in addition to they have extra elements like more than one piano tone and earphone attachments for noiseless practice.
In the event that you are a novice then there are two evident competitors from which to pick. They are the Casio CDP-100 and the Yamaha NP-30. In this article I set out to clarify their disparities and their advantages and disadvantages empowering you to settle on a superior educated choice if you wish to purchase one.
A standard advanced piano console has 88 keys (i.e. 7 octaves). The CDP-100 has 88 weighted keys with scaled sledge activity though the NP-30 just has 76 keys with evaluated delicate touch (lower keys are substantial; higher keys are light). The general accord of supposition amongst players is that the Casio gives the most sensible activity and comes nearest to the real feel of playing a genuine piano.
The CDP-100 has 5 distinctive piano tones locally available though the NP-30 has 10. Both are fit for creating a reasonable excellent piano solid from one of these tones. Also the CDP-100 has 5 demo tunes though the NP-30 has 10. These tunes are perfect for playing along to with a specific end goal to pick up practice. The CDP-100 has a 2x 8W speaker framework though the NP-30 has 2x 6W. In spite of this the NP-30 is viewed as creating the somewhat better quality sound from its speakers.
Transportability and Construction
Both these instruments are amazingly compact because of their lightweight in spite of the fact that the CDP-100 is physically somewhat bigger because of its greater console. Stylishly they both look exceptionally alluring. The CDP-100 is done in dark/dim though the NP-30 is accessible in either dark or silver completion. Also the CDP-100 is accessible with a coordinating stand which may make it look more alluring in your home.
Whichever of these consoles you purchase the one thing you will get is phenomenal worth for cash. In any case, the one you do pick will be the one which suits your own particular necessities best. For the CDP-100 is the 88 note console with its prevalent authenticity and feel. Then again, the NP-30 offers more locally available piano tones and tunes, and the nature of sound yield is better.
The CDP-100 is altogether more costly than the NP-30 by a variable of around half. Be that as it may, the NP-30 does not really claim to be a computerized piano (Yamaha allude to it as advanced console in its showcasing material, most likely because of the less competent console). On the off
Easy Piano Songs for Kids With Letters
The Prime Motivation During Lieu Of Substituting Journalism During Lieu Of Remarks Is To Join Before A Live Audience Piano Composition Easier During Lieu Of Kids. What's more, There's Rejection Doubt With The Aim Of Analysis Piano Composition Can Often Be Give To Too Challenging During Lieu Of Younger Kids. So Here's A Collection Of Songs During Lieu Of Your Kids Presented During Journalism Quite Than Notes./p>
It's Easiest To Start With Songs With The Aim Of Acquire A Fate Of Adjacent Notes, Quite Than Many Skips And Jumps.
MARY HAD A Hardly LAMB:
In Various Casing You'll Acquire To Agreed Stickers Otherwise Various Device On The Keys To Allot Kids A Visual Reference Point.
Kids Often Respond Supplementary Quickly To Songs Articulated During Facts Quite Than Letters.
Here Are The Same Songs During Numbers:
MARY HAD A Hardly LAMB
3 2 1 2 3 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 2 1
3 5 1 2 3 4 3 2 3 2 5
3 5 1 2 3 4 3 5 4 2 1
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 5 4 3 1 5 6 5 4 3 1 5 1 5 1
In Various Casing Your Instincts Are Correct: Don't Consent To Kids Prevail On Bogged Down During Analysis Music, But Quite Prevail On Them Of To A Fast Start In That Case To The Piano By Substituting Facts Otherwise Journalism During Lieu Of Musical Notes.
Perusing Composition Is Very Frustrating During Lieu Of Kids, Especially In That Case To The Launch What Time They Are Eager During Lieu Of A Fun Experience.
When You Acquire Interested Them During The Piano, Near Is Ample Measure To Little By Little Introduce Them To The Minutiae Of Sheet Music.
Join Hindi melodies and Download hindi tunes. Presently Punjabi tunes are exceptionally well known as well.
Black Gospel Guitar Lessons
Dark Gospel is a music type unto its own having been refined from music by Africans while still in Africa through the slave ranches of the Old South to the Christian tunes we sing and play today called "Dark Gospel". From its starting in Africa, this music has dependably been religious, not mainstream in nature. Africans did not sing about drinking and betting and different tribes, their music was constantly worried with some kind of custom or love.
In the early years of subjection when blacks couldn't claim musical instruments, the "field holler" style of music was conceived with a pioneer singing a line which was then replied by whatever is left of the laborers. An extraordinary case of that style of music is the old Ray Charles tune "Let me know What'd I Say".
Beat is key when playing Black Gospel Guitar. In a four beat melody, the accentuation is for the most part on the two and four beats in Black Gospel and in Southern Gospel music. In this way, notwithstanding knowing where to put the fingers on the neck of the guitar to make a particular harmony (typically finished with the left hand), it is additionally basic to know how to either strum or finger pick with the right hand to make the Black Gospel sound.
Obviously this should be possible in a formal setting with an instructor and understudies all together in one room. Be that as it may, a more productive and viable approach to learn Black Gospel Guitar is by DVD. Consider this, once a lesson with an educator in a classroom is over, it's over until the following lesson. With a DVD lesson, the guidelines can be played again and again until they are instilled into the brain and fingers.
Additionally, the matter of time is imperative as well. With a DVD, class time is at whatever time. There's no going crosswise over town at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday to meet an educator. The educator is dependably there on the DVD. Notwithstanding the accommodation of a Black Gospel Guitar DVD lesson, consider the cost reserve funds. There's no falling behind and catching up with whatever remains of the class. There's no humiliation before kindred understudies.
Lessons can be rehashed in the solace of one's home as frequently as essential with no extra charges. The snappiest, simplest, and most practical approach to figure out how to play Black Gospel Guitar is with Black Gospel Guitar DVD Lessons.
Using Music Studio Software To Produce Trance Music
In the event that you aren't utilizing music studio programming to record stupor music this is the ideal opportunity to begin!
While stupor music is incredible and is extremely quieting and easing it can have a tendency to be exceptionally costly. Lamentably, costs have a method for demolishing that quieting sensation. Something exceptionally unique has been discharged for those of you who love daze music as much as I do, however don't love the expense and weakness of purchasing it.
It used to be that you would require exceptionally costly bits of programming or recording studio gear to create your own particular music of any sort. Nonetheless, similar to whatever is left of the world, the music business is evolving. There have been gigantic advances in innovation that now permit anybody to make telecast quality music at home on their PCs!
The best part about it, will be it costs you don't for all intents and purposes anything. Truth be told, it will even spare you cash since you will no more have the need to buy costly daze music.
While every one of that sounds great I am certain you are deduction the same thing I was speculation before I downloaded my own music creation softwareI have no clue how to utilize music programming! Dont stress, I know how you feel, I felt the same way. Here is the thing that I discovered, music generation programming is to a great degree simple to utilize!
The organizations that create the product produce it to be absolutely easy to understand. Most programming even accompanies complete direction and preparing.
You should simply download the product and you will perceive that it is so natural to begin making stunning stupor music.
On the off chance that you are as yet scanning for an approach to get into making your own particular stupor music then this is it! It is extremely economical, simple to utilize, and it permits you to totally modify your music for you!
The Benefits Of A Home Music Studio
In case you are a music enthusiast or an expert musician, then you would certainly be running to a music studio for practice every now and then. Heading to a music studio each time might not be easy especially when you are juggling with time limitations. Steps in- home music studio! Having a home music studio offers various advantages, making your music practice a lot simpler and easier.
Anyone who visits a music studio frequently would certainly understand the inconvenience engaged in the same. It isn't a simple job to pack your musical instruments and then unpack them over and again. Besides, it may be quite cumbersome to carry your musical instruments primarily if you need to travel long distances.
In case you believe in living penny wise, then you've even more factors to have a home music studio. Renting a music studio comes at quite a cost. When you have to incur this cost too often, then you could end up burning a hole in your pocket. Having your own home music studio could eliminate this expense, providing for more savings in your budget. You could use the same money to buy a treadmill.
Now one may argue that establishing a home music studio isn't cheap either. Well, it may not be cheap but it isn't as expensive too. All you require is some fundamental audio equipment and you are done. Of course, you may eventually go on to add other amenities like plush couches, bean bags as well as other things.
The next in line advantage of home music studio is customization. You can select the equipments according to your own liking and specific requirements. This comes as a welcome change as you need not put up with the bad quality mikes and other equipment that you have to use in rented music studios. Home music studio is the superb option as you canget everything tailor made right from the audio equipment to the couches.
Another primary advantage of owning a music studio is that you can save on your time. Travelling to a music studio on daily basis is no joke as it could eat away a lot of your time. Commuting to the studio every day can be a hassle in case you do not have your own car. You might be required to hire a car, which is again a time consuming process, to ensure that you take along your musical equipments safely.
In addition to the given benefits of having your individual music studio, there are plethoras of other pros too. To understand more about the other pros, it is finest to experience them for yourself by first owning a home music studio at the earliest best.
Finding Work As A Film Music Composer
When you are considering how to utilize your advantage and ability in music for an expert reason, you will find that there are a wide range of choices open to you. A standout amongst the most appealing occupations that you may be keen on is that of film score author, yet how is this a vocation that you are going to get? As you may suspect, this is a position that pays to a great degree well and is astonishing resume manufacturer in the event that you can get it; there are numerous things that make this occupation to a great degree appealing, yet what you do you have to know not on the off chance that it is something that you are fit for doing?
In any case, you have to know the class. Making for film is vastly different than creating for some other type of music, however it has some correspondence to symphonic sythesis. When you are hoping to break into the business, you will find that you have to listen to what other individuals are doing and realize what you can. John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman and Danny Elfman have routinely pulled down large portions of the real scores throughout the years, and getting acclimated to their work is something that any trying film score arranger ought to do.
You ought to likewise know about the way that you will be working from a storyboard variant of the film or from a first cut of the film. In light of that, you should make sense of what minutes are going to call for musical highlights and what kind of feelings the score needs to help the motion picture bring out. In spite of the fact that the score is something that is a part of the foundation, it is an imperative device with regards to ensuring that the general population who are watching the film get the right thought.
When you are composing music for a film, never forget that you ought to compose more music than is called for. Expect that the scenes will run the longest that they can run and never dupe a scene when it comes the music. To get some involvement with this, you will find that working with yearning film understudies can offer assistance. Offer to do scores for them, or have a go at revising the scores for motion pictures that you are acquainted with.
Keep in mind that a stone strong foundation in music piece at the college level is critical also. Listen and learn and recall this is a position that takes a lot of work!
How a music composer creates life to his songs
It is not a simple assignment to make a melody. You should be inventive and innovative to end up a music writer. An author is one who synchronizes the musicality of tunes into an all around sorted out tune. Music is widespread and you and you don't need to be acquainted with outside dialects to comprehend music. Great music is adorable by all and it ties the general population of different religion, stations and societies. Music has the ability to join humankind into one stage. The reality of the matter is that a great many individuals over the world assemble to listen to the beats of rap music and hip bounce beats in different nations. Music significant others will go to any part of the globe to listen to quality music of their most loved craftsman.
A maker of music can locate a reasonable vocation in the film business, TV diverts and in making different collections. The lyricist is additionally an innovative since he is the individual who makes a tune with words, yet the author of music is the more unrivaled, since he is the person who advances the melody motivating individuals to move to the mood. The melody won't be listened attentively in the event that it is told in story way. It is just the tune that makes you move and sing. It is not an exaggeration to say that the author of music offers life to the verses.
Much the same as a screenplay offers life to the story line, great music offers life to the quality verses. Individuals will recognize that a melody is incredible when it has components of excitement and nature of cadence. You ought to have awesome energy for music on the off chance that you need to make crisp organizations of music. What's more, you ought to have an extensive variety of learning in different sorts of music. A decent writer is one who makes great tunes to awe his gathering of people. You ought to have an innovative personality and that you ought to be able to make crisp notches and snares for new melodies without alluding to any past tunes.
The music business develops with the music makers. The music author is the person who offers occupation to the general population who buckle down by playing instrumental music, tunes and other live stimulation. Utilizing the most recent music innovation you can construct a vocation in the field of music touch a large number of group of onlookers every day. Quality music can be utilized as music treatment for treating numerous constant issue in numerous parts of the world.
Egoboo music recording studios gives master computerized sound recording, Voice over Recording and blending administrations utilizing unrivaled HD recording gear. It has been effectively creating unique music for promoting offices in Ireland. For more points of interest on Radio Advert Production please visit us.


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Republicans are already out to discredit presidential candidate John Kerry, writes Marian Wilkinson.
Now George Bush and the Republicans have their Democratic opponent for the presidential election in November.
It is not Senator John Kerry the Vietnam War hero, but Senator John Kerry, the flip-flopping, hypocritical liberal, who hates defence spending and supports gays, abortion clinics and gun control.
That is the message from Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters and they are spending $US100 million ($A131 million) over the next few months to sell it on national television, starting today. And that is just the pre-election teaser; the tough stuff does not begin until September.
"Right now, John Kerry's a blank slate, so everybody's projecting their best hopes on him," Gary Bolger, a Republican strategist told The Age. "He hasn't been defined for them and that's going to happen."
Already, the Republicans are raking over Senator Kerry's voting record, not only in the US Senate, but back in Massachusetts, when he was deputy governor to another liberal politician, Michael Dukakis.
In 1988, Mr Dukakis ran as the Democrats' presidential candidate against Mr Bush's father and was soundly defeated. Back then, the Republicans labelled Mr Dukakis a Massachusetts liberal who was weak on national security, crime and gun control. They want to do the same with Senator Kerry in this election.
"We will certainly talk about how Senator Kerry has repeatedly voted to make America weaker in the face of threats; that he has repeatedly voted to cut defence and intelligence spending; that he's voted against most of the major weapons systems in use on the war on terrorism," said Scott Stanzel from the Bush campaign.
Whether the Republican strategy to tag Senator Kerry as a dangerous liberal will succeed depends on both him and, to a greater extent, Mr Bush. Can Senator Kerry define his own image for American voters? And can Mr Bush handle the unpredictable events, especially in Iraq, that will buffet his presidency between now and November?
The national polls this week had Senator Kerry ahead of Mr Bush by several points but as every political analyst knows, that means nothing nine months out from an election. But what is interesting, says Karlyn Bowman, who tracks the polls for the American Enterprise Institute, is just how positive voters feel about Senator Kerry at the climax of these gruelling primary contests.
"You rarely see a primary process where the contest itself strengthens the nominee," she explains. "Primaries tend to be divisive and it usually takes a while to get over that. Not only have the candidate's favourable ratings improved but so, too, have impressions of the Democratic Party."
What is also very significant is that the rise in that approval came not from Democratic voters but independents, the ones Mr Bush and Senator Kerry will be fighting for in November.
As he comes out of the box as Mr Bush's opponent, most voters have a good impression of Senator Kerry. They find him likeable, trustworthy and a candidate from the mainstream. That is exactly the image the Republicans hope to redefine.
But Senator Kerry's success so far has little to do with his voting record on defence and gun control or his views on gay marriage. Overwhelming, all the polls show the chief concern of American voters is the economy and, specifically, jobs. The jobless recovery in America and the fears over jobs being outsourced to China, Mexico and India is the main reason why Mr Bush is flagging in the polls and why Senator Kerry is rising. Republican strategists know it.
The majority of Americans still believe Mr Bush has made the country safer, despite their concerns about the war in Iraq. But they are lukewarm about his handling of the economy.
And for voters, Senator Kerry's promises on jobs and the economy will matter more than his voting record on defence and security. But the Republican campaign is certain they can turn that around. "We have to be patient, we're not going to redefine Kerry overnight," said one strategist.
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text: The Garmin PRO 70 provides intuitive one hand training and control of your dog from up to 1 mile away. Top mounted selection dial provides for 6 levels of stimulation plus tone setting for adjustability without complexity. PRO 70 can expand up to 6 dogs and features remote controlled beacon lights on the dog device for low light. Additional collars sold separately.


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As my title says, up until a few days ago I was using a Gigabyte GC-WB3000 PCIe x4 wifi/bluetooth combo card. It's a great card that I had no problems with in Ubuntu or Vista. My ISP delivers 25Mbps download and 10Mbps upload (though I typically get more like 23/15). I recently had to free up that slot so I switched back to a USB wireless N dongle, namely a TP-LINK TL-WN723N.
Since that switch, all network throughput in Ubuntu has slowed to a crawl. When using apt-get install, for example, I'm getting downloads of 20-30 KB/s instead of between 2-3 MB/s as I was before (depending on the server, of course). Even surfing the internet is painfully slow.
I'm using Ubuntu Server 12.10 x86_64 with kubuntu-desktop package installed (I don't know if that offically makes it 'kubuntu' or not -- I just prefer KDE and that's how I was told to get it). It's dual-booted with Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit, which has had no problems whatsoever with both the Gigabyte and the TP-Link cards. A speedtest.net result in Windows shows the speeds I listed above as typical from my ISP, whereas in Ubuntu the connection is so slow it can barely even load the test.
The TL-WN723N is using the rtl8192cu module as far as I can tell. I've included links to my pastebin of the following commands:
sudo iwlist scan
lsusb -v
I know the last one is very long, but I'm only familiar with | grep which seems to only give one line at a time, not a whole section. If someone can guide me on how to do that I can shorten it. By the way, I'm still a relatively new user of Linux but I'm a fast learner and I've been using command line interfaces for a long time. I'm happy to add any more pastes if needed. I like to learn what I'm doing as I'm doing it so an explanation of what commands are being used is appreciated too.
I've looked around but nobody seems to have had the exact same problem... mostly people unable to connect at all or very slow speeds with PCI cards because of a PCI driver issue etc... any and all help is very much appreciated!!
EDIT: After a bit more research (this page) it seems that someone else had success using rtl8192su instead of cu. I have another PC in my bedroom that was using this USB wifi stick with rtl8192cu -- I had to make the driver using the install.sh. That seemed to work fine with that computer (which is running ubuntu 12.10) but the same driver on this computer is giving me trouble. Granted, that link is for Linux Mint, but that distro is based off of ubuntu isn't it?
Also, this thread mentions another driver being installed to solve a different problem with the same stick. Sorry for the info overload, I'm just eager to troubleshoot. Thanks again anyone.


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New laws strengthen crackdown on synthetic drugs
Rogue chemists, however, are constantly working to get around the law, and marketers are creative. New generations of these drugs are appearing in stores with packaging that makes them look like common energy drinks or other dietary supplements. Federal and state lawmakers are responding. Earlier this year our legislature made it more difficult to cook up legal variations of the banned drugs simply by tweaking existing formulas.
Additionally, a federal law passed by Congress and signed last month by President Obama bans several of the most common synthetic compounds and sets penalties similar to those for selling other controlled substances. As a consequence, those who put these drugs on their shelves or distribute them from their warehouses are subject to both state and federal prosecution.
Recently, Metro Nashville law enforcement, along with federal agents, used these new laws to crack down on convenience stores, tobacco shops, and other businesses allegedly selling these substances. Several stores were closed and padlocked and arrests made. This should send a strong message to store owners, managers, and their employees around the state. (Lebanon Police have in recent months cracked down as well on local markets that were reportedly selling synthetic drugs.)
The issue with these substances is not simply that they are illegal. Unfortunately, they could be even more health-threatening than the drugs they replace. In the last year, calls to poison control centers about synthetic drugs increased several hundred percent nationwide. Emergency room professionals are seeing dangerously high temperatures, heart rates, and blood pressures combined with severe psychological symptoms. Massive quantities of sedatives often are needed to stabilize the patients.
In a worrisome trend, these products are often displayed on store shelves alongside candy and similar products available to children. Legitimate business people regularly take every precaution to avoid selling a carton of spoiled milk or piece of tainted chicken. Yet, much more dangerous products are being marketed from their shelves as supposedly safe and legal. Sellers are taking huge risks with their customers health and safety by selling these synthetic drugs. Under the new state and federal statutes, many of these synthetic drugs are now illegal, and they certainly are not safe.


text:
1. The onshore oil and gas industry has been operating
in the UK for well over 60 years and production, although currently
only 1.5% of overall UK oil & gas total, nevertheless contributes
usefully to UK security of supply and to the UK economy.
2. Close cooperation between the industry and the
planning authorities has allowed the industry to develop with
minimal environmental impact. Alongside DECC licences and consents,
all exploration and development activities also need to be authorised
by the Health & Safety Executive .
3. Recent years have seen continued interest in
onshore oil and gas activity as the response to the 13th Round
in 2008 proved. That Round saw a good outcome with 97 licences
awarded in total confirming the continuing commercial attractiveness
of onshore oil and gas exploration opportunities in the UK, and
there was renewed interest in coal bed methane.
4. Current estimates suggest that overall onshore
potential proven and probable reserves equate to around 1.5%-2%
of the UK's overall reserves. Government wants to ensure that
operators get the opportunity to explore and develop onshore -
and licensing is the first part of this process.
5. There are currently some 28 UK onshore oil fields
and 10 onshore gas fields in production. Overall UK onshore oil
production is around 24,000 barrels per day (2009). BP's Wytch
Farm field (Dorset) is the largest onshore oil field in Europe,
and, although production peaked over a decade ago, the field still
produces around 20,000 barrels a day (around 83% of UK onshore
oil production).
6. In the UK, as elsewhere, gas (and oil) is predominantly
produced from permeable rock formations such as sandstones.
But there have been many attempts over the years to develop other
kinds of petroleum resources. The commercial development of
"unconventional" gas resources has been limited until
the last decade, when new production techniques have enabled a
rapid development of shale gas.
7. Natural gas can also be extracted from coal deposits
by drilling ("coal bed methane" or CBM - also known
as "coal seam gas"). The energy of coal can also be
exploited by gasifying the coal in the ground ("underground
coal gasification" or UCG), though the gas produced is not
"natural gas" (ie, predominantly methane), but a mixture
of combustible gases.
Conventional versus unconventional shale gas,
tight gas and coal bed methane (CBM)
8. Although there may be significant resources of
unconventional gas in the UK, this has not so far been demonstrated.
It should not be assumed that the commercial success of shale
gas and CBM in the US will be transferable to the different geological
and other conditions of the UK. We are however encouraging exploration
and appraisal actively for both shale gas and coal bed methane.
The Coal Authority is similarly encouraging exploration and appraisal
for underground coal gasification actively.
9. DECC aims to launch a new (14th) onshore
round this year, and expects a fair amount of interest from the
industry, for both conventional and unconventional prospects.
10. The map below shows the location of CBM wells
drilled, the three approved CBM developments, the Underground
Coal Gasification licences awarded by the Coal Authority, the
current onshore licences and the area under consultation which
may be offered in the 14th licence round.
Map showing onshore licences, coal bed methane
activity, and potential 14th Round licence acreage.
11. The Technology - Shale gas is natural
gas produced from shale. Shale has low permeability, so gas production
in commercial quantities requires fractures to provide permeability.
Although a small amount of shale gas has been produced for years
from shales with natural fractures, the shale gas boom in recent
years has been due to modern technology in hydraulic fracturing
where fluid is pumped into the ground to create fractures to make
the reservoir more permeable, then the fractures are propped open
by small particles, and can enable the released gas to flow at
commercial rates. Horizontal drilling is often used with shale
gas wells, with lateral lengths up to 10,000 feet within the shale,
to create maximum borehole surface area in contact with the shale.
The US experience suggests that successful production techniques
are quite specific to particular formations.
Ranges of Total Organic Carbon in typical tight
gas sand, shale gas, and coal bed methane prospects
12. As the diagram above shows, there is a continuum
of unconventional gas prospectivity from tight gas sands, gas
shales to coal bed methane (CBM).
13. Some conventional sandstone wells that failed
to flow gas are being re-examined in light of American tight gas
successes and 56 billion cubic metres (bcm) of tight gas potential
reserves have been identified in the sandstone reservoirs of the
Southern North Sea.
14. Gas can be found in the pores and fractures
of rocks but also bound to the matrix, by a process known as adsorption,
where the gas molecules adhere to the surfaces within a shale
or a coal.
15. UK Potential - While there is growing
interest in European potential for shale gas, the UK potential
is as yet untested. The UK shale gas industry is in its infancy,
and ahead of drilling with fracture stimulation and testing, there
are no reliable indicators of potential productivity. There is
variable data available on the geology, depending on whether oil
and gas exploration has been undertaken and the extent of existing
seismic data available.
16. A DECC commissioned British Geological Survey
(BGS) study has recently concluded that, with the present state
of knowledge about relevant UK geology, the only means of estimating
the resource is by analogy with similar shales which have been
successfully exploited in America. The study has been placed
on DECC's Oil and Gas website and can be found via the following
weblink: https://www.og.decc.gov.uk/upstream/licensing/shalegas.pdf
It is also attached to this report for ease of reference.
17. If the prospective shale area of UK shale gas
potential did prove to be as prolific as the analogous basins
in the US, it could be of the order of 150 bcm of gas (900 million
barrels of oil equivalent). To put this in context, this compares
with the UK's overall remaining conventional oil and gas reserves
of some 20 billion barrels (including offshore).
18. However it is not yet clear whether there is
any economic shale gas resource in the UK, as testing of our shales
may show them to be less productive that those in the US. In
addition, bearing in mind planning and environmental issues, it
would be unrealistic to assume that the drilling density achieved
in the US (thousands of wells) could be replicated in the UK.
So this figure may be more representative of the theoretical
top end reserves, rather than what it might be ultimately recoverable
through practical development.
19. The Technology - In addition to exploiting
methane from abandoned and existing coal mining operations, the
opportunity also exists to exploit methane which is still locked
into the reserves of coal and coal measures strata that remain
unworked. This concept is referred to as Coal Bed Methane
since it involves directly drilling into unworked coal and coal
measures strata to release methane held (or adsorbed) within the
coal. CBM offers a method of extracting methane without detrimentally
affecting the physical properties of the coal.
20. UK Potential - In the last 5 years over
40 CBM exploration and appraisal wells and 12 pilot production
development wells have been drilled. IGAS and Nexen are generating
electricity from CBM production, a first for the UK, at their
Doe Green development, near Warrington and are currently flow
testing in Staffordshire at Keele Park as part of the Potteries
CBM development. In Scotland, Composite Energy drilled 18 multi-lateral
wells in their Airth CBM development, which is currently suspended,
but produced water and gas in 2008 and 2009.
21. The theoretical CBM resource in the UK is estimated
to be 2900 billion cubic metres (bcm) using only coals with the
right depth, thickness, gas content, and separation from underground
mine workings. Given that the 2009 annual UK natural gas consumption
was approximately 86 bcm this corresponds to about 33 years consumption.
However, the part of this CBM resource that is economically
viable to produce is likely to be very much smaller, possibly
around 10% or less. This is largely due to perceived widespread
low seam permeability, low gas content, resource density and planning
constraints. More drilling and testing is necessary to refine
the estimate. At the moment only modest amounts of CBM gas has
been shown to be economic and realistic estimates of the size
of the resource are not possible until drilling and production
demonstrates more generally the economics of production in UK
conditions. A BGS study on UK CBM potential is available on DECC's
Oil & Gas website at: https://www.og.decc.gov.uk/upstream/licensing/cbm.pdf
22. The Technology: UCG is the partial in-situ
combustion of a deep underground coal seam to produce a gas for
use as an energy source. It is achieved by drilling two boreholes
from the surface, one to supply oxygen and water/steam, the other
to bring the product gas to the surface. This combustible
gas can be used for industrial heating, power generation or the
manufacture of hydrogen, synthetic natural gas or other chemicals.
The technique has not yet been demonstrated to be commercial anywhere
in the world, though there is one long-running project in Uzbekistan.
23. UK Potential: Although trials were conducted
in the UK as long ago as the 50s, the technical and economic viability
of underground coal gasification (UCG) has not to date been demonstrated.
It is too early to judge, therefore, what contribution this fledgling
technology might make to future UK energy needs. Notwithstanding,
there is active interest in the sector's potential. The licensing
body, the Coal Authority, has over the last year or so granted
14 Conditional Licences for UCG (all in relation to undersea reserves).
DECC is monitoring progress with interest and continues to work
with other parties (the Coal Authority, Environment Agency) to
help ensure clarity around the regulatory aspects of the process.
What are the prospects for shale gas in the UK
and what are the risks of rapid depletion of shale gas resources?
24. The Namurian Bowland Shales in the Lancashire
basin (which are the source rock for the Irish Sea fields) are
the most prospective, but also the Jurassic Kimmeridge and Lias
shales (source rocks for the North Sea and English Channel fields)
are being considered in the Weald basin in southern England. Indications
of gas have often been encountered while drilling through these
shales for conventional exploration of sandstone and limestone.
25. The first UK exploration well designed to
evaluate shale gas potential, using state-of-the-art fracture
stimulation and testing procedures, is currently drilling west
of Blackpool (Cuadrilla's Preese Hall 1 well), shown on the far
right (North end) of the diagram below.
Cross section from England's south coast to the
Lancashire basin near Blackpool
26. Reserves can be estimated for conventional oil
and gas prospects by applying a recovery factor to the hydrocarbons
in place, but for shale gas, the reserves are dependent upon the
number of wells drilled, the success of the fracture stimulation,
and the use of horizontal drilling to increasing the area that
can be drained around each borehole.
27. Shale gas success can only be measured after
a number of wells are drilled and tested. The initial production
rates and ultimate recovery of gas for each well then are averaged
to estimate the reserves in the various parts of a large shale
gas play.
28. An estimate of UK potential can only be made
by analogy to productive areas. On an area basis, comparing the
size of the prospective UK Namurian Carboniferous (Upper Bowland
Shale) shale to the Barnett Shale play in Texas, the Lancashire
basin could potentially yield up to 133 bcm of shale gas. If the
onshore UK Jurassic shale gas play is analogous to the Antrim
Shale in Michigan, the Weald/Wessex basin could potentially yield
6 bcm recoverable shale gas. There is higher risk potential in
older shales, and some offshore potential too.
29. However, as noted above, it is difficult to
imagine that a US model for shale gas development, with thousands
of wells in each trend, can be replicated in the UK. Planning
and environmental considerations are likely to limit the number
of surface locations from which wells can be drilled, but there
is hope that a smaller scale development with numerous horizontal
wells from central sites could be economically viable. But it
is too early in UK shale gas exploration to know if commercial
development can be established.
30. Unlike some other countries where landowners
own the oil and gas under their land, in the UK the Crown controls
the right to produce hydrocarbons. DECC licenses these rights
to exploit oil and gas resources; and, together with the environmental
control through the planning system (by Local Authority supported
by the Environmental Agency and other consultees), and safety
regulation (by the Health and Safety Executive), this should result
in a well ordered development of the resource. This has already
been achieved with the UK's long experience of development of
its more conventional onshore oil and gas resources.
Risks of Rapid Depletion of Shale Gas Resources?
31. While there has been debate in the industry
regarding the forecasting of future shale gas production profiles,
it is too early to know what decline rates we might experience.
We don't yet have UK data to estimate the initial production
rate, the initial rate of production decline, and the degree to
which that initial decline rate flattens out over time. We have
significant potential reserves - but no proved prospectivity for
shale gas, and only pilot production data for CBM.
What are the implications of large discoveries
of shale gas around the world for UK energy and climate change
Prospects for further production in the US
32. Production of unconventional gas in the US is
expected to increase with the growth in unconventional gas production
being driven largely by shale gas production rising from 14% of
total consumption (around 3 trillion cubic feet) in 2009 to 45%
(around 12 tcf) in 2035, according to the EIA (US Energy Information
Administration) chart below.[1]
Source: US Energy Information Administration
33. This growth is expected to help put downward
pressure on the US's demand for imports. The US's net imports
peaked in 2007 at around 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, most
of which was imported from Canada. The US's net imports are projected
to fall from 2.6 tcf in 2009 to 1.3 tcf in 2025 and 0.3 tcf in
2035. The EIA are expecting imports of gas from Canada and from
LNG to fall over the next two decades.
34. The EIA has continued to revise up its expectations
for shale gas production and the impacts this will have on the
US market. For example in contrast to the Annual Energy Outlook
2010 reference case, the EIA now:
¾ Has
doubled the technically recoverable unproved reserves of shale
It should be noted that such projections are sensitive
to a number of assumptions, relating for example to the pace of
technological innovation and economic growth.
35. The impact of further growth in gas production
in the US on global markets will depend on a number of factors:
Prospects for unconventional gas production in the
rest of the world
Source: Rogner (1996), Kawata and Fujita (2001), Holditch (2006).
Taken from World
Energy Outlook 2009 table 11.3, International Energy Agency.
36. While North American production is expected to continue to
increase, there are significant uncertainties over the extent,
the timing and the location of production elsewhere in the world.
This is due to a number of factors including:
37. Notwithstanding the uncertainty it is clear that there is
potential for additional gas to be brought to market in large
volumes. Should this be the case, there could be significant
impacts on global energy markets and climate change.
38. Price implicationsThe unexpected growth in
unconventional gas production in the US has already, in conjunction
with other factors, helped to depress UK and global spot wholesale
gas prices over the course of 2009 by reducing the US need for
LNG imports, although recently UK wholesale prices have rebounded
strongly. Over the medium and long-term, the impact of new sources
of unconventional gas on prices is uncertain. Increased supply
of gas via increased production of unconventional is likely to
reduce gas prices going forward. However, instead there might
be upwards pressure on gas prices if expectations of unconventional
gas being brought to market leads to under-investment in conventional
gas or other energy sources. The EIA expects unconventional gas
to exert downward pressure on natural gas price. Natural gas
wellhead prices in AEO2011 (in 2009 dollars) only reach $6.53
per thousand cubic feet in 2035, compared with $8.06 in AEO2010
due in part to increased estimates on recoverable shale gas resources.
39. Security of supplythere is potential for security
of supply to be improved due to the opportunities for consuming
countries to diversity across a wider range of sources of supply.
40. Climate implicationsincreased unconventional
production would result in lower emissions if it displaces fuels
such as coal that are associated with higher emissions. However,
the potential downside from reduced emissions in the short- to
medium-term is that this reduces the incentive to invest in developing
and deploying the low-carbon alternatives required to meet longer-term
emission goals. If gas was to play a major longer-term role, this
would suggest a greater need for effective CCS technology for
gas plants. Tighter national emission targets and policies to
support innovation and deployment of low-carbon technologies could
be used to reduce these risks. With such measures, the increased
use of gas could be an effective bridge to help deliver greater
near-term reductions.
41. To reduce the uncertainty posed by these issues, the Department
intends to closely monitor developments and will consider the
need for additional research to improve our understanding of the
implications for policy. In the meantime, DECC is continuing
to liaise with the energy industry and academia as knowledge and
experience develops.
What are the risks and hazards associated with drilling for
Shale Gas?
42. The safety risks and hazards associated with drilling for
shale gas should be no more onerous than those associated with
drilling for any other hydrocarbons by a borehole (for instance,
the worse case being a blow out leading to the release and possible
ignition of gas).
43. The process of extending the borehole to the shale formations
of interest, will follow those used for conventional drilling
of oil and gas wells, with a number of casings of reducing diameter
being run and cemented to form a conduit to surface. The principle
of dual barriers to any potential flow of fluid will be maintained
and equivalent safety features for the production phase of shale
gas will be in place i.e. sub surface safety valves.
44. The risks to people from drilling a borehole for hydrocarbons
under a production, or exploration and appraisal, license
will be regulated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
45. UK legislation requires the operator to assess not only the
risks and hazards above ground but also those associated with
the sub surface aspects of the operations. The operator must notify HSE
of any proposed drilling operations which will allow a dialogue
to start on the management of the risks that have been identified.
46. More generally environmental risks of shale gas development
have received some media attention in the US and have even resulted
in a hydrofrac drilling ban in the state of New York which flanks
the successful Marcellus shale trend. It is claimed that
some incompetent operators have allowed gas to contaminate shallow
aquifers, which should not be possible with proper well casing
47. The use of large quantities of water for fracture stimulation
in areas with limited water supply and the safe disposal of the
recovered fluids have also been reported as contentious in the
US. Public health concerns there have resulted in a demand for
greater transparency regarding the chemical composition of the
fracture stimulation fluid and the US Environmental Protection
Agency have recently changed their requirements. In the US, where
the landowner owns the mineral rights, directly benefiting from
drilling, consent to dense drilling has been allowed with reported
possible negative effects on local communities.
How does the carbon footprint of Shale Gas compare to other
fossil fuels?
48. The carbon intensity of natural gas from shale formations
varies between various shales and depends on the extraction process
and emission management. Both the greater number of bore holes
required to be drilled for shale gas in relation to field gas
and the process of hydraulic fracturing of the rock add to the
energy and carbon footprint of the extraction process. This carbon
footprint can be increased further by fugitive emissions of methane
released directly to the atmosphere as a result of the fracturing
49. Little investigation has been undertaken into the size and
variability of greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction process
and even less has been conducted on the potential impact of fugitive
methane emissions. Estimates of the carbon intensity of shale
gas should therefore be treated with caution until peer-reviewed
work is available. However, providing that fugitive emissions
of methane can be managed adequately, shale gas can be expected
to have a carbon intensity greater than that of natural gas from
conventional fields, but significantly lower than that of coal.
January 2011
WEO 2010, Table 5.1, Primary natural gas demand by region and
scenario (bcm), page 181. Back
Millions of British thermal units. Back


text:
Dec. 16, 2011
Congressional Leaders Reach Deal on 2012 Spending Bill, Averting Government Shutdown: Congressional leaders Thursday night finalized a deal to fund the government through the end of fiscal 2012. The $1 trillion spending agreement, which funds most federal agencies, effectively averted a possible government shutdown that would have resulted in furloughs of federal employees and cuts in public services. The bill passed the House Friday afternoon and is expected to pass the Senate. Under the bill, some agencies see a reduction in their budget:
Other agencies see an increase:
The bill doesn't include appropriations for the following agencies because Congress already approved theirs last month: NASA, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and some small agencies.
Right Wing House Lawmakers Pass Payroll Tax Cut Bill Funded by Federal Employees, Taxpayers: Right-wing lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a payroll-tax cut bill that would double tax middle income Americans by freezing pay for another year for federal employees and reducing the federal workforce without regard to workload, effectively forcing federal agencies to outsource work to private companies, which cost almost twice as much as federal employees. The right wing refused to ask their millionaire and billionaire supporters who benefit more from the economy to chip in, but instead they wanted middle-class federal employees who are struggling along with everybody else to shoulder the burden on top of what they've already sacrificed –$60 billion in savings in the next decade from the two-year pay freeze. Washington-are lawmakers this week vowed to fight any proposal targeting federal pay and benefits.
Besides making federal employees pay for the tax cut, the right wing also wanted to punish the unemployed. The bill would reduce the maximum time people who are out of work can receive benefits from 99 weeks to 59 weeks. It would require the unemployed to undergo drug testing before receiving any unemployment benefits. The bill was sent towards its certain demise in the Senate, but the vote was blocked by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell because some senators do not want to take a stance on some controversial provisions, including drug testing.
Governmentwide A-76 Outsourcing Ban Remains: Pending the final passage of the 2012 omnibus spend bill that funds most federal agencies, several AFGE-backed provisions regarding the flawed, expensive A-76 outsourcing process will be retained, including a ban on A-76 at all agencies in the 2012 Finance Services Appropriations bill. The final version of the 2012 Defense Authorization bill, which is not part of the omnibus, also has several AFGE-backed measures. These provisions, which have been approved by the full House and Senate this week, will, among other things:
AFGE was also able to beat back contractors' attempt to eliminate insourcing in the Defense Authorization bill, thanks to our allies in Congress who are staunch supporters of federal employees and protectors of taxpayers' dollars. For example, we defeated House provisions that would have made it legal for contractors to perform inherently governmental work and would have narrowly defined critical functions to allow more work to be outsourced.
2.5 Million Young Adults Have Gained Coverage Under Healthcare Reform Act: President Obama's healthcare reform law has shrunk the number of young adults without health insurance. According to figures released by the National Center for Health Statistics on Wednesday, 2.5 million young adults aged 19-25 have gained health insurance coverage since the health care reform law took effect in 2010. Under the law, young adults can stay on their parents' plans until they turn 26.
"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 2.5 million more young adults don't have to live with the fear and uncertainty of going without health insurance," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "Moms and dads around the country can breathe a little easier knowing their children are covered."
In 2014 when another policy becomes effective, it will be illegal for a health insurance company to deny coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition.
Federal Retirements Rise 24%: More federal employees are leaving the government. For the first 10 months of 2011, 92,000 people have already submitted their retirement applications – a 24 percent increase from the same period last year. If this trend continues, 2011 will be the biggest retirement year since 2001 except for 2006 when more than 103,000 federal employees retired. The surge in retirements could be a result of buyouts and early outs offered by agencies looking to reduce their workforces. Uncertainty in Congress is also a major factor especially when right-wing lawmakers are looking to cut federal employees' pensions and benefits on top of the two-year pay freeze.
AFGE Denounces Bill to Remove Officer Title from TSA Employees: AFGE denounced a right-wing-backed bill in the House that would remove the officer title from federal airport screeners who put their lives of the line every day to protect our skies and the flying public.
"Every single member of Congress should be supporting federal employees, not trying to demean them," AFGE President John Gage said. "Reps. Blackburn, Mica and their other cohorts in the House need to stop bullying the TSA workforce, and maybe just worry about doing their own jobs. Instead of actually helping to fight terrorism, they are inspiring the type of unnecessary and disrespectful behavior by a few members of the public with an agenda that in fact diverts attention from securing American skies."
Bill Introduce to Cut Federal Workforce to Protect Defense Contractors: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon has introduced a bill that would protect defense contractors by cutting the federal workforce by 10 percent over 10 years. McKeon's bill calls for a reduction of the federal work force by hiring one federal worker for every three who retire to pay for one year of sequestration for defense and non-defense categories. He said that would generate $127 billion. From this, $55 billion could pay for the first year of defense cuts under sequestration.
Sens. John McCain, Jon Kyl, Lindsey Graham, and Kelly Ayotte said this week they will propose legislation early next year that would stop sequestration defense cuts.
Tweet of the Week: "Today is National Cupcake Day. Please take a moment to remember all the brave cupcakes who died keeping America fat." ~ TheTweetOfGod
Awkward Family Holiday Photo: This one belongs to Jorge Santini, mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Japanese Dalmatian Riding a Bike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roJzWYiXFtg
Inside Government: Tune in now to AFGE's "Inside Government" to learn about the union's position on Washington's budget fight. The show, which originally aired on Friday, Dec. 16, is now available on demand.
AFGE National President John Gage discussed the budget stalemate and the impact cuts would have on public service. National Secretary-Treasurer J. David Cox then addressed the need to properly care for our nation's veterans, especially the men and women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gage and Cox also previewed AFGE's 2012 agenda. AFGE Department of Housing and Urban Development Local 3258 member Mark Butler also discussed his book, "The Coffee Break Guide for Veterans Seeking Federal Employment."
Listen LIVE on Fridays at 10 a.m. on 1500 AM WFED in the D.C. area or online atwww.federalnewsradio.com.
Quote of the Week
President Barack Obama in response to 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft's comment that the president was being judged now on his own performance.
"No, no, no. ... I'm being judged against the ideal. And, you know, Joe Biden has a good expression. He says, 'Don't judge me against the Almighty, judge me against the alternative.'"
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO 80 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 | Tel. (202) 737-8700 | Fax (202) 639-6492 | www.afge.org
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