text:
Doug Stanhope is one of the most critically acclaimed and stridently unrepentant comedians of his generation. What will surprise some is that he owes so much of his dark and sometimes uncomfortably honest sense of humor to his mother, Bonnie. It was the cartoons in HER Hustler magazine issues that molded the beginnings of his comedic journey, long before he was old enough to know what to do with the actual pornography. It was Bonnie who recited Monty Python sketches with him, who introduced him to Richard Pryor at nine years old, and who rescued him from a psychologist when he brought that brand of humor to school. And it was Bonnie who took him along to all of her AA meetings, where Doug undoubtedly found inspiration for his own storytelling.
Bonnie's own journey from bartending to truck driving, massage therapy, elder abuse, and stand-up comedy and acting never stopped her from being Doug's genuine number one fan. So when Bonnie's alcoholic, hoarding life finally came to an end so many weird adventures later in rural Arizona, it was inevitable that Doug and Bonnie would be together for one last journey.
Digging Up Mother follows Doug's absurd, chaotic, and often obscene life as it intersects with that of his best friend, his biggest fan, and the love of his life: his mother, Bonnie. And it all starts with her death - one of the most memorable and amazing farewells you will ever hear.
BONUS: As fans of his stand-up and listeners of his podcast will attest, Doug is not a "by-the-book" type of guy. This audiobook is no exception. In what he refers to as the "director's cut commentary," Doug forgoes the confines of a straight-read and creates a truly unique listening experience, going off-script to riff throughout its sections and bringing in a cast of colorful characters – childhood friends, his podcast co-host, and fellow comedians and musicians – to voice letters from teachers and guidance counselors, diary entries from his mother, and even old homework assignments. Additionally, Doug has several of the folks mentioned in the book expound on and give their version of events and stories, often remembered quite differently. The result is a wildly fun audiobook that's as distinct as the comedian's own brand of humor.
A special note from the author:
Good news for all my blind and/or illiterate fans! The audio version of my book Digging Up Mother is now available on Audible!
It's read podcast-style by myself and the golden-throated Chad Shank and features guest performances from those who appeared in the book, dropping in to share their own blurred memories of our sloppy pasts and ugliest stories. Guests include my childhood delinquent partner in crime Chris O'Conner, and Greg Chaille, Bingo, Mat Becker, Sarah Hyland (now Sarah HylanDER) and more.
If you are wondering what "podcast-style" means, it means we were drinking a lot. For days. And f*ing up a lot. They've assured me that they left the best f*ck-ups in the finished product. Most of them no doubt are my own. I read like Bill Burr learning a foreign language.
Thanks in advance for listening and sharing, Facebooking, Tweeting, Instaf*cking, Redditing, Water-Cooler Chattering and all other means of spreading the word. I'm only gonna listen to the Chad Shank chapters. Goddamn does he sound delightful.
©2016 Doug Stanhope; Foreword copyright 2016 by Johnny Depp (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
"Chad Shank's Golden Pipes"
Doug Stanhope, with a little help from his friends, brings new insights and emotions into this already astounding story of love. However, the breakout performance, and the real reason to buy this book is the sultry tones of the one and only, Chad Shank. His voice is guaranteed to make you moist(especially you, fella), even in the saddest of moments.
"Exactly what I hoped for!"
Highly recommended to friends that truly understand "humor, tragedy, and love" rolled up into a spitball.
All characters involved were my favorites.
I like all of his material. He stands out like a hammered thumb.
Nothing "par-tic-u-lar-ly" moved me. All of it moved me.
I listened to "Diggin Up Mother" in two days. Doug is a weed in the rose garden. He has survived pesticide sprays, droughts, and floods. One doesn't have to be pretty to survive and thrive. I want to shake his hand and say, "I understand." I will listen to it again to pick up on subtleties I may have missed.
"hopefully responsible for a paradigm shift in how audiobooks are performed"
I read this book in analog form and now hope that more people follow Doug Stanhope's example by doing an audiobook that's more a director's cut than merely the author or a stand in reading.
Hearing and in an odd way meeting the people in his stories was fascinating.
The golden pipes of Chad Shank should soon be all over audible as well.
"This made me like him"
I wasn't a fan but now can't get enough. Doug reads the book so well and I really appreciate all of the commentary throughout!
Virginia Claire
"One of the best ever"
I have listened to a lot of audiobooks but Doug's is one of the best. It takes the genre to a whole new level and makes it unique. Also he is the most brilliant comedian living which makes it great too
"Great book!"
Additional stories and laughter.
Such a great book! Stories of mother visiting Vegas reminded me of Dostoyevsky's classic The Gambler, just a great listen! Especially parts spoken by Mr. Chad Shank were absolutely brilliant!
"Got me right in the feels."
What a great book. I had to turn it off multiple times so I wouldn't erupt into psychotic level laughter in my cubicle. It also genuinely brought tears to my eyes a couple times and caused me to reflect on my own life in a fresh way. A beautiful love story. Great performances from everyone including Doug no matter what he thinks. I hope the Tom Konopka podcast stuff makes it into the next edition.
"Loved every second"
You will not regret listening to this book, as soon as you're finished you'll want to revisit it again and again dog-earing it's pages and weeping everytime.
"A memoir that rewards listeners!"
YouTube his standup first, if you don't like his humor you won't enjoy this much either. If you do, this book is great. He breaks the fourth wall a bunch, gives "directors cut" commentary and riffs with the actual people he's talking about in between chapters making this an immersive and rewarding listen.
"Fellow Worcester kid"
I found Doug Stanhopes comedy through pandora music app. Ironically, one of his bits came on through having it on the Joe rogan station. I saw he was from Worcester and so am I. He is around my parents age and even mentioned bubba Shane who recently married my dads best friends sister. I too lived in Paxton and had that creep mr. Prince the gym teacher (I'm 24 y.o.). I also hooked up with a girl who lived in that eery White House on the common across from the now burned down restaurant where jeff shot the sign and car. I recently drove by the 20 rich st house in Worcester and saw the blueberry bushes and the second story. Anyway just a great book about dougs upbringing and career and learned a lot about my hometown.
"If your a bit twisted you'll laugh your balls off"
A hilarious and poignant insight into Doug's world. As its read by him it's almost like your at the bar having a personal rendition of his life over a few beers.
"Didn't want it to end!"
After reading the book I then did the audio, as recommended by Doug. Engaging, funny and I got lots of strange looks on the train for my involuntary snorts. Have since bought another 2 hard copies and 2 audio books as gifts for the likeminded!
"Not every mother's audiobook"
Doug Stanhope takes the mundane old audiobook, gives it a violent, chaotic kick up the backside and creates a whole new literary genre.

Moving, disturbing, hilarious, disgusting, everything you'd expect from Stanhope at his best is in here, but it's also, deep down, a sentimental memoir and a love story. Bonnie Stanhope fits no definition of the perfect mother, but despite all the troubles they inflicted on one another, it's clear he wouldn't have wanted her any other way.

The delivery is excellent. Bringing in friends to read passages, reminisce or just argue about how things really panned out was an inspired idea. It's like the director's cut of the book, read out live in a bar after hours.
"that's how you tell a story"
this is just fantastic, highly recommended , very personal very funny, very touching.. very real
Absolutely superb, If you have read the book still buy this as it's like the book with directors/authors commentary. Many of the people that are in the book are given their voice to comment on the actual events. Very funny but pretty dark so not for everyone.
"Thank you Douglas Gene"
Fantastic story and performances and great addition of the cut aways. just like the podcasts. every audio book should do that. well done Mr Shank. Hope it leads to more work.
One of the most entertaining audio books that I have ever listened to. Recommend it.
"All comedy fans must listen!"
Wow. What an audiobook. This audiobook os PACKED full of extra content which is great.
But the book itself is incredible and stands to a high standard by itself. It's funny, insightful, touching and very sad yet relatable.
If you are comedy fan- you need to listen. Of you aren't, it's still a great listen. I'd recommend you listen to Doug Stanhope first though.
"brilliant. a must listen and an instant classic."
loved it. impossible to stop once started. funny and sickening in equal measure. buy it.
It's not just a read through, there's so much more. Buy this AND the book!
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


text:
Galaxy Aviation at PBI (Intl, West Palm Beach FL) has completed its newest hangar and office facility. Hangar H is a 30,000 sq ft building with 28-ft-clearance door height, capable of accommodating aircraft up to the size of a G650. It includes 8 private office suites, full WSI and flight planning facilities, hurricane-resistant glass, foam fire protection, and security lights and cameras. With over 40 acres of real estate and the largest lit secured ramp at PBI, Galaxy will soon begin developing a 7-acre hangar site near the main entrance at the south side of the airport. The location can accommodate up to 100,000 sq ft of hangar space, offices and ramp space.
Weston Aviation is in expansion mode. At the beginning of June, the company will open the first dedicated FBO at HUY (Humberside, England). This is the firm's 3rd such operation in the UK. Weston currently provides aircraft charter services, ground handling, passenger and crew lounges, and ramp access at MME (Durham, England) and NQY (Newquay, England).
Minuteman Aviation at MSO (Missoula MT) has joined the Avfuel-branded FBO network. Minuteman is a 40-year-old operation and one of the largest full service FBOs in Montana. In welcoming the move, Minuteman Ops Dir Forest Gue cited Avtrip, Avfuel's pilot incentive program, as a particularly valuable benefit. The pet-friendly FBO provides guest amenities such as an executive conference room, flight planning room with WSI weather and Internet access, late model crew cars, supplies and charts, lounge and shower facilities.
Avfuel Corp has announced new developments in its automated Avfuel contract fuel program. An enhanced billing process will provide customers with faster price quotes and expedited invoicing customizable to the individual flight department's needs. This supports changes at the Avplan flight planning and trip support division, where the Avplan Customer Information System has been upgraded to ease flight planning and briefings during each leg of flight.
Five new FBOs have joined the independent network run by Paragon Aviation Group. They are Aero Air at HIO (Hillsboro, Portland OR), First Aviation Services at TEB (Teterboro NJ), Galvin Flying Service at BFI (Boeing Field, Seattle WA), Maguire Aviation at VNY (Van Nuys CA), and Xjet at APA (Centennial, Denver CO.) Paragon says it expects to provide FBO customers with discounts on flight tracking software, car rentals and hotel stays, thanks to the group's buying power. Eventually it hopes to add savings on other goods, such as accounting software and insurance. For now, according to Paragon Pres Michael Delk, the company's focus is on "taking locations that are premium quality with premier service."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in partnership with the Americal College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) are seeking qualified physicians interested in acquiring credentials and experience to lead genomic medicine research and implementation programs at the NIH, major medical centers and other organizations. The goal of this fellowship is to increase the pool of physicians trained in managing research and implementation programs in genomic medicine.
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks highly-motivated applicants for a scientific administrative position as a Scientific Program Analyst in Rockville, Maryland. This is an exciting opportunity for recent graduates in the biological sciences to gain first-hand experience in and broad exposure to how cutting-edge medical research is supported.
The NHGRI Genomic Careers website has information about careers related to genetics and genomics Explore dozens of career possibilities and hear from professionals about their careers and the differences they are making every day.


text:
Please know that NSHRC is not a one-on-one matching program and does not interview clients for home sharing. To find a program in your area, please click on a state listed below. If your state is not listed, it means NSHRC has no registered members in that state.
Shared Housing programs fall into one of three categories:
1. Match-Up Programs help home providers find a compatible home seeker to pay rent or possibly provide services in exchange for a reduction in rent.
2. Shared Living Residences involve a number of people living cooperatively as an unrelated family in a large dwelling.
3. Information Only Programs offer resources and referrals to other agencies.


text:
The apostle Peter is not the first biblical character that Darwin Shaw has played in his decade or so as an actor. You can see him briefly as Adam, in a new prologue to the Campus Crusade film Jesus (1979) that was shot a few years ago, and you can also see him as the "Semitic Jesus" in Gospel of Thomas (2009), an interactive adaptation of the Gnostic text that allows you to toggle between different actors. (Another actor plays the "Western Jesus".)
But Peter is easily the biggest role of this sort that Shaw has tackled so far. He appears in all five of the New Testament-themed episodes in last year's mini-series The Bible, and he will appear again this week in Son of God, the big-screen movie that consists mostly of footage from that mini-series but also includes a few new scenes.
I spoke to Shaw — whose credits also include Casino Royale (2006), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), John Carter (2012) and a deleted scene from Prometheus (2012) — by phone last week while he was in Los Angeles to promote Son of God.


text:
Modern Convenience: Didi Rounds - Modern Playroom
Arrange your own colors and configuration with these 14" d. pillows for your walls. Upholstered vinyl with sound absorbing batting are great for your home rec-room, commercial space, library, or any kid's play area. With a Velcro application on the back, it is an easy installation. Designed for noisy indoor play and fun.
Asian-inspired cabinet with clean lines.Tags: interior design, modern furniture, modern decor, Asian-inspired, asian furniture, modern storage, modern cabinet, asian media storage, media cabinetsAdded 10 Years Ago from Insideavenue
My favorite occasional chair, this upholstered chair is tufted and gently curved in the back.Added 10 Years Ago from Insideavenue


text:
General Requirements (46 hours)
General education core curriculum components must be completed. These requirements can be found in the Core Curriculum section of the Undergraduate Catalog. Note, the SRT program has specific General Education Core Curriculum Requirements in math and science. They must take:
MATH Component: Pre-Calculus (MATH 2417)
SCIENCE Component: General Physics I and II (PHYS 1315/1115, 1325/1125)
A. Music Core Requirements (29 hours)
Aural Learning I-III (MU 1210, MU 1212, MU 2260)
Music Theory I-III (MU 1211, MU 1213, MU 2261)
Survey of Music Literature (MU 2303)
Piano Techniques I & II (MUSP 1135, 1136) MUSP Applied Lessons (two hours each) – four semesters MUSE Music Ensemble (one hour each) – four semesters
B. Sound Recording Technology Requirements (30 hours)
Recording Practicum I-VIII (MU 1180, 1182, 2180, 2182, 3180, 3182, 4180, 4182)
Recording Industry Operations I and II (MU 3381, MU 3382)
Audio Technology: Microphones and Mixing Techniques (MU 3383)
Audio Recording Techniques (MU 3384)
Advanced Audio Recording Techniques (MU 4385)
Internship (MU 4386)
C. Support Courses and Minor in Technology courses (15 hours)
Musical Acoustics (PHYS 3301)
Electricity/Electronics Fundamentals (TECH 2370)
Audio Frequency Communications (TECH 3370)
Electronic Instrumentation (TECH 4372)
Digital Electronics (TECH 4374)
Special Degree Requirements
Upper Level Committee Review
Senior Portfolio


text:
Items where Author is "Tay, L.X."
Group by: Item Type | No Grouping
Jump to: Article
Number of items: 3.
Tay, L.X.; Lim, C.K.; Mansor, A.; Kamarul, T. (2014) Differential protein expression between chondrogenic differentiated MSCs, undifferentiated MSCs and adult chondroctyes derived from oryctolagus cuniculus in vitro. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 11 (1). pp. 24-33. ISSN 1449-1907
Tay, L.X.; Ahmad, R.E.; Dashtdar, H.; Tay, K.W.; Masjuddin, T.; Ab-Rahim, S.; Chong, P.P.; Selvaratnam, L.; Kamarul, T. (2011) Treatment outcomes of alginate-embedded allogenic mesenchymal stem cells versus autologous chondrocytes for the repair of focal articular cartilage defects in a rabbit model. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 40 (1). pp. 83-90. ISSN 0363-5465
Dashtdar, H.; Rothan, H.A.; Tay, T.; Ahmad, R.E.; Ali, R.; Tay, L.X.; Chong, P.P.; Kamarul , T. (2011) A preliminary study comparing the use of allogenic chondrogenic pre-differentiated and undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells for the repair of full thickness articular cartilage defects in Rabbits. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 29 (9). pp. 1336-1342. ISSN 0736-0266


text:
Kettlebell Workout: Cycle 5, Week 4, Day 2
Kettlebell Workout
Welcome to the Kettlebell workout from coach Dini Leopoldo. Two new workouts are posted each week - on Tuesday and Thursday - and can be done on any day you have available. Make sure you warm up adequately before starting any of these workouts!
Kettlebell Workout - Day 2
Joint mobility/Primal Move
3x20 sec Scorpions
3x20 sec Hand to Hand Swings
3x5 Tall Kneeling Halos per side
3x10 Around the World per side
3x5 Military Press per side
3x5 Goblet Squats
3x30 sec Mountain Climbers
3x20 sec Russian Twist
3x5 Pullover Sit Ups
Topic: Workouts
See more about: kettlebells, Elite Programming, Elite Workout Programs, Kettlebell, Workout Kettlebell Cycle 5


text:
Scott Stevens
Why do you make movies?
It's pretty simple I've been filming my friends skating forever and it's a hobby that I've had since I was in high school. I actually have made like almost ten skate/ snow oriented little movies. Someday I'm gonna get them all on dvd and have copies or put them on YouTube. But, yeah it's fun and sometimes pretty gratifying to go out with your homies and make a little recap of the day. It kinda gets people stoked. You're not trying to film an "end all be all" video part so there's hardly any stress. although the internet is totally over saturating snowboard film making its just something you have to respect and roll with. But ill say one thing is there's still nothing like buying a vid and watching it on a big tv and not a small little pixilated YouTtube screen.
What kind of equipment do you use?
I just have a small little canon hg 10 with a baby death. The lens is a must!!! Don't skimp just get the schnieder optics, 'cause weak ass wide angle lens' just look lame. Skate style all the way. And final cut. I suck at titles but I wanna get after effects goin' someday.
Which other movie makers do you admire?
Hunh? Burtner "Think Thank"! Mack Dawg, Absinthe, Justin Meyer, Carlino, Gary Milton and Robot Food holy crap! Those movie shaped my snowboarding and film making in so many ways. And Transworld skate, Baker vids, Girl/ Chocolate vids. The skate world spawns so many great snow ideas.
Where can we find your work?
www.youtube.com/user/suzygreenberg270, magicalgogo.com, thinkthank.com, capitasnowboarding.com are usually where my edits go.
Do you think the Internet era of today is good for movie making or does it dilute the art?
Yeah I guess I kinda answered this but yeah it's good but bad, u know. It's here and all you can do is produce. You definitely get snowboarding overload and that sucks. I remember when you just waited for September for the new vids and that's all you really went on. When I was in high school I remember calling the local shop like everyday waiting for the Forum video "True Life" to get in. But now you see mindblowing snowboarding on a daily basis. F#!#k it, the Internet is here so you just gotta roll with the media overload.


text:
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Bearded Women: Stories
by Teresa Milbrodt
No current Talk conversations about this book.
This cover is absurd yet crazy awesome. It's what initially made me want to read this novel. But the words within the story is what kept me reading. The blurb is pretty amazing too. This book is basically made up of "freaks" with stories to tell.
The Good: What I didn't expect to find in this novel was such great writing. It was beautifully written but it had this strange, lyrical feel to it. The thing I loved about this novel was that even though each of the short stories contained a "freak" per se, their emotions and feelings of being different were relatable, tangible and so very real. These stories aren't so much tales of being a Cyclops or having a beard… they are stories about people who are different and who are trying to come to terms with the reality of the outside world looking into their lives. They want to be recognized for who they are on the inside, but that's not always possible and this novel attempts to explain why. I loved that the novel was comprised of short stories. It felt like it made the novel go by really fast. I also loved getting more than one POV from a "freak." It was interesting the way the author was able to seamlessly move from story to story.
The Bad: There were some stories that seemed to linger a bit longer than necessary and didn't hold my interest as much as I would have hoped. There were some stories didn't end to my liking but that could be because I wanted more story or I wanted solid conclusion.
Overall, this book is a wonderful and touching look at what it means to be different. I give this book a B+ and recommend it for anyone looking for a strange, new book.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I'm not even sure how to categorize this book. It's beautiful and touching with just a touch of sarcasm and wit. This collection of short stories has to be the best I have ever read.
The description from NetGalley is this: Welcome to the contemporary Freak Show. A woman trying to have a child has a parasitic twin, an extra lower torso, and set of legs named Bianca—should she have "Bianca's Body" removed to improve her chances at conception? A bearded lady considers coming out of the closet about her hirsute nature, while carrying on a battle of wills with an overeating patron in "Mr. Chicken." A woman with four ears gets a chance to make extra money as the mascot of a tattoo parlour, and encounters a middle-aged, cookie-baking stalker who believes she is a sign that the end of the world is nigh. Meet the "freaks"—they're mothers, wives, and lovers: all of them trying negotiate a world that is quicker to stare than sympathize.
I figured it was up my alley. What I didn't expect was something so visceral and emotional. This is not a freak show but an expose of what it's like to live as someone who is different. The first story Bianca's Body was more than a tale about a woman with a parasitic twin. This nameless woman struggles with jealousy over that part of her body that seems to be more receptive to her husband, the pain of not being able to maintain a pregnancy and the identity of who she really is. It's the perfect introduction to Teresa Milbrodt's world.
The writing is a little odd which only adds to the work. Many of the characters are unnamed and the stories a brief snapshot of their lives. Some left me wondering and others felt complete. This is one I am glad to review and such a gem that will sadly be overlooked by those who would appreciate it most.
Come one, come all and see the macabre, the strange and the beautiful world of those the world deems freaks! From conjoined twins to bearded woman to people with extra body parts ranging from a whole extra torso and set of legs, to some extra ears, to a cyclops, a giantess, a Medusa – even a Butterfly Woman! You will thrill to the sensuous legs on Bianca's Body – you will chill at the woman who spontaneously combusts when she becomes angry – you will fill with the woman who finds herself by joining eating competitions – you will wince with the pain of the girl with ichthyosis – you will gaze in awe at the holes in a woman's hands! Step right up, step right up – the show is about to begin …
I really did enjoy these stories – it showed the human side of those the world would label freaks; it showed the sorts of things they did to survive and thrive in a world that sometimes thinks they should have been killed at birth. One thing that troubled me – but I think it was because the author wanted to make a point – was that so many of the stories didn't provide a name for the "freak" - just called them things like "the cyclops" or "the three-legged man." It dehumanized them. Then again, they tend to be dehumanized by the world, and, as I mentioned, I think that was a point that Ms. Milbrodt was trying to make. I highly recommend this amazing anthology.
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English
No descriptions found.
No library descriptions found.
Amazon Kindle (0 editions)
Audible (0 editions)
CD Audiobook (0 editions)
Project Gutenberg (0 editions)
Google Books — Loading...
Is this you?
Become a LibraryThing Author.


text: Controversy over fracking in Colorado runs deep By Peter Marcus on December 14, 2012 Rift among stakeholders could spill over to legislative session The debate over whether state regulators can responsibly govern hydraulic fracturing is leaving few parties satisfied — causing a rift between regulators themselves, the governor's office, legislators and environmental and industry stakeholders. The upcoming legislative session, as a result, is likely going to offer heated disagreements […]This content is only available to subscribers. Login or Subscribe Share this:EmailTwitterFacebook Current News, Default, Peter Marcus, The Colorado Statesman


text:
[home] [articles I've written] [papers I've edited] [my book] [resume] [contact me]
Resourceful chickadees triumph over winter
From The Burlington Free Press, Jan. 31, 2002
By Nancy Bazilchuk
Vermont's furred and feathered inhabitants have made an art of escaping or avoiding winter's cold. Birds fly south. Chipmunks and woodchucks hibernate. Bears sleep. Mice and voles create vast warrens and tunnels under the snow. Bats hide themselves in caves. And we huddle around our woodstoves, drinking hot chocolate and watching the worst nature can deliver through our ultra-thermal, triple-paned glass windows.
Then there's the black-capped chickadee. How does a bird so small you could mail two of them first-class with a 34 cent stamp survive winter's dark days and icy blasts?
The answer turns out to be far more complicated than you might think. Chickadees are smart about finding and storing food, and their bodies have adapted so they can endure the cold, dark days of winter. Think about what a chickadee is up against.
This bird feeds in the summer almost exclusively on insects, caterpillars, spiders and other bugs. In the winter, however, it has to eat whatever it finds. That means chickadees eat everything.
Some researchers have found chickadees pecking the fat off a dead deer's body. They'll monopolize suet feeders, clean out your bird feeder, and strip hemlock cones. They feed on maple sap icicles -- the ones that form on the end of a snapped sugar maple twig in spring. The average chickadee needs to eat food that's comparable in energy value to 250 sunflower seeds a day.
Given that grocery list, it shouldn't surprise you that chickadees are good scavengers. It turns out they are also very good at caching and relocating food. One researcher found that chickadees could locate a cache of high-energy food 28 days after the birds had hidden it. Another researcher found that chickadees will remember which caches have the fattest, highest-energy foods and consistently raid those caches first.
They're also clever about hiding their caches, these little black-capped critters. Rather than create one big storehouse that would be easy to remember, they scatter their caches around their territories. They're also very industrious. One Norwegian research studying a chickadee relative found that this bird, the tit, cached between 50,000 and 80,000 spruce seeds in a single autumn.
n the farthest reaches of their range, in Alaska and throughout northern Canada, right up to the tip of Ungava Bay, chickadees must also contend with short days right around winter solstice.
Unlike some birds, chickadees don't hunt for food at night. Researchers have found that chickadees get up earlier than other birds to take advantage of pre-dawn light to extend their foraging time. The early bird gets the black-oil sunflower seed, I guess.
No matter how hard a chickadee works during the short winter days, it can't avoid this fact: The shortest winter days mean as much as a 20-hour fast for the birds. That's where the range of physical adaptations chickadees have evolved to cope with the cold come into play.
The most amazing adaptation is one that is least understood: Chickadees can lower their body temperatures at night and enter a state of hypothermia. Their normal body temperature runs at about 108 degrees. On cold nights they can drop their body temperatures to 85 degrees. The ability to cool their core temperatures cuts a chickadee's rate of fat consumption by about 25 percent. That's a lot of sunflower seeds.
Humans would be hard pressed to survive that low a body temperature, even though our normal body temperature is fully 10 degrees cooler than a chickadee's.
What's even more amazing about this change is that chickadees can fly to avoid predators, even if they're in this hypothermic state.
A lower body temperature is only part of the picture. Chickadees have also evolved so they replace their feathers at the end of the summer. When winter comes, their plumage is relatively new.
This makes more of a difference than you might think. When researchers looked at the difference in weight between worn summer plumage and fresh fall plumage for a number of bird species, they found the new plumage weighed about 25 percent more than the old. Chickadees also have remarkable control over their feathers and can fluff them to increase insulation. Plus, their feathers are dense compared to birds of similar size.
This presents a sort of chicken-and-egg evolutionary question, if you will. The more a bird weighs relative to its size and wingspan, the more difficult it is for that bird to fly long distances. Long ago, chickadees clearly made the evolutionary tradeoff -- a decreased ability to migrate, but an increased ability to survive the cold of winter. But which came first?
What's most surprising to me about all this is that chickadees do not roost together.
Each goes off its own hidey-hole at dusk to shiver through the night alone. They do typically choose roosts that are so small they can warm the space with the heat lost from their bodies. But still, there's warmth in numbers -- just look at all those big family beds in centuries past. There must be some evolutionary advantage to not sharing a roost, but I can't think of what it is.
As the chickadees remind you they're still here with their late winter and spring territorial call '' fee-bee'' just think what it takes for them to survive each winter day.
[back] [home]


text:
Red Bull's Mark Webber secured the 200th pole for Renault engines in Formula 1 with a superb lap round the Korean International Circuit on Saturday.
The Australian's dramatic pole position now makes Renault only the second engine manufacturer in F1 history to record a double century of pole positions.
The Losange's first pole was achieved back in 1979 at the South African Grand Prix when Renault made its first foray into F1 with the V6 engine. Since then, some 22 drivers have contributed to the roll of honour, including eight world champions. Six of them recorded their first ever pole positions with Renault power, including Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, and six also went on to win world titles with Renault.
The total is split fairly evenly between the different Renault engine configurations, with 50 achieved by the V6 turbo (1977-86), 44 by the 3.5 litre V10 (1989-94), 53 by the 3.0-litre V10 (1995-97 and 2001-2005) and 53 by the 2.4-litre V8 (2006-2012).
Jean-François Caubet, managing director of Renault Sport F1, commented, "Reaching 200 poles is a milestone in our F1 history. Looking back on our involvement in the sport, in the first years of the turbo I don't think anyone would have thought we could reach this figure! Over time, the team in Viry has worked to develop each of the different engines produced, from V6 to V10, to make each as quick and reliable as they can. We are proud of our achievement and would like to thank all our partners and Renault-engined drivers who have contributed to this achievement."
First Ever Renault Pole, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, South Africa 1979
Jabouille had been a key part of Renault's F1 adventure form the very start, giving the car its debut at Silverstone in 1977. In 1978 the programme stepped up a gear, and with the RS01 Jabouille qualified as high as third in Austria and Monza, two tracks where top speed played a major role. By 1979 Renault was ready for a full campaign with two cars as Rene Arnoux joined the line-up. In only the third race of the season in South Africa Jabouille earned Renault's first pole, and the first ever for a turbo car, ahead of the Ferrari of Jody Scheckter. He retired from the race, held over two parts because of rain. In the course of the season he would take three more poles and secure the team's first win on home ground in France.
First Ever Alain Prost Pole: Germany 1981
Alain Prost made his debut with McLaren in 1980, and after scoring points in his first race he endured a tough season with an often unreliable car. He then earned the chance to join Rene Arnoux at Renault in 1981. Arnoux had already been with the team for two years, but Prost soon emerged as a major force. He scored his first win on home ground in Dijon and qualified second in Argentina and Britain before securing a personal landmark with his first pole at Hockenheim. Although he led the race he eventually finished second to Nelson Piquet's Brabham. Prost would go on to log 23 poles with Renault power, and won his fourth world championship with Williams in 1993.
First Ever Nigel Mansell Pole: US Dallas 1984
Nigel Mansell arrived in F1 with Lotus in 1980 after Colin Chapman saw some potential in his countryman. He first hooked up with Renault with Lotus in the second half of 1983. The following year the 95T proved to be very competitive, Mansell finishing third in France and leading in Monaco before crashing out. Then on the crumbling street track in Dallas he did a stunning job to take his first pole position, ahead of teammate Elio de Angelis and the works Renault of Derek Warwick. Mansell led the first half of the race before losing the lead to Keke Rosberg. Three laps from home his gearbox failed, and after attempting to push his car across the line, he was classified sixth. Mansell, who earned a total of 18 poles with Renault power, would win the world championship with Williams in 1992.
First Ever Ayrton Senna Pole: Portugal 1985
Ayrton Senna burst onto the F1 scene with Toleman in 1984. He quickly established himself as a star of the future before moving to Lotus for 1985. It was obvious that the Renault-powered 97T had a lot of potential, although the opening race in Brazil brought retirement. However second time out with the team in Portugal, and in only his 17th F1 race, he secured his maiden pole position, ahead of Alain Prost's McLaren. Race day proved to be wet, and Senna put in a virtuoso performance, dominating the afternoon to record his first win as many big names struggled to stay on the track. In total the Brazilian would log 18 poles with Renault power, first with Lotus and later Williams.
First Ever Fernando Alonso Pole: Malaysia 2003
Fernando Alonso made his debut with Minardi in 2001 before spending a season as Renault's reserve driver, alongside Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button. In 2003 he graduated to a race seat, and made an impact almost immediately, taking pole in the second race of the season in Malaysia. Alonso duly led the first 13 laps before pitting. He lost out to Kimi Raikkonen at the stops, and later lost second place to Rubens Barrichello, but still managed to secure third place and the first ever podium finish for a Spanish driver. Later in the season he scored his first win in Hungary, and in 2005 and 2006 he would win the world championship with Renault, logging a total of 16 poles with the manufacturer.
First-ever Red Bull pole: China 2009
Red Bull and Renault joined forces for the 2007 season; chief technical officer Adrian Newey keen to revive his connection with Renault engines – a partnership that had yielded multiple championship successes during his time with Williams. In the first year, David Coulthard and Webber secured 16 top 10 starting positions, with the maiden podium coming at the European Grand Prix. In 2008 the partnership became regular points' scoring contenders, but in 2009 Webber and the newly-signed Sebastian Vettel really came to the fore as challengers for the podium. After a slow start the duo were invincible in China, with Vettel securing pole position by one tenth of a second and Webber third.


text: Posted May 28, 2014 In her review of ABT's recent performance of the Massine, Deborah Jowitt included links to the Victor Jessen film of the Ballet Russe touring production, and to an excerpt of the Hollywood film with Massine as the Peruvian. Since we've been discussing the pros and cons of the current ABT production, I thought it might be cheerful to see something close to the original. Share this post Link to post


text:
I am looking for a theme for product showcase without online selling feature. The products are food items like biscuits, snacks, pickles, papad etc. Kindly help me with it on urgent basis.
Theoretically, most portfolio themes can be used as a product showcase. Have a look through this tag: http://themeforest.net/browse/tags/default/full%20gallery


text:
Product Information
Keep bath time clean and fun with this handy dog wrap from FURminator!
Why We Love It:
We love the protection your car and furniture will get from this unique dog towel and wrap. The FUR Dry Dog Towel by FURminator will dry your dog effortlessly with this patented solution that is wearable, secure, and safe. Reduce wet dog smell and decrease the anxiety from bathing with this one-of-a-kind dog wrap! Instructions for wear on packaging.
Sizing Information:
Measurements are from neck to the base of the tail.
Puppy: Up to 8"
Small: Up to 11"
Medium: Up to 16"
Large: Up to 23"
Giant: Up to 27"
Works. Little hard to figure out how to wrap it but once you realize the tail goes in the hole and the sewn on tag is on the top it's good. Wraps around the entire trunk and neck and soaks up all the water within half an hour. Though my dog is single coated with medium fur. It also leaves the fur clean smelling with no wet dog smell. Much easier then spending loads of time towel drying.


text:
JVC DLA-HD250Pro Projector Review
DLA-HD250 Lens Throw
JVC has been using this setup for about 4 years now, going back to the JVC RS1. The JVC HD250's 2:1 aspect ratio zoom lens provides excellent placement flexibility for ceiling or shelf mounting. To fill a 100 inch diagonal, 16:9 aspect ratio screen, the front of the projector can be as close as 9 feet, 11 inches, or as far back as 20 feet, 2 inches. Using these measurements for 100 inches, you can figure out the range for any other screen size. These are the same as with previous few years JVC projectors. Same lens… In this case, the logic "if it works, don't change it" seems to fit nicely.
DLA-HD250 Lens Shift
JVC's DLA-HD250 and HD250Pro have plenty of lens shift. As a bonus, it's even motorized. For that same 100 inch screen, the projector can be placed anywhere between 15 inches above the top of your screen surface, to 15 inches below the bottom of the screen surface. Those are approximates, as JVC doesn't have exact numbers in its manual.
Certainly there are projectors with a more lens shift, and plenty with less. All considered, the JVC's lens shift offers pretty good flexibility.
The JVC supports horizontal as well as vertical lens shift. The horizontal lens shift allows a maximum of about 30 inches to the left or right of the center point on that 100″ screen, and appropriately more on larger screens.
Note: The more vertical you use, the less horizontal is available, and vice versa. If you have maximum vertical, there is no horizontal lens shift.
Thanks to the large zoom range, plus motorized features, including lens shift, allows me, and other owners of Cinemascope shaped screens (2.35:1, 2.4:1…), who can place the projector within the front half of the zoom lense's range, can fill their 2.35:1 screen with a movie, no letterbox on the screen (and therefore no letterbox visible at all, if your walls are dark).
When we then want to watch standard HDTV aspect ratio, be it HDTV, or some movies, and lots of other content, all we have to do is zoom out, to make the image smaller and fit the vertical. (The letterbox ends up on the sides.) I'd rather have not letterbox for movies, than sports, etc.
What I'm describing is essentially what Panasonic does at the touch of a button with their Lens Memory feature (and I figure they have that patented, since no one else has automated it). In this case, though, manually, you have to adjust the zoom first, then adjust the lens shift, and finally refocus, as working all those controls is likely to leave the lens just slightly out of focus.
How much time does it take me, to go from Cinemascope to HDTV, making the adjustments, or doing it in the reversde direction?
Typically the process was taking me about one minute. I can live with that. If you can't, buy a Panny, or a 16:9 screen!
Anamorphic Lens
Even though the JVC DLA-HD250 and the DLA-HD250Pro are their entry level home theater projectors, they offer the necessary vertical stretch aspect ratio to support an external anamorphic lens for Cinemascope. Although I failed to confirm it (I just realized), I don't believe the JVC offers the second anamorphic lens mode, that would allow viewers to watch conventional aspect ratios (16:9, 4:3) with the anamorphic lens still in place.
This would basically mean you not only need the anamorphic lens, but also a motorized sled, to move it in and out of the light path. Technically a sled is better than the second aspect ratio, but as that can add $2000 more, beyond the anamorphic lens price, one ends up spending more for the lens and sled, than for the projector. That tends to make one want to look at alternatives, or skip going "anamorphic" altogether.
You May Also Like
Optoma UHD65 4K Home Theater Projector Review
Ricoh PJ WXL4540 Short Throw Projector Review
Sony VPL-VZ1000ES Laser, True 4K, Home Theater Projector Review
Optoma ZW300UST Projector Review
Epson PowerLite 680 Projector Review
BenQ CH100 Portable Business Projector Review
Epson Pro Cinema LS10500 Laser Home Theater Projector – Review
Casio XJ-UT351WN Ultra Short Throw Projector Review


text:
Search for Names & Meanings Top 100 Names for Boys Top 100 Names for Girls Last Name History & Meaning Name Popularity Tracker Celebrity Names Search for Names by Trait Browse First Names A-Z Browse Last Names A-Z Browse First Names by Origin Browse Last Names by Origin Baby Name Lists How to Choose a Name
Celebrity Baby Names:
Malcolm McDowell
Last name origin: Scottish and Irish
Last name meaning: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Dubhghaill 'son of Dubhghall', a byname meaning 'dark stranger', used among the Gaels to distinguish the darker-haired Danes from fair-haired Norwegians. According to MacLysaght, this is the Irish form of the name of the Scottish clan McDougall, borne by a branch which went to Ireland from the Hebrides as mercenaries. However, Black shows that both forms were current in Scotland.


text:
WINTERBOURNE International Academy pupil Jess Hopton admits she is already putting more effort into training after being inspired by the Olympics.
Everything about London 2012 has made a big impression on the England youth international badminton player, who carried the Olympic torch through Bristol in May and watched some of the action live at the Wembley Arena last month.
Hopton was a guest of Egyptian number one Hadia Hosny, her training pal at Bath University, and watching the best in the world at close quarters was enough to spur on the 15-year-old even more to compete at the Games herself one day.
Hopton said: "To watch her play people who are at the top of the world, because I'm a similar standard, was great to see how good they really are.
"The atmosphere was amazing. It was good to witness all the athletes perform at the highest level and brilliant to see all the English people supporting the team.
"It's been very inspirational. Afterwards I wanted to train and really wanted to be there.
"It's the highlight of your career and where you want to be. It brought home how realistic it is and how anyone can achieve it.
"They all started where I am now so it shows anyone can do it if you put extra bit of energy into your training.
"Rio is a bit too close for me, but hopefully 2020 is a realistic target."
For now, though, Hopton is focused on representing her country as she prepares to travel all over Europe and she started the new season by reaching the quarter-finals of a tournament in Germany two weeks ago.
The Downend-based teenager stepped up to under-17 level last year and her highlight was a silver in the doubles at the British Championships, but she is hoping to win more medals this season and earn selection for the Six Nations, which sees England go up against hosts Holland, Denmark, Sweden, France and Germany.
And she is hoping to see the benefits of some adjustments made to her training methods after meeting former world number one and London silver medallist Lee Chong Wei, who was with the Malaysian badminton team at their pre-Olympics camp in Bath.
"It was good to see the world champion and I got to speak to him," Hopton said.
"He showed us more things we can do because they train very differently, which gives us another dimension to how we can improve."
Hopton also helps coach 12 to 15-year-olds at Bath and is hoping to gain her level one coaching badge when she's 16.
And although badminton came under the spotlight for the wrong reasons at London 2012 when eight players were disqualified from the women's doubles competition after being accused of deliberately trying to lose their games, Hopton has witnessed how the Olympics has had a positive impact on those she trains.
"Everyone in badminton has become inspired and wants to play more and more," said Hopton.
"There was some bad press after the match fixing, but everyone knows what it's all about now, so the Olympics was a key moment for the sport."


text:
Academic Rigor
Dorm Life
Food and Dining
Bang for the buck
Clubs and Activities
Campus Safety
Attend Summer Experience before your freshman year, you'll earn credit hours, meet other freshman and learn your way around. Be sure you go to class. Classes are small and you will be missed.
To find more tips for prospective students, what to do for fun and whether this school is great for a particular type of student read the 75 reviews for High Point University
Curious about something that isn't answered here? Feel free to ask High Point University a question
High Point is a fantastic school. The education and opportunities that we receive are top notch. The environment set by our campus and faculty sets HPU apart from the rest.Read More
High Point University has a variety of fields to study, a variety of clubs/academics to join. It has many opportunities to explore; study abroad, volunteer work, off campus activities, etc. This school is definitely one for those who want to accept every challenge thrown at them and do extraordinary things.Read More
In short, High Point University is perfect. You get everything you could ask for- perfect campus, classes, dorms, and activities. Of all my college visits and choices, HPU has stood out the most just because of the way they connect with students.Read More
I graduated from HPU in 3 years! Yes, that is unheard of because most college advisors screw you over for requirements and lack of knowledge. Classes are small and advisee-advisor ratio is also small so you are always taken care of because they have the time.Read More
It is an incredible university with awesome opportunities for students. The campus itself is pristine, faculty members are caring and well versed in their fields, and university staff will go out of their way to ensure you feel at home. Although it is a bit pricey, the opportunities you will have her for research and internships will help land you well paying jobs when you graduate.Read More
High Point University is nothing shy of perfection. It is the most beautiful school I have ever seen and I hope to be admitted next fall. It is definitely an extraordinary place.Read More
High Point is beautiful, inspiring, and welcoming. The campus is well kept and maintained. The teachers, students, and guests are welcoming and inspirational.Read More
High Point University is an excellent higher education institution for those seeking faculty involvement and a chance to grow in their education and their leadership skills. I love attending this school because the focus of providing an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people--even the president is seen on a daily basis interacting with students. I cannot express the love I have for HPU and all the life-changing opportunities it has provided me.Read More
I am visiting for Presidential Scholarship Program this weekend. I can't wait to network and learn more about my degree program. High Point is first class!Read More


text:
McCarran International Airport sits just 5 minutes from the MGM Grand and just a few miles from the Las Vegas Strip. Upon arrival at McCarran International, various transportation options can take you to the MGM Grand. A one-way taxi trip from McCarran International to the MGM Grand will cost approximately $10-12. Alternately, you may rent a car or take one of many shuttles to the hotel.
From the McCarran International A
Drive east from Wayne Newton Blvd.
Bear right at Swenson St. and head toward Airport exit.
Turn left at East Tropicana Ave.
Turn right into MGM Grand from East Tropicana Ave.
From Interstate 15:


text:
Australia's building industry continues to face fickle demand, with approvals for homes falling in August for the third month in four.
Approvals fell 4.7 per cent from July, almost five times the drop forecast by economists, according to ABS figures released on Tuesday.
The decline was largely due to a fall in the number of "other dwellings" approved, such as apartments and townhouses, down 6.5 per cent.
The figures will add to debate about whether record-low Reserve Bank of Australia interest rates are doing little more than stoking house prices without spurring demand for new homes.
So far this year housing approvals have gained only 2.7 per cent, according to ABS data, despite the Reserve Bank slashing the benchmark cash rate by a total of 2.25 percentage points since late 2011.
The best-performing state was New South Wales, where seasonally adjusted approvals were up 10.6 per cent. Western Australia recorded an 8.7 per cent fall in approvals, Victoria declined 6.2 per cent and Tasmania 6.6 per cent.
The overall 4.7 per cent fall followed a 10.2 per cent gain the previous month, which showed the volatility in the weak housing recovery, Master Builders Australia chief economist
"Despite the slow response of home buyers to low rates, we are hopeful the stimulatory effect on residential building and the confidence of home buyers will strengthen in coming months," he said.
The building and housing industries have called for the RBA to cut interest rates further to boost construction.
The Reserve Bank left the official cash rate at 2.5 per cent on Tuesday, citing improved sentiment among investors and households.
CBA economist Gareth Aird said it was disappointing that approvals were not lifting given the record-low interest rates and house price growth.
The Australian Financial Review


text:
By Steve Wieberg, USA TODAY
Did they know?
As they peered at the images on their TV screen at the end of the Big 12 Conference championship game two weekends ago, could replay officials have understood the enormity of the call they were about to make? Phone down a ruling that the game had ended with an incomplete Texas pass, and an entire college football season would lurch one way. Restore time — even a single second — and it would turn another.
They restored the second.
The field was cleared, Big 12 North champion Nebraska called time out to extend the delay and try to freeze Texas kicker Hunter Lawrence, and the Longhorns' senior coolly curled a 46-yard field goal inside the left upright to give them a 13-12 victory.
The repercussions were vast, shaping the makeup and tenor of the national championship race and major bowl picture, factoring into voting for the Heisman Trophy and perhaps altering the immediate future of one of the sport's signature programs.
Mack Brown, for one, couldn't appreciate the what-ifs until he was airborne to New York and the Heisman Trophy ceremony almost a week later. "I was flying up with one of our boosters, one of my best friends," Texas' coach says. "He's kind of propped back in his seat on the plane, and he hit me with, 'You understand that beween 40,000 and 60,000 Texas fans were sitting there with tickets in their hands — plane tickets, room reservations, some of them saved up for a year — and they wouldn't have been very happy if you hadn't won the game.
BOWL SCHEDULE: Keep up with the postseason slate
WEEKEND FORECAST: Predictions for all 34 bowl games
"Very honestly, coaches are working. You can't possibly think of all the negative things that could happen. … So none of that stuff hit me."
Take away that pivotal second, and …
•Texas, with a loss, tumbles out of the national title picture. Cincinnati most likely steps in (barring rethinking by voters in the two polls that fold into the Bowl Championship Series rankings). The Bearcats not only move past newly beaten Florida and Texas but also past TCU, jumping from No. 5 to No. 2 the final BCS rankings to claim the berth opposite Alabama in the Jan. 7 title game in Pasadena, Calif.
•That sets off an uproar that, even by BCS standards, is Richter-scale worthy. Mountain West champion TCU looked poised to strike a major blow against the longtime subordination of college football's five middle- and lower-echelon conferences — the Mountain West, Western Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt — giving one of their own a shot at winning it all. Then, computers pulled the rug.
Note what actually happened Dec. 6.
TCU entered the previous weekend atop Big East champion Cincinnati in the USA TODAY coaches' and Harris Interactive polls, and those voters kept the Horned Frogs a spot ahead. But the BCS also folds six computer rankings into its composite standings, and four of them gave Cincinnati a bump in the wake of the Bearcats' 45-44 win vs. Pittsburgh. Two more dropped idle TCU a spot. That allowed Cincinnati to edge the Frogs by a .0042 of a point in the final overall standings.
•Big 12 champion Nebraska is now headed for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Texas becomes an at-large BCS entry, bumping … whom?
Three other conference champions are automatically slotted into affiliated bowls: Ohio State and Oregon into the Rose, Georgia Tech into the FedEx Orange. Now comes a draft of TCU and three at-large BCS entries. The Allstate Sugar Bowl, picking first, likely takes Florida. The Orange, picking second, is a good bet to leap at Texas or perhaps Iowa, a longtime bowls favorite because of the legions of fans it brings. The Fiesta, picking third, goes with unbeaten TCU.
That leaves one BCS slot, in the Sugar, and two candidates for selection in Boise State and the Texas-Iowa leftover. If the pick here is anything but 13-0 Boise, the BCS' many critics go doubly ballistic. The five non-marquee conferences are shorted again.
•The ground, meanwhile, has shifted beneath Cincinnati's Brian Kelly and Notre Dame, which is eying him as its next coach. Can Kelly bail on the Bearcats, or announce a pending move, a month before they play for their first national championship? Can Notre Dame hold off on a hire — on putting together a staff and making a proper run at recruits — until almost mid-January? The guess is no and no.
"I might not be here at Notre Dame," Kelly told a Chicago radio station earlier this week, "because we don't know if they would have waited. … I was going to play in the national championship game."
Notre Dame probably looks elsewhere, maybe to Connecticut's Randy Edsall.
•Allowing the clock to run down and ultimately out while taking his final snap and throwing the final incompletion against Nebraska leaves a stain on Texas quarterback Colt McCoy's otherwise splendid four-year career. By the eve of the game, fewer than 10% of the Heisman Trophy's 926 voters had cast their ballots. Enough are soured that last year's runner-up doesn't get a return trip to New York as a 2009 finalist.
Conversely, a surge of support for Nebraska tackle Ndamukong Suh is even greater in the wake of his sizable contribution — 4½ sacks and seven overall tackles for losses — to the upset of the season over McCoy and the Longhorns. He moves from fourth in the balloting into the top three, maybe higher.
•Texas has drawn up a stunning $2 million annual raise for Brown that will make him college football's first $5 million man. Regents are to meet days after the game to rubber-stamp it. But does the loss, and especially the clock mismanagement at the end, at least delay the timing?
Brown recalls the deep disappointment of 2008, when a dramatic, early-November loss at Texas Tech cost Texas a shot at the Big 12 and BCS titles. Tech's Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree hooked up on a game-turning, 28-yard touchdown pass with, ironically, a single second remaining. "The sad thing about this would have been that the juniors who became seniors had a similar ending to last year when they really deserved more," Brown says.
"It would have been a crushing blow for Texas."
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.


text:
Lace-Edged Baby Blanket WG50 SO43 by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Welcome! You are browsing as a guestWould you like to see 24 projects made from this pattern and much more? create a free account What am I missing?
© pinstripe
Lace-Edged Baby Blanket WG50 SO43
Originally published as Wool Gathering #50, 1994 and then as as Spun Out #43, $1, Schoolhouse Press.
Now part of the Spun Out Collection.
For more information, see: http://schoolhousepress.com/spunout.htm


text:
I addressed my first foray into debugging, setting it up using the python console, in this post.
For some reason, when I turned to debugging one day I couldn't get it to work and I couldn't figure out why (I will explain the solution at the conclusion of this post). Fortunately I had a great guide in the form of russellb who likes to use logging and just happened to be willing to make a bit of time for me. What follows is what I learned about logging.
Logging is useful to see the status of something either as it is running or after it has run. If you are using Devstack (as I am) you already have access to continual logging of processes via the screen tool. When Devstack installs it sets up a window for each process, so executing a variation of
screen -r stack gets you in to view the process logs as each process runs and updates the log. (Remember to exit screen with
Ctrl+a d to detach the shell from screen while leaving screen running.) Now I am learning to parse these logs slowly but the point is they exist, which I needed pointed out to me so I am glad I know now.
Next is setting up logging to provide output for a local process I am working on understanding and addressing. The simplest example involves adding
import logging to the top of the file, creating an instance of logging with
LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__) outside of any of the classes and then an individual log statement inside the class and function you wish to explore
LOG.debug('class.function was called").
Examples are gold to me, so lets work with this as a series of incremental examples.
First the bare minimum to get some logging working:
If this were the contents of a file entitled logging_example_01.py, you could expect the following output:
Let's see what other kind of logging statements are available.
Here is the expected output:
As you can see, critical, warning and error logging messages were output and debug and info messages were skipped.
How do we get the debug and info messages output? We have to change the logging level.
By passing level=logging.INFO as an argument to basicConfig() we set the logging level to INFO.
Alas, our debug message still is not output. We change the logging level once again, this time to DEBUG.
Now we see all of our logging messages:
We are ready to put this knowledge to use in an OpenStack project file.
I was working with glanceclient Image.delete so let's look at putting logging in that file. With the imported files add a line with
import logging. Below the constants SORT_DIR_VALUES and SORT_KEY_VALUES add
LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__). We don't need the
logging.basicConfig() line of code since this is taken care of for us elsewhere. This is the set up, finally the execution with the logging statement. Within the Image class inside the delete() function add
LOG.debug('ImageManager.delete was called').
After I make these edits and save the file I have to reinstall the client with
sudo python setup.py install otherwise my edits will not take effect. Then I can run
glance --debug image-delete <image_id> and my log message will be output, amongst the rest of the debugging information.
This is what I understand about logging so far, and it is very helpful to have this as a tool.
The only code I need for debugging is
import pdb set at the top of the file with the other imports (alphabetically) and
pdb.set_trace() wherever I want the trace to start. But here is the key, which I didn't know until I was learning logging with russellb, after I edit the file to include the import and set_trace() I have to reinstall the client with
sudo python setup.py install otherwise no debugging happens. Also after I remove the debugging code I must again reinstall the client to have my working code reflect the code in the files.
If you reached the end, I thank you. Here is a cat picture for you to enjoy.
Thanks for supporting this GNOME OPW intern,


text:
Parade route finalized for Boone County Fair
Published Thursday, July 17, 2003
Fun seekers who want to warm up for the Boone County Fair can start with the traditional fair parade Saturday.
The downtown parade begins at 10 a.m. From the corner of Broadway and Willis Avenue, the parade route passes west on Broadway to Fifth Street, north to Walnut Street and east to Ninth Street.
Fair board Chairman Ben Johnson, who is parade marshal, said Bruce and Nancy Wilson have been chosen as grand marshals to lead the procession.
The Wilsons, local Democratic boosters, will also receive an award as "couple of the year" at the annual ham breakfast on July 26 at the Boone County Fairgrounds.
The grand marshal typically is someone who has helped the county fair in the past, Johnson said. Bruce Wilson has been the fair's horse show chairman for several years.
The parade will feature clowns, horses, 4-H floats and Columbia and Boone County fire department vehicles.
The 10 fair queen contestants also will participate in the parade, along with Sadie Enochs, last year's Miss Boone County Fair.
Some local politicians will probably be at the parade, but the attendance will likely be slimmer than in election years, Johnson said.
Everyone is welcome to the parade, said George Harris, director of the Boone County Fair. No pre-registration is necessary for parade participants, he said, although anyone using horses should bring "pooper scoopers."
Reach Miglena Sternadori at (573) 815-1709 or email@example.com.
SECOND THOUGHTS: This story should have said that Ben Johnston is a board member of the Boone County Fair Board.
Copyright © 2003 The Columbia Daily Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
The Columbia Daily Tribune


text:
Located in one of the most beautiful and attractive beaches of the island, our studios and apartments invite you for an unforgettable vacation in the diamond of the Dodecanese islands, Rhodes.
Just 300 meters from the crystal and sandy captivating sea of Vlycha Beach, we offer a unique combination of calm and peaceful relaxation away from the city noise, autonomous and entertainment.
In the same area with the studios and apartments there is a mini market and rent a car service. Further down you will find the taxi station and bus top.
In a small distance away there are restaurants where you can enjoy the traditional Greek and traditional cuisine.
For relaxation by the beach you will find sun beds and umbrellas and for extra fun many water sports such as water ski, rings, banana, jet-ski, water bikes and much more.
The charming village of Lindos with the ancient Acropolis overlooking the small white traditional houses is just 5 minute away from Vlycha beach awaiting your arrival.
Sunshine summer mornings by the beach, carefree noon naps, idyllic afternoons and endless entertainment till morning hours in one of the most scenic places of the Mediterranean….
Is there any other place you would rather be?
click on photo to enlarge
click on photo to enlarge


text:
|Home > Opinion > Article
|Monday July 15, 2002
Ray Moynihan documents in his book Too Much Medicine? (1998) that the pharmaceutical industry invests heavily in promoting its products. Pharmaceutical companies are the main source of funding for the "education" of health practitioners and women about the benefits of drug therapies.
The pharmaceutical industry funds research organisations, principally universities and medical foundations, to conduct drug trials. Not surprisingly, some "medical experts" are reluctant to bite the hand that feeds them. And bias inevitably works its way through the communication networks, from researcher to medical educator, to practitioner, the media and the health consumer.
In response, the world's most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals have implemented strict disclosure requirements for published research. The WHI article published this week, for example, is accompanied by a financial disclosure statement.
Websites of all medical research foundations, which also seek to provide information to women, should make financial disclosure statements that are prominently displayed for the consumer.
In recent years, as the risks associated with HRT have been published, there has been a tendency for such findings to be discounted by other researchers.
Most women are unaware that such comments frequently come from "medical experts" whose research is funded by the pharmaceutical companies who sell HRT.
Trust in supposedly objective and impartial institutions such as universities and medical foundations, and the "experts" who dwell therein, can only be diminished when conflict of interest detracts from the public good.
So, in light of the research findings published this week, what is the best advice?
Women who are taking combination HRT should consider whether the risks outweigh the benefits for them, in terms of their menopausal symptoms.
Women should not start or continue combined HRT if they are taking it for disease prevention.
Older women, especially those who have been taking combined HRT for three years or more, should stop taking it.
Women should listen to the advice of the cancer councils (cancercouncil.com.au) and to any advice that may come from the National Health and Medical Research Council (nhmrc.gov.au).
Each woman should also be aware of her risk profile for breast cancer, blood clots and heart disease, and discuss these with a general practitioner, and get a second opinion if she is still unsure.
Women can also call the Cancer Council Helpline on 131120 for further advice.
Drug therapies that can harm as well as help women may be appropriate for treating acute menopausal symptoms. However, their prolonged use for the long-term prevention of diseases such as osteoporosis and heart disease is problematic.
For women who want to improve their general health and wellbeing with little risk and at low cost, the evidence is unequivocal: a healthy diet, moderate physical exercise, low alcohol consumption and zero tobacco use, is the best prescription your doctor can write.
Dr Helen Keleher and Dr Jan Garrard are senior lecturers in the School of Health Sciences at Deakin University. Helen Keleher is also convenor of the Australian Women's Health Network. They do not receive funds from pharmaceutical companies.
Printer friendly version Email to a friend
In this section
The choice on HRT remains the woman's
Why would an idealist join this petty ALP?
How to democratise appointments to the High Court
Easing travel sickness
No more excuses for the culture of barbarism
Shipping out, and definitely not shaping up
Consultation the key in renovating the house
The order of Australia
The Female Used
European odyssey: is this Howard's lap of honour?
Operation Desert Storm's sequel now seems inevitable
Power to the birth-givers
Why parliament's house of review is long overdue for a review
If you've got a problem with America, Mr Crean, spell it out
Compassion is out of order
|text | handheld (how to)
membership |
conditions |
Copyright © 2002 The Age Company Ltd
|advertise | contact us


text:
Visit Malaysia
How to Go
Planter's Country
Strawberry Park
Copthorne Hotel
Casa dela Rosa
Nova Highlands
Heritage Hotel
Century Pines
De' La Ferns
Kampung Raja
Tanah Rata
Tea Plantations
Cameron Valley
Sungai Palas
Bharat Tea
Boh Tea
Places to Visit
Sam Poh Temple
MARDI Agro Park
Butterfly Garden
Butterfly Farm
Time Tunnel
Night Market
Kea Farm
Strawberry Farms
Blueberry Earthouse
KL Strawberry Farm
Big Red Strawberry
Raaju's Hill Cafe
S'Corner Market
Gunung Brinchang
Taman Negara
Lata Iskandar
Mossy Forest
Lata Kinjang
Gunung Irau
Sungai Klah
Kuala Woh
Orang Asli
Parit Falls
Bee Farms
Cameron Tringkap
Highlands Apiary
Ee Feng Gu
Cactus Valley
Rose Center
Green View
Crown Imperial Court
Equatorial Hill Resort
Parkland Apartment
Star Regency Hotel
Iris House Resort
Greenhill Resort
Rose Apartment
Desa Anthurium
Budget Hotels
Terra's Tree House
Rosa Passadena
Parkland Express
Hotel Titiwangsa
Iris House Hotel
Natasya Resort
Rain Forest Inn
Jim Thompson
Sri Juliana Villa
Parkland Hotel
Hotel Rainbow
Hotel Jasmine
Country Lodge
Snooze Too
TM Resort
Gunung Brinchang
Gunung Brinchang is the second highest mountain in Cameron Highlands (after Gunung Irau) at 2000 meters above sea level. The highest tarmac road in Malaysia leads up to the top, but its condition may be haphazard due to elements (repairs are carried out from time to time). When not assailed by heavy mist, the watchtower at the peak provides an incredible view of towns, valleys and mountains stretching towards the horizon. This makes Gunung Brinchang a popular viewpoint for visitors to admire the scenery and landscapes of Cameron Highlands. The fabled
Mossy Forest
also grows near the highest elevation point, with a boardwalk to explore this fascinating biotope.
The access road begins at a left turning along the main road (from
Kea Farm
), immediately after
Butterfly Garden
. Next, follow the road for 2km until you reach the
Sungai Palas
junction. Turn left (right goes to the Sungai Palas tea estate) and you will soon be on a narrow road that oscillates between rough tarmac and concrete for 7km, passing through random intervals of verdant rainforest and vegetable farms. After covering this distance, the route steeply ascends steeply before reaching a ridgetop for the last 3km, culminating at the peak where a series of telecommunication towers perch. The watchtower nearby can be climbed for a magnificent view of Cameron Highlands and beyond - looking at all directions including Perak and Pahang states.
Alternatively, visitors can also hike up Gunung Brinchang through a jungle trail that starts near Brinchang town. The detour begins at left along the main road after the police station, leading to a gravel track that reaches a small settlement (actually an army quarters). Look for a signboard that indicates the start of jungle walk No 1; enter the forest, and you'll soon be on the 3km trail that leads up to the peak. The hike is actually quite easy for moderately fit people and the trail marked by ribbons and red markings on trees. If the trail seems to end abruptly, look carefully behind you - some junctions may be obscured by dense foliage, or happens to break into a near vertical climb across tree trunks that makes it hard to notice.
Wait for all images below to finish loading, then click any of them to see a bigger photo appear at left. Related information and comments appear in this space automatically.


text:
M&M's are good for you. I could have told you that years ago. As a matter of fact, I think I did tell everybody I knew because how could anything so tasty be bad for you? Well, now the results are in, and guess what? I was right all the time. Researchers have found that the same blue food dye found in M&Ms (and Gatorade) could be used to reduce damage caused by spine injuries, offering a better chance of recovery.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have discovered that when they injected the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rodents were able to walk again, albeit with a limp. Can't you see those little rats looking up toward heaven, tears in their little eyes and crying "Thank you Lord! It's a miracle!" No jokes about tiny little rubber-tipped canes or walkers, please.
Oh, yes, there is one teeny-weeny side effect… the rodents turned blue. But so what, right? It's a small price to pay to be able to walk (or limp) again. I've heard of Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Blue Bonnet, and even Blue Ice, but blue rats? Blue, limping rats. Wow, that image ought to keep you awake nights. Some idiots used to dye chicks and bunnies pink for Easter, so I guess blue rats are not so farfetched.
The results of the study, published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," build on research conducted by the same center five years ago. In August 2004, scientists revealed how Adenosine triphosphate, which is known as ATP and described as the "energy currency of life," surges to the spinal cord soon after injury occurs.
Researchers found that the sudden influx of ATP killed off healthy cells, making the initial injury far worse. But when they injected oxidized ATP into the injury, it was found to block the effect of ATP, allowing the injured rats to recover and walk again…. albeit with a limp. (I wonder if they could teach those rats to do a Walter Brennan impersonation?)
The researchers were quick to add that even though they got good results when oxidized ATP was injected directly into the spinal cord, that method would not be practical for use with spinal cord-injured patients. The chief researcher said, "First, no one wants to put a needle into a spinal cord that has just been severely injured, so we knew we needed to find another way to quickly deliver an agent that would stop ATP from killing healthy motor neurons. Second, the compound we initially used, oxidized ATP, cannot be injected into the bloodstream because of its dangerous side effects."
Back in 2004, medical researchers discovered that the spinal cord was rich in a molecule called P2X7, which is also known as "the death receptor" for its ability to allow ATP to latch onto motor neurons and send the signals which eventually kill them. They knew that BBG could thwart the function of P2X7, and its similarity to a blue food dye approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1982 gave them the confidence to test it intravenously. And abracadabra! Quicker than you can say "Mickey Mouse," blue rats are walking again all over the place… albeit with a limp.
Scientists say it could be several years before their findings lead to a practical application for BBG in humans and more testing is needed to assess the safety of BBG before human clinical trials could even begin. But it's blue M&M's! Isn't that great? I hope they start testing the other colors too. I mean, who knows what wonderful health properties they might find in the rest of them?
Yellow M&M's might contain an anti-jaundice agent. Maybe the reds could help with bloodstream problems. Green M&M's might serve as an aid to digestion. The browns…well, I don't know if the brown M&M's really have any healthful properties at all. But you never know. We as health-conscious consumers should not take any chances. Eat 'em all. Buy a bunch of bags (both plain and peanut) and eat every color. The worse thing that could happen is that you put on a little weight. Oh, and maybe turn a little blue?
M&M's For Your Health0
M&M's are good for you. I could have told you that years ago. As a matter of fact, I think I did tell everybody I knew because how could anything so tasty be bad for you? Well, now the results are in, and guess what? I was right all the time. Researchers have found that the same blue food dye found in M&Ms (and Gatorade) could be used to reduce damage caused by spine injuries, offering a better chance of recovery.


text:
Do you want to know how your Parish Council Tax is spent?
The Budget for the 2012-13 precept can be found here.
The Summary Receipts and Payments Account for 2011-12 can be found here
The Income and Expenditure Account for 2011-12 can be found here
If you want to find out more about the role and responsibilities of the Parish Council and its Councillors then click on this link to take you to the Communities, Parishes and Local Councils website.


text:
Softball (4-16): Welcome
Welcome to girls fastpitch softball at ABAA. We provide an excellent softball experience for girls ages 4-16. To see some of our successes, please click on the AB Softball News link on the left.
Coaches, please report your scores to firstname.lastname@example.com
Thursday, November 12
The ABAA Rays get another victory
The 12U ABAA Rays visited the FCAA Blackout and come home with another victory. Sara Grace 'S.G.' Harper pitched very well in leading the Rays to another win. Great job Rays!
Thursday, November 12
The ABAA Beach Rats get a tie against SYAA
The 10U ABAA Beach Rats continue their excellent play this season. The Beach Rats hold strong against SYAA and hold them to a tie in the final inning. Contratulations to Arianna P. in making her first trip to the mound and doing a great job.
Tuesday, November 10
The ABAA Volts take 1st place in the USSSA Border Wars tournament
The 12U Volts won the Silver Bracket in the USSSA Border Wars tournament this past weekend. The girls played six games during the weekend and had a complete team effort in helping them bring home the top prize. Great job Volts!
Wednesday, November 4
The ABAA Volt place 3rd in the USSSA Spooktacular
The Atlantic Beach Volt place 3rd in the USSSA Spooktacular Event the weekend of 10/24. The Volt placed 3rd in the 16 team event which is outstanding. Great job Volts.
Wednesday, November 4
The ABAA Rays get another victory
The 12UABAA Rays get another win by defeating the FCAA Blackout 12-2. Go Rays!!
Wednesday, November 4
The 8U Minions continue their undefeated seson with more wins
The 8U ABAA Minions remained unbeaten three wins. The upset the Jax Beach Piroates 12-10, defeated FCAA 10-2, and beat the NSAA Strikers 8-4. Great job Minions.
Tuesday, October 20
The ABAA Rays get a home win over the FCAA Surge
The 12U ABAA Rays continue their winning ways by defeating the FCAA Surge in a game played at ABAA. Trevi Vollick hit a massive three run home run in the game which is the first out of the park home run at ABAA this sofball season.
Tuesday, October 20
The ABAA Beach Rats get a tie against the Jax Beach Strikers
The 10U ABAA Beach Rats played a hard fought game against the Jax Beach Rats which ended in a 4-4 tie.
Monday, October 19
The ABAA Rays win again.
The 12U ABAA Rays win their first home game of the season against the Jax Beach Bratz.
Monday, October 19
ABAA Minions beat the NSAA Knockout
The 8U ABAA Minions win a last inning thriller 7-6 over the NSAA Knockout to continue their winning streak.
Thursday, October 15
The ABAA Rays win their second game of the season - 10/13
The 12U Rays get win number two of the season behind Alleana D's pitching efforts.
Tuesday, October 13
ABAA Minions win their season opener 5-4
The 8U Minions won their first game of the season against the NFGS Pirates 5-4.
Tuesday, October 13
The ABAA Beach Rats get their first win of the season
The 10U ABAA Beach Rats score 11 runs to earn their first win of the season.
Tuesday, October 13
The ABAA Rays with their first game of the season.
The 12U ABAA Rays with their first game of the season against the SYAA Shake and Bake 6-4.


text:
In the last 90 days, 10 listings have been listed, which means listings are probably leasing quickly. You'll want to be prepared to tour spaces as quick as possible. About 40% of the listings in the New Albany are subleases, so you might be able to find a shorter term or below market rent. There aren't many listings below 2,000 square feet available, so finding a space for a small business might be tough.
Even though the median size is 27,250 sqft, there are still 0 new listings below 2,000 sqft. Most buildings in this area are around 3 stories. Most buildings in this market were built in 2000 and are Class A.
Trends and status of the commercial real estate market in New Albany.
Market Report
Real time and historical data on commercial real estate listings in New Albany.


text:
Criminal Law
Criminal Law Questions? Ask a Criminal Lawyer.
Thus, it's not illegal to inform the Defendant that the prosecution/law enforcement will not pursue other possible charges in exchange for a plea agreement to the current one.
Ok. Thanks for the information.
The Defendant should certainly speak to his/her attorney about including a provision in the agreement that says the DA will not pursue these other charges in exchange for the plea.
If the evidence is not strong, there may not be anything to worry about anyway, BUT it's much better if there's an agreement to this as well.
Yes, I think it could be viewed like that as the possibility of several other charges, arrests, hearings, bonds, attorney's fees, etc. may be enough for someone to take a deal even if he/she is innocent because of the mountain of litigation and procedure ahead - - which could all be avoided with a simple plea deal.
If the DA thought he had a solid case, the deal may not have been as good as what has been offered.
However, I'm certainly not in a position to speak about the strength or weakness of the case since I don't know the facts/evidence. But, the Defendant and his/her attorney can make a fair assessment on the risks/benefits of going forward.


text:
|Portable and solar-powered, NCAR's fleet of automated mesonet stations collect weather data around the clock with only occasional maintenance from technicians.
In the 1920s, atmospheric science leaned on largely the same equipment it had in the 1720s. Wind, temperature, pressure, and humidity could be measured at a particular spot, but not from a distance. Balloons could sample the air above the ground, if only for a brief up-and-down flight. Scientists had managed to infer the physical laws that drive how weather systems grow, move, and die. To go further, though, they needed far more observations and a way to process them. In 1922, British physicist L.F. Richardson imagined a "forecast factory," a vast room filled with clerks performing calculations to predict the weather.
By the time UCAR and NCAR were conceived, technology had begun to catch up with scientists' dreams, but society had not. Radar, satellites, rockets, balloon-borne radiosondes, computers, and instrumented aircraft had come onto the scene. Yet no single university had the funds to provide all these tools to its researchers. And many government studies of weather and climate were carried out with minimal involvement from academia.
Gradually, UCAR and NCAR helped fill the void. Balloon, computing, and aircraft facilities were established within a decade, all for the express use of university and NCAR scientists. As a university-governed organization with centralized facilities available to academic institutions, UCAR fulfilled a critical national need to support both basic and applied research.
|NCAR's computational resources bolted forward in 1965 with the commissioning of a long- awaited Control Data 6600 machine.
NCAR has retained its unique role as a home and testbed for some of the most advanced technology used by atmospheric scientists. In the past decade, that role has encompassed remote sensing based on sophisticated radars and Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, as well as computing based on distributed processors. UCAR is now exploiting the World Wide Web to organize field projects and catalog data in new ways. With funding from NSF and other sponsors, all of these facilities support a long-held goal: No matter where they are, scientists facing the biggest problems in atmospheric research will have the best tools for the job.
NCAR's computing center was founded in 1964 with a machine far less powerful than today's home computers. The facility has since grown to become one of the largest in the world serving atmospheric scientists. In the early days, most users were at NCAR's Mesa Laboratory. Now some 1,000 researchers around the globe access NCAR's supercomputers each year. A panel made up of NCAR and university specialists carefully allocates computer time.
Starting in 1976, NCAR oriented its computing facility around machines produced by Cray Research. These vector supercomputers featured high- powered processors acting in sequence to run programs with increasing speed. As the landscape of computing technology diversified in the 1990s, NCAR experimented with a variety of other platforms while continuing to rely on Cray machines. In 1999, NCAR acquired an IBM RS/6000 SP as its flagship computer, heralding a new approach: symmetric multiprocessors. Instead of running a single sequence of operations at ever-faster speeds, the IBM is made up of 167 sets of four processors each. Every set has its own memory and shares data with other processors through a special protocol. By the next year, with this and other upgrades, NCAR had more than tripled the amount of computing power available to its university users.
|This IBM SP supercomputer, acquired in 1999, has helped NCAR triple the computing power it makes available to university users.
NCAR computing has always provided clients with a place to keep the vast amounts of data generated by their work. The center's mass storage system includes some 250 terabytes (trillion bytes), the equivalent of nearly a million compact discs. The archives can be accessed in minutes with the help of NCAR staff and automated silos that store and retrieve tapes and disks. Along with a destination for data, the center also provides a starting point. Teaming with Eugenia Kalnay (now at the University of Maryland) and others at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NCAR's Roy Jenne led a group that conducted an exhaustive retooling of 50 years of global weather observations, the data that jump-start computer models. The NCEP/NCAR global reanalysis was released in 1998 after nearly a decade of work to remove systematic errors and fill data gaps. Dozens of university research projects already have made use of this improved picture of a half-century's climate.
Model output is brought to life through NCAR's visualization laboratory. Its high-end software can portray a data set in five dimensions: for example, two elements (such as temperature and wind) can be followed through time and three dimensions of space. A sophisticated blend of visual supercomputers and virtual-reality technology, the "viz lab" allows researchers to explore massive data sets and turns equations into visible structuressome not discernible until visualized. The lab follows in the tradition of the NCAR Graphics software package and other tools that help university and NCAR scientists view their work clearly and vividly.
Twice each year, scientists apply for use of the two versatile aircraft currently owned by NSF and maintained by NCAR's skilled, attentive staff. The fleet has evolved in line with aviation developments and the needs of research. Chemistry experiments, for example, require a large cargo capacity to handle heavy and bulky instruments. NCAR's C-130 Hercules, acquired from the U.S. Navy in 1993, carries up to 12,000 pounds and can fly up to 2,900 nautical miles on a single trip.
Sometimes NCAR's planes are modified to suit a particular project; other refinements are for the long haul. Among the biggest of the latter is the Electra Doppler Radar (ELDORA), which brings the power of Doppler wind-tracking technology to the skies. Built in partnership with the French government, ELDORA was installed in 1992 on the Electra, the NCAR airplane that complements the C-130. ELDORA's dual-scanning technology is among the most advanced in the handful of airplanes worldwide that support Doppler weather radar. Roger Wakimoto (University of California, Los Angeles) used ELDORA in 1995 to analyze a tornadic column of wind that extended nearly to the top of a thunderstormsomething scientists had never been able to observe before.
Along with instruments developed in-house, the NCAR air fleet carries sensing tools created at universities. In 1999 the Electra flew over the North Pole bearing the Iron Boltzmann Temperature Lidar, a new instrument built at the University of Illinois by Chester Gardner and colleagues. The lidar sends light toward tiny particles of iron far above the plane and measures the returning signal. The lidar has yielded the first temperature measurements from the world's coldest air mass: the summertime polar mesosphere, more than 50 miles (80 km) above the Arctic and Antarctic, where readings can drop as low as -140°C (- 220°F).
Radiosondes have been a mainstay of upper-air sensing for over 60 years, but NCAR's are among the few that can be launched from the road. Six NCAR-based vans and trailers can deploy radiosondes wherever needed. NCAR's instrument specialists work with others in the United States and Europe to incorporate the latest compact electronics in their sonde packages. In the mid-1990s, the mobile radiosonde units moved to GPS technology, as did NCAR's GPS dropsonde. (See "When Weather Matters Most" for more on the dropsonde and on the S-Pol radar, another major NCAR facility available to universities.) UCAR scientists have also discovered ways to infer the presence of water vapor from the bending of GPS signals as they approach ground-based receivers. (See "Knowledge for All" for more on this and related techniques.)
To make sensing as trouble-free as possible, from ground level to miles high, NCAR bundles PAM stations and mobile sondes as part of four integrated systems. They also include two ground-based instruments that can scan upper levels of the atmosphere remotely: a profiler to measure winds, and a radiometer to sense temperatures.
|After managing NCAR's field observing facilities in the 1970s and 1980s, Robert Serafin served as NCAR director from 1989 to 2000.
UCAR provides far more than equipment to help get international, multi- institutional field programs up and running. A single experiment can take years of planning. Permissions have to be obtained from governments and landowners. Dozenssometimes hundredsof people must be housed. Someone needs to track each participant's contribution and how all of these roles will dovetail. Starting with the Line Islands Experiment in 1967, UCAR has taken on these and many other related tasks for major field projects each year. In the last decade alone, the Joint Office for Science Support (JOSS), part of the UCAR Office of Programs (UOP), has handled logistics involving roughly 50 nations and some 200 universities and laboratories.
UOP remains involved well beyond the life of many field programs. JOSS's CODIAC software houses and catalogues data collected from the field using an innovative, Web-based interface. The amounts of data can be vast. For a single European campaign in 1999, the archive reached one trillion bytes, a volume that might have boggled the countless minds in the forecast factory dreamed up by L.F. Richardson 80 years ago.


text:
Flame Yacht Charters 1956 Feadship
A unique vacation on a one of a kind yacht
|Home |Aft Deck | Foredeck | Guest Staterooms | Main Salon
1956 Feadship
The First Export Association of Dutch shipbuilders, Feadship was established in 1949. Today it is a group of companies consisting of F. de Voogt International Ship Design and Engineering and two family-owned shipyards: De Vries at Aalsmeer and Van Lent on Kaag Island. Feadship's goal is to design and build the most perfect custom-built luxury yachts in the world. It took almost five decades for Feadship to reach its position as the market leader in the world of luxury super yacht construction. This was achieved through innovation, consistent high quality and loyalty to clients. While Feadship is proud of its achievements, it is not resting on its laurels. Instead it is taking steps to remain the vanguard of the industry.
While neither the smallest, nor the oldest, Flame is a unique power yacht, as are all Feadships. A devastating fire in 1991 virtually gutted her interior and did extensive damage to her exterior. The Elsworths found her in 1992 and began a three year restoration and reconfiguration. The yacht was originally designed as a Yacht Fish with only two guest cabins. The Elsworths incorporated the fishing cockpit into the interior space to expand the guest accommodation area while increasing the aft deck above. The cabin layout was redesigned specifically for charter. The result are three equal sized guest staterooms, each with en suite head and showers. The aft deck above has ample space to enjoy the beautiful Caribbean weather while protected from the tropical sun.
LOA: 65 feet Beam: 15 feet
Draft: 4 feet, 6 inches
Engines: twin Detroit 6-71 N
Generators: Tw0 20 KW Isuzu
Fuel: 950 gallons Water: 850
Electronics and Navigation
Signet depth , log and water gauges
Beede depth talker
Richie electronic compass
Apelco VHF and Icom handheld VHF
Garmin GPS
Amenities and Recreation
All cabins fully air-conditioned
Two color TV sets with VCR and DVD
Stereo with CD's, three additional CD players in cabins
Extensive VCR, DVD and CD libraries
Full wet bar with ice-maker
Snorkel gear
18 foot Zodiac Pro with 90HP Yamaha outboard
Dive Plane
Games and beach toys
Four-by-twelve foot swim platform with swim ladder
One-two man ocean kayak
|Home | Activities | Meet the Crew | The Islands | Guest's Letters | FAQ's


text:
Following on from an earlier post, which featured a CWEB implementation of the UNIX
uniq command backed by a hashtable, I decided to write a version backed by a Bloom filter.
This program has different performance characteristics from the
coreutils implementation or the hash table version. Due to the nature ...


text:
Veuve Clicquot City Traveller (half-bottle in handbag)
Veuve Clicquot presents an innovative cooler pack to transport a 375 ml bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne... that tranforms into an elegant, stylish handbag or vanity case (once the cooling neoprene insulation is removed).
This limited collection includes:
One City Traveller handbag (Neoprene and leather)
One 375ml Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne
Critical Acclaim
Lovely bouquet of fresh bread dough, chalk and vanilla. Ripe apple flavors laced with vanilla and pecan. Creamy finish with an enhancing note of autolysis.
There's plenty of finesse in this smooth-textured Champagne, whose flavors evoke apricot, peach, vanilla pastry and mineral. Racy, with snappy acidity providing energy and driving the flavors to a long conclusion. Drink now through 2012.