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You exercise your body to stay physically in shape, so why shouldn't you exercise your brain to stay mentally fit? With these daily exercises you will learn how to flex your mind, improve your creativity and boost your memory. As with any exercise, repetition is necessary for you to see improvement, so pick your favorite exercises from our daily suggestions and repeat them as desired. Try to do some mentalrobics every single day!
verb :: To adorn especially in a cheap showy manner.
"The model was bedizened with expensive jewelery for the movie premiere."
Similar Articles
Word of the Day : Loquacious
Word of the Day : Veneration
Word of the Day : Vituperate
Word of the Day : Deliquesce
Word of the Day : Prolix


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Elle Fanning is that you?! An unrecognizable Elle, 16, was snapped on the New York City set of her new film Three Generations on Nov. 10, 2014, in which she plays a transgender teen who is transitioning from female to male. The intense new film also stars Naomi Watts as Elle's mother, and Susan Sarandon as her grandmother.
- Zac Efron
- Vin Diesel
- Salma Hayek
- Pierce Brosnan
- Paul Walker
- Liam Hemsworth
- Kurt Russell
- Justin Timberlake
- Jon Hamm
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Revenge
- Mad Men
- Gabriel Mann
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Colin Farrell
- Amy Poehler

subset: commoncrawl


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Gibbs Grocery dinner Thursday thru Saturday.
Limited nite menu , ribeye, filet, rack of lamb or grilled shrimp.
Anyone ever passes thru we'lll go.
Pics from last nItes meal.
The bar/ waiting area
Our seats are ready
I think this old cooker has cooked more food than you can imagine.
Best rack of lamb I've ever had, I get it every time!


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A promising cricketer had taken a cocktail of class A drugs and alcohol before fleeing from police and being hit by a tube train, an inquest has heard.
Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, who lived in Wandsworth, was found on the District Line tracks between Wimbledon Park and Southfields at just after 5am on Monday, June 18, 2012.
Westminster Coroners Court heard this morning how Mr Maynard, 23, was drinking in The Ship pub in Wandsworth on the previous Sunday evening.
He had been enjoying a post- match drink with friends before continuing to drink at home in Althorp Road, Wandsworth, before moving on to a nighclub in Mayfair.
At about 3.30am he left to see her girlfriend, taking his black Mercedes insured by Surrey Cricket Club.
He was seen by Wandsworth police officers at in an unmarked car at Penworth Road before he drove "at speed" down Durnsford Road.
Police pursued Maynard, who drove into Ryfold Road and tried to do a u-turn next to Wimbledon mosque before he was blocked in by the police car.
Unable to reverse due to a barrier, Maynard fled on foot and was last seen by police running towards Melrose Avenue and turning right.
PC David Wishart told the court he found Mr Maynard's blackberry phone in the car, which was logged into Facebook under the name Thomas Maynard.
A police dog unit was called, but Maynard was not found until nearly an hour later, when a tube driver sounded the alarm after hitting a man at 39mph while travelling on the first tube between Wimbledon Park and Southfields at 5.03am.
Matthew Hopping, the driver, told the court he thought he saw a white ballast but: "I then noticed to my horror white training shoes on the left and realised what I was seeing was a person.
"It was perfectly still across the four live rails.
He added: "It didn't look like it had fallen but rather this person had lay down, although I had no way of knowing this."
PC Steve Tucker, from British Transport Police, revealed their investigation concluded Mr Maynard had probably accessed the train track by climbing up a wall on Revelstoke Road, at the entrance to Wimbledon Park.
He said: "That is where the point of impact occurred. I spoke to a witness who lives in Revelstoke Road; she said she heard something at that time, the sound of someone gaining access to the tracks.
"But there is a slight anomaly because this was not seen by CCTV from the off-licence on the corner [McClusky's]."
"The police concluded Mr Maynard died in non-suspicious circumstances and was reported being hit by the train at 5.03am, exactly 50 minutes after he fled from the two police officers in Ryfold Road.
A post mortem examination would later find Maynard was nearly four times over the legal limit for drinking while driving.
Examination of his hair and urine also revealed traces of cocaine, MDMA and nicotine.
Further tests on the cricketers hair showed Maynard used cocaine "on a daily basis" over the last three-and-a-half months.
His bereaved girlfriend, glamour model Carly Baker, wept in the public gallery as tributes were made to the upcoming cricketer, including from his father Matthew Maynard, who was not present in court.
In a written statement, Mr Maynard said: "Tom was a consummate professional.... He drank alcohol the right amount and enjoyed himself with the lads."
Mr Maynard's teamates denied any knowledge Mr Maynard had regularly used cocaine, which would have meant an automatic two-year ban from the game if discovered.
UPDATE (4.30pm): A verdict of "accidental death" was returned by the jury at Westminster Coroner's Court.


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BOCA RATON, Fla. – The 15th-ranked Saint Leo men's tennis teams run to a Sunshine State Conference Championship came to a premature end as the No. 3 seed Lions fell to No. 2 Lynn University 5-1 in the semifinal round of the SSC Championships at South County Regional Park on Friday afternoon.
Despite the 5-1 final score in favor of the Fighting Knights (16-5), the match was much closer than the final score indicated. Falling behind 3-0, doubles saw all three flights decided by no more than a four-point margin.
It was much the same story entering singles play. Jacobo Gonzalez-Tarrio picked up the Lions' (15-5) only recorded victory at No. 6 singles, but all six flights were tightly contested as Nos. 1, 2 and 4 were still up for grabs with Saint Leo taking at least one set in each match.
With their tournament run reaching an end, the Lions now await information about a possible repeat bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Lions will find out their playoff future in the days to come.
Stayed tuned to SaintLeoLions.com for information about the NCAA Tournament.
#4 Lynn 5, #15 Saint Leo 1
04/19/13 at Boca Raton, Fla. (South County Regional Park)
|Singles competition
|1. #9 Willi Wolfer (LUM) vs. #18 Aloua Adjenak (SLM) 6-1, 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
|2. #23 Vlad Cirla (LUM) vs. Bruno Sisti (SLM) 5-7, 6-3, 1-3, unfinished
|3. #27 Max Kouyate (LUM) def. Victor Lozier (SLM) 6-1, 6-1
|4. #47 Alessio Iannozzi (LUM) vs. #28 Matt Nicholson-Lewis (SLM) 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, unfinished
|5. Pavel Mohja (LUM) def. Ismail Lemtouni (SLM) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
|6. Jacobo Gonzalez (SLM) def. Simon Gloeckner (LUM) 6-3, 6-3
|Doubles competition
|1. #3 Willi Wolfer/Vlad Cirla (LUM) def. Aloua Adjenak/Jake Fleischer (SLM) 8-5
|2. Max Kouyate/Alessio Iannozzi (LUM) def. Bruno Sisti/Matt Nicholson-Lewis (SLM) 8-4
|3. Simon Gloeckner/Pavel Mohja (LUM) def. Ismail Lemtouni/Victor Lozier (SLM) 8-6
|Match Notes
|Saint Leo 15-5; National ranking #15; Regional ranking #4
|Lynn 16-5; National ranking #4; Regional ranking #3
|Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,6,5)
|SSC Men's Tennis Championship Semifinal (3/6 Winner vs. 2/7 Winner)


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With 4 heat and 2 speed settings, the Chromatix Dynamica 3400 Pro delivers professional styling tailored to your hair type. Thanks to the ionic conditioning which eliminates frizz and static, the Chromatix Dryer delivers smooth, sleek results. Winner of The Best Hair Dryer in the 2015 Hair Awards, you can be confident this dryer will provide an individual styling experience, with complete styling control. Also features a 3m long salon length heat resistant swivel cord and UK/EU adaptor.


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Chancellor George Osborne has said he shops at Lidl, and that if Kingston Council wants more revenue for services, it must attract more businesses to the borough.
Visiting Lidl in Leatherhead Road, Chessington, to announce the chain's new jobs plan, Mr Osborne said that in Downing Street Waitrose delivers his groceries, but that he does use a Lidl in his Tatton constituency.
Mr Osborne inspects a lettuce alongside Lidl's UK managing director Ronny Gottschlich
Asked whether the success he claimed for the government's economic strategy would mean a loosening of the purse strings - and more cash for Kingston - he said: "We've still got to deal with the deficit.
"Part of our long-term economic plan is to make sure Britain can pay its way.
"We've said to councils, 'If you can create more jobs locally [and] bring businesses into the area then you will share in some of the extra revenue.'
"[Kingston Conservatives] want to bring businesses into the town centre, make sure there's more jobs here, and that will benefit local residents.
"There will be more money going into the local council for council services.
"Seeing what they're doing here with the new leadership is great."
Last year the Government introduced a policy of letting councils keep a share of business rates and other revenue, with the aim of promoting economic growth.
Lidl's move to create 2,500 new full-time jobs will see between six and eight come to the Chessington store, according to UK managing director Ronny Gottschlich.
None of the posts will use the controversial zero-hours system, he said.
He added: "We don't have any zero-hours contracts in our business. These are full-time jobs."
Mr Osborne with Conservative Parliamentary candidate James Berry and store manager Sunim Miah
Chessington store manager Sunim Miah said the Chancellor's visit was "very exciting". He added: "It's the first time we've had a visit like that. He saw how we do our bakery and fresh produce.
"He spoke to most of the staff as he was walking around. Whoever he bumped into."
Mr Osborne was shepherded around the supermarket before journalists were herded into the staff room for quick-fire questioning.
As he was leaving Mr Osborne said he had "nothing to say" on whether senior politicians should be given training on avoiding prejudice to court trials, following criticism of the Prime Minister by the judge in the phone hacking trial, Mr Justice Saunders.


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By Ernest Scheyder
July 23 (Reuters) - United Technologies Corp, the world's largest maker of elevators and air conditioners, raised the bottom end of its 2013 earnings forecast on Tuesday, citing its growing confidence after a jump in aerospace orders and cost cuts.
However, the conglomerate, which also makes Pratt & Whitney jet engines and Black Hawk helicopters, said revenue would be at the lower end of its forecast of $64 billion to $65 billion for this year.
Executives said the onus was on them to turn United Tech's burgeoning order book into revenue, a challenge they said was achievable.
"We've got to see 6 percent (revenue) growth in the back half of the year, and that's a challenge," Chief Financial Officer Greg Hayes said in an interview. "But we have the orders, and that gives us confidence."
Orders for large commercial engine parts rose 65 percent in the second quarter, largely because of last year's $16.5 billion acquisition of parts maker Goodrich, the largest in United Tech's history.
The buyout, though criticized as expensive at the time, has helped United Tech become the preeminent supplier of parts to aerospace customers, offering a suite of services previously supplied by many rivals.
Roughly 65 percent of an airplane's components now come from United Tech, estimates William Blair & Co analyst Nick Heymann.
The rise in miles flown by airlines around the world has caused demand for spare parts to grow, boosting United Tech's profit.
"The recovery in the global economy is creating nice opportunities for us to deliver," Chief Executive Officer Louis Chenevert told Reuters. "Things are improving."
While cost cuts do factor into the new earnings forecast, Wall Street has largely focused on the growing aerospace market share, sending United Tech stock up 25 percent so far this year.
Shares of United Tech rose 2 percent to $104.17 in morning trading.
"The big thing for me was the jump in orders for replacement parts for engines," said Edward Jones analyst Christian Hayes. "That's a very profitable business."
The company gained an edge last week when rival General Electric Co won U.S. antitrust approval for its $4.3 billion buyout of Avio's aviation business only by promising not to interfere with the Italian plane component maker's development of a key engine component for United Tech.
The agreement, which allows United Tech to place staff at the Avio facility once the merger closes, effectively means GE will be building a key part for one of United Tech's jet engines.
Orders in China for Otis elevators rose 39 percent in the second quarter, helped by expansion of cities in the country's centreal and western regions.
"It's a very robust market, and there's plenty of work for all the big players to be happy," Chenevert said.
United Tech posted second-quarter income of $1.56 billion, or $1.70 per share, compared with $1.33 billion, or $1.62 per share, a year earlier.
Analysts on average expected earnings of $1.57 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue rose 16 percent to $16 billion. Analysts expected $16.37 billion.
United Tech raised the low end of its 2013 earnings forecast to $6.00 a share from $5.85 while keeping the high end at $6.15.
Wall Street expects 2013 profit of $6.11 per share.
United Tech also raised its cost cut estimate for 2013 to $450 million from $350 million.
Most of the cost cuts are layoffs across United Tech's various businesses. Last week, for instance, 575 employees at the Pratt & Whitney unit took buyout packages.
United Tech said that because some new jet engine projects would not launch until at least 2015, the company needed to cut costs now.


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Quan said IBM "doesn't have any specific dates" at this point to describe when the conversion to OpenStack will be completed or when Power servers will be available in SoftLayer centers. But the combined Enterprise Plus and SoftLayer data centers will also be able to host a large catalog of software-as-a-service. Over the past five years, IBM has acquired 100 SaaS companies. Their products have been converted into such IBM hosted applications as IBM Sterling Transportation Manager, Emptoris Contract Management, Digital Analytics and Marketing Center.
In addition, SoftLayer has established its own reputation for hosting low latency, big data analytics running on bare metal servers using Cloudera's commercial version of Hadoop or the MongoDB NoSQL system.
As the conversion to OpenStack proceeds, IBM and its SoftLayer unit will gain a new platform from which to approach enterprise customers with the prospect of building out their private clouds in an architecture that is compatible with several public clouds.
Crosby said he wanted to compete more effectively 12 months ago as he watched Amazon Web Services start to rapidly expand its customer base. "We couldn't keep up with their brand name. I wanted a partner with the brand, with the marketing initiative" to compete.
Up until that point, SoftLayer had primarily served as infrastructure for Internet startups, smartphone application companies and online social gaming firms. About 18 months ago, SoftLayer saw an uptick in its signing up of new enterprise customers, and 12 months ago companies that had been talking about cloud computing started "spending real dollars on the cloud." SoftLayer's top 25 customer list gradually turned over to include mainly enterprise cloud users, such as Rexall, Intel, Citrix and Disney (previously it had Disney's Playdom online game unit).
IBM noticed the change as well and initiated talks with SoftLayer. Crosby said once the June 4 definitive agreement to acquire became known, SoftLayer found "we had a lot higher profile with enterprises and closed deals" that had been in the talking stage for months. His team welcomes the challenge of providing service to larger customers.
"Infrastructure-as-a-service, we have that nailed," he said.


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A division of Vacations To Go
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Mon-Fri 7am to 11pm, Sat 8am to 9pm, Sun 9am to 10pm, U.S. Central Time


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Long-Term Care Volunteer Ombudsmen Comments
Long-Term Care Volunteer Ombudsmen - Tell It Like It Is
So what is it like to be a Long-Term Care
Volunteer Ombudsman in a long-term care facility? What motivates
someone to do this challenging job? Here are some of our
volunteers' responses to a questionnaire about their perspectives.
One volunteer summarized the "nuts and bolts" of his job as follows: "I try to be present at least three to four times a week so that I am a familiar part of the landscape and accepted by residents and staff as a help. I listen, make suggestions, swap war stories, talk about my grandchildren. I try to be persuasive to both the staff and residents, as appropriate in dealing with a given problem. And then, I listen, listen, and listen."
What are the Challenges?
"Finding the right approach to each different person and trying to settle problems in a no-loser way."
"Sometimes it is very difficult to know the best way to handle a problem. Sometimes it is hard to determine exactly what the 'truth' is...."
"I find it particularly challenging to get anywhere with the staff in making a change with the residents' requests."
Many volunteers agree that talking with a resident who "has given up on life" and "wants to die" is particularly challenging. Others note the hardships in establishing communication with residents with severe dementia or those "who are bedridden and unable to speak."
What Problems Particularly Bother You?
"Short-handedness of the staff."
"The amount of thievery that goes on."
"The lack of adequate communications: between residents and
staff; between residents and their next of kin; between the
Residents' Council members and the rest of the residents."
- "The seeming inability to do anything about some of the problems. Staffing ratios are abominable--it's frustrating to see some of the needs of the residents going unmet. Some staff attitudes are poor--but some of their situations are bad too."
What Personal Qualities and Skills Do You Use?
"I use my kind of sense of humor--realistic--that does not touch on a deprivation that comes with age."
"All the qualities necessary to show
friendliness and yet not be intrusive, to be concerned, to return and
report to them if they have requested help, to stress confidentiality
and ...to be optimistic."
"My love of people and feeling for them. 'There but for the grace of God go I.'"
"I am able to have compassion for a resident's physical and mental condition without letting that be the overriding feeling."
- "I have become reasonably adept at finding lost articles, comforting people, and helping residents to deal realistically with situations."
What Motivates
One of the most frequently-cited motivations for returning to their facilities each week is the volunteer's realization that he or she can make a positive difference in the residents' lives.
"It is knowing that many of the residents do not have relatives/advocates looking out for their best interests, and it is up to the ombudsmen to fill that gap. And working with the fine professional staff at my nursing home is a pleasure."
"It is knowing that some expect me, that all are glad to see me, and that some may have problems that I can help solve--or about which I can at least commiserate with them."
"I enjoy making a resident happy by enabling the resident to solve his or her own problem."
One of the most commonly-cited rewards of this work is:
"The smiles."
"They may not remember what your name is or what you do, but they seem to remember your face."
"Many people cannot believe we do this without pay, but a family member whose thanks are sincere or a resident whose face lights up when you come is very rewarding."
"I am motivated by the reception I get from the residents, their families and the staff. The residents are so appreciative of the contact. The families also are pleased to learn of the Ombudsman Program."
Have Any of Your Attitudes Changed?
"I've come to realize you can't eat the wallpaper! Being now confronted with finding a retirement/nursing home for my mother-in-law, food and proper staffing is more of a priority than decor."
"Running a facility is very difficult: older folks at different levels of capacity with a variety of decided preferences are hard to please universally."
"No matter the amount of TLC, and there is a great deal of that, the facilities are managed with a great deal of respect for the bottom line."
The Enthusiasm Comes Through!
When asked if they had any further comments,
volunteers made the following responses:
"I get tremendous satisfaction and
enjoyment from this role of volunteer ombudsman. It is quickly
becoming one of my favorite life experiences."
"It's great! More people
ought to try it. It continues to astonish me that so many of
the residents are so interested and concerned about me as a
person. They ask about my family, my health, my activities,
- "I wish more people thought about doing work like this--I don't think most people realize the tremendous personal satisfaction one gains and how much the residents of nursing homes appreciate their visitors."
- "I have been involved in a lot of volunteer activities through the years. None of them has meant as much to me as the Ombudsman Program. I feel that I get back much more than I give. I remember it being very difficult in the beginning for the first few weeks. I felt a commitment--otherwise, I would have probably quit. Now I would hate to give it up."
Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun through their Area Agencies on Aging


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Altimeter Solid L/S Convertible Shirt
Item: 1310300-019
The Altimeter shirt features convertible sleeves for added versatility. Includes darting in back for a tailored fit, cool contrast stitching and roll tab sleeves for weekday-to-weekend wear.
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Fabric Content: 100% Cotton
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold with like colors, do not bleach, tumble dry low, warm iron if needed.


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British Columbia,
New aeriel adventure park for fun or fitness. Multi-level high ropes trekking for every ability. Tree-to-tree obstacles, free fall tower, Tarzan swing and climbing challenges. Kids' Play Park includes toddler area and childcare.
20 minutes north of Kelowna Airport. Experience a wider variety of rides and adventures... urban-convenient, minutes to beaches/parks/pubs. Pleasant scenic drive passing farms, patio bars, markets, art galleries & shopping. Plus teambuilding corporate area. Licensed catering.
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POPULAR Poole Park is the subject of a £2.5million Heritage Lottery Fund bid to renovate the Victorian open space.
To support the first stage of the bidding process, Borough of Poole and the Friends of Poole Park are urging people to get involved and give their comments during six-weeks of consultation, which started on Sunday.
There are five themes to comment on: lakes and park drainage, renovate and restore heritage landscapes, geese and wildfowl study, traffic movements and renovating play areas.
The first free event to kick start the consultation which runs until March 10, is at the park's pavilion on Sunday from noon to 3pm.
Called "Poole Park Life – An Introduction to the Consul-tation", it is the first chance for residents to complete a questionnaire, enjoy a guided walk and explore the five themes.
"It's really important that we take advantage of this amazing opportunity to secure significant funds, that could help deliver a range of enhancements to the park," said Cllr Judy Butt, cabinet portfolio for public engagement and participation, Borough of Poole.
"We need volunteers and business people to help us with our bid, which is why we are providing a variety of ways for people to give their input," she said.
"If we can clearly demonstrate that the proposals for the bid are fully supported by the Friends of Poole Park, stakeholders and, what's really important, the public at large then we have a better chance of getting this investment. So by getting involved and working together we can look after this important jewel in Poole's crown."
A variety of events are being held through February and March, with the next Poole Park Lake Day on Saturday, February 8 from noon to 3pm.
During the next six weeks residents can get involved by completing a questionnaire at boroughofpoole.com/poolepark life and paper copies are available in Poole libraries, the Civic Centre, and at the park in the Boat Shed and The Ark.


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Submit News
Researchers Turn Fermented Biomass Into Gasoline With Palladium Catalysis
Jason Mick
November 9, 2012 12:45 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
The process was inspired by an explosives making method
What can't palladium do? Named after the mythological statue erected by Greek goddess Athena in honor of Pallas, the daughter of her cousin whom she slew in a friendly fight, the platinum group metal (PGM) is
used in everything
catalytic converters
to explosives making.
I. From Explosives to Biofuel
Researchers at
U.S. Department of Energy
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
(referred to as LBNL or Berkeley Lab) -- located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley -- have devised a way to use palladium to catalyze the production of gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel from fermented biomass.
Traditionally biomass,
fermented by genetically engineered bacterium
, produces a slurry of low-carbon byproducts -- acetone and the alcohols butanol and ethanol (known collectively as ABE).
The LBNL researchers were inspired to use palladium as a means of producing higher-carbon byproducts based on a similar technique used to produce cordite, a type of smokeless explosive. While largely made obsolete by newer formulations in the improved military rifle (IMR) nitrocellulose smokeless powders, cordite played a key role in military history, being used heavily by the British in World War II.
The new work is one more example of the value of multi-functional palladium.
[Image Source: Unknown]
Harvey Blanch
describes the pickup of this throwback catalysis process, remarking, "In some ways, this work is a step back in time in which a very old fermentation process is being used with some new engineering and chemistry. While there has been some progress in engineering microbes to produce advanced biofuels, the quantities produced thus far – technically, the solution's titer – tend to be very limited. A hybrid method, combining microbial production with chemical catalysis, might provide a pathway to more efficient production of these advanced biofuels."
The process begins by bacterial fermentation. [Image Source: Toste Group]
From a layman's perspective, the bacteria takes biomass -- say yard waste -- and "digests" it to produce a byproduct that is three parts acetone, six parts n-butanol, and one part ethanol. The acetone is the key to move to longer chains, as it can be used to "tack" on carbons onto the short-chain alcohols, building long carbon chains that mirror those found in traditional fossil fuel-derived gasoline.
The acetone's nucleophilic alpha-carbon undergoes alkylation reactions to produce longer chain carbons. But the process is slow and energetically unfavorable, so a catalyst is needed to lower the energy barrier.
Many catalysts were tested, but the LBNL team found one worked much better than the rest -- palladium. Researchers say the process, which they tested in small vats, is amenable to commercial production.
II. Challenges Remain
One limiting factor will be the cost of palladium. While fuel is valuable as anyone who drives a car recognizes, palladium is an even more expensive resource. It sells for approximately $20,500 USD per kilogram [
]. Therein lies one problem; the longer the ABE spends on the palladium, the more long-chain byproducts are produced. So if you had more palladium and more vats, you could spread the ABE out for more palladium TLC. But the high costs are somewhat limiting to that approach. That said, process engineers could optimize the process to maximize yields and minimize cost.
Still, the process is much better than other ABE techniques, such as hydrogenation from a yields perspective. States Professor Blanch, "Integrating chemistry and fermentation is a useful way to capitalize on the best of both worlds. The chemistry described in our Nature paper is exciting because new carbon-carbon bonds are being formed between molecules and oxygen is being rejected without the need of hydrogenation. This results in very high yields."
The researchers have published their work in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal
. The paper's co-authors include Professor Blanch, plus
Pazhamalai Anbarasan
Zachary Baer
Sanil Sreekumar
Elad Gross
Joseph Binder
Douglas Clark
, and corresponding author
Dean Toste
The research was funded by the
Energy Biosciences Institute
Coming up with a viable biomass supply change is a key challenge.
[Image Source: DeCamp Trucking]
Looking ahead, while the researchers exhaustively tested a series of PGM catalysts, they are hopefully that they may discover even better novel catalysts. Comments Professor Toste, who splits his time between UC Berkley and LBNL, "While palladium on carbon was the best catalyst in these tests, we have already identified other transition metal catalysts that could be even better."
Tough challenges for a biomass-based fuel economy remain -- including how to
funnel/transport common biomass sources
(yard waste, forestry byproducts, farm waste, etc.) into a steady supply chain to fuel production facilities. But work like this gives biomass fermentation a leg up over other struggling biofuel offerings like
the highly unattractive corn ethanol
"Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be." -- Steve Ballmer
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Submit News
Montreal Student's Academic Future is "Ruined" by Responsible Disclosure
Jason Mick
January 21, 2013 2:47 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Over 250,000 user records could have been compromised due to the negligent security
When people wonder why some hackers
opt for the relatively destructive route
, one only needs to look at the numerous troubling stories of hackers who went on what is supposedly a more responsible route of discrete disclosure, only to be punished.
I. Student Goes From Hero to Harassed Over Discrete Disclosure, Testing
The latest such unfortunate victim of incompetent and belligerent staff is Ahmed Al-Khabaz, a student at
Dawson College
, an institution in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
As part of a school project, Mr. Al-Khabaz was recruited to create a mobile app that would allow students to access their student accounts on a system called "Omnivox" used by most of Quebec's CEGEPs (General and Vocational Colleges). But he and a colleague discovered a serious security flaw that would put nearly 250,000 students' personal information at risk.
Dawson College is located in Montreal, Quebec. [Image Source: Dawson College]
Looking to do the right thing, he scheduled a meeting with Dawson College's Director of Information Services and Technology, François Paradis. Mr. Al-Khabaz recalls, "I saw a flaw which left the personal information of thousands of students, including myself, vulnerable. I felt I had a moral duty to bring it to the attention of the college and help to fix it, which I did. I could have easily hidden my identity behind a proxy. I chose not to because I didn't think I was doing anything wrong."
Ahmed Al-Khabaz, a star computer science student was initially praised for finding a serious security flaw, but was subsequently condemned for checking if it had been fixed.
[Image Source: National Post]
Mr. Paradis commended him for his work, as was his colleague, Ovidiu Mija. Mr. Paradis promised that the university and the third-party software partner who produced the software, Skytech, would immediately fix the gaping hole.
But that praise soon turned to condemnation. Days later Mr. Al-Khabaz looked to test if the flaw had been indeed fixed, by probing the system with a vulnerability toolkit, Acunetix.
At that point he received an angry call from Skytech. He recalls in
an interview
with Canada's
National Post
, "It was Edouard Taza, the president of Skytech. He said that this was the second time they had seen me in their logs, and what I was doing was a cyber attack. I apologized, repeatedly, and explained that I was one of the people who discovered the vulnerability earlier that week and was just testing to make sure it was fixed. He told me that I could go to jail for six to twelve months for what I had just done and if I didn't agree to meet with him and sign a non-disclosure agreement he was going to call the RCMP and have me arrested. So I signed the agreement."
The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) both forbid Mr. Al-Khabaz from future access of the company's servers, and forbid him from revealing the security flaw he found to the public.
Mr. Taza disputes Mr. Al-Khabaz's account, commenting, "All software companies, even Google or Microsoft, have bugs in their software. These two students discovered a very clever security flaw, which could be exploited. We acted immediately to fix the problem, and were able to do so before anyone could use it to access private information."
He expresses frustration at Mr. Al-Khabaz's decision to probe Skytech's network, but even he dismisses the action as harmless, commenting, "This type of software should never be used without prior permission of the system administrator, because it can cause a system to crash. He [Al-Khabaz] should have known better than to use it without permission, but it is very clear to me that there was no malicious intent. He simply made a mistake.
II. University Expels One of Its Brightest
But here comes the truly disturbing twist -- while Skytech at worst threatened Mr. Al-Khabaz into signing an NDA, his college did far worse. They called his actions in probing Skytech a "serious professional conduct issue", proceeding to expel him.
He recalls a meeting, commenting, "I was called into a meeting with the co–ordinator of my program, Ken Fogel, and the dean, Dianne Gauvin. They asked a lot of questions, mostly about who knew about the problems and who I had told. I got the sense that their primary concern was covering up the problem."
The final decision to vote on the expulsion was put before a panel of computer science professors. 14 voted to expel the student for check if the flaw had been fixed, while 1 voted against it. Mr. Al-Khabaz was expelled, and university managers twice denied his appeals.
Only one computer science professor out of 15 voted not to suspend Mr. Al-Khabaz for discrete disclosure and vulnerability testing. [Image Source: National Post]
A distraught Mr. Al-Khabaz comments, "I was acing all of my classes, but now I have zeros across the board. I can't get into any other college because of these grades, and my permanent record shows that I was expelled for unprofessional conduct. I really want this degree, and now I won't be able to get it. My academic career is completely ruined. In the wrong hands, this breach could have caused a disaster. Students could have been stalked, had their identities stolen, their lockers opened and who knows what else. I found a serious problem, and tried to help fix it. For that I was expelled."
The university has generally refused to discuss the case, though it did release a brief statement to the
, saying it stands behind its decision and calling Mr. Al-Khabaz's actions inappropriate. It says its typical procedure is to send a warning about conduct-related issues. It did not specifically state whether Mr. Al-Khabaz had received such a warning or whether they were aware of his sanctioned work on the Omnivox app, which triggered the discrete disclosure and testing of the flaw in question.
III. Appeal is Pending, But Mr. Al-Khabaz's Future Remains in Jeopardy
Morgan Crockett, director of internal affairs and advocacy for the Dawson Student Union, calls the action atrocious. He remarks, "Dawson has betrayed a brilliant student to protect Skytech management. It's a travesty that Ahmad's academic future has been compromised just so that Dawson and Skytech could save face. If they had any sense of decency, they would reinstate Ahmad into [the] computer science [program], refund the financial aid debt he has incurred as a result of his expulsion and offer him a full public apology."
A copy of the expulsion letter is seen below:
The Dawson Student Union is actively appealing the decision.
No one is advocating that hackers take illegal or destructive routes in "encouraging" businesses or academic institutions to fix their flaws. But when responsible individuals are punished and anonymous destructive disclosures often result in no action against the perpetrators, one must wonder whether the wrong message is being sent.
If Mr. Al-Khabaz's account is accurate one must wonder why any student in their right mind would want to attend such an abusive institution.
Editor's Note
: Dawson College's webpage is currently inaccessible, although it is unclear whether it pertains to the story.
National Post
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text:
SAINT LEO, Fla. – A duo of high school basketball standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Saint Leo University men's basketball program, Head Coach Lance Randall announced today. Lake Wales, Fla. native Marcus Dewberry and Wisconsin All-Conference player Trail Pierce will suit up for the Lions beginning with the 2013-14 season.
Marcus Dewberry
6-0 | 180 lbs.
Lake Wales, Fla. | Lake Wales HS
Dewberry comes to Saint Leo from Lake Wales High School where he is currently averaging 15.5 points per game at the beginning of his senior season. Through his high school career, the six-foot guard has averaged 20.3 points per game where he has scored greater than 20 points in 14 games. He was named to his high school's All-Conference team and helped lead the Highlanders to a Class 5A State Championship.
Coach Randall's Thoughts –
"Marcus is a guard who can really defend and score the basketball. He is a terrific passer and plays with a great motor. He is leading one of the best basketball programs in the state and we look to him to make an immediate impact in our program."
Trail Pierce
6-10 | 185 lbs.
Pittsville Wis. | Pittsville HS
Pierce joins the Lions after earning Second Team All-Conference accolades while playing in Wisconsin. A three-year member of the Marawood All-Conference team, he is averaging 13.7 points per game in addition to using his size to pull down an average of 12 rebounds per contest. His size also plays a factor in his 3.5 blocks per game average. Successful on and off the court, he holds a 3.7 grade point average.
Coach Randall's Thoughts –
"Trail is a very skilled 6-10 who runs the court and rebounds exceptionally well. He is an excellent student and is driven to becoming a success in whatever he does. He has improved dramatically every year he has played the game and we expect great things from him during his career as a Lion."
The new Lions' tandem is the first signings announced for the 2013-14 season will join the Saint Leo community when they begin classes in August 2013.


text:
From cars and cans to food foil, aluminum is a daily part of our lives especially in the Tennessee Valley.
"Alcoa really provides about a million dollars of payback to the community on a daily basis," said Ken McMillen, Alcoa Tennessee operations location manager.
And, the late Charles Martin Hall is to thank.
"The city of Alcoa began with the idea of an 18-year-old," said George Williams, Alcoa city center manager.
In 1886, Hall invented a revolutionary process that refined bauxite into aluminum.
"It lowered the price to produce aluminum," added McMillen. "At one time, aluminum cost more than gold."
Hall took his idea to the Pittsburgh Reduction Company and, at the turn of the 20th century, began eyeing East Tennessee.
"One of the main attractions was really the hydroelectric ability with the mountains and the water," said McMillen.
"The mayor of Maryville actually made a trip to Pittsburgh to recruit this new industry. And, a lot of locals weren't really high on bringing in all these northerners, especially with this big factory because we were a farming community," explained Williams.
During that time, Pittsburgh Reduction became the Aluminum Company of America and was sold on East Tennessee. In 1910, it began buying land and lots of it.
"The first land they bought was the land for the dams because they're going have to provide all this electricity."
There was no TVA yet, so Alcoa built a series of dams and purchased more than 3,000 acres in what was then North Maryville.
"Everybody just assumed that this new company was going to be located in what was then Maryville," said Williams.
And, in 1919, when the company went to incorporate the land, Maryville city leaders were caught off guard.
"They were going to incorporate their own town. It was not a happy time in the city of Maryville."
Alcoa's leaders were progressive and immediately began shaping the city.
"They planned it as they built it. And, they put in elements such as ratio of green space per person. There are cities now that don't do that."
Alcoa also recruited both white and black employees with housing and neighborhoods complete with churches, water and sewage facilities, even parks.
"They built a series of small communities around the plant and each community was self sustaining."
Perhaps most ground breaking, Alcoa offered equal education.
"In most places in the South, it was still prohibited to expand public funds to educate blacks. Alcoa did exactly the opposite. Not only did they recruit them, they used education as an economic development tool," said Williams.
In 1920, 1,700 whites and nearly 1,500 African Americans called the town home.
Alcoa opened its third plant in 1942 which rolled sheet aluminum, a hot commodity during World War II.
"It was used to make weapons. It was used to make planes. It was used in vehicles."
This was Alcoa's heyday- a record 12,000 workers.
In 1959, Coors debuted the aluminum can.
"You really saw in the late '70s aluminum start to eliminate steel cans from the market place and completely replace the steel packaging," said McMillen.
So, Tennessee Operations began focusing solely on cans and opened a new Continuous Cold Mill in 1987, becoming a major supplier to the can sheet market.
"That was a very good place for us to be."
Over the last decade though, there's been a decline. Cans have become thinner, using less aluminum and health conscious consumers are choosing bottled water over canned soda.
"We were in kind of a mode of reducing our workforce for a couple of years. We actually closed the smelter when we saw it wasn't profitable," said McMillen.
However, thanks to the automotive market, Alcoa is growing once again with a $275 million capital investment creating 200 new jobs by 2017.
"We expect to continue to grow in the automotive department, but we expect to be a long term supplier to can sheet as well."
As for that long standing Maryville, Alcoa rivalry? It's strictly on the gridiron.
"It's about two weeks out of 52 a year," said Williams. "Those other 50 weeks a year it's hard to tell who's who."
Leaders mended fences a long time ago.
"We were able to see how we're so much better together."
Alcoa, HomeGrown in Tennessee.
"Our motto really is advancing each generation," said McMillen. "We have employees that are 4th and 5th generation."


text:
Topic: foot & hand syndrome from Xeloda - suggestions?
I recently started my second two-week course of taking Xeloda. I experienced several common side effects during my first "rest" week - most of which are under control. What's really aggravating me is extreme tenderness on the soles of my feet. I'm keeping them well moisturized so I've had no cracking or peeling. When I walk it feels like the soles are sunburned.
Any suggestions on reducing the tenderness? I'm trying to minimize OTC oral meds that I take but maybe some type of painkiller is necessary. Also, If you've had a similar experience with Xeloda does the tenderness last as long as you take the meds or does it eventually dissipate?
I look forward to your input,
Tenderfoot Tom


text:
SAINT LEO, Fla. - A team will go nowhere unless certain individuals step up to the plate and lead a group; that is why successful teams have coaches to guide players in the mental and physical aspects of the game, whichever game that may be. Having a qualified coach who is an expert at their sport is essential to each player's growth and development. As Saint Leo continues to exemplify its core value of excellence, it should be said that Lions coaches, in addition to their athletes, continue to better themselves on an everyday basis. A prime example of this is Men's and Women's Tennis head Coach James Bryce, who will enter this upcoming season as a recent national champion tennis player.
Bryce, who is entering his third year as the Lion's head coach, recently participated in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Championship along with his wife, Erin Bryce. Playing in the Husband-Wife tournament as a nationally unranked pair, the Bryce's defeated Larry Saheim and Renee Tharpe of Peachtree City, Ga. in the final match to win the USTA Gold Ball trophy. The tournament, which took place October 14th-16th, featured a clay court and a Bryce triumph, as the pair ended with a solid three-set win of 6-3, 2-6, and 6-2.
One interesting twist to the Bryces' story, however, is that James and Erin have never before played on the same team. After the win, James said, "Erin and I had a lot of fun competing with each other for the first time. It was great to win a national tournament together with our family around as well."
Beyond coaching the Lions, Coach Bryce has much hope for his future tennis career. When asked about playing again, Bryce said, "We are looking forward to playing many more tournaments in the next year to improve our current ranking of 3 in the nation." Coach Bryce and his Lions tennis team can be caught in action during the upcoming spring semester.
Story written by softball junior Katie Gwinn.


text:
SAINTS forward Jon Wilkin is not afraid of showing how uncoordinated his footballing skills are when he takes part in the celebrity soccer game at Langtree Park on Sunday.
He knows that some of the legends of the round ball game, even the ones in their late 50, will still have the touch to run rings round him in the Ginetta All Stars versus Ty-phoo Legends game at 1.30pm.
Wilkin has enlisted some stars of television to join him and has Saints skipper Paul Wellens on his side for the match in aid of his testimonial.
The opposition, made up of former professionals like Mark Wright, Dennis Irwin and Frank Stapleton, will also be bolstered by Sean Long and Paul Sculthorpe.
Wilkin said: "The ground has been used to showcase football this year – I thought this would be good to do something fun for families.
"We do quite serious stuff through the year, like forums where we are talking about rugby – it is just good to get out of that and showcase how inept we are at other sports.
"Part of it is to show how skilful their profession is. I am under no illusions how terrible we are going to look on that field.
"The likes of ex-United players Sammy McIlroy and Frank Stapleton are there to help showcase the generations.
"Paul Loughlin nominated himself for goal – he played there for Garswood and so he has putting himself under a heap of pressure," he said.
Premiership referee Chris Foy is going to keep order on the field.
Wilkin, who admits to being an Arsenal fan, added: "I hope it is a good day – if only to see some masters of their craft.
"Wello can play a bit, I'll have a go and Mark Flanagan is as keen as mustard to play.
"At Saints there is plenty of football banter – Wello is obsessed with man City and goes to a lot of the games.
"I support Arsenal for no other reason than when I first got a television the first thing I watched was an Arsenal match."
Sunday's game at Langtree Park kicks off at 1.30 – admission is £10 for one adult and child together, £5 for each concession ticket.


text:
This page is also available in: French, Spanish
On 28 November 2011, Congo held its second democratic election since a 1998-2003 war in which as many as 5 million people are estimated to have died.
Despite a formal peace accord eight years ago, Congo still faces simmering conflicts with rebels in its east.
Caritas Congo and the Church in Congo have been part of peacebuilding efforts throughout the country to campaign for a peaceful election and monitored the November 2011 elections.
The election commission delivered millions of ballot papers to more than 50,000 polling stations, in a country of 2,345,000 square kilometres (77 times the size of former colonial ruler Belgium).
Although some violence was reported during the week of November 28, Caritas hopes the outcome of the elections is a peaceful Congo.
Caritas Internationalis Ryan Worms is monitoring the elections with Caritas Congo. Please follow his reports on our blog.
Media contact mobile : +39 335 823 4233 and email firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
The hilarious, the hysterical, the hygienic HOWIE MANDEL is here! Howie is an Ellen show favorite, mostly because whenever he's here, you never know what he's going to say! The wildly unpredictable and always laugh-out-loud guest is sure to have you and Ellen in stitches! Don't miss his unforgettable story today!
Plus, music legend DAVE GROHL is here to talk with Ellen about his revealing documentary, "Sound City." This member of not one, but two of the greatest rock bands of all time is also taking the stage to perform the classic Rick Springfield song "Jessie's Girl" with his band FOO FIGHTERS and RICK SPRINGFIELD himself! You won't be able to find another show like that!
This Tuesday, Ellen's got the best show, no contest!


text:
Does using keywords within a Social Media profile (especially Facebook and LinkedIn) help improve rankings in the Serps? Specifically Facebook Page names and usernames e.g www.facebook.com/keyword ? Thanks in advance.
this will be a good idea if you want your Facebook page to rank for certain keywords.
It will probably not have a noticeable effect on whether or not pages on your site rank for certain keywords.
well!!! as per my experience its only generate traffic. having keywords on SMM help to generate traffic of your sites
Yes it can.. if you are about to start social media marketing then do use your keyword ofcourse
IF you use certain keywords in your facebook profile or google pages they show up in the search results so they will help in you in gaining traffic to your website so it is a good practice to use keywords on your fb pages
yes it will. You are constructing what is called as a long tail keyword or link. It would be good for your page.
Yes, definitely it has its own advantages. But it you optimize your keywords through SEO then it will give more benefits.
Yes you can use keywords in social media marketing like facebook, twitter, linkedIn etc. It will generate traffic for your site.
Backlinks effect your rankings and seeing that most social sites or social bookmarking sites use nofollow or require you login to see the backlinks those type of sites are practically useless for SEO! I only use bookmarkingdemon (it's not mine) and just submit to major bookmarking sites, that's all.
Facebook and twitter can be good to get backlinks indirectly - this means if you have a lot of followers/likes you can ask them to link to your website from their websites and win XYZ - contest and other out of the box ideas to get links that way!
currently for this year 2013 as per the seo updates social media is on the high priority to get good traffic.
from the facebook you can get good traffic with the keyword placed in the url that resembles your site theme.
same with the linkedin too.
Google likes to see backlinking patterns that appear natural, and any natural linkbuilding campaign has lots of "nofollow" links.
Also, just because a link has a "nofollow" tag doesn't mean that Google doesn't follow it. I have seen lots of reports that indicate that they do. Their algorithm goes based on what they view as natural authority, nothing more, nothing less.
The best way to use social sites is for branding and direct traffic. I would not recommend asking people for random backlinks because link exchanges and other random links with no surrounding content will be pretty worthless in terms of SEO. Its not a bad idea, but you would want to ask for guest post opportunities where you could send in unique content instead of just asking for links. This will take a little more time, but it will be a lot more valuable.
As for facebook, If you aim for Google SERPs it won't help you much since google and facebook are not in common terms. But in Bing it might work. For LinkedIn, both the search engines gives equal weightage. Apart from that you 'll surely get referral traffic so it's worth the effort.
By default you'll get nofollow whether you like it or not because of how most link building methods work. So it's a waste of time to try to intentionally get nofollow links when you're going to get them anyway... As long as you're using different link building methods that is.
By random links I did not mean link exchanges or link exchanges only, it could be anything such as artcle exchanges, etc. Still there are much faster ways to get backlinks then begging for them.
OK guys - thanks for the input, but this thread is starting to wander off-topic. We have other threads discussing backlinks, so lets get this one back to the OP's question:
I never have given any thought to this but I suspect that the answer is no... If anything, you'll be competing against your own site for the same keyword.
But don't trust me on this, this is simply what logic dictates me and I could be completely wrong
Well,I read out all the reviews.Most of the people are using keywords within a SocialMedia profile (especially Facebook and LinkedIn) help improve rankings.Social mediamarketing is the best source of the keywords ranking...
Me and the guys at SEOMoz would disagree with you on this one. It does not directly affect their Pagerank algorithm, but considering high social buzz would mean organic interest which is something Google tries to base their rankings on more and more everyday, I think it is highly likely that these links play some roll in determining authority, or if they don't, I think they will in the very near future.
Saying all nofollow links are the same is like saying Kate Upton and Paris Hilton are the same because they are both females.
If you aren't careful your website will come down with herpes, and Google will avoid you like I would avoid Paris Hilton.
Generally, we should include a keyword of brand name instead of any potential keyword in Facebook URL. Google consider it as a back link.


text:
MELBOURNE, Fla. – In the opening game of their Sunshine State Conference series against the Florida Tech Panthers (22-14, 9-4 SSC), the Saint Leo softball team (27-13, 7-3 SSC) defeated the Panthers by a score of 5-2, Thursday afternoon from Nancy Bottge Field. After collecting the Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Week honor on Monday, freshman hurler Alana Tabel also collected the win in Thursday's contest to snag her 11th win of the season.
In typical Saint Leo fashion, the Lions jumped on the scoreboard first, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning off of Florida Tech pitcher, Amanda Smith. It was junior Brittany Ewing who led off the inning with a one-out single to right field, and quickly advanced to second on a walk to junior Sarah Steiner. With two runners on, senior Rachelle Gremo also took first base on a walk, loading the bases before junior Chelsey Steedley ripped a single up the middle that scored Ewing to give the Lions a lead. One out later, with Victoria Obermeier pinch-running for Steiner, it was sophomore Angela Kafalas who came up big by blasting an infield single that ricocheted off of the Panthers' pitcher and scored both Obermeier and Gremo.
The Panthers were unable to answer back until the bottom of the third inning, when they scored one run off of a walk, a double, and a sacrifice flyout.
Saint Leo was able to tack on another run in the top of the 5th inning to again take a 3-run lead over the Panthers. Burns led off the inning with a bunt single, and was able to quickly steal second base. One out later, Steiner sent a double to the left-centerfield wall that advanced Burns to third base. On the next play, Gremo reached on a fielders' choice that allowed Burns to score and put the Lions up, 4-1.
The Lions added another run in the top of the 6th inning to continue their offensive attack. Junior Kylee Hardesty jump-started the inning with a single up the middle, just before freshman Tiffany Thompson took her place on first base as a pinch runner. One out later, sophomore Danielle Ferrara sacrifice bunted Thompson over to second base to give the Lions a runner in scoring position. A walk to Torrie Weindorf and a bunt single by Burns then loaded the bases, allowing Ewing to send a infield groundball to the Panthers' second baseman, who committed an error and allowed Thompson to score.
Threatened by Saint Leo's four-run lead, the Panthers collected a run in the bottom of the 6th inning, collecting one run thanks to Florida Tech singles from Elaine Brown and Lindsy Dugan.
Offensively, the Lions collected a total of nine hits in the contest, as well as four walks and two stolen bases.
Freshman Alana Tabel took the mound for the Lions in the win, tossing a complete seven-inning game to improve her record to 11-5 on the season. Although Tabel started off slowly by walking the first batter of the game, she eventually settled in and allowed just four Panther hits. Tabel struck out two in the effort.
The Lions continue Sunshine State Conference action tomorrow when they take on the Florida Tech Panthers from Nancy Bottge Field in Melbourne, Fla. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.
For more on the Saint Leo softball program, stay current with SaintLeoLions.com. Also, be sure to 'Like' the Lions on Facebook and 'Follow' the Lions on Twitter.


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It's no secret that Levy County has a large percentage of its population living below the poverty line. A recent health report noted that 42 percent of county children live below the poverty line and 37 percent live in single-parent homes.
Although there are many reasons — lack of education, lack of opportunity, an unwillingness on their parents' part — these children are not responsible for their situation.
And, yet, I am sure every year those children look forward to Christmas and the possibility of a gift under the tree.
In years past the Tri County Marine Corp League Detachment 1810 with the unflagging work of Vince and Pat Arcadi worked year 'round to raise money and collect toys and gifts for those children in Dixie, Levy and Gilchrist counties.
The Arcadis can no longer go the way they once have and this year scaled back their work to their home county Dixie.
So it was, too late in the year, that Levy County found itself with no umbrella organization to provide toys for several hundred children whose parents, and in many cases the grandparents rearing them, could not afford gifts.
Some organizations and individuals stepped into the breech. Walgreens collected for children in the Guardian ad litem program. The Children's Table collected for the children in Bronson. Karen Driggers and her friends at Second Times a Charm and Skinny Wallet collected for the children in the Chiefland area. Another Way collected for the children in its shelter — victims of more than economic circumstances. In Williston, the AMVETS Post 444 collected toys for their children.
Helping out in a big way was Paul Pilny who organizes the Citrus County Toys for Tots program. The Marines in Detachment 810 sent the Levy County children over 300 toys, and batteries for the toys, valued at just under $10,000.
The feeling of opening and reading his email offering the toys is indescribable. It's uplifting and humbling. It's a reaffirmation of humanity in a season shocked by the selfish violence in Newtown, Conn.
But back to the larger challenge children face in Levy County:
It is time for a group of people — representative of every community in this county — to get together and start working to prevent the last-minute scramble to find, wrap and distribute gifts and to rely on the good will of outsiders to take care of our children.
Levy County needs a few good people to step up, get together, find a coordinator and win the blessing of the Toys for Tots Foundation and, by February, have someone ready to head to Washington to take the necessary training to operate Toys for Tots once again.
All it takes is us, together for our children.
Lou Elliott Jones, editor of the Chiefland Citizen and Cedar Key Beacon, can be contacted at 352-493-4796 or via email at email@example.com.
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- Death:
- 06 Mar 1823 1
Reportedly the brother of Maj. Arthur Chamberlin. Robert Chamberlin, and perhaps Wm. Chamberlin, of Amwell Twp., Washington Co., PA. He is supposed to have married Mary Unknown, who died in 1814. Sometime later, he moved away--some say to OH--where he died in 1823.
- Death:
- 06 Mar 1823 1
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Quote:Penetrate the principle of life and death, first of all, and maintain that spirit. Then there will be no doubts, no distracting thoughts, no calculation, no deliberation. Your spirit will remain calm and peaceful, unobstructed, freely responding to any contingency. Conversely, if there is the slightest object in your mind, there will be a self, there will be an enemy, there will be opposition, there will be a loss of freedom. You will enter the darkness of death and lose the spiritual brightness. How can you face an opponent in such a state?
Quote:Isn't the last sentence here contradictory to the theme?
Quote:Discarding dependency on the logical mind, that is one of the goals of Zen
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StmpnkWargamerPeng wrote: this is the first idea for the tank, from sci-fi writer HG well short story "the LAND ironclads".
A challenger has appeared:
And what list of supertanks would be complete without some German engineering that was high on ambition and low on practicality, specifically the Landkreuzer:
At the time of its conception, there was pretty much no bridge in Europe that could support it.
StmpnkWargamerPeng wrote:as one can see, these machine most likely don't play by normal rules of combat due to there size,armor, and maned guns, so does anyone got ideas on how to used them, as well as destroy them?
Regular anti-armor tactics still apply, just scaled up. The weakness of tanks has historically been infantry (smaller, more mobile) with anti-armor weapons, especially in urban combat environments, where they can use the tank's unwieldiness against it and have plenty of places to hide.
Of course, the scale of such vehicles in real life is limited by the practicality of logistics (see: for want of a bridge, above). If the enemy can get it immobilized, then the assault to take it becomes that much easier. Also, another reason few such vehicles were built in real life is that their ponderous size made them sitting ducks for bombardment by bomber planes and actual naval vessels.
Oh, and huge guns means that the OPFOR soldiers will be able to get around them (or even walk on them) to positions where the tank can't fire on them.
What does this mean in BrikWars terms? OPFOR (OPposing FORce) can get it bogged down in impassable terrain, and then board it. It'd vast size will typically translate to poor speed an mobility, and that means artillery can maintain a fix on its position long enough to give it a good pounding (and it's quite likely that even missed shots will hit somewhere on a tank big enough to have its own ZIP code).
StmpnkWargamerPeng wrote:Gungnir wrote:Have it act as a mobile battlefield. Instead of doing damage to the whole thing, you can only do component damage.
that what i was kind of thinking.
another thing about this juggernaut is each 4 gun is not man by the pilot, but by a gun crew of 7 people(one lower ranked loader,one officer, one higher ranked loader, and 4 gunners
Just get a bunch of gunners on it. With their Gunnery Support, it means that if your supertank has, for example, 12" guns, there can be up to 12 gunners on that cannon.


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AFTER a period of inactivity, Weymouth Ladies return to South West League Premier Division action tomorrow when they entertain Cheltenham Town at the Bob Lucas Stadium (2pm).
Slowly but surely, Weymouth are beginning to get over their injury problems, which have hampered their early season form.
Chelsea academy player and last season's leading goalscorer in the league, Philippa Holden is still sidelined with her broken ankle and still faces a while out.
Midfield star Georgia Rogers is also set to miss the game again with an ankle injury and influential Bryony Webb has knee problems, but she will almost certainly play through the pain.
New signing Jody Urwin comes into the squad and she makes a welcome return to the club.
Visitors Cheltenham have been on a good run lately and are led by two of the league's best players, midfielder Rhona Donaldson and striker Charlie Griffin.
Both of these players represented the Robins when they played at Wembley.
Both sides are desperate for the points and a close encounter is expected.
Admission prices are £2 for adults and £1 for children.
As a special offer, Weymouth are looking for a minimum of 11 girls aged between six and 12 to come forward to be mascots and ball girls for the day.
As well as leading the team out and going into the dressing room pre-match, the girls can join in the warm up and also have a small-sided game on the pitch.
Also they will be in a team photo with the players.
If you would like to register a place, email Tim Davis via email@example.com or, alternatively turn up at 1pm in football kit.
Weymouth (from): Adams, Perkins, Tighe, Johnson, Acutt, Walmsley, Saunders, Sharpe, Douch, Randall, Webb, Urwin, Wild, Acott, Peaty, Turk.


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The New Nikhilipi alphabet was invented by Nikhil Sinha in September 2005 with the aim of making Indian languages easier to use on the internet and on computers in general. At the moment because they are difficult to type, Indic scripts only have a very negligible presence on the internet and in the world of computers.
Sabhii manus'yow ko gaurava aura adhikaarow ke maamale mew janmajaata svatantrataa aura samaanataa praapta hai. Unhew buddhi aura antaraatmaa kii dena hai aura paraspara unhew bhaaiicaare ke bhaava se bartaava karanaa caahiye.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason
and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Other writing systems invented by visitors to this site


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SKILLMAN, NJ--(Marketwire - October 13, 2011) - For millions of adolescent girls living in underdeveloped countries, sanitary protection is a luxury item. The lack of affordable and sustainable feminine care products can have devastating consequences for them, resulting in gaps in their education and an increased vulnerability to poverty and disease. In an effort to help these girls get the essential sanitary protection needed to complete their education and safeguard their health, the o.b.® Brand has partnered with the non-profit organization Huru® International to help raise awareness of this widespread issue. Through a viral Facebook campaign, Share-It-Forward, the o.b.® Brand -- with the help of o.b.® users and like-minded women -- will donate up to $25,000(1) to Huru®.
Now through December 5, anyone who "Likes" the o.b.® Brand Facebook page can help make a small, but mighty difference by sharing a message about the mission of Huru® on Facebook.com/obmightysmall via the o.b.® Outreach Tab. For every individual(2) who shares this message with their network of friends,(3) the o.b.® Brand will donate one dollar to Huru®. For every $25 donated, Huru® can supply one girl with sanitary protection and other essential items for one year. The Brand will make a minimum donation of $10,000 and individuals have the opportunity to help reach a maximum donation of $25,000 by sharing the message about Huru® International. For each shared message, $1 per person will be donated to Huru® up to the maximum donation amount.
"We recognize that women who use o.b.® tampons are active and vocal about supporting causes and organizations that give back," said o.b.® Brand Manager Grace Lee-Dolan. "We want to partner with our consumers to help other young women improve their lives."
Huru® develops and produces sustainable, cost effective kits that aim to provide at-risk girls with the resources and knowledge they need to continue their education and maintain their health. Huru® Kits are provided to these girls at no cost, and include reusable sanitary pads and life-saving HIV/AIDS prevention information, along with other essential feminine products.
"Thanks to partners like o.b.® tampons, we are one step closer to supplying 1,000 more girls with necessary feminine care products," said Lorna Macleod, Executive Director of Huru® International. "The impact Huru® Kits have on at-risk, adolescent girls can be life changing."
The o.b.® Share-It-Forward program is launching after the brand announced that o.b.® Regular, o.b.® Super, o.b.® Super Plus and o.b.® Multi-pack were back to full distribution in stores nationwide. As a thank you to loyal women for sticking with o.b.® tampons, the brand is encouraging and enabling women to support the right to safe and affordable sanitary protection through the Huru® partnership.
The Huru® program, much like the creation of o.b.® tampons, is designed to be sustainable. o.b.® tampons have no applicator, and generate 58 percent less waste than any applicator tampon, helping women make a small, but mighty difference in the environment. For more information about o.b.® tampons, please visit www.obtampons.com.
About o.b.®
o.b.® tampons are non-applicator tampons that offer women ultimate protection and comfort. Designed small to protect big, o.b.® tampons were created by a female gynecologist to expand all around to custom-fit a woman's body perfectly and have curved grooves for locked-in protection. Thanks to their mighty small size, o.b.® tampons are more discreet and easier to carry and store than other tampons, but offer all the protection of an applicator brand.
About Huru® International
In 2008, Huru® International was launched with a grant from Johnson & Johnson, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, PEPFAR and AmericaShare/Micato in response to research conducted by Girl Child Network. Their findings about the living conditions of girls and young women living in the slums and villages of Kenya showed that basic necessities like sanitary pads are a luxury item for these girls. To alleviate this problem, Huru® initiated a cost-effective way to help keep girls healthy, self-sufficient, and safe: provide them with clean, reusable sanitary pads and life-saving information on HIV/AIDS prevention. This simple solution is intended to prevent thousands of new HIV infections each year. It empowers girls to take advantage of educational opportunities, gain qualifications for adult jobs, educate others and pursue their dreams. Having developed and piloted a proven model in Kenya, Huru® is working to build upon its initial successes, and provide kits to underprivileged young women in urban slums and rural communities elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.
o.b.® is a registered trademark of McNeil-PPC, Inc.
Huru® is a registered trademark of Huru® International.
© McNeil-PPC, Inc. 2011
(This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from McNeil-PPC, Inc. and/or Johnson & Johnson's expectations and projections. Risks and uncertainties include general industry conditions and competition; economic conditions, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; domestic and foreign health care reforms and governmental laws and regulations; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Exhibit 99 of Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2010. Copies of this Form 10-K, as well as subsequent filings, are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither McNeil-PPC, Inc. nor Johnson & Johnson undertake to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.)
(1) The o.b.® Brand will donate $1 per consumer who shares the message about Huru® International, with a minimum donation of $10,000 and a maximum donation of $25,000 being given to Huru® International.
(2) Donation not valid for consumers living in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, and South Carolina
(3) Limited to one share per consumer
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MapleStory Live
by: Socialspiel Entertainment GmbH • 42.3K
All Android applications categories
by: Socialspiel Entertainment GmbH • 42.3K
Published: 2012-07-11, by Peter Warrior.
Those of you savvier in online multiplayer games maybe have heard about Maple Story, because it's one of the oldest and was considered a phenomenon in some Asian countries. Go in advance that this mobile version isn't a MMO at all, because the only interactions with other players are limited to messages and a noticeboard.
What you will find after installing the 40 Mb package is a 2D platformer sidescroller with RPG features. These RPGs features are easy to understand for casual gamers, but have enough depth to be explored and enjoyed by more expert gamers. In short, this game is on looking for non player characters who give you quests to fulfill and moving through an endless map chopping critters of all kinds.
As other freemium games do, MapleStory strongly relies on its in-app shop, where real money can be exchanged for sweet in-game currency. Perhaps MapleStory gives the feeling of relying too much on it, as it seems that nearly anything must be purchased sooner or later. When you start there's only one character available (it's quite cool, though) and if you wish so, you can spend money to buy more characters, items and stuff and to fully unlock the message service. Money also grants access to new zones of the map, experience increases and get rid of ads -which are quite annoying, flat truth here.
On the other hand, controls are excellent, 16bit manga like graphics are graceful and there are quite a few nice touches, such as the customizable user interface and several minigames. No complaints regarding its technical features, its only draw is that so much importance given to the shop may be a heavy burden for a mobile game.
In conclusion, a nice game and a nice way to be initiated in real Maple Story, where there are a lot of additional options that can't be found here. Enjoyable for a long while, but if you like it much, it'd be better if you go ahead and play the complete PC version.
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by Peter , Appszoom
Jul 11, 2012
from 42.271 reviews
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In a data center at Purdue University, a rare supercomputer is crunching numbers for researchers studying a broad range of scientific problems. The 5,832-processor machine is capable of performing 8 trillion calculations per second, yet it consumes just a fraction of the electricity needed by Purdue's other supercomputers. The machine is one of a kind at Purdue -- because the company that built it doesn't exist anymore.
It comes from the recently folded SiCortex, a start-up founded with the idea of building the world's most efficient computers. SiCortex's story illustrates the difficulty of trying to build a new systems company in a maturing industry. Even if the idea is innovative, the product solves real-world problems and the company attracts an experienced management team and venture backing, success is far from guaranteed.
[ IT snake oil: Six tech cure-alls that went bunk. | InfoWorld reveals tech's 25 biggest flops of all time. | Keep up on the day's tech news headlines with InfoWorld's Today's Headlines: Wrap Up newsletter. ]
"It's always difficult to build this type of company," says Jud Leonard, SiCortex co-founder and chief architect. "You're up against a very well established, strongly entrenched business and you know, Intel is a fierce competitor. We never imagined it was going to be an easy job."
Purdue CIO Gerry McCartney says SiCortex helped him address one of his nagging challenges: providing compute cycles to researchers without overwhelming his power and cooling systems. McCartney was hoping to buy one or two more SiCortex clusters and put them together to build one giant scientific research machine, but he'll never get the chance.
In a better time, SiCortex might have carved out a profitable niche in the high-performance computing market. Instead, the vendor shut its doors in May when venture capitalists yanked its funding. SiCortex officials believe the recession played a major role in the company's demise, but even in a good economy the company would have been fighting an uphill battle in a market dominated by Intel- and AMD-based supercomputers.
No other vendor has purchased SiCortex's core intellectual property. But its technology will live on for a time in data centers such as Purdue's, where the SiCortex cluster performs millions of CPU hours of research per month for researchers in aeronautics, computer science, nanoelectronic devices, mechanical engineering and other fields.
"We're not going to unplug it just because the company's gone away," McCartney says of his SC5832, the highest-end machine sold by SiCortex. "The promise of this was a very low power consumption device with a very friendly carbon output. The limiting factor on most of our purchases is the power and cooling requirement. SiCortex was really a very good machine in that regard. It's terribly disappointing that they've gone out of business."
Purdue was one of about 80 customers of SiCortex, based in Maynard, Mass., in the building that once served as headquarters for the once high-flying Digital Equipment Corp. The company was founded in 2002 by chief engineer Matt Reilly and Leonard, who knew each other from their days at DEC. Reilly and Leonard were interested in building a new type of high-performance computing cluster and "thought there must be a better way to build clusters than to pull together a bunch of desktop computers," Leonard says.
SiCortex designed its architecture from the ground up to handle multithreaded applications in scientific research settings while using unusually low amounts of electricity. The company used relatively slow, inexpensive processors but stitched them together with a very fast, distributed communications network in which every processor contains some network ability, in a so-called Kautz graph topology.
As Leonard explains, "Each component of the system includes a small portion of the switch fabric and you wire them together so you don't need a separate component to do the fabric switching." Low power draw made it possible to achieve high density -- up to 5,832 processors in a single system.
The result is a machine ideal for many types of applications that require parallel processing, according to McCartney. Workloads that need fast individual processors are not well suited for the SiCortex machine, he says. But when researchers need lots of processors to perform a task, and don't care about the speed of each one, the SiCortex computers are often the right choice, he says.
SiCortex -- which brought former Novell executive Chris Stone on as its CEO -- received its first funding in 2004, shipped its first beta machine in July 2007 and went into production early in 2008. SiCortex received about $68 million in financing and venture debt over the years from investors including Chevron Technology Partners, Flagship Ventures, JK&B Capital, Prism VentureWorks, and Polaris Venture Partners.
After the economy went south, one investor pulled out and the rest soon followed. "What happened was one of the investors had overcommitted themselves and backed away," Leonard says. "The others just didn't feel they had enough disposable cash to replace that, and they simply had no choice but to let it go."
SiCortex, with about 80 employees, had been building momentum. Its largest machines sold for upwards of $1 million and the company announced revenue growth of more than 100% in the first quarter of 2009. SiCortex wasn't profitable yet, but "we were running ahead of plan," Leonard says.
But building a new systems company requires large amounts of capital over many years, and SiCortex needed more in order to build the next version of its HPC cluster. "The plan called for cash flow to break even in about a year and a half, which was really the problem," Leonard says. "During that time, we needed to bring out a new system and that meant plunking down millions of dollars for the new chip design and getting it through fab. There really wasn't a way to defer those expenses. We knew we were going to have to be competing against Intel's Nehalem chips in the very near future. There just wasn't much of a way to cut the costs and bring the break-even closer."
After shutting its doors SiCortex kept on a skeleton crew staff to support existing customers. "One of the things I found particularly amazing is after the company shut down … we got calls from people who had heard about us and wanted to buy a system before they were out of stock," Leonard says.
Louisiana State University researchers Erik Schnetter and Steven Brandt are among those who wanted to buy a SiCortex machine but weren't able to before the company went out of business. The researchers, who work at the university's Center for Computation & Technology, were able to remotely access a SiCortex cluster to study binary black holes and gravitational waves.
Schnetter said the SiCortex system was comparable to IBM's Blue Gene/P, with similar power draw per core, but the SiCortex machine was easier to use. "It had the best flop per watt of any system out there," Brandt says. "It also had a fairly fast, interesting proprietary network on it. We were hoping to figure out interesting ways of exploiting that."
Despite customer interest, SiCortex faced numerous challenges that made success an uphill battle. Each individual processor in a SiCortex system was not that powerful, notes IDC analyst Steve Conway. But the analyst says the biggest problem was SiCortex was "trying to do something daring and against the grain."
The HPC market has swung heavily toward the use of commodity processors, namely x86 chips from Intel and AMD. But SiCortex went against conventional wisdom by building its own processors and this decision limited the company's market to early adopters, Conway says. In building its chips, SiCortex obtained intellectual property from several vendors, including MIPS Technologies, and tweaked the design to meet its own needs.
"For a company like that entering an established market, it takes time to get a good footprint and the right kind of profitability," Conway says. In this case, "investors were not willing to wait the normal amount of time that in a healthier economy a company like SiCortex would have had."During its years of operation SiCortex had purchased intellectual property from several companies, including QLogic's PathScale compiler business. Supercomputer company Cray decided to purchase the PathScale compiler suite from SiCortex after it went out of business, because the PathScale technology is used by many Cray customers.
But the rest of SiCortex's intellectual property has gone unclaimed. Leonard says he "can't understand why somebody hasn't bought it." But the technology is aimed at a marketplace that is difficult to sell into, says Cray vice president of scalable systems Barry Bolding. The HPC world may not object to energy efficiency, but it's not often the top priority, he says.
"The idea of high-performance computing that's highly energy efficient is a difficult space, because you're trading off performance," Bolding says. "What we've found at Cray is performance is king. It still really is difficult to make a full value proposition on only the energy efficiency."
SiCortex typically sold smaller systems than Cray, Bolding says. In a better economy SiCortex could have survived "but I think they would have had trouble moving up in to the high-performance space," he says.
Conway fears that SiCortex's demise will stifle innovation in the high-performance computing industry. "I think, unfortunately, one of the lessons is that this is not going to encourage other vendors to take risks," he says.
But the men who founded SiCortex, while hoping for a better outcome, don't regret the chance they took. In a blog post after SiCortex shut down, Reilly says he believes there is still room for non-x86 machines in the HPC market.
"It is possible for a small company to compete in the computer systems business," Reilly wrote. "There are some who will say that nobody can compete against 'commodity manufacturers. Ignore them. … There are only two true commodities in the computer business: DRAMs and wafer area. Everybody pretty much pays the same price for DRAMs. Wafer area is what you make of it. If you insist on building giant 100W chips, life will be tough. But if you use the silicon wafer area for something new, different and efficient, a market will open up to you."
Leonard, who is working on some software ideas as he figures out what his next venture will be, says the SiCortex team made mistakes but that he'd "do it again in a minute."
"Of course I'd rather it hadn't ended the way it did, but it was a wonderful time," Leonard says. "There were lots of mistakes of various kinds. I can wish that we had been more aggressive technically. I can wish that we had pulled the schedule in tighter. There are lots of things that in hindsight I would prefer to do differently. I've never been on a project in which that wasn't true."
Follow Jon Brodkin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jbrodkin
This story, "Inside story: The soul of a failed machine" was originally published by Network World.


text:
Wimbledon's Laura Robson is out of the US Open after losing 6-4 6-4 to the defending champion Sam Stosur.
Robson, 18, was aiming to become the first British woman to reach a grand slam quarter-final for 28 years but the Australian was too strong, winning in 98 minutes.
After knocking out former grand slam winners Kim Clijsters and Li Na en route to the fourth round, Robson started well against Stosur and broke the reigning champion's serve, only to be broken back immediately.
However, Robson went on to miss break point chances at crucial stages and Stosur went on to win the decisive set on Robson's serve.
Meanwhile, Ross Hutchins and doubles partner Colin Fleming lost their third round tie agains the US pairing of Christian Harrison and Ryan Harrison 3-6 4-6.


text: A luxury paisley bedding collection in hues of gold and bronze, the Victor Mill Ricci bedding ensemble will transform your bedroom into a opulent and luxurious sanctuary. The Ricci bedding ensemble features an oversized paisley print in shades of gold, bronze and taupe. Decorative pillows complete your bedding set; an overstuffed square pillow in gold trellis damask features a tassel accent, an oblong pillow mirrors the standard sham design pairing gold paisley with trellis damask, plus a neckroll accent pillow.