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Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
Dec. 29, 2005
Texas Schools, Nonprofits, Cities Receive CO-OP Grants
AUSTIN, Texas — Nine Community Outdoor Outreach Program grant applicants in communities across Texas will ring in the New Year with fresh funding to help more Texas children experience environmental education and outdoor recreational activities.
A total of 29 applicants submitted proposals for the $235,000 in available grant funds announced just before Christmas. Each CO-OP participant can receive up to $30,000 to help fund outreach efforts.
Those who did not make the cut in this round of grants can re-apply for the Feb. 1 application deadline. For more information, contact TPWD at (512) 912-7124 or by email at email@example.com. Grant application forms and instructions are on the TPWD Web site.
"For many of the participants served by this round of grants, this will be the first time they have experienced the outdoors Texas Parks and Wildlife style," said CO-OP Program Director Darlene Lewis. "These overnight stays and programs have been developed to help families around the state not only learn more about our natural resources, but also to become better stewards to help care for our resources."
Funding for the grant program comes from a portion of the state sales tax on sporting goods. The CO-OP budget was recently reduced from $800,000 to $470,000 per year because of the state budget crunch.
Here are the grant recipients for this funding cycle:
- (Austin) — The Chautauqua Foundation, Inc. — Fourth through sixth graders from Austin inner-city schools will learn leadership skills and responsibility through river-related outdoor adventures. ($29,000)
- (Austin) — Communities in Schools — Central Texas, Inc. — 210 at-risk students will participate in overnight camping trips at Garner State Park, Choke Canyon SP and Dinosaur Valley SP. ($30,000)
- (Copperas Cove) — America's Drug Free Productions — More than 1,100 students in Copperas Cove school district will get to participate in overnight camping, hunting and gun safety, Project Wild, visits to Athens Freshwater Fish Hatchery and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo. ($29,770)
- (Dallas) — Girl Scouts of Tejas Council — More than 400 girls will participate in "Tejas Outdoor Fiestas." Activities will include wildlife biology, kayaking, ecology, archery, fishing and star gazing. ($29,075)
- (Houston) — Korima Foundation — This program targets more than 1,000 Houston area kids at risk of dropping out of school. Week-long activities at Big Bend Ranch State Park include archaeology, mountain climbing and outdoor wilderness classrooms. ($30,000)
- (Pasadena) — City of Pasadena — Funding will be used for trips to state parks, Sea Center Texas, ecological boat tours and opportunities to explore the Gulf of Mexico. ($13,100)
- (San Antonio) — George Gervin Youth Center — Monthly outdoor recreational activities are planned for 250 at-risk students. They will participate in hiking, fishing, camping, rock climbing and backpacking. ($30,000)
- (San Marcos) — Texas State University — 150 students from Austin, Houston and Schertz schools will get to attend Aquatic Science Adventure camps. They will learn about water resources in Texas, aquatic life and habitats. ($30,000)
- (Temple) — City of Temple — This program, S'mores and More, will target first time campers and children traditionally not exposed to outdoor recreational and educational activities. ($17,750
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Results for: video, iraivan
Iraivan Temple Annual Report 2015
Iraivan Temple year end report and fundraising appeal.Perimiter wall and red greanitepots are bing made. Small electric tools...
Progress for the Iraivan Temple Carving Site in Bangaluru
We recently receive a report from Jiva Rajasankara and our team in Bangaluru. Progress has been made on...
Quadcopter Aerial Test Footage of Iraivan Temple
The monastery is in the process of procuring and setting up a remote-controlled quadcopter with a video camera...
Iraivan Tour with Yoginathaswami
The carving of Iraivan Temple as you have never seen it. If you are interested in the magic...
Iraivan Temple Mid 2010 Update
Construction progress report for mid 2010 for the San Marga Iraivan Temple being constructed at Kauai's Hindu Monastery
Gurudeva Talks about the Magic of Iraivan
A short and marvelous video from our archives. Gurudeva talks about Iraivan and his vision of Siva, in...
Iraivan Temple's Namaskara Mandapam installed
The sacred space at the center of Kauai's stone marvel, Iraivan Hindu Temple, is adorned by a black...
Iraivan Temple Views - January 2010
A few views of Iraivan Temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery, on the morning of January 22, 2010.
Iraivan Temple Floor Progress
Our Silpis continue work on the rose granite floor of the Iraivan Siva temple in Hawaii

subset: commoncrawl


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Firstly hello everyone, I'm new to this site and just finished reading http://devmaster.net...ere-do-i-start/ by starstutter. I found the thread very interesting and informative. I am a new programmer for the most part, I would just say new. I have learned about 80% of a book "Creating a NNP (Can't say the M word) with java" or something to that sort, I can't remember been years since I had the book. Anyways, I have started started learning and working with Unity3d engine learning with JavaScript for now but eventually C# as well. I have begun to learn the essentials to the the beginners and soon the intermediate tutorials, and I have on order the new Dev book for it. My question is, I'm not jumping into this for the sake of making a \\$4mill+ NNP (that M word again) I simply want to work with this long term and maybe eventually one day work with a team, and or for a company. (NNP (*M word) or not).
Is this the right start for me? I have time, no rush date, no current innovative idea, well I do alot of them but thats not why I'm doing this, and I'm moderate in animation and graphics I do for visual effects and cinematography, so I already no most of the animation side of it. Would it be a legitimate start to learn from scratch from Unity3d, as well as learning Javascript and C# along with it? Main reason I went with Unity3d engine is because on the forums I have been researching it pretty much came down to it, that Unity3d was the best engine for beginners and professionalism alike, at least the best for being in the same package, with and interface that I love by the way. So I guess as side from my rambling, would that be a good way to start? Like I am? Or do I need to start with something smaller? Reason I ask is because on the thread linked about it stated that, One should lower there expectations and learn smaller first, *Tetris, Mario, and Pong" But I'm not going into this to create this groundbreaking next gen game idea I have. Should I still learn from those games as a beginner? Or, Is what I am doing alright?
Also off question, sorta. Would it be a better idea also to start learning C++ for this kind of thing? I keep researching it, and I'm pretty sure C++ is the way to go but with all the retarded debates and stuff it's just so hard to tell which is best for which, everyone has different veiws, Could someone maybe point me to a list, what what kinda of known *as in C/C++/VB/FB/Java* languages are best for what type of games so that way I can kind of decide whats best for what myself? Thanks Everyone, and sorry if my questions are a little weird or hard to understand I never really asked anyone this stuff, so it's a little hard to go about, without sounding like one of those "I just got a great Idea for an MMO, can someone point me to a program that creates them? I NEED TO MAKE IT FAST TO, AND TELL ME HOW PLEASE!!!!" kinda guys...
*Edit* Should I still learn from those games as a beginner? Dumb question of course it would be helpful experience to learn those, what I meant was I feel moderately comfortable doing what I am right now, without learning them. Would it still be a good idea to learn them?
I think you should just stick with what you are doing as far as Unity. It's good to start with smaller games because you do things like menu, levels, sound, some type of finish, and you are more able to gauge a project that you are capable of completing. There are some programmers that really never finish a project because they keep starting something too large. No one starts off writing a novel. They write a short story. They get feed back. They learn from it, and they write another. Eventually they are good enough to write a novel. Games are worse than that though. There are very few that can write certain types of games without having at least a small team. I know quite a few people that tried writing rpg's as individuals and none of them ever finished. There's a Unity rpg in the projects list called Frontier something that the author just gave up on after a couple year's work. If you are an indy or even in a small team, really, you should be writing smaller games. The ones that don't learn that carry on for a few years and then usually just give up. I think it's possible to do a type of rpg if you reuse a lot of resources, but the people I know didn't do that. That's why it's important to start with smaller games that re-use resources and yet keep adding things to keep the game fresh.
I think it's possible to do a type of rpg if you reuse a lot of resources, but the people I know didn't do that. That's why it's important to start with smaller games that re-use resources and yet keep adding things to keep the game fresh.
Firstly fireside, Thank you very much for your helpful comment, but I have a question. By reusing resources do you mean, using the same, but sometimes changing up the code/ adding textures/ adding animations and terrains or items/ to keep it fresh (over time of course)? I think I know what you meant by it, but since I didn't fully understand it I had to ask.
Also I have used Blender since 2.37a, so I'm very familiar with it, But the very newest on 2.61 I have not I installed it and released it was going to take more time to learn the interface than I care to put into ATM. Have you used 2.61 at all?
Yeah, you need to reuse resources. Not just artwork, but even code. The key is to make slight modifications through the game that make it interesting in later play. That's where the old rpg's used mapped dungeon walls, etc. If they are somewhat stylized, the player will accept it and you can change textures, etc. You will find almost any smaller game using this technique in different ways so it pays to play some indy games and watch what they are doing. There's no set way or anything, just your own limitations of what one person or a small group can do.
That is what I figured you meant, but I had to make sure. It definitely sounds like a good piece of advice I can see were it would be good for learning and be beneficially easier process for being new. I have play a few Indy games actually and I can see what you mean by that, I can see why It would be a better route for being able to complete a project. Thanks again good sir/mam sir I'm assuming. Very helpful advice!!
@Robert J. King
would that be a good way to start? Like I am? Or do I need to start with something smaller?
Yes, it is a good way to start.
There is no "bad" way to start, but what most seasoned devs are trying to say is that a lot of your first attempts will be mostly throw-aways due to inexperience and evolving understanding and style. If you start with an MMO, first it takes a long time to get to a finish product, which will likely be crap to throw-away when you get there. (Unless you have a ton of coding experience in complex, client-server systems already.) So, start small, esp. if you have the luxury of time. Do a simple 2D or 3D game first. Screw up on a small Mario clone, or a demo, or a 3D game that involves colliding cubes.@Robert J. King
Also off question, sorta. Would it be a better idea also to start learning C++ for this kind of thing?
To start, not really... but we're splitting hairs again. In a few years, to be a flexible dev and to maximize your own potential, you should know more than one language anyways. And, it also greatly depends on the kind of games you want to make. There's lots of indie studios that are making casual games that don't use C++.@Robert J. King
Could someone maybe point me to a list, what what kinda of known *as in C/C++/VB/FB/Java* languages are best for what type of games so that way I can kind of decide whats best for what myself?
Should I still learn from those games as a beginner? Dumb question of course it would be helpful experience to learn those, what I meant was I feel moderately comfortable doing what I am right now, without learning them. Would it still be a good idea to learn them?
When is learning a bad thing?
Thank you alphadog, I will do that just that starting with the small stuff first, I'm in no way shape or from trying an MMO, as a first project or even a project by myself for that matter, I have spent to much time researching and learning about the workforce time and money behind one, I would love to maybe direct one, one day or even work with a company.
I understand your valid point about learning the C++ language as well for potential and flexibly, and will definitely take that into consideration.
Thanks for this, that helped allot, it's what I was looking for, I do have one question, though might be a dumb one, but when you say C/C++ do you mean C#? I'm wonder because on the dev forums I see allot of that for object oriented game talk. But actually C and C# are different, that's why I'm double checking to make sure I got it down, you mean C by C# right?
and yes that whole last part of your statement was true and a dumb question all together on my part learning something new is never a bad thing. lol
Thanks again alphadog.
No, by C/C++ I'm pretty sure he means C/C++, not C#.
Ok, I'm learning C# and Java but in the past I have worked with java a bit not to much. So while designing a game would that mean C/C++ work together because C isn't object oriented is it? C is procedural. So that kinda throws me for a loop, C# isn't a hardware pushing code for game design? Thanks sorry sorry again but it just kind of confused me. Never mind I just researched that C++ originally was designed as an extension of C.
C vs C++ is largely a matter of taste. Some people don't like using C++'s extra features (e.g. classes and objects) and prefer just sticking to C.
In any case, C# is closer to Java than to C or C++. C# is executed on a virtual machine, like Java. It's reasonably fast but it's not a language for pushing the hardware envelope because there's an extra layer between you and the machine. C and C++ are more "close to the metal".
Ok, that makes allot more sense thank you Reedbeta. So it would be wise to stick with Java/C# for now as a beginner and move to C and or C++ later on down the line. Because I almost feel since C++ would be the better way to go, it's just judging from what I understand Java/C# are more beginner friendly for learning. Now that I understand that.... Thanks again and I appreciate the responses.
Reedbeta is right. I did mean C/C++, and not C#/C++. As he says, some languages are compiled and closer to the metal. You would want to know and use those kinds of languages if you wanted to, for example, build the next CryEngine v16.
And, IMO, closer to the metal does not mean more complicated. In fact, C# used to be "beginner-friendly", but the language in its current state is filled with tons of features and capabilities which will be daunting to any n00b.
Any language worth knowing is rife with its own complexities. You need to pick a language based on the work you are going to do with it. I think people here know my love for analogies: a carpenter learns the tools needed for his specialty, not learns a specialty based on the easy tools.


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Steve Tilson: Lee Barnard can be big hit for Southend United next season
12:40pm Wednesday 28th May 2014
By Chris Phillips
12:40pm Wednesday 28th May 2014
By Chris Phillips
STEVE Tilson is backing Lee Barnard to rediscover his best form for Southend United next season.
Last week, Echosport revealed how the striker had another year remaining at Roots Hall, despite scoring just once in 14 games while on at the end of last season.
But Tilson, who was in charge of Barnard during his first spell with the Shrimpers, believes the 29-year-old will start to score more regularly once he is back to full fitness.
"I'm sure Barney will score goals in League Two next season if he can have a good pre-season and get himself fit," said Tilson.
"When he came to Southend in January he had been out for quite some time and he had only been back training a week so it was a quite a gamble from the club to bring him in to be honest.
"It was always going to be tough for Barney to hit the ground running, especially as he was coming in to a brand new team with players he hadn't played with before.
"But we all know the qualities he has and pre-season will be absolutely huge for him.
"If he can get through that without getting injured then I'm sure he will start to score more regularly and I really hope he does because he's a great lad."
Barnard scored 37 goals in 85 games during his first stint with the Shrimpers before joining Southampton for £175,000 in January 2010.
The former Mayflower School pupil impressed with the Saints before getting injured.
And Tilson feels keeping Barnard fit will be the key to how successful he will be next season.
"It's always been with the same with Barney but if he's fit he will score goals and probably lots of them too," said the former Shrimpers boss.
"He did it before when we were in League One and I was absolutely gutted when he left because I knew how important he was to us.
"We ended up going down once he went but hopefully he can help Southend get back out of League Two now next season."
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group


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15 Ways to Earn Your Audience as a Writer
It's not enough to just write prolifically. You need to develop an audience, and deliver them excellent content. Here's 15 ways to handle developing an audience as a writer.
Emotion vs. Feeling: How to Evoke More From Readers
Recognizing the subtle differences in writing emotion and writing feeling can help render both more powerfully on the page.
How to Turn Elements of Your Novel Into a Masterpiece
Get too focused on any one instrument at play in your story, and you may lose sight of the harmony inherent in truly great fiction. Here's how to compose the elements of your novel into a masterpiece.
How to Craft Characters Scene by Scene
Dimensional characters are born from drama—not description. Here's why (and how) to delve into your characterizations one defining scene at a time.
The 5 Essential Story Ingredients
Forget three-act structures, formulas for plot, and even beginnings, middles and ends. Write better stories by propelling your protagonist through a transformation your readers will never forget.
The Setback: How to Successfully Start Writing Again
If you're anything like me, part of your New Year's Resolution (that's still a thing, right?) was to write more. It might've been to hit a certain word or page count in a day, write for a certain time length, develop a number of ideas in a day, etc. Whatever it...
Essential Advice for Beginning Writers: An Interview with Kerri Majors
Kerri Majors is the editor and founder of YARN, the Young Adult Review Network, an online literary journal of YA short stories, essays, and poetry. As if this role doesn't keep her busy enough, she is also the author of This Is Not a Writing Manual, a refreshing and candid memoir...
Knowing When to Stop: Expectations for a Satisfying Ending
Everyone struggles with how to write an ending, regardless of whether it's a novel or a short story. Sometimes our perfect endings come to us in a dream-like vision, and other times we are left staring at the taunting, flashing cursor on our Word document, daring us to type. But your...
Make More Time for Your Writing
It's a common lament: I could finish my novel, if only I had more hours in the day! In fact, the universal chorus of complaint from writers of all stripes seems to be "not enough time." In this excerpt from The Productive Writer by Sage Cohen, you'll learn how your relationship with...
Creating Emotional Frustration in Your Characters
Using emotion to create strong, emotional characters and move a plot is critical for any writer in any type of genre. Knowing what kind of emotion to use and how to use it is a different matter, however. And while our fictional characters experience the same wide range of emotions that we...
Writing Gender-Specific Dialogue
Writing dialogue to suit the gender of your characters is important in any genre, but it becomes even more essential in romance writing. In a romance novel, characters of opposite sexes are often paired up or pitted against each other in relationships with varying degrees of complication. Achieving differentiation in the...
Don't Let Worry Drag You Down
Writers are often worriers. We're plagued with indecision about the choices we make for our stories. We doubt the quality of our writing. We wonder if we'll ever break through into the realm of publication, recognition, and even celebration. We sometimes fret that we're wasting our efforts entirely in a profession...
5 New Year's Resolutions for Writers
A new year, a new writerly you. New Year's Day is a time for reflecting on the past year while thinking about the goals, wishes, and hopes for the new year ahead. What does this mean for your writing goals? Maybe 2013 is the year you finish your novel. Maybe it's...
How to Write a Reader-Friendly Essay
Powerful, surprising, and fascinating personal essays are also "reader-friendly essays" that keep the reader squarely in focus. So how do you go about writing one? In this excerpt from Crafting the Personal Essay, author Dinty W. Moore shares a variety of methods for crafting an essay that keeps the reader's desires...
Writing for the Young Adult Audience
There's no question about it: The young adult (YA) audience is a hot market, one that is steadily growing in popularity and garnering attention from young readers as well as literary critics. This means that this market is healthier than ever–and so is the competition for getting published. So what are...
8 Simple Tips to Write Better
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BY ELIZABETH SIMS What's in a character's name? Everything. Here's how you, the writer, can master the neglected art of moniker-making.
Create Structure in Your Fiction Using Index Cards
I was reading through some of our older science fiction titles, and I came upon Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold (published in 2001). As I was flipping through the book, I read an opening line that intrigued me: "All writing is list-making. Nothing more. The trick is knowing what to...
The 13 Trickiest Grammar Hang-Ups
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5 Story Mistakes Even Good Writers Make
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It was an extremely wet and unusually cold spring statewide, with the fourth wettest April and the twelfth wettest May since record keeping began in 1895. Snow and standing water left fields impassible to machinery and multiple freezes damaged overwintered crops, but the extended cold conditions allowed record high maple syrup production.
On April 28th, spring tillage was only 4 percent complete, 32 percentage points below the five year average and the lowest total for that date in the past 30 years. Farmers struggled to finish planting throughout June as topsoil moistures hovered between 35 and 44 percent surplus. Areas of southern Wisconsin reportedly received up to 11 inches of rain in the final week of June, causing localized flooding and crop damage.
Topsoil moistures then fell dramatically throughout the twelfth driest July in the past 119 years, with 0.90 inches less rain statewide than in July 2012. Despite two brief heat waves, temperatures were below normal for most of July and August, with some light frosts reported in northern Wisconsin the week ending August 18.
Though the northeast received above normal precipitation in August, the rest of the state was well below normal, causing drought conditions to develop across the west. Statewide, topsoil moistures were 79 percent short to very short on September 8th, compared to 71 percent short to very short on September 8, 2012. The lack of heat and moisture kept crop development indications consistently behind normal. Above average temperatures and rains in September and early October helped to alleviate moisture shortages and push crops toward maturity. But temperatures plunged in the latter half of October, halting the growing season.
Multiple rain and snow events slowed fieldwork throughout November. Fall tillage was 63 percent complete statewide on November 25, 9 percentage points behind the five year average.
Statewide temperatures from June to September were 0.1 degrees above normal in 2013, compared to 2.0 degrees above normal in 2012. April through August had below normal temperatures, with April averaging 6.4 degrees below normal. September had above normal temperatures, averaging 2.0 degrees above normal. The month with the greatest departure from normal was March, which averaged 6.6 degrees below normal.
Precipitation totals for April through September were above normal across the state, with a statewide total of 23.85 inches. This was 6.12 inches above the total for 2012 and 1.34 inches above normal. Total precipitation in the northern third of the state was 1.22 inches above normal for April through September, the central third of the state was 0.86 inches below normal, and the southern third of the state was 4.13 inches above normal.
Statewide, April through June had above normal precipitation, while July through September had below normal precipitation. Of the nine reporting districts, five had Aprils in the top five wettest on record, with the Southeast district breaking the previous record. Four districts had Mays in the top ten wettest on record and four had Julys in the top ten driest on record.
Due to cold, wet conditions in April, corn was only 4 percent planted on May 5, 22 percentage points below the five year average. Planting dragged on through May and June as farmers worked around wet spots and dodged rain storms.
Reporters noted that some fields intended for corn for grain were switched to soybeans and shorter season varieties, and that wet conditions interfered with spraying. Corn reached 98 percent emerged on July 7, a full 20 days behind the five year average. Sixty three percent of the crop was rated in good to excellent condition on that date. Condition then declined due to lack of precipitation; corn on light soils was reportedly showing drought stress only three weeks into July, even in areas where moisture had been excessive.
Inadequate precipitation combined with late planting and below average temperatures kept development behind normal statewide. Corn silage harvest began the week ending September 1, with farmers chopping nonâpollinated and dried up corn to supplement short feed supplies and poor pastures. Corn for grain harvest began the week ending September 29. However, rains throughout October and November meant high grain moistures and soggy fields.
On November 24, corn for grain was 82 percent harvested, 5 points behind the five year average. Reporters noted that yields were highly variable and that some corn intended for dry grain was taken for silage or high moisture corn instead.
One percent of soybeans were planted on May 12, 12 points behind the five year average. Planting and emergence then fell further and further behind average throughout May and June. On June 16, soybeans were 72 percent planted and 49 percent emerged, compared to a five year average of 97 percent planted and 84 percent emerged.
Planting continued through midâJuly because of wet field conditions and because some fields intended for corn were switched to soybeans late in the season. Soybeans were 98 percent emerged and 66 percent in good to excellent condition on July 14. The late start combined with cool temperatures and low soil moisture kept the crop's development between 10 and 20 percent behind normal throughout the summer.
These conditions also reportedly interfered with pollination and pod fill. There were wide variations in soybean condition as soil moistures bottomed out on September 8, with 27 percent of the crop in poor to very poor condition and 42 percent in good to excellent condition. Reports of drought damaged soybeans being chopped for forage came in through
September as leaves turning and dropping leaves indications continued to trail the average. However, warm temperatures and rains in that month helped the crop to mature. The harvest got underway with 3 percent harvested on September 29, compared to 38 percent the previous year and 12 percent average. Yields were reportedly average to below average, and some reporters noted that combining was difficult because plants were low to the ground.
The harvest reached 97 percent complete on November 24.
Oat planting saw a record late start due to this spring's wet conditions. Oats were only 5 percent planted on April 28, 46 points below the five year average.
This broke the previous record low of 7 percent planted on April 28, 2011. Planting and emergence remained well below normal throughout May and June, with planting hitting 94 percent complete on June 9. On June 16, oat emergence reached 96 percent, and 68 percent of oats were in good to excellent condition statewide.
Due to the late start and adverse weather, both development and harvest of the crop remained behind normal. Harvest began in mid July and ran about a week behind average, wrapping up with 96 percent harvested on September 8. There were widespread reports of oats being doubleâcropped for supplemental forage.
Wisconsin's hay stands were very slow to break dormancy this year due to below average temperatures. On May 19, winter freeze damage to alfalfa was rated at 19 percent severe, 23 percent moderate, and 24 percent light, with no damage to 34 percent of stands statewide.
All cuttings of hay this year lagged slightly behind the five year average, and nearly a month behind 2012's record early haying season. The first cutting began on May 26, as feed shortages and the rapidly maturing crop reportedly forced farmers to cut around wet spots. Soggy conditions held up the first cutting and made drying hay nearly impossible in May and June. The second cutting grew quickly due to abundant moisture and was cut quickly as the ground firmed in July. However, dry, cool conditions slowed regrowth and lowered the quality and quantity of the third and fourth crops, putting pressure on already tight hay supplies.
The third cutting wrapped up with 95 percent complete on September 22. The fourth cutting was 46 percent harvested on that date, 16 percent behind the five year average. Some producers were unable to take a fourth crop this year due to the late start and drought stress on hay stands. Rains in October and November helped fall seedings emerge and bolstered existing stands for winter. Hay and roughage supplies were 26 percent short statewide on November 4.
Snow, rain, flooding and low temperatures in April started pastures out in poor shape this year. The lack of good pasture combined with feed shortages and weatherârelated calf losses reportedly made it a difficult spring for livestock producers. Conditions improved through May and June, with 87 percent of pasture statewide in good to excellent condition on June 30.
However, the dry weather of July and August was hard on pastureland with 61 percent in poor to very poor condition by September 15. Rains in the fall helped to improve condition and prepare pastures to overwinter.


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Who's getting funded?
Columbia-based Elderscan, doing business as eXscan, raised $1.5 million in debt, according to SEC filings. The firm offers bank account monitoring and other financial security tools to protect seniors.
Unbound Concepts posted an offering last week for $550,000 in debt, according to SEC filings. No buyers have been reported as of yet. The firm, a resident of the Emerging Technology Centers Highlandtown incubator, has developed an app that matches books to students based on grade level.
SurveySnap raised $50,000 in equity in a $150,000 offering, according to SEC filings. The Columbia company, an AccelerateBaltimore graduate, has developed an app to ease the site survey process.
The ARC, a device aimed at supporting the backs of everyone from office workers to gamers, was funded on Kickstarter last week, as Technical.ly Baltimore reported.
Who's making moves?
Silicon Valley software giant Oracle bought Columbia's Micros Systems for $5.3 billion, as Technical.ly Baltimore reported. The company will continue to operate independently, according to a release on the buyout.


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Since Cloud Block Storage is a relatively new product offering at Rackspace, I thought it might be helpful to give you three best practices as you start using it with your cloud configuration.
First, it is important to understand the differences between throughput and random I/O. Throughput is very important for the general use cases of writing sequential data to your drives, such as having extra space for logging, streaming data or basic file access. It is important to note that throughput will be roughly the same for both our Standard volumes (SATA) and Solid State Drive (SSD) offerings. If you are just looking for a way to store extra data, you will be best served with the Standard Cloud Block Storage volume.
Random I/O is very important for application, database and NoSQL servers – essentially, it is important for any server that needs to be able to quickly write to random parts on the disk. In this case, our SSD offering is many times faster than our Standard offering, and will be the best solution when you are looking to improve performance of random I/O.
Another best practice considers when to place your Cloud Block Storage drives in a RAID configuration. If you are in a High Availability (HA) environment and you want to make sure that your data is available, you would generally follow the same best practices for setting up a RAID array as you would with a dedicated environment. You can set up your Cloud Block Storage volumes in a RAID array, usually a mirrored configuration, to help provide extra redundancy and durability. This means that if a drive goes away or fails, you can easily replicate your data and replace another drive in the RAID array.
However, we do not recommend using RAID to enhance the performance of your Cloud Block Storage volumes. Setting up the Stanard drives in a RAID array will not give you as good of an experience as using the SSD Cloud Block Storage volumes. So remember: when you need extra performance, be sure to use SSDs.
Finally, whether you are using RAID or not, it is always a good idea to back up your data, and there are two different ways you can do this. Using the control panel or API, you can back up your Cloud Block Storage volumes to Cloud Files. This will give you a durable backup and you can use that to create new volumes down the road. The other option is to use Cloud Backup to make a file level backup of your block device. This will give you the capability to restore a specific file (such as a document) at any point in time; you won't have to restore your entire drive just to restore that one file.
These are some of the best practices I've seen while using Cloud Block Storage. If you come across any others, be sure to comment on this post and let us know!
Previously, Chuck discussed some of the differences between Cloud Files and Cloud Block Storage. Be sure to check out this page to find out how to get started with Cloud Block Storage on the Rackspace Cloud powered by OpenStack.


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WORK has begun on transforming an historic Darwen building into a new school after scaffolding went up.
The former Model Lodging House in Police Street is to become the new home of the £4.1million Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio.
The school, for children aged 14 to 19, opened in its own space at Darwen Academy last September.
But the school will relocate to its own independent building for the start of the next school year. The work is being carried out by Cardiff-based ISG after the project went out to tender, and the renovation firm has been on site now for a month.
Principal Ruth Bradbury said: "Now the work has really started and they are really cracking on with it.
"I am very excited. It will be great to have our own home. It has been great to have the space to start up here but we want to be able to grow in our own space."
Mrs Bradbury said there were lots of benefits to the school getting its own building. She said: "We will be more central in the town which will be better for working with local businesses.
"We have done a really good job of creating our own ethos and culture within DACA but now we can grow and develop even more."
Mrs Bradbury said it was also important to maintain the heritage of the new building, which opened in 1897.
She said: "We will be maintaining the architecture of what is one of the town's most historic buildings and I think it is great it is being used so productively. We are hoping to have a display showing the history of the building."
The school, which is separate from DACA but has the support of benefactor the Aldridge Foundation, will offer mainstream qualifications delivered through commercial business-based projects, and linked to the world of work.
Through links with businesses across East Lancashire, students will spend some of their time on work placements outside of the classroom.
When at capacity, it will cater for 300 students, and employ around 30 staff.
Places for years 10 and 12 are still available to start in September.


text: A-line dress in double-serge wool Item F8528 Color: IVORY Size: All sizes are US sizes. 0 2 8 10 Size Charts Quantity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prices do not include taxes. Add to Bag Wishlist Add to Bag Add To Wishlist share: size & fit A-line silhouette. Falls below knee, 40" from high point of shoulder (based on size 6). Product Details A supersleek A-line dress crafted in our double-serge wool—a customer favorite since 2006 thanks to its more structured, polished feel. Plus, a grosgrain-ribbon-backed belt that nips in at the most flattering point of your waist. Wool. Back zip. Lined. Dry clean. Import. Select stores. Item F8528.


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Telephone and Voicemail
The office of telecommunications provides and supports local, long distance services, and voicemail to all faculty and staff.
Faculty or staff who are having trouble with their telephone or voicemail, please call the Information Technology Helpdesk at extension 2225 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
VoIP Phone and Voice Mail Training
Helpful Hints:
How do I transfer a call:
• When you have someone on the phone look at the LCD screen and find Transfer
• Press Transfer and put the extension that you want to transfer to
• After first ring press Transfer again, then hang up
Transfer directly to voicemail:
• Press Transfer
• Dial 2066
• When you get the Opening Greeting from Cisco Press #
• Dial the number that you want the voicemail left in
• Hit Transfer
• Hang up
How do I get my Greeting and Name on my Voicemail
• On your VoIP phone Press Messages
• Put in your Password … Default is 1024
• Listen to the tutorial .. she will tell you everything you need to do. Please put your name AND a personal greeting on. The name is for the directory and the personal greeting is what people hear when they get your voicemail.
Call Voicemail from Off Campus:
• Dial 375-2066 (or dial your own office number and wait for voicemail to pick up)
• When you hear the Opening Greeting from Cisco, press *
• She will ask for your ID number .. this is your four digit phone extension plus # (example: 2581#)
• She will ask for your password ... If you have not already done so, please change the password from the default 1024 to one that you want to use. Put a # at the end
• Now you are in your voicemail box
• Listen to the tutorial for your options
From anyone's phone on campus you will be able to check your own voicemail:
• Press the Messages button on anyone's phone
• Press *
• It will ask you to "Please enter your ID number". This is your four digit extension followed by #
• Put in your password
Cisco has created an assistant for you to manage your Voicemail (Unity). We call it your PCA. Click here for more info.


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Prices for Brent crude oil have settled into a fairly well-defined range in the fourth quarter of 2012, moving between $106 and about $116 per barrel since early October. In the fourth quarter of 2011, both the level and the range of Brent prices were similar to current levels (Figure 1). That price environment continued into January of 2012 before prices increased sharply in February and March, resulting in the second consecutive year of substantial first-quarter crude oil price increases. However, despite the similarity between prices in the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2012, physical markets are somewhat less indicative of higher prices than at this time last year. The U.S. Energy Administration's (EIA) December 2012 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) forecasts the Brent spot price to fall during the first quarter of 2013 rather than rise as it did in early 2012. For 2013 as a whole, EIA expects Brent to average $104 per barrel, an $8-per-barrel decrease from the expected 2012 annual average of $112 per barrel.
In its current STEO, EIA forecasts the call on the combination of global inventories and crude oil from the member countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Counties (OPEC) to decline through the first half of 2013. This call on inventories and OPEC production is projected to average 30.7 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in the first quarter of 2013 and fall to 29.8 million bbl/d in the second quarter, declines of 0.3 million bbl/d and 1.2 million bbl/d, respectively, from the 2012 fourth quarter. From the fourth quarter of 2011, the call on inventories and OPEC decreased only 0.5 million bbl/d to average 30.8 million bbl/d in the second quarter of 2012.
This reduction in the call on inventories and OPEC is largely the result of growing liquids production from non-OPEC members. In the December STEO, non-OPEC supply is projected to average 53.7 million bbl/d in the second quarter of 2013, about a 0.8-million-bbl/d increase from the expected fourth-quarter average. Forecast non-OPEC production growth is largely driven by expected increases in production from U.S. tight oil formations and Canadian oil sands. Last year, geopolitical events in Sudan and Syria disrupted production and non-OPEC supply was 0.2 million bbl/d lower in the second quarter of 2012 from the fourth quarter of 2011.
EIA also expects that OPEC crude oil production in the first half of 2013 will slightly outpace the combined call on inventories and OPEC crude oil production, leading to expected global inventory builds during the first half of 2013.
Notwithstanding expectations for easing in physical markets and growth in global spare capacity during 2013, current macroeconomics are uncertain and there are risks to the forecast that could push prices higher or lower. EIA projections do not assume any significant economic deterioration in the United States or the European Union (EU) next year, but oil prices could move lower on concerns about the downside risks to future consumption from the so-called "fiscal cliff" in the United States, or from concerns about EU economic stability. Oil prices could move higher as well. In China, the economy has shown signs of improvement over the past two months, as key manufacturing indexes, export volumes, and refining runs have increased, although a sustained rebound is tentative.
In early 2012, geopolitical disruptions helped bolster Brent prices. Similarly, events in Libya contributed to higher prices in early 2011. While EIA does not forecast geopolitical developments, any new geopolitical threat to supply security would affect global crude markets.
Financial market indicators also suggest that market expectations of a first-quarter price increase in 2013 are lower than in the fourth quarter of 2012. While the Brent options market is not sufficiently liquid to provide meaningful information on implied volatility beyond the prompt month, options written on West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures contracts offer a rough idea about market participants' assessment of the likelihood of a major price move. As of the five trading days ending December 6, implied volatility for the WTI contract settling in March 2013 averaged 28 percent. At current market prices this volatility yields a calculated 95-percent confidence interval of $71 to $113 per barrel. Last year at this time, implied volatility for the March 2012 WTI contract was 41 percent, yielding a much wider calculated 95-percent confidence interval of $69 to $142 per barrel. While Brent prices are higher than WTI prices, Brent implied volatility has also decreased recently, settling at 25 percent on December 6, about a 3-percentage-point decrease from November 1, and its lowest level since the second quarter.


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Today's Devotional
Making PlansWhat plans are you working on today?
Top Music Videos
Gospel Light Minute #61
He was an actor, television producer, writer, and Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer. He is best known for his television roles, playing the lead characters in the 1960–1968 situation comedy The Andy Griffith Show and in the 1986–1995 legal drama Matlock. As a young man, he served as choir director at First Baptist Church of Goldsboro and pursued pre-ministerial studies at UNC Chapel Hill before changing his major to acting. He earned Tony Award nominations for two Broadway performances. At age 69, he went back to an early dream of singing Southern Gospel music. And he recorded gospel songs for "I Love To Tell The Story - 25 Favorite Hymns." This album was certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush. He went home to Heaven on July 3, 2012 at age 86.


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Delgado lacks control in first spring start
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Randall Delgado would certainly like a do-over after his first outing as a member of the D-backs.
The right-hander, who was acquired in the trade that sent Justin Upton to the Braves, allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits on Monday, lasting just one inning in his first start of spring.
"I felt physically ready, but obviously a little bit out of control, missing location," Delgado said. "I was leaving the ball a little bit up. I felt good in the bullpen. When I got into the game, I felt out of control."
Delgado is competing with Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin for the fifth spot in the rotation.
"He didn't have very good command of his pitches, and it seems like when his pitches are down, they move more, and gets them up, they straighten out," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "He didn't look like he had much confidence in his secondary pitches. He's got a really good changeup. He didn't stay with that. Breaking ball was not really sharp."
Delgado will have plenty of time to make a better impression, though he'll have to do it in a relief role. He is slated to follow Wade Miley on the mound on March 2.
"It's normal. The first time, you're not going to be comfortable," he said. "I just try to keep focus for the next one."


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Project TEACH-Kenya (TEACH)
This study has been withdrawn prior to enrollment.
(We did not receive proper funding to complete this study)
North Bronx Healthcare Network
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Yvette Calderon,MD, MS, North Bronx Healthcare Network
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: May 2, 2013
Last updated: May 7, 2015
Last verified: May 2015
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
Public health programs and policies have utilized the "combination prevention" model of bringing together tailored, proven interventions in order to reduce the global impact of HIV. Project TEACH-Kenya adapts two effective HIV interventions, Project BRIEF (Behavioral intervention, Rapid HIV test, Innovative video, Efficient cost and health care savings, Facilitated seamless care) and STEP (Skill-based Teenage Education Program for HIV prevention) to increase HIV testing and counseling rates, implement proven risk reduction programs, and improve rates of linkage to care and ART initiation among adolescents in Kenya. The collaboration with St. Francis Community Hospital and input from the Kasarani community will increase the breadth, reach, and impact of this HIV prevention intervention in Kenya.
|Behavioral: Risk Reduction Intervention
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Prevention
|Official Title:
|Project Tailoring Effective And Community-based HIV Interventions in Kenya
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: HIV/AIDSU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Yvette Calderon,MD, MS, North Bronx Healthcare Network:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Feasibility [ Time Frame: up to 15 months ]
Feasibility of implementing project STEP will be measured by acceptance and participation rates. Evaluation outputs include:
- Efficiency: Number of eligible participants, number randomized into each age and experimental group,
- Acceptance rates (number of people who agree to participate in program; number who complete the whole 10 week program);
- Population characteristics: We will describe the demographic and behavioural profiles of those who participated in the program and those who refuse; the level of HIV knowledge, self efficacy and satisfaction with the program.
- Satisfaction/acceptability: College student recruitment, receptivity and satisfaction with the project; implementation issues and resource use
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Risk Reduction [ Time Frame: up to 15 months ]HIV related knowledge will be measured using the HIV KQ-18; stigma will be measured using the AIDS-Related Stigma Scale. Sexual history will also be measured using the traditional Project B.R.I.E.F. survey. The questionnaire will be piloted for receptiveness. We will ask for ratings of satisfaction with the video-based pre-counseling and education/prevention post test using measures used by Calderon.
|Study Start Date:
|September 2013
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|September 2015
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|September 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Intervention
Those randomized to the intervention group will be invited to attend the risk reduction intervention.
Behavioral: Risk Reduction Intervention
STEP is based on social learning theory and provides age-appropriate and culturally acceptable HIV prevention information in a format that encourages information growth and skills enhancement. The program is delivered by 'Instructors,' undergraduate college students aged 18-24, one hour per week for 10 weeks.
No Intervention: Control
The control group will receive usual care. Both treatment and control groups will have received the video-based risk reduction intervention.
Detailed Description:
In 2010, HIV/AIDS accounted for up to 29% of all deaths and 24% of all disabilities in Kenya. There is a particular need to concentrate HIV education, testing, and linkage-to-care efforts among high-risk adolescents; by age 18, 47% of women and 58% of men have had sexual intercourse. Only one in four young Kenyans used condoms the first time they had sex, and only half of 15-24 year olds had comprehensive HIV knowledge. The goal of this intervention, Project TEACH-Kenya, is to adapt two proven HIV interventions, Project BRIEF and STEP, to an urban setting in the Kasarani District of the Nairobi Province, Kenya. According to the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Five-Year Strategy, a successful prevention program brings together a combination of evaluated, tailored interventions, to stem the spread of HIV infection among high-risk populations. This synergistic model, referred to as combination prevention, serves as the basis for adapting the current intervention encompassing HIV testing and counseling, risk behavior reduction programs, and linkage to care and ART initiation to the Kenyan context. Project TEACH-Kenya will develop tailored, theory-based educational videos, linkage procedures, and a tailored prevention program for adolescents 13-18 years old and pilot and test the intervention at St. Francis Community Hospital, a high volume community-based hospital in Kasarani. The majority of adolescents that access St. Francis's services are orphan and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS (OVC-HIV) who are disproportionately poor and malnourished and are at increased risk for acquiring HIV, stressing the need for this intervention. The outcome of this project will be a feasible, evidence-based, cost- and time-effective program to improve HIV education and increase testing and linkage-to-care rates among adolescents in Kenya.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|13 Years to 18 Years (Child, Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Women and minorities will not be excluded from this research study. We will include only adolescents ages 13-18 at time of recruitment in this study, because that is the age group that we are targetting for this intervention. Residents must be of the St. Francis Hospital catchment area
Exclusion Criteria:
- Over the age of 18 and under the age of 13. Unable to understand the consent process for the study; or otherwise unable to consent to HIV testing.
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01850576
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01850576
|United States, New York
|Albert Einstein College of Medicine
|Bronx, New York, United States, 10461
|St. Francis Community Hospital
|Nairobi, Kasarani, Kenya
Sponsors and Collaborators
North Bronx Healthcare Network
|Principal Investigator:
|Rosy Chhabra, PsyD
|Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc.
|Principal Investigator:
|Yvette Calderon, MD, MS
|North Central Bronx Healthcare Network
|Study Director:
|Erick Nyambedha
|St. Francis Community Hospital
More Information
Keywords provided by Yvette Calderon,MD, MS, North Bronx Healthcare Network:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Yvette Calderon,MD, MS, Principal Investigator, North Bronx Healthcare Network
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01850576 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|May 2, 2013
|Last Updated:
|May 7, 2015
Keywords provided by Yvette Calderon,MD, MS, North Bronx Healthcare Network:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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East Coast Marina Guide
We know that it is not always easy to find a marina that can accommodate the needs of a catamaran. If you have visited a marina on the East Coast that was able to haul your cat, provide a dock or a mooring with a smile, please let us know. Your feedback will be used to create a list of marinas that are catamaran friendly on the East Coast for everyone to use as a reference. Thank you for sharing.


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New For 2014
Lincoln has not yet announced any changes to the 2014 Lincoln MKZ or MKZ Hybrid.
Vehicle Summary
In 2006, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan twins begat the Lincoln Zephyr, a midsize sedan that became Lincoln's entry model. The Zephyr was renamed the MKZ a year later. The MKZ was very similar overall to the Ford and Mercury models on which it was based, albeit with more standard features. For the 2013 model year, Lincoln took a clean-sheet approach to the MKZ and gave it more dramatic styling. Although the MKZ is still based on the Ford Fusion, the Lincoln is no longer a carbon-copy model. All the body panels are specific to the MKZ; the Lincoln measures 2.4 inches longer than the Ford, and its V-6 engine and adaptive suspension are exclusive to the Lincoln version. Sales of the Lincoln MKZ got off to a sluggish start as the automaker battled initial quality issues, but production has now been ramped up to full speed.
The 2014 Lincoln MKZ heralds the first step in Lincoln's bid to reinvent itself as a youthful, modern, and relevant luxury carmaker. Although the 2014 Lincoln MKZ is based on the more affordable and plainer Ford Fusion, you wouldn't know it. The car features dramatic styling, an expansive equipment list, and a well-appointed interior. Unique touches for the Lincoln include an optional panoramic glass roof with a 15.2-square-foot opening panel. Although it looks impressive (and is one of the largest sunroofs available in a sedan), the panel blocks rear visibility when it is opened because its frame sits atop the rear windshield. Instead of a lever, drivers shift the six-speed automatic transmission by way of five square buttons on the center stack; the engine start/stop button sits above the one for Park. The Continuously Controlled Damping system automatically adjusts the suspension to balance ride comfort and handling agility, while an Active Noise Cancellation function helps reduce annoying buzzes and hums inside the cabin of the 2014 Lincoln MKZ.
Although a 3.7-liter V-6 engine is optional, the standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is more than adequate. Lincoln also offers a hybrid MKZ that uses the same powertrain as the Fusion Hybrid, a 2.0-liter gas engine and electric motor/generator, but the MKZ Hybrid returns 45/45 mpg (city/highway), compared with 47/47 mpg for the Ford. The Lincoln MKZ is very good to drive and feels just as taut as many other luxury cars in its segment. However, the sloping roofline means that head- and legroom is modest in the back seats. We also wish the turbocharged engine sounded better. As with other Lincolns, our biggest criticism is that the center stack eschews traditional physical buttons and switches in favor of touch-sensitive capacitive controls. They are tricky to use and a continual annoyance when driving.
You'll like:
- Giant panoramic sunroof
- Well-designed interior
- Unique styling
You won't like:
- Finicky center-stack controls
- Low rear-seat headroom
- Gritty engine note (2.0L)
Key Competitors
- Acura TL
- Audi A4
- Buick Regal
- Lexus ES350


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
October 24, 2013
Baseball Prospectus Book News
Introducing Baseball Prospectus 2014
The day after the 2013 season ended, we fired up our computers and read 22 words about Freddy Garcia:
Sweaty Freddy Garcia is no longer a passable big-league starter, which means he's got five or six more seasons in him, tops.
And, with those 22 words written by R.J. Anderson, the production of the 2014 Baseball Prospectus Annual was underway. We (Jason and Sam) are editing the thing this year. Everybody who has ever edited the thing has advised us against editing the thing, so if we're not as gregarious in a few months you'll understand why. But, so far, we couldn't be more excited about where it's going. You'll see in February. We can't provide evidence yet (other than the 22 words about Freddy Garcia) but a few things that'll be a little different this year:
We'll also have everything you expect from a BP Annual. There are more than 2,100 player comments on our list. There are bonus essays from further awesome people. There's the incredible prospect coverage from Jason Parks and the BP prospects team. So that's what we're doing. We just thought you should know. (Preorder now!)
Sam Miller is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @SamMillerBB
6 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Andy Cochrane
Really glad to have the old style team essays back. That was what I missed most last year.
Oct 24, 2013 03:31 AM
Happy to read of the changes, but sad to read that King and Cecilia aren't continuing with the editing.
Oct 24, 2013 10:19 AM
King Kaufman
BP staff
Can't wait to read BP2014. Happy, in the sense that I get to spend the Christmas season doing Christmas things with my kids, that that won't happen till February.
Oct 24, 2013 12:21 PM
As one who has subscribed to this website and bought the annual for a number of years, this post leaves me cautiously optimistic that the BP annual will get back on track.
Oct 24, 2013 17:00 PM
I'm glad I'm not the only one who greatly prefers the Web site to the annual. And I came to BP through the annual originally.
Oct 25, 2013 13:06 PM
Not a subscriber? Sign up today!


text:
|Product Description
The clever design of the Sta-lok long terminals enables the replacement of damaged swage terminals without having to replace the wire rope. All Sta-lok terminals are stronger than the wire rope, and are reusable, a new wedge component must be used.
Unique toggle action allows full articulation in two planes. Effectively reduces wire fatigue.
Use for:
Wire sizes 5/32" - 1/2".
Part Number: 179-08


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"Obviously, there's a lot of pride (at being included in the credits of Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln')," said Curt Witcher, manager of the library's special collections and renowned genealogical department. "History doesn't have to be old and dusty. It can be fun, and I'm 'geeked' when a good, historically accurate picture comes along."
That accuracy was aided by the collection itself, of course, but also by the technology that helped keep it in Fort Wayne. So far as anybody can tell, nobody associated with the film actually visited the library. The Lincoln family photos seen in the film appear to have been taken from the images on the library's web site – a site that by the end of 2015 should contain digital reproductions of all of the books, photographs, newspaper clippings, personal letters and other items that could have gone elsewhere if not for the universal access the Internet provides.
"The promise to put everything on line is why (the library) won the competition for the two-dimensional pieces of Lincoln Library collection," library spokeswoman Cheryl Ferverda said. Although the Indiana State Museum owns the artifacts in Fort Wayne as well as the former museum's three-dimensional pieces now kept in Indianapolis, the Allen County Public Library's reputation, its facility, world-renowned genealogy resources and the intervention of former Lincoln Financial Corp. CEO Ian Rolland convinced the Lincoln Financial Foundation to keep the bulk of the collection in what had been the company's home town until corporate offices moved o Philadelphia in 1999.
Despite that ongoing conversion of precious documents and photographs into electronic images, however, Witcher said much of the public and even some scholars don't appreciate Fort Wayne's wealth of information about the 16th president. "People still wonder where everything is."
Thanks to the film and its prominent acknowledgement of the library's collection (living in a county starting with "A" has its advantages), a lot of people have had the opportunity to discover just that.
"Lincoln's" $21 million opening weekend earlier this month was the best ever for a narrative film about a real-life president. Among those viewers was Sara Gabbard, executive director of the Friends of the Lincoln Collection of Indiana. A scholar in her own right, she said Spielberg portrayed Lincoln not as a saint but as very human and even "modern" politician willing to use questionable means in the pursuit of noble ends.
"It showed how politically astute Lincoln was, offering patronage (jobs in exchange for support for the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery once and for all)," she said. "Think of what happened with Obamacare (which passed only after certain members of Congress received benefits for their states)."
In fact, Lincoln's battle to pass the amendment dominates the film. Although the symbolically important but legally dubious Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 had freed slaves in the Confederacy, slavery was not eliminated in the United States until Georgia became the 27th state to ratify the 13th Amendment on Dec. 6, 1865 – eight months after Lincoln's assassination.
Significantly, the film draws heavily from the final chapters of Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 book, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" – a work in which Goodwin also acknowledged her debt to the materials found in Fort Wayne.
"(The movie) fulfills the collection's purpose: We want to get this information out there," Gabbard said.
As Witcher noted, state-mandated tests have caused schools to scale back the study of history just as budget cuts have curtailed field trips that might have exposed children to the Lincoln collection and other treasures. That's one reason the library offers periodic seminars on Lincoln and offers tours of the collection. But the web site – which receives about 30,000 visitors each month – remains the collection's window to the world.
"We hope the movie has 'legs,' " Witcher said: The longer it remains in theaters, the more people may be inspired to learn more.
If so, Witcher, Gabbard and Ferverda hope they'll go where scholars and Hollywood have gone before.


text: I agree. I have no problem with the jobs postings so far. I do not read each and every journal entry anymore, however. If folks are signing up specifically for the purpose of advertising jobs, then I would reject it, but if people I know like Andy Lester or whoever want to say, "Hey, we have an opening," I am glad to hear it, even though I'm not looking.


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This is the editing server. Do not link to this page or any page that starts with cmstest.gannon.edu.
📷 Morosky Academic Center
Gannon enthusiastically announces the appointment of Melanie A. Whaley as the University's Director for Marketing & Communications. In this new position, Whaley will provide strategic leadership for the University's integrated marketing and communications, including media, public relations, promotion, and advertising.
She joins Gannon from Scott Enterprises, a privately held, award-winning hospitality company with 22+ brands that include restaurants, hotels, conference centers, a ski and golf resort, and a top-ten North American water park resort, where she served as Director of Marketing.
At Scott Enterprises, she oversaw an in-house advertising agency, internal and external marketing and communications, media relations, crisis communications, creative services, strategic business development, and promotion of the company's brands.
"In creating this position, Gannon University acknowledges the importance of articulating our vision across a number of communications platforms at a time when those platforms offer unprecedented opportunities," said Gannon President Keith Taylor, Ph.D. "Melanie has an instinctive grasp of this dynamic communications landscape and boundless energy to explore the opportunities they present. As we move forward with a new strategic plan, her experience and diverse skill set position her for leadership at this significant moment in the University's history."
Whaley is a 1995 graduate of Gannon's College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, earning a degree in communications. She has a diverse background in media, non-profit management, advertising sales, and consulting.
She has directed efforts in public relations, creative concept development, media production, marketing research and strategy, brand positioning, website development, event planning, and social media marketing for clients in the retail, education, legal, and hospitality sectors, among others. She was honored by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters with its award for Excellence in Broadcasting.
"I have been proud to support the Scott Enterprises family, and I'm eager to return to serve my Gannon family in building awareness and recognition of the University's success as we lead the way in educating socially-responsible global citizens," Whaley said.
More about Gannon University
Gannon University is a Catholic, Diocesan University in Erie, Pa., offering nearly 100 academic programs, including doctoral degree programs in physical therapy and organizational learning and leadership. Gannon enrolls more than 4,000 academically talented and diverse students.
Gannon University is dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, the University offers a comprehensive, values-centered learning experience that emphasizes faith, leadership, inclusiveness, and social responsibility.


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Massive three-headed dragon joins the series...
Bluefin Tamashii Nations reveals that their next S.H. MonsterArts figure will be KING GHIDORAH. The three-headed gold dragon will feature breath weapon attacks (not pictured). As seen in the picture below, King Ghidorah will also be the largest S.H. MonsterArts figure released to date, measuring almost 10 inches tall (25cm). Look for Ghidorah September/October 2012.
The S.H. MonsterArts series so far consists of Godzilla, MechaGodzilla, and Space Godzilla - all in stores now. Little Godzilla & Crystal Set and Moguera hit in June and Fire Rodan takes flight in July/ August. Don't forget the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Godzilla (Comic-Con Explosion) to be offered July 11-15.
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, RedfordFilms.com, Toynk.com, PastGenerationToys.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


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The first robbery was reported at the BP located at 909 E. Coliseum Blvd., according to the release. Officers were dispatched to the area in order to investigate an unknown problem; upon arrival, they determined that an armed robbery had taken place.
In that incident, investigators were told that a clerk was cleaning when a man approached, pointed a gun at his head and demanded money. Investigators were also told that another suspect was removing the cash register at that time and that he was struck multiple times by the armed robber.
The robbers then fled with the cash register, according to the release.
The second incident reportedly took place at the Marathon station located at 6520 Lima Road, with roughly the same scenario at the start: One of the robbers pointed a gun at a clerk's head and demanded money. In this incident, according to the news release, the clerk opened the cash register and gave the drawer to the robbers, who then fled.
The FWPD believes the two robberies are connected, perpetrated by the same two individuals. One suspect is described as being in his early 20s, between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall, and wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt.
The other suspect is described as slim and with no facial hair and wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants. He is described as being in his early 20s, as well, and between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Anyone with information can contact the FWPD at (260) 427-1222 or Crime Stoppers at 436-STOP (7867).


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Winter? It's going to be a sunny week with spring-like the Southern California coastline to the Inland Empire.
National Weather Service forecasts call for sunny and clear skies above Los Angeles through Thursday. Temperatures may reach 80 degrees today before dropping to the mid 70s later in the week.
Forecasts tell a similar story for neighborhoods in the South Bay, Long Beach area, San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire. Temperatures along the shorelines and inland areas may be a bit cooler than downtown, but meteorologists expect to see clear or mostly clear skies through the coming week.


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Type to Search
Terrific Two Wheelers
The 12 Best Buys in Motorcycles for 2017
10 Ways to Make Your Old Car Feel New
First-generation Corvette, circa 1960.
The lineup of Chevy press vehicles. We snagged the last V8, giving me street cred on Woodward Ave.
Top 25 Concept Cars from the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show
Smallblock V8 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. PM's car for three days of Woodward revelry and smoky burnouts at the Woodward Dream Cruise.
Traffic jam at the Woodward Dream Cruise, as seen from the open top of our 2010 Camaro SS Convertible.
Pristine 1950's Ford hardtop coupe.
C2 Stingray with original Michigan plates.
Customized 1958 Buick Century hardtop coupe.
The fins of the 1958 Buick Century.
Next Gallery
The 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show is a massive display of...
Ben Wojdyla


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Yes, we have condoms. But what else works to prevent HIV? This question drives research into pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, when HIV-negative people take HIV meds to keep from contracting the virus), microbicides (gels and other products applied to the vagina or rectum that contain meds to prevent infection), vaccines and other HIV prevention strategies.
While we place a lot of focus—and hope—on these new prevention strategies, it is time to reconsider how we test these tools to see if they work. Is it possible that the trials, themselves, are creating roadblocks to prevention breakthroughs? For example, trial participants receive condoms and condom counselling because, ethically, researchers have to do everything they can to reduce participants' risk of acquiring HIV. It is the right thing to do. But these new prevention tools are needed most by people who do not use condoms regularly. So isn't there some ethical way to test the products under conditions that are more like real life?
Researchers and advocates have been asking these questions—and raising the related ethical concerns—as they explore ways to improve the testing process. But before delving into the details and the future of prevention trails, the need for this discussion must be reiterated: We can no longer ignore the fact many people don't use or don't like condoms. If they did, the number of new HIV infections in the United States every year would have decreased as condom promotion increased. It hasn't.
In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that only "25 percent of men and more than 20 percent of women reported using a condom during their most recent sexual experience." Among U.S. women at highest risk for HIV, that figure is 18 percent. While a lot more gay men are using condoms, 54 percent reported having unprotected anal intercourse in one survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Male condoms are readily available in most places, and female condom access and use is increasing. But the bottom line is still that most people aren't using condoms. We need more choices.
Future of prevention research—more complicated, more costly
Alternatives have been identified, but determining how well each one works is very complicated. Since the safety of the participants in clinical trials testing PrEP, microbicides and vaccines is paramount, trial participants receive the best prevention package and care currently available to help them reduce their HIV risk. At present, this generally includes HIV testing, free condoms (male and hopefully female too), condom counselling and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and treatment as needed.
Last summer, in a first, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved HIV med Truvada for use as PrEP (it's prescribed as a daily pill). In the near future, PrEP may also be added to the mix for participants wishing to use it.
Imagine how adding PrEP might play out in a clinical trial testing a new microbicide. All trial participants would receive free condoms and be regularly urged to use them. They would also be offered PrEP and, if they accept, would be reminded to take it consistently and correctly.
In addition to the prevention package, participants in one arm of the trial would get the candidate microbicide (containing active ingredients) and those in the other arm would get a placebo (something that looks just like the test product but does not contain the active ingredients). The researchers would then watch to see how many sero-conversions occurred in each arm. The candidate microbicide would only be judged effective if fewer new infections occurred in the test product arm, indicating that the product added to the amount of protection received by people who already had other effective prevention methods at hand.
You can see how a microbicide would have to be highly effective in order to show any additional benefit in this scenario. In the CAPRISA 004 trial in 2010, all trial participants received condoms and counselling. The women in the test product arm had 39 percent fewer new HIV infections than the woman in the placebo arm, so the test microbicide (a gel containing tenofovir, an ARV drug) was shown to be moderately effective. Is 39 percent reduced risk lower than the protection provided by consistent condom and/or PrEP use? Yes, of course. Do women still urgently want access to this gel? Yes! If their male partners won't use condoms, women want at least some protection if they can get it. In fact, "Where the hell is the gel?" demonstrations have broken out at international conferences since CAPRISA 004.
So the prospect of adding PrEP to the clinical trial prevention package raises a difficult conundrum. On one hand, there is the imperative to "first do no harm" to trial participants. They must have tools to reduce their HIV risk. On the other hand, there is the challenge to show that any test product is superior—or at least not inferior—to such a strong baseline prevention package. The stronger the package, the more participants have to be enrolled in order for researchers to have enough data to make any statistically valid comparison between the level of protection in the test product arm and the control arm. Using the current prevention package (condoms and counselling), trials must recruit several thousand participants to get valid measures of effectiveness. If PrEP is added to the baseline prevention package, researchers will likely have to enroll 10,000 to 20,000 people to get meaningful results. The added expense and complexity of this would likely result in far fewer effectiveness trials being conducted.
Hold "run-in" auditions before trials to recruit appropriate volunteers
We need to design prevention trials that ask, "Is this test product better than nothing?" rather than, "Is this test product better than the best available prevention combination we have?"
One way may be using a "run-in" period to select who should enroll in a particular clinical trial. Run-in periods are relatively common in treatment research. Participants with high blood pressure, for example, may be invited to enroll in a trial for a hypertension medication if their condition is not responding adequately to current standard treatments.
If they meet the eligibility criteria, they may first be asked to take a particular drug or intervention during the run-in period to see if their bodies respond to it. Those who respond in one way are invited to enroll in the actual trial, in which a test treatment or intervention is provided. Those who respond in another way are not enrolled. This allows researchers to get effectiveness data from a cross section of people whose bodies do respond to the drug and not from those who don't.
A run-in period is kind of like an audition for the actual trial. It is not part of the trial, and it lets researchers select trial participants from among those who audition. The selected volunteers who still want to participate and give their informed consent are enrolled and randomized (assigned randomly to one of the trial arms). Randomization removes the chance that trial results will be biased.
Recruit people who don't regularly use condoms? Here's why—and how.
Run-in trials have never been used to sort participants on the basis of their frequency of condom use, though it was briefly considered in connection with the MIRA diaphragm trial. This trial was done to see if using a vaginal diaphragm and gel provided additional protection from HIV beyond that provided by the prevention package. No additional protection was detected, but principal investigator Nancy Padian and her team pointed out that they might have learned more about the effectiveness of the diaphragm "if we [had] excluded those who were able to use condoms consistently after a short run-in."
What could a prevention trial run-in look like? Presumably, those auditioning would be provided with condoms and intensive condom counseling at every visit. At the end, researchers would collect data on reported rates of condom use. Those who said that they didn't use condoms consistently (even though they were freely available and strongly recommended) would be invited to participate in the trial. Condoms would still be provided to all trial participants. But the odds that these participants were using the condoms would be different because of the pre-selection of volunteers who had already indicated low condom use.
This idea of using a run-in period to identify and recruit participants who acknowledge that they were unlikely to use condoms regularly was raised at a January 2013 meeting called "Future of PrEP and Microbicide Research: Trial Design and Regulatory Issues." There were objections from several researchers and funders present, one of whom flatly said, "NIH would never fund a trial like that." Others pushed back on that resistance, noting there was ethical space between the obligation to help reduce trial participants' HIV risk to the greatest extent possible and the urgent public need for additional prevention tools.
Those eligible for the study at the end of such a run-in period would go through an intensive informed consent process to firmly establish their understanding of the following four things: (1) their knowledge that condoms are an extremely effective tool for protection from HIV if used consistently and correctly; (2) that condoms would always be available to them free of charge throughout the study; (3) that the study staff fully would support their condom use; and (4) intensive condom counseling would not be provided at each trial visit, as it had been during the run-in period. To help ensure participant safety, free condoms would still be available at each visit.
This model was also discussed in connection with future trials that might offer PrEP as a part of the prevention package. Some study participants might be unable or unwilling to use PrEP during a run-in, for whatever reason. Those declining PrEP at the time of enrollment might then be invited to join a prevention trial testing in which PrEP was offered as part of the prevention package.
Protecting the safety of trial participants is ethically fundamental. But how does it interact with the participant's right to autonomy? If people are properly informed and consented, and make decisions of their own free will to not do something—is that unethical?
Problems with relentless condom promotion
Some meeting attendees raised concerns about the intense promotion of condoms in clinical trials. Repetitive, intense condom promotion could:
1. Discourage individuals who don't regularly use condoms from participating in the trial, because they know that they won't be able to "follow the rules." Their under-representation could detract from the trial's ability to assess the test product's impact on the very people in greatest need of condom alternatives.
2. Cause temporarily increased levels of condom use that are unsustainable after the trial ends.
3. Induce participants to lie to researchers about their condom use and possibly to misreport other behaviors as well (such as their use of the test product) because they want to make the study staff happy.
4. Inhibit realistic discussions of the full range of safer-sex behaviors by prioritizing condom use over other protective behaviors. If trial participants decide not to use condoms because they are engaged in other protective behaviors, will they then be honest in reporting this decision to researchers?
5. Assume participants cannot make a deliberate, informed choice about condom use.
What is ethical? What is unethical?
Is it unethical to offer people the option of participating in a trial in which condoms are supplied for free and discussed with all participants—but in which it is understood that many of those participants do not or cannot use them and that they are aware of the associated risks?
What trials will be pursued if each proposed prevention tool has to prove its superiority to an existing, expanding prevention package? How can we prove if anything new "works" if we recruit people into trials who are consistent condom users and consistent PrEP takers?
There are also serious ethical issues associated with reaching the point at which research to measure the effectiveness of low-cost, easily distributed, potentially non-prescription prevention tools (such as non-ARV-based microbicides) cannot be done because we simply can't afford to of find out if they are better than existing, expensive, prescription-only prevention tools.
What is the best way to involve trial host communities and advocates in decisions around trial design? Should they be involved in deciding whether or not it is ethical to use a run-in period as a basis for selecting participants? To play an informed role in shaping these decisions, host communities and governments will need education about the challenges associated with doing these trials and the ethical and logistical implications of any proposal to move away from intense condom (and possibly PrEP) promotion.
Distributive justice and individual rights
At the Forum meeting in January, Deborah Donnell reminded us of the principle of distributive justice—the benefits and risks of research should be fairly distributed. She noted this can be interpreted to mean research studies should address areas of the greatest unmet need. Whether viewed within discreet populations (gay men seeking condom alternatives) or globally (women who lack the autonomy to insist on condoms), the need for new ways to prevent HIV is undeniable.
The ethical imperative to protect individuals enrolled in HIV prevention trials is also unarguable. But how they are protected, and how they wish to be protected, needs to be reconsidered in light of their own right to autonomy and the demands of distributive justice.
Anna Forbes is a writer, organizer and women's health activist who currently works as an independent consultant with an international client base and is specializing in advocacy to expand HIV prevention, particularly for those at highest risk of HIV. Jim Pickett is director of prevention advocacy and gay men's health at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and chair of the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates.


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Topic: Dad's progress
Have not been here in a while.Just touching base on my dad's progress. H
e is back on the gemcitabine every other week.He had a break and the cancer grew some.He had another 3 cycles of treatment.Another PET scan and it showed a decrease in the activity in his larger tumor, but 2 small new spots found nearby.Not sure how to feel about that.Gain some and lose some I guess. He is a survivor for 2 years last month.He is doing well except when the chemo tires him out. He is such a fighter and still plans on trying to beat this. I think his attitude has helped his survival.I worry about his spirit though because with each PET scan he gets more discouraged.This takes such a toll on us all emotionally and we need to try and redirect ourselves so that we can focus on the positive. I know you all understand what I mean.


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CRICKETERS from across the county were left kicking their heels on Saturday as the wet weather saw off the entire local schedule.
Every match in the West of England Premier League was cancelled whilst there also wasn't a single ball bowled in the Wiltshire Cricket League.
But on Sunday, Goatacre booked their place in the regional final of their National Village Knockout Cup group with a 28-run victory over Great Bedwyn.
Goatacre's Toby Horton and and Bedwyn Neil Maycock both his 79 for their respective sides but four wickets from Matt House saw Brad Dawson's men into the Dorset & Wiltshire final, where they will face either Parley or Shillingstone.
Wiltshire booked a home quarter-final against Norfolkn in the knockout stages of the Unicorns Knockout Trophy after beating Wales by four wickets at Warminster.
Tom Morton starred with an unbeaten 123 as the county made it four wins from four matches in the group stage.
MORE CRICKET NEWS, PICTURES AND REPORTS IN THIS THURSDAY'S GAZETTE AND HERALD AND THIS FRIDAY'S WILTSHIRE TIMES. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @gazsport AND @WTSport


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