text:
AMD today announced TressFX Hair technology, which is the first real-time hair rendering technology to be used in DX11 game titles. The real-time physics calculation accounts for both moisture and wind and will be used in the 2013 release of Tomb Raider. Below you'll find some images with and without TressFX on Lara Croft's lovely locks and AMD's comments on TressFX.
Since the dawn of the 3D era, characters in your favorite games have largely featured totally unrealistic hair: blocky and jagged, often without animation that matches your character's movements. Many games have attempted to disguise the problem with short haircuts, updos, or even unremovable helmets. But why? Simply: realistic hair is one of the most complex and challenging materials to accurately reproduce in real-time. Convincingly recreating a head of lively hair involves drawing tens of thousands of tiny and individual semi-transparent strands, each of which casts complex shadows and requires anti-aliasing. Even more challengingly, these calculations must be updated dozens of times per second to synchronize with the motion of a character.
Lara Croft is an iconic character with an equally iconic ponytail. Re-imagining Lara (and her haircut) for the 2013 release of Tomb Raider wasn't just an opportunity to modernize the character, it was an opportunity to substantially advance in-game realism by tackling the long-standing challenge of unrealistic hair. Through painstaking collaboration between software developers at AMD and Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider proudly features the world's first real-time hair rendering technology in a playable game: TressFX Hair.
TressFX Hair revolutionizes Lara Croft's locks by using the DirectCompute programming language to unlock the massively-parallel processing capabilities of the Graphics Core Next architecture, enabling image quality previously restricted to pre-rendered images. Building on AMD's previous work on Order Independent Transparency (OIT), this method makes use of Per-Pixel Linked-List (PPLL) data structures to manage rendering complexity and memory usage.
Comments are closed.


text:
Dozens of preschoolers and their families stopped by Peace Lutheran Church Preschool for its annual Sports-a-thon and open house event March 13.
Little ones tried their hands at a variety of indoor games, playfully competing and happily earning points to take home a medal.
"This is always so much fun. The parent PTO board puts it on similar to track and field events the elementary schools have. The kids love it, and the parents, too," said Lisa Nelson, preschool director, while behind her, kids played at bean bag toss, basketball shoot, soccer kick, Hula Hoop, long jump and mini golf.
They could also get faces painted and arms tattooed during the Friday evening event.
The open house portion of the evening allowed parents and families to visit the preschool classrooms, chat with teachers and even enroll for the following school year.
Peace Lutheran Church and Preschool is located at 20 Northdale Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids.
For more information, call 763-754-2383 or visit PeaceCoonRapids.org.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
At its annual meeting in June, the American Medical Association, the largest association of physicians and medical students in the United States, publicly classified obesity as a disease. This decision should help highlight the increased attention and resources required for this public-health disaster that affects one-third of Americans and costs our health-care system $190 billion annually.
As a retired Marine Corps general and member of the national security nonprofit Mission: Readiness, I am deeply concerned about the overall health of our youth in California and across the nation. The Defense Department estimates that 75 percent of young Americans are unable to join the military, and obesity is the leading medical disqualifier. Currently, one-quarter of young Americans are too overweight to join the military.
This declaration by the AMA should not come as a surprise to anyone. The factors that are clogging America's arteries start with an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and systematic failures early in many young peoples' lives.
Kids in schools today consume the equivalent of 2 billion candy bars in snack food each year, enough to stretch around the earth six times. Sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and sports drinks are the largest single source of added sugar in the American diet, accounting for 22 percent of the empty calories consumed by children and teens. And in California, 41 percent of children and 62 percent of adolescents drink at least one soda or other sugar-sweetened beverage every day.
Not only do extra calories from candy bars and sugary drinks contribute significantly to obesity, but they also contribute to the rise of related chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. When coupled with the fact that only half of school-age children currently meet the evidence-based guideline of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day, the result is a health disaster of massive proportions.
The news is not any brighter when a child is out of school. During summer vacation, many young people are more sedentary, going long stretches without regular physical activity while snacking on unhealthy food. As a result, research indicates that children gain weight three times faster during the summer months than during the school year.
In Southern California, we tend to glamorize our beautiful weather, myriad outdoor activities, and active lifestyles. Yet, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, obesity — not just overweight — rates in San Diego County sit (pun intended) at a whopping 23 percent.
Despite the challenges facing current and future generations of young Americans, there remains great hope for enacting positive change. Doing so will require active engagement by students, parents, policymakers, as well as business and community leaders.
For example, replacing junk food sold in school cafeterias and vending machines with healthier options is happening in schools across our country. Additionally, it is widely recognized that water is a vital, calorie-free nutrient. Water is free when it comes from the tap and is a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and sports drinks. These are simple, healthy changes that must continue to be adopted in schools and at home.
In order to reduce weight gain and build healthy habits, kids must stay active. There have been cuts in physical education to allow more time for teaching core academic subjects, but research indicates that physical activity can improve cognitive function and enhance academic performance. Parents must demand that their schools do more to engage children in physical activity every day, and parents should reinforce this at home.
There is also emerging evidence that teaching young children healthier eating and exercise habits can be a significant part of the solution to childhood obesity. Innovative preschool efforts in Mississippi, Philadelphia and New York City contributed to declines in childhood obesity rates in these areas.
We risk jeopardizing our children's health — and national security — by ignoring the need for healthy choices during the school day and summer months. The more we can do to get kids moving and eating well, the better off we will all fare in the long run.


text:
Carbon pollution up to 2 million pounds a second
The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 percent.
So scientists say it's now likely global warming will exceed the international goal of a 2-degree rise.
The overwhelming majority of the increase was from China, the world's biggest carbon dioxide polluter. The United States and Germany were the only countries among the top 10 polluters that reduced carbon dioxide emissions.
Last year, all the world's nations combined pumped nearly 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
The new international calculations on global emissions were published Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
ORLANDO, Fla. - Dozens of pages of newly released evidence reveal what was going on inside a Central Florida home that doubled as a brothel and was frequented by State Representative Mike Horner.
The home is located at 2318 Vincent Road near Dean Road and Blanchard Park in East Orange County.
According to the newly released court documents, investigators with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation were first called out to Marc Risner's home in August 2011, after getting an anonymous tip about a possible brothel. In October 2011, agents went through Risner's trash and found torn up pieces of paper. When pieced together, the papers revealed a prostitution client list.
"I think it was awful, yeah, disgusting," said Risner's next door neighbor, Maria Monroig. "Of course, I don't want that going on right next to me."
Agents said there is a sex room in Risner's house with hidden cameras and audio recorders, allowing Risner to watch every sexual encounter.
Some prostitutes told investigators they believe Risner secretly streamed some of the encounters online.
No one answered when we knocked on Risner's door Monday night.
Investigators said it took them over a year to build their case, digging through Risner's trash and finding client lists that included the men's names, occupations and sexual preferences.
Residents said this was all happening in the middle of quiet neighborhood, with a day care center just feet away. Hundreds of men, including doctors, lawyers, even State Representative Mike Horner appear on the list.
Horner was only referred to as a "congressman" named "Mike," but he gave the same phone number as he used for his re-election campaign. The list shows each time, Horner paid $200 dollars for 60 minutes.
Another client was listed as a "Congressman" from the west coast of Florida, but he cancelled. Local 6 did not discover any other public officials on the list.
According to the documents, at least six women brought in $123,000 in 2011. The prostitutes then gave Risner 25 percent, some saying they saw as many as 12 men a day.
Risner was responsible for advertising the brothel online and recruiting new prostitutes at the Turtle Bay pub.
He would also vet the clients and make sure the men had already seen other known prostitutes without causing any problems.
So far, none of the prostitutes or clients named in the documents have been charged in connection with this case.
Risner has been charged with racketeering enterprise, deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, maintaining a structure for prostitution, direct/transport for prostitution, soliciting or enticing prostitution and aid or abet prostitution.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Rob Bartlett, Karen Ziemba, Katie Rose Clarke and Claybourne Elder to Lead BEYOND THE MUSIC Presentations in January
Rob Bartlett (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying), Katie Rose Clarke (Wicked), Claybourne Elder (Bonnie and Clyde) and Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba (Contact, Curtains) are set to star in an upcoming industry lab presentation of the new musical, BEYOND THE MUSIC, in January 2013. BEYOND THE MUSIC features a book by Andy Sandberg, music and lyrics by Cliff Downs and Katie Kahanovitz, and direction by Sandberg, with choreography by AC Ciulla and music supervision and arrangements by Fred Lassen.
The cast will also feature Eric Anderson, Shelby Bartelstein, Angela Brydon, Jarid Faubel, John Hemphill, Ryan Koss, Kathleen Rooney, Casey Lee Ross, Laura L. Thomas, Mariand Torres and Alex Wyse, with additional casting to be announced.
BEYOND THE MUSIC follows the journey of Casey, a fast-rising singer/songwriter, as she struggles to find success in the music business. Ready to risk it all, Casey sacrifices her personal life for her career, but on the verge of her first big break, she is betrayed by those she trusts. Now, in order to reclaim her dreams, she must look inside herself as she navigates the treacherous waters of the music business and reconnects with those she left behind.
The industry-only presentations of BEYOND THE MUSIC will take place on Monday, January 28th and Tuesday, January 29th in New York.


text:
Voters approve Palisade fire district tax hike
Voters in the Palisade Rural Fire Protection District overwhelmingly approved a property tax increase Tuesday that will help pay for a new fire station and cover the increased cost of emergency services.
Residents gave the go-ahead to a 3-mill hike, 65 percent to 30 percent (443 votes to 206), according to unofficial results.
Referred Measure 3A will increase property taxes on a home valued at $200,000 from $51.82 a year to just short of $100 a year.
Fire district treasurer Maggie Somerville said she was relieved by the tax measure's passage and credited volunteer firefighters for going door-to-door advocating for the tax increase.
"We just told the truth," she said. "We didn't ask for more money than we needed."
The fire district said it was in need of the money because the closure of Xcel Energy's Cameo Power Plant at the end of the year will strip away about $50,000 in revenue, which makes up about 40 percent of the district's annual total tax revenue. The district contracts with the Palisade Fire Department to provide fire protection and ambulance service to roughly 500 homes in an 8-square-mile area between Rapid Creek and 35.3 Road.
Without the additional money, the district wouldn't have been able to come up with its share of the money needed to build a new fire station at the Palisade Civic Center. The district is expected to pay for half of the estimated $3.8 million price tag.
Somerville predicted rejection of the tax increase also would have resulted in more expensive ambulance rides and turnover in the Fire Department.


text:
StartUpHire is the place to find Marketing jobs in and near Silicon Valley. Review the list of Marketing Silicon Valley career opportunities to the left. These Marketing jobs represent some of the most rewarding careers available.
You can refine your job search for Marketing career opportunities in Silicon Valley by adding a job title, company name, or keyword to the search box above … or click the "Advanced Search" link for more options.
Don't see the employment opportunity you're looking for? Check back soon for more Marketing jobs in Silicon Valley, or sign up for an email alert (link below) to receive periodic updates on new Marketing jobs in Palo Alto, CA.
Demand for Marketing Professionals in Silicon Valley
Marketing Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA
Marketing Jobs in San Diego, CA
We found more than one result that might meet your needs.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO — Sunday's 27-13 victory put the 49ers back on track in their playoff push. Next up is their potential Super Bowl XLVII opponent: the New England Patriots.
Going into Foxboro, Mass., should prove a tougher task than Sunday's triumphant effort against the pesky Miami Dolphins at Candlestick Park.
"We're going to be able to see where we are as a defense," 49ers safety Donte Whitner said of facing the AFC East champion Patriots. "We understand who's going to have to win that football game, and we think it's going to be the defense."
Unlike last week's 16-13 overtime loss at St. Louis, the 49ers (9-3-1) not only protected their fourth-quarter lead, they made it larger behind Colin Kaepernick's 50-yard touchdown run with 2:10 remaining.
Bouncing back was nothing new under 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. Victories have followed the 49ers' three defeats (and lone tie) this season, as well as their three losses during the 2011 regular season.
"We want to stay hot in December and try to make this run," said running back Frank Gore, who had a 1-yard touchdown run and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth time in eight seasons.
Aside from retaining the NFC's second-best record, the 49ers gained ground on the NFC-leading Atlanta Falcons, who fell to 11-2 by losing at Carolina 30-20. However, the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) kept close pace in the NFC West, which the 49ers had won by this time last season.
The 49ers will play at Seattle on Dec. 23, a week after visiting potential league MVP Tom Brady & Co.
"A legend, a Hall of Fame guy," linebacker Patrick Willis said of Brady. "His offense is very potent. At the same time, I love our defense and what we have here."
Highlighting the 49ers' defensive exploits Sunday was, once again, Aldon Smith. His two sacks gave him 19½ this season, setting a team record and pulling him within three of Michael Strahan's 2001 league record. Smith's final sack of rookie Ryan Tannehill came on the Dolphins' final series.
Two snaps earlier, Kaepernick faked a handoff to Gore and raced untouched down the left sideline for his 50-yard touchdown run. Kaepernick also had a 50-yard run last week—the longest ever by a 49ers quarterback—but that followed a botched pitch play to Ted Ginn that led to the Rams' tying touchdown.
Kaepernick, making his fourth consecutive start, was 18 of 23 for 185 yards against Miami to earn praise from Harbaugh. On the flip side, Kaepernick was sacked a career-high four times, fumbled once (recovered by right tackle Anthony Davis) and lamented the 49ers' 2-of-10 conversion rate on third downs.
"We just had a few bad third downs, but we knew we had a good game plan and just had to execute," Kaepernick said.
It wasn't lost on Harbaugh that Kaepernick's 50-yard scoring run came on a third-and-5 play. "Great call by Greg Roman and a big third-down conversion," Harbaugh said. "We'd been struggling on third down. To get that to pop and score a touchdown was great."
Unlike their previous bounce-back wins under Harbaugh, the 49ers allowed a touchdown in this effort. Anthony Fasano made a fourth-down, one-handed touchdown grab of a 3-yard pass, cutting the 49ers' lead to 20-13 with 7:55 remaining.
The 49ers defense held serve on its next series. A roughing-the-passer penalty against NaVorro Bowman moved the Dolphins to the 49ers' 35, but that potential tying drive ended there after four incompletions by Tannehill.
"We didn't make the plays in the fourth quarter. They did," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said.
Tannehill passed for only 150 yards (completing 17 of 33). Second-year cornerback Chris Culliver had a team-high three passes defensed, including a leaping deflection in the end zone.
Although rookie LaMichael James' debut provided spark (and 124 all-purpose yards), the 49ers leaned on Gore to grow their lead.
Gore's 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was his 50th career rushing touchdown, matching the 49ers' record shared by Roger Craig and Joe Perry. Setting up that score was the game's only turnover: C.J. Spillman recovered Marcus Thigpen's muffed punt return at the Dolphins' 9-yard line.
Gore provided two 19-yard plays on the 49ers' second touchdown drive. First, he escaped five tackles on a 19-yard screen catch to the Dolphins' 38. Gore opened the fourth quarter with a 19-yard run to the 1, and Anthony Dixon ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next snap for a 20-13 lead.
"Our offense played winning football," Harbaugh said.
The Patriots, their next opponent, has been known to do the same.
"Their offense is going to try to control the football, get big plays and put points on the board," Whitner said of New England. "We can't allow that. So we'll be ready."
49ers 27, Dolphins 13 ·Sunday: at Patriots, 5:20 p.m. ·TV/Radio: NBC/KNBR (1050)
49ers 27, Dolphins 13
·Sunday: at Patriots,
5:20 p.m.
·TV/Radio: NBC/KNBR (1050)


text:
The publishing industry is changing. More authors are discovering new platforms and devices to help tell their stories everyday. So much so that, last month, well-known publication Publishers Weekly highlighted approximately 200 self-published works for the first time.
You may recognize some of the titles and names in their lists and reviews because many of the works come from Lulu authors and range in topics on everything from fiction to self-help.
The folks at Lulu wanted to call even more attention to these authors and congratulate them on such an remarkable accomplishment. It makes us proud to see a new generation of authors and publishers use our tools and services to carve out a name for themselves. It is amazing to see all the different kinds of knowledge and expertise our authors are able to bring to their customers.
Please help us congratulate these authors in the comments below and be sure to check out their, now Publishers Weekly Select, works in the Lulu Marketplace.
Shadow Women
by Thérèse Bonvouloir Bayol
The McNulty clan emigrated to Quebec to escape British oppression. This story follows the lives of four women in smalltown St. Brigide and tells a tale of Irish assimilation.
Promised Valley Rebellion
by Ron Fritsch
The first of a four-novel sequence set at the end of prehistory, asking whether civilization, with its countless heaven-sanctioned wars and genocides, could've begun differently.
Four Nails in the Coffin
by Mark Wheaton
A deputy sheriff on the Texas-Mexico border gets more than she bargained for when she pursues three escaped convicts into the high desert—just one of the four horror novellas in this collection by screenwriter and graphic novelist Wheaton.
The Adventurous Life of Reamus Brownloe: From the Appalachians…
by Phillip Bryan Hartsock
A story of survival and faith narrated by a child born into poverty and violence.
Spun Gold—Poetic Reflections of Pure Luminosity
by Maren Springsteen
A mandala of poems that point to the "Infinite Heart of Spirit."
Magical Shrinking: Stumbling Through Bipolar Disorder
by Christiane Wells
This journey through severe mental illness and addiction offers insight into what it's like to hit bottom and come back.
Silent M.a.g.i.c. and Other Remedies: A Journey of Transformation, a Spiritual Journey
by Kim O'Kelley-Leigh
Practical tools to living our most fulfilling lives.


text:
Dr. Prysi's unique artistic vision combined with these innovative techniques has produced the dramatic results you will see during your consultation, on our web site, and at our free monthly seminar.
Dr. Prysi believes in taking the time to truly understand each patient's goals. The consultation is a time for the patient and Dr. Prysi to get to know each other and discuss possibilities. The consultation process at Prysi Cosmetic Surgery takes between 1 to 1-1/2 hours because we believe it's important that you receive the time needed to ask questions, learn about your choices and make an informed decision. Dr. Prysi will meet with you for a personal discussion of your surgical goals and desires. Dr. Prysi is a highly qualified surgeon and will give you his best opinion as to which procedures fit your objective. He will also touch on the length of procedures, where the surgery will take place, what kind of anesthesia will be used, pre-operative considerations and post-operative care.
With our patient's comfort and safety in mind, Naples Day Surgery Center was chosen as the location where all procedures will be performed. Naples Day Surgery Center is an out-patient facility in Collier County accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is the highest and most stringent accreditation body in the state. In a recent inspection, Naples Day Surgery Center scored 100% in every category.
Anesthesia is independently administered by an M.D. anesthesiologist-directed team that has been in Collier County for twenty-five years. The M.D. anesthesiologist is also in charge of a fully-staffed anesthesia recovery unit. Because patient comfort and privacy are important, pre- and post-op areas for patients are separate and private.
- Medical School - University of Virginia
- General Surgery Residency - University of Alabama Hospital
- Plastic Surgery Residency - University of Tennessee Erlanger Hospital
- American Board of Plastic Surgery 1992
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- American Medical Association
- Collier County Medical Society
- Naples Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Physician's Regional Medical Center
- Naples Day Surgery Center


text:
Well before Google Glass is expected to be publicly available sometime in 2014, the device already is generating controversy. A few "explorers" who've been chosen to test drive it speculate how it could impact Jewish life.
HIGHLAND PARK, N.J. — Over the past few weeks, strangers have begun stopping high school computer science teacher Chaim Cohen on the street. A few accuse him of recording them without their knowledge. Even fewer blame him for all of society's ills.
But many just want an answer to a simple question: Is he wearing Google Glass?
Cohen is among the approximately 2,000 developers throughout the United States who are trying out the search giant's much-hyped wearable computer, a futuristic Internet-connected gadget that users wear like a pair of glasses and enables them to stream information from the Web directly into their field of vision.
Using voice commands and hand gestures, Google Glass users can take pictures, record videos, get directions and send messages.
"I offer to let them try it on," Cohen said. "My goal is to advocate for this and show people that this is not a bad thing. It's a good thing."
Well before Google Glass is expected to be publicly available sometime in 2014, the device already is generating controversy. Critics worry that users will be able to surreptitiously take photographs with an app that permits wearers to snap pictures just by winking. Some bars and casinos, citing privacy concerns, have preemptively banned the device. In West Virginia, legislators have tried to make it illegal to wear Glass while driving.
But none of this concerns Barry Schwartz, CEO of the Web development firm RustyBrick, who can hardly wait to get his hands on it. Schwartz is one of the 8,000 "explorers" chosen by Google to receive the device for $1,500 apiece.
"We would be programming Jewish-related apps to help Jewish people use the technology to live their Jewish lives," said Schwartz, whose company has already developed popular Jewish applications for smartphones, like a digital prayer book, Hebrew translator and chanukiah.
Schwartz's vision of a Glass-enabled Jewish life sounds incredibly futuristic. Notifications flash when it's time to pray. Nearby synagogues or kosher restaurants are instantly located. Important Jewish dates such as yahrtzeits and holidays are never forgotten.
Recently, a Chabad rabbi at Stanford University set up a Google Glass tefillin stand. Men who chose to don the ritual leather straps then put on Glass and the blessing flashed before their eyes.
Potential Jewish applications for Glass are endless, Schwartz says.
"Let's say you want to buy an etrog," he said. "You can create a Google Hangout and have a rabbi look at the etrog as you are looking at it. The rabbi can ask you to turn it to the right and turn it to the left, and can give you an opinion about it right away."
Mike Vidikan of the Washington, D.C.-based organization Innovaro, which provides insights about how new technologies will shape the future business environment, expects that Glass also could significantly change how consumers shop for kosher food.
"As they start inspecting a particular group of foods," he explained, "notifications could pop up with information about the kosher certifications, as well as reviews, and who in their social networks recommend it."
In education, where information technology already is transforming the classroom experience, Glass could be yet another game-changer. Hebrew school classes could tour Israel virtually, seeing the country though the eyes of a guide equipped with the device. Students in various locations could participate in classes together, following text as seen through the eyes of a teacher.
Cohen, who teaches at a public school in central New Jersey, plans to develop an application that will help him learn his students' names.
"I don't remember all the names of my students during the first weeks of school," he said. "I want to be able to look at them and have their names overlapped on top."
Despite the enthusiasm, tech experts from Jewish day schools are skeptical. Price is one factor. At $1,500, Glass is significantly more expensive than an iPad or similar devices.
Educators also are understandably uneasy about a device that can snap pictures, literally, with the wink of an eye. Others point out that since Glass' apps are still being developed, its educational value remains to be seen.
"In a traditional classroom, I don't see where wearing the computer on my face is an enormous quantum leap in ease of use, efficiency and productivity over traditional computer modalities," said Seth Dimbert, director of educational technology at the Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach, Fla.
"It's actually less useful if only I can see a computer screen. Classrooms are about collaboration with the people around you and making screens bigger and more portable, so more people can gather around them at once."
Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky, director of educational technology at The Frisch School in Paramus, N.J., expressed doubts as well.
"Teenagers are freaked out by Google Glass," he said. "Who would want to have these glasses on all the time? It's scary."
Ultimately, however, many believe that it's just a matter of time before Glass becomes more widely accepted. Many technologies now considered indispensable were greeted initially with skepticism.
"If people adopt it at the rate that they adopted smartphones," Schwartz predicts, "then it will have a huge impact on Jewish life."


text:
CHINO – The Polar Express train will visit the Cal Aero Preserve Academy Branch Library, 15850 Main St., at 5 p.m. on Dec. 6.
The holiday story will be read, and there will be some fun activities with the host Tyna Parish. There will be surprises and treats, as well as a snack.
Kids may come in their pajamas.
Information: Cal Aero Preserve Branch Library at 909-606-2173.


text:
Sign into our member site to view your information online.Forget your username or password? Not registered? Register here
aripiprazole (generic name)
Abilify (brand name)
It is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, and to treat some symptoms of autism
(ay ri PIP ray zole)
Table of Contents
Top Learning Centers(Recursos en Español)
What is this medicine?ARIPIPRAZOLE (ay ri PIP ray zole) is an atypical antipsychotic. It is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, and to treat some symptoms of autism. This medicine may also be used in combination with antidepressants to treat major depressive disorder.
What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
How should I use this medicine?Take this medicine by mouth with a glass of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. You can take this medicine with or without food. Take your doses at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than directed. Do not stop taking except on the advice of your doctor or health care professional.
A special MedGuide will be given to you by the pharmacist with each prescription and refill. Be sure to read this information carefully each time.
Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. While this drug may be prescribed for children as young as 10 years of age for selected conditions, precautions do apply.
What if I miss a dose?If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose. Do not take double or extra doses.
What may interact with this medicine?
What should I watch for while using this medicine?Visit your doctor or health care professional for regular checks on your progress. It may be several weeks before you see the full effects of this medicine. Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine. You may need to gradually reduce the dose.
Patients and their families should watch out for worsening depression or thoughts of suicide. Also watch out for sudden changes in feelings such as feeling anxious, agitated, panicky, irritable, hostile, aggressive, impulsive, severely restless, overly excited and hyperactive, or not being able to sleep. If this happens, especially at the beginning of antidepressant treatment or after a change in dose, call your health care professional.
You may get dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this medicine affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells. Alcohol can increase dizziness and drowsiness. Avoid alcoholic drinks.
This medicine can reduce the response of your body to heat or cold. Dress warm in cold weather and stay hydrated in hot weather. If possible, avoid extreme temperatures like saunas, hot tubs, very hot or cold showers, or activities that can cause dehydration such as vigorous exercise.
This medicine may cause dry eyes and blurred vision. If you wear contact lenses you may feel some discomfort. Lubricating drops may help. See your eye doctor if the problem does not go away or is severe.
If you notice an increased hunger or thirst, different from your normal hunger or thirst, or if you find that you have to urinate more frequently, you should contact your health care provider as soon as possible. You may need to have your blood sugar monitored. This medicine may cause changes in your blood sugar levels. You should monitor you blood sugar frequently if you have diabetes.


text:
A more likely explanation is that at the time of the Buddha the duty of memorizing and reciting the texts was considered the province of the bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. Although some lay people memorized discourses (Mv.III.5.9), and bhikkhus of course taught the Dhamma to lay people, there was apparently the feeling that to teach non-ordainees to become skilled reciters of the texts was not good for the relationship between bhikkhus and the unordained. There are three possible reasons for this:
1) People may have felt that the bhikkhus were shirking their responsibilities by trying to pass their duty off onto others.
2) Brahmans at the time were very strict in not allowing anyone outside their caste to memorize the Vedas, and their example may have led lay people to feel disrespect for bhikkhus who were not equally protective of their own tradition.
3) A bhikkhu acting as a tutor for a lay person wishing to memorize the Dhamma might, over time, come to be seen as the lay person's hireling.
It is important to know the context and in doing so, the rules all have a logical basis for existing.


text:
Type 1 Diabetes Unit
Type 2 Diabetes Unit
Obesity Unit
Cardiovascular Metabolism Unit
Translational Research
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Diabetes Research Center
David Artis
Contact information
University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine
Department of Microbiology
Institute for Immunology
421 Curie Boulevard
BRB II/III, Room 356
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6160
Office: (215) 898-7920
Search Pub Med for articles
Microbiology Department Faculty webpage
CAMB/MVP Graduate Group
Penn Vet School Faculty Webpage
Biomedical Gradute Studies
BSc (Parasitology (Hons) 1st Class)
University of Glasgow, UK, 1995.
PhD (Immunology)
University of Manchester Medical School, UK, 1998.
Permanent link
IDOM Home
DRC Home
Description of Research Expertise
The goals of the Artis lab are to understand the regulatory mechanisms that control immune cell homeostasis at the body's barrier surfaces. Employing diverse models of microbial colonization, pathogen infection and chronic inflammation, research in the Artis lab is examining how mammalian host genetics and signals derived from commensal microbial communities influence innate and adaptive immune responses in the skin, lung and intestine.
Studies from a number of labs including the Artis lab, have highlighted that differential colonization of the body's barrier surfaces by defined commensal bacterial communities can have a profound effect on the development and function of distinct T helper cell populations including Th1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Dysregulation in the balance of these helper T cell populations can profoundly alter susceptibility to a number of chronic inflammatory diseases including allergy, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. Research in the Artis lab is focusing on how host factors including expression of cytokines and cytokine receptors can influence the balance of helper T cell responses and the development of chronic inflammation.
Recent studies in the Artis lab indicate that innate lymphoid cells, an emerging population of innate cells that express proinflammatory cytokines, may also contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple chronic inflammatory diseases. Innate lymphoid cells are derived from a common Id2-dependent precursor and appear to influence immunity, inflammation and tissue repair and homeostasis in health and disease. Ongoing studies are examining the influence of host- and environmental-derived signals on the development and functions of innate lymphoid cells. The findings of these studies offer the potential to identify new therapeutic targets to limit infection, chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
In addition to host-derived factors, an emerging hypothesis is that alterations in the acquisition and/or composition of beneficial commensal bacteria can profoundly impact helper T cell and innate lymphoid cell responses resulting in susceptibility to multiple infectious and inflammatory diseases. Metagenomic sequencing approaches in patient populations have revealed dysbiosis (alterations of commensal bacterial communities) in patients suffering from multiple inflammatory diseases including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease. Studies in murine model systems support a causal relationship between alterations in commensal bacteria and chronic inflammation. Studies in the Artis lab are employing germ-free mice and selective antibiotic treatment, coupled with pyrosequencing of bacterial communities, to interrogate the mechanisms through which signals derived from commensal bacteria can influence expression of proinflammatory cytokines and pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases at multiple barrier surfaces.
In a new series of studies, the Artis lab has forged a number of clinical collaborations and began to develop translational research approaches that will allow analysis of findings in murine model systems to be tested in patient populations. Employing tissue samples from clinically-defined patient populations, recent studies are examining the cellular sources of proinflammatory cytokines in the context of allergic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease or psoriasis. These approaches offer the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of multiple chronic inflammatory diseases.
Selected Publications
Motomura Y, Morita H, Moro K, Nakae S, Artis D, Endo TA, Kuroki Y, Ohara O, Koyasu S, Kubo M.
Basophil-derived interleukin-4 controls the function of natural helper cells, a member of ILC2s, in lung inflammation.
Immunity 40(5): 758-71, 2014.
Sawant DV, Gravano DM, Vogel P, Giacomin P, Artis D, Vignali DA.
Regulatory T cells limit induction of protective immunity and promote immune pathology following intestinal helminth infection.
J Immunology 192(6): 2904-12, 2014.
Alex A, Noti M, Wojno ED, Artis D, Zhou C
Characterization of eosinophilic esophagitis murine models using optical coherence tomography.
Biomed Opt Express 5(2): 609-20, 2014.
Lagor WR, Fields DW, Bauer RC, Crawford A, Abt MC, Artis D, Wherry EJ, Rader DJ.
Genetic manipulation of the ApoF/Stat2 locus supports an important role for type I interferon signaling in atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis 233(1): 234-41, 2014.
Wolf AI, Strauman MC, Mozdzanowska K, Williams KL, Osborne LC, Shen H, Liu Q, Garlick D, Artis D, Hensley SE, Caton AJ, Weiser JN, Erikson J.
Pneumolysin expression by streptococcus pneumoniae protects colonized mice from influenza virus-induced disease.
Virology 462-463: 254-65, 2014.
Göktuna SI, Canli O, Bollrath J, Fingerle AA, Horst D, Diamanti MA, Pallangyo C, Bennecke M, Nebelsiek T, Mankan AK, Lang R, Artis D, Hu Y, Patzelt T, Ruland J, Kirchner T, Taketo MM, Chariot A, Arkan MC, Greten FR.
IKKα Promotes Intestinal Tumorigenesis by Limiting Recruitment of M1-like Polarized Myeloid Cells.
Cell Rep 7(6): 1914-25, 2014.
Noti M, Kim BS, Siracusa MC, Rak GD, Kubo M, Moghaddam AE, Sattentau QA, Comeau MR, Spergel JM, Artis D.
Exposure to food allergens through inflamed skin promotes intestinal food allergy through the thymic stromal lymphopoietin-basophil axis.
J Allergy Clin Immunology 133(5): 1390-9, 2014.
Hill DA, Siracusa MC, Ruymann KR, Tait Wojno ED, Artis D, Spergel JM.
Omalizumab therapy is associated with reduced circulating basophil populations in asthmatic children.
Allergy 69(5): 674-7, 2014.
Osborne LC, Monticelli LA, Nice TJ, Sutherland TE, Siracusa MC, Hepworth MR, Tomov VT, Kobuley D, Tran SV, Bittinger K, Bailey AG, Laughlin AL, Boucher J-L, Wherry EJ, Bushman FD, Allen JE, Virgin HW, and Artis D.
Coinfection. Virus-helminth coinfection reveals a microbiota-independent mechanism of immunomodulation.
Science 345(6196): 578-82, 2014.
Alenghat T, Osborne LC, Saenz SA, Kobuley D, Ziegler CG, Mullican SE, Choi I, Grunberg S, Sinha R, Wynosky-Dolfi M, Snyder A., Giacomin PG, Joyce KL, Hoang TB, Bewtra M, Brodsky IE, Sonnenberg GF, Bushman FD, Won K, Lazar MA, Artis D.
Histone deacetylase 3 coordinates commensal-bacteria-dependent intestinal homeostasis.
Nature(504), 153-157, Dec 2013.
back to top
Last updated: 10/29/2014
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


text:
A powerful storm that soaked the Bay Area on Sunday swept through Vallejo, Benicia and American Canyon, sending rushing flood waters into neighborhoods and cutting power to thousands, but causing no injuries, officials said.
"At 7 a.m. we started getting inundated with calls, mainly for flooding," Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Mark Libby said. "No one was trapped in their homes, although several got trapped in their cars out on the street in the Redwood Street area."
Two people had to be evacuated from a home on Louisiana Street because of flooding, he said.
And in at least one case, two Vallejo brothers helped over-extended emergency workers to prevent motorists from entering a road where flood waters had risen to near waist levels.
In addition, about 10,200 PG&E customers were without power in Vallejo since the storm began Saturday night. Another 454 customers lost power in Benicia. Most power was restored by mid afternoon Sunday, except for about 600 customers in two North Vallejo neighborhoods, PG&E officials said, adding that did not know exactly when power would be restored in those areas. Later Sunday night, while some customers in North Vallejo were back with power, PG&E reported another small outage had occurred in the city affecting about 320 more customers. American Canyon customers experienced no power disruptions, the utility's spokesman said.
Regionally, power was cut to about 297,000 Bay Area customers and the 600 in Vallejo were among about 48,000 customers in the dark as of late Sunday afternoon.
The National Weather Service reported that some two inches of rain dropped onto the Vallejo area between 10 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday, with the bulk of it dumped between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday.
Weather Service spokeswoman Stefanie Henry said the Napa Valley Airport, the agency's closest precipitation-measuring station to Vallejo, registered 1.33 inches in that 24-hour period, with 1.19 inches of it falling Sunday morning.
An emergency Operations Center was established around 7 a.m. to handle the heavy call volume, bringing the Vallejo Fire Department, dispatchers, Police Department, Building Department Sanitation and Flood Control, computer technicians and Public Works under one roof in Fire Station 21, Libby said. The center closed at 1:30 p.m., Libby said.
"We've been preparing for this storm for a week," Libby said. "We brought on two extra engine companies and then another two, which makes 12 extra people total."
The fire department suffered its own weather-related issues with minor flooding in three fire stations, he said. It didn't affect operations, Libby said.
"Stations 24, 23 and 27 took on some water, and Medic Ambulance on Couch Street flooded," Libby said. "This complicates things, a little bit."
Many area residents and businesses also reported storm damage, both in social media posts and interviews.
While local emergency responders were busy with reports of storm-related incidents around town, two Vallejoans took matters in their own hands.
Sean Davenport and his brother, Ric, witnessed the intersection of Redwood Parkway and Skyline Drive as water flooded in to it. "It reminded you of a rushing river," Davenport said.
They then saw two cars stalling in the waist-deep waters, as they tried to go through the intersection.
Eyewitnesses said they had tried to call 9-1-1 to report the roadway flooding, but were told that they were backed up with calls and had to wait until someone could respond.
"We couldn't just stand there and do nothing," Davenport said.
So he and his brother returned home, got their truck, and picked up a few road signs that had been left on the roadside.
Using the signs the brothers blocked off the intersection to prevent any other cars from driving into the flood.
"We just hoped that no one called the cops on us," Davenport said lightheartedly. "We just had to so something."
The Vallejoan said he also saw the community come together in times of need, including people from nearby apartments offering their homes to stranded strangers.
"It's amazing how many people were pulling together," he said.
A couple mobile home parks that have been hit in past storms didn't escape this one.
Longtime Vallejo Mobile Estates resident Diane Raahauge said that while she didn't think water made it into any of the park's mobile homes, some carports were damaged in the deluge.
"This park tends to flood because of the creek that goes through it." Raahauge said. "I panicked a little this time, so my son came to remove my car and he was knee deep. It's quite a mess. My redwood stuff floated into the yard."
The streets became rivers, Raahauge said.
"Water was all the way up and some of the car ports came completely down," she said. "I don't think it got into any one's home, but everyone's out now picking up debris, which is floating everywhere. I had some bags of leaves I was going to put out for the garbage and those floated away. I have no idea who has those."
Raahauge said her cable went out but the power stayed on in what she said was the worst flooding she's seen in her 20 years in the park, but not the worst she's aware of.
"I heard that it flooded before I came here and they had to take people out in little boats," she said.
Fire officials said at least one other Vallejo mobile home park suffered temporary street flooding. Residents of the Newell mobile home park off Fairgrounds Drive said many of the units there were damaged by flooding.
Vallejo's Best Buy store in the Gateway Plaza experienced some flooding and wasn't able to open until later in the afternoon, an employee said.
"No product was harmed, but there was some wet carpet," the employee said.
The Benicia Fire Department said it received 46 flooding-related calls throughout the day, most of them between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. The calls were from various parts of the city.
No major injuries were reported, but Benicia firefighters responded to slip-and-fall injuries, and no one was displaced due to the flood. Firefighters responded to three to four reports of trees down in Benicia. There were a few accidents, firefighters said, but "didn't seem more than any given day."
Some flooding was seen in Benicia's Waterstone Terrace Apartments, on West K Street, a manager there said.
"This property flooded in 2007, but the owner says this is the worst he's ever seen," manager Jessica Carpino said. "We had 10 units with some severe damage, four with moderate damage and four with minor damage. Our parking lot buckled."
All the damaged units are occupied and remain habitable, she said.
"They're livable," Carpino said. "We'll clean up the water and the carpets and watch for mold in the next year. It's going to be a long week for us."
Napa County officials say the work done in recent years to mitigate annual Napa River flooding has paid off. With the exception of some storm-drain-related intersection flooding, no major issues were reported in the County, Emergency Services Manager Kerry Whitney said.
"We've made many flood control improvements in past couple of years, and so far it's handled everything well," Whitney said. "We did well, considering how severe the rain and the wind was early (Sunday) morning. A couple of trees came down, there were a couple of road closures. Nothing significant, at all. No reports of injuries or damage."
In American Canyon, some street flooding was reported near American Middle School and a couple of residences were threatened, "but that diminished as the rains stopped," he said. "There may have been some water on Highway 29 but traffic was able to get around it. The worst of the storm was over as of 10 a.m. and we don't expect any more rainfall the rest the day."
The good news for a region officially still in a drought is that rainfall nudged slightly above average for the season that started July 1. For example, San Jose has had 3.06 inches of rain, a bit more than its average of 2.93 inches. San Francisco has had a whopping 7.34 inches compared to an average of 4.68 inches.
For Monday, the National Weather Service station in Monterey forecast partly cloudy skies for most of the Bay Area with light winds and daytime temperatures in the lower 60s.
The rest of the week should bring mostly cloudy skies and a chance of rain, but nothing like the triple-storm just passed. The skies should clear up next weekend but high temperatures should remain in the mid-60s and dropping into the upper 40s at night.
MediaNews Group staffers Joe Rodriguez, Joshua Melvin and Kristin J. Bender contributed to this report.


text:
African-Americans and the Influence of Social Media
November 4, 2013
Executive Summary
African-Americans use social media platforms more and more to connect, share stories, and discuss trends. For marketers, social media usage is an increasingly important tool to deeply engage with African-Americans. In this deep dive featuring executives from P&G and 20th Century Fox, participants explored the ways leading marketers have utilized social media to drive brand purchase and consideration. The roundtable discussion was hosted by David Ho, a social media consultant and former Trendr analyst.
View highlight video below.
"African-Americans and the Influence of Social Media." David Ho, Social Media Consultant and Former Director at Trendr; Cassandra Butcher, Vice President, National Publicity at Fox Searchlight; Lesley Pinckney, Vice President, Interactive at Walton Isaacson. ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, 11/04/13.
You must be logged in to submit a comment.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
The EHS cross country team traveled to Frankfort for their 3rd meet at the Archives course in 2 weeks for the Capitol View Classic on Saturday. Several runners were out due to injury or illness but Coach Christina Jimison was pleased with the effort of those who ran.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Henry County, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Henry County and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text:
For those of you who still have not grabbed some modular stuff but want in on the sounds Izotope has released a Sound Library called Modular for Iris. Iris is on my list of interesting plug-ins to get when I have the chance. This library has 600 samples and 300 patches for $34 USD.
"From the vintage classic, the ARP 2600, to modern Cartesian sequencing, the Modular sound library stems from a wide range of both musical and chaotic sources. Start experimenting and you'll find that any Modular patch could inspire your next track, from pulsing tones to lush effects to glitchy rhythmic syncopations to fat bass sounds." – izotope.com
For more info: izotope.com/products/audio/iris


text:
Approved adopters will be reserved time to meet with a pet. Our volunteers will introduce you to the pets so you can spend time with a pet. Please clean up after the pet you are visiting, and keep the pet under control at all times. Puppies and cats should NOT be placed on the ground.
If you do not have an approved application, visiting hours are after 6:30 PM.
Thank You!
Your message has been sent to Bourbon County Rescue.
You'll receive a copy, too, at to help you keep track of which pets you've inquired about, and which shelters and rescues you've emailed.
NOTE: Some shelters have physical locations you can visit; some of these shelters may only have pets for a limited time, so please do not wait for a reply—just go visit the shelter! Other organizations are rescue groups run by busy volunteers who may take a while to reply. You can find information about the shelter or rescue group caring for this pet, and their adoption procedures, on the pet's details page on Adopt-a-Pet.com.


text:
Posted 5 years ago
(42 items)
This is the first real (not childs) plate that I ever remember eating from. It belonged to my grandmother that died 5 years before I was born. She married in 1918 and was given this set as a gift the year their first child was born. It was her first new set of china after she married. They used this set as their everyday dishes and it was used until my grandfather passed away in 1975. I managed to get my grubby paws on this one plate and when I married and started my own home, I hung it in my kitchen above the dining room doorway. I can remember begging my parents for the child's set of blue willow when I was a child. I still have some, but not all of it. The teapot, minus the lid is on a shelf near my stove. My teddy bears and dolls were VERY bad to break my good china at tea parties! *L*


text:
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Skin Care and Diseases
I am 26 and have started developing little, red, prick-type marks on my skin. It`s not a rash, or spots. They are flush with my skin and look like tiny blood marks, about the size of a pin prick. (some a little larger). They seem to get bigger (very minimally) over time. Looking at my mother, she has some and so does my grandmother (larger ones she calls liver spots) but liver spots are brown and much larger. These are blood red and small. At my age they are pin prick sized...and at her age they are larger (about the size of the back of a pin)and raised (but still blood red). My grandmother only has a few of these mystery spots on her chest, thighs and arms... I on the other hand have hundreds and am concerned I`ll get more and they`ll get bigger. What are they? Have you ever heard of them?
You have described cherry angiomas, originally described by Dr. Demorgan. They are benign. Their cause is unknown. They are not associated with any systemic dysfunction or abnormality. They do increase in number and size with age. Some families have more than others. Since they are benign, there is no real cause for concern. If they become a cosmetic problem, they may easily be destroyed with an electric needle or laser.
There are other vascular lesions with which these might be confused, such as spider angioma, telangiectasias, etc., but your discription fits best with the cherry angioma.
Charles L Heaton, MD
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati


text:
RICHMOND — City staff will take a close look at the rebuilding of a burned-out crude unit at the Chevron refinery, share all documentation with the public and may require unsatisfactory work to be disassembled and redone, the City Council decided Tuesday with a 5-1-1 vote.
The resolution brought by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin was an expansion of a similar resolution adopted Oct. 2 directing city staff to require the refinery rebuild the crude unit using the "best available technology" for safety and emission reductions.
The crude processing unit was badly damaged in an Aug. 6 fire caused by a corroded pipe that injured several workers and sent more than 15,000 people to area hospitals seeking treatment.
The revised directive followed weeks of news reports and statements by Chevron officials that it will rebuild the existing unit largely to previous specifications and not increase production, leading Richmond elected officials and environmentalists to believe Chevron intends to ignore calls for major upgrades in safety and emission technology.
"We have real concerns that we may not be seeing the best available technology" in the rebuild, McLaughlin said. "This (resolution) is a call for transparency, reflection, examination, exploration and seeking out the best available technology."
No Chevron officials spoke at Tuesday's meeting, but a Chevron representative said at a Bay Area Air Quality Management District board meeting Monday that the refinery won't repair equipment damaged in the fire until regulators' safety concerns are resolved regarding the type of metal used in replacement pipes, which carry high temperature oils. Chevron has said it plans to finish refinery repairs in the first quarter of 2013.
But Tuesday's meeting also exposed a rift between elected officials and city staff, who provide building and safety permits for new construction in the city, including work at the refinery.
"It has been upsetting to me over the last couple of weeks to learn that permits are going forward," McLaughlin said. "It's been pretty frustrating."
City Manager Bill Lindsay was not present Tuesday. Last week, he said he felt city staff had faithfully followed the council's Oct. 2 directive but cautioned that assessing the technology at the refinery was "complex" and that city staff welcomed consultation from community groups about what constitutes "best technology" in the rebuild.
Included in Tuesday's resolution were directives that staff provide public reports throughout the permit process, push for information releases from Chevron and the various federal and state agencies investigating the fire, accept input from independent organizations and use "inherently safer systems."
The resolution directs Lindsay to submit a formal letter to the energy corporation explaining the city's expectations.
More than a dozen residents spoke in favor of the resolution.
Richmond resident Mike Parker said the city has a responsibility to hold Chevron to tough standards.
"We clearly have a safety problem at the refinery," Parker said.
Councilman Corky Booze abstained from the vote, and Councilman Nat Bates voted no. Both said the council was acting on ideology rather than science. Bates noted that Lindsay has called for a meeting next week with city staff, investigatory agencies and Chevron officials.
"This council knows nothing about refineries," Bates said. "I am going to wait for the intelligent people to come forward with recommendations."
Contact Robert Rogers at 510-262-2726 or firstname.lastname@example.com and follow Twitter.com/roberthrogers.


text:
JDS Uniphase Upbeat on LTE and Fiber Trends
As the Optical Fiber Conference unfolds this week in San Francisco, about which I wrote a bit in a previous post, the CEO of one of the participating companies, JDS Uniphase's (JDSU) Tom Waechter, was kind enough to stop by Barron's offices this afternoon for a brief chat.
Optical is seeing encouraging activity in both the "datacom" applications -- those networks built inside of enterprises, for their internal use -- and also telecom applications, what the service providers build to sell for revenue, said Waechter. For datacom, the main event is the move of corporate fiber networks to 40-gigabyte speeds from today's dominant 10-gig speeds and feeds. JDS customers such as Cisco Systems (CSCO), and Juniper Networks, and China's Huawei tend to dominate in that realm.
Mind you, JDS also sells directly to some very, very large customers, the "hyperscale" data centers, which build their own datacom networks. Waechter is not at liberty to disclose customer names, given how those deals are done. You could take a guess, given hyperscale is dominated by just a handful of tech firms, Amazon.com (AMZN), Google (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT).
While direct sales to hyperscale firms is a small component of JDS's optical component biz, it can generally come with higher margins (the markup from the equipment vendor is cut out of the picture, and, as Waechter notes, hyperscale operators are less concerned with getting the best price on components and more concerned with getting leading-edge technology to speed their time to deploy new networks.) As the hyperscale market grows, then, it may be good for the blended overall margin in the component business for JDS.
Waechter said Google's experiments with its Google Fiber in select cities is certainly a sign of the times as telecom operators look at different ways to bolster access networks. He wouldn't comment for the record on JDS's involvement in the project, but my guess would be JDS is, indeed, a supplier to Google.
On the telecom side, it is really the move to 100-gig networks, where Ciena (CIEN) and Infinera (INFN) having taken the lead, says Waechter.
Waechter notes the company's rising profile in wireless test, which is intimately tied to fiber-optic networking as higher-speed builds of LTE broadband wireless in turn creates the need for higher back-haul network capacity, from the tower back to the core.
JDS has been rapidly building out its LTE test business in the last three years, and it now makes up 40% of sales for the test unit of JDS, probably heading toward more than 50% in coming years, said Waechter.
JDS is involved with Chinese telcos on that country's big roll-out of LTE for the first time. Like every other company I've spoken with about China's LTE project, Waechter expresses enthusiasm but is also aware that there are variables in terms of the speed of build-out in China. What he said today was more or less what he's said in past, which is that Chinese carriers have moved quite quickly to deploy 250,000 base stations in the country. That is expected to be followed by another 350,000 to 500,000 base stations by the end of this year. As far as timing, a lot depends on how comfortable carriers feel about network quality as they analyze individual tower signals in the field, using JDS equipment.
As far as the economic benefit to JDS, Waechter said that while JDS doesn't provide a full-year forecast, he stands by remarks he made at the end of last year: various LTE build-outs this year, including China, but also enhancements coming to the U.S. and other markets, may add as much as $14 million in new business exiting the final quarter of this year.


text:
Home » News & Information » Press Releases » New Da Afghanistan Bank Branches Open in Farah and Zabul
- Our Work
- Foreign Assistance Data
- Newsroom
- Dollars to Results
- Partners
- Partnership Opportunities
- Careers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Partner Guidelines
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN- The modernization of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), Afghanistan's central bank, continues with scheduled openings of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded upgrading branch buildings in Farah and Zabul provinces this month.
The modernization of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), Afghanistan's central bank, continues with scheduled openings of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded upgrading branch buildings in Farah and Zabul provinces this month. The buildings illustrate DAB's achievements in modernizing its systems, streamlining its operating structure, and expanding its branch network.
"The new facilities stengthen the infrastruture in which DAB operates," says DAB interim Governor Noorullah Delawari. "Our capacity to service government revenue collections, salary disbursements, and funding for critical development programs, such as the National Solidarity Program, is significantly enhanced with the new branch buildings. We are grateful for USAID's generous support as well as that of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams."
USAID has been providing technical assistance to DAB since late 2002. With respect to the branch network, efforts centered on establishing connectivity in provincial branches, introducing computers to automate banking functions, and to establish an automated national payment system.
"Access to capital is one of the major constraints to economic growth in Afghanistan," USAID Mission Director, Leon S. Waskin commented. "But before you can bring these badly needed banking services to the rural areas you must first establish a safe and strong financial infrastructure, these regional Branches of DAB are a big step in that process."
Currently, all 34 provincial capital branches, as well as 5 district branches, are equipped with computers and internet technology. DAB has processed over $2.32 billion Afghani through its Afghanistan Funds Transfer System, approximately $1.5 billion of which represent provincial transfers for payment of government salaries, community development projects, and for other provincial reconstruction initiatives. The Afghan people, and the districts in which they live, have benefited in the form of infrastructure improvements, new or refurbished schools, medical clinics, and municipal centers, and through worker wages paid to Afghans engaged in the rebuilding of their country.
Last updated: August 30, 2017


text:
Tuesday July 3, 2012 6:01 pm
Netflix streamed over 1 billion hours of video in June
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Internet
We've gotta hand it to Netflix. The company has just announced a pretty major milestone--there were over one billion hours of video content streamed from Netflix in the month of June. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings made the announcement on Facebook, stating that he expects that upcoming Netflix exclusives like House of Cards and Arrested Development season four will help "blow these records away."
Read More | Facebook
- Related Tags:
- arrested development, facebook, house of cards, netflix, netflix watch instantly, reed hastings, streaming video, video, video
Latest Gear Live Videos
- Subscribe:
- YouTube
- iTunes High Definition
- iTunes Standard Version
© Gear Live Inc. – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.


text:
LAKEPORT -- The case against a former Lower Lake High School teacher accused of possessing child pornography saw a delay Tuesday.
Jeremy Duane Stock appeared at the Lake County Courthouse for a preliminary hearing readiness conference, but Judge Andrew S. Blum granted a request to postpone the proceedings, deputy district attorney Ed Borg said.
The parties are due back in court June 25 to see if both sides are prepared to move forward with the key pretrial hearing, currently set for July 8, the prosecutor added.
Stock, 38, has pleaded not guilty to felony possession of child pornography and misdemeanor molesting or annoying someone younger than 18. He was arrested last December after a nearly yearlong investigation that allegedly led to authorities finding illicit materials on a computer found in his Loch Lomond home.
The English teacher was on administrative leave from Lower Lake High at the time of his arrest. He reportedly hadn't been instructing in a classroom since January 2012, when the principal received information alleging Stock was acting inappropriately with students.
Stock is no longer affiliated with the Konocti Unified School District, resigning effective last Friday, according to district officials. He submitted his resignation letter April 26.
Stock, who is out of custody, now reportedly lives in Southern California. He traveled up to Lakeport for his court proceedings Tuesday, appearing in Blum's courtroom with attorney Jane Gaskell, who stood in for Stock's regular counsel, Stephen Gallenson, Borg said.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow his court coverage on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh or #Lakecourt.


text:
Regier, David Viktor (1933-2004)
In 1943 the Regier family moved to Virgil, Ontario. David attended Eden Christian College for his first year of high school, and completed the next four years at United Mennonite Educational Institute in Leamington. He was baptized at the Niagara United Mennonite Church in 1952. He was involved in Grace Mennonite Church (St. Catharines) from its origin in 1956 until his death on the 8 May 2004.
Dave Regier started his working career as a tool and die maker at McKinnon Industries (General Motors) in St. Catharines. He enrolled in teachers' college in Hamilton in 1959 and then worked with Special Education classes both in elementary and secondary levels. In 1989 he retired as a Special Education Consultant, having worked 29 years for the Lincoln County Board of Education. During this time he completed a university degree with a major in Psychology and a minor in Music at McMaster University (Hamilton), followed by a master's degree in Education from Niagara University in New York State.
Dave loved committees. At the local church he served as council chairman, treasurer, secretary, deacon, Sunday school teacher and worship leader. Beyond the local church some of the committees included: Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada Theological Concerns Council, Conrad Grebel College Board of Governors, Congregational Resources Board of Conference of Mennonites in Canada, Canadian Mennonite Board, Mennonite Publishing Service (Mennonite Reporter), Mennonite Foundation of Canada, Council for Exceptional Children, Heritage Bookstore and Friends of the Mennonite Centre Ukraine.
Regier worked with Silver Lake Mennonite Camp from its beginning in 1961. He was a counsellor, chairman and secretary-treasurer of the Board of Directors and assisted with building projects and fundraising. He once hand-painted 300 cards for campers.
Another of Dave's main interests was his Mennonite heritage which included compiling a large genealogical database, travelling to the former Soviet Union, and meeting with relatives. It was his idea to start the first varenecki (perogy) supper in the Niagara Peninsula in 2002 as a fundraiser in support of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine.
With the support of his wife Hilda, Dave was able to be generous with his time, skills and finances which included supporting the Mennonite church and many other charities. He died of cancer and is buried in the Niagara Lakeshore Cemetery.
"Remembering the Life and Faith of Dave Regier. . ." Funeral bulletin. Grace Mennonite Church, St. Catharines, Ontario (15 May 2004).
Foundation Info: Newsletter of Mennonite Foundation of Canada 11, No. 2 (May 2004).
The Woodbox: the Newsletter by, and for, the Friends of Silver Lake (Spring 2004).
|Maria H Klassen
|Date Published
|June 2011
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klassen, Maria H. "Regier, David Viktor (1933-2004)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2011. Web. 23 Sep 2017. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Regier,_David_Viktor_(1933-2004)&oldid=84389.
APA style
Klassen, Maria H. (June 2011). Regier, David Viktor (1933-2004). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 September 2017, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Regier,_David_Viktor_(1933-2004)&oldid=84389.
©1996-2017 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


text:
I know I've posted this in a thread somewhere but don't have time to go looking for it.
There are several position change votes going on right now that are closed polls. I know I allowed one very early on because it was a new PD member who wasn't familiar with how to do polls - and maybe that was a mistake.
Closed polls are irrelevant.
Closed polls do not count.
This includes current polls.


text:
Take a look at our Xtra section which brings you a wide range of feature articles every week.
This week's features include;
HEALTH: As a mother with severe postnatal depression admits killing her two young children, mental health experts discuss the condition and explain what steps can be taken to help women recover from such extreme baby blues.
PARENTING: Research suggests that around 16,000 young people aged 11-15 are absent from school at any one time due to bullying, and experts from the Anti-Bullying Alliance talk about how this year's Anti-Bullying Week (November 19-23) is concentrating on bullying being a barrier to achievement.
BOOKS: Best-selling historical novelist Bernard Cornwell, creator of the Sharpe novels which were adapted for television starring Sean Bean, talks about his unhappy adopted childhood, his life in the US and how his love of acting has slowed down his writing career, as his latest novel, 1356, is published.


text:
This exhibit is truly a Christmas Gift to all who enter the doors of the Orland Art Center Gallery. For the first time in his long and distinguished career, 37 pieces of George Turnbull's exceptional fine art offerings will be displayed in one space.
Equally proficient in watercolor and oils, Turnbull's considerable talent finds honest expression in a wide range of subject matter. Striking still lifes, rich rural scenes from his northern California ranch area and stunning, sweeping western landscapes&each one has a quiet, thoughtful strength that wears well.
Turnbull is a veteran of two wars, and a high honor graduate from both Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Art and the University of Southern California.
He is also an award winning graphic designer, and retired Professor Emeritus of visual communications in the California State University system.
His work is a rich reflection of a great variety of unique life experiences and abundant talent.
In addition to his military service, which took him literally around the world, Turnbull spent many good years living and working in the American west. During that time, he was very aware of the visual imagery in his surroundings.
That awareness served him well. The American west's high plains, vast open acreage, spectacular mountains, dry summers and hard winters are skillfully portrayed in the paintings that grace the gallery walls this December.
Turnbull's work hangs in many prestigious places, such as the George H. W. Bush Presidential Museum in Austin, Texas, where a print of his famous painting "9:11:01" is part of the Museum's permanent collection.
Visit the Orland Art Center before the show closes Dec. 22. Gallery hours are 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
For information go to www.orlandartcenter.com


text:
The Center for Black Women's Wellness (CBWW) was in full force at the Steve & Marjorie Harvey's Girls Who Rule the World Expo held recently. CBWW's Teen Leadership Council known as the Lofty Crew held a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Exhibit at the Atlanta expo. Youth leaders from the Lofty Crew talked to young women and their parents about teen pregnancy prevention, answered questions and provided informative learning materials for attendees to take along with them. CBWW's volunteer health professionals were also on the scene to conduct FREE blood pressure screenings and offer health advice to those in attendance. To learn more about CBWW, visit http://www.cbww.org or CBWW on Facebook.
Also On Atlanta Daily World:
comments – Add Yours


text:
How designers, authors, and more celebrate.
12 Designers' Dogs on Christmas Morning
The food we serve, the dishes we use, the things we do...on this day, it's all about the comfort of customs. Here, designers, authors, event planners, and a chef share how they celebrate Thanksgiving.More
"I have a small set of transferware turkey plates from my grandmother that I pull out when I'm feeling nostalgic — especially if my mother is coming. They're not chic, but they are very homey." —Carolyne Roehm, Author, Flowers
Spode Woodland Turkey Platter, $150. replacements.com.
"I'm the go-to turkey guy. Usually I brine in a cast-iron pot, anything from a nice Le Creuset to an inexpensive canning pot. But last year, my turkey was so obscenely big — a 30-pounder — that I ran to Home Depot for a plastic barrel!" —Nathan Turner, Interior Designer
Goose Pot, $600. lecreuset.com.
10 Glittering Holiday Entertaining Finds Under $15


text:
Attakus 1:10 Statues, Gentle Giant Jumbos, more!
Lots of cool new Star Wars items up for pre-order at BriansToys.com, including:
* Gentle Giant 12" Jumbo Vintage Ben Kenobi and 12" Jumbo Vintage Jawa
* Attakus 1:10 Scale Elite Collection: Coruscant Clone Trooper, Kashyyyk Trooper, 501st Legion Clone Trooper, Commander Bly, Commander Cody, Commander Neyo, Commander Thire, and Commander Gree.
* Vintage-Style Wave 6 (Full Set) or Single Carded: AT-RT Driver (ROTS), Clone Trooper (AOTC), Fi-Ek Sirch, General Lando Calrissian, Luke (Dagobah Arrival), and Weequay (Skiff Master).
* Clone Wars Wave 10 (Full Set), or Single Carded: Ahsoka, Anakin Skywalker, Aqua Battle Droid, Clone Commander Wolfe, and El-Les.
Remember, BriansToys.com is offering customers a $15 OFF coupon for all orders over $75. Look below for the exclusive coupon code, good for all in-stock orders placed by April 15th, 2011.
To participate in this promotion, add $75 or more of in-stock merchandise to your shopping cart. At check out, enter into the promo code field the coupon code 15OFF and you will see a discount of $15 applied to your order total!


text:
Note : Your Quotation Request will be directed to L3 Narda-MITEQ.
The AMF-3F-14501550-25-8P from L3 Narda-MITEQ is a RF Amplifier with Frequency 14500 to 15500 MHz, Gain 26 dB, Gain Flatness ± 0.5 dB, Noise Figure 2.5 dB, P1dB 8 dBm. Tags: Power Amplifier, Low Noise Amplifier. More details for AMF-3F-14501550-25-8P can be seen below.
Power Amplifier Module from 33 to 47 GHz
You can now find similar products from multiple companies on everything RF.


text:
Video: NuForce iDo DAC
Most of the people appearing in our videos are employees at Crutchfield. We pull in folks from around the company to share their expertise. A lot of our on-camera stars come from our Advisor Group — they help people choose the right gear via phone, email and chat every day, so they're good at explaining the products and technologies.
Heads up!Welcome to this article from the Crutchfield archives. Have fun reading it, but be aware that the information may be outdated and links may be broken.
Christopher, web designer at Crutchfield, tried out the NuForce iDo™, a digital-to-analog converter/headphone amplifier for iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad®. He was looking for a desktop system for his music, and the iDo turned out to be the perfect solution.
Video Transcript
Christopher: I work in a noisy office, and I like to listen to my iPod at work and I was looking for a good solution to power my headphones. I got a chance to try out the NuForce iDo and this particular NuForce is designed specifically for the iPod which will take files from your iPod.
And it's a fantastic little device that just plugs in through the USB in the back and goes right into the 30-pin connector here bypassing the mini jack. It gives you much better sound, whereas some of the other converters rely on your computer.
And so this worked really well as a solution to go directly from my iPod Touch to my converter source to my headphones. Listening to music through a DAC rather than without brought such a level of complexity — the music back that was missing. You were hearing things like on piano tracks you could actually hear fingers hit keys. You can hear fingers slide up guitar strings. All that was missing before and it really just takes you right in the presence of the performance. When you can hook up your headphones into a decent DAC with an amp that can power the headphones you really notice quite a difference and it opens it up so much. Even these smaller headphones sound fantastic through the NuForce iDo.
If you have any questions about NuForce's iDo or any of the other products that we sell here at Crutchfield just give us a call and one of our advisors will be happy to help you.


text:
The shadow looms. It is a large shadow with many odd shapes.
Part of the shadow resembles a trophy case containing five footballs on top of sticks. Another part of the shadow resembles a quarterback with a No. 16 jersey coached by a white-haired legend. And yet another part is a vague silhouette of a famous goal-line stand ... or is it a famous last-minute touchdown drive? Maybe it is both.
The 49ers cannot escape that shadow Sunday afternoon. They cannot eliminate it at 3:30 p.m. when they meet the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. They can only add to the shadow, become part of it.
And if they don't? They will bear a taint and must shoulder it for the rest of their football and non-football existence.
Enjoy the game, guys.
"There is a great 49er history with our team,—head coach Jim Harbaugh said the other day, "and we're proud of that."
In this case, history is a Jumbotron scoreboard with the following numbers flashing in bright lights: 5 and 0.
Every team in every Super Bowl feels pressure. But the pressure felt by the 49ers here is unprecedented. Because no NFL team has ever been in this position.
The 49ers have played in five Super Bowls and have won all five. No other NFL team has won so many Super Bowls without at least one defeat. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys have played in more Super Bowls (eight), and the Steelers have won more of them (six). But the Steelers have lost one. The Cowboys have lost two.
That 5-0 record is something the 49ers franchise fully embraces. The team itself has adopted a "Quest For Six" motto. On the 49ers website, followers can download "Quest For Six" icons for their Twitter or Facebook accounts or post pictures of them holding "Quest For Six" signs in different locations.
Do the players care about the 49ers lore or the 5-0 legacy? They have no choice. The realization seeps into their consciousness gradually. It begins with the first time they enter team headquarters in Santa Clara. The five Vince Lombardi trophies, the prizes for winning the five Super Bowls, are in a glass case right inside the front door.
"It's hard not to notice them," said defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois.
But it's not merely the trophies.
"You're reminded of it with the fan base, as well," said offensive tackle Joe Staley. "A lot of people you meet in the community say that they became fans of the 49ers in the '80s, when they were young."
The longer each player is on the 49ers roster, the more he hears the stories about the other Super Bowl teams and how perfect they were. About quarterback Joe Montana. About his four victories on the game's biggest stage. About the goal-line stand that stopped the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982. About the way receiver Jerry Rice acid-washed and embarrassed the Denver Broncos with three touchdown catches in 1990. About the Steve Young redemption game in 1995.
The message that leaches through those stories is clear to those who wear the 49ers uniform today: You're not as good as they were.
Are the current 49ers sick of those stories, weary of the old 49er ghosts haunting them? Today's 49ers don't say so. Although they sort of say so.
"Right now, we are trying to establish our own identity," Staley said. "You don't want to live in the past and we're trying to create our own tradition."
Well, at long last, this is their chance. As the 2012 regular season progressed and the 49ers kept winning, the inevitable comparisons and debates arose. Did this 49ers team deserve to be talked about on the same scale as those teams of the past? Could Harbaugh carve out as big a legacy as Bill Walsh or George Seifert?
And what about this 25-year-old kid quarterback, Colin Kaepernick? Could he win his first Super Bowl at the same age that Montana won his first? Could current 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree come close to matching the way Rice made so many catches when it mattered most?
Could this team's star running back, Frank Gore, match the Super Bowl prowess of Roger Craig? And does today's 49ers owner, Jed York, deserve the favorable comparisons to his uncle, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., proprietor of the team for those five Super victories?
Some would say those questions are secondary concerns for the 49ers as kickoff approaches. The primary pressure for them to succeed is coming from the Baltimore Ravens, or from the millions and millions of people watching the game. The 49ers ghosts? How can they matter?
Well, they do. You can ask anyone who has been a fan of the team for longer than 10 minutes.
Being an undefeated Super Bowl franchise is always the ultimate ammunition when 49er fans argue with Pittsburgh fans about which NFL dynasty is the best ever. Yeah, the Steelers won six Super Bowls, but they lost two. The perfection card is the one that Joe Montana's backers play when the argument of greatest quarterbacks is raised. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots has won three Super Bowls and might win a fourth, even a fifth. But he already has lost two. Joe never lost.
The current 49ers probably won't be thinking about any of that today in the heat of competition on the Superdome floor. But rest assured, they were thinking about it beforehand -- and they will hear about it afterward if the result goes the wrong way. Who wants to be remembered as the first 49ers to lose a Super Bowl? What is that strange cloudy dimness that threatens to block out the stadium lights late Sunday evening?
You know. We know. They know. The shadow looms.
Contact Mark Purdy at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/MercPurdy.


text:
Dr. Phil's School of Investing
Popular television psychologist Dr. Phil ften says, "the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."
Nothing could be more valuable to keep in mind when it comes to buy/sell decisions. When trying to predict the future behavior of a stock (whether it's likely to up or down) you can get a good read by seeing how it behaved in the past when it had similar valuation metrics....343 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
Already a Subscriber? Please login.


text:
Dairy scientists at the University of Kentucky interviewed managers on some of the top milk production herds in the state to characterize their management practices. They selected 24 dairy producers with a minimum rolling herd average of 22,000 pounds for the project.
"These farms represented the top DHI milk production herds in Kentucky at the time of the survey," say Alison Smith, Curtis Coombs, and Jeffrey Bewley in the March 2013 issue of Kentucky Dairy Notes. "Herd size ranged from 25 to 1,590 lactating cows with an average of 191 cows, demonstrating that high milk production can be achieved in both small and large Kentucky herds."
Management practices used on the farms were categorized by milking practices, management practices and tools, and feed additives. The top milking practices were: drying teats before attaching the milking unit, dry treating all quarters of all cows, pre-dipping, and post-dipping. The top management practices were: regular forage testing, use of fans, heat detection aids, and use of artificial insemination for heifers.
Producers were asked to identify the one management practice that contributed the most to their milk production level. The most frequently cited reasons were (1) attention to detail, (2) nutrition, (3) cow comfort, and (4) quality forages.
"The response of 'attention to detail' demonstrates the importance of management ability in attaining high milk production," Smith, Coombs and Bewley say. "Obviously, this trait is difficult to quantify but demonstrates that an attitude of excellence contributes to high milk yield."
Read more about the project results here.


text:
Potable Gold: Savannah's Madeira Tradition
324 E. State Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Experience the historic atmosphere of the Davenport House while learning about a unique and flavorful wine. Patrons are oriented to the long and rich tradition of Madeira (wine) as it relates to the history of Savannah, and then they participate in a Madeira party. During the experience, patrons will sample two types of Madeira and see the historic house at dusk, including spaces usually off-limits to tour patrons.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs and maneuver in the candlelit rooms.
Info & Amenities
Hours of Operation
Friday: 5:30PM - 7:00PM
Saturday: 5:30PM - 7:00PM
Admission & Fees
Admission $22 plus tax
Facility Amenities
Parking on Site, Public Restrooms
Near Interstate Highway
16, 95
Payment Options
American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Suitable for Ages
Adults (21+), Seniors (55+)
Culinary, Food, Wine & Beer, Entertainment, History & Heritage


text:
Aybar making effort to practice patience, take walks
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Erick Aybar drew seven walks in his first eight Spring Training games, which is pretty good for a guy who has averaged one walk every five and a half games throughout his career -- and no fluke, if you ask the Angels' speedy shortstop.
"I want to take more walks this year," Aybar said in Spanish on Wednesday. "I want to see the ball more, make the pitcher throw more strikes."
One-hundred and eighty-nine qualified hitters have a better plate-appearances-per-walk ratio than Aybar since he became an everyday player five years ago. The most he's ever drawn in a season is 35 in 2010, which was tied for 253rd in the Majors. And because of that, Aybar's career on-base percentage is only .317 -- pretty low for a guy who has good bat control, is a great bunter and sports above-average speed.
The question is: Is Aybar, 30 years old and entering his ninth season with the Angels, too late in his career to change his approach?
"I don't think so," he said. "You learn more and more the longer you're in this game. When you're looking for a pitch and you don't get it, you take it. That's what I've been doing. Just showing more patience, and letting the pitcher throw."
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Reston, Va. -- Four in every five smartphone users – 85.9 million in total – accessed retail content on their device in July, according to a study by comScore. Amazon sites led as the top retailer with an audience of 49.6 million visitors, representing 46.6% of smartphone owners, followed by eBay with 32.6 million visitors and Apple with 17.7 million visitors.
Wal-Mart had the largest reach among traditional brick-and-mortar retailers with 16.3 million visitors, followed by Target with 10 million visitors and Best Buy with 7.2 million smartphone visitors.
"With nearly 86 million Americans now shopping on their smartphones, this pronounced shift in consumer behavior is simply too large for retailers to ignore, with the future of their business depending on how well they adapt to the new environment," said Mark Donovan, comScore senior VP mobile. "The retailers who best understand how consumers are engaging in mobile shopping behaviors and design their strategies accordingly will be best positioned to capitalize on these shifting market dynamics."


text:
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Paris Encore
6 comments:
- Beth said...
I hope you have a wonderful time, and I'm really looking forward to hearing about it when you get back. I've never been to Giverny, but you'll get lots of lovely photos there!
- 29 March 2011 at 17:46
- rebecca said...
What fun. I wish I could go! NY Times just had an article highlighting a lesser known area, if you're interested in a neighborhood off the beaten path.
- 30 March 2011 at 12:19
- Grapefruit said...
Thanks Beth - I'm going to try & update while I'm there or I will in any case once I get back. I'm immensely excited about Giverny, missed the opportunity to go the last time.
Rebecca - thanks for the link. I read the article a few days back. Incidentally where I'm staying is just across from Marché des Enfants Rouges & I'm going to try and see whatever else (mentioned in the article) that I can. Six days never seem enough for Paris & there's always at least a couple of things that you discover you could have seen but didn't.
- 30 March 2011 at 13:52
- Shelley said...
Oh wow! Lucky ladies, you two are. I can't wait to read about your trip and see some gorgeous pics!
- 31 March 2011 at 22:12
- Nostalgia said...
Have a wonderful trip and write all about it.
- 1 April 2011 at 16:04
- Stevie said...
Paris is such fun. You're lucky to be going with a friend for a good visit.
- 1 April 2011 at 19:08


text:
I'm probably wasting my time there, so I thought I'd let you all take a shot at this. Here are the thoughts of a Nets fan on a thread debating who is better between us and New Jersey:
What do you think?Martin is averaging 18 points and 10 boards per game.
He's also shooting it at 50% from the floor.
Statistically, he's even with O'Neal, who's averaging 20/10, but shooting the ball at a miserable 43% clip. O'Neal is a better player, but you're seriously underrating Kenyon Martin. Not to mention Martin is also a better passer than Jermaine.
Artest is even worse from the field- 41.9%. His steals + blocks per game are the same as Martins. Like Artest, Martin is more of an on the ball defender. O'Neal for example, gets his blocks through team defense. Martin averages 18 points per game. Artest is at 17.9. 9.9 boards per game for Martin to 5.3 for Ron.
Jefferson is not MUCH better than Harrington, but he has been averaging 18 per game for the last three months and has developed 3 point range. He's also a good passer, dishing out three per ball game.
Kidd is an impact player- a walking triple double who can take over games even more so than O'Neal. Again I reference the 43.5% shooting of Jermaine. Terrible for an all-star power forward who is supposed to be a dominant low post player.
Martin has the ability to shut down Jermaine, and come playoff time he could very well do this.