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Evolution Hoax
Muslims must never forget that Satan is always working to cause enmity between Muslims in order to prevent their unity and solidarity. Our Lord warns believers of this danger:
Say to My servants that they should only say the best. Satan wants to stir up trouble between them. Satan is an outright enemy to man. (Surat al-Isra', 53)
This verse advises Muslims to avoid directing hurtful, mocking, harsh, and accusing words against other Muslims and points out the need for decent conduct in the pursuit of unity.
The Qur'an also points out that such disputes and other damaging behavior impair one's sense of belonging and weaken the Muslims' power. Our Lord says:
Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves, lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat al-Anfal, 46)
If the Islamic world wants to erect a powerful, stable, and prosperous civilization that guides and illuminates the world in every aspect, it must act in union. The lack of such a union is responsible for the Islamic world's discord and separation, the absence of a common voice, and the defenselessness of innocent Muslims. Countless poor women, children, and elderly people are desperately in need of rescue from oppression in Palestine, Kashmir, East Turkistan (home of the Chinese-ruled Muslim Uighur people), the southern Philippines (home of the Muslim Moro people) and many other regions. The responsibility for these people belongs to the Islamic world before anyone else. Muslims must never forget the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) following words:
A Muslim is a Muslim's brother. He does not wrong him or abandon him. (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
The Islamic world must put its various disputes aside and remember that all Muslims are "brothers" and "sisters" so that it can provide role models who reflect the true character of Islam and its ideals. This unity of the believers is a gift and grace of Allah. Sincere Muslims must thank our Lord for these benefits and obey His command "not to separate":
Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate. Remember Allah's blessing to you when you were enemies, and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire, and He rescued you from it. In this way Allah makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. (Surah Al 'Imran, 103)2010-04-15 19:39:16


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The ioStudio Charlie Daniels' Scholarship for Heroes Concert is coming to Lipscomb's Allen Arena on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. Charlie Daniels and special guest artists Chris Young, The Grascals, Keni Thomas, Bleach and more will perform their hits in an effort to create greater awareness of the national Veterans Yellow Ribbon education program and specifically Lipscomb's Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program, offering eligible Post 9/11 GI Bill veterans and their family members an undergraduate degree tuition-free or a graduate degree tuition-free or at a greatly reduced tuition rate.
Mary Byers, president of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., will also be a featured guest. American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., founded in 1929, is an organization of mothers who have lost sons or daughters in service to the United States. The organization exists to support mothers who have lost loved ones, to promote patriotism and to perpetuate the memory of those who have died in service to the country among other purposes.
Daniels will be joined by some of music's hottest artists. Young's single, "You," marked his fifth consecutive No. 1 hit. Grammy-nominated group, The Grascals, have become one of the most acclaimed bands on today's bluegrass scene for their innovative mingling of bluegrass and country music. Nashville singer, songwriter and best-selling author Keni Thomas is a combat veteran of the 75th Ranger Regiment who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu. Bleach is a contemporary Christian rock band that has earned a Dove Award and has released seven albums since the band formed in 1995.
In addition, Chase Bank and Operation Homefront will be giving away a home the night of the show to an area Tennessee veteran.
Event sponsors and donors include iostudio, Humana, Waltrip Brothers' Charity Championship, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Twice Daily, Bridgestone, Chase, Operation Homefront, Clear Channel, Dollywood, Shofner Vision Center, Trauger & Tuke, Glover Group Entertainment, SunTrust and DSI.
FREE tickets are made available through the generosity of the event sponsors. They are available at all Middle Tennessee Daily's and Twice Daily's locations, Darrell Waltrip Automotive in Franklin, Tenn., and the Lipscomb University box office. Call 615.966.7075 for information.
Members of the military and their families will be invited as guests of the event's corporate sponsors. Proceeds from the event benefit Lipscomb University's Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program.
Event sponsors and donors include iostudio, Humana, Waltrip Brothers Charity Championship, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Twice Daily, Bridgestone, Chase, Operation Homefront, Clear Channel, Dollywood, Shofner Vision Center, Trauger & Tuke, Glover Group Entertainment, SunTrust and DSI.
Also on Tuesday, March 5, noon to 4 p.m., in the Ezell Center Lipscomb University will hold Synergy, a workshop for those who work with military veterans.
Join with governmental agencies (federal and state), nonprofit veteran service organizations, businesses with specific veterans programs and others who, like you, are committed to making a difference in the lives of those who have served in the U.S. military. At least twenty different organizations are anticipated to participate.
Click here for more information.

subset: commoncrawl


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Australian shares end marginally higher after initial enthusiasm over weak inflation data wanes.
4.52pm: Cyclical stocks were among the better performers today, with Stockland up 2.6 per cent, benefiting from the data and the chance of a cut in rates.
The world's third biggest gold producer, Newcrest Mining, bucked the trend, dropping 3.7 per cent after it cut its production forecast, citing under-investment in operations and rain disruptions.
4.43pm: In breaking news, Billionaire Solomon Lew has lost a bid to stifle media coverage of a bitter legal stoush over tens of millions of dollars held in a trust, Ben Butler reports.
Mr Lew's counsel, Jack Fajgenbaum, QC, applied for a suppression order last week, telling the Supreme Court press reports had unfairly painted his client as a "greedy ogre".
He asked that coverage of the case be anonymised in the same way as related Family Court proceedings.
Justice Jennifer Davies rejected the application and ordered Mr Lew to pay the media's costs.
4.30pm: Among the banks, ANZ rose 1.1 per cent, CBA and NAB gained 0.4 per cent and Westpac rose 1.5 per cent.
4.25pm: Among the big miners, BHP Billiton ended down 24 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $35.08 and Rio Tinto lost $1.05, or 1.6 per cent, to $65.60.
4.15pm: As the graph above shows, the market has closed higher. The ASX200 index closed up 8 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 4360.4 and the All Ordinaries rose 3.6 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 4433.9.
4.10pm: Virgin Australia's chief executive, John Borghetti, has insisted the airline will be "staying on strategy" despite a looming price war with Qantas in the domestic travel market.
The prospect of Qantas aggressively boosting capacity in order to maintain its so-called "line in the sand" of a 65 per cent share of the domestic market threatens to spark heavy discounting by the two incumbent airlines, especially in the business-class cabin.
3.56pm: Ai Group chief executive designate Innes Willox says the CPI data released today confirms that inflation pressures are well contained and should give the Reserve Bank further confidence to reduce interest rates.
"A major driver of the benign rise in overall consumer prices was the solid fall in prices of tradable goods and services. The fall in these prices also highlights the ongoing pressures faced by non-mining trade exposed industries such as manufacturing and tourism. Businesses in these sectors are facing greater competition in international and domestic markets while at the same time contending with wage increases and further rises in energy prices," Mr Willox says.
3.40pm: The latest data from Credit Suisse shows there is a 134 per cent chance of a 25-basis-point cut when the RBA meets next week. The data also shows an expectation of 110 basis points of rate cuts over the next 12 months - or more than four 25-basis-point cuts.
3.25pm: New Zealand's Fletcher Building, Australasia's biggest building products firm, is on track to meet a reduced full-year earnings but faces risks from further weakness in Australia's residential building sector, its chief executive says.
Jonathan Ling has told Reuters that he is sticking to the company's profit outlook of $NZ310 million-$NZ340 million for the year ending June 30, but there are challenges.
"New Zealand has bottomed out and is starting to improve, albeit from a very low base, and Australia, off a very high base, is starting to decline and I think it will continue to decline," he said in an interview.
3.21pm: Apple risks losing the right to use the iPad trademark in China, a senior official says, as a Chinese court is seeking to mediate a settlement between the technology giant and a local company challenging its use of the iPad name.
Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, told reporters in Beijing the government regards Shenzhen Proview Technology as the rightful owner of the trademark for the popular tablet computers. His remarks could add to pressure on Apple to find a solution to the stand-off, AP reports.
3.07pm: There are still plenty of well-heeled drinkers willing to spend substantial sums of money on luxury brands of wine despite the prevailing economic gloom, says Australian fine-wine maker Penfolds.
On May 3, Penfolds releases the 2007 vintage of its famous Grange shiraz, along with the latest vintages of its other luxury labels: Yattarna, St Henri, Magill Estate, Bin 707, RWT and Reserve Bin A.
The inaugural vintage of the new Bin 169 Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon will also be released.
The 2007 Grange will cost $625 per bottle. The 2006 vintage sold for $599.
The new Bin 169 Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon sells for $250 per bottle.
2.50pm: A change of pace for the afternoon... A rare Ferrari Enzo supercar is about to go under the hammer in Dubai after a British businessman dumped the car in the desert before fleeing the country, Drive's Stephen Ottley reports.
Being in debt is a crime in the Middle Eastern nation, so it is not uncommon for people to flee the country and leave behind their car at the airport. Based on auction results and current market prices, the dumped Enzo could fetch as much as $1.5 million when it goes under the hammer.
2.42pm: A powerful West Australian union has called on the State Government to force resource companies to pay a skills training levy on construction work, a charge which is already paid by all other builders.
The latest campaign from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union comes as union activity continues to intensify in the booming state, with two other unions calling on the WA Government to rectify underfunding in the public sector, Rania Spooner reports.
2.32pm: Gold is struggling to move higher in thin trade as investors wait for a US Federal Reserve meeting to shed some light on the central bank's monetary policy amid caution over a resurfacing crisis in Europe.
Spot gold is little changed at $US1636.69 an ounce, after falling to $US1619.99 yesterday - its lowest
since April 4.
The two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting is scheduled to kick off later in the day. Though the Fed is expected to adopt a wait-and-see approach, its comments will be put under scrutiny as investors seek clues on possible quantitative easing measures.
2.21pm: Brent crude oil is steady under $US119 a barrel as fears over the health of the eurozone economies and political uncertainty counter worries over a production stoppage in the North Sea and potential supply disruptions from Iran.
Brent crude eased 9 cents to $US118.62 a barrel, while US crude was down 18 cents at $US102.93.
"The whole macro picture at the moment just doesn't look good for crude. It's looking pretty bearish," says Jim Ritterbusch, president of oil trading consultant Ritterbusch & Associates in Galena, Illinois.
"So far all they (euro zone economies) have been doing is throwing band-aids on their problems. I still see significant risk from the southern European economies - Spain, Portugal Italy to some extent. This is nowhere near over."
2.05pm: Shares have up some gains as doubts about the eurozone's ability to push through measures to end its debt crisis weigh on sentiment, although the surprisingly low inflation data firmly supports prices.
"We did have a weak overnight lead, but if you look at what is in positive territory in the market, its a collection of industrials that obviously would find some support on those rate cut expectations coming back into the market," says Peter Esho, Chief Market Analyst City Index.
Esho says that cyclical stocks, such as Stockland up 2.3 per cent, are also benefiting from the benign data and the chance of a cut in rates.
"I think they'll cut, and at the moment we are trying to weigh up if it will be a 50 basis point cut or two 25 basis point cuts, I wouldn't be surprised if you get one 50 basis point cut.''
1.42pm: Treasurer Wayne Swan has welcomed a fall in inflation but says many Australian households are still doing it tough.
''These are very much welcome figures,'' he said in reaction to the CPI data. ''But we do know that many households are doing it tough.''
A rate cut by the RBA on the back of the benign inflation numbers would come at the right time for the struggling Labor government, which is set to deliver a tough budget on May 8 aimed at returning to surplus years, if not decades, before most other rich nations.
1.39pm: Oil Search says it is reviewing bids from potential joint venture partners in its Papua New Guinea gas projects. The oil and gas explorer and producer has embarked on what its managing director Peter Botten says is the largest drilling program in its history.
''Discussions with potential partners were ongoing during the quarter and a number of bids to farm-in to these licences were received late in the reporting period,'' Botten said while releasing the company's first quarter production report.
''Review of these bids is underway, with a farm-down of the company's large Gulf area interests likely to take place around mid-year.''
1.29pm: Another one from Insider's Ian McIlwraith. ASX-listed CMI has tried to distance itself from the troubles of its former car component-making arm, CMI Industrial, which has ceased operations after being shut out of its factory by its landlord in Melbourne's Broadmeadows. The CMI Industrial closure causes a potential problem for car maker Ford's nearby operations.
The listed CMI, whose shares fell 10 cents to $2.30 this morning, said the only connection between the two since it sold the components operations four years ago is a $17 million loan that it has already written down to zero in its books.
1.20pm: Insider columinst Ian McIlwraith reports some more grim news from stuggling base metals group Kagara (ASX: KZL), which has temporarily suspended mining and milling operations at two of its North Queensland sites.
Kagara, which had already suspended its shares ahead of a funding announcement, is expected to sell its stake in spin-off Mungana Mines (ASX: MUX) for about $46 million to get it through its cash crisis.
The Balcooma underground mining operations suspended today were supposed to be one of the company's two focal points in a restructuring announced in March.
1.12pm: The struggling retail sector will be watching next week's rate call as closely as anyone. Retail stocks find themselves well ahead of the general market today:
- Woolworths - up 0.33%
- Wesfarmers - up 1.57%
- Harvey Norman - up 1.75%
- David Jones - unchanged
- Myer - up 1.29%
1.04pm: Here's a change of pace from one of our small business blogs. Potential investors will judge entrepreneurs on their commitment to good ideas. Questions like 'Why back you?' are the first of a series of tests to gauge whether or not you are worth investing in.
Small business blogger Tony Featherstone takes a look at the eight most important ideas to prove you have what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.
12.53pm: If you're interested in the Wayne Swan press conference, we're streaming it live at the top of this page (in case you missed it). If you can't see it, please try refreshing your page.
12.47pm: "There will be some who will argue that today's (inflation) figures are low enough to allow a 50 per cent cut straight away, but I suspect that would smell a little too much of unseemly haste for a cautious institution," writes Michael Pascoe.
"Egged on by the usual tabloid media tendencies, most people simply won't believe the ABS measure of inflation, plus we have the spectacle of the least unpopular side of politics forecasting that we'll suffer economic and inflationary disaster at the hands of the carbon tax. Even when you get what you wish for, sometimes it's not much." Full story.
12.35pm: Wayne Swan is holding a press conference in 10 minutes on the inflation data. We'll add a link shortly to the live stream.
Meanwhile, the initial burst of optimism on the markets about the CPI data appears to be waning. The ASX200 has slipped back to a gain of about 0.3 per cent. The All Ords is 0.2 per cent higher.
12.26pm: HSBC economist Paul Bloxham, a former economic analyst at the Reserve Bank, is less confident that today's inflation number will lead to a second 25 basis point rate cut in June or later this year.
"The parts of inflation that are very persistent that tend to be steady were actually steady at reasonably high rates [in the March quarter]," he said. That included items like utilities and tuition.
"It's highly likely those things won't continue and that at some point down the track inflation will drift up again."
12.18pm: BusinessDay's Malcolm Maiden says according to the RBA's own cirteria, the CPI data clears the way of a 25 basis cut next week. He writes:
It's low enough to create room for a cut of a quarter of a percentage point on May 1, and probably lays for the groundwork for another cut after that.
The central bank now has the room it has said it needed to hand sectors including tourism and manufacturing relief - relief that will come not from a reduction on borrowing costs that will flow from a cut in the cash rate, but from reduced pressure on the Australian dollar ...
12.15pm: "We like it." That's the message from the ASX200, which has added almost 20 points higher since the CPI data arrived. The All Ords and the ASX200 are showing gains of 0.3 and 0.4 per cent respectively.
12.05pm: And another:
Amazing that the AUD has only fallen half a cent... In the good old days, this would have been a 2 cent mover— Stephen Koukoulas (@TheKouk) April 24, 2012
12.03pm: A view from the Twitterverse:
Much lower than exp Aust inflation for headline and core. #RBA will cut next week. Should do 50bps to ensure decent fall in mortgage rates— Shane Oliver (@ShaneOliverAMP) April 24, 2012
11.59am: Two more economists here on what the data means for the RBA:
- Matthew Johnson, senior economist, UBS
"The RBA will cut rates by 25 basis points at its next two meetings... I would not rule out a 50bp cut (in one go) but I would not bet my money on it... Monetary policy is tight at the moment and it needs to get to neutral... After that if unemployment rate starts to head up or growth remains weak, they will cut more..."
- Stephen Walters, chief economist, JPMorgan
"I think 25's most likely, because 50 almost implies you've made a mistake and you're trying to catch up. And when you look through some of the detail -- like ex-food, inflation's nowhere near as low."
11.55am: After the release of the data investors began pricing in a 100 per cent chance of a 25 basis point cut in May, and a one-in-four chance of a 50 basis point cut. Before the inflation update, the market was tipping only a 93 per cent chance of a rate reduction next month.
11.50am: Looking at how the different categories have performed, food and non-alcoholic beverages dropped 2.1 per cent for the quarter, and 2.5 per cent for the year. Clothing and footwear was down 1.8 per cent for the quarter, but up 1.5 per cent for the year. Here are some of the other categories:
- Furnishing, household equipment - down 1.1% qtr, up 0.7% annual
- Recreation/culture - down 2.0% qtr, down 0.9% annual
- Health - up 4.4% qtr, up 4.2% annual
- Education - up 6% qtr, up 6% annual
11.44am: ''Certainly this has given the RBA the scope to cut by 25 basis points at the next meeting,'' said Rochford Capital director Thomas Averill.
''I think the RBA has been slow to react to the lower pace of domestic economic growth and a clear downward trend in inflation.''
Based on the trajectory of the slowdown a 50 basis point cut could be justified, added Mr Averill, although he doesn't believe the RBA would cut by that amount.
11.41am: Digging a bit further into the inflation numbers, seasonally adjusted CPI fell 0.2 per cent in the March quarter, and was up 1.5 per cent in the 12 months to March.
The trimmed mean CPI rose 0.3 per cent in the March quarter, for an annual growth rate of 2.2 per cent, data the ABS data showed. The weighted median CPI rose 0.4 per cent in the March quarter, for an annual rise of 2.1 per cent.
11.38am: ''We think the May rate cut is pretty much done and dusted now,'' said RBC Capital Market economist Michael Turner.
''Next month is almost a given and the question is whether the RBA follows up with another cut in June.''
11.36am: Shares have jumped higher on the CPI news, presumably on bets that the RBA will do its bit to stimulate the economy. The ASX200 was trading at 4355 moment before the release but shot up to 4366.89 when the data arrived.
11.33am: The dollar has lost 0.6 US cents on the CPI release. It's now buying $US1.0276, down from $US1.0322.
11.31am: CPI - the numbers have come un much, much lower than forecasters imagined. For the year, economists had predicted a 2.2 per cent rate of consumer price inflation. The actual number is 1.6 per cent. This is likely to open a debate not about whether the RBA will cut next, but by how much. Twenty five basis points? Fifty basis points?
11.30am: CPI data much weaker than expected - 0.1% for March quarter, 1.6% for the year.
11.29am: Ahead of the CPI release, the dollar is at $US1.0322.
11.16am: Australia's largest locally-owned brewer, Coopers Brewery, has burst into the American home brew market after buying the largest home brew brand in the United States, Mr Beer, in a move that could consolidate Coopers at the top of the global home brew market, Eli Greenblat reports.
Coopers, a South Australian based brewer that is this year celebrating 150 years in business, will become the biggest home brewer in North America following the deal.
11.07am: Tokyo stocks have opened 0.8 per cent lower, mirroring the losses overnight on Wall Street amid European political and economic uncertainty.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange is down 76.09 points at 9466.08.
10.59am: Here's another view on the March CPI, to be released in half an hour. Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, said investors would welcome the possibility of lower interest rates and ''the potential for a weaker currency that will be assumed if the CPI is in line with expectations.''
"However, they will be conscious that any rate cuts will be made against a back drop of significant fiscal tightening in next week's budget," he said.
"This will be delivered among considerable political uncertainty domestically with investors yet to have a clear idea of the Opposition's fiscal policies. Mounting concerns over Europe will further limit confidence."
10.55am: Bell Potter senior adviser Stuart Smith said losses on Wall Street and European bourses had not heavily influenced the domestic market.
''They haven't had too much of a negative effect,'' he said. ''There's an underlying strength here which, I think, we will see improve during the day.''
Mr Smith said he expected the market to react positively when the ABS released its CPI for the March quarter at 11.30am.
10.49am: Although this is a sharemarket blog, here's one for the property investors among us. The Gold Coast's glitzy five-star Palazzo Versace is up for sale.
Property developer Sunland Group has announced it's putting the landmark hotel on the market through a public tender process, just six months after Sunland took full ownership. The resort has repeatedly been named Australia's best hotel, including in the 2011 Luxury Travel Gold List Awards.
And, for the new owner, it's guaranteed to solve the problem of where to take the family over the school holidays.
10.46am: Thakral Holdings (THG) says a $400 million take-over offer from private equity group Brookfield undervalues the Australian property company.
Canadian-based Brookfield announced on April 19 it would launch a take-over bid for Thakral at a rate of 70 cents per fully-paid staple security. It said the offer represented at 30.8 per cent premium to Thakral's closing price of 53.5 cents on the ASX the day before the bid was announced.
However, in an announcement to the ASX today, Thakral chief operating officer Anthony Story said the offer undervalued the company's stock.
10.41am: And to the early gainers on the ASX200:
- Mirabela Nickel - up 8.51%
- Coalspur Mines - up 4.26%
- St Barbara - up 2.84%
- Suncorp - up 1.66%
- Australand - up 1.54%
10.36am: Looking now at the early sliders on the ASX200:
- Paladin - down 6.85%
- Alacer Gold - down 3.85%
- Newcrest - down 3.73%
- Flight Centre - down 2.87%
- Henderson CDI - down 2.33%
10.28am: Markets are now moving cautiously into positive territory, with eight out of ten sub indices on the ASX200 trading above breakeven point:
- Info tech - up 0.93%
- Telecom index - 0.86%
- Consumer staples - up 0.58%
- Health - up 0.51%
- Financials - up 0.31%
- Materials - down - 0.76%
- Energy - down 0.27%
10.21am: Paladin shares have also taken an early hit. They have lost 7.4 per cent, or 12.5 cents, to $1.55 following a $US274 million convertible bond issue last night.
10.18am: Wesfarmers shares are 1 per cent lower, or 29 cents, to $29.63 after the company reported that sales growth at its Coles supermarkets slowed in the third quarter, even as it continued to win customers away from arch-rival Woolworths.
10.16am: PMP shares have dived 10 per cent, or 3 cents, to 27 cents after the company slashed its full year earnings forecasts and ramped up its cost-cutting program amid challenging trading conditions.
10.14am: Shares in Newcrest Mining have plunged 4.2 per cent, or $1.17, to $26.43 after the company cut its forecasts for gold and copper production for 2012 after carrying out a major review of its operations.
10.12am: In early trade, the All Ordinaries index is 9.9 points lower, or 0.2 per cent, to 4420.4, while the benchmark S&P/ASX200 is 8.5 points lower, or 0.2 per cent, to 4343.9.
10.06am: Early take - shares down early. Losses of 0.2 per cent without all companies trading.
9.56am: The Australian bond market has opened stronger as traders move into safe haven assets following the release of weak economic data from Europe.
UBS interest rate strategist Matthew Johnson said the weak data was bad news for European governments already ladened with high levels of debt. ''Basically, it looks like Europe is back to where it was in the fourth quarter of last year when everyone was really worried about growth there,'' Mr Johnson said.
''If Europe has a problem, then debt to GDP (gross domestic product) ratios will start to be a problem.''
At 8.30am the June 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.320 (implying a yield of 3.680 per cent), up from 96.295 (3.705 per cent) on Monday. The June three-year bond futures contract was at 96.900 (3.100 per cent), up from 96.860 (3.140 per cent).
9.52am: PMP shares will also attract some investor attention today after the company slashed its full year earnings forecasts and ramped up its cost-cutting program amid challenging trading conditions.
PMP said it expected its full year earnings before interest, tax and significant items to be between $30 million and $33 million.
Its net debt pile was likely to come in between $150 million and $155 million.The earnings downgrade comes after PMP in February said it expected full year EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) of $43-47 million and warned of tough conditions in the second half of its financial year.
9.49am: Shares in take-over target Spotless are being halted from trading ahead of an expected announcement about its talks with potential suitor Pacific Equity Partners (PEP).
Spotless, an industrial services company, requested its shares be put into a trading halt until Friday, or until it was ready to make an announcement about the talks.Spotless has been negotiating with PEP for five months, since a first bid was made.
9.45am: Wesfarmers reports that sales growth at its Coles supermarkets slowed in the third quarter, even as it continued to win customers away from arch-rival Woolworths.
The retail-to-coal company said same-store food and liquor sales at Coles, which makes up about half of group revenue, rose 2.7 percent in the March quarter from a year earlier.
That was just below market forecasts of 2.8 pe rcent growth, according to a Reuters survey of seven analysts, but still trounced flat sales in the third quarter at Woolworths, which has declined from double-digit growth over the past four years as Coles revamped its network.
9.42am: Shares in Newcrest Mining could be in the spotlight after cutting its forecasts for gold and copper production for 2012 after carrying out a major review of its operations.
Newcrest said gold production for the 2012 financial year would be reduced to 2.25-2.35 million ounces from 2.43-2.55 million ounces.
It also lowered its forecast for copper production to 70,000-75,000 tonnes from 75,000-80,000 tonnes. Newcrest said it was facing a variety of higher costs, ranging from labour to energy, a fall in productivity, and the impacts of the strong Australian dollar.
However, Newcrest said, its production from existing assets was expected to grow over the next five years at a compound average rate of between five and 10 per cent.
9.39am: Political uncertainty in Europe, coupled with weak manufacturing data, saw eurozone markets get hammered overnight:
- London's FTSE 100 lost 1.85% to 5665.57
- In Frankfurt, the DAX 30 lost 3.36% to 6523
- In Paris the CAC 40 lost 2.83% to 3098.37
Looking at what's behind the falls:
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte offered to resign after struggling to clinch an austerity deal.
- Euro-area services and manufacturing contracted more than estimated in April, to a five-month low.
9.35am: Today's major piece of economics arrives at 11.30am when the March quarter CPI numbers are released by the ABS.
Analysts forecast the key measure of underlying inflation rose a moderate 0.6 per cent in the first quarter, nudging the annual rate down to around 2.4 per cent and comfortably within the RBA's long-term target band of 2 to 3 per cent.
The result will play into next Tuesday's rates meeting. Credit Suisse data shows there is a 95 per cent chance of a rate cut next week.
9.32am: For a comprehensive look at what's driving markets today, check this morning's need2know and the business press digest. Here are today's key markets links:
- The SPI was 21 points lower at 4337
- The $A was trading at $US1.0318
- In the US, the S&P500 lost 0.84% to 1366.94
- In Europe, the FTSE100 lost 1.85% to 5665.57
- Gold lost 0.6% to $US1632.30 an ounce
- WTI crude oil lost 77 US cent to $US103.11 a barrel
- RJ/CRB commodities index lost 0.27% to 300.4
9.30am: Morning everyone. Welcome to the Markets Live blog for Tuesday.
This blog is not intended as investment advice
Contributors: Thomas Hunter, Jens Meyer, Peter Litras
BusinessDay with agencies


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The Enemy Is Us?
This picture is, of course, of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The young lady is Huma Abedin, Anthony Weiner's wife (not for long, I'd guess), who's said to be Ms. Clinton's No. 1 aide. As is typical of the Obama administration Huma has interesting relatives. Of course since our president's father is a Muslim as is his brother, why are we to think this is a problem? I look for the enemy and he is us.
From frontpagemag.com:
Anthony Weiner resigned yesterday, unable to withstand the relentless pressure put on him for his sexting extravaganzas. Yet if an article written by former PLO terrorist-turned-Christian and Israel supporter Walid Shoebat (along with KTEM radio host Ben Barrack) is any indication, it may very well be that the wrong member of the family resigned. According to Arabic sources translated by Mr. Shoebat, Huma Abedin's mother and brother are both associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ms. Abedin's mother, Saleha Mahmoud Abdeen, is reportedly part of a special woman's unit known as the Muslim Sisterhood or the International Women's Organization (IWO) which, according to a counter-terrorism report obtained by the Terrorism Committee of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, operates within the Brotherhood in Egypt and possibly other Arab nations as well. The Egyptian newspaper Al-Dostor confirms that the Sisterhood includes 63 international members in 16 different countries.
The group is being portrayed by Western media in a benign fashion, as noted in Der Spiegel and on its Facebook page. But a report by the Egyptian opposition newspaper Al-Liwa Al-Arabi paints a far more ominous picture. It reveals that these women, who are "the wives of some of the highest-ranking leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood" are being recruited to:
[S]muggle secret documents for the members since women go undetected by security surveillance…to spread the Brotherhood's ideology by infiltrating universities, schools and homes…to lay the plans for the Sisterhood to work at the state level…[and]…to fulfill the interests of the Brotherhood and also to benefit from international women's conferences and unify all efforts to benefit the Brotherhood globally.
Furthermore, the Sisterhood's mission includes:
[O]rganiz[ing] projects which will penetrate its prohibited ideology into the decision making in the West and in an indirect way under the guise of "general needs of women"…through the university and the state capitals and institutions and is done in accordance to the project Al-Islam Huwa Al-Hal (Islam is the solution).
The newspaper then lists the names of the women who belong to the organization on a country-by-country basis. There are a dozen members of the Sisterhood from Saudi Arabia. Saleha Mahmoud Abdeen (Abedin) is one of them.
It has also been revealed in the Arab media that Huma Abedin's brother Hassan is a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) at Oxford University in England. A number of Muslim Brotherhood members sit on the board, including Qatari cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has incited violence against Jews and Israel on numerous occasions. In 2009, Qaradawi's role at Oxford and the Muslim Brotherhood was supported by Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi, one of 90 Muslim leaders who, in the same year, signed a pact in support of Hamas and for military action against the British Navy if it stopped an arms shipment headed for Gaza. Another member of the OCIS is Abdullah Omar Naseef, who founded the Rabita Trust, which was included in the first post-9/11 list of al-Qaeda supporters whose financial assets could be frozen. Naseef is chairman of the board of OCIS.
Not that the radicalization of English universities is anything new. In 2007, Professor Anthony Glees, professor of politics and director of the Center for Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham University, warned that British universities, "including Cambridge and Oxford" had been infiltrated by Islamic extremists. "We must accept this problem is widespread and underestimated. Unless clear and decisive action against campus extremism is taken, the security situation in the UK can only deteriorate," he said. Glees stated that as many as 46 other schools had been infiltrated as well.
Hassan Abedin himself has expressed an interest in spreading Islam in the West, meeting with billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Alwaleed is one of the largest shareholders in both Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Citigroup. He is also the same prince Alwaleed whose $10 million dollar check for post 9/11 disaster relief was rejected by then-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani when the prince suggested U.S. policies in the Middle East contributed to the attacks.
The article continues on frontpagemag.com….


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I found this on the King's forum, and it looks like pretty fun. Here's the link if you want some ideas.
I edited the grammmer a bit though.
"Here's how you play... each person write 3 words, and 3 words only, no more, no less. Words can be short as "of" or "a", dash or underscore can be used to seperate two words if necesarry.
So I write 3 words, the next person follows up with 3 words. One person can't post consecutively. Example...
I play tennis... in my yard... with the dog... that love to... eat pie with... roger federer and... lleyton hewitt, outside... .... etc (assuming each of the 3 word phrases comes from differet ppl)
You also have to put a period to end the sentence, but you have to wait to do that.
Doesn't have to be gramatically correct, but have to make some kind of sense. TRY to keep it RELATIVELY clean..."
You guys ready! Lets try this!
The Pacer's will...


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So Gallinari thinks that, without playing a second in the NBA, he is somehow entitled to play for a large market team?
Huge red flag.
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So Gallinari thinks that, without playing a second in the NBA, he is somehow entitled to play for a large market team?
Huge red flag.
Really? He only said that he likes New York and New Jersey, and appearently all the talk about him only playing if gets drafted by those two teams came from his agent, why would he work out for clippers, wolves and grizzlies then?
Really hoping to get Augustine or Westbrook, but if they're not there, then go big. Speights, Randolph or Arthur. I'm not sold on Lopez or Love. Everytime I think of them I keep thinking "Chris Mihm " for some reason And there's no way Bird picks a 3 unless another trade is brewing.
I would be fine with Westbrook because he has good size and can guard a 1 or a 2 but D.J. Augustin is so small and I think he would be really similar to Diener! If Westbrook is gone I say we go for Joe Alexander! He is athletic and has a solid midrange game that could extend to the 3 point line. Plus if we are realistic about improving the team via trades I do not see how we do it and keep both Mike Dunleavy and Granger! If we go big Kosta Koufos or Marreese Speights would be a good fit here. I also like DeAndre Jordan or Brandon Rush as picks but not at 11. If we add a pick Jordan would be a good project big man. I like Rush and hope we would find a way to get him later in the draft.
The Pacers don't need a project big man. They have had one for 4 years, and he's produced exactly zilch.
He says its because New York reminds him of Milan...
Agreed but there is a large difference in taking David Harrison and his questionable attitude at the end of the first round and a lottery bound center who is compared to Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard athletically.
alexander or speights should be available.
any chance we can get NJ's #10 and #21 with a deal involving JO?
Would love to come away with a couple first rounders this year...
It's fun playing that game.
Regardless, comparing David Harrison to the talent available at #11 as a prospect is ludicrous. If you were going to make that argument, your best evidence is Bender, but most people think it's his knees that inevitably failed him, not his ability to play basketball, so even that's not a really good example from the Pacers' past.
No, you really don't. Jordan will have to improve exponentially as a basketball player just to be on a par with Harrison. He has only rudimentary skills and hasn't really demonstrated anything to this point to say that he's going to make quantum leaps in ability.
It's easy to look at his size and some of his athletic attributes and get excited over what he could be, when, sadly, he is almost certainly just going to be what he is.
Bender may be a good comparison in that he had plenty of tools to become a good, even great player, but simply never knew how to play basketball. The knee injury ended Jonathan's career, but he was a bust before that. Jonathan got to the pros by being taller and more athletic than anyone else. When the NBA demanded that he be more skilled rather than just more talented, he couldn't make the leap.
Maybe, maybe, maybe...Jordan can be touched by the hand of God and marry his freakish physical attributes with actual basketball ability, but the odds of that are obscenely long. In fact, they are probably longer odds than those of David Harrison being a productive player. Harrison, at least, only had to overcome his attitude/foul issues. By all accounts, Jordan will have to overcome a hugely lacking skill set in addition to serious questions about his maturity and attitude.
The Pacers aren't in a position to waste a first round draft pick, especially at 11, but even if they trade back into the 20's, I can't help but think they'll be far better off, both in the short and long term, taking a guy like Courtney Lee or Mario Chalmers, or any of a number of other players over Jordan.
I don't even consider him a gamble. I basically consider him a wasted pick.
From a pure athletic standpoint, Jordan may be in the same ballpark as Dwight Howard. However, Howard entered the league with much more developed offensive as well as defensive skills.
All DeAndre Jordan is, essentially at this point, is an big, long athletic body that can probably get some close put-backs at the rim, run the floor, and rebound. He really has no offensive skills he can rely on. His low post game is very primitive, and he has no jump shot. On defense, he has potential as a shotblocker, but hasn't been the force he should be with his athletic ability. Until he gets stronger, he's going to get pushed around, but that's basically true for most big men entering the league.
Dwight Howard didn't enter the league looking like the chiseled Superman he does today. I guarantee you he hit the weight room, and he hit it hard as well as the gym. Does DeAndre Jordan have that motivation...that drive? By all indications, no. If you read the ESPN article on him, he seems overly sensitive and doesn't really have that passion for the game. What's he going to do when he gets that first NBA paycheck?
The Pacers don't really have the luxury of striking out with the #11 pick. I'd like to take someone with a high upside, but even I think DeAndre Jordan is too boom or bust....and more than likely, I think he'll be a bust. Big men take a long time to develop as it is, but when you aren't particularly motivated, who knows if Jordan will develop at all.
That's simplified, and obviously Jordan (and every other big at 11) has some questions marks, but no more than David had coming out of college. Remember, when we drafted Harrison, there were questions about his work ethic, drive, heart, upside, and attitude. Turns out, he has shown good work ethic and heart, but indeed, his T-Rex arms and bad attitude have kept him from becoming a dominant center. What I'm saying is, every big has question marks, but there's a reason Harrison fell to the bottom of the first round, and there's a reason guys like Jordan, McGee, and Hibbert won't.
I challenge you to go find game tape of Bender's final 20 games. Despite having microfracture surgery on both knees, he was developing a very, very good post game, to the point that the Spurs were double-teaming him. Also, Bender never relied solely on his height and athleticism in high school, otherwise all those points he scored in the All-American game would have been on dunks and putbacks instead of jumpshots and 3-pointers. There's so much revisionist history regarding Bender it makes me sick. Kid really had a legit shot at being Garnett with handles and 3 point range. Sure, he had a lot to work on, but it's not like the Pacers didn't know that, and while it took him several years, he was starting to "get it" when his knees finally gave out on him.
I guess it also depends on what your definition of a "wasted" pick is. To me, a wasted pick also includes drafting a guy that you KNOW will never be an All-Star, and for me, Augustin falls into that category. I'd rather gamble and lose than not gamble and still lose. This team needs athleticism and talent, because we have plenty of backups who are skilled but flawed.
Last edited by Eindar; 06-18-2008 at 06:28 AM.
He was still lightyears ahead of where Jordan is in his development, and that was with no college experience. Jordan has had 1 more year and is probably less of an offensive threat than Jeff Foster.
Read the draftprofile, Dwight Howard at least had a groundwork laid offensively, Jordan has nothing except "potential".
Sorry, misread your post. I'm in agreement.
I think I read somewhere that Westbrook cancelled workout with NJ and they pick at #10.
So it seems like he may have a promise in the top 9
"I'll always be a part of Donnie Walsh."
-Ron Artest, Denver Post, 12.28.05
Boy, lot of head games going on with promises, workout schedules, etc.
Half these guys are going to do zilch, but luckily for us we won't know who on draft night, thus we'll have a night loaded with excitement, surprises and perhaps real drama.
Could be the most exciting Pacers night this season (07-08 I mean).
Turn out the lights, this party's over!
Looks like Westbrook is out! He must have a promise in the top 9! I got this list from th pacers.com web site and do not see Westbrook on it. That leaves D. J. Augustin. I just think he is to small to be an impact player!
Plenty of star power in final group for pre-draft workouts
With LSU's Anthony Randolph and Kansas' Darrell Arthur headlining a strong seven-man group, the Pacers will have plenty of star power in Conseco Fieldhouse for their final pre-draft workout Thursday. Also due in are Mario Chalmers (Kansas), Jamont Gordon (Mississippi State), Mike Green (Butler), Trent Plaisted (BYU) and Shaun Pruitt (Illinois).
Someone good is definitely going to slip. I can feel it. Clippers and Bobcats are going to take Augustin and Westbrook and Lopez is going to fall. Book it.
This space for rent.
mike wells just posted the same question in his blog:
check the bolded statement. confirmation or smokescreen?What if Westbrook and Augustin are already off the board?
Posted by Mike Wells
Did anybody else stay up late last night to watch the Lakers get embarrassed by the Celtics?
I originally said I was going to go to bed at halftime when Boston was up by 23 points. I decided to stay up so that I could see the Big Ticket (Garnett) win his first NBA title. I've always enjoyed watching K.G. play. He plays hard all the time and he knows how to get his teammates to follow his lead.
I remember Minnesota officials telling me that they had force Garnett off the court after practice. He also hated when his squad didn't win scrimmages in practice.
Just think, K.G., Pierce, Allen, Rondo and Perkins will all be back next season. The Celtics will likely be favored to win it all again.
All eyes can shift to the draft now that the season is officially over - two months after the regular season ended.
There's been plenty of talk about the Pacers possibly taking UCLA's Russell Westbrook or Texas' D.J. Augustin with the No. 11 pick.
That got me thinking, what if both players are already gone by the time their selection rolls around?
I've seen Westbrook going as high as No. 6 to Donnie Walsh's New York Knicks and Augustin going in the top 10, too, on some mock drafts.
Without tipping his hand, one Pacers official told me they have a backup plan if both players are gone.
Big men Anthony Randolph, DeAndre Jordan and Kosta Koufos should be available at No. 11. I don't get how a player - Jordan - that averaged 7.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 44 percent from the free throw line last season is a possible lottery pick.
Should the Pacers look to trade down if they can't get Augustin or Westbrook? Should they keep the pick and go big?
btw, i don't mind if we end up with augustin. he's probably the safest pick for us. but i'd prefer if we swing for upside at #11 and pick up chalmers a little later, if we can get an extra pick.


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Ichiro Suzuki, his country's most famous and successful major-leaguer, has told Japanese baseball officials that he will not play in next year's World Baseball Classic.
"I appreciate being asked to play for Japan again at the WBC," Suzuki said Monday in Tokyo, according to The Associated Press. "But after the second tournament in 2009 I never considered playing in the third event. My feelings have not changed to this day, and it's where things stand."
Suzuki, 39, was instrumental in helping Japan win the WBC in 2006 and 2009 but became the most recent of Japanese major-leaguers to opt out of the tournament, which is scheduled for March 2-12.
Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, a free agent who played for the New York Yankees in 2012, also said Monday he would not play in the 2013 WBC.
Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki previously had said they won't play.
Suzuki, a free agent, was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees in July and hit .322 in 67 games for the Yankees and was one of the team's most consistent hitters.
In the final of the 2009 WBC, Suzuki drove in the winning run with a line drive to center in the 10th inning as Japan beat South Korea 5-3 to claim its second straight title.
With many major league players opting out, Japan likely will field a team made up entirely of players from its domestic professional leagues.
Japan swept first-round WBC opponent Cuba in two exhibition games over the weekend, 2-0 and 3-1, with players from the Central and Pacific leagues.
Japan opens defense of its WBC title March 2 in Pool A in Fukuoka, Japan, where it will face Cuba, China and a yet-to-be-determined qualifier.


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The magician displays two jokers and places them on the table. Next, a spectator is asked to select a card and sign it across the face. The card is then returned to the deck. The Jokers are picked up from the table, and one card is trapped between them-but it is the wrong card. Magically and visually, the wrong card changes into the spectator's signed selection! Of course the spectator may keep their card as a souvenir.
This effect will hit them like the proverbial freight train! Strong, simple, and visual magic.
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rowyourboat wrote:Ven Amathagavesi samatha-jhana and vipassana. It is an offshoot of the Mahasi sayadaw system now incorporating jhana. Subsequent developments have added seeing the five aggregates and codependant origination through it's vipassana method.
thecap wrote:Mindfulness as taught by the Buddha.
retrofuturist wrote: I generally go straight to the Pali Canon for meditation instruction.
pererin wrote:Hi Retroretrofuturist wrote: I generally go straight to the Pali Canon for meditation instruction.
Would you quote me the references I need to study this, please?
Slartibartfast wrote:I am currently being instructed in Samantha meditation at a local group in Belfast. As tonight is only the third meeting I'll have attended I haven't really developed that far with it.
The first week I was told "Breathe in slowly and deeply, counting from 1 to 9 then breathe out slowly and gently counting from 9 to one". Always being mindful (different, I feel from focussing) on the breath. If I find my mind wandering, acknowledge the thought and gently come back to the breath. This first week I was asked to try for maybe about 5 minutes.
The second week (last week) I was instructed to do the first weeks practice, and then after about 5 minutes of longest breathing (the 1-9 in and 9-1 out) move on to longer breathing (in 1-6 and out 6-1) for another 5 minutes or so.
I will attend class the third tonight
I enjoy it, so far, but do find that the mind is, as described by wiser men than mem like a naughty child .


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Setting Performance Expectations and Providing Feedback
- When:
- Location:
- Student Center
- Room:
- 301
- Description:
Setting appropriate performance expectations and providing regular feedback are the keys to individual and team success. Goal setting is a collaborative process so staff members of all levels will benefit from this session. At the end of this session, you will be able to:
* Set performance expectations for yourself and your staff
* Use the PMP form for goal setting and evaluating performance
* Develop SMART goals for each employee
* Use some easy job aids to help you and your employees prepare for the appraisal
* Practice giving and receiving feedback
- Contact Name:
- Mark Emmel
- Contact Email:
- firstname.lastname@example.com
- Contact Phone:
- 410.837.4399
If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please contact the person listed above at least 10 days prior to the event.


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Drinkers who are sick of local pubs being turned into supermarkets at last have something to toast - there is a new tool to help protect the endangered boozer.
A Sydenham pub recently looked like becoming just the latest in a long, sad line of south east London venues taken over by a supermarket chain or property developer.
But drinkers at The Windmill had a trick up their sleeves - a trick which has now been used by more than 300 pubs up and down the country.
Along with ward councillors and the Sydenham Society, they had the pub approved as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) - a kind of local listing allowing people to "stop the clock" for up to six months if the venue is being sold.
And this month the move paid off - a meeting deciding whether to approve plans for a Sainsbury's to replace the boozer ended with no decision as the planning committee was thrown into confusion over what to do next.
Neil Pettigrew from the Campaign for Real Ale - which is launching Community Pubs Month this week - worked on that campaign, and says the listing has become a vital tool in the fight to stop locals being run into the ground and then sold off to developers.
He said: "One great thing is it's a moral victory, the council recognises these pubs are loved by local people.
"Also, when the owner comes to put the pub up for sale, they can't do some secret wheeling and dealing behind the scenes as has happened in the past."
He went on: "Greenwich Council say that the fact a pub is an ACV is now a material consideration when it comes to planning.
"Ideally every pub should be an asset because that's what a pub is - it's a social hub where people congregate and can use it for all manner of functions."
Not just pubs have benefited - Charlton's The Valley ground was listed last year - but from Grove Park to Plumstead it is south east London's drinkers which are realising the benefits.
To apply for ACV status it just needs 21 people to get together, usually with the help of a community group like the Sydenham Society, and nominate the venue for council approval.
If successful, it means owners need to inform the council of any potential sale and then the group has six months to develop a business plan and potentially keep the pub going.
This week the Charlton Society successfully listed the White Swan - potentially at risk of being turned into a supermarket - as an ACV, and now plans a similar move with The Bugle Horn just down the road.
Andrew Donkin from the society said: "The White Swan was up on the market because Punch Taverns has been having a difficult time. It could have been sold to become flats.
"We thought it was important to keep it as a pub that Charlton people can use and have two thriving pubs in the village. Charlton should be big enough to support them both."
And Mark Dodds, a campaigner and former publican, now hopes that pub could even be bought by the community - envisaging a John Lewis-style co-op boozer.
He said: "The important thing is the pub is now protected. Now I want to get the whole process towards a community buyout."
Approved Assets of Community Value
The Dutch House, Sidcup Road, Eltham
The Plume of Feathers, Plumstead High Street, Plumstead
Progress Hall Community Centre, Admiral Seymour Way, Eltham
The Star Inn, Plumstead Common Road, Plumstead
The Valley Stadium, Floyd Road, Charlton
Weigall Road Sports Ground, Weigall Road
The White Swan, The Village, Charlton
The Baring Hall Hotel, Baring Road, Grove Park
Harts Lane Studio, New Cross
The Honor Oak, St German's Road, Forest Hill
The Windmill, Kirkdale, Sydenham


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Ty Dillon boasts confidence for rookie season
February 04, 2014, Kenny Bruce, NASCAR.com
Ty Dillon doesn't lack confidence.
Ask the 21-year-old how he expects to fare as he makes the transition from NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series to the Nationwide Series, and there's no hesitation.
"I plan on running for the championship for sure right off the bat," Dillon said. "Winning three or four races. I have a great team that's been in the series for a couple of years now, won the championship, so I know I have the guys behind me. They're going to give me great race cars.
"It's up to me to be a quick learner as a rookie and go out and achieve my goals."
Dillon failed to win a title in the Truck Series, but did finish in the top five in points twice, including a runner-up finish this past year.
Although he knows the transition between series will have its difficulties, Dillon will be surrounded by familiar faces, many of whom helped guide older brother Austin to the 2013 NNS title. The "getting-to-know-you" phase will be a non-factor.
"I don't think it will be long because I know the guys so well and have been around them at the race track so much with Austin racing and been involved in so many of their meetings," Dillon said. "I think our race education together is going to be pretty quick for us to come together. Danny Stockman (crew chief) and the guys are very smart and very good communicators."
Dillon and Stockman, a championship winning crew chief with Austin Dillon in the Truck and Nationwide Series, have a history, although a short one.
"He actually was my crew chief for four ARCA races," Dillon said, "and we won three of them.
"We know how to communicate, we've worked together in the past and I think it will be a great year."
The Nationwide Series schedule includes 11 more events than the Truck schedule, and Dillon said he is looking forward to the extra track time.
"Being able to race week-in and week out I feel like is a little bit of an advantage for me -- I love being able to get in a groove; the more I can race the better I feel like I can get it," he said. "I'm looking forward to being out there every weekend, and getting a lot of racing in."
Dillon scored Truck Series wins at Atlanta, Texas and Kentucky. In five starts at Texas, he posted four top-five finishes; in four starts at Kentucky, he managed three top-fives. But while he might feel more comfortable where he's run well in the past, Dillon said he doesn't use that as a gauge for where he should continue to excel. Every weekend, he said, is a new opportunity.
"I always leave my mind open to be able to run good anywhere," he said. "I don't ever say 'this is my track, I've got to do good this weekend' because when you're looking forward to one weekend, you kind of forget about the one you're into now.
"So I take every weekend like an opportunity I can win, and feel confident everywhere I go."
READ: Expansion, eliminations
WATCH: Brian France breaks
READ: Coors Light qualifying
WATCH: Qualifying: One-on-one


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Ducks upset No. 4 Wildcats, 'Zona's 1st defeat
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) After racking up victories against mostly inferior opponents, Oregon finally got a signature win.
Led by the all-around efforts of senior E.J. Singler and some early resiliency, the Ducks handed No. 4 Arizona its first loss of the season with a 70-66 victory Thursday night.
Singler had 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals for Oregon (13-2, 2-0 Pac-12), which overcame an 11-0 deficit to lead for the final 27:32. The Ducks ran their home winning streak to 17 games, including all 11 this season.
"I think we've been playing really well the whole season," Singler said. "I think we're a really good team. This game really showed our team we can compete with a lot of different people."
Dominic Artis, Carlos Emory and Tony Woods had 10 points apiece for Oregon.
Mark Lyons scored 21 and Solomon Hill added 16 points to lead the Wildcats (14-1, 2-1), who entered as one of three undefeated teams in the country.
"We obviously want to win every game, but we know it's not a perfect world," Nick Johnson said. "It definitely hurts because we know we let one slip away with our defense and our execution and stuff like that."
The Wildcats didn't go quietly. Trailing 67-55 with under 3 minutes to play, Arizona mounted one last rally.
Lyons made a 3-pointer, Johnson followed with a layup and Lyons drained another 3 while falling backward to cut it to 67-63 with 1:18 to go.
Free throws by Singler and another 3-pointer by Johnson made it 69-66 with 50 seconds left.
Artis missed a shot late in the Ducks' ensuing possession and Johnson was making his way up the court when Johnathan Loyd caught him from behind and stole the ball with 10 seconds left.
Loyd was fouled and made one of two free throws to seal it.
"We didn't play as smart as we wanted to," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "They're a team that's won 14; you could see their confidence even when they were down late."
It was the Ducks' second win against a ranked team this season. They beat No. 24 UNLV in November. Their only losses are to No. 21 Cincinnati and in triple overtime at UTEP.
While Altman said the win could be the biggest in his three seasons at Oregon, he also said there should be better wins ahead.
"If January 10 is our high, then this team has really underachieved," Altman said. "This team has a lot more. I'll be disappointed if we don't have bigger wins this season."
It appeared to be going the Wildcats' way when they jumped out to an 11-0 lead. But it was all Oregon from there, as the Ducks outscored Arizona 41-19 the rest of the first half.
After Damyean Dotson put the Ducks up 44-30 with a 3-pointer to open the second, the Wildcats went to work with Hill, Kevin Parrom and Lyons attacking the basket during a 12-4 run that cut Oregon's lead to 48-42 with 17:11 to play.
"Our effort picked up in the second half, but it wasn't enough," Lyons said.
The Ducks extended their lead back into double digits when Singler made a 3 with 6:46 left to put them up 63-52.
That was the Ducks' last field goal of the game. They held off Arizona's final rally by going 7 for 9 from the free throw line.
- No. 3 Arizona (USA Today Coaches Poll) is the highest ranked team to ever play at Matthew Knight Arena and the highest ranked team the Ducks have faced since losing to No. 1 Duke 98-71 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 27, 2010.
- The Ducks are 2-1 on the season against opponents ranked in the top 25.
- Oregon is a perfect 11-0 at Matthew Knight Arena this season, its best start since wrapping up a 16-0 home campaign in 2001-02.
- Oregon extended its home winning streak to 17 victories, dating back to last season. The streak is tied with Detroit, Indiana and Notre Dame for seventh longest in the nation.
- Arsalan Kazemi surpassed 1,300 career points running his career total to 1,303 points with six against Arizona.
- E.J. Singler passed Maarty Leunen and Terrell Brandon to move into 17th place on UO's all-time points list with 14 points giving him 1,271 during his career. Singler also tied his career-high in assists with seven.
- Tony Woods' block tonight put him in sole possession of sixth place on UO's all-time blocks list with 72, passing Malik Hairston.
- Dominic Artis has scored in double figures in three consecutive games (10 points vs. Nevada, 11 points at Oregon State, 10 points against Arizona).
- Oregon's 63.6% (7-of-11) from 3-point range was its highest percentage of the season.
- Waverly Austin recorded season-highs with three blocks and three steals.
- The attendance of 9,544 fans is the highest this season at Matthew Knight Arena.


text:
US State, not StraightTrivia brain teasers have some element of trivia in them, but they are not just pure trivia questions.
There is only one U.S. state that has no straight-line borders. Can you determine which one it is?
A border which is formed by a line of longitude or latitude qualifies as "straight", even though it is slightly curved.
HintYou need to know very little about U.S. geography to get the answer.
AnswerHawaii. Since its borders are naturally formed by the ocean they have no straight lines as do all the other US States.
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Camille Rewinds leads France's Cesar Award nominations
Camille Rewinds (Camille Redouble) will compete for the coveted Best Film prize, and Noemie Lvovsky is nominated for both Best Director, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.
The drama also scored nods in categories for Best Costume, Best Music and Best Editing among others, and two of its stars, Michel Vuillermoz and Samir Guesmi, will go head-to-head for the Best Supporting Actor trophy.
Internationally-acclaimed film Amour, which is up for Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards next month (Feb13), is also nominated in the Cesar Best Film category, along with Rust and Bone, Holy Motors, The First Name, In the House and Farewell, My Queen.
Rust and Bone star Marion Cotillard will face Lvovsky for the Best Actress trophy, alongside fellow nominees Catherine Frot (Les Saveurs du Palais), Corinne Masiero (Louise Wimmer), Lea Seydoux (Farewell, My Queen), Helene Vincent (A Few Hours of Spring) and Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), who is also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
The Best Actor category includes Riva's Amour co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant, who will compete against Jean-Pierre Bacri (Cherchez Hortense), Patrick Bruel (The First Name), Denis Lavant (Holy Motors), Vincent Lindon (A Few Hours of Spring), Fabrice Luchini (In the House) and Jeremie Renier (Cloclo).
Ben Affleck's Argo also picked up a nod in the Best Foreign Film list.
The Cesar Awards, France's answer to the Oscars, will take place at Le Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on 22 February (13).


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Get an overview of this hotelFamily-friendly hotel with restaurant and fitness center
Collecting Nectar Points
Special Offer: Book by 2 August 2017 and collect double Nectar points!
Simply enter your Nectar card number when you check out. Your points will be credited 35 days after you return from your trip.
*Terms and conditions apply.
Popular property highlights
Set in Dueren, this family-friendly hotel is 8.1 mi (13.1 km) from Forschungszentrum Julich and 9.5 mi (15.3 km) from Witch Tower. Ludwig Forum and Suermondt Ludwig Museum are also within 20 mi (32 km).
Hotel Features
A restaurant, a fitness center, and a bar/lounge are available at this hotel. Free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Other amenities include a sauna, meeting rooms, and dry cleaning.
Room Amenities
All 25 soundproofed rooms provide free WiFi, free wired Internet, and pillowtop beds. For a bit of entertainment, guests will find TVs with satellite channels, and other amenities include sitting areas and room service.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Hotel Mariaweiler Hof
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Mariaweiler Hof features a sauna and a fitness center. The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. A computer station is located on site and wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary.
Event facilities measuring 1765 square feet (164 square meters) include meeting rooms. This Art Deco hotel also offers tour/ticket assistance, multilingual staff, and a garden. Limited complimentary onsite parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hotel Mariaweiler Hof has designated areas for smoking.
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Fitness facilities
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Free wired Internet
- Designated smoking areas (fines apply)
- Computer station
- Luggage storage
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Bar/lounge
- Designated smoking areas
- Total number of rooms - 25
- Laundry facilities
- Garden
- Number of floors - 1
- Meeting rooms 2
- Multilingual staff
- Parking (limited spaces)
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Restaurant
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Free self parking
- Conference space size (meters) - 164
- Number of meeting rooms - 2
- Conference space size (feet) - 1765
- Sauna
- Year Built 2007
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Free Wi-Fi
- Soundproofed rooms
- Laundry facilities
- Playground on site
- Bowling alley on site
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi , Free wired Internet
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired Internet
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking, Parking (limited spaces)
Room Amenities
- Separate sitting area
- Phone
- Free bottled water
- Private bathroom
- Shower only
- Television
- Desk
- Premium bedding
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Free newspaper
- Satellite TV service
- Free WiFi
- Soundproofed rooms
- In-room safe
- Daily housekeeping
- Hair dryer
- Room service (limited hours)
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Separate bedroom
- Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)
- Free wired Internet
- Pillowtop mattress
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6 AM and 9 AM.
Onsite venue - This restaurant specializes in international cuisine and serves breakfast, dinner, and light fare. A children's menu is available. Open select days.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include a sauna and a fitness center.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Sailing nearby
- Water skiing nearby
- Rafting nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
- Bicycle rentals on site
- Bowling alley on site
- Playground on site
- Boat tours nearby
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 1 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time ends at 10 PM
Special check-in instructions:
- Monday - Saturday: 6:30 AM - 10 PM
- Sunday - Sunday: 8 AM - 8 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! One child 18 years old or younger stays free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of EUR 7.00 per accommodation, per night
- 2 per room
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: EUR 5.00 per person (approximately)
- Airport shuttle fee: EUR 150 per vehicle (one way)
- Pet fee: EUR 7.00 per accommodation, per night
- Rollaway beds are available for an additional fee
Hotel Name
- Hotel Mariaweiler Hof
- Hotel Mariaweiler Hof Dueren
- Mariaweiler Hof
- Mariaweiler Hof Dueren
We should mention
One child 18 years old or younger stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.
National Rating
Hotelstars Union assigns an official star rating for properties in Germany. This property is rated 3 star Superior and is displayed on this page as 3.5 stars.


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For decades, the legal limit for the bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) in the U.S. has been 750,000 cells/mL. Above which, producers cannot ship their milk for sale. However, there has been a movement to lower the legal limit. Most recently, the National Milk Producers Federation proposed to drop the legal limit from 750,000 cells/mL to 400,000 cells/mL. This proposal was rejected by the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shippers (NCIMS). Despite this rejection, the legislation has been introduced to Congress and if enough scrutiny is raised, the lowering of the legal limit may happen in a process outside of NCIMS. The impetus to lower the legal limit has been prompted by the European Union (EU), which has maintained a a 400,000 cell/mL limit for years. EU documentation states that any imported milk product must be produced under these same guidelines. Despite our international trade in previous years, the EU is now adhering tightly to their guidelines and requiring all imported products to meet their standards. Our current limit of 750,000 cells/mL will quickly limit trade, affecting our ability to remain competitive internationally.
With this background, it is my opinion that the national limit for SCC will be lowered in the near future—making this the perfect time to review some BTSCC lowering guidelines. First, culture all cows over 400,000 cells/mL or the top 20% of the herd, whichever results in the least number of cows. This list is easiest to determine if you are enrolled in the DHIA monthly monitoring program. If you are not, this is the time to get enrolled. Once you have these culture results, refer to the Reference Guide for Mastitis-Causing Bacteria 1 to learn the source of the infections specific to your herd. Remove contagious animals from the herd or milk them last, treat those which might be susceptible to antibiotics with the help of your herd veterinarian, monitor those high SCC cows in subsequent months and repeat this process monthly.
Next, culture all cows with clinical mastitis. Again, remove contagious cows from the herd or milk them last, treat those susceptible to antibiotics with the help of your veterinarian, and monitor these cows with subsequent tests. The use of a strip cup in the parlor will help to identify cows with the early signs of mastitis. Milk from these cows and any other suspect cows should not go in the tank. You must also be willing to cull cows who do not cure. They may be a risk to uninfected herd-mates and also put an economic strain on the farm.
Proper parlor management is key to ensuring high milk quality. The parlor must be properly functioning, which includes the correct teat end vacuum level, proper amount of air-flow capacity in the system and pulsators that are functioning as they should. A sign of improper milking equipment function is teat end damage, which can be seen by cracks and also hyperkeratosis (cauliflower appearance of the teat end). A proper functioning parlor also includes the proper milking procedures. The use of an efficacious pre- and post-milking teat disinfectant is an absolute must, as well as the use of gloves and single-use towels. I suggest cows be prepped in sets of 4 or 6 depending on the size of the parlor, number of employees working and efficiency of the parlor. Always starting with cow number 1 in each set, I recommend the milker strip each cow into a strip cup, and coming back to cow 1, apply the pre-dip to each cow in the set. The dip must remain on the teat-ends for 30 seconds to allow for enough time to kill the bacteria on the teat skin. A second important time-frame to remember is the time from first tactile stimulation (either wiping or stripping, depending on your order, in this case stripping) to unit attachment should be approximately 90 seconds to allow for full milk letdown. Ensuring these time frames have been met, the milker can wipe cow 1 with a single use towel and attach the unit, then move to the rest of the cows in this set. Procedures must be monitored very closely to ensure every milker in the parlor is prepping all cows properly. Units should be attached to clean, dry and properly stimulated teats at every milking.
Finally, I suggest a California Mastitis Test (CMT) be performed on all fresh cows prior to their milk going in the tank. The best chance to cure an infection is during the early postpartum period, prior to the infection becoming chronic. Therefore, any positive quarters should be cultured immediately and treated when possible. Cows with a contagious infection should be removed from the herd or milked last. Also, it is absolutely essential to focus on maintaining a clean and dry area for calving as well as for fresh cows. Calving stresses the immune system, increasing risk for new mastitis infections. Ensuring a clean and dry environment will help reduce this risk.
These recommendations will help producers proactively lower their bulk tank SCC. Producing milk of the highest quality not only benefits the processor and consumerthrough increased shelf life and improved taste, but also benefits you through long-term profitability.
Source: Christina Petersson-Wolfe Extension Dairy Scientist, Milk Quality & Milking Management


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Narcolepsy (cont.)
John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
In this Article
- Narcolepsy facts
- What is narcolepsy?
- How common is narcolepsy?
- What causes narcolepsy?
- What are the symptoms of narcolepsy?
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
- Cataplexy
- Hypnagogic hallucinations
- Sleep paralysis
- Additional narcolepsy symptoms
- How is narcolepsy diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for narcolepsy?
- What specialists treat narcolepsy?
- What medications treat narcolepsy?
- Non-drug treatments
- What is the outcome (prognosis) for patients with narcolepsy?
- What's in the future for narcolepsy?
- For more information on narcolepsy
- Find a local Sleep Specialist in your town
What is the treatment for narcolepsy?
The treatment of narcolepsy includes drug and behavioral therapies. Treatment options are individualized depending on the severity of the symptoms, life conditions (for example, type of work or responsibilities) of the patients, and the specific goals (for example, relief of certain symptoms) of therapy. Management of symptoms takes weeks to months to achieve and requires continued communication among the physician, patient, family members, and others. Good treatment management typically produces significant improvement of the symptoms rather than a resolution of all symptoms.
What specialists treat narcolepsy?
There are many specialties of doctors a person with narcolepsy might consult for treatment, including:
- A primary care physician (such as a general practitioner, family practitioner, internal medicine specialist, and a pediatrician): This is usually the primary health care professional.
- Neurologist: This is a physician who treats disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
- Sleep medicine specialist: This is often a neurologist or pulmonologist, but can be another qualified doctor.
- Psychiatrist: This is a physician who spcializes in the treatment of mental, emotional, and addition disorders.
What medications treat narcolepsy?
The types, number, and severity of the symptoms determine which drugs are used to treat the narcolepsy.
- Severe daytime sleepiness may require treatment with high doses of stimulant medication, and sometimes a combination of stimulants may be needed.
- Rare or infrequent cataplexy and other associated symptoms may not require any drug treatment, or treatment on an "as needed" regimen may be adequate.
- Insomnia and depression may also require treatment.
- Therapy should be catered to the individual needs of the patient. For example, improved alertness may be critical throughout the day for most students and working adults, but may be critical only at certain times of the day (for example, driving times) for other people.
Alerting medications are used for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness.
Amphetamines (for example, dextroamphetamine [Dexedrine], methamphetamine hydrochloride [Desoxyn], amphetamine and dextroamphetamine [Adderall]) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) are generalized central nervous system stimulants. These medications are used in narcolepsy to decrease sleepiness and improve alertness. However, they can also produce undesirable side effects including elevation of blood pressure, nervousness, irritability, and rarely, paranoid reactions. Alerting medications can also lead to drug dependency due to the feeling of euphoria they can cause. However, drug dependency has rarely been described in individuals with narcolepsy.
Learn more about: Ritalin
Pemoline (Cylert) is used as an alerting medication but it is less effective than traditional stimulants. This drug has the potential risk of toxic side effects on the liver and liver blood tests need to be monitored frequently.
Learn more about: Cylert
Modafinil (Provigil) has alerting effects similar to those of the traditional stimulant. Modafinil is not a general CNS stimulant like amphetamines, but the precise way it works is unknown. This drug has a much lower risk for high blood pressure and mental side effects because it acts in a different way than classic stimulants. It does not have significant effects on the sympathetic nervous system and does not cause mood changes, euphoria, or dependence. Furthermore, modafinil does not become ineffective with prolonged use. Headache and nausea are the most commonly reported side effects, and they are usually mild and temporary. These side effects can be reduced by a slow increase from a low initial dose up to the desired dose. This medication does not affect cataplexy and other REM sleep symptoms.
Learn more about: Provigil
Modafinil is usually used in a single daily dose. Switching patients from amphetamines to modafinil may cause the reappearance of cataplexy in patients previously well controlled. Increasing the dose or adding an anti-cataplectic medication usually solves this problem.
Armodafinil (Nuvigil) is an oral drug used to promote wakefulness. It is similar to modafinil (Provigil).Armodafinil promotes wakefulness by stimulating the brain; however, the exact mechanism of action of armodafinil is unknown. Armodafinil may work by increasing the amount of dopamine (a chemical neurotransmitter that nerves use to communicate with each other) in the brain by reducing the reuptake of dopamine into nerves. The most common side effect of ararmodafinil is headache. Other side effects including anxiety, dizziness, diarrhea, dry mouth, insomnia, nausea, fatigue, and rash may occur.The drug is recommended for single daily dosing, either in the morning, or one hour prior to a work shift.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs): A class of antidepressants called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can also be used for treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness. This includes phenelzine (Nardil) and selegiline (Eldepryl).
Learn more about: Nardil
Anticataplectic medication is the general name for drugs that are used to treat cataplexy. These drugs may also be used for the other REM related symptoms, such as hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), used in lower than antidepressant doses, are often effective in controlling cataplexy. These medications act on neurotransmitter systems to produce suppression of REM sleep and consequently improve the symptoms of cataplexy.
In some cases, the side effects may limit the use of TCAs, although in most cases the side effects are temporary. The most frequent side effects are called "anticholinergic side effects," including dry mouth, dry eyes, blurred vision, urine retention, constipation, impotence, increased appetite, drowsiness, nervousness, confusion, restlessness, and headache. Some of the TCAs may increase periodic limb movements in sleep, which could further disrupt already disturbed nighttime sleep in narcoleptic patients. If TCAs are abruptly discontinued, a significant worsening of the cataplexy and other REM related symptoms could occur. This "rebound phenomenon" may appear in 72 hours after discontinuation of the medication and peak in approximately 10 days from the withdrawal.
The most frequently used TCAs for the treatment of cataplexy and other REM related symptoms are protriptyline (Vivactil), imipramine (Tofranil), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramine), and amitriptyline (Elavil). Sedating TCAs such as clomipramine, amitriptyline, and imipramine, are usually prescribed for evening use, whereas the alerting ones (protriptyline and desipramine) are recommended for use during the day.
Learn more about: Vivactil
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are also useful in treating cataplexy at doses that are comparable to those used to treat depression. The most frequently used SSRIs for treatment of cataplexy and REM related symptoms are fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), and venlafaxine (Effexor). The SSRIs may not be as effective as the TCAs, but they have fewer side effects. The most frequently reported side effects are dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, and mild tremor. Rarely, mild constipation or diarrhea may occur. Fluoxetine (Prozac) given late in the day may cause insomnia.
Learn more about: Prozac
Sodium oxybate (Xyrem), also known as gamma-hydroxybutyrate or GHB, is approved by the FDA to treat cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). This drug is usually administered in two doses; the first is given at bedtime and the second four hours later. It unifies sleep and improves the disturbed nighttime sleep characteristic of narcolepsy. This nighttime benefit may help decrease daytime drowsiness and cataplexy. Sodium oxybate is unrelated to drugs that are known to be sleep-inducing (hypnotic) and is not used for insomnia. It can cause drowsiness and should only be taken at night.
Next: Non-drug treatments
Sleep Disorders
Get tips for better sleep.


text:
3/8" High Grade Neoprene Rubber Strip, 2"x36", Black, 40A
E. JAMES| Zoro #: G1610874| Mfr #: 1040-3/8HGX
Zoro #: G1610874Mfr. Part #: 1040-3/8HGX
$14.83 /ea
Orders over $50.00 ship free. DetailsStandard ground shipping
Technical Specifications
|Zoro #: G1610874 Mfr #: 1040-3/8HGX
|Finish: Smooth
|Material: neoprene
|Backing Type: Plain
|Thickness: 3/8"
|Width: 2"
|Type: High Grade
|Tensile Strength (PSI): 1500
|Max. Temp. (F): 225
|Length: 36"
|Item: Rubber Strip
|Color: Black
|Durometer: 40A
|Application: General Purpose
|Min. Temp. (F): -30
|Standards: ASTM D2000 BC
|Elongation: 400%
|Country of Origin (subject to change): Multiple
Product Description
Rubber Strip, General Purpose, High Grade, Neoprene Rubber, Thickness 3/8 In, Width 2 In, Length 36 In, Black, Smooth Finish, Plain Backing Type, Min Temp Rating -30 F, Max Temp 225 F, Durometer 40A, Elongation 400%, Tensile Strength 1500 PSI, Standards ASTM D2000 BC


text: The Mr. Zip convenience store chain, operator of 16 stores along the I-75 corridor between Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn., was acquired today by Textron Energy, a subsidiary of Classic Star Group of Ft. Worth, Texas. Terms of the deal, which includes the 16 stores and a wholesale fuels business, were not disclosed. Classic Star Group


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It has been an irony on the level of the Big Tobacco office building being smoke-free or the beef industry lobbying group having vegetarian options on its cafeteria menu. JCPenney, once the ruler of catalogue sales and a retail captain, is based in North Texas but has not had a Dallas store since the one in NorthPark Center closed in the late 1990s.
Well, it's back. And with a lot of style.
The new store, which officially opened at Skillman Road and Northwest Highway last weekend, is part of a huge new complex that includes a gigantic Wal-Mart that probably warrants its own congressman. The JCP store isn't as big, but it is fairly fancy.
JCP has always been a mid-range seller that doesn't compete with fellow Dallas-based icon Neiman Marcus but brags that is does offer style for less. (It's VP in charge of design, Geoffrey Henning, is a longtime supporter and designer for DIFFA.) The new store — clean and fresh as a newly minted penny — lives up to the promise.
JCP staffers brag that the store is now the exclusive retailer for what they say is the most recognized name in women's fashion, Liz Claiborne, though the designs have been updated from the 1970s-era when the brand became famous. Credit uber-gay Isaac Mizrahi, its comparatively new creative director, with turning things around. There are a number of exclusive deals and in-house labels at JCP, including a juniors line from the Olsen Twins, but the new venue is most excited about its MNG by Mango store-within-a-store, which does fast fashions for women. Another innovation: An in-house salon where you can get your hair cut or an entire makeover if you need it, then continue on with your bargain shopping.
The men's department is smaller than the women's, but the J. Ferrar line of clothes, pictured, is worth a look, and if you're a fragrance junkie, an in-store Sephora shop.
For shopaholics like me, it's always fun to browse at a new store, not only to see what's new (lots of fall fashions are already out, despite the 99-degree temperatures this week) but also to take advantage of the bargains and enjoy the enthusiasm of a fresh staff in a beautiful space. And JCPenney doesn't scrimp on the sales, coupons and discounts. It's a great place to check out something new and save money doing it.


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Prize Recipient
Joseph Orenstein
University of California, Berkeley
"For pioneering contributions to the understanding of optical phenomena in complex materials including conducting polymers, semiconductors, and high temperature superconductors."Background:
Joseph Orenstein received his physics education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a B.S. in 1974 and Ph. D. in 1980. After spending the 1970s in Cambridge, MA, he moved to New Jersey and worked through the 1980s on the research staff of Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill. He was named a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff in 1987. In 1990 he was appointed professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has served up to the present. Throughout his career Orenstein has used optical methods to explore the properties of exotic excitations in novel materials, beginning with his Ph.D. thesis on dispersive transport of carriers in glassy semiconductors. Since then he has used a wide variety of time-resolved optical techniques to investigate solitons, polarons, and triplet excitons in conducting polymers, d-wave quasiparticles in high-Tc superconductors, and spin polarization waves in semiconductors. Currently his research focuses on electric field control of electron spin in semiconductors and multiferroic materials. Orenstein is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Selection Committee:
Antoinette Taylor (Chair), D. Basov, R. Merlin, L. Cooper, A. Lanzara


text:
Choose Your DisasterTrick brain teasers appear difficult at first, but they have a trick that makes them really easy.
A group of four prisoners were held captive by the enemy and all of them were to be shot, one each day through the week. As natural disasters were common in this specific part of the world, the group of prisoners decided to make up a plan of distracting the guards. Before each prisoner would be shot, he would shout out a natural disaster, which would cause chaos and distract everyone to give enough time for that prisoner to escape. As three days passed the first three prisoners escaped by shouting out their chosen natural disasters and running away, however the final prisoner shouted out a disaster and was shot dead on the spot.
What was the natural disaster he shouted?
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