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The reported meeting of the ISI Brigadier and terrorists on 20th September was an exercise planned by Pak authorities to project that political leaders and Pak Army/ISI are trying to restrain terrorists, who are acting autonomously and are not their control. The timing and the theme of the meeting clearly reveal their objectives.
First the timing of this report reflected the urgency for the Pak authorities. Pak PM Nawaz Sharif was going to meet US President and other important functionaries in US on the 29th September 2013 0n the side lines of UN meeting, first time as PM of Pakistan after 14 years of his humiliating visit soon after the Kargil Conflict to defend the acts of the Pak Army. It was also clear that the US authorities were going to press the Pak PM to stop support to the Pak based terrorists in view of the feelings of a section of congressmen who desired such an assurance before the much expected military and economic aid amounting to $1.6 billion could be released. In addition, Nawaz was going to seek US assistance for the resolution of J&K issue. Nawaz Sharif was aware that since the beginning of this year the Pak Army/ISI and terrorists had carried out a number of audacious and condemnable attacks on the border and in J&K attracting criticism not only from India but from other countries as well. Therefore, it was essential to project that the Pak Army and ISI under his government are making assiduous efforts to stop the terrorists from "repeating attacks" on the Indian security forces. Alongside there was also a need to reflect that the terrorists were acting on their own and had acquired the necessary resources for carrying out terrorist activities in J&K and other places to ward off the charge of assisting and directing terrorists. This aspect Pakistan had been trying to project for the last several years. The Pak authorities have in the past stated this lie umpteen number of times despite irrefutable evidence being provided by Kasab, Headley, Abdul Karim Tunda and others. Salman Bashir, the Pak High Commissioner to India on 26 September 2013, soon after the fidayeen attacks on the Indian security forces in Kathua and Samba had stated the Pak Army was not involved in the attacks. For Nawaz it was essential that the International Community, particularly for US accepts this argument. To make it credible what required was that Indian intelligence agencies should be circulating the minutes of a fictitious or stage managed meeting. The confidence of the Pak intelligence agencies must have been boosted by the past mistakes of some of the Indian intelligence agencies, which for their own purposes are always in a hurry to circulate even those reports that are required to be confirmed from other sources. The disinformation fed by Pak intelligence agencies regarding the two Pakistani citizens as terrorists, who were reported to have sneaked into Mumbai some time ago, is a pointer in this direction.
Second aspect is the theme of the reported meeting. The main purpose of the "meeting" was to convincingly prove that a senior officer of the ISI was trying to impress the terrorists not to carry out repeat strikes in view of the forthcoming meeting between the Indian PM and the Pak PM, while the terrorists were adamant on carrying out strikes at the earliest. Therefore it was reflected that the terrorists met again in the evening in the absence of the ISI officer and decided to carry out attacks. The minutes were drafted accordingly as a part of intelligence operation and put on a communication system to be easily intercepted by the Indian agencies.
However, the composition of the persons who attended the meeting and the statement of Brigadier of ISI make the report incredible. According to the report, the meeting was attended by ISI Brigadier Javed Hussain Shah with Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) top leader Hafiz Mohammad Saeed (who heads MDI and directs LeT the military wing of the outfit) and others from Jaish-e Mohammad (Abdul Razzak), Hizb-ul Mujahideen (Badshah Khan), Jamait-ul Mujahideen (Chande Khan), Tehreeq-ul Mujahideen (Fazal Sayeed Hakani) and an Advisor (Ah Marvat Zari). It is well known that the Brigadier level officials do not attend usual meetings. Senior officials only meet the top terrorists separtely. The ISI officials who attend such meetings are known as Chota Chaudhury or Bada Chaudhury, depending upon his rank. Even if it is assumed that the meeting was attended by a Brigadier level officer as it was important and was attended by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed for LeT, then why other outfits were not represented by the chiefs of those groups. It is not understandable that an important meeting would be attended by fairly junior level functionaries, whose names have not surfaced in the past. This indicates a weakness of the ISI operation.
The other weakness of the report is the statement of the Brigadier of ISI. On the day when meeting took place i.e. 20th September, 2013, it was not decided that the two PMs would meet. Such a decision was taken only on 25th September, 2013. Brigadier could not have predicted about the meeting five days in advance. This was clearly an afterthought to achieve the objectives mentioned earlier.
The impact of this intelligence operation has had the desired impact in US and to some extent in India from the Pak point of view. In US, the White House is poised to release more than $ 1.6 billion in military and economic aid to help strengthen ties between US and Pakistan that have been soiled since operation against Osama bin Laden in 2011. The US authorities have their own interests in building closer relations with Pakistan in view of developments in Afghanistan. The US Secretary of State John Kerry has stated that 'the relationship between America and Pakistan could not be more important as the Nawaz Sharif ruled nation is struggling with economic and security issues'. Nothing more Nawaz could have asked for.
In India, while the intelligence report had the lowest grading that required to be confirmed by other authentic sources, media gave focus on the terrorists overruling the Pak Army. The enthusiastic security experts, whose knowledge of complex intelligence cycle and intelligence operations is limited, commented that this reflected 'the changing internal dynamics in Pakistan', 'terrorist groups having developed into a formidable force', 'terrorist have acquired their own autonomy' etc. Such experts have certainly bought the view which Pak Army/ISI combine wanted to project.
The facts are far from these comments. What India is witnessing is the Pak sponsored terrorism and not Pak supported terrorism. This difference is important to understand with a view to accurately assess the nature of threat being faced by India. Pakistan is using terrorism as an instrument of the State to destabilise India. The LeT, JeM, HuM, HM and Al Badr cannot exist even for a day without the resources of ISI and Pak Army. These groups have never spoken against the Pak Army and it is unthinkable that they can defy their orders. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed is rubbing shoulders with the Pak Ministers openly and is protected by the ISI. The terrorists cannot infiltrate without the support of Pak firing. That these groups have acquired autonomy is only Pak propaganda. An Army that kept in cantonment Osama bin Laden for more than six years has developed expertise in maintaining terrorists in its own territory. The terrorist training centres are either kept in cantonment or are protected by the Pak Army. They not only guide them to undertake different tasks but also provide resources and help to infiltrate into India using different routes.
The larger issue that needs to be kept in the calculus for formulating strategy to respond to the Pakistani machinations is the policy of Nawaz Sharif's Government towards India. While several times Nawaz both before the elections and after assuming power that he is prepared to go extra mile to improve relations with India, there is little he has done in this direction. The fact is that Nawaz had always been under the Pak Army rule and was overthrown by a military coup is mortally scared of military power. He knows that he can remain in power as long as the Pak Army is willing to tolerate him. Therefore it is highly unlikely that he would disobey the directions of the Pak Army. This is proved by increased number of successful infiltration/attempts for infiltration along the LoC and attacks on Indian Security forces with active involvement of Pak Army. Since the coming of power of Nawaz Sharif such acts have grown about five times, reflecting that either he is willing to follow the Pak Army line for the protection of his power or he is incapable of changing the Pak Army's policies. In both cases he has no use for India for dealing with terrorism.
India therefore has to come up with alternative solutions for dealing with the terrorism. Besides strengthening our intelligence and security apparatus, the cost of Pak sponsored terrorism has to be significantly increased for the Pak Army. The Pak Army is terribly scared of Israel for their policy of violent retaliation. This needs to be built into our counter-terrorism strategy. Nothing less than this would make the Pak Army change its nefarious activities.
The leaked report raises another interesting question. Why did the Pak Army/ISI project the name of only one top terrorist i.e. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. They could have used names of chiefs of other terrorist outfits. This indicates the possibility of Hafiz Mohamad Saeed having turned into an expendable commodity for the Pak Army after US has offered reward for information leading to his conviction. The Pak Army and ISI do not mind elimination of those who become a liability in operations by others. However this is relevant for Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and his supporters and not for India as it is the Pak Army that determines India policy and an individual in the unofficial Pak Army i.e. LeT.


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Reed investigation not expected to distract club
LOS ANGELES -- Manager Brad Ausmus said he does not expect the investigation of reliever Evan Reed for an alleged sexual assault to become a distraction for the team.
"It certainly has an effect, in the sense that there's questions that I have to answer about it," Ausmus said. "And I've been on teams where there's been off-field issues. Once the bell rings, once the first pitch is thrown, it's all business. I think baseball players and athletes in general are very good when they step between the lines of separating the game from everything else surrounding the game.
"There are times when it may distract an individual. But I think as a group, I don't think it's generally as much of a distraction as it's often portrayed."
Asked if it would impact how he'll use Reed in games, Ausmus said, "I don't plan on changing anything at this point."
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

subset: commoncrawl


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Petroleum data for the week ending November 9 released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) provide the second set of data to assess the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on U.S. petroleum markets. The storm significantly disrupted electricity, natural gas, and petroleum product supply infrastructure in the Northeast and affected millions of consumers. However, the data from the first week following Hurricane Sandy showed falling gasoline inventories in the Northeast Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs 1A and 1B) including the New England states, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, the region hit hardest by the storm (Figure 1), as reduced gasoline deliveries into the region and a drop in refinery production were likely partially offset by reduced demand. These data indicate that aggregate supplies of physical products across the broader Northeast region have been less of a problem than disruptions due to damage to terminals, ports, and pipelines serving the New York metropolitan area. These disruptions have especially stressed supply chains between the wholesale and retail segments.
Refinery inputs have fallen sharply in the two weeks after the storm, lowering the production of gasoline in the Northeast. About 70 percent of the refining capacity in the Northeast is located along the lower Delaware River near Philadelphia. For precautionary reasons, these refineries either briefly shut down or reduced runs, but were largely back online relatively quickly after the storm. However, the 308,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of refining capacity in the New York Harbor area were still inoperable through November 13. The major plant in the area, Phillips 66's 238,000-bbl/d refinery in Linden, New Jersey, suffered both power loss and flooding. Hess's plant in Port Reading, New Jersey, which has no crude distillation capacity, but produces gasoline and other petroleum products using units that process secondary feedstocks to produce gasoline, also lost power. The shutdowns at the New York Harbor facilities combined with the temporary reduction in runs in the Philadelphia area to lower gross inputs in PADD 1 by 290,000 bbl/d for the week ending November 2 compared to the previous week. PADD 1 gross refinery inputs for that week were 757,000 bbl/d, the lowest for any week since April 2011. The drop in inputs came on the heels of some of the highest levels of PADD 1 refinery inputs in almost a year following the early-October restart of Monroe Energy's 185,000-bbl/d refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania. On November 5, Phillips 66 said it planned to have the Linden refinery return to production within three weeks. As of November 14, press reports indicated Hess's Port Reading facility was in the process of restarting. With some of the Philadelphia area refineries returning to more normal operations, PADD 1 gross refinery inputs increased by 101,000 bbl/d during the week ending November 9 to 858,000 bb/d.
With New York Harbor closed for several days after the storm, the steady flow of gasoline imports into the region was also interrupted. Prior to Hurricane Sandy, PADD 1 had been importing an average of more than 600,000 bbl/d of gasoline in 2012, much of this going into the Northeast. However, for the week ending November 2, gasoline imports were just 217,000 bbl/d, the lowest total since EIA began tracking weekly PADD-level product imports in 2004. Imports rebounded to 525,000 bbl/d in the week ending November 9 as several major import-receiving terminals in the Northeast reopened. However, some of the reopened terminals still have damage that is impeding normal operations. As of November 13, five port terminals in the Northeast remained closed: in New Jersey, the Hess terminal in Bayonne and CITGO terminal in Linden; in New York, the Phillips 66 terminal in Tremley Point and Motiva's terminals in Brooklyn and on Long Island. These terminals are not only used for receiving imports, they are also used to receive waterborne oil products from major aggregating terminals in New York Harbor in order to move it into local distribution chains, particularly in the New York City area and on Long Island.
While EIA does not collect weekly data on inter-PADD transfers of products, trade press reports and company statements indicate pipeline shipments of products from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast were significantly curtailed. With terminal capacity in the Northeast disrupted, many terminals in the region did not have the ability to take volumes off the Colonial Pipeline, the major link between the Gulf Coast and Northeast product markets. As a result, inventories built on the Gulf Coast as pipeline inputs were reduced on the southern portion of the line. On November 2, gasoline inventories on the Gulf Coast were 4.6 million barrels (7 percent) higher than a week earlier (Figure 2). This marked the largest weekly inventory build in the region since October 2008. Inventories continued to build during the week ending November 9, adding 900,000 barrels. The slowing inventory builds on the Gulf Coast reflected some easing of pipeline congestion in New York Harbor, allowing it to receive more volumes from the Gulf, along with the Jones Act waiver which temporarily allowed products to be sent to the Northeast on foreign-flagged vessels from the Gulf.
It is likely that the disruption in supplies to the Northeast was at least somewhat offset by lower consumption. EIA does not collect weekly data on product supplied (a proxy for consumption) at the PADD level. However, EIA estimates that the Northeast consumes about 18 percent of the gasoline consumed nationally. For the week ending November 2, total product supplied of gasoline for the United States as a whole was 537,000 bbl/d lower than the previous week, and almost 300,000 bbl/d lower than the four-week average product supplied. However, product supplied recovered the week ending November 9, increasing by just over 600,000 bbl/d from the week before. Given its large share of the country's consumption and the supply chain disruptions, it is likely that a significant portion of the drop for the week ending November 2 occurred in the Northeast. As a result of the countervailing decreases in both supply and consumption, inventories were relatively flat for the week ending November 2. For both the weeks ending November 2 and November 9 gasoline inventories in the Northeast fell by 1.1 million barrels from the previous week, an amount within the fluctuations typically observed, and are now 4.5 million barrels (15 percent) below their five-year average levels for this time of year.


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The College of Business Administration's internship program allows CBA students to gain real world experience as a compliment to their academic experience in their chosen major. Often this real world experience helps a student gain better insight into how the academic experience will be applied after graduation. Sometimes the internship will cause a student to re-evaluate his or her chosen major as a result of experiencing or observing something that strikes a chord. In many cases a successful internship will lead to a job after graduation. Any and all of these outcomes are positive for the student. The benefit to the intern employer is exposure to potential entry level employees who bring with them energy and fresh ideas from the world of academia.
The CBA internship program follows the same guidelines and has the same requirements as the internship program managed by the Career Development Center. Our objective is to ensure that an internship is educational and at the same time in compliance with US Department of Labor Regulations. USDOL criteria for determining if an internship or training program can be excluded from the minimum wage requirement are:
- The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
- The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
- The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
- The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) established standards that have to be met if an internship is to be considered legitimate and not simply free or low cost labor. To be considered legitimate all of the following NACE standards must be met:
- The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
- The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
- The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
- There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student's academic coursework.
- There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
- There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
- There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
In general our internship policies mirror the standards set by NACE. Obviously, any employer can hire anyone on any terms if both parties agree, even if the compensation package does not meet USDOL criteria. However, if the internship is to be sanctioned by CBA it must comply with the following guidelines:
- Students must have junior or senior status and have a minimum 2.0 GPA.
- It should provide student interns with pre-professional activities similar to that of a new entrant in the field.
- It should allow the intern to use classroom knowledge and provide hands-on experience.
- It must be directly related to a student's academic major and/or career goals.
- It must provide a student with a minimum of 120 hours of work during a placement period. Interns should work a maximum of 20 hours per week during the academic semester and a maximum of 40 hours per week during winter and summer breaks.
- It must limit clerical or non-professional duties to 20% or less of the overall tasks.
- It must be paid, or if unpaid the student must receive academic credit. Students may take unpaid "volunteer" positions at not-for-profit organizations without receiving academic credit.
- Students working in an unpaid internship must enroll CBA-493 internship course. Employers should request proof of enrollment before the intern's start date. Students with unpaid summer or overseas internships are required to take the internship course at its next offering, generally fall or spring semester whichever comes first. Please see Notice on Unpaid Internships.
- It must be in a supervised environment.
Intern employers must submit the proposed internship to the Director of Internships for approval. This takes the form of a position description submitted as a MS Word file. Once approved the internship will be posted to the CBA database of open internships and the Director of Internships will notify all CBA students of the new posting. If the posting is for a student with a specific field of study (i.e. accounting), the Chair of that department will be notified and he or she will ask department faculty to discuss the position with students they feel would be qualified and interested.
Intern employers should be aware of the following guidelines.
- All internship postings submitted to CBA are reviewed and approved at the discretion of the Director of Internships. We reserve the right to choose to deny posting a position if it does not appear to support the best interests of students and/or the University.
- The internship posting should take the form of a position description and must include the name and contact information of the employer, a functional description of the position, specific duties, hours of work per week, skills and abilities required to do the work, rate of pay if any, location of employment and application instructions.
- We do not post:
- Positions that require an initial investment or payment by the prospective employee. The only exception to this will be if the employee needs to acquire necessary and appropriate safety clothing and gear or the equivalent.
- Positions that appear to discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender
- Anonymous ads, positions for independent contractors, positions based in private homes or positions submitted by third party recruiters who are unwilling to provide us with client contact information.
Learning Contract
Each student will develop a Learning Contract to be submitted to the Internship Director on the form provided. The Learning Contract is an agreement between the student intern, the Intern Employer and the CBA Internship Director. The contract must be signed by the student intern, the Intern Employer/supervisor and the CBA Internship Director. A copy of the contract is retained by all parties. The contract will state:
- The student's learning goals and objectives.
- The intern employer's description of the internship position.
- The specific types of experiences the student will be engaged in or will encounter through the internship.
Supervisor Evaluation
At the end of the internship interns must receive an evaluation by their supervisor using the Supervisor Evaluation Form. The supervisor should, but does not have to, review the evaluation with the intern. The intern is required to return the completed evaluation to the CBA Intern Director at the end of the internship. If the student is enrolled in CBA-493 Internship Course the evaluation becomes part of the instructor's evaluation of the student's academic performance. Supervisors evaluate the intern's performance in the following areas:
- Attitude towards work
- Understanding of role as an intern
- Dependability
- Initiative
- Quality
- Relations with others
- Maturity
- Quantity
- Judgment
- Attendance
- Punctuality
- Overall Performance of Intern
Employer Information Package
The Employer Information Package contains much of the information summarized here. It also contains copies of the Learning Contract and Supervisor Evaluation Form as well as other useful information. The package is in pdf file format and can be easily downloaded from the CBA website.
Student Information Package
The Student Information Package provides the student with helpful information regarding his or her new internship and requirements. Package includes an explanation of intern rights and responsibilities, Learning Contract Instructions and the Learning Contract.


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Motorhoming | Family Motor Coach Association
Full/Family membership
Are you ready to join the only association exclusively dedicated to the fun and enjoyment of owning a motorhome? Membership in FMCA is contingent on ownership of a qualifying motor coach: a Type/Class A, B or C motorhome, or a bus conversion, that contains all of the conveniences of home (including cooking, sleeping and permanent sanitary facilities).
Membership dues for a Full/Family membership are $60 for the first year and $50 per year thereafter.
Questions: Call us at (800) 543-3622.
Not currently a member?
Renew or extend your membership
Why join FMCA? Click here.
FMCA also offers a Family Associate (A) membership, which is open to former Full/Family members who no longer own a qualifying motorhome. Annual dues are the same as for Full/Family membership.
Click here to read the Code of Ethics.
Commercial membership
Read more about commercial membership. Join now.
Download the Commercial Membership Enrollment Form (PDF)


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We'd have thought Jennifer Aniston could do pretty much anything with her hair, but it turns out even the world's most enviable mane has its limits.
"We all want somebody else's hair," Aniston told PEOPLE at an N.Y.C. Living Proof event, citing Gisele Bündchen as the star whose tresses she envies, and adding "I also love Kate Moss's hair. It's that rolled-out-of-bed look. Somehow she can wear a couture dress and just have that. I've tried to do that but it doesn't work."
Aniston adds that no matter how many times she asks her longtime stylist Chris McMillan to give her that hair, "he'll do whatever he wants to do." That's why — even though she takes care of it with Living Proof's Restore mask, and she'll go anywhere to get it washed — only McMillan is allowed to go near it with scissors.
RELATED PHOTOS: See even more beauty products we're loving for summer!
And we can't say that we blame her for being a little paranoid, considering some of the past disasters she tells us she's had to contend with. As a kid, "I'd only had mullets! Or those haircuts when you were a kid and you'd get those crazy, like, long at the front and shaved at the back," she says. "Oh, I just learned so many lessons from my youth of what not to do."
So that's why she's bringing her "Good Hair" Living Proof webisodes (which feature McMillan and girls on the street expounding on hair philosophy) to the masses. It's all about learning from your mistakes and working with what you have, which is what, as the co-owner of the haircare line, she wants to communicate to women.
"Those girls are adorable and they've gotta get better perspective on their hair because they don't have horrible hair," Aniston says of the girls in the video series. "It's so interesting how girls have the wrong perception of themselves."
Watch the video below, then tell us: Whose hair do you covet? What's your biggest hair disaster?
–Alex Apatoff, reporting by Andrea Lavinthal


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April 18, 2011
Catfish Stockings in Houston-area Lakes to Begin the Week of April 18
ATHENS—Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will begin stocking channel catfish the week of April 18 into two Houston-area lakes that are part of the Neighborhood Fishin' program.
The two sites are located at Mary Jo Peckham Park, 5597 Gardenia Lane,in Katy and Tom Bass I Park, 3452 Fellows Road,in South Houston. Stockings will take place every two weeks until the end of October, except during the month of August.
Stockings are planned for the following weeks: April 18; May 2, 16 and 30; June 13 and 27; July 11 and 25; September 5 and 19; and October 3, 17 and 21.
Exact dates for stocking may vary and are not announced in advance in order to spread fishing pressure over the entire week.
Anyone 17 years or older needs a fishing license to fish at the Neighborhood Fishin' locations, and anglers can use no more than two poles while fishing. The bag limit for channel catfish is five fish per day with no minimum length limit.
Neighborhood Fishin' is a cooperative effort between TPWD and local cities to promote fishing in community fishing lakes. Neighborhood Fishin' is supported by local government partners and the Toyota Texas Bass Classic Foundation. For more information visit http://www.neighborhoodfishin.org.
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A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Oral Milk Immunotherapy for Cow's Milk Allergy
This study has been completed.
Johns Hopkins University
Duke University
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Johns Hopkins University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: April 23, 2007
Last updated: April 18, 2017
Last verified: April 2017
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
The purpose of this study is to determine if small oral doses of milk protein are safe and effective in decreasing sensitivity to cow's milk in allergic children.
|Milk Hypersensitivity
|Drug: cow's milk powder Other: Placebo
|Phase 1 Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Oral Milk Immunotherapy for Cow's Milk Allergy
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: AllergyU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Johns Hopkins University:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- The Median Milk Threshold Dose Inducing a Reaction [ Time Frame: Baseline and 23 weeks ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Changes in Cow Milk-IgE [ Time Frame: Baseline and 23 weeks ]IgE is measured in kilounits per liter (kU/L). Measurements were obtained at Baseline and at 23 weeks
- Changes in Cow Milk Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) [ Time Frame: Baseline and 23 weeks ]IgG4 is measured in ug/mL. Measurements were obtained at Baseline and at 23 weeks
|Study Start Date:
|August 2006
|Study Completion Date:
|June 2008
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 2008 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Active Treatment
Pre-measured doses of dry, nonfat powered milk prepared by the clinical research-registered dieticians
Drug: cow's milk powder
Milk powder given orally in escalating doses to a goal of 500 mg for approximately 23 weeks
|Placebo Comparator: Placebo
|Other: Placebo
Detailed Description:
This is a prospective, multi-center, clinical trial involving children aged 6 to 21 years with persistent cow's milk allergy. These children will be recruited from 2 sites (Johns Hopkins and Duke University) and will undergo initial screening and double-blind, placebo-controlled, food challenge (DBPCFC) to confirm threshold dose for reactivity to milk. Patients will be treated with milk oral immunotherapy (OIT) or placebo for 22-30 weeks. Those who reach an adequate maintenance dose for OIT will undergo a second DBPCFC. Those who develop desensitization will continue with daily milk intake and undergo a third DBPCFC. Those in the treatment group who are not desensitized will return to strict avoidance. Those in placebo group will be offered to begin treatment or continue with strict milk avoidance. Symptom and diet information will be collected initially and at regular intervals. Bloodwork, skin prick tests (SPTs), pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and oral secretion samples will be done initially and at periodic intervals.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|6 Years to 21 Years (Child, Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Provide signed informed consent (by parent or legal guardian if the subject is a minor) and informed assent if applicable
- Age 6 to 21 years
- Must have history of symptomatic reactivity to cow's milk (eczema, urticaria, upper/lower resp., GI, other associated rash, oral symptoms)
- History of positive skin prick test (wheal >/= histamine control) or milk-Immunoglobulin E (IgE)>0.35 kilounits per liter (kU/L)
- Positive DBPCFC
- All females of child bearing age must be using appropriate birth control
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of anaphylaxis requiring hospitalization
- History of intubation related to asthma
- Has the ability to tolerate >2.4gram of milk protein at initial DBPCFC
- Has a history of allergy to any component of vehicle
- Pregnancy (need negative test)
- Viral upper respiratory infection (URI) or gastroenteritis within 7days of OFC (OFC needs to be rescheduled)
- Has pulmonary function tests <80% of predicted (FEV1) or clinical history consistent with moderate persistent asthma
- Currently taking greater than medium dose inhaled corticosteroid (>400mcg/day fluticasone or fluticasone equivalent if </=12yo or >600mcg/day if >12 years old)
- Antihistamine within 1 week prior to skin testing or food challenges (Skin testing and/or food challenge needs to be rescheduled)
- Systemic corticosteroid within 4 weeks prior to baseline visit
- Receiving omalizumab, beta-blocker, Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or tricyclic antidepressant therapy
- Chronic disease (other than asthma, atopic dermatitis, rhinitis) requiring therapy (e.g., heart disease, diabetes)
- Participation in any interventional study for treatment of a food allergy in the past 12 months
Severe reaction at initial DBPCFC, defined as:
i. Life-threatening anaphylaxis ii. Requires overnight hospitalization
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00465569
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00465569
|United States, Maryland
|The Johns Hopkins Hospital
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
|United States, North Carolina
|Duke University
|Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
Sponsors and Collaborators
Johns Hopkins University
Duke University
|Principal Investigator:
|Robert A Wood, MD
|Johns Hopkins University
More Information
Keywords provided by Johns Hopkins University:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
Skripak JM, Nash SD, Rowley H, Brereton NH, Oh S, Hamilton RG, Matsui EC, Burks AW, Wood RA. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of milk oral immunotherapy for cow's milk allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Dec;122(6):1154-60. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2008.09.030. Epub 2008 Oct 25.
Buchanan AD, Green TD, Jones SM, Scurlock AM, Christie L, Althage KA, Steele PH, Pons L, Helm RM, Lee LA, Burks AW. Egg oral immunotherapy in nonanaphylactic children with egg allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan;119(1):199-205. Epub 2006 Oct 27.
Meglio P, Bartone E, Plantamura M, Arabito E, Giampietro PG. A protocol for oral desensitization in children with IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy. Allergy. 2004 Sep;59(9):980-7.
Enrique E, Pineda F, Malek T, Bartra J, Basagaña M, Tella R, Castelló JV, Alonso R, de Mateo JA, Cerdá-Trias T, San Miguel-Moncín Mdel M, Monzón S, García M, Palacios R, Cisteró-Bahíma A. Sublingual immunotherapy for hazelnut food allergy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with a standardized hazelnut extract. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Nov;116(5):1073-9. Epub 2005 Oct 3.
|Responsible Party:
|Johns Hopkins University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00465569 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|April 23, 2007
|Results First Received:
|February 17, 2017
|Last Updated:
|April 18, 2017
Keywords provided by Johns Hopkins University:
Food Allergy
Oral Immunotherapy
Immunoglobulin E
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Milk Hypersensitivity
Immune System Diseases
Food Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity, Immediate
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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According to a recently disclosed filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as of Nov. 19, Citadel Investment Group owned 1.6 million shares of Zillow (Z), a real estate website, which is best known for its "Zestimate" of property values based on a proprietary formula. This gives Citadel, which is managed by billionaire Ken Griffin and his team, more than 6% of the total shares outstanding. The fund's 13F filing shows that it owned about 440,000 shares of Zillow at the end of September, indicating that Citadel bought more Z shares in the last two months.
Zillow went public in July 2011, trading between $30 and $35 per share in the days after its IPO. Its stock price rose 82% in the first nine months of 2012, but plummeted in early November after the company reported that its internal estimates of revenue for the fourth quarter were below analyst expectations. Zillow currently trades at 150x trailing earnings, so any indication that its growth trajectory is slower than previously expected tends to have a powerful effect on the stock price. Griffin and his team seem to have taken the pullback as a signal to start buying.
Of course, Zillow has also been in the news recently upon buying HotPads. In pure financial terms, this isn't that big a move, as the $16 million acquisition price represents a small portion of Zillow's nearly $230 million in cash (and the company's $870 million market capitalization). However, it's somewhat significant because HotPads provides information on rental real estate; Zillow has historically been focused on homes for sale, and has begun expanding its offerings into rentals. Given the timing of Citadel's filing, most its shares seem to have been purchased before this move was made public. So it likely didn't play a role in the fund's decision, but any investors currently thinking of getting in should be aware of this recent development. Zillow has made a number of other acquisitions in 2012, including a mortgage software company and another rentals-focused site, RentJuice.
In late September, Citron Research -- a company which frequently publishes in-depth cases for shorting public companies it believes to be overvalued -- argued that Zillow's price would eventually fall to "single digits." Certainly the stock price has fallen considerably since that time -- from above $40 to $26 -- but given how bearish Citron's conclusions were, its arguments are still worth reviewing. In its report, the company pointed to strong insider selling, a business model dependent on phone marketing to realtors (with no public discussion of churn rate), and survey data suggesting that realtors don't consider Zillow as useful as in the past (among other factors). While we don't mind some degree of insider selling ( it makes sense for insiders to diversify their wealth away from the company where they earn their income), heavy selling is something to note.
In the third quarter of the year, Zillow reported that its revenues had increased 67% over the third quarter of 2011. This brought sales up 79% in the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period a year ago. So, while revenue is growing rapidly, the growth rate is slowing down. Zillow approximately doubled its spending on sales and marketing. However, most other costs were held down and the company reported $2.3 million in earnings (or $0.7 per share). Annualized, that yields a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 94. Cash flow from operations was up 60% in the first nine months of 2012 from its levels a year earlier. Analyst estimates for 2013 imply a forward P/E of 48, which is still high but would at least represent an understandable multiple for a fast-growing company. The stock is widely shorted: The most recent data show 7.6 million shares held short.
We wouldn't recommend Zillow to investors, at least until the company continues its earnings growth for a few more quarters and begins to look better in terms of its valuation multiples. Citadel's participation is interesting but the fund's position is dwarfed by that of short sellers. Zillow's business model and acquisition spree are well worth questioning at current prices.


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Rep. Jared Huffman visited the College of Marin on Wednesday to rally support for legislation that would prevent a doubling of student loan interest rates on July 1.
Huffman, D-San Rafael, gathered a group that included Marin County educators, nonprofit executives serving the student population, parents, and students at College of Marin to discuss the urgency of the situation.
"We are in an economy that has been globalized; the competition for jobs is greater than it has ever been before," Huffman said.
"At the same time that we have globalized," Huffman continued, "we've seen income inequality grow. So at a time when we most need higher education, we face the prospect of its becoming more and more out of reach if we don't do something to make it more affordable — not just for the Mitt Romneys of the world ... but for everyone."
If Congress fails to act, 7.4 million students with federal Stafford loans will see their subsidized loan rate rise from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.
Lance Reyes, a sophomore studying electrical engineering at College of Marin, said, "It's very disconcerting to me that this rate is going to increase substantially." Reyes said he has to borrow about $10,000 a year, primarily due to the high cost of living in Marin. He works three jobs while attending school.
"If I was looking at it now, I would have second thoughts about continuing with school," Reyes said.
In 2011, before Republicans gained control of the House, Democrats set the interest rate on federally subsidized Stafford loans at 3.4 percent. Last year, Republicans bowed to political pressure and extended the 3.4 percent rate through the 2012-13 academic year.
Now, however, Republicans in the House are refusing to renew the rate. Instead, earlier this month they used their majority status to pass legislation that would allow student lending rates to reset each year. The rates would be based on the interest rate of a 10-year Treasury note, plus 2.5 percentage points for Stafford loans. The legislation would trim the federal deficit by $3.7 billion over 10 years.
"How bad is this bill?" Huffman said. "It's so bad that the Congressional Research Service has found that students and families would pay higher interest costs under the Republican bill than if we simply allow the rates to double."
According to the Congressional Research Service, an agency within the Library of Congress, students who borrow the maximum amount of subsidized Stafford loans over five years would pay more than $10,000 in interest payments under the Republican bills, compared with $8,808 if rates are allowed to double to 6.8 percent in July, and $4,174 if rates were kept at 3.4 percent.
But Kevin Krick, chairman of the Marin GOP, said that example assumes that the 10-year Treasury note interest rate won't decline over that period. "It may also go the other direction," Krick said. "In terms of sound fiscal policy most interest rates are tied to some tangible vehicle."
Huffman has signed on as a co-sponsor of an alternative bill, introduced by Joe Courtney, D-Conn., which would freeze current rates at 3.4 percent for the next two years.
Krick said, "That to me sounds like a freeze it and forget type of maneuver."
Huffman is also co-sponsoring two related bills — HR 1527, which would increase the tax deduction for student loan interest, and HR 1738, which would permanently extend the tax credit that covers expenses such as tuition, fees and course materials.
Participants in Wednesday's roundtable discussion shared stories about the rapid rise of education costs, and the pressure it is putting on young people. Total student debt in the U.S. recently surpassed $1.1 trillion.
David Coon, president of College of Marin, said 50 percent of his college's students receive financial aid and 800 receive Stafford loans. He said as student fees rise requests for financial aid increase and college enrollment drops.
"In addition to rationing education across California, we're increasing prices to the point where students can't afford it," Coon said.
Terra Linda High School Principal Lars Christensen said he worries about students who rack up large debts in pursuit of a college education.
"We fix a big weight to their backs that they will carry for a long, long time," Christensen said. "You can't get rid of a six-figure debt obligation even if you enter an occupation that pays fairly well. It is a burden that is unyielding."
San Rafael City Schools Superintendent Michael Watenpaugh said student loan debt is preventing people in poverty from climbing into the middle class.
Watenpaugh said, "They were in poverty; the college degree was supposed to help them get out of poverty; and they find themselves right back there."
Contact Richard Halstead via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Hostal Mare Nostrum joins the Campaign to collect toys for "Foundation Lucia"
From Foundation Lucia they are conducting a Campaign to collect toys for 20 families in difficulties. This year, the Hostal Mare Nostrum participates becoming a collection point for Toys for children with pediatric AIDS. All toys received will be sent on January 4 to Lucia Foundation to provide a better Christmas to all those children. The only requirement is simply that toys should not be used. They should be new toys. If you prefer, you may contact the Foundation by e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com to make donations or get there directly. Thank you and Merry Christmas!


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Avery® Slide & View Expanding File 73517, Black, Five Pockets, Letter SizeProduct Number: 73517
Easily organize and identify your ongoing projects with this innovate expanding file. When open, the five separate sections slide apart for quick access and visibility. To save space, the file easily collapses, and an elastic closure keeps documents secure when you're on the go. And each durable section can hold up to 40 letter-size pages. Keep your projects organized, divided and secure with this essential expanding file.
Product Description:


text:
Listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong
Trading in the United States through American Depositary Receipt ("ADR")
Level I Program
Hong Kong Stock Exchange
ADR Level I Program
Number of ordinary shares outstanding
9,793 million (approx.)
Number of preferred shares outstanding
0.77 million
Shareholding by Legend Holdings Limited(1)
Shareholding by TPG, General Atlantic and Newbridge Capital(1) (2)
Public Shareholders(1)
Nominal value of ordinary share
HK$0.025 per share
(1) As if preferred shares are fully converted
(2) Newbridge Capital integrated its operations with TPG Capital in 2006.
Sept 2009
Issue of 63,502,788 ordinary shares upon exercise of warrants.
Conversion of 621,250 unlisted Series A cumulative convertible preferred shares into 227,981,647 ordinary voting shares.
May 2008
Conversion of 375,282,756 non-voting shares into 375,282,756 ordinary voting shares.
Nov 2007
Conversion of 955,001 unlisted Series A cumulative convertible preferred shares into 350,459,078 ordinary voting shares.
Aug 2005
Repurchase of 435,717,757 non-voting shares at
HK$2.725 per share from IBM
May 2005
Issue of 2,730,000 unlisted Series A cumulative
convertible preferred shares at an issue price of
HK$1,000 per share to three private equity firms
Issue of 821,234,569 new voting shares and 921,636,459
new non-voting shares at HK$2.675 per share as part
of the consideration for its acquisition of IBM's
Personal Computing Division
Sep 2000
Issue of 11,478,584 new shares at HK$8.895 per
share as part of the consideration for its investment
in Yestock Limited
Mar 2000
Issued and unissued shares of HK$0.1 each of
the Company had been subdivided into four shares
of HK$0.025 each
Feb 2000
The controlling shareholder of Lenovo Group Limited
(formerly known as Legend Holdings Limited) placed
85 million existing shares of Lenovo at HK$33.75(3)
per share to institutional investors, and subscribed
50 million new shares of Lenovo at the same price
Jun 1999
Lenovo Group Limited's controlling shareholder
placed 130 million existing shares of Lenovo at
HK$7.20(3) per share to institutional investors
Apr 1998
Issue of 100 million new shares at HK$3.00 per
Nov 1997
Issue of 879,201,681 new shares at HK$2.38(3) per
share to the parent company to acquire the Beijing
Legend Group
Jul 1995
Issue of 86,499,200 new shares at HK$1.25(3) per
share to acquire a 95% interest in the Legend Science
and Technology Park in Huiyang in the PRC
Feb 1994
Listing of Lenovo Group Limited and new issue
of 168,750,000 shares at HK$1.33(3) per share
(3) Prior to the 4-for-1 split in March 2000
Tricor Abacus Limited
26th Floor, Tesbury Centre,
28 Queen's Road East,
Hong Kong
Ordinary share to ADR
Depositary and Registrar
Citibank, N.A.
14th Floor, 388 Greenwich Street,
New York, NY10013, USA
Citibank ADR
Stockholder and Investor Inquiries about Lenovo:
852 2516-4843 (Hong Kong)
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
You can invest in Lenovo by buying Lenovo shares
or American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs").
I) Buying Lenovo shares:
Lenovo shares are listed on the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange with the stock code 992.
Lenovo shares are denominated in Hong Kong Dollars
(exchange rate is about 1 USD: 7.74 HKD). For the
trading of Lenovo shares, you may contact any Hong
Kong brokers. Individual overseas investors can
trade Lenovo shares on the Internet through certain
Hong Kong brokers.
To monitor the stock price of Lenovo in Hong Kong
market, please click here, Stock quote
II) Buying Lenovo ADRs:
Investors in the United States can also buy Lenovo
ADRs through any local brokers by quoting the ADR
stock code LNVGY. Each ADR represents 20 Lenovo
shares and is denominated in U.S. Dollars. For information
about ADR, you can visit the Citibank ADR site at
find more information and the quote of Lenovo ADR,
please carry out the following procedures:
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Hey, look! It's January!! Time to start a fresh year, a clean slate, a new calendar. Time to MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS.
Except I have a little tiny problem.
I didn't do the resolution thing this year.
I kind of conveniently forgot. Probably someone trained in psychology would call it "avoidance" but whatever. I didn't resolve. Or re-resolve.
I can't. I know myself, and I won't stick to it.
But my resolutions are still here. They are not going anywhere. I'm on the slow and steady pace to win the race of resolutions. My resolution is a "big picture" kind of thing. I want to grow old. I want to stick around this world long enough to watch my kids get married, and maybe have their own kids, and spoil those hypothetical most-adorable-grandbabies-in-the-world to death. The path I was on a year or so ago, was not the path to seeing my dreams come to fruition. No exercise, crappy eating habits, and depression=fat, unhappy and unhealthy mom of three young children who were learning what they lived.
Fast forward to now. (Remember, I'm on the SLOW and steady pace. I'm human, mmmkay? There's no superhero cape on my back). I'm still pretty fat. But I'm way less fat. I still make crummy choices with junk food (if chocolate didn't exist I might be skinny)…BUT…
…lots of times, I grab a string cheese (low fat), an apple, some carrots, sugar snap peas. I keep my water bottles full of water and ice (why is water better when it has melty ice in it?) and not soda. I even have ventured into watering down fruit juices and have tried Trop50 drinks (more on that below).
I exercise. For a long time, that included parking further from the door when we went someplace. Then I decided I'd do Jamie's Run in November. So I started the Couch2 5k program. The first 24 seconds in, I knew I made a terrible mistake. I was almost hyperventilating. Every muscle in my body was screaming "What the H-E-doublehockeysticks are you THINKING, woman? GET BACK ON THE COUCH!! EAT A COOKIE!" but I kept going. Every other day for 9 weeks, I grabbed my iTouch and headed out. I hated it…I dreaded it. Especially week 4. As if that first day wasn't bad enough, week 4 was like a whole fresh hell. But for some reason, this time, (as opposed to the eleventy million other times I've tried to run or jog in my life)- well, I kept at it.
People say "oh, I love to run. It just clears my mind and is such a great stress relief." I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what they speak of. My mind is full of "OMG is it time to stop…can I walk…did I go far enough yet? I HATE THIS I HATE THIS" the entire time I go. Until I finish my goal for the day. Then I'm all "Look at meeeeeeeeeeeee I just ran!!" and all pumped up to do it again (by the way, when you are not in shape, and feel this way, DO NOT go out and try for a second round of it that day. It's not a good idea. Trust me). I still don't like to run. But I think around week 6 into the program, I kind of realized that maybe I didn't despise it as much as I once had.
On November 20, 2011, I did my very first 5k. Jamie's Run. Me. Not only that, but I did it pushing 25 lbs of cute in a jogging stroller. Yes, yes I did. I didn't even finish last. (There were totally 2 girls behind me and I'm pretty sure they stopped to get a mani/pedi to make me feel better about being slow). But I did the entire 5k. No walking. Not once. I didn't stop. I wasn't fast, and it sure wasn't pretty, but I did it. Me. A year ago? There's not a chance I'd have done that. No way. (In fact…I'd tried to do that as a walker and didn't finish the previous year).
So guess what this girl did on November 24th? I did the Manchester Road Race. 4.74 miles and a full mile at the beginning is all.up.hill. (Listen, I've not totally lost my mind!! I walked the hill. Do you not know me at all? It's a BIG hill). I wasn't fast, and it sure wasn't pretty, but I did it. That little feat was major. Major like I've always had it on my bucket list to run the road race on Thanksgiving day.
This year, in 2012, I'm doing those 2 races again. I think I'll try to do maybe 2 others. That's it. I'll also keep working on the healthier choices in my snacks. I'm slow and steady, remember? I'm still not thin (I'm ok with that, but I have a ways to go before I'm happy with how I look and feel) but you know what? I'm making progress towards that goal of being an old lady and sticking around a very, very long time!!
Thanks to Trop50, I got to try a new kind of OJ- Trop50 Orange– which is a very special treat in the Bargains house. I liked the taste well enough – I'm happy enough to drink or not drink OJ- but my kids? They LOVE OJ. Not one of them even noticed a difference in taste from regular Tropicana. THAT speaks volumes.
I also got the Trop50 Lemonade this week for a treat for New Year's Eve for the kids and I. Oh my goodness. Delicious. You can't even tell it has less sugar at all- again evidenced by no one noticing it was anything different- and *I* love, love love lemonade and didn't notice a difference. Less sugar and less calories=less of me, right? Thank you Trop50 for making delicious and better options for those of us who love sweet!! I am anxious to find and try the Raspberry Lemonade (did you know that Trop 50 comes in EIGHT varieties??)
Tropicana® Trop50® delivers the goodness of fruit juice with 50 percent less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners.
Trop50 True Resolutions celebrates the real reasons behind New Year's resolutions. Share your secret motivation and you'll earn a coupon for $1 off Trop50 for yourself and 50¢ off coupons for up to 50 of your friends. You can even submit incognito with a fierce disguise. Bonus: Whether you submit a resolution or not, you can also enter a sweepstakes to win a $1000 gift card.
Don't forget to visit Trop50 True Resolutions to share your secret motivation and earn a coupon for $1 off Trop50 for yourself and 50¢ off coupons for up to 50 of your friends. You can also enter to win a $1000 gift card. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by Glam Media. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Tropicana® Trop50® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Tropicana® Trop50®


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The annual tally of global brand values by the marketing gurus at Interbrand came out Monday with a new top banana.
Our roundup of business trends ponders the economic meaning within the rankings.
1. Apple. It must say something when the tech giant has a proportionally quiet year – on a change-the-world scale – and still rises to be knighted as the world's most valuable brand.
2. Google. The ability to make Apple sweat – with its Android cellphone operating system – is huge. Not to mention continued world dominance of signature search functions as its jumps two spots from No. 4 in 2012.
3. Coca-Cola. It's no fluke that Coke's 13-year reign atop this ranking is over. Unless taste buds and waistlines change, Coke faces an uphill battle to retain brand relevancy as health consciousness grows.
7. McDonald's. A prime example of why brand matters. The fast-food giant still gets consumer "benefit of the doubt" as it poorly transitions away from low-cost, recession-friendly fare.
8. Samsung. See Google, the big equipment partner in the rise of Android. Ranked 17th two years ago.
10. Toyota. The Japanese carmaker made being green cool with its Prius hybrid-powered autos.
14. Disney. Theme parks carry this brand. The entertainment giant hit a grand slam at the retooled California Adventure, perhaps erasing bad vibes from some movie clunkers.
19. Amazon. It's the most valuable name in retailing. That says bunches.
43. Hyundai and Kia (No. 83). Two Orange County-based Korean-run automakers enjoy an image renaissance as they stretched their strength in budget transportation to pricier vehicles.
52. Facebook. Love the online network. Or hate it. But you know it.
57. Nokia. This is a prime example of how technology can eat its own stars. Once a phone industry darling, the company struggles to stay in the public eye as competitors steal sizzle – and sales. The technology of Nokia – the No. 5 brand four years ago – is bought by Microsoft, 2013's No. 5 brand.
For those who think their brands are set in stone, don't forget BlackBerry! The communications gear maker didn't make this list this year after being as high as No. 56 in 2011.


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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Bath and Body Works announced that it has named Nick Coe, formerly president of Lands' End, as its new CEO. The current CEO of Bath and Body Works, Diane Neal, will remain in her role as CEO through summer and then transition into an advisory role with the company from San Francisco.
"Diane has done amazing things at Bath and Body Works. I truly appreciate her expertise as a leader and merchant," said Leslie Wexner, chairman and CEO of Limited Brands, Bath and Body Works' parent company. "We think so highly of her work that we have asked her to stay connected with Bath and Body Works in an advisory capacity that leverages her unique skills while allowing her to return to San Francisco, a personal desire of hers."
Neal joined Bath and Body Works in November 2006 as president and COO and has served as CEO since 2007. Prior to joining Bath and Body Works, Neal held leadership positions at Gap and Target.
Prior to his career at Lands' End, Coe held senior merchandising positions at Banana Republic and Levi Strauss.
"I am also very excited that we are welcoming Nick who has such an incredible track record as a merchant and leader," said Wexner. "He understands the centrality of the customer and has great admiration for the Bath and Body Works brand and team."


text:
Prize Recipient
Roderik Bruce
"For his research on beam loss mechanisms involving ultra-peripheral nuclear collisions in relativistic heavy-ion colliders that are potentially performance-limiting."Background:
Roderik Bruce received a M.Sc. in applied physics from Linköping University in 2005 and continued with a Ph.D. in physics at Lund University completed in 2009. He was supervised by Dr John Jowett and Dr Simone Gilardoni at CERN and Dr Erik Wallen at Lund University. His thesis work focused on beam-loss mechanisms in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion colliders, such as LHC and RHIC, where the charge-to-mass ratio of ions is changed through electromagnetic or nuclear interactions between colliding beams or between beams and collimators. These mechanisms cause localized beam losses that may quench superconducting magnets and therefore limit the peak luminosity. He also studied models of the luminosity time evolution in heavy-ion colliders. The thesis work is reported in 4 publications in refereed journals (Physical Review Letters and Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams) and in a number of conference papers. Roderik is presently a research fellow at CERN, working on collimation and experimental backgrounds in the LHC.


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Former employee suing Town of Breckenridge for discrimination
August 22, 2012
A former Breckenridge employee has filed a suit against the town in federal court claiming discrimination after he was fired from a part-time position with the recreation department in the spring of 2011.
Christopher D. Watson is seeking $2 million in damages in a suit alleging discrimination based on physical disability. He claims he was dismissed after he broke his leg in a fall while instructing rock climbing for the recreation department.
In his court-filed complaint against the town, Watson stated he was later fired when he began asking questions about an alleged town policy prohibiting employees from calling 911 in the event of an emergency.
"There was an odd policy in place where employees had to call the lifeguards first and they would take the lead," Watson stated in his complaint. "I have no idea why someone would call a lifeguard for an emergency situation. Basic first aid doesn't amount to much."
Watson also alleges the town created a hostile work environment prior to his dismissal.
Town of Breckenridge officials declined to comment on the alleged 911 policy or the lawsuit, saying they cannot speak on matters regarding personnel.
Recommended Stories For You
Watson also declined to comment.
The suit names Breckenridge Mayor John Warner, town manager Tim Gagen, assistant town manager Rick Holman and police chief Shannon Haynes as well as other individuals in the recreation, transit and human resources departments.
The town has not yet filed a response to the suit.
A planning conference to allow the parties to discuss a settlement is set for November.
In court documents, Watson states town officials told him he was being let go "due to a decrease in business for the upcoming season," which meant "a sufficient workload would not be available to keep him busy."
Watson states he was also terminated from a position as a transit operator with the Town of Breckenridge around the same time.
He'd been employed with the town since 2009.


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usually, i write blog when i want to say saomething. but when do you write your blog?
Mine are all sporadic. Some I post on more than others but rarely is it more than a few times per month on any one blog.
I have a blog I post daily, some I post weekly or every 2-3 days.
I try to post at least weekly. Sometimes a few times per week if possible. Really it all depends on when a topic hits me that I want to write about.
Whenever I have time, as there are other priorities to tend to also. A balance between selling products, link building, posting, and other things is the best use of my time for my blogs.
I update my blogs whenever I thought of an idea or read about something related. More often, it is at night that I can write spontaneously.
All of my blogs are for commercial purpose.So I have to post articles and update the blogs more frequently although sometimes I feel too much boring.
I have no specific schedule for writing my blog posts
I try to post on my blog daily but soon I am going to run out of free things to post about.
I just post regularly. That is to say, in some blogs you can post 2 every week and in other blogs you should post daily. Depends if you want to make your blog predictable to your readers.
I write blog to pull the traffic at my site.
This topic has been, and is being, discussed in other threads.
Please Search using the vBulletin [Advanced Search and SitePoint's [URL="http://search.sitepoint.com/"]Advanced Search](http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/search.php)


text:
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Exercise and Fitness
Losing 115 lbs in 12 Weeks?
A local fitness club and a TV station sponsor a local "Biggest Loser" contest. They are running an ad for it featuring the last winner who lost 115 lbs in 12 weeks.
I need to lose 115 lbs and I could probably take off 12 weeks of FMLA from work if I got my dr to say it was necessary. Could I really lose 115 lbs in 12 weeks? My dr has been harping on me to get weight loss surgery and I don`t want surgery. The local Biggest Loser says in the commercial that he "just gave it his all" and lost 115 lbs in 12 weeks. What does it mean to "give it my all?"
On the TV show the trainers scream at and humiliate the contestants. Could I lose that much weight without being screamed at and called lazy by a trainer? What would I need to do in order to do this?
Congratulations for making the decision to take steps to lose weight! Many people who participate in Biggest Loser programs DO lose weight quickly, but health professionals like me are not so sure this is the best long-term solution.
It didn't take 12 weeks to gain 115 pounds, and reducing your weight that quickly will mean you lose not just fat, but also water and muscle. Extremely fast weight loss puts a strain on your system and should be monitored by your doctor.
Biggest Loser approaches put you in an unnatural situation for 3-months surrounded by trainers, well-equipped gyms, medical professionals, and the necessary diet to take off the weight.
But causes of our behavior and weight are complicated-- genetics, environment, motivation, confidence, and skills influence each other-- so we can't predict if you would lose 115 pounds in 12 weeks. People have had dramatic health benefits from losing as little as 10% of their body weight, so that would be an excellent first goal.
Sure, the Biggest Loser can jump start a weight loss program, but afterwards you must have the skills and positive support to change your diet and exercise habits in ways you can live with, and most of us can't exercise 5-6 hours a day and have someone prepare our food! We know that taking the weight off and keeping it off must be done in a way you can live with your whole life.
I don't believe screaming at someone and calling him or her lazy is the best long-term approach for weight loss-- where you exercise and eat right to avoid being yelled at. You are more likely to stick with a new behavior if you do it because you get good things from doing it, like a sense of accomplishment and more energy.
Janet Buckworth, PhD, FACSM
Associate Professor of Sports & Exercise Education
College of Education and Human Ecology
The Ohio State University


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Sailboat sinks after collision with ferry
A 28-foot sailboat sank after it was struck by the Hyak ferry on Sept. 13. The lone occupant, a man in his mid-60s, was taken to Peace Island Hospital on San Juan Island but did not sustain major injuries.
Several eyewitnesses reported that the ferry collided with a sailboat called the Norma Rae. At around 2 p.m, Suzanne Lyons saw the mast of the Norma Rae crack and heard the screeching of the sailboat hitting the side of the ferry.
"An older man was sitting on the boat as it was sinking," said Lyons, who was in her car at the time of the incident.
The ferry left Anacortes at 12:35 p.m. and landed on Lopez at 1:30 p.m. Another witness on the ferry, Michael Bried, said the accident occurred after the boat left Lopez and was heading toward Orcas.
"The sailboat was a mile north of Lopez in the middle of the shipping lane," said Bried.
A Fish and Wildlife boat towed the sailboat away, but it later sank in 250 feet of water.
"I don't know why the ferry pilot didn't see the sailboat," Bried said. "It was a clear day."
The accident forced the cancellation of the 2:20 p.m. sailing from Orcas to Anacortes.
Washington State Ferries representatives could not be reached by this press time. The incident is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard.


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Groene at the Legislature: Teacher absences, substitutes
Mail: Southern statues symbolize suppression
More opinion
Senate: Vote no on Graham-Cassidy health care plan
Fall: Good time to spray musk thistle in rosette stage
More Ag News
Nebraskans can register for a chance at one of two grand prizes of $5,000 Free Groceries for a Year! courtesy of a group of Nebraska farmers, a veterinarian and a grocer, at www.FarmersFeedUS.org.
Consumers can register with each of the seven featured individuals daily through April 8, the end of the 90-day program.
The Farmers Feed U.S. website features corn, dairy, hog, soybean and turkey farmers, as well as a veterinarian and a grocer, each sharing information about the foods they produce.
Featured Nebraskans include:
Chad Bartek, soybean farmer, Ithaca
Angela Baysinger, veterinarian, Bruning
Kyle Cantrell, corn farmer, Anselmo
Dean Engelman, dairy farmer, Jansen
Danny Kluthe, hog farmer, Dodge
Pat Raybould, grocer, Lincoln
Mike Shinn, turkey farmer, Gibbon
As Nebraskans, were thrilled to offer free groceries for a year to the consumers of our state, said Chad Bartek, a soybean farmer from Ithaca, who is a featured farmer on FarmersFeedUS.org. This is an opportunity to...let them know we share their values - taking care of our families, taking care of our animals and land and giving back to our communities.
Over the course of the sweepstakes, consumers through the state will also see and hear from these farmers as they are featured in television advertising and on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/nefarmersfeedus) and Twitter (www.Twitter.com/nefarmersfeedus).
Supporting Nebraska agriculture groups include the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), Nebraska Soybean Board, Nebraska Pork Producers, Nebraska Corn Board, Midwest Dairy Association and B&R Grocery.
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


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Marylanders Invited to Join Oyster Growing Program
Application Deadline May 15
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for communities to help raise baby oysters for the 2013 season through the Marylanders Grow Oysters program. Now in its sixth year, the program has become a huge success thanks to enthusiastic citizens who have helped support the effort.
"I want to extend a big thank you to all of the dedicated volunteers who have made Marylanders Grow Oysters what it is today," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "We encourage other interested communities and organizations with water access to help us expand the program by becoming an oyster steward."
Last year, citizen volunteers raised more than 2 million new oysters that were planted in sanctuaries throughout Maryland waters. DNR is now seeking local coordinators willing to organize the program in additional rivers, creeks and Chesapeake Bay areas for the 2013 season. The oysters require minimal care ─ mostly the rinsing of the cages every two weeks. DNR will provide all of the materials and assist coordinators with planning and implementation.
"Marylanders Grow Oysters works to engage enthusiastic community partners in raising and protecting young oysters during their vulnerable first year of life," said Program Coordinator Chris Judy. "Once this process is complete, the oysters are then planted in local sanctuaries to enhance the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem."
Citizen oyster growers enjoy the personal rewards of stewardship and learn about oysters while contributing to the enhancement of an oyster reef. The year-old oysters are collected and planted in a local oyster sanctuary, and a new group of young oysters is distributed to participating growers to start the process again.
Governor Martin O'Malley launched Marylanders Grow Oysters in 2008 as part of the State's Smart Green and Growing initiative. The program began with about 900 oyster cages, cared for by 170 growers, along the Tred Avon River. DNR has expanded the program with the help of partners and now nearly 7,500 cages ─ exceeding the initial goal of 7,000 ─ are located in 30 tributaries from the St. Mary's to Chester rivers.
The program is managed by DNR in conjunction with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science which produces the majority of the spat (baby oysters), and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which provides the cages.
This month, Governor Martin O'Malley announced good news regarding the State's ongoing efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay's native oyster population. Results of Maryland's 2012 Fall Oyster Survey show oyster population and reproduction increased for the second consecutive year, and diseases, which decimated the oyster population in 2002, remained far below their long-term averages.
To take part in program, visit oysters.maryland.gov/pdfs/Oyster_App_Doc.pdf and print out the application. Before filling out the form, interested participants are asked to contact Chris Judy at email@example.com for more information. Applications are due by May 15, 2013.


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SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Nine college kids won $1,000 each at Saratoga Race Course Friday, but nobody was more excited than Kathy Samaniuk-Hayes of Rexford.
That's because she's the one most responsible for paying her daughter Amy's tuition.
The scholarships, handed out after each race, were part of a special College Day promotion that included free admission for college students and numerous other prizes from iPods to restaurant gift cards. The first 1,000 entrants also got free
T-shirts with the slogan: "My favorite course: Saratoga Race Course."
"I'm just so excited I'm speechless," Samaniuk-Hayes said after learning about her daughter's prize. It took several minutes to find Amy in the big crowd and share the good news.
"The reason I told her to come today is because of the scholarship offer," she said. "I was praying for good luck. I guess we got some. I'm psyched."
Next up, Amy, who attends The College of St. Rose, plans to enter the Miss Thousand Islands Pageant, with an ultimate goal of becoming Miss New York. Her Aunt Mary won the award in 1975.
Marist College student Rachel Willson of Troy also won a $1,000 scholarship.
"I just lost that last race. This one is a lot better," she said, smiling.
Some students went out of their way for a chance to win prize money. Rachel Friedman and Ryne McEvoy came all the way up from Stone Ridge, near Kingston.
With only a month of summer left, they both wanted to enjoy a day at the track.
"But we're always ready to go back," said Friedman, an Ithaca College student.
McEvoy, who attends Springfield College, said he's been busy with three things this summer: "Work, golf, girlfriend."
Boston College student Adam Murray of Troy was among the hundreds of young people who signed up for a chance to win a scholarship, provided by New York Racing Association.
"A thousand dollars is really going to help," he said. "Prices are rising and with the economy it's tough to get what you need."
A political science major, Murray's looking forward to this fall's presidential campaign season.
"I think it's going to be a close race," he said. "A lot depends on (Mitt) Romney's running mate."
Albany resident John Murray -- unrelated to Adam -- is a business administration major headed to SUNY Oneonta from Hudson Valley Community College.
"The track is a big part of summer," he said. "I just wanted to come and try to win some prizes. I've been working hard, saving money."
"I'll probably blow it all here," he joked.
The highlight of today's racecourse program is the Grade 2 Jim Dandy for
3-year-olds, a possible preview of the Aug. 25 Travers Stakes field. The schedule also features the Grade 1 Diana for fillies and mares on the turf.
On Sunday, the track will host its first giveaway, a free Saratoga baseball cap with paid admission while supplies last.


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Meets NMEA 2000 specifications
Male to female connections
Keyed connectors offer error-free connections
Suitable for trunk or drop lines
Double-Ended Cordsets are used for trunk or drop lines and make for a secure connection and simple, time-saving installation. The connectors are keyed for error-free connection and they are waterproof for continued operation, even while submerged in the bilge. Male to Female connections. Meets NMEA 2000 specifications. Gray.
Maretron NMEA 2000 Cables and Connectors
The NMEA 2000 standard defines requirements for cables and connectors making up the physical interface. These Maretron cables and connectors are NMEA 2000 approved for building an operational NMEA 2000 network. There are three types of NMEA 2000 cabling systems: Micro, Mid, and Mini. The Micro/Mid cable system is generally used for smaller networks requiring less power (i.e. less than 4 amps per network leg), while the Mini cable system is used for larger networks (i.e. between 4 and 8 amps per leg).
Maretron NMEA 2000 Cable and Connector Features:
• Trunk and drop line topology, allowing you to remove or reconnect a powered component, while the rest of the network remains operational
• Cable includes power and ground for powering equipment drawing less than 1 amp/device
• Connectors include keys and keyways for simple error-free connections
• Screw thread connectors reduce chances of accidental disconnects
• Waterproof system prevents corroded intermittent connections and remains functional when submerged in the bilge
• Three independent cable shields-power pair, signal pair, and overall cable-protect system from external noise (i.e. high power radio transmitters and radar units)
• Nickel-plated brass connector ends
• Phosphor bronze contact base material with gold over nickel plate offers reliable connections
• Overmolded cable connector ends provide strain relief
• Diagnostic components enable trained and untrained personnel to diagnose and troubleshoot network installations


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hello. I've just started with shader programming but I'm having problems getting a basic phong shader to work, I'm using RenderMonkey and the shader in question is one of the examples that comes with RenderMonkey (Textured Phong).
here is the vertex shader:
float3 fvLightPosition;
float3 fvEyePosition;
float4x4 matView;
float4x4 matViewProjection;
struct VS_INPUT
float4 Position : POSITION0;
float2 Texcoord : TEXCOORD0;
float3 Normal : NORMAL0;
struct VS_OUTPUT
float4 Position : POSITION0;
float2 Texcoord : TEXCOORD0;
float3 ViewDirection : TEXCOORD1;
float3 LightDirection : TEXCOORD2;
float3 Normal : TEXCOORD3;
VS_OUTPUT vs_main( VS_INPUT Input )
VS_OUTPUT Output;
Output.Position = mul( Input.Position, matViewProjection );
Output.Texcoord = Input.Texcoord;
float3 fvObjectPosition = mul( Input.Position, matView );
Output.ViewDirection = fvEyePosition - fvObjectPosition;
Output.LightDirection = fvLightPosition - fvObjectPosition;
Output.Normal = mul( Input.Normal, matView );
return( Output );
// Registers:
// Name Reg Size
// ----------------- ----- ----
// matViewProjection c0 4
// matView c4 3
// fvLightPosition c7 1
// fvEyePosition c8 1
dcl_position v0
dcl_texcoord v1
dcl_normal v2
dp4 oPos.x, v0, c0
dp4 oPos.y, v0, c1
dp4 oPos.z, v0, c2
dp4 oPos.w, v0, c3
dp4 r0.x, v0, c4
dp4 r0.y, v0, c5
dp4 r0.z, v0, c6
add oT1.xyz, -r0, c8
add oT2.xyz, -r0, c7
dp3 oT3.x, v2, c4
dp3 oT3.y, v2, c5
dp3 oT3.z, v2, c6
mov oT0.xy, v1
the first thing I dont understand is: float3 fvObjectPosition = mul( Input.Position, matView ). If the matView is the view matrix then this means it is transforming the vertex into view space wheras the light and eye vectors are both in world space, I've tried converting these vectors also into view space and also leaving the vertex in world space, but both of these don't work.
here's the pixel shader:
float4 fvAmbient;
float4 fvSpecular;
float4 fvDiffuse;
float fSpecularPower;
sampler2D baseMap;
struct PS_INPUT
float2 Texcoord : TEXCOORD0;
float3 ViewDirection : TEXCOORD1;
float3 LightDirection: TEXCOORD2;
float3 Normal : TEXCOORD3;
float4 ps_main( PS_INPUT Input ) : COLOR0
float3 fvLightDirection = normalize( Input.LightDirection );
float3 fvNormal = normalize( Input.Normal );
float fNDotL = dot( fvNormal, fvLightDirection );
float3 fvReflection = normalize( ( ( 2.0f * fvNormal ) * ( fNDotL ) ) - fvLightDirection );
float3 fvViewDirection = normalize( Input.ViewDirection );
float fRDotV = max( 0.0f, dot( fvReflection, fvViewDirection ) );
float4 fvBaseColor = tex2D( baseMap, Input.Texcoord );
float4 fvTotalAmbient = fvAmbient * fvBaseColor;
float4 fvTotalDiffuse = fvDiffuse * fNDotL * fvBaseColor;
float4 fvTotalSpecular = fvSpecular * pow( fRDotV, fSpecularPower );
return( saturate( fvTotalAmbient + fvTotalDiffuse + fvTotalSpecular ) );
// Registers:
// Name Reg Size
// -------------- ----- ----
// fvAmbient c0 1
// fvSpecular c1 1
// fvDiffuse c2 1
// fSpecularPower c3 1
// baseMap s0 1
def c4, 2, 0, 0, 0
dcl t0.xy
dcl t1.xyz
dcl t2.xyz
dcl t3.xyz
dcl_2d s0
texld r0, t0, s0
nrm r1.xyz, t3
nrm r2.xyz, t2
dp3 r1.w, r1, r2
mul r1.xyz, r1, r1.w
mul r3, r1.w, c2
mad r1.xyz, r1, c4.x, -r2
nrm r2.xyz, r1
nrm r1.xyz, t1
dp3 r1.w, r2, r1
max r2.w, r1.w, c4.y
pow r1.w, r2.w, c3.x
mul r2, r0, r3
mad r0, c0, r0, r2
mad_sat r0, c1, r1.w, r0
mov oC0, r0
I convert this into the asm code and then place this in my application, I then set one vertex shader constant every time the world matrix changes, i.e.
pDevice->SetVertexShaderConstantF(0, (float*)&(getWorldMatrix() * getViewMatrix() * getProjectionMatrix()).transpose(), 4);
and for every frame I set these constants:
// pos == light position
// eye == camera position
// (both in world space)
pDevice->SetVertexShaderConstantF(7, pos, 1);
pDevice->SetVertexShaderConstantF(8, eye, 1);
pDevice->SetVertexShaderConstantF(4, (float*)&getViewMatrix().transpose(), 3);
float test[4] = { 0.3f, 0.3f, 0.3f, 0.3f };
pDevice->SetPixelShaderConstantF(0, test, 1);
pDevice->SetPixelShaderConstantF(1, test, 1);
pDevice->SetPixelShaderConstantF(2, test, 1);
pDevice->SetPixelShaderConstantF(3, test, 1);
but the lighting seems way off.
thanks in advance.
Your vertex shader has on issue - your eye and light vectors aren't in view space, but in world space (if you aren't transforming them on CPU)
Also we don't transform normals by model view matrix, but so called normal matrix (inverse-transpose of first three rows and columns of model view matrix).
Thanks, the main problem I was having was because the normals were not correct for each vertex, I have sorted that and it looks a lot better
I have also replaced matView with the inverse world matrix so that the vertices are in the same space (which is what I think matView should have been in the shader) which gives more correct lighting, however any surface that is backfacing still relects light because the normals are not orthogonal to the triangle surface at each point but rather interpolated to get a curving effect, is there any way to get the triangle normal at the vertex shader level?
isnt the inverse-transpose of an orthogonal view matrix just going to leave you what you started with? i.e isn't the inverse not equal to transpose when you are dealing with a rotation matrix?
Yes, the inverse-transpose is the same as the original matrix when it's orthogonal. It only makes a difference when there's scaling involved.
As for the light getting on the backside of surfaces due to vertex normals being interpolated, that's just how averaged normals work (they're designed to give the illusion of a curved surface). You can calculate the face normals and store them in a separate vertex attribute if you wish (of course this will lead to duplication of any vertices shared by multiple triangles, since they will all need their own face normals). If you have geometry shaders you can also calculate the face normals there since they operate on a triangle at a time.
You can calculate the face normals and store them in a separate vertex attribute if you wish (of course this will lead to duplication of any vertices shared by multiple triangles, since they will all need their own face normals). If you have geometry shaders you can also calculate the face normals there since they operate on a triangle at a time.
The face-normal can also be calculated in the fragment-shader without vertex-replication, by crossing the result of the derivatives of the fragment-position.


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This year is the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of the first white man to set eyes on The Smoke That Thunders in Africa - Dr Livingston.
In true Victorian style he presumed he could name the breathtaking African waterfall after a woman thousands of miles away, and the name Victoria Falls has remained the name for one of the world's greatest natural wonders.
The Scotsman had an eye for the dramatic when he uttered the immortal description of the mighty Zambezi's majestic waterfall.
He said: "So lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."
This year Zambia, which still has a charming town named after Livingstone, is hailing the great man with a series of festivities kicking off in March and running until the end of November.
Tourists can make the most of this historic year with Sun International (www.suninternational.com) and stay at the stunning Royal Livingstone, which rests within sight of the falls, for three nights and receive a fourth night for free with Kuoni. Rooms start from £211 per night on a bed and breakfast basis and the offer is available until 30 November 2013.
The hotel is the perfect place to enjoy Africa with great food and a laid back grandeur that fits in perfectly with the habitat and amazing wildlife.
And of course if you want to microlight or fly over the waterfalls in a helicopter the hotel is the perfect place for a nip of whisky for Dutch courage.
Now is the time to visit this amazing place and March is also the best time of year to see Victoria Falls as the Zambezi's water level is at its highest.
The town of Livingstone is celebrating Dr. Livingstone's legacy and his commitment to exploration, medicine, education and the eradication of slavery with a series of cultural events and festivities from March to November 2013.
Visitors can make the most of the festivities with live performances taking place on the banks of the Zambezi, regattas on the river, golf and fishing competitions, cultural talks and even motor cross events and rallies.
Visit www.livingstone2013.com to find out more.


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|Latest & Greatest
Walking on Water
By Elizabeth Ginns Britten — July 2004
In all the years I've been boating, I've never owned a pair of moccasin-style boat shoes comfortable enough to wear everyday. Thanks to Dubarry of Ireland, which has been designing "high-performance shoes to handle the elements in comfort since 1930," I think I've found a pair.
The company's latest addition to its Maldives line of women's boat shoes was developed with a female's foot in mind, and it shows; I didn't break in my pair before wearing them for a weekend, yet I felt I could've walked for miles. That's because of a double-stitched, wraparound sole that provides cushy support for feet and toes. More important, when my shoes got wet, they dried within minutes, thanks to the water-resistant, low-absorbing, and dry-fast technology of the Pittards leather, which reportedly also helps them maintain their shape over time. Like most boat shoes, they also feature a nonslip, nonmarking rubber outsole for enhanced traction underway.
Dubarry offers five ladies' styles, ten men's styles, and four unisex boot styles. Call the company for pricing or a catalog.
Dubarry North America Phone: (860) 767-0468. www.dubarryna.com.
Is there something you would like to know more about or see PMY put to the test? Write: Latest & Greatest, Power & Motoryacht, 260 Madison Ave., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10016. Fax: (917) 256-2282. e-mail: email@example.com. No phone calls, please.
Next page > Fisherman's Coast > Page 1, 2, 3
This article originally appeared in the June 2004 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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Motorcyclists have the same rights and privileges as other drivers. Allow a motorcyclist a full lane width. Although it may seem as though there is enough room in the traffic lane for an automobile and a motorcycle, remember the motorcycle needs room to maneuver safely.
The smaller profile of motorcycles can make it more difficult to judge the speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle. Motorcycles can be hidden in a vehicle's blind spot or missed in a quick look. Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking your mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections. Always signal your intentions before changing lanes or merging with traffic. This allows the motorcyclist to anticipate traffic flow and find a safe lane position.
Do not be fooled by a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle. Motorcycle signals usually are not self-canceling, and riders sometimes forget to turn them off. Wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed.
Road conditions, which are minor annoyances to drivers of larger vehicles, pose major hazards to motorcyclists. Motorcyclists may change speed or adjust their position within a lane suddenly in reaction to road and traffic conditions, such as potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings, and grooved pavement. Allow at least three or four seconds when following a motorcycle so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency.
Advice from professional motorcycle instructors:
For a list of Motorcycle Safety Course providers visit RideSafeIndiana.com


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McCann set to be activated from DL in Cincy
ATLANTA -- The Braves will save a seat on the team charter for All-Star catcher Brian McCann as they leave for Cincinnati following Sunday's series finale with the New York Mets.
"McCann's coming with us and he'll be activated tomorrow. He'll play tomorrow," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez following Sunday afternoon's 9-4 win over the Mets. "We're going to send [Tyler] Pastornicky down. It's a long baseball season. We'll see him back. He did a terrific job when he was here."
McCann DHed in his final tuneup game with Triple-A Gwinnett against Scranton/Wilkes Barre at Coolray Field on Sunday and went 0-for-1 with a walk as the designated hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
The six-time All-Star appears ready to go, as he hit .348 (8-for-23) with four home runs, nine RBIs and five runs scored in seven Minor League games between Gwinnett and Class A Rome.
The only concern for McCann was his throwing ability after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He didn't get to test it behind the plate on on Sunday, but is comfortable with where he is.
"I passed that test a week or two ago," McCann said. "I feel great. I feel like I did before I had my surgery. The ball is coming out great. I'm ready to go and get the season started."
McCann's success at the plate during his rehab stint will bring consistency to the Braves' lineup, which has been feast or famine this season. The inconsistency in the lineup isn't something that McCann is worried about.
"I'm looking at the record, and we're sitting in first place in a tough division," he said. "It's just the way our team is built. We are going to hit a lot of home runs and we are going to strike out a lot. We are going to win a lot of ballgames, and I'm just excited about getting back."
The Braves are certainly looking forward to McCann's return.
"It's going to be nice to get all the pieces back," said left fielder Justin Upton. "We know we have an All-Star catcher coming back. I used to love to watch him play and swing the bat even when I was playing against him. So it's going to be fun to play beside him."
In McCann's absence, the platoon of Evan Gattis and Gerald Laird have certainly picked up the slack, with Gattis being named the National League Rookie of the Month for April.
"We're very excited [to get McCann back]," said second baseman Dan Uggla. "We've had tremendous efforts out of the guys that have filled in. A lot of guys have stepped up big time, but we're ready for the whole team to be here. Once guys get back, I think we'll really start to come together and figure out how good we actually are."
Jon Cooper and Barrett Sallee are contributors to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Don't miss stories, columns and photos, available only in the May 1 print and e-editions of The Mendocino Beacon. Content you won't find online includes:
- MUSD approves taping meetings, application for Greenwood preschool.
- Valenzuela, Jowers named Democrats of the Year.
- Greenwood/Elk news by Charlie Acker.
- Coastal Trips with Matthew Reed: Pilates in The Beacon Building, Long's art in Carmel.
There are more stories, plus the tide table, school and Senior Center menus, letters to the editor, crossword puzzle, sudoku, legal notices and ads from local businesses.
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