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" Author: China Mieville / Format: Paperback / Date of publication: 01 September 2006 / Genre: Modern & Contemporary Fiction / Publisher: Pan Macmillan / Title: Kraken / ISBN 13: 9780330492324 / ISBN 10: 0330492324 "
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Kraken by China Mieville is a superb book. I know it's a cliché, but I really couldn't put it down -which made everyday tasks like washing up quite tricky!
It is set in the present day in London. However, it is not the mundane London that you might know, rather it is a strange, fantastic, magical pseudo-religious London where nothing is as it seems or should be. This other London exists right alongside the everyday London that 'normal' people inhabit.
China Mieville strikes a marvellous balance between tacky, hackneyed ideas and novel invention. As each new character turns up, you find yourself trying to figure out what is the motivation behind it, and it never turns out to be what you had guessed.
If I had one criticism of this book, it is that as a non-Londonner, I felt a little as though China wants to marry London and take it to bed. He could just as easily have set the novel in a fictional city, but I suppose he might have had to work harder to draw out the contrast between the underworld described and the normal world we know.
In summary, it's a good book but China needs to realise that we don't all love London.
I will begin by stating that this is not a book for children. It is macabre in places and some of the concepts dealt with, I feel, would be too complex for children to understand. I think older teens would be able to gets to grips with it though.
Kraken is an urban fantasy set in London. As the title may suggest a lot of it revolves around giant squid. It's a beautifully crafted story filled with realistic characters that you will come to care for.
The writing itself -
Mieville has a very fluid writing style which means there is very little filler to contend with. Things happen in this book - things happen to the characters that make them develop. The descriptions are well thought through and there are very few cliches to contend with. Mieville includes a couple of pop culture references that the reader will get.
However, the writing can be heavy in some places and I did find words that I had never come across before. It is very macabre in places which may put some people off. However, these scenes are not forced in and instead add a layer to the characters in question.
If you like reading something that is a little different, give Kraken a go. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be re-reading it again. The locations in London were well researched and you may even recognise some of the places mentioned. I really enjoyed Mieville's writing style as it was very fluid and he is very good at bringing loose ends together. I will warn you that Kraken is macabre in places, especially in regards to the characters Goss and Subby. However, do not let this deter you as it adds another layer to the narrative and they are not shoe-horned in but rather woven in with great care.
Also on Ciao! under the same username :)
Kraken is the latest novel by China Mieville who is the current hottest property in the social fantasy setting. This novel is about the theft of a giant dead squid from the British Museum.
The novel starts with the theft discovery by Billy, a curator at the British museum, the giant squid is huge and was being kept in a large glass vessel. The theft appears to be impossible but Billy is soon drawn into a wider world of strange religions and a battle ground between sinister magicians and religious leaders.
This book is all set in a modern London but a London very different to the one we know, London is on the surface looks normal but there are strange cults which operate just under the radar. The squid is being worshipped as a god by the cult of the giant squid; they are in competition with strange people who want to destroy the squid. Alongside are the police with a division which solely looks at crimes in the paranormal. The police are sinister and are as dangerous as the criminals who have stolen the kraken; it soon becomes apparent that the police not only want to find the culprit but also the squid as well.
The middle section of the book develops into a crime novel and a battle between differing psychic and paranormal active gangs. Billy is kidnapped by the vicar of the kraken church who thinks he has the information on who has stolen the squid he considers his god. The pair is soon chased by the man who is only described as Tattoo, Tattoo wants to destroy the cult of the kraken and his sole desire is to destroy. Against Tattoo is the god grisamemmthum, grisamemmthum is a deity who can travel between any statue and can then talk to people. Grisammemmthum, Tattoo and the cult of the kraken have been fighting for centuries and the control of London is at stake.
Yes, this novel is a complex one, it starts in what appears to be a normal setting but it seems to love to move the story into a world reminiscent of Malcom Pryce's Aberystwyth series in which all things appear to be as we would know but has a different culture underneath. The characters of Billy and Dane, the vicar of the kraken are the leading ones but the policewoman Collingsworth steals the boy as she is demented driven and loves to play the bad cop.
This was to be honest a tough read for certain sections but some of the chapters are genuinely brilliant with the flow of action making sense and giving the reader a real feel of a paranormal London. Billy and Dane finally work it out and of course the action is nicely rounded up and we get a final act of Tattoo, Grisamemmthum, the kraken and the fate of London is determined.
The concept of a cult worshipping a kraken leading to a style of gang warfare over the paranormal control over a modern London sounds crazy and in a way there is a sense of craziness involved but as a narrative text it works brilliantly. China Mieville once again peppers his works with a little bit of social commentary with a left leaning view on spread of resources and the desire for a correction in social equality.
If you want to move away from tepid fantasy novels about angst driven teenagers or young boys wearing glasses and instead want some proper hard hitting fantasy writing then the novels of China Mieville are a must. This is his latest piece of work and in my opinion his best so far.


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A DECISION on whether to allow electric "pedicabs" to trade in Oxford has been put off until the New Year.
Members of the city council's general purposes licencing committee met on Wednesday to discuss a bid by Veloform UK to get its "CityCruiser" vehicles licenced in the city.
Councillors were told the electrically-assisted tricycles, proposed as tourist transportation, could not be classed as a private hire or hackney carriage vehicle under current criteria.
The council currently has a limit on the number of taxis or "hackney carriages" it can have, and all 107 licences are taken. The pedicabs don't qualify for a private hire licence either, as they only have three wheels.
But councillors were told Government legislation on whether there should be a third category was due next year.
Councillors agreed to wait until then to avoid wasting time.
Committee chairman Colin Cook said: "I'm not particularly keen to see officers expending a fair amount of effort going down a route which may not even come to pass."

subset: commoncrawl


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Great garlands!
KAREN CIMMS/TIMES NEWS A pre-lit pine garland, some unbreakable ornaments, and a little wire are about all you really need to create a fabulous Christmas decoration.
You can welcome holiday guests this season with a beautifully-decorated garland gracing the entrance to your home.
This project offers maximum impact for minimum cash.
Similar garlands can easily run well over $130 from high end specialty stores, while this one cost less than $25 (including the bows).
To make this you will need a nine-foot long, pre-lit, artificial pine garland; about a dozen three-inch unbreakable Christmas balls in two colors, but with mixed finishes (such as shiny and matte); eight to 12 two-inch Christmas balls, that coordinate with the three-inch balls; and green craft wire.
If you plan to hang your garland over your front door, you may want to include two coordinating bows, as we did with this garland. If you decide to wrap your garland around a column on your porch, then eliminate the bows.
For this garland, we chose a combination of green and gold ornaments, and green ribbon with a gold pattern woven throughout. Other attractive combinations include red and silver; red and gold; blue and silver; burgundy and gold; and of course the old standby, red and green.
If possible, find an area where you can lay the garland out, such as a dining room table, a kitchen counter, or even the floor. "Flatten" the back side of the garland by pulling the branches forward, so that it will lie flat against the door frame or column.
Looking at the photo, place the ornaments in clusters along the length of the garland, in a pattern that is pleasing to you.
Next, if you are going to hang your garland over the door and will be adding bows to the top corners, determine exactly where those corners will be. Measure the outside of your door frame, making sure you have enough clearance for the door to open and close. Measure your garland and find the center. Split the measurement of the width of the door, and measure that distance from the center of the garland.
For example, if the outside frame of your door measures 44 inches, measure and mark 22 inches on each side of the center of your garland. This is where you will place your bows.
Once you are satisfied with the placement, cut wire into four- or five-inch pieces and loop through the top of the ornament, then attach the ornament to a branch on the garland, twisting until it is firmly secured to the branch. Continue adding the ornaments and bows until they are all attached.
Give the garland a good shake to make sure everything is well-secured.
The good thing about using unbreakable ornaments which these days look just as good as glass ornaments is that if they do fall off, they won't shatter. They will also hold up to strong wind, rain and the inevitable snow.
If you wish, you could also follow these directions to create a beautiful garland for your fireplace mantel.
Choose colors to coordinate with your decor. While using unbreakable ornaments is still a good idea, you could use glass ones, but may wish to remove them before storing the garland after the holidays.
You can also further embellish your indoor garland with gilded pinecones or artificial or dried fruits and vegetables, to proclaim the season's bounty.


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In its final preparations for the upcoming United States Soccer Development Academy season, D.C. United's academy squads hosted three Majoy League Soccer academy teams for friendlies at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia over Labor Day weekend.
Along with D.C. United's academy squads (U-13; U-14; U-15; U-16; U-18), academy teams from across Major League Soccer, including the New York Red Bulls (U-13; U-14; U-15), the Columbus Crew (U-12; U-13; U-14; U-16; U-18), and the Chicago Fire (U-13; U-14; U-15; U-16; U-18) played this weekend in what was valuable in-game experience for the upcoming USSDA season.
U-15 Recap:
The U-15 team faced off against Chicago and New York over Labor Day weekend coming away 1-2. The academy side bested the Chicago Fire 1-0 on a 50th minute goal from Dalwin Granados after Jon Bell played him in behind the back four. Following its win, the academy side faced off twice against the New York Red Bulls and lost both, by scores of 3-0 and 2-0.
"All three matches were a good test that we can build from as we prepare for the 2012-2013 season. There were many positives to take away from the weekend," said Kris Ward, head coach of D.C. United's U-15 academy team.
U-14 Recap:
D.C. United's U-14 academy squad faced off against a tough New York Red Bulls team in Leesburg, Virginia. Despite a very physical match between the two sides, which saw Black-and-Red keeper Lance DaSilva taken out of the game after a collision, New York managed to come away with a 2-0 win. New York netted goals midway through the first half and again late in the match to seal the victory.
In its second game, the U-14's dropped the match to the Chicago Fire 1-0. United goalkeeper Zach McMurrer came up big multiple times between the pipes to keep the score 1-0, while Sarfelix Sandy hit the post in the last minute of play, which would have been the equalizer.
In its last game of the weekend, against the Columbus Crew, Nico Ubide netted two goals in the second half to keep the score line close, but the Crew came away with the win 4-2.
U-13 Recap:
The youngest group of the friendlies at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia featured a matchup between the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United. The match was evenly played, with New York scoring a goal in the first half. The momentum and possession shifted to United in the second half but the Black-and-Red U-13's were unable to pull a goal back. The Red Bulls managed to put away a second late in the game to make it 2-0.
In its other games over the weekend, the U-13's beat the Crew twice, by scores of 3-1 and 5-2, while the Chicago Fire bested the U-13 academy squad.
"I'm proud of the way the boys played, especially against a very strong Red Bull side," said Jonny Frias, head coach of D.C. United's U-13 academy team. "This was a great experience for many of these players to see the level that is required to compete against teams like the Red Bulls. The future is bright with the U-13's as they begin their road through the D.C. United Academy."


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25/1 for Mourinho to be first to face axe - no way Jose
All's lovey-dovey once more with Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich with the 'Special One' back in charge at Chelsea on a four-year deal and £100m to spend.
Whether Mourinho can repeat the success he had in his first spell before falling out with the owner, remains to be seen.
But the bookmakers are taking no chances, offering only 6/5 that he wins a trophy next season – excluding the European Super Cup against Bayern Munich – and there has to be a solid chance that he'll do just that if his past record is anything to go by, having won back-to-back Premier titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup between 2004 and 2007. Only the Champions League evaded him.
Chelsea are unlikely to be out of the first two in the Premier title race and at 5/2 behind 2/1 favourites Man United, has to be taken as those odds will only shorten as the season progresses. Mourinho is 4/1 with Coral to last out the four years while Hills' quote him at silly odds of 25/1 to be the first top-flight manager to leave next season. No chance.
Those who believe he won't bring success to the Bridge next season, can avail of 11/10 or on the contrary, take 4/1 on Jose to be manager of the year.
Under his control first time around, Chelsea achieved a record number of league points and fewest goals conceded .
They are 25/1 to beat their previous best and 50/1 to let in 14 or less goals. Interestingly, the Londoners were unbeaten at home in 60 matches under Jose before and therefore 4/1 for a non-losing home next season, has tons of appeal.
As for who will come to the Bridge before August, the layers quote Wayne Rooney 13/8 and offer 9/4 that John Terry will be gone by the start of the 2014-15 campaign, which is more than possible for one reason or another.
Belfast Telegraph


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Maria Sharapova and Jimmy Connors. Stop and think about it: It sounds like a shotgun mixed-doubles team at an exhibition, not a formal arrangement between player and coach. But in the aftermath of Wimbledon, where Sharapova suffered a second-round loss, it was announced that the two would be working together for the foreseeable future.
There has been little else mentioned about the pairing -- other than that Sharapova's former coach, Thomas Hogstedt, couldn't commit to the travel required of the job -- and we're left with even more questions than usual about a high-profile tennis union. Perhaps it is the sport's answer to the Miami Heat's Big Three -- huge personalities coming together; whether they'll neatly join or collide and clash remaining to be seen.
We know one thing before Sharapova ever strikes a ball with Connors in her corner: There will be immense pressure on both parties to perform. Sharapova, one of the top stars in women's sports, likely isn't starstruck by anyone anymore. But when it's an eight-time major champion watching your every move instead of someone with which an established comfort level exists, it will surely be a different experience. There will be an added level of scrutiny, and unfairly or not, what Sharapova does or doesn't do will be tied back to Connors. The focus may periodically waver from Sharapova because of her new coach's status, but the spotlight will undoubtedly be more intense.
Then there's Connors, whose previous coaching stint with Andy Roddick produced mixed results -- and not one Grand Slam title. He'll be thrown into the fire right away, with Sharapova not scheduled to return until Toronto, a scant few weeks before the US Open begins. Assuming their partnership lasts beyond 2013, they'll have months' worth of tournaments to prepare for 2014, but the bulk of this season is behind us, and Sharapova's final shot at a Slam is fast approaching. What can Connors teach Sharapova that she can implement in such a short time frame? Again, we're left with questions.
I'm going to guess that, in the short term, we should expect much the same from Sharapova, with any radical changes to come gradually, over time. Even the very natural pairing of Ivan Lendl and Andy Murray took time to materialize into what it has become today. The Scot seemed to be stuck in his old, passive ways for a while, even with a new voice and perspective running his practices. But Lendl's persistent assistance seems to have played a big part in Murray's rise, and that might be the best news for those who want to see Sharapova take a different kind of leap. Already a winner of the career Slam, the never-satisfied icon likely wants to become a truly dominant No. 1 while she still can.
It's not an unreasonable desire. At 26, Sharapova is firmly in her prime and is the prohibitive favorite against all but a few of her contemporaries. It's also worth wondering if Sharapova got the most out of the relationship with Hogstedt, and if Connors, whom Sharapova briefly worked with in 2008, might be the missing link. The timing may be right for a change.
Ultimately, whether this coaching change works will come down to Sharapova. Connors can instill his experience and tactics all he wants, but Sharapova is nothing if not a stubborn player. She plays at one volume: loud. Not just with her voice, but with her bold, flat groundstrokes, and with a serve that continues to walk the tightrope between aggressive and reckless too often.
Here's another thing I can predict: Expect the cameras to pan to Connors after a groan-inducing Sharapova double fault. The American would be considered a genius if he could eradicate those from the box scores. But again, it's Sharapova who will hit those second serves, and the one who, when tossing the ball skyward beforehand, will have to stop and think about everything.


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Friend of Doug digs deep against SoccerCity
Mission Valley developers pour cash into San Diego State measure
Matt Potter 6 p.m., Nov. 21
(Page 2 of 3)
Benoit says that although the Internet plays a fundamental role in the local campaign, there are problems with depending solely on the Web. "There are people that you would never reach on the Internet," he points out. "But someone can see a banner on the freeway, googles it, and checks out Ron Paul and likes it, then he has a whole different circle of friends that would not be connected to these other people."
Ron Paul's San Diego campaign headquarters is in Mike Benoit's office, located in a small strip mall on Cuyamaca Street in Santee. On a Friday afternoon in the narrow parking lot, six young white males wearing face masks and latex gloves spray paint Ron Paul stencils on Tyvek paper rolls. Some of them sip on the patriotic brew Samuel Adams, supplied from a small refrigerator inside Benoit's compact office. They make the signs in assembly-line fashion, and in a couple of hours' time, over 50 posters are rolled up and ready to be hung.
When asked where the signs are headed, a few members simultaneously respond, "Everywhere." One anonymous supporter adds, "I've been doing signs for a long time, and I haven't been caught or anything. I've [hung] them at all times. I've even had cops drive by when I'm hanging them, and they just drive by."
As the supporters wipe the sweat from their brows and stretch the kinks from their backs, they echo each other's thoughts about what the Paul campaign stands for and laugh in disbelief at how uninformed and unaware mainstream America has become.
A few nights later, the Pacific Beach Bar and Grill is hosting an event for the season opener of American Idol. Marcus Rivchin, who's 38, sits with other Ron Paul members, there to recruit new supporters. A Ron Paul sign perches on a ledge beside their table next to a row of flat-screen televisions, all tuned to America's favorite talent show. While the group seems more focused on munching appetizers, sipping on draught beers, and talking everything Ron Paul than on recruiting new members, each becomes visibly distraught when a news crew from the local Fox affiliate arrives to film the crowd's reaction to American Idol.
As a reporter interviews people at a nearby table, Rivchin runs over and thrusts his Ron Paul sign in front of the camera. A few people in the room boo.
"Are you serious?" yells one of Paul's frustrated supporters. "American Idol? It just goes to show what we're dealing with." A moment later, as the film crew departs, she runs up to discuss the matter with them.
While the Internet and signs are important to the Paul campaign, precinct walking — campaigning door-to-door — is another significant aspect. Before walking a precinct in an upper-class neighborhood in Sorrento Valley, Elizabeth Blane, a 56-year-old business and life coach, checks her makeup in a downstairs mirror of her two-story home. Her house is as tidy as her appearance. She grabs a stack of Ron Paul literature — each piece has a personal greeting stapled to the front — and walks out into the warm January day. She says that precinct walking is "energizing and invigorating."
As she approaches the first house, she glances at her precinct list, which tells her the residents' registered party and whether they've voted in recent elections. She crosses off the address as she walks up to the front door.
After ringing the bell, Blane stands poised as sounds emanate from inside the house. She clears her throat just before a man with a heavy build opens the door.
She greets her neighbor by introducing herself. She informs him that she is out campaigning for Ron Paul. The man, who asks to remain anonymous, immediately lets Blane know that his main concern is immigration. "Without immigration taken care of, then I don't think anything is possible," he says. "It affects everything."
"Exactly," Blane responds. She directs the man to the Ron Paul website and hands him a brochure on Paul's beliefs regarding stricter immigration laws.
Blane says she tries to make each stop as brief but informative as possible. "Dr. Paul is so prolific and his stances are so nuanced. He's an expert on so many different issues that I couldn't possibly begin to explain all of them."
San Diego Paul supporters have adopted other strategies in their attempts at getting the word out about their candidate. This Saturday, February 2, supporters have rented out the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park for the largest meeting yet planned for the local campaign.
The event, which is slated to start at 12:45, will feature a yet-to-be-determined band and guest speakers. According to Brent Garcia, a 20-year-old long-haired Paul activist, "We aren't sure if Paul will be able to make it. We know that he will be in the general area, so there's kind of a chance that he will be coming. We won't know for sure until the last moment."
The rally will last until 5:00. Marches are planned going into the event and leaving it afterwards.
And while the supporters are not sure if Paul will show, they are sure to have their 20-foot mini-blimp at the event. The white helium balloon — shaped like a blimp, with "Who is Ron Paul?" written in big red letters — can usually be seen hovering above I-5 near Lindbergh Field's landing path. The lines that secure the Ron Paul blimp are anchored at a house near the corner of Laurel and Columbia streets in Middletown. Manny Castro, a business broker, offered his house as the home for the blimp. Castro, like so many of the other Ron Paul supporters, has never before been involved in a political campaign.
When asked what his family and neighbors think of the blimp, Castro says, "My wife loves it. She was on TV! And all my neighbors love it. Some of them come up or honk when they go by. I've had absolutely no negative response whatsoever."
Hello Dorian,
I just wanted to say "Thanks!" for a very informative article about this local phenomenon.
For readers who may be interested in more news and views about Dr. Paul, I recommend http://www.nolanchart.com for much information and opinion available nowhere else.
We love and support you. I have never supported any politician with this much passion. Ron Paul is intelligent, well versed and genuine.
NO to Corruption (Bush, Chene - All private interest, elite, un-American criminals)
NO to IRS (Which is NOT a government agency)
NO to Income Taxes (Illegal & unconstitutional and goes against the 16th Amendment)
NO to NAFTA
NO to NAFTA Superhighway
NO to RFID chips in passports
NO to Universal ID (Which will have RFID chips to track us all)
True Constitutionalist
Great to see sooo much support and enthusiasm for Ron Paul in San Diego!!! I look forward to attending the event at Balboa Park on February 2.
Eric Dobbs
I cannot believe you bought into the conspiracy garbage Ron Paul has been using to trick people into voting for him. It has all been debunked. The map Ron Paul shows of the scary NAFTA Superhighway is a real-life map of how the highways in the US stand TODAY. And I do not want some answer back about how the media and every other candidate is controlled by the Bildeberg group. Why is Ron Paul the only politician in the world that is not controlled by this secret group? Typical politician scare tactics.
Read Ron Paul's own website and tell me he is not the definition of RACIST. There is a mountain of evidence that points to his involvement in the KKK.
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amen 04/25/2007 House Roll Call No. 259 110th Congress, 1st Session
Passed: 425-1 (see complete tally)
H. Con. Res. 7, amended, to call on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur, by a 2/3 yea-and-nay vote of 425 yeas to 1 nay, Roll No. 259
Your beloved Ron Paul voted nay. You think he is a good guy? Think again.
I got this source from www.congress.org.
I could go on and on, but I do not think it is necessary.


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Gigi Hadid suffers unfortunate wardrobe malfunction on the catwalk
Zayn Malik's girlfriend accidentally showed more than she bargained for when she had a nip slip
GIGI Hadid suffered every model's worst nightmare as she walked on the catwalk in Milan Fashion Week.
Zayn Malik's girlfriend had an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction where her black dress fell down to expose her breast.
The Victoria's Secret model was leading the show for Donatella Versace when the nip slip occurred.
But ever the pro, Gigi brushed off the incident and carried on.
Italian designer Donatella didn't even seem bother about the accident and was later seen giving the 20 year old a high five.
Gigi was modelling a backless black dress with multi-coloured beading down the sides.
Celebrity wardrobe malfunctions
Celebrity wardrobe malfunctions
A metal chocker and black headband finished the look alongside pointy shoes and a fur handbag.
Her make-up was kept natural aside from a bold smokey eye.
But the blonde wasn't the only model to accidentally expose more than she planned.
Another Versace model had the same dress mishap while she walked the catwalk in a powder blue outfit.
Love blossoms: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle out together
Martin Lewis shares some of the best Black Friday deals
I'm A Celeb: Kezia Dugdale struggles in first Bushtucker Trial
ASOS Black Friday: Get 20 per cent off EVERYTHING all weekend using this internet code
Coleen Rooney posts lengthy statement about Wayne as she CONFIRMS they're back together
Loose Women's Andrea McLean reveals SHOCK decision over wedding to Nick Feeney
Maybe a better fitting is needed before hand Donatella?
Adriana Lima, Kendall Jenner and Karlie Kloss were also among the models on the catwalk.


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Once you get your report, send letters to all three bureaus (and creditors/collectors) and dispute any errors. They have 30 days to respond. You need to send them your proof of ID, otherwise they'll blow you off and send you a letter stating they think someone is trying to steal your identity. Send them something with your name and current address (utility bill, driver's license) and a copy of your SS card or some other form of ID. Don't worry, they already have this info, you're not giving anything away by providing it to them. Be persistent but polite. Best of luck!
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United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 28 November 2006
Date Type of Proceeding Issued Case (1) or App'n No. Party/Parties 10-26 EX 78442207 1175856 Ontario Ltd. Opposer's/ Applicant's/ Petitioner's Respondent's TTAB Mark and Mark and Issue Decision Goods/Services Goods/Services whether Refusal "WSI" applicant's Reversed (and design) drawing of in all [in Class 35: its mark is a three classes franchising substantially services, namely, exact repre- offering technical sentation of assistance in the the mark it establishment and/ uses in or operation of commerce, as businesses that shown on its provide website specimens development; [mutilation] Internet marketing services, and design and web hosting services; in Class 41: training in the field of Internet and websites used for businesses; in Class 42: technical consulting services for businesses in the field of Internet and web- site use; website development and design; and web hosting services, namely, hosting the websites of others on a computer server for a global computer network] Mark and Citable as Goods Cited by Precedent Examining Atty. of TTAB Yes (1)EX=EX PARTE APPEAL; OPP=OPPOSITION; CANC=CANCELLATION; CU=CONCURRENT USE; (SJ)=SUMMARY JUDGMENT; (R)=REQ. FOR RECONSIDERATION; (MD)=MOTION TO DISMISS; (MR)=MOTION TO REOPEN


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My Calendar
Calendar January 2012 (12 Months)
List Price: $15.22
Price: $12.94
You Save: $2.28 ( 15% )
Prints in 3-5 business days
A lovely little spiral bound calendar, with 13 brand new pictures completed in the latter part of 2011... and we have a competition to win a bag of Mustard goodies... answers through our Facebook group which you will find through the website www.samtoft.co.uk... Here are the titles of the 13 pictures: put them in order then tell me which is the title of the picture on the 12th month. *For I am the Lord of the Dance , said He *Along the Prom (again) *We saw Three Ships *Walking the Sheepster *Sunshine Don't Leave me Behind *Picnic with a View *Christmas Day Walkies *In the Meadow... *Heading Home for a Girls' Night In *Waiting for the Santa Call *Joining the Dots *The Look of Love *Checking Up on the Little Tree In case of a tie, please answer this tiebreak question... What name does Ernest's fiddle go by? (make a guess, I don't know...) Winner(s) will be announced via the Facebook group towards the end of January... Good Luck! I hear 2012 going to be a good un...
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Dec 15, 2011Beware UK buyers that the price shown does not include VAT as nowhere on the page does it show that the shipping is done (presumably) from the US. This is added at the billing stage. However I love Mr Mustard et al and am looking forward to receiving the calendars.
Nov 16, 2011What a lovely item!
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Product Details
- First Month
- January 2012
- Calendar Length
- 12 Months
- Format
- Standard Calendar
- Language
- English
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Even on an early mid-week evening, the expansive parking lot of the Tinseltown USA Westchase is half full. Cinemark's 24-screen complex beckons viewers with splashy neon and Mardi Gras colors. Wildly successful by any standard, Westchase has outgrossed the rest of Cinemark's 280 theaters nationally since its marquee lights first came on two years ago.
On the best of days, such as the opening weekend for Varsity Blues, the cinema can expect 11,000 people to pass through the doors. In a year, Tinseltown Westchase draws as many visitors as the Johnson Space Center.
And this Tinseltown is hardly the theater titan. Eight other megaplexes, with anywhere from 18 to 30 screens, have arrived in the Houston area. Five more are under construction or are planned.
Like Godzilla, these bigfoot megamovie houses are consuming nearly all things cinematic in their path. More than a decade ago, multiplex theaters (those with only six or eight screens) had arrived as the new force in Houston. With a popularity rivaling jumbo popcorn's, they drove out the lowly community cinemas, those neighborhood theaters with only one or two screens.
Now, it is the megaplexes' turn to triumph. They are devouring the smaller multiplexes, again reshaping the horizon for Houston moviegoers. The industry is already feeling the impact of the giant chains' new feeding frenzy.
Late last year, American MultiCinema, Cinemark's biggest competition in the megaplex market, quietly purchased all but two of the local General Cinema theaters.
Three General Cinema locations -- Copperfield, Baybrook Mall and West Oaks Center -- were closed. Another two, at Deerbrook Commons and Willowbrook Mall, are threatened by their locations in markets where AMC has or is building 24-screen megaplex cinemas.
AMC plans to close even more of the multiplexes as leases expire, confirms Brenda Nolte, AMC's spokeswoman. Major theater chains are focusing almost exclusively on the megacinemas, for obvious economic reasons.
A single screen in a mega theater draws an average of 200 people daily, compared to 123 daily per screen in the traditional multiplex. Over the course of a year, that adds up to 73,000 viewers instead of 45,000 at the smaller multiplex. With the larger number of screens, the financial difference is even more dramatic.
"What you are looking at presently is an industry in transition," says Nolte, who expects multiplexes to become filmdom fatalities. "The neighborhood cinema is not one that we will promote, obviously because of the numbers."
Film industry analyst Marc Weinstein, associate professor for finance and business economics at the University of Southern California, explains how megaplexes make the most economic sense.
Crowds hankering to see the latest hot films are not turned away because of a sold-out theater, Weinstein says. They just wait half an hour for the next show to start on another of the megaplex screens. Tinseltown Westchase, for example, will have six of its screens devoted exclusively to the expected blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I when it opens in May.
When the demand for a film begins cooling, the megaplex can transfer it to a smaller screening room of perhaps 140 seats, opening up the 600-seat auditoriums for the next big draw from Hollywood, Weinstein says.
And as those close to movies admit, the megaplex brings its own kind of Darwinian law to the industry.
Big chains typically get the most sought-after releases, which generally end up in the chains' larger houses because film companies demand high grosses. That means fewer big attractions for the smaller multiplexes.
Dollar cinemas, those low-priced final stops before films turn into videos, are also in dire straits from the explosion of the megamonster theaters. The larger complexes now have the option to keep the films in-house and to discount tickets, thereby short-circuiting the dollar cinemas.
Megaplexes also mount their takeover wars with the newest in amenities: improved audio systems, seating comfort and surroundings.
"Older theaters are simply not up to the technological levels of our new theaters, and it's becoming more difficult to retrofit them to bring them up to those standards," says Marc Pascucci, senior vice president of marketing for Loews Cineplex Entertainment in New York City. "You certainly don't want to build [multiplexes] against those kinds of theaters."
The cinema building boom is heard most loudly in Texas. Industry insiders say Dallas and Houston are on the forefront of the megaplex invasion, in part because of their sprawling suburbs and relatively cheap land. Cinemark has built three of the multimillion-dollar Tinseltown complexes. AMC has built four. Loews built one at the Fountains. Another five are under construction, including two dueling megaplexes in Katy.
Al Guggenheim, whose family operated Houston neighborhood theaters in their heyday, appreciates the historical context of the megaplexes now feasting on the fading multiplex cinemas.
His office is lined with autographed publicity shots of dozens of screen stars who in earlier decades passed through his family's theaters, which included the Yale and the Broadway in the early days and the Majestic, Brazos Twin and Long Point in later years.
This was the Golden Age of cinema, when the announcement that a young Peter Fonda, Annette O'Toole or Clint Eastwood was in town to promote the latest release would draw thousands to the movie theater. Every showing was a double feature, the ushers didn't mind putting on a costume to promote Planet of the Apes, and lesser-known stars still made personal appearances in packed movie houses to meet and greet fans.
With each new release, façades of the Yale and the Broadway were repainted and recreated with papier-máche sculptures and hand-painted artwork. Once, the Yale became a fort. Ben-Hur brought chariots. Buzzers planted under the seats during Vincent Price's The Tingler gave moviegoers a shock at appropriate points during the movie.
Guggenheim's father, the late Alvin Guggenheim Sr., operated neighborhood cinemas in Houston and across the state. They included the Brazos Twin Drive-Inn and the first black cinema in town, the Lincoln, which became the Majestic.
It is hard for Al Guggenheim, who plans promotional events for film distributors, to imagine how a movie theater with one or two screens could compete against the major theater chains today. The Yale was demolished for Heights Bank. The Broadway was pulled down for a freeway. And the Long Point is a shabby, struggling dollar cinema a few blocks from Guggenheim's office.
"There's no place for independent operators in this market. The megachains control just about everything," Guggenheim says. "You might make a living as a mom-and-pop operator, but only if you were the only one in a small town."
Guggenheim blames the tremendous growth of video rentals and cable television for the industry's shift to the bigger-is-better concept. It has also translated into younger theater audiences; older patrons are just as likely to sit at home with the remote control.
"There aren't any second-run movies anymore," Guggenheim says. "Once, the movies went to first-run houses and then second-run houses. Now it goes from first-run houses straight to video. And the runs are shorter, too. We had a time when movies would run 13 or 14 weeks; now, if it doesn't make it, it runs for a week or two and goes straight to video."
One film industry critic has dubbed megaplexes "the Wal-Mart of the movie industry."
Al Zarzana owned a chain of Spanish-language theaters in Houston and opened the first dollar cinema in the city back in the '70s. He said movie distributors drive hard contracts: big cuts of the early box office and guaranteed multiweek runs. That was especially tough on the single-screen owner and one of the main reasons multiplexes evolved.
"If you had one screen and you booked a film and it was a bomb, you were stuck with it for three or four weeks," says Zarzana, who retired in 1995. "If you pulled it, you had to pay off the contract. It was hard to make a profit, even on a moderate hit."
Neighborhood theaters at least established a sense of loyalty among patrons that the megaplexes can only dream about.
A decade ago, the Garden Oaks Civic Club rallied hard to try to save Zarzana's Garden Oaks Cinema. But the theater owner sat down with the civic group and explained the losing financial projections.
They were left with only memories of Saturday mornings spent in the neighborhood theater. "Economics aside, I think the neighborhood theater really identified neighborhood areas," says Susan McMillian, who led the fight for Garden Oaks. "The neighborhood theaters were comfortable. They had some personality. They didn't look like every other theater."
However, the comfort and convenience of the huge film complexes are enough to entice most suburban moviegoers. Copperfield resident Kathy Pollock says she will miss the smaller General Cinema, where she could be in her seat only five minutes after leaving her house. But neighbors Phil and Cindy Swift bypassed that option for the 20-minute drive to the Tinseltown 290 megaplex. They like everything about the megaplex: the seats, the sound and the selection.
"I just wish they'd build one out here," Phil Swift says.
While most megaplexes are on the outer reaches of the suburbs, their impact could ripple back into the central core of Houston, where the art-house cinemas have survived on smaller venues.
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Sarah Gish, manager of Landmark Theatres in Houston, says art houses can no longer rely on the extended runs for films which could be sustained by word-of-mouth interest. Now the megachains are grabbing off independent films, which robs the art cinemas of longer runs for those films.
Another art lost to megaplexes is that of film selections, says vice president Doug Freed, the film buyer for Landmark Theatres. Bigger chains with more screens can take a shotgun approach to selections because the many available screens in a megaplex allow winners to offset the losers.
Still, Freed is doubtful the market is there for so many megaplex theaters.
"I think there's a lot of overbuilding," Freed says. "I don't know what the movie screens per capita is, but there are a lot of big movie theaters. I think Houston is becoming an overscreened city, and there's not enough movie product to go around."
However, industry analyst Weinstein says that the curtain is coming down on the era of neighborhood cinema, whether multiplex or single screen. "These megaplexes are going to win out because the economics make more sense in the long run.


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MINNEAPOLIS -- Conservative opponents of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop protested Wednesday by boycotting legislative sessions, turning in their convention credentials and dropping to their knees in prayer as one of their leaders denounced his election.
A handful of the more than 800 clergy and lay delegates either walked off the floor of the meeting or collectively stayed away, while at least three of the nearly 300 bishops refused to participate or went home, saying their distraught parishioners needed them.
Other delegates dropped to their knees and prayed as the Rev. Kendall Harmon said in a speech that many were "mourning" the convention's approval of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson as New Hampshire's bishop.
"This unilateral action on our part is catastrophic," said Harmon, surrounded by more than 20 supporters in the House of Deputies, a legislative body composed of clergy and lay people.
"We weep for the Episcopal Church and its members. We have made a terrible mistake."
Also Wednesday, the House of Bishops voted to reject a proposal on drafting an official liturgy for same-sex blessing ceremonies.
But by voice vote, they overwhelmingly approved a document saying: "We recognize that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions."
There was disagreement over the significance of the statement, which needs final approval from the House of Deputies.
Bishops nationwide already decide whether to permit same-sex blessing ceremonies in their own dioceses. But gay advocates considered it a significant step, saying the church had never before approved a national document acknowledging such ceremonies take place.
Bishop Robert Ilhoff of Maryland said the statement had little practical effect: "It continues the policy that is in effect in all our dioceses."
But he said he understood why gay advocates would consider it a victory, because it brings the practice "to the surface."
Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy, Ill., called it "recognition without approval" that allows bishops to continue to set local policy.
A vote by deputies could come as soon as Thursday.
Robinson was confirmed Tuesday after he was cleared of last-minute misconduct allegations that threatened to delay the vote.
In an interview earlier Wednesday with The Associated Press, Robinson said he hoped his critics would not leave the church, though he disagrees with their view that gay sex violates Scripture.
"I think they're wrong about this," he said. "I think they'll come to know that they are wrong, in this life or the next one."
Robinson said he values diversity within Anglicanism and hoped his critics will too. The Episcopal Church, with 2.3 million members, is the U.S. branch of the 77 million-member global Anglican Communion.
Anglicans in many parts of the world reacted angrily Wednesday to Robinson's confirmation, with some threatening to cut ties with the American church. The Anglicans' spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, appealed for opponents not to act rashly but acknowledged it would inevitably have a "significant impact" on the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The opponents in Minneapolis, however, insisted they remained within the church and were simply rejecting the convention vote. The demonstrations in Minneapolis were not coordinated and their scope was difficult to measure.
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I dunno about that Monica - I'd say different!! They are still plant munchers :)))
He IS awfully handsome! L.O.L.
LOL! I guess so warbler :)))
Well Robyn, I bet some female Milkweed Grasshopper out there thinks he must be hot!
So ugly he's fascinating chookie!! OK Tomato - beauty is in the eye of the beholder :))I hope not Gene - but you never know!!
think he will fry up good ???? LOL
He's mega beautiful! All the girlie grasshoppers will really fancy him.
He sure is one ugly character - I wouldn't like to mess with this one - not with those spikes on all legs!
I'm just glad we don't get them here Meadowhawk! Thanks:))
Good thing I read the other comments. I thought the hopper had a bit of leave on his back - but that's actually him! Nature is so amazing. :)
It does too chickie - I wonder if little boys like to play with them :)))LOL! He's so ugly I just had to post him Trish!! I've never seen one with so much armour before!!
jimminy cricket!!! i hope they stay in South Africa! those look kinda like grape leaves it is crawling over. oh, and what a warty looking mantle it has! yikes!
It looks like one of those kid's toys where you can snap off that green lumpy part. And again, it is short changed on the wings. Nice one robryan.
Yeah! He was so lumpy & different I was fascinated!! Thanks loveydear.
It looks like it's made of leather, sort of.


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Episode 20 – Kicking Your Friends In the Face
We here at the podcast carry on while Steve is enjoying his break in Australia. Things turn violent (not really) when we talk with Ethan Husted and Angel de la Paz of Portland's game tourney organization Best Bout. We explore all that goes into competitive gaming, the benefits of couch gaming, how to effectively troll in Bomberman Ultra, and Angel mentions League of Legends like 50 times. Things get surprisingly friendly for a conversation about beating the hell out of people sitting next to you on the couch. Also, plenty of love for Atlus and all of the long, hard, brilliant gaming they bestow upon us. FIGHT!
Featuring music from Wizwars


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|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jan 21, 1992
|Filing date
|Feb 14, 1991
|Priority date
|Mar 17, 1989
|Fee status
|Publication number
|Thomas D. Holler
|Original Assignee
|Ametek, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (5), Referenced by (60), Classifications (19), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This is a divisional application of Ser. No. 07/325,245, filed Mar. 17, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,764.
The present invention relates to a filter for removing dissolved solids from water, and more particularly to a composite cartridge-type filter effective in the removal of low concentrations of heavy metals from drinking water and other metals from aqueous solutions in medical treatment processes. The invention also relates to the method of operation of the filter and the method by which the filter is made.
Small cylindrical tubular filters of various types of filter material useful in treating domestic water supplies are well known in the art. Activated charcoal or carbon material has been used quite widely because of its ability to absorb and filter a wide range of dissolved and suspended solids, as well as dissolved gases. To alleviate the problem of handling and retaining powdered activated carbon filter material, porous blocks of plastic-bonded powdered activated carbon have been developed. Such porous filter blocks are commonly formed in a long cylindrical shape with a hollow axial interior. This cylindrical filter block is placed in a suitable housing and water to be filtered is supplied in a manner such that it flows radially inwardly through the porous filter block to the hollow interior from which it is collected for use. It is also known to fill the hollow interior of the cylindrical block with another filter material in particulate form to provide supplemental treatment of the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,847 (Rothemund) shows a dual bed filter comprising a hollow cylindrical outer filter having its interior filled with a different type of particulate filter material. Activated carbon and an ion exchange resin are disclosed for use in the two filter beds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,457 (Matchett) discloses a tubular cylindrical filter cartridge containing activated carbon in a bonded matrix. In one embodiment, the hollow interior of the cartridge may be filled with a particulate ion exchange resin. U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,933 (Rodman) shows a cylindrical tubular filter module comprising activated carbon particles encapsulated in a polymer. It also discloses a similar filter module comprising a powdered ion exchange resin similarly encapsulated in a suitable polymer. The use of a mixture of cation and anion exchange resins is also disclosed.
Polymer-bonded powdered activated carbon filter blocks have gained widespread use in drinking water filter systems. Activated carbon is known to be effective for the removal of a wide range of dissolved and suspended solids, including metals and other dissolved minerals, colloidal and other suspended solids, dissolved gases, and even bacteria. As indicated, it is also know to combine other filter materials with porous activated carbon blocks to provide series filtration for materials not removed by the carbon or to supplement the carbon filter removal. Thus, for example, the interior of a hollow cylindrical carbon block filter may be filled with a particulate ion exchange resin to remove dissolved calcium, magnesium and the like to effect softening of the water.
Activated carbon is also known to be effective in absorbing heavy metals, such as lead, mercury and cadmium. Dissolved heavy metals, of course, are known to pose potential health problems and their removal from or limitation to low concentrations in drinking water supplies has become a significant concern. There are, however, significant practical limitations on the use of porous activated carbon block filters for heavy metal removal. The removal efficiency of such activated carbon blocks diminishes fairly rapidly with the total volume of water passed through the filter. Increasing the amount of carbon block filter material has practical limitations from the standpoint of size as well as the consequent restriction on the flow rate of water through it. Thus, when a hollow cylindrical carbon block filter is used for the removal of a heavy metal, such as lead, the size of such a filter conventionally used in home filtration of drinking water will fairly rapidly reach it absorption level for lead and, thereafter, lead ion breakthrough will occur. Although the filter block may still retain substantial capacity for the removal of other dissolved or suspended solids, its lead removal capability is lost.
It is also known in the art to utilize ion exchange compositions, in conjunction with an activated carbon filter, to remove dissolved minerals which contribute to water hardness. Thus, for example, the hollow interior of a cylindrical carbon block filter may be filled with a cation exchange resin such that the water initially passing through the carbon block into the cation exchange resin will be softened through the removal of calcium and other ions contributing to hardness. However, within the range of sizes practically useful for the treatment of a domestic drinking water supply, the ion exchange material becomes rapidly saturated and must be replaced or regenerated after only a relatively small total volume of water has been treated. Further, these ion exchange compounds have not been found to be effective for heavy metal removal because of their preferential affinity for the more highly concentrated ions of calcium and the like for which they are specifically formulated.
Concentrations of lead in municipal drinking water supplies have recently been found to have reached dangerously high levels in many areas. Since the source of the dissolved lead may not be the initial water source, but rather in the transmission system used to carry the water from a centralized treatment plant to the user, systems for the removal of lead from drinking water at the point of consumption have become increasingly important. Such systems must not only be effective to broadly reduce lead (or other heavy metal) concentrations below hazardous levels, but the systems must be capable of treating a reasonably large volume of water before replacement and they must have a reasonable cost. Even in worst case situations, lead levels in municipal drinking water have not generally exceeded 200 parts per billion (ppb). This level is considered to be a low concentration relative to other dissolved minerals typically found in drinking water, such as calcium which may easily reach 200 parts per million (ppm). However, the current EPA standards establish a maximum acceptable concentration of lead in drinking water at 50 ppb and a change in that standard reducing the acceptable concentration to 10 ppb is expected. Therefore, an effective and relatively inexpensive system for removing dissolved lead to levels below the maximum allowable concentration would be most desirable.
Granular activated carbon filters are also utilized after reverse osmosis membrane filtration in certain medical applications. Dissolved minerals generally present in water act as natural buffers which decrease the ability of the water to dissolve additional minerals. However, an RO membrane may remove as much as 85%-95% of the natural buffers from treated water. With a substantially lower level of these natural buffers, the water becomes a much more aggressive solvent. When granular activated carbon is incorporated in a filtering system after an RO membrane, the more aggressive water may actually dissolve or leach certain minerals and metals from the soluble ash comprising from 7%-12% of the activated carbon. A reverse osmosis/granular activated carbon filter system may be used, for example, in a kidney dialysis process and certain metals extracted by the post-RO water from teh carbon may actually be hazardous or toxic to a kidney dialysis patient. Aluminum is one metal contained in the soluble ash fraction of granular activated carbon and is known to be a potential hazard to dialysis patients. A system for removing aluminum and other hazardous metals in these applications would also be very desirable.
The present invention is directed to a filter apparatus and method of its operation for the effective removal of low concentrations of a heavy metal, such as lead, from a drinking water supply. The apparatus and filter are also useful in removing dissolved metals from process water in certain medical applications. The invention also includes the method of preparing the composite filter apparatus.
In its preferred embodiment, the composite filter includes a hollow cylindrical body of polymer-bonded activated carbon particles, the hollow interior of which is filled with a bed of particulate material including a fractured cation deionizing resin. The composite filter apparatus is uniquely suitable for removing low concentrations of lead by initially utilizing the lead absorption properties of the carbon block, passing the water from the carbon block directly through the cation deionizing resin bed whereby the deionizing resin is converted into an ion exchange resin through the non-selective absorption of the cations contained in the water. As the water passing through the carbon block filter continues through the ion exchange resin material, the lead or other heavy metal ions will be removed via ion exchange with less reactive cations in the ion exchange resin.
The bed of particulate material within the hollow interior of the cylindrical carbon block filter preferably comprises a mixed bed of fractured cation and anion deionizing resins to maintain the proper pH balance and stoichiometric balance in the filtered water. To enhance the ion absorption capacity of the deionizing resin material, as well as the ion exchange capability of the exchange resin to which it is subsequently converted, the resin bed preferably comprises resin beads which are broken into a fine powder, thereby providing an enhanced active surface area. In the unique method of preparing the filter apparatus, conventional deionizing resin beads are mixed in an aqueous slurry which is then used to fill the interior of the hollow cylindrical carbon block. The water is then removed from the slurry and the beads are dried, causing them to fracture in situ to a fine powder material. Although the deionizing resin material shrinks upon drying, it subsequently re-expands when saturated by water in use to provide a packed particulate bed less subject to channeling and short circuiting.
The composite filter apparatus of the present invention utilizes the lead ion absorptive capability of the activated carbon block and, as that capability decreases, the ion exchange mechanism provided by the converted deionizing resin provides supplemental lead ion removal. The useful life of the carbon block filter is substantially extended and filtered drinking water may be supplied in volumes considerably larger than those previously attainable with dissolved lead levels substantially below the allowable maximums.
The composite filter of the present invention may also be applied in certain critical medical applications and used to provide removal in the dionizing resin bed of hazardous metals leached from the cylindrical carbon filter block by purified process water which is particularly aggressive. Thus, a granular activated carbon filter cartridge used in post-reverse osmosis filtration may be provided with an interior dionizing resin bed to remove hazardous metals unavoidably leached from the carbon block.
FIG. 1 is longitudinal section through the axis of the composite filter cartridge of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an axial end view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1.
The composite filter 10 of the present invention comprises a cylindrical block 11 of bonded powdered activated carbon with a hollow axial open interior 12. The activated carbon particles are typically bonded with a polyolefin and the resultant structure may have a porosity in the range of 0.4-0.5 micron, all in a manner well known in the art.
The cylindrical filter block 11 is adapted for insertion, as a filter cartridge, into a suitable housing 13 and enclosed therein with a removable cover 14. The cylindrical filter block is provided with protective plastic end caps 15 which protect the ends of the block from damage and provide an interface for sealing the cartridge within the housing 13. Each end cap 15 includes an outer annular portion 16 and integral outer and inner sleeves 17 and 18 adapted to overlie the ends of the outer and inner cylindrical surfaces of the filter block. The outer surface of the block 11 may include an inner wrap of a relatively fine polyolefin prefilter material 20 and an outer wrap 21 of a material having a more open construction made, for example, of polypropylene. The ID of the tubular block may also be provided with a polypropylene wrap 22 similar to the prefilter wrap 20. These wrappings provide a prefiltering of larger particles from water entering the filter block and help prevent particles shed from the surface thereof from entering the water.
The flat annular portion 16 of each end cap is provided with an integral annular ridge 23 inside which a sealing gasket 24 may be placed to provide a water-tight seal between the ends of the cartridge and the inside of the housing 13. A suitable O-ring 19 may be used to seal the interfaces between the cover 14 and the housing 13. Optional O-ring seals of various types known in the art may be used to adapt the filter cartridge to other kinds of housings or to provide supplemental sealing for greater overall sealing integrity.
The hollow open interior 12 of the filter block 11 is filled with a powdered deionizing resin 25. For the purposes of the present invention, a cation deionizing resin is utilized. The resin comprises a cation deionizing resin in the hydrogen form having styrene-DVB (divinylbenzene) sulfonic copolymer active group. To maintain a proper pH balance and stoichiometric balance in the filtered water, the deionizing resin 25 preferably includes an anion deionizing resin mixed with the cation resin previously described. The anion deionzing resin comprises one in the hydroxide form in which the copolymer active group is styrene-DVB quarter ammonium hydroxide. A 50/50 mixture by weight of the foregoing deionizing resins has been found suitable.
Deionizing resins of the type described above are typically produced in the form of relatively large spherical beads having a mesh size typically of 16�50. Although such resin beads are normally used directly in this form for various deionizing applications, the active surface area which they provide in this form is insufficient to provide the deionizing/ion exchange activity required for the method of the present invention, as will be described hereinafter. Therefore, both to facilitate filling the hollow interior of the cylindrical carbon block and to provide a particulate deionizing resin material with the requisite surface area, the filter cartridges are filled by preparing an aqueous slurry of deionizing resin beads which may comprise a mixture of cation and anion resins in any desired proportion. The open interior 12 of the cylindrical block 11 is filled with the aqueous slurry of resin beads and the water is removed from the slurry. Most of the water may be removed simply by allowing it to drain out of one end of the filter cartridge and then subjecting the beads to an appropriate drying process. When the deionizing resin beads are initially placed in water to form the slurry, the beads undergo substantial expansion. The subsequent drying process causes the beads to contract and fracture into a relatively fine powder having an average particle size somewhat larger than 200 mesh.
Ordinarily, powdered deionizing resin materials are not useful as packed bed material because the fine particle size makes them too difficult to handle. Referring briefly to the drawings, a fine mesh polypropylene screen 26 is placed at each end of the open cylindrical interior of the filter block to retain the powdered resin material therein. The screen 26 may have, for example, a 200 mesh size and be attached to a cylindrical mounting sleeve 27 adapted to fit under the inner sleeve 18 of the end cap 15. Obviously, one end must be left open to allow the interior of the cartridge to be filled with resin beads, after which cylindrical mounting sleeve 27 with attached screen 26 is positioned and that end is closed with the end cap 15. The deionizing resin material which has fractured and shrunk during drying will re-expand upon being wetted in use by the water being treated. Re-expansion of the powdered deionizing resin will cause the material to tightly fill the open interior 12 and pack the material tightly enough to resist channeling.
The principal intended application of composite filter apparatus of the present invention is to provide a method for removing low concentrations of heavy metal ions, particularly lead, from a drinking water supply. In particular, a relatively small filter cartridge is capable of treating a normal volume of household drinking water to reduce low, but potentially hazardous, concentrations of dissolved lead (or other heavy metals) to levels below designated hazardous concentrations. In addition, the porous activated carbon block filter will also remove other dissolved or suspended materials in a typical manner known in the art.
Water to be treated is directed through the inlet opening 30 in the cover 14 from which it passes into the cylindrical space between the inside of the housing 13 and the outside of the cylindrical filter block 11. Water pressure causes the water to flow radially inwardly through the porous carbon block, into and through the deionizing resin 25, axially through the screen 26 at the cover end, and out of the outlet opening 31 in the cover 14. Along with its other filtering and/or absorption capabilities, the carbon will retain some of the lead and other heavy metal ions when present in relatively low concentrations. In time and depending on the flow volume and size of the porous filter material, as well as the lead ion concentration, the ability of the carbon block to retain lead ions will diminish. As this occurs, there will be a breakthrough of lead ions into the powdered deionizing resin on the interior of the filter module. Although the cation deionizing resin will readily capture the lead ions which breakthrough the porous carbon block, other cations which are typically in much greater concentrations than lead or other heavy metals will rapidly overrun the deionizing resin and be absorbed thereon. For example, the concentration of calcium in drinking water may be 3 or 4 orders of magnitude greater than the concentration of lead. It has been found, however, that the cation deionizing resin, when saturated, is converted to an ion exchange resin. Although the resin will typically be saturated with the cations in highest concentrations in the water, such as calcium, the more reactive lead ions which breakthrough the carbon filter will replace the calcium and other less reactive cations by conventional ion exchange. It has been found that, at relatively low concentrations of lead, for example, 200 ppb or less, the method will effectively reduce lead concentrations to well below 25 ppb and, utilizing a filter cartridge of conventional size, the method and apparatus can be used to treat a volume of water far in excess of that utilizing a carbon block filter alone or a carbon block filter with a conventional ion exchange resin.
A composite filter module was prepared utilizing a 12" long cylindrical activated carbon block having a 2.61" OD, a 0.62" wall thickness, and an open interior with a diameter of 1.37". The open interior was filled with a powdered deionizing resin mixture comprising equal parts by weight of the cation and anion deionizing resins identified above. The mixed resin bed between the end screens 26 was 10.50" long. In a test of this filter module, 2,300 gallons of water containing 200 ppb lead was treated without the concentration of lead in the effluent exceeding 25 ppb. The concentration of lead in the first 750 gallons of water through the filter module was less than 10 ppb.
A composite filter module was also prepared utilizing a 97/8" long cylindrical carbon block having same I.D. and O.D. as in the preceding example. The same construction and resin mixes were incorporated into a 83/8" long mixed bed resin column on the interior of the carbon block. In a test of this filter module, 1,400 gallons of water containing 150 ppb lead was treated with the same results as the 12" module, i.e. less than 25 ppb lead in the filtered water.
By determining the lead concentration in the water supply to be treated, the composite filter module of the present invention may be utilized for an estimated period of time based on the average daily volume of water used and simply replaced on a timed basis. The extended lifetime provided by the dual filtering capability and the unique conversion of the deionizing resin to an ion exchange resin provides a disposable cartridge filter which is very efficient and cost effective.
A porous carbon block filter 11 of the type hereinabove described may also be used as a final filter for the filtrate water from a reverse osmosis membrane system of the type used in certain medical applications. Thus, the filtrate from an RO system utilized in a kidney dialysis process may be passed through a carbon block filter for the absorption of dissolved gases or the like. However, the highly purified water filtrate from the RO membrane may be substantially free of the nature buffers and, therefore, comprise a substantially more aggressive solvent. When passed through the activated carbon block, the highly purified water may actually dissolve certain mineral or metal inpurities typically present in the carbon block, which impurities are then leached into the filtered water. Aluminum has been found to be particularly hazardous to dialysis patients when leached from the final carbon filter.
The addition of a deionizing resin bed 25 to a cylindrical carbon block filter 11, as previously described, will remove dissolved aluminum and other heavy metals which might be leached from the carbon block. The use of a mixed resin will also help maintain the stoichiometric balance and the total function of the composite filter of this embodiment will remove potentially hazardous dissolved metals and produce a higher quality water in many RO applications.
Apart from the substantially lower total dissolved solids in the water being treated, the foregoing embodiment of the invention operates in a manner similar to the primary embodiment. Thus, a reverse osmosis filtrate may contain only 10% of the total dissolved solids present before RO treatment. Of those dissolved solids, those passing through the carbon block 11 are absorbed by the deionizing resin 25 along with aluminum and other metals which might be leached from the carbon. As the resin becomes saturated, it begins to operate on an ion exchange principle, exchanging more active aluminum for the dominant but less reactive cations, such as calcium, previously absorbed on the deionizing resin.
|Cited Patent
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|Mar 8, 1963
|May 10, 1966
|Union Tank Car Co
|Process for purifying liquids and particulate ion exchange material used therefor
|Mar 26, 1963
|Dec 6, 1966
|Paul W Rothemund
|Fluid filtering and treating apparatus
|Feb 1, 1965
|Apr 2, 1968
|Fram Corp
|Semi-rigid polymer encapsulated filter medium containing an unencapsulated adsorbent material
|Apr 29, 1965
|Jan 7, 1969
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|University Of Utah
|Point-of-use removal of lead in drinking water using phosphate and carbonate minerals
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|University Of Utah
|Point-of-use removal of lead and copper in drinking water using hydroxylapatite and carbonate minerals
|Feb 10, 1998
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|Composite material, preparation and use thereof
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|Jul 15, 2003
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|Jan 31, 2006
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|Purification device, insert and method of purifying a liquid
|Dec 1, 2006
|Nov 22, 2011
|Perry Equipment Corporation
|Filter element and methods of manufacturing and using same
|Dec 22, 2009
|Mar 27, 2012
|Perry Equipment Corporation
|Method for treatment of contaminated fluids
|Oct 21, 2011
|Oct 23, 2012
|Perry Equipment Corporation
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|Perry Equipment Corporation
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|Kenneth D. Hughes
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|Oct 24, 2002
|May 8, 2003
|Reid Roger P
|Filter cartridge with divided filter bed for gravity-flow use
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|Oct 23, 2003
|Bassett Laurence W.
|Dual-flow filter cartridge
|Feb 5, 2003
|Aug 5, 2004
|Hughes Kenneth D.
|Composite materials for fluid treatment
|Feb 1, 2002
|Aug 19, 2004
|Hughes Kenneth D.
|Compositions of insoluble magnesium containing minerals for use in fluid filtration
|Apr 20, 2001
|Nov 25, 2004
|Johnston Arthur W.
|Formation of composite materials with expandable matter
|Oct 4, 2004
|Feb 24, 2005
|Bassett Laurence W.
|Dual-flow filter cartridge
|Jul 13, 2004
|Mar 10, 2005
|Pur Water Purification Products, Inc.
|Water treatment cartridges and processes related thereto
|Aug 24, 2004
|Apr 14, 2005
|Pardini James J.
|Treatment of liquid using porous polymer containment member
|Feb 18, 2002
|May 12, 2005
|Hughes Kenneth D.
|Purification materials and method of filtering using the same
|Oct 5, 2004
|May 26, 2005
|Bortun Anatoly I.
|pH adjuster-based system for treating liquids
|Feb 28, 2005
|Sep 22, 2005
|Allgood Charles C
|Alphahydroxyacids with ultra-low metal concentration
|Aug 31, 2004
|Mar 2, 2006
|Eric Taylor
|Multi-stage Carbon Block Filters
|Jul 6, 2005
|Dec 28, 2006
|Hughes Kenneth D
|Composite materials for fluid treatment
|Dec 13, 2006
|May 3, 2007
|Magnesium Elektron, Inc.
|pH ADJUSTER-BASED SYSTEM FOR TREATING LIQUIDS
|Jul 1, 2005
|Nov 1, 2007
|Nordaq Water Filter Systems Ab
|Purification Device, Insert And Method Of Purifying A Liquid
|Dec 13, 2006
|Jan 31, 2008
|General Electric Company
|Water filtration systems and methods
|Dec 1, 2006
|Jun 5, 2008
|Dan Cloud
|Filter element and methods of manufacturing and using same
|Feb 21, 2007
|Aug 21, 2008
|Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
|Ion exchange reactor
|Jul 31, 2007
|Feb 5, 2009
|Perry Equipment Corporation
|Systems and methods for removal of heavy metal contaminants from fluids
|May 11, 2009
|Jan 21, 2010
|Pdw Technology, Llc
|Method and system for treatment of water
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|Cummins Filtration Ip, Inc.
|Fuel filter for the removal of a soap contaminant from diesel fuel
|Aug 27, 2004
|Feb 3, 2010
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|Brita GmbH
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|American Standard, Inc.
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|American Standard Inc
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|Oct 30, 2003
|Cuno Incorporated
|Dual-flow filter cartridge
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|Mar 10, 2005
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|Jan 12, 2006
|Nordaq Water Filter Systems Ab
|Purification device, insert and method of purifying a liquid
|Apr 19, 2012
|Oct 26, 2012
|Soane Energy, Llc
|Treatment of wastewater
|U.S. Classification
|210/679, 210/688, 210/912
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jul 25, 1994
Owner name: CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A., THE, NEW YORK
Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AMETEK;REEL/FRAME:007074/0702
Effective date: 19940321
|Aug 29, 1995
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Jan 21, 1996
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|Apr 2, 1996
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 19960121


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Ewe and her boyfriend made arrangements to see the apartment over the phone. After I informed them of all the excellent amenities and the vast amounts of touristic destinations within walking distance from the apartment, I knew I was going to have new tenants. When the couple arrived they immediately wanted to sign the lease. I offered them the special discount and after thinking it over, they agreed. Ewe and her boyfriend fucked on the couch and all of the chairs. I recorded every minute of the pussy pounding action for your pleasure and, of course, mine.


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Loved the ruins in Olympia
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The situation at the plant does not appear to be exactly stable. I don't believe anyone has a clear understanding of what the state of reactors 1-4 is and all, TEPCO included, are reading the tea leaves to try and get a handle on the true state of things. Just look at the radiation levels on this chart:
What ever happened on the 21st has not been mentioned, let alone explained, in news stories or by the official sources like the IAEA bulletin.


text:
Help others choose the best products...Write a review
|incl. VAT
|excl. VAT
Duck Fresh Discs perfectly cleans your toilet and it reliably protects against limescale during each flush. Just apply to the inner wall of the bowl and gel disk will work for you. Additionally, the toilet smells pleasant sea smell. Refill lasts about six weeks, or 600 flushes. The package can gel filling and hygienic applicator.
36 ml
You can buy a minimum of 2 pieces.
Specifications can be changed without notice. Images are for illustrative purposes only. Retail Price (MSRP) means the manufacturer's/supplier's suggested retail price.
Link to Manufacturer's Website: Enter link to the external review


text:
In the name of progress
Travelers of Hwy. 35N just outside of River Falls experienced a 15-minute road-closure mid-morning Wednesday, May 15, as crews from Xcel Energy strung new electrical cables as part of construction for the new interchange at Radio Road.
Major earth-moving on the project began Tuesday, May 14, with two bulldozers stripping topsoil along the future Paulson Road right-of-way extension.
Meanwhile, other crews were busy relocating phone and gas utilities. Three troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol assisted with the temporary road closure. Road reopened at 10:29 a.m.
One frustrated northbound motorist, waiting with others in a long line of vehicles, muttered, "Why can't they be doing this kind of thing at two or three in the morning."


text:
Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.
This problem was suggested by Yatir Halevi.
Solve the equation:
Solve the equation:
Can you find solutions to all equations of the form:
where the sequence of powers is defined in the same way and $a$ is a positive integer?
Explain what you have done and prove that you have found all possible solutions.


text:
November 2017 M T W T F S S « Mar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
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Women's History Month
March is set aside to give special recognition of the contributions made to the world by women throughout history. Celebrate, read about a list of extraordinary women like Bessie Blount Griffin, Valerie Thomas, Maria Tallchief and more. Advertisements
Posted in heroes, Inspired Tagged women, women's history, women's history month Leave a comment
A Christmas Story
The countdown begins. Gifts to buy, holiday events to attend, decorations. Yes, nothing says Christmas in the USA like people getting stressed out! I'm adding my voice to those who say we need to keep the focus on what this … Continue reading
Posted in Christmas, Living Well, love Tagged Christmas, flowers, friendship, giving Leave a comment
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day is a uniquely American holiday because of the tradition of its origin, a group of Pilgrims sitting down with Native Americans to give thanks for surviving a harsh world. The same can be said for all people, because … Continue reading
Poetry & Black History Together!
Preparation by Effie Waller Smith "I have no time for those things now," we say;"But in the future just a little way,No longer by this ceaseless toil oppressed,I shall have leisure then for thought and rest.When I the debts upon … Continue reading
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"There is no such thing as part freedom." Nelson Mandela
Creating Peace
The holiday season is here! This poem really struck a chord with me, and seems to embody what the holidays are about – finding peace within. We must have inner peace to have peace in the home. To have peace … Continue reading


text:
He was addressing a press conference yesterday at the Finance Ministry.
He said that they have planned to establish factories in the Ruhunu Development Zone and the final product will be exported thereby earning the necessary foreign exchange. Already a positive response has been received by a Chinese company.
The economic zone, which is to be set up in 15,000 acres connecting four districts, will be acquiring only five per cent of private land. All the private lands will be acquired with the permission of the people and they will be sufficiently compensated, the minister said.
Speaking about the Hambantota Port, the minister added that the Memorandum of Understanding in this regard will be signed with the Chinese company within the next two weeks. A committee headed by Minister Sarath Amnugama has also been appointed to discuss regarding the signing of the MoU. Ministers Ravi Karunanayake, Arjuna Ranathunga, Sagala Rathnayaka, Nimal Siripala De Silva and Malik Samarawickrema are the other members.


text:
Cream Cheese Candy..(easy)
1 pkg (3oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp peppermint or almond extract
3 cups powdered sugar
green & red colored sugar, optional
In small bowl, combine cream cheese and extract. Beat in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar.
Knead in remaining sugar til smooth.
Shape into 1/2 inch balls.
Roll in colored sugar, if desired.
Place on ungreased baking sheets and flatten with fork.
Let stand 1 hour to harden.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yields about 6 dozen
Pairs Well With
This is a good little recipe to spend some time with the "Little Chefs" in your family. My grandchildren are always ready to wash hands and start kneading this into tasty little morsels.
The Official "Burnt" Movie CookbookBy Burnt Movie Cookbook
7 Recipes51076 Downloads


text:
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Thomas "Tom" Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894), and Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896).
Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and Tom Among the Indians, Schoolhouse Hill, and Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy. While all three uncompleted works were posthumously published, only Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy has a complete plot, as Twain abandoned the other two works after finishing only a few chapters.
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Main and North Wing
The Main and North Wings which are located right at the beachfront boast rooms perfectly illustrate why Henann Regency is the first Triple-A rated resort on the beachfront of the island. These spacious and well-appointed rooms all feature blissfully comfortable beds, stately bathrooms and all the modern conveniences that will help ensure your stay is one that speaks of nothing but comfort and luxury.
The Main and North Wing both proudly offer the finest accommodations this island-paradise can offer.


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Sodexo chef traveling for fall cuisine tour
If you've eaten a meal on campus in the past couple of years, you've likely tasted the work of Emporia State's executive chef, Saiket "Johny" Patwary. Now Sodexo, the university's food service provider (and Patwary's employer) has selected him as one of five signature chefs recognized for their culinary expertise in a specialty.
Sodexo's Signature Chef program provides an opportunity for Patwary and other top chefs in the United States to travel to different regions and share authentic regional cuisines with local teams, students, faculty and staff.
Patwary's cuisine specialties are Indian, Mediterranean, Kansas region and Indian fusion barbecue. During his Signature Chef Fall Tour visit to Carroll College in Helena, Mont., he prepared curried shrimp with wild mushroom grits, turmeric-roasted potatoes and cauliflower, lamb curry, chicken tikka and mango lassi, a milkshake-like drink.
A native of Bangladesh who was raised in Bahrain, Patwary graduated from Emporia State University with a computer science degree. During his undergraduate career, he was a dishwasher in the Sodexo dining hall. After graduation, he pursued a culinary arts degree and worked for Sodexo on other campuses before returning to his alma mater two years ago.
In his culinary career, Patwary has served notables including actor Ed Begley, Jr., singer Shania Twain and the Green Bay Packers professional football team. He has competed and won in various culinary competitions around the country, including the California Date Competition, Las Vegas Odyssey, Kansas City BBQ Society and American Culinary Federation Competitions. He recently won an Asian cookbook recipe contest, which includes having his recipes published in an upcoming cookbook.


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First, it is best to know that John Adamson and friends are not certifiably crazy. They just look like it.
They believe it is perfectly normal being dragged through frigid water behind a boat travelling faster than some people drive, in temperatures that are more suited to snowsuits than bathing suits. One man's torture, apparently, is another man's sport.
"We're moving from 42 to 50 miles per hour. It's much faster than wakeboarding. It is extreme. It's fast. But that's the thrill of it," says Adamson, of St. Thomas, one of about 50 enthusiasts expected to walk on water at next Saturday's 17-mile Grand River Barefoot Waterski Endurance race.
"People may think that we might be just a little crazy. But the cold and choppy water this time of year just adds to the challenge."
The race includes teams of three to five skiers. "We ski barefoot as long as we can -- the best go for about eight minutes -- until you fall; the next skier gets in the water and you keep going for 17 miles from Cayuga to Dunnville," Adamson says.
The first boat to get to the Byng Conservation Area, wins. It's all over in about 25-30 minutes. But it's a wild 25 minutes with boats and skiers falling, boats turning, skiers jumping into the water, getting yanked out, and engines revving.
Think NASCAR with water.
"A guy might ski five minutes the first time, the second time you might only do four and the next only two minutes. It's like running a marathon, there's only so much you can get out of your legs. Your calves burn and your feet really heat up," Adamson says. "When you're done, you feel like you've just done the Boston Marathon -- you might finish last but you still feel good just because you've finished."
Adamson is an accountant: So much for that theory about accountants being duller than the parliamentary channel. His team includes a factory worker and a chiropractor, who, he says, "comes in handy when you're doing this." No kidding. The only thing missing is the psychiatrist.
Barefoot waterskiing's been around since the late '40s but this is only the fifth year the Grand River race has been held. "Most of us are involved in competitions the rest of the year. In the U.S. they have a travelling circuit now. Barefooters from all over come which really makes for a great time. Our world is relatively small, but wide spread."
Anyone interested in learning to barefoot says Adamson should start by calling the Ontario Waterski Association which holds clinics. The website is www.OWSA.com. His group can be contacted at www.canadabarefoot.com. Or, you could head to the Grand River bridge at Cayuga or Byng Conservation Area next Saturday and grab a piece of riverbank. Start time is 8 a.m. Hot chocolate optional but recommended.
SI.com, in a survey of fans, rated major league stadiums on which provided the best bang for the buck. Angel Stadium, Coors Field and PNC Park in Pittsburgh ranked 1-2-3. Washington was ranked last.
Toronto's Rogers Centre placed 22nd out of 30. Fans love it when the roof is open but when closed it was compared to a cave. But, hey, the fan survey said it's got really good bathrooms. Which somehow seems appropriate for a team that went into the toilet in July and never came out.
Serge Savard has lost his driver's license for a year and was fined nearly $1,100 for crashing into two parked cars while driving impaired. NHL president Gary Bettman immediately announced it was just one more indication how the league is clamping down on roughing ... Terrell Owens had a plate screwed into his broken right ring finger. Says Toronto comedian Frenchie McFarlane, "meantime, former teammate Donovan McNabb has got to be thinking that while doctors are at it, maybe they could screw his head on right, too" ... In his debut with ABC's college football Doug Flutie said of his famous "Hail Mary" pass to Gerard Phelan that gave Boston College an amazing 47-45 victory over Miami: "I hate seeing it because one of these times he's going to drop it."
Ian Hamilton, Regina Leader-Post, on Mike Tyson saying boxing has left a bad taste in his mouth: "Yeah -- it's called Evander Holyfield."
Rapper Ron Artest, who ignited the worst brawl in NBA history, was the opening act for a Ludacris-Young Joc show last night. Says Seattle Times' Dwight Perry: "Front-row fans are urged to simply applaud his performance rather than shower him with champagne."


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I'm a student taking C++, fun stuff. I hope to one day get good at this stuff, I sorta am already, but good at the elementary levels :D
Here's my problem; I'm writing a program to flip a coin x amount of times and print the results. Of course I want to go one step higher and ask the user if he would like to redo the "experiment," so there's the simpe "Do you want to to it again? (y/n)" prompt. My problem is this- I want to use both cases (n and N) to say "no," and the or thingymabobber (||) isn't working for me. Here's the chunk of code that isn't being nice to me (There's more to it, but its irrelevant because it works, well most of this code is irrelevant, but I just copied and pasted)->
I've tried everything with that while (), but I bet it's a simple fix. So-- what did I screw up this time?
Thanks a lot.
Perhaps I should tell you what went wrong too. Silly me.
When I tried compiling it as is it gave me a parse error before the ||
When I had-
while (cont != 'n' || cont != 'N')
- The program compiled and ran, but did not recognize the check. Well, it asked for input, but if I entered 'n' or 'N', the program breezed right through it and repeated itself. Same thing with-
while (cont != 'n' || 'N')