text:
Elaine was working at American Optical in Salt Lake, and a friend told her she wanted Elaine to write to her cousin who was stationed in Korea. She started writing him and when he would come home from leave, they would date. He served a total of 3 years in the Marine Corp–13 months on the front lines in Korea. After his tour overseas, he was stationed in 29 Palms and in San Diego. He even participated in the Nuclear Bomb Tests in Nevada. He said that he saw and felt the atomic blast; the troops were half way out in the dessert when they were told that the wind had shifted and to turn back to the trenches. He said you could see the Joshua trees smoldering. Elaine and Ted married in 1954 after he got out of the service. They lived in South Jordan for 20 years and had a mink farm. Elaine said her father was into mink, and Ted and another son-in-law would help him. Instead of pay, Floyd, her Dad, would give the men a breeder female, and that's how they got started in the mink business. They moved to Milton in 1978 because the climate is better for raising mink, Elaine said. They had a house and a mink farm on Stoddard Lane until 1993. They pelted out and sold their place and built their current house in Milton in 1994. He was in the mink business for 38 years. During all this time, Ted worked at Hill AFB, and he retired from that in 1989. They had five children: 2 boys and 3 girls. The two boys have passed away. Steven died in 2003 but his family lives _ mile from Ted and Elaine. His children are: Jennie who graduated with a degree in athletic training, McKenzie who is an elementary school teacher at T.O. Smith, Matt who is on a mission in Mozambique, and Garrett who is a senior at Morgan High School. Sheila lives in Morgan and has 4 children: T.J, 17; Parker, 14; Bailey, 12, and Lexie, 9. Cindy (Clark) and her husband live in Taylor and have 2 children: Austin, 14, and Madison 12. Trudy lives in Milton. Elaine and Ted's grandchildren have attended and still attend Morgan schools, and as involved grandparents they go to their sports events. Elaine likes to sew, make dolls, knit, crochet and cross stitch. She has many talents. She is a wonderful cook. She has been involved with Creative Memories since 1990. She hosts a group of ladies to scrapbook in her home about once a month and has been doing this for about 20 yearsÓwith Creative Memories. Her grandchildren are always coming and going, and she feeds everyone! She and Ted are active in the ward in Milton and have had many callings. Elaine has been the chorister for about 15 years. Ted's hobby has been doing gardening; they have a big vegetable garden, fruit trees, and a lovely yard. Elaine and Ted have loved working in the yard together. Elaine is the daughter of Floyd and Minola Sheppick, one of 4 girls born to them, and is originally from South Jordan. Her dad was a carpenter by trade. She graduated from Jordan High and says they were The Beetdiggers. Ted was born in Salt Lake City and raised in Delta. His parents were Emmer and Jennie Largent. He has one sister. Elaine and Ted will be married 57 years in November.
Community Spotlight Elaine & Ted Largent
Please follow and like us:


text:
Presiding Officer
PRESIDING OFFICER--The Constitution of the State of New York designates the state's Lieutenant Governor as the President of the Senate and its presiding officer. When the lieutenant governor is unable to attend one of the Senate's regular sessions, Senate leaders appoint a senator to assume these responsibilities for the day. Senator O'Mara, who's serving his first term in the Senate following three consecutive terms as a New York State Assemblyman, presided over the Senate for the first time on Monday, March 21, 2011. In this photo, he's joined by Senate Parliamentarian Jack Casey (r.).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
scratch card / card,gift card,pvc cards,magnetic card,key chain / keychain ,price plate ,IC card ,advertisement plate ,prepaid card,pvc suction ,paper card,Crystal Cards ,Membership cards,
Our products are widely used in Telecom, Hospital, Hotel,...
General Novelties
USB Products
General Gifts
Promotion Products
Mobile Phone Parts
Flash Card Readers/Writers
Mobile Phone Holder / Holster / Belt Clip
Mobile Phone Housings
Mobile Phone Novelties
Mobile Phone Leather Cases
Phone Pouch
battery packs, in-car savers/chargers, CE/TUV travel chargers, desktop single/twin chargers, emergency chargers, AA rechargeable chargers, USB travel chargers, housings, handsfree car kits, portable handsfree kits, design antennas, phone cases and va...
Memory Card , Memory Cards , Pendrive , Pendrives , Digital Photo Frame , Digital Photo Frames , MP3 , MP3 Player , MP3 Players , MPEG4 .
We are a manufacturer of DDR RAM, MEMORY CARDS, CARD READER,antenna booster , antenna boosters,safe guard ,safe guards,mobile phone memeory cards
MP4,Cell phone,USB FLASH,Accessories:IPOD,IPHONE,WII,PSP,NDS,XBOX360,COMPUTER,memory card,photo frame
Car MP3,MP4 production
Ebook reader
1. Workstation series: 4U with 8",8U with 15",8U with 17"
2. Industrial Chassis : Comprised of 19Ī▒ 1U, 2U and 4U standardized cases and embedded non-racked industrial enclosures.
3. Embedded Industrial Mother Board Series - full /half size SB...
USB Rechargeable Battery Series,Emergency Battery Charger Series for Mobile Phones,Diagnose/Debug Card and Data Recovery Card for Laptop and Desktop,USB Flash Drives,USB Hub,Memory Card Reader
we offer HP server memory,HP server hard disk,IBM server memory,IBM server hard disk
Well and High Quality Control
Prompt Delivery
New Product
Competitive Prices
Earth-friendly Products
Small Order Acceptable
if you have any intere...
YANHUI ELECTRONICS CO., LIMITED specializes in providing full range of laptop parts and cell phone parts, also accessories related.Eg,laptop keyboard,laptop mouse,laptop battery
Digital Products,Game Accessories, Computer Peripherals and Mobile Phone Accessories
all kinds of hdd media player sieres
Recovery System, Network Maintenance System,Computer Lock,Netclass Smart System, Voting system, Interactive Whiteboard series: IQBOARD PS, IQBOARD ET, IQBOARD UI, IQBOARD LT, IQBOARD IT, IQBOARD MI, IQBOARD Whiteboard Software
Our company, locates in Xiamen China, which specializes in IT component trading, website www.lapparts.cn. Our major products are substantive laptop keyboard, laptop batteries, AC adapter ,including IBM, HP, COMPAQ, SONY, APPLE, DELL, TOSHIBA and many...
computer case,power supply,CDROM/DVDROM/CDRW/DVDRW,CRT Monitors,CPU Cooler,speaker
HDD enclosure, hard disk case, HDD media player, 3G router, network downloader, USB 3.0, USB Internet Radio TV player
Our products include-pc web camera, USB Flash Drive, USB Phone, Pc Web Camera, Thumb Drive, Electroncis Products, PC Peripheral, Computer Peripheral, Gift, MP4, MP3.


text:
Zarafa is located within the Selinda Reserve - a private 135 000-hectare (330 000-acre) wildlife area located in northern Botswana. It embodies authenticity, luxury and simplicity to create a camp that as been clearly considered, and thoughtfully planned to be as environmentally sensitive as possible. It is the culmination of years of safari experience. Zarafa Camp sits on an island in the floodplains of southern shores of the Zibadianja Lagoon, which is the source of the Savute Channel. Positioned in the extreme eastern side of the Selinda Reserve, its location is in prime wildlife territory. Each tent comes with its own Canon professional camera including a Canon 40D body and 35-135 mm and 100-400mm zoom lenses for use during a stay. Photos are then burned to a DVD as a souvenir at the end of your stay. Enjoy day and night game drives as well as guided nature walks, all meals, local drinks and laundry. Zarafa Camp is designed with exclusivity and privacy at its core. It is one of the most luxurious camps in Botswana.
Zarafa Camp, overlooking the Zibadianja Lagoon, evokes a sense of old-style safari with its four large, luxuriously appointed 'marquis style' tents. Each generous tent and veranda is positioned under cool and shady trees to emphasize the spectacular view and comprises a spacious bedroom, en-suite bathroom, a copper bath and shower as well as outdoor shower. The 1,000 square foot 'marquis style' canvas tents are expansive and open-air without exposing guests to the elements. Upon entry is a large lounge appointed with a leather sofa, armchairs, personal bar and writing desk. Adjoining the lounge is the main bedroom and dressing area, where the overhead fans and seductive mosquito nets set the ambiance. Exiting the bedroom, a beautiful copper gas fireplace is strategically placed between the bathroom and the bedroom to allay the chill of the winter months. The main bathroom is comprised of a copper bath and shower, double sinks and private toilet. Off the bathroom, the raised walkway leads to the outdoor shower, complete with wrap around showerheads! The private verandah, running the length of the front of the tent, offers a private plunge pool, outdoor lounge and sweeping view of Zibadianja Lagoon's waters.
The expansive bedrooms at Zarafa Dhow Suites offer you a large lavish lounge appointed with a leather sofa, armchairs, personal bar and writing desk. two bath tents connected to each bedroom have a deep copper claw foot tub, indoor and outdoor showers, separate w/c and double wash basins. The rooms each have their own copper fireplace for cozy winter evenings. All spaces overlook the pristine wilderness before the suites. In addition, daily laundry service is available to ensure you will always look your best.
Meals are generally table d'hôte and include a light breakfast at dawn, a hearty brunch on return from the morning activity, afternoon tea and snacks before the afternoon activity, rounded off with a sumptuous dinner in the evening. Special meals and requirements can be catered for on request. All local soft drinks, wines, spirits and beers are included in the tariff.
In keeping with the style of the guest tents, Zarafa's main lounge is also under 'marquis style' canvas. The emphasis of the architecture is on bringing the outside in. A grand African ebony tree provides shade while the breeze off the lagoon cools the air. Furnished in the same 'campaign' style furniture, the lounge evokes a traditional safari ambiance with dark woods and rich leathers. This style continues in the private library, home to a collection of prized works on Africa. After a day's exploits in the Reserve, tales and stories are exchanged around the fire pit on the edge of the main verandah, with stargazing above.
Zarafa Camp is among the only (if not the only) luxury camp in the world to be powered entirely by solar energy. The harnessed solar power is stored in deep cycle batteries, each of which delivers 220v electricity to the camp, 24 hours a day. A set of universal plug points is available in each tent. It is recommended to bring a spare set of batteries so one set can be charged while the other is out on safari.
A small boutique shop stocks locally made goods and quality African artifacts. There is a small 'jungle' gym with rowing machine, treadmill, free weights and yoga equipment. In-room massage is available (at additional cost).
To say you will enjoy 4x4 game viewing and bush walks would be an understatement. Selinda Reserve is known for a few 'specials'. African wild dogs have denned near the camp for the last three seasons (2008, 2009 & 2010). Given this species plight, it is a true blessing to have fairly common sightings. The Selinda lions, affectionately known as the 'surfing lions' for their penchant for hunting hippo, are legendary. The open plains provide ideal habitat for cheetah, leopard sightings, and more. In the evenings you just might spot a few rare nocturnal species such as civet, genet, aardvark, Honey badger, and possibly even some hunting. Other common species include buffalo often in large herds, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hyena, and a variety of antelope including Red lechwe, sable and possibly roan.


text:
RepairPal is your advocate for car care advice and guidance
Q: boot leak on 2004 Audi A4 Quattro
I have a leak in my boot that i cant for the life of me find. I took all the sourond trims off the inside of the boot to locate the leak,had someone spray water on the roof to make it trickle off the back of the roof,not over the back window,sat inside you can see it comming through the framr holes in the top of the frame near to wear the wiring comes through the rubber bung,but i cant see what or where it is getting in!!!! Anyone have any ideas please?
is it coming through the wire harness rubber plug that is supposed to seal in the quarter panel? i've seen that in the earlier cars, but not this year. if it is, try removing the rubber plugs (easier when heated with a blow dryer) and apply silicone sealant to the plug groove before reinstalling. try using powdered foot spray to coat the area. the powder absorbs the water and will give a sign when water hits it making locating the leak start point easier to find.
Will give it a go,had the plug out last time but couldn't see a problem but it has to be the only place it can be getting in. Will wait for a dry day to give ie a go. Thanx .
As it turns out it was the high level brake light that was the problem, so that changed all good,thanx for the help.
I would recommend going to a good convertible top shop for this, they are the best for finding all sorts of leaks.
Didn't find what you were looking for?


text:
Results 1 to 5 of 11
Thread: Suggestions for sibling
July 13th, 2014 11:53 AM #1Junior Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2013
- Posts
- 21
Suggestions for sibling
Hey everyone,
We're currently expecting baby #2 In January. New baby will be a delivery suprise and join big brother Atticus Kael ( who goes by Kael). We're having a terrible time finding names for this little one. We tend to like English/Scottish/irish names - but we're not limited to them. Boy middle name will be William but girls middle can be anything. Last name is F0rrestt. Heres our ideas so far:
Ayla Elin
Emme Isla
Breccan William
Quinn William
Bodhi William
Any suggestion, opinions, or ideas would be much appreciated!! Thanks everyone!!
July 13th, 2014 12:22 PM #3Junior Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2013
- Posts
- 20
Ayla Elin - I'm not a big fan of Ayla, but that's just personal preference. I like Elin.
Emme Isla - I love Emme. I like Isla.
Another name you may want to consider for a first name is Yvaine - I love that! I think Emme Yvaine and Yvaine Isla both have a great flow to them.
Breccan William - this has a very rugged masculine quality to it. Love it!
Quinn William - very handsome combo.
Bodhi William - I don't care for Bodhi at all.
Some other names you might like:
Angus William
Campbell William
Duncan William
Leland William
Knox William
July 13th, 2014 02:06 PM #5
Hi! Congrats on Baby #2! How exciting.
I quite like Kael. My friends have a son called Cale. Such an adorable name.
My first thought was "Forrest" for you, then I read to the part where you said that's your last name. I guess Forrest William Forrest really doesn't work, huh?:-) Will you also call this baby by his/her middle name?
Ayla Elin- I personally think this is a bit too close to Kael.
Emme Isla- Pretty, but the Emma/ Emily/ Emme family is kinda overused. What about combining these sounds (Emme and Isla) into Esme? Or using Isla as a first? Jada would be pretty, too.
Breccan William
Quinn William
Bodhi William
The boy's names are all kind of "meh" for me. Just not my style! Sorry!
But other ideas are:
The good thing is almost anything sounds great with William!
Last edited by mulme944; July 13th, 2014 at 02:08 PM.Mommy to
Travis Nevin
Angus Loudon "Gus"*Dagny Gertrude* *Florence Imogen* *Ada Katherine "Ada Kate"* *Tessa Pearl* *Amity Geneva* *Ursula Bryony**Jethro Daniel "Jed"/"Jet"* *Harvey Blaise* *Jeremy Vincent "Jem"* *Laszlo Ozias "Lo"* *Leif (LAYf) Matthew "Lem"* *Chester William "Chet"*
July 13th, 2014 03:08 PM #7
I REALLY like Breccan William. It's so handsome and it goes really well with your other son's name.
The flow of both your girls names is a little off to me. I do love Emme, but as a nickname for a more formal name. I'm not a fan of Ayla, but I love Isla.
Emilia nn Emme
EmilianaNot expecting, just having fun collecting names!
My name is Erin. I am 24 years old and I have been a proud name nerd since I was 10.
Ladies: Juliet Elaine, Madeleine Audrey, Emilia Noelle, Lydia Caris, Elodie Katherine, Carys Emily, Victoria Elise
Gentlemen: Jonathan Rhys, Wesley Jay, Roman/Rowan Gabriel, Evan Parker, Elliott Jude, Dawson Cole, Jude/Judah Nathaniel, Rhys Nehemiah, Everett Jacob
July 19th, 2014 06:23 PM #9Junior Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2013
- Posts
- 21
Thanks for all the input! We have a few more to run by you experts!
Rhys William
Shea William
Brennan William
Levi William
Nash William
Still loving Breccan/Breckin William ( which spelling do you prefer??)
Middle name/ name combos welcome!
Emerson nn Emme
Emmeline nn Emme
Again ANY suggestions welcome! Thanks again!


text:
Ireland 14-13 England, Six Nations Championship, February 28
O'Driscoll plays down Grand Slam talk
PA Sport
February 28, 2009
Brian O'Driscoll lands a drop goal at Croke Park © Getty Images
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll refused to contemplate the Grand Slam despite today's 14-13 victory over England at Croke Park.
The Irish preserved their 100% record in the Six Nations after three rounds, cementing their place at the summit of the table following Wales' defeat in Paris last night. Victory over Scotland in a fortnight would sweep them within one match of a first Grand Slam for 61 years, yet man of the match O'Driscoll will look no further than Murrayfield.
"Nothing has changed for us. We'll give Scotland exactly the same respect we gave France, Italy and England," he said. "We're talking about Scotland and them alone. Murrayfield is a tough place to go - I know that from experience.
"Any side can beat any other in this tournament. That's what makes it so hard to win. We'll enjoy this victory tonight and then start focusing all of our attention on Murrayfield."
It was the least convincing win of Ireland's tournament so far as they struggled to finish a muscular England side that had little brain to match their brawn. O'Driscoll bagged a try and drop-goal to compliment Ronan O'Gara's two penalties but a late converted touchdown from Delon Armitage caused a few nervous glances from the dugout.
"The ending was a little nerve-wracking. We made it harder for ourselves than we needed to conceding when we did near the end," he said. "But we played it out and won. We didn't stress ourselves, just did what we needed to.
"There were a few opportunities out there. That was one of the more physical matches played in a long, long time. "England have been in three World Cup finals and are a huge team to beat.
"We enjoy winning against them because we know how hard it is. It wasn't the perfect performance but we're happy to have beaten England, albeit by one point."
O'Driscoll was the victim of two borderline challenges from Riki Flutey and Armitage - only the latter was awarded as a penalty - yet the Lions skipper had no complaints.
"I'm sore now and will know in the morning that I've been in a hard Test match," he said. "You expect that against the better teams in the world. The challenges hurt. I'm not here to be judging what sort of tackles they were. I won't hold grudges against the players."
Angry Martin Johnson slammed England's lack of discipline after they conceded 18 penalties and had Phil Vickery and Danny Care sin-binned, taking their yellow card tally to 10 in four matches.
"I thought we handled them defensively pretty well in the first half but the penalties weren't great by half-time and it got worse," said Johnson. "I said to the players after the game, you cost yourselves the game. Face facts, it was a big effort, they did some things very well at times but if you give away 18 penalties you are going to lose.
"The one that really changed the game was Danny's. It was 11-6, it made it 14-6 and we had no scrum-half for 10 minutes. The focus this week has been not giving penalties away and trusting our defence and being accurate in that area - and they have done it again.
"I am angry for them, not me. We have gone toe to toe with one of the better teams in Europe, a team that could win this championship. We were under pressure at times and at times we had them under pressure - but if you give 18 penalties away you are not going to win."
Johnson said it was too early to decide whether any players would pay for the indiscipline with their place in the side. "It is not the same people but we will be talking about it for two weeks (before playing France)," he said.
"These are in big passionate one-off games here. We were playing in a volatile, passionate place and despite the penalties we kept ourselves in game very well and we handled what they had to throw at us attacking wide," he said. "That makes it all the more frustrating. We didn't need to give penalties away because we weren't getting broken in defence.
"Two weeks ago against Wales I thought we had a chance to win. This week we certainly did. They have to understand they have cost themselves a Test match. We have conceded one try way from home again. The defence is good, we have got to trust it."
© Scrum.com
Communication error please reload the page.


text:
The Trinity Sessions: Kurt Busiek on Trinity #3
We're back again with our weekly look at Trinity. This time, Kurt Busiek holds forth on issue #3, including his take on the JLA. We've also got the first of our reader questions. So, why wait?
Newsarama: Although we touched on them briefly last time, the League are here in force in this issue. In your estimation, what's the immediate, big picture take that the reader should have any time that the JLA appears?
Kurt Busiek: "Here come the big guns," mainly.
The JLA is DC's A-list super-team, so when they show up, it's bugles-blowing cavalry-charge time. At least it is here -- I'm not sure there's any one reaction the audience should have every time a hero or team appears, because you're going to react depending on the story and the presentation. I'm now thinking of that Alan Moore Swamp Thing issue where they show up as mythic, vaguely-spooky "over-people," but that's just my natural tendency to look for exceptions to any blanket statement. Usually, at least, the League are presented as the cream of the crop, the big name heroes, the sentinels on the wall keeping you safe in your beds from the dangers all around us. And that's the kind of moment I think we delivered here -- a dramatic arrival in a crisis situation, where they immediately take charge, dealing with the situation as experienced pros. It didn't go as well as they'd hoped, but the arrival, at least, set the proper tone for who they are and what their role is.
NRAMA: As we've stated before, you've had your own run as JLA writer. However, there are several new members on the team this time around. Black Canary is now field leader, and Firestorm II is on the squad. What's your impression of the new roster, both as a writer and a fan?
KB: Aw, do you really want me to review someone else's work? I don't think so.
My job as a writer, in a shared-universe setting, is to work and play well with others, to use the big toys as they exist at the time I'm using them -- so I didn't think much about whether the League is who I'd have chosen, I'm just using them as they' are when I picked them up. If Black Canary's the leader, I'm going to have her act like the leader. If Firestorm's on the squad, well, he's not going to have the same self-assurance that a more experienced Leaguer would have, but that's fine -- that's just one more bit of character and nuance to play with.
That said, this is a substantially-different League than the one I wrote -- there's a lot of overlap, but a lot of differences. I think they're an interesting mix, with experienced heroes and relative newcomers, with longtime Leaguers and newcomers. Red Arrow and Hawkgirl bring a new energy to roles traditionally filled by Green Arrow and Hawkman, and that stirs things up a little, delivering both familiarity and a new spin at the same time. Vixen's got a history with a different era of the League than most...it's fun, as a write, to play with.
As a reader, I'm probably more used to a more classic League, but I'm having no trouble accepting these guys as the modern JLA. The squad I brought in in Trinity #3 is maybe a little underpowered -- and that only by comparison to the classic League, because any team that's got the Flash and Firestorm in it has plenty of power -- but that's because I'd already knocked out Green Lantern and had Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman busy elsewhere. So it's a League with a big hole in its roster, perhaps not ideally suited to taking on someone like Konvikt, but they did reasonably well under the circumstances.
NRAMA: We've seen this in many books over the years, but as soon as "The Trinity" shows up, everyone differs to them. This time, the villains watching from afar take note of it. Even Black Canary says, "Thank God." Is there just something primal and archetypal about the three of them together, both in DCU and real world terms?
KB: Probably. They've been mainstays of the DCU for longer than there's been a League, and mainstays of the League for much of the team's history. A big part of Black Canary's reaction is specific to this situation, though -- they're up against a hugely-powerful monster, and arrows, animal-powers and sonic whammies aren't really going to do the trick. So Dinah's very glad to see them because they're very good at this kind of thing, and she's been fighting, essentially, a holding action, trying to fend off Konvikt while she figures out a solution to the problem. And then they step out of a hole in the sky -- if the League is like the cavalry arriving, the Trinity is the cavalry within the cavalry. They're part of the League, but they're a very welcome part at any time, and in this situation, more so than usual.
NRAMA: Canary is the JLA leader at this point, as we said; her relief at the Big Three's arrival aside, do you think that she struggles with her role when placed against these other characters?
KB: No. The JLA's not as much a coordinated-combat team as, say, the X-Men or even the Avengers, so it's not like the leader needs to stand there and tell Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman what to do. They're an alliance of solo heroes, mostly -- a group of individual champions that come together as needed, so they're used to a lot more individual initiative and independent action than a lot of teams. When they arrive, Dinah barks out a bunch of orders, but they're more about crisis management and allocating her resources at the start of the battle than they are combat commands -- there are people in danger, there are fires burning, they've got to split up to deal with the damage while they try to contain the threat, that sort of thing.
But when the Trinity arrive, most of the League is occupied, downed or exhausted, and the main thing needed is to deal with the big purplish monster. As leader, Black Canary could say "Go get him, Superman," but he doesn't really need to be told that, does he? And she's leader enough to know that. So it's not a failure of leadership that she doesn't boss the Trinity around, it's an awareness that she doesn't have to. League leader is a position that, as far as I'm concerned, is about dealing with decisions that have to be made in the situations they need to be made in, and giving the Leaguers their independence otherwise. Not about acting like a puppeteer and telling everyone what to do at all times.
I haven't seen (or been told) anything that suggests Dinah is an insecure leader, so I didn't write her as one. In that situation, any leader should have felt relief to have some big guns turn up.
NRAMA: We see Superman essentially dare Konvikt to bring it on, and he lays him out with one punch. That was a bit of a reckless move for Kal, wasn't it?
KB: I don't think so. Not every hero needs to take the same approach, and Superman's one of the last guys in the game who should be timid and cautious in his approach. Batman's sneaky and calculating, and that suits him fine. Superman's forthright and direct -- and that suits him just fine, too.
For Superman, taking the direct approach -- going head to head with the guy and seeing what they've got -- is going to be the right one the vast majority of the time. The percentage of clashes in which he's flattened by one punch is so small as to be negligible, and even in those situation, what it usually means is that he's learned something about the enemy's capability's that he can react to with the next gambit, dealing with the bad guys from a position of knowledge, rather than being overcautious and not finding out enough about the foe's capabilities.
As for what'll happen here, I'm conscious of the fact that Newsarama has already published a preview of the first few page of next issue, but I don't want to assume that everyone's read it. Suffice it to say that Superman and his teammates did learn something, and they take it into account as they proceed.
But to my mind, Superman's one of the most confident heroes in comics. He's not going to be scared of taking a punch. He's Superman.
NRAMA: In our second story, Jose is Jose Delgado, aka Gangbuster, is he not? Anything you'd like to say about the man?
KB: That's him, all right.
I always liked Gangbuster -- back when he was introduced, I thought he had the potential to be DC's Daredevil, a role that, since those days, Nightwing seems to have stepped into. But I think Jose could be a strong lead character for DC, and I'm glad to be part of bringing him back into the spotlight. And hey, how cool is it to have Jerry Ordway, his co-creator, on board for his return?
NRAMA: The story turns on the previously glimpsed Rita. She, like Wonder Woman, represents a gateway to the world of myth and magic. Similarly, Jose works against crime in a capacity that's occasionally similar to Batman. Do they have a third point of their triangle as well?
KB: That's an interesting question, and hardly one I'd answer ahead of time. I will say that there's a powerful alien in her story in the next chapter, and Gangbuster ultimately teams up with a bold flying hero of longstanding stature, but neither of them really fit that "third point" to a sub-trinity. But you never know what might come; there's a good long way to go from here...
NRAMA: Gangbuster has actually been kind of dormant in the DCU for a while. Are there any other wayward characters that you'd like to get in there, or is that something that you want to play close to the vest?
KB: We've got a few more less-seen character who'll be cropping up over the course of the series, but who they are and what size roles they'll play is something I'd prefer to surprise the readership with...
NRAMA: I'm yielding time to two reader questions this week . . .
vbartilucci wrote:
Both 52 and Countdown sort of changed horses mid-stream and altered their plotlines; one to reflect some better/different ideas they came up with halfway through, and the other (so the fans believe) to address issues the readers were having with the narrative. Also, in both cases, there were a series of "end points" the story had to reach to tie in to other stories and books that would be coming out of them.
How flexible is the Trinity plot should similar mid-course corrections be necessary for it? And since it's already been said that the events of Trinity would affect (tho perhaps not directly lead in to) future adventures of the three lead characters, how tied to a particular ending are you? Might this be another case of realizing the "proper" ending is not what you had planned as the narrative plays out?
KB: We're pretty flexible, V-Bart, but just because the last two weeklies did course-corrections, that doesn't mean we're planning to, or will need to. We do recognize that 52 issues is a big, wide canvas, and we want to stay loose enough to be able to make changes and to take advantage of discoveries and new ideas along the way -- for instance, I just had a new idea about where John Stewart's story might be going that I talked over with Fabian this morning, and talking about it led to new discoveries about Enigma and about the way the ending might play -- but we don't anticipate needing to throw out our basic outline and doing something else. We're happy with how it's going.
We do have the advantage of not being tied in to other projects, like the previous two weeklies were. 52 came out of Infinite Crisis and had to fit cleanly into the space before One Year Later, and Countdown, of course, tied in to Final Crisis and more. But we're not fitting into a prescribed gap, or leading into another big event -- I like to say that the big event we're leading up to is our own finale.
Sure, this story will affect the characters, but that doesn't mean that things are set in stone for what'll be happening a year from now -- it means that Trinity's part of continuity and will affect things organically. We're not locked in to a straitjacket, plot-wise, but we're not in any trouble, either, so the ending we're headed toward is the ending we started out heading toward.
Whether that'll be true six months from now, I couldn't tell you, but we'll deal with things as they come.
NRAMA: Rob Anybody wrote:
You're know for digging deep into the history of the characters you write and pulling in the threads of their past into the current storyline. How do you decide what to pull from the history of characters so steeped in history like the Trinity?
KB: It all depends on the story, Rob (and say hello to Daft Wullie when you're back with the Clan). I don't have a formula for it -- whatever's interesting and useful is fair game. It can be a lot of fun to mess around in these guys' backgrounds, and see what might be worth bringing up into the light again.
NRAMA: As always, thanks, Kurt!
KB: My pleasure! Next up -- the Trinity versus Konvikt -- and what's Batman going to do?


text:
We gave you a detailed look at the first upcoming collaboration between adidas and Opening Ceremony here. Today we present you some street style shots that we produced with the line. We wanted to highlight some of the strong pattern pieces and at the same time show how easy these can to be wear sometimes, if combined right.
The adidas Originals x Opening Ceremony Collection launches today, July 2, at premium retailers around the globe, including No. 74 in Berlin.
Photography: Highsnobiety.com
- Photography: Highsnobiety.com


text:
National Anti-Boredom Month
July 17, 2012
July is National Anti-Boredom Month. Who knew there was such a thing? Here are a few suggestions if you get bored this month:
Duct tape! Lots of duct tape: colors and stripes, penguins and animal prints. Have lots on hand to make all kinds of things such as roses, wallets, bookmarks, and covers for everything. Check out these titles in our Library catalog: Just Duct Tape It!, Stick It!, and Got Tape?
Learn a new language such as Spanish, German, or Mandarin. Visit the Library's Foreign Language databases and try out Mango Languages or Muzzy Online (that one's great for kids!).
Read a good book. Of course, I would suggest a biography such as I Am Scout (biography of Harper Lee) by Charles J. Shields or Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret.
Watch your favorite TV series from start to finish. MCPL has many TV series that can be checked out; a couple of my favorites are Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Andy Griffith Show.
Find someone to bust boredom with and play checkers or--if you know how--chess. If all else fails and you are on your own, a good old fashioned game of solitaire with a real deck of cards will work.
Try some new recipes--think Italian. Here are two cookbooks to try: Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen and Complete Italian Cooking.
If the kids are getting restless, I'll refer you to my first suggestion, or you can find lots of great ideas in these books: This Book Made Me Do It and Backyard Crafts.
But if none of these ideas sound exciting, don't worry; a little boredom from time to time is kind of nice, too.
Pam F.
Buckner Branch


text:
This paper was written as part of the 2004 Alaska Ocean Sciences Bowl high school competition. The conclusions in this report are solely those of the student authors.
Persistent Organic Pollutants in Alaskan Consumers
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are an extreme hazard to Alaska. These chemicals are twelve of the most dangerous toxins to be exposed to any environment. Even though the United States has banned POPs, the ability of POPs to migrate from other countries makes them an issue thousands of miles away from the source. Not only do POPs travel from place to place, but they also biomagnify through the trophic system. They affect humans and other mammals in a variety of ways, from immunosuppression to neurological dysfunctions. Native Alaskans are the most drastically affected because they are dependent upon subsistence foods, many of which are high in fat and therefore generally high in POPs.
The way to remedy this problem is through a prevention and cure method. In order prevent POPs from leaking into the environment, drastic government action needs to be taken through avenues like banning, treaties, and using alternative methods to reduce or eliminate the use and production of POPs. To cure the problem, a diet needs to be mandated for the natives. In order to avoid diseases like diabetes, they need to continue eating high-fat animals like seals. The pros and cons of this situation need to be observed and solved. A research center for testing POPs in the natives needs to be set up in order to discover who is most affected by these chemicals. This center would also discover the most viable solution for the dietary needs of the Alaskan Natives on Adak Island.
Definition of Persistent Organic Pollutants
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are carbon-based chemical compounds. POPs are primarily products and by-products of human industry. As the name suggests, they are persistent in the environment, resisting degradation through natural processes (Tesar, 2000). They have the ability to accumulate through the food web and to be transported long distances. Toxins as pesticides are able to directly kill or alter an organism. All the common pesticides share the property of blocking a vital metabolic process of the organism to which they are toxic (UNEP/GPA, 2001). The most hazardous of these pollutants are known as the "Dirty Dozen."
Aldrin is a pesticide used to kill termites and grasshoppers in soils, and has killed a number of shorebirds, and waterfowl that either ate animals that had eaten crops on which aldrin was used or that ate the crop themselves. For humans, the estimated fatal dose for an adult male is about five grams, but its use has been restricted or banned in many countries (UNEP, 2001).
Chlordane is also used to control termites in soils and is used as a broad-spectrum insecticide on a range of agricultural crops. Tests have shown that it can kill organisms like mallard ducks and pink shrimp. Exposure to humans mainly occurs through the air. Chlordane is also banned or severely restricted in several countries (UNEP, 2001).
Dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) is perhaps the most infamous of the POPs. It was mainly used during and after World War II to protect soldiers and civilians from diseases such as malaria and typhus. In some countries it is still being used to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Although DDT has been banned or restricted, it can still be found in food all over the world (UNEP, 2001).
Dieldrin is most often used to control termites and textile pests, but has served as a control for insect-borne diseases and insects living in agricultural soils. It is highly toxic to animals that live in the water. The residues of dieldrin have not only been found in air, water, soil, but also in living organisms, including humans. Because dieldrin is a toxic pesticide and has been detected in pasteurized milk, it has been banned and restricted in several countries (UNEP, 2001).
Dioxins are chemicals that are produced unintentionally because of incomplete combustion. They are also produced during the manufacture of pesticides and other chlorinated substances. They come from the burning of hospital waste, municipal waste, hazardous waste, automobile emissions, peat, coal, and wood. Although fish die shortly after the intake of dioxins, humans are mostly affected by changes in the body's systems. Humans are exposed to dioxins mainly through meat (UNEP, 2001).
Furans are compounds that are produced similarly to dioxins. Most of their production occurs during the burning of different toxic wastes, but can also be manufactured during the production of PCBs. The 135 different types of furans are structurally similar to dioxins, and their toxicity varies. However, furans come from burning garbage and it is almost impossible for the economy to ban or restrict the burning (UNEP, 2001).
Endrin is an insecticide that is also used to control rodents. It is sprayed on the leaves of cotton and grain crops. The primary exposure to humans is through food, although its dietary intake estimates are below the limits deemed safe by world health authorities (UNEP, 2001).
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) kills fungi that affect food crops and was widely used to control wheat bunt from 1954 to 1959. It is a manufactured byproduct of certain industrial chemicals. HCBs can be passed to an infant through the placenta and through breast milk. They are highly toxic to humans and can kill. Symptoms of exposure to HCBs include metabolic disorders, colic, and debilitation (UNEP, 2001).
Heptachlor is primarily used to kill soil insects such as grasshoppers and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. It is believed to be responsible for the decline of several United States wild bird populations, including American kestrels. Tests have also shown that lower concentration exposure causes behavioral changes and reduced reproductive success in rats and rabbits. The major exposure source of heptachlor to humans is food, but it is banned or is severely restricted in various countries (UNEP, 2001).
Mirex is an insecticide that is mainly used to combat different types of ants and termites. Another use is as a fire retardant in plastics, rubber, and electrical goods. Direct human exposure to mirex does not appear to cause injury, but studies on laboratory animals have caused it to be classified as a possible human carcinogen. It is proven to be toxic to a number of plant species, fish and crustaceans. Mirex is considered one of the most constant and persistent of POPs since it has a half-life of 10 years, but has been banned from most countries (UNEP, 2001).
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are compounds that are used in industry as heat exchange fluids, in electrical transformers and capacitors, and as additives in paint, carbonless copy paper, and plastics. Although only 13 out of the 209 different types of PCBs have a dioxin-like toxicity, they are generally highly toxic. For this reason, PCBs have been banned in several countries (UNEP, 2001).
Toxaphene is an insecticide that is used on cotton, cereal grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, and to control ticks and mites in livestock. The exposure to humans mainly occurs through food. Toxaphenes were the most widely used pesticide in the US by 1975, but have now been banned in 37 countries and severely restricted in its use in 11 countries (UNEP, 2001).
POP Classifications
There are three types of persistant organic pollutants. These classifications are based on how the POP enters the enviornment. They are not the only classifications, but are the most widely used.
Insecticides are the first POP classification. Insecticides are purposely spread over the land to kill insects. Most of these were banned in the 70's, but have still been used over the years in third world countries. Because these POPs are still in use, they continue to flow through organisms and the environment from places like Russian to Alaskan villages (World Resource Institue, 2002).
Industrial chemicals never intended for dispersal can also leak into the environment. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are the best-known example; other compounds include polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), chloroparaffins and brominated flame-retardants. The PCBs have been gradually banned in many countries (World Resource Institute, 2002).
The third category of persistent organic pollutants occur mainly as by-products of various manufacturing or combustive processes. These include hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins. To a limited extent, many of these compounds can also be formed naturally, but their uses for this purpose has declined substantially (World Resource Institute, 2002).
POP Transferability
POPs found in the Arctic are at levels too high to be caused by natural releases. Most of these POPs do not originate in the Arctic. For a number of years, the use of some POPs has been prohibited in the United States, Canada, and several European nations. However, these contaminants are able to travel long distances from areas where they are still used, such as Russia (Ryan, 2003). Pollutants discharged from southern urban, agricultural, and industrial regions also contribute to noteworthy contamination of the Arctic. Copious pollution sources from within the Arctic itself, including oil and gas installations, nuclear waste dumps and storage sites are also to blame (Sea Web, 2003). POPs are transported to the Arctic by large-scale air and water currents, and some migratory species. Contaminants from industrial, agricultural, and other sources throughout the world are moved into Alaska's waters, sea ice, and land by air-currents (Ryan, 2003). Arctic rivers also shift contaminants from more southern regions (Sea Web, 2003).
These contaminants, which circulate around the globe and northward in air and ocean currents, accumulate in the cold Arctic environment, which serves as a sink or settling area for the toxins. This transfer occurs over different time periods depending on the type of contaminant. Aerosols and minute particles travel rapidly, varying from days to weeks. Volatile and semi-volatile compounds that move as gases may take many years. In warm temperatures, chemicals are volatile, but when temperatures drop they condense onto land and water. The contaminant gradually moves northward with steady wind and current patterns. This process continues until it reaches the colder Arctic sink. POPs remain in Arctic waters, sea ice, and land for long periods of time. They break down very slowly, because of the colder climate (Ryan, 2003). Despite recent reductions in global production, it is anticipated that high levels of certain contaminants in the Arctic environment will endure for decades (Sea Web, 2003).
Information of this process has caused alarm that a large portion of the total global production of these toxins still may be circulating northward (Sea Web, 2003). Contaminants in the Arctic have become part of the food chain and accumulate in a variety of resident and migratory fish and wildlife species. Migratory species generally travel to the Arctic in the summer and spend the winter in lower latitudes. Migratory birds often have 100 times higher concentrations of POPs compared to birds that do not migrate. The contamination of these animals thus poses a concern for all of America, not just Alaska (Ryan, 2003).
POPs like PCB, DDT and mirex impact an ecosystem's living environment in a detrimental manner. These toxins have the capability to initiate the development of cancer and other tumors in exposed animals. They can also cause the reproductive system, nervous system, immune system and the early stages of development to malfunction. However, it is difficult to discern what exactly these different toxins do to organisms, since they may aggravate or counteract each other. The concentration of the substances causes the effects to vary in different ways and locations (Paterson, 2002).
Another factor that contributes to how an organism is affected is its physical state, such as age, strength and immune system. Each species is affected differently because there is a large variation in population and body size. Normally organisms higher on the trophic level have higher concentrations of POPs because organisms can't break down the chemical toxins. Because of this, there is a huge accumulation of the toxins in their fatty tissues. The more POPs an organism is exposed to, the more it stores in its tissues, and later passes on to its offspring. The offspring will inevitably have even higher concentrations of the toxins than the parent. This accumulative process of passing POPs up the food chain from trophic level to trophic level is called biomagnification. The higher an organism is in the food chain, the higher its contaminant concentration (UNEP/GPA, 2001).
The toxins accumulate about ten times in every step of the food chain. Animals, especially in polar zones, store fat to protect themselves against the cold weather. Because of this, animals that live in colder climates are even more affected since the toxins are stored in their high levels of excess fat (Paterson, 2001). A predators fat tissues most often become contaminated by feeding on contaminated prey, although an animal also can receive POPs from their mother's milk. Breast milk contains a high concentration of fat and therefore a high concentration of toxins. This is especially harmful because the newborn young will have weak bodies and immune systems. Offspring are also directly contaminated when the body develops in an infected mother's womb. Inheriting POPs from the previous generation is also an example of bioaccumulation (UNEP/GPA, 2001).
POPs in Marine Mammals
High levels of POPs have been found in many marine mammals, putting both them and the humans who consume them at risk. (Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 2002). POPs concentrate in fatty tissue, like blubber, and a single polar bear can consume 100 pounds of blubber - mostly from seals - at one sitting. In addition, most animals can't break down the chemicals, so they build up and increase 10 times at each step in the food chain. Because they are apex predators, polar bears receive an extremely intense concentration of POPs (Onion, 2003).
Other animals of the Arctic are also at risk because of POPs. Sea otters from Adak Island on the Aleutian chain have DDT concentrations 36 times higher than sea otters from warmer climates (Ryan, 2000). In a recent Alaskan study of the biological effects of contaminants, POPs were also found in northern fur seals. Seals are in a central position on the food chain as they are an important subsistence food and play a large role in contaminant transport (Chary 2000). The study showed that diminished immune function in the seal pups was traced to higher contaminant levels (Ryan, 2000). The northern fur seal pup reproduction on St. Paul Island experienced a decline of seven percent from 1978-1983, and on St. George Island pup production declined 4.7 percent per year from 1970 until 1994 (Chary 2000). Fur seal pups are exposed to these contaminants primarily through suckling and lactation. This transfer of high concentrations of contaminants could threaten the critical early development of fur seal pups (Chary, 2000).
A study on the transfer of organochlorines through the placenta and lactation was done on concentrations of contaminants in the blubber of beluga whales. The female beluga's concentrations decreased as they got older, and the fetuses had about 10 percent higher concentration than its mother did. The males, who have no way to rid themselves of their contaminants, increase their concentrations with age (Chary, 2000).
There are three main types of human exposure to POPs. High-dose acute exposure typically results from accidental fires or explosions involving electrical capacitors, but can also result from high dose food contamination. Mid-level chronic exposure is predominantly due to occupational exposure and, in some cases, to the proximity of environmental storage sites, or high consumption of a POP-contaminated dietary source, such as fish or other marine animals. Chronic, low-dose exposure is characteristic for the general population worldwide as a consequence of the existing global background levels of POPs with variations due to diet, geography, and level of industrial pollution. Low level and population-wide effects are more difficult to study. People are exposed to multiple POPs during their lifetime and most people today carry detectable levels of a number of POPs in their body (UNEP/GPA, 2001).
Health Effects
Certain POPs have the capability to affect enzymes that are involved in the biosynthesis of heme in the blood. This may lead to a disease called porphyria, which may cause seizures and other complications in the neuromuscular system (AMAP, 1997).
Exposure to POPs has also been known to affect vitamin A metabolism. This lack of activity may cause an inclination towards infection and cancer. Another result may be reproductive disorders, skin lesions and disturbance in growth and development (Brouwer et al, 1989).
Specific POPs, mainly chlorinated hydrocarbons, can also negatively impact the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland secretes epinephrine, the "fight or flight" hormone necessary to many organisms' survival. If the creatures no longer had this capability, they would be at an extreme disadvantage in their ability to survive (Kuiken et al, 1993).
POPs related to cancer tend to be greater in regards to the promotion rather than the induction of cancer. Bidleman et al. (1997) state that most POPs are regarded as cancer promoters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared TCDD (2,3,7,8- Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin) the highest testing synthetic carcinogen for potency in 1985. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recently classified the deadly dioxin as a known human carcinogen (WFPHA, 2000).
Many POPs can cause drastic inhibiting affects to the immune system. In some cases, the pollutants have the capability to disrupt the body's ability to produce such helpful entities as antibodies and T-cells, both of which fight against tumors and viruses (Bidleman et al. 1997). Since POPs are immunosuppressive, AIDS and cancer patients who are taking immunosuppressive drugs are severely at risk. Dioxins suppress both the cell-mediated and humoral responses of the immune system, which suggests that these POPs have the capability to adversely affect both innate and acquired immunities. PCBs that enter the body cause infection rate to increase, as exposure to PCBs impairs immune response to infection (WFPHA, 2000).
POPs have the capability to harm the nervous system through several different avenues. Acute exposure to aldrin and dieldrin can create symptoms such as severe seizures, headaches, nausea, anorexia, muscles twitching and psychological illnesses. They are suspected to induce peripheral neuropathy and can result in Parkinson's disease. Exposure to endrin shows similar symptoms, with the addition of possible death. Abnormal balance, reduction in reaction time and verbal recall, and slowing of motor speeds are results of chlordane poisoning. DDT can also cause nausea and headaches, plus irritation of mucous membranes, tremors, and other nervous system abnormalities. The POP heptachlor often causes hyperexcitation of the central nervous system, plus cerebrovascular disease, consequentially leading to death. When exposed to PCBs, fetuses undergo neural and developmental changes, resulting in lower psychomotor scores and reduction in short-term memory and special learning (WFPHA, 2000).
POPs may affect reproductive development through several different avenues. Chemicals such as DDT, specific dioxins and PCBs have the capability to diminish the survival of offspring, decrease fertility and disrupt reproductive function and reproductive cycles (Han & Stone, 2001). If pregnant females are exposed to POPs, then the embryo or fetus mortality rates increase exponentially. Sex hormone levels are abnormal, sperm production is reduced, and total reproductive failure is often imminent (Swain et al, 1992). There has also been evidence that gene expression can be altered, which may indicate that POPs have the ability to detrimentally affect liver function, impede fetal ovarian development, and disrupt carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism (Kushtia, 2001). Dioxins and furans are known to reduce the level of testosterone in males. Fetuses exposed to dioxins through the placenta and babies through breast milk exhibit dysfunctional muscle reflexes and hypothalamic/pituitary/thyroid system failure. Infants similarly exposed to HCBs often will contract arthritis, plus will experience acute illnesses and rashes (WFPHA, 2000).
POPs in Alaskan Natives
Alaskan Aleutian villages are being exposed to extreme POP levels. In the year 2000, villagers of five Aleutian villages took blood tests for POPs. Results of the blood samples showed higher than normal contamination levels (Gofman, 2003). Canadian studies have shown that PCB concentrations in the blood of adult Inuits is roughly seven times higher than in other North American adult populations (Ryan, 2000).
The villagers' exposure is mainly linked to their consumption of subsistence foods (Gofman, 2003). Traditional Alaska Native lifestyles include a diet based on subsistence foods. This diet provides many benefits, such as inexpensive nutrients, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, calories, proteins. Other advantages include protection from diabetes and cardiovascular disease, improved maternal nutrition, neonatal and infant brain development (Middaugh, 2001). Not only are the subsistence foods an important source of nutrition, they are also pivotal to the cultural and spiritual life of the people. Many of the marine mammals they consume are contaminated by the POPs (Chary, 2000). These animals include seals, whales, and birds. All of these animals have copious amounts of fats and organ meats. POPs usually accumulate in fatty tissue and organs, and people in the north tend to eat more of these than people further south. (Gofman, 2003).
Humans are at great risk when exposed to these contaminants. Developing cells are more sensitive to contamination. This makes fetuses, infants, and nursing babies most vulnerable. POPs can reach infants through breast milk and fetuses through the umbilical cord (Ryan, 2000). Sheila Watt-Cloutier, President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference in Canada, stated that, "The breast milk of Inuit women contains concentration of certain POPs, five to ten time higher than that of women in southern Canada." In a study on five villages in the Aleutian Islands, scientists found that PCB concentrations were higher among men than women, which is similar to the patterns found in several marine mammal species (Chary 2000).
Adak Island
A specific island that has various issues with POPs is Adak Island. The approximately 300 indigenous people that inhabit this island rely heavily on the marine environment as their food source rather than standard processed food. Much of the food is POP contaminated, since it is mostly comprised of marine mammals. Also contributing to the copious amounts of POP contamination is the military base. POP stockpiles accumulate there, causing the people of Adak Island to be even more likely to consume POP infected animals (UAA-ISER, 2002).
Proposed Solution
In solving this problem, we will take a prevention and cure outlook. In order to prevent further incidents from occurring, we will arrange to have a new treaty developed. This will keep countries from abusing the POPs that continually harm the environment. Another method of eliminating the harmful toxins from the environment is through alternative methods. These chemicals and methods perform similar functions to POPs, but do not harm organisms. By adjusting and monitoring the diet of Alaskan Natives, POPs will rarely enter their system, and so the effects will be minimal. In order to cure the problem, a research center will be set up. This center will study the effects the natives suffer from the POPs and find ways to treat the symptoms. Currently there are no specific antidotes for any of the twelve major POPs (Stober, 2001). Antidotes need to be developed, and through this research center a way to remedy these harmful toxins may be within grasp.
A way to help discontinue the spread of POPs is to create a treaty banning many of the primary POPs still being used. To create a treaty, preliminary studies need to be performed on the populations of areas afflicted with POPs. Verifications on how the chemical came to the area and its possible origins are vital. With this information, a draft of the treaty can be written. For this purpose, the help of the Arctic Council Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution of the Arctic (ACAP) can be enlisted. After many amendments and negotiations, the treaty can be submitted to the U.S. legislature and the U.N. legislature, so other countries will have the opportunity to agree with the treaty (ABC, 2000).
Countries in agreement with the treaty will sign, signifying that they will try to refrain from actions that defeat the purpose of the treaty. Next, the countries that sign are expected to adjust and adapt to the treaty. After these adjustments have been made, they are allowed to send in a letter to the Secretary-General of the U.N. for ratification. Ratification refers to the legalization of the treaty in the designated country (ABC, 2000).
Currently, there is a treaty calling for a ban of the 12 main POPs: the Stockholm Convention. This convention also recommends using alternative processes and materials in order to prevent the formation of POPs. It specifies household and medical waste as being a major source of POPs (Greenpeace, 2001).
The Stockholm convention was signed by 120 nations in 2001. The treaty is based on the 'precautionary principle,' which implies that taking preventative action when there are people harming the environment, or if there is a concern over the health of the people and wildlife, is necessary. Right now it has been ratified by 11 countries: Canada, Fiji, Germany, Iceland, Lesotho, Liberia, Nauru, Netherlands, Rwanda, Samoa, and Sweden (Greenpeace, 2001).
Many POPs are released due to and from incineration, paper, PVC products, and pesticides. There are alternatives to releasing the POPs involved in the above products and actions, though they may be slightly more costly.
Stockpile incineration should be replaced with clean destruction processes. These processes involve destroying 100% of the chemicals, reprocessing any residue to ensure there's no harmful residue, and insure no uncontrolled chemical releases from the break down process are released into the environment (Greenpeace, 2002).
Alternatives to paper and PVC products are generally simplistic. Paper can be created with the use of oxygen-based bleaches. Often they are made with chlorine-based bleaches, which helps create POPs. PVC is often found in building materials. These can be replaced with materials like concrete, clay, metal, and timber (Greenpeace, 2002).
Pesticide alternatives can vary. The elimination of breeding grounds for insects and the control of an insect's primary food source can help lower insect population. If chemicals are absolutely necessary, different chemicals for the insects may be used. Examples of some animals and their alternative chemical pesticides are termites and carbofuran, chlorpyriphos, and carbaryl. Examples of protection from tick-related diseases are the usage of appropriate clothing, vaccines, and even various plants that repel the tick. There are many opportunities for safe pest control (Wahlström, 2000).
Within the native Alaskan community, the survival of the group is passes down through the generations to ensure to transmission of language and important values. To these people, hunting their own food is a celebration. The work is rigorous, and promotes feelings of self-reliance and self-esteem. In order to maintain their identity, native Alaskans need to be able to conduct their way of life as they have done for hundreds of years (Egeland et al., 1998).
Unfortunately, with the rising levels of POPs in the environment, the natives are finding it difficult to maintain their way of life and remain healthy enough to carry on their traditions. The fat the native Alaskans consume is high in healthy compounds like protein, iron and omega-3 fatty acids–and bad things like toxic chemicals. Therefore, it seems logical to replace the high fat diet of the native Alaskans with a more carbohydrate based diet. However, this can have malevolent unforeseen consequences (O'harra, 2003).
Store-bought foods are drastically higher in processed sugars, saturated fats and sodium than any food that the native Alaskans normally eat. There is an abundance of 'empty calories.' Because these foods are so different, the Natives are highly predisposed to a variety of conditions, including heart disease, obesity and diabetes (Lanier et al., 2000). Because of this, their diet should not be altered from its current position.
Extreme caution needs to be taken when the native Alaskans consume their food. In order to avoid the most drastic affects of the harmful toxins, they need to consider what they eat at what time. Organs such as kidneys and liver of marine animals act as a sink for chemicals. By simply avoiding those organs, a majority of the POPs can be avoided. Arctic animals loose their fat in the winter, and so the POP concentration levels are most high during this time period. By hunting the animals in the fall when the animals are fattest and saving the meat for the winter months, Alaskan natives may successfully avoid a huge danger. Also, pregnant and breast-feeding women should avoid blubber all together. If a woman contains POPs in her body, she will most certainly pass them on to her child through some avenue, may it be umbilical cord or breast milk. If she wishes to keep her child healthy, she will monitor her diet.
The extent of the POP spreading is still unknown. Therefore, testing is the most logical course of action, because if the extent of the problem is not recognized, then a solution cannot fully be developed. Testing would require setting up a research system, agreement with the natives, and correlating solution research.
Permission would need to be received from the various Alaskan tribes on Adak Island. After permission is granted for testing and research then each tribe would have to designate a representative from the island that could be coordinate with.
The initial testing would involve skin punch biopsies. A skin punch biopsy requires first numbing the surrounding tissue with Lydocan. This area should be either the abdomen or buttock. After being numbed, a small core is taken with a coring tool. This core is less than 3mm in diameter. A skin punch biopsy is done over blood work because the punch biopsy contains fat cells, which is where POPs are stored. The doctor taking these punch biopsies would be a doctor from the Alaskan Native Medical Center. The doctors at the medical center have expressed interest in helping pro bono as long as it is only once a year they have to take samples (Stuart, 2003). These skin samples would show the current POP levels in the natives. Although not all the villagers would have to be tested, around 20%, should be tested. This 20% should include different ages, body types, and genders (Buchholz, 2003).
Currently there is no safe limit on POPs. The general opinion is either one has them right now, or there are none within the body. Having any levels in a system is unhealthy. While it is common knowledge that POPs are harmful, a safe level hasn't been established before major problems begin to occur. This would be done either through the testing of lab animals or by monitoring the natives. If the harmful levels can be shown through a generalized rate, then the natives need to remain well below that limit. If a native begins to accumulate detrimental amounts, then careful documentation of the symptoms needs to be maintained.
After skin cell samples are obtained, then a yearly research center needs to be set up at that location for obtaining further samples. The ideal place as stated earlier is Adak island. On this island there is a closed military base. This base was closed in the early 90's as a move by the government to cut costs of the national budget. This facility possesses the size and functionality to house the research center. (Griffin, 2003).
The issue of equipment comes up next. The first major piece you would need is a chemical analysis machine. This would allow the lab there to test a large number of animals to do a large monitoring and testing effort. Although this machine would be quite expensive being around 50,000 dollars, it is more cost effective then sending out $300 sample.(Griffin, 2003)
The next issue is funding. Since this research would involve both humans and the environment, more options are available. The Environmental Protection Agency would need to be contacted to discuss funding or grants. They provide yearly grants to organizations but unfortunately the most their grants reach up to are 200,000 dollars so they couldn't be the sole funding source. So the next funding option is the best. A grant called the Biological Response to Environmental Health Hazards has a budget of 171 million dollars. This grant is also funding projects and research facilities with an emphasis on pollutants. This research center is perfect for what this grant is hoping to fund and helping this grant achieve what it's hoping to study.
Also to maintain research facilities you need a staff. The staff could be broken down into three main categories, marine, dieticians, and medical researchers. First you have the marine researcher who would study the effects of POP's upon the surrounding land and the environments. Next the dieticians would work closely with the natives to determine their current diet and if need be a diet that they could be switched to without causing nutritional harm. Finally the medical researchers would be studying the levels of the POP's and determining if there are health changes and possible solutions to these changes.
Then you have the reporting of the results. Each respective group would report there results. For example the medical researchers could report their finding through the Journal of the American Medical association. Research magazines like these would quickly allow people to be updated on the current research and the current situation. Next if it is proven that POP's are an immediate hazard then the United States government needs to take the results found them and present them to the United Nations. The United Nations would then have more reason to back up there reasons to ban POP's throughout the whole world.
References Cited
American Broadcast Corporation (ABC). 2000. Buhtan: A Country in Change. http://www.abc.net.au/civics/bhutan/ratificationfaq.htm
AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme). 1997. Arctic Pollution Issues: A State of the Arctic Environment Report. Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Oslo.
AMAP (Arctic Monitering and Assessment Programme). 9-10 Oct. 2002 AMAP Progress Report to the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting.
Bacon, C. E., W.M Jarman, J. A. Estes, M. Simon, R. J. Norstrom. 1999. Comparison of Organochlorine Contaminants Among Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Populations in California and Alaska. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18 (3):452-458.
Bidleman, T.F., D.C.G. Muir, F. Wania. 1997. Persistent Organic Pollutants: General Characteristics and Continental Pathways in North America. Draft Interim Report to the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
Brouwer, A., P.J.H. Reijnders, and J.H. Koeman. 1989. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-Contaminated Fish Induces Vitamin A and Thyroid Hormone Deficiency in the Common Seal (Phoca vitulina). Aquatic Toxicology 15:99-106.
Buchholz, Curt, MD. 13 Dec. 2003. Lab Director and Pathologist. 374 West Katmai, Soldotna, AK 99669. 907-262-9032.
Charles, Larry and Graham, Wendy. 5 Dec. 2001. Meeting Summary of the International Subcommittee of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
Chary, Lin Kaatz. 2000. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Alaska: What Does Science Tell Us?. Circumpolar Conservation Union. http://www.circumpolar.org/execsummary.htm
Eckley, Noelle. Sept. 2001 The Science, Policy, and Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants. http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1076/7_43/78177917/p1/article.jhtml?term=
Egeland,G. M., L. A. Feyk, J. P. Middaugh.1998. The Use of Traditional Foods in a Healthy Diet in Alaska: Risks in Perspective. State Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin 2(1):15.
Greenpeace. 2001 The Stockholm Convention. http://www.greenpeace.org.au/toxics/government/stockholm.html
Greenpeace. 2002. Clean Destruction. http://www.greenpeace.org.au/toxics/solutions/clean_destruction.html
Gofman, Victoria. Oct. 2003. Aleut Communities in Charge of Environmental Health Monitoring. Ardendal Polar Environment Times No. 3. http://www.grida.no/environmenttimes/polar/pdf/poltimesp7.pdf
Griffin, Doug. 18 Dec. 2003. University of Washington Technician. 39B Kane Hall. Box 353090, Seattle, WA, 98195-3090.
Han, Siu-Ling and Stone, David. 2001. A Case Study of POP Concentrations in Wildlife and People Relative to Effects Levels. http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/POPs_Inc/proceedings/Iguazu/STONE.html
Kuiken, T., U. Höfle, P.M. Bennett, C.R. Allchin, J.K. Kirkwood, J.R. Baker, E.C. Appleby, C.H. Lockyer, M.J. Walton, and M.C. Sheldrick. 1993. Adrenocortical hyperplasia, Disease and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in the Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Mar. Poll. Bull. 26(8):440-446.
Lanier, A. P., J. J. Kelly, P. Holck, B. Smith, T. McEvoy. 2000. Alaska Native Cancer Update 1985-97. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Native Health Board and Alaska Native Medical Center.
Middaugh, John, MD Editor. 27 Dec. 2001 Section Of Epidemiology Assessment of Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants in 5 Aleutian and Pribilof Villages. Volume No 5.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital. 2002. Toxins Put Arctic Polar Bears and Human at Risk. http://health_info.nmh.org/HealthNews/rueters?NewsStory1002200221.htm
O'harra, Doug. 4 Nov. 2003 Alaska Health Expert: Beluga Whales are Healthy Food Choice.
Onion, Amanda. July. 2003 Rare Bears in Bind Melting Ice and Chemical Contaminants Putting Kings of the Artic at Risk.http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/World/bears030721.html
Paterson, Katie. 2002. POPs – Arctic Invaders. http://www.carleton.ca/catalyst/staging/s5.shtml
Robaire, Bernard. Montreal. 2001. Effects of in Utero Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants on Development and Reproduction.
Ryan, Kristin. Sep. 2000. Contaminants in Alaska. www.state.ak.us/dec/deh/POPs.htm
Stober, J. 2001. Health effects of POPs.
Stuart, Nancy. 17 Dec. 2003. Nurse at the Alaska Native Medical Center. 4315 Diplomacy Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508, 907-729-1758
Swain, W.R., T. Colborn, C. Bason, R. Howarth, L. Lamey, B. Palmer and D. Swackhamer. 1992. Chapter 22: Exposure and Effects of Airborne Contamination for the Great Waters Program Report. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Tesar, Clive. 2000. POPs: What they are; How they are Used; How they are Transported. Canadian Arctic Resources Committee Volume 26, No. 1.
UAA-ISER (University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research. 2002. Demographic & Geographic Sketches of Alaska Natives.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). 22-23 May. 2001. What Are POPs? Stockholm, Sweden.
UNEP/GPA (United Nations Environment Programme – Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities). 7 July. 2001 http://pops.gpa.unep.org
Wahlström, Bo. 2000. Selecting Alternatives to POPs.
WFPHA (World Federation of Public Health Associations). Washington. 2000. Persistent Organic Pollutants and Human Health.
World Resource Institute. 2002. Persistent Organic Pollutants.
This page is HTML
4.01 validated. Last modified
22-Mar-2004. Contact ASG web coordinator.


text:
Peja Stojakovic hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation and Chris Paul scored six of his 39 points in overtime, lifting the New Orleans Hornets to a 114-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
David West scored 25 points and Bobby Brown 18 points for the Hornets, including a 3 and a breakaway dunk in overtime. Emeka Okafor had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Jason Terry had 35 points and Eric Dampier had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Dallas, which snapped its three-game winning streak.
The Mavericks had a 97-94 lead with 10 seconds left, but Jason Terry missed a technical free throw and Jose Barea missed two more foul shots, setting up the dramatic 3 by Stojakovic.


text:
Minor league baseball word problem
A minor league baseball team has 81 games in 1 season. if the team won 14 more than twice as many games as they lost, howmany wins and losses did the team have?
Tutor Answer
Brown University
1271 Tutors
California Institute of Technology
2131 Tutors
Carnegie Mellon University
982 Tutors
Columbia University
1256 Tutors
Dartmouth University
2113 Tutors
Emory University
2279 Tutors
Harvard University
599 Tutors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2319 Tutors
New York University
1645 Tutors
Notre Dam University
1911 Tutors
Oklahoma University
2122 Tutors
Pennsylvania State University
932 Tutors
Princeton University
1211 Tutors
Stanford University
983 Tutors
University of California
1282 Tutors
Oxford University
123 Tutors
Yale University
2325 Tutors


text:
Yes, you CAN go on vacation while on workers' compensation. People are allowed to continue to enjoy their lives as best they can even with an injury.
However, keep in mind, Pursuit magazine,an educational media publisher for professional investigators, says a red flag in a workers' compensation claim gets raised "when an accident occurs immediately before or after a vacation." Red flags consist of particular conditions or behaviors commonly found in fraudulent claims.
This means workers' compensation claimants who decide to go on vacation must follow certain rules. They must stay within their physical limitations. They must not do anything or go anywhere that is restricted by their doctor. They must not miss or cancel any appointments, such as those with a doctor or physical therapist.
Staying within the restrictions requires smart and thorough planning. Even the most relaxing vacations can include some physical exertion. So, for example, if the vacation includes flying in an airplane, be mindful that there may be long airport lines to stand in. If the injury prevents a person from standing for a long time, he or she must be ready to make arrangements to sit down. Claimants with plans to take a vacation should also speak with their doctor and-or physical therapist beforehand. It is not unusual for someone to get a home physical therapy program and do exercises in the hotel room so they don't fall behind on their rehabilitation
Caution: Insurers have been known to do surveillance. If the workers' comp claimant is observed or found doing things that he or she is claiming cannot be done because of the injury, then it can come back to cause that person to lose the benefits. Typically, a vacation will not be a problem as long as the doctor isn't saying the activity is something that cannot be done.
Workers who go on vacation need to be very careful what they post online. Even the appearance of participating in a restricted activity can hurt the workers' comp claim. Employers have been known to view the social networking sites of employees, looking for workers' comp fraud.
Important: let your attorney know your plans. A lawyer can also answer any questions on going on vacation when on workers' compensation.


text:
- Related Games:
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
We're looking forward to Castleavania: Lords of Shadow 2, launching February 25th on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC and this trailer makes it just that much harder to hold out hope for a happy ending in Gabriel's saga. I mean... normally Castlevania games end on a good note. Dracula dead, castle destroyed. You know the drill. But what happens if... you are Dracula?
Check out our hands-on preview from earlier this month for the set up. We're hoping to have more on Lords of Shadow 2 soon, but you can expect Konami to tease out more as we get closer to release.
As you'll see in my preview, Konami and Mercury Steam has changed the engine to enable a fully explorable open world (the first Lords of Shadow consisted of segmented chapters, some longer and some shorter in length) and a player-controlled camera system so you can frame Gabriel as you explore and fight off demons.
These are pretty radical changes for a franchise to make between games, but if done right each address issues the first game had. Read our full Casltevania: Lords of Shadow review and if you're curious about Lords of Shadow 2, you can get the original on Steam. Producer Dave Cox informed us that the PC will probably be the best looking version of Lords of Shadow 2 as Mecury Steam's engine was built for PC first.
I mean, how does this look?


text:
Father: Thomas Downey b: 6 FEB 1831 in , Washington, KY
Mother: Sally Inman b: ABT 1830 in , Marion, KY
RootsWeb.com, Inc. is NOT responsible for the content of the GEDCOMs uploaded through the WorldConnect Program. If you have a problem with a particular entry, please contact the submitter of said entry. You have full control over your GEDCOM. You can change or remove it at any time.


text:
Back in 1983 the Professional Football Association fought a court case on behalf of the player Luther Blissett against 'The Current Bun'. The news paper had alleged that AC Milan had secured a deal with Blissett when in fact they wanted his fellow Watford player John Barnes but the scout could not tell one black player from another. The case was settled out of court but made headlines in Milan. Blissett did not last long in Italy but made a big enough impression for his name to be co opted by the Luther Blissett movement.
Fast forward three decades and we have the case of the PFA awards dinner. This featured the American comedian Reginald D Hunter. A man who uses the N word liberally and does not know much of anything about Football by his own admission. He used his routine to lay into Luis Suarez, Racism in Football, John Terry as well as basically upsetting most of the grandees in attendance. The PFA released an apology in it they managed to clumsily imply that they had confused Reginald D Hunter with Stephen K Amos. "Because they are very alike."
The thing is they are not all that much alike. Hunter is an American who wears his hair in dread locks. He is tall and well build and married. Amos is British by way of Nigeria he wears his hair short and wears glasses he has appeard on Five Live and 'Football Focus' as well as the 'Football League Show' he is also openly gay. Apart from the fact that both men share a skin colour and have a middle initial between two names they are not alike at all.
Of course this is not the first time the PFA have made this sort of cock up. In 1967 they ended up being entertained by Sooty and Sweep when they were expecting 'Steptoe and Son'


text: > Add check function to Control.Monad > > check :: (MonadPlus m) => (a -> Bool) -> a -> m a > check p a > | p a = return a > | otherwise = mzero I agree that such a function is occasionally useful. But I doubt your rationale: > Rationale: [...] > > but check is clearly more generally useful than guard. (guard = flip > (check . const) ()) This is a bit like saying that concatMap is more generally useful than map and concat because: map f = concatMap ((:[]).f) concat = concatMap id Although this is correct, map and concat are smaller pieces that can be easily combined to concatMap: concatMap f = concat . map f So the question is whether check is useful enough to be included as a shortcut for a combination of simpler primitives (as was decided for concatMap). If 'check' is added then I would prefer this definition: check f x = guard (f x) >> return x It emphasises how 'check' is combined from simpler parts. > so we would expect a function > > mfilter = (join .) . liftM . check > > to be useful. Should that also be added? I would not object and prefer this definition: mfilter f m = m >>= check f It seems simpler. Cheers, Sebastian -- Underestimating the novelty of the future is a time-honored tradition. (D.G.)


text:
Hello Backpackers
Real Reviews
Real reviews from fellow travellers
These are trusted reviews from guests who have actually stayed here. We hope you find them helpful.
Note: we only give a property a rating once it has received a minimum of 3 reviews.
- Page:1/1
- " great value for the place! very clean room and hospitable host for the evening when we arrived "
- 05 Nov 2013 Anonymous Taiwan


text:
FC Porto release statement confirming that they've sold Fernando to Manchester City for €15million
FC Porto have this evening confirmed that they've completed the sale of midfielder Fernando to Manchester City for €15million.
In a rather old fashioned move (no Twitter or Facebook announcement), the Portuguese club released a brief, essentially legal statement (below), confirming the details of the transaction.
Porto were merely adhering to market norms here, to inform the Stock Exchange of the transfer, though it's odd they haven't backed it up as yet on social media.
In archaic legal language, Porto confirmed:
'FC Porto, by the terms of the Code of Commercial Values, inform the market that its arrived at an agreement with Manchester City for the definitive ceding of right of sporting registration of the professional footballer Fernando Reges, for the value of 15 million euros.'
Right. So they've sold Fernando to Man City then!
Over to City to announce the news with considerably more pomp and glamour.


text:
"I love leeks, and leek soup, and wanted to introduce my Significant Other to the dish. But he is definitely a meat and potatoes sort of guy, so I compiled this version of the dish for him. Remove the bacon and use veggie oil for a great vegetarian meal. Also tastes great with a dollop of soy sour cream substitute. It's dairy free for my milk allergy, but I'm sure regular milk products work just fine."
Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup
0 recipe photos
READY IN:1hr 30mins
Ingredients Nutrition
- 6 cups diced potatoes (Yukon gold, Sweet white, or Red New Potatoes work best)
- 2 large leeks (or 3 medium)
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup soy cream
- 1 (12 ounce) package bacon
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt, and
- white pepper (to taste)
- Please note that the bacon and leeks should be cooked at the same time that the broth and potatoes are being prepared.
- Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a 4 quart pot.
- Add diced potatoes and cover the pot.
- Allow to simmer until tender.
- Chop the bacon into 1/2 inch chunks and cook in a large pan.
- Slice the leeks thinly, using only the bulb and the lighter green parts of the leaves.
- Once the bacon is crispy, remove the bacon pieces, leaving the grease. Set bacon aside.
- Sauté the leeks in the bacon grease until the darkest slices yield slightly to a spoon or spatula.
- Cover and allow to steam for 2-3 minutes until the dark slices cut easily with the edge of your stirring utensil.
- Add the cooked leeks to your potatoes.
- Using a hand blender or food processor, blend the potatoes and the leeks, slowly adding the soy cream and the spices.
- Gently fold in bacon pieces.
- Serve hot, or chill for a great summer cool down.
get the genius kitchen app.
Watch on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Roku, or Fire TV.Learn More


text:
Pool Automation Removes the Responsibility
See if We Have Top-Rated
Swimming Pool Contractors in Your Area
The most time-consuming and expensive problem of any pool or spa is its daily maintenance. It requires a lot of attention in terms of sanitation, cleanliness, temperature control, and chemical balance. Plus, you have to keep a constant eye on it all year round so that it is ready to use at a moment's notice. But isn't this giant investment supposed to be fun and enjoyable? You didn't buy it in order to add another thing to your to-do list. Therefore, you may want to consider the latest in pool automation technology. These modern innovations can remove the daily task and toil it takes to maintain a pool or spa. And since these modernized devices run on a continuous program, they are also more energy-efficient, which can lead to some significant savings.
The most stressful part about owning a pool is its constant upkeep. The chore that takes up a large chunk of time is sustaining a proper chemical balance, especially when it comes to chlorine. You have to carefully measure chlorine and systematically add it to the water. It's easy to forget about and it's even easier to add the wrong amount, thereby over-chlorinating the water (causing irritation) or under-estimating the measurement (creating unsanitary conditions). So why not buy smaller pool automation equipment in order to protect the larger investment? A salt chlorine generator is a great invention to look into. It automatically adds chlorine to the water at the right times and at the appropriate levels so you no longer have to think about it. You still have to set up and operate the equipment, and you have to remember to add chlorine to it occasionally, but this installation is a quick fix that takes the headache out of daily maintenance.
Tired of doing the work yourself? Use this link for professionalPool Maintenance
Total Self-Control
Though chemical balance is a tedious chore, a pool is a system where several parts work independent of one another. However, they're all dependent on you to maintain their daily operation. But what if you didn't have to? Here are some ways to turn over responsibility to the pool itself, thereby giving yourself some independence of your own.
Self-Regulating: Temperature control is a big hassle: you always want to maintain a steady heat level so the pool or spa can be used at any time of day, at any time of the year. But instead of throwing thermometers in the water and constantly adjusting the heat pumps, install a hardwired thermostat in the house. These touch-screen pads make it easy to maintain a constant water temperature without the work. You can even buy a remote control or a wireless table-top thermostat to make it even more convenient.
Self-Cleaning: Cleaning has to be done on a daily basis. But instead of doing it manually with nets and brushes, invest in an automatic cleaner. These roving robots can get the job done on their own as they randomly (and thoroughly) clean the bottom of the tank. Or buy an in-floor cleaning system that can get the job done even faster.
Self-Cycling: Heat pumps and filters help clean, maintain temperatures, protect against freezing, and sustain water levels. So why not control this with the touch of a button? You can set a timer so the equipment works longer on the weekends during the summer and less on weekdays during the winter. Or, instead of fueling these parts with your own electricity, why not let the sun do the work for you with a solar-powered system?
Other Bells and Whistles
Of course, maintenance isn't the only form of pool automation. There are also timers for the lights, alarms to tell you when something needs to be accomplished, and controls for jets to turn on and off when desired. Buy an automatic retractable pool cover to help protect, clean, and conserve the heat in the water. You can even invest in self-testing devices: these gadgets monitor all the equipment, give diagnostics of any problems it may be having, and troubleshoots with some suggested solutions.
Pool Automation Professionals
Of course, it's best to always consult a professional before investing in any expensive equipment. And most of these installments aren't cheap, ranging into thousands of dollars depending on the model. But you already spent so much just to get the pool, why not make it easy and efficient to maintain. This also means that you shouldn't cut corners when it comes to professional advice and installment. Experts can see what you really need and what you don't. They can also tell you what type and size of equipment will work best with your pool. Getting the wrong device in the wrong size with an improper installation is not only dangerous and damaging; it also renders the convenience you desired absolutely useless by generating even more problems.
More Tips & Advice For Your Home
- Related Articles
- Recent Articles


text:
Jim Shore Christmas Statue Snowman with Lantern 4014288
Sold for:
Start Free Trial
or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Sold Date:
- Source: eBay
Jim Shore Christmas Statue Snowman with LanternItem # 4014288 - 25 inches tall - stone resin - colors may vary This standing floor statue's lantern lights up with an LED flicker light. With his corn cob pipe, quilt patterned top, scarf and top hat, this statue makes a lovely addition to your festive holiday decor. Suggested Retail: $250.00 Master sculptor and painter Jim Shore draws on his southern country upbringing to create wonderfully detailed collections in a variety of media. Brightly crafted, down to earth, every charming piece has heart warming appeal. With his diverse background and experience in engineering, silver and goldsmithing, stained glass making, and stone and wood carving, Jim Shore has become an accomplished artist. He has created portraits for the governments of both North and South Carolina, and is the creator of the popular pencil Santa line he changed the look of Santa in the early 1990s. Jim Shore - 2004 Artist of the Year NALED National Association of Limited Edition Dealers. Self taught artist Jim Shore uses his knowledge of folk art to create a new expression of American country decor. His eye for detail and strong design sense are given shape in the Heartwood Creek collection. Jim Shore's folksy Heartwood Creek line includes a blizzard of well-dressed snowmen ... read more


text: backAvon grant will help students engage in healthy relationships5.20.2011 Thanks to a grant award from cosmetics company Avon, an Illinois College student group will offer programs to encourage Illinois College students to engage in healthy relationships. The grant money will also train students to serve as health educators to their peers.Illinois College Peer Health Educators received a $9,750 grant from Avon's beauty and fashion boutique, mark., as part of its m.powerment by mark. Healthy Relationship Peer Educator Program. The effort is managed by the Avon Foundation for Women through its Speak Out Against Domestic Violence initiative. The grant will fund the Peer Health Education program at Illinois College to promote healthy dating relationships among college-age women and men. This is the first year Illinois College has received funding from the m.powerment program.The Illinois College Peer Health Educators will provide preventive education on dating abuse and violence, sexual assault and the promotion of healthy relationships, as well as offer local resources and provide referrals for community-based domestic violence experts. The grant also supports peer educator training, materials and support sessions about healthy relationships. "We are proud that the Avon Foundation for Women and m.powerment by mark. share our mission and have chosen to support our program," said Malinda Carlson, vice president for student affairs/dean of the students. She continued, "The main goal of this grant is to certify additional students as peer health educators. This funding will help us promote our Rape Aggression Defense course, which is open to students and the public. The Illinois College Chesley Health and Wellness Center staff, along with the peer health educators, will use funds to develop tee shirts, posters, calendars and other materials that encourage healthy relationships and prevention of sexual assault and dating violence."The grant is one of 23 m.powerment by mark. Healthy Relationship Peer Educator Program grants totaling nearly $220,000 awarded to colleges nationwide to fund a network of dating peer educators on college campuses. About Illinois CollegeFounded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college fostering academic excellence rooted in opportunities for experiential learning while preparing students for lifelong success. The college is located in Jacksonville, Ill. With an enrollment of about 1,000 students, the college offers over 50 undergraduate programs and a Master of Arts in Education degree program. In 1932 the society of Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at Illinois College, and it remains one of only 11 in the state.Illinois College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.Visit www.ic.edu or call 217-245-3467 for more information.Media Contact InformationOffice of Marketing and CommunicationsAmy RourkeWriter and Public Relations Manager217.245.3419back


text:
India's Gift to South Korea
On March 19th, the Asia Society Korea Center was delighted to take a part at a national ceremony in which India gifted a sapling of the revered Bodhi Tree to South Korea as a powerful symbol of the friendship between the two countries. Yvonne Kim, the Korea Center's Executive Director, attended the event at the Korea National Arboretum.
The sapling of the holy Bodhi Tree was carried from Bodh Gaya town in India by representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Korea Forest Service earlier this month and arrived in Korea on March 7th. During the presentation ceremony, H.E. Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, delivered a congratulatory message from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
This gift is a special gesture following a visit to India by South Korean President Park Geun-hye in January this year, in which the two countries pledged friendship and goodwill to each other. Indian Ambassador in Seoul H.E. Vishnu Prakash, H.E. Shin Won-Sop, Minister of the Korea Forest Service and H.E. Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, were also present at the ceremony.