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QB MIN (9) 5 years ago
Sam Bradford completed 26-of-39 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns in St. Louis' 24-24, Week 10 tie with the 49ers.
Yes, a tie. It's the NFL's first since 2008. Both teams had multiple chances to take control of the game in the fourth quarter and overtime, but penalties and miscues were the law of the land in one of the worst-played games you'll ever see. Both teams missed critical field goals, while the Rams took a number of mind-bogglingly amateur penalties and the 49ers dialed up a host of questionable play-calls. The officials (and coaches) played their part with inept clock management. As for Bradford, he hung his pass catchers out to dry multiple times, but as expected, looked like a different quarterback with No. 1 receiver Danny Amendola back in the fold. If Amendola can stay healthy, Bradford will be a much steadier QB2.


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Don't miss your chance to see Opeth in Clifton Park! Check out the schedule below for the concert date of your choice, then buy your Opeth Clifton Park tickets before they sell out!
Looking for Opeth tickets in other cities? View all Opeth tickets »
Sorry! We couldn't find any events for Opeth in Clifton Park.
If you were searching to see if Opeth is coming to Clifton Park, then you're in luck! For their latest tour, Opeth will indeed hold a concert in Clifton Park. Have an awesome concert experience when you go to see Opeth in Clifton Park. Get your Opeth tickets Clifton Park and join fellow fans for a concert to remember!


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Five years ago today, the NCUA seized three corporates and took its final steps to resolve the corporate crisis.
Lax management plus bad investments equaled a $141 million loss for a conserved and now-merged Southwest Corporate.
Georgia Corporate board gives final approval; newly merged corporate opens Sept. 6.
Georgia Corporate board vote schedule on Wednesday; final step needed before Sept. 6 opening.
Two more votes this week on proposed merger of Georgia and Southwest Bridge corporates.
Georgia Corporate CEO reports progress as corporates move toward Sept. 6 consolidation date.
NCUA Inspector General quietly reports corporate losses, says others expected to be "much higher still."


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Re: 2001 news update for Six Flags AstroWorld
> 2. TEXAS CYCLONE will be
They just did a refurb on the existing trains this year instead of getting new ones. Maybe they left it off for next season.
> BATMAN THE ESCAPE's trains will be replaced,
Great. B:TE looks really bad now with its paint falling off.
> 7. The
Excellent. The current restraints are extremely uncomfortable when it begins crushing my shoulders.
> 11. the BIG KAHUNA water
Why are they removing this? Its one of the best rides at the park.


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Comment of the week!
Another week, another chock full o' funny comments review; even in a week with some more serious posts. Nice work!
The out-of-context, Honorable Mention
from the Archives goes to our own Will:
It's not a monkey …
The COTW goes to frogmistress, for her unexpected response to Bug's Unexpected Googles AI:
During a discussion with my husband about how long Jesus lasts as a cracker, I had the occasion to search 'transubstantiation poop'.
Fortunately, the results were not as I had feared they would be.
Thanks to Skepchick alum Jill Powell for the sweet COTW art!
Remember to nominate your favorite comments by replying with a "COTW". I hope you have a august weekend!
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text: Bulat Ziganshin <bulat.ziganshin at gmail.com> wrote: > Hello Achim, > > Saturday, December 29, 2007, 8:40:05 PM, you wrote: > >> Interesting... So you're claiming that humans have powers of > >> deduction beyond what computers possess? ;-) > >> > > They would be programming us if otherwise, wouldn't they? > > oh, well. God created humans, humans created computers. God has > created our programs (psychics), we does the same for computers > If you find the one who brought the topic to god, shoot him. At least if HE isn't just the universe. The main difference is whether something can program itself, which puts computers right next to a mechanical clock and the universe possibly to a massively concurrent mega-machine, with many, many, many threads, but I'm guessing there. > but what's a programming? without me, computer will never print "hello > world". but without him, i will never write this letter - only its > ability to easily transfer mail between continents forced me to do it > Encoding behaviour information in a way that gets executed by an entity. That enough? > next. can you compile this "hello world" program down to assembler? > Yes. Definitely. At least if you don't make me abandon the kernel and talk to the hardware itself and would remember what int20 function write was. Try writing a program that makes me say "hello world" as many times as you press my nose. > humans often says about things that they can do but computer can't but > they forget that computers was created exactly to do things that we > can't. billion of computations per second is beyond our abilities > Nope, they aren't. Try teaching a computer to catch a ball, you'll be surprised how many numbers you can crunch. > don't take into account that human by itself, at the moment of birth > doesn't know anything about mathematics and even can't speak - he is > programmed by society to acquire these skills > Kind of, no. The programming to learn to survive in its surroundings and to reproduce is in the genes. > so, computers are definitely more advanced devices - they was created > to. we (humanity) just don't yet finished development of the program > which at some moment will make them able to further develop itself > without our help. if you believe that human is superior to computer > you should also believe that bacterium is superior to human > I think we are superior to bacteria, yes, although you might argue that amoeba are practically immortal, and, as cockroaches, survived for a far longer time with nearly no change in their genes. It's a bit like with kids: As long as you don't want them to be independent and reward them for it, they won't be. Unlike kids, though, computers don't have the possibility to look at the next computer and compute something along the lines of "hey, I like his mmap much more than my implementation, I'm not obeying my programmer any more." It's really comparing touring machines to mere evolutionary reprogrammed meta-programming neural nets featuring a few magnitudes more synapses than there are atoms in the universe, that is. Apples and bananas might work in a fruit salad, but... humans have a tendency to believe everything they don't understand is superior, dumb or nuts, even if it's themselves. -- (c) this sig last receiving data processing entity. Inspect headers for past copyright information. All rights reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, renting, public performance and/or broadcasting of this signature prohibited.


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The construction of an open-pit base metals mine near the shores of Lake Superior could be three years away at the earliest, said the Montana mining company that is developing it.
"It is unlikely we will do anything on this in the very near term," Mick McMullen, president and CEO of Stillwater Mining Company, told industry analysts in a Jan. 21 conference call on its Marathon PGM (platinum group metals) project. The Billings-based miner said Marathon is undergoing a strategic review as the company laid out a 2014 strategy that's focussed on investing in proven assets that make money for shareholders.
If Marathon meets certain financial hurdles, McMullen said the best case scenario is that construction could begin "within the next three years," subject to the issuance of permits.
Stillwater is simultaneously working through a feasibility study and an extensive federal-provincial environmental review of the project, 10 kilometres north of the town of Marathon.
With an 11.5-year mine life, the operation could potentially bring 400 construction jobs over an 18-24 month period followed by 350 mining jobs to a town of 4,000 that's still recovering from the closure of its pulp mill in 2009.
Although platinum prices are on a tear and Stillwater is flush with cash – (US) $464 million in the bank – the company is out to boost base metal production at its Montana mines and rein in spending on assets that don't generate a strong payback to shareholders.
"We're challenging all of our costs," said McMullen. "We're significantly reducing our costs that don't directly impact our production of profitable PGM ounces."
Stillwater is limiting spending at Marathon to between $5 million and $10 million this year once the feasibility study and permitting work is done.
McMullen said further capital will only be earmarked once the "project demonstrates suitable financial returns."
"We are ranking all of our development… opportunities and each of those development opportunities must compete with each other for capital, and we will only commit capital if it generates a suitable return for shareholders."
Stillwater mines and refines platinum group metals at its core operations in south-central Montana. Marathon is one of its more advanced projects in the pipeline having acquired it from Marathon PGM Corp. in 2010. Stillwater later brought in Japan's Mitsubishi as a 25 per cent partner.
McMullen told analysts the community of Marathon would like to see the mine built faster, but that doesn't factor into the "fairly long" permitting process.
With a total proven and provable mineral reserve of more than 91 million tonnes, the mine plan calls for a primary pit and satellite pits that will feed a 22,000-tonneper- day mill.
Site construction would include building a 115-kV transmission line, a mine services complex with explosives storage, a fuel farm, a heavy equipment shop, a concrete plant and an assay lab. Stillwater would draw on a local workforce, but also recruit outside workers and house them in a proposed apartment complex in town with accommodations for 250.
McMullen said an updated mineral resource will be available once the feasibility study is done, likely within six months. He added previous information released by the company indicates there's been a "material reduction in grade from what had been assumed."
A public hearing on the mine permitting process was supposed to begin in mid-February under a special joint panel review which is part of the federal and provincial governments' environmental assessment process.
But in late January, Stillwater requested that the hearings be suspended "until further notice."
"We have been working closely with our partner, Mitsubishi Corporation, to complete an updated Marathon project feasibility study," said McMullen, in a news release.
"The study is not yet complete but the project team has identified several areas for further evaluation of operational and processing approaches and optimization options. As a result we have concluded, due to the potential for material changes to the project, it is in the best interest of all stakeholders for the feasibility study to be completed prior to the investment of further time and resources needed to facilitate the environmental assessment process."
McMullen said the Marathon project fits within the company's overall strategy; "however, resuming the permitting process will depend on the results of the completed technical review and the degree of any potential scope changes."


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Inside Eventbrite: People Seem Way Too Happy To Work Here
Boonsri Dickinson, Business Insider
We stopped by Eventbrite's headquarters to find out what it's like to work there.
It was one of the happiest places we've ever seen.
The company started with this mission: "To make events as easy to create, find, and attend as possible." The online ticketing startup is now expanding its tool kit, and moving into QR codes and laser scanners. More on that later.
Now they're in the middle of a big global expansion, making the Eventbrite experience more authentic in other parts of the world. A lot of the English-speaking countries are taken care of, but next up are France, French-speaking Canada, and Spain.
But its global office is right here in San Francisco.
Click here to see photos of Eventbrite's office → »
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Fighting AIDS togetherPeter Piot *
The world's children are benefiting from several decades of unprecedented health progress. Child-killing diseases are succumbing to vaccination campaigns and low-cost remedies, reducing death rates and improving the quality of young lives. But in about 30 developing countries, HIV/AIDS is threatening and even reversing these strides. Meanwhile, in the industrialized countries, AIDS is starting to be called a manageable disease, as costly miracle drugs seemingly pull its victims back from the brink of death. Now the fight against AIDS faces new dangers: complacency in the industrialized countries and divisiveness between them and the developing nations.
In the early days of my involvement in the global effort against AIDS, I visited the womens medical unit of the giant Mama Yemo Hospital in Kinshasa. There, women in their late teens and early twenties, many of whom had supported themselves as sex workers, were wasting away from AIDS-related infections. As I passed bed after bed of young women resigned to death, I realized that similar scenes were playing out in clinics all over sub- Saharan Africa. I wondered how we could ever hope to gain any ground against AIDS in developing countries with primitive medical tools and scattershot, underfunded prevention programmes. And I wondered what the explosion of AIDS cases would do to all the hard-won gains in child survival and development.
That was 14 years ago, and the world community has since woken up to the crisis and begun to mount a credible response. But I still hold onto that mental image from Mama Yemo Hospital and I still hold many of the same concerns: Despite expenditures of about $18 billion a year (as of 1993), despite emerging miracle drugs, despite the talk of AIDS as a manageable disease, not enough has changed in those countries that are home to 90 per cent of the epidemic, and there are growing indications of division between those countries and the wealthier ones where people with AIDS are far fewer and resources far greater.
Every day, 1,000 children around the world die from AIDS. In 1996 alone, the disease took the lives of 1.5 million people. About 90 per cent of the 23 million people currently infected with HIV live in developing countries. Experts estimate that 30 million to 40 million people will be HIV-positive by the year 2000, about the same number as the entire population of Argentina or Spain.
In about 30 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS is stalling and even reversing the best efforts to improve the health of children and adults, women and men, the poor and the rich. And only 8 per cent (approximately $1.5 billion) of the $18 billion a year is being spent on prevention, care and research in the developing countries.
Even more ominous is the fact that the majority of newly infected adults are under 25 years old, with all too obvious implications for the future. Women, mostly in their childbearing years, now account for nearly half of new infections.
And the worst may be yet to come. According to some forecasts, rates of infection will not peak until the year 2010 in 19 of the hardest-hit countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. While the deaths attributable to AIDS represent a small percentage of total deaths, they are enough to reverse some improvements in life expectancy. Fifteen sub-Saharan African countries may experience a decline of up to 11 years of life expectancy by the year 2000 compared to projections of deaths without AIDS.
Still to face the brunt of the epidemic is Asia, home to over half the worlds population. Despite the fact that AIDS has only recently begun to take hold in the region, the number of new infections each day is already comparable to the number in sub-Saharan Africa. Unless major advances are made in preventing and treating the disease, projections are grim for high-population countries like India, where clinic data show that HIV is beginning to work its way into the middle class.
And it is not just those who become infected who suffer. AIDS is a disease with strong ripple effects, primarily because it strikes so relentlessly at people in the prime of life. When a mother becomes debilitated by AIDS-related illness, often the first thing to happen is that her childrens care suffers. Those children may miss vaccinations, eat fewer and less nutritious meals, suffer more bouts of illness. Then a child (or more than one) is likely to be pulled out of school to work in the market, cultivate the family plot or care for the baby.
When the mother dies, she may follow several other extended family members
to the grave, so the likelihood of an aunt or uncle being able to take
in her newly orphaned children is slim. In regions that formerly were noted
for the unbreakable links of extended family networks, we now have the
shocking reality of households headed by aged grand-parents or children12-year-olds
responsible for providing food and shelter for a family of even younger


text:
Deathfire - Kickstarter Updates #20 & 21
Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore has a few more kickstarter updates in the last day again. You guys should know the drill by now details, and links are below.
Update #20 - "We passed 3,500 backers and offer a new Goal"
The Classless Character is here
Yesterday we managed to pass the 3,500 backer hurdle, which means that we will include a Classless Character Type to the game. As pointed out before, this character class will have the advantage of being a jack-of-all-trades, but he will also have some limitations. Surely, though, it will be a fun class to explore.
With this goal behind us, we have decided to set up a new goal, and I am sure you will like this—a lot! When we reach 4,500 backers, we will add the Nethermancer as a playable class to the game. However, the class will not be available to players straight away. Instead, it will be unlocked once you completed the game, giving you the opportunity to replay the game with this unique character class, which will, of course, offer a number of its own plot variations as you do so.
Update #21- "Greenlit in 20 Days"
Greenlit in only 20 days!
As you might have heard by now, "Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore" has been greenlit on Steam this morning. Amazingly, it took only 20 days to get there, and in the graphs we could see that the game was way ahead of the average curve, just plowing up the charts into the Top 100.
Being greenlit means that we now have a slot in the Steam catalog and we could sell the game on Steam any time we wanted to. Great news! There's just one hitch… we don't have a game yet, and as we are going into the final hours of this Kickstarter, hopefully the round of newly greenlit games will attract more players to give our campaign a look. We could certainly use a flock of new backers, couldn't we? So let's keep our collective fingers crossed and keep trying to get the message out.
Another video for you
Today I also have a new video clip for you. This is an early animation test of two dragons in front of the Apocryphic Temple. It is still rough around the edges and not properly timed, which is also the reason why it doesn't have sound, but I wanted to let you guys see this clip before the Kickstarter ends, just to show you once more the scope of the game.
Information aboutDeathfire
SP/MP: Single-player
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Release: Canceled


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November 21, 2017
This block component was imported and needs to be changed
Plan, train, and tune. Choose implementation and consultation options created just for your business—large or small, new customer or longtime partner.
New Small and Medium-Sized Customers
Contracts for all small and medium-sized customers include two service options: Implementation and rules tuning.
This is an eight-hour engagement where a ThreatMetrix™ services engineer is assigned to work with the customer's development team to insure an accurate and timely integration. ThreatMetrix will consult with the customer's developers to help them understand the ThreatMetrix API and format, and meaning of returned values.
Key milestones include:
- Kick-off meeting with the development team
- Identify key data elements customers can pass in session-query calls
- Inspect integration in customer's test environment (or via an alternative method if requested by the customer)
- Review integration in customer's production environment to insure a good deployment by looking at key metrics (% device id, % flash_guid, etc.)
Rules Training
This is an eight-hour engagement with the customer business owner combining ThreatMetrix product training with basic rules customization. Rules customization is limited to modifying weights and changing thresholds of default rules. Some not applicable or redundant rules may also be disabled during the tuning exercise.
Key milestones include:
- Web meeting to review the customer's fraud issues, portal, data warehouse and rules
- Document recommending rules changes sent to the customer
- Recommended rules changes implemented (ideally during a web meeting along with the business owner)
New large customers or customers that have an application that is outside of the ThreatMetrix standard uses will require a custom engagement.
Key milestones include:
- Definition of integration points between ThreatMetrix and the customer's website/application
- Definition of key rules applicable to the customer based on their particular fraud scenarios and application
- Implementation of solution and rules
Key Account Management
Large accounts will need ongoing status calls at a weekly or monthly interval. These status calls will help identify any impediments to deployment and help insure that customers are realizing the maximum value from their ThreatMetrix solution.


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01/08/2013 - Almost half of our nation's Veterans are over 65.
VA is working to meet their needs by providing information for Veterans and caregivers about long term care services and settings. We are also providing decision aids that help with making plans for long term care now and in the future.
All of this information is available online in the Guide to Long Term Care, which provides descriptions of Home and Community Based Services as well as Nursing Homes and Residential Setting options.
Using home and community based services allows Veterans to remain independent and in their own homes. Some Veterans may be able to receive more than one service at a time. And, some of the services are available in residential care settings.
Home and community based services include: read more>>>


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Graduate Admissions & Audition Info
Graduate Audition Requirements
Master of Music in Music Education
The Master of Music in Music Education prepares students for higher levels of education and provides the academic qualifications required for Professional Teaching Certification in New York State. Final project options include thesis, performance recital or composition/arrangement.
This degree requires successful completion of either 30 or 36 semester hours of coursework. The 30-hour track requires a final project. The 36-hour track is available to practicing teachers and does not require a final project. Both tracks require comprehensive final examinations. Coursework is divided between music education, theory/history and elective courses.
Admission Requirements:
- Bachelor of Music in Music Education
- Audition (Required for students choosing the performance recital as their final project. Please note special audition requirements for your instrument/voice.)
Master of Music in Performance
The Master of Music in Performance (possible tracks: Orchestral Instruments, Conducting, Piano, Collaborative Piano or Voice) requires at minimum successful completion of 30 semester hours of coursework (Orchestral Instruments, Conducting & Piano tracks) or 34 semester hours of coursework (voice track), which is divided between performance training, theory/history and elective courses. A comprehensive oral examination and performance culminate the program.
The Master of Music in Performance - Collaborative Piano Track is an intensive program for pianists interested in developing an expertise in the vocal and instrumental collaborative repertoire. The program's 38 hours of coursework includes courses in lyric diction, song literature, opera coaching, and instrumental chamber music as well as history and theory. The degree culminates in a recital and comprehensive oral exam.
Admission Requirements:
- Bachelor of Music
- Audition (Please note special audition requirements)
Master of Music in Theory/Composition
The Master of Music in Theory/Composition requires a concentration in either theory or composition. This degree requires successful completion of 30 hours of coursework, which is divided between theory or composition courses, as well as history and studio instruction and electives. A thesis (theory project or composition) and comprehensive oral examination are required.
Admission Requirements:
- Bachelor of Music with appropriate concentration in theory or composition
- Review of undergraduate analytical or compositional achievement
- On-campus Interview
Master of Music in Music Therapy
The Master of Music Therapy program requires completion of 48 credit hours of graduate-level courses. This includes the core music graduate curriculum, core music therapy courses and mental health courses (Psychopathology and Developmental Psychology). The program is designed with the needs of full-time working music therapists in mind and may be pursued on a part-time basis. View the curriculum checklist >>
Visit Graduate Studies at Fredonia for more information and to apply online.


text: Munro Stars in Round 2 By Ed Temperley on 30th September 2010 1 of 5 LUKE Munro (pictured) snagged a near perfect 9.77 barrel to defeat Andy Irons as round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France completed in solid Hossegor peaks. The event really needed to get round 2 dusted, allowing the comp to finish before the whole of SW France gets a washing down at the end of the holding period. As forecast onshore conditions in the morning characterised another day of changes at the office for the Quik Pro France pushing back the start time. Event director Rod Brooks eventually decided to move the contest site back to Culs Nuls (it had moved north for King of the Groms) and it all kicked off at 3pm local time. Everything out here changes so quickly with the tide shifting from bank to bank. You start your three hour surf on a right like Bells, go through a peaky barrel-snatching period and end up surfing a raging shoredump. Today was pretty much a similar story after waiting for the winds to die back, which they duly did. Initially there was a bombing barrel session which turned into a lumpy rail-to-rail fest before ending in an evening of glass-off barrels and committed late floats and drops. "I felt pretty comfortable out there from get go," said Luke Munro the dasher of Andy Irons' dreams after they both scored 9 pointers. "It's sort of like home at Straddy (Stradbroke Island) so my plan was to go out and get a lot of waves. I think (on my 9.77) I probably could have hung in there a second longer, but I wanted to make sure I could get out too." Munro will take on reigning ASP World Champion and defending event champion Mick Fanning next up in round 3, a task he cannot be too confident about despite taking out Irons. © ASP/Cestari Commitment was the name of the game with the judges responding well to late completed manoeuvres. To wit Kieren Perrow can testify during his board-creasing win over Luke Stedman -- who in turn can probably be a bit miffed with his highest wave (under)score but not enough to mourn the win. © ASP/Kirstin Jadson Andre boosted his way to victory during round 2. Sharp intakes of surprise were heard echoing off the dunes as he landed a tweaked-up reverse. Surprised because he went left and everyone else had been going right. © ASP/Kirstin Forecast wise it's looking changeable: the first day of competition went down in epic but shifty conditions before round 2 spluttered and died on day three. Days four and five were small but perfect with high performance surfing the go for the groms with the comp site shifted north for the better sand. Everyone else was surfing the magic banks even further north and having had the choice to run during this period the decision was made by the event and the surfers to run in solid but potentially less perfect waves today (Thurs) and beyond. Tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday look the pick of the bunch with winds due to stay predominantly south/south east in the mornings with shifting winds through the midday period. A deep low pressure in the North Atlantic is sending pulses of swell down from the NW, sizeable surf is not an issue. The problem lies in the Continent's usually dependable high pressure retreating right out into the Mid Atlantic and allowing low pressure to form in the Bay of Biscay. It's a simple tug of war and right now with the ensemble forecasts showing broad agreement about tomorrow and Saturday with strong winds pushing in during the latter days of the holding period. This is however subject to a possible rapid deterioration if the high pressure retreats any quicker than currently forecast. Round four is looking interesting where surfers will have nothing to lose but their heads if conditions pan out. © ASP/Cestari QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS: Heat 1:Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS) Heat 2:Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA) Heat 3:Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA) Heat 4:Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) Heat 5:Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS) Heat 6:Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS) Heat 7:Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Gabe Kling (USA) Heat 8:Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA) Heat 9:Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS) Heat 10:C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS) Heat 11:Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS) Heat 12:Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Luke Munro (AUS) Catch up with all today's heats HERE. © ASP/Kirstin Locations France Hossegor (La Graviere) Ed Temperley MSW editor. Instagram @edtemperley


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The Wives of Hemingway: Interview with Director Zoe Pepper
Posted by Morgan Leek, April 26th, 2012
Perth Director Zoe Pepper is currently in creative lock down developing Side Pony Productions new work The Wives of Hemingway. Along with fellow raconteurs Tim Watts (Alvin Sputnik), Adriane Daff (The Pride) and Eden Falk (POST) the Side Pony team will be holding a public rehearsal of this exciting new work on Saturday 28 April at the Midland Arts Junction.
Performing Lines WA recently had a chat with Zoe to find out more.
Words: Tom Cramond (TC) and Zoe Pepper (ZP)
Images: David Collins, Sarah Rowbottam and Adriene Daff
TC. We are very exciting to be working with you on the first stage development of The Wives of Hemingway. Can you give me a brief rundown of your thoughts behind this new work?
ZP. At the outset we wanted to make a play about some of Ernest Hemingway's dramatic marriages that ended rather spectacularly.
TC. Ernest Hemingway is somewhat of a polarising character in popular literature, as to is his personal life. Have you always been attracted to his work? And what sort of research has gone into its creation so far?
ZP. Hemingway is pretty new for me. It was a little overwhelming the amount of reading that could be done in preparation for this project. I waded through a fair old chunk of it but things are getting pretty abstracted in the rehearsal room.
TC. I absolutely adore the promotional images taken by David Collins. What were the inspirations behind the images and how did they come about?
ZP. I wanted the promo images to capture the overt theatricality of the show, I think they do that pretty well.
TC. The whole concept of a 'theatre development' is something many readers may not be familiar with. Can you give a brief rundown of why you are undertaking this process and what exactly goes on during the workshop?
ZP. This development is really to figure out what the show is about. The way I work is a little risky, we started the development with what we know about Hemingway from research but knowing that we really didn't want to attempt any kind of legitimate biography.
We do extended improvisations to generate characters and then try to figure out the narrative around the characters.
TC. Working with Sydney performer Eden Hill (POST) must be an exciting development, how did this collaboration begin? And what are you hoping his involvement will bring to the development?
ZP. It's exciting to be working with someone new on this project, to have a fresh perspective in the rehearsal room. I'd seen Eden perform in Sydney and remembered him from WAAPA and asked him to get involved with the project.
TC. 2012 marks almost six years since Side Pony Productions first work Motor City Blues. Looking back on the company's development, what are the key moments that have stood out for you in the maturation of your company?
ZP. I think this year is actually the eighth year for Side Pony and that's a pretty tough question. The Manic Pony is a show that I'm still really proud of, it was great fun and really cemented a style that has carried through into all my shows. When PTC picked up The Pride for a second season, that was a significant moment for the company that validated what Side Pony had been working away at independently for so long.
TC. And lastly, what else do you have cooking in 2012?
ZP. Later this year Adriane and I are going to keep working on The Castle of Good Will, an interactive audio work which we started last year and also I'm off to study film directing for the second half of the year.
The Wives of Hemingway
Open Rehearsals
12 – 2pm Saturday 28 April 2012
Midland Junction Arts Centre
276 Great Eastern Highway (corner Cale St)
No RSVP, invitation or ticket required!
Filed under Performing Lines WA News, Side Pony Productions, The Wives of Hemingway, WA Featured Artist


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The Salon Berlin Vogue Germany September 2010 spread features model Constance Jablonski looking perfectly poised in vintage-like fashions. Photographed by Alexi Lubomirski, the spread has a behind-the-scenes feel as Jablonski is captured in a backstage runway space.
Long skirts and dresses are used frequently in the Salon Berlin Vogue Germany September 2010 spread, leaving its viewers anticipating more of these looks this coming winter.
Implications - Women's fashion has become more masculine, allowing them to have a powerful image in the workplace. Boyfriend blazers and sharp-lined pants give business women a very professional and couture image in the office. Companies who desire to appeal to working women should incorporate angular designs into fashion collections.
Hot Angular Blazers
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Vintage Vixen Ads
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Urban Debutante Editorials
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The Salon Berlin Vogue Germany September 2010 Spread is Ultra Chic
- By: Vittoria NatarelliAug 18, 2010 Updated: Jun 8 2011
References: vogue.de & picsandmodels.blogspot
References: vogue.de & picsandmodels.blogspot


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Returning once again to the EPA's Documerica series, we find two parking lot scenes taken outside major airports in 1973. The first, by Michael Philip Manheim, shows the parking lot for an airline food services building under construction outside Logan Airport in Boston. My quick observation: ... Read more
In the early 1970s, East Boston residents were complaining that Logan Airport was grabbing too much land from them and not making the best use of it all. That sent photographer Michael Philip Manheim out to Logan in September 1973 to take some photos for the EPA's Documerica project. We' ... Read more


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Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Massachusetts
Tenant moved in in Oct put the utilities in her boyfriend at the time name. He left and stopped paying. She had a high bill and could not negotiate with the utility company because the utilities were not in her name. I agreed to put the utilities in my name and she agreed to pay the payment plan of 193. I have given her a 14 day notice to quit for non payment. In the event she does not vacate can I shut off the gas and electric. I cant afford to pay for this if she does not pay rent. Is she breaking a verbal agreement.
2 Answers from Attorneys
You can not shut off the utilities. If you do, you will be committing a criminal act. You have the right to sue her for the money to pay the utilities.
You are in a particularly poor position. You need an attorney fast. Here is why: If you shut off the utilities not only might you be arrested, you will face criminal charges, PLUS the tenant will automatically get 3 months rent plus attorney's fees as an award for your misconduct (called self-help). I have dealt with many landlords who would rather roll the dice without having a clue what the law is because they think the court will side with them because the tenant was morally wrong, that is just flat out wrong! Also, a landlord's ability to pay is irrelevant when it comes to providing utilities. The law says, if you CHOSE to lease an apartment to someone, you guarantee that tenant that it is a habitable apartment and fully complies with the state sanitary code.
Most attorneys charge an hourly fee for landlords with a retainer upfront and can walk you through the process with an overall cost of somewhere between 1500 and 5000 depending on how complex the eviction process with your facts are. Now, let's assume the rent is 1,000 a month and you make one mistake by say, turning off the gas/electric; you go to court, the tenant gets 3,000 plus the hourly rate of their attorney (generally anywhere from 200-450 per hour) and the attorney's fees often dwarf the judgment so conservatively figure on 3000.00 plus another 8000.00 for attorney's fees.
Get a lawyer.


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I want to start by saying this can barely be considered metal. Ulver has gone through a radical change after Nattens Madrigal and never looked back. It is mostly electronic music, but not stupid techno shit or anything, this is really experimental, interesting stuff. The way they name tracks on this CD is the most confusing ever. There are names on the back such as "A Memorable Fancy" but they are not the song titles, although they are part of some of them. And the songs aren't just the "plate numbers" either. Rather, the songs are the red text in the lyrics. As you can see more than one "plate" is in a track sometimes. But the tracklisting is on this site anyways.
There are certainly a LOT of lyrics, based on themes from William Blake's "The Marraige of Heaven and Hell," obviously. They are very interesting. Try to read them while listening, at least on a few songs. Sometimes it's hard to find where they are because you have no idea what track number is which song. Or you might get a headache because they're all in capital letters in huge blocks of text. I don't understand the lyrics that well but I think they are contradicting the bible or whatever, and some are quite thought-provoking.
There are so many genre's mixed, that they are all mixed together within one song, right on top of each other. For instance, Track 4 has a very peaceful, catchy acoustic guitar tune with garm's vocals and some female vocals (just talking) with a semi-electronic beat, then at the end it suddenly does a backflip into this wild Industrial/Metal/Electronic instrumental. It is easily one of my favorites.
There are so many kinds of vocals. Several songs are mainly carried by vocals with a nice tune in the background, usually a dark acoustic tune with a pulsing electronic beat sometimes. There are the many voices of Garm and there are some female vocalists. Sometimes there is just talking, sometimes it is whispering, sometimes normal singing, sometimes more harsh singing, sometimes a mix between talking and singing, sometimes electronically distorted or echoed vocals.
The first track is a nice industrial/metal feeling song kicked off with deep dark vocals and industrialized percussion. one of the best ones. Track 2 is atmospheric distorted guitars with female singing ending up in a cloud of ambience. Track 6 is a monsterous, agressive, experimental song constantly being mangled and twisted around.
Track 7 is easily my absolute favorite. It is very epic, but in a way you never would have thought you would describe as epic. What makes it is the progression and the amazing vocal melodies. It is somewhat aggressive but you can hardly say anything on this album is "heavy." It starts off quietly with a pulsing beat and soft mechanic voice for a while, then suddenly flips around into the main part with a bunch of industrial sounds. The "Chorus" it's building up to is the best part. Garm's vocal melodies just totally make the song enjoyable, it's just the tone of his voice or the style of the singing -- I really can't explain it. But this song isn't just based on vocals, of course, the parts where he is talking are very upbeat and you will not be able to stop tapping your fingers. That's the best way I can describe it, I'm sure you know this isn't actually catchy pop music.
Throughout the rest of the first disc you'll find more experimental instrumentals and songs with strange mixtures or maybe similar to what I described already. and a LOT of lyrics. There are a lot of ambiant parts too that seem to stop songs when they don't seem to stop and interrupt them with a breath of quiet ambience.
Now for disc 2. I didnt get into disc 2 too much when I first got this. I usually didn't even play it because my first few impressions weren't very good. Boy was that a mistake - don't make that mistake. There are only 6 songs, and only the first one is kinda long, 11 minutes. The first 3 or so minutes are kind of monotonous, then Garm starts singing better and the background music gets more interesting and the song really gets some nice rhythm patterns and more shifting changes.
Track 2 is very short but has one of the coolest melodies on the cd. I really don't know how to explain it much more than that. I picture being in some kind of futuristic top-secret facility. Actually, this sounds more like the style of Silencing the Singing, quite ambient but musical. Track 3 and 4 are pretty good but i'm not gonna go in depth with them.
Track 5 is very ambient and probably the most interesting song on disc 2. If you have concentration you will notice so many different things happening in this song and could invision a million different things.
The last song has a really good pulsating beat. It adds some really interesting sounds then a really really cool guitar riff that repeats, and another guitar riff that is rediculously fast and crazy. The vocals here sound like he's some huge strong hulk guy directing an army. Actually, this is probably the most bizarre song on the entire album now that I think of it. Great way to end this masterpiece. It says it's 26 minutes but that's just to fool you, the music lasts only about 5 minutes and there's a very short, pointless bonus thing at the end.
On first listen, this cd will probably leave you in mass confusion. While you are listening the first time you will have no idea what will happen next. The songs don't really seem coherent but it is very fun because there is such a crazy mix of things happening one after another. Don't pass it up and give it a chance. It takes a long time to get used to because it's something you've heard nothing like before. Ulver is just so brilliant.


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Artist description:
surf na onda gigante ;P
Java Draw Created Apr 15, 2011 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2011 drawbr.
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AuroraSkye Apr 16, 2011
Ooooo VERY nice!!!
uiui956 Apr 15, 2011
Really good!!! 5h
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Laetitia Rutherford has joined Watson, Little Ltd as a literary agent.
Dan Smetanka has been appointed executive editor at Counterpoint Press. He was previously editor-at-large.
At Dutton, Liza Cassity has been promoted to senior publicist.
Dinesh Chugh has joined STUDYeBUDDY, part of Mumbai-based digital solutions provider DiTech Process Solutions, as executive v-p, sales.


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Cesar E. Chavez Center
Interview Topics
What matters most to you in your teaching?
How are you using technology as a tool to achieve your teaching goals?
How have your students responded to your use of technology?
What new goals do you have for using technology in teaching?
Asset map
Group projects
Organize information
Student creativity
GIS mapping
Helping Students Interpret Things Differently
For me teaching is when a light bulb turns on for the student. They get energized; they get excited and they learn. It's important that they learn something that they perhaps did not think about before or were not exposed to. I study cities and the people who live in them. I want them to really think about how these cities grow, how immigrants adjust and add to these cities. I get a big joy in seeing students interpret things differently than how the media may portray something.
Every community has assets, attributes, positive components. We try to objectify and place value to these assets. For example, there are physical, economic, cultural, and social assets in every community.
My students must first get a real sense of the communities we study by visiting them, walking through them, and putting an analytical lens in their visits. Then we can incorporate some of the learning we do with technology. We created an "Asset Map." Our Asset Map uses multimedia tools so that we can upload data (assets) from a specific neighborhood. We might upload an image of a community park, specialty store, or a community center that provides music lessons at a sliding fee schedule. The Asset Map will allow users to see exactly where these monuments are located in these neighborhoods. More importantly, the class has to categorize these neighborhood assets in meaningful and analytic ways. So you might have assets that focus on housing, economic development, schools, or culture. In the process, students have to think about criteria of what an asset is and consequently how best to present it on the site. They then are able to think more thoughtfully about communities and the role that assets play. This process differs from the typical, deficit model that is often used to learn about poor or minority communities.
The Asset Map is an interactive program that allows students to upload information such as images and live interviews in a dynamic way. They have a password to access the software and site. The software was developed by the Advanced Policy Institute (Professor Neal Richman) of UCLA. It was actually beta tested in one of my classes a couple of years ago. My TA and I manage the content and web site in coordination with the technicians from the School of Public Policy.
We have presented our asset maps to local officials and community members of Boyle Heights. We showed how we identified, collected, and stored asset information of their neighborhood. It was nice to get the community's reaction and feedback. The data provided in the Asset Map has been made available to them. This was a good example of how real life face-to-face learning and technology can merge in educating people.
We archive the Maps. We did Boyle Heights for two years and Vernon Central for one. We were able to compare categories and of course the two communities.
The students love using the technology and the connection that it potentially has to get local residents involved in community empowerment and development. They get a big kick out of it. It's nothing like using technology to do a research project. They learn a lot about how to utilize technology and the subject matter. They constantly think about how to use it in other creative ways in community studies. Working in groups, there are always the ones who are really excited. They like it as a tool in addition to lectures. It has a different dimension for them.
In the future, I would like to have connections with graduate students who are into technology and urban studies. For example, I would like undergraduate students to have access to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) which map neighborhoods. I'd like to take Asset Mapping to a different level where they can add more types of information and connect it to other communities.
Oral Interview, May 9, 2003


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An Unholy War That Spells Disaster for Democracy
Every day Israel's misguided Gaza operation continues, it threatens to overturn and decimate our nation's humane foundation.
On Friday while I was listening to the radio, I was gripped by melancholy that mingled with a tear. An Arab Israeli soldier was...
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Durban - One person died and two others were injured when a car and truck collided in Paradise Valley on Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal paramedics said.The car driver apparently stopped to change a flat tyre in the emergency lane when a truck hit the vehicle, Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said.The jaws-of-life were used to free the injured from the wreckage and they were taken to hospital.A male passenger in the car died.It was not known if the truck driver was injured.
Since when do we have blind truck drivers, or is this another example of ignorence.
Reckon it has more to do with the truck driving in the emergency lane than visual impairement. Not really a smart thing to do.
And Gerrit Knoetze, this is why not...
was just about to say the same thing
I second that! I hope he realises now how stupid his statements were! Look at the consequences!
well said Gerrit, my thoughts exactly.
Something needs to be done about these trucks. I drive on N3 everyday from Alberton to Midrand. It is shocking the way they drive especially in the rain.
I agree totally with Wendy,I too travel that road to Midrand and they just don't have any road rules.
What the f is a truck doing that speed in the yellow lane for??? Murder charge I say!
I agree, my sister lost a friend that way, a BMW driving in the yellow lane smashed into him when his car broke down.
What speed? Are we reading the same piece?
When do trucks drive in the emergency lane anyway... O wait, only in SA...
Have you seen the IDIOTS who flashes lights and Hoot if you do not move into the yellow lane(READ EMERGENCY LANE)!!
Next IDIOT who flashes or Hoots for me WILL get a stone or bottle through his windscreen.
Because there are too many impatient car drivers who bitch and maon because the truck driver did not pull over.
why are these drivers breaking the law and the pigs dont do anything
how many more people need to die on our roads.these drivers think they can do what they want .
hehehehe, also read porkers, rashers, Pork strips, Bacon.....
The truck driver must have moved over to the left to make way for Gerrit Knoetse who wrote "How do some drivers sleep at night?" yesterday.
hahahahaha good one!
Have you seen the IDIOTS who flashes lights and Hoot if you do not move into the yellow lane(READ EMERGENCY LANE)!!
Next IDIOT who flashes or Hoots for me WILL get a stone or bottle through his windscreen.
If you throw a stone or a bottle at my windscreen I will push you off the road. If you have a problem with people who flash or hoot at you then just don't move over.
If this happened on the highway chances are that there were 2 lanes so the truck drive then has n excuse.
no excuse
Exactly why the courtesy to move into the emergency lane to let fast traffic pass should be declared illegal, its dangerous and kills people!
With you 100% Jan. Unless you really can see further than 150m ahead.
In any case where the visibility is not 100% I would not move over even if the que was 5 kilos long behind me... not worth killing someone that had to pull over for a real emergency.
And then you get people who get impatient or cause an accident if a truck driver doesnt move over to the yellow lane fast enough so that they can pass!
O Gerrit you are going to get it today my friend.
There is time and place for everything, dont make it the norm.
If you can`t drive, get someone who can and let them show you why there are rules. This incident is just a drop in the bucket of incidents that happen because of people thinking they know better.
Ed Zachary; Gerrit you are are plonker..
For Goodness sake, we are loosing people everyday on the roads and nothing is happening to educate the public about these fatalities. The government has installed cameras on the highways, and they should dedicate a channel on TV to teach the public on what can go wrong on these roads. I recently lost a friend and a colleague from the very same incident, he was hit from behind by a truck and pushed toward an on coming traffic that resulted to a head on collision. The Minister of transport must act and educate the public because we are not winning this battle. What is he doing about it?
Education wont help. They know they are breaking the law and just do not give a dam. Bottom line its poor policing of the traffic.
This will carry on and on and people will be hurt or killed and the Govamunt will do nothing. Its all about respect. I am surprised that a taxi was not involved for once.He should be charged with murder.
watalife, what happened to your vote is your voice? Can't we elect people that will change the situation and do something about these problems?
We are talking about people's lives here, not just figures, remember....
@ Mashwan, we can't elect a new government, you have to live in a democratic country for that.
The drivers must learn that the emergency lane is for just that. But we must not only look at the trucks we must look at the taxi's as well as the people who cannot wait like everyone else and try to get to their desination faster!
Gerrit, are you reading these comments?
This sort of illegal activity needs to be punished. How often do you see cars / taxis flying by in the emergency lane. www.twitter.com/mydrivingrights
It isn't an emergency lane, it's an overtaking lane for taxi's !.....
I have seen when my BF used the emergency lane... Medics and Police had been called to his house and a family member was critical~ (Before you all question).. and he was blocked off by about 4 taxi's, a truck and some brunette bimbo, in a skadoinky uno turbo... Emergency means just that... what was so bad the truck driver was hurtling in that lane anyway???
Now if that was a taxi with a flat tyre...........
what? 30 dead?
If you park on the barrier nowdays some idiot will still find a way to hit you....
Just like the time my dad pulled over in a wide road in a parking area, the idiots pulled up behind him and started hooting, and the people next to the road made nasty comments. All of them too stupid to see that there was more than enough room to pass, some people on our steets should be locked up for being stupid.
All TRUCKS should have to have a contact number displayed on the back of the vehicle together with a code so that bad driving can be reported. It is not always easy to see the registration number when the truck is speeding away through a red robot. They know that they are bigger than us and we will come off second best so they just dont give a damn.
Never mind the trucks taxis are the main cause of accidents, road rage etc.
And there you have it Gerrit Knoetze, this truck driver will probably not sleep too well tonight thanks to the likes of you on the road. He probably pulled off to let some BMW roadhog pass him! My condolences to the family of those in the vehicle.
seriously people...when was the last time you were on the roads...cars push the trucks off so that they can pass and drive at breakneck speed in anyway. another thing is next time before you go off at all the taxi's driving this and that bad and doing this wrong and that wrong, check your own driving! I am absolutely amazed at how bad people in private vehicles drive! speeding and cutting people off and parking in bad places and crap driving is not only a taxi/truck problem! it is a general SA driving problem.
after reading all the comments on this ! you all have serious chips on your shoulders ! that law is a very good law if used correctly !! i am sure that the truck driver could see ahead of him but did not bother just roared along the road without checking !!! laws dont cause accidents just stupid and irrisponsible people !!!!!
Do you remember the days when they installed those yellow landmine looking things in the emergency lanes to prevent idiots abusing the lane ?


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Article - Sacramento bike dealers hit high gear as gas prices climb
Sacramento bike dealers hit high gear as gas prices climb
By Andrea V. Brambila - abrambila at sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, June 30, 2008
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1
After years of stagnant national sales, the gas crisis may be pumping some new life and changes into the bicycle industry. Sacramento bike sellers say they're seeing a boost in business in sales and repairs.
"Bike sales have gone up since the price of fuel has gone up," says Brad Winter, general manager of Bicycles Plus in Folsom. "In the last two to three months, we're starting to see more people willing to commute (by bike)."
According to the National Bicycle Dealers Association, the U.S. bicycle industry racked up $6 billion in sales in 2007, including bicycles, related parts and accessories. This year the association expects revenue to stay about the same, despite an increased interest in bikes and accessories for commuting. Officials say that's because people are buying less expensive bikes in the slow economy.
Still, area bike shop owners say more people appear interested in riding, and sales have risen by as much as 20 percent from a year ago at some local bike shops. Bike repairs have climbed even more dramatically, as high as 60 percent at some outlets.
"My favorite thing is when people come in and say, 'I need a bike because I just sold my car,' " says Jess Clifton, mechanic for the Bicycle Chef in midtown Sacramento.
"People used to be scared to commute (by bicycle). But now with the I-5 (lane closures due to repairs) and the traffic and the gas prices, people are realizing that it's not that bad," says Kristie Hamilton, sales manager of Mike's Bikes downtown.
The demand for commuter bicycles has changed the type and price of two-wheeler sales, according to many bike shops. Rather than mountain bikes, more customers come in looking for commuter bikes in the $200 to $600 price range, which is lower than many high-priced road bikes.
"What's really surprising is the volume. We're selling more bikes, but at a slightly lower price point than we have in years past," says Bowen Doxsee, manager of City Bicycle Works.
Doxsee says his shop is selling 80 to 100 bikes a week, compared with 70 to 80 bikes at the same time last year. Two weeks ago, he said, the shop had its busiest non-sale weekend of this year with 56 bikes sold between Friday and Sunday.
That same weekend, Bicycle Chef Bicycles in midtown sold out of its Beach Cruisers, a single-speed bicycle with a coaster brake. Priced between $300 and $400, they're generally designed for riding around town and shorter commutes.
"Most people are buying them for work because they live around midtown here," says Whit Brooks, Bicycle Chef's manager.
Also popular are hybrid bicycles, a cross between a mountain bike and a street bike, recommended for commutes between five and 10 miles.
Most local bike shops say they're selling fewer road bikes in the $1,200 to $2,000 price range, presumably because of the economy and fuel prices.
"I can only imagine (it's because) the middle class has less discretionary income, or is using it to pay for fuel," Doxsee says.
Instead, many are coming in to rehab their old bikes.
"(These are) bikes they thought they'd never fix up that have been sitting in the backyard shed for 20 years," Brooks says. Bikes from the 1970s and 1980s are not uncommon. Neither are bikes from big box stores like Wal-Mart or Target.
These older bikes often need a light or medium tuneup, typically costing between $75 and $180, depending on the shop and the bike's condition. The most common repairs are to replace tires that have rotted from disuse and cables that have rusted beyond repair.
While exact figures are not available, shops say profits are up. That's partly because as bike sales and repairs rise, so do accessory and parts sales.
Bicycle Chef's Brooks says his profit on parts and accessories is up 30 percent from last year. If customers come in for a bike, they often leave with additional equipment: a helmet, a lock, a rack, lights, reflectors, saddle bags.
Library clerk Sally Sweeny recently plunked down $199 at City Bicycle Works for a green Phat Breeze cruiser, which she plans to use for commuting from her midtown home to work. Because her old bike was stolen recently, she also bought "two massive macho locks" and a basket that can fit two bags of groceries.
For Elk Grove resident Jason Booke, "It just made sense" to start riding to his job at a nearby fiber-optics company. He recently bought a $359 cherry black Beach Cruiser for his 2.5-mile commute. He wanted to exercise and spend less money on gas, but he's also found his commute more relaxing.
"It's a little bit slower. You enjoy the scenery, vs. being in a car," says Booke.
Despite an apparent recent increase in first-time bike commuters on the road, Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Lazark says officers haven't noted any recent spike in bicycle-related accidents.
What has increased are bicycle-related questions on the department's blog, at blog.sacpd.org., including inquiries about riding on sidewalks and where to buy unclaimed bikes.
|All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:39 AM.


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Delving into IBM's Layoff Numbers
- June 14, 2013
- Job Hunting
- 26
When you don't know which departments will be hit with a layoff, look at the revenue-light or money-losing divisions.
Such is the case with IBM, which disclosed in April that it expected to take a $1 billion restructuring charge during the second quarter. The company began cutting jobs earlier this week, to the tune of 2,286 as of Thursday night, according to Alliance@IBM, a website run by the CWA Local 1701, an IBM employees' union. Here's a look at its report:
So far, IBM's Software Group Marketing has lost 222 workers. In its first quarter earnings report, the company noted that the group's overall revenues were flat from the year-ago period at $5.6 billion. Meanwhile, the group's Information Management area shed 137 jobs following a 2 percent year-on-year decline. The STG Storage Systems Development organization cut 121 jobs as the Systems and Technology segment posted a 17 percent revenue drop.
When IBM unveiled its layoff plans, it said most of the cuts would be overseas and expected the layoffs to be largely completed by the end of June, according to Bloomberg. Overall, some 6,000 to 8,000 employees are said to be affected.
Trimming and Chopping
It's a logical strategy to focus cuts in areas that are weak in terms of revenues or profits. For example, earlier this year Lockheed cut several hundred workers from its Information Systems & Global Solutions division, an area the defense contractor expected to face declining revenues for the remainder of 2013.
"Those two areas are obviously targets, but the technology marketplace is so competitive right now that organizations could use this time to upgrade talent through a restructuring," says David Chie, president of Palo Alto Staffing. "For example, if they have good developers in one department that they are going to shut down, they might look for weak developers in a different department and lay them off, moving the good developers into other teams."
Contractors also tend to be cut first when layoffs begin, says Jon Holman, founder of IT executive search firm The Holman Group.
"Companies that lay off employees also lay off contractors. In fact, in many cases, they lay off contractors first," says Holman, adding, "As a sweeping generalization, contractors in the STEM professions are more expensive than employees, even though the contractors often don't get benefits. What contractors provide is flexibility and ease of hiring skill sets that may not be available easily in full time employees. They also help with temporary projects where full-time employees don't make sense…When the economy turns down, the proportion of jobs filled by temporary employees also goes down."
Apparently, contractors may want to take a peek at the IBM layoff playbook, too
Don't you know? IBM's "LEAN" programme stands for "Layoff Every American Now".
New American managers'/CEOs' strategy is to cut the brunch on which they sit which is home based employees and hope that offshore people will push American company forward. What a joke!?
As a contractor, I've been cut twice from IBM. One project was for a year and I was cut only three weeks into it. That included changing my residence to a different state. Unless it's local, I've crossed IBM off my list. I can't count on a paycheck that could disappear at a moments notice.
Also, IBM really needs to layoff some of their management. Truly stupid, to say nothing of useless people that somehow always seem to be able to stick around, while talented, driven, productive contractors are let go.
> Unless it's local, I've crossed IBM off my list. I can't count on a
> paycheck that could disappear at a moments notice.
Well, I'm not in a position to relocate for *ANY* job right now (would have moved a long time ago if I could). As for local jobs, I'd **MUCH** prefer to never work at IBM again, but the lack of any other jobs besides the beast of Armonk in the severely depressed, over-taxed and over-regulated Hudson Valley Region means I'm stuck here for the forseeable future
I agree with the above post, having been a contractor with IBM for over 3 year and then a "Supplemental" employee for another 3, I can say they have too many managers relative to other skill sets.
I worked for IBM for almost eight years, and I left because they no longer recognized the value of their experienced technical people.
For all of Lou Gerstner's faults, he did recognize this. When he took over IBM, they had twelve layers of management. He shrunk it to four. I suspect this is what IBM from the brink of disaster, as there is nothing worse for any company than an entrenched bureaucracy that only works to perpetuate itself.
From what my old contacts in IBM Rochester and East Fishkill have told me, they layoff only one manager for every five workers. As an end result, they are now in the same situation as they were before Gerstner took over.
Besides, the reasons their profit fell this last quarter was simple: they lost two billion dollars worth of contracts because they could not deliver on their promises. This is not surprising when you layoff your most experienced and talented help. At the current time, most of the remaining people are so overworked they can no longer handle the load.
Yet what did IBM blame it on? They blamed it on their sales staff. This suggests that their management is so far removed from their workforce that they have no idea what is going on within their own company.
they also lie about the scope of the project for which you were hired. After they get you there you find out that the projects for which you were recruited either are not real or not in the immediate plans.
James: Clearly spoken like an actual IBM'er!! No truer words could be spoken.
And, I would like to add that not only do the projects not exist / materialize like promised – the real atrocity is that you are then held accountable for not being fully utilized!! The sales people / AP's / Partners are the inept, ignorant and client repelling reasons why there are no projects, yet they are retained – and rewarded – while the rest of us are blamed / and fired for the lack of performance.
Furthermore, IBM is one of thee worst companies I personally have ever worked for … morale is PATHETIC because EVERYONE at Band 8 and below live in constant fear of being Resource Action'ed. (IBM doesn't even have the guts to call their layoff what it really is … this bespeaks the very essence of how they think and act with their clients … and then they wonder why their clients are leaving in droves / not resigning!)
I hope they're dusting off Carly Fiorina's "EPIC CORPORATE DESTROYER" trophy and getting ready to put a new woman's name on the plaque!
IBM did this with management back in the 80's. IBM set the precedence for Phat Severances. Years later when companies structured severance pay, none were as lucrative as IBM's. I learned, take the first severance offer. The rest are all watered down. IBM purchased my company's entire legacy system new-build for $170M. IBM yet uses that system today to sell a variety of cost tracking, reporting, and customer billing products. However, when various functions are broken down into business units, ROI becomes the new metric across allocated capital assets. Some units perform poorly but are absorbed as a cost of doing business. Other units? Someone else can perform it better and they spin that stuff off.
I (also) worked for IBM for 4 years. All the comments I've been reading here so far are correct, I saw all of it happening while I was there. I remember having an uneasy feeling about IBM's business model, both external (customer facing) and internal. A project that had a team of 120 people, which performance was highly praised by the client was shut down overnight. All job slots where simply moved from Brazil to India in spite of the client's protests simply because corporate headquarters was unwilling to reduce the profit margin. Which was roughly at 40%. Good employees regularly had their performance reviews downgraded so they wouldn't be eligible for the yearly bonus (profit sharing). This was a practice that managers were forced to obey following orders from HR. Which in turn was following orders from…
As their business model of "predatory tech services" run out of steam they'll be hanging by the tip of their fingers onto the last (and cheapest possible) country where they can still hire tech people.
I guess I won't be missing them by then.
Some of that sounds like Honeywell. They really game the employee evaluation system to meet an 8% quota (unwritten of course) of 'underperformers' who are then subject to humiliation, no raise, and of course no annual bonus. An amazingly high number of these 'underperformers' are older engineers. Yep, they've got this age discrimination thing down to a science. They are really clever — employees subjected to this are so pi$$ed off that they lay themselves off — they quit or retire. Yeah, that Cote guy is a real American management icon.
All these big companies operate in this fashion. Add in those big G&E utilities. They have special knobs they turn to speed up Natural Attrition. Played the game long enough to collect a decent severance, take early retirement, and just contract out now at my leisure.
Yep…..I remember the Poughkeepsie and Kingston plants……vacant lots now. Management needs to produce plans which will produce needed product which should focus on biomed (medical systems), internal security, education, and IT networking.
IBM always had a weird archaic business model. I worked as a contractor for 3 years, and found that few managers ever changed, but all the employees would shift like crazy, and projects would get cut so quickly sometimes, for no reason. Even if the project was doing well and producing results, not just profit, it would get cut or downsized a month or 2 into it. Rarely did a project go for more than six months, unless it was a big deal.
I have had my share of bad management. I'm currently doing contract work and I'm part of the new restructuring workforce. They laid off so many supervisors because they had made bad million dollar deals. They outsourced workload which could have been done in house, that's where I come in I'm a very talented artist and am starting three different departments and manage my skills to be efficient to make them some money, but I always go to work every morning ready tk leave at a moments notice. Im use to layoffs now…
What a great time to be self-employed!
Any idea or insight about IBM microelectronics segment, e.g., East Fishkill?
Worked almost 10 years as a contractor in the SO organization. IBM cut my pay 4 times in 10 years, 5% at a time, when I quit, even after a pitiful 3% raise, I was still making %17 less than when I started(doesn't even account for any inflation over the 10 years which would be a compounded 3% a year average.) I ended up laying myself off and becoming a FTE somewhere else.
I'm more dissapointed in myself for staying so long and being lured by management into thinking they would convert me to FTE, or at least LTS.
Now, with so many resources in SO that are off shore, they are delivering less for the same money.
I did 2 contracts at IBM. I accepted in spite of a %20 cut in pay due to the bad economy at the time, not working for almost 2 years and being told by one perspective employer that they chose the other person cause he was working and I wasn't. Stayed there for 1 year per contract and then when my pay wasn't going to go up but most likely due to their policy of 'cutting hours to cut costs' I'd get even more of a 'pay cut' unless I was willing to do regular overtime, I started looking. Got a long term contract with someone willing to pay market rates at over $10 per hour more than what IBM was willing to pay.
Now that the market is tight again for programmers, and the changes away from pc's to tablets and mobile devices, they'd better get a move on. It's the 90s with the change away from mainframes all over.
I have a solution. Instead of laying off employees, how about if we start cutting the money paid to the ceo, cio, cfo, coo, board of directors and the head hrgoon.
Then we can work our way down the rest of the management chain from there.
I was recently laid off after 8 years with IBM Australia. Was a Band 9, consistently got a 2+, did an IBM certification, thought I was contributing significantly, but still had to go. Do not know why, but am certain that quite a few people many of them managers do not deserve to be there. But thats IBM I suppose, a strange company.
This comment may be a bit late, sorry, but here goes. No matter how many times a company like IBM goes up and down, the old French expression the more things change the more they remain the same applies. In IBM's case there are two large aspects to their current events, that their bureaucracy is far too bloated which distances IBM even further from the customer by the way (I can write up a .ppt about this); second their pricing is still very expensive, especially for what they offer, at least in services. Instead of laying off five worker bees for every manager it should be the reverse. If you have intelligent and capable people you have far less of a need for a so-called manager, particularly at the senior levels.
Please don't join as a contractor in IBM. It's a worst like anything.
[…] workforce in North America for years, though it usually doesn't announce specific numbers and couches it in terms of its expected cost savings. IBM's union, Alliance@IBM, is expecting roughly 15,000 workers to be cut at Big Blue's […]
[…] been buffeted by a number of layoffs throughout the past year, when IBM announced it planned yet another $1 billion restructuring charge in its second quarter of last […]
[…] expected to post about $1 billion in "workforce-rebalancing" costs during the first quarter. (A similar plan in 2013 led to some 3,300 layoffs in North America, including hundreds in North Carolina.) Lee Conrad, […]


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Long stroke, flowed crank shafts are the newest update for long stroke shafts. In our SERIE PRO line, we have modified shafts from the workshops of German tuning master WORB5, based on MAZZUCCHELLI and TAMENI crankshafts.
The crankwebs have been specially modified and streamlined. The word "gelippt" (=flowed) has established itself as the description of this new hit. Shaft contour design guides the fuel mix through the crank flange instead of hitting it face on when entering. This will keep your fuel flow moving steadily instead of getting blocked or creating unnecessary turbulence. Flange modification allows more usable volume, crankcase compression sinks, more fresh fuel flows in resulting in higher fill. This interaction results in higher speed ranges and increases performance Additionally, shafts are finely balanced, the connecting rod swings at 12 o'clock.
The form of the EVO crankshaft is more extremely flowed and, additionally, laser welded. This is as good as it gets with a disc slide valve. And to top it off, they're super durable and run really quiet. We recommend this version for motors intended for 25 hp and more. All 62mm crankshafts are outfitted with a DRT excenter stud and 62 mm stroke. Your cylinder will need raising and the crankcase will need modification.
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Long stroke flowed crankshaft/ stroke 60/62mm / connecting rod 105-110mm / 24/25 mm, M12
Long stroke flowed crankshaft, with ø 95mm crankweb (flywheel side), ø 97.9 mm crankweb (disc valve side), balanced at 12 o'clock, lower connecting rod bearing = silver bearing, 105 mm connecting rod (125/150 cc) or 110 mm connecting rod (200 cc), 60/62 mm stroke, oil seal housing 24 mm, bearing housing 25 mm, stump cone with M12 thread, incl. connecting rod bearing.
SIP-TIP: SIP/MMW long stroke cylinder head, MALOSSI 210cc and SIP Road exhaust for touring set up, 1.5 mm base gasket, SIP Performance/RZ/DSE exhaust, MALOSSI or POLINI, 28-30 mm carburetor as basic for sport set up. Try out a variety of head/base gasket thicknesses.
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The above mentioned inlet port timings are measured while looking at the crankshaft with the clutch shaft facing away from the person measuring it. For example '138°/6° after Top Dead Centre' (TDC) means the inlet opens at 6° after TDC and remains open for another 138°.
Please consider that the given inlet port timings are not always 100% accurate, due to the fact that these crankshafts being modified by hand!
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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Specialized gold nanostructures are of interest for the development of alternative treatment methods in medicine. Photothermal therapy combined with gene therapy that supports hyperthermia is proposed as a novel multimodal treatment method for prostate cancer. In this work, photothermal therapy using small (<100 nm) gold nanoparticles and near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation combined with gene therapy targeting heat shock protein (HSP) 27 was investigated. A series of nanoparticles: nanoshells, nanorods, core-corona nanoparticles and hollow nanoshells, were synthesized and examined to compare their properties and suitability as photothermal agents.
Nanotechnology is at the forefront of several advancements in medicine, as nanomaterials have the potential to improve existing or develop novel treatment methods for diseases, such as cancer. There are several treatment options for cancer, such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, cryotherapy and high intensity ultrasound [
Photothermal therapy is a treatment modality that uses light to destroy cancer cells by heat (hyperthermia). Light in the NIR is used, as tissue has the lowest absorption in this region [
A limitation to the hyperthermic destruction of cancer is that cancer cells often have high thermotolerance [
Multimodal or combination therapy represents a new approach in fighting disease. The benefits of integrating photothermal therapy with gene therapy are that the combination could supplement and/or support cancer cell death. Studies have also shown that HSP suppression increases sensitivity to various types of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy [
In the present study, a novel therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer is proposed consisting of the combination of photothermal therapy with ASO gene therapy with the overall goal to develop a treatment formulation that may be directly injected into tumour volumes and subsequently treated with a laser. The benefit of this approach is that the formulation will be concentrated within the tumour, and since tumour vasculature is physiologically distinct from normal healthy tissue [
A selection of gold nanoparticles with the appropriate size, stability and optical properties for use as a photothermal agent were investigated. Particles included were nanoshells, nanorods, core-corona nanoparticles and hollow nanoshells. All particles met the size criterion of <100 nm to maximize cellular uptake and absorption in the NIR to meet appropriate photothermal therapy conditions. Small gold nanoshells were synthesized with a 30 nm silica core and a shell thickness of 5 to 10 nm. The final product had a diameter of 40 ± 12 nm as, measured by TEM (
TEM image of 40 nm gold nanoshells.
DLS size distribution data of 40 nm gold nanoshells.
According to Mie theory, a 30 nm diameter silica core requires a core-to-shell ratio of 7 and a 2 nm shell thickness to generate a plasmon maximum at 790 nm [
Extinction spectra of 40 nm gold nanoshells.
The Auroshell® particles from Nanospectra Biosciences Inc. (large nanoshells; Houston, TX, USA) have a more distinct maximum in the NIR (
Extinction spectra of Auroshell® particles.
TEM image of Auroshell® particles.
Similarly, as the 40 nm gold nanoshells, all other particles investigated—nanorods (length = 73 ± 7 nm, width = 21 ± 2 nm), core-corona nanoparticles (78 ± 11 nm) and hollow nanoshells (85 ± 17 nm)—also demonstrated broad extinction spectra in the NIR and overall sizes below 100 nm (see the
DLS size distribution data of Auroshell® particles.
Gold nanoparticles may be anchored to the outer membrane of cells or internalized, depending on the functionalization of the gold surface. In this work, uptake is referred to as internalization of the nanoparticles by the cells, and particles are taken up non-specifically, as they are not functionalized to target receptors on the cell membrane. All eukaryotic cells have a membrane system that allows the uptake of molecules and particles from extracellular fluid [
Cellular uptake comparison for 40 nm gold nanoshells (
The three 2D images in
We found that the 40 nm nanoshells had the best internal particle distribution compared with other particles, including Auroshells® (
2D light scattering images of a single PC3 cell incubated with 40 nm gold nanoshells. (
Cells typically respond to lethal treatments in two ways: arrest in the cell cycle or the initiation of protective responses. When cancer cells are exposed to a heat shock, the latter type dominates, as there is a vast selection of pro-survival mechanisms [
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) concentration test on PC3 (
Microscope images of untreated (
Photothermal treatment, using gold nanoparticles and laser irradiation at 800 nm, was evaluated by measuring the changes in cell viability of PC3 and LNCaP cells using the MTT assay. The conditions for
The treatment results of the 40 nm gold nanoshells (NS40) were compared against the Auroshells® (NSAS). Photothermal treatment was done using comparable particle concentrations for incubation. The cell viability results for treatment with NS40 and NSAS are shown in
Representative photothermal experiment on LNCaP (
Summary of the
|Laser irradiation (min)
|Δ Temp (°C)
|Δ Cell viability (%)
|Δ Temp (°C)
|Δ Cell viability (%)
|12 ± 1
|12 ± 1
|8 ± 1
|9 ± 1
|11 ± 3
|12 ± 1
|9 ± 1
|9 ± 2
The gold nanoparticles did not exhibit any toxicity at the incubation concentrations used (data not shown). Therefore, the 40 nm gold nanoshells and Auroshells® can be considered to be non-toxic. Cells, devoid of gold, were not affected by the laser under the same treatment conditions. A maximum temperature rise of 5 °C was obtained for up to 10 min of exposure in the absence of gold particles. Laser irradiation resulted in an increase of up to 12 °C for samples incubated with 40 nm gold nanoshells and up to 9 °C with Auroshells®, for both PC3 and LNCaP. The decrease in cell viability in
Photothermal treatment was combined with ASO gene therapy to study the net effect of the combined treatments (
Representative photothermal experiment on LNCaP (
Summary of the decrease in cell viability and changes in temperature for photothermal experiments with 40 nm gold nanoshells and 100 nm, as in
|Laser irradiation (min)
|Δ Temp (°C)
|Δ Cell viability (%)
|Δ Temp (°C)
|Δ Cell viability (%)
|11 ± 1
|9 ± 1
|11 ± 1
|10 ± 1
For all materials used, see
Gold nanoshells, nanorods, core-corona nanoparticles and hollow nanoshells were prepared by standard methods or modified procedures (see the
Particles were characterized by a Hitachi H7600 transmission electron microscope (TEM) operating at 80 kV and by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements using a Malvern Zetasizer Nano-ZS. TEM was used to determine the average particle size and examine particle shape. DLS were used to determine the average particle diameter for spherical particles. The zeta potential was used to measure surface charge to confirm particle coatings. Extinction spectra were measured with a Varian 50 Bio UV-visible spectrophotometer over the range from 400 to 1100 nm, using a 10 mm path-length quartz cuvette (Hellma, Müllheim, Germany). The gold nanoparticle concentration for nanoshells was determined by digesting the gold nanoparticles in aqua regia (1:3 volume ratio of HNO3:HCl, 2.5 mL) [
Prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP and PC3, were used to demonstrate cellular uptake and photothermal therapy under laser irradiation. Both are adherent cells that grow readily and are commonly used as experimental systems for
Cells were plated by adding approximately 1.5 × 105 cells per well in a 6 well tissue culture plate containing 18 mm glass cover slips and grown to 70% to 90% confluence. Gold nanoparticles were added and incubated for 24 h at 37 °C under 5% CO2. Cells were incubated with nanoparticle solutions that had similar absorbance values. After incubation, the cells were fixed for 10 min in paraformaldehyde (2%, 1 mL). The cover slips coated with a layer of cells, were washed in PBS (1X, 1 mL) twice and mounted in 50% glycerol in 1X PBS on a microscope slide. Light scattering microscopy was used to image the gold particles using a previously developed set-up [
The effect of ASO concentration on cell viability was performed by the MTS assay. PC3 and LNCaP cells were plated by adding 10,000 cells per well in a 96 well plate and incubated overnight (Day 1). The transfection (Day 2) was performed using Lipofectamine and different concentrations of ASO under serum-free conditions using Opti-MEM medium. Control experiments using pure Lipofectamine at incubation concentrations did not have an effect on cell viability, so the carrier system was considered to be non-toxic. Final ASO incubation concentrations were 10, 30, 60, 100, 150 and 250 nM. Final well volumes were 90 µL. After a 4 to 5 h incubation period, the medium was replaced with serum media and incubated for 15 h. MTS reagent (20 µL) was added to wells incubated for 3 h, and the optical density was measured directly at 450 nm (Day 3). The cell viability data was subject to statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a
Cells were plated by adding 10,000 cells per well in a 96 well plate and incubated overnight (Day 1). ASO (100 nM) was transfected using Lipofectamine 2000 under serum-free conditions using Opti-MEM medium (Day 2). The total amount of Lipofectamine added was 5 μL per 250 μL of the total volume of ASO-Lipofectamine complex made, as per the manufacturer's instructions. After a 4 h incubation period, the medium was replaced with serum media. Cells were incubated further for 15 h. Gold nanoparticles were added and incubated for 24 h (Day 3). Prior to the laser treatment (Day 4), all medium was removed, and fresh RPMI medium (100 to 200 µL) supplemented with FBS (10%) and HEPES (25 mM) was added. The cells, maintained at a set background temperature (42 °C) to mimic physiological conditions and to compensate for limitations in laser power, were irradiated with a continuous wave Ti:sapphire laser centered at 800 nm for 6 and 10 min [
The present work reports on
It remains uncertain from our study whether the combination of photothermal therapy and ASO gene therapy results in a "synergistic" effect. The effect on cell viability of the combined therapy (decrease of up to ~76% at 53 °C) was found to be slightly larger than the effect of heat alone, albeit not significantly. However, treatment with ASO specific to HSP27 alone does exhibit a concentration-dependent effect on cell viability, which may be useful to overall treatment goals as a supplement to the treatment of cancer cells/tumours. Multimodal or combination therapy may be the best alternative to improve treatment conditions and outcomes for cancer. Further research is needed to explore the various options available to create an effective formulation that can be directly injected into tumours. Targeting a different HSP may be of interest or adding another complementary treatment, such as chemotherapy, as HSP27 knockdown is known to sensitize cancer cells to drug treatment [
We would like to thank Helen Burt and Martin Gleave for initiating this project, helpful discussions and for providing us with the prostate cancer cell lines and the ASO. We are grateful to Qifeng Li for help with laser alignment and Thomas Preston and John Jackson for helpful discussions. This project was financially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation through LASIR and individual grants of RS and KCC. We acknowledge funding of an NSERC graduate fellowship (JL) and an NSERC E. W. R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (RS).


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The purpose of the Gulf English School is to provide a high quality education, meeting the educational needs of the international community in and around Kuwait City. In addition, it serves those members of the local community who wish to take advantage of the special strengths of the school and share in its bilingual, all-age.
Reception Graduation.
April Spring Holiday.
Audition for KS 2 GES Got Talent.
International Day Secondary.
Secondary Sports Day & KG Concert.
KG Concert.
Year 6 SATS Mock Exams untill 2/4/2015.
KS2 Sports day.
Congratulations to Lora. Who has been accepted at the International Studies University of Shanghai.


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JFK Movie Sneak Peek
In this special bonus feature, Prison Planet.tv subscribers can watch a sneak peek of Alex's upcoming documentary about the JFK assassination. The video includes interviews with Jim Marrs and St. John Hunt, the son of former CIA operative E. Howard Hunt who confessed to being part of a JFK hit team before his death last year.
Marrs and Hunt discuss a myriad of evidence pointing towards a wider conspiracy behind the assassination as they visit the Grassy Knoll in Dallas, Texas. Marrs highlights the secretive meeting on the eve of the assassination where Lyndon Baines Johnson conspired with other elitists to ensure those "God damn Kennedy's would never bother" him again.
Prison Planet.tv members can watch this special report in three different file formats - streaming flash, Quick Time, and Windows Media Player - right now by clicking here!
Click here to subscribe and start enjoying the benefits of Prison Planet.tv!
Classic Alex Jones: Protesting The Gun Grabbers
Alex airs extended footage of himself and the Second Amendment Sisters protesting against the Million Moms at a march. Watch the hypocrisy of the gun-grabbers.


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Demi Lovato Gives Revealing Interview (and Photo Spread!) in ELLE
She's had to deal with a lot of personal challenges over the last couple of years — especially for someone so young — but in her darkest moments, Demi Lovato has been impressively honest about her struggles.
Now that she's getting ready to promote her upcoming album, whose release caps a year in which she and her mother went to rehab, Lovato is continuing her revealing streak with an in-depth interview and gorgeous photo spread for ELLE.