text:
Hollis-Eden Reports Update on Autoimmunity Program with Triolex (HE3286) at International Autoimmunity Meeting
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 12, 2008 - Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEPH) today presented data from the Company's autoimmunity program with its investigational drug candidate TRIOLEX(TM) (HE3286) at the 6th International Congress on Autoimmunity, held in Porto, Portugal, September 10th to the 14th. Dr. Christopher L. Reading, Chief Scientific Officer at Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals and Dr. Dominick L. Auci, Director of Allergy, Autoimmunity and Inflammation, presented the data during a dedicated plenary session. Hollis-Eden conducted the session to further inform the scientific community on the potential role of the Company's new class of adrenal steroid hormones in autoimmune and other inflammatory disorders. Data presented included positive findings generated to date from extensive research in preclinical models of numerous autoimmune conditions, as well as preliminary findings from the Company's ongoing Phase I/II dose ranging clinical trial with TRIOLEX in patients with active, mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).
Positive Preclinical Data With TRIOLEX in Models of Autoimmune Conditions
Dr. Reading summarized data, previously reported, demonstrating a number of benefits with TRIOLEX in various preclinical models of autoimmune disease. In three distinct animal models of acute inflammation (collagen-induced arthritis, experimental pleurisy and lung injury), decreased disease scores were accompanied by reduced neutrophil tissue infiltration. Likewise, in two models of chronic autoimmune inflammation (lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis), disease scores were reduced after treatment with TRIOLEX compared to vehicle controls. Finally, in a widely accepted mouse model of autoimmune diabetes (NOD mice), which emulates human type 1 diabetes, TRIOLEX was found to decrease the incidence of conversion to active disease over time.
These widespread anti-inflammatory effects are also thought to provide en explanation for the previously reported benefit observed in four models of metabolic disease (diabetic db/db mice, genetically obese ob/ob mice, diet-induced obese, insulin resistant mice and Zucker diabetic rats) in which inflammation is a key element in the loss of insulin sensitivity leading to dysregulated glucose homeostasis. In these animal models, TRIOLEX was shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, whereas in vitro, the drug was shown to attenuate (but not obliterate) the activity of key signaling pathways involved in the inflammatory response. These pathways include the master regulator protein NF-kappaB and certain enzymes of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family such as JNK and p38, which have been implicated in the inflammation-induced impairment of insulin signaling and insulin resistance. Consistent with this paradigm, previously reported interim data from an ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial in obese, insulin resistant subjects, in which treatment with TRIOLEX resulted in enhanced insulin sensitivity demonstrated in glucose clamp studies while abating pro-inflammatory cytokine production, lend further credence to the core hypothesis that the multiple therapeutic effects of TRIOLEX stem primarily from its anti-inflammatory properties.
Importantly, these anti-inflammatory actions of TRIOLEX preclinically were not associated with the typical immune suppressive side effects of glucocorticoids (e.g. dexamethasone) as demonstrated in specific preclinical models of immune suppression (mouse delayed type hypersensitivity; mouse lymphocyte mitogen induced proliferation; mouse immunization; and mouse antibody production). In addition, treatment with TRIOLEX in these preclinical models was not accompanied by bone loss, a commonly observed side effect with corticosteroids, and in fact, a positive change in bone mass balance was found.
Potential Mechanism For TRIOLEX
Dr. Reading also presented data demonstrating that TRIOLEX regulates the activation of NF-kappaB in vitro and in vivo. Hollis-Eden believes the broad-based anti-inflammatory activity of TRIOLEX may relate to a partial inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway. NF-kappaB is a transcription factor that controls genes whose products are involved in the inflammatory signaling pathway, including TNF-alpha and IL-6. These cytokines are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of certain autoimmune diseases such as UC and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and are also implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, cardiovascular disorders, cancer and in general, diseases associated with aging. Unlike currently prescribed corticosteroids that act through the glucocorticoid receptor to completely block NF-kappaB activation and cause immune suppression and bone loss, preclinical models to date show that TRIOLEX only results in a partial inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway without immune suppression or bone loss because it does not interact with the glucocorticoid receptor.
TRIOLEX Demonstrates Activity in Model of Type 1 Diabetes
In a separate oral presentation, Dr. Auci showed preclinical data demonstrating benefit of TRIOLEX in a murine model of type 1 diabetes, or autoimmune diabetes. Treatment of 15-week old female NOD mice with TRIOLEX significantly reduced the incidence of disease over a 10-week period. These studies were conducted by Dr. Ferdinando Nicoletti at the University of Catania, Italy and confirmed by Dr. Michelle Kosiewicz at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. These findings are encouraging because few therapeutic agents provide benefit when given so late in the course of this spontaneous model of autoimmune diabetes. Dr. Auci also presented additional safety data demonstrating that 14-day oral treatment with even high doses of TRIOLEX did not impair survival or immune function in mice subsequently challenged with a lethal bacterial infection. On the contrary, animals given TRIOLEX showed reduced weight loss and slightly improved survival following bacterial challenge. These observations are consistent with the Company's previously published work demonstrating to date that preclinically TRIOLEX acts as an anti-inflammatory agent but is not immune suppressive. Taken together, the data from both UC and type 1 diabetes suggest a mechanism for TRIOLEX involving active induction of the resolution phase of inflammation as opposed to the highly immune suppressive action of corticosteroids, NSAIDS and biologics that reduce inflammation by blocking its induction phase.
"In addition to the continued success TRIOLEX therapy has demonstrated in models of autoimmune disease, it was exciting to see that TRIOLEX was active in this well characterized animal model of type 1 diabetes," stated Dr. Reading. "This bodes well as we are also employing the anti-inflammatory activity of TRIOLEX to target metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. Last June we reported at a corporate symposium held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association positive interim data with TRIOLEX from our ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial in healthy obese insulin resistant subjects. Our phase II clinical trial with TRIOLEX in patients with type 2 diabetes is currently enrolling subjects and we hope to be able to report an interim analysis from that study before the end of the year or early in the first quarter of 2009."
TRIOLEX Clinical Trial Programs Underway
Given the extensive positive preclinical data generated to date with TRIOLEX in a variety of animal models of autoimmune and metabolic disorders, Hollis-Eden has initiated clinical trials with TRIOLEX in type 2 diabetes, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. As mentioned above, interim data has been reported from the ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial in obese, insulin resistant subjects, and enrollment has begun in the Phase II 90-day type 2 diabetes clinical trial as well as in the Phase I/II rheumatoid arthritis trial.
Regarding the Company's ongoing dose ranging clinical trial with TRIOLEX in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (defined as a baseline ulcerative colitis activity score, or Mayo physician's score, greater than or equal to 6 and less than or equal to 12). Dr. Reading reported at the Porto meeting preliminary findings from an initial set of five patients. Of the five patients, three were treated with the lowest dose of TRIOLEX (5 mg. administered once daily for 28 days), and two received placebo. TRIOLEX was safe and well tolerated in the treated patients through 42 days of observation. Dr. Reading reported at the meeting that the information received to date from this trial indicated there was a clinical response in one of the three TRIOLEX-treated subjects, where the Mayo score was improved from a baseline score of 9 to a score of 2 by the end of the dosing period. There was no clinical improvement observed in the two placebo-treated patients. In addition to the improved Mayo score in the patient that appeared to benefit from treatment, endoscopic analysis before and after treatment showed a substantial improvement in the ulceration and inflammatory condition of the mucosal tissue in the patient's colon. In addition, in this patient evidence of decreases in serum and cellular inflammatory cytokines was also observed. The patient also had an elevated TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level, indicating hypothyroidism. Autoimmune (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis was confirmed by elevated antibodies to thyroglobulin and thyroperoxidase. The TSH level dropped to within normal levels by day 15 and remained low through day 56.
Hollis-Eden is continuing to enroll patients in its Phase I/II UC clinical trial to include additional dosing levels. The initial cohort of nine patients receiving either 5 mg. of TRIOLEX administered once daily, or placebo, is expected to be fully enrolled by the end of September. The second cohort of patients receiving either 5 mg. of TRIOLEX administered twice daily, or placebo, is expected to commence in October.
Added Dr. Reading: "In our dose ranging study with TRIOLEX in UC patients, TRIOLEX appears to be safe and well tolerated to date at the initial dose level, which is consistent with the favorable safety findings we have seen in our previously reported interim Phase I/II study results with the compound in obese, insulin resistant subjects. While our findings in the UC trial are too preliminary to draw any specific conclusions regarding activity, we find the response in one patient treated at the lowest dose level, where a significant improvement in Mayo score and substantial improvement in the condition of the mucosal tissue in the colon was observed, to be striking. We are also encouraged by the evidence in that patient of decreases in serum and cellular inflammatory cytokines, again consistent with our findings with TRIOLEX in obese, insulin resistant subjects. These observations, coupled with the extensive preclinical data we have generated to date in multiple animal models of autoimmune disorders, are encouraging."
"Data presented at this conference represent a body of scientific accomplishments demonstrating in preclinical models that TRIOLEX is a novel molecule with unique signaling capabilities that regulates unproductive inflammation without causing immune suppression and serious side effects associated with other commonly prescribed anti-inflammatories," stated Richard Hollis, Chairman and CEO of Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals. "TRIOLEX is a synthetic drug candidate modified from a naturally occurring hormone derived from the adrenal glands that we believe is the body's natural signaling molecule to maintain stress inflammatory basal homeostatic set points. We are now in several clinical trial programs with the goal of demonstrating the utility of this novel molecule as a potent regulator of inflammation without the side effects associated with current therapies, and to provide a safer drug to treat multiple diseases related to inflammation and metabolic diseases. TRIOLEX, one of many DHEA metabolites and analogs we have under development in our pipeline, potentially represents a breakthrough therapy that may, if successfully developed, offer medicine a new and safer alternative to manage both acute and chronic unproductive inflammation, which is the root cause of so many diseases, and diseases related to the aging process itself. In our current and future clinical trials we hope to confirm our scientific hypothesis that the value of DHEA, the most abundant circulating steroid hormone in the body, is not DHEA itself, but rather its metabolic conversions of downstream metabolites which are the active chemical messengers that can be utilized to treat and prevent maladaptive inflammatory conditions that are associated with modern human diseases."
About Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a world leader in the development of a proprietary class of adrenal steroid hormones as novel pharmaceuticals for human health. Through its Hormonal Signaling Technology Platform, Hollis-Eden is developing a new series of small molecule compounds that are metabolites or synthetic analogs of endogenous hormones derived by the adrenal glands from the body's most abundant circulating adrenal steroid. These steroid hormones, designed to restore the biological activity of cellular signaling pathways disrupted by disease and aging, have been demonstrated in humans to possess several properties with potential therapeutic benefit -- they regulate innate and adaptive immunity, reduce nonproductive inflammation and stimulate cell proliferation. The Company's clinical drug development candidates include TRIOLEX(TM) (HE3286), a next-generation compound currently in clinical trials for the treatment of type 2 diabetes ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, and APOPTONE(TM) (HE3235), a next-generation compound in a clinical trial for late-stage prostate cancer. In addition to these clinical development candidates, Hollis-Eden has an active research program that is generating additional new clinical leads that are being further evaluated in preclinical models of a number of different diseases. For more information on Hollis-Eden, visit the Company's website at www.holliseden.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws concerning, among other things, the potential and prospects of the Company's drug discovery program and its drug candidates and the benefits to be derived therefrom including the potential advantages of TRIOLEX and APOPTONE compared to other treatment approaches, how TRIOLEX and APOPTONE are believed to work and their respective potential for use in the targeted indications. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company that any of its plans will be achieved. Any statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which, if they do not materialize or prove correct, could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from historical results or those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business, clinical trials, and drug development and commercialization including, but not limited to: the outcome of final analysis of data from the Company's phase I/II clinical trial of TRIOLEX in healthy obese insulin resistant subjects once it is completed may vary from the Company's initial analysis, and the FDA may not agree with the Company's interpretation of such results; whether the preliminary findings from the initial set of five patients in the Company's ongoing dose ranging clinical trial with TRIOLEX in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis reported at this meeting will be predictive of later results from this trial as the Company continues to enroll patients and add additional dosing levels to the trial; the ability to complete preclinical and clinical trials successfully and within specified timelines, if at all; the risks and uncertainties inherent in clinical trials, and drug development and commercialization, including the uncertainty of whether results in clinical testing of TRIOLEX or APOPTONE to date will be predictive of results in later stages of development; the ability to obtain regulatory approval for TRIOLEX (HE3286), APOPTONE (HE3235) or any other investigational drug candidate; the Company's future capital needs; the Company's ability to obtain additional funding; the ability of the Company to obtain and protect its intellectual property rights and to not infringe the intellectual property rights of others; the development of competitive products by other companies, the market potential for the indications the Company is targeting, and the Company's ability to compete; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or circumstances arising after the date of this press release. None of the Company's investigational drug candidates has been approved for sale, significant additional animal and human testing is required in order to seek marketing approval for any of its drug candidates, and the Company cannot assure you that marketing approval can be obtained for any of its drug candidates or that, even if such marketing approval were received, such drug candidates would ultimately achieve commercial success. Furthermore, as is typically the case at this stage of the regulatory review process, the FDA has not yet performed an in-depth review of the Company's preclinical and clinical data, so its views remain subject to change.
Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Scott Rieger, Vice President, Corporate Communications
Posted: September 2008


text:
SimpleLists is a pure Joomla! MVC-component for displaying "lists". A list is handled as a category containing items. Each item can be displayed using a title, a text and a picture, while this picture can point to a certain URL. This makes the component ideal for displaying a logo-page, a portfolio-page, a FAQ page, a custom blog-page or a peoplebook.
The component is shipped with different views, allowing output in a simple table, output using tags, and output for just the picture. Most importantly: Each list can be configured through the "Parameter" section of the appropriate menu-item (in the Menu Manager).
Some people just use SimpleLists for the smooth graphical effects it comes along with. That's fine, but SimpleLists has also made firm choices regarding the non-usage of Joomla! articles and Joomla! categories. If you would like those smooth graphical effects to be combined with Joomla! articles and Joomla! categories, you're NOT looking for SimpleLists. If you want to know, check out the SimpleLists FAQ.
Do you need support? Do NOT use the review-section below, which is ment for reviews. Instead use our forum, which is ment for support.
- Version:
- 1.9.1
- Developer:
- Yireo
- Last updated:
- Jul 18 2016
- Date added:
- Dec 06 2007
- License:
- GPLv2 or later
- Type:
- Free download
- Includes:
- Compatibility:
Ease of use

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Storage & Cleaning
Contigo Autoseal Kids Gizmo Sip Robot
Contigo Autoseal Kids Gizmo Sip Robot
The handy Contigo Autoseal Kids Gizmo Sip Robot shows off a generous 14 oz capacity with the highest quality Autoseal technology that automatically seals to ensure that there are no leaks or spills.
This BPA bottle also has a spout cover keeps dirt and germs out to ensure that the kids are protected when they drink. The lid is easy-clean and can be washed on the top rack of a dishwasher.
The water bottle is made out of tritan, which provides high impact resistance and won't stain or retain odours.
- Top-rack dishwasher safe
- Sized for little hands
- Comfortable and easy on kid's little fingers
- Spout shield protects against dirt and germs
- Approximate Size: 17 x 8 x 9 cm
- Capacity: 420ml
- Contigo Autoseal Kids Gizmo Sip Robot 0 stars (0 review)
Share your thoughts with other customers… write your own review
Nobody has asked a question about this product yet
Ask a question about this product


text:
Happy STD Day* :)
Yes, that's right...today's topic is Venereal Disease! With so much talk of abstinence, are we empowering our kids to protect themselves 'just in case'? If you teach your kids abstinence, do you also educate them on condoms, and about other sexual activities that can spread diseases as well?
'Severe epidemic' of sexually-transmitted diseases is sweeping the nation, warns CDC on Valentine's Day
Just in time for Valentine's Day, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control released data Wednesday revealing that 20 million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diagnosed each year nationwide, costing some $16 billion in taxpayer funds.
Half of the 20 million new infections affect people ages 15 to 24 - who only make up a quarter of the population,l according to the statistics.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) tops the list as the most common infection followed by chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis B, HIV and trichomoniasis.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has revealed that 20 million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diagnosed each year nationwide
The number of new infections in the country has been growing over the last couple decades, leading one CDC researcher to declare that the U.S. is facing an 'ongoing, severe STI epidemic.'
There were 15 million new infections reported in 1996 and 18.9 million reported in 2000. Though researchers noted that the methods for gathering information about new infections back then were slightly different, and may account for some discrepancy in the numbers.
'STIs take a big health and economic toll on men and women in the United States, especially our youth,' CDC epidemiologist Catherine Lindsay told NBC News.
Much of the $16 billion in annual healthcare costs that go to STI's is spent on patients with HIV/AIDS, who require lifetime care.
On the eve of Valentine's Day, the CDC released the new studies on the growth of STI's to urge people to practice abstinence or safe sex
But less serious infections aren't always less expensive.
Diseases like Chlamydia can lead to complications, especially if they are not treated, which can end up costing patients thousands of dollars out of pocket.
That might be why on the eve of Valentine's Day, the CDC decided to release two new studies on the growth of STI's and to urge people to practice abstinence or safe sex by using a form of birth control and getting tested.
The part that I think is hilarious is the dramatic increase in throat gonorreah, due to the 'oral sex isn't sex' beliefs... gullible children.
If they are abstaining like I expect them to do they won't get VD. If they are breaking God's rules as well as mine than VD is the consequence of sinning.
Yeah we want him to wait, and we talk about waiting, but I work in a high school, I know things happen, and I'd rather he be protected than end up with a potentially life long or life threatening or fertility threatening disease as the 'wages of sin'. Not that I believe in a god that would punish a child/young adult for that.
Sadly, on Vday I actually know a woman who has herpes and to top it off has contracted veneral warts so she had them removed today. I wish this wsn't true. What' worse is the herpes came first.
:face palm:
(Just teasing ;)
Happy Valentine's Day
Quoting Donna6503:
Hey, the world decided some decades ago, that the word, "venereal disease" was (and is) a sexist term. We've grown up now, please be politically correct and say, "Happy Sexual Transmission Disease Day;" but, "Happy STD Day" is acceptable.
(Just teasing ;)
Happy Valentine's Day
I added it in the title, just for you! Happy VD!
Hey if the President of our great nation says its not sex....
Quoting LindaClement:
The part that I think is hilarious is the dramatic increase in throat gonorreah, due to the 'oral sex isn't sex' beliefs... gullible children.


text:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - State officials are warning Ohioans about the potential for fraud and identity theft from smartphone applications that claim to offer access to account balances for cash and food assistance programs.
The mobile apps costing less than $2 require users to provide confidential financial information.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Wednesday the agency does not recommend purchasing or downloading this type of app, which isn't approved by the state or its partners.
The department says it never charges individuals for access to account information. The agency is directing people to check their account information on the state's secure website.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
350 Quarrier Street
Charleston, WV 25301
Main (304) 343-1313
Fax (304) 343-6138


text:
The last time I made a Mix CD was exactly a year ago. And other than a few listens to Nirvana, Britney Spears, and 311...it has stayed in my car's CD player for the entire year.
So, I figured it was time for a new one.
Faye's Favorites: 5-2012
Traffic Lights - Emile Millar
Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
Who Knows Who Cares - Local Natives
Cold December - Matt Costa
Vice Rag - AA Bondy
Serpentine - Chris Bathgate
Gold Coast - GROUPLOVE
The Sun - The Naked and Famous
Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye
Troublemaker (Cover) - Hanson
Always - Blind Pilot
Love's Lost Guarantee - Rogue Wave
GfC - Albert Hammond Jr.
Coal War - Joshua James
The Submarine - Whitley
Be sure to tune in for my next Mix.
Coming: May 2013


text:
E-mail Address
1. Project Officer- Animal Health
The Project Officer- Animal Health shall be responsible to and report directly to the Project Coordinator – Host Community or designate for the carrying out of his/her duties.
The purpose of the position is to provide community based animal health services and the supervision of livestock-related projects in the Turkana region.
The main responsibilities include;
Conduct training for community health workers on animal health diseases and disease identification.
Strengthen existing community based disease surveillance structures and link them to Government of Kenya Veterinary and Department.
To work closely with the veterinary department to facilitate deworming and vaccination of livestock against common diseases like PPR and CCPP among others
Conduct training for livestock marketing groups on drug supply chain management.
Provide support and advice to existing and new drug stores at the community level and link them up with Community Health Workers Associations.
To work closely with Community Development Facilitators and supervise their activities in realizing timely planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of project activities.
Work closely with the Project coordinator to formulate and develop needs-based proposals and strategies.
To be a member of the Kakuma/Turkana Project Management Team.
Together with the Project coordinator supervise and report on all livestock activities in the project area.
Professional Qualifications
A minimum of a diploma or a degree in animal health/ veterinary medicine from a recognized institution.
Experience and competencies
At least 3 years experience with animal health issues in a pastoralist set up is required.
Demonstrable understanding of the dynamics of pastoralist livelihoods, peace building and conflict resolution, preferably gained within an international NGO.
Practical experience in community participation processes, proposals and reports writing.
Excellent Computer skills, especially MS Word and MS Excel.
Applications and detailed CV must include email address and telephone contacts of 3 referees, one of whom must be your supervisor in your current/former employment.
C/o Office Administrator,
P.O. Box 40870, GPO-00100,
Nairobi, Kenya
Or e-mail to: firstname.lastname@example.com
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
For more information and job applications, see: lwf kenya
More: Lecturer Jobs » Education Jobs » University Teaching Jobs.


text:
- Age / Gender:
- n/a, Male
- Location:
- Location not disclosed
- Joined:
- 5/27/10
- All Stats >
User Statshot
- Community Stats
Level 2 Blank Slate
Garbage Whistle
Ranked as Civilian
Contact Info / Websites
Latest News
If you enjoy storytelling, especially story telling in second person, check out my new daily series called "The Legend of Dirk".
Did he say DAILY?
Yes... Every day a new chapter is released!
I'll be holding off on releasing episodes for a few days because I'm animating them way ahead and I'm hoping to improve thier quality and as I am still somewhat new to flash, grow in ma' flash skills.
Anywhoo the story will resume in a few days so if you've been following it worry not!
Check it out!
Recent Game Medals
I still can't see through her lies. 5 Points But will she love me now that I can see at all? Medal Stats.
Swan Dive 5 Points Go for a swim Medal Stats.
Big Brother 5 Points Rescue Gretel Medal Stats.
Ssssssurprise! 5 Points Try and cross the swamp without Hansel Medal Stats.
SECRET MEDAL 5 Points Unlock this medal to see it's details. Medal Stats.
Spiked 5 Points Get the pit death Medal Stats.
SECRET MEDAL 5 Points Unlock this medal to see it's details. Medal Stats.
Where's My Arm? 5 Points Pet the teddy Medal Stats.
Gut Busting 5 Points Step on the trap Medal Stats.
Got Wood? 5 Points Suffer the stickman's wrath Medal Stats.
Total Medals Earned: 32 (From 7 different games.)
Latest Favorite Audio
|Celtic Wind
|Miscellaneous Song
|Celtic Time
|Miscellaneous Song
|Sad flute (Real, Not Synthed)
|Ambient Loop
|Moors of Ireland
|Ambient Song
Latest Movies
<DA> Dirk's Legend Ch 005 Rated Stars The Gnome catches up to Claymore <DA> Dirk's Legend Ch 004 Rated Stars Claymore is attacked by Brighands on the way home. <DA> Dirk's Legend Ch 003 Rated Stars Claymore comes across a tiny gnome...in his underwear! <DA> Dirk's Legend Ch 002 Rated Stars Your father goes into town to buy some weapons! What will he buy for you?


text:
New company for MicroDisplays
0 comments post a comment
Last week, I had the opportunity of meeting with a new company that hopes to re-vitalize microdisplays.
Last week, I had the opportunity of meeting with a new company that hopes to re-vitalize microdisplays. Depending on who you talk to, microdisplays are peaking this year at 2.3 million units, and will quickly fall to the wayside in favor of flat-panel displays; or microdisplays will continue to offer excellent features at a reasonable price for consumers in larger screen sizes for the foreseeable future. Currently, there are Texas Instruments' DLP technology, Sony's SXRD, and JVC's HD-ILA representing microdisplay technology with the latter two being LCoS variations. LCoS manufacturing has always been tricky, and several companies have tried and failed to make LCoS viable including Toshiba, Intel, RCA, and Philips.
Well, a new company has thrown its hat into the ring with hopes of enhancing and growing the microdisplay market. MicroDisplay Corporation announced last Friday (November 17, 2006) that it will soon begin manufacturing HDTVs for well-known brands, powered by its unique and proprietary 0.82-in. single-chip1080p Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) digital projection imaging devices. The single-chip design in MicroDisplay Corporation's proprietary technology provides an exceptionally high-quality HDTV picture at a lower manufacturing cost. As a result, large-screen 1080p HDTVs will soon be available to a much larger group of consumers. MicroDisplay Corporation is the first company to mass-produce LCOS devices with the fast response times necessary for use in a single-chip design and its technology sets a new cost/performance standard.
"With our technology, TV manufacturers will now be able to offer bigger screens and impressive 1080p picture quality to their customers at much lower price points," said VP of Marketing for MicroDisplay, Marty Zanfino. "This stands to revolutionize the industry and bring the market price for a 50-inch plus, 1080p rear-projection HDTV down below $1500. That's an extraordinary value."
MicroDisplay Corp. is partnering with major HDTV brands (currently undisclosed) to develop and distribute rear-projection HDTV models with screen sizes of 52-in. to 62-in. The new MicroDisplay single-chip, LCoS-powered, rear-projection HDTVs are expected to hit stores in summer 2007. Some models will be available for viewing at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2007.


text:
Course summary:
This course is dedicated to partners, integrators and developers who need to grasp knowledge of the OpenERP development process. This course is for new developers or for IT professionals eager to learn more about the OpenERP technical aspects.
- Having attended this course, participants should be able to:
- Understand the development concepts and architecture;
- Install and administer OpenERP;
- Develop a new OpenERP module.
Our prices include:
- Drinks and lunch;
- Training material.
Bring your own laptop.
Participants are expected to have some knowledge in programming. A basic knowledge of the Python programming is recommended.
Participants preferably have a functional knowledge of the OpenERP software (see Functional Training).
Looking for a hotel nearby? Please have a look here:
- http://www.ashookainn.in
- http://www.infocityclub.net/
- http://www.fortunehotels.in/hotel/Gandhinagar-Fortune_Inn_Haveli.aspx
- http://hotelpresidentgandhinagar.com/
For any assistance for hotel booking you can contact to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Where to find us:
Tiny ERP Private Limited,16-17 IT Tower - 1, InfoCity, Gandhinagar 382009 (India)
+91 79 40 500 100 (Ext -204,205,206,207,208),firstname.lastname@example.com
Cancellation Policy:
The organization of the training session has related costs. Due to these costs, cancellations made less than 2 weeks (14 calendar days) prior to the start of the training session is a subject to a fee. This fee can be up to a maximum of 1000€ per cancellation request.
We strongly recommend to book your flight tickets and/or hotel reservations 2 weeks prior to the training. If the training is cancelled 2 weeks in advance, you'll be notified by email.
For any additional information, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com
For Subscription :
Please Visit : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/training-en-openerp-70-technical-training-gandhinagar-india-tickets-11445984247
Best regards,
Dhaval Trivedi- Sales Manager
(Tiny ERP Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to cancel, re-name or re-locate the event or change the dates on which it is held.)


text:
As the world did not end at 6pm yesterday I suppose I had better get my head around iXBRL and file all the accounts I've been holding off sending to HMRC!
Please login or register to join the discussion.
... but tackling iXBRL and sending them to HMRC is the lesser of the two evils ..... or is it! ;)
Wait for the endgame now
We just have to wait for the endgame of private practice now!
It did
Ah but the world DID end, only God took out a super-injunction so no one is allowed to tell you it did (not even on twitter).
Eye of the needle
Talking of superinjunctions, I see the footballer has effectively been named now. Not being much of a football fan, the name doesn't mean much to me, but probably does to others. I wonder if the superinjunction has made things better or worse for him. Maybe worse once the superinjunction is officially lifted in the UK....
I couldnt care less if some overpaid footballer cant keep his trousers on. BUT, I do wonder what "serious" news is kept from us by this misuse of the law.
end of the world?
I though this was a publicity stunt from the "health and safety" brigade....


text:
There are less than 100 shopping days to October 15, the date that the Federal Communications Commission will be begin accepting applications for new Low Power FM radio stations. The updated online Form 318 is available, and nosy me, I decided to set up an account just so I could take screen shots of the various question pages (click any of these images below for a bigger screen shot).
The instructions for the form say that:
"Applicants must file Form 318 electronically. The Commission has developed an electronic version of this form that is available on the Commission's Web site. Each applicant filing electronically will benefit from 'error checks' in the Form 318 computer software and obtain immediate confirmation of the receipt of its application by the Commission."
So if you are planning to file, the first step is to stroll over to the FCC's Consolidated Database (CDBS) Account page and get yourself a new account. Then log in with your account number and password, and you'll see a long list of forms.
The digital application for a new station is, as already noted, Form 318, which, when clicked, goes to this opening page:
I generically filled out the top bar "form description," clicked the "new station" option, and was sent to the "General Information" page below, which I completed.
At the bottom of the page is a menu button, which takes you here: a page that guides you through the "Legal," "Points System," and "LPFM Engineering" sections:
The online form lets you save your application as a "Work in Progress," so you can come back to it as you get more data. At this point you'll definitely want to keep the Form 318 instructions pdf handy. Section Two ("legal") first asks you to identify via a "yes/no" checklist what kind of organization you are. Nonprofit? Tribal? Public safety?
Then it asks yes/no questions regarding the FCC's various "community-based" criteria for LPFMs. You can fulfill these via the proximity of your HQ to your transmitter, the proximity of most of your board members to your transmitter, your Tribal Status, or your intention to provide public safety services.
Then come "point system" questions that give you a chance to show that you've got an "established community presence," ask you about a "publicly accessible main studio," and query whether you plan "to originate locally at least eight hours of programming per day." The more localness and accessibility you commit to, the more application points you score.
The last part of the point system application asks when your group first qualified as "local." The FCC says that this information will only be used if multiple applications for the same signal result in high score ties, points-wise. In those cases, the Commission will authorize "timesharing" arrangements for LPFM applicants.
Last but not least come the engineering data pages, which require you to certify that you will comply with the FCC's LPFM distance separation rules and other criteria.
See, that wasn't so hard . . . at least not for me. But then again, I'm not actually applying for a LPFM station, just peeking at the forms.
In any event, remember that you can save your online application and come back to it later. So get your FCC CDBS Account Number ASAP and start clicking those yes/no queries now. What fun!
Just one dollar a month makes you a patron of Radio Survivor. Help us through our Patreon Campaign!


text:
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
/* Style Definitions */
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
After graduating from UCSC with a BS in Astrophysics in 2008, I have still found myself at the same job that helped put me through college (thanks banksters for ruining the job market).
My degree has come in handy, however, in developing an equation to determine what kind of Ayn Rand human a person is. Here it is, with explanation.
(X-1)$ = ±Human Worth
$= the annual income of the individual, while
X is the annual income multiplier, and is equal to (G+S)/(C+E)
With G = Greed
S = Selfishness
C = Compassion
and E= Empathy
Each variable within X is rated on a scale of one to one hundred by a series of questions that determine the individuals Greed level, Selfishness level, ect. The annual income multiplier works in concert with the annual income of the individual to determine their human worth according to Ayn Rand.
There are two official categories which define what kind of human you are and each contains two subcategories. The official categories are the idyllic and the undesirable.
The idyllic will have a positive value while the undesirable will have a negative value. Within the subcategory of idyllic, there are the heroes and the pawns, pawns can also be thought of as the Fox "News" viewer. Within the subcategory of undesirable are the traitors and the peasants. These subcategories are further explained below.
Undesirable: (defined by a negative value of human worth and 0 ≤ X < 1)
If 0 ≤ X < 1 and $ < 100,000, then you are a peasant, you are worthless as a human according to Ayn Rand and the only function you serve is to support the rich, but can be easily replaced with another peasant.
If 0 ≤ X < 1 and $ ≥100,000, then you are a traitor to your class. You are actually lower then the peasants because although the peasants can't do anything besides vote, the traitor has the power to use their money to stave off a libertarian paradise and serves as a bad example to the Pawns and Heroes.
Idyllic: (defined by a positive value for human worth and X≥1)
Pawn, aka Fox News viewer:
If X ≥ 1 and $ < 100,000, then you are a useful tool of the super-rich. Your heart is in the right place, although your checking account is pathetically low. You help the rich adopt their pro-rich agenda in a democracy and as a reward the Heroes will try their hardest to help you out by destroying Social Security and Medicare, thereby increasing your "freedom".
If X ≥ 1 and $ ≥ 100,000, then you are a true hero. Your burden, however, is to keep those below you in check and flee the United States in case you must go on strike to teach the peasants a lesson.
This may not be a perfect equation, but it will give a person the gist on what kind of human being the libertarians/objectivist/modern republicans will classify an individual as.
Have fun, and if any one is looking for a hard worker in the field of astrophysics, feel free to contact me.


text:
Community Supporter
Last Activity: April 30th, 2015 11:42 AM
About Me
- About Alice
- Biography
- I love water and ice type pokemon above all others... except Quilava. I'm just cool like that.
- Interests
- Gaming.
- Location
- Oregon
- Gender
- Female ♀
- Occupation
- None
- Nature
- Careful
- Favorite Pokémon
- Quilava, Dewgong, Articuno, Qwilfish, and (almost) all other water/ice types.
Showing Friends 21 to 34 of 34
- molepeople27
- Pumpkin King
- Ninja Caterpie
- Sitting by the back window
- Otter
- Reminiscing Every Now and Then
- Phantom
- [css-div="font-size: 12px; font-variant: small-caps; letter-spacing: 2pt; text-shadow: 2px 2px 5px #00000; font-weight:bold;"]Uh, I didn't do it[/css-div]
- PKMNgamer
- youtube.com/pkmngamer
- Rabbit
- where is my mind?
- POKéMON TRAINER
- sasquatchd00d
- welcoming a clean head.
- ShadowLeader
- because shadows follow...
- Shining Raichu
- Expect me like you expect Jesus.
- Tunaboy88
- Special Beam Cannon!!!!!!!!!!!
- TwiDragon
- The fun shawl be doubled!
- Wansen
- Regal Bryant
- [Snivy Baroque]
- Shinigami Snivy
Contact Info
View Alice's BlogRecent Entries
Latest Blog Entry
Posted November 22nd, 2012 at 9:59 PM by Alice Comments 3
I've recently started watching anime/listening to Japanese music again, and I'm starting to remember why I used to be an otaku... so I decided to give learning Japanese another shot. As I recall, I never liked any of kanji flashcard programs online, because they take forever to set up, and aren't very user friendly, so I made one of my own that's as easy to use as I could make it.
Not sure if anyone else would be interested in it, but I've found it useful so far.
Download: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/45088699/Kanji.zip...
Not sure if anyone else would be interested in it, but I've found it useful so far.
Download: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/45088699/Kanji.zip...
Posted April 11th, 2012 at 7:26 PM by Alice Comments 0
I started LPing about a year and a half ago, and there always seemed to be some major life event getting in the way of continuing to record just as I'm starting to record... UNTIL NOW! So yeah, I'm back to LPing, for good this time. I even said in the description of the first video I uploaded that the only thing that could stop me from recording is if someone in my family died... and my uncle died the next day. Still recording though, so yeah. Should be good now.
I'm currently LPing...
I'm currently LPing...
Posted March 27th, 2012 at 6:30 PM by Alice Comments 2
So, for my application to DigiPen, I'm supposed to make up my own card game, and write an essay about it. I assume this is to prove my general creative ability, as well as my ability to playtest, and fix problems in my design. The game is called Traitor, and is heavily influenced by Real Time Strategy games like Starcraft 2, Age of Empires, etc.
Here are the rules after way too much time playtesting it:
Here are the rules after way too much time playtesting it:
Setting Up and Objective:
Posted March 25th, 2012 at 2:38 PM by Alice Comments 2
I've been wanting a blog for a couple years now, and had I just waited until I hit the 5000 post requirement (Which is a stupidly high number.), it would have taken me about 7 years in total to get it, at the rate that I'm going now. Thankfully, Andy swooped in to save the day, and donated for me. :D
So, for my first blog entry, I want to thank him for being so generous. Thanks Andy! <3
So, for my first blog entry, I want to thank him for being so generous. Thanks Andy! <3
Recent Comments


text:
ADA pushes for complete control over nutrition industry
You can't even lift a steak knife anymore without some Health Nazi trying to yank it out of your hands and replace it with a salad fork.
Fat bans… sin taxes… salt regulations — enough's enough!
It's time to grab your steak knife and fight back — and I'm going to tell you how every Friday by exposing the latest threats to your food freedom rights.
And I'm going to start with the very "experts" trying to replace your steak with tofu: The chocolate-loving, soda-slurping, packaged-food-hawking know-nothings of the American Dietetic Association.
The ADA is a leading backer of the disastrous low-fat, plant-based diet that has led directly to the obesity epidemic, not to mention mass illness and disease — but it gets worse.
This organization also collects cash from — and forms partnerships with — some of the worst names in food: Mars, Nestle, Hershey, General Mills, and ConAgra, to name a few.
Think that's bad? They've even got both Coke AND Pepsi on board.
The ADA might not think much of steak — but it seems like they're fine with Cheetos. Maybe you can sprinkle them on your salad and cover the whole thing in Hershey's syrup.
Somehow, despite being in the sack with the entire junk food industry, they're not only allowed to dish out dietary advice — they're being handed COMPLETE CONTROL over it.
Bills are making their way through state legislatures that would put the ADA in charge of ALL licensing for dietitians and nutritionists.
You could be the world's leading nutrition expert — but if you don't pass the ADA test, pay their fee, and get on board with their Hershey-approved message, you wouldn't get to call yourself a nutritionist or even practice as one.
Right now, they're aggressively lobbying in California, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Indiana, and Colorado — and if you live in any of those states and want to make sure REAL nutritionists have the freedom to practice without the ADA's tainted blessing, you need to act now.
You don't have to occupy a park, chant, sing, or march on your capital — just visit the Web site of the Alliance for Natural Health. With just a couple of clicks, you can send a message straight to your lawmakers… and let them know where they can stick the ADA's salad fork.
And for more on why groups like the ADA are DEAD WRONG on fats, keep reading.


text:
For my last challenge piece, 'Lettering', I was inspired to use a technique from the book 'Paper & Metal Leaf Lamination' by Claire Benn, Jane Dunnewold & Leslie Morgan. As my new pigment printer is now not working (another story), I wanted to find another way of 'printing' on fabric for the challenge.
Going through some of my art DVD's one rainy afternoon, I watched the video that comes with this book and was immediately inspired.
I started by printing out my selected images using a laser printer with normal copy paper. I then cut these images to the approximate size I wanted. I made sure I cut off all of the unwanted white edges, as, through my testing process, learned that you don't want to use any unwanted paper as you will only have to remove it later and may not give you the result you are looking for.
I then laid them out and played with them until I had my desired result. To make it easier to get the size I needed, I penciled a 15 x 15 inch square onto my working board and laid the images about a quarter inch over the edge.
I then laid my piece of polyester sheer over the collage and pinned it, stretching it slightly so that it remained taut.
I painted the medium on the overlapping edges of the collage pieces first so that they wouldn't move once I put the silk screen over them, however, in the end I didn't use the screen to apply the medium, I carried on and used the brush for the whole piece as I was afraid the individual pieces would still move around. This worked out well and kept all of my pieces in place, however, the book does go through the process of using a silk or thermofax screen, both which have the advantages of laying down a smooth, even layer of medium and also pushing the medium onto the cloth more evenly. You can also use screens that have a design on them to create different effects. I guess it depends on the type of image you are using and the degree of accuracy you need from the design.
Another thing I did was to use masking tape around the outside edges so that the medium didn't over run onto the fabric to far. This is may not be necessary, but I am still learning what works best and it gave me the result I wanted.
I let the piece dry on the board for a while, then I peeled it off and pegged it up to completely dry. Once this was done, I heat set it using a dry iron set to a cotton setting and parchment paper between the fabric and the iron. You then plunge the whole thing into a bucket of water (!) and let it soak for at least 5 minutes, after which you rub off the paper. It took a few soakings, so don't be afraid to keep putting it back into the water and working it until you are happy.
The process itself is quite easy but really satisfying. I really loved using this technique and I am looking forward to experimenting more with it as there are so many more variations in technique that you can use.
Claire presents very well and I love watching their DVD's. Claire and Leslie also have 4 other books plus the 'Finding Your Own Visual Language' with Jane Dunnewold that Linden mentioned in her top ten book list. All are easy to understand and packed full of great techniques. I really am a big fan of their work.
Their website is: http://www.committedtocloth.uk
Their book 'Screen Printing: :Layering Textiles with Colour, Textures & Images was listed on the top ten textile printing books.
I found their books on the Committed to Cloth website, Art Van Go here in the UK, Amazon, and Dharma Trading USA but there maybe others as well.
Happy creating!


text:
Judging by the comments, you guys seemed to enjoy "Too Soon to Count Out" last week, so I thought I'd bring it back again this week to look at a couple more players who are underperforming but may have better days ahead.
Shin-Soo Choo | CLE | OF: Choo has been a disappointment to fantasy owners this year, but he's a guy I'm not overly concerned about. He has been bad, but he hasn't been Dan Uggla bad. For one thing, he's in line to steal just as many bases as he usually does.
The biggest problem with Choo is his uncharacteristically low .241 batting average; he has hit over .300 in the past three seasons. This is due in large part to a .300 BABIP, which may not sound bad at first, but is low compared to his career average of .353. Additionally, his 26.9 percent strikeout rate is well above his 21.5 percent rate from last season. His power is also down; he's hitting a home run every 32 contacted balls compared to one every 21 contacted balls for his career.
This may seem like a lot of problems to expect a full rebound from, but I think it's a legitimate possibility for Choo. First, his batted-ball rates are all in line with his career norms, and he's still hitting his home runs as far as he did last year, including one opposite-field shot already. He's not hitting as many as far this year, but at least we can see that his raw power hasn't eluded him. This is a much better sign than if he were hitting his homers 20 feet shorter than in the past.
He's hitting them a little more to center instead of to right as he usually does, but I'm not too concerned about this since his distribution among all contacted balls has been normal:
This bodes well for a power bounceback, something that will also aid his batting average. On the subject of his average, I initially noted that he's striking out more than he did last season, and while that's true, last year he experienced a large improvement in strikeout rate. This year, he's just a little worse than his career rate; remember, he had a career .297 average coming into the year.
That just leaves the BABIP. The good news here is that BABIP is the most unstable of the three stats we've looked at and is most likely to be a function of random fluctuation. Initially, I thought that the low BABIP might have been a result of him pressing, as he says he has been doing in an attempt to play well in the face of his recent DUI. It's possible that he is, but hearing this news, I expected to find that he'd been swinging at more pitches, specifically out of the zone. He's not, though:
OOZ Swing%
He is taking a first-pitch strike 58.8 percent of the time (56.2 percent career), so that might be a result of the supposed DUI-related pressing.
His xBABIP is .337, though xBABIP rarely awards a player with a mark at the career .353 rate Choo's actual BABIP sits at. Last year, his xBABIP was a nearly identical .341. Additionally, his 22 percent line-drive rate is in line with his career rate. I'm not big on using line-drive rate to analyze BABIP because of how much variation there is in it (more than there is in BABIP itself), but it's at least good to see that it hasn't plummeted, which would portend a potential problem (alliteration accidental).
While there's no guarantee that the BABIP bounces back, if I'm going to gamble on a struggling player, Choo is the kind of guy I want it to be. His power and speed don't seem to be much of a worry, and he's striking out about the same as he has for his career. That leaves BABIP as the main concern, and with his xBABIP in line with the past and his swing rates showing that he doesn't appear to be pressing, that's a gamble I'm willing to take if he comes at a discount.
Tim Stauffer | SDP | SP: OK, maybe it's a little ridiculous to say "don't count out" a guy with a 3.58 ERA, but Stauffer is a slightly different case because he has a mere two wins so far this year, picking up the second just this week after he managed to throw a shutout to compensate for the complete lack of offensive support he has received.
On the year, Stauffer has received just 3.5 runs of support per game he has started, but that's a bit skewed by the game the Pads managed to score 13 runs (which did little good since it happened to be synced up to Stauffer's worst outing of the year, earned run-wise). If you exclude that start, he has received just 2.75 runs of support while the Padres have been scoring 3.42 runs per game on average. Additionally, whenever Stauffer pitches a gem, the Padres offense seems to disappear entirely or only reappear once he has left the game. In the eight starts he has allowed two or fewer runs, Stauffer has only received two wins despite the Padres winning six of those games.
While his win total doesn't reflect it, Stauffer has been very good this year. He's handling the move to the rotation exceptionally well, mixing terrific control with above-average strikeout numbers and a lot of ground balls, culminating in a 3.50 SIERA.
Stauffer throws a 90-91 mph two-seam fastball about half the time, which may not generate a lot of swings-and-misses, but it does get him a lot of ground balls. His punchouts come from his three above-average secondary pitches (change-slider-curve) that he works very well off his fastball. While PECOTA's 50th percentile projection is a 4.09 ERA for Stauffer, I wouldn't be surprised to see him maintain a mid-3s ERA.
Circling back to Stauffer's win potential, let's use Bill James's Pythagorean Theorem to see how many wins we should expect of Stauffer going forward. As our inputs, we'll use Stauffer's SIERA (translated to an RA scale) and IP/GS, the Padres bullpen's RA, and the Padres offense's R/G. Plugging these variables in, we see that in games Stauffer pitches, the Padres should win 53 percent of the time. Of those wins, we can approximate that Stauffer should receive a W in 69 percent of them.* That would put Stauffer on a pace of 12 wins per 32 starts, more than double his current pace of five wins per 32 starts.
*To arrive at this number, I looked at all games since 2000 where a pitcher threw between 5
Simply put, Stauffer has been very good himself but unlucky with his run support this year. That should even itself out going forward, and despite his team's offense being the worst in the league, he should still win his fair share of games and have value in all but the shallowest leagues.


text:
Ruby's Lesotho Book Drive
We are working with the African Library Project to provide books to eager readers in Africa who have very few books. Please help us by collecting and delivering gently used books or by raising money to help pay for shipping to Africa. It takes only 1000 books and $500 (plus a little elbow grease!) to start a single library and make a huge difference in children's lives.
This book drive is organized by ...
My name is Ruby and I am going to start a library in Lesotho. I live in San Diego, California. I am in the fifth grade and I am very lucky to have great teachers and a passion for learning. I love to read, play outside, garden, polynesian dance, travel to National Parks, archery, play with my friends, and learn. My favorite book series are the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Fablehaven, and the Chronicles Of Narnia. My favorite books are Bridge To Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved, Walk Two Moons, Number The Stars, Project 1065, Ninth Ward, and I could probably go on forever. Right now I am reading the Narnia series, Freak The Mighty, Lyddie, and Jip: His Story. I really love reading and school, and I want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to be able to love them as well.
Our website link:
We want to start a library in Africa because...
I have always loved books and exploring the different stories of different people. I love school, too, and always work my hardest to get good results. It is hard for me to imagine a place without books. Without books, you don't have access to vocabulary and different types of stories. You also don't get the experience of suspense, sadness, relief, and happiness that you would get out of a book. A library is something every community in Lesotho should have. This is what I want in the world. I think that this library will open opportunities for people in Lesotho, and most importantly, create a love of learning.
My Mom was a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho and she has promised to take me on a trip to Lesotho once the library is set up to experience the beautiful country and its people, and see the library full of the books we have collected with your help.
About our African Partners...
Our books will be used to create a Community Library in Lesotho. When we receive information about the specific community, we will update you with that information here. The following link contains a video about how the African Library Project works in Lesotho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtgLCAZZbic
Lesotho is a tiny country nestled in the middle of South Africa. Founded as a kingdom in the 1820s, Lesotho was a British protectorate for almost 100 years (1868- 1966) before regaining independence in 1966. Today, the country is one of the world's smallest constitutional monarchies.
Lesotho is known for its beautiful mountains, horseback riding trails, fishing, and hiking. The country's economy is based primarily on subsistence agriculture, tourism and notably, textile production. Lesotho exports more garments to the US than any other sub-Saharan nation; American companies like the Gap, Levi-Strauss and Wal-Mart have factories there.
Overall, Lesotho is very underdeveloped; it has little industrial production and very few natural resources. Many people of Lesotho (the Basotho) rely on employment in South Africa to support their families .English and Sesotho are Lesotho's official languages but Xhosa and Zulu are also spoken.
In general, public schools in Africa charge tuition at all levels of schooling but since 2000, primary school education in Lesotho has been free and as a result, enrollment has increased. Unfortunately, students and parents face many issues paying tuition at the high school level. Only about a third of high school-age children attend school due to lack of funding and space
Lesotho is the home of the first African Library Project in Malealea Valley, begun in 2005. Since then, ALP has partnered with the U.S. Peace Corps, the Ministry of Education, and local citizens to start/ improve more than 363 community libraries; this includes libraries in schools and hospitals.
Quick Facts
• Lesotho measures about 11 k square miles (roughly the size of Maryland) and has a population of 2 million.
• The UN estimates that 49% of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1.25 a day. Migrant labor is the top money earner for the country
• Life expectancy in Lesotho is about 53 years.
• It's estimated that about 23% of adults in Lesotho are living with HIV/AIDS- the 2nd highest prevalence in the world. There are over 73,000 orphans due to AIDS aged living in Lesotho.
Please contribute these kinds of books...
We are working on two libraries, one for preschool-4th grade, and another for 4th-8th grade.
Baby Board Books
Children's picture books
BIG books
Children's fiction and non-fiction
Early readers
Teacher's resource books for school libraries
Children's dictionaries/picture dictionaries
Encyclopedias less than 15 years old
Children's thesauruses
Textbooks in math (including algebra, geometry, pre-calculus), English, geography, health, and science (chemistry, biology) at appropriate level (kindergarten to 8th grade).
Books with universal themes (friendships, animals, love)
Children's books teaching life skills about health, hygiene, adolescence and careers
Accurate up-to-date atlases
Educational children's science and literary magazines in good condition
Brain teasers, flash cards, educational games and puzzles
Juvenile literature
Life skills books about health, hygiene, adolescence, careers, etc.
Books like Chicken Soup for the Soul (inspiring stories with life skills lessons)
Animal husbandry
Soil Science
Current events
National Geographic, less than 5 years old, especially with articles featuring Africa.
Books about Africa or African-Americans
Here's how you can contribute your books...
You can mail books cheaply through the United States Postal Service using the "Media Mail" rate. Collect the books in your house you are finished with, collect them from friends or co-workers, or find some in a used bookstore or at a yard sale. Box them up and send them to us using the media mail:
Ruby Galbraith
PO Box 749
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
If you live locally, send us an email and we will come and pick them up.
We need to receive your books by mid-March in order to meet the deadline for the shipping container that is leaving for Lesotho with our library books on it!!!
We need to raise funds for shipping the books...
The books are sent to Lesotho in a shipping container that leaves from the port in New Orleans. We need help raising the $250 dollar shipping cost of the books from the port in New Orleans to Lesotho. Click DONATE at the top of this webpage and select "Book Drive Shipping Donation." When you enter the code LE10-05, your
donations will be sent directly to the African Library Project to be used specifically for the shipment costs for this library.
The African Library Project is a registered 501(c)3 organization. The Federal Tax ID# is 65-1261685. Donations made directly to their website for my drive are tax-deductible.
If you need a receipt for your tax records, please let Ruby know and one will be sent to you.
We also need help raising money to send the books from San Diego to New Orleans, to buy packing tape, boxes, and to buy any needed specialty books no one happens to have laying around their house (animal husbandry, erosion control, reforestation, solar ovens, etc)
The $250 collected above is only used for the shipping of the books from New Orleans to Lesotho, so to help cover these other costs that we as book drives organizers incur, please go to https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/ruby-s-lesotho-library-book-drive to help us raise an additional $450.
Thank you for your generosity.
Here are some ways that you can help...
Quick and Easy: Go to our Amazon Wish Page https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/giftlist/3ME62FQH8KUMT/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_4
and purchase books that have been pre-selected as great choices for our Library in Lesotho. They can be new or used. Have them shipped to us at PO Box 749, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067 and we will add them to the library collection!
Donate your gently used books to our book drive. You can mail them to us inexpensively using the "media mail" level of postage at the US post office.
Donate money to help pay for the cost of sending our library books to the port in New Orleans, as well as the shipping costs for the books to travel from New Orleans to Lesotho.
Follow this link to donate to mailing and shipping costs:
Spread the word about this book drive!!!
Contact us to find out more
Name: Ruby
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Name: Julie Galbraith
Email: email@example.com
Progress Report
|Our Goal
|1000 books
|$$600 fundraising
|Results so far
(updated: 02/20/2017)
|1500 books
|$175 fundraising
Check out the following link for a brief slideshow about Lesotho
Thanks to Deena Rowe and family, Aunt Nanie Todd and Mary, Ms. Halboth, Maya A., Grammy and Papa, Aunt Taffy, Sam, Chloe and Mimo, and Anne Button, for the books so far. Also thanks to the Seltzer family, the Alam-Lalani family, JFK and Kristen, the Rababy family, Mary and the RSF Book Cellar, Mrs. Moreno, Mrs. Grillot, and the teachers at RSF school.
Tips for Other Book Drive Organizers
Share this Book Drive Page
About the African Library Project
Learn more about the African Library Project at http://www.africanlibraryproject.org.
You can 'like' us at http://facebook.com/africanlibraryproject - get updates, inspiration and more!


text:
Maybe being overweight in Mississippi isn't as terrible as we once thought.
In a story appearing on The Daily Beast, the world of public health was knocked off the rails a bit this week with therelease of a study demonstrating that you can, in fact, be too thin. Reviewing 97 studies involving almost 3 million people divided into groups according to weight, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control demonstrated that the overweights—not the obese, but decidedly not the thins or the very thins—had lower overall mortality rates than the rest of the pack.


text:
Despite hike in RR rate, builders rule out price cut
Rising costs are forcing builders to keep houses unsold, Naresh Kamath reports.mumbai Updated: Jan 04, 2013 01:59 IST
The government's decision to hike its ready reckoner (RR) rates across the city is turning out to be a dampener for the already sluggish real estate industry. With prices at exorbitant levels owing to already escalated costs of raw materials and labour, inflated RR rates are only adding to industry woes.
The RR rates form the basis for the calculation of stamp duty and registration of properties, and the new rates have come into effect from January 1. The rise in RR rates, ranging from 5% to 40 %, has caused escalation in project costs as well.
Builders, however, rule out a cut in housing prices. "We will either sell property at the existing high prices or let apartments remain unsold. There is no question of price cuts," said Paras Gundecha, president, Maharashtra Chambers of Housing Industry (MCHI), the apex body of builders.
Sukhraj Nahar, director, Nahar Group also echoed Gundecha's sentiments, stating that the last six months saw an exponential increase in construction costs. "We cannot afford to cut prices as cost of raw materials and labour has been very high," said Nahar.
According to figures given by MCHI, cement now costs Rs300 a bag compared to Rs220 a bag, six months ago. Similarly, steel now costs Rs55,000 a tonne from Rs40,000 a tonne six months ago, and sand costs have doubled to Rs10,000 a brass from Rs5,000 a brass six months ago. Daily wages of labour has also increased from Rs250 (six months ago) to Rs400.
According to Gundecha, one of the main reasons for the hike is the premium being paid by builders to avail the incentives in floor space index (FSI).
Experts say that affordable housing continues to remain a dream. "There is no logic for the rise in prices in the city as construction costs have risen across the nation. Prices will be corrected eventually," said Pankaj Kapoor, CEO, Liasas Foras, a real estate research firm.


text:
The Totally NEW Team Corwin Thread
View Single Post
September 2nd, 2012, 00:41
Now I'm
worried :
I was just finishing Delara's Part 1, as the PC froze. Completely froze. No key was able to wake it up again, nothing. I had to hard-reset it.
I was a bit suspicious, but not much.
I did the usual stuff after that : Repairs, ship buffs, selling, exchanging spells.
Nothing extraordinary on that part.
As I entered Delara's Graveyard, however, when I had almost reached the tomb, the PC froze again - no, it didn't really freeze : The while display began to flicker !
The flicker was exactly like the one before my former graphics card went kaputt.
And I had to restart the PC TWICE until I got a normal view.
I tried it once more, but then, the flicker even started in the loading screen before the own characters are displayed !
I immediately turned the whole PC off.
Background might be that I had to reset my settings several days ago. (Game didn't want to get back from windowed mode into full mode again, I don't know why).
Maybe I had put the grapühics settings too high again, I don't know.
A few months ago someone in the DDO forums claimed that DDO "destroyed his graphics card". No-one believed him, me included.
But now I've become suspicious. Can too high settings really destroy a graphics card ?
The problems with my former graphics card began within DDO. And you all witnessed it : It was within Redwillow's Ruins.
And now the same.
And both post-15. I mean, after Update 15.
I don't know what they did with DDO, but I'm *really* worried now. Maybe they silently assumed that everyone had a bigger card nowadays than I do ?
I think I must file a bug report there.
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. (E.F.Schumacher, Economist,
Alrik Fassbauer
Original Sin 1 & 2 Donor
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Old Europe
Posts: 17,463
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Alrik Fassbauer
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Alrik Fassbauer
Visit Alrik Fassbauer's homepage!
Find More Posts by Alrik Fassbauer


text:
Sectoral Productivity, Government Spending and Real Exchange Rates: Empirical Evidence for OECD Countries
This paper investigates the long- and short-run determinants of the real exchange rate using a panel of data for fourteen OECD countries. The data are analyzed using time series and panel unit root and panel cointegration methods. Two dynamic productivity-based models are used to motivate the empirical exercise. The candidate determinants include productivity levels in the traded and in the nontraded sectors, government spending, the terms of trade, income per capita, and the real price of oil. The empirical results indicate that it is easier to detect cointegration in panel data than in the available time series; moreover, the estimate of the rate of reversion to a cointegrating vector defined by real exchange rates and sectoral productivity differentials is estimated with greater precision as long as homogeneity of parameters is imposed upon the panel. It is more difficult to find evidence for cointegration when allowing for heterogeneity across currencies. The most empirically successful model of the real exchange rate includes sectoral productivity measures in the long run relation and government spending in the short run dynamics.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
|Date of creation:
|Apr 1997
|Publication status:
|published as (Published as "Productivity, Government Spending and the Real Exchange Rate: Evidence for OECD Countries") Equilibrium Exchange Rates, MacDonald, R., and Jerome Skin, eds.: Klumer, 1999, pp. 163-190.
|Contact details of provider:
| Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Phone: 617-868-3900
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Maurice Obstfeld & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 1996. "Foundations of International Macroeconomics," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262150476, January.
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:6017. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ()
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.


text:
Mead made speedily
Lost Cause Meadery noteworthy for reduced fermentation period
Ian Anderson 4 p.m., Nov. 19
Tijuana police stopped four males in a Chevy Lumina with U.S. plates in the Zona Norte on the eve of July 23. Two of the men were arrested; one of the passengers was a 13-year-old boy from Nayrit, allegedly the victim of sexual exploitation. Another man aboard, a 22-year-old of legal age, was not arrested.
Ramón García García, 32, of Sinaloa, and Marck Rivera García, 39, of San Diego, were detained by police for the crime of exploiting a minor for sexual purposes. The boy told police he was solicited to perform sex acts for $50 and that it was not the first time he had engaged in such with the San Diego man.
It turns out that the minor was one of several who had their services advertised on an website called "BorderVatos ("Vato" is Mexican slang for a "cool dude," with perhaps a "bad boy" bent…), the purpose of which was to solicit customers for sexual relations with the youths.
An investigation by the state's prosecutor general's human-trafficking division revealed that the minor was contacted in Nayarit and travel expenses were paid for him to come to Tijuana in order to be sexually exploited via the website, although the lad claimed to be unaware of the sex angle. The youth was offered extra money, up to 80 dollars, if he could recruit other minors into the scheme.
The manufacturing of gay porn videos for sale is also one of the crimes the State Prosecutor's office is investigating in regard to the website's progenitors, two more of whom have yet to be identified.
Ramón García, apparently willing to give a press conference, told media reps that he was only setting up "muchachos" (boys) with clients who would pay up to 200 pesos ($15 U.S.) or more for them, although he also revealed that, on occasion he would sell his list of contacts to others, who would then use it for soliciting potential clients. He also identified himself as a practicing gay prostitute since the age of 22.
Marck Rivera told the members of the media that he had frequently "contracted" minor boys for sex in Tijuana, especially around Plaza Santa Cecilia, but was unaware that to do so was a crime.
Both men are presently ensconced in the penitentiary at La Mesa awaiting arraignment, while police hope to arrest the two others involved in the operation of "BorderVatos."
Source: La Segunda/El Mexicano, July 26 edition)


text:
Here's a pretty surprising development: Marco Gonzales, a former aide to Sen. Pete Domenici in Washington, has lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 3rd District to Daniel East, a relatively unknown contractor from Rio Rancho.
With 573 of 581 precincts reporting, East had 53 percent of the votes compared to Gonzales' 47 percent, the AP reported.
Domenici – a big fan of Gonzales – is going to be crushed. Not to mention the fact that his more high-profile protege, Rep. Heather Wilson, very well could be headed for a loss in her Senate race, as well. Domenici, of course, endorsed Wilson last Friday. It could have been too little, too late.


text:
Investing In Equestrian?
The majority of us regular Joes wish we had more money, but it seems the only way to make more money, is to actually have money in the first place, i.e. to invest.
This is not strictly true. There are many ways of investing small amounts of money, some of them you would not necessarily class as "investing" but investing by definition means - laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit.
Now take betting on a horse for example, I'm sure your significant other isn't going to buy into it when you tell them that you are investing, but by definition, you are. Every investment has an element of risk to it, betting on a horse of course, has a little more!
The other kinds of investing "Alternative Investments" are usually the area of collectors and hobbyists, but these can also generate a decent return on your money. This includes everything from art, antique furniture and wine to vintage cars, stamps and toys.
When it comes to wine, there is a convincing argument that as an investment, it produces returns comparable to equities and the cost of fine wines will keep on rising.
There are many other avenues to pursue when you are not wealthy enough already to invest your money into property and real estate. Taking a look in your attic to see what delights you may find could be a start.
The internet holds lots of information in regards to ideas for investing, there are bonds to consider, stocks and shares, gold or silver, even currency! Investing need not be for the privileged people, even us, the average Joes can start investing somewhere along the spectrum. Remember you have to start somewhere, and take your first little steps, but always think BIG.
Kelly Criterion And The Stock Market
Since the book "Fortune's Formula" is published, many investors are turning to the Kelly Criterion for determining the size of the investment. Unfortunately, most of these investors have not walked through the underlying mathematical derivation or read Ed Thorp's paper on how to apply the Kelly Criterion in the stock market.
There are many fallacies when using the Kelly Criterion directly in stock trading. Unlike most gambling games, the stock market is too complex and the underlying assumptions of the criterion do not hold.
For example, consider the following problem:
Company A is currently researching 3 different new products. In an upcoming convention, we know that A might announce the launch of one of the new products. We can also estimate the impact of different outcomes on the stock price:
30% increase in A's stock price if Product 1 is launched. There are 20% chance for this to happen.
10% increase in A's stock price if Product 2 is launched. There are 15% chance for this to happen.
12% increase in A's stock price if Product 1 is launched. There are 25% chance for this to happen.
15% decrease in A's stock price if no product is launched. There are 40% chance for this to happen.
Now you have $100 dollars in your bankroll, how much would you invest in A's stock so that your bankroll can have maximum growth in the long term?
The Kelly Criterion cannot help you solve this problem because it assumes only two possible outcome: FAVORABLE or UNFAVORABLE. It also assumes that if the outcome is unfavorable, you will lose 100% of what you invested (the wager).
In the stock market, you often have multiple outcome scenarios, and you almost never lose 100% of your investment in a single trade. Therefore, the Kelly Criterion alone is not directly applicable to the stock market.
I have looked through the mathematical derivation of the Kelly Formula, and it can be used to derive the solution for the above problem.
Let's define some variables:
F = % of your bankroll that you invest in A
W1 = ROI of Launching Product 1 = 30%
W2 = ROI of Launching Product 2 = 10%
W3 = ROI of Launching Product 3 = 12%
W4 = ROI of No Products Launching = -15%
P1 = Probability of Product 1 Launching = 20%
P2 = Probability of Product 2 Launching = 15%
P3 = Probability of Product 3 Launching = 25%
P4 = Probability of No Product Launching = 40%
B = Initial Bankroll
B' = Future Bankroll after N such investments
M = The Geometric Mean of N such investments
Using the above information, we can formulate:
We can find the maximum M by finding the maximum Ln(M):
Ln(M) = Ln[(1+W1*F)^(P1) * (1+W2*F)^(P2) * (1+W3*F)^(P3) * (1+W4*F)^(P4)]
Ln(M) = P1*Ln(1+W1*F) + P2*Ln(1+W2*F) + P3*Ln(1+W3*F) + P3*Ln(1+W3*F)
The above equation is what Ed Thorp stated in chapter 7 of his paper "THE KELLY CRITERION IN BLACKJACK, SPORTS BETTING, AND THE STOCK MARKET", in which he discusses how to apply the Kelly Criterion in the stock market.
There is no clean solution to this optimization problem. However, with the aid of modern technology, a web application that finds the Kelly Percentage can be developed through simulation. For example, you can find such web application at:
The web application takes possible outcomes (ROI and probability) as inputs and calculates the Kelly Percentage and the maximized mean growth rate for you. Since the Kelly Criterion is just a special case of this maximization problem, the web application works perfectly well with simple Kelly problems such as sports betting or gambling.


text:
Despite reaching what the National Weather Service is terming as a historical event, life is returning to normal for regional residents after the Palm Sunday snowstorm.
The National Weather Service recorded 12.4 inches of snow at its gauge for the single-highest March calendar day of snow.
It's the second-highest overall snowfall day (just 0.4 of an inch from the Feb. 26, 1906, snowstorm).
And, at 12.6 inches for the period from 7 a.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday, it's the sixth-highest snowfall event.
Locally, the snowfall didn't quite reach that depth. The National Weather Service reports between 8-10 inches of snowfall for Franklin County with slightly higher levels in the extreme northeast corner of the county.
An adjusted map from the National Weather Service shows a swath of levels at least 9 inches in depth running through the northern part of the county, including Washington, Union, St. Clair, Pacific and New Haven.
The only official report at the National Weather Service was 9 inches at Catawissa.
Totals in Washington for the storm were around 10 inches. The gauge at The Missourian office in Downtown Washington only measures 6 inches at a time and some of the snow had melted by the time the gauge was checked.
Highest storm levels in the St. Louis area were measured north of the city mainly through Illinois and touching back into extreme northern St. Charles County, eastern Pike and southeastern Marion counties.
The highest event report came from Hillsboro, Ill., where 16.7 inches of snow was measured.
As far as precipitation goes, the snow in Downtown Washington melted down to 1.3 inches of water (1.2 inches for the weekend and 0.1 of an inch through 8 a.m. Tuesday morning).
That makes the yearly precipitation total 11.99 inches with a monthly total of 4.97 inches.
That is ahead of the 2012 pace of 10.42 inches through the same date.
Other monthly precipitation totals for 2013 are 4.09 inches for January and 2.93 inches for February.


text:
Super King Room B&B
King Room with full English breakfast
En-suite bath/shower room
Additional cot / z bed available on request
- 1 Super king bed
- 1 Bathroom
- Courtyard view
- Non-smoking
- Bath
- Iron/Ironing board
- Television
- Fan
- Shower
- Broadband Internet Access
- Laundry Facilities
- Tea/Coffee Maker
- Heating
- Flat Screen TV
- Hairdryer
- Telephone
- Desk
- En-suite Bathroom
Terms & Conditions
Any card details provided are to guarantee your reservation and payment will be taken upon departure.
A credit or debit card will be required at the point of check in - no access will be given without this information.
If there has been an error in the reservation that affects the room type or occupancy, any amendments to the rate will be made directly at the hotel.
If the reservation has been made through an agent, please also refer to their Terms & Conditions.
Our cancellation policy is 48 hours prior to arrival. Cancellations later than this time, or a non-arrival,
will be charged in full to the card on the reservation and a receipt will be sent to your postal address.
If the reservation has been made through an agent, please also refer to their Terms & Conditions.


text:
Texas Republican AG and gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott is hiding from the press again.
This time, it's not Abbott's comments on how we don't need fair pay laws because they already exist — but oopsie, women in his Attorney General's office make less for the same job! — that stalked him into a humiliating defeat, but his choice to cite the work of Charles Murray, a white nationalist who hates women as inspiration for his pre-k plan.
So the press arrived to an empty room in Dallas yesterday for a scheduled press conference with the Republican gubernatorial candidate, only to discover that Greg Abbott had suddenly canceled it, according to the Davis campaign.
The Wendy Davis (D-TX) campaign caught it all on tape:
Had Mr. Abbott shown his face, he would have had to answer why he thought a guy who believes "mens brains are larger than women's" was a good choice as inspiration for an education program.
Abbott would have had to explain why he thinks pre-K should only be for a select few. In case you missed that dog whistle, page 2 of his pre-K plan explains that destiny is predetermined by background (so American!): "Family background has the most decisive effect on student achievement, contributing to a large performance gap between children from economically disadvantaged families and those from middle-class homes."
Yeah. Southern Poverty Law Center is not impressed, they say that Murray uses "racist pseudoscience and misleading statistics to argue that social inequality is caused by the genetic inferiority of the black and Latino communities, women and the poor." In case it's not clear yet where this is going, DOG WHISTLE WELFARE STATE, "Murray advocates the total elimination of the welfare state, affirmative action and the Department of Education, arguing that public policy cannot overcome the innate deficiencies that cause unequal social and educational outcomes."
Adalia Woodbury broke this down for PoliticusUSA, explaining:
Indeed, Abbott's policy is based on a compilation of right wing assumptions about gender, race and class with intellect based in part on the mythical musings of Charles Murray, the co-author of "The Bell Curve."
No doubt Greg Abbott doesn't want to explain to the moms and dads of Texas why he thought it would be a super good idea to have this Murray guy inspiring pre-K policy, when he is sure "no woman has been a significant original thinker in any of the world's great philosophical traditions."
Also, women suck because they can't forget about their children, whereas men can (not sure this reads the way Murray intends it to), "To put it in a way that most readers with children will recognize, a father can go to work and forget about his children for the whole day. Hardly any mother can do this, no matter how good her day-care arrangement or full-time nanny may be."
Sigh. Along with Texas Republicans'/Abbott's belief that women suffer inequity in pay because they are bad negotiators, Murray sees women as less competitive and aggressive, so more sucky, "I have omitted perhaps the most obvious reason why men and women differ at the highest levels of accomplishment: Men take more risks, are more competitive and are more aggressive than women."
But perhaps his most foolish argument is this one: Women are clearly inferior because women have only received "2% of the Nobel Prizes in the sciences — a proportion constant for both halves of the century — and 10% of the prizes in literature. The Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics, has been given to 44 people since it originated in 1936. All have been men." Oh, SOLD!
Men are superior because the systemic patriarchy that favors them favors them. Genius trolling by Mr. Murray and his buddy Mr. Abbott.
And yet, with all of these smarts and superiority behind them, Mr. Abbott can't even face the press. He's too afraid to explain his own ideas, which makes him — say it with me — a bad negotiator. Someone better cut his pay, pronto.
Sure, Republicans will cry foul — they are not racists and they don't hate women just because their policies treat both like an underclass of citizens. And the only reason Abbott ran away from the press is because the liberal media is so mean that they refuse to give him a pass for the things he does and says he wants to promote as Governor.


text:
Metro Atlantic Conference Tournament - Marist Falls 78-76 to Niagara - Recap
Antoine Mason went off for 38 points and added 6 rebounds leading Niagara to a 78-76 win over Marist on Thursday at MassMutual Center.
Niagara was a 4-point underdog in the win, and managed to turn a profit for their supporters.
Marcus Ware had 14 points for Niagara and Marvin Jordan chipped in with 11 points. Antoine Mason had 4 assists for them, while Marcus Ware was the team's top rebounder, grabbing 11 boards.
Marist got a 26-point performance from Chavaughn Lewis, who was supported by 20 points from Khallid Hart. Chavaughn Lewis had 3 assists in a losing cause for Marist, while Adam Kemp grabbed 9 rebounds.
First-half bettors who backed Niagara were victorious, as the score was 43-24 at the break.
The rebound battle favored Niagara as they grabbed 33 boards, while Marist only had 30.


text:
krishnakumar chandrasekar nair
Jack And Jill - 21st Century Ballad - Poem by krishnakumar chandrasekar nair
Jack and Jill went up the rugged hill
As all young and daring couples do
Having made oaths and promises
To go up there to fetch pails of water
From the well of conjugal happiness
After a big bash of a marriage
And a brief honey moon
They started off in earnest
Working for a living
Almost dying for a living
And the years as such went rolling by
And bawling kids came on the way
School fees, home works, gadgets
And life became a tiresome chore
Dedicated to educate
To free oneself all over again
But somewhere along the way
Jack fell down and broke his crown
Lost his sense and went into deep depression
Then hit the bottle and the wayside gutters
Till one day they lifted him only to bury him
And grey haired Jill continued to struggle
For some more time till her sons found footing
And then marriages followed
And then sweet daughters in law
Turned sour to mother –in –law Jill
And things seemed to get quite out of hand
And so one fine eve they all got together
To find a big solution to this big wrinkled problem
And it was not far off I hear, that one fine day
They took her to that very peaceful place
An old age home so to say
Where Jill now stares at others like her
Old, arthritic, depressed and toothless
And often when she looks into the mirror
In the hazy reflection of a once beautiful face
All she can see is a worn out hag
The one who came tumbling quite after..........
Poet's Notes about The Poem
Comments about Jack And Jill - 21st Century Ballad by krishnakumar chandrasekar nair
Kanniappan Kanniappan (11/7/2013 9:05:00 PM)
A real picture of today, the fate of the elders! (Report) Reply
Pradip Chattopadhyay (11/5/2013 4:43:00 AM)
a reality so aptly told! we were so far free from this evil but now on us too has fallen its shadow. (Report) Reply
David Wood (11/4/2013 7:47:00 AM)
Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pale of water
Jill came down
With Half a crown
And carrying a baby daughter
Is another way of saying it: -) (half a crown is old money) (Report) Reply
Valsa George (10/31/2013 12:04:00 AM)
This is a very dramatic and at the sametime realistic description of the present state of many married, aging couples! With a pinch of irony and humour, you have beautifully parodied the story of Jack and Jill! Kudos! This deserves a sure10 (Report) Reply
Lorraine Colon (10/30/2013 3:52:00 PM)
This is quite a different read from what I learned as a child. It probably would have given me nightmares! But this is reality that you're describing, and you did a fine job. (Report) Reply
Read this poem in other languages
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem »
krishnakumar chandrasekar nair's Other Poems
Famous Poems
Phenomenal Woman
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
If You Forget Me
Pablo Neruda
Langston Hughes
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
Caged Bird
Maya Angelou
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
Rudyard Kipling
I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You
Pablo Neruda


text:
As expected, Walgreens this month pulled the trigger on the second step of its Alliance Boots acquisition. The combined operations will create the first global pharmacy retailer with more than 11,000 stores in 10 countries. And despite all the speculation, it will remain a U.S.-based company, with its headquarters in Deerfield, Ill.
So, what's next for Walgreens?
Look for Walgreens to continue to try to create a kind of retail theater, focused very sharply on the front end of the store. Walgreens will continue to invest in enhanced service in its stores, with more than 26,000 beauty advisors, and a relatively new position, health guides, who assist customers in health and wellness now in 80 stores. That service element is critical to driving front-end sales growth and to larger market baskets.
But it's also a front end designed to grow margins, much as Boots has done in the United Kingdom. Walgreens, of course, will continue the rollout of its Boots No7 beauty department, which is now doing a brisk business in the Phoenix — and more recently, New York — markets. Baskets with Boots items are bigger than the average beauty basket, according to the company.
"There's real opportunity in the front of our store," said Greg Wasson, Walgreens Alliance Boots president and CEO. "[Boots'] operating margins are significantly higher than what ours are, and that's primarily as a result of that front-end business. If we look across the pond to the Boots model, we have some similar opportunities at the front end of our store."
Focusing on improving front-end performance is a smart play. Walgreens Boots Alliance may have just become one of the largest generics buyers in the world, but that business is becoming more commoditized. Many of the medicines treating chronic conditions have crested the generic wave, and with the recent increased cost of generics prices, that has pressured pharmacy margins.
"The pressure on the pharmacy is a global issue," Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance, told analysts in early August. "Twenty years ago, Boots was making its money on the pharmacy — so 75% of the profit of Boots was coming from the pharmacy. Today, 75% comes from the front of the store. Are the pharmacies losing money? Not at all. They are still very profitable in Boots, [though] the margin has suffered."
Does that mean Walgreens will de-emphasize pharmacy? Absolutely not.
But creating a must-shop experience across the front end while maintaining a market leading position in health care is something that Boots has done particularly well. "This is what will happen in the United States," Pessina said. "I can assure you that after the merger, we will have a step up in the margins of the front of the store. ... We have clear plans for it."