text:
California almond growers and marketers are fretting like expectant fathers in a maternity ward waiting room.
The state's 2004 almond crop is its seven-week birth cycle and everyone is hoping for another big bubba; the third consecutive 1 billion pound crop to meet continually growing world demand.
The prospect of a crop that large once sent waves of fear through the industry not many years back. It is now needed from the state's 500,000 acres in production.
California produces 75 percent of the world's almonds, therefore, it controls it own market destiny.
And, providence has been magical for the state's almond growers with two straight huge crops coupled with consistent, double digit monthly sales increases and remarkably good prices that likely will be of recording setting proportions for the third straight year, assuming a normal 1 billion pound 2004 crop. If spring weather problems significantly reduce the crop, almonds could start looking like gold nuggets.
For the first six months of the marketing season, more than 577 million pounds have been shipped to markets worldwide from a season-beginning inventory of 1.136 billion pounds, including 162-million pounds of carry-in. Most believe shipments will total 980-million pounds for the 2003-2004 marketing seasons. That means handlers must move 402 million pounds in the next six months. Already they report 237 million pounds are committed; 908-millions is a slam dunk.
"There is no need to get nervous about a billion-pound crop any more if we can sell a billion pounds of almonds in a year," said Rick Kindle, vice president of operations and marketing for Gold Hills Nut Co. in Ballico, Calif.
Most exported
Seventy-five to 80 percent of California almonds are exported and the weakening dollar has bolstered those sales. "Buyers in Europe and Japan are not feeling the pinch of higher prices to California growers because of the weakening dollar," said Kindle. Export demand continues strong, he said.
The demand for almonds is being driven by the latest health news that almonds reduce cholesterol.
"The strong nutritional value of almonds is becoming very faddish and the news that almonds reduce cholesterol is really getting out worldwide," said Kindle.
Spot grower prices now for 2003 crop almonds are $1.85 per pound for Nonpareil and about $1.60 for California types. However, those do not reflect what final average should be since sales are averaged over the year. Experts say final prices should be between $1.50 and $1.60 for Nonpareil and $1.40 to $1.50 for California types.
These prices are based on a normal 2004 bloom and crop set. Just in case, handlers are holding back about 25 percent of the 2003 crop to make sure they have almonds to sell if weather disrupts the crop. A poor '04 set could send those reserves skyrocketing in price.
Weather plays a big role in all crops, but few California crops are subject to the vagaries of the weather in such a short period of time as almonds. Weather plays a major role in getting the crop pollinated the crop and whether diseases affect that set early.
No one knows that better than Kerman, Calif., almond Don Hornor, who grows almonds in 440 acres of orchards. The oldest is 12th leaf; youngest third leaf.
Early spring critical
The first six to seven weeks of spring when trees blossom, the weather can make a huge difference in what a grower harvests in late summer and early fall, said Hornor.
Honeybees need clear, mild weather to work the blossoms and set the crop. "Without them there is no crop, and every almond grower knows that," said Hornor. Protecting those blossoms and young leaves from early diseases is just as important
Fortunately Honor's 2.5 hives per acre are in place because he can count on his neighbor, commercial beekeeper Bob Felker.
Nevertheless, some almond producers invariably wait to the last minute, Felker said waiting for cheaper bee price. Those waiting this year likely paid higher prices for questionable strength colonies, said Felker.
"I had a lot of calls in late January looking for bees, but not many as we got closer to bloom," he said.
Growers with long term contracts for bees pay about $50 per colony. There have been reports of beekeepers asking $100. However, Felker said he has also heard bees offered for $43. "You begin to wonder just how serious is the shortage," he said.
Hornor wants and gets from Felker a minimum of eight frames per box of active bees.
Felker acknowledges there is a bee shortage for almond production caused by many factors; the wildfires in Southern California wiped out 30,000 colonies; varroa mites destroying colonies; infestations of red imported fire ants keeping colonies from other states out of California; increasingly more almond acreage need bees and high wholesale honey prices.
Mites take toll
"I lost 1,500 colonies to mites last year. Mites seem to run in cycles. When the colonies become real strong, they seem to implode from mites," said Felker.
Honey prices have remained high for the past two almond pollinating seasons, and Felker said out-of-state beekeepers make as much staying home and making honey as they would trucking bees into California for crop pollination.
"With honey prices now at $1.30 per pound, I don't blame them for not trucking bees to California from Texas and other states," said Felker.
Even though California produced 1 billion pounds of almonds last season, average yields were down in many individual orchards.
"My yields were down 20 percent last season from 2002," said Hornor.
Therefore, trees this season have a lot of starting energy.
"There are a lot of buds out there this year and growers needed strong colonies to pollinate the crop," said Felker.
Hornor and University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Mark Freeman concur.
"There are a lot of buds and if there is a shortage of bees in an orchard to pollinate that could reduce the crop potential," said Freeman, who added that almonds had received adequate winter chilling hours.
Cool weather delayed bloom a bit this year, said Freeman.
Kindle said Gold Hills growers are talking about a "flash bloom" this season with bloom coming on rapidly.
"If that happens at the right time and the weather is good, the bees will have to work like crazy to set the crop," said Kindle. If buds all push at once and the weather is cold and wet, bees will not work and the crop could be severely impacted. Bees will not fly when the temperature is below 55 degrees.
February bloom
A strong bloom was expected to start by the third weekend in February and extend for two to three weeks.
Freeman said temperatures in the low 60s to the low 70s are ideal for bloom and pollination. If the thermometer climbs into the high 70s and into the 80s during the day, the bloom could be rapid.
"We have had two pretty good bloom years in the past two seasons. The averages are against a third ideal bloom," said Freeman.
Protecting those blooms and young leaves against disease is another critical element in holding the crop, said Hornor.
"I sprayed twice the last two seasons, and we are ready to go again this season," he said, a University of California fungicide efficacy chart on the center console of his truck along with bid sheets from two chemical retailers.
"I use Rovral for brown rot and it works well. It can have a little bit of a carryover into preventing shothole," he said. "My second spray was Ziram the last two years.
"I really wanted to try a new product, Pristine. It works best on both brown rot and shothole, according to the efficacy chart. However, my supplier said it was not available," said Hornor.
Brown rot, green fruit rot or jacket rot and shothole are the three main spring diseases in almonds. Freeman said they all require rain, heavy dew or fog for spores to infect plant tissue.
When rain is forecast, Hornor gets his spray rigs ready. The more it rains, he more he is forced to treat for diseases.
The season for blossom and leaf diseases can last seven weeks under normal spring weather.
Farmers do not like to spend money unnecessarily, but with the price prospects of almonds for 2004, there is little hesitancy to protect what is almost a sure profit maker.
Strong price outlook
Kindle sees a strong grower price for the next two years, but after that uncertainty drops in.
"There has been a lot of acreage going in the last few years, and it looks like more will be planted in the near future," said Kindle. "The strong price of almonds over the past two years will allow growers to replace old orchards with new trees." New plantings are closer spaced and produce many more nuts per acre.
Freeman said he has heard reports that 7,000 acres of new orchards are being planted in Kern County, the largest almond producing county in the state. Fresno County's acreage has increased as well. Acreage north of Fresno to Sacramento also is increasing.
"Nurseries are sold out of trees for planting this year," he said.
Not only are old almond orchards being replaced, but almonds are replacing unprofitable stone fruit and prune orchards and raisin and wine vineyards.
Freeman said a new almond orchard yielding 2,500 pounds per acre at maturity is profitable at much lower prices than those being paid growers today. It costs about $1,800 per acre to produce almonds, excluding land costs and taxes.
"A healthy orchard producing 2,500 pounds per acre is profitable at $1.10 to $1 per pound," said Freeman.
That reality is not lost on Hornor, who is also a grape grower. "Our almonds have been carrying our vines for the past three years," he said. It is tempting to plant more, but reports of large blocks of almonds going in tempers his thoughts.
Big blocks concern
"It is not the 40- or 160-acre blocks that concern me. It is the 1,000-acre blocks that we hear about on the West Side," he said.
The area around Kerman is a mix of vines, trees and open land.
"I know some people with debt-free say almond prices of only 65-cents per pound are a better deal that we've seen on grapes with green prices of $65 and $70 per ton and $400 for raisins," he said.
Almonds also are attractive because they require much less labor.
Hornor says, however, it is difficult to rip out a well-established vineyard and invest in new almonds which will not bring an economic return for several years.
"Most growers around here think grapes will come back this year. We hear talk of $120 to $150 per ton for green prices and $700 for 100 percent raisins," said Hornor.


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By Gavin Jones and Steve Scherer
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's resignation could limit the chances of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi closing the gap on the center-left frontrunner before this month's election, some pollsters and analysts say.
Berlusconi, who seemed certain to lose a few months ago, has staged an aggressive campaign based on tax-cut promises that has eroded the lead of Pier Luigi Bersani's Democratic Party (PD) and raised the prospect of an inconclusive outcome.
However, some pollsters say the pope's resignation could clip Berlusconi's wings by eclipsing the election campaign on television and newspapers at a time when he has just 12 days left to win over voters.
"This will put the campaign on ice for a while and that is bad news for Berlusconi who still needs to make up ground," said Renato Mannheimer, head of the ISPO polling agency.
Final polls published on Friday before a two-week blackout ahead of the February 24-25 vote gave Bersani an average lead of 5.7 points, down from above 10 percent before start of the campaign.
Under Italy's complicated voting system, that gap would give Bersani a comfortable majority in the Chamber of Deputies, but may not guarantee him a majority in the Senate, where seats are allocated on a regional basis.
Berlusconi's media blitz has involved a spate of "shock announcements" including the promised reimbursement of a hated housing levy, the abolition of payroll taxes on new hires, and an amnesty for tax evaders.
With the election campaign relegated from page one to the around page 15 of the main newspapers on Tuesday, the impact of such announcements can be expected to be diluted for several more days at least.
The pope's decision also dominated Berlusconi's own media empire on Tuesday. He controls three of Italy's seven national free-to-air television channels and the largest magazine publisher.
Although coverage of the Vatican may taper off in the coming days, speculation over Benedict's successor will ensure that it shares the spotlight with the election right up to voting day.
"This is going to take visibility away from Berlusconi, and that should benefit the frontrunner, which is the PD," said Roberto D'Alimonte, Italy's top election expert. "Berlusconi needs space in the media to close the gap."
Another aspect cited by some commentators was a possible connection in voters' minds between the decision of the pope to step aside due to his age and the refusal of Berlusconi to do the same even though he has been prime minister four times and is himself 76-years-old.
"After the pope's announcement Berlusconi seems 20 years older," said political commentator Antonio Polito in a tweet that reflected scores of similar remarks on the social network.
However, some pollsters were sceptical that Benedict's historic decision could affect voting behaviour as all the biggest parties were well known and their broad policy positions have already been laid out.
Nicola Piepoli of the prominent Piepoli Institute said he believed the center left's lead had already stabilized, while Maurizio Pessato of the SWG agency said the election race would soon force its way back to the front of Italy's news agenda.
"One or two days won't change anything. Now 90 percent of the news is about the pope, but tomorrow it will be 70 percent, and the next day 50 percent and so on," Pessato said.
(Editing by Alison Williams)

subset: commoncrawl


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Big East Power Rankings: Preseason
A season ago, Temple was one of the powerhouse programs in the Mid-American Conference. Now, the Owls are a rebuilding member of the Big East. The loss of key players and the step up in competition will make things tough for an Owls team looking to win at least eight games for the fourth consecutive season.
I do believe Temple will post another winning season, though. I have the Owls going 6-5 and finishing in sixth place in the league.
However, my opinion of the Owls and where they will finish could change from week to week. That's why this is the first of what will become weekly Big East power rankings.
These rankings are for the preseason and through Week 1. Check back on Sept. 3 to see where the teams are positioned heading into the second week of the season.
Here's a look at my preseason power rankings:
Skinny: Anything less than a conference championship would be a subpar season for No. 25 Louisville. Sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is arguably the conference's best player. The Cardinals also lost just two starters from a defense ranked 10th nationally against the rush and 23d in total defense.
Skinny: Linebacker Khaseem Greene, last season's co-defensive player of the year, anchors a defense that allowed the fewest points (18.3) and total yards (311.5) in the conference last season. He's just one of returners on a Scarlet Knights defense that is expected to give conference opponents fits.
Skinny: South Florida looks to bounce back from a rough conference campaign. Returning 15 starters should help.
Skinny: As Wisconsin's offensive coordinator, new Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst oversaw an offense that averaged 39.3 points over the last three seasons. Before suffering a knee injury in the eighth game of last season, running back Ray Graham was the nation's second-leading rusher with 134.1 yards per game.
Skinny: Cincinnati, which owned a share of last season's Big East title, is expected to take a step back. The Bearcats must replace running back Isaiah Pead (2011 conference offensive player of the year), defensive tackle Derek Wolfe (conference co-defensive player of the year), and quarterback Zach Collaros (two-time all-conference selection).
Skinny: Fans on North Broad Street are convinced the Owls will contend for a Big East title this season. The only problem is that Temple returns just eight starters from last season's squad. The Owls might be a season away from having a chance to become a conference power.
Skinny: Folks in Connecticut are hoping that coach Paul Pasqualoni's second season erases the bad memories of his first. A lot could depend on sophomore running back Lyle McCombs, who rushed for 1,151 yards last season.
Skinny: This could be a make-or-break season for coach Doug Marrone. Entering his fourth season, he has a 17-20 record at his alma mater.


text:
My Latin text states that "quidquid" is an indeclinable pronoun, but doesn't state that it is interrogative. Given the meaning "Whatever" or "Whoever", and being so close in form to "quid" it seems logical to me that it should be treated as such.
I recently ran into a subjunctive verb in a main clause that begins with "quidquid". Translating the clause as a jussive makes no sense, so I'm inclined to believe that "quidquid" is introducing an indirect question.
Is this correct?
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!


text:
Hi guys im stuck on this wargame. Its www.hack.ae.
Im on level 3 of game 2. Its a jpeg which is supposed to be encryted. Ive tried loads of different programs but havnt made any progress as yet. Im starting to think its not even encrypted.
Anyways the link is http://hack.ae/Game2/level3/Full-Metal-Alchemist.jpg
You will need to do the first two levels to get to it because of cookies.
Id apreciate any help cos ive been stuck on this for ages and its driving me mad


text:
I'm trying to figure out how to use my new iPhone 5 and its mic-equipped earbuds paired with my Zumo 550. The Bluetooth pairing works fine and I can make and receive phone calls with the earbuds plugged into the iPhone, but I can't hear the other party and they can't hear me.
I assume the earphone plug on the Zumo doesn't accommodate a microphone input, which is why I have the earbuds plugged into the iPhone.
Also, there doesn't seem to be any way to play Zumo sound (directions, XM Sirius) through the iPhone via the Bluetooth connection.
What I want is the ability to hear all of my Zumo output, plus make and receive working phone conversations with my earbuds.
Has anyone solved this problem?
(What I'm trying to avoid here is adding a headset and speakers to my helmet. If I can sort this out, I want to buy a set of earplug speakers with iPhone mic attached, sold by Marilyn Navia at plugup.com)


text:
pmoody on Family Tree Circles
sort: Date Alphabetical
view: full | list
view: full | list
Journals and Posts
looking for Moody of chatham on.
Looking for information on the moody`s of chatham on, grandfather, william (bill) moody, grandmother Cordelia, father Charles Stanley, mother Evelyn Patrica, sons, stephen,michael, Patrick, daughters wendy and barbara.
- Displaying 1-1 of 1 Journals
- 1
- of1


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Campus News
Bowdoin Students Win World Robotics Competition
Story posted July 09, 2007
Bowdoin College's RoboCup team, Northern Bites, has won the RoboCup 2007 world championship games held in Atlanta, Ga.
The Northern Bites beat last year's champions, the NUBots, of the University of Newcastle in Australia, 5-1 to become the 2007 world champions in the four-legged robot league. The Northern Bites beat teams from Japan, China, Germany and Australia as well as the team from Carnegie Mellon University, considered to have one of the best computer science programs in the country.
Up-To-Date Robot Blog
Check out the Northern Bites Blog for commentary and links to game videos from RoboCup 2007 Atlanta.
"Thanks to everyone for their support," says Eric Chown, team advisor and Samuel S. Butcher Associate Professor in the Natural Sciences. "It was definitely a team achievement, and we could not have done it without wonderful help from the College."
Chown founded the student-led Northern Bites in 2005.
RoboCup is an international research and education initiative to promote research in artificial intelligence, robotics, computational perception and related fields.
Teams of four four-legged entertainment robots (SONY's AIBO) play soccer on a 3 by 5 meter field. Matches have 10-minute halves. The robots use wireless networking to communicate with each other and with the game referee. Challenges include vision, self-localization, planning and multi-agent coordination. RoboCup's other leagues include simulation, small-size robot, middle-size robot and humanoid.
Northern Bites RoboCup 2007 Wins
Jolly Pochie (Kyushu University, Tohoku University, Japan) 7-1
FCT Waves (Tokai University, Tamagawa University, Japan) 9-1
Microsoft Hellhounds (Dortmund University, Germany) 3-2
Asura (Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Japan) 10-0
German Team 2007 (Humboldt University, University of Bremen, and Darmstadt Technical University, Germany) 4-1
CMDash (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)Ā 8-0
NUbots (University of Newcastle, Australia) 5-1
The team finished third overall in the German Open, held in April 2007 in Hannover, Germany, where it competed with teams from Australia, Turkey, Greece and Germany.
« Back | Campus News | Academic Spotlight | | Subscribe to Bowdoin News by Email


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Squatina nebulosa
|Scope: Global
Language: English
|Scientific Name:
|Squatina nebulosa Regan, 1906
Common Name(s):
|Taxonomic Source(s):
|Stelbrink, B., von Rintelen, T., Cliff, G. and Kriwet, J. 2010. Molecular systematics and global phylogeography of angel sharks (genus Squatina). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 395-404.
|Taxonomic Notes:
|Diagnostic features include pelvic fin tips which do reach the first dorsal origin, angular pelvic, dorsal and caudal fins, and a upper lip arch which is semi-oval in shape. This species does not possess distinct ocelli or midback spines. This poorly known species is often misidentified as S. formosa, but in a recent revision of this genus Walsh and Ebert (2007) resolved some of the characteristics between these two species. Some of the confusion resulted from the original description of S. formosa which was partially based on three designated paratypes that were all in fact S. nebulosa.
|Red List Category & Criteria:
|Vulnerable A2d+4d ver 3.1
|Year Published:
|Date Assessed:
|Walsh, J.H. & Ebert, D.A.
|Valenti, S.V., Gibson, C.G. & Fowler, S.L. (Shark Red List Authority)
The Clouded Angelshark (Squatina nebulosa) is a large angel shark found in the northwest Pacific, in the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. It is found on the continental shelf and upper slope. It is caught as bycatch in fisheries, which operate down to 600 m, and in particularly large numbers in demersal trawl fisheries. It is not known to be targeted, but is a retained bycatch, with individuals found in local fish markets in northern Taiwan, Province of China and Japan, although this species, like other northwest Pacific angel sharks, has frequently been misidentified. This species' generation period may be ~15 years, based on biological information from better-known angel sharks. Other angel shark populations (for example Squatina squatina and Squatina guggenheim) have proved particularly vulnerable to trawl and gillnet fishing gear, resulting in significant population depletion because of their low reproductive potential and low potential for re-colonisation. Where population data are available for other angel sharks, declines greater than 80% have been observed in less than three generations within areas where target or bycatch fisheries take place. Although trend data are not available for Clouded Angelshark, there is concern that it has already declined significantly as a result of fisheries, which possibly operate throughout its range. Based on current knowledge of fishing pressure in this region, these trends are likely to continue. This species, however, has a fairly wide geographic and bathymetric range, which may offer some areas of refuge from fisheries. It is therefore assessed as Vulnerable A2d+A4d, based on suspected declines approaching 50%, but it may prove to have been more seriously depleted than this. Further research into this species' abundance, distribution, life-history and population trends is urgently needed.
|Range Description:
|Endemic to western north Pacific including southern Japanese waters, central and eastern north China Sea, western Taiwan Straits (Shuyuan 1994), and waters surrounding northern Taiwan (Compagno et al. 2005a, Walsh and Ebert 2007).
|Countries occurrence:
Native:China; Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku); Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Taiwan, Province of China (Taiwan, Province of China (main island))
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Pacific – northwest
|Additional data:
|Range Map:
|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|Population size for this species is unknown, but individuals are found in local fish markets in Taiwan and Japan (H. Ishihara and D. Ebert pers. obs. 2007). Little data exist due to no known catch records for this species and confusing taxonomic information used to distinguish individuals of this species from other northwest and western central Pacific Squatinids, especially Squatina formosa.
In 1980, one specimen of this species was caught in each of seven surveys that were carried out in the East China Sea between 35 and 500 m (Yamada et al. 2007).
|Current Population Trend:
|Additional data:
|Habitat and Ecology:
|Found on the continental shelf and caught in fisheries operating down to 600 m (D.A. Ebert pers. obs. 2007). Maximum total length is 200 cm (Yamada et al. 2007). Though life history parameters are unknown, this species is thought to be slow growing and late maturing like other Squatinids.
Individuals are caught at or near the bottom, often in sandy substrate (Compagno 1984). Other species of angel shark are known to bury themselves in sediment and ambush their prey. Reproduction strategy is aplacental viviparity (D.A. Ebert pers. obs. 2007).
|Major Threat(s):
This species is taken as a retained bycatch in trawl fisheries which operate over large areas of its range. It is found in local fish markets, but it is unknown whether this species is truly targeted by fishing operations (D. Ebert pers.obs. 2007). This species' bathymetric distribution extends deeper than other northwest Pacific Squatina species', and may afford it some refuge from fishing in areas not exploited by deepwater fisheries.
The East China Sea and Yellow Seas are intensively exploited, with several stocks declining due to overfishing and pollution (NOAA 2004ab). Heavy fishing mortality has resulted in a shift from an older, traditional fishery based on high-value demersal species to faster-growing, smaller, and lower-value species such as shrimp and cephalopods (NOAA 2004a). The Yellow Sea was once one of the most intensively exploited Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) in the world and is considered severely impacted in terms of overfishing, with destructive fishing practices (NOAA 2004b).
Fishing pressure from trawl vessels is intense off China, despite bans on bottom trawling in various areas. China has the largest number of fishing vessels and fishers in the world with a marine fishing fleet consisting of 279,937 motorized vessels in 2004 (1,996 of which were confined to distant waters), showing little change from 1999 (FAO 2007b). Catches have declined as a result, leading to catches of immature, small-sized and low value organisms (FAO 2007b). In 2004, the most common fishing gear used was the trawl net (in terms of production, trawlers accounted for 47.6% of catches in 2004 (FAO 2007b). Progress is being made in the introduction of ecosystem based management in the Yellow Sea and a fisheries recovery plan requires the cooperative effort of all countries bordering it. The Yellow Sea LME Project will assess fish stocks and establish TACs (NOAA 2004b). In February 2006, the Government of China issued the Programme of Action on Conservation of Living Aquatic Resources of China. This states that by 2010 they aim to reduce the size and power of the motorized marine fishing fleet and the corresponding domestic marine capture catch in China from 220,000 vessels with a total power of 12.7 million kW and catching 13.06 million tonnes marine organisms in 2002, to 192,000 vessels, 11.43 million kW (FAO 2007b). This represents a decline in fishing power of only 10%.
Other angel shark populations (e.g., Squatina californica, S. squatina, S. argentina) have proved particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure due to their low reproductive potential, vulnerability to trawl and gillnet fishing gear and low potential for recolonisation (due to their sedentary habit) (Gaida 1997, ICES 2004, Morey et al. 2006, Vooren and Klippel 2005). Squatina guggenheim and Squatina occulta, which occur in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, have a triennial reproductive cycle, with a litter size of only two to eight pups. This extended breeding cycle means that they have a very low intrinsic rate of population growth. Consequently, these sharks are generally highly vulnerable to extirpation through bycatch in fisheries that are managed to sustain production of other, more productive, fishes (Musick et al. 2000, C. Vooren pers. comm. 2007).
|Conservation Actions:
No known specific conservation actions exist.
According to the Law of Fisheries of China, bottom trawling is banned within certain areas of Chinese waters (Y. Wang pers. comm. 2007). Bottom trawling is restricted in certain zones and at different times in shallow water. Individual Provinces are responsible for applying national regulations within China. They also can apply their own regulations, on basis of national regulations, but no specific information is available on the areas or timings involved or the effectiveness of enforcement.
Catch levels need to be accurately quantified and monitored. Resolution of the taxonomic issues and identification problems associated with this genus in the Northwest and Western Central Pacific should be a high priority to achieve this (Walsh and Ebert 2007). Management action will most likely be required to reduce bycatch of this species.
Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO, Rome.
Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. and Fowler, S.L. 2005. Sharks of the World. Harper Collins.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2007. Fisheries and Aquaculture Country Profile: China. Rome, Italy Available at: http://www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/FI-CP_CN/en. (Accessed: 01/12/2007).
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2007. Fisheries and Aquaculture Country Profile: Japan. Rome, Italy Available at: http://www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/FI-CP_JP/en. (Accessed: 01/12/2007).
Gaida, I.H. 1997. Population structure of the Pacific Angel Shark, Squatina californica (Squatiniformes: Squatinidae), around the California Channel Islands. Copeia 1997(4): 738-744.
IUCN. 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2009.2). Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 3 November 2009).
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2009. Large marine ecosystems of the world: 47. East China Sea. Available at: http://www.lme.noaa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:lme47&catid=41:briefs&Itemid=72. (Accessed: 25/12/2007).
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2009. Large marine ecosystems of the world: 48. Yellow Sea. Available at: http://www.lme.noaa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94:lme48&catid=41:briefs&Itemid=72. (Accessed: 25/12/2007).
Shuyuan, C. 1994. On the chondrichthyian fauna of the Taiwan Strait. Fourth Indo-Pacific Fish Conference: 127-137. Bangkok, Thailand.
Walsh, J.H. and Ebert, D.A. 2007. A review of the systematics of western North Pacific angel shark, genus Squatina, with redescriptions of Squatina formosa, S. japonica, and S. nebulosa (Chondrichthyes: Squatiniformes, Squatinidae). Zootaxa 1551: 31-47.
|Walsh, J.H. & Ebert, D.A. 2009. Squatina nebulosa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T161325A5398349. . Downloaded on 21 September 2018.
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|If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided


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Distance Squad Qualify Four for IC4As
BOSTON – The Bulldogs tacked on more IC4A-qualifying performances at the Boston University Terrier Invitational on Saturday. Although the meet was not scored, they had the chance to compete against a packed field of Northeast schools they will later face in the season.
As many of the distance runners are getting back into race mode, several broke the IC4A-qualifying standards. Standout middle distance runner senior Chris Labosky won his heat and took fourth overall in the 800-meter run in 1:51.70, well below the IC4A-qualifying mark of 1:54.90. Senior Kevin Brown fought for fourth in the 1,000-meter run in 2:28.35, beating out John Turro of Dartmouth by two-hundredths of a second and qualifying for the IC4As. The Bulldogs also qualified two runners for the IC4As in the 5,000-meter run, junior Max Walden who placed 14th (14:24.26) and senior Alex Harris who placed 23rd (14:45.86).
The sprinters also returned solid performances. Senior David Soiles placed sixth in the 500-meter dash in 1:05.49, nearly qualifying for the IC4As by less than .29 seconds. As in previous meets, junior Marty Evans and sophomore Matt Bieszard shined in the middle sprints, winning both their heats in the 400-meter dash. Evans won his heat in 49.10 seconds and placed 12th overall. Bieszard edged out Monmouth's Jason Kelsey by two-hundredths of a second to win his heat in the 400-meter dash, placing 15th overall. Evans and Bieszard also ran in the top pack in the 200-meter dash, placing 13th (22.17) and 15th (22.37), respectively. The two teamed up with seniors Remi Ray and Ted Galligan in the 4x400-meter relay team to finish 11th.
In the throws, freshman Mike Levine finished in the top 10 in the weight throw (16.14m) and junior David Smith took 14th place in the shot put (14.25m).
With the number of individuals qualifying for IC4As growing with each meet, the Bulldogs are certainly getting back into race mode. Their next meet is at home in the Giegengack Invitational from Feb. 5-6.
Report by Miriam Cho '13, Yale Sports Publicity


text:
Nutcracker by Ding3000 for Normann Copenhagen
A flexible nutcracker...
Like, comment or show your love and get 5% discount!
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DescriptionA simple and stylish design made of silicone.
The German design trio Ding3000 has created an innovative designed nutcracker for Normann Copenhagen. Nutcracker has a comfortable grip and is easy to use. Nutcracker folds back to its original position once the nut has been cracked. Nutcracker is a redesign of the traditional nutcracker. The idea came from annoying pains in the fingers when Ding3000 were cracking nuts. Nutcracker is easy to find in the kitchen drawer, and with its graphic silhouette and classic colors it is a remarkable take on this classic everyday object. Ding300 explain: "Our intention was to create a product that one feels like holding. Nutcracker is surprising in its design because its function is not immediately apparent.
By examining the design one finds out just how user-friendly Nutcracker is. Nutcracker is unique and a 'must-have'."
Materials: Silicone, steel
Size: H: 17,2 cm x L: 7,7 cm x D: 2 cm
|Normann Copenhagen
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text:
Boulder police are interviewing a suspect who investigators say may have robbed a Subway store near Baseline Road and Mohawk Drive on Thursday night and may have been involved in other such crimes, officials say.
Police were alerted to a possible armed robbery at the Subway, 4760 Baseline Road, just before 8 p.m. Thursday, according to police radio traffic.
The suspect was described as a white man, about 6 feet tall, with blond hair, blue eyes and a thin build, according to radio traffic. He wore a mask over his face and white gloves.
It was unclear if the suspect displayed a gun or other weapon during the robbery.
Shortly after interviewing witnesses at the Subway, police located a man matching the suspect's description in a nearby parking lot, according to Boulder police spokeswoman Kim Kobel.
The man had an outstanding warrant on suspicion of violating state pawnbroking law, Kobel said.
He was taken into custody and taken to Boulder police headquarters where investigators were interviewing him as of 10:45 p.m., Kobel said.
"We're talking to him and attempting to connect him to other robberies," Kobel said. "Depending on what he says, there could be other charges."
There has been a recent string of sandwich shop robberies in Boulder, including at the Quiznos at 1606 Conestoga St. on Dec. 18 and the Subway at 2539 Arapahoe Ave. on Dec. 20. In both those cases, a masked assailant entered the store and demanded money before fleeing on foot.
Authorities have also arrested Alishan Yapoujian, a man investigators say may have been involved in a dozen recent armed robberies in the Boulder area.
Yapoujian was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbing a Boulder Conoco station Sunday.


text:
A Scilab toolbox for scaling prediction in condenser cooling circuits with cooling towers and its coupling with OpenTURNS
By Michaël Baudin & Sophie Rapenne, EDF
The Cooliss software, developed at EDF, is based on a chemical mass balance model and can provide predictions of cooling water chemistry evolution, in the different parts of the cooling circuit, as a function of operating conditions. This proprietary research tool is based on several Open Source softwares. It uses a Xcos simulator and Phreeqc for the calculation of water chemistry in each component of the circuit (chemical speciation, pH and saturation index calculation). The model is based on theoretical considerations. For adjusting this theoritical model to real data, Scilab is also used to perform a numerical optimization in order to find the parameters which best fit to the data. In order to evaluate the uncertainties in the simulation, the software is connected to OpenTURNS, a numerical software for uncertainty propagation and quantification.
Sophie Rapenne, Michaël Baudin, Eric Demay, Khalil Shakourzadeh, Alberto Pasanisi, Olga Alos-Ramos, EDF R&D
Presentation not available for confidentiality reasons


text:
GREENVILLE— Electrical problems with the chairlift have delayed the opening of the Big Squaw Mountain Ski Resort, the president of the group operating the resort said Friday.
"The fact that [ski operations are] such a specialized industry, there are only about three technicians in all of New England that can service the electrical components on the chairlift," said Amy Lane, president of Friends of Squaw Mountain. "We had a person scheduled two weeks ago, but Sunday River [in Bethel] had a problem and they have more priority [than we do]. This is the third reschedule."
The chairlift, which was last run in March 2010, is scheduled to be repaired Saturday. Lane said she hopes the resort will open for skiers the first week of February.
The Friends of Squaw Mountain leased the resort from owner James Confalone for $1 this season. The lower eight trails of Big Squaw Mountain, which was renamed Big Moose Mountain by the state, will be open to skiers and snowboarders when the chairlift is fixed and passes inspection. The upper trails will remain closed.
Lane said everything else is ready to go.
"We have all of our food licensing and inspections ready," said Lane. "The lift houses are ready, the exit ramp [at the top of the lift] has been replaced. We had a huge firewood delivery."
The parking lots are clear in order to accommodate hundreds of cars, she said.
Being closed the past week wasn't so bad, said Lane.
"We got six inches of snow last weekend, but it's been so dry this week with the cold snap," she said. "It was freezing cold this week. We didn't miss anything by being closed this week."
People or businesses were invited to place their name on a chairlift chair for $500. The banners for the chairlifts arrived on Friday, she said. That money was put toward the trail groomer that also arrived on Friday from New Hampshire.
Once the chairlift is operational, it must pass an insurance inspection.
"We have to test it with more than 30,000 pounds of sandbags to replicate people," said Lane, adding that 180 people can be on the chairlift at one time.
Although there will be no skiing this weekend, the lodge will still be put to use.
A benefit dinner with live music will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
"Local musicians are offering to play for free. We are inviting the general public," said Lane, adding that the lodge can accommodate 130 people. "We're serving Italian food. It's a family friendly event. There will be hot dogs, cookies, hot chocolate, salad, sweets and all that. We'll serve until it's gone."
There is no cost for the dinner. Instead, Lane is asking for donations.
Once the mountain is open to skiers and snowboarders, the lift tickets will be affordable, Lane said.
"We're doing donations only for lift tickets" instead of set prices, said Lane. "Rental packages [for skiers and snowboarders] are $20 for adults and $15 for kids, which includes skis, boots, bindings and poles."
Despite the setback on the chairlift, Lane said she's amazed at how far the Friends of Squaw Mountain have come in just a few weeks time.
"We have a lot to be proud of," she said.
Anyone interested in attending Saturday's benefit dinner should contact Bill Fling at 717-3822.


text: Garland Power & Light is one of 184 of the nation's more than 2,000 public power utilities to earn Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3®)1 recognition from the American Public Power Association for providing consumers with the highest degree of reliable and safe electric service. Brent McKinney, manager, electric transmission and distribution at City Utilities of Springfield, Mo., and chair of APPA's RP3 Review Panel, presented the designees on March 25 during the association's annual Engineering & Operations Technical Conference held in Kissimmee, Fla. The RP3 designation recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Criteria within each category are based on sound business practices and represent a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. "RP3 utilities are shining examples of reliable and forward-thinking public power utilities," said McKinney, "These designees should be extremely proud of this accomplishment and what it means for their communities." "Receiving the RP3 designation means a lot to us," said Jeff Janke, Managing Director of Garland Power & Light. "It's an honor to be recognized on a national level for the work we are doing here in Garland." The RP3 recognition program is in its eighth year. RP3 utilities hold the designation for two years and resubmit for consideration again at the end of that time period. APPA is the national organization representing more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community- and state- owned electric utilities. It is located in Washington, D.C. This is the third consecutive time that GP&L has been named a Reliable Public Power Provider. ### For information: Elizabeth Kimbrough Tobias Sellier Electric Marketing Manager APPA Garland Power & Light 202-467-2927 972-205-2364 firstname.lastname@example.com ________________________ 1 RP3® is a registered service mark of APPA


text:
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.—The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's and women's swimming and diving teams hosted the Louise Goodman Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the Natatorium.
The event was held in honor of Louise Goodman who passed away in 2011. Goodrum joined the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department in 1988. Goodrum served as the Head Athletic Trainer from 1998-2004, until she was promoted to Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women Administrator. In 2006, she was appointed Interim Athletic Director for one year before returning to her position. Goodrum was a colleague and mentor to many coaches, staff and student-athletes in the Corsair Athletic Department throughout her 13-year career.
Alongside UMass Dartmouth, Bridgewater State University, Plymouth State University, Rhode Island College and the University of Saint Joseph's all took part in the non-scoring invitational.
The Corsair 200 yard medley team comprised of Bryan Baranick (Assonet, Mass.), Julian Jiminia (Springfield, Mass.), Michael Gryss (New Bedford, Mass.) and Tim Douchette (Middleboro, Mass.) took first place honors with a time of 1:51.84.
Baranick had first place finishing's in the 100 yard butterfly (57:82), 200 yard backstroke (2:30.90) and the 200 yard individual medley (2:12.12). Gryss was the top finisher in the 100 yard breaststroke and the 50 yard butterfly, while Ed Olean (Seekonk, Mass.) finished with a first place time of 1:58.96 in the 200 yard freestyle.
Senior Conor Szarek (Leominster, Mass.) beat out his competition in the three meter dive event with a score of 174.85.
For the lady Corsairs, Kayla Flanagan (Fairhaven, Mass.) registered the fastest times in the 100 yard backstroke and the 100 yard butterfly events with times of 1:05.97 and 1:06.34. Classmate Yulyssa Diaz (Dorchester, Mass.) was the first women to touch the wall in the mixed mile event with a time of 20:57.08.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on November 16 when they host Bentley College at 1 p.m.


text:
Maker's Mark Presbyterian
Maker's Mark Presbyterian
Originally a nonalcoholic combination of ginger ale and club soda (hence the name, Presbyterian), the Presbyterian is usually served today as a combination of club soda, ginger ale and whisky. Classically simple, a truly heavenly Presbyterian always starts with Maker's Mark®.
- 1-1/2 parts Maker's Mark® Bourbon
- 1/2 part club soda
- 1/2 part ginger ale
- Lemon twist for garnish
- Fill a rocks glass with ice and add Maker's Mark® Bourbon.
- Fill with equal parts club soda and ginger ale.
- Stir and garnish with a lemon twist.
Tags: Cocktails, Highballs, Maker's Mark Presbyterian, Club Soda, Ginger Ale, Lemons, Thirsty


text:
Maple French toast bacon cupcakes. The name is a mouthful, and so are the cupcakes… a mouthful of deliciousness!
Want to streamline your baking, speed up your cooking and spend less time in the kitchen? Check your salt situation before you start baking…. Oh and check your eggs, too. Because when you look at a recipe and think there is no way that there is 30 minutes of prep work, know that the author somehow knew that you were going to have to stop a quarter of the way through to run out for salt. Then again, half way through when you realize you only have two eggs left in the fridge.
In other words, use some common sense and check everything before you start. A lesson I should have learned long before I made not two but three trips to the market today…
Three trips… Seriously.
But so worth the trips for a taste of these maple French toast bacon cupcakes.
Maple French Toast Bacon Cupcakes
from Food Network Magazine Courtesy of Kara Scow June/July 2009
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 3.9-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup half-and-half, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (5 strips)
For the Frosting:
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flours, pudding mix, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the bacon.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon; beat until combined. Spread on the cooled cupcakes; top with chopped bacon, if desired.


text:
Got Questions? Call Cisco Partner Advisor to Get the Answers!
When you're trying something new, it definitely helps to have someone walk you through it. (I've certainly felt that way countless times when I've had to assemble one of my daughter's toys.)
In that vein, consider Cisco Partner Advisor your source for getting questions answered: Partner Advisor can help new or existing Registered and Select Certified Small Business partners get started with Cisco. Partners can talk or chat online for free with a Partner Advisor agent to get non-technical information about on-boarding, programs, promotions, marketing, and financing, or to get help facilitating deals and sales opportunities.
Partner Advisor agents have expertise with the Quick Pricing Tool (QPT), and Cisco Capital offers—resources that are suited for Small Business partners. They can also help you enroll in the VIP-Express quarterly incentive program, formerly known as PDF.
Partner Advisor launched in February, and the service has been made available to partners in 28 countries to date. Since May there have been over more than 30,000 conversations with Partner Advisor agents, and many partners have praised Partner Advisor for helping them increase their knowledge about Cisco products, expand into new markets, and navigate Cisco online resources more efficiently. Here's what some partners just like you are saying about Partner Advisor.
"My Partner Advisor agent provided me information about the Cisco Small Business product line. I have access to many more products and can expand into cloud and virtualization. I was so happy about the discussion that I referred someone else in my company to call the Partner Advisor agents as well."
"My Partner Advisor agent signed me up on Cisco's VIP Express and FastTrack2 programs. I hit my goals and earned rebates last quarter."
"My Partner Advisor agent guided me on how to become a Select partner. Once I became a Select partner, I have more profitable products to sell to my customers."
All sounds pretty convincing, right? Agents are available by phone or online chat to help you grow your business and increase profitability. Visit the Cisco Partner Advisor page to learn more, and to find your local, toll-free number. (This offer is only available to Registered and Select Small Business Cisco partners.)
Got any questions? Please share in the comments.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


text:
The world's Lighting experts. Have a question? Ask everyone. Unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. The members of our Community can help answer your question. Or, if someone's already asked, you can search for the best answer. Use the Search or Ask a Question bar on the homepage to quickly find an answer.
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text:
Michael Saunders wrote: > I am encountering three problems that may be related: > > 1) While a request is in the process of downloading or uploading > a file how does one stop the transfer? I have attempted all > variations of trying to kill the request from the progress > alert dialog and from a timer with no effect, the transfer > just keeps on going. How do you cleanly stop a request that > is in progress? There are two ways to prematurely kill a request: using timeouts or to explicitly kill the request. The former can be set using the various timers that you can find at http://www.w3.org/Library/User/Using/Timers.html The other can be used by callin the kill method on the request: http://www.w3.org/Library/src/HTReq.html#Killing > 2) This utility I created is only a test for a larger project. > What I want to do is have my main application's X event loop > separate from the libwww event loop (mostly because I don't > understand how to integrate to two yet). Therefore after a > download request completion I want to exit the loop and > return to my main application's X event loop. To do this I > put a "if (HTNet_isIdle()) HTEventList_stopLoop();" construct > in the HT_PROG_DONE section of the progress alert dialog. > This works fine for a successful download but not for a > failed one (lets say a bad host name is specified). I tried > putting the same construct after the printing the "bad host > error message" but it indicates that it is not idle, i.e. > requests are still pending. When the request is done (regardless of the status code) the Net object should be deleted in HTNet_delete() and the net object counter should be decreased. Try and run the program with protocol and core traces and you should be able to see what is going on, see http://www.w3.org/Library/src/HTHome.html#Trace for how to turn on these traces. > 3) Certain poorly formed URLs will cause the select() to block. > Even the 'LoadToFile' application will hang on the select() > call (because the last argument to select(), a pointer to > timeval, is mysteriously NULL for certain cases of a poorly > formed URLs). You can duplicate the problem by giving the > LoadToFile example a URL to a known ftp server but to a > file that does not exist. How do you break out of these > errors? You can also cause 'LoadToFile' to hang if > you enter a bad target file by incorrectly specifying > a "file:" prefix: > LoadToFile ftp://myHost/myFile.txt -o file:/tmp/myFile.txt I think there has been a bit of bit-rot in the FTP module because of the changes in the way we handle host and net objects. That is why it doesn't handle accepting connections for the moment. > Can anyone get me pointed in the correct direction? I have been pulling my hair > out try to solve the problems. I like the architecture of the library and would > like to use it but I have to solve these problems to make it acceptable for the > end user. -- Henrik Frystyk Nielsen, <email@example.com> World Wide Web Consortium, MIT/LCS NE43-356 545 Technology Square, Cambridge MA 02139, USAReceived on Thursday, 20 May 1999 14:57:49 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:33:49 UTC


text:
Metallica Offer First Look at Their Upcoming Pinball Machines
There will be not one, but three different versions of the Metallica pinball machine to choose from when Stern Pinball unleashes their latest gaming experience. After announcing in a video message that they were involved with Stern on a game earlier this week, Metallica have provided a more extensive, in-depth look at what's to come.
Metallica post on their website, "After year's of playing on Kirk [Hammett]'s machines at HQ, we jumped at the idea when Stern Pinball came to us with some designs and ideas some time ago. The machines will include 12 'Tallica songs with 'Master of Puppets,' 'One' and 'Fade to Black' among them. Features will include an electric chair, snake, grave markers and lots of others bells and whistles along with art by our friend Dirty Donny."
There will be three different models of the Metallica pinball machine. There is the limited edition, shown above, plus the pro and the premium that can be viewed below. The limited edition game comes exclusively with designer-signed playfields and a numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity, plus a 'Master of Puppets' mirrored backglass and LE model unique hi-def themed cabinet artwork. Both the premium and pro games also have features unique to their actual experience. To see a full list of game features, check here.
Stern's dealers and Metallica's Met Club members can log in and order their machines now at this location. The pro version retails for $4,995. The premium version can be had for $6,995 and the limited edition version is going for $7,595. All of the machines are expected to arrive in May.
Metallica Premium Pinball Machine
Metallica Pro Pinball Machine


text:
Dear Editor:
We are writing to express our sincere gratitude to the teachers and staff at Wallace Public School for an amazing seven years. It's hard to believe that it was seven years ago that our son entered kindergarten at Wallace. Hoboken has many school options and we, like many parents, fretted about finding the right school for our son. We talked to parents, researched and visited all the open houses but it was at Wallace School that we immediately felt comfortable. Wallace is a more traditional school, like the kind of school most of us attended as children. It is strong in the core subjects, offering FOSS Science, Singapore Math and opportunities for those advanced students needing a challenge: Johns Hopkins and Gifted & Talented programs. We were impressed with the well-maintained school, the double gym, the music and art classrooms, computer labs, SMART boards, full service cafeteria, and play yard for outdoor recess. Basically everything you would expect, and a little bit more, of a good public school.
When we talk to pre-school parents about Wallace we sense the usual hesitations about attending an "urban" school. We had the same hesitations ourselves, which were immediately allayed after attending a school open house. Because, of course, what matters most is the quality of education for your child. That's really all it's ever been about for us. Our son has had an excellent academic experience throughout his seven years. And if we were to ever sense that our child wasn't learning and achieving to the best of his ability, then we'd immediately look for alternatives. But that's never happened at Wallace. The teaching quality and curriculum are excellent, and the classroom environment is disciplined and focused on learning. For instance this past year, our son, a "math and science" kid with a passion for art enjoyed the multi-disciplinary Art-in-Motion class project. This STEAM project (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) was a collaborative partnership with Stevens Institute of Technology and Wallace School. Students created mechanical sculptures that were displayed in the Hoboken High School Art Show at the Monroe Center.
Of course it has been the people, the teachers, the staff and the families, that have made our experience at Wallace outstanding. The teachers are dedicated, nurturing, innovative and demanding – willing to push the students out of their comfort zones with full support and encouragement. We have enjoyed the strong community of families at Wallace School thanks to the PTO which organizes a wide range of activities throughout the school year culminating in the fantastic Wallace School Field Day.
We're not sure where the time has gone over the last seven years but thanks to our positive experience at Wallace School we're looking forward to the next phase in our son's academic development at the Hoboken Junior Senior High School this fall.
Deirdre E. Wall
Gregory W. Bond


text:
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, cut its annual profit forecast for the second time since August as the uneven economic recovery and increased competition from dollar stores hurt sales. The shares fell.
Profit per share in the year ending January 2014 will be $5.01 to $5.11, Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart said today in a statement. That's down from the forecast of $5.10 to $5.30 it gave three months ago and trailed analysts' average estimate of $5.19. Wal-Mart in February forecast profit as high as $5.40.
Chief Executive Officer Mike Duke is trying to improve Wal- Mart's grocery selection and keep prices low to fend off smaller-format stores that offer merchandise starting at $1, all while consumers restrain spending because of unemployment and higher taxes. Sales at Wal-Mart U.S. stores open at least 12 months excluding fuel fell 0.3% in the quarter ended Oct. 25. Analysts predicted they'd be little changed.
"In retail, it comes down to same-store sales, and today was another disappointment," Brian Yarbrough, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co. in St. Louis, said today in an interview. "On the fringe, they've got to be losing customers."
He recommends buying the shares.
Wal-Mart's U.S. same-store sales have slid for three straight quarters as a 2 percentage point increase in Social Security taxes reduced spending among its shoppers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck. The 16-day federal government shutdown that ended Oct. 17 also has damped consumer confidence. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment dropped to the lowest level in almost two years this year month.
Inventory Growth
Wal-Mart, which has a corporate goal of keeping inventory growth at or less than the rate of net sales growth, scaled back its orders from suppliers for the third and fourth quarters to keep inventory from rising too quickly, according to an e-mail from ordering manager at the company's headquarters that was obtained by Bloomberg News.
In response to the report in September, the retailer said it felt good about its inventory position and was managing it appropriately. The order pullback wasn't across the board and was happening "category by category," David Tovar, a spokesman, said at the time.
U.S. inventory increased 5.1%, Bill Simon, the company's U.S. CEO, said today on a conference call. While that was slower than the 6.9% inventory gain in the previous quarter, it was faster than third-quarter U.S. net sales growth of 2.4%.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
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text:
Christmas tree season expected to be greenBy KIMBERLY HOUGHTON
Union Leader Correspondent
November 15. 2013 10:08PM
LITCHFIELD — Area tree farms are getting ready for Black Friday, which marks the unofficial start of New Hampshire's Christmas tree business.
The state's holiday tree industry is valued at about $4 million annually, according to the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food.
For Paul Lemire, owner of Noel's Tree Farm in Litchfield, the kickoff of the tree season Nov. 29 has been months in the making.
"We have been working for weeks now getting stuff ready and getting everything finalized. We expect this to be a big year for us," said Lemire, who owns the farm with his wife, Catherine. Their tree operation consists of about 9 acres and 9,500 trees on the plantation.
They hosted Gov. Maggie Hassan on Friday, at which time she cut the state's official first Christmas tree of the season.
This is the second time the Lemire family has had a visit from a governor. Two years ago, former Gov. John Lynch and his wife also toured the farm and selected some personal trees for the holiday.
"I was so pleased to hear that my farm was chosen this year," said Lemire, who said he welcomed the governor and Lorraine Merrill, commissioner of agriculture.
Last year, Noel's Tree Farm, at 21 Charles Bancroft Highway, sold about 3,000 trees, and Lemire is anticipating a similar season this year. Holiday favorites include balsam, Fraser, Canaan and concolor fir trees, according to Lemire, who favors the concolor white fir tree. "They seem to last really, really well, and have a very citrusy scent," he said.
After Thanksgiving, there are only four weekends before Christmas Day, said Lemire, explaining the tree season will be shortened by a week because of the calendar.
"Black Friday weekend will be crazy for us. Many people will come to cut down their own trees," he said.
In addition to harvesting its own trees, Noel's Farm also purchases trees for resale from other growers. It also sells wreaths and other greenery items for the Christmas season.
Lemire said his business just finished building its second fire pit, and he is optimistic it will draw big crowds in the coming weeks.
"It is like a festival," he said, adding there is a petting zoo and reindeer at the farm and visits from Santa Claus on Sunday afternoons.
The tree farm will open for the season Nov. 29.


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As many businesses reopened after the weekend blizzard, snow-choked roadways in Hartford slowed the commute and caused traffic to backup onto highways.
Traffic would have been worse but for the federal holiday that closed state government for the day.
Hartford officials said snow clearing efforts continued Monday and Tuesday, but several main thoroughfares, including Asylum Avenue, were substantially restricted by snow that not yet been pushed off the street.


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Atrial Septal Defect
Please Note: By clicking a link to any resource listed on this page, you will be leaving this site.
Congenital Heart Information Network
The Congenital Heart Information Network's goal is to provide information and resources to families of children with congenital and acquired heart disease, adults with congenital heart defects, and the professionals who work with them.
American Heart Association
This group is dedicated to providing education and information on fighting heart disease and stroke.
American College of Surgeons
The website of the American College of Surgeons provides consumer information about common surgeries such as appendectomy.


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Petersburg voters oppose purchase of Reid property
With the only contested race on the ballot being for two seats on the Harbor Board, the propositions in this election become the hot topics.
Petersburg voters returned with a resounding no to the purchase of the Reid Marine Property by an almost two to one vote. In unofficial results, 515 people voted no, and 274 voted yes for the Reid property purchase. The asking price for the land is $1.4 million and was to be paid for with a mix of local funding sources including a hike in harbor rates.
According to Trident Seafoods Plant Manager Dave Ohmer the Reid Marine Property is still an essential piece of infrastructure.
"This property could have contributed to our strengthening economy for the next 50 years," Ohmer said. "But we have been hit with the overwhelming voice of the people and they have made their position clear."
Ohmer also explained that this is the beautiful part of the democratic process, the people have spoken loud and clear and he hopes we can move forward in the most positive way for the community.
"This has sent us a pretty clear message," Petersburg Harbormaster Glorianne Wollen said. "I guess the public doesn't want us to plan for the future."
Wollen explained that the City and Harbor Department would continue with the status quo and just try to maintain things as they are.
"Our main objective now is to keep the commercial fleet viable," Wollen stated. "We may be looking at raising the moorage rates in the near future."
Petersburg City Manager Steve Giesbrecht stated that this has been a key issue with the community.
"The public is obviously against this purchase," Giesbrecht said. "I've been pretty open on this subject and really don't have an opinion but with the sales tax cap issue, I do have an opinion."
In the other ballot question of increasing the sales tax cap, this issue is evenly split and could still go either way.
Proposition two would raise the city's cap on sales tax on purchases from $1,200 to $1,700. The unofficial count has 392 votes against and 390 votes for, a difference of only two votes.
"This issue will be decided with the absentee ballots that are still out there," Petersburg City Clerk Kathy O'Rear said. "We have 19 absentee ballots available. If they are received by Friday and are postmarked by election day, they will be opened and counted."
"We are still waiting for results of the sales tax cap vote," Wollen said. "We are really disappointed because this will force us into a position of having to make up those funds in other ways."
According to Giesbrecht, even if all of the uncounted absentee ballots are one way or the other, this will come down to an extremely close race.
"We would all love to not pay taxes," Giesbrecht said. "But the City wants a nice community and nice services, so we will have to find a way to pay for them."
Giesbrecht also explained that if proposition two does not pass it will be a huge disappointment and officials will have to figure out another way to put more money in the hands of the harbor and schools.
Proposition one, withdrawal from the Inter-Island Ferry Authority, passed easily. Voters overwhelmingly agreed to withdraw with 626 votes yes and 150 votes no.
Two incumbents, Bob Martin and Kurt Wohlhueter will return to serve on the Harbor Board with Martin receiving 573 votes and Wohlhueter receiving 546 and runner-up Peter Schultz receiving 190.
The turnout for this election was 799 votes cast, including 154 absentee ballots cast by Monday's deadline.
These results are unofficial until canvassed by the City Council Friday, Oct. 5.


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EDS377 Expressive Arts in Education 2
This is an experiential course, exploring the historical, contemporary and practical applications of the expressive arts therapies, including movement, music, paint, clay, journal keeping and drama, and their use in the fields of education and the human services. This course will demonstrate the utilization of the expressive arts therapies for personal, interpersonal, and social growth and change.
- 3
- Liberal Arts
- Must be enrolled in the following level: Undergraduate
- May not be enrolled in the following class: Freshman


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Lose the Baseball Analogy
My response to Robert P. George's second attempt to justify banning gay marriage.
Last week, I critiqued the argument against same-sex marriage, set forth by Robert George, a prominent conservative professor at Princeton, and two co-authors. In essence, their argument is that same-sex couples can be excluded from marriage because the core purpose of the institution is procreation internal to the union. I asked whether the extended defense they gave succeeded and argued that it did not because of a simple flaw at its core.
The flaw is that the principle of "common procreation," as this idea is known, is overinclusive. It demeans the marriages of many opposite-sex couples who do not give birth to biological children, including infertile couples, couples who have chosen not to have children, couples who have adopted, and couples who have used reproductive technologies to create their families. My critique concluded that the capacity (or desire) to procreate is not a principled ground on which to define same-sex couples out of the institution of marriage while pretending to keep all opposite-sex couples inside it.
George and his colleagues have published a response to my critique. They contend that I have "[1] ignored their central arguments, [2] made unwarranted linguistic associations, [3] indulged in pejorative labeling, and [4] studiously ignored every challenge [they] pose." I believe I understand why they feel I have missed their arguments, as my interest (stated in my critique) was in whether they had propounded a better version of the "common procreation" argument than the one offered in court by the proponents of Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. This interest led me to focus on one part of their argument more than on others. To be clear, however, I am not making an analytic concession—the common procreation argument is so central to their thesis that rebutting this part undermines the whole. I now take the opportunity to elaborate on this point by taking up their four objections.
In their response, George and his colleagues state that "[t]he central argument of our article is that equality and justice are indeed crucial to the debate over civil marriage law, but that to settle it—to determine what equality and justice demand, one must answer the question: what is marriage?" Their answer to this question is that marriage is "conjugal marriage," a pre-legal reality consisting of the union of one man and one woman. The co-authors note that "in making our case for conjugal marriage, we consider the nature of human embodiedness; how this makes comprehensive interpersonal unions sealed in conjugal acts possible; and how such union and its intrinsic connection to children give marriage its distinctive norms of monogamy, exclusivity, and permanence." Each and every one of these dimensions relates to the principle of "common procreation." According to the co-authors, the salient aspect of human "embodiedness" is the fact that "individual adults are naturally incomplete with respect to one biological function: sexual reproduction." The orientation toward procreation is also the quality that differentiates the sexual activity of opposite-sex couples from that of same-sex couples and affords opposite-sex couples a distinctive relationship to their biological children. Opposite-sex couples, the co-authors say, engage in "the kind of activity that is by its nature fulfilled by the conception of a child."
Given this reliance on common procreation as the foundation of heterosexual marriage, George and his colleagues must provide an answer for why opposite-sex couples who do not engage in common procreation still have what they call "true marriages." They attempt to do so but fail. Consider the case of infertile couples. The original article reassures infertile couples that their marriages are "real" by observing: "A baseball team has its characteristic structure largely because of its orientation to winning games; it involves developing and sharing one's athletic skills in the way best suited for honorably winning . . . But such development and sharing are possible and inherently valuable for teammates even when they lose their games." As I have already observed, this ostensible rescue still demeans the marriages of infertile couples by comparing them to baseball teams that not only do not win games but also cannot win games.
George and his colleagues state that I mischaracterized the core of their analogy (this is what they call "unwarranted linguistic associations"). They argue that I mistook an analogy (X is like Y) for an identity (X is like Y along all dimensions), noting that they make an appropriate qualification in the article "only a few sentences after drawing this analogy." To look at their actual qualification, however, is to see that the core of the analogy is precisely as I described it. The article states: "Although marriage is a social practice that has its basic structure by nature whereas baseball is wholly conventional, the analogy highlights a crucial point: Infertile couples and winless baseball teams both meet the basic requirements for participating in the practice (conjugal union; practicing and playing the game) and retain their basic orientation to the fulfillment of that practice (bearing and rearing children; winning games), even if that fulfillment is never reached." The qualification is that marriage and baseball are not fully analogous in that one draws its structure in part from nature while the other is wholly a social construct. Having made that distinction, the article notes convergence on a "crucial point": "infertile couples and winless baseball teams" are similar because both engage in a practice to which their organizations have a basic orientation, "even if that fulfillment is never reached."
In their response, George and his colleagues now enter a different qualification, observing that sports, unlike marriages, are "a competitive activity in which having winners and losers is inherent to the practice." (This cannot be read as a restatement of the article's original distinction between partially and wholly conventional activities, as both partially and wholly conventional activities can be competitive.) But even this freshly minted comeback is unavailing—infertile couples are still not fulfilling the supposed core purpose of marriage. Regardless of whether infertile couples are characterized as "winless" or as not having "fulfilled" the core purpose of marriage, such couples must compare unfavorably to couples who have fulfilled the supposed central object of marriage. This problem also stands as an impediment to the separate argument made in the article that infertile couples are still engaged in "conjugal" sexual activity because their "coitus" leads to a special kind of union. Why deem the sexual intimacy of an infertile couple to be a totally separate activity from the sexual intimacy of a same-sex couple, when neither results in procreation? Again, even if we accept the co-authors' answer (consummation is a symbolic "sealing" of the relationship "oriented" toward procreation), the infertile couple is still not fulfilling the core purpose of marriage. In addition, it might surprise many couples who cannot have children (or choose not to do so) that the validity of their marriage rests on its "orientation" toward procreation.
This analysis brings me to the co-authors' next objection—that I "indulged in pejorative labeling" when I stated that the common procreation argument "demeans" and "denigrates" opposite-sex couples who do not procreate. The authors interpret words like "demean" and "denigrate" to be forms of rhetoric "designed to exploit caricatures of conservatives as mean-spirited bigots out to thwart those not like themselves." This interpretation confuses an argument about dignitary harm with an aspersion directed at them. Resting marriage on a common procreation argument tells some people within an institution (marriage) that they have a right to be there even though they are not fulfilling its core purpose. In doing so, it ranks their marriages below the marriages of those who are fulfilling its core purpose. When I describe that as demeaning, I am making a substantive point about the subordination entailed by the article's logic.
Similarly, I stand by my view that the common procreation argument, as elaborated by George and his co-authors, "denigrates" parents who have adopted children. As I observed in my critique, the original article states: "Children, likewise, have only two parents—a biological mother and father." The direct implication of this statement is that an adoptive parent is not the parent of his or her child, as he or she is neither the biological father nor the biological mother of that child. So I disagree with George and his colleagues when they state that they "neither said nor implied ... that adoptive parents are not real parents." In their response, George and his colleagues say that I have so misrepresented their position that it would be "fruitless to respond in kind." Given that I have simply quoted a statement they make, I remain interested to know why they believe individuals who adopt can be the parents (much less the "real parents") of their children. For if married couples who adopt are truly the parents of their adoptive children, it becomes less clear why the special biological link between parents and children can be a ground for defining the nature of marriage to exclude same-sex couples.
Finally, George and his colleagues accuse me of "studiously ignoring every challenge" they pose, particularly the challenge to advance my own definition of marriage. Given the context in which I joined the fray—an examination of the argument made in the California lawsuit—I thought the answer would be intuitive: I want the institution of marriage to widen to permit same-sex couples to enter it. George and his colleagues have ready-made objections for such a statement. First, they say that permitting same-sex couples to marry would distort the institution, such that this debate cannot be framed solely in terms of increasing access. Second, they assert that permitting same-sex couples to marry would lead us down a slippery slope that would press us to recognize polygamous relationships as marriages. I take up each argument in turn.
George and his colleagues draw a stark distinction between laws barring inter-racial marriage, which they unequivocally oppose, and laws excluding same-sex couples from marriage, which they unequivocally favor. They state that "antimiscegenation was about whom to allow to marry, not what marriage was essentially about." Yet when anti-miscegenation laws were being litigated, prominent players in the debate said they were both about the question of "who can marry?" and the question of "what is marriage?" For example, the trial court in Loving v. Virginia (the case in which the Supreme Court later struck down state bans on interracial marriage in 1967) made a natural law argument against interracial marriage: "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix." In upholding that opinion, the Supreme Court of Virginia said that the state could legitimately seek to prevent "a mongrel breed of citizens." At stake was the purpose of marriage, which was viewed as the state's vehicle "to preserve the racial integrity of its citizens." Today, all these arguments seem ludicrous. But they were made by courts, not fringe figures, only a half-century ago.
The obvious rejoinder is that marriage has worked itself pure—that we have cleared away what marriage is not to arrive at a true understanding of what marriage is. But those who have propounded trans-historical, much less eternal, definitions of marriage have often been time's fools. Fifty years from now, I expect new challenges will be made to the definition of marriage. Yes, such challenges could take the form of challenges to recognize polygamous marriages (in fact, such challenges would not be new, as they were made on grounds of the free exercise of religion in the 19th century). Currently, I would distinguish polygamous marriage primarily on the intuitive ground that one can give one's full self to only one other person—that is, that the "undivided commitment" the co-authors praise can be valuable even in the absence of common procreation. But I would prefer to test such intuitions if and when such debates become live national controversies. I do not purport to know where future challenges will arise, or how those challenges might require us to reassess the purposes of marriage. I refuse to answer the question "What is marriage?" by saying "Marriage is one thing, always and everywhere, for all people." I regard that refusal as a strength, rather than as a weakness, of my position, as I do not think we stand at the end of history today.
Traditionalists often speak in terms of a timeless "ideal" family. George and his co-authors speak in this vein when they ask in their response if I "deny that children deserve to be raised, wherever possible, by a mother and father—that this is worth promoting as an ideal?" The answer is yes, I do deny that claim. As I noted in my critique, "the research comparing the kids of gay adoptive parents to the kids of straight birth parents shows that the first group fares just as well as the second." More broadly, when people in the marriage debates ask whether I would not wish to promote an "ideal," I find myself asking "which ideal?" Liberty, equality, and justice are also ideals, and only time will reveal what they require of us. The co-authors evade the force of these ideals by defining marriage according to the unsustainable common procreation rationale. Once this argument is properly retired, marriage returns to the field on which these larger ideals can shape it. For me, for now, it is enough to say those ideals require the recognition of same-sex marriage.


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|TidBITS#225 19940509
by Adam Engst <email@example.com> & Bill Dickson <email@example.com>
Adam: You know, Bill, we should mention that Internet Explorer Kit for Macintosh (Hayden Books, ISBN# 1-56830-089-1) is now out and probably even in bookstores.
Bill: That was less than subtle, Adam. I think TidBITS readers are too clever for that. They'll realize just what we're doing.
Adam: Sigh, I think we used to be better at disguising the blatant plug.
Bill: Such is life. Why don't you tell the nice readers what the book is about, then?
Adam: OK. When Bill and I thought about writing a book, we realized that what the world needs (and what we wanted to write) was a book that answered the burning question, "So what do you do on the Internet, anyway?"
Bill: And we wanted pretty much everybody to be able to understand the answer. I've always had trouble explaining it to people like my grandparents, for instance, so we had them in mind while writing it. This is not a technical book - it's a book for people who are interested in the Internet.
Adam: Needless to say, we both spend a lot of time on the nets, but we don't think about it - the Internet is just a different environment to us, much like your house and office are different environments. You do different things in each, and you probably even act differently.
Bill: You'd never see me throttling myself with a tie at home, for instance.
Adam: Especially with that nasty Jurassic Park tie.
Bill: I happen to like that tie. As ties go.
Adam: I'm sure you do.
Bill: Anyway, the big problem with telling people what you can do on the Internet is that it's impossible to guess what they might want to do.
Adam: So we decided to concentrate on what we do, but rather than just tell you about it in the book, we actually did much of it and showed you what was happening. Before we wrote about Internet Relay Chat and MUDs, we logged on and talked to people in some different IRC channels and on FurryMUCK, a popular social MUD. And then, rather than write about what we did there, we heavily edited the logs of our sessions and included them so you can really see what went on. We even interviewed a number of Internet celebrities, ranging from Adam Curry of MTV and John Norstad of Disinfectant and NewsWatcher fame to the inimitable Emily Postnews and the White House (through their autoResponder).
Bill: Unfortunately, Hayden wouldn't let us call it "Bill and Adam Do the Internet." But they did let us write it entirely in dialog, just like this.
Adam: And they let us include Slugs!, a cartoon drawn by our friend Dominic White <email@example.com>. Dominic put one cartoon up on a local Gopher server - more should follow in future weeks.
Bill: Just so we're up front about this - Internet Explorer Kit is not a technical book.
Adam: Bill, you said that already. They can read.
Bill: Sorry - I just wanted to emphasize it. We don't tell you how to do much of anything in Internet Explorer Kit - that's not the point of this book. The point is to sit down in a comfortable chair and enjoy the book while getting a feel for what life is like on the Internet.
Adam: But for those of you who do like the gritty details, look at the screenshots and you'll find a remarkable number of pointers to interesting FTP sites, Gopher servers, and Web sites. We also included a disk (hermetically affixed to the back cover with a child-resistant seal - I used a large knife on my copy) with some of our favorite MacTCP-based Internet tools, Anarchie, Finger, TurboGopher, MacWAIS, and the clever MacWeather.
Bill: I should also mention the folder labeled "Don't Read These Files! ;-)"
Adam: Why? They're not supposed to read the files in there, no matter how funny they may be.
Bill. Oh, that's true. Forget I mentioned it, people.
Adam: Enough of this - I think they get the idea. If you'd like order a copy of Internet Explorer Kit via email or phone with a 20 percent discount off the $29.95 list price (magic code: IEK), send email to <firstname.lastname@example.com> for ordering instructions. If you think we're raving lunatics and want nothing to do with us, that's fine too, we won't waste any more of your time.
Bill: Oh, and shouldn't you tell them your little secret?
Adam: Do I have to?
Bill: Yes.
Adam: OK, also out is Internet Starter Kit for Windows (Hayden Books, ISBN# 1-56830-094-8), which is very similar to my Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, except that some friends of mine translated it for Windows. So if you're non-denominational in your Internet access habits, I hope you'll find the book helpful. It comes with software too, a fully-functional but stripped-down version of the $400 Chameleon, Eudora 1.4, WinVN, and WinSock Gopher. You can also get 20 percent off the $29.95 price of this book by ordering directly (magic code ISKW) - send email to <firstname.lastname@example.com> for information.
Hayden Books -- 800/428-5331 -- 317/581-3535