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SHIMMER Platform
The SHIMMER wireless sensor platform was developed by the Intel Digital Health Group over a number of years to support a variety of internal research projects. The SHIMMER platform comprises a baseboard that provides the sensors computational, data storage, communications, and daughterboard-connection capabilities. The core functionality of SHIMMER platform is extended via a range of daughterboards that provide kinematic, physiological, and ambient sensing capabilities. This range of contact and non-sensing capabilities can be reliably used both in clinical and in home-based scenarios.
SHIMMER Baseboard Design
The core element of the baseboard is the Texas Instruments MSP430 MCU (Microcontroller Unit) [49], which has been widely used in wireless sensors [50-52]. The primary advantages of the MCU are its extremely low power during periods of inactivity and its proven history for medical-sensing applications. The 10Kb of RAM on the MSP430F1611 variant is the largest memory available within the processor family and offers improved buffering capability for communication applications.
The MSP430 has eight ADC channels for 12-bit A/D conversions. For the SHIMMER platform, the external ports are utilised for reading data from the XYZ accelerometer (three channels), the internal expansion connector (three channels), and the external expansion connector (two channels). To maintain the low-power usage capabilities of SHIMMER, the MSP430 ADC core is disabled when not in use and re-enabled when necessary. The baseboard has a Freescale Semiconductor 3-axis (XYZ) accelerometer (MMA7260Q). The accelerometer is suitable for low-power systems: when active the current consumption is around 500?A, and it contains a sleep mode, with current usage of 3μA. It is robust, having high shock survivability, and is suitable for high-sensitivity applications (800mV/g for 1.5g setting).
A passive tilt/vibration sensor (SQ-SEN-200 - Signal Quest) has been added to later generations of the SHIMMER baseboard. It is sensitive to both tilt (static acceleration) and vibration (dynamic acceleration). The sensor is used to trigger power state transitions. For example, when the user takes an inactive sleeping sensor out of the charging dock, the firmware will automatically switch on the necessary components (accelerometer, radio, etc.) to begin capturing and transmitting motion data.
One of the key functions of the SHIMMER board is its ability to communicate as a wireless platform. SHIMMER has the dual functionality of having both 802.15.4 and Bluetooth radio modules.
802.15.4 Radio
For IEEE 802.15.4-compliant wireless communication, the SHIMMER platform uses a Chipcon CC2420 radio transceiver and a gigaAnt 2.4GHz Rufa antenna.
Bluetooth Radio Module
The SHIMMER platform uses the Roving Networks RN-41 Class 2 Bluetooth module to communicate via an integrated 2.4GHz antenna. This module contains a full Version 2 Bluetooth Protocol Stack and supports the Serial Port Profile that facilitates rapid application development. The Bluetooth module is connected to the MSP430 directly via the USART1 serial connection. It can also be controlled by ASCII strings over the Bluetooth RF link.
SHIMMER Daughterboards
For further functionality the SHIMMER baseboard has a Hirose Electric DF12 series* connector that allows the user to connect daughterboards to the baseboard. Currently there are seven daughterboards available for SHIMMER as in Table 1.
External Connections
The external expansion (HIROSETM ST Series) allows the user to attach the board to the programming dock or multicharger.
External Hardware Integration
The SHIMMER platform provides two options for external hardware integration, such as third-party sensors. The General Purpose Expansion Module (AnEx Board) is an analog expansion module that enables two analog signals to be plugged into the SHIMMER platform. These analog signals interface with the A0 and A7 of the MSP430.
PRIMMER Daughterboard
Prototype Reconfigurable board for SHIMMER (PRIMMER) is a daughterboard that enables the breakout of SHIMMER's internal connector. The purpose of the PRIMMER daughterboard is to enable rapid integration and prototyping of commercially available and existing physiological front-end and sensor circuitry. The PRIMMER daughterboard breaks out six ADC lines, power and ground prototype solder points, two general purpose input/ouput (GPIO) lines, and a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART). In addition to this, it provides a boosted power supply by way of a power-boosting circuit that takes in 3V from the SHIMMER baseboard and increases it to ±5V(Maxim MAX768EEE charge pump). The board has been utilised to interface to an EMG pre-amplifier sensor (MA-411-000, Motion Lab Systems) and to streamed EMG data at 500HZ.
GLIMMER, the SHIMMER-based display, is a low-cost, wireless display platform that enables context-aware prompting in the home for ADL monitoring, medication adherence, journaling, social messaging, and coaching applications. The GLIMMER display platform is an extension of the standard SHIMMER platform. Prompts are displayed via a 128x64x4bit 2.7-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display (OSRAM Pictiva). The resolution is 128x64 with 4-bit grey for image display.
A number of peripheral components have been developed for the SHIMMER platform, and among these are the following:
- Programming dock. USB-bus-powered cradle using the FTDI FT232 UART. The dock also has a battery charger status, USB Power, and UART activity indicators.
- Multicharger. Cradle that can charge six SHIMMERs simultaneously.
- Advanced Dual UART programming board. For applications where wired serial communication or enhanced debug capabilities are desirable.
- Enclosures. The SHIMMER platform has two types of plastic enclosure. The standard housing holds the SHIMMER baseboard, lithium ion battery, and kinematic or ambient sensor daughterboards if required. The physiological enclosure is utilized with the ECG and GSR daughterboards and provides external connection points for electrodes.


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Latest News
U.S.-led talks with Taliban going nowhere, report says
KABUL, Afghanistan — A prominent international think tank has warned that U.S.-led talks with the Taliban are going nowhere and has called for the United Nations to take the lead in peace negotiations to prevent Afghanistan sliding into civil war.
In a report released Sunday, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group said that current negotiations were unlikely to achieve a sustainable peace because they were dominated by the U.S. and hampered by a "half-hearted and haphazard" approach by the Afghan government.
"Far from being Afghan-led, the negotiating agenda has been dominated by Washington's desire to obtain a decent interval between the planned U.S. troop drawdown and the possibility of another bloody chapter in the conflict," said the report.
The ICG said that the result thus far of international involvement in negotiations had been to embolden "spoilers" like insurgents, government officials and war profiteers, "who now recognize that the international community's most urgent priority is to exit Afghanistan with or without a settlement."
Regional player like Pakistan and Iran had also significantly hindered talks, the report said.
Candace Rondeaux, senior Afghanistan analyst with the ICG and one of the report's authors, told McClatchy that time was running out to get peace talks back on track. The last few months had seen efforts led by the U.S. to negotiate with the Taliban "faltering left and right," Rondeaux said.
The Taliban announced two weeks ago that it was suspending preliminary talks with the U.S. because of what they described as "the shaky, erratic and vague standpoint of the Americans."
"If we continue along the same path, under the same rubric, with the U.S. in the lead on negotiations and the Afghan government trailing behind, this could be extremely destabilizing for Afghanistan," said Rondeaux.
"It's not the White House that will set the agenda for the Afghan people. It has to be the Afghan people," she said.
The ICG report said the Afghan government must make greater efforts to include a range of ethnic and civil society groups in peace negotiations, and not just deal with warlords. Any negotiations must be transparent.
However, the ICG said the Karzai government was not in a good position to agree to a settlement with insurgents as it was "debilitated by internal political divisions and external pressures."
It said that political competition in Afghanistan would heat up in the run-up to the withdrawal of international combat forces at the end of 2014, and "the differing priorities and preferences of the parties to the conflict — from the Afghan government to the Taliban leadership to key regional and wider international actors — will further undermine the prospects of peace."
A U.N.-mandated mediation team was needed if a civil war was to be averted once international combat troops left Afghanistan.
"Given that we only have two years before NATO forces pull out, it is critical that there is intervention from a third party that is acceptable to the Taliban, acceptable to the other opposition groups, acceptable to the Afghan government, and to all the players that are engaged in the negotiation process," said Rondeaux.
There was little agreement among the various Afghan factions about the future constitution of the government, how power should be balanced, and the role of Islam in Afghanistan, Rondeaux added. She said such issues could not be resolved without the presence of an international guarantor like the U.N.
"It's becoming clear that NATO allies are extremely frustrated. They're impatient, they're eager to head to the exit door," said Rondeaux.
"And without that kind of leverage present, it will be very difficult to secure a lasting, sustainable deal in which all parties to the conflict can lay down their arms and arrive at some sort of measured peace," she said.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales formally charged in Afghanistan massacre
After Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from Web
Who is Robert Bales? Friends, comrades thought they knew
Wife of Staff Sgt. Robert Bales releases statement
Follow the latest politics news at McClatchy's Planet Washington

subset: commoncrawl


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. This is an important link in tracing his ancestry, because starting with his parents and working backwards it gets increasingly difficult to pin down any facts with certainty. Records are scarcer, and prior to 1850 the US Federal Census listed only the name of the head of household. Fortunately he appears on both the 1860 and 1870 censuses with his parents John William and Louisa [Cheek] Farthing. "Fred" was their second child, and the oldest son.
|Part of Orange County Marriage Records
from Ancestry.com
John William Farthing (1820-aft1880) and his wife Louisa Cheek (1825-aft1880) were my 3g grandparents (that's 3 "greats" before the word "grandparents"!) John William's early years are somewhat uncertain, but based on census and marriage records he appears to have been born in 1820 in Orange County, North Carolina. I have a family tree, undocumented and with no citations, which says his parents were Reuben Farthing and Joanna "Anne" Holloway. There is a listing in Marriages of Orange County, North Carolina, 1779-1868 (Holcom, Brent H.; Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001; and available with subscription to Ancestry.com at this link) that shows a Reuben Farthing and an Anne Holloway showing they married in Orange County on 12 Dec 1816 with Thomas Holloway as best man. The same source and page is the first reference to John & Louisa, stating that John Farthing and "Louiser Cheek" [sic] married on 7 July 1849 in Orange County, North Carolina, with James F. Gattis as best man. As a side note, the Farthing family tree I have says that there is a will for Reuben Farthing filed in Orange County on 30 May 1839 but I haven't seen or ordered that will yet.
The first federal census I have for John shows John Farthing, aged 30 and a blacksmith, with Louisa Farthing, aged 24. living in Orange County, North Carolina, on 16 July 1850. If the birth years of 1820 and 1825 are correct this means that John's birth date falls in the first half of the year and Louisa was born in the second half. Interestingly, they live next to James H. Gattis (39), a carpenter, and his wife Nancy Gattis (also aged 39). Was there a transcription error in either the marriage listing or the census record? Could this be the same James Gattis that was John Farthing's best man? There is probably no way to know for certain, but it's an avenue for future research. One thing is clear from the census records of 1850, Orange County, North Carolina, was just brimming with Farthings. So John packed up and moved southwest to the state of Georgia.
|Census images courtesy of Ancestry.com
The 1860 census, on the eve of the Civil War, show John & "Luisa" [sic] living in or near Monticello, in Jasper County, Georgia, with their children Anna, Reuben and John W. In 1870, the growing family now lives in Rockville (near Eatonton), Putnam County, Georgia, and consists of John, Louisa, Annie W, "Frederick" [i.e., Ruben], John W, Mary H, Lucy B, Ada C and Wm [William]. By 1880 they've moved again. Now living in Morgan County, Georgia, in Militia District 397 (southwest of Madison), the family is listed as containing John, Louisa, Annie, Molly, Lucy and Ada, along with Louisa's father Stanford Cheek, and two boarders, William Clay, a 24-year-old blacksmith, and "Thos. F. Davis" [Thomas F. Davis], a 21-year-old farm laborer from South Carolina. It's possible that William Clay was apprenticed to John Farthing. If so, there may be court records of the indenture in either Putnam or Morgan Counties, so that's another avenue for future research. I also need to keep these surnames in mind as I research future collateral lines; they may be relatives of John or Louisa, or one or both might marry into the family at a later date.
|Census images courtesy of Ancestry.com
SideTrack: OK, here's why it sometimes takes me so long to write these posts! I couldn't leave it alone. A quick search for "Clay" in the Morgan County marriage book for 1879-1907 on Georgia's Virtual Vault website turned up W.F. Clay marrying Lucy Farthing on 14 Jan 1886 (page 99). By 1900 (there is no surviving 1890 census here) William & Lucy Clay have moved to Fenter Township, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, where they live out the remainder of their days and raise a fine family. Their oldest daughter Mamie Clay was born in November 1889 or 1890, depending on the source, and the next child, son John Clay, was born in Arkansas in October 1894, so they moved during that 4 or 5 year window. In my quick detour here I found 3 census records through Ancestry.com, two tombstones (one for William & Lucy on FindAGrave.com and one for daughter Mamie by following one of Ancestry.com's "shaking leaf" links; Mamie apparently married a Hunter Andrew Tyler in 1906 and they share a headstone). I haven't confirmed any of this with additional research, but the leads look promising, and you can see how easy it is to get distracted from your primary goal. That detour took a couple of hours by the time I had entered the new information into Ancestry, saved a few images, and made a few notes for further research.
As rewarding as such meandering may be, though, I need to finish up with Mamie's parents, John William and Louisa. One reason for following up with Mamie, a process I will need to repeat with each of their other children, is that the 1880 census is the last record I can find of them. It's entirely possible that they passed away by 1900 (John would have been about 80, and Louisa about 75 by then), but I don't have anything to prove that. I can't find any cemetery record or gravestone posting that belongs to them. It may be that they are buried in Morgan County. It may be that there is an extensive cemetery survey for Morgan County such as I've found previously for other counties. But I haven't located any yet. I'm still searching.
There are discrepancies, of course, from decade to decade on the census, and from source to source. Lucy Farthing, for example, is given the middle initial "B" on the 1870 census, but every other census that gives her middle initial and her gravestone give her middle initial as "T". Sometimes people gave their first names to most census enumerators, but most other records have the middle name they generally were known by. It can get confusing, but you have to make a judgment call as to where most of the evidence is, or sometimes even against the prevailing tide of most evidence (such as ancestors who seemed to get younger and younger with every census year!) you don't want to make a decision too soon, but don't be afraid to make your best call if the situation seems to warrant it, as long as you note the discrepancies and why you made your decision. And don't be afraid to go back later and change that call if you find additional evidence later.
Here's your summary:
- Always cite your sources, even in your research notes. It's amazing how much you can forget about where you read or heard something, even after just a short time. (I'm repeating this one and the next one because they're so darned important!)
- The U.S. Census is still probably your most valuable source of information (after family resources) for the period from 1850 to 1930. Just exercise some caution and common sense, weigh the possibilities, and remember the census isn't perfect. Even with a relatively uncommon name you can find people with the same name or initials.
- Marriage and death records can often be found online at Georgia's Virtual Vault, a digital document resource from the Georgia Archives and the Georgia Secretary of State's office. It's worth a quick search many times before pursuing other avenues, especially when you're trying to chase down female lines. Unfortunately most books don't have "bride" indexes, but it's still worth a search if you have a likely groom candidate in mind.
- Don't ignore all the "shaking leaves", or hints, on Ancestry.com. Just treat them with care as you would any unverified lead until you find proof to support the claims. Even if you have ten or twenty bum leads in a row, the next one just might provide the hint you need to go to the next step in your research.
Later y'all,


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Submitted by Rep. Don Friske for the Forestry Products Section in the March 20 Tomahawk Leader:
The following is a letter to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Stewardship Committee from State Rep. Don Friske, 35th Assembly District and chairman of the Assembly Committee on Forestry:
The Nelson-Knowles Stewardship program is a valuable program. I believe it should be reauthorized for fiscal years 2011-2020. As chairman of the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Forestry, I think stewardship plays an integral role in our ability to provide increased recreation and forest management opportunities throughout Wisconsin.
I am concerned, though, with the ability of the state to pay for and manage the land it has acquired and the land it plans to acquire. As you move forward in making recommendations on changes to stewardship, I hope you will keep the following facts in mind:
Stewardship Credit Card and Credit Limit
•This program is based on bonding, as far as the average citizen is concerned, a form of credit card spending
•The total program credit limit, originally $231 million in 1990, raised to $803 million in 2001, is now being proposed by Gov. Doyle to increase to $1.85 billion
•The annual credit limit, originally $25 million/year, raised to $60 million/year in 2001, is now being proposed by Gov. Doyle to increase to $105 million/year
•In 2011, the annual repayments of debt will actually exceed the current annual credit limit of $60 million, more than $1 million a week regardless of new purchases
2007 Budget Repair Bill
•In 2005, Gov. Doyle proposed and the Legislature approved designating the Forestry Account's $27.5 million as an ongoing appropriation to help pay for repaying debts incurred using stewardship bonds (credit debt)
•On Feb. 1, the Department of Administration announced the state was short $100 million
•On Feb. 13, Gov. Doyle proposed using $7 million from the Forestry Account of the Conservation Fund, in addition to the $27.6 million earmarked in July 2005, to pay for stewardship debt repayment
•The governor and Legislature will need to find a way to prevent the $100 million hole from reoccurring in the 2007-09 budget this session, let alone how to pay for the newly proposed $105 million annual credit limit
Land Acquisition Goals
•From 1990 through 2006, Wisconsin has acquired 360,000 acres in land or easements (21,000 acres/year)
•According to DNR, it is currently acquiring "well over 30,000 acres per year"
•The Natural Resources Board has identified 500,000 acres remaining just to block in existing state DNR property
•It will take 17 years just to block in existing properties, at the rate of 30,000 acres/year
•In 1998, DNR identified 377,000 acres for acquisition, 221,000 acres (60 percent) have been acquired for $229 million
•156,000 acres remain from 1998's original goal for acquisition
Management capability
•By increasing the Forestry Funds used to pay for stewardship debt service, available funds to pay for existing management needs has decreased
•According to DNR, properties throughout the state are failing to be managed as intended due in part to: Increasing workload due to growing land acquisitions and priority public services like fire suppression; master planning delays; incomplete reconnaissance information on forested properties; unfilled DNR employment vacancies
Cost to other programs
•When state funds are tied up paying off debt, the state is limited in its ability to use funds to pay for services the public expects to be met, regardless of land acquisition priorities
•Dramatically increasing stewardship credit limit will encourage the department, governors and legislators to further rely on the Forestry Account, the only statewide property tax, to purchase more timberlands without a DNR workforce in place to properly manage old acquisitions, let alone new
•Chapter 28.04 of the Wisconsin State Statutes states (emphasis added):
**"The department shall manage the state forests to benefit the present and future generations of residents of this state, recognizing that the state forests contribute to local and statewide economies and to a healthy natural environment. The department shall assure the practice of sustainable forestry and use it to assure that state forests can provide a full range of benefits for present and future generations. The department shall also assure that the management of state forests is consistent with the ecological capability of the state forest land and with the long–term maintenance of sustainable forest communities and ecosystems. These benefits include soil protection, public hunting, protection of water quality, production of recurring forest products, outdoor recreation, native biological diversity, aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and aesthetics. The range of benefits provided by the department in each state forest shall reflect its unique character and position in the regional landscape."
Credit vs. cash
•The long term cost of using credit will pose a long-term cost to the state of Wisconsin both in terms of the interest to be paid out and the costs derived from Wisconsin's lowered bond (credit) rating
•As with individuals, debt-income ratios are an extremely important component to the ratings issued by America's bond rating agencies
•Wisconsin's bond rating from Moody's was downgraded in 2001 to Aa3 with a negative outlook, a reflection of our financial policies, in our case Wisconsin's lack of liquidity and ability to make payments on time
•Our ability to pay our bills on time, especially to local governments, is hampered by the increasing amount of General Purpose Revenue (sales and income taxes) being used to pay off stewardship debt
Weighing Testimony
•Most organizations that will submit testimony have at one time or another accessed stewardship dollars for projects by their organization
•You will receive a lot of testimony between now and the next reauthorization of the Stewardship Program
•Every testimonial presented to you comes from someone with an interest in the final outcome and should be weighted by the Subcommittee in perspective of how they benefit from reauthorization
As the representative of the 35th Assembly District and the chairman of the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Forestry, I respectfully ask you to consider the following ideas:
•The Nelson-Knowles Stewardship program should be reauthorized, with legislative oversight
•Ensure new bonding levels honestly reflect taxpayer ability to pay for new land acquisitions and local projects
•Ensure land or easements proportionally acquired by DNR with forestry account funds be managed per Chapter 28.04 of the State Statutes
•Ensure non-forested land or easements are proportionally acquired by DNR with non-forestry account funds
•Prioritize blocking in existing state properties over properties not located within existing properties
•Prioritize properties that increase, not decrease, DNR's ability to properly manage its entire land base
•Increase the number of acres acquired through easements to private lands for public access with public taxation over taking land off of the tax rolls for the same purpose
•Reduce purchases using bonding credit and increase cash used in order to reduce long term costs, GPR payment delays and improve Wisconsin's current fiscal condition
•Appropriately weigh all testimony in the light of how they will benefit environmentally, fiscally, politically, monetarily and socially
`Wisconsin needs to prioritize its finances, within and around its wide range of programs, to meet the immediate needs of its citizens. As you move forward in making suggested changes to this valuable program, I hope your recommendations will take into consideration 1) the ability of the state to pay all its bills on time and 2) continue to make both public access to and private ownership of land a reality for all of Wisconsin's families.
Respectfully yours,
Donald R Friske
35th Assembly District
Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Forestry, Chair
Stewardship's value, risks
Letters to the Editor from the Tomahawk Leader.
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Anxiety disorders remain one of the most common forms of mental health problems among youth and can have a debilitating impact on a child or adolescent's ability to function. The Child and Adolescent Anxiety Program (CAAP) at Children's National is a specialized treatment clinic devoted to carefully assessing and effectively treating a wide range of anxiety disorders common among children and adolescents, including:
Does My Child Have Anxiety?
Anxiety disorders present themselves in a variety of ways. Frequent and intense of worry, avoidance, shyness, or nervousness can interfere with a child's ability to make and keep friends, as well as with academic achievement, family cohesion, and a child's overall level of happiness and self-esteem. If you suspect that your child struggles with anxiety, please contact our clinic to arrange for a professional assessment by our clinical team.
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Beatles star John Lennon would have been 64 tomorrow. Jane Woodhead asks the people who knew him: What would he have been like now?
JOHN'S half-sister Julia Baird says she cannot imagine her brother ever finishing performing: "He may even have been performing with Julian and Sean. I also think he would probably have gone into painting and writing - and may even have written his own story or even a novel and some poems.
"We are talking about a multi-talented genuis who had hardly tapped into just one side of his vast capabilities.
"I believe he would also have been anti-war and would probably have been a full time peace campaigner."
. PR man Tony Barrow, who looked after The Beatles for six years, believes John would have resurrected his "world-beating song-writing partnership" with Paul McCartney:
"I actually think that, soon after 1980, he would have come home to England and got himself together with Paul to reform a partnership.
"I do not think for one minute he would have been performing. I think he would have been song-writing."
Tony says John was the most difficult of all The Beatles to get to know: "It did take time to get through to him. He would make jokes - usually at my expense - and had a very acid humour.
"I was starting to wonder what I was doing wrong. But, in reality, I was not doing anything wrong. I think it was actually a barrier he was putting up to hide his own insecurity.
"He did not make friends easily and you were almost an enemy of his until you became a friend; and winning his friendship was something you really had to work at.
"It was actually late one evening - in a club in Liverpool - that the ice was finally broken between the two of us.
"We were not talking about music, we were discussing mortgages and children, and suddenly I seemed to get through to him.
"He was a man for whom I had a great deal of respect."
. Author and broadcaster Spencer Lee says John was very unpredictable: "Whatever people think he would be doing today, he would probably be doing the complete opposite - because that was the sort of person he was."
. Ted Taylor, whose group, Dominoes, rivalled The Beatles in the 60s, says: "Without doubt, John would have been writing and into his art work.
"But I do not think he would have been going out and performing, I actually think live performance was getting a little much for him. I believe he had lost interest in performance and I think, now, he would most probably have been concentrating on the production side of things."
. Eddie Amoo, who used to be in 60s group, The Chants which was backed by The Beatles at The Cavern, thinks John would have been sitting on his bed in his penthouse apartment in New York talking about peace and love.
"I certainly do not think he would have been performing. I think he was too rich to carry on performing.
"I think he would also have become a massive humanitarian sponsor, rather like Bob Geldof with his Feed The World project."
. Paul McCartney's brother Mike McCartney says: "If it had not been for that mad man, Chapman, John would have been alive and contributing to the world in a creative and artistic sense.
"If he had been here today, he would have been helping to develop a better world and would have been doing it with a sense of humour. It would not have
surprised me if he had still been performing as well."
. Jamie Ferguson from The Beatles Shop in Mathew Street, says he would like to think John would still be making music and maybe collaborating with a modern artist.
He says: "I do believe that much of his music would still be rock and roll but I would like to think that he would also be doing things with modern artists and slightly diversifying from how everyone remembers him - as a rock and roll star. Hopefully he would also have more albums and would maybe even be doing some work with his children.
"I also think he would probably have been turning his attentions to more art work and poetry."
. Veteran DJ Billy Butler met and performed on the same bill as John at The Cavern and at St John's Hall in Bootle. Billy was part of the MerseyBeats at the time.
He says: "I believe he would still be performing but also doing quite a lot of producing. I think he would have been very interested in lots of the young bands which are now emerging in Liverpool.
"I do, however, think he would have been totally appalled by all of The Beatle tribute bands."
RIP John Lennon: 1940 to 1980


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Keeping my husband healthy & happy.
Twilight Zone
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People Not Taking You Seriously
debmidge replied to LePandaRouge's topic in Friends and Loved Ones of CeliacsI think a percentage of the general public has no clue where their food comes from. For example, a waitress in a restaurant when told my husband cannot have wheat asked if he wanted regular white bread with dinner. I think explained that bread (like Wonder or Arnold) has wheat in it. She seemed surprised to hear this info. Perhaps basic "foods" education in school is needed - learn about all grains, meats, fish, vegetables, etc. I think perhaps food servers and kitchen prep people should have to take a 1 day course at the local town/county/state Board of Health to learn about foods and allergens including types of diets: low fat, celiac, diabetic, vegan, etc. Think about it: the person who does your hair at a salon has to be licensed, why doesn't the person who cooks/serves/prepares your food get at least a 1-day seminar with Certificate of Learning?
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debmidge replied to Terri-Anne's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & MedicationsHi, the root of the word "AVEENO" means oat. That's why Aveeno specializes in oat-based body products.
Top Five Reasons To Get A New Doctor
debmidge replied to mamabear's topic in Doctors Treating Celiac DiseaseGastro's report says you have an "aversion to food." Another gastro tells you that your weight loss is only becuase your're not eating enough food. (Heck with the fact that you've had diarrhea for 3 mos and lost 30 lbs.)
Nj gluten-free Bakery
debmidge posted a topic in Gluten-Free RestaurantsNew gluten-free Bakery: Fallon's Bake Shop 339 Crows Mill Road (Nearest side Street: New Brunswick Ave.) Fords, NJ 08863 Phone 732-710-3338 Hours start at 10 AM Breads, cupcakes, muffins, etc. They will accomodate any gluten-free request www.fallonsglutenfreebakeshop.com I had blueberry muffin and it had good flavor and texture and was very fresh.
debmidge replied to K8ling's topic in Coping with Celiac DiseaseCan you ask her where she purchased them from? I wouldn't trust someone who played a trick the first time. It's too serious to trust to a "toxic" person. Pretend you have a "gluten" indicator and tell her you're going to bring it along to test the items (I believe there is such a thing). Tell this to her face and see what facial reaction she has......otherwise, I would not trust her to do the right thing.
Many long-time posters on board know who I am. I don't come around as often as I used to. The last 4 years have been pretty bad for me and my husband (health wise). Anyway, he is now still very, very thin and needs a 3rd hernia surgery. Surgeon won't do it unless he gains 10+ lbs. It's very difficult for him to gain weight. So we are stuck, not going forward and refusing to go backward. Even I am depressed now; refusing the things I used to love to do; constantly worrying about my husband and what wll end up happening. So I haven't had much to say, maybe I'd share on board here and there - I guess for a while there I was a regular. So I'll just share this news, maybe ask for some suggestions to gain weight (foods that don't include soy, eggs, frying, spices, fruits/vegetables, and of course gluten, no tomato sauce - this should be a challenge as he really needs to gain and surgeon turned him down because he's too frail. He started with the Ensure, but it's not enough calories.
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Gluten Free Shampoos & Skincare
debmidge replied to vbecton's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & MedicationsI'm confused now. Do people with celiac disease who have Dermatitis Herp. need to use gluten-free body lotions?
Dealing With Stress
debmidge replied to Jestgar's topic in Gab/Chat RoomAll I want to say is that I understand; I'm going thru same type of stress. I have no suggestions. Remain calm & keep the course. Best wishes - DM
Luvstoeat: Yes it happened to us. At the time of his mother's death, my dear husband (let's pretend his name is John) was hurt when we checked our mail and were perplexed that no relative sent him a personal sympathy card. John has 5 cousins on the opposite coast & we do send Christmas cards to them and they to us (so they do have the address). We did not meet up at his sister's place after the funeral service, so we did not get to even read the cards for our selves (he feels his name was written down in the card as an after thought) My sister in law mentioned it over the phone that the saluation stated Ann (daughter) & Bill and Deb & John (son). John felt weird NOT receiving a sympathy card on the death of his last parent - not one card sent to his own home (we live a distance from his sister). As far as he knew, there were no strains in the relationships and quite the contrary, when their parent passed away a few months earlier, my husband John wrote a separate card to each of these cousins along with a short letter describing how much fun they all had when they used to live along border of two states - a different worded letter to each cousin. To a couple of the cousins, at one point, he included a "1 of a kind" duplicate photo which should have put a smile on their face. Photos they forgot being in from when they were children. I don't read Emily Post so I don't know the rules about sympathy cards - I would imagine if the spouse was alive the main card would go to the surviving spouse. But what are the rules about sympathy cards to the children when there are no parents remaining? Should each get their own or one big one is sent; but to which child? Should it be the oldest child - that wouldn't be fair to the younger child. Should it be sent to the child who lived with or closest to the parent, but that wouldn't be fair to the other child whose life had restraints and could not move any closer. I still feel that if it's family, each child should receive their own card "Our Sympathy in the Passing of Your Mother/Father." It will eliminate hurt feelings. And after all, as to cost of card and postage, a parent only dies once - so you won't have to send it again and again. We thought the "collective card" only made sense if we lived with his sister or with his mother, but we do not, nor ever did.
I didn't think of it in that context. Thanks for sharing.
Sending Sympathy Cards
debmidge posted a topic in Gab/Chat RoomQuestion: Do you send a sympathy card to both cousins separately or is it OK to just send one card? Need unbiased opinion. You live in Canada and your blood aunt/uncle passes away in United States (let's say Ohio). You grew up in Michigan, but saw your 2 cousins in Ohio often - birthday parties, major holidays, etc. They got your hand-me-downs, you went to carnivals with them, etc. You stayed overnight at their house often and they returned the favor. Eventually you all grew up - sent one another birthday cards and Christmas cards, etc. After a while most of you dropped the birthday cards and only did Christmas cards and that was Ok too. Anyway, your last parent passes away, and your close relatives all send their sympathy cards to your sibling at your sibling's address - but you do not live with or near your sibling. In fact, you do not get any sympathy card from that side of the family. Their cards are addressed to your sister Sharon and her husband, Robert Jones; and Michele, your wife and John Brown (yourself) but mailed to Sharon and Robert's home. Should a sympathy card sender send one card to both of the cousins as if they all lived together or should the card sender acknowledge that these people run separate households and lives and purchase (or craft, if they are that broke) two cards: one for the greiving sister and one for the greiving brother? My vote was since there are only two offspring of the deceased parent and they do not live together nor near one another, the card senders should have bought/made 2 cards - one for each offspring. I relied on the "Be Nice" "Treat someone like you would want to be treated" theories.
Yes, Mommida you are right. Frequent low fat meals. I liked to eat thin chicken cutlets (not breaded) lightly sauted in a skillet (with a small amount of butter). I ate rice or baked potato with the chicken. The chicken didn't get too dry to be unedible. Every now and then I'll make that for dinner. I am so glad you too mentioned the back pain - the doctors looked at me like I was crazy to have back pain, even had the pain for months after the gallbladder was removed. My removal was 3 years ago and I still go on and off with diarrhea and back pain. Take care - Deb
Just to clarify something: a gallblader in of itself does not help digest fat. The bile enzyme is the substance which digests fat. The gallbladder stores bile. When the gallbladder is removed, the doctor is removing the " bile storage container." Bile is made by the liver and "stored" in the gallbladder until you eat something. When you begin to eat, the stomach thru the brain "tells" the gallbladder "it's time to release some bile." When the gallbladder is removed, the liver continues to produce bile, but just then "dumps" the bile into the small intestine randomly. That is why many people have diarrhea after the gallbladder is removed. This is why you can, with some adjustment, live without a gallbladder. Gallbladders can be cancerous and that is a "killer cancer" like pancreatic cancer is a "killer." This is why if you suspect you have gallbladder problems you do not self-diagnose or ignore it.
Question To Avon Reps
debmidge replied to debmidge's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & MedicationsWell a couple of years ago I deliberately called Avon's 800 Cust Serv # and asked CSR about an Avon body lotion which I knew had oat in it and they said it was gluten-free. I am looking for some first-hand knowledge before I purchase the new Avon body lotion formula products.
Celiacs With Gallbladders Removed?
debmidge replied to Natascha's topic in Related Disorders & Celiac ResearchLynne I had gallbladder removed 3 years ago and occasionally I still get the pain bet. the shoulder blades. For the first year after the surgery that scared me because it was the same symptoms my Dad had when he had pancreatic cancer. I do not have celiac disease - my husband does. I did have an endoscopy to rule it out. I had my gallbladder removed because it was diseased, not due to stones. Sometimes it just breaks down. Just recently I read an article that one of the side effects of birth control pills is gallbladder disease. Just food for thought for us womenfolk who have used BC pills during their younger years. Best wishes DM


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Access your e-mail, contacts, and calendar even when you're offline. And Windows Live Mail helps you manage multiple e-mail accounts—Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail Plus, and more—in one program.
- Offline access - Older messages and calendar events are accessible in Mail, even when you're offline.
- Event reminders - Your calendar in Windows Live Mail helps you keep track of all the important stuff you've got coming up.
- Sync with web calendar - You can edit events in your calendar in Mail, even when you're offline.
- Shared calendars - Your time isn't always your own—there are family and friends who might need to know your schedule.
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Prejudice and ignorance can go a really long way towards sustaining injustice, and that is why I believe that sessions like the one on sex workers rights at the Human Rights Networking Zone was completely necessary.
The presence of sex workers at the AIDS conference was eye opening for me. Being able to hear them speak out about their work in HIV prevention and their struggles in getting their human rights recognized left its mark. During the Sex Work, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS panel in the Networking zone, Melissa Gira from the US moderated Anna-Louise Crago and Dan Allman from Canada, Meena Seshu from India and Ly Pisey from Cambodia in discussing the impacts of the UNAIDS Guidance Note on Sex Work and HIV and the negative way this document portrays sex work, equating it with trafficking and slavery. This is not new, as a matter of fact, I myself have in the past thought of why any woman would want to be a sex worker, that it must be due to lack of other choices and a way out: during the conference I was able to meet dozens of women who set me straight in their perspective. For them, sex work is work, and as Ly Pisey explained, the one complaint sex workers have in general usually has to do with stigma and discrimination for what they do, not with the work itself. Meena Seshu also points that this idea that women should be "freed" from sex work hinders the processes they have set in place to be able to locate those women who are really being exploited trafficked: after all, it is the sex workers who are in contact with new "girls" in the community and who can speak to them about their rights.
Anna-Louise Crago's publication for the Open Society Institute's Sexual Health and Rights project, "Our Lives Matter" (you can download it here) brings this message home by case studies from sex worker organizations from all over the world who have come together to discuss these and other subjects: trafficking, stigma, discrimination, health, rights, HIV and STD prevention as well as campaigning for decriminalization.
Ly Pisey also points out that campaigns to liberate women from sex work attempt to send them into work at factories and sweat shops. As she sees it, she would give up her right to chose when and how to work, how much to charge and when to rest to stand in a factory for a starving wage, being told when to use the restroom, having to stand sexual harassment and not being able to talk to her coworkers: the problem is not with sex work in itself, but in the fact that it is illegal. She shows videos of the impact this criminalization has had: sex workers being sent to jail and harassed, prostitutes afraid to carry condoms out on the street for fear of being tagged as sex workers and getting imprisoned, women being sent to prison for as much as 3 months in terrible conditions: no food, no privacy, no hygiene, abuses and medication deprivation.
Speaking to women who deeply care about their work and the rights of their fellow workers was inspiring, and I believe that if policy makers could just sit with these women in the same room and talk about their needs, results in HIV prevention would skyrocket thanks to their input.
Juliana Rincón Parra lives in Colombia where she writes for Global Voices Online, she's at the AIDS conference blogging on behalf of the Open Society Institute.


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President Barack Obama begins his second term with a new national security team in the making. Although at this time only John Kerry has been confirmed, its seem likely that most, if not all of his key nominees (former Senator Chuck Hagel, John Brennan and Jack Lew) will secure Senate confirmation in the coming weeks.
Obama has clearly resolved to make Asia his priority region on the foreign-policy front. He has spent more time in East Asia than in any other foreign region. Most Asian leaders have welcomed Obama's reelection, though the political transitions in China, Japan and South Korea increase uncertainties over how long such views will prevail.
During its first term, the Obama administration managed to make progress in resolving some important issues and exploiting valuable opportunities regarding both traditional U.S. allies (such as Japan and South Korea) and emerging partners (ASEAN). In other cases, as with Russia and India, the results have been mixed. But during the next four years the administration faces major challenges in Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, and above all China—for which no easy solutions are available.Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
The Pentagon has been able to expand defense cooperation with Southeast Asia, especially Singapore (preparations are currently underway for the basing of U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ships at Changi Pier), Indonesia (new arms sales and joint training and education opportunities), and Vietnam (expanding engagement to encompass port visits, joint exercises, and defense dialogues).
Another core element of the Asia Pivot is bolstering local militaries' capacities to deal with lower-level threats. For example, the Obama administration wants to enhance the air and naval capabilities of friendly maritime states so that they can help protect international waterways from pirates and other threats to freedom of the seas, allowing the U.S. Navy to focus on higher-end threats. To further this goal, the United States is selling 24 F-16C/Ds to Indonesia and coastal ships to the Philippines. Similarly, the United States is helping countries build stronger ground forces to suppress local terrorists and insurgents. Border security programs also extend to encompass the potential movement of nuclear and other dangerous materials to global markets. All these capabilities promote the security of the international air and maritime commons, which serve as the foundation of the global economy.
The Obama administration launched a sustained and largely successful diplomatic campaign to reenergize U.S. relations with ASEAN leaders, who complained that they were being neglected under the previous administration. Obama's decision to accede to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation was received very positively by ASEAN leaders, who also benefited from regular meetings with their U.S. counterparts. They also welcomed the administration's successful outreach effort regarding Myanmar.
Economic ties between ASEAN and the United States made major progress when, in November 2012, Obama hosted talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) initiative at meetings of the East Asia Summit and ASEAN in Cambodia. They set October 2013 as the date when they would like to reach an agreement creating a comprehensive regional trade agreement.


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In An Introduction to Hanmi I wrote:
"When I first started to learn Matsubayashi-Ryu around 1975, [when executing a junzuki] we stood with our shoulders square and our tanden (below the belly button) facing the front (the direction we were punching). Our shoulders were essentially at a right angle to our punch.I was describing a junzuki in shizendachi (natural stance). The same comment would also apply to most blocks. Today, in my dojo, we do not block with our shoulders or tanden square to the front -- we are slanted in hanmi.
Today, we execute the same punch in the same stance, but with our shoulders almost at a diagonal and our tanden facing about a 45 degree angle (to the left). We call this position hanmi. Our shoulders are not square to the direction of the punch."
I was asked by a blog reader why there was a change from the square alignment to hanmi. There are several reasons.
First, when I was a beginner, it was natural that I would learn the most basic and simple form. As I advanced over the years, my method of generating power changed. As a beginner, I would say that I used 80% upper body strength and only 20% lower body strength. So I would essentially move into position and then try to "muscle" the technique.
Today, I would say that I am using 80% to 90% lower body strength. By the time I get into a desired postion, I will have already thrown the technique.
Using koshi is one of the most important aspects of Karate. However, it also not a good idea to teach beginners koshi too early or their form will suffer. It is better to teach them nice linear movements with precise stances and well defined movements.
As we advance, however, he must literally learn to tame the "whirlwind", abandon all fixed stances, and blur our movements from one to another. It is like the difference between the block printing we learn as children and the way we sign checks (in almost undecipherable squiggles) -- and yet the check it good.
Why square shoulders? Because it was good for beginners.
Why hanmi? Because it makes sense to use it when you can generate power with your lower body (in a narrow rotational angle).
If there is a problem it has to do with the progression of teaching. If a beginner moves a certain way, it is good. If an advanced student moves like a beginner, there is a problem.
A 9th dan once told me something interesting. He was talking about a 7th dan and he said "a 7th dan still has Karate to learn, you know."
A 7th dan still has Karate to learn. So does an 8th dan, I suspect.
My point, is that we learn one way as beginners, and different ways at each phase of our progress in the art. If even a 7th dan is still learning... well, it should not be surprising that our shoulder alignment might change many times during our training career.
The idea, ultimately is to be able to punch, block, and strike in any alignment, in any direction, with maximum power generated in an instant.
I should also clarify something. Around 1974, I began to learn Matsubayashi-Ryu. Since 2002, I have practiced the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu. I do not practice or teach Matsubayashi-Ryu, so I cannot comment upon the techniques or methodologies of that system. I can really only speak about the way that I teach in my own dojo.
To me, Shorin-Ryu is Shorin-Ryu and Karate is Karate (I think that there is far too much emphasis on styles). I suspect that the issue of shoulder and tanden alignment is handled in a wide variety of ways.
At this point in time, we are practicing hanmi in my dojo, among many other principles.
But who knows what tomorrow may bring?
Charles C. Goodin


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Coming 13th May
Join us this summer at a local Hungry Horse with a packed summer of glorious sporting action for you to enjoy. Across the summer months the action just keeps on coming with top-class football, cricket, golf, tennis and netball you will be spoilt for choice when watching and enjoying the experience with friends and family.
With the Season Ticket app
To add to the excitement we are launching a series of mini games for you to try where you could be in with a chance of winning a holiday, and many more prizes!
Download the app now to play & win!
Men's Cricket World Cup
Thursday 30th May to Sunday 14th July
The Cricket World Cup kicks off at the end of May with England taking on South Africa at the Oval, with England hoping to take Cricket's top prize this English summer.
UEFA Nations League
Wednesday 5th June to Sunday 9th June
Gareth Southgate will be looking to lead England to glory in the UEFA Nations League Finals. Hosts Portugal, England, Switzerland and the Netherlands will contest the finals in June. Come along on Thursday 6th June to witness England's semi final against the Netherlands.
Women's Football World Cup
Friday 7th July to Sunday 7th July
If you enjoyed the excitement of last year's Men's World Cup, make sure you come along to cheer on the Women in this year's Women's Tournament in France in July. Phil Neville will be hoping to go one further than the Men's team and take England all the way to glory in this summer's tournament. Join us in cheering on the England Lionesses!
Golf Major Championships
US Open & The Open Championship
Catch all the live golf action during the Summer with the US Open kicking off on June 10th, followed by The Open Championship on July 18th.
Monday 1st July to Sunday 14th July
The most prestigious tennis tournament is back at the start of July with all eyes on whether Andy Murray will be taking part in the competition. Join us for a cracking week of action to see who will be victorious.
Women's Netball World Cup
Friday 12th July to Sunday 21st July
This year's Women's Netball World Cup is set to be an incredible event at the pinnacle of world netball. There's one sport where super fans and those who've never experienced a game join to empower each other. Join us at {{venue.name}} to watch top athletes compete to be crowned the best team in the world.
Your guide to the summer of sport
Mens Football - FA Cup Final - 18th May
Cricket - World Cup - 30th May to 15th July
Mens Football - Champions League Final - 1st June
Mens Boxing - Anthony Joshua v Andy Ruiz Jr - 1st June
Mens Football - Nations League - 6th June to 9th June
Womens Football - World Cup - 7th June to 7th July
Mens Boxing - Tyson Fury v Tom Schwarz - 15th June
Womens Football - World Cup - 7th June to 7th July
Cycling - Tour De France - 6th July to 28th July
Tennis - Wimbledon - 1st July to 14th July
Netball - World Cup - 12th to 21st July
Golf - The Open - 18th to 21st July
Formula 1 - British Grand Prix - 12th to 14th July
Cricket - Ashes Test Series - 1st August to 16th September


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"Why is Dassault Systèmes involved in the America's Cup?"
I get this question a lot. So, I thought this week, as the America's Cup is in full swing, would be a good time to answer it clearly. It isn't about CAD, design, simulation, composites, etc. It is about experience. Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts and the entire Oracle Team USA America's Cup racing syndicate have changed the experience of the America's Cup yacht racing sport completely. And not just for the sailors, but for the viewers, too.
The basic story isn't terribly new. Anybody watching the America's Cup, reading a newspaper or watching TV has likely heard the story of how Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle and yacht racing enthusiast won the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in sport, and brought it to San Francisco. Each winner, and subsequently, defender of the Cup is allowed to change the rules of the race. And change them Ellison did: faster boats, bigger boats, no more sails (!), more athleticism, shorter (and more broadcastable) races, a venue where the races can be watched, in person, for free.
The reimagined 34th America's Cup is going on now, with his Oracle Team USA competing in their 72ft, 50+mph catamaran, against Emirates Team New Zealand in the amphitheater-like San Francisco Bay race course. Emirates is putting up an amazing set of times against Oracle Team USA, beating them in four of five races, as of Tuesday, September 10.
But no matter who wins, Oracle Team USA has shown what can be done by adopting an experience strategy. They went into the 34th America's Cup with experience on their minds. They don't just want to have a race. They want to make yacht racing a nationally known sport. They looked at their audience in the United States, looked at our sports, looked at yacht racing, and modified everything about it to create a new experience.
A few months ago I had the privilege of taking ten international journalists to Oracle Team USA's Pier 80 headquarters in San Francisco and speaking with Russell Coutts, the team's CEO, Christoph Erbelding, the team's design engineer, as well as Murray Jones, the team's tactician. The team's use of Dassault Systèmes applications to design and manufacture their AC72 racing catamaran was on full display. We heard about design, simulation, finite element analysis, CAD, composites and a host of other details. We saw the two AC72s in the HQ being worked on. We learned details of the wing control system design.
Skipper Jimmy Spithill articulated perfectly the benefits of interactive collaboration between sailing crew and the design and engineering team:
Vision is very important on this sort of a boat. 3DEXPERIENCE gave us vision into the realities of sailing a boat that didn't even exist yet. The best way for the crew to evaluate what will – and what won't – work is to use 3DEXPERIENCE. We can spin it around. We can see where everything needs to fit. You just couldn't get that kind of vision without these tools.
But mostly what the attending yachting journalists wanted to hear about was the race, how it would work and what the sailor's experience was. The reporters, all sailing enthusiasts themselves, wanted to know what viewers would see and experience.
The story, at its core, is about the America's Cup experience. And this is why Oracle Team USA and Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, are partners.


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The Stories Behind 10 Great Album Covers by Famous Artists
What makes great album cover art, or rather, who? These memorable record cover artworks were born from close collaboration, or plucked by the musician's discerning eye from a visual artist's body of work, or created through some combination of the two. We've rounded up ten covers — some of the most iconic and a few somewhat obscure — made by famous artists and photographers, along with some quick liner notes about how they came to be. What do flowers have to do with Power, Corruption & Lies? Peel slowly and see… what? We answer all those questions and more below.
The Velvet Underground — The Velvet Underground and Nico
Arguably one of the greatest albums ever recorded, the Velvet Underground's 1967 debut — The Velvet Underground and Nico — was visually primed by their manager and image wrangler, Andy Warhol. Early copies of the record could be peeled "slowly" to reveal a suggestively pink flesh-toned banana. To manufacture the saucy covers entailed special machinery, extra costs, and the delay of the album release, but MGM figured ties to the Superstar Daddy would boost sales. That's right — a crafty business scheme, an iconic piece of music history, a historic collaboration — all begat with a fruity dick joke.


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Blur's developers do have plans for DLC but they don't intend to put any out at launch. In fact, no dates have been set, and they've made clear they're not going to tackle DLC until the main game's finished.
Bizarre Creations is still putting the final coat of polish on the arcade racer, which entered a closed beta last week and releases May 25. Lead designer Ged Talbot told MTV that he can't supply any dates for DLC, "but what I can say is it's always been a massive part of the strategy to support the game with DLC."
The game will launch with 30 tracks and 50 licensed cars, and you can expect power-ups and vehicle mods in there too. While it'll take some time for players to exhaust everything they get on the standard game, one wonders where and how much else Bizarre will be adding, especially if DLC is a "massive" part of the development strategy.
Blur DLC Coming, But Not At Launch [MTV Multiplayer]


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Personalized Photo Mugs
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Engineering is a very diverse field with many specialties to choose from. Listed below are some career specialties for future engineers.
Aerospace engineers design and develop machines such as missiles, aircraft, and spacecraft. They may specialize in design, navigation, control, or production.
Agricultural engineers develop methods of water and soil conservation and product processing through the design of equipment, structures, and machinery.
Biomedical engineers perform research to help develop devices and other products such as prosthetics and artificial organs, as well as items that improve health management, care delivery, and other medical processes.
Chemical engineers design equipment and processing methods to aid the manufacturing of chemicals and related industries.
Civil engineers are responsible for the design of roads, bridges, tunnels, water supply systems, and sewage systems. They also supervise the construction of such structures.
Computer Hardware
Computer hardware engineers design and develop computer hardware items such as systems, circuit boards, chips, printers, modems, and keyboards.
Computer Software
Computer software engineers design software applications that essentially keep computers operating.
Electrical, or electronic, engineers design electrical and electronic equipment, such as motors, machine controls, wiring, lighting, autos, transmission devices, and communications systems.
Engineering Technology
Engineering technicians are more practically-oriented than engineers, and assist engineers and scientists with research, design, development, and production, perform quality control checks, and work at solving problems that may occur in various stages of development.
Environmental engineers design systems and develop methods of combating environmental problems involving water and air pollution, waste, public health, and recycling.
Industrial engineers concern themselves with finding the most efficient use of production elements, including optimal machine performance, minimal waste of materials, lowest energy output, and maximum employee productivity.
Materials engineers study and work with a variety of materials used in the creation of products, and they also create new materials that conform to chemical, electrical, and mechanical requirements to be used in various products.
Mechanical engineers design mechanical devices such as engines, generators, refrigerators, and elevators, as well as tools that can be used to develop mechanical devices
Mining/geological engineers seek out, remove, and prepare minerals, metals, and coal for manufacturing and utility usage.
Nuclear engineers develop tools and processes to harness nuclear radiation and energy for its use in power plants, fuel cycles, and fusion energy.
Petroleum engineers study the properties of gas and oil reserves and then determine how best to extract it, as well as design equipment and methods for its successful retrieval.


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Technical Authoring
Easily understand complex products!
The increasing complexity of your products leads to ever more extensive technical documents. A modular documentation concept and its consistent implementation are critical after-sales success drivers. Our staff possesses technical expertise combined with editorial savvy and IT competence. We have experience in handling multiple editing systems. That enables us to flexibly address your individual needs. An extensive track-record with large projects and expansive industry know-how characterizes our staff.


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Fushia Sash
Material: Satin
Approximate Measurements: 6″ x 106″. (Approx.)
High quality shimmering satin.
Edges are hand sewn to form an elegant look when tied into bow form.
Fabric Care: Hand wash only. Hang dry, don't use dryer.
Uses: Chair cover for Weddings, Parties & Celebrations or any special event.
Sashes are shipped untied.
Available in many colors.


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August 19, 2005
Dr. Francis V. Barnes
Secretary of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Dear Secretary Barnes:
I am writing in response to Pennsylvania's request to amend its State accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The changes you requested are aligned with NCLB and are now included in an amended State accountability plan that Pennsylvania submitted to the Department on June 30, 2005. The changes are listed in an attachment to this letter.
As you know, Pennsylvania indicated in its accountability plan the intent to use a confidence interval for 'safe harbor' considerations. In former Assistant Secretary Raymond Simon's letter of June 3, 2004, he approved Pennsylvania's use of this statistical method but required the State to provide the Department information on the impact and implications of this approach as a condition of receiving final approval of Pennsylvania's accountability plan. This condition is also reflected on Pennsylvania's fiscal year 2004 Title I, Part A grant award. We have received sufficient information from States to conclude that the use of a 75% confidence interval for 'safe harbor' considerations is a viable means of determining AYP. As a result, we are removing this condition from Pennsylvania's 2004 grant award. I am pleased to fully approve Pennsylvania's amended plan, which we will post on the Department's website.
If, over time, Pennsylvania makes changes to the accountability plan that has been approved, Pennsylvania must submit information about those changes to the Department for review and approval, as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I. Approval of Pennsylvania's accountability plan is not also an approval of Pennsylvania's standards and assessment system. As Pennsylvania makes changes in its standards and assessments to meet requirements under NCLB, Pennsylvania must submit information about those changes to the Department for peer review through the standards and assessment process.
Please also be aware that approval of Pennsylvania's accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved above, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
I am confident that Pennsylvania will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. I wish you well in your school improvement efforts. If I can be of any additional assistance to Pennsylvania in its efforts to implement other aspects of NCLB, please do not hesitate to call.
Henry L. Johnson
cc: Governor Edward G. Rendell
Amendments to the Pennsylvania Accountability Plan
This attachment is a summary of the amendments. For complete details, please refer to the Pennsylvania accountability plan on the Department's website: www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html.
Criteria for Entering District Improvement Status (Elements 3.2 and 5.2)
Revision: Pennsylvania proposes to base identification of districts in need of improvement on missing AYP for two consecutive years in the additional indicators or same subject area, across all grade spans: Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), and High School (9-12). In implementing this provision, Pennsylvania should 1) monitor districts that have not made AYP in one grade span but have not been identified for improvement to ensure they are making the necessary curricular and instructional changes to improve achievement, and 2) take steps to ensure supplemental services are available to eligible students from a variety of providers throughout the state (including in districts that have not been identified for improvement but that have schools that have been in improvement for more than one year).
Incorporate Pennsylvania Performance Index (PPI) in Evaluating School and District Status (Element 3.2)
Revision: In addition to status and 'safe harbor,' Pennsylvania requests to use the PPI growth index to determine whether a school or district makes AYP. If a school or district does not meet AYP through status or 'safe harbor,' it will be determined to make AYP if it meets its PPI target.
Inclusion of students with disabilities (Element 5.3)
Revision: Pennsylvania will use the "proxy method" (Option 1 in our guidance dated May 7, 2005) to take advantage of the Secretary's flexibility regarding modified academic achievement standards. Pennsylvania will calculate a proxy to determine the percentage of special education students that is equivalent to 2.0 percent of all students assessed. For this year only, this proxy will then be added to the percent of students with disabilities who are proficient. This adjusted percent proficient is what a State may use to reexamine if the school made AYP for the 2004-05 school year.


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10 Biggest News Stories of 2012
Country superstars like Carrie Underwood, George Strait and Keith Urban had some of the top news stories of 2012, but not for reasons one may have predicted at the beginning of the year. Of these 10, only two are related to things that happen onstage or in a recording studio. The rest are moments we'll always remember... and that some artists wish they could forget.
These Top 10 stories were determined by number of Taste of Country reader views and comments on articles, also weighing in follow-up news. Click through this list and then determine if 2012 was a good or a bad year in country music. If nothing else, it sure was interesting.


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I'm so jealous of this shot; from what I saw during my trip it's something I would still capture today. Â Even though it was shot in 1961, there's a continuity of time in places like Istanbul and Morocco that blurs the line between yesterday and today.
I love visiting new places and discovering new photographers.  Ara GĂĽler is considered Turkey's most famous; a Magnum photo-journalist since 1959, he has captured the nuances of Istanbul for over 6 decades.  These two images really stood out from his book, I'm listening to Istanbul, which I bought last week while traveling.  I had a hard time finding this on B&N or Amazon, so i'm not sure how easy it will be to get, but if you're able to it's definitely worth it.


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More GPS brownouts ahead
Global positioning system (GPS) brownouts – periods when the number visible navigation satellites falls below critical thresholds – are a fact of life in the machine guidance world.
But brownouts could become more frequent in the decade ahead because of delays in developing replacements for the 30 or so aging GPS satellites currently in orbit, according to a United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in April 2009.
Currently, brownouts occur for an hour or two at a time many times a year, depending on your location. Most pass by unnoticed by farmers, since they occur outside the peak GPS usage window, notes Matt Darr, a precision ag specialist at Iowa State University.
At-risk satellites
By some estimates, almost half of current GPS satellites are at or approaching the point where the failure of a single critical system could take a satellite out of commission. Because it's virtually impossible to predict when this might occur, GAO calculated probabilities that the number of operational GPS satellites will fall below 24. That's the number of GPS satellites required to meet current performance standards.
Based on Department of Defense replacement launch projections, there's at least a 10 percent chance this will occur from now through 2015, according to GAO. And if launches of the latest-generation GPS III satellites are delayed, as the GAO report projects, the chances of the GPS satellite constellation dropping below 24 increases to 90% from 2017 through 2019 – and remains relatively high well into the next decade.
In response to the GAO report, the U.S. Air Force, which operates the GPS system, said that the system is in no danger of failing. But in press reports, Air Force officials appeared to agree with GAO that there is some risk that performance from the aging GPS satellite fleet could deteriorate.
Congressional testimony in May 2009 by Brad Parkinson, a Stanford University scientist who spearheaded development of the GPS system while in the Air Force, appeared to corroborate GAO concerns. He suggested several ways of mitigating potential GPS satellite failures, including turning off military and intelligence-related technology on failed satellites. This could reduce power needs and breathe new life into failed satellites, he said.
Ag impact
If the number of GPS satellites drops below the 24-satellite threshold, guidance from both lightbars and autosteering systems would be affected. This is particularly the case when farming in areas that have trees along field boundaries or other obstructions that limit satellite visibility, says Darr.
"If you are operating in rough terrain conditions where you normally only have six visible satellites and one of those browns out, then you are at a high risk of losing your position fix," he says. "You have to have a minimum of four satellites to generate a GPS position for use with any precision ag product."
Reduced satellite numbers could reduce accuracy even when the minimum number of satellites is available, he notes. "As you have more satellites, your accuracy increases," he says.
Real Time Kinematic (RTK) systems are also at risk because the rover only corrects for the satellites that are visible by both the rover and the base station. A reduced satellite count increases the potential for the number of common satellites to drop below the critical level.
This problem is minimized with the latest dual-frequency navigation systems, which can access the Russian Glonass satellite system in addition to GPS, he says. The additional Glonass satellites would make up for reduced number of GPS satellites, assuming the RTK base station also can access the Glonass constellation.


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Chamonix offers a multitude of slopes for all levels, each ski area having its own merit.
All information on the depth of snow on the ground
Jan. - Dec.
The land of great skiing!
Dec. - May.
In the sunshine facing Mont Blanc, pure joy!
Dec. - Apr.
The mellow alpine pastures where everyone can enjoy themselves
Dec. - Apr.
The charm of a skiing area for all levels and all kinds of people, with a wide range of different slopes.
Located right in the middle of Chamonix, ideal for beginners, but not only for them...
Dec. - Apr.
A skiing area located at the village of Le Tour, ideal for children and beginners
Dec. - Apr.
Ideal for beginners and for going to the Le Brévent skiing area from the town centre!
Dec. - Apr.
As skiing area for beginners in the middle of Les Houches, with night skiing on Thursdays!
Dec. - Apr.
A small family skiing area in Vallorcine
Dec. - Apr.
Ideal for children and beginners


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Jerry Bergonzi Group
Tenor saxophonist, Jerry Bergonzi, is an internationally recognized jazz performer, composer, author and educator. His music is renowned for its innovation, mastery, and integrity. Relentless drive, inner fire, total command, awesome technique, elastic lyricism, rich resonance, world-class, a musical visionary, are among the rave reviews credited to his sound. Bergonzi's music has been applauded throughout the world at festivals, concert halls, and jazz venues and his dedication to jazz music has been well documented by an extensive discography.