text:
Company History
Aurora's humble roots can be traced back to a small, 29-employee operation that Colonel John J. Backman founded in 1890. At that time, Aurora employees handcrafted wooden coffins in a factory building that is still located on Conwell Street in downtown Aurora, Indiana. Though the facility is no longer in use, the words "Aurora Coffin Co." are still visible.
In the late 1800s, many industries in southeastern Indiana contributed to the growth of the coffin and casket manufacturing business. Furniture makers were plenty. Cincinnati was home to many machine and tool companies. Ample natural resources and transportation routes, especially the railroad, provided the means for the casket industry to flourish. As the metal and automotive industries grew and migrated north to Michigan, workers who stayed behind returned to making furniture and caskets for the local community.
In the 1920s, Colonel Backman invited his son, Bill Backman, and his son-in-law, Bill Barrott, to join the business. Aurora Casket Company was fortunate enough to experience the leadership of five generations of Backmans and Barrotts.
Over the years, Aurora has continued to grow and evolve to meet the needs of funeral homes and families. Aurora introduced metal casket production in 1934, and as the business continued to grow, built a new manufacturing facility and office building on US 50, just west of downtown Aurora. This new plant, completed in 1971, is the primary manufacturing facility.
In 1997, Aurora acquired the urn company Meierjohan-Wengler, based out of Cincinnati. In addition to caskets, Aurora also offers a complete line of cremation urns and keepsakes. Aurora also acquired Clarksburg Casket Company in 2000. Clarksburg hardwood caskets are manufactured in Piney Flats, Tennessee. In 2011, Rob-Win Press became part of the Aurora family. Funeral stationery, including register books, acknowledgement cards and service folders added to the variety of products and services available to funeral homes.
Today, Aurora employs about 1000 people. A team of 75 sales representatives and 68 service center logistics teams represent the Aurora brand nationwide. In keeping with tradition, many Aurora employees are part of a family team--husbands, wives, sons, daughters and siblings work side by side in nearly every department. Caskets, cremation caskets, urns, keepsakes, cremation jewelry, stationery goods, bronze cemetery markers, business management software, websites and professional development training are just a few things Aurora has to offer.
In the summer of 2012, New York-based private equity firm Kohlberg & Company acquired Aurora Casket. The company plans to continue the long family tradition of service and quality under the leadership of new company president Michael Quinn.


text:
Don't tell anyone, but Massachusetts is kind of a big nerd. We simply love science and nature. You could say it's in our nature, with scenic roads like the lovely Mohawk Trail, 1500 miles of postcard pretty coastline, and some of America's most brilliant fall foliage. We could spend hours at the Museum of Science, the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and wish we could live at the Franklin Park Zoo or maybe the Butterfly Place, surrounded by colorful creatures. And don't even get us started on the New England Aquarium, fully renovated in 2013.
Boston Public Garden
Franklin Park Zoo, Boston
Outdoor Adventure: It's all here
Looking for fun things to do and see in Massachusetts?
Get some outdoor adventure ideas
Polish Center of Discovery and Learning
We are a"living monument" safegaurding historical objects representative of the material culture of the Polish people. We celebrate the... more+ 5 saves
Polish Center of Discovery and Learning
33 South St.
413-592-0001+ 5 saves
Outdoor Adventure: It's all here
Looking for fun things to do and see in Massachusetts?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Oil-Based Translucent Stains
by Duncan
A revolution in antiquing, oil-based translucent are wiped back with water. Their composition allows them to blend very easily and smoothly. Translucent stains have a longer drying time for more workability. They antique beautifully over metallic colors and can be applied directly to bisque for a wood-like effect.
?Ask a question about this product | See all questions & answers (4)
Average User Rating: Based on (9 Reviews)
Basement Ceramics from Upstate New York says:
Just what I wanted :) Great price! Fast fast shipping. Perfect!!!
Share this Product
Enter Quantity & Click 'Add to Cart'
Please wait...
You May Also Like...
How to get VIP Club Prices
Anyone can be a VIP Member with:
Only $25/year
Learn More »
Product Questions and Answers
Some of my stains have become a bit dry. How can I thin them out?- Asked by Kris G on 25-May-14
If the stains are the older NS version, use mineral spirits. If they are the newer TS version, use distilled water.- Answered by MisterArt on 28-May-14
Do you have any other tips?- Asked by Terri Emerson on 07-Feb-14
Duncan's Tips & Techniques: 1) To remove more color, moisten cloth or tissue with water and wipe again; 2) To enhance color retention, lightly seal between layers of color; 3) For rouging, blush color on piece with a dry brush; 4) Reserve brushes for use only with Translucent Stains.- Answered by MisterArt on 13-Feb-14
Do you have instructions on how to use these?- Asked by Carol D on 16-Dec-13
To create an antiquing effect, apply a thin coat of translucent stains and wipe away with a soft cloth. To remove more of the color, dampen the cloth with water. The stains will sit in any recessed areas as a darker tone while the wiped away areas will retain a lighter value of color. Clean up easily with water. Seal with a ceramic spray or brush-on sealer such as Duncan's Spray Sealer or these sealers that do not require firing in a kiln.- Answered by MisterArt on 17-Dec-13
Can you tell me what underglazes are used for?- Asked by Pam Angell on 27-Sep-13
Here is a tutorial you might read to answer some of your questions: http://www.creativeglazes.com/ceramics101/howto.htm- Answered by MisterArt on 30-Sep-13
Ask a Question About Oil-Based Translucent Stains
Tips For Your Question
Your email will not be shared. We will only use your email address to respond to your question. When asking your question, please be as descriptive as possible, it will allow us to give you the most accurate answer possible.


text:
CHICAGO—A judge ruled Thursday that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to halt legislators' pay over the state's unprecedented pension crisis is unconstitutional and ordered the state to immediately reinstate their salaries, but confusion lingered about whether lawmakers would actually get paid.
Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, whose office is responsible for issuing paychecks to lawmakers, said after the ruling that she instructed her staff to begin doing so immediately and that lawmakers with direct deposit would get paid by Friday. But Quinn said he planned to appeal to a higher court, filed a stay Thursday afternoon and his attorneys were due in court Friday morning on the issue.
"The reason I suspended legislative paychecks in the first place—and refused to accept my own—is because Illinois taxpayers can't afford an endless cycle of promises, excuses, delays and inertia on the most critical challenge of our time," Quinn said in a statement. "Nobody in Springfield should get paid until the pension reform job gets done."
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen issued his eight-page decision in a lawsuit brought by Chicago Democrats, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton. Cohen said Quinn did not have the power to withhold pay while lawmakers were serving their current terms and ordered Topinka to restore salaries with interest.
Lawmakers have missed two monthly paychecks and were set to miss a third next week.
"(The) Illinois Constitution grants the governor authority to reduce items of appropriation," Cohen wrote. "The governor cannot, however, exercise his authority in a manner which violates another constitutional provision."
However, Quinn said the issue was about more than his constitutional authority and has declined to pick up his own paycheck from Topinka's office.
Topinka, a Republican, called Quinn's veto a bad precedent and said the whole situation was "game playing."
"That's, again, not the way you want to run a state," she said. "That's government by blackmail."
Illinois' public pension systems are the worst-funded of any state in the nation, largely because legislators for years did not make their full annual payments. This year, that payment is about $6 billion—almost one-fifth of the state's general fund budget and an amount that has led to substantial cuts in areas such as education and public safety.
Yet lawmakers have been unable to come up with a fix.
After they adjourned the most recent legislative session without reaching an agreement, Quinn called on them get the job done and threatened unnamed "consequences" if they didn't do so. In June, legislators voted to form a bipartisan conference committee to try to hammer out a deal. When the group didn't act quickly enough, Quinn announced he was cutting $13.8 million for their pay.
In July, Quinn used his line-item veto to cut money for legislators' salaries from the state budget because they hadn't fixed Illinois' nearly $100 billion pension crisis, the worst in the nation.
But Madigan and Cullerton contended Quinn's actions were unconstitutional and violated the state's separations of powers.
Cullerton said Thursday that the judge's decision "vindicated" the constitution.
"Now that the governor's actions have been answered by a court, I trust that we can put aside all distractions and focus on the goal of pension reform," Cullerton said. "Pension reform remains our top priority. Even while this case was pending, the legislature never stopped working on this issue."
Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown declined to comment until the issue, including the stay, was resolved.
Last week, Cohen heard arguments in court where Madigan and Cullerton's attorney, Richard Prendergast, called Quinn's veto "an unprecedented attempt" to fulfill his goals through coercion.
Quinn said he had the authority to veto the salaries and that the lawsuit was premature. Quinn has said that if legislators want to be paid, they could return to Springfield and vote to override the veto—a move Quinn has acknowledged could be unpopular with voters.
Lawmakers make an annual base salary of about $67,000, plus bonuses for serving in leadership.
Meanwhile, the bipartisan conference committee has continued to meet. It's considering a framework that would end automatic cost-of-living increases for workers and retirees. Any proposal must be approved by both chambers of the Legislature, where consensus has been difficult. Public employee unions already have said they oppose the framework.
Follow Sophia Tareen at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen and Sara Burnett at http://twitter.com/sara—burnett.


text:
iPhone Applications for the Science Classroom
I know what you are thinking. How can an iPhone be of any educational value in the science classroom? You are right. As of this moment it's not quite ready to improve your students' learning, but there are some tantalizing possibilities in the near future. What features does an iPhone have that can be used in the classroom?
1. An accelerometer. You have seen commercials showing the iPhone's screen changing when the unit's position is changed. How does it do that? It has a built in accelerometer that detects change in position in the x, y and z axis, as well as a change in speed. Speed and direction together is velocity, and a change in velocity is acceleration. What are some apps that take advantage of the accelerometer?
Roller Coaster Physics (Silver Mana Software) This app measures vertical g-forces. Press the start button and it will plot the vertical g-forces on the y axis and time on the x axis. This is ideally meant for a person to keep the iPhone in a pocket while riding a roller coaster. The best feature is emailing the data to yourself. The data is in comma separated value form and can easily be imported into Excel for analysis.
G-Meter Lite (Silverview Consulting Inc.) This app measures "steering" (left/right) g forces and accelerating/braking g forces. It plots the data points on a four quadrant graph. Unfortunately this app doesn't save the data for use later analysis. It is merely a visual representation of real time forces, and thus it really isn't useful for data analysis. G FORCE and G-Force are also apps that do this very same thing.
2. A microphone. The iPhone obviously has a microphone or else it couldn't be used as a phone. What app can possibley be used in a science class that takes advantage of the microphone?
ioscilloscope (Gabe Jacobs Productions) This app shows the amplitude and wavelength of sound waves. Have a student bring in an instrument (or use prerecorded tones), like a trumpet or a sax and have the student play a single note at different volume levels to show the differences in amplitude. Then have the student play a series of higher pitched notes to show the different wavelengths (or frequencies).
3. A clock Don't all cell phones have a clock? Yes, so the iPhone isn't so special on this feature. Each year our science department buys 15+ stopwatches at about $6 each minimum. These are cheap stopwatches and their quality is also cheap. They don't last more than 10-20 uses because either the battery goes dead or the buttons break. Since they don't last more than a year they are considered consumables. This year I decided to end this cycle of spending. Most students now have cell phones and most of these cell phones have a stopwatch (timer) feature that measures to the nearest 0.01 seconds. Now when we need to measure time for learning activities I ask volunteers to use their own cell phones and the science department doesn't have to spend any more money.
Summary It's a little too soon to utilize a few of these iPhone apps to enhance learning in the science classroom. What is encouraging though is in probably 5 years most cell phones will be like the iPhone–a minicomputer that can collect all types of data. Today many physics and chemistry classes use expensive specialized probeware (like from Vernier and Pasco) to collect and upload data to computers. Students might bring their own data collection devices via their cell phones.


text:
SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- USA hockey General Manager David Poile will not be attending the Winter Olympics after being struck by a hockey puck during a Nashville Predators morning skate on Thursday.
Poile has had two surgeries to repair his fractured eye socket but Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA said, "It's just not advisable for him to come to Sochi with everything he still has to deal with."
Assistant GM Ray Shero said that while he will handle all duties in Sochi, Poile will be involved in decision making from home while he recovers. "From David's situation," Shero said, "difficult news for me having worked for David for eight years in Nashville and knowing as I told the team today how much passion, time and effort he has putting this team together."


text:
Sylvester Stallone is mourning the loss of his beloved pup Phoebe was found dead of an apparent coyote attack earlier this month. The Expendables 2 actor and his family were on a community-wide hunt for the dog after she went missing a few weeks back, TMZ reports, but the search ended in tragedy when someone discovered Phoebe's lifeless body on Stallone's property.
According to the site, the 66-year-old action star had posted missing flyers all throughout his Bel Air neighborhood as soon as Phoebe went missing, even offering a $10,000 reward for her safe return.
A rep for Stallone tells TMZ that the dog's death has been extremely hard on the family. Stallone has previously spoken out about his love for pets in the past. In February, the action star told ShortList magazine that he went through a similarly heartbreaking situation when he was just starting out in the industry.
"I sold my bullmastiff Butkus to a little person," he told the magazine. "I tied my dog up at the store with a sign that said a hundred bucks. I got $50 from this guy called Little Jimmy."
"When I sold the Rocky script, I went to see Little Jimmy and begged for the dog back," he continued. "He wanted to fight me and said he was gonna kill me — he was a crazy little person. I couldn't fight him — they'd arrest me — so I offered to pay double. … Anyway, $3,000 and several threats later … I ended up putting [Little Jimmy] in the movie [Rocky]."
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!


text:
Query Performance and Partition Scans in SSAS
Sunday, July 17, 2011
This blog is SUPER SUPER excited, because for the first time, after four years, we have a guest! I met Mr. Kobi Deutsch in the SQL Explore Convention held about two weeks ago. During a session we both took there, he mentioned something I wasn't aware and I thought maybe I'd bring it to you as well. So, I'm leaving the stage for Mr. Deutsch: Sometimes, when we check the MDX requests in the Profiler, we see that there is a partition that was scanned and loaded into memory although it is not suppose to be touched at all.How...
2 comments


text:
Intrinsic or intrarenal
acute kidney injury (AKI), which used to be called acute renal failure, occurs when direct damage to
the kidneys causes a sudden loss in kidney function. The treatment of intrinsic
acute kidney injury includes identifying and correcting the cause of the kidney injury. The most common causes of intrinsic acute kidney injury are acute
tubular necrosis (ATN), acute glomerulonephritis (AGN), and
acute interstitial nephritis (AIN).
Acute tubular necrosis
(ATN) is a condition in which the small filtering tubes in the kidney are
injured. ATN is a common cause of intrinsic acute kidney injury often seen in
people who are already hospitalized. ATN may occur because of:
Glomerulonephritis is
a condition in which the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys become inflamed and
damaged. Damaged glomeruli do not filter blood properly.
glomerulonephritis may be caused by an abnormal
immune system response. Some specific conditions that
cause acute glomerulonephritis include:
Symptoms of glomerulonephritis include blood and protein in
the urine, high blood pressure, and swelling caused by fluid retention
interstitial nephritis (AIN) is inflammation of the kidneys. It is usually
caused by a
medicine, such as an
antibiotic or a
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like naproxen or
ibuprofen. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
AIN may also be caused by a streptococcal, viral, or
Legionella infection.
Symptoms of AIN
include a skin rash, fever, and an abnormal sediment in the urine.
ByHealthwise StaffPrimary Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal MedicineAdam Husney, MD - Family MedicineKathleen Romito, MD - Family MedicineSpecialist Medical ReviewerTushar J. Vachharajani, MD, FASN, FACP - Nephrology
Current as ofMay 3, 2017
Next Section:
Previous Section:
Current as of:
May 3, 2017
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Tushar J. Vachharajani, MD, FASN, FACP - Nephrology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
© 1995-2017 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
Last modified on: 8 September 2017


text:
On the last day of his career as a physician, physician executive, and organization leader, Dale Benson '63 met with the physicians and dentists of the AltaMed health care staff and shared an expanded version of these "farewell reflections." He had traveled a long leadership road from his days at GC as student association president. Benson's parting words reflect the practical wisdom of an experienced, effective leader.
1. Be proud of what you are doing. You are doing a good thing. You are impacting lives. For many you are a locus of hope and support in a chaotic world. You touch the body, mind and soul. But be proud in a positive sense, not in a negative egotistical sense. You are devoting your career and your life to the well-being of others. You are making a difference. Be proud of that.
2. Be humble that you have this privilege. Be proud in a humble way. God has given you your talent, your intelligence, your motivation, your ability to interact with people. Be humble in your interaction with patients and staff. Never forget that you might have been that patient and that patient might have been you—your provider. What you do is a privilege. Be humble.
3. Your career is an important part of who you are. There are many components making up who you really are. The genuine you. Your life. Your family. Your values. Your goals. Your education. Your experience.
Looking back over 37 years, I am here to tell you that your career is an important part of who you are. Respect it. Make the most of it. Do not trivialize your career. Spend time learning. Get better at what you do every year. Pass on what you know to others.
When it is your turn to make this farewell address, be able to say that your career was a lot of work, you invested a lot of time, there was stress, there was frustration; yet, there was joy, and there was fulfillment. It was worth it.
4. There is more to life than your career. You know this. You must never forget the balance. You have all heard the reflection that no one ever says on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office."
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths that you take, but rather by its breathtaking moments." Fill your life with breathtaking moments. As great as AltaMed is, there are not a whole lot of breathtaking moments around here. The breathtaking moments have to do with family, with sharing love, with volunteer projects, with seeing the world. Don't sacrifice the opportunities for breathtaking moments on behalf of your career.
5. There are a lot of irritations; focus on what is important. Wisdom is the art of knowing what to overlook. Every day the irritations come along. Guaranteed. There is always something not working right. You can burn up your adrenaline and your arteries on these everyday irritations. Or you can teach yourself to take a deep breath, smile, enjoy the irony of the frustration, and move on.
Save your energy for what is really important. When you get frustrated, ask yourself how important this really is in the scheme of things. Think about what is happening, decide what is really important, and then get irritated about that.
6. Affirm your colleagues and coworkers. Thank everybody. Everybody likes affirmation. Everybody needs affirmation. An affirmation from you is profoundly meaningful. It will make someone's day. Possibly even their week or month or year.
Think about it. You could not do what you are doing every day without the help of many people busting their whatevers so that you can do what you do. Take a minute and thank them. Be genuine. But don't go home at night without first going to find someone who has helped you and thank her or him.
7. You are very fortunate. Pass it on. You know how fortunate you are. You are adequately compensated. You are healthy. You have family. Many of you have kids. Accept and understand and appreciate your good fortune. And then, pass it on.
Today, keep your eyes open for a chance to surprise someone with an act of kindness or generosity. If they thank you, tell them to pass it on. Winston Churchill is credited with saying, "You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give."
8. Take care of each other. I have discovered that if you sit and talk to a person long enough, you will find out that person is hurting too. Everyone is hurting in some way. We need to be quicker to put our arms around each other and say to that person: "I know that what you do is very hard." "I know that your life is not easy." "I know that the stress in your job drains your energy." "I know that you are hurting in some way." "I am here to help our patients, but I am here to support you also."
9. Take care. As a way of saying, "Take care", I want to share with you three personal reflections.
• I attended a seminar once with Mike Vance, the Director of Creativity for Walt Disney. He said this: "Life is too long not to do it right." We often hear life is too short. But his reflection was a profound insight. We need to reflect on this in terms of the decisions that we make and the values that we establish.
• Wilfred A. Peterson has been attributed as saying "Happiness doesn't always come from doing what we like to do, but rather from liking what we have to do." As human beings, we can choose how we respond to the things that happen to us in life. This is one of the Steven Covey Seven Habits principles: between stimulus and response we have the ability to choose. When stressful things or bad things happen, we can choose to respond negatively with despair and complaining and low morale. Or we can choose to respond positively by being upbeat and hopeful. And so, "Happiness can come from choosing to like what we have to do."
• George Will is a well-known columnist and commentator. He said, "The point of life is not to be great, but rather to be all you can be." My wish for each one of you is that you become all that you can be. Some of you will become great, but that is not the point. The point of life is that you reach your fullest potential; that you become genuine, that you become real, and that you become all that you can be.
10. Have a great life. A few years ago I was in Washington DC for a meeting of the National Association of Community Health Centers. I needed to go to another part of the city, so I hailed a cab. The driver was one of the warmest, most open, interested and affirming human beings I have ever met. During that taxi ride I learned all about her family. I learned about her philosophy of life and why she loved driving that taxi so much on the streets of Washington, DC. And she learned all about my family and my philosophy of life. It was a marvelously affirming time. When we reached my destination, the taxi stopped, I paid her and I got out. The last thing that she did was to wave to me and say, "Have a great life!"
Now most of us when we are in a good mood might say to someone, "Have a great day." She said, "Have a great life." I felt "Wow! That is beautiful!"
And so, what I want to say to you, who do so much to help others, is simply this. "Have a great life." I wish you well.


text:
Parents of the Year
John and Laurie Sittley of Chesterfield, South Carolina
So says The Bone. Why? Because they had the guts to turn their kid in for buying bomb making material and planning to blow up his school and everyone in it…including himself…no great loss there. The kid's name? Doesn't matter. He wanted to be famous for it. The Bone isn't gonna help him.
John and Laurie Sittley however deserve accolades upon accolades, a ticker tape parade, a gajillion million dollar award, at the very least. I mean it. If they hadn't discovered the plot and turned him in…if he had gone through with his despicable plan, everyone everywhere would be asking the same question…
"Where were his parents?"
So let me ask this question now. Where are all those people now? Huh? Why aren't they fawning all over the Sittleys right this minute, telling them how awesome they are and what a wonderful and amazing thing they did? I mean if things had gone the other way you can bet they would be all over them wanting to know why they didn't know their kid was so messed up. Look at the aftermath of Columbine and Virginia Tech.
Hey Sittleys…The Bone noticed. You guys are so courageous and I, for one, bow to your greatness. What you did had to be about the hardest thing you have ever had to do but your decision very probably saved a great many lives…including your son's. I applaud you.
May God bless you both and bring you peace.


text:
Interactive Zoo Map
Welcome to Australia Zoo's Interactive Map! Please take your time to browse our amazing array of animals and attractions. Inside you'll find stacks of awesome animal facts and interesting Zoo information.
Hover over an icon to find out it's name and click once to reveal further information!
Download Visitor Map PDF (4.4MB) | Download Australia Zoo App


text:
Find Your Perfect Home.
Beloit Real Estate
Beloit is located in Wisconsin. Beloit, Wisconsin has a population of 36,891. Beloit is less family-centric than the surrounding county with 25.44% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 29.26%.
The median household income in Beloit, Wisconsin is $36,384. The median household income for the surrounding county is $49,645 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Beloit is 34.6 years.
Beloit Weather
The average high temperature in July is 82.9 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 12.6 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 36.4 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
Beloit Map
Real Estate Near Beloit
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Beloit Zip Codes


text:
Sunday, August 28, 2011
* ReCycle Craft: Paper Cup Weaving!
This fun little project was an extension of our Elmer's Glue
Kid's craft camp fun... we had so many fun Elmer's glue project ideas
we just couldn't stop ourselves!
It's inspiration came from Gail, at That Artist Woman Blog,
she's awesome (have I told you that before?) and her cup weaving lesson
(go check them out, they're beautiful!)
Crafty play date fun!
Because crafting is more fun with friends.
For this project, we started with some paper party cups
leftover from an old birthday party.
I mixed up a batch of watered-down Elmer's white school glue
to make our own homemade Mod Podge.
The girls used foam craft brushes to apply coats of watery glue to the cups.
(don't make it too watery, keep it thick)
We used pretty paper napkins (from my paper napkin stash).
Separate the layers of the napkins, most napkins have 3 layers,
you only need the top one or two layers for this project.
Apply a thin layer of the watery glue to the cup,
then press on the napkin - you can add a tiny bit on top of the napkin if it's too dry,
but be careful because it will rip and tear easily!
We set our cups aside to dry for a couple of hours.
Then, we cut small slits evenly around the top edge of the cup.
Look closely and you'll see we made little "V" shaped cuts
into the round cups.
Then, I set out a variety of yarn and string
and showed the girls how to weave their yarn
over and under around the cups.
We tucked the loose ends inside the cups.
Sorry for the blurry "action" shots, it's tricky
to get good photos of crafts in progress!
We used fuzzy yarn, crinkly yarn, brown rope, and
different rainbow yarns.
You could use embroidery floss too!
The final cups are great as little pencil holders on our desks!
These would be great gifts for grandparents or teachers : )
Coming up next, we'll show and tell
our recycled milk carton weaving!
pink and green mama, MaryLea
Posted by pink and green mama MaryLea
Labels: Elmer's Glue, Mod Podge, Recycle Crafts, School Age, Weaving, Yarn
Blog Archive
- ► 2013 (74)
- ► 2012 (164)
- * ReCycle Craft: Milk Carton Weaving!
- * ReCycle Craft: Paper Cup Weaving!
- * Melted Disney Princess Crayon Rainbow Canvas!
- * Make a Melted RAINBOW Crayon Canvas!
- * Elmer's Back To School Giveaway!
- * Permanent Marker and Watercolor Resist Weaving
- * Permanent Marker and Rubbing Alcohol Technique f...
- * Elmer's Gel Glue Batik Aprons
- * How To Make Elmer's Glue Rainbow Glue - ReCycle ...
- * Black Glue and Watercolor Resist: How To Make Bl...
- * Foam Core Puppet Theatre With Elmer's Kids Craft...
- * Elmer's Kids Craft Camp Giveaway Week!
- * Smart Summer Challenge Week 6 Final Super, Doope...
- * Outer Space Themed Sensory Box
- * Outer Space Planet Counting Plates and Preschool...
- * Out Of This World Homemade Outer Space Bean Bags...
- * Homemade Outer Space Felt Board and Felt Build A...
- * Splatter Paint and Watercolor Outer Space Pictur...
- ▼ August (18)
- ► 2010 (172)
- ► 2009 (161)


text:
by flipflop » Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:26 pm
by Ultra Swain » Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:45 pm
flipflop wrote:http://uk.news.yahoo.com/six-arrested-uk-tabloid-phone-hacking-probe-092831091.htmlCan you just imagine the state of her rusty lady garden? Horrible creatureCheers
by flipflop » Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:32 pm
by el3so » Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:55 pm
Return to News Forum
Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 1 guest
Please note that the topics discussed, opinions expressed and/or information provided in this forum are those of fellow forum participants only. Neither Robert Young Pelton, nor ComeBackAlive.com Inc., nor Ingle International Inc., nor any other person or entity involved in the creation or maintenance of this site, takes any responsibility or provides any endorsement for the topics discussed, opinions expressed or information provided in this forum. Any advice or information taken from this forum is entirely at your own risk.


text: This Geographic Information System (GIS) web site provides information about GIS and Remote Sensing activities at Indiana University. If you are interested in GIS, this web site will help answer your questions about where to find spatial data, purchase software, get GIS help, locate tutorials or take workshops. You can find departments and people currently utilizing GIS in their research or operational activities and learn about Indiana University's annual GIS Day event. Please follow the menu links to learn more about Indiana University's GIS community. Also search IU's Knowledge Base for answers to your GIS questions.


text:
To register for the 9th ICAAP, you must create a web account.
Click here to create your account.
Important Notice: Scholarship Application has closed. Result of scholarship review has been finalized for all categories in May 2009. 9th ICAAP Scholarships have been awarded to 485 people in June 2009.
Scholarship Application
Scholarship Application should be submitted online through our website between 1 December 2008-30 April 2009. The scholarship will be awarded in May 2009.
Those who cannot access the website may contact the Secretariat to obtain the scholarship application form, which should be returned by mail or via courier to the Secretariat.
Types of Scholarships
There are limited numbers of scholarships which fall under four categories:
1. Community Scholarships
This category includes people working in community-based organisations and members of key populations and community groups (LGBTIQ, MSM, ethnic minorities, sex workers, indigeneous people, active and/or recovering drug users, internally displaced persons/refugees, slum residents, migrant workers).
2. Scientific Scholarships (for healthcare professionals, researchers, and/or graduate students)
This category includes healthcare professionals, scientific researchers and postgraduate students, both clinical and social sciences.
3. Media Scholarships
This category is for members of media organizations seeking support to travel to the Congress. Registration for journalists is free at the 9th ICAAP. Those seeking scholarships should also submit the credentials required for media registration (see section on Media)
4. Youth Scholarships
This category is for those aged less than 26 years old on 13th August 2009, including those currently enrolled full time in an educational institution and homeless/street youth.
Selection Criteria
Scholarships are given to developing country professionals, with priority to those from the Asia-Pacific region. There will be limited sponsorships for each country.
Priority will be given to applicants
- who apply for partial scholarship.
- who have submitted an abstract(s) for the Congress
- who are currently active in their communities and have the ability to take the benefits of this experience back to their communities to offer local/national training.
- who are in professions which are traditionally not high-paying.
- attending the ICAAP for the first time.
Priority will be given to those who have completed and returned the application forms earlier.
The scholarship coverage will include either (1) airfare to Bali, Indonesia, (2) accomodations, (3) per diems, and/or (4) pre-congress activities.
Are you ready to submit your 9th ICAAP scholarship application? Please read how to submit your scholarship application, here!
Bali Convention Centre
Bali, Indonesia
News Archives
- Vacancy: ASAP Executive Director
- Goodbye Bali, hello Busan!
- Plenary rejects double standards
- Universal Access still tough challenge
- Indonesia sees progress: President
- 9th ICAAP gets underway in Bali
- A Call for Stronger Commitment to Universal Access
- 9th ICAAP Security & Safety Statement
- Community Roles as a Key in AIDS Response
- 9th ICAAP Expresses Condolence


text:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steroid injections widely used to treat back pain offer little or no real benefit, according to a new study of 400 patients.
Those who received the drug mixed with the painkiller lidocaine scored no better on measures of disability and leg pain after six weeks than patients in a control group who received lidocaine injection alone.
"These (injections) are so commonly used and the steroids do pose an added risk to patients without much benefit," the study's lead author Dr. Janna Friedly of the University of Washington in Seattle told Reuters Health. "I do hope patients and their doctors will be more cautious about using them" for spinal stenosis, she said.
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the passageway surrounding spinal nerves in the lower back. The resulting nerve compression is painful and the number one reason older adults have spinal surgery. The combination of glucocorticoid steroids and an anesthetic is supposed to reduce nerve inflammation and swelling in the surrounding tissue.
Roughly 550,000 procedures - at a cost ranging from $500 to $2,000 per injection - are done each year just among Medicare recipients.
"Certainly, this study raises serious questions about the benefits of epidural glucocorticoid injections for spinal stenosis," Dr. Gunnar Andersson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago writes in an accompanying editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"It's looking like it may be a little harder to justify doing those injections for spinal stenosis in patients. But it doesn't show it's not effective at all," said Dr. D. Scott Kreiner, co-chairman of the guidelines committee of the North American Spine Society, who was not involved in the research.
He told Reuters Health that the treatment "is moderately effective, not curative, and that may or may not be enough for some patients to avoid surgery."
Because evidence for the effectiveness of the injections is lacking, the study team involved doctors at 16 sites in the U.S., who gave half the patients injections of lidocaine followed by one of four glucocorticoid drugs: triamcinolone, betamethasone, dexamethasone or methylprednisolone.
The remaining patients got lidocaine alone, and all patients had the option of a second round of treatment.
Before the injections, three weeks later and again at the six-week point, patients scored their pain level on a 25-point scale, with 25 being the worst pain.
At the three-week mark, average pain scores among patients in the lidocaine group had dropped from 15.7 down to 13.1, and down to 12.5 after six weeks. People in the lidocaine-glucocorticoid group started out with a bit more pain - their average score was 16.1 - and they showed most of their improvement at the three-week mark, scoring 11.7 at that point and 11.8 at the six-week mark.
The difference between the groups was not statistically significant, meaning it could have been due to chance. A similar pattern was seen for leg pain, where there was a slight difference at three weeks, but that disappeared by week 6.
On a satisfaction survey, 67 percent of patients who received steroids plus lidocaine reported being very or somewhat satisfied with their treatment, as compared with 54 percent of those who received lidocaine alone, the researchers note in their report. The steroid recipients showed more improvement on a scale that measured depression, as well.
But they also reported more adverse events per person than the control group. The most pronounced difference in side effects was in the category of fever, infection or both. The problem was seen in two patients in the lidocaine-only group but 10 patients who got lidocaine plus a steroid.
"It certainly is a nudge for not using epidural injections for spinal stenosis," Kreiner told Reuters Health.
In the editorial, Andersson said if patients decide to have injections anyway, a second one should be avoided if there is no effect from the first.
Because many insurance companies require the injections before surgery is approved, the new finding, combined with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's warning that they can cause paralysis, nerve damage or death, "suggest that this requirement should be reconsidered," he said.
Friedly predicted that the findings will meet with some resistance among doctors because "these are injections that are commonly performed and people believe that they work," which is why the results were surprising.
"There are not a lot of effective treatments for pain and symptoms associated with spinal stenosis," she said. "We still have a lot of unanswered questions about what alternative treatments are effective."
SOURCE: bit.ly/1jVLSz9 New England Journal of Medicine, July 3, 2014.


text:
GetGo Download Manager 18.104.22.1685
Free Full Featured Video and File Download Manager, Downloader, Accelerator.
A free video downloader that can download video from many popular video websites
sponsored ads
Free Video Cutter Joiner is a neat video cutter and joiner application designed to cut large video files and remove unwanted parts like commercials, outtakes and trailers.
Aimersoft Video Cutter 18.104.22.168
A simple and easy to use MPEG Cutter, Movie Cutter, Video Cutter
Boilsoft Video Cutter 1.23 Build 112
Boilsoft Video Cutter is a powerful video cutter,cut video fast, avi cutter
Cute Video Cutter works well with many file formats like AVI, MPEG-1/2, DVD/SVCD/VCD, VOB, DAT, ASF, WMV, Divx, xVid, MOV, MP4, iPod, PSP, iPhone, Zune, BlackBerry, Apple TV, M4V, MPA, 3GP, MKV, RM, RMVB, SWF, FLV video formats, as AVI cutter, 3GP video cutter, etc.
GiliSoft Video Cutter can cut large video files and remove unwanted parts like commercials, outtakes and trailers.
Xilisoft Video Cutter 2.0.1.0111
A powerful video cutter to select and cut videos with excellent quality
PowerVideoCutter application was designed to be a digital video converter/cutter
Video Cutter is an easy-to-use application for video editing
Ainishare Free Video Editor 1.4.0
Contains video cutter,video splitter and video joiner in one program.
OneStopSoft Video Cutter Max 184.108.40.206
OneStopSoft Video Cutter Max is an easy to use tool to extract a part of your video files to various video formats.
Edit your MPEG video files fast and lossless with AVS Video Cutter.
A free video converter software to convert video files between many formats.
Easy Video Cutter is a digital video converter/cutter
Total Video Cutter is a simple tool that can cut any video in almost all formats
Torrent 3GP Cutter 1.93 Build 113
Torrent 3GP Video Cutter is a perfect 3gp cutter to cut 3GP/3G2 video files
muvee Turbo Video Cutter 1.1.1
Muvee Turbo Video Cutter helps you cut parts of a video file.
Video Download Converter is the most renowned free video converter for converting video files between various formats, including AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MPEG, FLV.
Torrent MPEG Cutter 1.93 Build 113
Torrent MPEG Video Cutter is a perfect MPEG cutter to cut MPEG video files
byLuke Allen
Pocket Monkey - Full Version 1.0.1
bySnJ Games
byCurvature Studios
byNOWPRODUCTION, CO.,LTD
sponsored ads
Download this free funny video to see in your Pocket Pc or Desktop Computer.
MP4 Movies, Video Download 1.0
Mp4 Movies, Video you can download free mp4 movies for your android phone.
Audio Cutter Create is a ringtone maker for android. Turn your favorite songs i
Free music downloads with album art, lyrics and mp3 cutter. Free music download
Category: mobile - MP3 & Audio
Free music downloads with album art, lyrics and mp3 cutter. Free music downloads
Category: mobile - MP3 & Audio
Audio video - Chinese Language Portal
Video Download is a cluster of mobile video, music, ringtones, games, software d
The video, as a professional mobile video free to download the portal to provide
. Love is the key , , , . Full Version .
Category: mobile - MP3 & Audio
â NEW
Category: mobile
* Group Video Chat with 4 friends video chat at the same time
Category: mobile - Communication Apps - Communication
FREE 12-way HD Video Chat
Category: mobile
Thunderstorm Free Wallpaper 2.1
A spectacular backdrop of storm clouds, lightning, and rain
Category: mobile - Customize Your Mobile - Personalization
HD Video Downloader - Search, Watch and Download all your favorite videos in HD quality
Category: mobile - Entertainment & Multimedia - Entertainment
FULL VERSION FREE! Viren`s Dictionary of the English language has over 143000 en
Category: mobile - Education Apps - Translation & Languages
Full version, FREE!!! English to English Dictionary. Compatible with all J2ME d
Category: mobile - Education Apps - Translation & Languages
[FULL VERSION] You are a commander of elite division which fights against global
Category: mobile - Mobile Games - Action & Adventure Games
Cut various Video files, AVI/MPEG Cutter, 3GP Cutter, WMV/MOV Cutter
Category:mac - DVD & Video
Movie Cutter is an application for Mac OSX with which you can cut and convert video files.
Category:mac - DVD & Video
iFunia Free Video Downloader for Mac
iFunia Free Video Downloader for Mac is a very easy-to-use and totally FREE video downloading tool for Mac users to free download flash videos from popular video-sharing sites, like YouTube, Metacafe, Break, Revver, Blip, etc.
Category:mac - DVD & Video
iFunia Video Downloader for Mac
iFunia Free Video Downloader for Mac is a very easy-to-use and totally FREE video downloading tool for Mac users to free download flash videos from popular video-sharing sites, like YouTube, Metacafe, Break, Revver, Blip etc.
Category:mac - DVD & Video
Powerful Cutting and converting video or audio on Mac software.
Category:mac - DVD & Video
sponsored ads
Find compatible software programs with windows 8
video,audio,data,cd burning.
adobe photoshop 7.0 free download
Produce the highest quality images
Detect and eliminate viruses.
Deliver great digital experiences.
a free and powerful multimedia player
macromedia flash 8 free download
for the web or simple animations.
English - Hindi Dictionary download
English-Hindi and Hindi-English dictionary
mp3 cutter free download full version
Cut and Split MP3 Audio


text:
Wyo. college killer suicide note blames Asperger's for troubles, life as 'bottom feeder'
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A bizarre, rambling suicide note left behind by a man who police say killed his father in front of a handful of students in a Wyoming community college classroom extols eugenics and blames his father for the genes he said caused him to have Asperger's syndrome.
Christopher Krumm, 25, wrote that he was unable to keep a job, never had a love life and "always had to subsist as a sort of bottom feeder,"
The note confirmed a motive suggested by people close to Krumm in the immediate aftermath of the slayings.
"I am extremely bitter and frothing with hatred toward my father. I am resentful that my country did not castrate him," Krumm wrote.
The two-page, closely-spaced suicide note was entitled, "Tired of Having Asperger Syndrome; America Should Look to China."
A police statement Wednesday discouraged people from "making flash judgments" based on the content. Krumm had "self-diagnosed," the statement read, and there was no evidence he was ever officially identified with any mental or physical condition.
Casper police released the note Wednesday after The Associated Press filed a records request. Two copies of the letter were found soon after the Nov. 30 murder-suicide, police said.
The note praised eugenics — the practice of selecting people with certain traits for breeding and survival — and China for what Krumm described as that country's genetic, fiscal and cultural discipline.
"You should not have allowed my father to breed because he was genetically predispositioned toward having Asperger's Syndrome and put me at greatly increased risk for having it (and in fact I do). How could you hold his right to breed over my right not to be born?" Krumm wrote.
One copy was found in the Casper College classroom where police say Krumm shot his father, computer science instructor James Krumm, 56, in the head with an arrow using a high-powered bow. Authorities say he then stabbed his father and himself.
The students escaped unhurt and the campus was locked down for two hours.
Earlier that morning, police say, Christopher Krumm fatally stabbed his father's girlfriend, 42-year-old Casper College math instructor Heidi Arnold, at the home Arnold and James Krumm shared near campus.
Arnold's body was found in the street in front of the home.
An identical copy of the suicide note was found on the floor in the home's unfinished basement, Casper police Sgt. Deahn Amend said.
Asperger's is a mild form of autism not typically associated with violent behavior. People with Asperger's often have difficulty forming normal relationships with others.
Krumm wrote he was fired or had to quit four jobs.
"Despite having a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering I have not been able to solve the novel problems I need to solve at work," he wrote.
Records show Krumm received the master's from Colorado School of Mines in 2009.
The note's mention of Asperger's was consistent with an aunt's and a neighbor's recollection that Krumm despaired at having the condition — and blamed his father for it.
Krumm most recently lived in a boarding house in Vernon, Conn. He traveled to Casper days before the murder-suicide.
Police in Connecticut also had reviewed writings of Krumm's, Amend said.
"It's my understanding they did have some they were looking through, but nothing that seemed to tie into what was going on here," she said.
Police were still awaiting autopsy results from the Natrona County coroner before they would consider the case closed. Autopsy results typically take six to eight weeks to be released, Amend said.


text:
It was late, almost 9 at night, when Justin Holden pulled the icy pizza box from the refrigerator at the Brookville Supermarket in Washington, D.C.
He stood in front of the open door, scanning the nutrition facts label.
A close relative had recently had a heart attack, and in the back of his mind there was this idea stalking him: If he put too much salt in his body, it would eventually kill him.
For this reason the information in the label wasn't exactly soothing: 1,110 milligrams of sodium seemed like a lot.
But there was even worse-sounding stuff at the bottom of the label.
Words like "diglyceride," with a string of letters that clearly had no business sitting next to each other. It suggested that something deeply unnatural was sitting inside the box.
"Obviously it's not good for me," the 20ish Holden said. "But, hopefully, I can let it slide in."
He tucked the pizza under his arm, and headed one aisle over for a sports drink.
A Label Is More Than A Label
Who among us has not had a moment like this? That intimate tete-a-tete with the nutrition label, searching out salt, sugar, fat, trying to discern: How will you affect me? Are you good? Or are you bad?
Here's the thing you probably haven't stopped to consider: how the label itself is affecting you.
"Labels are not just labels; they evoke a set of beliefs," says Alia Crum, a clinical psychologist who does research at the Columbia Business School in New York.
A couple of years ago, Crum found herself considering what seems like a pretty strange question. She wanted to know whether the information conveyed by a nutritional label could physically change what happens to you — "whether these labels get under the skin literally," she says, "and actually affect the body's physiological processing of the nutrients that are consumed."
As a student, Crum had spent years studying the placebo effect — how a sugar pill can physically alter a body if the person taking the pill believes it will. She figured food labels might work the same way. So she came up with an experiment.
Crum created a huge batch of French vanilla milkshake, then divided it into two batches that were labeled in two very different ways.
Half the stuff was put into bottles labeled as a low-calorie drink called Sensishake — advertised as having zero percent fat, zero added sugar and only 140 calories.
The other half was put into bottles that were labeled as containing an incredibly rich treat called Indulgence. According to the label, Indulgence had all kinds of things that wouldn't benefit your upper thighs — including enough sugar and fat to account for 620 calories. In truth, the shakes had 300 calories each.
Both before and after the people in the study drank their shakes, nurses measured their levels of a hormone called ghrelin.
Ghrelin is a hormone secreted in the gut. People in the medical profession call it the hunger hormone. When ghrelin levels in the stomach rise, that signals the brain that it's time to seek out food.
"It also slows metabolism," Crum says, "just in case you might not find that food."
But after your ghrelin rises, and you have a big meal (say a cheeseburger and a side of fries), then your ghrelin levels drop. That signals the mind, Crum says, that "you've had enough here, and I'm going to start revving up the metabolism so we can burn the calories we've just ingested."
On the other hand, if you only have a small salad, your ghrelin levels don't drop that much, and metabolism doesn't get triggered in the same way.
For a long time scientists thought ghrelin levels fluctuated in response to nutrients that the ghrelin met in the stomach. So put in a big meal, ghrelin responds one way; put in a small snack and it responds another way.
But that's not what Crum found in her milkshake study.
If you believed you were drinking the indulgent shake, she says, your body responded as if you had consumed much more.
"The ghrelin levels dropped about three times more when people were consuming the indulgent shake (or thought they were consuming the indulgent shake)," she says, compared to the people who drank the sensible shake (or thought that's what they were drinking).
Does that mean the facts don't matter, that it's what we think of the facts that matters?
"I don't think I would go that far yet," Crum says. More tests need to be done, she says, to figure out exactly how much influence comes from food and mindset.
But she does think the usual metabolic model — calories in and calories out — might need some rethinking, because it doesn't account in any way for our beliefs about our food.
"Our beliefs matter in virtually every domain, in everything we do," Crum says. "How much is a mystery, but I don't think we've given enough credit to the role of our beliefs in determining our physiology, our reality. We have this very simple metabolic science: calories in, calories out."
People don't want to think that our beliefs have influence, too, she says. "But they do!"
Meanwhile, Back At The Brookville Supermarket
As for Holden, after he retrieved his sports drink, he picked up a salad, then carried his items to the cashier and put them down on the conveyor belt.
The liquid of his sports drink almost glowed under the lights of the store as the cashier rang him up.
Holden told the man he didn't want a bag. He carried his pizza out into the night.
Within an hour, the pizza and drink would be in his stomach, mingling there with a set of beliefs that he got from the back of a box.
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Kelly McEvers.
And I'm David Greene.
Today, in Your Health we're looking at food labels. At the grocery store you might glance over the labels on items on the shelves, checking the amount of sugar, fat, cholesterol. Well, this story from NPR's Alix Spiegel that make you think differently about these labels and their impact.
Alix begins in a grocery store here in Washington, D.C.
ALIX SPIEGEL, BYLINE: It was late, and the frozen food section of the Brookville grocery was almost deserted. There was only one person there, a man in dark clothes standing in front of a wall of icy pizza boxes. His name was Justin Holden.
It's like almost nine o'clock at night and you' re coming for dinner?
JUSTIN HOLDEN: It was a late night at work. I do sales, so.
SPIEGEL: Oh, I see. So you're getting a frozen pizza?
HOLDEN: It's cheaper than ordering delivery.
SPIEGEL: Justin pulled out one of the pizza boxes and scanned it, looking for nutrition facts; 750 calories...
HOLDEN: Twelve grams of fat, five grams of it is saturated fat.
SPIEGEL: Justin had a close relative that had recently had a heart attack. In fact, Justin says that both sides of the family struggle with heart disease and that's why he always read these labels. In the back of his mind, there was this idea stalking him. If he put too much salt into his body it would eventually kill him.
HOLDEN: One thousand one hundred forty milligrams of sodium.
SPIEGEL: That didn't exactly seem healthy. But at the bottom of the nutritional facts under ingredients was even scarier stuff, words like diglyceride with a string of letters that clearly had no business sitting next to each other. And so conveyed the message that there was something deeply unnatural about the food inside the box.
Do you think this is good for you or not good for you?
HOLDEN: No. Obviously it's not good for me. But I eat out one night a week, so hopefully, you know, I can let it slide in. But I know. I know it's not good for me.
SPIEGEL: Who among us has not had this moment, that kind of intimate tete-a-tete with the nutritional label searching salt, sugar, fat? Trying to discern how will you affect me, are you good or are you bad? But here's the thing you probably haven't considered. How does the label itself affect you.
ALIA CRUM: The labels are not just labels. They evoke a set of beliefs.
SPIEGEL: This is a psychologist named Alia Crum who works at Columbia University. And a couple of years ago, she found herself seriously considering what on it's face seems like a pretty strange question. She wanted to know whether the information in a nutritional label could somehow change what happens to you biologically.
CRUM: Whether these labels get under the skin literally, so they don't just effect perception and taste and behavior but actually effect the body's physiological processing of the nutrients that are consumed.
SPIEGEL: See, Crum had spent years studying the placebo effect, how a sugar pill can physically change a body if the person taking believes that the sugar pill will change their body. And she figured that food labels might work the same way. And so, to test her idea, Crum created a huge batch of milkshakes.
CRUM: It was sort of a French vanilla flavor.
SPIEGEL: Was it delicious?
CRUM: It was delicious, in my opinion.
SPIEGEL: Did you taste it, you know, just for science?
CRUM: I did taste it for science.
SPIEGEL: Then she took that single batch of milkshakes and gave them to groups of people labeled in two very different ways. Half of the single batch of milkshakes was put in a bottle that was branded as a low calorie drink.
CRUM: Called Sensi-Shake. And do you want me to read the label?
SPIEGEL: Yeah, read the...
CRUM: Says zero percent fat, zero added sugar, and only 140 calories - guilt free satisfaction.
SPIEGEL: The other half of the single batch was put in a bottle that was branded as an incredibly rich and delicious treat.
CRUM: Indulgence is the name of it. And the subscript is: decadence you deserve.
SPIEGEL: With an extremely high calorie count.
CRUM: Six hundred and twenty calories.
SPIEGEL: OK, so it's the difference between how many...
CRUM: Six hundred and twenty calories in the Indulgent shake and 104 calories in the Sensi-Shake.
SPIEGEL: And then both before and after the people drank the shake - which, by the way, was actually a 300 calorie shake - nurses monitored their levels of this hormone called ghrelin.
CRUM: Ghrelin is a gut peptide. It's secreted in the gut. People in medical field call it the hunger hormone.
SPIEGEL: Basically, when you haven not eaten anything, ghrelin levels in the stomach rise which signals to the brain that it's time now to seek out food.
CRUM: It also, interestingly, slows metabolism. So rises in ghrelin signal hunger and slows metabolism, just in case you might not find that food.
SPIEGEL: But after that rise, say you have a big meal.
CRUM: Hamburger with cheese and French fries and a milk shake, gherlin levels are going to drop a lot. And what that does, is it signals to the mind, you've had enough here, you know, and I'm going to start revving up the metabolism so we can burn these calories were just ingested.
SPIEGEL: On the other hand, say you only have a small salad, your ghrelin levels wouldn't drop that much.
CRUM: They maybe would just drop a teeny bit. And what that would signal is, you know, a combination of, mm, I'm not feeling physiologically satiated, maybe you need to eat more food.
SPIEGEL: And the metabolism doesn't get revved up in the same way.
Now for a long time, the idea has been that these fluctuations in ghrelin levels were responses to the actual nutrients that the ghrelin met in the stomach. So put in a big meal, ghrelin responds one way; put in a small snack, ghrelin responds another. The thing that was believed to be important was the actual content of the food - not your beliefs about that food.
CRUM: The label wouldn't matter.
SPIEGEL: But in her milkshake study, that is not what Crum found. If you believed that you were drinking the Indulgent shake, your body responded as if you had just consumed three times more food.
CRUM: The ghrelin levels dropped about three times more when they were consuming the Indulgent shake - or thought they were consuming the indulgent shake - than when they were consuming the sensible shake or thought they were consuming the sensible shake.
SPIEGEL: Is that a big difference?
CRUM: That's a big difference. Yeah. It's both statistically significant also, you know, practically meaningful, considering that it was three times the drop.
SPIEGEL: Which, at least for me, raises a pretty profound question. So does that mean that the facts don't really matter, it's what we think of the facts that matter?
CRUM: I don't think I would go that far yet. There's a lot more tests that we need to do to figure out, you know, how much do the nutrients matter and how much does our mindset matter?
SPIEGEL: But Crum did say this...
CRUM: Our beliefs matter virtually in every domain, in everything we do. How much is a mystery. And I think that we haven't given enough credit to the role of our beliefs in determining our physiology, our reality. You know, we have this very simple metabolic science; calories in, calories out. People don't want to account for the fact that our beliefs matter too. But they do, and we're finding that more and more the more that we research and explore these topics.
SPIEGEL: After he finished in the frozen pizza section, Justin Holden wandered a couple isles over and got himself a bright blue sports drink to go with it. The liquid almost glowed under the lights of the store as he put his stuff on the conveyor belt in front of the cashier.
HOLDEN: Thank you. No. I'll carry it. Thank you.
SPIEGEL: Holden didn't want a bag. When he was done he just picked up his dinner and tucked it under his arm and went out into the night. Within an hour, the pizza would be in his stomach, mingling there with a set of beliefs that he got from the back of a box.
Alix Spiegel, NPR News, Washington.
GREENE: It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
An Interlude with Dirac
By William E. Carter
A geodesist remembers Paul Dirac's visit to the University of Hawaii Lunar Laser Ranging Observatory
A geodesist remembers Paul Dirac's visit to the University of Hawaii Lunar Laser Ranging Observatory
In 1975 I was a relatively new research associate at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. One August morning I was working at my desk at the institute's Waiakoa office, which sits about 2,500 feet above sea level, in the Kula district on the north slope of Mount Haleakala, Maui. My phone rang. The speaker informed me that she was calling on behalf of P. A. M. Dirac, professor of physics at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Professor Dirac and his wife, Margit, were going to be passing through Hawaii on a trip to Australia. Dirac had read a recent article about our lunar laser ranging (LLR) observatory, part of the NASA Lunar Ranging Experiment (LURE), and would like to visit us. It never crossed my mind that the caller was talking about the renowned British physicist who had shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrödinger in 1933, years before my birth , "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory."
Later that morning I mentioned the call to Don Landman, the senior solar physicist on the Maui staff, and was surprised by his immediate excitement at the prospect of meeting Dirac. I quickly got to a phone and relayed the news to John Jefferies, our director. John was obviously pleased, and instructed me to spare no effort to make the Diracs' visit to Maui as pleasant as possible.
On the day the Diracs were scheduled to arrive, my wife, Marilyn, accompanied me to the airport to meet them. Despite never having seen pictures of them, we had no difficulty in recognizing the two among the throngs of Canadian and American tourists. He was wearing a wool tweed jacket, wool sweater vest, long- sleeve dress shirt and tie, carrying a well-worn briefcase, and had a rather battered raincoat thrown over one shoulder. Margit Dirac also defied the category of tourist in paradise; she wore her raincoat buttoned up the front and belted tightly about her waist. Marilyn and I introduced ourselves, picked up their baggage at the outdoor drop, loaded everything into our Volkswagen square-back station wagon and headed for Kula. After a quick stop to check the Diracs into the Silversword Inn on Upper Kula Road, just a half mile or so from our house, we started our drive up to the observatory.
The road up Mount Haleakala winds through forests of mostly eucalyptus trees before climbing into zones of grasslands, cacti and, finally, nearly barren lava. As we ascended through the grasslands, above the Park Service headquarters, Dirac asked, "How long has your lunar laser ranging observatory been operational?"
"The observatory is not yet even complete," I said. "We are waiting for the receive telescope, which is being built at the University of Colorado. It's a fly's eye design, composed of some 70 8-inch refractor telescopes bundled together, each with optics to route the light collected to a common focus on the photomultiplier tube."
"Then how are you ranging to the Moon?" he asked.
"We have been working with a temporary receiving system, using a telescope at the nearby DARPA observatory." The Maui scientific community was small, and our friends at the Avco Everett Laboratory operated an observatory to image and study satellites for the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. When they learned that delivery of our receive telescope had been delayed, they offered us time on their telescope.
"How many quanta do you receive back per laser shot?"
"It varies quite a bit, depending on atmospheric conditions, and judging from the temporal clumping of the returns there are probably errors in pointing at the reflector packages, but typically we get between a twentieth and perhaps a tenth of a photoelectron per shot."
After several seconds of silence: "Perhaps I did not state my question clearly. A fractional quantum of light is not permissible, as it is the smallest unit of light."
Dirac was, of course, correct. I had used the jargon that our team members used among ourselves. I quickly clarified. "Sorry. It appears as though virtually all of the returns we record are single photo-electron events, and we get about one return for each ten to twenty shots that we fire."
Another pause, then: "And you are able to detect such a faint signal against the background light from the Moon?"
"Yes. Well, we know the range to within a few meters, so we use a range gate of about ten nanoseconds, or fewer. Combined with a field stop of about five seconds of arc, and a spectral filter of about two Angstroms, we are able to cut out most of the background light. We also cool the photomultiplier tube to reduce its dark noise."
Once more a few seconds' delay, then: "Quite remarkable!"
As we neared the summit of Mount Haleakala, Dirac asked where the crater was and whether we would be able to see it. Within a few minutes we reached a turnoff that led to an overview of the crater. We all climbed out of the car, and Mrs. Dirac insisted that "Father" put on his raincoat, as the air was chilly and a strong wind was blowing. When we got to the overlook Dirac leaned far out over the railing to see the wall of the crater immediately below. Mrs. Dirac, a.k.a. "Mother," asked me to take hold of him to make sure that he did not fall. So there we were: Margit Dirac and Marilyn standing well back from the edge of the overlook platform, and me holding the Nobel laureate by the scruff of the neck (actually the collar of his raincoat) to make sure he did not fall into Haleakala crater.
The tour of the LLR observatory went well—both Mother and Father Dirac seemed to enjoy it. Afterward we returned to the Silversword Inn and dropped them off for an hour of rest before supper, for which we had invited them to our house. I returned to the inn to retrieve them, and when we arrived, our three daughters were home from school and were helping Marilyn prepare the table for dinner. The Diracs and I took a brief walk to see the fields of flowers, mostly carnations, that were grown commercially along the slopes of Haleakala, in the moderate temperatures and rainfall typical of that elevation. At dinner, Dirac asked each of the girls about their school work, life on Maui and their favorite pastimes. Dinner ended a bit later than usual, and after helping clear the table, the girls went to their rooms to get ready for bed. Dirac and I sat in the matching overstuffed swivel rockers that Marilyn and I usually sat in, and our wives sat on the couch. The four of us chatted about life on Maui as we finished our iced teas.
Soon our youngest daughter, Pam, returned in her nightgown, smelling of bubble bath, with a book in her hand. She was nine years old at the time, but she could easily have been mistaken for closer to six or seven. She went directly to Dirac, placed the book on his knee, opened it, and began to point to and talk about one of the pictures. After a minute or so, Dirac asked if she would like to sit with him so they could read the book together. She squeezed into the chair beside him, and the two of them spent the next 20 minutes reading the book and looking at the pictures, from cover to cover. When they completed it Marilyn said that it was getting late and that Professor Dirac might be tired from his long day of travel, so it would probably be best if Pam said goodnight. But Dirac said that he was fine and asked if there might be time for just one more book. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, so Marilyn agreed and Pam ran for another book. The two spent another half hour or so reading together.
The next day we had planned a lunch for the Diracs and the entire Waiakoa staff at the Kula Lodge, which was only a few hundred yards down Upper Kula Road from the inn. Dirac was seated at one end of a long table, with Don Landman at his left and me at his right. Margit Dirac was seated at the far end of the table with Marilyn, our secretary and a few other wives (all of the scientists and technicians on the Maui staff were men at that time). Landman and Don Mickey, another solar astronomer, brought copies of one of Dirac's books and asked him to sign them, which he did with a smile.
After everyone had eaten enough to take the edge off of their hunger, Landman turned his attention to physics. He and Dirac embarked on a wide-ranging discussion, including solar physics and the current focus of research at the University of Hawaii's Mees Solar observatory. These topics were outside my area of knowledge, so I listened and tried to follow the gist of things but had nothing to add to the conversation. Then Landman changed his focus to Dirac's work on cosmology.
From the little that I had read on the subject, I remembered that Dirac's study of such fundamental constants as Newton's gravitational constant, Planck's constant, the speed of light and the charge and masses of the electron and proton had led him to assign cosmological significance to a set of very large dimensionless numbers formed as the ratios of pairs of the constants. Years later I happened to read a 1993 Scientific American article about Dirac, written by R. Coby Hovis and Hedge Kragh, elaborating on these concepts further. The authors wrote:
The ratio of the electric force between a proton and electron to the gravitational force between the same two particles is a very large number, about 10 39 . Curiously, Dirac noted, this number approximates the age of the universe (as then estimated) when that age is expressed in terms of an appropriate unit of time, such as the time needed for light to cross the diameter of a classical electron.
From this and other correlations he found between large pure numbers, Dirac postulated a new cosmological principle, the Large Number Hypothesis. It has not been supported by recent work, but Dirac was devoted to it.
After discussing this subject with Landman for several minutes, Dirac turned to me and said, "You have been very quiet, Bill. What do you think of the Large Number Hypothesis?"
"Sorry, I've been trying to follow your discussion, but I really don't know enough about cosmology to have anything useful to contribute."
"But part of the beauty of the hypothesis is its very simplicity. You surely must have some initial reaction, and I would be pleased if you would share it with us."
After taking a couple of seconds to consider how candid I should be, I blurted out, "To be perfectly honest, it sounds more like astrology than astrophysics to me."
Landman cringed. "Bill, that was rude. I think you owe Professor Dirac an apology."
"Sorry, I did not mean to be impolite, but Professor Dirac asked for my initial reaction, and that is in fact my initial reaction."
"Quite right," Dirac said. "I did ask for your initial reaction, and I must say, I fully understand your thoughts. I admit to having had similar thoughts from time to time. But do you not agree that the existence in nature of these very large dimensionless numbers, all of nearly the same order of magnitude, must be more than pure coincidence?"
"Sorry, but I'm a geodesist, and I have all that I can handle trying to get enough photons to and from the Moon to measure its distance from Earth at any given time. I must confess that I don't even fully understand the differences between Albert Einstein's and Bob Dicke's versions of the physics that some of my colleagues on the LURE team hope to settle based on the rate of lunar recession derived from our observations."
"Ah, yes. Well, that is a subject that I hoped to discuss with you during my visit…."
Later that afternoon, Marilyn and I took the Diracs to the airport to catch a flight back to Honolulu. As Father Dirac checked their baggage and obtained their boarding passes, Margit very graciously thanked Marilyn and me for our hospitality, and particularly for the high point of their visit, the evening they spent with our family. She said that it had been simply wonderful to see Father so enthralled with our children, reading books with Pamela at his side. She only wished that she had a picture of the pair of them.
We moved back to the mainland in 1976, and the Diracs' visit to Maui rarely crossed my mind until I read the Scientific American article on Dirac nearly two decades later. I was surprised to learn from it that Dirac had had an unhappy childhood, which was attributed to the tyrannical behavior of his father, whose death he not only did not grieve but wrote off with the statement "I feel much freer now." The article also contains this quote from Margit Dirac:
It is the irony which only life can produce that Paul suffered severely from his father, who had the same difficulties with his family. Paul, although not a domineering father, kept himself too aloof from his children. That history repeats itself is only too true in the Dirac family.
A year or two ago, I learned of Graham Farmelo's biography The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac , and sent off immediately for a copy. The book offers detailed accounts of both the personal and professional sides of P. A. M. Dirac's life, and I found it both fascinating and sad. It was difficult for me to reconcile the man that I had so briefly met and immediately liked with the "awkward" and "extremely taciturn" man (in the words of physicist Walter Elsasser) described by those who had known him much longer and more intimately. Marilyn, our three girls and I did not find him strange, but rather an intelligent, warm, grandfatherly man with whom we greatly enjoyed sharing a couple of days on Maui.
Click "American Scientist" to access home page


text:
Gift Planning
Estate Gifts
Supporting WUSF with an estate gift that will keep local, public broadcasting strong for generations to come.
You can support WUSF with a bequest from your will, a revocable lifetime trust, a retained life estate or life insurance.
Life Income Gifts
Life income gifts help support public broadcasting but also provide for you or your heirs.
WUSF can arrange for a gift annuity, a charitable remainder trust or a charitable lead trust, an option that can reduce estate taxes.
Asset Gifts
Asset gifts support public broadcasting through real estate, IRAs, valuables and intellectual property you wish to donate.
Learn more about how your assets can help WUSF - and about possible tax benefit to you
By planning a gift, you can leave a legacy that will keep public broadcasting strong...for generations to come!
Consider the variety of ways to plan a gift that will make a lasting difference.
Make a gift through your retirement plan. Learn More.
Click HERE for the language you need to make a planned gift to WUSF.
Click here to notify us of your legacy gift to WUSF.You will be directed to our Declaration of Intent form.


text:
Arkansas Tech University student Leah Newton is paying her way through college one loaf of bread at a time.
One Nerd Bakery is a business that Newton, 17, has built over the past year by selling her baked goods at farmer's markets and other events in downtown Russellville.
"I use local products when I can," said Newton, who grows many of her ingredients in her own garden. "Many of them are gluten free and vegan. Downtown is so important to me. It would be great to own a bakery down here one day."
Newton says that she grew up in the kitchen. Her specialty is Mediterranean bread, which has sun-dried tomato and pesto in it along with other basic ingredients. She also enjoys making cakes, which are available by special order.
"She is such a great kid," said Leah's mother, Kathy Newton. "She has a natural talent for baking. We never knew the bread would take off like it has, but I am so proud of her. Her customers' money isn't wasted either because she made all A's last semester."
After she earns her degree from Arkansas Tech, Leah hopes to attend pastry school in Chicago.
"It gives me a huge sense of pride knowing that I am paying my way through college with my business," said Newton. "I grew up home-schooled so I haven't been in a classroom in years. It was weird at first because I wasn't used to it, but I like it better now."
Newton continues to learn and develop new products as she gains experience. She debuted one of her most recent creations, a strawberry yogurt cake muffin, during a recent event in downtown Russellville.
"This is amazing," said One Nerd Bakery customer Jaime Valdez. "I want to go back and buy the rest of them."


text:
Acuvue Advanced
for Astigmatism
Get noticed
for your eyes."
a New World in Contact Lenses
ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for
ASTIGMATISM offer a new world in contact lenses. ACUVUE®
ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM is the only lens for astigmatism
with HYDRACLEAR™*** technology that allows contact lenses
to be comfortable immediately and throughout your busy day. Breakthrough
technology, known as the Accelerated Stabilization Design, harnesses
the power of the blink to create a lens that remains positioned
correctly and gives you crisp, steady vision all day long, no matter
what you are doing.
Consumer research has shown that UV protection is an important
lens attribute for patients. In fact, 3 of 4 patients report that they want
UV protection from their contact lenses, and 1 of 2 say they would switch
brands for UV protection.
Since 1997, ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses have led the
way in UV blocking. All ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses are FDA approved
to help provide protection against transmission of harmful UV radiation
to the cornea and into the eye.*
‡ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses block
approximately 90% of UV-A radiation and 99% of UV-B radiation. All other
ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses block approximately 82% of UV-A radiation
and 97% of UV-B radiation. On the average, contact lenses without UV blocking
block approximately 10% of UV-A radiation and 30% of UV-B radiation 1.
1 Harris MG, Hararifar M, Hirano K. Transmittance of
tinted and UV-blocking disposable contact lenses. Optom Vis Sci 1999;76(3):177-180.
* WARNING: UV-absorbing
contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such
as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses, because they do not completely cover
the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear
as directed. NOTE: Long-term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk
factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors
such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography, cloud cover) and
personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-Blocking
contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However,
clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-Blocking
contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders.
Consult your Eye Care Professional for more information.
© JJVCI 1996 - 2004. All rights reserved
HYDRACLEAR™ - our brand name for our proprietary technology
that brings together a remarkable moisture rich wetting agent
with high performance base materials to form clear, wettable lenses
resulting in a unique, silky, soft feel
Accelerated Stabilization Design - for crisp, clear stable vision
Soft and flexible material that provides comfort as good at
the end of the day as when you first put your lenses on
Highest UVA and UVB
Blocking‡** – to help protect portions of your
Soft and flexible material
Stays moist all day
Breakthrough Contact Lens Material – for extra comfort
without extra maintenance
Visibility tint – so your lenses are easy to see and handle
Edge Design – for exceptional comfort
100% Satisfaction Guarantee - 90 Day worry-free Trial
WHO SHOULD WEAR ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ for
People with astigmatism who:
for ASTIGMATISM
Contact Lenses


text:
Burning Software Suite including Nero Burning Rom,Nero Express,Nero CoverDesigne
Nero 6,video,audio,data,cd burning software.
sponsored ads
contain Nero StartSmart,Nero Express 9,Nero BackItUp,Nero Burning ROM 9,and more
Nero 9 Premium Reloaded 188.8.131.52
contain Nero StartSmart,Nero Express 9,Nero BackItUp,Nero Burning ROM 9,and more
Nero for Windows 7 188.8.131.52b / 126.96.36.199
It contains Nero StartSmart, Nero Express 6, Nero BackItUp, Nero Burning ROM 6.
contain Nero StartSmart,Nero Express 9,Nero BackItUp,Nero Burning ROM 9,and more
contain Nero StartSmart,Nero Express 9,Nero BackItUp,Nero Burning ROM 9,and more
Nero WMA Plug-in will install WMA support (decoding) within Nero, Express, MIX.
CD and DVD Burning tools,burning videos, music with easy interface.
Nero Home Media Management System within Nero 7 Premium Reloaded
Nero Vision is very basic, with good motion styles and basic controls over font selection, size, and color, but none of the 2D and 3D design controls.
Nero 6,video,audio,data,cd burning software.
Nero 5.0,Burn video,audio,and data CDs.zxp
Nero 5.0,Burn video,audio,and data CDs.
Advanced audio editing and recording is a snap with Nero WaveEditor.
Nero 6,video,audio,data,cd burning software.
Nero 6,video,audio,data,cd burning software.
incorporate beats, sound sequences, and melodies into Nero SoundTrax projects.
Cole2k Media Nero Audio Plugin Pack 1.5.4
a number of plugins to allow Nero Burning Rom
byAngelica Rodriguez
byBoyaa Interactive
byPlayBuff Studios Private Limited
Danger Express (LITE) - Surviving the Alien Infestation 1.11
byWon O Soft
Orient Express: the train simulator 2.2.1
Game - iOS - Simulation
sponsored ads
Pineapple Express SoundBoard 1.0.3
To set as ringtone hold down the button.
Category: mobile - MP3 & Audio
Mobile phone user can see the video footage from DVR anytime, anywhere.
Free, Anonym and Open Source! Express yourself freely in AR now!
You're on the go; shouldn't your movies be? Browse, search and reserve movie
SketchBook Mobile Express 1.3.1
Advanced DVR Monitoring Application.
Please let us express heartfelt sympathy to victims who was affected by the eart
Category: mobile - MP3 & Audio
Bontune is a mobile social network for music lovers who want to express their mo
Category: mobile - MP3 & Audio
Adobe Photoshop Express software lets you use simple gestures to quickly edit and share photos from your mobile device
Category: mobile - Photography - photos
Final Cut Express 4 delivers a powerful and extensible toolset at a new price.
Category:mac - DVD & Video
Express Burn is a cd and dvd burning program for Mac OS X.
Express Dictate is a voice recorder for Mac that works like a dictaphone and a dock station for a portable recorder.
iSkysoft Video Studio Express for Mac
iSkysoft Video Studio Express for Mac lets you edit and share standard or HD movies with a few simple drag-and-drops.
Category:mac - DVD & Video
Express Burn is a free CD burning program for Mac OS X.
sponsored ads
Find compatible software programs with windows 8
video,audio,data,cd burning.
adobe photoshop 7.0 free download
Produce the highest quality images
Detect and eliminate viruses.
Deliver great digital experiences.
a free and powerful multimedia player
macromedia flash 8 free download
for the web or simple animations.
English - Hindi Dictionary download
English-Hindi and Hindi-English dictionary
mp3 cutter free download full version
Cut and Split MP3 Audio


text:
wpid-DSC_0146.jpg [wpid-DSC_0146.jpg]
– 12th August, 2012
Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article!
This is CoupesCorner, home of all things gaming and Turkey Dinosaurs!
We review all games, new and old, all purchased with our very own pocket money. So, have a browse around, grab a drink and enjoy!
P.S./ We're looking for writers! Fancy seeing your mind words published in this excellent example of a website? Hit us up here!
We're a fun site, privately funded from illicit sources and ready to take over the world. Join us in our cause for Turkey Dinosaur domination!
©2015 CoupesCorner


text:
Send Results to This Email:
Street Address:
Street Address:
A story from The Memphis NewsOn newsstands throughout the city
About a year ago Memphians were drawn to one spot in particular on the city's riverfront.
The American Queen Steamboat arrived at Memphis for the first time on April 26. The 418-foot-long, 89-foot-wide steamboat has four levels for 436 passengers that will travel up and down the Mississippi River, with stops in Memphis that will deliver hundreds of tourists each week. (Photo: Lance Murphey)
At the foot of Beale Street, the Mississippi River had risen last May to a level where the muddy water covered the intersection of Riverside Drive and Beale, offering a view of an uninterrupted river stretching three miles from the intersection to the levees in West Memphis.
Not quite a year later, the highest river level since the record flood of 1937 is matched with the arrival of the world's largest steamboat at the nearly completed Beale Street Landing.
Last May, the American Queen was a riverboat without an industry and the landing was a construction project adrift and out of political favor. But in the past year, the fortunes of each rose as rapidly as the river levels during the flooding.
The world's largest steamboat arrived Thursday, April 26, at Beale Street Landing, the stalled-then-restarted civic project years in the making with patchwork funding across two presidential administrations and three Memphis mayors. The landing is mostly completed but is still a work in progress with its riverside restaurant and a gift shop to open in July.
"It culminates our vision that we shared with the city and with our private investors," said Jeff Krida, the CEO of Memphis-based Great American Steamboat Co., the operator of The American Queen. "We're excited because it showcases Memphis. It showcases the fact that Beale Street Landing was a great idea from the beginning."
The 418-foot long, 89-foot wide steamboat with four levels for 436 passengers skews the scale of its surroundings on the Memphis riverfront but not the long-held and at times partially realized goal of a riverfront that is more of an entrance to the city and America east of the Mississippi River.
When the Beale Street Landing project began there was an overnight riverboat cruise industry on the Mississippi. That changed as the project drifted, federal funds dried up and changes at City Hall in 2009 – three mayors in four months – obscured it.
The landing and the industry have emerged on the other side.
The giant slabs that are the platforms allowing access to the river itself at its varying levels were tested in McKellar Lake, south of the Wolf River Harbor and then brought up river for attachment to the landing's structure the weekend before the American Queen's arrival.
Above those platforms is the restaurant that is to open in July with other retail space as well. It will be run by the owners and operators of Blues City Café on Beale Street with a plan that Riverfront Development Corp. president Benny Lendermon said realizes the different crowds that come to the river at different times of the day and seasons of the year.
"What it is in February is not what it is in April," Lendermon said in explaining the concept of a restaurant that is a taste of Memphis for visitors and locals. "It's got to be able to shrink and grow and morph into what it needs to be for a given period of time."
Still to come is more of the park around the landing and on the new hill that is the roof of the restaurant and gift shop. Some of that may have to wait awhile.
The Memphis In May International Festival opens May 4 with the Beale Street Music Festival, followed by the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest May 17-19 and the Sunset Symphony on May 26.
Passengers can dine in luxury in the J.M. White Dining Room, part of the 418-foot-long, 89-foot-wide American Queen steamboat. (Photo: Lance Murphey)
The fenced-off landing was already drawing plenty of sightseers in the weeks before the American Queen's arrival.
"It was a hard fight," RDC board chairman John Stokes said earlier this month. "We had our naysayers. I guess we still have our naysayers."
And some of the critics had a point.
"We had (cost) overruns," Stokes admitted.
The $42.5 million project was originally budgeted at $20 million when it went on the drawing board around the turn of the century. That total includes $38.1 million for the construction.
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. initially said the project would be scaled back. He quickly discovered that during the mayoral drift, the project had gone too far to be scaled back. He talked of finding private sources of funding. But the talk grew quiet and criticism of the project grew more vocal.
The criticism of a riverfront construction project isn't new to Lendermon. As city public works director he oversaw construction of the bluffwalk overlooking Riverside Drive and Tom Lee Park that opened in 1999 during the administration of Mayor Willie Herenton.
The project had some important backers. But it also had some determined and vocal critics, including protesters who climbed some of the seven magnolia trees along the bluff to be cut down for the project, and for a time refused to come down.
Last year, GASC executives were in talks with leaders in Tunica about making the North Mississippi county's river park the American Queen's home port.
Tunica leaders, according to Krida, said no when GASC talked of stops in Memphis. It was a deal breaker.
GASC execs reached out to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who linked them up with Wharton. And Wharton immediately saw it as a life preserver for the landing project.
It is the latest addition to Tom Lee Park. The park was expanded in the early 1990s in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project prompted by the large crowds attending the Memphis In May Festival which at that point didn't yet feature the Beale Street Music Festival.
The Sunset Symphony had become so popular that the Memphis Park Commission had to enforce a rule banning overnight camping on the riverbluff overlooking the park.
The expansion also leveled out a Riverside Drive that had developed some unplanned dips and hills over the decades since the Crump era when the drive was created on what had been a city dumping ground.
The 1990s expansion of the park took in what had been John B. Edgar Point, a tiny ramp north of the original park that was where overnight riverboat cruises docked.
The cruises then featured some sightseeing in Memphis during the stop and even an event or two at The Peabody hotel. And those who worked the boats were a part of the Memphis economy.
But when GASC set up its headquarters at One Commerce Square last year, including a call center, the cruise business became a bigger employer with a bigger presence.
Krida said the two years off the river hurt but didn't permanently damage the workforce along the river.
In New Orleans, the company has been working this month on a smoother and faster route from two of that city's hotels to the boat.
"It's a little bit complicated in New Orleans because it's so busy there," he said. "Some of our key staff that came from there did it for 15 or 20 years at all of these places before and they remember how."
The industry has a high turnover rate. But Wharton pushed for GASC to hire more Memphians with the idea that the training they get will be applicable to other jobs as the hospitality industry grows in Memphis.
"What's been more complicated is all of the wonderful positive people from Memphis we hired that never did some of the jobs we had them in before," Krida said. "That's taking a little while and a lot of hard work."
Then-Memphis Mayor Dick Hackett also set a goal in the late 1980s and early 1990s of relocating the headquarters of Delta Queen Steamboat Co. to the city with Mud Island becoming a center for boarding the boats. The talks didn't pan out.
Three mayors and 28 years later when the discussions did work out, it was a local investment by Pittco Management's J.R. "Pitt" Hyde and the city's $9 million ownership stake in the American Queen that were the keys to the deal.
The city's money is an advance of federal funding the city gets. It is to be repaid through the $89 boarding fee passengers pay not only at Memphis but at other river ports on the journeys.
The deal was part of a third comeback in less than a decade for an industry hit hard by the recession as well as the acquisition of most of the cruise market by one carrier.
Majestic America Line bought up most of the industry, including Delta Queen Steamboat, in 2006. Less than two years later Majestic got out of the cruise business taking down not only the 85 percent of the Mississippi River cruises it had but the rest of the overnight cruise industry on the river.
"The prior company had issues that had a lot more to do with other things they were doing than steamboats," Lendermon said.
Krida agreed. He said veterans of the collapsed industry saw a market for bringing back the cruises because of a river cruise industry in Europe that never went away. Krida is one of those veterans. He was president of Delta Queen Steamboat in the mid-1990s when the company commissioned the construction of the American Queen at a cost of $60 million. Memphis was one of the stops of the then-new boat in 1995.
"The fastest growing segment of the travel industry for mature adults in North America in the last decade has been European river cruising," Krida said. "It's partly because Eastern Europe became available. It's been just huge. People look around and say, 'Why can't I cruise on America's rivers without having to be on a $1,200, 14-hour red-eye flight and all of that."
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved