text:
On March 21st, 2002, a suicide bombing on Rechov King George killed three and injured 87. Though my family's proximity to downtown Jerusalem is such that I recall the explosion's dull thud thundering through our apartment, the only news item I retained from that particular attack was tangential: a few minutes before dying, a couple in their twenties had just received the results of an ultrasound test. To their amazement and joy, she was pregnant with twins.
There must have been something in the papers about a seven-year-old by the name of Yehonathon, blinded and paralyzed by shrapnel. But during an intifada, details such as these escaped me; no sooner would one tragedy burst onto our consciousness than it was already eclipsed by another family's catastrophe.
Dr. Avraham Bauer, originally from Chicago, graduated from Harvard in 1987 and got his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. He moved to Israel in 1992, married in 1994, and four years later founded the Israeli biotech company BSD, whose research lab he directs in downtown Jerusalem. The Bauers have four sons, of whom Yehonathon is the eldest.
In their remodeled Jerusalem home, where his Yemenite wife was borne and raised, we take seats at the dining room table. Passing in and out between their kitchen and the rooms in back, Revital Bauer, petite and quick, apologizes with a flash of a smile for not joining us; she's getting the kids ready for a family wedding tonight. "And actually," she pauses long enough to add, "b'emett, [truthfully] I don't like going back there."
The boys show up fleetingly in the dining room, one after the other, to eavesdrop on the conversation for a few seconds before moving on. Their playing was rambunctious and noisy out in the courtyard but their dark eyes are shy and smiley when warily appraising the stranger who's writing something about the attack. I wonder which one is Yehonathon, but none of them seems the right age – he must be about 13 by now. I ask Avraham if he's here.
"Yes, he's around."
"Can I speak to him, too?"
"Well...Yehonathon doesn't talk about it."
"Does he know why I'm here?"
Avraham rolls his eyes and smiles. "Oh yes."
One son, introduced as Yehudah, about five, climbs up onto his father's lap and turns to regard me with a mix of curiosity and boredom. No sooner does our conversation resume than Yehudah starts fiddling with Avraham's ears, playing with his shirt buttons, carrying on a running monologue all the while. He's not an English speaker, this little boy, but his determined interruptions tell me he knows what we're talking about. His father keeps lifting him off his lap, telling him to go find Ima, and finally Yehudah does depart, whereupon the story unfolds.
Shock Wave
"It was a cold, miserable winter day, the week before Pesach, and Yehonathon hadn't been feeling well. That's how this whole thing started – he had a strep throat, he could hardly speak. I'd just taken him to the doctor and had a prescription in my pocket – I was going to stop off at the pharmacy to have it filled – and the two of us were on our way home, walking hand-in-hand along King George.
"The guy blew up three feet behind us.
"Everything was in smoke, like a fog, and I couldn't see anything."
"I didn't see Yehonathon fall down. I was pushed forward by the shock wave. Picture someone pushing you powerfully from behind and you have no control. I was thrown like a sack of potatoes about five meters forward and the next thing I knew, I saw that my arm was bleeding.
"I knew what had happened; it didn't take much to figure it out. I got up and turned around.
"The initial experience was of a complete, total silence. And perfect stillness. Everything was in smoke, like a fog, and I couldn't see anything. Nothing was moving. It was surreal. There was no sound.
"People around the corner had heard a massive explosion, but in the immediate zone of the bombing where all the air was blown out, there was no sound. We had heard nothing.
"I looked for him and couldn't find him. Then I saw him, lying face-down on the sidewalk. I lifted him under the arms and held him up high in front of me, his legs dangling, to look at him. He was moaning. That was the first sign of life.
"I ran with him away from the site of the bombing and put him down on the sidewalk. Two policemen were already there, and a group of people had gathered around, wanting to help. Yehonathon was moaning but not fully responsive. I saw that they were taking care of him so I ran back to get my bag with my cell-phone so I could call Revital. Everything was upside down. I couldn't hear and I was screaming into the phone. I told her we'd been in the bombing and they were taking care of us. When I was kneeling next to Yehonathon, trying to speak to him, there was a man – I still don't know who he was, though he's in one of the pictures – who treated my arm for me.
"They put him on a stretcher. He was the first one to be put in an ambulance – it was the first ambulance to arrive on King George. I started to climb in but they closed the door and started pulling out – they didn't know who I was. I screamed, 'Ani ha aba! I'm the father!' and they stopped and let me in, and we took off for the hospital.
"In the ambulance, the medics stripped Yehonathon down but couldn't find anything wrong. There was no outward sign of anything on his body. He was oscillating now between being totally quiet and flailing his arms around and screaming, but the medics still couldn't find anything wrong, so that's when they checked the towel under his head.
"It was totally drenched with blood.
"It was a lifetime, that ride in the ambulance. All of Jerusalem passed by me through the window. I remember how the glass was speckled with rain.
"I had to call Revital again – I had to tell her where they were taking us – but all the lines were down. All over Jerusalem people were calling their loved ones. So from the time I made that first call to her, from the site of the bombing, until I called her from the hospital, Revital went through 25 minutes, not knowing what the situation was.
"They determined that Yehonathon was paralyzed on the left side and that he was blind."
"At Hadassah, the CT-scans showed that Yehonathon had suffered a severe brain wound. A piece of shrapnel had passed through the right occipital lobe of the brain and had lodged itself in the front cranial bone. They determined that Yehonathon was paralyzed on the left side and that he was blind."
Revital stops on one of her trips through the dining room to remark that from their house, they'd always heard all of the bombings that took place downtown. "When Sbarro was bombed, we saw the smoke. Moment Cafe, we also heard it. We heard the bombing of the Mahane Yehudah shuk. We don't know why I didn't hear anything this time. I was trying to call Avraham back and couldn't reach him. I didn't know anything. I didn't know what to do, where to go. My brother rushed right away to King George Street but couldn't find them. When I finally arrived at Hadassah, our rabbi was already there. He was in shock."
Speaking a New Language
"In the hospital," says Revital, "they took me to see my husband – they were preparing him for surgery. Then they took me to see my son. He was already anesthetized, and they'd put a brace on him, so I just gave him a kiss. Then I was waiting for the surgeries to finish. For a few hours I was jumping back and forth between the two of them."
I ask Avraham about his own injury and he shows me an oddly disfigured forearm. "Two screws went through my left arm. One went in here and passed through fully, coming out here, and the other one lodged in the wrist. Each one knocked out one artery. The bombing was at 4:20 in the afternoon. My surgery, which involved two skin grafts and a vein taken from my left leg, started about 6 p.m. and lasted about 6 hours. At 2 a.m. they presented me with this."
He holds a rusty screw on his palm for a moment, looking upon it with wry thoughtfulness, as if at some ancient archaeological find that never fails to amaze. He appears to be remembering something, with an expression that's somewhat akin to a smile, and relates that Friday morning, the day after the bombing, he got a voicemail message from his optometrist. "He didn't know we'd been in the attack. He called to say my contact lenses were ready.
"On a normal day that would have been important to me: my contact lenses were ready. Now it had no meaning. No meaning at all.
"That's when I realized: we were in a new world now. We were speaking a new language. And using a new currency. Where we were now, the lenses were worthless.
"Everything had already changed."
The Beginning of Recovery
Avraham tried during this period to maintain an internal balance between objectivity and hope.
"The morning after the bombing, when I saw Yehonathon for the first time after his first surgery, his eyes were completely gray. His head was terrifying to see. I sat next to him and said Shema. Then I went outside and cried.
"When they took me to my ward after my own surgery, there was a young soldier in the bed opposite mine who had suffered a penetrating head wound, very much like Yehonathon's. His condition is definitely better now, but at that time he was close to a vegetative state. During the week that I was in the ward, to receive medication and recuperate, I had a hard time interacting with him and his family. I didn't want to graft his situation onto Yehonathon's developing condition.
"Any conclusions I could have come to, or was frightened of coming to, based on the condition of someone else who had gone through a near-identical event, would in fact have had no meaning. What God plans for one person is by no means a sure indication of His plans for anyone else. The Almighty decides each person's fate. But I was trying not to equate 'brain injury' with 'vegetative state,' trying with all my might to keep my distance from that conclusion.
"For the first three days, Yehonathon was unconscious, and was medically sedated to allow the fluids in the brain to drain and the fluid pressure to return to normal. When the doctors decided to bring him out of the sedative, the entire staff came in to watch. They wanted to see how he'd react to questions, and to some general commands – to see what he could and couldn't do.
"First they asked me to interact with him.
"Then they asked Revital to say something, and at the sound of her voice, Yehonathon opened his eyes and said, 'Ima sheli. Ani ohev otah.' (My Ima. I love you.)
"Everyone in the room started crying.
"That was the beginning of the recovery."
A Positive Report
For the next few weeks Yehonathon was bedridden and blind, and unable to move his left side. "He had tremendous head pain," says Avraham. "He cried. He'd scream from the pain. We didn't know if it was part of his healing process or if this was something going on inside that needed medical attention. So they would run tests on him, and did CT scans almost every day. They couldn't tell what was going on in his brain.
'His vision is going to come back – his left side function is going to come back. And he'll walk again.'
"One of my roommates at Harvard had become a brain surgeon. A week and a half after the bombing he heard about it and got in touch, and offered to look at the X-rays and all the medical material. And from then on, he stayed in touch with Yehonathon's doctors. After looking at the pictures, he said to me, 'His vision is going to come back – his left side function is going to come back. And he'll walk again.' Now Revital and I knew this was no guarantee. We knew my friend wasn't a prophet, and he said himself, 'I'm not God.' But we knew, too, that he wasn't saying it to make us happy. He made his prognosis according to the path of the screw through the brain, and it gave us tremendous hope. Hearing a positive report was tremendously helpful. On the other hand, we didn't know how significant it was, how seriously we could take it. Maybe it didn't even mean anything at all. There was no way of knowing.
"You try to look at your child objectively, but you see him suffering. You can distract him. You can read him stories. We spent time, hours and hours, reading stories to him. But when your child can't see and is writhing in pain... there's a limit. A limit to how much comfort you can provide.
"Months later, someone told us that a well-respected medical expert had come by the Pedicatric ICU during those first hours and after examining Yehonathon, said one thing: 'Ain ma laasot.' [Nothing can be done.] Baruch Hashem, it's a good thing no one mentioned it to us at the time.
"And God had the last word. After 3 1/2 weeks at Hadassah, he could be made to sit up in a wheelchair. That's when we brought his brothers to see him for the first time since it happened – they were age 6, 4, and 1. Then Yehonathon was transferred to Alyn Hospital, and on his first night in Alyn, I was sitting by his bed when all of a sudden he said to me, 'I see it says "Spring" on the juice bottle.'
"I was in shock. It was overwhelming. From then on, more and more, he liked describing the world around him. And shortly after that, he started walking again.
"A month or so later, prior to the operation to remove the shrapnel from Yehonathon's brain, the brain surgeon Dr. Constantini was reviewing the CT scans and said, 'You know, if I had to put a bullet into someone's head, this is the exact path I would have chosen – it missed the blood vessels and critical regions.'"
At this point in our conversation, a fawn-like, almost ethereal boy – something about his hesitant step tells me instantly this is Yehonathon – passes unobtrusively through the dining room with a lowered glance in my direction. He proceeds to devote his attention to setting up a trick he wants to play on his brothers, which involves draping some sort of large paper contraption over the front door that's going to fall down when someone walks in. I realize that what I saw as hesitancy might actually be a slight limp, and ask Avraham about it.
"Yes, a little. He's still in rehabilitation to bring back feeling and movement on the left side. And his vision is not complete. He doesn't see the extremes of the visual field. But he's fine, his mind is completely fine.
"These days we have to decide how much rehabilitation to insist upon. He comes home from his Talmud Torah and he wants to play, he doesn't want to go to a clinic for exercises, and we have to remind ourselves, he's a child. We have to let him be a child.
"We are tremendously grateful to the Almighty."
Perspectives on Faith
I ask Avraham Bauer if he ever asks God why they had to go through this. He thinks for several moments, then replies:
"In any situation such as this, you ask, 'Why did this happen?' And you can answer it in one of three ways.
"The first answer is, 'It was a random event. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.'
"The second is, 'It happened because of the Arabs; Arabs have the power to hurt people.'
"Now, if you believe either of these two, you're repudiating the Torah. The Torah is full of passages that there is no such thing as chance, and that there is nothing separate from God. Would anyone say, 'God was out having coffee when this happened'? And if you believe that the Arabs possess power independent of God's Will, you're denying Divine providence, and that God is One.
"There's only one other possibility: that everything is from God and God is only good. Everything evil in the world is under God's total control. The Ramchal writes this, and a person has to see this very clearly, that all is controlled by the Almighty. Even though we may not understand it, this is the foundation: that everything which happens is for the good. Even though it was very painful and we did a lot of crying, what we went through was only from the Hand of God. On this, there was never a moment of doubt."
"Never a moment of doubt? Really, Avraham?"
"Look, in daily life I can miss a bus. Someone can dent my car. Do I believe these events are too insignificant to have been directed from Above? Faith is always needed in our lives, but sometimes it's challenged to the nth degree – the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges associated with life and death issues. Let's say a person has a fire extinguisher in his house. It can be there for years but it's only when fire breaks out that he runs to use it.
"When something like this happens, either your faith is going to get tremendously strong or you will fall apart."
"When something like this happens, either your faith is going to get tremendously strong or you will fall apart. You either start having all kinds of questions and all kinds of doubts, or you throw yourself on God. There is no middle ground. In a five-second event, our lives were turned upside down. If you don't have faith you can jump out the window.
"We knew that whatever would be with Yehonathon, either God runs the world or 'God is One' is not true.
"There were a lot of crucial decisions to make every day – there are still a lot of decisions – and the only thing we could do was turn to God to show us the right path. For example, the hospital wanted to perform a certain surgery and was pushing us very hard to do it but other people had advised against it. The decisions were ours and ours alone to make. No mortal could give us the answer.
"The most difficult decision we had to face arrived two months after the bombing, when the time came to remove the shrapnel from Yehonathon's brain and we had to choose a brain surgeon. The enormity of this decision overwhelmed us. We didn't know where to turn. The person widely-known for his expert advice on medical matters was the one who had said, 'There is nothing to do.'
"That day, as we were struggling with this question, Revital's sister was waiting on line at a local copy shop and heard the man ahead of her in line talking about his daughter's successful brain surgery. She asked him who the surgeon was and he said, Dr. Shlomi Constantini, of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
"We called Dr. Constantini, went for an appointment, and decided to take him as our surgeon. Had we undertaken an international search for the right surgeon, had we sought the best possible advice from experts all around the world, the operation couldn't have had a more successful outcome.
"We derive from our faith a perspective on the event, not only on what happened to us but on how to go forward. Ultimately it is a great challenge to be a Jew, to take the principles we affirm both in our davening every day and in our learning, and actually apply them to life. A person goes through an experience like this and has to decide: am I going to abandon what I believe? Am I going to throw my fate onto the doctors and the politicians?
"Our lives were no longer that which they had been, and as is always the case during crisis or tragedy, the ability of other human beings to understand and empathize is limited, giving rise to a new awareness of one's aloneness with God.
I return to the question of whether Avraham ever asks God why this had to happen, and he replies:
"I'll put it this way. When something bad happens, you should look around and say, 'What is God trying to tell me?' On Tisha B'Av we do ask 'Why?' It's not forbidden. This doesn't mean, though, that we'll get the answer. The Chaftez Chaim says, 'We can't understand.' But we can try to understand what we did that could have helped bring this about, to cause us to be tested in this way.
"There are two ways to relate to God. You can see Him as omnipresent and omnipotent, the Creator and Ruler of the entire world, and I'm a little thing in His Creation. Or you can say, 'I'm a genius, I can understand.' In our bombing, there were 80-something people injured, and if you were to interview all of them, you'd get a lot of different perspectives on life, different answers. Maybe there are some who would say, 'If I'd only been walking a little faster, I wouldn't have gotten hurt.'
"In a moment of truth such as this, a person finds out where he hangs his hat."
Striving for Unity
"What would you say to the rest of us, as a result of what you've experienced?"
"I'm the last person to give advice, but what I'd say is, strive for unity, achdus. It was a horrific event but we saw it bring out tremendous ahavas Israel, love for fellow Jews, and in other circumstances we wouldn't have merited to see it.
"In the case of the horrific #2 bus bombing, perhaps you'll recall that most of those injured were haredim, but after it happened, someone from the anti-religious Shinui Party came to visit the wounded at the hospital. He must have felt, 'Human beings have been hurt, I want to go see them.' That's what I would hope for. That we should do more of this for each other. To recognize our oneness with one another without the fire, without shrapnel. Unity without terror.
"Our family received a tremendous amount of Heavenly assistance. The families here in Shaarei Chesed cooked food for us for two months, every single day. They gave us meals for Pesach, for Shavuos, and for every Shabbos. When I told them they could stop, they said people had already cooked and frozen meals for the next two weeks – the people who organized it arranged meals two weeks ahead of time – and would feel bad if we didn't use it, that it meant a lot to them.
"People babysat for the kids at home so my wife and I could be at the hospital. Others slept at the hospital so we could be with the children at home. For Revital and me to be able to get some sleep like normal people...and the fact that our kids at home could see both their parents...They gave us financial assistance. Clowns and magicians came in to do free performances for the kids...
"I wouldn't wish what happened to us on anybody but I must note that my wife and I were so overwhelmed by the true warmth and sincerity, the help we received from friends, and from complete strangers.
We all came out better than we came in."
"One boy from Yehonathon's class said he wouldn't make a birthday party until Yehonathon could come. Each child gave him a note how much he missed him and presented him with a gift – something new or something dear. One worked five weeks to receive a prize little toy hammer. For a seven-year-old boy, it was extraordinary. My wife and I were in tears, watching the sincerity of the kids. They cared very much about him. They said Psalms. On Shabbat they came all the way on foot to see him here.
"On Pesach we say hallel to praise God for our deliverance from Egypt, but ignore the fact that it was He Who sent us there. If someone locks you in a closet for three days you're not going to hug and kiss him when he lets you out. So why are we so grateful?
"One answer that's given is this: it says in the passages that when we went down to Egypt we were 70 souls, but when we left, it was as one, a united people.
"That's what happened with this bombing. We all came out better than we came in."
Revital, dressed up now for the wedding, has come back in and sits down by her husband. "Years before the bombing," she says, "our rabbi told us, 'A person should feel the Hand of God on his shoulder.' He told us to feel that God is with you in times of distress. After the bombing, people would say to us, 'God is with you.' But we really did see it. We really felt God. I want to feel this sweetness of closeness with God without the suffering."
Reprinted with permission from Jewish Action, the magazine of the Orthodox Union.


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|Underserved Initiatives
According to a June 2007 "Home Broadband Adoption" study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, while 47% of all adult Americans have a broadband connection at home, only 15% of individuals 65 or older have broadband access. 40% of individuals 50-64 have broadband but have been slower in adopting broadband since 2005 than younger age groups. Yet, increasingly, access to informational resources, pursuit of activities to maintain independence in daily living and the ability to actively participate in our society, require mastery of technology and usage of the Internet. SeniorNet is committed to working with funders, community groups and other partners to close this Digital Divide for seniors, especially those with disabilities and those in urban and rural underserved areas, through our "Underserved Initiative" which provides hands-on, peer-taught, training as well as web-based education and online community support.
Native American Achievement Centers
In partnership with the Native American Chamber of Commerce and with funding from IBM, SeniorNet is leading the technology training components of 'Hope and Harmony for Humanity', a grant-based initiative designed to bring computer technology access and education to low-income and remote Native American reservations across the nation.
The initiative began with the opening of the first Achievement Center at the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana on September 28, 2006, The next center opening was on June 28, 2007 at the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Cass Lake, Minnesota. The Tigua Achievement Center at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, TX opened on August 21, 2007. The Houlton Maliseet Achievement Center in Maine opened on April 24, 2008. The Catawba Achievement Center in South Carolina opened on September 12, 2008.
The Lenovo PC-based Achievement Centers offer computer and Internet access, education and training at all levels for reservation residents of all ages. In addition to computer training that covers the fundamentals through more advanced courses, the Achievement Centers serve as an education center for the communities, offering intergenerational programs and classes on topics such as Family History and Genealogy, Health, Language Training, Work Skills, and Tutoring, as well as a host of life skills and enrichment curriculum for the community's residents.
This initiative will continue its development through 2008 with the opening of a total of five Achievement Centers on rural and low-income reservations. SeniorNet is working to acquire additional scholarship funding to continue the program and build new centers throughout the country.
Underserved Urban Learning Centers
Thanks to a partnership with the H.R.C. Foundation, SeniorNet opened three scholarship-based Computer Learning Centers in low-income, urban communities between 2006 and 2008. The first of these Centers opened at Emmaus Services for the Aging in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2006. The second opened on January 25, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The most recent H.R.C. Learning Center opened in Chula Vista, California on June 17, 2008.
Funded by a grant from the UPS Foundation, SeniorNet opened two additional fully-funded Learning Centers that provide free computer access and education to low-income older adults. The first of these Centers opened in 2006 in Oakland, California at the Eastmont Town Center . The second opened in 2007 in the greater Corpus Christi, Texas area.
SeniorNet is actively looking for additional grants to continue to develop and support new scholarship Learning Centers throughout the U.S.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bomb suit standards
The Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is developing a standard for bomb suits worn by U.S. public safety bomb technicians. This will be the first such standard.
NIJ is developing NIJ Bomb Suit Standard for Public Safety, NIJ Standard-0117.00 at the request of the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board (NBSCAB). This standard is being developed based on research done by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center. An expert panel of bomb technicians, other explosives community stakeholders and scientists used Natick's research as a foundation to establish the standard.
There are approximately 470 accredited bomb squads in the U. S., and each bomb squad is required to have at least two bomb suits. These bomb suits need to provide protection while at the same time allow for user mobility and dexterity. Establishment of a bomb suit standard with standardized test methods and performance requirements ensures that bomb suits provide an established level of protection balanced with functionality.
"Bomb suits are in the class of equipment that users have difficulty assessing on their own, since their purpose is to protect in circumstances that rarely happen and the consequences of failure are potentially lethal," says NBSCAB Chairman Jim Hansen. Other project sponsors and supporters include the Office of Standards within the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Biokinetics, the Massachusetts State Police and the Center for
Applied Biomechanics. This is a minimum performance standard for bomb suits worn while performing render safe and disposal procedures. It details minimum design and performance
requirements for equipment and test methods to assess equipment performance, balancing the requirements against a bomb technician's need for mobility, clear vision and dexterity.
"This standard will help protect our federal, state and local bomb technicians and give them the confidence needed in their equipment, which will help them perform their mission," says Sgt. Thomas Sharkey, bomb squad commander with the Metro Transit Police Department in Washington, D.C., and a member of the expert panel.
"The bomb suit is the most critical piece of equipment a bomb technician utilizes," Sharkey says. "A standard for the bomb suit reassures that the protection and mobility of the bomb suit is acceptable to the bomb technician and the bomb squad community. This is critical in the success of their mission."
Optics and ergonomics capability are tested through donning and doffing, field of view and mobility tests. The standard also includes fragmentation, flame, impact and blast overpressure protection.
Minimum blast pressure Protection requirements are addressed through a bomb suit integrity test to determine if the suit remains intact during an explosion. Blast overpressure will be fully addressed in a subsequent version of the standard once additional research provides NIJ with a better understanding of the threats posed by blast overpressure. Also, the standard does not address chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection, which may be addressed in the future when additional research is done.
"NBSCAB supports the development of credible standards for bomb suits against each of the hazards posed by IEDs," Hansen says. "The recent development of ergonomics, fragmentation, impact, flame and optics standards has been very important. The bomb squad community also looks forward to the development of additional standards dealing with blast overpressure, cooling suits and chem/bio protection that is integrated nto bomb suits."
"With more terrorism events possible, there may be more situations when bomb technicians have to respond," says Casandra Robinson, an NIJ visiting scientist from the Department of Energy Savannah River National Laboratory who facilitated development of the standard. "We want to make sure their equipment protects them."
Separate documents will cover certification requirements (NIJ Bomb Suit Certification Program Requirements for NIJ Standard 0117.00) and guidance on selection and application of bomb suits (NIJ Selection and Application Guide to Bomb Suits). Manufacturer compliance with the standard, as with all NIJ standards, is voluntary.
To view a copy of the standard, certification document or selection and application guide once they are published, visit http://www.justnet.org/ctp.
This article was reprinted from the Fall 2009 edition of TechBeat, the award-winning quarterly newsmagazine of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center System, a program of the National Institute of Justice under Cooperative Agreement #2005–MU–CX–K077, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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text:
Absolutely Anything
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The rules are the same, with a few minor differences.
Chance cards:
No queue at MEATLiquor. Move straight to go!
You're in Soho and everywhere is no reservations. You're starving and everywhere has a 3 hour wait. Go back 5 spaces.
You are recognised as a blogger and receive a free meal. Collect £70 for what you saved.
Community Chest cards:
You cancel a booking within 24 hours and lose your deposit - £50.
You are told to switch your camera flash off in a restaurant. SHAME. Pay the restaurant £10.
You have a public argument with a chef on Twitter. Put £30 in Free Parking.


text:
Doug Hull, MathWorks
(Originally posted on Doug's MATLAB Video Tutorials blog.)
It is often easier to acquire or generate data than it is to understand the data. In this video, we explore different options for visualizing data to gain better insight to solve a problem.
The problem I was working on here was to try to find the highest fidelity outcome I can while minimizing the computational time of a noisy model. The model takes two input parameters. As we increase the value of these parameters, the model fidelity increases. Unfortunately, the computational time goes up with the product of these two parameters. To see if there is a sweet spot, I run the model through a parameter sweep overnight using a variety of input parameter pairs. I am trying to determine if there is a setting for these two parameters that will give a best result while minimizing the computational time.
The first glance at the data is misleading at best. In the video we refine the view until the relevant information pops out in an obvious manner.
Recorded: 23 Aug 2013


text: All eye creams are not created equally. Case in point: Swiss brand La Prairie's White Caviar Illuminating Eye Cream not only feels amazing, hydrates and smooths skin, but it also brightens. Over time, dark circles are lightened around the eyes and wrinkles are less noticeable. In other words, it's one extra step in your skincare routine that's worth its weight in, well caviar. La Prairie White Caviar Illuminating Eye Cream , $350.


text:
Paleo Endurance Athletes
"How has Paleo helped you?
"Ursula's Answer: At first the amount of energy I had was noticeably different. I could hold a larger volume of training and recovery was faster. I also noticed how my nerves and cognitive ability kept sharp and those sluggish lulls in the day were being erased. My whole quality of life went up, with little things like my allergies that went away and I was sickless often. I was more productive and had more time for what I really wanted to do.
"With more training, I catapulted into the rowing scene breaking the world record on the Concept 2 rowing machine just three years after taking my first strokes at a "Learn to Row Class". I learned to row at the age of 26 and now I'm standing in line as an Olympic hopeful for 2012. I believe diet had a huge part in making this dream, that I was told had passed me by, possible!..."
"...Do other athletes and/or coaches try to convert you to a 'normal' athlete's diet (high carbs, low fat)?
"Ursula's Answer: Not athletes. Most athletes are open to learn. Coaches want performance, so if you perform – then it's your business how you eat. It's when you don't perform that they will start questioning your diet, but usually at this point it's not the diet, there are other mental factors like lack of sleep and high cortisol levels that seem to be the hindrance. The most critical are medical doctors actually. Funny how that works out? The people who are thought to know the most about your workings don't care about your well-being...."


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We have all seen those ghost hunting shows. They go around searching for something that isn't their and when they hear something and/or see something they claim it to be a ghost. But the shows just might be faked. Now that isn't much of a surprise considering it is meant for entertainment and not for educational purposes (although some people might watch them to learn how to catch a ghost). They can fake the EVPs, ghost sightings caught on camera, and my favorite the orbs. Most (but not all) religious people believe orbs to be little balls of light indicating a spirit but of course that's not what it is at all but rather it is just balls of dust that light can reflect off of or a bug flying through the air. They might see some mist swift by there camera and claim that to be a spirit when really its just dust.
Most haunting shows are obviously over exaggerated (like for example: A haunting) they use their spooky Halloween voice to explain what might be happening and describe it as being the most horrifying thing on this planet when in reality their isn't anything that scary going on. They have people being choked, thrown by an invisible being, scratched, etc. The show is mostly (if not all) scripted.
Now some Ghost hunting shows might look to debunk something they have heard or have seen (for example: Ghost hunters- TAPS) and some automatically assume it to be a ghost (for example: Ghost adventures).
People are so quick to believe everything these shows say is true others might question everything about these sort of shows. I want to get your opinions about this sort of thing. Why are these shows believed to have real accounts of some ghostly sighting when most of them can easily be debunked? Are the ghost hunting shows sincere? Why do most haunting shows have to tell people that "These are real people with real accounts" instead of letting the audience decide for themselves on whether its true or not.
Views: 384
People like being frightened by things that can not actually harm them or pose no real threat.
It is why most of us like watching horror movies. Just some fun and a break from the ghostless and monsterless real world.
I have no doubt there are disturbed people who believe they have had encounters.
So long as they do not hurt anyone or themselves who cares.
Yes, all faked, be it intentionally or not. No such thing as ghosts. Though I do enjoy driving around in the van solving mysteries.
My talking dog and I share your interests. We should hang out. I warn you though we are always hungry. A side effect of our medicinal marijuana use.
No problem M.M, I got the sounds, the snacks and a full tank.....though I ain't got a script for mine.....
I used to work at a mostly-defunct/allegedly haunted multi-acre former-insane asylum (wow...that was one long word, basically). And y'know, the only thing you really had to worry about was the packs of wild dogs that roamed the grounds.
There are a lot of neat old legends about that place like underground army experiments and former nazi scientists and brain transplants and all sorts of stuff. Not once in the 2.5 years I worked there did I see anything preternatural. Although I did get a great snapshot of the old crematorium on a foggy morning.
I guess this is my way of saying that those ghost shows are faked...and faked poorly at that.
Good ol' Pilgrim State back home on Long Island.
It even has it's own wiki page (although I don't think it covers the legends and ghost stories).
Why the question mark?
Start a show called "Ghost Fakers" and use it to unmask those monsters a la Scooby Doo.


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Philanthropy is... Networks in Action. What We Heard at Local Matters: Montana
Caitlin Copple, Montana Correspondent | Against the backdrop of Lone Mountain on a patio with a river rock fireplace, nearly 100 philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit staff and government leaders spent a day and a half talking, thinking and planning next steps to advance issues that matter most to Montanans. Here's what we learned at Local Matters: Montana in June. more »


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Students on our Florida site are also welcome to join
university-wide student organizations. Listed below are current
organizations on campus at National. To contact a club or for more
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Seal Research at NEFSC
The PSB seal research program is focused on harbor seal and gray seal ecology, principally in New England (Maine to New York) waters. Population monitoring of both populations is accomplished by aerial photographic surveys along important haul-out sites (i.e., land habitats such as beaches, sand bars, jetties, ledges and rock piles that seals use to rest and give birth). Harbor seal abundance surveys are conducted along the coast of Maine in late May to early June to coincide with the peak pupping period. This provides an index of the number of pups born and the total population. For gray seals the goal is to monitor the annual number of pups born. Multiple aerial surveys are conducted at the three major pupping colonies (i.e., Muskeget Island in Nantucket Sound, and Seal and Green Islands off mid coast Maine) from mid December to early February. Seasonal surveys (October to April) are also conducted along Massachusetts coastal waters (Plymouth to Nomans Island) to monitor both harbor seal and gray seal abundance and habitat use.
Harbor seal and gray seal diets have been examined by 1) analysis of seal scat (e.g., fecal material) collected at several haul-out sites on Cape Cod and in Nantucket Sound, and 2) examination of seal stomachs collected from animals accidentally killed in commercial fishing operations.
Live capture, biological sampling and tagging of harbor seals (adults and pups) and gray seal pups have been conducted for abundance estimation, seasonal movements, habitat use, and health assessment purposes.
PSB staff conduct analyses of annual mortality associated with incidental capture in commercial fishing gear, and evaluate the potential impact of other human activities (e.g., wind farms) on seal populations. Scientific staff participate in seal field studies conducted by regional universities, non-profit research organizations, and Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and are members of international scientific groups that focus on North Atlantic seals.


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If you've been a student before, you must know the feeling of overwhelmed by all of your assignments at school. As if having to finish all of those 'slacking time' killers is not awful enough, you also have to keep track of everything and not drawn in the ocean of deadlines.
Some students just accepted everything as part of their life and moved on (while mumbled red-penciled words along the way), some thought that they've had enough and tried to make their points by protesting the authorities, but some others tried to find the way out and came up with these free applications.
Schoolhouse vs iProcrastinate
1. Schoolhouse
As the name suggest, this app is designed to help school students manage their assignments. It has the ability to add, sort and organize assignments, exams, and projects quickly and easily. Students can create notebooks (collection of notes) and notes (the place to actually write class notes). Files and links can be attached to the notes for easy references.
Beside the intuitive iTunes-like interface, other thing that I find cool about this app is the ability to easily add "partners" to each assignment. The name of the "partner" will be picked up from the Address Book. Alternatively, if your partner's name is not in the address book, you can add new person.
Schoolhouse goes further by providing Classcast, a feature which ability is to publish assignments to the web automatically for anyone to subscribe to. And as the final touch, students can chart their scores over the course of the term to keep a general outlook of their progress.
In general, this one is a great application for students. But one important thing is missing, the ability to synchronize the task to iCal. This means no mobile alarm or reminder available when the users are away from the computer.
2. iProcrastinate
This app will allow students to prolong their slacking time and procrastinate more by giving those classroom citizens the ability to create and edit subjects and tasks and breaking them into more simple and manageable steps.
Other than all the standard features of task and assignments tracker for students, iProcrastinate has a nice feature of associating files to an assignment and burn those files to CD as backup or as a way to share the materials to peers.
If you compare this app with Schoolhouse, iProcrastinate should have an advantage of having the ability to add the tasks to iCal as to dos. But when I tried this feature, nothing happened (maybe it's just me?). More on having task reminders on the go, iProcrastinate also comes as iPhone application which gives it an edge over Schoolhouse which only available as Mac desktop app.
As for the interface, I prefer Schoolhouse over iProcrastinate. Another downside of iProcrastinate is the "too minimalistic" help file and Preferences. It's difficult to dig deeper as the website is also too uninformative. For example: the developer claimed that users can create quick task instantly from any application, but even after really trying, I failed to find the way to do so.
Other alternatives
There are other free task and assignment trackers which are not created by students, such as: AssignmentTracker X (an open-source project) and Task List (no longer under development and is unsupported, but still works fine under Leopard).
What about you? Do you use one of these tools or do you know other better alternatives? Share using the comment below.


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Just recently, The Creative Coalition hosted its annual Spotlight Initiative Gala at the Sundance Film Festival by STK staged by The Sky Lodge in Park City, Utah. The recent event was an intimate, candlelit gathering with less than 200 guests in attendance. Numerous celebrity attendees included Emile Hirsch, Cheryl Hines, Rose Mc Gowan, Jonathan Pryce, Tim Daly, Rory Kennedy, Lea Thompson, Alia Shawkat, Cameron Monaghan, Mike Cahill, John Carrol Lynch, Randall Emmett, Richard Kind, Ariana di Lorenzo, Jonathan Pryce, Randall Emmett, David Wain, and many other celebrity guests. In past years some of the celebrity award recipients have included A-list talent such as Demi Moore, Quentin Tarantino, and Robin Williams, to name just a few.
The Creative Coalition was initiated over 25 years ago by celebrity talents including Christopher Reeves, Alec Baldwin, and Susan Sarandon, among others in the entertainment world. The aim of The Creative Coalition is to use the influence of the entertainment community as a platform to advocate for compelling social issues contemporary society faces. CEO, Robin Bronk explained that The Creative Coalition Initiative Award was initiated to serve as a "beam of light on the artistry of independent film and those who create it."
One creative mind demonstrating talent through independent film was actress Rose McGowan who was all smiles, as she received the Spotlight Initiative Award. Currently, Mc Gowan has been working on the other side of the camera as a director in her short film, Dawn, which made its premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The short film Dawn, is about a teenage girl who suspires for more excitement from her sheltered life.
Yet another leading lady that spoke at the Spotlight Initiative Gala was Cheryl Hines from the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. Hines is also known for her work in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm with co-star Richard Kind. Additionally, Hines has also made her debut as a director with her involvement in the films such as Campus Ladies, Serious Moonlight, and We Need Help. During dinner, Hines said, "It is a true inspiration to be around like minded friends in the entertainment world sharing our journeys of hard work. We are all coming together tonight to embrace our talents."
Other female celebrities attending the Spotlight Initiative Gala included the congenial Lea Thompson from Caroline in The City, along with the young and talented actress, Ariana di Lorenzo, from The Soprano's.
Although many female talents were in attendance, many male members of the creative community attended such as Argo's Richard Kind. Evan Handler (Sex In The City) (Californication) also supported the Spotlight Initiative along with Tim Daly, who currently serves as the president of The Creative Coalition. Other than his leadership role, Daly is known for his work in Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order, and The Sopranos.
Congratulations to the recipients of this year's Creative Coalition Spotlight Initiative Awards at the Sundance Film Festival. See you next year at the Creative Coalition's Gala to honor more great talent!
Photos by Gene Chang/Gary Kawesch
Source: IMDB


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#1 Brandon Barnes
|RS Fr.
|Douglasville, Ga. (Chapel Hill HS)
2010-11 (RS Freshman): Averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game…Played in all 30 games averaging 17.9 minutes per game and started seven contests…Shot 44.8 percent from the field, the best among Lipscomb guards, and shot 35.7 percent from the 3-point line…Led Lipscomb in scoring three times and in rebounding three times…Scored in double figures six times…Had best game of season at UT Martin (Nov. 27) when he scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting with six rebounds in 25 minutes of action…Had only double-double of season at Belmont (Jan. 13) when he led team in scoring (11) and rebounding (10)…Atlantic Sun Games...Averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds….Averaged 8.4 points over final eight games of the season and shot 60.6 percent in final seven games of season.
2009-10 Season: Redshirt
High School: Averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds for Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville, Ga. … Named First Team All-Region and All-Douglas County his senior year … set the single-game school record with 41 points … two year starter … team captain his senior year … member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes … coached by Jim Gaylor … played AAU for Team Impact with fellow Bison Milos Kleut.
Personal: Son of Rod and Bridgett Barnes … has two brothers, Bray and Corey … father is the head men's basketball coach at Georgia State … born July 21, 1991 … Major is Communications.


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Combining comfort with a supreme tracking surface, the Long Pad doubles as a wrist rest or mouse pad.
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Dynamic Driver-dual layer composite driver with aerospace grade titanium delivers sizzling highs, present mids, and powerful bass
Tuned By A Grammy® Winning Sound Engineer-1MORE collaborated with internationally acclaimed sound engineer Luca Bignardi to perfect the final tuning to deliver a precise representation of your favorite artist's intended sound
Superior MEMS Microphone -in-line microphone conveniently located allows you to take calls without cross-talk or background static
SUPERIOR DESIGN - The Piston Fit strikes an ideal balance of function and form. Comfort is perfected by 45° oblique angles to perfectly match your ear canals. The driver's dual layer diaphragm consists of aerospace grade titanium for fast response and high end clarity, and PET polymer for dynamic mids and deep bass.ALUMINUM ALLOY BODY WITH KEVLAR CORE CABLE - Anodized iPhone colored surfaces are fingerprint resistant and made to last. The piston shaped body is extremely lightweight and durable. The cable consists of interior enameled copper wrapped around Kevlar fiber to greatly increase durability and is coated with TPE for softness and comfort.
HEALTH CONSCIOUS COMFORT AND SONIC BALANCE - Our lightweight piston design fits comfortably in your ears. Beyond comfort, the snug fit increases noise isolation, fullness, and bass. 1MORE'S commitment to a naturally balanced sound, without the harsh bass and treble boosting prevalent with other brands, produces a fully satisfying listening experience without the need for unhealthy volume levels. We truly want you to hear what your favorite artists intended you to hear while protecting your ears.
Sold Out
Release Date: 22 October 2013
Genre: Action
Language: English
Region: US
From Anime to Game World:
Prepare to be hit by tornado like top toys as they make their debut for the Nintendo 3DS in BEYBLADE: Evolution. Published by Rising Star Games, Evolution is based on the popular anime BEYBLADE: Metal Fury TV series.
The BeyBlades in every Tilt, Motion and View:
Fans will enjoy this game as it was created specifically with the features of the Nintendo 3DS in mind; Beyblades can be launched through gyro and motion sensors, so expect awesomeness in every tilt and motion as the game responds instantly. Also featured is the 3DS Augmented Reality camera making it easier to adjust the view of the battling BeyBlades.
Customize and Battle:
Get ready to customize your own Beyblade and battle against the computer or your friends in a series of tournament and mini-games challenges. As well, famous characters from the original anime will make appearances throughout the game; whether it's either to challenge the player or assist in the goal of being ultimate Beyblade champion, Evolution takes these exciting tops to the next level.
In the Collector's Edition:
BEYBLADE: Evolution (Collector's Edition) contains the full game and the limited Wing Pegasus 90WF battle top.


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Fiero Non OEM Replacement Tachometer Filter
GM is out of stock on Fiero tach filters. This is the round "can" in front of the coil of the V6. If your tach does not work or acts funny, this may be the problem. Easy to install and requires no cutting or splicing. Plugs directly into the factory harness. Not an exact replica but it works the same as the original. A direct replacement on ALL years of the 2.8 V6 and the 84-86 2.5 L4 Fiero motor.
(87-88 L4's do not have a tach filter)
New OEM look Fiero tach filter. This is a direct replacement for the OEM tach filter. The connector is the correct design to just plug into the factory wiring harness. Very similar in design to the factory tach filter.
Fiero OEM Look Tachometer Filter
Although these tach filters look different internally they are exactly the same.
Fiero Tach Filters
Shipping: Shipping in the USA via First Class Mail is $5.00
Shipping to areas outside of the USA: Generally I ship postal air first class mail. Shipping varies depending on what country they are going to. It ranges from $11.50 to Canada to $17 or more to Australia etc.
I do not offer free shipping.
Because I use postal flat rate boxes for heavy orders there is no program that can add the proper amount of shipping to every order. So all shipping is added manually by myself after you place your order. That is explained here: Shipping added later explanation
When you place an order the shipping amount will show $0.00. Soon after you place an order you will receive an email confirmation that shows the amount of shipping that was added to your order.


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[Krabi hotels]
中 文
日 本
The Cliff Ao Nang Resort
85/2 Moo 2, T. Ao Nang, Amphur Muang
Krabi 81000
Ao Nang
Hotel category:
Traveler ratings
Summary of 8 reviews :
Room :
Facilities :
Service :
Location :
The Cliff Ao Nang Resort is ideally situated just a walking distance from famous Ao Nang beach and not very far from Nopparatthara National Park has that overlooked the white-sandy which will stun you of Nopparathara beach. It's approximately 30 minutes away from the Krabi International Airport and even less then 25 minute to Krabi Town.
Featuring with 20 semi-detached bungalows and modern particularly Srivichai Suite. The resort itself has been decorated in the Chaiya Art designed equipped with stylish amenities. The swimming pool is situated in such an essential location surrounded by the Mountain View along with the nature. Nevertheless the restaurant inside the hotel also provides variety of Thai and International foods to serve all guests.
Hotel summary
Rates & Reservation
Pictures & Facilities
Travel reviews
Other hotels nearby
Travel reviews for The Cliff Ao Nang Resort
Date of stay:
Dec 19, 2013
Accommodation and facilities:
we spend a wonderful time in the hotel,very quite and beautiful.room service is also available for our convenience.
Reservation service:
Dec 23, 2013
written by:
Date of stay:
Jan 02, 2013
Accommodation and facilities:
A good mid-cost family-run hotel about 10-15 minute walk to the beach. The staff were lovely and the rooms had everything we needed, if a touch small. Loads of restaurants/shops nearby with the benefit of a really quiet relaxing location.
Reservation service:
Easy and efficient.
Jan 17, 2013
written by:
Mr Adam Brown
Date of stay:
Jan 13, 2012
Accommodation and facilities:
Great hotel, amazing services. Would highly recommend.
Reservation service:
Jan 16, 2012
written by:
Ian Larcombe
Date of stay:
Jan 28, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
The Cliff Ao Nang Resort was difficult to find. Two other resorts close by with very similar names & the entrance is almost hidden. Staff was very friendly and service was excellent. Walls in the bungalow were thin and could here everything going on in the next bungalow. Shower & toilet were in an enclosed outdoor setting. I find this ackward. All in all a good value for the money.
Reservation service:
The ITC-T.com and its booking agent were very user friendly and efficient. I would recommend this booking service to everyone! Good Job.
Jan 31, 2011
written by:
Mr. Paul Hawkins
Date of stay:
Sep 08, 2010
Accommodation and facilities:
The room was great and very clean. The outdoor shower was a refreshing experience. Hotel staff were all very friendly. I love that they serve breakfast just outside the room! Thanks for the great stay!
Reservation service:
Easy and fussfree
Sep 13, 2010
written by:
Quek Li Min Livia
Date of stay:
Sep 06, 2010
Accommodation and facilities:
We enjoyed the stay at this hotel as the staff there has been helpful and courteous. The room though is abit too small and is only suitable for a couple. We love the nature and greenery surrounding the whole area and the location was good too. On the last day of our stay we had our breakfast almost under the rain as the table and chair are placed outside the door and only partially covered.Breakfast was well prepared and sufficent to both of us. Overall we have no complain on our stay there.
Reservation service:
Very efficient and professional in handling my bookings. I will definately use them again
Sep 15, 2010
written by:
Liew Kim Wah
Date of stay:
Feb 18, 2010
Accommodation and facilities:
We stayed here for four nights, the staff couldn t have been friendlier, the rooms were fine, clean, secure but a little small however, not a problem for us - great bathroom a bit on the rustic side but we liked it. All bathroom toilettries were supplied and refilled daily. Breakfast was served outside your room on the terrace in the morning to your order and time the previous evening. Good sized pool and good location off the main street but no noise of traffic and a 10 minute walk to the beach. would recommend a stay here to anyone considering Ao Nang.
Reservation service:
Good service very responsive.
Feb 21, 2010
written by:
Date of stay:
Feb 17, 2010
Accommodation and facilities:
Lovely hotel, tiny rooms but clean.Outdoor bathroom and shower unique. We loved the grounds with tropical greenery. Great free breakfast on terrace or our own patio. Only one small detail.. no stairs to get out of the pool..my husband had to boost me up and out. I could never have gotten out on my own. Location great in Ao Nang 5 minute walk to beach and restaurants and shops right out front.
Reservation service:
excellent, would always use Sawadee now that we know how easy and trustworthy they are.
Sep 02, 2010
written by:
Judith Mackenzie
THB ฿ Thailand
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The Cliff Ao Nang Resort
is a comfortable vintage style resort. Discover the truth about our natural beauty, experience real serenity and enjoy tranquility. The place for that perfect holiday get - a - way, for honeymooners or for that special vacation. Feel true hospitality from our staff, together with the essence of Krabi paradise. Your stay will be unforgettable.
Thai Ancient Architecture... "Chaiya Art"
The Cliff, features 20 semi - detached Bungalows and our exclusive Srivichai Suite. The resort's room style is uniquely "Chaiya Art" design Thai architecture, equipped with modern and stylish facilities. Comfortable rooms with large beds on a solid foundation. One of the outstanding features of this resort is the private open - style shower surrounded by natural environment. Each room has it's own terrace and of course room service is provided for your comfort.
:: Chaiya Bungalow (35 m
) - 20 Units ::
:: Srivichai Suite (80 m
) - 1 Unit ::
(One bedroom villa with private Jacuzzi).
All Room Amenities
TV 21" with remote control
Cable / satellite TV
In-room safe
Mini bar
Turn - down service
Bathtub is available only in Srivichai Suite
Swimming pool:
Concept of "back to nature" At The Cliff, we recognize that it is essential to be environmentally friendly and as such we believe in the concept of getting "back to nature" while having a respect for our environment.
Our pool is unique in that it employs technology for water treatment which uses
, not Chlorine as other resorts use in their swimming pools to clean their water. Because of this you feel as if you are swimming in a natural clean and turquoise green stream surrounded by a cozy garden.
Variety of Thai and international dishes. The Cliff Ao Nang Resort, offers a variety of delicious Thai and International dishes from Breakfast to Dinner. Meals are served in our spacious restaurant decorated with typical Thai furnishings that give a pleasant ambiance. For the best taste and your good health all of our dishes are cooked by using the best ingredients purchased fresh daily.
Other Facilities & Services:
Swimming pool - 80 sq.m.
with O-zone Treated Pool
In-house Thai massage
Medical service
Complimentary internet corner
Limousine service available
Car rental
In-room safe
Bell service
Housekeeping (Laundry, dry clean,
florist, turn-down service)
Security 24 hrs.
Long - tailed boat
The cliff day tours
Phi Phi day trips
Sea cave canoe
Koh Hong kayak
Shop and spa
Hot spring trips
Unseen Krabi
Scuba and snorkeling
Rock climbing
The Cliff Ao Nang Resort
is a Boutique Resort situated just a walking distance from famous Ao Nang beach and not very far from Nopparatthara National Park that overlooks the white sands of beautiful Nopparathara beach. It is easily accessible, just about 30 minutes away from the Krabi International Airport (distance 25 kms.).
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The Rat Robe is a fully waterproof, Sherpa fleece lined, oversized changing robe.
Perfect pre or post-race, hanging around the campsite, or watching the kids Sunday league.
There is free postage available on orders to the UK mainland totaling £75 or more, before shipping charges are applied. For orders totaling less than £75, a charge of £3.99 will be applied. Standard shipping orders will be dispatched within 2 - 3 business days of order, and delivered 48 hours after dispatch.For more information, see our delivery page.
International delivery starts from £8, please see our delivery page for more informartion and prices.
Return your products to us within 14 days of receiving the order. UK Mainland customers can return their products using our pre-paid returns label on their invoice, a £2.99 charge will be applied when using this label. For more information, see our Returns page.
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THE factory of the future will be a building stuffed full of robots making robots. A factory in Amberg, a small town in Bavaria, is not quite that, but it gets close. The plant is run by Siemens, a German engineering giant, and it makes industrial computer-control systems, which are essential bits of kit used in a variety of automated systems, including the factory's own production lines.
The Amberg plant is bright, airy and squeaky clean. It produces 15m units a year—a tenfold increase since opening in 1989, and without the building being expanded or any great increase in the 1,200 workers employed in three shifts. (Production is about 75% automated, as Siemens reckons some tasks are still best done by humans.) The defect rate is close to zero, as 99.9988% of units require no adjustment, a remarkable feat considering they come in more than 1,000 different varieties.
Such achievements are largely down to the factory's "digital twin". For there is another factory, a…Continue reading
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Book Sales
Book Sales are held the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Foundation House, 9th and Sharon Streets, New Cumberland, PA. 17070
Interested in Donating Books?
If you would like to drop off any donations of books, movies, puzzles and magazines, they can be delivered to the Foundation House at the New Cumberland Public Library from 9:00 AM – Noon on Wednesdays and during Saturday book sale hours. All donated materials will be evaluated for library consideration before going to the book sale. All sale proceeds go to support the New Cumberland Public Library.


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Tissue World 2015, Brazil
May 20 - 22, 2015
Location: São Paulo,Brazil
Venue: Transamerica Expo Center (Hall E)
Booth number: A530
Website: http://www.tissueworld.com/SaoPaulo/
Short description of event:
It will be the first time that a Tissue World event will be held in Latin America. This event will focus on the growing tissue industry in Brazil and South America, a fast growing market that did not have a dedicated tissue show until now.
Short description of SKF's part of the event:
SKF will host a maintenance and reliability symposium at the first ever Tissue World trade show and conference in Latin America. SKF will also have a booth showing solutions that help reduce maintenance and increase reliability in tissue mills.
Click here for the preliminary agenda of the conference.


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Tractor-trailer crash on Outer Loop clogs I-695 travel
Crash happened near 795 Thursday; Inner Loop lanes slowed, too
A crash between two tractor-trailers and a car along the Beltway's Outer Loop jammed up traffic for miles on Thursday.
The crash was reported around 10:45 a.m. near the exit for 795 on the northwest stretch of the Beltway.
Sky Team 11 Capt. Roy Taylor reported on 11 News at Noon that a tractor-trailer lost its load on the Inner Loop, and the trailer ended up crossing over the jersey wall to the Outer Loop, hitting another tractor-trailer and a car.
Police said no one was injured, but debris and heavy steel girders had to be removed from the highway.
Traffic on the Outer Loop was only getting by on the right shoulder at the crash scene for some time. Taylor reported that traffic on that side was backed up all the way to Towson.
Inner Loop traffic moved slowly during the cleanup, too.
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Assessor's Office
Posey County Assessor's Office
126 E Third Street
Rm 132
Mt. Vernon, IN 47620
Telephone : (812) 838-1309
Hours :
Monday – Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm
Email : email@example.com.
Website: http://www.wthgis.com/
WTHGIS Website: http://posey.in.wthgis.com
County Assessor's Responsibilities
The duties of the County Assessor are described in Indiana Code 36-2-15. Some additional services provided by our office include:
Property Tax Assessment – Real & Personal Property
- Real Property is assessed on March 1st of each year. -Personal Property is based on property owned March 1st. Forms filed annually by May 15th.
- Property taxes are paid in the Treasurer's Office on the 2nd floor of the courthouse by May 10th and November 10th.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
- Geographic Information System is a web based application of land records for property in Posey County.
- Can identify land use, solid and surrounding property owners.
- Can search by property owner, address and tax id number.
- Can search sales information.
- Can print Property Record information and Sales information.
Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA)
- All appeals are now filed in the County Assessor's Office, also all non-taxable exemptions (i.e. Churches, Not-for-Profit, Government, etc.).
- Inheritance Tax Forms
- Annual Adjustments
- Appeal Instruction Sheet
- Form 130 – Petition for Review of Assessment
- Form 134 – Preliminary Informal Hearing


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A New Way to Reduce Multifamily Air Leakage
A version of this article appears in the Fall 2017 issue of Home Energy Magazine.
August 06, 2017
While tight exterior envelopes have become standard for single-family homes, they have been slow to reach the multifamily sector. Multifamily buildings have many of the same leakage paths as houses, as well as additional paths hidden in walls or other cavities that are difficult to seal with conventional methods. Researchers at the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC) at the University of California at Davis recently developed an aerosol sealant to seal leaks in building walls, floors, and ceilings. The process can bemore effective and convenient than conventional methods for sealing envelopes, because it requires less time and effort, and it seals the leakage area more quickly.
To read complete online articles, you need to sign up for an Online Subscription.
Once an order has been placed there is an automatic $10 processing fee that will be deducted with any cancellation.
The Home Energy Online articles are for personal use only and may not be printed for distribution. For permission to reprint, please send an e-mail to email@example.com.


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With the fall running season ending, you're probably reducing your mileage (something physiologists call "detraining") and burning fewer calories. That means you might gain extra weight—especially if you overindulge during the holidays. Detraining also causes surprising changes in the body that make it even more difficult to keep the weight off. Here's what happens during detraining—and how you can avoid putting on unwanted pounds.
Running less can actually make you hungrier. Studies show when lab animals stop running, they eat more than before starting exercise. Detraining may cause metabolic shifts (in hormones or enzymes, for example) that boost appetite, though this needs more research. The body may also be trying to restore energy reserves.
SO EAT BREAKFAST Skipping it will make you ravenously hungry, prompting you to overeat. Avoid long stretches of time without eating to keep your appetite under control. To curb cravings, run before holiday meals; research shows exercise blunts your appetite for at least an hour.
Eating more than your body needs causes a spike in levels of fat-producing enzymes, prompting your body to store those extra calories as fat. In one research study, women swimmers took a two-month lay-off from intense workouts, during which time they cut back on calories but still ate more than they could burn, resulting in nearly a 10-pound gain of body fat.
SO KEEP EXERCISING You're running less but you need to keep burning calories to avoid putting on fat. So try something new, like aerobics or a cycling class. Treat yourself to new strength-training equipment, and squeeze in walk breaks whenever possible to keep burning calories.
Male marathoners who dramatically cut back on mileage during a two-month period experienced a sharp rise in the levels of circulating fats, or triglycerides. Levels of artery-clogging LDL (or so-called "bad cholesterol") also rose during this period, suggesting that detraining could have a negative effect on heart health.
SO CUT BACK ON FAT It may not be easy during pecan-pie season, but eating fewer unhealthy, fatty foods will keep triglyceride and LDL levels (and your weight) in a healthy range. Aim to reduce heart-troubling saturated fat—found in cheesy, creamy, and buttery dishes.
Holiday Eating Guide
Cut calories and fat—without feeling deprived
INSTEAD OF Traditional mixers and juices loaded with sugary calories.
HAVE THIS Alcohol mixed with flavor-infused sparkling water.
CALORIES SAVED 50 to 100 calories per drink
INSTEAD OF Cream-cheese filled wraps and mini meatballs.
HAVE THIS Raw vegetables, hummus, and a small handful of nuts.
CALORIES SAVED 300 calories per appetizer plate
INSTEAD OF Loading up on high-fat sides, and getting seconds.
HAVE THIS Reserve 1/3 of your plate for a sampling of each side.
CALORIES SAVED 500-plus calories per dinner plate
INSTEAD OF Having one of each kind of dessert.
HAVE THIS Two or three samples of one-of-a-kind sweets.
CALORIES SAVED 100 to 200 calories per dessert
PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Fill two-thirds of your plate with lean meat and vegetables.


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PHILADELPHIA — It is perhaps impossible to overstate the importance of the tumor suppressor gene p53. It is the single most frequently mutated gene in human tumors. p53 keeps pre-cancerous cells in check by causing cells, among other things, to become senescent – aging at the cellular level. Loss of p53 causes cells to ignore the cellular signals that would normally make mutant or damaged cells die or stop growing.
In short, the p53 pathway is an obvious and attractive target for drug developers. But that strategy has so far proven difficult, as most p53 regulatory proteins operate via protein-protein interactions, which make for poor drug targets, as opposed to ones based on enzymes.
Now, a team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, has identified a class of p53 target genes and regulatory molecules that represent more promising therapeutic candidates.
As Xiaolu Yang, PhD, professor of Cancer Biology and investigator in Penn's Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, and his team describe in an advance online Nature publication, p53 participates in a molecular feedback circuit with malic enzymes, thereby showing that p53 activity is also involved in regulating metabolism.(The Yang lab identified p53's role in glucose metabolism in the past.)
The new findings, Yang says, suggest that p53 acts as a molecular sensor of metabolic stress and explains how metabolic stress can lead to senescence in cells.
"We uncovered an important regulatory mechanism for p53 as well as an effector mechanism for p53," Yang says.
Significantly, the findings also identify malic enzymes as novel and potentially useful pharmaceutical targets for anticancer therapy, as well as possible mediators of the normal aging process – though neither possibility was actually addressed in the current study.
As cells become damaged and precancerous, the p53 protein prevents those cells from continuing towards becoming tumors by causing the cells to senesce. Metabolic cues also regulate senescence, but the molecular relays coupling those two processes — senescence and metabolism — remained unknown.
Yang and his team, including postdoctoral fellows Peng Jiang, PhD, and Wenjing Du, PhD, decided to test if a pair of enzymes, malic enzyme 1 and malic enzyme 2 (ME1 and ME2), could be involved. Malic enzymes recycle malate – an intermediate molecule – back into an end-product of glycolysis – pyruvate – storing energy in the process. Malic enzymes are important for adjusting metabolic flux to suit proliferating cells' demands for energy and biosynthesis. Thus, these two enzymes are attuned to the energy and proliferative state of the cell.
Yang's team found that p53 inhibits malic enzyme expression, such that loss of p53 causes malic enzyme abundance to increase. Conversely, malic enzymes keep p53 in check; loss of malic enzymes ramps up p53 activation and induces senescence via either downregulation of a p53 inhibitor (Mdm2) or production of oxygen radicals. Overexpression of malic enzymes inhibits senescence.
The result, Yang explains, is a "feed-forward loop" in which activation of p53 suppresses malic enzyme expression, reducing malic enzyme levels and further upregulating p53, leading to senescence. On the other hand, upregulation of malic enzymes inhibits p53. p53 inhibition loosens the protein's grip on malic enzyme expression, allowing malic enzyme levels to rise.
"This is a circuit," he says. "Going around this loop, you get pretty robust activation."
These same results played out in animal models described in the Nature study. Loss of either ME1 or ME2 reduced tumor weight, even with p53-null tumor cells, which suggests an additional, p53-independent function of malic enzymes.And, overexpression of malic enzymes led to more substantial tumors.
According to Yang, the study pegs malic enzymes as molecular players linking senescence and metabolic state. Those enzymes could potentially serve as anticancer drug targets, he says. But equally important, they may also play a role in the normal process of cellular aging.
"Senescence is aging at the cellular level," says Yang, who notes that considerable research has demonstrated a correlation between caloric restriction and lifespan. "We may have identified a good starting point to understand how aging works."
Other co-authors are Anthony Mancuso and Kathryn Wellen, also from Penn.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (CA088868) and the Department of Defense (W81XWH-10-1-0468).
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania — recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital — the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.


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I write this column from my hospital bedside, having had six hours of surgery on March 6 at Sloan-Kettering, a major national cancer treatment center.
My prognosis is very good but I can tell you, major abdominal surgery is no joke — and neither is the follow-up care required.
This Wednesday my newspaper column will not appear because I wasn't sure I'd have the energy to write it. That was the right call.
Pollways will not turn into a personal blog but I will talk about my cancer sometimes. It sure adds to my appreciation of people having access to life-saving health care. Those who say people can always just go to an emergency room don't have a clue. If my disease was found when symptoms were so bad that I'd seek emergency care, I'd have little time left in my life.
Some people close to me told me I should not write this blog post or write about this subject publicly because, you know, people can be so mean. And indeed they can, I said, but anyone who responds in such a way outs themselves as a certain type of person. Besides which, the meanness of triviality usually doesn't extend to grave matters.
I so appreciate everyone who has given me care and support.
Peace and health to you and your families.
3/19/13 update: I am happy to report that further testing indicates that the indicated follow-up will consist of close monitoring.


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ADLER, Russia — Are we ahead or behind at the Winter Olympics?
An inquiring Yankee Doodle Downhill Slalom Nation wants to know.
We are ahead! Thursday afternoon, the USA slopestyle ski team swept the podium here at the Sochi 2014. At that moment, America moved into a tie with Norway for most gold medals won — and most total medals won — so far at these Games.
No! We are behind! By the end of Thursday's competition, Norway had regained the total medal lead and the USA stood in a tie for second place with the Netherlands — which won't build much momentum toward matching the performance of four years ago in Vancouver, when the USA accumulated more overall medals (37) than any other country.
We are ahead! Fun new American stars have emerged at these Games — most especially groovy gold medal snowboarders Sage Kotsenburg, Jamie Anderson and Kaitlyn Farrington.
No! We are behind! Bummer performances by three of America's biggest names who were expected to medal — snowboarder Shaun White, speed skater Shani Davis and downhill racer Bode Miller — will make it difficult to play catch-up down the stretch in the medal race.
Ahead! Behind! Ahead! Behind! Which one is it?
My primary answer: Both, at this preliminary juncture. The final answer won't come until a week from Sunday when the Games conclude.
My secondary answer: Is it truly worth caring about all that much?
At first, I was not sure what to make of it when Danny Davis, an American snowboarder who fizzled in the halfpipe event, gave a sardonic post-event summary. But upon reflection, I appreciated his attitude.
"We let America down," Davis said after finishing far out of medal contention, all the while wearing a sort of a grin/smirk on his face, as if to say "Sorry, America. We disgraced our country. Sorry, America. … Rats."
My take: Davis was unhappy he didn't medal. But his expression showed an awareness that the Olympic Games are not an extension of nuclear weapon superiority.
Once upon a time, they sort of were. Thirty or 40 years ago, there was an obsession about the USA winning the Olympic medal count. It was part of a larger cultural battle. The mission was to show the evil Soviet Union that its socialist/communist system was inferior to the good old American way.
Now, here at the Russian Games of 2014, you can order a Big Mac at the huge McDonald's located inside Olympic Park, or at the four other McDonald's outlets in the greater Sochi metropolitan area. So you'd have to say we won.
The USA has the largest team here. It has the resources to perform well. But are we really concerned if Norway takes more gold? This might merely prove that in the USA, more great athletes still prefer to play football or basketball or baseball or soccer. By contrast, every great athlete in Norway gravitates to winter sports as part of that country's ethos and traditions.
Alan Ashley, the U.S. Olympic Committee chief of sports performance, was speaking about that dynamic the other day.
"In the USA," Ashley said, "to do sports like cross-country and biathlon, which are not as popular as the Super Bowl, takes dedication."
It also takes money, like any other sport. And right now, most of the Winter Games-related sponsorship money is directed at the new age snowboard and skiing events. They're an outgrowth of the ESPN-promoted (and profitable) X Games. American kids have flocked to those extreme activities. It's no shock to find the USA being dominant in those events, or that we still struggle in cross-country or curling.
Every four years, more of those extreme events have been added to the Olympic schedule, which is to the USA's good fortune. And they may bail out the country again this time, given the results to date. Scott Blackmun, the USOC chief executive officer, was asked at a pre-Games media session whether he thought the USA team could match its Vancouver performance. He repeated the answer he always gives.
"At every single games, we don't win some medals that we thought we might, and we lose some medals that we never thought we would have," Blackmun said. "These Games are no different."
Are we ahead or behind? If the USA is trying to be ahead, that's the most important thing. From what I see, the USA is trying. The rest is just a bonus, not worth the angst or anger. Sorry about that, Norway haters.
Contact Mark Purdy at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/MercPurdy.


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|Common Name:
|Brazilian Dwarf Blue Beauty
|Bertani, Santos, & Righi
|Year of Discovery:
|Tarantula World:
|New World
Their Natural Habitat:
|Discovered in the city of Diamantina, state of Mina Gerais, Brazil (Southeastern Brazil in the region of Sao Palo), this species is of tropical, but not rainforest origins. Its natural habitat is above 2900 feet elevation among rocky outcrops with little soil depth. The holotypes for this species were collected from rocky crevices or under stones at about 4,100 feet where they built silky tunnels.
|Please note that individuals can vary in temperament widely. This species is considered docile, but shy, flighty and fast. I have read reports of individuals that have attitude as well as ones that are very docile. Their flighty-ness and speed seem to be their dominant temperament trait. Much like Greenbottle Blue, these also are heavy webbers.
|Growth rate is quite fast with individuals maturing in 6 to 9 months! Adult females grow to 3 inches. Males are much smaller.
Experience Level:
|These are an intermediate level tarantula as they are shy, skittish, and fast. Otherwise, their care is apparently fairly straight forward and easy.
|While these are tropical spiders, they do well room temperatures. 76-82oF during the day, 68-72oF at night.
|I read above 50% humidity for their care. Their natural habitat has a range of humidity from 72% to 90%, so more humid than Greenbottle Blue in their care.
|As a smaller terrestrial species (dwarfs), these do well with smaller space. 2.5 to 5-gallon tanks should be adequate. A fall from even a short distance could be fatal, so keep the distance from the top of the enclosure to the substrate no more than 1.5 times the diagonal leg span of the spider. It is preferable to have these with more substrate than vertical space so they can burrow, and to prevent them from climbing and falling from heights in their tank.
|EcoEarth (coconut husk). You may make a mix of Vermiculite and Eco Earth (75/25). From my experience, peat moss does cultivate molds very easily, and thus would not be recommended for this species. Avoid any evergreen woods (Cypress, Reptile Bark) inside of the enclosure. Evergreen woods contain natural insecticidal oils that can harm your tarantula if exposed long enough. Molds can also be inhibited by allowing the substrate to dry out completely (just keep the water dish filled).
|Crickets, meal worms, wax worms, superworms, Blaptica dubia or Blatta lateralis roaches. Please do not offer wild caught prey, as it may contain pesticides (and potential parasites) which can harm or kill your tarantula. Also never feed your tarantula kingworms (giant mealworms) as these are mealworms that have been fed juvenile growth hormones to prevent them from maturing so they grow bigger. JGH are a common insecticide and would not be good for your invertebrate tarantula! (I received this from a personal conversation with a cricket/worm breeder near me). These are aggressive feeders, taking down prey as large as themselves.
|Make sure to offer a water bowl, the size should be half the size of the species. Do not use any sponges, cotton balls or paper towel (as these are breeding grounds for bacteria) or water crystals inside of water bowl, just clean water. Small rocks may be added. If possible, mount the bowl higher in the tank rather than sitting it on the floor. Clean the water bowl once a week or when you feel it is necessary. Crickets or roaches may end up dead in the water, in which case you should clean it right away. Spiderlings are too small to have a water bowl, misting one side of the enclosure wall 1-2 times a week, should be plenty enough. Your tarantula may often fill the dish with substrate, or even poop in it, but continue to provide clean water. Also I periodically wet the substrate, allowing that to dry out completely to prevent mold growth.
Maturity/ Longevity female:
|Females may take 6 months to a year to mature, and live for up to 15 years. Increasing factors such as temperature and feeding schedule can speed up these times.
Maturity male/ Tibial Apophysis:
|Yes, males may take 6 months to mature and live less than a year after maturing. Increasing factors such as temperature and feeding schedule can speed up these times.
Communal Setup:
|These are not considered communal. Do not attempt to house these together unless breeding a male and female, and then, keep a close eye on them as she may cannibalize him in the mating process.
Color Markings:
|Often described as a dwarf Greenbottle Blue, this gem is shinier and brighter than a GBB, with lighter blue legs and hairier, lighter green carapace. They have less red/orange on their abdomens than GBBs, but that is more a pinkish read. Under those red highlight hairs is a slick blue base. Truly a dazzling gem!
Special Note:
|Formerly Oligoxystre diamentineses, this is a new species to the hobby, having been in the hobby since around 2012. Having been described in 2009, it is difficult to find much established information on them. One paper online (http://www.icmbio.gov.br/parnaitatia...catti_2015.pdf), notes that this genus lacks urticating setae.
More can be read about this amazing species on our fan club page: http://www.tarantulasus.com/showthread.php/9960-Dolichothele-diamantinensis-Fan-Club
CITES List
|These do not appear to be on the CITES or CITES II lists. Thankfully, successful breeding programs in the hobby may preclude the need for collecting in the wild.
Disclaimer from TarantulaUS.com
|Handling tarantulas with potent venom is not advised or endorsed by this forum. In certain cases of envenomation, hospitalization has been required. Please use caution when dealing with these species.
|All rights reserved.Any and all images and information found on this site MAY NOT be used or distributed without permission from the moderators team.
Tags: blue, brazil, brazilian blue, breeding, burrower, care, caresheet, humidity, pocock, pterinopelma, purple, requirements, sazimai, sazimai's, spider, tarantula, temperament, temperature, venom