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Everyone meet Dayna:
She is my latest owl invention and she's going to help you learn how to make your very own upcycled owl plush today.
Materials needed:
- Page 1 of the pattern downloadable here
- Page 2 of the pattern downloadable here
- Various knit scraps (or felt if you prefer to make this owl in felt)
(I recommend using the knits from old baby clothes, blankets, sweaters, whatever you have around your house that isn't being put to good use anymore.)
- fibre fill or more scrap fabric to stuff the owl
- thread
- embroidery floss if you want to sew the pieces on by hand
Time Needed:
If you sew this owl by machine it takes about half an hour.
If you sew this owl by hand it takes slightly longer - about an hour
Skill Needed:
Super easy!
Step one:
Gather up all your knits and your pattern. Cut 2 owl bodies (on fold). Cut two wings, cut one owl belly (on fold), cut one eyes piece and two eyeballs. Cut one beak. Experiment with various materials to get the colours and combinations you like.
Step Two:
Sew the belly piece onto one of the body pieces along the top of the belly. You can either machine zig zag it across, or hand stitch with embroidery floss for a more patchwork look.
Step Three:
Sew wings onto the same body piece as the belly along the inner edge of the wings. Again either zig zag by machine or hand stitch.
Step Four:
Sew eyes piece and beak onto the middle of the owl face. Place eyes pieces and beak where desired and either zig zag or hand stitch in place.
Step Five:
Sew eye balls into place. I experimented a little with the placement of the eyeballs to give the owl a little character. Try pointing them upwards, or cross eyed.
Step Six:
With right sides together sew the back body piece to the front body pieces, making sure to leave a couple of inches hole at the bottom for turning and stuffing.
Step Seven:
Clip curves, turn the owl right side out and stuff with either fibre fill or scraps of fabric. Stitch the hole closed.
Easy Peasy isn't it?
And oh so cute!
When you're done, try out another combination of upcycled fabrics.
Or try them in felt!
**** Use can use the pattern in any way you feel like. That means you can make these owls as a gift, as a chew toy, for yourself, your cousin's best friend twice removed esquire or you can make them to sell. Because honestly, if you are even half decent a sewist, you can easily make this pattern for yourself. It's not rocket science people! Enjoy! ******
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Lil' Luna Link Party - Lil' Luna


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Choosing a CIO is an important and potentially divisive decision. Many companies prefer to promote an internal IT candidate, but it's not always possible. Tapping an outsider can bring fresh perspective and experience to the CIO's office, but it also can have a negative effect on companies' efforts to develop IT management talent internally.
"You couldn't find a more polarizing topic," says Jack Cullen, president of IT staffing specialist Modis, of the insider/outsider hiring debate.
Read Network World's other tech arguments.
IT COMPENSATION: Top CIOs take home seven-figure pay packages
In Cullen's experience, companies lean toward trying to hire from within. "In many cases, there's already a laid-out career path for people and a CIO's successor is being groomed," he says. "Often a CIO has a succession plan not only for himself but also for his leadership team."
Succession planning is critical, particularly since the average tenure of a CIO isn't terribly long. Management consulting firm Janco Associates reports that the median job tenure for a CIO is four years and two months.
Survey data from the Society for Information Management (SIM) finds greater longevity, but only recently. In 2012, CIOs said they've had their jobs for six years on average, up from 4.5 years in 2011 and 5.1 years in 2010. Over the last seven years, the average tenure of a CIO was 4.6 years, according to SIM.
Yet despite fairly predictable turnover, many CIO succession plans are inadequate. A majority of IT leaders haven't considered what will happen and who will fill their shoes if they're suddenly unable to work, according to Robert Half Technology.
More than three-quarters (79%) of CIOs polled by the technology staffing firm said they haven't identified a successor in the event they had to stop working unexpectedly. Just 20% of the 1,400 CIOs have a successor in place, and the remaining 1% are unsure.
That may be changing, however.
"As we've come out of the recession and as companies have started reinvesting in their HR departments, succession planning has become an important topic," Cullen says. "Loss of key talent costs companies lots of money. We're seeing much more attention at all levels being paid to succession planning."
The domino effect
Fairly predictable CIO turnover and a stronger focus on succession planning have inspired many companies to build a strong IT leadership bench.
"We know that CIOs move on, and that role becomes created again. In many cases, companies lay out a career path that they use to retain quality people," Cullen says.
There's a lot of upside to that approach and the loyalty it fosters. "Companies that can say they promote from within are typically companies that career-minded individuals want to work at," Cullen says. "If you make that hire from within, it helps you retain other key people."
On the flip side, there's a domino effect to consider. Passing over an internal candidate can put a company at risk not only of losing that candidate but also the team members who report to him or her.
Sometimes, it makes sense to look outside the organization. A company may not have confidence that an internal candidate is ready for the CIO job. Or a company may believe the IT organization needs a significant overhaul and a new leader to execute a new direction.
The decision to hire a CIO from outside the company could be fueled by another executive change: a new CEO. If a new CEO is brought in to make big changes at a company, that often means replacing other senior executives, including the CIO, Cullen says.
Regardless of whether a new CIO is chosen from within the ranks or outside, it's critical that companies maintain lines of communication with any internal candidates who were passed over for the job. Internal candidates need to understand what comes next and how to maintain their career trajectory.
"Those people want to know, 'Am I never going to get this? Or are there things I need to work on so that if this position opens up again, I have a shot?'" Cullen says. "There's got to be very clear conversations with an individual who's passed over. They're going to move on unless they see some other types of opportunities that make it worth staying."
Poor communication can lead to more turnovers -- which sometimes is just what new tech leadership intends. "Some companies want people to leave so they can completely change the entire department," Cullen says. "If that's not the case, then you have to pay attention to people who were interested in the opportunity but didn't get it."
Ann Bednarz covers IT careers, outsourcing and Internet culture for Network World. Follow Ann on Twitter at @annbednarz and check out her blog, Occupational Hazards. Her e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Application Deadline: Rite Hite
- All Day
- on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
- https://careers-bu-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php?s=jobs&mode=form&id=f1b3bf728dc81a090194960cc0d77d9c&ss=calendar
Position: Industrial Sales Representative Interview Date: February 14 Rite-Hite, the global leader in industrial loading dock safety, is seeking several entry level Sales Representatives for opportunities in the Northeastern US. The successful candidates will begin their Rite-Hite career with extensive (3-4 months) training at their world headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with travel and housing assistance provided during training. During this time, they will learn our products, their industry, and their customers. In addition, trainees will learn the industrial sales process, including prospecting, territory planning and management, negotiation, and account management strategies. Upon successful completion of training, they will be promoted to a territory management position in one of our offices in the Northeastern US. They are currently seeking people for offices from Washington, DC to Boston, Mass, with start dates in May and June. Apply below.


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** (out of four)
If subjected to a movie about a niche sport in a distant place, I'd admittedly much rather see "Ping Pong in Bora Bora" or "Jai Alai Atop Mount Everest."
Still, it's odd how clearly the characters in "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" recognize the inanity of the film's premise. "Who the hell cares?" asks Harriet (Emily Blunt) at one point about her efforts to work with Dr. Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor) in hopes of satisfying a sheikh's (Amr Waked) dream of introducing salmon to the desert so he can fish for them. Despite his desire to unite and feed people and blah blah blah, that's still a perverse dream—would anyone help if he wanted to place and then kill grizzly bears in the downtown area? Yet the movie from director Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat") and writer Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire") and based on Paul Torday's novel, tries to find uplift in place of creepiness.
Kristin Scott Thomas adds zest as the British prime minister's press secretary, and the charming Blunt and ever-vanilla McGregor establish a nice rapport until the movie, desperate to save itself from itself, forces them to consider being more than colleagues. Fred's already had it with his unhappy marriage, but Harriet's still wondering about her military boyfriend (Tom Mison) of three weeks who's missing in action. Romantic complications provide a welcome distraction from dry talk of fishing and the faith it takes to believe you'll catch a fish, but that doesn't mean the movie works any better.
"Salmon Fishing" is almost worth seeing simply for the jarring shifts in tone. Most of the time we're gliding along lightly until whoa! Did Fred just thwart an assassination attempt with his fishing line? OK, all's well now, the sun is out and people are smiling and hey! A faceless protester just snapped somebody's neck in an attempt to sabotage the sheikh's mission.
The tale might be fluffy beach reading, but it's weird when the beach is occasionally overrun with pirates.
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:30 a.m. on WCIU, the U
email@example.com. @mattpais


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Never far from her well-worn walking boots, Vanessa Harriss kicks up a fuss about the "pure, spontaneous, unpretentious magic" of an Irish walking festival
Walking holidays, yes. Guided walks, sure. Even holding a map upside-down and frowning at the sky, check. All of these are familiar territory for me. But walking festivals (a long weekend walking and talking with locals and fellow walkers, followed by evenings in the pub with these new friends)? That was a new for my boots. Even the thought of them had me checking my laces were tied.
It's hard to imagine a concept more suited to Ireland, with countryside wild enough to reward the walker yet easy enough to permit candid conversation. Chatting to strangers is a national pastime and the pubs are the envy of the world. Despite it being a natural progression, the concept has been in Ireland for less than 20 years.
But, oh, how it has mushroomed and there are now around 30 to 40 walking festivals across the whole island, varying in size but each catering to all levels of fitness.
The oldest, the Ballyhoura International Festival, based in Kilfinane in County Limerick, is the biggest. The idea, according to Jim Flynn from the Ballyhoura Bears Walking Club, came from a walk in 1994, which followed the Retreat of Gaelic Lord O'Sullivan Beare in 1602 as he passed through Ballyhoura.
"Local walkers invited other walking groups, and the idea of the festival was born. Now it stretches over the May bank holiday and attracts visitors from across the world. We had about six or seven hundred walkers from 26 countries this year," shrugs Jim Flynn, with a touch of pride.
A Christopher Somerville, author and walking correspondent for UK newspaper, The Times, is a big, big fan of the festival, calling it: "one of the showpieces of Irish walking", and acclaiming the Ballyhoura Bears for their "well-earned reputation for combining hiking and craic [fun] to delectable effect."
They must be doing something right: "I'd say half of the visitors have done the festival before," smiles Jim.
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Covering very different terrain for my walking boots, the Mourne International Walking Festival in June rustles up long walks, a high mountain route and low-level blanket bog. The sort of countryside "that's lovely on foot because you can see it. And you just can't appreciate it in a car," says Bernie Bogue of the Cooneen Ramblers in east Fermanagh.
Ian Reid from Cardiff has been stomping this festival for five years and says: "it's partly the splendour of the Mournes and the time of year that mark it out as something special, but it's also the other walkers. I'd give it 10 out of 10 for camaraderie and fun."
The West Cork version around Baltimore trumpets itself as the Walking Talking Festival, and it has its fans, too... from the other side of the world: Richard Tulloch, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, reports that his guide regaled them with "tales often funny, more often tragic, that are etched into this landscape," and when they stopped at a farm for home-made ice cream, the elderly farmer "unexpectedly burst into full-throated song," and sang the walkers a story of the famine. "Pure, spontaneous, unpretentious magic!"
Sounds about right. Now, where are my boots?
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Vanessa Harriss goes on her own spiritual journey climbing Croagh Patrick in the west of Ireland
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9,325 COLGAN members around the world
Stay informed about COLGAN Family online & offline events!
See our recent family gatherings
COLGAN Family HistoryRecorded in the spellings of Colgan, MacColgan, the short form McColgan, and originally O'Colgan, this is a Gaelic-Irish surname of great antiquity. It is true that it is now associated with Scotland but this is mainly because of the activities of the great Scottish runner Liz McColgan. The Irish ancestry is proven by the fact that the earliest recordings known of the surname refer to O'Colgan, as shown below, the O'Colgans being lords of a barony in Ulster. It would seem that around the 15th century there were two distinct septs of the clan, and the larger and more influential based upon County Offally were known as the MacColgans from the village of Kilcolgan, in duie course all accepted this splelling.
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IDK how famous my great great grandfather would be considered but he was a big deal in Atchinson, Kansas. He emigrated from County Offaly in 1843 according to U.S. Census records. Birth 5 Dec 1825 Kingston, County Offaly, Ireland Married Brigitta Langan 27 Jan 1858 Doniphan, Ireland and Died 13 Nov 1900 Shannon County, Atchison, Kansas, USA. He was one of the early settlers in Atchison, became County Treasurer, owned a very large farm and is subject of many Atchison Globe newspaper articles. He is in a local publication of founding fathers. I'm very proud of my Irish ancestry.
looking for any COLGAN Aghulusky Co Mayo. 65 Colgans recorded in the area all related re 1900
looking for Colgans of Aghlusky Co Mayo Ireland
(Part 1 of 3) The Colgan name has a long history in Ireland, but now DNA and some recorded history says its origin is from the north-west region of the Emerald Island. The Colgan story [dominated by DNA tribal marker R1b-L513, Subgroup D2] can trace their beginnings to the Finn Valley in Donegal, Ireland from 50 BCE. Perhaps the journey begins with the Clanna Dedad; Deda, son of Sen or Deda Mac Sin. The Colgan surname origin is from the Cenél Conaill [R1b-L513, Subgroup D] who found the Dál Fiatach.
(Part 2 of 3) A group will also found the Kingdom of Ercing in Wales as trade with Romans will become essential around 300 CE. But how could this be? Recent discoveries from DNA testing are unlocking the migration patterns of Celtic tribes as late as 800 CE to 1200 CE. The Colgan story begins in pre-history Ireland but this line and many of his kin will move to Wales, then travel to Brittany, France during the Dark Ages.
(Part 3 of 3) Discover their newly found untold story and how forgotten texts bring their story back to life. From the ebook, "The Tribe Within" learn how DNA unfolds this amazing tale and if you look in the right places, how history narrates this evidence. There is another written account of their story, but it is camouflaged in smoke and myth – it will become the tales of King Arthur. Come follow in the footsteps of Deda Mac Sin and visit https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/401207
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This Spring/Summer'20 collection is a juxtaposition of playful and high glamour in reformed shapes far from the classical approach. Patterned resin pieces are layered with diaphanous layers of fabric to create more depth against the intense tones of contrasting colours as well as a jewel-like transparency and clarity.
Inspired by the detailing in the art of draping illustrated in paintings from the 1850s by Edward Burne-Jones. The earrings are dotted with hand-poured resin and teardrop glass beads.
Length: 6.5cm
Weight: 23.4g per pair
Material: 18ct Gold Plating on 925 Sterling Silver, Resin, Glass Stone
Please note, Ejing Zhang resin pieces are hand made in London. Each piece we cut is completely unique and will vary slightly in pattern and colour, which adds its own character.
To care for your pieces, avoid exposure to perfumes, oils and household chemicals. Resin is a strong and durable materials, nevertheless should be treated as a ceramic as it can break if dropped or knocked against a hard surface. To keep your resin jewellery in good condition, simply wipe with a clean, dry cloth.
You can return unworn products purchased online within 14 days of your order date. All returns should be sent back to us in their original packaging and in their original condition. For more details, please see our Returns Policy.
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Term insurance is a cheaper and wiser way to get covered in case of death. The policy will charge you premiums for a certain period of time and the coverage is limited. Once the term has ended, so does the policy. Interested? Why not get affordable term insurance here? The term is renewable and it is advised that a person keeps this policy until such time when everything else that matters will be sufficiently covered by savings.
I just suddenly thought of sharing and I need to read more to understand better. :)


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The gay animal kingdomTHE EFFEMINATE SHEEP AND OTHER PROBLEMS WITHDARWINIAN SEXUAL SELECTION.From the JUN/JUL 2006 issue of Seed:Credit: Catherine LednerJoan Roughgarden thinks Charles Darwin made a terrible mistake. Not about natural selection—she's no bible-toting creationist—but about his other great theory of evolution: sexual selection. According to Roughgarden, sexual selection can't explain the homosexuality that's been documented in over 450 different vertebrate species. This means that same-sex sexuality—long disparaged as a quirk of human culture—is a normal, and probably necessary, fact of life. By neglecting all those gay animals, she says, Darwin misunderstood the basic nature of heterosexuality.Male big horn sheep live in what are often called "homosexual societies." They bond through genital licking and anal intercourse, which often ends in ejaculation. If a male sheep chooses to not have gay sex, it becomes a social outcast. Ironically, scientists call such straight-laced males "effeminate."Giraffes have all-male orgies. So do bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, gray whales, and West Indian manatees. Japanese macaques, on the other hand, are ardent lesbians; the females enthusiastically mount each other. Bonobos, one of our closest primate relatives, are similar, except that their lesbian sexual encounters occur every two hours. Male bonobos engage in "penis fencing," which leads, surprisingly enough, to ejaculation. They also give each other genital massages.As this list of activities suggests, having homosexual sex is the biological equivalent of apple pie: Everybody likes it. At last count, over 450 different vertebrate species could be beheaded in Saudi Arabia. You name it, there's a vertebrate out there that does it. Nevertheless, most biologists continue to regard homosexuality as a sexual outlier. According to evolutionary theory, being gay is little more than a maladaptive behavior.Joan Roughgarden, a professor of biology at Stanford University, wants to change that perception. After cataloging the wealth of homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom two years ago in her controversial book Evolution's Rainbow—and weathering critiques that, she says, stemmed largely from her being transgendered—Roughgarden has set about replacing Darwinian sexual selection with a new explanation of sex. For too long, she says, biology has neglected evidence that mating isn't only about multiplying. Sometimes, as in the case of all those gay sheep, dolphins and primates, animals have sex just for fun or to cement their social bonds. Homosexuality, Roughgarden says, is an essential part of biology, and can no longer be dismissed. By using the queer to untangle the straight, Roughgarden's theories have the potential to usher in a scientific sexual revolution.Darwin's theory of sex began with an observation about peacocks. For a man who liked to see the world in terms of functional adaptations, the tails of male peacocks seemed like a useless absurdity. Why would nature invest in such a baroque display of feathers? Did male peacocks want to be eaten by predators?Darwin's hypothesis was typically brilliant: The peacocks did it for the sake of reproduction. The male's fancy tail entranced the staid peahen. Darwin used this idea to explain the biological quirks that natural selection couldn't explain. If a trait wasn't in the service of survival, then it was probably in the service of seduction. Furthermore, the mechanics of sex helped explain why the genders were so different. Because eggs are expensive and sperm are cheap, "Males of almost all animals have stronger passions than females," Darwin wrote. "The female…with the rarest of exceptions is less eager than the male…she is coy." Darwin is telling the familiar Mars and Venus story: Men want sex while women want to cuddle. Females, by choosing who to bed, impose sexual selection onto the species.Darwin's theory of sex has been biological dogma ever since he postulated why peacocks flirt. His gendered view of life has become a centerpiece of evolution, one of his great scientific legacies. The culture wars over evolution and common descent notwithstanding, Darwin's theory of sexual selection has been thoroughly assimilated into mass culture. From sitcoms to beer ads, our coital "instincts" are constantly reaffirmed. Females are wary, and males are horny. Sex is this simple. Or is it?Indeed, biology now knows better. Nobody is hornier than a female macaque or bonobo (which mount the males because the males are too exhausted to continue the fornication). Peacocks are actually the exception, not the rule.Roughgarden first began thinking Darwin may have been in error after she attended the 1997 gay pride parade in San Francisco, where she had gone to walk alongside a float in support of transgendered people. Although she had lived her first 52 years as a man, Roughgarden was about to become a woman. The decision hadn't been easy. For one thing, she was worried about losing her job as a tenured professor of biology at Stanford. (The fear turned out to be unfounded.)After living for a year in Santa Barbara while undergoing the "physical aspects of the transition," Roughgarden returned to Stanford in the spring of 1999 and decided to write a book about the biology of sexual diversity. In particular, she wanted to answer the question that had first surfaced in her mind back in 1997. "When I was at that gay pride parade," Roughgarden remembers, "I was just stunned by the sheer magnitude of the LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] population. Because I'm a biologist, I started asking myself some difficult questions. My discipline teaches that homosexuality is some sort of anomaly. But if the purpose of sexual contact is just reproduction, as Darwin believed, then why do all these gay people exist? A lot of biologists assume that they are somehow defective, that some developmental error or environmental influence has misdirected their sexual orientation. If so, gay and lesbian people are a mistake that should have been corrected a long time ago. But this hasn't happened. That's when I had my epiphany. When scientific theory says something's wrong with so many people, perhaps the theory is wrong, not the people."Credit: Catherine LednerThe resulting book, Evolution's Rainbow, was an audacious attack on Darwin's theory of sexual selection. To make her case, Roughgarden filled the text with a staggering collection of animal perversities, from the penises of female spotted hyenas to the mènage à trois tactics of bluegill sunfish. As Roughgarden put it, "What's coming out [in the past 10-15 years] is to the rest of the species what the Kinsey Report was to humans."According to Roughgarden, classic sexual selection can't account for these strange carnal habits. After all, Darwin imagined sex as a relatively straightforward transaction. Males compete for females. Evolutionary success is defined by the quantity of offspring. Thus, any distractions from the business of making babies—distractions like homosexuality, masturbation, etc.—are precious wastes of fluids. You'd think by now, several hundred million years after sex began, nature would have done away with such inefficiencies, and males and females would only act to maximize rates of sexual reproduction. But the opposite has happened. Instead of copulation becoming more functional and straightforward, it has only gotten weirder as species have evolved—more sodomy and other frivolous pleasures that are useless for propagating the species. The more socially complex the animal, the more sexual "deviance" it exhibits. Look at primates: Compared to our closest relatives, contemporary, Westernized Homo sapiens are the staid ones.Despite this new evidence, sexual selection theory is still stuck in the 19th century. The Victorian peacock remains the standard bearer. But as far as Roughgarden is concerned, that's bad science: "The time has come to declare that sexual theory is indeed false and to stop shoe-horning one exception after another into a sexual selection framework…To do otherwise suggests that sexual selection theory is unfalsifiable, not subject to refutation."Roughgarden is an ambitious scientist. She believes it is impossible to comprehend the diversity of sexuality without disowning Darwin. Although she isn't the first biologist to condemn sexual selection—Darwin's theory has never been very popular with feminists—she is unusually vocal about cataloguing his empirical errors. "When I began, I didn't set out to criticize Darwin," she says. "But I quickly realized that most scientists are pretty dismissive about same-sex sexuality in vertebrates. They think these animals are just having fun or practicing. As long as scientists clung to this old dogma, homosexuality would always be this funny anomaly you didn't have to account for."Roughgarden's first order of business was proving that homosexuality isn't a maladaptive trait. At first glance, this seems like a futile endeavor. Being gay clearly makes individuals less likely to pass on their genes, a major biological faux pas. From the perspective of evolution, homosexual behavior has always been a genetic dead end, something that has to be explained away.But Roughgarden believes that biologists have it backwards. Given the pervasive presence of homosexuality throughout the animal kingdom, same-sex partnering must be an adaptive trait that's been carefully preserved by natural selection. As Roughgarden points out, "a 'common genetic disease' is a contradiction in terms, and homosexuality is three to four orders of magnitude more common than true genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease."So how might homosexuality be good for us? Any concept of sexual selection that emphasizes the selfish propagation of genes and sperm won't be able to account for the abundance of non-heterosexual sex. All those gay penguins and persons will remain inexplicable. However, if one looks at homosexuality from the perspective of a community, one can begin to see why nature might foster a variety of sexual interactions.According to Roughgarden, gayness is a necessary side effect of getting along. Homosexuality evolved in tandem with vertebrate societies, in which a motley group of individuals has to either live together or die alone. In fact, Roughgarden even argues that homosexuality is a defining feature of advanced animal communities, which require communal bonds in order to function. "The more complex and sophisticated a social system is," she writes, "the more likely it is to have homosexuality intermixed with heterosexuality."Japanese macaques, an old world primate, illustrate this principle perfectly. Macaque society revolves around females, who form intricate dominance hierarchies within a given group. Males are transient. To help maintain the necessary social networks, female macaques engage in rampant lesbianism. These friendly copulations, which can last up to four days, form the bedrock of macaque society, preventing unnecessary violence and aggression. Females that sleep together will even defend each other from the unwanted advances of male macaques. In fact, behavioral scientist Paul Vasey has found that females will choose to mate with another female, as opposed to a horny male, 92.5% of the time. While this lesbianism probably decreases reproductive success for macaques in the short term, in the long run it is clearly beneficial for the species, since it fosters social stability. "Same-sex sexuality is just another way of maintaining physical intimacy," Roughgarden says. "It's like grooming, except we have lots of pleasure neurons in our genitals. When animals exhibit homosexual behavior, they are just using their genitals for a socially significant purpose."Roughgarden is now using this model of homosexuality to reimagine heterosexuality. Her conclusions, published last February inScience, are predictably controversial. While Darwin saw males and females as locked in conflict, acting out the ancient battle of their gametes, Roughgarden describes sexual partners as a model of solidarity. "This whole view of the sexes as being at war is just so flawed from the start. First of all, there are all these empirical exceptions, like homosexuality. And then there's the logical inconsistency of it all. Why would a male ever jettison control of his evolutionary destiny? Why would he entrust females to serendipitously raise their shared young? The fact is, males and females are committed to cooperate."Consider the Eurasian oystercatcher, a shore bird that enjoys feasting on shellfish. A consistent minority of oystercatcher families are polygynous, in which a lucky male mates with two different females simultaneously. These threesomes come in two different flavors: aggressive and cooperative. In an aggressive threesome, the females are at war; they attack each other frequently, and try to disrupt the egg-laying process of their fellow spouse. So far, so Darwinian: Life is nasty, brutish and short. However, the cooperative threesome is everything Darwin didn't expect. These females share a nest, mate with each other several times a day, and preen their feathers together. It's domestic bliss.Credit: Catherine LednerIn Roughgarden's Science paper, she uses "cooperative game theory" to elucidate the diverse mating habits of the oystercatcher. Whereas Darwin held that conflict was the natural state of life (we are all Hobbesian bullies at heart), Roughgarden sees cooperation as our default position. This makes mathematical sense: The family that sleeps together has more offspring. Why, then, do oystercatcher females occasionally engage in all out war? According to Roughgarden, violence occurs when "social negotiations" break down. Although the birds really want to get along (who doesn't like being preened?), something goes awry. The end result is risky violence, in which one female or both will end the breeding season without an egg.The advantage of Roughgarden's new theory is that it can explain a wider spectrum of sexual behaviors than Darwinian sexual selection. Lesbian oystercatchers and gay mountain sheep? Their homosexuality is just a prelude to social cooperation, a pleasurable way of avoiding wanton conflict. But what about the peacock and all those other examples of sexual dimorphism? According to Roughgarden, "expensive, functionally useless badges like the peacock's tail…are admission tickets": they just get you in the door. If you don't have a ticket, you are ruthlessly denied breeding rights, like an uncool kid at the prom.Of course, most humans don't see sex as a way of maintaining the social contract. Our lust doesn't seem logical, especially when that logic involves the abstruse calculations of game theory. Furthermore, it's strange for most people to think of themselves as naturally bisexual. Being gay or straight seems to be an intrinsic and implacable part of our identity. Roughgarden disagrees. "In our culture, we assume that there is a straight-gay binary, and that you are either one or the other. But if you look at vertebrates, that just isn't the case. You will almost never find animals or primates that are exclusively gay. Other human cultures show the same thing." Since Roughgarden believes that the hetero/homo distinction is a purely cultural creation, and not a fact of biology, she thinks it is only a matter of time before we return to the standard primate model. "I'm convinced that in 50 years, the gay-straight dichotomy will dissolve. I think it just takes too much social energy to preserve. All this campy, flamboyant behavior: It's just such hard work."Despite Roughgarden's long list of peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals, most evolutionary biologists remain skeptical of her conclusions. For one thing, it's tough to measure the benefits of diversity—or lesbian pair bonding. It's even harder to imagine how traits that are good for the group get passed on by individuals. (As a result, group selection has largely been replaced by kin selection.) In the absence of anything conclusive, most scientists stick with Darwin and Dawkins.Other biologists think Roughgarden is exaggerating the importance of homosexuality. Invertebrate zoologist Stephen Shuster toldNature that Roughgarden "throws out a very healthy baby with some slightly soiled bathwater." And biologist Alison Jolly, in an otherwise positive review of Evolution's Rainbow for Science, conceded that Roughgarden ultimately fails in her ambition to "revolutionize current biological theories of sexual selection." As far as these mainstream biologists are concerned, Roughgarden's gay primates and transgendered fish are simply interesting sexual deviants, statistical outliers in a world that contains plenty of peacocks. As Paul Z. Myers, a biologist at the University of Minnesota, put it, "I think much of what Roughgarden says is very interesting. But I think she discounts many of the modifications that have been made to sexual selection since Darwin originally proposed it. So in that sense, her Darwin is a straw man. You don't have to dismiss the modern version of sexual selection in order to explain social bonding or homosexuality."Roughgarden remains defiant. "I think many scientists discount me because of who I am. They assume that I can't be objective, that I've got some bias or hidden LGBT agenda. But I'm just trying to understand the data. At this point, we have thousands of species that deviate from the standard account of Darwinian sexual selection. So we get all these special case exemptions, and we end up downplaying whatever facts don't fit. The theory is becoming Ptolemaic. It clearly has the trajectory of a hypothesis in trouble."Roughgarden's cataloging of sexual diversity has challenged a fundamental biological theory. If Darwinian sexual selection—whatever its current variant—is to survive, it must adapt to this new data and come up with convincing explanations for why a host of animals just aren't like peacocks.http://seedmagazine.com/content/print/the_gay_animal_kingdom/
The Gay Animal Kingdom
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Wednesday, 24 November 2010#1
The Gay Animal Kingdom
Πέμ, 25/11/2010 - 19:23#2
... αν και λίγο μακροσκελές, αλλά έχει πολλά χρήσιμα στοιχεία!
Ευχαριστούμε για την ανάρτηση


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NEW YORK, N.Y. - U.S. health officials are warning Americans not to travel to the three African countries hit by an outbreak of Ebola.
The travel advisory issued Thursday applies to non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 700 people since March.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the risk of the deadly disease coming to the United States remains small.
The agency sent about two dozen staffers to West Africa to help try to control the outbreak there. Officials announced Thursday they will send 50 more in the next month.
The last time the CDC issued such a warning during a disease outbreak was in 2003 because of SARS in Asia.


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text: Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Distaso) Castellani and Chalmers (ATCC® 29148™) Click here to learn about our Enhanced Authentication Initiative Strain Designations: VPI 5482 [CIP 104206T, E50, NCTC 10582] / Type Strain: yes / Biosafety Level: 2 General Information Characteristics Culture Method History Documentation Print Email Share Share this product Facebook Twitter Google+ Permits and Restrictions View Permits Verified By Whole-genome Sequencing Strain Designations VPI 5482 [CIP 104206T, E50, NCTC 10582] Isolation Feces, human Biosafety Level 2 Biosafety classification is based on U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their facilities comply with biosafety regulations for their own country. Product Format freeze-dried Storage Conditions Frozen: -80°C or colderFreeze-Dried: 2°C to 8°CLive Culture: See Propagation Section Preceptrol® no Genome Sequenced Strain Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482, complete genome. Type Strain yes Comments Outer membranesGenome sequenced strain Medium ATCC® Medium 1490: Modified chopped meat medium ATCC® Medium 260: Trypticase soy agar/broth with defibrinated sheep blood Growth Conditions Temperature: 37°C Atmosphere: Anaerobic Name of Depositor EP Cato Chain of Custody ATCC <-- EP Cato <-- H Werner E50 Isolation Feces, human References Cato EP, Johnson JL. Reinstatement of species rank for Bacteroides fragilis, B. ovatus, B. distasonis, B. thetaiotaomicron, and B. vulgatus: Designation of neotype strains for Bacteroides fragilis (Veillon and Zuber) Castellani and Chalmers and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Distaso) Castellani and Chalmers. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 26: 230-237, 1976. Kotarski SF, Salyers AA. Isolation and characterization of outer membranes of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron grown on different carbohydrates. J. Bacteriol. 158: 102-109, 1984. PubMed: 6715279 Wang RF, et al. PCR detection and quantitiation of predominant anaerobic bacteria in human and animal fecal samples. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62: 1242-1247, 1996. PubMed: 8919784 Skerman VB, et al. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 30: 225-420, 1980. Cross References Nucleotide (GenBank) : M58763 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 16S ribosomal RNA. Nucleotide (GenBank) : L16489 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (ATCC 29148) 16S ribosomal RNA. Nucleotide (GenBank) : AE015928 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482, complete genome. Permits These permits may be required for shipping this product: Customers located in the state of Hawaii will need to contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to determine if an Import Permit is required. A copy of the permit or documentation that a permit is not required must be sent to ATCC in advance of shipment. Basic Documentation Product Sheet Certificate of Analysis SDS FAQs Accessing genome sequencing dataDate Updated: 9/30/2019 Criteria for reference quality genomesDate Updated: 9/30/2019


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BEIJING, China – Chinese authorities have sentenced more than 1,400 people to prison terms of at least five years for involvement in underground lending in a crackdown on a financing practice widely used by China's entrepreneurs, a police official said Friday.
The 1,449 people imprisoned were among a total of 4,170 people convicted since 2011 of violating rules on loans outside the state-run banking system, said Du Jinfu, a Public Security Ministry official in charge of a task force on underground lending. He said the rest received lesser penalties.
Entrepreneurs who generate China's new jobs and wealth are largely shut out of lending by government banks and rely heavily on informal lending by individuals. Loans are arranged by middlemen who are paid a fee and borrowers pay interest of 70 per cent a year or more.
People netted in the crackdown were convicted of violations including public advertising to find lenders and promising excessively high rates of return, Du said at a news conference. He gave no details.
Legal experts say loans between individuals are legal and the government has failed to make clear what lenders and borrowers are allowed to do.
"The distinction between illegal fundraising and private lending still remains unclear," said the Dui Hua Foundation, a San Francisco-based group that researches China's justice system, in a report in February.
The crackdown threatens to crimp credit to entrepreneurs who the World Bank and other advisers say the government should be encouraging in order to keep China's economic growth strong.
Communist leaders have promised more bank lending to the private sector but entrepreneurs say they still have trouble getting loans.
Du, the police official, did not explain whether the people punished in the crackdown were the final borrowers or middlemen who arranged loans for a fee, a common practice.
In a high-profile case, an entrepreneur from the southeastern city of Wenzhou, Wu Ying, was sentenced to death last year for "illegal fundraising" though details were not disclosed. The 31-year-old woman, whose business success had been celebrated by state media, was convicted of improperly raising 770 million yuan ($120 million) from investors in 2005-07.
China's supreme court overturned Wu's death sentence following an outcry on the Internet over the severity of the penalty. She was re-sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which usually is commuted to a long prison term.
According to an explanation on the supreme court website, charges of "illegal fundraising" can be applied to an individual who receives more than 200,000 yuan ($32,000) of informal loans or causes losses to lenders of 100,000 yuan ($16,000). Enterprises can face charges if they receive 1 million yuan ($160,000) or causes losses of 2.5 million yuan ($400,000).
The underground credit market is estimated by China's central bank and private sector analysts at 2 to 4 trillion yuan ($325 to $650 billion), or as much as 7 per cent of total lending. In some areas, informal lending exceeds that of official banks.
In 2011, only 19 per cent of bank lending went to small businesses, while total loans fell 6 per cent from 2010, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Many households provide money for private lending in an effort to get a better return than the low deposit rates paid by Chinese banks, which effectively force depositors to subsidize low-interest loans to state industry.
Protests erupted in 2011 and early 2012 in cities and towns throughout central China and along the southeast coast, areas with large concentrations of small private businesses, after the downturn in global trade triggered a wave of defaults. Schoolteachers, retirees and others who had lent to entrepreneurs demanded authorities get back their money.
Regulators also worried banks and state companies had gotten involved in underground lending, exposing the official financial system to unreported risks.
The Cabinet announced a pilot effort last year in Wenzhou to test more closely regulated private lending.
"The greatest significance of Wu Ying's case is the way it has sped up the pace of reform of private financing," said the Dui Hua Foundation. "There will probably be many more 'Wu Yings' in the future, but no one hopes to see any more 'Wu Ying cases.' "


text: We carry a wide selection of powered bath lifts for your safety and convenience. All models are fully automatic, and work by simply pressing a button. Press the DOWN button and the lift will lower you gently into the bath. Once lowered, reclining models will start to recline. You can then select the most comfortable bathing position at the touch of a button. Press the UP button and the lift will raise you back up to exit the tub. Installation takes only seconds and the lifts are fully transportable.


text:
Cantor: Obama's only answer to sequestration is tax increases
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Sunday slammed President Barack Obama's call for tax increases to delay tens of billions of dollars of spending cuts under sequestration that kick in on March 1.
"The problem is every time you turn around, the answer is to raise taxes," Cantor said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "He just got his tax hike on the wealthy. And you can't in this town every three months raise taxes. Again, every time, that's his response."
"We've got a spending problem, everybody knows it," he said. "The House has put forward an alternative plan, and there's been no response in any serious way from the [Democratic-controlled] Senate and the White House. And it's time, we've really got to do it."
During his Saturday Internet address, Obama said the Republican sequester-replacement plan would fall unfairly on seniors and the middle class. Some House GOP defense hawks have also suggested they would back tax increases to fully fund the Pentagon budget.
Cantor, though, dismissed Obama's claim as one-sided. The Virginia Republican, whose state would be hit hard by defense cuts, said tax reform must not increase tax rates.
"The bottom line is we want tax reform, but we want to plug those loopholes that the president talks about, to bring down tax rates because we believe that's pro-growth and we can get [the] economy growing again, let people who earn the money keep more of it," Cantor said. "The president's not talking about that. He's talking about raising more taxes to spend."


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You must be the zone administrator and have the Zone Management profile to perform this procedure. This procedure uses the newfs command, which is described in the newfs(1M) man page.
Become superuser, or have the Zone Management rights profile in your list of profiles.
In the zone my-zone, create a new file system on the disk.
my-zone# newfs /dev/lofi/1
Respond yes at the prompt.
newfs: construct a new file system /dev/rlofi/1: (y/n)? y
You will see a display that is similar to this:
/dev/rlofi/1: 20468 sectors in 34 cylinders of 1 tracks, 602 sectors 10.0MB in 3 cyl groups (16 c/g, 4.70MB/g, 2240 i/g) super-block backups (for fsck -F ufs -o b=#) at: 32, 9664, 19296,
Check the file system for errors.
my-zone# fsck -F ufs /dev/rlofi/1
You will see a display that is similar to this:
** /dev/rlofi/1 ** Last Mounted on ** Phase 1 - Check Blocks and Sizes ** Phase 2 - Check Pathnames ** Phase 3 - Check Connectivity ** Phase 4 - Check Reference Counts ** Phase 5 - Check Cyl groups 2 files, 9 used, 9320 free (16 frags, 1163 blocks, 0.2% fragmentation)
Mount the file system.
my-zone# mount -F ufs /dev/lofi/1 /mnt
Verify the mount.
my-zone# grep /mnt /etc/mnttab
You will see a display similar to this:
/dev/lofi/1 /mnt ufs rw,suid,intr,largefiles,xattr,onerror=panic,zone=foo,dev=24c0001 1073503869


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The YouTube Video Quality Report, which launched in Canada a few months ago, became available in the United States today. There's good news for Comcast and Verizon and bad news for AT&T.
Similar to Netflix's speed rankings, the YouTube reports will serve to shame ISPs that provide poor quality, while bolstering the reputation of those that deliver high-definition, uninterrupted streaming video. One Google executive said this month that a good report can help ISPs "upsell" customers to pricier Internet services.
The report provides a "YouTube HD Verified" label to ISPs that delivered video at at least 2.5Mbps for 90 percent of streams in the previous 30 days. This ensures quality of at least 720p without buffering or interruptions, Google says. SD ratings indicate typical quality of 360p with throughput of 0.7 to 2.5Mbps. There's also a "lower definition" classification, with Google noting, "If videos load slowly or frequently buffer, even at resolutions lower than 360p, your provider is delivering Lower Definition performance."
I searched the tool for the top ten cities in the US by population (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, and San Jose.). AT&T wasn't able to get an HD Verified rating in any of them, even with its U-verse fiber-to-the-node product. AT&T U-verse got SD ratings in each of the seven cities where it was rated.
(Update and correction: While Google's tool purported to measure AT&T in all of the top ten cities, AT&T pointed out to Ars that it does not offer consumer Internet service in New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. We're asking Google about the rankings for those cities, but obviously this isn't very reassuring about the quality of Google's research. Google seems to be measuring something other than AT&T's U-verse network in New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix, but it's not clear what. In the other seven cities, Google's tool claims to measure AT&T U-verse.)
AT&T did get an HD rating in the 11th biggest US city, Austin, Texas, where it's been upgrading infrastructure to prepare for the arrival of Google Fiber. AT&T is starting to hop on the fiber-to-the-home bandwagon, which should help it improve video quality elsewhere too.
I was able to search the quality reports for about 20 minutes, but then it stopped working. Google said it's having "a little roll-out bugginess," so you might not be able to view results immediately. A Google spokesperson assured me that the results the tool provided while it was working are accurate, although they could "change several times per month, as we're working to get it as real-time as possible." (UPDATE: It's working again.)
Comcast got the HD rating in all the top cities it was rated in: Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and San Jose. Verizon had a mix of HD and SD ratings, with FiOS fiber-to-the-home generally providing better quality than Verizon's DSL service. Verizon got HD ratings in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, Dallas, and San Jose—even though it doesn't have FiOS in Chicago, San Diego, and San Jose. Verizon DSL got only SD ratings in some cities, including New York and Los Angeles.
Comcast isn't HD-verified everywhere. For example, it only got an SD rating in Boston. Verizon DSL was rated as standard definition in Boston, while RCN and Verizon FiOS got HD ratings.
RCN fared well, also achieving HD ratings in New York and Chicago.
Time Warner Cable, which Comcast is attempting to acquire, got SD ratings in New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Dallas. TWC was rated as HD Verified in San Diego.
Cablevision, which got an HD rating in New York, was the only ISP to be quoted in Google's announcement. "Cablevision is committed to delivering the highest-quality Internet to our customers, and we are glad to be working with Google on the Google Video Quality Report, which gives consumers greater transparency into the performance of their Internet service," the company said. "This report ensures that Optimum Online customers will know that they're getting an exceptional YouTube experience, and we welcome these results."
Cablevision also works closely with Netflix, as a member of the video provider's content delivery network.
Google and Netflix have each argued in favor of settlement-free peering, urging ISPs to give content providers free connections to their networks to ensure better quality.
Google does have direct connections to AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon, suggesting that the quality differences have more to do with the providers' last-mile networks.


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text:
Rotem Sivan on Xenon boards
Rotem Sivan 25-year old rider who lives in Tel Aviv, currently holds the title of a 2012 Israeli champion in freestyle. He rocks both in straps and in boots but surely enjoys cable wake as well. All the freestyle youngsters around look up to him as he is already a local legend in freestyle with a lot of radical, super-powered moves.
Welcome to the Xenon boards team Rotem!


text:
Black Friday
discounts up to
Roald Dahl, (born September 13, 1916, Llandaff, Wales--died November 23, 1990, Oxford, England), British writer, a popular author of ingenious, irreverent children's books.
Following his graduation from Repton, a renowned British public school, in 1932, Dahl avoided a university education and joined an expedition to Newfoundland. He worked from 1937 to 1939 in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika (now in Tanzania), but he enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) when World War II broke out. Flying as a fighter pilot, he was seriously injured in a crash landing in Libya. He served with his squadron in Greece and then in Syria before doing a stint (1942-43) as assistant air attache in Washington, D.C. (during which time he also served as a spy for the British government). There the novelist C.S. Forester encouraged him to write about his most exciting RAF adventures, which were published by the Saturday Evening Post.
Dahl's first book, The Gremlins (1943), was written for Walt Disney but was largely unsuccessful. His service in the RAF influenced his first story collection, Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946), a series of military tales that was warmly received by critics but did not sell well. He achieved best-seller status with Someone like You (1953; rev. ed. 1961), a collection of macabre stories for adults, which was followed by Kiss, Kiss (1959), which focused on stormy romantic relationships.
Dahl then turned primarily to writing the children's books that would give him lasting fame. Unlike most other books aimed at a young audience, Dahl's works had a darkly comic nature, frequently including gruesome violence and death. His villains were often malevolent adults who imperiled precocious and noble child protagonists. James and the Giant Peach (1961; film 1996), written for his own children, was a popular success, as was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), which was made into the films Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). His other works for young readers include Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970; film 2009), Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972), The Enormous Crocodile (1978), The BFG (1982; films 1989 and 2016), and The Witches (1983; film 1990). One of his last such books, Matilda (1988), was adapted as a film (1996) and as a stage musical (2010).
Dahl also wrote several scripts for movies, among them You Only Live Twice (1967) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). His autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood, was published in 1984.
Amazon link: Roald Dahl


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Grain biggest trading hub in the Middle East, that can cater to 2.4 Billion people.
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Call our events team on 01592 583255 or email firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Former congressional candidate Jennifer Horn running for NH GOP chair
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) � Former congressional candidate Jennifer Horn is running to be the next chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.
Horn, of Nashua, was the 2008 GOP nominee in the 2nd Congressional District before losing to Democrat Paul Hodes.
Republicans are meeting Jan. 26 to elect new leaders. Horn says she has the backing of U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Reps. Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta.
The latter two were defeated in this month's elections, which saw Democrats claim the governor's office, both Congressional seats and a majority in the state House of Representatives.
Current Chairman Wayne MacDonald said Tuesday he will not seek a full term. He was appointed last year after former chairman Jack Kimball resigned just as he was about to be forced out.


text:
WESTFORD, Mass., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cynosure, Inc. (Nasdaq: CYNO), a leading developer and manufacturer of a broad array of light-based aesthetic treatment systems, today announced that the company will host its first-quarter 2008 conference call on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
On the call, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Davin and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Timothy Baker will discuss Cynosure's first-quarter financial results, as well as the company's business outlook and growth strategy.
Those who wish to listen to the conference call webcast should visit the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website at http://www.cynosure.com. The live call also can be accessed by dialing (877) 407-5790 or (201) 689-8328. If you are unable to listen to the live call, the webcast will be archived on the company's website.
About Cynosure, Inc.
Cynosure, Inc. develops and markets aesthetic treatment systems that are used by physicians and other practitioners to perform non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures to remove hair, treat vascular lesions, rejuvenate skin through the treatment of shallow vascular and pigmented lesions, laser lipolysis and temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite. Cynosure's products include a broad range of laser and other light-based energy sources, including Alexandrite, pulsed dye, Nd:YAG and diode lasers, as well as intense pulsed light. Cynosure was founded in 1991.
For corporate or product information, contact Cynosure at 800-886-2966, or visit http://www.cynosure.com.
SOURCE Cynosure, Inc.


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If you want to survive in the game of sports betting, Soccer Betting Advice in Best then you have to use effective money management. I recommend that you follow these guidelines at all times.
- Only invest what you can realistically afford to lose. Sport Prediction Today you have to remember that you really do not need to start with al a lot of money. I got started with only $100 dollars and I followed the system and my money has doubled over and over again over the course of years.
- Do not make your initial bet too high. Only invest 5% of your total bankroll for a flat betting system (in which you bet the same amount each time) and no more than 2% for a progressive system. You need to be patient here and allow your systems to do their slow and steady work.
- Increase your initial bets when your bankroll has increased by 25%. This will increase your earning power, Soccer Betting Advice just remember to stick to the suggested percentages in #2.
- Remember to Diversify your portfolio. If you have a total bankroll of $1000 and 4 systems that you would like to use, then each system should be allotted $250 and you have to keep those amounts separate.
You have to be disciplined in your use of your systems and in your money management strategy. It can be difficult especially you are doing exceptionally well or if you are losing badly. You may be tempted to deviate from the systems or the money management guidelines in either of those situations. But do not, Goal Predictions Today just remain diligent and the rewards are sure to follow.
Soccer Betting Advice in Best?
This is the third instalment in a series of articles on profitable betting through sensible money management. So far, I have discussed the importance of getting value when you bet, to maximise the returns you achieve when your selections win. In the most recent article you should have learned to keep your stakes in proportion to the size of your betting bank.
Today I want to examine a common mistake that often gets punters into serious trouble – chasing your losses.
I don't think there can be many of us who have not at some time, decided to get back what we just lost by betting a little bigger on the next race. It is sometimes known as progressive staking.
Let's take a simple scenario: you bet £10 on Red Rum, and he loses. What do you do? Perhaps you continue with your selection methods and come up with another pick in the next race – Best Mate. The price is 6/4F
But, rather than putting another £10 bet on Best Mate, you decide to 'chase' your loss from the last race. You add another £7 to your stake so that when Best Mate wins you will pick up an extra £10.50 to recover the bet you lost on Red Rum. Good plan? Could be, after all Best Mate is a sure fire winner, right? May be. May be not!
What happens if Best Mate loses? You are now £27 'in the hole'. But you still have a plan. Your next selection is a dead cert winner at Even money. You place your usual £10 stake plus an extra £27 to cover your losses so far. No need to worry. When this one comes in, you will have re-couped your losses and have a £10 profit to show as well.
Let's take a step back here. You are staking £37 to win a £10 profit. Think about it – you are effectively getting odds of only around 1 to 4 odds-on about a horse that is Even money in the market. That is terrible value!
You may escape this time and your horse may well win. But what if, heaven forbid, your red-hot even money favourite fails to win? After just three bets, you are down to the tune of £64 when your normal stake is just a tenner!
Long losing runs do occur, more frequently than you might think, and even with short-priced selections.
If you spent a day in a casino at the roulette tables, and analysed how many times you witnessed a run of 7 or 8 consecutive 'red' numbers, I would not be at all surprised if you saw this happen four or five times – in a single day. Here we have pretty much a 50/50 bet, even money, that the roulette ball will land in either a red or a black slot. Yet I was amazed to learn that the longest run of the same colour (reported) was THIRTY-NINE consecutive reds!!
Imagine if you were betting on black, and saying to yourself each time "no worries, it's got to be black next time…. Surely?"
But let's go back to the more common occurrence of a losing run of 7 even money bets. We will be betting on the red.
We place a £1 bet on the first spin. It's black. We chase our loss by 'doubling up' and next bet £2. If we were to carry on in this manner, after 6 spins we would be betting £64 to win our original £1
I sincerely hope my point is getting across. By chasing your losses you can very quickly see your stakes climbing to preposterous levels, to win your original, relatively small stake. The risk is way out of proportion compared to the potential reward.
One last example to really ram the point home. The Racing Post runs a tipster competition. All the leading racing journalists are involved, representing the nation's newspapers and horse racing publications. These are experts at tipping horses. Take a look at the results table any day, and see for yourself the longest losing run. Remember, these are the experts.
I looked today, and Racing Post PostData has suffered this season a losing run of twenty-seven. Twenty-seven consecutive losers from an expert tipster! And believe me, he is not on his own, just the worst offender this season so far.
There is an old saying – "Don't throw good money after bad". If your selections don't make a profit from simple level stakes betting, don't try and make them profitable by throwing more money at them. You may survive with a profit for a while, but this approach is a disaster waiting to happen. Sooner or later you WILL blow your entire bank chasing a disproportionately small profit.
If your selections don't make a profit from simple level stakes betting, change your system.
Betting On Horse Racing ~ Sensible Money Management (Part 2)
In a previous article I jokingly suggested I had put all my assets – my savings, the deeds to the farm, my kids' Trust fund, and the proceeds from selling one of my kidneys – on a horse at Newbury. I showed this was potentially financial suicide, and an extreme example of bad money management.
I wrote that more often than not a losing punter will find himself saddled with a bunch of bad betting habits. It is these bad habits that have gotten him, and his betting bank, to where his is now – the Poor House.
To arrive at a change in fortune, and to start making consistent profits, the losing punter has to be prepared to make changes to the way in which he bets. In the previous article we talked about the cornerstone supporting my own personal betting strategy, and that is finding value in every bet you make.
You will only ever make a profit from betting if you consistently back horses at prices too high when compared to their actual chance of winning. This is exactly how bookmakers have made their money for generations – they consistently lay horses at prices too low compared to the actual chance of the horse winning. When punters continue to take these low prices day-in and day-out, it will only ever be the bookmakers who come out with a profit in the long run.
The second 'bad habit' I want to examine is the subject of inappropriate staking. What do I mean by staking that is not appropriate? Well, what I am driving at is placing bets that are generally too large in proportion to the size of your betting bank.
Before I expand upon this, the concept of a betting bank is a side-issue in itself. You categorically MUST have a sum of money put aside for the sole purpose of betting. It scares me rigid when I hear of people simply 'dipping' into their current account to place a bet using their debit card.
If you do not have a separate account for your betting activities, you cannot keep records, and you will not be able to answer that simple question, "Am I making a profit, or a loss?"
It goes without saying, that betting involves a degree of risk, and you should never bet with money you cannot afford to lose.
Getting back to inappropriate staking, the idea of lumping all your money on one horse is an extreme example of over-staking. Of course, on the one occasion this strategy may pay off. We had friends round a few nights ago to play one of those Race Night DVDs. I was comfortably in front by studying the form before each race, and placing considered bets at what I considered to be value prices. As you might imagine, I had a suitably smug expression on my face as we came to the last race, and our friends were complaining I enjoyed a 'professional advantage'.
My wife then decided to put every penny she had left on an 8/1 chance. The race turned out to be the 'lucky last' for my wife, and she walked away with the whole bank!
But seriously, continue with these tactics, and it will not be long before you lose everything.
Personally, I would never consider starting any betting campaign with a bankroll of less than 100 points. In other words, I will divide my bank by 100 to arrive at my unit stake. You can see that I will only ever be putting 1% of my bank at risk when I place a bet.
This is a very generalised approach, and you might argue that a little more consideration should be given to a punter's typical strike rate. True, if someone has a strike rate of 50% then it is statistically highly unlikely that he will suffer a run of 100 losers to go bust. So, in this case you might be justified in operating a smaller bank. Bear in mind that when flipping a coin, it is by no means unusual to see 6 or 7 'heads' in succession, and losing runs in double figures do occur.
Erring on the side of caution, you could foresee two such losing runs occurring twice in close succession. In which case, I hope you can see that even when considering a system which such a high strike rate, having a bank of well over 20 points now seems very sensible.
With my own Redd Racing betting service, we enjoy what I would consider to be quite a healthy strike rate. However, we have experienced a negative swing of some 60 points during one particular month a couple years back. The account recovered to make a profit by the end of the month, but it underlined the importance of having a bankroll large enough to absorb the losing runs that EVERYBODY has to endure from time to time.
Indeed, it would probably be better advice if I suggested members of my service had a bankroll of 150 or even 200 points in reserve.
Yet I often receive emails asking me whether it is OK to deposit £100 with Betfair and start with unit stakes of £10.
Betting with stakes too high in proportion to your bank normally comes out of a desire to make money quickly. I think we are all guilty of getting overly greedy sometimes, and unwilling to think a little more long-term. People are inclined to set themselves unrealistic profit targets, given the size of their betting bankroll. Having a bank of £100 and expecting to be able to make £100 per month is not realistic. Get-rich-quick does not exist.
Akin to the Tortoise and Hare story, let me give you an example of where what might initially seem like a very moderate return, actually gives surprising results over time.
If you started with £100 in your betting bank, and increased this bank by just one-half of one per cent every day, after just 6 months your account would have a balance of £244 due to the compounding effect. You could more than double your investment in 6 months with this seemingly small daily profit return. Take that to your bank or building society and see if they can come anywhere near such a deal!
Hopefully this demonstrates how 'slowly but surely' wins the race.
To summarize, my advice would be to set your unit stakes at one per cent, or even one half of one per cent, of your total betting bank. By striking only value bets, and when the odds are in your favour, your betting bank will grow. As your bank grows, so you can naturally increase the size of your unit stake to make more profit – but your bets will still be in proportion to your bank.
In the next part of this Sensible Money Management series, I will look at more bad habits that suck money from the accounts of losing punters.


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It happened early on in my reporting life. We had the governor in for an editorial board meeting. We were questioning him, and he was being evasive on a particular issue. So, I pressed the governor – pressed him hard.
I cut him off in his evasive responses, interrupted him repeatedly, ultimately boxed him into a corner, got a candid answer and felt pretty pleased with myself. When the governor left, the editor of the newspaper, a very smart and extremely tough guy named John McMullan, took me aside.
"The answer you got to that question is the lead of the story," he told me, "and good for you. But you need to learn how to be more respectful – not necessarily of the man, but of the office. You need to learn how to do the same thing you did, but with a smile and with more delicacy. He is the governor, after all."
At age 25, I learned a good lesson that day. It apparently was a lesson that Mitt Romney, a 65-year-old corporate executive used to pushing people around, never learned. In his debate last night with President Obama, Romney was too often rude and not sufficiently respectful of the office. He was right to press Obama. He was wrong to do it by trying to talk over him, by cutting him off and by behaving in a contemptuous manner toward him.
In the vice presidential debate, Joe Biden was faulted for ridiculing Paul Ryan. Last night, Mitt Romney sneered openly at the President of the United States and did everything he could think of to bully him.
Neither guy in last night's second presidential debate offered a clear vision of the future – of what they would do to stimulate this wheezing economy. Maybe that's because nobody worldwide has come up with a good idea on how to speed up this slow, agonizing economic recovery. Neither guy had good answers on any number of points. It was obvious that they dislike one another personally. It was obvious that each guy was determined to dominate the event.
Who won? Obama won last night's event on Long Island not so much on content but on the basis of style. The Republican base surely loved watching Romney diss Barack Obama, whom they hate so intensely, but Romney already has the votes of that crowd. He now needs the undecided moderates, who aren't motivated by that sort of hatred.
My guess is that the final post-debate polls, like the flash ones we're seeing today, will show that Romney didn't get us with those tactics. My guess also is that he hurt himself with women by trying so cavalierly to roll over CNN's Candy Crowley, the moderator.
The questions from that crowd of supposedly undecided voters generally were slow pitches, as is usually the case in these town hall formats. That's why debates like this are of only limited utility in trying to determine who to vote for. Nobody asked either guy why he won't work to break up the big banks that brought down our economy. Nobody asked either guy specifically what he would do if Iran refuses to back down on building its nuclear bomb.
Nobody pointed out the one major reason gas prices are skyrocketing is that this country uses 22 per cent of the world's oil every year while we have less than 2 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves. We produce about 9 per cent of the world's oil annually because we're good at sucking it out of the ground, but we're only 4.5 per cent of the world's population. That's why we must develop renewable sources of energy. Nobody dealt with that in any serious way or with how to preserve Social Security or Medicare over the long haul.
Debates like this do, however, give you some sense of the personal style of these guys – how they view certain matters, how they think them through, how they respond to challenges to both to their authority and opinions. It's always tougher for the challenger because of the respect and deference due the office of President. Romney's challenge last night was to make his points and to do it like a gentleman.
He failed that test. Early polls indicate that cost him.


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All of our DJs have found their home at our station within a department that best fits their music tastes, but where would they be if that department wasn't available to them? This DJ survey asks our students where they would be if they had to move to a new department in WCDB.
Enzo: If I had to be in a different department for WCDB, I would most definitely be in the hip-hop department. As much as I love my loud guitars and crazy drum fills, I really love me some clever rap lines over a classic boombat beat. Artists like MF Doom, NAS, Joey Bada$$, Capital STEEZ, Common, Tyler the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt are always playing on my musical devices. Maybe some time in the future I'll cover a hiphop show or something. I'd be really excited to do so!
Rich: I would join either Hip-hop or electronic since a lot of my shows feature tracks that incorporate elements from both and I would eventually like to explore both genres more deeply.
Martin: I'm not too sure… I've started to embrace alternative rock a bit more so I guess I would probably be in that department.
Kyle: I'd head to my second love in the Sports department. I know a good amount about the NFL, NBA and NCAAB and do a good job of staying unbiased if talking about them. I've done some halftime sports coverage on CDB before during our homecoming and NCAA tournament game coverage, but I don't know if I'd be prepared to do a full show on the topic.
Robby: If I was in a different department than the Alternative Rock Department, I would be a metal DJ, because that's what I know the most. In my youth, I was pretty into it.


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Governor Cuomo Sends Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding the Tappan Zee Bridge
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today sent a letter to the Thruway Authority regarding the Tappan Zee Bridge. The letter is below:
Dear Chairman Milstein and Director Madison:
I have reviewed the recently released Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). I applaud the hundreds of citizens who have attended public meetings in recent weeks to learn more about the FEIS and the thousands more who took the time to add their comments in writing.
I am pleased by a number of elements of the FEIS and the Thruways' design specifications:
--The inclusion of mass transit capability on the bridge. As reflected in the FEIS and the Thruway's design specifications, the bridge will be able to accommodate virtually any kind of future mass transit configuration, whether commuter rail, or a Bus Rapid Transit system in the Westchester-Rockland corridor. The bridge will be able to accommodate a dedicated bus lane from day one. There can be no question that the future of transportation in the region is mass transit, and our immediate need to replace the Tappan Zee with a transit-capable bridge must be the first step in the expansion of regional transit.
--It will cost nearly the same to repair the current bridge as it would to build the new bridge. Yet only repairing the current bridge does not solve any of the problems motorists and residents face today: no shoulders, no emergency access, congestion and backed up traffic with air and noise pollution - and repairing closes the door to any kind of transit on the bridge. By contrast, a new bridge brings not only transit capacity, but expanded lanes to reduce congestion, and accommodate emergency vehicles, breakdown lanes, and pedestrian and bike access - and a 100 year life before major maintenance. At a cost in the same range as repairing the bridge.
- State of the art environmental mitigation measures ensure that the natural environment will be protected. The steps that will be used include "bubble curtains" to protect fish from the noise of pile driving, using vibration instead of pile driving whenever possible to set piles, and limits on dredging and other protection measures that will protect wildlife in the unique Hudson River environment.
- Protecting local communities from construction impact By limiting pile-driving to certain hours, installing air and noise monitors in impacted areas, and bringing the vast majority of materials to the bridge by river barge and avoiding local roads, the FEIS helps ensure that communities will be inconvenienced will to the minimum possible
These are all good steps, and since the publication of the FEIS, local officials throughout the region have come together in an unprecedented bipartisan fashion to express their support for this bridge replacement project. They agree that spending billions to simply repair the current bridge won't fix the accident rate, the congestion, or the air and noise pollution that Westchester and Rockland residents live with now. They recognize that the existing Tappan Zee bridge is inadequate to the transportation and economic needs of the lower Hudson Valley and New York State and a new transit capable bridge as proposed in the FEIS is the only option.
I agree, but I do have recommendations to the Thruway Authority of ways to do even better in certain areas.
First, selection of the bridge design is obviously critical and involves multifaceted criteria of arguably unique proportion. It is a multi-billion dollar infrastructure project in an environmentally sensitive area in one of the worlds most beautiful regions. There are many factors to consider including cost, engineering and transportation - but also the landscape, design, the fit with the natural beauty of the Hudson River, and the interests of the citizens in the surrounding communities. Therefore, I recommend a different kind of selection panel that goes beyond the usual technical and structural experts. The panel could include architects, historians of the river towns, international design experts, as well as local officials from Westchester and Rockland, regular citizens, and of course the appropriate technical experts that Thruway has identified. I look forward to your recommendations.
Second, for many Westchester and Rockland residents, the bridge is the only practical crossing for commuting, shopping and visiting family. I believe the projected 2017 toll schedule based on the Federal Highway Administrations estimate of up to $5.2 billion for the new bridge is too high. Over the next 5 years, we must find alternatives, revenue generators and cost reductions that reduce the potential toll increases.
I request that you work with my administration to convene a task force of Thruway, state, federal and local officials to explore ways to reduce these increases. We have done this successfully in similar situations where a bridge crossing is a necessity for local residents. For example, we recently developed a discount program for Staten Island residents that significantly reduces the toll burden of interstate bridges. The Task Force should include in its examination:
- Working with our congressional representatives to seek maximum federal support for this critical portion of the interstate highway system, including firm commitments for funding from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and other federal sources
- Expanding discount programs that benefit Westchester and Rockland residents
- Seeking financial mechanisms that lower the cost of credit and borrowing
- Ensuring that any increase in tolls on the bridge goes solely to the bridge and regional transportation
Replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge will be the largest project of its kind in New York in decades, and like any effort of this scale presents challenges. New York has a history of innovation, inclusion and of rising to the most difficult of tests. I am confident that the work done to date in the FEIS and the steps outlined here will continue the momentum for the Tappan Zee project and will move the state and the region forward.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge Chinese.pdf
08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge Spanish.pdf
08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge Russian.pdf
08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge Haitian Creole.pdf
08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge French.pdf
08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge Korean.pdf
08.10.12.rel_.Letter to the Thruway Authority Regarding The Tappan Zee Bridge Italian.pdf


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Serious Heat: Stovetop Chipotle Mac and Cheese Recipe
If you don't already have a ready-made container of chipotle purée in your fridge, here's reason # 148 why you should. Just 1 1/2 tablespoons of chipotle purée adds a smoky heat to this easy stovetop mac and cheese recipe.
To make the chipotle purée, simply purée a jar of chipotle chiles, adobe sauce and all. Just add it to anything and everything that you want to have a sultry, smoky fix. I mix a touch into salad dressing, swirl it into cream cheese to top bagels, or stir into cooked rice. Added to this mac and cheese recipe, the chipotle brings a spicy pop to this favorite side dish.
- Yield:4
- Active time: 15
- Total time:25
- 1/2 pound pasta shells, like conchiglie
- 8 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chipotle purée
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 1/4 cups shredded American cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water over high heat to a boil. Add pasta shells, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and reserve pasta.
In a large pot, add evaporated milk and chipotle purée over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil, immediately removing from heat upon boiling. Whisk evaporated milk and chipotle purée to combine. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter, eggs, mustard, salt and pepper, and whisk together. Add the reserved pasta, and cheese. Over low heat, stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese has melted and is incorporated with the pasta. Finish with remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve.
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Via the Post's Bart Hubbuch, a photo of the balloons sent to Tim Tebow, c/o the Jets training facility. Life can get you down when you're not feeling appreciated at the office, and your co-workers are talking about you behind your back. Here's hoping this is the pick-me-up Tebow needs to become his old, sunny self again.
Tebow said the bouquet, sent by an anonymous fan, was "nice," and that it's not the first time he's gotten one.


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Matthew E. White | 10/07/13
Today, Matthew E. White reveals Hot Chip's brand new remix of his phenomenal track 'Big Love', taken off his the widely-acclaimed debut album Big Inner – out now via Domino.
Head HERE to listen.
Transforming the big bold soul laden brush strokes of the original into a snappier, more percussion driven number this is the first remix Hot Chip have tackled in quite some time and Matt couldn't be happier about the results. Here is what he had to say:
"Although the very nature of recorded music flies in the face of this, I'm a firm believer that art is never finished, it only stops in interesting places. Fortunately, versions, dubs and remixes allow you to see a song from a new perspective, they un-stick a recorded experience from a particular moment in time and allow it to live again. Today I'm very excited to share a marvellous remix that Hot Chip has done for Big Love, one that unlocks the song and turns it inside out. It stays very honest to the original material but also breaks it open in a terrific way. Take a listen, listen to the original, hear what is changing and what's not, what's new and what's not. Hot Chip did a GREAT job, it's a pleasure to have them on the mix, and for that I send my biggest love."
Matthew E. White Live Dates
Wed 17 July Galway Arts Festival, Roisin Dubh, Ireland
Thurs 18 July Dublin, Iveagh Gardens, Ireland (with Grizzly Bear)
Fri 19 July Gateshead, SummerTyne Festival, UK
Sat 20 July Latitude Festival, UK
Fri 30 Aug Dorset End Of The Road (tickets)
Sunday 1Sept Electric Picnic, Ireland
Wed 4 Sept London Shepherd's Bush Empire (tickets)
Thurs 5 Sept Isle of Wight Bestival (tickets)