text:
Looks like humanitarian skills -- plus dimples, baby blues and a dazzling smile! -- run in the Pitt family.
Doug Pitt, Brad's handsome lookalike little brother, stepped into the spotlight at a Monday gala dinner at NYC's Essex House -- where he was named Goodwill Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania.
On hand for the big night were Doug's wife Lisa, singer Lauryn Hill, and Tanzania's President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. Sadly absent: his big brother Brad, 46, whose planned flight to NYC from Italy was cancelled due to volcanic ash from an Icelandic volcano. (Pitt's love Angelina Jolie is a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.)
Born in 1966, Doug is a photojournalist and director of Africa 6000 International, which provides fresh drinking water on the African continent.
"I think some things choose you, and Africa and Tanzania have chosen me," the younger Pitt said at the event.
The Pitt brothers have a younger sister Julie, born in 1969. Their parents Bill and Jane have been visiting with their eldest son Brad, Jolie and their six kids in Venice.


text:
Surf is more than a sport or leisure. Surfing is ...
Extravagant Night
The scent of Ocean. The sweetness in tasting, an escape from reality…
This package includes
- Breakfast in the restaurant,
- 1 night for two in a junior suite with private balcony, king size bed,
- Bathroom amenities consisting of candles, bath salts perfumed with exotic fragrances,
- Free access to the indoor heated pool, and to the gym
- To welcome you warmly you will find chocolate macaroons, sparkling wine,
- Dinner for two from our extremely extravagant menu, served in our restaurant 'A Concha': mussels au gratin, shrimp with fleur-de-salt and stuffed crab. Tuna steak with sesame, vegetables on the plate and soy. Hot chocolate, gourmet coffee
- Check-in from 3 p.m. onwards.
- Please note that our packages have to be booked 48 hours in advance
Package Price
Prices are per night, on a junior suite

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It was an evening for oenophiles. The Margaret Acheson Stuart Society, which raises money for the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, presented its first wine auction and gala, and many who participated raved about the wines and about the fact that dozens of new faces were inside the museum.
The big silent auction, held in the Marly Room, boasted a variety of highly rated vintages from the United States and elsewhere, including French Bordeaux, pinot noirs from Oregon and Washington, even a 1976 burgundy.
The live auction, conducted in the Glass Conservatory of the Hazel Hough Wing by Sotheby's Eliza Osborne, featured lively bidding on travel as well as wine, including a magnum of 2005 Shrader "Old Sparky" cabernet sauvignon contributed by former St. Petersburg residents Carol and Fred Schrader, now Napa Valley vintners.
No firm figures yet on how much the event raised, but organizers did consult leaders with the Naples Winter Wine Festival; that auction, held in January, is the most successful in the world and raised $12 million for children's charities this year.
Margaret Amley and Pat Campbell-Stichweh led the event committee, with help from Charlotte Bacon, Joann Barger, Cathy Collins, Janet Crane, Blair Crimmen, Mary Lou DeVoe, Carol Fisher, Nancy Dunn, Sunny Endicott, Sue Hands, Chris Hilton, Elaine Hearn, Muffie Hoche, Mary Lou Howe, Camilla Kilgroe, Suzanne MacDougald, Signe Oberhofer, Donna Painter, Carol Piper, Joty Puckett, Gail Pyhel, Gail Razook, Fran Risser, Jane Schaumberg, Whitney Shouppe and Carol Treichel.
"Poetic Justice," the yearly benefit for Operation PAR, had an Alice in Wonderland theme for its gala at Bascom's Chop House in Clearwater, and the auction represented fantasies of many kinds for bidders who attended the 16th annual event.
In case you are unaware of the genesis of the concept, the event uses the seized assets of drug dealers to help pay for substance abuse, prevention and treatment. It is the brainchild of Mary Critchfield, who attended with her husband, Jack. Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats and his wife, Kat, presented a check from sales of confiscated items. This year's auction included donations of jewelry and other confiscated items from the Hernando and Hillsborough sheriff's offices, and donated goods from many Tampa Bay area residents and businesses. Jewelry designer Owen Sweet, who donates some of his creations to the cause, also cleans, repairs and evaluates the forfeited items.
Karol Bullard is the perennial chairwoman for the event; her committee included Kay Aude, Susie Berman, Debi Burns, Kay Dillinger and Connie Whitehead.
Attendees included Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe, with his wife, Denise; Public Defender Bob Dillinger; and Circuit Judge Tom Minkoff with his wife, Elise.
"Amore," the Valentine-themed 61st annual Fashion Promenade presented by the Woman's Service League, was a luncheon and fashion show held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
This year's proceeds go to the Selama Grotto Cerebral Palsy Endowment, a Mason-affiliated organization that oversees the Hyperbaric Center for Children — Chamber of Hope in St. Petersburg.
Ten women and five men were presented for recognition as the 2011 Best Groomed: Mary Ellen Conte, Bill Emerson, Elizabeth Hammer, Charlotte Krizek, Claire Mazzella, Joan McCreary, Bill McQueen, Terry Ray, Nancy Rutland, Ann Vickstrom and Pat Wheeler. The group includes a married couple, Karen and Rick McCollum, and, for the first time ever, a mother-son duo, Barbara Paonessa and Dr. Jeff Paonessa.
Maggi McQueen, John Schloder and Don Whitehead were inducted into the Hall of Fame, which includes those who have been presented several times.
Kim Horstman, Pat Howells, Joyce Larson, Najla Majeed, Karen McColllum, Joan McCreary, Barbara Paonessa and Luisa Perez-Harvey modeled clothing presented by Roxanne Gray of Patchington of Isla del Sol and Renate Feth of Ambria's Gallery of Wearable Art in St. Petersburg.
Joann Barger and Maggi McQueen co-chaired the event committee, which included Roseanna Costa, Lorraine Danna, Joyce Larson, Karen McCollum, Nora Pearson, Sally Poynter, Karen Saron, Edie Spies, Sheila Tempelmann, June Wedding, Mary Wheeler, Diane Winning, Barbara Wiseman and Teresa Wittstruck.
• • •
Because there has been confusion about some events and some changes in details, here is updated information for several:
"A Place to Hang My Hat," a fundraiser presented by the Collectors Circle of the Museum of Fine Arts, will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. March 21 in the Marly Room at the museum, 255 Beach Drive NE. $50. Reservations required: Send e-mail to email@example.com or call (727) 896-2667, ext. 214. The Collectors Circle event "Moroccan Nights," Collectors Choice X, is from 7 to 10 p.m. April 29. $200. Reservations: E-mail email@example.com or call (727) 866-6209.
"Star Power," the 25th annual luncheon and fashion show featuring Tampa Bay area celebrities, has a date and admission price change. The event, which is presented by the Pinellas Auxiliary of the Children's Home, will take place beginning at 10:30 a.m. April 15 in the Palm Court Ballroom of the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, 501 Fifth Ave. NE. $75. Reservations: E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com, or call (727) 515-1212.


text:
Market analysts and economic experts love to predict what the market is going to do next. They love being the ones who get quoted in news reports and invited as guest commentators on various business shows to give their lofty-sounding predictions about what stocks are going to do next.
They look professional, sound professional and have professional credentials. And so they're taken as professionals, with their every word all but good as a gold mine.
Problem is they're more often wrong than they are right.
Think about it… How many times did you read the words "worse than expected" in a CNBC, CNN Money, Forbes, Wall Street Journal or New York Times report ever since the economy first tanked in 2008?
If you were paying any attention at all, it was a lot. Practically every week – and certainly several times a month – the headlines would be plastered with news of unexpected drops or gains (though mostly drops, it seemed) in one sector or another.
Looking at all of their bad calls – one after another after another – it quickly becomes obvious that the men and women who call themselves "experts" are actually badly out of their league.
Just a few of the many examples of predictions gone wrong last year:
Heck, on Wednesday, June 22, 2011, even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke – who is paid the big bucks to know this kind of thing – had to confess: "We don't have a precise read on why this slower pace of growth is persisting," adding that problems pertaining to the housing and financial markets were "more persistent than we thought."
The Market Experts Do Just as Badly as the Economists
So-called experts boasting in their knowledge of the stock market didn't do much better, as evidenced by a CNN report at the very beginning of last year. On January 4, the first official trading day of 2011, the news site had this to say:
"Stocks have had a great run since bottoming out nearly two years ago, and Wall Street experts anticipate 2011 to be no different. Investment strategists and money managers expect the S&P 500 to rise 11%, on average, according to an exclusive CNNMoney survey. In fact, not one of the 32 experts surveyed by CNNMoney think the S&P 500 will decline this year.
"'Everything seems to be in place for the stock market to rise,' said Weeden & Co. market strategist Steven Goldman, whose 12-month target for the S&P 500 fell right in line with consensus estimates of 1,390. 'We still have decent earnings growth and stimulative policies from the government that will help stocks keep up their performance.'"
And for a while, those 32 "experts," seemed like they were onto something…
On January 4, 2011, the S&P started out at 1270, already up nicely from its 2010 low of 1,022. And it kept climbing well into February, peaking at 1,343.
After that, it plunged nearly a hundred points down to 1,256, but recovered quite nicely from there, hitting a new yearly high of 1,361 in early May. Then, for the rest of the month, it hit several rough spots, wavering dramatically between price levels but ultimately heading downward very close to its previous low towards the end of June.
Yet the very next month, it seemed to justify all of the experts' opinions once again, shooting right back up. Many people even thought it was going to hit a new yearly high from there.
It didn't.
Instead, it finished off the rough head-and-shoulders pattern it had begun back in August 11… and fell all the way down to 1,172 before starting a nauseating series of dips and rises over the next few months.
By the end of the year, it had recovered most of what it had lost. But it was still down 13 points when 2011 came to an official end.
Once again, the experts turned out to be wrong. Very, very wrong.
The Truth about the Markets
The truth is that nobody can predict what the market is going to do. And anybody who tells you otherwise is lying or sorely mis-educated. If they were honest or realistic, they'd have to up and admit that the markets can be completely irrational – and therefore unpredictable – at times. They don't always go up when they're supposed to head higher and don't always go down when the economic news looks grim.
There are far too many factors involved in every market move – political, geographical, national, international, sector-related, business-related, investor-related, etc. – to make such large predictions, no matter how confidently they are made.
Alexander Green, Investment Director for The Oxford Club and Editor of The Momentum Alert, The Insider Alert and The New Frontier Trader, wrote an article for Investment U in January, describing a conversation he had with a friend of his.
Basically, the friend was having a difficult time with his investments, which were going nowhere in both the short-term and over a longer period of time. Several years back, his broker had him heavily invested in stocks, which – as everyone knows now – was not a good place to be. And after the market crash in 2008, his broker switched tactics completely and put most of Alex's friend's money into safer investment plays that promised not to lose a lot… but also wouldn't make much.
Of course, that was when the market soared.
"I just can't seem to win for losing," the friend complained. So Alex clued him in that he had a bad broker giving bad advice, "not because his broker failed to outguess the market… but because he's guessing at all."
He went on to write how "It still astonishes me that the vast majority of investors – even ones who have been active for decades – still don't understand that stock market success has nothing to do with figuring out the economy.
"Look back at history. There's no correlation between economic growth and stock market performance from year to year. Equities routinely plunge during the good times and rally during the bad. If you know this – and truly understand it – why would you invest your money based on someone's economic forecast?"
The same goes for market timing, he also shares, pointing out how much easier it is to look backwards and analyze rather than forwards and predict.
That's a large part of the reason why Marc Lichtenfeld, Editor of The Oxford Systems Trader tends to do so well in the markets. He doesn't let the prevailing opinion get in his way when looking at an investment.
Instead, he carefully analyzes each one that crosses his radar, taking his cues by looking at fundamentals and the bigger picture over the single or less important factors that tend to catch the "experts'" eyes more often than not.
As his Investment U bio says, "Marc also looked at the market with a journalist's skeptical eye as a columnist for The Street, where he broke several stories on companies in the biotech sector. His contrarian recommendations (including shorts) gained 12.6% annualized versus the S&P 500's gain of 0.5%.
How to "Predict" the Markets
There is no way to predict what the market is going to do next. But that doesn't mean there isn't a way to make money off of it.
People who buy up individual stocks or markets have a tendency to do better than those who try to predict what the entire economy is going to do. Admittedly, looking at fundamentals instead of listening to a bunch of know-nothing (or, at best, know little) talking heads does require a bit more work.
It requires spending time looking at an investment candidate's fundamentals. What is its price-to-earnings ratio? This number can be easily figured out by dividing a business' going share price by its earnings per share (usually determined by the last four quarters' average).
If the resulting amount is high, that's oftentimes a good sign, as it indicates that current investors expect better results going forward. Though, a word of caution on that subject: Just because the number seems high doesn't automatically mean that it is. Different industries have different averages, which should be considered as well.
And that's only one of the many areas of interest a diligent investor could and/or should look into. A few other relevant questions include:
How has it performed in the past? Are insiders excited about it? Does it offer goods or services that consumers actually want? How does it do at putting its name out there to the public? Does it offer any additional incentives like dividends? If so, what kind of track record does it have concerning investor payouts? What news has come out concerning the company in the last year or so?
There are easier ways to do all of that and there are more difficult ways. The aforementioned Marc Lichtenfeld, for example, uses what he calls S.T.A.R.S. (Stock Trading Analytical Research System), a computer-based program that sorts through "the billions and billions of variables involved in stock market prices each day," alerting him and his subscribers "to stocks that we would have never expected to rise."
But individual investors can make healthy returns on their investments by sitting down and crunching the numbers themselves. It takes time and dedication – and, as with S.T.A.R.S. or any other method of crunching the numbers, it isn't completely foolproof either – but most investments will indicate whether they're worthwhile or not if a person is just willing to dig into it a bit.


text: Hi everybody, It seems that the only way to have Windows and Linux use the same software RAID would be through dm-raid isw (for my intel fake hardware raid). Is this correct or did I miss something? Are there any (other) advantages using dm-raid isw over any other linux based software raid solution (e.g. mdadm)? E.g. is it faster (speed / throughput)? Or more stable? Or more powerful? I tried to google comparisons of dmraid isw vs. e.g. mdadm software RAID 0 (stripe), but was not very successful :( I also wonder why no where on the intel pages they refer to dm-raid isw... they just mention that there is no linux support. Only reason I can think of: They don't because dmraid isw is not developed by them, or ? I mean they have Linux resources for so many topics. Or did I miss something? Thanks a lot for any hint! tormen


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New Kensington-Arnold students to receive school supplies from nonprofit
New Kensington-Arnold elementary students will be among 16,000 in Western Pennsylvania this summer to receive free school supplies through a nonprofit that addresses educational inequities.
The figure represents the largest number of students Pittsburgh-based The Education Partnership will supply since joining forces in 2009 with Giant Eagle to fund its annual school supplies program.
During that time, The Education Partnership has distributed more than $2.8 million worth of products to about 22,000 students across six counties, among them Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland.
The program is by far the most extensive of the organization's efforts to meet the demand of what it says are 38,000 Western Pennsylvania students in need of basic school supplies.
The number of those students the Education Partnership has committed to supplying this year is more than double last year's 7,600. And spokeswoman Katherine Harrell said the non-profit is moving closer with each passing year to completely filling the gap.
"I think more people are talking about this at a national level and it's gaining momentum," Harrell said. "I don't think people knew students in their own country were without even the most basic school supplies that are necessary to succeed in the classroom."
The Education Partnership has an independent selection committee that reviews applying schools, prioritizes by need and accepts as many as its budget allows.
Only schools with 70 percent or more of its student population qualifying for free or reduced-cost lunches are eligible to apply.
Of the 44 schools chosen this year, only one — Fort Crawford Elementary School in New Kensington — is located in the Alle-Kiski Valley.
The Education Partnership committed to Fort Crawford this summer before the New Kensington-Arnold School Board voted two weeks ago to close it and another elementary school as part of a districtwide consolidation.
With its closing, Fort Crawford students will be spread among the district's four remaining schools when classes resume in the fall.
Kindergartners will attend Martin Elementary School. First- and second-graders will transfer to H.D. Berkey Elementary in Arnold, which previously was an intermediate school, and third grade will now be taught at the Roy A. Hunt Elementary School, formerly Valley Middle School, which is also in Arnold.
The Education Partnership, according to operations manager Jane McCarty, will distribute supplies to the same amount of first- through third-grade classrooms at H.D. Berkey and Roy A. Hunt as it would have Fort Crawford.
That's to ensure that the former Fort Crawford students, 83 percent of whom were eligible for free or reduced cost lunches last year, don't fall through the cracks, she said.
Last year, the school benefitted from both the school supplies program and a holiday distribution program in December, which provided each of the school's 260 students with $38 worth of supplies.
Superintendent John Pallone said the district appreciates the supplemental programs that the Education Partnership provides to "help enhance the educational services the district provides."
"We provide all of the necessary tools, all of the necessary resources, for every student in the district to enjoy the benefits of an equal education," Pallone said. "The supplemental programs with The Education Partnership are just some of many we actively seek. They're helpful, they allow us to allocate resources in ways we otherwise would be unable to if our teachers couldn't pick up those supplies."
Teachers who are approved to participate are invited to The Education Partnership's facility in Pittsburgh'sWest End section, where they can gather up to $1,200 worth of materials of their choosing, according to Harrell.
"The teachers can come in and they essentially shop for free for everything they might possibly need," Harrell said. "We have t-shirts, pencils, backpacks, calculators, notebooks — you name it. It saves the teachers money, too, because they don't have to dig into their own pockets."
The Education Partnership is expanding its school supplies room as part of a renovation at the 30,000-square-foot facility. The project, estimated at $500,000, will be paid for with city and state grants restricted to facility improvement that The Education Partnership secured earlier this year.
"We're not going to spend any money that should be going to kids on ourselves," Harrell said. "For every dollar donated, 94 cents goes to supplying students in need. We keep our operating costs very low, so the money is going where it should: to the students and the schools."
The Education Partnership receives no government funding for the school supplies program. According to Harrell, it relies solely on donations and corporate partnerships.
Giant Eagle has served as a corporate partner to the Education Foundation since the beginning, Harrell said. It's raising money for the school supplies program this year by asking shoppers for donations of $1 or more at the cash registers in 28 participating locations throughout the area.
Dick Roberts, who handles public relations for Giant Eagle through New Perspective Communications, said the company's relationship with The Education Partnership demonstrates its commitment to community service.
"Supporting local educational endeavors is an important way that Giant Eagle contributes to the community it serves, and The Education Partnership has become a notable example of how we pursue this goal," he said. "We thank our team members and our customers for their support in previous years and during this campaign."
Harrell would not say how much they expect to raise through the program beyond "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Donations can be made through Sept. 3.
Other corporate partners for The Education Partnership include BNY Mellon Bank, Home Depot, American Eagle Outfitters and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"With the help of personal donations, foundations and corporate sponsorships, we've been able to grow pretty rapidly," Harrell said. "We're adding the excitement of returning to school and the confidence the kids need.
"For a lot of them, education is the only way out of their economic situation."
Braden Ashe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.


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The members of NMU student organizations sponsor almost 300 campus-wide programs and events every year in addition to the hundreds of group activities. These same students volunteer thousands of hours of service annually to local communities. In the process, the student organizations that register at Northern Michigan University every year provide thousands of students with fun, friendships, memories, and educational experiences that cannot be found in the classroom.
Efforts put forth by student organizations are recognized annually at the Leadership Recognition Banquet.
To learn more about NMU's student organizations, browse the links and categories below:
- Academically Related (59)
- Campus Media (4)
- Community Service (23)
- Diversity (14)
- Greeks (7)
- Honor Societies (7)
- Programming (7)
- Residence Life (66)
- Special Interest (97)
- Spiritual (19)
- Sports (36)
- Student Government (2)
Special Interest
Active Minds
Anime Club
Best Buddies
Beyond the Books
Bretheren for the Ownership of Numerous Exquisite Robes
Cat Scratch Fever
Ceramics Collective
Chess Club
Chinese Organization
College Democrats
College Diabetes Network NMU Chapter
College Greens
College Republicans
Cosplayers Unite
Council of Geek Alley
Creative Movement and Improvisation Club
Creative Writers' Club
Crystal Ball Society
Dance Association
Dance Performance Club
Ducks Unlimited
Equestrian Club
First Wildcats
Fisheries and Wildlife Association
Flat World Society
French Club
Friends of Jazz
Gamma Iota Sigma
Gotta Cache Them All
Graduate Student Association
Great Lakes Great Stories
Health Occupations Students of America
Hearts of Yoga
Hiawatha Music Co-Op Student Chapter
History Club/Phi Alpha Theta
Humans vs. Zombies @ NMU
International Dancers
Latino Student Union
League of Rocketeers
Love Your Melon
Marquette After Dusk
Men Thinking Outside the Box (MOB)
Metal Benders
Mu Beta Psi
Northern Adventure Club
Northern Climate Network
Northern Duelist Academy
Northern Legends
Northern Lights A Cappella
Ore Ink Review
P(ictur)resque Isle Photography Club
Painting Club
Parents of NMU
Paws Are A Cause
Plant Ecology Club
Pokémon Masters of Northern Michigan University
Pre-Veterinary Medicine Club
Push Button, Receive Combo
Ranger Club
Reacting to the Past
Rock and Mineral Club
Roller Blading Club
Runners of NMU
Screensavers Digital Art Club
Shear Joy
Smash Club at NMU
Snowmobile Club
Society of Northern Magicians
South Superior Climbing Club
Steppin' Out Ballroom Dance Club
Storytelling Club
Street Artist Collective
Student Association of Writing & Rhetoric
Student Support Services Advisory Council
Student Veterans Association
Students for Life NMU
Students for Sustainability and Garden Club
Students for the Sasawin Project
Students' Art Gallery
Surgical Technology
Swing Club
Tapped Out
Trail Cats
U.P Music Group
Upper Peninsula Scale Modelers
Vinyl Record Club
Welcome to the Buffyverse
Wildcat Armory
Yarn Club
Yo-Yo Club
Young Americans for Liberty
Youtube Club


text:
Anger Management To Get a Visit From Lindsay Lohan03/22/2013
Anger Management To Get a Visit From Lindsay Lohan
This Anger Management scoop is from the by Team WWK at Eonline on March 22th, 2013.
Dom: Love the idea of Lindsay Lohan on Anger Management. Do you have details about her role that aren't already out there?
We got ahold of some of the stuff Lindsay Lohan will be doing in her episode, and it's actually kind of funny, because she's almost mocking herself. For example: In the episode, she'll be shooting a commercial for whiskey-infused gum and refer to her parole troubles. The episode title? A simple "Charlie & Lindsay."
Anger Management returns with episode 2×11 Charlie Dates Crazy, Sexy, Angry on Thursday Apr. 4th, 2013 9:30/8:30c on FX.
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text:
ORLANDO, Fla. - People Magazine has chosen Jennifer Bohn a leadership educator at Evans High School the 2012 Teacher of the Year.
Bohn teaches leadership development and is the coordinator of the International Baccalaureate program at Evans High School in Orlando.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Bohn is quoted as saying the key to helping students succeed is to show them that "someone cares about them."
In her 18 years of teaching, Bohn – who many students call "mom" – has built a legacy of student success stories.
One of them, Latoya Mack, now 30, is a college graduate and is about to start a master's degree in education. Mack said, "She insisted I would not fail."
People Magazine editors, along with an independent panel of advisors from the education community, selected Bohn and four other teachers around the country.
Jennifer Bohn was a 2009 Macy's Florida Department of Education Teacher of the Year finalist. She was one of five educators in the running statewide for the top honor. In 2001, Bohn also represented her school as the teacher of the year candidate.
For her current honor, she receives $4,000 for Evans High School and $1,000 for personal use. The issue featuring Bohn goes on sale Friday, Oct. 12, 2012.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Addressing Risks and Reducing HIV among Young People
Address risks and vulnerability of young people to HIV infection.
Adolescents and young people (10 - 24 years).
Namibia is one of the countries with the highest HIV prevalence in the world; currently 18.2% amongst pregnant women aged 15-49, and 5.4% among 15-19 year old. Despite high levels of HIV knowledge, large numbers of young men and women continue to have risky sexual practices such as unprotected sex, multiple and concurrent partners and they have a low perception of their own risk. Of the new infections in 2008, an estimated 31% were among young people aged between 15-24 years, and 68% of these are females.
Communication with young people is made possible by the high accessibility of mobile phone technology in the country: between 55% to 88% of people 16 years and older have access to mobile phones. Another opportunity to reach young people exists through sport, as there is a large amount of interest in many sports, especially soccer amongst young people (over 50% are interested in soccer, although a much smaller percentage actively participate in the sport).
Data sources: HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2008; Namibia Demo-graphic and Health Survey 2006/7
By end 2018 66% of school going girls and boys benefit from a continued access to information through innovative approaches as part of Technology for Development
Indicator: Net Enrolment Rate at secondary (grade 8-12)
Indicator: Survival rate to grade 8 and 11
Indicator: Percentage of grade 8 learners receiving Life Skills education
Indicator: % of pregnant women 15-24 that are HIV


text:
The December quarter capital expenditure survey is one of the bleakest reports on the economy for some time and, at face value, again raises the non-negligible risk of recession next year.
This should force a serious re-think of the policy settings in both Canberra and Martin Place.
The reality is the economy can ill afford a drastic tightening in fiscal policy next financial year. To do so risks repeating the mistakes of southern Europe – in which austerity for the sake of budget repair only made conditions worse by pushing up unemployment and pushing down income tax revenues. If fiscal tightening takes place, spending cuts and tax increases must be staggered over several years.
Similarly, the Reserve Bank of Australia should again be seriously contemplating a cut in interest rates to boost the still-stalled recovery in home building construction. In the least, the RBA should again resume its policy of talking down the Australian dollar, so as to return much-needed price competitiveness to our hard- pressed, trade-exposed sectors.
As for the upward pressure on house prices caused by lower interest rates, there's little evidence yet of "bubble" conditions across the economy which desperately needs the associated lift in housing wealth, which is finally encouraging consumers to spend again.
The capital expenditure survey revealed spending on plant and equipment – the only real "news" in the release relating to the December quarter – slumped by 8.6 per cent which was larger than expected. Together with declines in engineering construction and non-residential building activity reported earlier this week, overall business investment resumed the declines evident earlier last year – after a brief uptick in the September quarter. At the same time, home building construction remained surprisingly weak last quarter, despite the lift in building approvals.
All up, the weakness in private capital spending suggests yet another below-trend economic growth performance will be revealed when the national accounts are released next Wednesday.
Investment despair
But on the investment outlook the latest report was even more despairing with a downgrade to investment intentions for this financial year. The first estimate of likely capital spending in 2014-15 suggests a notable slump is on its way.
Adjusting surveyed spending intentions by ratio of actual to expected spending over the past five years, the latest survey suggest overall business investment in nominal terms will decline by 2 per cent this financial year – which is slightly weaker than the expected 1.5 per cent decline in the September quarter survey. The mining investment outlook was downgraded a little further – to suggest a 5 per cent decline in nominal spending this financial year – only partly offset by a further modest upgrade to the non-mining investment outlook.
Indeed, the survey suggests nominal non-mining capital spending will rise by 3 per cent this financial year. Expected growth was only 1 per cent three months ago. Manufacturing sector investment is still expected to fall, though a bit less sharply, while service sector investment will inch ahead a little bit more than previously thought.
It's the 2014-15 outlook that is most worrying. Early estimates of expected capital spending this far out from the coming financial year can be significantly revised but the first guess suggests a decline in overall nominal spending of 12 per cent. In turn, this reflect a more than 20 per cent slump in both mining and manufacturing investment, only partly offset by modest 4 per cent growth in service sector investment. Overall non-mining investment will be close to flat.
Non-mining disappointment
So this early, mining investment is expected to fall sharply next financial year – broadly in line with RBA expectations, which in turn are based on extensive industry liaison. The big disappointment is so far, non-mining sectors refuse to take up the slack.
An overall double-digit percentage decline in business investment next year – which accounts for 15 per cent of the economy – is not unlike that typically experienced during recessions. In 1982-83 and 1990-91, for example, real business investment declined by about 12 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
Adding to the challenges in the coming year is fiscal tightening, corporate cost cutting and nervous debt-laden consumers.
With recent improvements in business confidence and a lower Australian dollar, the weak outlook for non-mining investment maj just reflect lags.
Lags are also affecting home building, which should soon improve. That said, structural change in the manufacturing sector and a glut of capital city office accommodation are also major headwinds facing the non-mining investment outlook. Recent job cuts at some of Australia's better-known companies is a new risk to consumer sentiment and household spending.
The Australian Financial Review


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Robert with his palm hat in Hawaii
In memory of devoted husband, father, and friend Robert Junior Darrah (Red Bob), a native of West Virginia and a resident at Fun-n-Sun resort in San Benito Texas, who passed away April 1, 2014 at the age of 75 after a long battle with illness.
Robert is survived by his wife Frankie Darrah, Son Robert K. Darrah, Daughter Carol Zaladziejewski, and Daughter Stephanie Cunningham. In addition, he is survived by 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.Robert has 1 sister, Barbara Wright from Sardis Ohio
Robert is proceed in death by his son, Bryan Dean Darrah, who passed away March 16, 1984 at the age of 21.
Robert is a veteran, serving in the U.S. Air Force as an Air Craft Mechanic.
Robert was and officer in the National Campers and Hikers Association and Weir Happy Wheels chapter. He also performed as a clown for these organizations.
Robert worked for Weirton Steel as a Mill Right in the tin mill where he retired.
Robert enjoyed camping, traveling and the outdoors. Mostly he enjoyed spending time with his family which always came first.
Please sign the guestbook for Robert by clicking here
This page has been visited 35589 times


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans can get a taste of the chaos and danger of Baghdad after the U.S. invasion, thanks to "Baghdadi Bath," a play opening on Thursday at a small theater in New York's East village.
"It's very important that Americans understand the size of the pain and suffering caused by the occupation inflicted on Iraq," said the play's author, Jawad al-Assadi, who fled Saddam Hussein's Iraq 25 years ago, via a translator.
Al-Assadi, 58, told Reuters in an interview he hoped the play he wrote in 2005 after a brief return to Baghdad would be an effective way of communicating the despair Iraqis endured.
Performed in Arabic with English subtitles, the play is set in a Turkish bath in Baghdad, where two brothers discuss kidnappings and executions they face as part of their everyday existence of trying to make a living as bus drivers.
Two years after he wrote the play, his brother and nephew were kidnapped from a bus and murdered. Another brother, Abdullah, had been killed in 1981 by a government firing squad.
Al-Assadi lives in Beirut. "Baghdadi Bath" has been performed in cities including Beirut, Damascus, Cairo and Cork, Ireland. His works have been translated into French, Russian and English.
His other writings include poetry, essays and other plays including "Forget Hamlet," "The Bench" and "Women of War." He won the Dutch-sponsored 2004 Prince Claus award for dedication to freedom of cultural expression.
He was shocked to return to Baghdad in early 2005 to set up a theater but instead saw a city "estranged from its own self." Thirty years of Saddam Hussein's rule had "erased their (Iraqis) souls and their lives" while the "American occupation broke their backs."
Iraqis and Americans need to make new efforts to understand each other, he said.
"They (Arabs) have to understand that liberty and freedom is a value, like a loaf of bread, like food," he said. "The character I present in my plays are seeking freedom -- social freedom, political freedom and intellectual freedom."
Editing by Patricia Zengerle


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Colleen M.'s Profile
My main hobby for the past 12 years has been quilting. I love to create a mood or convey an emotion with fabric in both pattern and color combinations. I enjoy creating a wide range of quilts from bright and cheerful kids' quilts to elegant and challenging adult quilts.
Quilting is my passion, while being a full-time Mom is my current vocation. I have been staying home with two active girls, 16 months apart, for the last 4 years. (Previously, my vocation was teaching high school science.) I love to explore the infinite variety of color and pattern in nature, and turn it into a practical work of art in my quilts.
Check out my new blog: http://sewinthesnow.blogspot.com I'd love to hear from you! There's monthly contests on my blog too, where you can win a free treasure from my Etsy site. Hope to see you on there.
- Female
- Born on March 30
- Joined November 14, 2011
Favorite materials
- Colleen M.
- Fairbanks, AK, United States


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Endangered Missing Adult Alert Cancelled After Woman Found Safe
CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio
A missing adult alert has been cancelled for a Canal Winchester woman.
Barbara Ayers, 78, was last seen on Hamler Drive around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Guernsey County law enforcement officers located her Saturday evening.
Police were concerned for her safety because she suffers from dementia and diabetes and may have been in need of medication.
Stay with 10TV and 10TV.com for continuing coverage.
©2017 by 10TV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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As a caregiver, it's not always easy to get the right care for those you're helping. That's why there's Evercare Senior Care Options, which includes all of the benefits of Original Medicare and MassHealth, plus:
In addition, members who need extra support may qualify for personal assistance from a nurse practitioner, registered nurse or care manager. This personal assistance can help them get the services they need, and answer questions about staying healthy.
For more information, call: 1-877-659-9666, TTY:711 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., 7 days a week. Or fill out this form to request an Evercare sales representative to contact you.
This is a solicitation of insurance. By submitting this information, you agree that an authorized representative or licensed insurance agent from UnitedHealthcare Medicare Solutions may contact you by phone, email or mail to answer your questions or provide additional information about Medicare Advantage, Part D or Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans.


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Articles by Mikhael Romain
|Content Type
Girls' Getaway to Ashland
There are many necessary components for a fun girls' getaway weekendnamely, great food and wine, nightlife,…
|Attractions, Eat & Drink, Events, Forests, Parks & Refuges, Hiking, Natural Wonders, Performing Art Events, Performing Arts, Recreation, Wineries & Wine
A City Girl Goes Crabbing
I'm admittedly a big city girlPortland, San Francisco, New Yorkthis is my wilderness. I do remember fondly…
|Attractions, Eat & Drink, Outdoors & Nature, Seafood
|Oregon Story
New Year, New Challenge
January is national Learn a Snow Sport Month and Oregon's snowcapped mountains are the perfect place to get fit…
|Oregon Story
Escape the Winter Doldrums: Spa Day!
There's nothing better than a deep tissue massage or exfoliating body wrap to rejuvenate the mind and body from…
|Oregon Story


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Enodah Kennel
15 minutes from Yellowknife
Enodah Kennel was started in 2015 with a mission to provide quality dogsled tours while never sacrificing the wellbeing of our dogs. We are a small kennel of less than 30 dogs, that way each of our animals receives all the attention they need from Cynthia and Coady.
Enodah Kennel is located 15 minutes from Yellowknife in our own secluded section of forest. We train all our dogs to be loose together and we work 12 months of the year training and exercising our pack of sled dogs. We encourage all our guests to interact with the dogs after the tour.
Drive Your Own Dog Team 2017
45 minutes
$125.00 per person
Available Nov 25 - April 15
Enjoy the peaceful Boreal Forest by way of dogsledding. You will feel at one with the dogs as they lead you through the scenic trails of Enodah. You will learn the name and character of each dog on your team, to better understand why they are put in their different positions.
This is a 45-minute activity in total, including a safety speech from your guides. This is a "Drive Your Own Sled" tour, but do not worry, you will be under very close supervision from Enodah's experienced guides who will be more than happy to help you along the trail! We encourage interaction with our happy working huskies and will gladly take photos of you driving the team through the forest. At the end of the tour there will be lots of time for hugs and photos with all the dogs. See the dogs in their natural environment when they are let loose to play with guests and interact and play together.
There is a brand new lodge on site where you can warm up after the tour and enjoy a coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Washrooms are available.
Transportation from Yellowknife is available.
Contact Us to Book a Tour:
(867) 444-9591
Chinese speaking visitors please call:
(867) 873-4600
Your Hosts:
Coady Lee
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Coady has been dog mushing across Canada his whole adult life, with stops in the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia. His background includes Sprint and Long Distance Alaskan Huskies, and he hopes to enter the North American racing circuit sometime over the next five years. Coady has travelled and worked across Canada, by dog-team, on bicycle, on foot and by truck. A full time guide, he keeps busy running sled dogs in the winter, fishing in the spring and biking in the summer.
As long as he is outdoors and experiencing new challenges, Coady is content.
Cynthia Lecours
This is Cynthia's 12th year working with sled dogs. She started in the sport as a handler and guide in southeastern Quebec, near her hometown of Saint Magloire. She spent her first four years learning and working with Siberian, Malamute and Samoyed breeds. Then, as an expert in expedition travel by dog-team, Cynthia was recruited as a head guide in Quebec, and she organized sled rides and expeditions for four years.
Cynthia then mixed her passions for culture and dogs, in Ushuaia, Argentina, the other end of the world. There she worked with Sprint Racing sled dogs in a much warmer climate, surrounded by darkness or a deep red sky. Cynthia returned to Canada to work with Long Distance Alaskan Huskies in the Canadian Rockies.
Cynthia speaks fluent English, French and Spanish.
and is working at perfecting more. She likes to be in harmony with nature. Cynthia volunteers with children and dogs and trains her own dog Biloute as a firefighter rescue dog and avalanche rescue dog.


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Marinero Hat by Rosi Garmendia
Welcome! You are browsing as a guestWould you like to see 13 projects made from this pattern and much more? create a free account What am I missing?
Marinero Hat
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download
1/4/2010: PLEASE NOTE, if you downloaded the pattern before today, you should redownload as an edit was made.
Bouncy beret-style hats are quite the rage these days. I've re-written my original Capitán pattern into a big, floppy hat in worsted weight yarn for this winter's fashion conscious.


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A BIKE has been stolen from the bike racks at Creffield Medical Centre.
The Carerra bicycle was taken from the Cavalry Way surgery sometime between 8pm on Sunday and 5am on Monday.
The chain was cut which was securing the £300 bike.
The owner said: "I am a student working hard in order to save some money for my postgraduate studies.
"It is not an easy job as there is no transport during the early morning hours and every day I need to cycle nearly 10km.
"I know this is something small to many folk but this bike was my only means of transport to get to work each day and I cannot afford to replace it."
Anyone with information call Colchester police station on 101.


text: Mens Wash Bag - Tache Tools Beardy BitsWhether use by a hairy man for his face trimming tool or a general washbag for his other man paraphernalia, this wash bag is just perfect. Ideal for taking on a holiday or short trip, this joyful bag will put a smile on his face.The bag itself is a bright funky blue with black sides. Open the all-round central zip to reveal a large compartment and two netted pockets, great for keeping everything inside neat and tidy. The front of the bag reads Tache Tools, Beardy Bits (and other man paraphernalia)This Happy Jackson designed wash bag is cool and stylish and so will make the perfect gift for a man.Product Details:Size (Length, Width, Depth) or Volume:L26.5, W17.5, D8 cms (L10.5, W7, D3 inches) approx.Extra Information:Handy wash kit for shaving stuff and toiletries.Bright, cool and a lot less boring than regular wash bag.The perfect Manly gift.Check stock and price


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Got my Fatboy Jr. Delivered today!
2 Attachment(s)
This safe is amazing. Says it holds 48 long guns. Tried to get something bigger then I really needed so I have room to fill it up. Had a liberty lighting kit installed as well. What do you guys think?
You made a wise choice and have room to add to your collection? I screwed up when I bought my safe and outgrew it in less then two years. I recently bought a used lockable 18 ga. double walled steel flammable liquid storage cabinet to store my ammo in just in case someone should burglarize my house. It is bolted to the concret floor as is the safe.
|All times are GMT. The time now is 04:24 PM.
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.


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If there were some sort of rewards program for acquiring small tech companies, Apple would surely have racked up a ton of points by now. Cupertino's latest purchase is a Malmö, Sweden-based company called AlgoTrim; its acquisition was first reported by Swedish news service Rapidus, and later confirmed by TechCrunch.
Unlike Apple's last several investments, this firm isn't location- or mapping-related. AlgoTrim actually specializes in data-compression algorithms -- specifically, codecs that deal with images and video on mobile platforms. While the company originally provided its software to feature phones, AlgoTrim has more recently been used in Gallery app on the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google's Android operating system. Other clients have included Japanese mobile carrier KDDI, which uses AlgoTrim's software in its Photo Album App, and other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), which use the compression algorithms to deliver firmware updates to devices.
[ For quick, smart takes on the news you'll be talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief -- subscribe today. | Find out what topics and issues affect tech's biggest names and news makers in the IDGE Insider CEO interview series. | Read Bill Snyder's Tech's Bottom Line blog for what the key business trends mean to you. ]
So what's Apple's interest in AlgoTrim? When it comes to mobile platforms, data compression is a big deal -- and, using AlgoTrim's software, Apple might be able to make it into a somewhat smaller deal. Much of what we do on our phones requires downloading lots of data, whether it be listening to music, watching video, or even just browsing the Web. Anybody who has ever exceeded their monthly cellular data limit has probably wished for a more efficient use of bandwidth.
Optimized algorithms could also speed up the ways we interact with images, improving performance and yielding a better experience for users. Obviously, taking and viewing photos are a significant part of what we do with our mobile devices, and anything that helps make that snappier is a tangible benefit for end users. AlgoTrim's technology could even lead to some additional image or video features that we haven't yet seen, such as slow-motion video -- better compression algorithms could let users record high-resolution video at a high framerate without requiring equally high levels of processor usage and battery power.
There are more low-level uses, too. One of AlgoTrim's products is a lossless compression algorithm, which my more-technical colleague Marco Tabini points out can be used to let iOS use RAM more efficiently, storing more data in the same amount of space.
And of course, you can't overlook the strategic reason, as Marco also reminded me: If Apple acquires these codecs, its competitors -- such as Android -- won't get to reap their advantages. That's not insignificant, nor is the fact that Apple's hiring a bunch of smart people whose brain power can be brought to bear on other improvements to the company's technology.
This marks Apple's seventh public acquisition in 2013, though CEO Tim Cook said at the D11 conference in May that it had already acquired nine other companies in the current fiscal year, not all of which had been publicly announced. So far, the company has bought several mapping- and location-based firms, including WiFiSlam, Locationary, HopStop, and Embark, as well as TV-recommendation service Matcha.tv and wireless-chip-maker Passif Semiconductor.
It's unknown exactly what Apple paid for AlgoTrim, but I'm pretty sure that after you've bought six companies, your seventh is free.
This story, "Apple acquisition spree continues with data compression firm AlgoTrim" was originally published by Macworld.


text: theonethatiam 105 Report post Posted January 1, 2013 (edited) Hello, getting straight to business I don't know how many instances you guys have read about a person wanting to create a game, well all I have to say is that its just an incredible thing to go out and do. For me it has been a life long dream to create a game, the designing is especially fun. The idea that you can create anything is just fascinating! I keep on telling myself i'm going to start learning the c++ language, this time I am going to start. So as I was going through those pages of text and explanations, I was constantly perplexed by API, CALL's and such. I can't enumerate all of these but I will say a few. My plan is to learn c++ (it is documented well and there seems to be lots of people who can give support) and afterwords understand openGL to implement it into later projects. But to state my confusion: - What is an API, yes I have read all over the internet and they all give fairly the same explanation; an application programming interface - how does openGL work? Do you create your code and when you need to show something on screen (text, 3d meshes etc) you just implement that in your game loop? - Also this is not a question in respect to c++ or openGL but maybe a request for some suggestions from the experts who have "been there done that" so to speak. I know I want to use c++ and openGL. What are some things you guys recommend as far as creating games using c++/openGL. I understand that I am going to need to learn a myriad of things but I know if I persevere I can learn something useful. Background: Currently learning c++ and pre-calculus (senior in High school) I can also work my way around basic arduino projects, just so you know that i'm not completely a beginner in programming, I still need work though. I am an intermediate user in Blender 3D, and understand the basics of Photoshop CS6. Thank you for taking the time to read this and all advice given. Edited January 1, 2013 by theonethatiam 0 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Chantelle Houghton in a bikini
Here's British reality star Chantelle Houghton in France today. Honestly, I've never heard of this woman before, but believe it or not, I'm familiar with bikinis. No, really, I wouldn't lie to you. Unless we were married then it'd be an almost daily occurrence.
WIFE: Honey, what are you doing?
ME: Eating a sandwich.
WIFE: But you're standing in the garage naked with a chainsaw.
ME: …. We ran out of mustard.
I'm a keeper.
Photos: Flynet


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New York (Oct. 31)
Praise for the role played by foreign-born Americans in the war effort was expressed in a message by Secretary of State Cordell Hull read today at the national conference of the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born, held at the Hotel Commodore. Earl G. Harrison, U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, was one of the principal speakers.
Secretary Hull, in his message, said: "I should like to take this occasion to pay tribute to the foreign born Americans who are so valiantly supporting the United Nations' victory in the war against the Axis. There is no more inspiring feature of our national war effort than the wholehearted devotion with which Americans irrespective of race or religion are performing their duty of citizenship in this grave national crisis."


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Tashkent, Uzbekistan, April 18
By Demir Azizov- Trend:
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov has received newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands with residence in Moscow Ronald van Dartel on 18 April 2014.
The Dutch envoy handed over credentials, addressed to the President of Uzbekistan, to the Uzbek minister.
The sides exchanged opinion on current state and perspectives of the Uzbek-Dutch relations during the meeting.
The sides expressed mutual interest in boosting relations between two nations both in bilateral level and within international organizations such as the UN.
Kamilov and Dartel considered the issues of expanding mutual beneficial partnership in trade-economic and investment spheres, including in tourism, training of specialists and other directions.


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text: Culture 26 July 1999 Utopian visions Architecture byHugh Aldersey-Williams Sign up for our weekly email * This column is being written, if not quite in an airport lounge, then certainly in passage between two of the world's great cities of stories, St Petersburg and New York. There could be no better intermission during which to consider the career of Rem Koolhaas, who is that rare thing these days, an architectural visionary. Some of Koolhaas's recent projects are on display at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The ICA says: "Rem Koolhaas is one of the world's most revered and provocative architects. Creating buildings which embody his vision of the 'terrible beauty' of the late 20th century and unfettered by historical architectural lineage, Koolhaas is acknowledged as one of the few engineers of a direct approach to architecture which is as unpredictable as it is intellectual, and whose rhetoric is actually reflected in his work." Phew! Read those warning signals. It became clear that Koolhaas was more than just another jet-setting international architect more than 20 years ago, when he published Delirious New York, "a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan" that combined writing and drawings layering real and imagined cityscapes. His 1995 blockbuster, S, M, L, XL has been still more influential. New York's delirium is very different in nature from that of St Petersburg, and its architecture seems congruent with the city's writing. But St Petersburg's, already capably documented by Gogol and Dostoevsky, is in striking contrast to the place's classical beauty and spacious plan. Before and after the fact, cities may be imagined in ways that do not correspond with their physical appearance. Koolhaas plays with the slack. Born in Rotterdam, he loves superficially unlovely cities. He has long lived in London. He has not built here, however. His major project has been the Euralille development around the Eurostar and TGV train station in Lille. The project includes his own grand palais, a conference and cultural centre that aims to make a virtue out of using the cheapest possible materials such as linoleum and corrugated plastic sheeting. He has done individual buildings for the Netherlands Dance Theatre, an arts centre in Rotterdam and housing here and there, but these days he tends to get jobs not to do mere buildings but masterplans - for Genoa, for Universal Studios in Los Angeles, for Hanoi new town. Individual building projects are laden with symbolic importance - the UN Human Rights building in Geneva, the Dutch embassy in the new German capital, Berlin. Koolhaas works on a scale that suggests a fondness for utopian scheming that is somewhat unfashionable these days. People seldom state a wish to live in utopia, but there is a long tradition of architects designing them. Indeed, the attempt to realise utopia is the history of architecture. Utopia means "no place", as John Carey reminds us in his forthcoming anthology of utopian literature. But the minute an architect begins to realise one, it becomes some place - and gains the capacity to disappoint. The no-places in Carey's collection retain their ability to delight or horrify (as Carey also points out, the term "utopia" does not exclude unpleasant no-places, although he admits the usefulness of the 1950 coinage, dystopia), but today the garden city is merely ordinary and the ville radieuse is discredited. Even drawing the schemes diminishes them, whether it's the (significantly) depopulated citta ideale of Piero della Francesca's time, the cartoons of Albert Robida or Fritz Lang's Metropolis. "If you do a project on the scale of a city," says Koolhaas, "it would be almost sinister if part of your intentions were not utopian, if utopian means to be connected to an ambition to realise some measure of an ideal condition. But everyone involved in large-scale projects knows this has been a mixed blessing in terms of history. Perhaps an architect has an obligation to have a utopian vision and at the same time an equal obligation to be realistic about the futility of these utopian ambitions." Certainly, utopias are cities more often than not, though there is nothing in the definition of the word that says it must be so. It is the case from Francis Bacon's New Atlantis to We, the 1920 dystopian masterpiece of Yevgeny Zamyatin, a Petersburger, with its glass skyscrapers. "Utopia is about organisation and therefore is almost inevitably connected to the urban," says Koolhaas. But he adds: "There is only utopian work in connection to utopian politics. Right now, I would say that worldwide there is no utopian politics and no utopian work." Tsk, tsk. The government would surely disagree. Go to Hull, you'd be told. The city - twinned, as it happens, with Koolhaas's Rotterdam - has recently been visited by Richard Rogers, new Labour's Lord of Utopia, and is now subject to a £70 million plan by Sir Norman Foster to transform its prospects with a 30-acre city-centre redevelopment whose main feature will be a broad, glass-covered avenue. There is new recognition that such idealistic schemes need a reason to be there, in other words that utopia must be given its topos. So Foster's scheme is centred on a transport interchange and will incorporate a new theatre for John Godber's Hull Truck Theatre Company. The aim is for Hull to become the North Sea's answer to Barcelona, or Venice, depending on which architect you talk to. Many British cities - notably Salford, Newcastle, Bristol and Birmingham - will shortly begin to reap the benefit of the millennium projects going up in their midst. Edinburgh will have its new parliament. Not to be outdone, Liverpool is angling to be the next beneficiary of the largesse of the Guggenheim Foundation, which is anxious to establish further colonial outposts of modern art. (But how much bolder and braver it would be to erect the next Bilbao in Belfast, as I have proposed in these pages before.) Should our utopia be fragmentary rather than wholesale? Koolhaas's study of the evolution of cities has revealed something surprising. "I'm interested to see in every planned operation similarities to many unplanned situations. My theory is that there is perhaps a basic civilisation that manifests itself in planned and unplanned versions in a remarkably similar way." "Comprehensive redevelopment" notoriously failed. Now we believe that a project or two by a celebrity architect may be sufficient to lift an entire city out of the slough of despond. Build an arts centre and let the housing and commercial sector follow as it may. A little planning, a lot of chaos. It seems that a real utopia these days must be literally outlandish. The ICA exhibition includes drawings of Koolhaas's proposal to replace Amsterdam's Schiphol airport - whose inshore expansion he is superintending - with a new airport on an artificial island in the North Sea. (Think how many utopias are insular.) Imagined apiece, almost literally no-places, perhaps airports are the closest we come. Cities are returning to the hands of their citizens, especially in the megalopolises of the developing world, where the daily permanent influx can amount to several thousand people. Urban theorists have been left gasping. "All our calculations are categorically superseded by events," says Koolhaas. "And that in itself is generating a kind of overall modesty which gives the current situation a pretty non-utopian quality." One of St Petersburg's great visionaries knew it would come to this. The poet Vladimir Mayakovsky said: "A new architect is coming. It is we, the illuminators of tomorrow's cities." "Living" is at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London SW1 from 24 July until 19 September; "The Faber Book of Utopias", edited by John Carey, will be published in October Subscribe from just £1 per issue This article first appeared in the 26 July 1999 issue of the New Statesman, I took tea with Pinochet More


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Take a plastic glove and fill it with water. You can also fill one with a red beverage as well. Freeze it. After that take the glove off and you can have a floating hand in your punch bowl. The red one will look bloody.
You can also pour grenadine to the top of your punch bowl, which will look like blood when it drips down from the top of the bowl. Other creative garnishes: black licorice wheels as garnish or straws, candy lime slices, or gummy worms.


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Tom Glavine had a stinker, and it all came in one inning, a six-run third. The hole was dug by a bad pitch to Matt Holliday and was just too deep.
-Lastings Milledge, on the minor league disabled list with a strained ligament in his right foot, is currently playing in rehab games for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League. He will stay in Florida until after the upcoming Triple-A All-Star break, and then go to New Orleans.
-Pedro Martinez continues to throw batting practice. His next step will be a simulated game. No date yet on that.


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KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber struck a crowd of Shiite worshippers at a mosque in Kabul on Tuesday, killing at least 56 people and wounding 160 more in the deadliest of two attacks on a Shiite holy day -- the first major sectarian assaults since the fall of the Taliban a decade ago.
Four other Shiites were killed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a bomb strapped to a bicycle exploded as a convoy of Afghan Shiites was driving down the road, shouting slogans for the festival known as Ashoura.
The Kabul bomber blew himself up in the midst of a crowd of men, women and children gathered outside the Abul Fazl shrine to commemorate the seventh century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein. Some men were beating themselves in mourning and food was being distributed.
Photos and video from the scene show many bodies piled up on the street near the shrine, including many children.
U.S. to cut force in Afghanistan by 1/3 in a year
Video: Afghan rape victim forced to wed attacker
Special section: Afghanistan, Ten years later
A man who claimed to be from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Pakistan-based group that has carried out attacks against Shiite Muslims, called various media outlets in Pakistan to claim responsibility for the bombing in Kabul. The validity of the claim could not be determined.
The shrine, which is near the presidential palace, was packed with worshippers and dozens more were crammed into the courtyard. Two officials from Afghanistan's National Defense Forces told CBS News the the suicide bomber approached the shrine among the worshipers. He apparently detonated his device at the entrance to the mosque. Kabul Police chief Gen Ayub Salangi confirmed that a lone suicide bomber was behind the devastating attack on the capital.
Bodies of the dead lay on top of one another where they fell to their deaths. Survivors with blood-smeared faces cried amid the chaos.
The Ministry of Interior said 55 were killed -- including two women and four children. Sayed Kabir Amiri, who is in charge of Kabul hospitals said more than 160 wounded in the blast.
That made it the single deadliest attack in the Afghan capital in more than three years. A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives at the gates of the Indian Embassy in Kabul on July 7, 2008, killing more than 60 people.
Sources tell CBS News that a third blast in Kandahar, reportedly caused by smaller explosive device, left four people injured. It wasn't immediately clear who was targeted by the blast.
Religiously motivated attacks on Shiites are rare in Afghanistan although they are common in neighboring Pakistan. No group claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blasts, reminiscent of the wave of sectarian attacks that shook Iraq during the height of the war there.
CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark reports from Kabul that officials believe the attackers deliberately picked one of the holiest days on Shiite calendar to launch the coordinated attacks. Sectarian violence is generally rare in Afghanistan, says Clark, with most of the bloodshed resulting from tribal or ethnic fighting.
Tuesday's Ashoura attacks are a worrying sign that sectarian strife could snowball in Afghanistan as foreign forces leave the country and extremist groups attempt to create more civil strife, which could enable them to operate more freely again inside the country's borders.
The Ministry of Interior in a statement blamed the Taliban and "terrorists," for the attack. It provided no other details but added that police defused another bomb that had been planted in Mazar-i-Sharif near the one that blew up.
The Taliban strongly condemned the two attacks and said in a statement to news organizations that they deeply regretted that innocent Afghans were killed and wounded.
As the sectarian attack does not generally fit the Taliban's standard anti-foreign modus operandi, suspicion fell on al Qaeda or other groups based across the border in Pakistan, where Sunni attacks on Shiites are common. Hard-line Sunnis consider Shiites nonbelievers because their customs and traditions differ from the majority sect.
CBS News' Farhan Bokhari reports that one group in particular, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was rapidly becoming the focus of suspicions in the region.
"The circumstantial evidence of today's attack points very very strongly towards LJ's involvement," a Pakistani security official tells Bokhari.
A Western diplomat in Islamabad concurred with the official's assessment, saying "there is enough evidence to tell us of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi's involvement. I can't get in to the specifics of intelligence information, but there were warnings floating around recently of a big attack in the pipeline, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was a key suspect."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, speaking at a news conference after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, said the attack was unprecedented in scope and the first time ever that one has been carried out during a religious event.
He said it was "the first time that on such an important religious day in Afghanistan terrorism of that horrible nature is taking place."
Mohammad Bakir Shaikzada, the top Shiite cleric in Kabul, said he could not remember a similar attack having taken place on such a scale.
"This is a crime against Muslims during the holy day of Ashoura. We Muslims will never forget these attacks. It is the enemy of the Muslims who are carrying them out," he said, declining to place blame.
Shiites make up about 20 percent of Afghanistan's 30 million people, most of them ethnic Hazaras. Although thousands of Hazaras were massacred by the Taliban during fighting in the 1990s, Afghan insurgents -- nearly all of them Sunnis -- in recent years have focused their attacks primarily on U.S.-led NATO troops and Afghan security forces.
The last incident of violence between Shiites and Sunnis following the U.S. invasion 10 years ago occurred in early 2006, during Ashoura commemorations in the western city of Herat. During those riots, blamed on Islamic extremists, five people were killed and more than 50 injured.
Mahood Khan, who is in charge of the Abul Fazl shrine, said the explosion occurred just outside a courtyard where dozens of worshippers were lined up as they filed in and out of the packed building.
A few minutes after the blast, bodies could be seen loaded into the trunks of cars while wounded were led away by friends and relatives. Survivors wept in the streets.
"It was a very powerful blast," Khan said. "The food was everywhere. It was out of control. Everyone was crying, shouting. It is a disaster."
Mustafa, a shopkeeper, said he and his mother were delivering food to the worshippers when the blast occurred. Two groups of 150 to 200 people from Kabul had just prayed at the shrine and left.
Another group of more than 100 from Logar province was entering when the explosion occurred. He said the suicide bomber was at the end of the line of worshippers from Logar when he blew himself up near one of the gates to the shrine.
"It was very loud. My ears went deaf and I was blown 3 meters (yards)," said Mustafa, who uses only one name. "There was smoke and red blood on the floor of the shrine. There were people lying everywhere."
The shrine's loudspeaker continued to blast a recitation of the Quran as ambulances carried bodies and wounded away. Women stood outside the shrine wailing and holding crying children.
The shrine is close to the palace where Karzai lives and who is in Europe to attend an international conference on Afghanistan. It is named after Abul Fazl, who was an adviser to a 14th century Mogul emperor. The shrine and its blue minaret is one of Kabul's better known shrines. It is located in Murad Khane area near the Kabul river, a district that has been listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of its 100 most endangered sites of cultural heritage.


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Botsford News Release
Farmington Hills, Mich. (August 12, 2010)---Dorothy Schmidt, R.N., BSN, MS, PA-C, has joined the medical staff at Botsford Hospital.
Ms. Schmidt, a certified physician assistant is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and Sigma Theta Tau International.
Ms. Schmidt is the physician assistant at Rehabilitation Physicians located at 28455 Haggerty Rd., Suite 200 in Novi. The office number is (248) 893-3200.
Ms. Schmidt received her Master of Science in the Physician Assistant program and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit.
Beaumont Health is Michigan's largest health care system, based on inpatient admissions and net patient revenue. A not-for-profit organization, it was formed in 2014 by Beaumont Health System, Botsford Health Care and Oakwood Healthcare to provide patients with the benefit of greater access to extraordinary, compassionate care, no matter where they live in Southeast Michigan. Beaumont Health consists of eight hospitals with 3,337 beds, 168 outpatient sites, nearly 5,000 physicians and 35,000 employees and about 3,500 volunteers. In 2015, the organization had $4.1 billion in net revenue with 177,934 inpatient admissions, 17,151 births and 530,860 emergency visits. For more information, visit beaumont.org.
botsford.org, twitter, facebook, blog
MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn C. Anderson, Director, Marketing & Public Relations or Beth Montalvo, Publications & Media Relations Coordinator
Download Attachments: SchmidtDorothy.JPG


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Speakers and fees: an insiders view | Speaker Confessions. In a world of online video and online interaction (whether from videocasts, podcasts, or webinars), why do people still go to conferences to watch speakers in person? This writer says there's more energy in the room, which you can't duplicate through virtual mediums. I'm not sure the energy in the room is a sufficient benefit, though. Conferences are often social events more than learning events.
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text:
Stem Cell Transplant With Lenalidomide Maintenance in Patients With Multiple Myeloma (BMT CTN 0702)
This study is ongoing, but not recruiting participants.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: April 21, 2010
Last updated: February 7, 2017
Last verified: February 2017
|Tracking Information
|First Received Date ICMJE
|April 21, 2010
|Last Updated Date
|February 7, 2017
|Actual Start Date ICMJE
|May 2010
|Estimated Primary Completion Date
|May 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Three-year progression-free survival (PFS) [ Time Frame: Measured at 3 years ]
The primary objective of the randomized trial is to compare PFS between the two single transplant arms and between each single transplant arm and the tandem transplant arm.
|Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Same as current
|Change History
|Complete list of historical versions of study NCT01109004 on ClinicalTrials.gov Archive Site
|Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Current Other Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Original Other Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Descriptive Information
|Brief Title ICMJE
|Stem Cell Transplant With Lenalidomide Maintenance in Patients With Multiple Myeloma (BMT CTN 0702)
|Official Title ICMJE
|A Trial of Single Autologous Transplant With or Without Consolidation Therapy Versus Tandem Autologous Transplant With Lenalidomide Maintenance for Patients With Multiple Myeloma (BMT CTN 0702)
|Brief Summary
|The study is designed as a Phase III, multicenter trial of tandem autologous transplants plus maintenance therapy versus the strategy of single autologous transplant plus consolidation therapy with lenalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (RVD) followed by maintenance therapy or single autologous transplant plus maintenance therapy as part of upfront treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Lenalidomide will be used as maintenance therapy for three years in all arms.
|Detailed Description
|The primary objective of the randomized trial is to compare three-year progression-free survival (PFS) between the three treatment arms as a pairwise comparison. Mobilization therapy will not be specified for the study. Randomization to three treatment arms will be done prior to the first transplants. All patients will undergo a first autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant with high-dose melphalan (200 mg/m^2 IV) given on Day -2. Upon recovery from the first transplant patients will receive either a second autologous PBSC transplant with the same conditioning regimen as the first transplant or consolidation therapy with RVD (lenalidomide 15 mg/day on Days 1-14, dexamethasone 40 mg on Days 1, 8 and 15, and bortezomib 1.3mg/m^2 on Days 1, 4, 8 and 11 of every 21 day cycle, patients will receive four cycles) or maintenance with lenalidomide (15 mg daily). All patients will also receive maintenance lenalidomide which will start after the second transplant, after the first autologous transplant or after consolidation therapy depending on the treatment arm. Maintenance therapy with lenalidomide will start at 10 mg daily for three months and increase to 15 mg daily. The duration of maintenance will be three years in all treatment arms.
|Study Type ICMJE
|Study Phase
|Phase 3
|Study Design ICMJE
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: No masking
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Condition ICMJE
|Multiple Myeloma
|Intervention ICMJE
|Study Arms
|Publications *
|Not Provided
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
|Recruitment Information
|Recruitment Status ICMJE
|Active, not recruiting
|Enrollment ICMJE
|Estimated Completion Date
|May 2020
|Estimated Primary Completion Date
|May 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Eligibility Criteria ICMJE
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
|up to 70 Years (Child, Adult, Senior)
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers
|Contacts ICMJE
|Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
|Listed Location Countries ICMJE
|United States
|Removed Location Countries
|Administrative Information
|NCT Number ICMJE
|Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE
BMT CTN 0702 ( Other Identifier: Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinicial Trials Network )
U01HL069294-05 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
690 ( Other Identifier: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute )
|Has Data Monitoring Committee
|U.S. FDA-regulated Product
|Not Provided
|IPD Sharing Statement
|Responsible Party
|National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
|Study Sponsor ICMJE
|National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
|Collaborators ICMJE
|Investigators ICMJE
|PRS Account
|National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
|Verification Date
|February 2017
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP


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Chippenham barber Isaac Shaw is back at work, just two months after a violent assault that put him in a coma.
Mr Shaw, 28, was involved in an incident in the early hours of July 22 outside Bar E11evn, when he fell to the ground and hit his head.
He was taken to Frenchay Hospital, near Bristol, where he spent a week in a coma with a bleed to the brain.
But now Mr Shaw, who works at Hairport in New Road and High Street Barbers Ltd in Calne, is working part-time after a gruelling seven operations to his head.
He is still waiting to have titanium plates put into his skull after part of the bone was removed.
Mr Shaw said he wants to thank the hospital and his family and friends for their support.
"Frenchay were amazing – they saved my life, and I'm so happy to be alive," he said.
"I've got another operation to come, which will make me feel a bit less vulnerable. I've had a remarkable recovery though."
Staff at Frenchay allowed Mr Shaw's brother Luke and his partner Natalie to live at the hospital so they could be with him all of the time.
Sister Tabatha and Mr Shaw's grandparents and aunt from Leeds were also at his bedside throughout the seven weeks he was in hospital, and friends made many visits to him.
He said: "My family have been brilliant and I would like to thank them and Frenchay for allowing this to happen.
"The first week was touch and go, and they had no idea how I would be once I had woken up. Thinking about it feels so surreal, but luckily I'm here to tell the story."
He said his head was double the size of a football after the incident.
He said: "When I was able to look in the mirror, the shock hit me for six, and I thought, 'How the hell am I still here'.
"I literally looked like a character from the Ridley Scott film Alien.
"I have a long road ahead, and with everyone behind me I am very positive. I'd like to thank everyone for their support and friendship getting me through this. I never realised how much love I have around me."
Colleagues and friends began a book filled with messages of love and support for Mr Shaw, which was kept at Hairport for all to sign.
Friends from the hairdressers worked with staff at the Audley Arms to start a collection for him too.
Mr Shaw said: "Reading some comments brought a lump to my thoat.
"I'm so ecstatic and happy, and would like to thank everyone who contributed [to the collection]."
The money contributed has gone towards a barber's chair and pole for Mr Shaw.
He said: "I am itching to get back to normal – I know I have to be sensible and take baby steps getting back to work though.
"Those who have been waiting for my return or wanting a jolly barber should come on down.
"I'm slowly building back up to working full time again."


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The Mobile Desktop Grid is a project designed to interconnect institutions that have clustered and non-clustered computers, with the objective to assist researchers who are addressing global issues in completing their intensive computational jobs in a shorter period of time.
Basically, the MDG project aims to assist physicists, biologists, chemists, laboratory assistants/researchers, computer scientists, university students, etc., who require the intensive computational power of clustered systems, but are unable to purchase the technology due to financial constraints. For example, researchers who are working with computationally-intensive software, such as biological modeling of diseases, might be able to find solutions to global problems more quickly, through shared global computing resources, reports the MDG project site located on java.net.
Institutions that have clustered computers and want to make those resources available to researchers around the world can sign up with the project. MDG uses open source technologies, including the Java platform which can run on any operating systems. Its hardware requirement is small - similar to any hand held devices that support J2SE, the project's site reports.
A 51-page MDG User and Developer Guide written by Tan Choo Jun and Ang Wai Heng covers MDG Version 188.8.131.52. The guide documents the steps for utilizing the software, including registering a new account, adding a new cluster, finding MDG solutions resources, submitting jobs, etc. The MDG software (both server and client) has been deployed on Open Solaris, Fedora, Ubuntu, and Microsoft Windows XP. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL v. 3.0).
The MDG team, which works from Universiti Sains Malasia, won a Sun Technology award at OpenJive 2009 in Singapore for its work on the MDG project.
Institution with clustered computing resources that could be shared with global researchers are invited to contact the MDG team. Also, researchers seeking clustered resources, or anyone wanting to assist the MDG team in developing and enhancing the MDG software are welcomed to visit the MDG project site and get involved.
More Information
java.net Mobile Desktop Grid (MDG) project
Mobile Desktop Grid User and Developer Guide
Read More ...
[...read more...]


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PP crystals marked a significant improvement in ultrafast OPOs, however they still constrained the pump wavelength to be kept at a certain fixed value; paradoxically, the tunable Ti:S laser oscillator is used to pump a tunable OPO, yet the Ti:S laser wavelength is more or less fixed when the OPO is in use. For experiments requiring two independently tunable wavelengths, like many pump and probe applications, a second Ti:S laser would have to be used and synchronized to the first Ti:S/OPO setup. This approach is, however, more costly and complicated.
These limitations were finally overcome with the advent of third generation synchronous OPOs based on so-called fan-poled crystals. As illustrated schematically in Figure 2, in these crystals the induced poling follows a variable (fan-shaped) pattern instead of uniform stripes. If the crystal is translated perpendicularly to the beam path, the beam passes through regions with different periodicity enabling the phase matching condition to be smoothly adjusted for different pump wavelengths.
As with conventional PP materials, the signal wavelength is selected by adjusting the OPO cavity length to match the synchronization of the desired signal wavelength to the pump wavelength. With this approach, the Ti:S OPO setup finally delivers on its full potential and value, providing independent and broader tuning of the pump, signal and, if required, idler wavelength (Figure 3).
Fan-Poled OPO Advantages
With fan poling, the Ti:S laser and OPO wavelengths can be separately tuned, thus providing two fully independent wavelengths, if only part of the Ti:S laser intensity is used to pump the OPO. In addition, users requiring mid-IR wavelengths up to 4 μm may optionally use the idler beam transmitted through an independent output port of the OPO. The OPO can also be converted into a ring configuration including an intracavity frequency-doubling crystal to generate 505-750 nm (covering the "Ti:S gap") with conversion efficiency close to 100%. Finally, when equipped with an optional automated frequency conversion module, a tunable Ti:S plus fan-poled OPO combination provides gap-free tuning to wavelengths as short as 190 nm.
There are many types of ultrafast experiments that can benefit from this independent tuning. In biology for instance, having broad wavelength tuning together with two independently variable wavelengths enables the same compact laser setup to be used for comprehensive multimodal microscopy studies, using all the different types of nonlinear imaging techniques, including CARS, SHG/THG imaging, and multiphoton excitation (MPE). And, in the field of molecular reaction dynamics, studying detailed photochemistry typically requires the ability to independently tune the pump and probe wavelengths.
Fan-poled OPOs can reach much further into the IR than second-generation OPOs, particularly those based on blue pumping with a frequency-doubled Ti:S. For example, a Mira fan-poled OPO can reach 4 μm with the idler output, far beyond the reach of other commercial ultrafast OPOs. Fan-poled technology also enables more efficient difference frequency generation (DFG) where the signal and idler outputs are combined to produce tunable infrared output to wavelengths as long as 20 μm. That's because for any desired DFG wavelength, the user can select the Ti:S pump wavelength providing the signal/idler combination with the highest combined power and therefore the highest DFG conversion. The flexibility of a fan-poled OPO allows the user to always be able to choose this optimum combination.
Finally, third generation OPOs provide pulsewidth flexibility. So with a typical Ti:S pulse duration of 120 fs, a fan-poled OPO will deliver 200 fs pulses; but these can be shortened to only 80 fs by optionally operating the OPO with a wider output bandwidth. Alternatively, the OPO can be configured for picosecond (2-5 ps) operation in order to get a narrow (e.g., 2 nm) bandwidth for time-resolved studies with higher spectral resolution.
In summary, this new generation of ultrafast OPOs greatly extend the operating wavelength range of Ti:S lasers providing combined spectral coverage from 190 nm to 20 micron, flexible pulse duration and high power output. Independent pump and OPO tuning opens the door to simplified and less costly set-ups for pump and probe and non-linear microscopy applications.


text:
- November 6, 2006, 9:07 AM
Three twin-turboprop accidents within four days of each other last month claimed the lives of all 13 aboard. On October 15, four people in a Twin Commander 690 were killed when the aircraft crashed near Antlers, Okla. On October 18, five people were killed in a Piper Cheyenne when it crashed during a photo flight with a MiG-21. The accident happened moments after the Cheyenne reportedly flew near the Soviet fighter to inspect it for a possible gear-door problem. On October 19, four people were killed in the crash of a King Air C90 taking off from Besançon, France.


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Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), which is part of the Federal
Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC),
has overall responsibility for the energy sector in Switzerland. Close
coordination with the cantons takes place.
The entire coordination
is done by the Swiss
Federal Office of Energy. The responsibilities of the Confederation
in the photovoltaics sector include:
The cantons
are an important link in the chain for the increased practical use of
photovoltaics. On one hand, their responsibilities are defined by current
energy laws. On
the other hand, the programme SwissEnergy
represents the common basis for the cantons' activities; with its goals
in the area of renewable
The activities
of the cantons in the sector of photovoltaics include the following areas:
Assistance of cantonal institutions: professional schools, universities,
and universities for applied science
Support for pilot and demonstration installations
Information campaigns, education and events
Supportive measures for the promotion of the cantonal economy
These activities are
usually coordinated by specific cantonal
energy offices. Information is usually conveyed by the cantonal
energy advice centers.
Promotion of Photovoltaics
in the Cantons
remuneration directive for feed-in to the electricity grid (CRF) respectively the feed-in remuneration at cost, supersedes
any previous cantonal photovoltaic support programmes and/or tax deductions.
municipalities (and cities) play an essential role in projects realisation
concerning renewable energies. Based on their responsibility and their
local embodiment, they are in the situation to transfer concrete measures
and to communicate effectively face-to-face with the resident population.
Especially energy aware communities can be awarded the
Energiestadt label.
can support photovoltaic through the following measures:
the EW (power station) solar electricity action, the municipal plants
can contribute to an extent market development.


text:
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Asma Barlas, CSCRE, Speaks at Cornell Law School
Contributed by Claire Swensen on 09/13/12
Asma Barlas, professor and director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, gave an invited presentation on Islamic scripture, law, and women at the Cornell Law School as part of the Clark Initiative Colloquium on Law and Development in the Middle East and North Africa on September 11th.
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Futures has been around since 1996 and has grown to become one of the most popular fin systems in the world. Innovating on all fronts with things like colored fin boxes, the elevon quad fins, and their new fin tree coming to a Cleanline Surf near you, as soon as we get it(Stay tuned for news on that). Check out the tour of the Futures Fins headquarters by the owner of the company himself in the video below. Looks like a rad place to work. Makes sense that the product coming out of there facility in Huntington Beach, CA is constantly innovating and pushing the envelope of what's possible with fin technology.
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Matt is our chief blogger here at Cleanline Surf. He has an extensive knowledge of wetsuits, surfboards, and other surf gear and rides the products he writes about. When he isn't blogging he's answering your questions on the phone, packing up your brand new suit, or out in the water testing new gear.
Latest posts by Matt Gabriel (see all)
- Gifts for Surfers: 30 Awesome and Affordable Gift Ideas - 18 November, 2016
- Firewire Surfboards LFT Construction - 21 March, 2014
- The 7 Best Women's Cold Water Wetsuits for 2014 - 5 March, 2014


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So you are considering being an engineer or a pilot? Either way we're here to help you find the perfect program that is right for you! From building an airplane or formula car to manufacturing robots and developing new technologies and spacecraft systems — whatever career path you choose, we are here to help you find the perfect program at Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology.
Undergraduate Programs
SLU prepares students for careers in engineering, aviation, technology, physics and related fields. Satisfying this mission demands excellence in academic programs that integrate the education of the whole person, in the liberal and Jesuit traditions, with classroom and laboratory experiences in the major fields of study.
Graduate Programs
SLU provides a stimulating environment for graduate study in both engineering and aviation. These aviation and engineering degree programs are designed to be flexible to accommodate the varying interests of students. Some courses are taught by working professionals from area industries and organizations.
Explore the departments and discover what degree fits you. There are five departments within Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, each with their own outstanding faculty, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art facilities.
Academic Services
Academic Advising promotes the holistic growth of students, respectful of their individual goals. Our integrated program works collaboratively with the University community in support of students' academic success.
Study Abroad
Saint Louis University has a campus in Madrid, Spain that offers a wide range of academic degree programs and opportunities. Students have the opportunity to enroll in programs at the Madrid campus during their freshman or sophomore years for a semester of study abroad experience. Many engineering courses are offered on this campus.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Parks College students with a GPA in good standing with the University, majoring in an engineering or aviation degree program are qualified to apply for the scholarships, pending they meet the requirements of the awards.
Whether you enroll in the aviation department or select an engineering degree program, Parks College prepares you for a satisfying career and trains you to be a leader. Take the next step and schedule a campus tour.