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"Obese women and those with type 2 diabetes could be increasing their chances of having a child with autism or another development disorder," BBC News has reported.
This news is based on research examining the possibility of a link between a child's chances of developing one of these conditions and their pregnant mother having one or more of the "metabolic conditions": diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. To explore any potential links the researchers recruited children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay and typical development, and looked at whether their mothers were affected by any of the three metabolic conditions during pregnancy. They found several associations between mothers having metabolic conditions and their children's chances of developmental delays and autism, as well as their likelihood of scoring lower on several markers of development, particularly expressive language.
Due to its design, the study can only show that metabolic conditions during pregnancy are associated with autism and developmental delays, and can't prove there is a cause-and-effect relationship. However, the study's results do warrant more research into the effects of maternal metabolic conditions, perhaps with long-term research that can prove that these conditions actively contribute to autism. Although it will be some time before there is any definite proof, staying a healthy weight during pregnancy remains a sensible measure.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of California and Vanderbilt University in the US. It was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the MIND Institute. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics.
This story was covered accurately by the BBC and The Daily Telegraph.
What kind of research was this?
This was a case-control study that aimed to investigate associations between mothers' "metabolic conditions" and the chance of their children having autism or developmental delays during early childhood. In the study the researchers classed diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity (body mass index [BMI] greater or equal to 30) as metabolic conditions, and recorded the prevalence of these conditions in mothers who went on to have children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay and typical development. They also aimed to determine whether these metabolic conditions were associated with specific developmental effects.
The researchers stated that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders is 1 in 110 children, making it relatively rare. Case-control studies are a good way to investigate rare events as they look at a group of people with a particular condition and examine their circumstances compared with those of a group of people without the condition. In this way they can look for differences between the two groups that may suggest links to the condition of interest.
Since case-control studies start with people known to have the condition of interest (in this instance, autism) it is possible to enrol a sufficient number of affected patients. Case-control studies also have limitations as they are retrospective, and their control subjects have to be selected carefully in order to minimise the risk of bias. However, it is not always possible to completely remove or minimise bias from the results. Crucially, as they do not follow people up over time they cannot prove cause-and-effect relationships, but only find associations.
What did the research involve?
The researchers recruited 1,004 children aged between two and five years old: 517 with autism spectrum disorder, 172 with developmental delay and 315 children with typical development. The children with typical development were matched to the children with autism spectrum disorder based on age, gender and the region where they lived.
These typically developing children were identified from state birth records. The diagnoses of autism and developmental delay were confirmed clinically and the children's development was assessed using two recognised assessments of learning and behaviour: the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale (VABS).
Data on the mothers' health during the pregnancy was obtained from medical records, birth files and from a structured interview with each mother (the Environmental Exposure Questionnaire). The researchers also collected demographic information on the participants.
The researchers analysed the prevalence of the metabolic conditions in the mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay or children with typical development. They then compared mothers with metabolic conditions with mothers with no metabolic conditions and a BMI of less than 25 (a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25). When the researchers were carrying out the comparisons, they adjusted for a variety of demographic factors including the child's age and gender, mother's age at delivery, race/ethnicity, educational level and whether the delivery was paid for by the government or by private medical insurance.
What were the basic results?
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes was higher in mothers who went on to have children with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay. The prevalence was:
- 9.3% in the autism spectrum disorder group
- 11.6% in the developmental delay group
- 6.4% in the control group (typical development)
Having a mother with type 2 diabetes was significantly more common in the children who had developmental delay than in those with typical development (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.08 to 5.05). For children who had autism spectrum disorder, the rate of maternal diabetes was not significantly different (in other words, it was not meaningful in statistical terms) compared with mothers of children with typical development.
The prevalence of hypertension was low in all groups, but again more common in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay:
- 3.7% in the autism spectrum disorder group
- 3.5% in the developmental delay group
- 1.3% in the control group
Hypertension was not significantly more common in the developmental delay or autism spectrum disorder groups compared with the control group.
The prevalence of obesity (a BMI of 30 or more) was also more common in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay:
- 21.5% in the autism spectrum disorder group
- 23.8% in the developmental delay group
- 14.3% in the control group
Compared with the control group, obesity was significantly more common in the developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder groups (OR 2.08 95% CI 1.20 to 3.61 for developmental delay and OR 1.67 95% 1.10 to 2.56 for autism spectrum disorder).
The researchers then considered all three conditions together, which they called "metabolic conditions". They found that metabolic conditions were more prevalent in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay compared with mothers of children developing typically. The prevalence of maternal metabolic conditions was:
- 28.6% in the autism spectrum disorder group
- 34.9% in the developmental delay group
- 19.4% in the control group
When compared with the control group these differences were statistically significant for both the mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (OR 1.61 95% CI 1.10 to 2.37) and developmental delay (OR 2.35 95% CI 1.43 to 3.88).
The researchers then looked at the children's development, by assessing factors such as their use of language and their motor skills. Maternal diabetes or any metabolic condition was associated with poorer development in the child, particularly expressive language.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers concluded that maternal metabolic conditions "may be broadly associated with neurodevelopmental problems in children" and that "with obesity rising steadily, these results appear to raise serious public health concerns".
This case-control study has found an association between maternal metabolic conditions (diabetes, hypertension and obesity) during pregnancy and the chances of children having autism and developmental delays. These conditions were also associated with lower scores on several markers of development, particularly expressive language.
Due to the study design, this study can only show that metabolic conditions are associated with these outcomes. Case-control studies are useful for investigating rare conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder, as case-control studies start with people known to have the outcome, and therefore allow researchers to have sufficient number of patients to study in a meaningful way. However, case-control studies also have limitations. For example:
- The controls were selected carefully, to minimise the risk of bias, but it is still possible mothers could have been generally healthier for a number of reasons, including socioeconomic status. This could partially explain the explain the associations seen in the study.
- Also, the study relied partly on the mother's report of her health during pregnancy. This leaves the possibility that there may have been inaccuracy in recording this information, although the researchers did compare a proportion of the results to medical records, and found good agreement.
The exact causes of autism are still not known, but the latest research is looking at the potential genetic and environmental causes of the condition. While this research has provided results suggesting a potential link to maternal metabolic conditions (defined as obesity, diabetes and blood pressure), it should be remembered that the study only found associations rather than a cause-and-effect relationship.
The authors have raised serious public health concerns about rising levels of obesity and the possibility of a link with autism. However, further studies, perhaps of a prospective nature, are needed to continue assessing this potential link. While waiting for definitive proof, staying a healthy weight during pregnancy remains a good idea.
Analysis by Bazian
Edited by NHS Website
Links to the headlines
Obesity and diabetes link to child disorders
BBC News, 10 April 2012
Obese mothers more likely to have children with autism
The Daily Telegraph, 10 April 2012


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The ordeal of the disabled Carnival Triumph cruise ship carrying 4,000 passengers and crew appeared to be almost over, with people starting to disembark in Mobile, Ala., after days at sea without power in often squalid conditions.
After the ship arrived at port around 9:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. ET), Carnival president and CEO Gerry Cahill praised the ship's crew and told reporters that he was headed on board to apologize directly to its passengers.
Passengers appeared to begin disembarking around 10:15 p.m. CT (11:15 p.m. ET).
The Carnival Triumph departed Galveston, Texas, Thursday and lost power Sunday after a fire in the engine room disabled the vessel's propulsion system and knocked out most of its power.
After power went out, passengers texted ABC News that sewage was seeping down the walls from burst plumbing pipes, carpets were wet with urine, and food was in short supply. Reports surfaced of elderly passengers running out of critical heart medicine and others on board squabbling over scarce food.
"I know the conditions on board were very poor," Cahill said. "I know it was very difficult, and I want to apologize again for subjecting our guests for that. ... Clearly, we failed in this particular case."
It could take up to five hours to get everybody off the huge ship.
"Inside the terminal, there's also warm food available," said Terry Thornton, Carnival's senior vice president of marketing. "There are blankets, there are cell phones and refreshments available for the guests that need that or want that assistance.
Passengers will have the options of boarding buses to Houston or Galveston, Texas, about seven hours away, or New Orleans, about two hours away, officials said.
"We have gotten our guests back to land," Cahill said. "Now, we need to get them home. ... The full resources of Carnival are working from here to get them home as quickly as we possibly can."
Stranded Carnival Cruise Ship On Its Way to Port Watch Video
Carnival Cancels All Scheduled Voyages Aboard the Triumph Watch Video
Carnival Cruise Ship Making Its Way to Port Watch Video
At an earlier news conference this afternoon, Thornton said that anyone with special needs and children will be the first to get off the boat. He said the company's No. 1 priority is to make the process as "quick, efficient and comfortable" for guests as possible.
"There are some limitations. We know that up front," Thornton said. "The ship still does not have power. We only have one functioning elevator aboard."
Click here for photos of the stranded ship at sea.
The passengers were achingly close to port about noon today as the ship began to enter the channel and proceed to the cruise terminal. At 1 p.m., the lead tow boat had a tow gear break, so a spare tug boat that was on standby had to be sent in to replace it.
But once the second tug was in position and the lines were re-set, the towing resumed only briefly before the tow line snapped.
"We had to replace that tow line, so the ship did not begin progressing back into the cruise terminal until 2 p.m.," Thornton said
Passengers desperate to get off the vessel waved at media helicopters that flew out to film the ship and passenger Rob Mowlam told ABCNews.com by phone today that most of the passengers on board were "really upbeat and positive."
Nevertheless, when he gets off Mowlam said, "I will probably flush the toilet 10 times just because I can."
Mowlam, 37, got married on board the Triumph Friday and said he and his wife, Stephanie Stevenson, 27, haven't yet thought of redoing the honeymoon other than to say, "It won't be a cruise."
Alabama State Port Authority Director Jimmy Lyons said that with powerless "dead ships" like the Triumph, it is usually safer to bring them in during daylight hours, but, "Once they make the initial effort to come into the channel, there's no turning back."
"There are issues regarding coming into the ship channel and docking at night because the ship has no power and there's safety issues there," Richard Tillman of the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau told ABCNews.com.
When asked if the ship could be disembarked in the dark of night, Tillman said, "It is not advised. It would be very unusual."
Thornton denied the rumors that there was a fatality on the ship. He said that there was one illness early on, a dialysis patient, but that passenger was removed from the vessel and transferred to a medical facility.
The U.S. Coast Guard was assisting and there were multiple generators on board. Customs officials were to board the ship while it was being piloted to port to accelerate the embarkation, officials said.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Hasbro Sues Scrabulous For Making Scrabble Popular Again
from the don't-you-ever-do-that-again deptFor months, Hasbro and Mattel had been threatening the makers of Scrabulous with a lawsuit for daring to do what the gaming companies had been unwilling to do: make a fun version of Scrabble available on Facebook in a way that got many people playing the game on a regular basis. It took nearly 9 months, but Hasbro finally put a version of Scrabble on Facebook itself, and now that it's up has finally officially filed the lawsuit.
It's rather telling that Hasbro waited until its own version was online to file the lawsuit. What the company is basically admitting is that Scrabulous was a great promotional vehicle for Scrabble (otherwise why leave it up?), but now that Hasbro is competing with Scrabulous online, it wants to cut out that competition. Hasbro's General Counsel is being quite misleading in saying: "Hasbro has an obligation to act appropriately against infringement of our intellectual properties." That's not quite true. There is no "obligation" to sue someone who made your game popular again just because you were late to the game.
Scrabulous showed Hasbro that there was a huge market for their game. There was no indication that Hasbro had any interest in Scrabble for Facebook prior to Scrabulous' success.
Then there's this bizarre quote from Hasbro's GM of digital initiatives: "Hasbro has always had the same two priorities. One is to offer a great playing authentic game for fans and the second is to protect our intellectual property. This was theft of I.P., plain and simple." Really? Your second biggest priority is to protect your IP? Then why did you wait all this time to sue? Clearly there was a benefit in leaving Scrabulous up while your own version was being developed. Clearly the comparison to "theft" is incorrect. No one would let "theft" go on for months on end before suing, just so they could create their own competitive offering.
The Scrabulous/Hasbro situation is a perfect example of Matt Mason's thesis that "piracy" is almost never about "theft." It's almost always a market indicator that the market is unhappy with what's being offered. It's the market showing companies what they want.
Filed Under: intellectual property, lawsuits, promotions, scrabble, scrabulous
Companies: facebook, hasbro


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Barack Obama's people conceived of the budget sequester and he requested it. He also said that he would veto any attempt by Congress to make the cuts less painful. To no one's surprise, he is now blaming others.
With the dire financial straits that the United States Postal Service is in, I would like to know who in their infinite wisdom thought it was a good idea to sponsor Lance Armstrong's drug-infested biking team to the tune of $30 million.
JACKIE FROM ROYERSFORD There was a comment from a person being upset with the weather forecasters predicting a one- to three-inch snow and only getting a dusting. Most people would be happy with that. Maybe that person is one of those who has a pick up truck with a big plow in the front hoping to pick up a few extra dollars. Here is a thought. Do you know what happens to little boys and girls who lie? They grow up and become weather forecasters.
RD We'd like to thank everybody who came out on Saturday to Boscov's at Coventry Mall and supported our soft pretzel sale to benefit Forgotten Cats. We particularly thank the management and sales associates at Boscov's; they were absolutely fantastic. All the funds we raise are for the continuing effort to find homes for the stray and unwanted cats in the area and also continue our trap, neuter and release programs to help decrease the cat population.
FORGOTTEN CATS I was riding around Pottstown the other day. Some of the houses need to be fixed up and painted. Our town is really in bad shape. Owners should be fined. I think it is a good idea to have vacant houses with owner's name on them.
BETTY LOU This is a quote from Abraham Lincoln. 'Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it, the tree is the real thing.'
I live in Douglass (Mont.) Township. One night in January I was driving up Route 73 from Hickory Park. I saw bright lights on my right side and I drove in on Municipal Drive at the recycle center and I saw the salt shed all lit up. Why is that supervisors? Are you afraid the residents will line up at night with their five gallon buckets and steal the salt? Why doesn't the township install a light switch instead of wasting taxpayers' money?
A TAXPAYER I see where they say they're only going to have the parade on the Fourth of July. I think they should cancel the fire truck parade and invest that money into the fireworks and have a one-day celebration at Memorial Park starting at noon and ending with the fireworks. If they don't have the fireworks and they only have the parade, I will no longer contribute.
I find it amazing that Barack Obama can give a free phone to all the lazy people in this country who don't work so they can afford one but it's just impossible to get them all a voter ID card.
NO SNAKE OIL PLEASE I am sick and tired of driving and having trucks and vehicles ride up my bumper and try to push me out of the way on two-lane highways. So be forewarned, if you come up on my bumper and I'm doing the speed limit or a little faster and you try to push me out of the way or blow your horn, I will call your company that's on the side of your vehicle and I will report you. Don't try to push me out of the way.
I heard there was a good service at Rev. Ross' church, Bethel AME. The young people did a good job for educational day and celebrating Black History Month. I also understand Bethel AME had a surprise guest, Michael Jackson. For those of you who want to stay home, you never know who you may see at Bethel AME.
I ran into a friend of mine whose wife has leukemia and a problem with her heart. The amount of her medical bills were astronomical. When her husband applied for aid to help pay the doctors, he was told they make $37 too much. Now she won't be able to get the chemo treatments because they're unable to pay. Why is it we can support these young girls and babies and also for abortions but we can't help out a senior who worked hard all their lives?
LOSING FAITH So there I was going into panic mode when I suddenly realized I only had enough mailing labels to last until around 2117. But I worry for naught. The next day's mail brought more sheets of mailing address labels from three different solicitations. Saved, my day is complete.


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|Click map to enlarge.
It's nearly 35 years since I first flew over Sumatra, an island in western Indonesia. Looking out of the plane window, the dark green forests stretched to the horizon. Even if there weren't any Truffula trees, there were many herds of elephants, families of tigers, groups of monkeys and many thousands of lone orangutans calling and moving around the forest, hardly ever crossing paths with humans. Then came the organized loggers, the transmigration settlements, and the plantations – rubber, oil palm and industrial timber.
About half Sumatra's forests have been lost since 1985. Last year, a WWF report (pdf) found that forest cover in Riau province, central Sumatra, has fallen from 78% to 25% in 25 years.
As elsewhere, the forest remnants are mostly small, scattered, with fragmented and barely viable populations of large wildlife such as tigers, rhinos, and elephants. All these are more susceptible to local extinction than ever before. The report calculates that between 1990 and 2007 the average annual CO2 emissions from forest loss, degradation, peat decomposition and fires in Riau alone was 0.22 gigatons – equivalent to nearly 60% of Australia's total annual emissions, or 39% of the UK's.
The course of forest loss on Sumatra has been tracked and mapped and analyzed since the early 1980s, and its root causes much discussed (pdf). The new Sumatra forest maps have been released to show the startling loss of forest in GoogleEarth format. This was part of David Gaveau's PhD research at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), and was financed by a grant under the World Bank's Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund.
The new website, sumatranforest.org, has been set up to enable free and easy access to environmental information as an act of transparency. The maps are the property of the Wildlife Conservation Society-Indonesia Program, Conservation International, and Indonesian Ministry of Forestry's Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) – but all have agreed to make these data freely available to improve environmental governance.
Most instructive are the 1972-2007 map for southern Sumatra, looking at the 'coffee belt', and the 1990-2006 map for northern Sumatra looking at industrial plantations (rubber and oil-palm) and roads. There is some good text to help interpret the patterns.
But are these maps a conservation tool or just academic displacement behaviour? It really all depends on what happens next. Will they be used to rouse public concern to the level where the issue becomes really political? Will they be translated into Indonesian? Will the exercise be repeated every couple of years to track the loss, and will the people of Indonesia anxiously await the latest figures?
The admirable forest mapping done by various donors over the last 30 years was never repeated, and since each new map uses different criteria and methods, so no two maps are really comparable. Certainly the intent behind the new maps is to make a difference, to make the stark reality of the loss of Sumatran forest loss available to as many people as possible, and to result in better conservation management. Nothing is going to change without government backing, but without clear popular support, the backing may wither and the new maps and a recent pledge by the 10 Sumatran governors together with the ministers for environment and forestry may become just part of the historical documentation of the demise of Sumatra's forests. We did a project a few years ago with a consortium of conservation NGOs in Indonesia using mass media to raise people's awareness and concern about Indonesia's high rate of deforestation which provided important lessons (pdf).
It remains true that, as the Once-ler concluded, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."
Join the Conversation
Tony has raised critical issues: "Will the maps be used to rouse public concern to the level where the issue becomes really political? Will they be translated into Indonesian? Will the exercise be repeated every couple of years to track the loss, and will the people of Indonesia anxiously await the latest figures?"
I wish I could say YES to all your critical questions. I created this website hoping it will rouse public concern. However, I cannot guarantee that this will happen. I can only hope that school teachers, journalists, environmental activits in Indonesia and abroad will use the maps to raise the issue of deforestation on the political level. I will have the site translated into Indonesian soon. I also hope to do a 2009-2010 update and beyond. I am actively seeking funding for this. My vision is to put accurate and precise maps of tropical deforestation for 1970-2009 and beyond for everyone to see. I hope to find investors who are willing to fund this effort for Sumatra and possibly for Borneo, Sumatra's sister island.
It will be interesting if someone can draw a comparison with the US and Europe during the time they developed the farmbelt.


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I hope that you find our details informative and that they give you an insight into the ethos of the school and key aspects of our operation. Please do not hesitate to contact us if the information you require is not on the website or you would like further details.
'Realising potential, creating the future'
Our mission statement, designed by our students, highlights our commitment to maximising achievement and to develop our students as individuals. We believe that there is no limit to learning or ceiling on achievement and we seek the best progress and outcomes for all of our students. Our view of education is one that, while focusing on results, goes beyond qualifications through developing strong moral values, excellent social skills and a sense of community in our students so that they develop into articulate, responsible and successful adults.
Our House system, curriculum and our wide range of extra-curricular activities provide extensive opportunities for students to participate and achieve, developing shared values and a strong sense of community. We value teamwork and individual responsibility and offer diverse opportunities to develop these skills and attributes in our students. These qualities are promoted through sport, performing arts, activities such as our charitable fundraising, the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and our range of student leadership roles. We celebrate and recognise a wide range of achievement through our House and School awards and we are keen to maximise the involvement of our students in their school community.
Fulford School aims to combine academic excellence with outstanding care and support. We believe that all in our care should be known and valued as individuals and we work continuously to develop strong and effective partnerships between staff, students, parents, governors and outside agencies to realise the full potential of all in our community.
Ms L Savage


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The subtly distinctive design of the exclusive Stacy Garcia Seafan Coral giclee print lends modern intrigue to this brushed nickel plug-in chandelier.More Details >
This swag style chandelier features a bold shade design from internationally renowned hospitality designer Stacy Garcia. Known for her use of color and pattern, Stacy's exclusive line of giclee shades makes a wonderfully colorful and unique design statement. Plug the light into any standard wall outlet, and then hang the cord on the included swag hooks. Drape the cord as desired. The lamp features a brushed silver finish spider fitting and a silver cord. In-line on/off switch controls the light. Includes swag hooks and mounting hardware. U.S. Patent # 7,347,593.


text: It's the 3 Little Things It's The 3 Little Things: Carting Around Town, Pool Days, & Cheap Drinks Happy Friday, friends! I hope you are having a fabulous week and are looking forward to this long holiday weekend! I know I am! This weekend starts the beginning of our community pool membership so I thought I would share a few of our favorite things about our summers at the pool! Opening Weekend At the Community Pool After lots of swim lessons, I finally have two kids that can swim which is a total win for me this year and is making me enormously happy. For the last couple of years, we have joined this community pool for the summer and I absolutely love it. We are the type of family that try to get every dollar out of our pool membership so we are there every day that we can be there and pack enough snacks & books to stay all day. The kids love having a destination to go to each day, they burn off a ton of energy, and I enjoy some summer reading while I am there. Dreaming of warm days at the pool are making me very happy and we are looking forward to the pool's opening weekend this week! My favorite part about this pool- the giant shaded area where really white people like me can sit. I pretty much park myself in a chair under there and if there are no chairs under there, I scoot a chair under there next to someone else sitting there and sit uncomfortably close to them. My Favorite Pool Accessory EVER My best friend got these collapsible rolling carts one year when they were on sale at a local hardware store. You may not have thought of a Rolling Cart as the world's best pool accessory, but it really is. I load our entire cart up with our lunches (still in love with my favorite to-go salad containers), towels, pool toys, reading materials, sunblock, hats, and snacks. I throw them all in this cart and we wheel all of our stuff out to the pool, saving my back from breaking trying to lug all of our stuff out there. The best part is that this cart is great in the off-seasons for library visits. And, yes, we do horde that many library books when we go that we need a rolling cart to bring everything home. If you are looking for a book at our library and can't find it, chances are it ended up in this cart. Cheap Drinks You know I am all about the drinks since I have to feature something to drink for you each week! One of the best investments I made for our summer was buying one of these little half gallon containers for our drinks. My kids were looking for constant refills and buying tiny juice boxes for them was expensive. I can fill this up with lemonade, or some of our favorite fruit-infused waters, or just plain water and they can refill if they want to. I bought a stack of cheap cups that are for the pool and a quick name written on them with a Sharpie or having everyone pick a color helps cut down on throwing out packaging too. My bonus happy this week was celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary with the love of my life. On Instagram I posted this little Throwback Thursday image of the day we got married. These two kids had no idea what they were getting into. My caption speaks to what marriage has really been like for us… "There were hard years and easy ones. There were lean years and fruitful ones. Some years felt like longer than years and others felt like days. But they were always together and for that I'm thankful. 14 married years with my best friend this week!" It's very a special occasion when I get to go out on a date with this guy too. We are so lucky that grandma and grandpa offer us the gift of a night out for our anniversary each year. I love getting to dress up and hit the town with this guy! I found this beautiful dress & necklace from our site sponsor, Flourish Boutique, for the occasion. I went to the store and was overwhelmed with the dress choices. If you are looking for a special occasion dress, I highly recommend checking there- you can use WEB25 as a coupon code towards your dress. I found a gold clutch at Old Navy and put my nude heels and fake tan legs to work for a night on the town. A power outage hit our downtown that weekend though and our plans for all of our favorite places was derailed. After a lot of FB input and a long visit on Yelp, we settled on Zing! for a sushi night and it was absolute perfection! If sushi makes you as happy as it makes me, check out this documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi and tell me if you don't love sushi even more! Lastly, if you are a Michael Jackson fan, please enjoy this talent show performance of Billie Jean with a flawless moonwalk (starts at minute 1:11, if it doesn't start at the right spot)! Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! *this post may contain affiliate links- I only recommend what I love though. Check out past editions of It's the 3 Little Things! Now it's your turn, what makes you happy this week? Feel free to share in our link up below and link back to this post to participate! Share 3 things that are making you happy today! Published May 23, 2014 by: Amy Allen Clark is the founder of MomAdvice.com. You can read all about her here. Freebie Friday May 23, 2014 Sundays With Writers: Love With a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche


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0 Members and 1 Lonely Barbarian are spying on this topic.
It sounds a little like you are going to build a world of stubs. I will admit I blindly built the stub ability as I still wasn't entirely sure what they would be used for but greater minds than mine wished them. I always had the thought of having the ability of stubs to be "sucked" into a main submission somehow or incorporated together in some unique way. But I could still never figure out the overall use of them even then.
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|2012-09-21, 04:18
|Link #3321
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SO CAL!
a lot of novelist do that, sometime they get into new project they want to keep writing tell they get to certain point. I bet when ideas come, he will put them into the script for IS. a lot of novelist are like this,
might not come when people want it, but let him be alright , he quoted a while back he enjoy IS, he will work on it again. when the times comes. doing 7 vol is not easy people=D i totally agree with cyberdemon,
again just remain hopeful ok =D
there so many novelist that do the same thing. , its life.. so just set back and read another wonderful novels. the IS one will come out down the line. not now but when he is ready, . Have any even been to Disneyland , remember you have to wait in lines . =P
as the one admin said as well there a lot publisher stuff happening with the whole problem. as well sadly publisher sometime push the editors to change things in novel .Then the editor tells the writer.. and that adds up. . They were telling JK how didnt want some of her characters in potter, she was like no. had to go back and forth. so again it takes time, =D
i haven finally been reading the novels..a lot of work..ill tell you. not even close to 3 or any of that yet. but the stories are neat..also..i have to go back in forth with my japanese book. but it seem like fun read and i am understand of how something creators..things happen. and it takes time for new projects to come out =D.
Last edited by neowind; 2012-09-21 at 04:31.
|2012-09-30, 12:12
|Link #3323
Augumented Paranoia
Join Date: Nov 2003
Meanwhile Okiura is now working with another MF Author, wishing him luck with this one.
|2012-10-03, 09:01
|Link #3325
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Age: 23
More info about the premise, story, and characters can be found here:
It is written by Yuu Miyazaki and illustrated by okiura.
Here are some pics:
|2012-10-03, 09:04
|Link #3326
We're Back
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Redgrave City
Age: 30
To answer your question Eagle, the direct translation of his new series is [After School Battle].
|2012-10-10, 12:44
|Link #3330
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Chile
Spoiler for little mean joke for Yye1:
Sorry for the mean joke. But as a matter of fact, there's been almos no news about it. Specially considering that any info regarding the author has been mostly related to his bad attitude in the social networks, and his new light novel (which i've read in this and other threads that it's a little dissapointing)
Hopefully, this means that he'll stick with IS, although I've also heard rumors about a possible reset of the LN... hopefully, that won't happen, I'm sure he can exploit IS
|2012-10-25, 13:42
|Link #3331
Master of Coin
Join Date: Mar 2008
All I can see is "Go Japan" "You need to worship Japan" "Down with America"
I could barely reach volume 3 before giving up. It is just way too painful.
|2012-10-29, 02:42
|Link #3332
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SO CAL!
It's so colorful....xD... ^^ it's looks pretty neat.. if i may say so XD
|2012-10-30, 04:21
|Link #3336
Ava courtesy of patchy
Join Date: Jan 2009
|blockhead protagonist, comparison, fanservice, harem, manga rebooted, mecha, not dense mc, seinen, shounen
|Thread Tools


text:
123 HP Deskjet 2130 cartridge Installation:
123 HP Deskjet 2130 printer's important tool for printing documents is the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge installation is the initial process in the printer setup. To get started with your 123 HP Deskjet 2130 printer setup first you will need to install the HP ink cartridges. 123 HP Deskjet 2130 also provides you instant ink services on which you can consume upto 50% of ink. You can also get intimated when your loosing out of ink.
While you install your ink cartridge your Printer gets sync to the HP ink store and hence when your Deskjet printer runs out of ink your dealer automatically gets intimated.


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Posted by Keith on May 11, 2005 to Hurm News
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Attending Provider's Return to Work Desk Reference (RTW) Exam
How do I start?
To prepare for the CME Self-Assessment Examination, please read the 60-page "Attending Provider's Return to Work Desk Reference".
- Attending Provider's Return to Work Desk Reference F200-002-000 (1,760 KB)
This examination is "open book". You may find it helpful to print the handbook for reference, as you will be referring to it throughout.
Note: L&I does not have a system for reprinting or retrieving certificates. We recommend that you print multiple copies of your certificate for your records or save it electronically.
How much time will it take?
- After reading the handbook, it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete the activity (20 questions).
- You must finish the activity in its entirety before clicking "Submit".
- After clicking "Submit", your score will immediately be determined. If you have a passing score (70% or greater), you will be able to print your certificate for up to three (3) hours of Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit, immediately following the completion of the activity.
Why Return to Work (RTW) is in Your Patient's Best Interest
As a treating provider in workers' compensation, your primary duty is to your patient and their successful recovery. Not only do you give them the best possible clinical care, you want them to have the best possible overall recovery from their occupational illness or injury.
If at any point you close out of the activity by closing your browser window, be aware that your answers will not be saved and you will need to restart the activity over again.
Thank you for your participation.
Click continue when you are ready to begin.


text:
By using this Web Site, you consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.
This document describes the privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") of Mercer LLC, 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-2774, United States of America and its affiliated companies ("Mercer," "we" or "us") related to information collected and held by Mercer from visitors ("you," "your") to its public Internet sites (each a "Web Site" and collectively the "Web Sites").
Mercer takes your privacy seriously because we know you do. Mercer is committed to processing the personal information it collects from Web Site users ("User Information"), including information concerning Web Site usage, in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
The Web Sites are intended for adults. If you are not yet 18 years old or lack the legal authority to form legally binding contracts under applicable law, please do not use any of the Web Sites. We do not solicit or knowingly collect any information from visitors under 18 years of age.
By accessing or using any Web Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and accepted the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and be aware that we may change it at any time. As a result, we recommend that you check back regularly to this page to be apprised of any updates of changes.
Information We Collect from Web Site Users and How We Use It
Mercer collects the domain names of visitors to its Web Sites to measure the number of visits, pages visited, and average time spent on each Web Site. This information is used to improve the design of our Web Sites and make them more user-friendly. Mercer also collects the e-mail addresses and other contact information you provide when you send us e-mail messages. This information is used solely to reply to your original e-mail message.
We may also collect information from you passively using "cookies" and "action tags." "Cookies" are small text files that are placed on your computer in order to identify your Web browser and the activities of your computer on our Web Sites.
Cookies may be used to:
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Certain Web Sites require users to register with Mercer by supplying their names and other personal information in order to have access to specific Web Site features ("Registered Users"). All Registered Users receive a username and password. When you register on a Web Site, Mercer may use your data to provide you with information reports as well as information about goods and services offered by Mercer. Mercer may also use the information provided by Registered Users to perform statistical analyses on our clients and understand client demographics.
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As a Registered User, you can use some Web Sites to inform us of your interest in employment with Mercer, to send us your resume or other information about yourself. This information may include your name, address, e-mail address, and information about your job history, experience, and education. We may also ask you for other information to help us tell whether you would be eligible under local immigration or employment laws to work in a particular country. You are able to provide us additional information that you think may be useful for us to evaluate your experience as it relates to potential employment with Mercer.
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Jensen, Li Brave the Day in Japan
There were maiden wins in both pro fields through tough conditions at IRONMAN Japan today.
by Emma Bishop
It was a case of beauty turned beast at the inaugural IRONMAN Japan in Hokkaido today. Sublime scenes of the sun breaking through low clouds onto glassy Lake Toya promised perfect conditions. But as athletes progressed through the early stages of the challenging bike, rain started and the winds lifted, setting the pattern for the rest of the day. It resulted in a beast of a course that gutsy athletes braved all the way to the finish line.
Coming out of the swim down on a pack of five, Denmark's Martin Jensen found himself with a 2:30 deficit to make up.
The 33-year-old Jensen quickly opened a four minute advantage at 85km and after conquering the climbs, and started the run with a 30 minute cushion. From that point it was a 'simple' matter of holding it together for his first IRONMAN title.
"I am excited. I came here for the win and to get it was amazing," Jensen says. "The course was really difficult. I imagined the bike would be hard—but not that hard. So on the run I struggled right from the start."
The women's race was far from a one-horse race. Australia's Michelle Wu had a slight lead out the water but once on the bike it was Japan's veteran racer, Emi Sakai who swiftly took the lead. She held the lead all the way on to the run but then the wheels began to fall off. The surprise change was not Wu but Taiwan's Shiao-Yu Li who started the run in second after a great bike and quickly moved up into the lead. Shiao-Yu went from strength to strength and crossed the line to take the title in 10:12.42 with Wu chasing hard to earn a well-deserved second. Sakai rounded out the podium.
"I am very tired but super happy. This was my first IRONMAN win as a professional. My favorite part today was the bike course. I love to go up hill," Li said.
Local 23-year-old Kazuki Kabono provided the age-grouper talent today. His father runs the local bike shop in Hokkaido and was supporting the event as chief bike mechanic. Kabono is something of a local hero, and had only raced Olympic distance before and never run a marathon. He out of the water in 51:08, produced a strong 5:19 bike and 3:20 marathon to be first age grouper and sixth place overall.
Top men:
1. Martin Jensen (DEN) 00:49:22 04:52:28 03:01:09 08:47:53
2. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 00:55:06 05:12:10 03:05:57 09:19:52
3. Tohara Kaito (JPN) 00:46:28 05:19:13 03:10:15 09:27:30
4. Masuda Daiki (JPN) 00:45:45 05:22:00 03:19:21 09:33:57
5. Byung-Hoon Park (KOR) 01:06:50 05:11:02 03:10:02 09:34:21
6. Kazuki Kubono (JPN) 00:51:18 05:19:30 03:20:30 09:38:47
Top women:
1. Shiao-Yu Li (TPE) 01:12:47 05:39:36 03:13:20 10:12:42
2. Michelle Wu (AUS) 00:57:45 05:57:07 03:16:06 10:19:24
3. Emi Sakai (JPN) 01:05:45 05:39:01 03:33:12 10:24:19


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No: 109-5
Date: September 22, 2005
President Signs into Law H.R. 804, Excluding Certain Payments Made Under the National Flood Insurance Program
On September 20, 2005, President Bush signed into law H.R. 804, (Public Law 109-64).
The law includes the following provision relating to means-tested assistance programs' treatment of grants for reducing future flood damage. (This is the same provision described in Legislative Bulletin 109-4.)
Treatment of Certain Payments Under National Flood Insurance Program
- Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to specify that assistance provided under a program for flood mitigation activities with respect to a property would not be considered income or a resource of the owner of the property when determining eligibility for or benefit levels under any income assistance or resource-tested program (including Supplemental Security Income) that is funded in whole or in part by a Federal agency or by appropriated Federal funds.
- Effective upon enactment.


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sqlplus Error: ORA-12560: TNS:protocol adapter error
Again I am fairly new to Oracle so it has been quite a learning process and typically I have been running into errors that are easy to resolve but being able to locate the answers easy has been challenging. While attempting to use sqlplus.exe from the Windows 7 command line I continued to receive a TNS protocol adapter error and it turns out it was simply from using the incorrect syntax. Below I describe the error in more detail as well as the correct syntax to use for sqlplus on Windows 7.


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Rei's MiniMap
The rei's minimap mod introduces a unique feature to your everyday minecraft gameplay. The mod itself, updates on the very day Mojang updated the game proves the dedication of the modder. But the question remains, is the mod worth it, what features could this mod offer that could convince a player to use it?
The mod itself is a kind of package that contains a list of in game features that are useful in day-to-day activities in the player's world. Using these features of this mod, players can successfully navigate through there world, above the surface or below using the cave feature. Maybe the player is trying to avoid or hunt mobs, the map offers a one of a kind feature, that pin points the mobs and animals, (including NPC villagers) with extraordinary spot on targeting. The further away you are from the mobs, the more transparent the markers on your map becomes.
A great aspect of this mod is the co-ordinate and compass feature that is automatically, by default placed on your map, or below it. Co-ordinates can usually only be found by using the F3 command. Using the co-ordinate feature, you are able to easily see the "co-ords" below, or above your map.
Rei's Minimap Mod for Minecraft 1.8.9, 1.7.10 and 1.7.2 Setting a waypoint
Using the waypoints section in the map menu, you are able to set a waypoint to your exact location, or set it to a location you have yet to explore. Highly customisable, you can change the colour of each marker to colour code your waypoints instead of typing in names for each one.
The map works so smoothly and efficiently that it adds minimal lag into your game if any at all. You will be able to see, the objects and natural structures that load in your world. From Trees to mountains, you can see in full depth, and colour, the size and shape of each individual block. Each colour of the different blocks are amazingly in match with your texture pack. If your grass is a lighter shade of green than the default colour, then the map will show you a lighter shade.
All of the features that come with this mod are incredibly unique to each other. From setting a death point, to changing the render type of the map, showing you the biome type, a cave, or the surface.
Rei's Minimap Mod for Minecraft 1.8.9, 1.7.10 and 1.7.2 Customisation
The thing that makes a great mod in my opinion is how much the modder allows you to customise the mod to your likings. With this mod you can change every aspect of it, manipulate it until it's exactly the way you want to use it.
Not only can you change the size, shape, and transparency of the map itself, you can change the location of it to different parts of the screen until it is easier for you to see.
The map features can be activated through set keys. Most players would turn around at this point if they had a mod they knew would interfere with another one. I think this is exactly the reason why the modder, allowed the players to customise the key configuration, whilst playing to minimise complications.
The only downside to this mod is that it doesn't work with some mods that introduce new blocks. Some of the blocks that are unique to any other block in the default game may suffer a few minor bugs, such as you may not be able to see it on your surface map, or the colouring may be wrong.
Another thing I found rather disappointing was that a lot of the features such as the cave finder, and entity radar (mob markers) were disabled once I had logged into a multiplayer server. I wasn't surprised to see that the map remained in the same place on the server as in single player.
These are only minor bugs, which I'm sure will not stop me from continuing to use this mod.
Rei's Minimap Mod v3.4_01 for Minecraft 1.8.9, 1.7.10 and 1.7.2 Changelogs
- Compatibility with Minecraft 1.8.9, 1.7.10 and 1.7.2
How to install REI's Minimap Mod for Minecraft 1.8.9, 1.7.10 and 1.7.2
- Download and Install Minecraft Forge
- Run Minecraft Launcher and select Forge Profile
- Go to Start Menu and Run %appdata%/.minecraft
- Put the Rei's Minimap file without extracting it into the mods folder
- Launch Minecraft with the Forge Profile


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A town near my parent's home has its own little claim to fame. Their claim is that they are the root cellar capital of the world. This village has approximately 135 root cellars.
This little town is also another great spot to view icebergs that float by.
This little village and nearby Maberly are quite picturesque. The rugged beauty makes for great photos. The town also also a puffin colony and these birds, with colorful beaks, may be seen up close without binoculars. Unfortunately, the birds come at a different time of year then when I visited.
The towns also have a number of old homes that are fun to photograph. They look like they have long been abandoned, with the peeling paint, yet the curtains are still in the windows.
These binoculars would have been great for viewing the nearby island, but weren't working when we visited. This was probably because it is not tourist season yet.
There is also a great little beach in town. It was a great place to take some shots of the ocean, waves and a nearby stream. The rocks also look great through a camera lens.
Elliston and nearby Maberly are great little towns to photograph. You can come for the 135 root cellars and stay for the iceberg and bird watching.


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Wycombe 2-1 Plymouth (agg: 5-3): Gareth Ainsworth's men ease to Wembley
Last Updated: 15/05/15 7:26am
First-half goals from Paul Hayes and Alfie Mawson helped Wycombe to Wembley as they beat Plymouth 2-1 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate.
Leading 3-2 from the first leg of the League Two play-off semi-final, Gareth Ainsworth's men blew their visitors away in the opening 45 minutes with a performance of pace, power and comitment that belied their fourth-tier status.
Plymouth rallied in the second half and grabbed a goal back from Ryan Brunt, who, along with his fellow half-time substitutes Zak Ansah and Jason Banton, gave the visitors much more attacking impetus.
Banton hit the crossbar and Wycombe had to rely on goalkeeper Alex Lynch, who made three top saves as the visitors came on strong.
However, it was Wycombe who got their noses over the line and they are off to Wembley on May 23 to face Southend United, who beat Stevenage 4-2 on aggregate.
The game mirrored the same script as the first-leg, when Wycombe raced into a 3-0 lead inside 53 minutes. This time they were 2-0 to the good inside 35 minutes.
Hayes had given his side the lead in the south west with a poacher's goal inside the six-yard box from a corner and he did exactly the same at Adams Park.
Plymouth goalkeeper Luke McCormick flapped at a furiously whipped in Joe Jacobson centre and Hayes was on hand to skilfully poke the ball home.
The hosts continued on the front-foot and doubled their lead on 24 minutes. Yet again it was Plymouth's inability to defend a set-piece that proved costly.
Another Jacobson corner caused havoc in the area and centre-back Mawson was brave to head home his sixth goal since March.
Much like in the first leg, Plymouth manager John Sheridan rang the changes at half-time and the visitors were a different side from the kick-off.
Banton showed his direct nature by driving down the left flank and firing over a cross that evaded Lynch but cannoned back off the crossbar.
After failing to have a shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes, Plymouth were now a different animal and got the goal their play deserved with 20 minutes remaining.
Bobby Reid had just tested Lynch with a rasping 20-yard drive before Brunt was on hand to cleverly flick an Ansah cross after he had got behind the Wycombe defence.
Ansah again found space in the box five minutes later but his powerful drive was tipped around the post by Lynch, who was playing just the second game of his professional career since joining from Peterborough.
Still the visitors came but Lynch stood strong, finger-tipping away a long free-kick in from on-loan Tareiq Holmes-Dennis with five minutes remaining.
Watch the League Two play-off final between Wycombe and Southend live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Saturday 23 May from 5pm.


text:
Check Wool Blend Tailored Coat
€590.00 €590.00
€300.00 €300.00
All orders will be fulfilled by Burberry Limited and shipped from the UK. When you place your order, you accept Burberry's Terms and Conditions and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy.
Size Guide
Use the Size Guide to choose the best fit for your measurements.
In this window, you can find out the shipping and returns options for the selected item.
In this window, you can contact customer service for further assistance.
- A smartly tailored coat in an Italian-woven check wool blend, diamond-quilted at the lining for added protection.
- Outer: 75% wool, 20% polyamide, 5% cashmere
- Undercollar: 100% cotton
- Lining: 100% polyester
- Filling: 100% polyester
- Buttons: buffalo horn
- Zip and double-breasted closure
- Notch lapels
- Hip jet pockets
- Dry clean
- Imported
Item 80044551
Wear this with
Flower Print Cotton Linen Shirt
€160.00 €270.00
€75.00 €120.00


text:
- About us
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In Figure 1 below we demonstrate a single-flux network. We compare a normal web browser communicating directly with a typical website against the case of a single-flux service network, where the end user's browser communication is proxied via a redirector (the ¨flux-bot¨ or ¨flux-agent¨). When a victim believes that they are browsing http://flux.example.com, their browser is actually communicating with the fast-flux service network redirector which redirects the requests to the target website. Single-flux service networks change the DNS records for their front end node IP address as often as every 3-10 minutes, so even if one flux-agent redirector node is shut down, many other infected redirector hosts are standing by and available to quickly take its place. We have found these fast-flux networks to be composed of primarily compromised home computers.
Fast-flux networks are responsible for many illegal practices, including online pharmacy shops, money mule recruitment sites, phishing websites, extreme/illegal adult content, malicious browser exploit websites, and the distribution of malware downloads. Beyond our regular observation of new DNS and HTTP services, other services such as SMTP, POP, and IMAP can be delivered via fast-flux service networks. Because fast-flux techniques utilize blind TCP and UDP redirects, any directional service protocol with a single target port would likely encounter few problems being served via a fast-flux service network.


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Over the next 6 weeks I have several trips scheduled to see both existing clients and new businesses. Existing clients usually require new debt recovery vouchers, PPSA advice and sometimes upgrades to their Terms of Trade we did for them years earlier. New businesses usually require consultation, a review of any existing Terms and Conditions they may have and then credit management solutions can be recommended from our suite of products.
The first trip begins at either York or Notham, next stop is Cunderdin and then overnight in Merredin. The following day allows for appointments in the morning there then on to Kalgoorlie. A couple of weeks after that, the Pilbara. We have many existing clients in Karratha and Port Hedland and most of my time there is spent meeting them, answering questions and solving recent issues.
Around mid-March I will go again to Alice Springs and Darwin. This is always a hectic trip as there are many existing clients and new businesses to meet and never enough time. Both places are under serviced by business advisors and so business owners seem to appreciate the effort we make to go there 3 or 4 times a year.


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The "Internet of Things" has a new and improved switchboard.
Pachube -- basically an API to connect and collect data from all kinds of devices, sensors, and environments worldwide -- yesterday rebranded and relaunched itself as Cosm, with a new focus on collaboration and social elements.
Pachube's founders first envisioned it as a "patch bay" to connect the Internet of Things, but say they've since expanded the vision to be less about "behind-the-scenes infrastructure."
"The idea of the Internet of Things needing a piece of equipment has become less useful than the concept of it involving shared 'workspaces' and 'environments' ('microcosms' and 'macrocosms')," write's Cosm's Usman Haque in a blog post announcing the changes.
Aside from the name change, which Haque repeatedly touts as much easier to pronounce than Pachube, Cosm's improvements include a new user console to monitor data feeds, more real-time data, commenting, and a more sophisticated system to manage into the thousands of devices.
This all comes less than a year after Pachube was acquired by cloud connectivity company LogMeIn last summer. The platform had received some notoriety in the wake of the double natural and nuclear disasters in Japan a few months prior as an ideal tool for keeping an eye on radiation levels following the Fukushima meltdown.
In the interim between being acquired and re-launching, Pachube was also involved in a campaign to build a network of air quality monitors that included a successful Kickstarter campaign to produce and distribute an "Air Quality Egg" -- a funky little sensor system that keeps track of the air at home or businesses and reports the data back to the network to create a broad air quality picture.
So far, Pachube has largely been the realm of the uber-geeky -- the data obsessed, arduino tinkerers and savvy activists -- but the potential for transforming the Internet of Things into a utility we depend on as much as our wireless networks seems clear, especially now that there's a platform with a name we can pronounce.


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Lawrence Halprin Exhibit at Palace of Fine Arts
May 24, 2017 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
An event every day that begins at 10:00 am, repeating until September 4, 2017
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In partnership with The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), SF Rec and Park and NonPlusUltra will host The Landscape Architecture of Lawrence Halprin at the Palace of Fine Arts. The exhibit is a traveling photographic exhibition about the life and work of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin (1916-2009). The exhibit is free and open to the public and runs through May 25, 2017 through September 4, 2017. The exhibition, which debuted at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., is organized and curated by TCLF. Created in 2016 during the centennial anniversary of Halprin's birth, the exhibition features 56 newly commissioned photographs by leading landscape photographers of dozens of Halprin's major works, ranging from recently rediscovered residential projects created early in his career in the 1950s to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. and capstone projects such as the Yosemite Falls approach and Stern Grove in San Francisco. The exhibition both honors the influential designer and calls attention to the need for informed and effective stewardship of his irreplaceable legacy.


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Added Value of Task Parallelism in Batch Sweeps
Pär Persson Mattsson March 20, 2014
One thing we haven't talked much about so far in the Hybrid Modeling blog series is what speedup we can expect when adding more resources to our computations. Today, we consider some theoretical investigations that explain the limitations in parallel computing. We will also show you how to use the COMSOL software's Batch Sweeps option, which is a built-in, embarrassingly parallel functionality for improving performance when you reach these limits.Ler Mais
Jan-Philipp Weiss March 6, 2014
Previously in this blog series, my colleague Pär described parallel numerical simulations with COMSOL Multiphysics on shared and distributed memory platforms. Today, we discuss the combination of these two methods: hybrid computing. I will try to shed some light onto the various aspects of hybrid computing and modeling, and show how COMSOL Multiphysics can use hybrid configurations in order to squeeze out the best performance on parallel platforms.Ler Mais
Pär Persson Mattsson February 20, 2014
In the latest post in this Hybrid Modeling blog series, we discussed the basic principles behind shared memory computing — what it is, why we use it, and how the COMSOL software uses it in its computations. Today, we are going to discuss the other building block of hybrid parallel computing: distributed memory computing.Ler Mais
Pär Persson Mattsson February 6, 2014
A couple of weeks ago, we published the first blog post in a Hybrid Modeling series, about hybrid parallel computing and how it helps COMSOL Multiphysics model faster. Today, we are going to briefly discuss one of the building blocks that make up the hybrid version, namely shared memory computing. Before that, we need to consider what it means that an "application is running in parallel". You will also learn when and how to use shared memory with COMSOL.Ler Mais
Pär Persson Mattsson January 23, 2014
Twenty years ago, the TOP500 list was dominated by vector processing supercomputers equipped with up to a thousand processing units. Later on, these machines were replaced by clusters for massively parallel computing, which soon dominated the list, and gave rise to distributed computing. The first clusters used dedicated single-core processors per compute node, but soon, additional processors were placed on the node requiring the sharing of memory. The capabilities of these shared-memory parallel machines heralded a sea change towards multicore […]Ler Mais


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It's possible to mount both Apple HFS+ and Microsoft NTFS filesystems under Linux.
Both filesystems support multiple content streams per file, though this is not widely used.
- Apple uses the term fork.
- Microsoft uses the term Alternate Data Stream.
Are there (semi) standard ways to access these filesystem features from Linux? If so are the methods uniform between the two filesystems or are only arcane ad-hoc methods available? (Perhaps something with


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Oct. 20, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - Once again a freshman stepped into the spotlight to lead the Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer team to a big win. Five days after freshman Jeff Cosgriff scored in overtime to beat Saint Mary's, freshman Amaechi Igwe scored the game-winner to lead Santa Clara to a key 1-0 victory over the University of San Francisco Dons at Buck Shaw Stadium. With the win, the Broncos are now five points up in the race for the West Coast Conference crown with just four games to play. SCU also stretched its unbeaten streak to six games with the win (4-0-2). Overall, the Broncos are now 9-3-4 and 5-1-2 in the WCC.
With first place on the line in the conference, both teams came out looking to score early and the Dons nearly broke through off the foot of Neil Stuart. The Dons forward broke into the box all alone on the right and fired a shot to far post. However, as he has done all season, Broncos goalkeeper Joseph Buttitta came up big with a diving save. The rebound fell to Aaron Chandler, who shot over the net to keep the game scoreless.
SCU's best chance of the first half came from senior Keith DeVey. Igwe started the play with a corner kick to the back post, where Stephen McCarthy beat his defender to head the ball back across the goalmouth. DeVey then headed a ball to the corner, but the Dons defense recovered to block the shot and keep the Broncos off the board.
After a slow start to the second half, the Broncos began to assert themselves with Igwe leading the charge. In the 67th minute, a great combination play led to a chance for Igwe. Cosgriff found Peter Lowry at midfield and Lowry sent Sean Danzeiser through with a deft touch. Danzeiser put the ball out wide to DeVey and he drove a low cross into the six-yard box for Igwe, who got a touch on the ball, but Dons goalkeeper Geremy Uhl made a great reaction save to prevent the goal. Minutes later, Igwe fired high from a tough angle after a give-and-go with Lowry.
However, the freshman from Belmont would break through in the 73rd minute. Igwe and Danzeiser played a give-and-go to set Igwe up at the top of the box. He spun and froze his defender before unleashing a low shot to the corner past a stunned Uhl to give SCU a 1-0 lead. The goal was Igwe's third of the year.
Buttitta preserved his shutout and the lead two minutes later by diving to his left to save a Matt Languis free kick. Despite some pressure by the Dons at the end of the match, the Broncos remained solid at the back to earn the three points and their sixth shutout of the year.
Santa Clara travels to Southern California for the third time this year to face two conference rivals next weekend. On Friday, Oct. 27, the Broncos will look for the sweep of San Diego at 7:00 p.m. PT at Torero Stadium. SCU won the first meeting 2-1 on Oct. 1 to start its current six-game unbeaten streak. Then on Sunday, Oct. 29, Santa Clara takes on Loyola Marymount at 2:00 p.m. PT. The Lions defeated Santa Clara 2-1 on Sept. 29 at Buck Shaw Stadium.


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Linkasaurus #9
Socialising, customising and cat-ifying museums... a round-up of recent web and tech news.
Social Sharing
A great article urging cultural institutions to remember that social media activity should be focussed on looking for opportunities to get others talking about you.
Getty museum gets Google-Goggled
Getty-goers with the Google Goggles app can now point their phone at any painting to instantly access mobile-optimized versions of the work.
BBC Two's 'The Code' - a transmedia experience
An interactive 'basic maths principles' challenge has been integrated into the show with puzzles presented through syndicated Flash games, the TV series itself, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and iPlayer.
Rituals of Feedback: Birds of Paradise
A collection of comments from our current temporary exhibition.
It's Not About the Cat Cams
Putting a camera on their in-house cats catapulted the Philbrook Museum of Art to Internet celebrity. In this interesting blog post their online communities manager argues that museums have a responsibility to use every available means to stay connected on a human level to those who make what we do possible.
Smartphones Dominate U.S. Mobile Purchases
An article on recent phone stats, including this one: "55 percent of U.S. mobile phone purchases over the last three months were smartphones."
Design your own museum?
A blog post that asks some interesting questions about applying 'customisation' to museums. The comments are worth reading too.
First Look: Google+ and Minuses
An early review of google's new 'facebook fighter'.
Why isn't the video store dead?
Great question - and the answer? Well, that's debated hotly in the comments.
Battle of the App Stores
A review of different app stores because, after all, your tablet or smartphone is "only as good as the apps it runs".
Epic photoshop fail
Is this the worst photo-fakery ever?
<Linkasaurus #8 Linkasaurus #10>


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William Buckett, president of the Gallery's Board of Managers 1996-1998, died on January 28, 2009. An acclaimed graphic designer, Bill left his mark on many Gallery publications and in 2005 was honored by the Rochester Advertising Federation with an ADDY Silver Award for lifetime achievement. At MAG, the 2009 exhibition Maira Kalman: The Elements of Style was dedicated to his memory.
An interview with this long-time friend of MAG appeared in the November-December 1996 issue of MAGazine. Read the article


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To see
please click on LEARN MORE button below.
National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels
Experience In The Abu Dhabi Travel & Tourism Sectors
The National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels (NCT&H) was formed in 1996 in response to the needs to develop both tourism and commerce in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), specifically in Abu Dhabi.
NCT&H is dedicated to contribute to the promotion of the Abu Dhabi travel industry, both as a local and international destination. And the four directions it has followed are: hotels acquisition and management, hospitality service, transport and catering. Each division is manned by an experienced management team and provides its customer with a variety of superior services.
Danat Hotels & Resorts is the upscale hotel division of the National Corporation for Tourism and Hotels with its portfolio of four and five star hotels in the UAE.
The Danat five-star boutique branded properties includes Danat Jebel Dhanna Resort, Danat Al Ain Resort, and Al Raha Beach Hotel. Furthermore, our four-star deluxe managed Abu Dhabi travel resorts includes: Tilal Liwa Hotel, Dhafra Beach Hotel as well as Novel Hotel City Center (formerly known as Mercure City Centre Hotel), Oryx Hotel and Century Apartments in the heart of Abu Dhabi, Green Mubazzarah Chalets and Mercure Grand Jebel Hafeet Al Ain Hotel in Al Ain. Consistent across all of our Abu Dhabi hotel resort properties is the warmth of our welcome and the levels of service and quality that Danat prides itself in delivering to our guests.
In addition, NCT&H is involved in the asset management of numerous hotels namely Hotel Novotel Abu Dhabi Gate, Ibis Abu Dhabi Gate Hotel, Pullman Dubai JLT , and Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi . Moreover, National Corporation for Tourism and Hotels is expanding its range of Abu Dhabi hotels and resorts with the development of luxury hotels within the coming three years, as Abu Dhabi is currently on the fast track to becoming the regional business travel and tourism destination of choice.


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An unusual weather phenomenon was spotted by a seven-year-old on Saturday.
The upside down rainbow, also known as the circumzenithal arc, was noticed by Ella Pryer, with the photograph sent to us by her grandmother Cheryl Spratt.
This type of rainbow is rarely seen because they appear so high in the sky and are created by sunlight bouncing off ice crystals high in the atmosphere.
The ice crystals form wispy cirrus clouds and these are usually formed at between 18,000 and 40,000ft.
In order to be able to see a circumzenithal arc, a combination of atmospheric conditions must coincide at just the right time.


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"It's never happened to me before. Never," Garcia said. "I always make sure at the end of the game my feet are behind the line, but they were right there and they know what they were doing and it was the right call."
On a night when many were preoccupied with the NCAA tournament, the Wizards and Kings played a game that could be described as the NBA's version of the NIT - with all due apologies to the NIT. Washington won without making a field goal in the game's final 8 minutes, nearly blowing an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead.
Sacramento dropped to 0-26 against the Eastern Conference, staying on course to become the first NBA team to go winless against the other conference - in the same season that the Wizards are closing in on becoming the first to go winless against its own division. Washington's 16-51 record remains only marginally better than the Kings' 14-52.
"We didn't do things right," said Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, who scored 30 points. "But the most important thing is that we got a win, and I'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss."
The matchup between lottery-bound teams was as much about pingpong balls as basketballs, except for buzz about the college game. There were empty seats aplenty at the Verizon Center at the start of the not-very-anticipated duel, with tipoff taking place just as the NCAA bracket was being announced. The seeds were displayed on the scoreboard in the second quarter, and former North Carolina star Jamison was asked about the Tar Heels' placing during a halftime interview.
Of course, there was no way a game like this could have a tidy ending. Garcia was sure he had made his 3-pointer, but official Eli Roe immediately ruled otherwise, and the replay supported Roe's call. Mike James then made the free throw that made the score 106-104. With one last chance to win or tie, Kevin Martin missed a final 3-point attempt from near the top of the key at the buzzer.
Andray Blatche added 16 points, and Darius Songaila 15 for the Wizards. Washington played without Caron Butler, who has a tight left hamstring and will have an MRI exam Monday.
Martin scored 24 points, and Spencer Hawes had 20 to lead the Kings, who were missing Bobby Jackson (broken left cheekbone) but welcomed back Beno Udrih (out six games with a sprained right foot).
Washington made 11 of its first 12 shots and set a season high for points in a quarter with 37. The Wizards led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, and everyone was cheering when Juan Dixon threw a length-of-court pass to rookie center JaVale McGee, who somehow managed to score a basket off the backboard while being hugged and spun around by Rashad McCants in an obvious attempt to foul. McGee made the free throw for a three-point play.
But a Wizards lead is never a safe one. An 11-point halftime advantage had evaporated by the time Jason Thompson made two free throws with 1:43 to play in the third quarter, putting the Kings ahead 83-82.
That was the only Sacramento lead of the game. The Wizards went on a 15-3 run before the game got messy in the fourth quarter. Hawes and Jamison were each whistled for a technical foul, and Sacramento was even called for a rare lane violation on a free throw.
Then came the suspenseful final minute that left the Kings still at the bottom of the NBA pile.
"We definitely don't want to be labeled as the worst team," Hawes said. "There is still a lot to play for. We still have a lot to prove."
Notes: Jackson broke his cheekbone late in the 126-123 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night and did not travel with the team. He will be re-evaluated Monday. Udrih came off the bench for the first time this season and had 10 points and seven assists in 29 minutes. The starter at point guard was Garcia, which gave the Kings their 21st different starting lineup of the season: Garcia, Martin, Hawes, Thompson and Andres Nocioni. ... The Wizards' 66 first-half points equaled their highest-scoring half of the season. ... The game was the second of six in a row against the East for the Kings. It was also the first in a four-game road trip.
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Feb. 15, 2012
Government Canyon State Natural Area to Open Mid-Week During Holidays
SAN ANTONIO – Texans looking to experience the beauty and adventure of the Texas Hill Country during holidays will find greater opportunity to enjoy the outdoors at Government Canyon State Natural Area in west Bexar County, beginning this Spring Break.
Texas State Parks has decided, starting March 13, to open the state natural area during select holidays throughout the year, including Christmas Day. Government Canyon typically has been open only four days a week, closing Tuesday through Thursday so staff can continue implementing a comprehensive natural resources plan.
During 2012, Government Canyon will remain open mid-week to accommodate holiday day users. New opening holiday dates are: March 13-15 (Spring Break), June 19 (Emancipation Day), July 3-5 (Independence Day), Nov. 20-22 (Thanksgiving) and Dec. 25-27 (Christmas).
"Despite recent statewide budget cutbacks that impacted our agency and resulted in losing employees, Government Canyon management saw an opportunity to increase access to the state natural area without diminishing the ability to effectively steward resources, provide customer service and ensure safety on busy weekends," says state natural area Superintendent Chris Holm. "By choosing weeks during the year when we knew that a large number of people would be off from work or school, we felt we could offer a greater opportunity for Texans to visit, without jeopardizing our mission as a state natural area."
Since opening in October 2005, Government Canyon State Natural Area has been closed mid-week so staff could work unimpeded on such tasks as conducting prescribed burns to return nearly 700 acres to natural grassland savannah and to enhance woodland and cave habitat for seven indigenous federally endangered species. Crews also have kept busy developing and maintaining almost 40 miles of hiking and biking trails to ensure visitors will be able to access the natural treasures found inside the natural area.
Being closed midweek also has allowed staff to move forward on development plans that have only been partially implemented since the opening. One long-awaited part of the plan is the opening of the first campground, which has been delayed due to staffing shortages and tight budgets.
"We are excited about opening camping for the citizens of San Antonio and beyond," says Chris Holm, Government Canyon's superintendent. "Despite the many challenges we've faced, we are moving forward with campground development by constructing two host sites for campground volunteers, who can help run the campground. Otherwise, the campground would have to remain closed until we have enough paid staff to responsibly manage it."
Although no formal campground opening date, Holm says that soon, nature enthusiasts, scouting groups and families will have the opportunity to enjoy an evening star-gazing, learning about nature during evening ranger programs and telling stories around a campfire.
For further information and to view a schedule for future years, visit the Government Canyon page on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, http://tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/findadest/parks/government_canyon/ or visit us on Facebook.
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In her first public statements since it was revealed that the Michigan Economic Growth Authority approved a $9.1 million tax credit deal for a convicted embezzler, Gov. Jennifer Granholm was quoted by the Gongwer Michigan Report as saying, "And obviously, a mistake was made, and it cannot happen again."
The "mistakes were made" evasion has become such a political caricature that it even has its own Wikipedia entry:
"Mistakes were made" is an expression that is commonly used as a rhetorical device, whereby a speaker acknowledges that a situation was handled poorly or inappropriately but seeks to evade any direct admission or accusation of responsibility by using the passive voice. The acknowledgement of "mistakes" is framed in an abstract sense, with no direct reference to who made the mistakes. An active voice construction might be along the lines of "I made mistakes" or "John Doe made mistakes." The speaker neither accepts personal responsibility nor accuses anyone else. The word "mistakes" also does not imply intent.
The New York Times has called the phrase a "classic Washington linguistic construct." Political consultant William Schneider suggested that this usage be referred to as the "past exonerative" tense, and commentator William Safire has defined the phrase as "[a] passive-evasive way of acknowledging error while distancing the speaker from responsibility for it." While perhaps most famous in politics, the phrase has also been used in business, sports, and entertainment.
The disturbing lack of due diligence revealed by this blunder is no laughing matter, however. Nor is the fact that in recent years, MEGA's parent agency, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., has become aggressively less transparent while demanding ever larger sums to subsidize its operations and programs.
If the governor and the MEDC actually had confidence in both their procedures and the efficacy of their programs, they would be eager to make their favor-granting operations and outcomes an open book. For example, rather than just issuing "future-evasive" press releases boasting of the jobs promised by newly announced tax break and subsidy recipients (the embezzler's firm was "expected to create 1,813 new jobs"), the agency would also post on the Internet regular updates with audited figures on how many jobs each deal actually produced.
This is just one of the transparency reforms the agency should adopt. Until it does, the presumption stands that it has something to hide. Specifically, that the favors it grants are a merely a form of self-serving political development, not economic development, because there's no evidence the program works — but a great deal of evidence that it doesn't.
Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.
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The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
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Some producers will be receiving huge crop insurance revenue payments yet this year, which could trigger a huge unwelcome tax bill, particularly if producers sold 2011 crops this year, too. In other words, some producers could almost be receiving two years' worth of income in one year.
Help is on the way, however. For farmers who normally sell at least half of their crops the year following their harvest and use cash accounting as most do, they can roll crop insurance benefits into the 2013 crop, says Steve Samples, a CPA in Van Wert, Ohio.
This is called section 451(d) of the tax code. "You can't split payments into two tax years, however," he says, so you either have to call the benefits as income in 2012 or 2013. If you receive crop insurance payments in 2013 for the 2012 crop, none of your payout has to be claimed for 2012, regardless of whether you normally sell your grain in the following year or not.
Samples adds that "normal" marketing is subject to interpretation, so you better be in close conversation with your accountant if you receive benefits this year. An important question producers must answer, however, is whether they would rather have crop insurance benefits as taxable income in 2012 or 2013, Samples says, and it's not as easy a question as it may sound. That's because crop prices in 2013 could also be strong, with carryover so incredibly low. Anything less than ideal yields next year could suggest relatively high corn and soybean prices for the 2013/14 crops, even if lower than present prices.
It's not only crop insurance that producers need to think of when considering tax strategy between now and the end of the year, Samples says. Because higher levels of Section 179 depreciation are scheduled to expire this year, as well as bonus depreciation, producers with a need to purchase equipment and other farm business items that can be expensed, might be dollars ahead to do so yet in 2012. Section 179 credits for the 2012 tax year is $139,000, far lower than the $500,000 in purchases that could be expensed in 2011, Samples says.
Even so, because Section 179 depreciation is set to revert back to only $25,000 in 2013, it may pay to purchase equipment and use the deduction this year. Samples quickly adds, however, that farmers should only purchase equipment and use the deduction if they have a need for it.
Samples notes that this year, Section 179 applies up to the first $560,000 of equipment purchases, then a dollar for dollar reduction thereafter. That means that if a farmer purchases $699,000 worth of equipment, they cannot take Section 179 depreciation.
Another tax credit that goes away in 2013 is the 50% bonus depreciation. This year, farmers get 50% depreciation using this provision for qualified new equipment, with no limit on the total purchased. Bonus depreciation is set to expire Dec. 31.
There is talk of Congress extending the rapid depreciation for business. "Nothing will happen this year because it's an election year, however," Samples says. The outcome on whether Congress extends Section 179 credits and bonus depreciation could hinge on the makeup of the new Congress and who is elected president, he continues Some say that it may be a challenge for Congress to extend the Bush tax credits, because doing so will adversely affect the federal budget deficit moving forward.
While making use of deductions makes a great deal of sense, farming for the tax code—rather than profits—obviously makes no sense, Samples says. Furthermore, there are worse things than paying taxes. "Paying taxes means you're profitable," he says. Still, there is no reason to send Uncle Sam a check that's larger than you need to.
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Mark Gold, president of Top Third Ag Marketing, based near Chicago, is encouraging farmers to use put options now to protect income, whether from insurance payments or, for the fortunate few, crop yields expected this fall.
Dairy Sustainability Award Nominees Sought
Consultant Lowers U.S. Corn, Soybean Crop Estimates