text:
|Harvey OR HARLEY,
acrylic on canvas,
32" x 26"
|All images are the property of the artist and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the artist and Visual AIDS.
Becky Trotter
When her freshman year at Missouri State University began in 1988, Becky Trotter had her life perfectly planned out: She would attend a state school for four years, get her bachelor's degree in art, move on to graduate school and then strike out on a career in art therapy. Herself a sexual abuse survivor -- she was abused by the friend of a relative when she was 14 -- Becky wanted to reach out, helping other women and children who had been through the same ordeal.
But the man who had abused her was also HIV positive -- as Becky would discover late in her freshman year when she, too, was diagnosed.
"When I tested positive it shifted everything," Becky says. "I really struggled in my art, because the art I was doing [sculptures, drawings and prints heavily based on landscapes and realism] became meaningless to me."
Becky stayed in college and earned her bachelor's in art, but instead of following her original plan to head to graduate school, she became an AIDS activist. A native of Joplin, Mo., she remained in the Midwest after graduation, working for two years as North America's key contact for the International Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS, and became a board member for the Global Network of People With HIV/AIDS. She also began to paint; in 1992 she created the aptly named "First Painting," which represents her attempts to cope with the issues she has dealt with as a sexual-abuse survivor. One year later -- the man who infected her long since buried -- Becky was diagnosed with AIDS.
Seemingly always both an activist and an artist, Becky struggled to balance both passions. While dealing with a string of failed anti-HIV drug regimens, she involved herself more deeply in AIDS activism and became a motivational speaker. She also occasionally created artworks that reflected who she was and what she was going through.
"A lot of my friends criticize me because they want to be known as an artist, not as an artist with AIDS," Becky said. "But AIDS is such an integral part of who people are, and I think people do artwork about their experiences and their lives. Whether people think they're doing artwork about AIDS or not, somehow it comes through subconsciously."
From 1995 until 1999, Becky lived in New York, editing PWAC Newsline, a national newsletter for HIV-positive prisoners. In 1999, Becky created her latest series of artworks. Entitled "Pull Up a Chair," each painting features an empty seat -- a stiff-backed wooden chair, comfortable-looking love seat -- that represents someone Becky has known over the past 14 years who has since died of AIDS. Next to each painting is a quote by the person to whom Becky has dedicated the picture.
Perhaps without realizing it would develop into a theme, Becky created her first empty-chair work in 1997, "I'm Not Comfortable." She painted it shortly after leaving the New York hospital where she received treatment for severe Viracept-related side effects.
"I was sitting in the hospital alone," Becky says, "and I was looking at this empty chair, thinking about people who'd come in and sat there and visited me and didn't know what to say. Then I remembered a friend of mine, Richard, who had been sitting in his chair [in his apartment]. He was talking about dying, and how he didn't want to get dementia, and if he got dementia he would kill himself. And he's like, 'Where is all my stuff gonna go?' And he started pounding on the arms of this chair and said, 'Where's this chair gonna go?'
"So I started thinking about empty chairs," Becky continues. "How chairs -- that was his favorite chair -- how your favorite chair is an extension of who you are." Becky created "I'm Not Comfortable," she says, "because it's about me searching for comfort as a woman living with AIDS and as an artist living with AIDS," a role that has never fit her quite as well as a favorite chair would.
Becky still seeks that elusive comfort today. "There's this unspoken judgement that artists living with AIDS are not good artists, and they're not to be taken seriously," she says. She mentions the work of one of her favorite artists, Kathe Kollwitz, a late-19th and early-20th century artist who believed that art should reflect the social conditions of the time in which one lived. "She did art about war," Becky explains. "What's wrong with doing art about social issues?"
Within the span of a few months in late 1999, Becky's life again changed dramatically. In August, she left her job with PWAC Newsline and moved to Las Vegas to be with her partner Vivian, who Becky met in 1998 when Vivian was the Spanish interpreter for a motivational speech Becky gave in the area. In November, Becky completed "Pull Up a Chair"; in December, she developed severe pancreatitis from the Ziagen (abacavir) she had been taking.
For two years Becky was in and out of the hospital -- suffering, alternately, from pneumonia, kidney failure, septic shock and periodic flare-ups of her weakened pancreas. During those two difficult years she nearly died three times. This past July, doctors scrambled to bring her back after she stopped breathing during a routine procedure to strengthen her pancreas.
As 2001 closes, however, Becky is back out of the hospital and feeling better than ever. Though her pancreas is always a concern, her current drug combination -- the latest regimen of so many that she's lost count -- has her CD4 count over 300 and her viral load undetectable for the first time since her diagnosis almost 16 years ago.
Though she's less than thrilled with the lack of AIDS support in the Las Vegas area, Becky takes refuge in and cherishes the warmth of her partner and their two daughters, ages eight and 16. She writes frequently and is considering publishing a book about her life, but says she hasn't yet mustered up the guts to do so.
Whether one is an artist or not, Becky believes that art can play a vital role in helping someone HIV positive come to terms with his or her status and past. "There are different projects that you can do with grade-school students that you could do with adults who don't say they're artists," Becky said, offering face casts, collages or simply listening to music as some ideas. "Of course the art world would turn their nose up at that... but I think it's really important."
When it comes to dealing with the kind of hardships she's had to face, Becky says, "The only way to really get through it is to do it a minute, or sometimes a day, at a time. ...The circumstances of your life don't have to dictate the outcome of your life."
She recently met with a friend who has been HIV positive for ten years and has never been on medication, yet has a CD4 count around 1,200 and has never been ill. "It's possible to survive and to live," Becky asserts. "It's important to get involved, and it's important to reach out to other people."


text:
Get Connected: How Social Collaboration Can Help Companies Navigate a Complex Business
- Authors:
Publication Date:
June 2013
To remain competitive, companies should embrace social collaboration— employees and business partners contributing and connecting via an enterprise-wide virtual environment. Among the broad benefits that social collaboration provides are increased speed to market, streamlined processes, and improved client engagement. Fostering the right culture that embraces social collaboration, embedding it in everyday business processes, and having the right technology are necessary for success.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Authors of The Dranetz-BMI Field Handbook for Electrical Energy Management recently revised the publication, which was originally written in the late 1980s. The new edition defines energy and power, shows the reader how utilities measure and bill energy/power usage and how to read and interpret utility bills. It also includes sections on 3-phase power and motor and lightning systems and offers energy-efficient measures that building operators can take to lower their bills.
What's more, the book is a great guide for power quality engineers and utility customers. PQ engineers can use it to answer frequently asked questions about energy usage, cost savings, and measurements. Utility customers can use it to determine cost-saving strategies by better understanding utility charges, technology options, and energy/power fundamentals.
When we consider the events in California, it's clear that power quality is basically about the efficient use of energy. Since energy management may be the key to survival for many industries in the deregulated energy era, this book is a must-read for everyone in the electrical sector. To get a copy of this handbook, visit www.dranetz-bmi.com.


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Roberta Capua : Free Celebrity AddressesClaim to Fame: Italian TV Presenter
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Quick and Easy!
The staff is kind and informative. The entire experience is always quick and easy....exactly what a kid needs from a dentist!
- Bradleigh G. from St. John
Great experience!
The service we received was amazing! Everyone was very friendly and they made my 3 year old feel very comfortable, informing her of everything they were doing throughout the visit!
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Our First Visit to Dr. Karr's Office
Dr. Karr and her staff came highly recommended, and I can see why! From the moment we walked in the door, we felt at home. After a disappointing experience with another pediatric dentist, this office was as refreshing as a breath of fresh air! I am so glad there are still pediatric Dentists, and staff, out there, like Dr. Karr. Thank you for a great experience.
- Kaylee K. from Crown Point
Great Dental Care Specifically For Kids!
The staff are knowledgeable are always so nice. We never have a long wait for our appointment. Dr. Karr is really great with my kids, and they love coming to see her :)
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Thank You!
Dr. Karr and the girls were absolutely wonderful with my son. He was so scared and so inconsolable at his original dentist that he was referred elsewhere. He was a completely different kid at Dr. Karr's and even though he needed some work done, he was a champ and totally comfortable. Thank you Dr. Karr and staff, you achieved what I thought would be impossible!
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Awesome Experience For My 2 and 4 Yr. Old
Thank you for making Nathaniel's experience so wonderful. Your office and staff are so patient and friendly. He has been pretending to be a dentist all day today and is excited to brush his teeth!
- Nathaniel M. from Schererville
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Best Dental
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These people are blessed with amazing abilities to work pleasantly and enthusiastically with children in a situation that most children don't enjoy.
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text:
Even as his former Republican campaign rivals Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin were making pilgrimages to Chick-fil-A restaurants to show their support for company president Dan Cathy, Mitt Romney was carefully keeping his distance from the controversy over Cathy's statements in opposition to same-sex marriage. At a press conference in Las Vegas, Romney turned aside questions about the chicken restaurant and recent comments by Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) in which the former GOP presidential hopeful claimed American Muslims are engaged in an effort to spread the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States.
"Those are not things that are part of my campaign," Romney said at a news conference in Las Vegas on August 3. While Romney has in the past stated his support for the traditional concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, he seemed determined to keep his message centered on the faltering economy as the campaign draws closer to his nomination as the party's presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida later this month. The online publication Politico also reported that the candidate declined to say whether other Republicans talking about those issues created a distraction.
"I'm not going to tell other people what to say," Romney said.
Proponents of same-sex marriage have urged a boycott of Chick-fil-A after the Baptist Press quoted Cathy, a devout Southern Baptist, as saying that he and his family-owned restaurant chain are "guilty as charged" of supporting groups that champion "the biblical definition of a family unit." Cathy later said that America is "inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you do as to what constitutes a marriage.'" The statement got more attention when the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco said Cathy's restaurants would not be welcome in their cities and same-sex couples organized a "kiss-in" at various Chick-fil-A sites across the country.
Apart from the marriage issue itself, the statements from the mayors provoked controversy over constitutional issues involved if city officials were to sue their offices to try to prevent a business from operating in their jurisdictions because of opinions expressed by its owner. Romney, however, is steering as far away from First Amendment questions as he is from the marriage controversy. He may also be wary of offending the Log Cabin Republicans whose votes he courted as "moderate" in Massachusetts politics, when, as a U.S. Senate candidate in 1994, he promised to be a more effective leader than Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in promoting "full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens."
Whatever the reason, Romney has made clear that speaking up in defense of a beleaguered citizen's First Amendment-guaranteed rights is not one of those things that are part of his campaign for President.
Photo of Mitt Romney in Las Vegas: AP Images


text:
Military, Products
By By Douglas Nelms | June 1, 2011
Send Feedback
AgustaWestland has now completed development and testing of upgraded weapons and target acquisition systems for the ARH-129D aerial reconnaissance helicopter, the latest version of the attack-variant AW129 Mangusta. The company has also completed the first flight of the T129, an upgraded AW129 being modified to meet the needs of the Turkish Land Forces Command's ATAK (tactical reconnaissance and attack helicopter) program.
The most recent testing for the ARH-129D was conducted in Sardinia using a prototype. A major part of the testing for the aircraft was to ensure the compatibility of the aircraft's laser systems—laser designator (LD), laser range finder (LRF), laser marker (LM) and laser spot detector (LSD)—with the electronic warfare and SIAP (single integrated air picture) self-protection suite, the company noted. Trials also verified the overall architecture and man-machine interface, the co-pilot/gunner dual hand-grip and head-up display (HUD) firing symbology.
The trials also completed the validation phase for Spike air-to-ground missiles fitted with both high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and penetration blast fragmentation (PBF) warheads. The missiles were fired from distances over 6,000 meters (3.7 miles).
AgustaWestland said that the drift on the multi-function control display, when passing from the sight unit to the missile image, has been reduced, adding that the precision on the TM-197B machine guns that had been achieved with the older HeliTOW sighting unit was re-established.
Designers have also retained the tracking launch rails for missile firings to allow changes in the elevation of the missiles to be launched, rather than having to change the attitude of the aircraft. During the trials, the ARH-129D prototype was used to designate a target, the first time employing an Italian Army helicopter rather than a fixed-wing Italian Air Force aircraft. The IAF dropped Lizard-guided bombs from its AMX training/light attack aircraft in both a stabilized flight profile at 15,000 feet and in a dive profile released between 10,000 and 8,000 feet. Tests were done with the ARH-129D's LD locking onto the bombs in order to send to targets both before and after launch. Israel-based Elbit Systems makes the Lizard, and relies on a semi-active laser guided kit to hit the target. The company said that the laser designator will allow the aircraft to use 2.75-inch guided rockets or "smart" 155 mm artillery shells.
Final certification of the D model Mangusta helicopter is expected early next year, with kits that will include both the Rafael Toplite III and Spike systems, as well as interfaces such as the Selex Galileo compact control interface unit. Like AgustaWestland, Selex Galileo is a Finmeccanica company.
AgustaWestland plans to modify a total of 24 AW129 Mangustas into ARH-129Ds, followed by another 24 new builds, which will have further upgrades in terms of powerplants and computer capabilities. The Italian Army currently has 59 AW129s.
AgustaWestland has announced that its program to provide 60 T129s to the Turkish LFC is "progressing on time and on budget." Delivery of nine early supplemental A129s is scheduled to begin in mid-2012, with the unit scheduled to receive 51 T129s starting in 2013. The first nine helicopters are intended for immediate operational needs and will have less powerful engines, simpler weapons systems and non-Turkish avionics. However, there are plans to upgrade these aircraft at some point in the future.
First flight of one of the T129 prototypes (P3) took place on March 11 in Vergiate, Italy. The first prototype (P6) developed by the full ATAK team is expected to fly "shortly," the company said. The ATAK team consists of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)—the prime contractor and system integrator—while AgustaWestland and Aselsan are the main subcontractors. ATAK placed an order for 51 T129s in September 2007. In November of last year, it placed a €150 million ($213.3 million) order for an additional nine, bringing total orders to 60 aircraft, plus 41 options.
A total of six prototypes are being built, with three assembled in Italy dedicated to the development of the basic vehicle, and three assembled in Turkey dedicated to mission systems test and evaluation.
Evaluation testing of the ASELFLIR 300 targeting system and the upgraded turreted gun system has already been conducted, with initial product support, offset and technology transfer activities progressing on schedule, according to the company.
As this issue went to press, AgustaWestland North America confirmed a $37.8-million foreign military sales (FMS) contract with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) for two AW139s that will serve in the Egyptian Air Force. The manufacturer will configure the two AW139s for search and rescue missions at its plant in Philadelphia, and also supply training and spare parts support.
AgustaWestland has installed a mission planning and analysis system (MPAS) on a fleet of 20 Royal Netherlands Navy NH90s. The Dutch Navy's MPAS, modeled after AgustaWestland's Skyflight planning system, supports operations and training activities. The manufacturer expects MPAS to be operational in late 2012. The UK Ministry of Defence also uses Skyflight on its fleet of AW159s and Boeing Apaches.


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After all the planning and prepping for a cold-weather Super Bowl, the day has arrived and the fears of a snow-covered stadium in New Jersey have not come true.
Sunday was mostly cloudy, with a high of 50 degrees. Temperatures stayed in the mid-to-low 40s during the game, and a slight drizzle fell during halftime.
Turns out, this wasn't even the coldest Super Bowl -- at the 1972 Super Bowl in New Orleans, the temperature was a reported 34 degrees with a wind chill of 24.
Here's what you need to know for game day:
- Super Bowl road closures and traffic information
- Where to feast in NYC on Sunday
- Super Bowl events in NYC
- Super Bowl events in NJ


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The plot? As usual:
A Linux server was possibly compromised and a forensic analysis is required in order to understand what really happened. Hard disk dumps and memory snapshots of the machine are provided in order to solve the challenge.
Are you up to the challenge? All details are here
Here are the questions that need your answers:
What service and what account triggered the alert? (1pt)
What kind of system runs on targeted server? (OS, CPU, etc) (1pt) Read more »


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text:
TQ2777 : Diamond Jubilee Pageant - "Edwardian" as Herald Music Barge
taken 7 years ago, near to Chelsea, Kensington And Chelsea, Great Britain
Diamond Jubilee Pageant
The Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant was held on the 3rd June 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It saw over 1000 boats travel the River Thames, between Albert Bridge and Tower Bridge, including the Queen and Royal family on the Spirit of Chartwell barge.
The procession was led by a Belfry boat, followed by man-powered boats led by the royal rowed barge 'Gloriana' Link then small Sea Cadet motorboats each carrying a flag of each country from the Commonwealth. The Royal Barge 'Spirit of Chartwell' Link followed this, and then many different types of motor boats, starting with historic boats including Dunkirk little boats, services boats such as lifeboats and fireboats, and many pleasure and passenger craft. Between each group were 10 music boats carrying different live bands and choral groups.
A group of tall ships also gathered at Tower Bridge, but did not take part in the procession due to their height and the number of low bridges.
Despite poor weather over 1 million people lined the banks of the River Thames to watch the procession.
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- David Hawgood (find more nearby)
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- Sunday, 3 June, 2012 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Monday, 4 June, 2012
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text:
The soybean and corn markets could turn bearish or bullish, depending on yield trends, but the cotton market appears strong any way you look at it, says market analyst Richard Brock, president of Brock Associates, speaking at an ag update session at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show.
Brock is projecting corn plantings of 89.5 million acres, an increase over the 86.5 million acres planted in 2009, despite what could be fewer corn acres in Iowa and the Mid-South, as growers return to soybeans and cotton, respectively.
"Growers in Iowa have been going with corn after corn for several years and yields have suffered, so they're going back to soybeans."
He added that a bull market in cotton is behind a potential slight shift from corn to cotton in the Mid-South.
Brock said the national average yield for corn in 2009 was significantly higher than the five-year yield trend would indicate, one reason why he is projecting a nearly 3-bushel jump for 2010, to 168 bushels per acre. "There are arguments as to whether the increases are due to improved genetics, or the fact that we had one of the coolest Julys in history, and corn does better when temperatures are cool. I'm in the camp that it's coming from genetics."
If 89.5 million acres are planted in the United States and average yield is 168 bushels per acre, carryover jumps to 2 billion bushels, compared to 1.6 billion bushels in 2009-10, "even though ethanol usage is going to 4.5 billion bushels. Our yield is ramping up faster than ethanol usage. Even if we ramp up to 5 billion bushels of ethanol usage in 2012, carryover keeps going up. It's hard to be a super bull in corn over the long term."
If producers plant 89 million acres and trend yields stay flat, at 164 bushels, carryover drops to 1.5 billion bushels and this portends an average price of around $4 a bushel. "Under that scenario, corn is underpriced right now. If growers plant 90 million acres and yields come in at 172 bushels, we're looking at an almost 2.5 million-bushel carryover, and corn is 75 cents overpriced right now."
Brock sees soybean plantings of about 77 million acres in 2010, which with an average yield of 45 bushels per acre would push carryover from 210 million bushels to 340 million bushels and prices could range from $7.75 to $9.
Under a more bullish scenario of 76 million acres planted and a yield of 43 bushels per acre, soybean ending stocks could drop dramatically "and there's another $1.50 in this market to the upside."
A more bearish scenario of 77.5 million acres planted and a 46-bushel yield would push soybean carryout to 483 million bushels, and push prices to $7.50 to $8.50.
Bullish news behind soybean prices have to start with exports, "which are at an all-time high," Brock said. Nonetheless, "we're starting to build inventories in soybeans."
Despite the bullishness for soybeans, Midwest farmers "can't come close (with soybeans) to the net returns they can get for corn. Now, some banks may not loan farmers as big an operating line as the year before, and it takes a lot less to put in an acre of soybeans versus corn."
Globally, the world stocks-to-use ratio for soybeans is at 25.2 percent, the second highest ratio since 1996.
"The bull in the china shop has been China, which imports 54 percent of the world's exported soybeans. The United States has 46 percent of the world's export share, Brazil 31 percent, and Argentina, 10 percent."
Brock urges growers to keep expectations in check with soybean prices.
"You may think soybeans prices are cheap, but over the last five years, these are not cheap prices. These are high-priced beans, and with yield increases we're seeing, we're looking at very profitable soybeans. So don't sit and stare and hope it goes to some ridiculously high number. Be realistic. My target zone for September soybeans would be somewhere between $9.75 and $10.10. Have your shotgun loaded and when it gets there, start pulling the trigger."
Brock says the big bull in the cotton market is the depletion of excessive U.S. and world carryover stocks. "We're going from 6.3 million bales down to 3.3 million bales in the United States, and no matter how I slice the planted acreage this year, I don't see the carryover increasing.
"We're going to see a relatively tight supply here for the next three years. I see acres climbing to 10.4 million and profitability remaining high enough to maintain those acres."
Cotton planted acres were at a 20-year low in 2009, "so even 10.4 million acres is still way down from where we were. The worldwide stocks-to-use ratios for cotton are at 20 year lows, so this is a market that should be able to sustain these price levels for a good long time.
"Cotton is also an inverted market. Nearby futures are trading higher than the deferred. That's a situation for a bull market. My feeling is that the bull market is not over. There was a forecast for dollar cotton, but you sell a market when it's time to sell. Maybe it will be a dollar.
"My feeling is that in this type of a market, if you get into new highs into springtime, you'll have the annual top in the market before you get the crop planted. Remember, the markets always peak when the news is most bullish.
"This is a supply-driven bull market. If we have any kind of issues when this crop is being planted, my guess is before you're through planting, we'll have a spiked top. But at this time, it's too early to tell where that's going to be."
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text:
LIMERICK, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX), a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, announced it has acquired Semprus BioSciences (Cambridge, Massachusetts), a biomedical company and spin out from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The acquisition includes the core Semprus Sustain™ Technology. The transaction brings to Teleflex an innovative and patented platform technology that serves as the basis for next-generation medical devices. The technology is designed to provide the benefits of reducing complications such as thrombosis and microbial adhesion over long durations.
Sustain™ is a long-lasting, covalently bonded, non-leaching polymer that is designed to reduce the attachment of platelets and blood proteins at the device surface.
Sustain™ has been shown to reduce thrombus accumulation in in vitro testing after multi-month exposure to blood and through in vivo animal testing. The technology characteristics mimic the chemical properties of endothelial cell membrane, reducing the foreign body response to an implanted device.
"This acquisition illustrates our commitment to invest in late-stage, innovative technologies to support our future growth," said Benson Smith, Chairman, President and CEO. "We believe Semprus' novel technology provides distinct advantages over other surface and coating technologies currently on the market with its dual-functionality, ability to work in blood products, and long-term duration. Furthermore, we are excited about the potential for a broad array of our products with this technology to reduce infection-and thrombus-related complications for patients, as well as the resulting substantial healthcare costs which often arise when medical devices are implanted in the body. Finally, with the recently 510(k) cleared antithrombogenic claims on our existing ARROW PICC with Chlorag+ard technology, which is a chlorhexidine-based coating, we feel Semprus' Sustain™ technology provides us a tremendous next generation platform for continued innovation."
"The combination of Teleflex and Semprus BioSciences is an excellent opportunity to capitalize on the strengths of both organizations," stated David Lucchino, Semprus BioSciences co-founder and VP, Semprus Techology. "We look forward to being a catalyst for continued growth through the development and rollout of the Sustain™ technology on medical devices around the world."
The initial focus for the technology is its use in vascular device applications, and a Semprus Sustain™ coated Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) is currently pending 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sustain™ is also pending CE Mark approval in Europe.
Under the terms of the agreement, Teleflex has acquired Semprus BioSciences for an upfront payment of $30 million. Teleflex may be required to make certain additional payments based upon the achievement of certain regulatory and revenue milestones over the next several years.
About Teleflex Incorporated
Teleflex is a leading global provider of specialty medical devices for a range of procedures in critical care and surgery. Our mission is to provide solutions that enable healthcare providers to improve outcomes and enhance patient and provider safety. Headquartered in Limerick, PA, Teleflex employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide and serves healthcare providers in more than 130 countries. For additional information about Teleflex, please refer to http://www.teleflex.com.
About Semprus BioSciences
Semprus BioSciences, (www.semprusbio.com), a biomedical company located in Cambridge, MA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated. The history of Semprus BioSciences' journey from business concept to major acquisition in five years is a tribute to David Lucchino, his co-founder Dr. Christopher Loose, and the company's investors. As graduate students at MIT in 2006, Lucchino and Loose developed a business plan that took first place in the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition.
In 2007, Lucchino and Loose incorporated their start-up company as Semprus BioSciences. In December 2010, the company completed an $18 million Series B financing co-led by SR One, the corporate venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline, and Foundation Medical Partners (FMP), a national healthcare venture capital investment firm with a strategic relationship with Cleveland Clinic. Combined with their Series A round – financed by 5AM Ventures and Pangaea Ventures – Semprus raised nearly $30 million in equity prior to being acquired by Teleflex Incorporated.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on our management's current beliefs and expectations, but are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances, which may cause actual results or company actions to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these statements. These risks and uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Teleflex, Semprus and Sustain are trademarks or registered trademarks of Teleflex Incorporated or its affiliates. All rights reserved.


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Dissident Journalist Becomes Latest to Confess on Chinese State TV
Continuing a recent trend of publicly shaming people perceived by authorities as a threat to the regime, China's state broadcaster on Thursday aired footage of a veteran journalist confessing to leaking state secrets to an overseas website.
Gao Yu, 70, went missing in late April as authorities began rounding up known dissidents and activists ahead of the 25th anniversary of the June 4th crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. The outspoken journalist, who has previously been jailed, was formally detained on suspicion of leaking state secrets on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency said. It cited police saying she was suspected of sending an electronic copy of a highly sensitive document to an overseas website in 2013. It's not clear to which document they were referring.
The CCTV footage, aired in both Chinese (see above) and English (below), shows Ms. Gao seated in a orange prison bib being interviewed by police. "I believe that what I did broke the law and harmed the interests of the country. This was extremely wrong," she says in the Chinese version. "I sincerely and earnestly accept this lesson and I want to confess."
Ms. Gao is the most recent in a long string of criminal suspects who have been paraded on state television admitting guilt before they've had a chance to face trial.
In August last year, Chinese-American venture capitalist and microblogger Charles Xue was shown confessing to spreading untrue information online after he was detained on suspicion of soliciting prostitutes. Also in August, CCTV ran footage of two handcuffed people with their faces blurred, believed to be British private investigator Peter Humphrey and his wife, saying they used illegal means to obtain personal information.
In October, reporter Cheng Yongzhou appeared on state TV in prison clothes saying he had been paid to publish fake reports under his name about one of China's largest heavy-equipment manufacturers.
Rights advocates and lawyers have pointed to the televised confessions in questioning Beijing's oft-expressed commitment to rule of law.
-- Josh Chin. Follow him on Twitter @joshchin


text: 01 May 2016 10:00 A team of volunteers from Etihad Airways brought joy and happiness to underprivileged children at the Choice To Change Elementary School (C2C) in Dhaka by joining the youngsters for their annual fun day. With Bangladesh cricket star Mushfiqur Rahim also dropping by, more than 130 boys and girls at the school – set up by a former member of Etihad Airways' cabin crew – enjoyed a great day out with the visitors. As part of Etihad Airways' corporate social responsibility efforts, the airline's iVolunteer programme engages volunteers from across the airline to participate in various activities and support charitable causes around the world. The visit by eight volunteers from Etihad Airways' head office in Abu Dhabi, led by Environment Officer Luzelle Berger, coincided with the airline's 10th anniversary year of operations in Bangladesh. Aside from joining in the fun day of activities and a picnic at the National Zoo, the volunteers took much-needed items, including blankets, school supplies and toys, to support the children and their families. They also visited homes seeing first hand their living conditions in the city's slums. As a thank you gesture, the children, as young as four, staged a talent and cultural show for the visitors. The Choice To Change Foundation was launched in July 2010 by former cabin crew member Eva Kernova, a Slovakian national living in the United Arab Emirates, and Sunil Baroi, Executive Director, who Eva met during her travels to Bangladesh. The non-profit organisation supports poverty-stricken children in the slums of Dhaka by providing free education, food and basic health care. Importantly, C2C is one of the first schools in the Dhaka slums to teach the local curriculum in English. Coupled with low student-to-teacher ratios and over 1,000 visitors and volunteers since its formation – a large part being Etihad Airways employees – the C2C school is giving children a real chance to break the cycle of poverty and improve their lives. Etihad Airways has supported Choice To Change since 2013 by providing flight tickets to Foundation staff and to volunteers. The organisation is also one of the beneficiaries under the airline's Etihad Guest Miles Reward Programme where members are able to donate miles that are converted to cash for the charity. Hanif Zakaria, Etihad Airways General Manager Bangladesh, said: "The Choice To Change Foundation has made a huge difference to the lives of so many young children and their families in Dhaka. At Etihad Airways, we have been delighted to work with the charity over the years in helping make a difference, no matter how small, and touching the lives of so many." Luzelle Berger added: "The visit was inspirational and touched the hearts of the volunteers. Having given up our time to visit and interact with the youngsters, we left Bangladesh with great memories – providing these wonderful children with great joy, great laughter and plenty of smiles." Eva Kernova, co-founder and Director of The Choice To Change Foundation, said: "Providing the children with better education and making them more confident about their future, is something that we couldn't have accomplished without Etihad Airways' contributions. We are very grateful for this partnership and delighted to have welcomed the many volunteers from Etihad Airways' home in Abu Dhabi to support such a worthy cause. "The children were excited and thrilled when Bangladesh national cricketing hero Mushfiqur Rahim arrived and joined them for the picnic. A special thanks to him for inspiring the children and to Leah Lane, a teacher living in Abu Dhabi, who kindly sponsored this picnic for the second time." 联系我们 作为一家国际化航空公司,我们的运营范围覆盖全球。 了解如何联系您最近的阿提哈德办事处。查看联系方式 反馈 如您希望发送给我们您的评价、表扬或 或投诉,或只是想问个问题,请点击这里 给我们点赞 访问我们的Facebook主页! 观看我们的视频 访问我们的YouTube频道! 关注我们 阿提哈德航空 | 阿提哈德优惠 | 阿提哈德帮助 | 阿提哈德奖励


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"If I owned Texas and Hell, I'd rent out Texas and live in Hell."
— Gen. Phillip H. Sheridan
The Battle of Glorieta was not called the Gettysburg of the West because of the large number of casualties. It was compared to the Battle of Gettysburg because it just may have determined the outcome of the Civil War.
Had the Confederates from Texas reached California, they would have had an entire coastline of blockade-free ports and all the gold they needed to finance their army.
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Gone are the days when subscribers to the Philadelphia Orchestra were limited to a particular evening and series with the same seats, such as the Thursday "C" series with one seat location for all six concerts. For the past few years, subscribers have been able to "pick your own" series, for whatever programs, conductors, soloists, and evenings appealed to them. The flexibility extends to choosing seats in Verizon Hall, and that was especially helpful for the concert on Saturday night, December 5. Our seats on the First Tier offered a great view of the entire orchestra--and fine sound as well--for the featured work on the program, Stravinsky's Firebird. This was the complete music for the ballet, not the Suite that is so often heard. So there was even more of this incredible music to savor, and to be enveloped in the sound of the Philadelphians.
I've just about run out of superlatives to describe how good the orchestra sounds under music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. We already know from the numerous solos in the Firebird that the principal players are among the best anywhere, but the polish and power of the ensemble is what really distinguishes the orchestra under Yannick's direction.
The evening began with a lively performance of a Suite from Bizet's Carmen. I didn't realize, until reading the program notes, that there is more than one Carmen Suite--all of them arranged by others after Bizet's untimely death at the age of 36. This version, arranged by Fritz Hoffmann, is less frequently played but is more faithful to the original score. Yes, it's very familiar music, but for this listener, it never gets old.
The nineteenth century Belgian virtuoso Henri Vieuxtemps wrote seven violin concertos, and on Saturday night, we heard the fourth of these showpieces. These works do not attain the musical heights of the violin concertos by Brahms, Bruch and Sibelius, but they have an enduring appeal for audiences and for the soloists who play them. And Saturday night's soloist is a treat to hear in any music she plays. Hilary Hahn has successfully made the transition from child prodigy to one of the world's great violinists. By the end of her performance, I was (almost) persuaded that Vieuxtemps No. 4 is a masterpiece.
Sights and sounds to savor at the Philadelphia Orchestra
Have you been to a concert somewhere in the world recently? Share your thoughts with us about the performance, the more details the better!
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banana and peanut butter bread
- 125g butter, softened
- 1 cup (175g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups mashed banana
- ½ cup (140g) crunchy peanut butter
- 1¾ cups (255g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup (80ml) maple syrup
icing (confectioner's) sugar, for dusting
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Gradually add the eggs and beat well to combine. Add the banana, peanut butter, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and maple syrup and stir to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into a 26cm x 11cm (2.5 litre-capacity) lightly greased loaf tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 85–90 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
- Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Serves 6–8.
Erin Holt
Love this! Possibly the best banana bread I've ever made. Great that it's not super sweet


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Cheryl Warren: Guitar, Bike & Beach
"I teach evening guitar classes at the Solano Community College, in California...both at the Fairfield and Vallejo campuses (yes, after my day job). I always bring my Voyage-Air guitar. I love to ask the question of how "this" guitar fits in "this" backpack. In other words, Voyage Air gets a lot of exposure. I have around 20-25 students each semester. This guitar gets a lot of attention everywhere I bring it!
"I also bring it with me when I ride on the back of my husband's motorcycle. Now we don't need to choose between the bike and the guitar. We both get the best of both our worlds. And last summer we took my parents to Carmel for the weekend. We told them part of the deal was hanging out on the beach with some good food, wine, and guitar. They loved it (ok...so my dad is my biggest fan). We had a great time. As a matter of fact, tomorrow we're going to the Napa Valley with some friends and they said to bring a guitar...guess which one I'll bring....
"You are selling a great product. If you ever need a spokesperson you know how to get in touch with me....!"
Thanks again and take care,
Cheryl Warren


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FLORENCE, Arizona — A county employee in Arizona has been fired after mistakenly euthanizing a dog that saved soldiers in Afghanistan and lived through explosions in the war-torn country, officials announced Friday.
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The unidentified Pinal County animal control employee euthanized the female shepherd mix on Monday and was immediately placed on administrative leave.
The dog named Target had been brought to the Phoenix area in August by Sgt. Terry Young after his tour of duty.
Target frightened a suicide bomber inside a military base and potentially saved dozens of soldiers' lives, Young said. He said the dog was treated like royalty from then on at the base at Dand Patan, near the Pakistan border.
The dog escaped from the family's back yard last Friday. Target didn't have a tag or microchip and eventually wound up at the county pound.
Last Friday night, Young found Target's picture on a Web site used by county dog catchers to help owners track lost pets. Young figured the shelter in Casa Grande was closed for the night and weekend.
He showed up at the facility to claim his dog on Monday, only to find out she was dead.
County officials say the employee mistakenly took the dog out of its pen Monday morning and euthanized it.
"I just can't believe that something like this would happen to such a good dog," Young told The Arizona Republic, which said the soldier and his family will get Target's cremated remains.
County officials are declining to name the employee because of threats made to that person and angry telephone calls to the facility.
"We are continuing to look into management practices and procedures to ensure that something like this cannot happen again," said Lisa Garcia, assistant county manager for Health and Human Services.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Lagardere reported that revenue for its publishing operations rose 1.9% in 2012 to 2.08 billion euros, with France turning in the strongest performance. In the U.S., sales for the full year dropped 3.4% at Hachette Book Group despite a 1.2% increase in units. HBG said the difference reflects the continued shift to digital as e-books generate less revenue than print. Net sales from digital products in 2012 – e-books plus downloadable audio – totaled 26% of overall HBG revenue in 2012 compared with 23% in 2011. Lagardere will release profit figures in March.
Lagardere noted that while digital books now make up 7.7% of net sales, growth has slowed in the U.S. where e-book revenue increased 15%. E-book sales in the U.K. continued to grow at a much rapid rate. E-book sales are less than 2% of sales in France and other countries, Lagardere said.
In the U.S. HBG had 71 titles hit the New York Times eBook bestseller chart in 2012. On the print side of the list HBG had 214 New York Times bestsellers last year, beating the company's record of 182 bestsellers set in 2011. Key HBG titles driving sales last year include The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, Private Games by James Patterson, Cross Roads by William Paul Young, and The Innocent by David Baldacci.


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Wraithlord wrote:bouer wrote:keithl wrote:Helper wrote:NoEdge wrote:Outside? Is that like Mesopotamia? Isn't Mesopotamia gone? Has Outside been destroyed without our noticing?!
Oh well. At least we still have our sandcastle.
I don't know. Nobody does. There is a large silicate-based piece of translucent material behind me that supposedly allows one to view the Outside, although I have never cared to look through it. And on occasional, the rooms feels warmer and is illuminated and I see what I can only assume to the Outside in the glare of my laptop screen, but I have always been similarly to frightened to look at the glare directly. From whence does the glare emerge, anyway?
The Outside is actually the Big Blue Room, where they keep the Jumbo Sized Air Fresheners, the Intermittent Sprinkler System, and the Hurtling Metal Boxes of Doom. The glare comes from the Great Headlight of The Universe, bearing down upon our sandcastle at 2 gigapixels per newpix, but always missing due to the protection of the Holy Flag of Saint Kepler. Praise be!
But the Outside is full of Outsiders, who wants to deal with them?
How do we know you aren't an Outsider too?
The fact I know what a "newpix" is is probably a good hint.


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Oregonaut wrote:I hate how much parlance is shoehorned into my cultural knowledge by my time in the military, and how I don't know that it is offensive, because I've never had a chance to use it around people who would find it such. Relearning words and their meanings sucks.
If this is about the Osama thread I shouldn't worry too much. You can't really be expected to know every possible term that might be offensive in other countries. Friend of mine, while traveling through the south of the US, asked a barman 'Do you sell fags here?' Barman was very unamused. It happens both ways.


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Via Centonze, 71 - 98123 - Messina (ME), Italy
Tel: +39.090.662825
The company Co.Ri. LTD arises from a previous business experience of its founder began in the 60s and it has, therefore, more than 40 years of experience in the cosmetic industry and in particular in supplies for hairdressers and perfumeries.
With the opening of new distribution centers covering the Italian territory, we have expanded since 1980 our product range also to beauty salons, nail and spa center.
Power blond blue formula
Power blond white formula
emulsion Peroxide 10/20/30/40 da 200 ml
emulsion Peroxide 10/20/30/40 da 1000 ml
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Color care balm
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Useful for the health of your hair and scalp.
Improves combing and hair shine and helps to have a strong, full-bodied hair
It improves hair pettinibilità and helps make the hair strong and full-bodied. Suitable for treated or colored hair.


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Friday, 8 July 2011
William and Kate don stetsons for Calgary rodeo
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Weve made some adjustments along the way, like the [changes to] the roadblock rule, the [addition of the] yield. It just seemed appropriate after seven seasons to change it up.
Finally, TAR: Family Editions Godlewski sisters showed up at Borders but were under strict rules not to talk to the press, so they just waved, smiled and quickly backed away from me.
By the way, at one point we were chatting about the possibility of an all-star version of The Amazing Race, but from what Phil said, it didnt seem like it would happen all that soon. As I recall (I didnt get this part recorded), Phil said it was something the fans were talking about more than Amazing Race producers and CBS executives were. Still, it sounded like it could happen one day.
My Dad's an idiot.As a lot of you know, my Dad's a producer for the Amazing Race, and he owns a risk management company for the entertainment industry. He also served for 18 years in UK Special Forces. He worked for a number of years in Intelligence Analysis and Information Security, advising senior military and political figures. He's also got an MBE and three Emmy Awards for his work in the Race. People say he's a genius. But I beg to differ. When my Dad and I are out together, he's a complete random idiot. I often end up punching him in the arm to shut him up, but he gets great joy in attempting to wind me up. So, I caught him on tape. (http://members.byond.com/Sinyc/files/DSCI0006.ASF) He does this when I'm with him all the time. Thank god he's buggered off for pre-production of the next series of the Race. Posted by Sinyc on Saturday, October 22, 2005 05:25AM - 8 comments
SinycdelgagePosts: 1(8/24/05 7:28 am)Unless you have your dates mixed up, this isn't true. My Dad's a producer for the Amazing Race, and he got home on the 10th of this month. I believe production finished on the 8th.And if you don't believe me about my Dad being a Producer for TAR, check out my blog. I've had to try and prove the BYOND community that I'm not lying. =)My Blog ~Sinyc. link to sucks
This is G o o g l e's cache of http://www.frankmurphy.com/2005_07_31_archive.html as retrieved on Oct 8, 2005 08:49:09 GMT.G o o g l e's cache is the snapshot that we took of the page as we crawled the web.The page may have changed since that time. Click here for the current page without highlighting.This cached page may reference images which are no longer available. Click here for the cached text only.To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:zE0qPR363E4J:www.frankmurphy.com/2005_07_31_archive.html+%22next+season+of+%22TheAmazing+Race%22+filming+around+North+America%22&hl=en
It took awhile . .. |#' here you go Slowhatch |#'Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 4:57 pmwe were in toronto downtown and we saw two of the groups getting a route info from a ice cream stand, there were 2 groups that went by both groups of 4. One four hot girls and the other a familly. The sign said for them to go to bostontarflies
what the Heck sign would that be exactly ? The sign said for them to go to bostonQuote from: puddin on October 08, 2005, 12:32:19 AMIt took awhile . .. |#' here you go Slowhatch |#'Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 4:57 pmwe were in toronto downtown and we saw two of the groups getting a route info from a ice cream stand, there were 2 groups that went by both groups of 4. One four hot girls and the other a familly. The sign said for them to go to bostontarflies
Didn't know where to put this but the CBS website has the Bransens with an "X" on their picture already. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race8/teams/
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The Elektra is a low-cost moving magnet phono cartridge which incorporates several audiophile features. Tracking ability is excellent and this cartridge uses an Elliptical stylus tip. The low-mass cantilever assembly has a surprisingly wide ranging compatibility with the best tonearms and turntables available.
Frequency Response
Channel Balance
2dB @ 1kHz
Channel Separation
20dB @ 1kHz
5mV±2dB, 1kHz @ 5 cm/sec
Static Compliance
Equivalent tip mass
0.7 mg
Vertical Tracking Angle
Stylus Radius
Elliptical .0007_?_ x .0003_?_ (18x7)
Stylus Type
Load Resistance
47,000 Ohm
Load Capacitance
Internal Inductance
560 mH
Internal Resistance
700 Ohm
Cartridge Weight
Fixing Centre
0.5_?_ (12.7mm)
Playing Weight
1.5-2.0g (1.7g nom.)
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SALISBURY — A Wicomico County farmer was found guilty of unlawful burning this week in District Court after a Maryland Attorney General's Office investigative team discovered he had set fire to a demolished chicken house last January after he was denied a permit.
On Monday, Randolph Swift, 59, of Pittsville, was found guilty of unlawful burning under the Environmental Article of the Maryland Annotated Code for violating restrictions on open burning. Swift had applied to the Wicomico County Health Department for an open-air burning permit last November to get rid of piles of debris on his Pittsville property from a demolished chicken house.
However, the health department advised Swift at the time no burn permit could be issued for the piles of debris and remains of the chicken house and its contents because of environmental concerns and that the material would have to be taken to the county's landfill for disposal. In January, the fire department received a call advising there were piles of debris burning on Swift's property without any fire personnel present.
Upon responding to the site, the Wicomico County fire chief observed multiple smoldering piles of debris including cremations and the demolished chicken house and its contents for which Swift had not obtained a permit. Following an investigation by the state Attorney General's Office Environmental Crimes Unit, Swift was charged with a criminal violation of conducting an open fire without a permit. On Monday, Swift was found guilty and was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine into the Maryland Department of the Environment's Clean Air Fund.
"Open air burning can release any number of toxic chemicals into the air," said Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler following the trial. "As a result, such fires can pose a serious threat to the health and welfare of anyone who lives nearby."
Gansler took the occasion to remind citizens burning construction material is illegal without a permit. When construction or any housing material is burned, including items such as insulation, carpet, asphalt shingles, linoleum or other materials, dangerous chemicals are released into the environment.
The pollutants can cause health problems for anyone nearby and can cause damage to lungs and aggravation of diseases and conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. In addition, the ash from a construction site burn can also create problems as it is likely to threaten the groundwater. As a result, construction and demolition waste should not be burned, but rather disposed of at landfills and other state-approved facilities where environmental and health risks are minimized.


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Spending my afternoon around the old town of Bangkok and found several graffiti which belong to "Bukruk" Urban art festival. This event has been held back in January showcasing 6 days live public wall art painting by Asian and European artists. These public murals haven't been removed. So if you are into street arts, there are many cool murals worth exploring around the Riverside, Charoenkrung, and Bangruk.
|Elephants by ROA
|Mural by Aryz
|Mural by Aitch
Asymmetric Slip Dress / Vintage Denim / Neck Scarf / Vintage tribal bag / Adidas Sneakers


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Archive for November, 2013
NYE Party in Reading
Cheap Drinks deals:
Carlsberg bottles 1.50
K2′s alco pops 1.50,
Single spirits with mixers £2 DBLs £3.50
Jager bombs £2.50
shots £2
Cocktails £3.50
£5 Entry! 10pm- 4am
Acid Techno, Hip Hop & Drum N Bass
Blue room of Facebar Reading. UK Hip Hop. Industrial drum n bass. from Liquid to out n out filth! And techno from Acid to Gabba. May get Dubstep thrown into the mix as well! DJ Spliffy B , Angus Angus, MiNoR cOnFuSiOn. £5 Entry!
Spliffy B
Spliffy B started DJing at squat parties in 2000 around Dorset and Hampshire. He then started playing in clubs in 2002. Between 2002 and 2008 Spliffy was playing in various places mainly in squat parties around UK. In that time he did play a few sets in Germany, and Belgium. In 2004 Spliffy B amongst other events he was promoting he promoted DNA with DJ Slimz. Between 2008 and 2011 due to personal reasons he only played a few sets, one of which was on Weymouth Beach. In 2011 he played a set in Holland. Since then Spliffy B has started promoting and DJing again. Spliffy B is currently a resident of Acid909, Yes yes y'all (with Angus) and Liquid Filth. He has also been 'Special guest' at the highly regarded Smash Techno, Club 414 (November 2013). He also promoted and played at liquid filth in august 2012 with Slimz, DJ Fiber and MiNoR cOnFuSiOn. Spliffy B has supported several big name DJs, most recently Rachel Rackitt, Steve Mills, Gizelle Rebel Yelle and Birinight
Spliffy has also played in various venues around Reading such as Bar Iguana, Facebar, Global, Bridges/Brasserie la Passerille
GG Angus
GG Angus has been mixing music for 5 years now, he plays a mixture of genre's but is one half of the resident djs of the yes yes ya'll night, he played in q bar, bar iguana, bridges and numerous houseparties. on new years he offers a mixture of u.k and american hip hop to bop around to before the real filth gets going. Watch out for his new up coming event called Goose swing
MiNoR cOnFuSiOn
drum & bass/dubstep dj from london city, now living in stroud gloucestershire.
MiNoR has been a DJ for many years (played a weekly show on a london radio station for a good few years) before having a break from it all. MiNoR is back in the game with a vengeance and looking to create his own sound/get back to doing what he loves to do, 'skitz out behind the decs and keep em dancing!' He has been producing a few bits here and there over the years but is putting some real work in now.


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Nancy Cervone doesn�t worry too much about food contamination, and she certainly would never consider herself a �germaphobe.�
But when the Stow resident spotted a mound of cantaloupes on sale at the grocery store recently, she couldn�t help but think about the illnesses linked to the melons in the summer of 2011.
�Unfortunately, every time I now eat cantaloupe, I think about the food poisoning outbreaks,� she said.
Cervone�s concerns have real merit.
A recent study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fingered produce as the leading cause of food poisoning in the U.S. The study revealed that more than meat, poultry or fish, fruits and vegetables were the number one source of food-borne illness over the 10-year period of the study (although more deaths were attributed to contaminated poultry).
Nearly half of all food poisonings were attributed to produce, the study showed.
Melons pose a particular hazard, according to Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.
Cantaloupes, especially, can harbor bacteria due to their rough, webbed outer skin. Cantaloupes require a good scrubbing under cold running water before they are sliced, otherwise the bacteria on the outside of the skin will be carried inside to the flesh with the first swipe of a knife.
Doyle said the more cracks and grooves on the skin of a fruit or vegetable, the more easily bacteria can hide. Melons also have a neutral pH, so they offer a perfect growing environment for bacteria.
The problem of contaminated melons is often made worse by grocery stores that sell cut pieces, but often don�t store them in a cold enough environment.
Doyle recalls walking into an upscale grocery store in South Carolina one summer, where a metal tank with ice in the bottom was filled with containers of cut melon. The bottom inch of the containers was inside the ice, leaving the majority of the melon in an environment warm enough for bacteria to multiply rapidly.
Do it yourself
In the CDC�s new study, however, leafy greens like lettuce and spinach were revealed as the worst culprits for food poisoning in the study period, between 1998 and 2008.
Cervone said she has the mental debate over to-wash-or-not-to-wash every time she grabs a handful of bagged spinach for a salad.
Salad greens marked �washed and ready to eat� or �triple-washed� remain an area of debate among food safety experts.
Some experts contend that the triple-washing with chlorine that takes place during processing is enough to kill what bacteria can be killed, and advise against washing bagged greens because the risk of cross-contamination in the home kitchen is a greater concern.
A 2010 study by the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, concludes that consumers should wash all bagged or boxed lettuce and greens � even those marked pre-washed or triple-washed � before consuming.
The agency tested bags of washed lettuces and found that while they may not be contaminated with E. coli, listeria or salmonella, 39 percent of all product samples had bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination, and exceeded acceptable limits on total coliforms.
Doyle goes one step further � he says not to buy bagged greens at all. He advises buying whole heads of lettuce or greens, removing the outer surface layers where bacteria is most likely to be present, and then washing the greens under cold running water.
Doyle has conducted studies that show the cutting and bagging of lettuce in processing plants can actually trap bacteria inside the lettuce leaves, meaning that no amount of scrubbing or washing will ever get rid of the germs. If greens are cut before they are washed � as they commonly are during processing � the bacteria become internalized by the leaves, trapping the germs inside the produce.
Then, it�s not a question of what�s on the leaves, but what�s in the leaves. At that point, only cooking can kill the germs, and few salad greens are cooked before eating.
Despite his concerns, Doyle said the chances of getting ill from eating bagged lettuce, whether washed or not, remains fairly small.
�The reality of it is, the odds are in your favor,� he said, noting that less than 1 percent of bagged salad greens are contaminated. �But even if it was one-tenth of a percent, when you multiply that times billions of bags sold, it�s still a significant number,� Doyle added.
Raw sprouts
As risky as bagged greens can be, Doyle said an even greater concern should be the consumption of raw sprouts like bean and alfalfa.
He believes the only reason they weren�t first on the list of illness-causing produce in the CDC study is that folks just don�t eat nearly as many of them as they do items like lettuce, tomatoes or melon.
He said sprouts, due to their high levels of contamination, should never be consumed raw.
E. coli, salmonella or listeria often are present in very low numbers on seeds for sprouts, but their growing conditions create the perfect petri dish, Doyle explained.
�When we put the seeds into a vat of water to grow the sprouts, at the right temperature, and add nutrients into the water with lots of moisture, it�s the best growing condition for bacteria,� he said.
Sprouts� contamination can be so complete, it is nearly impossible to wash the germs away, making cooking the only safe option, he said.
Doyle said part of the problem is the changes in our eating habits, which includes more raw foods. In Asian cuisine, for example, bean sprouts were always cooked before being eaten, but now plenty of folks will eat raw sprouts of all varieties on salads and sandwiches.
The same is true for greens like spinach.
�When I was growing up, we would have never thought about eating raw spinach. Spinach was always cooked with bacon and vinegar. We never thought about eating it raw; that was for rabbits, not for people,� Doyle added.
Despite the problems, there�s no reason not to eat plenty of fresh produce. It�s just important to follow safe handling and preparation practices.
Always wash produce, and hands, too. Cold water and a good scrubbing will help to eliminate bacteria.
Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. Find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @akronfoodie or visit my blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/lisa.


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Michigan's Informed Consent for Abortion Law
Michigan's Informed Consent for Abortion law was created by Public Act 133 of 1993. This law requires that certain information be made available to a woman who is seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure. The information is designed to provide a woman with accurate and unbiased information on the procedure she is about to undertake.
The Michigan Department of Community Health has been charged with developing and providing certain documents. The following are documents are required to be given to a woman seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure:
- A written summary of the abortion procedure she will undergo.
- Depictions, illustrations or photographs of fetal development corresponding to the gestational age nearest the probable gestational age of the woman's fetus.
- Prenatal care information
- Parenting information
This law was amended by Public Act 345 of 2000 to allow this information to be provided on the internet solely through this department-sponsored website.
If you are seeking an abortion:
This website is designed to allow you to view the above-mentioned state-approved documents. You will need to view the written summary of the abortion procedure your physician has indicated you will undergo, and the fetal development information most closely matching the fetus' probable gestational age. You will then need to view the information on Prenatal Care and Parenting.
Please note: You may, at your discretion, review the information for other abortion procedures, or the information on other stages of fetal development.
Once you have completed the review of all required documents, you will have the opportunity to print a confirmation form. Please note, in order to utilize this website to comply with the Michigan's Informed Consent for Abortion law, you must print the confirmation form and present that form to the physician or other qualified person assisting the physician. This is the only way to legally verify you have reviewed the state-approved information through this website.


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Check out ourBanderaLocation
Check out ourNew BraunfelsLocation
This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
One of our more popular models, what it gives up in full-size deck width, our Compact Outlaw doesn't give an inch in the same construction, innovation and value of the Outlaw class of zero turn mowers.
From front to back, it shares the same features such as our 2 in. x 2 in. all-steel rail frame, powerful engine options and great price with a side-to-side profile that lets it slip into areas that might otherwise be too tight to get to. There's virtually no area this versatile mower can't get in and out of quickly and efficiently — leaving behind a great cut like only a Bad Boy can.
Front - 13 x 6.5-6 smooth tread
Rear - 24 x 12-12 turf tread
Hydrostatic System Oil - 20W50 Motor Oil
Hydraulic Filter - Internal, Replaceable, 1 Per Axle
Pumps (2) - Hydro-Gear 12 cc Pump
Hydraulic Coolers (2) - 9 in. 3,600 RPM Cooling Fan; One per unit
0.25 x 2.5 x 16.5 in., high lift, heat treated
Blade Belt - Single V-belt spring tension


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Premier League: Rafa Benitez admits Chelsea missed chance to secure top four spot
Rafa Benitez rued the chances Chelsea missed to secure a top-four finish after being held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham.
By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @skysportsrobp
Last Updated: 09/05/13 7:02am
The Blues looked on course for the victory which would have taken them six points clear of their London rivals, and with a vastly superior goal difference, until Gylfi Sigurdsson's equaliser 10 minutes from time.
Oscar and Ramires had twice put Chelsea in front either side of Emmanuel Adebayor's stunning strike for Spurs, with interim boss Benitez bemoaning his side's inability to make the most of several good opportunities after the interval.
The Spaniard told Sky Sports: "We had four or five counter-attacks where we could finish the game. We didn't do it. We had the chances to score the third goal and finish.
"We could have defended better for both goals. We are talking about transition defending when we conceded the first goal and the second goal was the same - I think Adebayor's position was offside.
"We have to stay more compact and be more aggressive in defence.
"In the first half we had control of the game, the second half was too open. When we were winning the game I think we had to have more control.
"We have to win one game to guarantee the top four. We will try to win both to be in the top three.
"With our counter-attacks we have to do something more. We had the chances to score the third goal and finish the game but we didn't do it. Credit to Tottenham, they were pushing and they were attacking."


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WordPress database error Duplicate entry X for key yarpp_content for query UPDATE wp_posts SET, MySQL Error
Today I was adding a note to a WordPress article I had written a couple of days ago and it appeared to POST without issue after I clicked the Update button in the WordPress admin. I went to the front-end of the site to verify the new content formatted correctly and to my surprise it wasn't displaying so I figured I must have left a HTML tag or something open since I didn't get any errors within the WordPress admin when I clicked the Update button for the Post. After further review the content didn't exist and it appeared that the article had not posted the update at all since there were zero revisions from today. Fixing the problem is easy by using the below information that describes where I located the error, the error itself, and how to resolve it by issuing a single MySQL command.


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Bringing the fight to lung cancer requires vast resources, not the least of which is financial support. Whether through our walk/run series, our annual gala and golf tournament, or the growing number of grassroots fundraisers, we depend on our supporters to help us continue our work. Browse our event lists to find out how you can help make a positive impact on patient lives and support our ongoing lung cancer research. Join us for one or all of our fun-filled, inspiration events, or start your own!
Click on the map below to find an event near you!


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Our monthly newsletter contains health and financial news, expat articles, social media recommendations and more.
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Why some people stay abroad and others return?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2019 7:06 pm
Hola Expats!
First, thanks to the admins of the forum for allow me to ask for help. In order to complete my master thesis, I need people working abroad to complete my questionnaire. I just need 30 answers more!
I am doing a research related to people´s motivations for working abroad, job embeddedness (in the job but also in the host country) and the influence of Facebook in this relationship.
I am aiming to anyone working abroad (or that has worked before abroad).
If you could save 10 minutes of your time to do it, I would be very grateful! It would be even better if you can share the link with other people working abroad.
I hope my findings are useful for the expat community! You will be part of it!
Here is the link:
Thank you so much!
- Regular Poster
Expat Health Insurance Partners
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Cigna Global
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March, 1968
The latest microelectronic techniques now make possible the design of lumped-constant circuits at microwave frequencies. Whereas a few hundred megacycles appeared to be the limit for lumped-constant "conventional" circuits in the past, new methods extend this to over 1 Gc.
The usual criteria for the use of lumped components is that the largest linear dimensions of such components should not exceed 1/100 wavelength. So-called "conventional components" usually fail this test at less than 300 Mc.
At 1.0 Gc, the free-space wavelength is 30 cm. For a medium with a dielectric constant of four, the wavelength reduces to 15 cm. In this medium, the maximum linear dimension of a component (based on 1/100 λ) is 1.5 mm, or about 0.060 in.
Fortunately, the new thin-film components meet the spatial requirement in the lower microwave region. Although tin-film inductors, for instance, are only practical into the nanohenry range, needed inductance above 300 Mc is usually low enough to make such inductance useful.
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Criteria for thin-film components
By imposing the spatial restrictions on thin-film components, attainable values at microwave frequencies are as follows:
Resistors: The value of a thin-film resistor is
RS = specific resistance of a film in ohms per square,
L = resistor length, and
W = resistor width.
The specific resistances generally used are in the order of a few hundred ohms per square (e.g., 200), and usable line widths can be as small as 0.001 in. Thus, thin-film resistors for use at microwaves can be fabricated in the range from 4 to 400,000 ohms.
Capacitors: The value of simple two-plate thin-film capacitor is
CS = specific capacitance in picofarads per square mil, and
A = capacitor area.
The specific capacitance is limited by the breakdown voltage desired for the capacitor. For small-signal semiconductor circuits, 50 V is usually adequate; for this breakdown voltage, a specific capacitance of 0.05 pF per square mil is not difficult to achieve. The smallest practicable capacitor area is 1 square mil. Thus, thin-film capacitors for use at microwave frequencies range from 0.05 to 125 pF.
Inductors: For flat spiral thin-film inductors, the inductance is approximately
L = inductance in microhenries,
N = number of turns,
g = mean coil diameter in inches, and
c = the radial coil depth in inches, assuming the conductor width equals the conductor spacing.
In a 0.050-in. dia circle, the maximum inductance obtainable is 125 nH. The specific resistivity of thin-film conductors is normally about 0.05 ohms per square, from which it follows that the inductors will have Qs of about 20. The minimum inductance for a 0.050-in. conductor pad is on the order of 0.2 nH.
The advantage of using lumped constants at the lower microwave frequencies is essentially one of size. If a distributed technique is used (such as microstrip on alumina) each distributed element will be about a quarter-wavelength on a side. Alumina has a dielectric constant of nine; thus, a quarter wavelength at 1.0 Gc is about 1.0 in. A single-stage microstrip amplifier will consequently occupy an area of about 2 in.2. If thin-film lumped components on a glass substrate are used, a two-stage amplifier occupies an area of only about 0.08 in.2. Thus the reduction in size is appreciable.
Transistor parameters
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Transistors are obtainable in all types of packages ranging from TO-18 cans to bare uncased chips. Several manufacturers supply units in TO-50 cans or other packages compatible with strip-line or microstrip circuitry. Data on such transistors for use at microwave frequencies are often minimal. Although some manufacturers supply y-parameter curves over an extended frequency range, such parameters are generally given for cased units only and do not reflet the characteristics of the bare chips. The packaged transistor parameters, however, are not bad approximations to determine device performance when wire bonding the bare chips to substrates, because wire lengths are uncased or in a can.
Design example
A two-stage transistor amplifier, using lumped-constant passive components was designed to illustrate the techniques involved.
A type TI 2N3570 transistor was selected on the basis of cost and availability, and good datasheet information covering pertinent characteristics at the frequency of interest, 1.0 Gc. Parameters for a TO-18 cased transistor are given on the data sheet, but an assumption was made that the chip bonded to a thin-film substrate exhibits similar y parameters.
The amplifier design is considered an extension to the microwave region of lower frequency design techniques. Thus, the Linvill method was chosen as a starting point. This design technique consists basically of using transistor two-port parameters (in this case, the y or admittance parameters) to determine values of gain for different input and output terminations. After determining the terminations required for a specific gain, matching networks are designed to conjugately match the transistor with its input source and output load impedance.
By calculations, the maximum available gain for this transistor at 1.0 Gc is 8.8 dB; the load termination required for this gain is (2.15 – j7.83) x 10-3 mho. A matching network is designed to transform a 50-ohm load to this admittance. The input source is then conjugately matched to the input admittance of the transistor, which is determined on the basis of the transistor y parameters and the load admittance. Two stages of gain are used to obtain a maximum theoretical gain of about 17 dB. The interstage matching network is designed to match the output admittance of the first stage to the input admittance of the second stage using a 50-ohm load and source.
The completed circuit of the two-stage amplifier is shown in Fig. 1. The power-supply by-pass capacitors are the largest possible for the available space on the thin-film substrate.
In packaging the amplifier, the holder or box was designed with the following criteria in mind:
- small size,
- adequate grounding of the thin-film substrate,
- minimum length of signal leads, and
- reduction of stray capacity.
A cut-away view of the brass case is shown in Fig. 2. Notice that the area directly under the substrate is machined to separate the ground plane from the bottom of the substrate. This is done to minimize capacitive coupling that could significantly alter the performance of the amplifier due to the small values of capacitances used in the design.
The box is machined from solid brass and accepts the rf connectors directly. The thin-film substrate rests on machined ledges, and the ground plane around its periphery is then soldered to the ledge. This operation is performed by heating the box to a controlled temperature and flowing solder around the ledge. Excellent electrical and mechanical contact is made.
Design example (continued)
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There is no point in attempting to breadboard the final design, since the difficulties due to stray inductance and capacitance seem insurmountable. Instead, a careful layout is made as shown in Fig. 3. Several aspects of this layout should be noted: A ground terminal appears at almost the entire periphery of the substrate in three isolated areas. These areas are later connected when the substrate is placed in the test package. The signal flow is approximately linear from left to right to minimize the coupling effects. Conductor pads are generally kept wide to avoid stray inductance. The number of bonded wires and their length are kept small for the same reason. The inductance due to the leads from the center of the inductors adds to the thin-film inductance. These leads can be bonded to any point on the inductors thus affording a range of center frequencies, selectable during fabrication. The area of each capacitor is predominantly determined by the bottom place, since dimensional control of this film is easier than for the top layer.
All layers are vacuum evaporated on a glass substrate with a dielectric constant of four. The bottom conductor layer is gold, 2200 Å thick, with a specific resistance of 0.1 ohm per square. The resistive layer is chromium, 300 Å thick with a specific resistance of 200 ohms per square and a TCR of ± 110 ppm. The third layer is silicon monoxide, 12,000 Å thick, with a specific capacitance of 0.030 pF per square mil. This serves both as the capacitor dielectric and as resistor protection. The last layer is aluminum, 2000 Å thick, with a specific resistance of 0.1 ohm per square. Twelve substrates are fabricated on one plate and then diced (One of the diced substrates is shown in Fig. 4 and measures 0.410 x 0.205 x 0.020 in.). Both ac and dc tests are then performed.
Two transistor chips with associated leads are thermo-compression bonded to the substrate. The substrate is placed in the previously machined brass package, and the ground areas are bead soldered to the package. OSSM connectors (type 262) are screwed into the package and the power connector (Cannon Microstrip) is inserted. The two center conductors of the rf connectors, and the three power leads, are then micro-soldered in. The OSSM connectors must previously have been modified by shortening the center conductors and filing them flat. The positioning is such that this conductor lays on the correct pad area of the substrate. The lid is now attached, and the completed amplifier can be tested. A complete amplifier without lid is shown in Fig. 5.
Amplifier performance
The amplifier test circuit is shown in Fig. 6. OSSM-to-N adaptors are used at the amplifier terminals. All impedances are 50 ohms.
A number of amplifiers have been made at different frequencies, by bonding to different points on the inductors. The lowest center frequency attainable was 650 Mc. A typical response for an amplifier with a center frequency of 987 Mc, a 40-Mc bandwidth, and 10-dB gain, is shown in Fig. 7. There was no saturation with 1 mW rf input at 120 mW power dissipation. The observed results were so close to the design figures that the use of y parameters for the packaged transistors seems justified.
In system use, the amplifier would not be packaged by itself. Thus, the volume occupied by the amplifier substrate, with attached chips would be only 0.0008 in.3.
The lumped-constant microelectronic approach appears attractive at the lower microwave frequencies. Its advantages, compared to microstrip circuitry, are that of small size and the use of familiar design at lower frequencies. Although circuits cannot be breadboarded in conventional fashion, the Linvill design technique, in combination with precise substrate fabrication, yields operating parameters quite close to the design values. The present difficulty in obtaining ac parameters for uncased transistor chips does not appear serious and, in any case, it will probably be possible to obtain this information in the near future.
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