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What We Looked for in Anti-Allergy Bedding
GHRI scientists and testers evaluated bedding covers and pillow protectors for:
- Ease of putting on and taking off
- Water repellency
- Fit on a mattress
- Breathability
- Shrinkage
- Appearance after repeated washings
A panel of testers also evaluated pillow protectors for comfort.
How We Tested Anti-Allergy Bedding
- Encasement products were put on and taken off of a 10-inch-deep twin-sized mattress and a standard-sized pillow.
- Swatches of each product's material were tested for water repellency. Scientists poured 300 milliliters of water through a specially made rain funnel, tapped the fabric twice, and then inspected the swatches for beading.
- Manufacturers provided data to show their bedding complied with breathability standards.
- Manufacturers also provided data to show their bedding complied with the anti-allergen penetration standard. This shows us if very small particles can get through the bedding.
- We washed and dried bedding, following their instructions, and then visually evaluated them for shrinkage and changes in texture or shape.
- Testers slept on pillow protectors at their homes for four nights and then rated their comfort.
What to Look for When Buying Anti-Allergy Bedding
- The best protection against allergens comes from non-porous fabrics, which are usually the cheapest. However, this type of fabric doesn't breathe as well as others, and may make for a hot sleeping environment. Instead, consider a microfiber polyester fabric, a cotton fabric with a laminated nylon membrane, or a cotton fabric tightly woven with very fine threads.
- Make sure the bedding you buy fully encases the entire bed — the mattress and box spring, plus protectors for all your pillows. There are even brands that carry coverings for your comforters.
1. AllerEase Premium Comfort Allergy Protection Bedding
(Encasements: $50-$110; Pillow protectors: $9-$20)
For those who need maximum protection, this Aller-Ease bedding is the best of both worlds. The two-part construction locks out allergens with polyester on the sides and bottom — all without sacrificing breathability, thanks to the handy cotton and nylon top layer. Our testers said the bedding was so comfortable, they forgot the protector was even on their pillows. Top fabric: 100% cotton with 100% nylon membrane; sides and bottom: 100% polyester.
- Good construction with tight seams and a strong zipper
- The bedding's stretchiness made it easy to put on and take off the mattress and pillow.
- After five washes and dries, there was little change or shrinkage.
- Testers said they forgot the protector was even on their pillow while sleeping.
- Neither waterproof nor water-resistant
2. Allergy Control® Pristine Complete
(Encasements: $84-$150; Pillow protector: $17-$22; allergycontrol.com)
The small-pore weave of this bedding lets the fabric breathe but still resist allergens. Bonus: Our testers gave it a thumbs up for comfort. Fabric: 100% microfiber polyester. Lifetime manufacturer's warranty.
- The small-pore weave lets fabric breathe while resisting allergens.
- Excellent construction with finished seams and zipper flap for added protection.
- After five washes and dries, there was little shrinkage and no change.
- This product works for mattresses, box springs, and comforters.
- Testers found this pillow protector to be comfortable to sleep on.
- Use with the thickest of mattresses. The twin-size was too loose on our test mattress, even when used with a topper.
- Neither waterproof nor water-resistant
3. Allergy Control® Micro Protection
(Encasements: $33-$53; Pillow protector: $7-$9; allergycontrol.com)
This product sailed through our durability tests, showing no changes in appearance or signs of shrinkage after multiple washes. In tests, the polyester top felt wet to the touch after we poured water on it, but it prevented the water from soaking through. Our testers said they were able to feel the laminate lining in the fabric, but the bedding kept liquids and allergens at bay. Top fabric: 100% polyester; laminate: 100% polyurethane. Manufacturer's warranty: five years.
- The fit was good and the product is well made, with an interior flap under the zipper, corded edging, and finished seams.
- There was no change in appearance or shrinkage after we washed the bedding multiple times.
- Water resistant
- Testers said they could feel the laminate lining in the fabric, which was uncomfortable.
- Some testers said it was a bit noisy when trying to fall asleep.
(Encasements: $66-$130; Pillow protector: $15-$19; allergyguarddirect.com)
GHRI scientists found that this bedding became softer after each wash, with just a little shrinkage and no change in appearance. While the bedding fit on the mattress with ease, our testers said they had to strong-arm their pillows into the protectors. Fabric: 100% microfiber polyester.
- Easy to put on and take off the mattress
- There was little shrinkage and no change in the product after multiple washes and dries.
- The fabric got softer with each wash.
- Cut a bit small for the average pillow; it took some maneuvering to close the zipper
- This fabric is not very breathable.
- Neither waterproof nor water-resistant
5. Aller-Ease Waterproof Allergy Protector
(Encasements: $20-$40; Pillow protector: $4-$7; amazon.com)
Relatively inexpensive, this bedding effectively keeps out allergens. However, our testers said the paper-like fabric was noisy to sleep on. Our advice: Use with a mattress topper for a more snug fit. Fabric: 100% polypropylene; lining: 100% polyethylene.
- The bedding has a loose fit — you can put a mattress topper underneath or use on a thick mattress.
- No change in appearance and no shrinkage after multiple washings
- Waterproof — in our tests, no liquid seeped to the underside
- Inexpensive
- Testers said it was noisy to sleep on.
- This bedding cannot be dried in the dryer. Air dry only.
- Not very breathable
6. Allergy Guard AllerSoft Cotton
(Encasement: $47-$81; Pillow protector: $9-$12; allergyguarddirect.com)
Our testers slept like a dream on this comfy, breathable cotton bedding, and were pleased by its simple yet durable construction. But if your allergies are severe, consider a non-porous fabric, which will keep out more allergens. This fabric's micron size was at the upper level of what is considered acceptable. Fabric: 100% cotton.
- Strong zipper and a good mattress fit
- Made of breathable, soft cotton
- The testers raved about how comfortable this product was.
- Neither waterproof nor water-resistant
7. Allergy Control® Cotton Performance
(Encasement: $174.95-$279.95; Pillow Protector: $39.95-$44.95; allergycontrol.com)
Product was way too large for the mattress, not even a topper plus a thicker mattress could make this work. The fabric is very breathable, and had no shrinkage after all the washings. Fabric: 100% cotton. Lifetime manufacturer's warranty.
- After multiple washes, the fabric didn't shrink.
- Very breathable fabric
- Product was way too big for the mattress — not even a topper plus a thicker mattress could make this work
- Fabric began to feel rough after the washings
- Expensive
8. Protect A Bed Allergy Protection Kit
(Kit includes encasement, mattress pad, and pillow protector: $170-$260; protectabeddirect.com or protectabed.com)
This all-in-one, no-fuss kit provides you with everything you need to keep allergens at bay: a system with encasements for the mattress and mattress pad, plus two pillow protectors. Fabric: 80% cotton and 20% polyester, with 100% polyurethane lining. The AllerZip Encasement and the Mattress Protector have a 10-year manufacturer's warranty and the pillow protectors have a 5-year manufacturer's warranty.
- Good construction with all-around elastic fabric on the mattress pad for an easy fit
- Mattress encasement and pad were easy to put on and take off
- Water resistant
- Testers said the non-porous fabric can be stuffy and warm to sleep on — plus the material felt stiff.
- The pillow protector was a bit small for traditional pillows.
9. Allergy Guard AllerSoft Organic Cotton
(Encasement: $148-$296; Pillow Protector: $25-$33; allergyguarddirect.com)
Test results show the fabric blocks allergens while still remaining breathable for optimum comfort. Consumers said the encasement was a little awkward to put on the mattress but were impressed by the strong construction. Fabric: 100% organic cotton.
- Good construction with a strong zipper
- Test results show the fabric keeps out allergens while still remaining breathable.
- The fabric was a little stiff after multiple washings.
- The encasement product was awkward to put on the mattress.
- Testers said the pillow protector was hard and noisy to sleep on.
10. Aller-Ease Bed Bug Protection
(Encasement: $30-$70; Pillow protectors: $7-$13; shop.aller-ease.com)
Worried about bed bugs? Consider this bedding from Aller Ease — it keeps the pesky critters out of your bed linens. Some of our testers found the non-porous fabric uncomfortable to sleep on and compared it to sleeping on plastic. Top fabric: 100% polyester; laminate: 100% polyurethane.
- Excellent construction, with a Velcro block for the zipperhead and a large flap underneath
- The encasement product was easy to put on and has room for a mattress topper.
- Water resistant
- The fabric has a plastic feel and may be uncomfortable and noisy to sleep on.
11. Allergy Guard Stretch Knit
(Encasement: $36-$63; Pillow protectors: $6-$8; allergyguarddirect.com)
The non-porous fabric of this bedding ensures allergens will not get into it, but the trade-off is less breathability. The mattress encasement had a good, snug fit, but testers said the pillow took some maneuvering to fit into the protector. Top fabric: 100% polyester; laminate: 100% polyurethane.
- The product had a good, snug fit — its stretchy fabric made it easy to put on and take off the mattress.
- While quite a lot of water was absorbed into the top layer, it did not go through the fabric in GHRI tests.
- There was little shrinkage and no change in the appearance of the bedding after multiple washes and dries.
- Inexpensive
- The non-porous fabric can be stuffy and warm to sleep on.
- The pillow took some maneuvering to fit into the protector.
12. AllergyGuard Poly/Cotton with Membrane
(Encasement: $20-$39; Pillow protectors: $5-$7; allergyguarddirect.com)
Just dare those allergens to attempt to permeate your bed with this bedding! The non-porous, water-repellent fabric should seal them out. However, some of our testers said this bedding was too hot to sleep on. Fabric: 50% cotton, 50%; poly, with 100% polyurethane membrane.
- Non-porous, so allergens shouldn't get into your mattress or pillow
- Water repellent
- Snug fit — no room for a topper
- Strong zipper
- Inexpensive
- The fabric isn't breathable — some testers found this pillow protector too hot to sleep on.
13. Allergy Control® Cotton Pure
(Encasement: $60-$100; Pillow protector: $13-$17; allergycontrol.com)
Our consumer testers found this bedding very comfortable, and its fabric is breathable. However, because its large pore size is at the higher end of what is acceptable for allergy bedding, it may let some allergens through — an issue for those with severe allergies. Fabric: 100% cotton. Manufacturer's warranty: 10 years.
- Very breathable fabric
- Well-made with cording around edges and a flap under the zipper for further protection
- The testers found this product very comfortable to sleep on.
- Because the fabric is so breathable, the pore size is larger and can allow some allergens through.
- Neither water-repellent nor water-resistant
- Fabric felt a little rough after multiple washings
- The product was difficult to close around the mattress, but fit well when finally zipped.
- There was noticeable shrinkage after multiple washings.
14. Aller-Ease Cotton Comfort Allergy Protection
(Encasement: $30-$80; Pillow protector: $10-$20; shop.aller-ease.com)
This cotton bedding won high marks for its comfort from our testers. However, the lining that acts as the allergen barrier delaminated during our testing, compromising its effectiveness. Fabric: 100% cotton. Manufacturer's warranty: N/A.
- The product fit well, with room for a thicker mattress or a topper.
- Our testers found this comfortable to sleep on.
- Lining delaminated during the test wash, and it could not be placed on the mattress correctly afterward.
- Our testers said the zipper was cheap, and they worried it could break during use.
- Will prevent allergens from entering, but not as well as some other products, after the barrier delaminates


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MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Facebook is making it easier for people who express suicidal thoughts on the social networking site to get help.
A program launching Tuesday enables users to instantly connect with a crisis counselor from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline through Facebook's "chat" messaging system.
If a friend spots a suicidal thought on someone's page, he can report it to Facebook by clicking a link next to the comment. Facebook then sends an email to the person who posted the comment encouraging that user to call the hotline or click a link for a confidential chat.
The service is Facebook's latest move aimed at improving safety on its site.

subset: commoncrawl


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BGE crews help with power outages after New England snowstorm
Massive snowstorm in New England has utilities calling for help
Baltimore Gas and Electric crews headed to New England Friday to help with the estimated 650,000 residents without power at the peak of this week's massive snowstorm.
"We sent about 40 of our contract personnel up to Connecticut as part of the New England Mutual Aid Assistance Network," said BGE spokeswoman Rachel Lighty.
BGE is part of several mutual assistance networks up and down the East Coast.
"We request crews from other states when Maryland has been hard hit by adverse conditions. When other states are hit by harsh weather, we make sure we send some of our crews to help them as long as it isn't jeopardizing our own system."
BGE crews ended up in Connecticut, where it was reported that 38,000 customers were impacted.
"We know they're working in pretty snowy conditions around the clock so that they can help those customers as quickly and as safely as possible," said Lighty.
Since forecasters have said a wintry mix could be headed toward the Maryland area, it has not been decided if more BGE crews will be sent to New England.
"Once we see what the weather does, we can possibly send more crews, if they're requested," Lighty said.


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please disregard shipping charges shown during checkout. we will email you with exact shipping charges. Or call us to place an order
20 Stacking Pheasant Egg Drays Double Capacity
This new model of pheasant egg tray incorporates stacking posts which allows the eggs to be stacked when collected on the farm and also stack two high on trays in incubators and other incubators, where the head room between trays will allow. This new design will enable many customers to greatly increase their pheasant egg hatching capacity without purchasing additional incubators. No. PET-46-ST NEW 46-EGG PHEASANT EGG STACKING TRAY/Packed 20 Shipping Wt. 13 lbs. No. R6X6 36-EGG TRAY TO HANDLE TURKEY OR DUCK EGGS IN ROBBINS INCUBATORS. Packed 40. Shipping Wt 27 lbs.


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What you need to know before you go
Australia is an enormous country in the South Pacific – a vast land fronting the Indian and South Pacific oceans, featuring golden beaches, rugged deserts, and nature reserves. Head to Australia's vibrant, cosmopolitan cities like Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, and Melbourne on the east coast to get a taste of modern Australia.
Tasmania is just off Australia's south coast, where you'll be greeted with expansive national parks, pristine lakes, quaint towns, lush vineyards, and miles of beaches. Australia is a haven for outdoor recreation, from snorkelling the corals of the Great Barrier Reef to hitting the snowy slopes on the Australian Alps.


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Raspberry and White Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
For the crumb topping
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
9 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) quality white chocolate chips
For the cake
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
9 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) quality white chocolate chips
4 cups fresh raspberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare the topping
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form. Stir in white chocolate.
To prepare the cake
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Mix in almond extract and vanilla. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Blend in milk. Add in remaining dry ingredients and white chocolate chips, stirring just until combined. Gently fold in raspberries.
Scoop mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan coated with cooking spray. Scatter topping mixture evenly over the top. Place pan into the oven and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick placed into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 60 to 75 minutes. If the top looks like it is browning too much, tent with foil. Remove and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.
Makes about 24 to 30 servings.
Just found the recipe? Click here to see where we talked about it!
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Raspberry and White Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
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How often can you get four mesh tops, two leggings, two pairs of earrings, two sets of bangles, and two clutches for only L$395? And how often can you get five beautiful poses showing off clutches and handbags for only L$100? I hope you didn't say "never", because I found those very deals at Indyra Originals and KaTink!
The glamorous Native Fox set from Indyra Originals includes the leggings in bronze and black, and also the four off-the-shoulder mesh tops in bronze, gold, silver, and black in four sizes to help ensure a lovely fit to your unique shape!
As mentioned above, the Native Fox set also includes the accessories! Included in the set are the matching set of earrings in large and small versions, and the bangles and leather clutch in black and bronze! Plus, you can choose to wear the clutch tucked under your arm, or held in your hand!
To take the photos, I went to KaTink to nab the newly released Lana sets! The two pose sets were made with showing off clutches and hand bags in mind! Each set includes five fetching poses for only L$100 per set! I'll be showing you more poses from the Lana sets, so check back soon!
While you are at KaTink and Indyra Originals, be sure to check out the other wonderful creations awaiting you! You'll also want to join the groups, because you don't want to miss out on any news of releases or events!
Happy Shopping!
Outfit: Indyra Originals — Native Fox (shown in Bronze)
Accessories: Indyra Originals — Native Fox
Makeup: Shakeup — Linx Lipstick
Hair: Exile — Nina (marone)
Skin: Belleza — Ava 2
Shape: Anna Shapes — Ayla (model)
Shoes: Redgrave — Nikki
Pose: KaTink — Lana (pose from Set 2) NEW RELEASE!


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LNWR locomotives
This self-explanatory gallery title is intended to cover the eras dominated by Bowen Cooke and Webb. In the fullmess of time there will be a large number of shots of G2 class 0-8-0's Webb's ubiquitous coal tanks.Read More
I'm always on the qui vive for more material to augment this part of my collection.
Please contact me via the Add comment button at the bottom of the image page if you have anything available.


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PLUTO: Plant Variety Database
The data currently in Plant Variety Database (PLUTO) was last updated on .
To continue to the PLUTO page, you must first acknowledge the following disclaimer.
Please note that the information concerning plant breeders' rights provided in the PLUTO database does not constitute the official publication of the authorities concerned. To consult the official publication, or to obtain details on the status and completeness of the information in the PLUTO database, please contact the relevant authority, contact details for which are provided at http://www.upov.int/members/en/pvp_offices.html.
All contributors to the PLUTO database are responsible for the correctness and completeness of the data they supply. Users are particularly requested to note that it is not obligatory for members of the Union to supply data for the PLUTO database and, for those members of the Union who supply data, it is not obligatory to supply data for all items.Yes, I agree No, I do not agree


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27 Expendable Phrases to Cut from Your Marketing Copy
Free Book Preview No BS Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing
The ultimate guide to - producing measurable, monetizable results with social media marketing.
min readThis story originally appeared on PR Daily
Wordiness is everywhere -- in emails, ad copy, press releases, and websites.
Even as more people skim and scan than actually read our content, we have clients and bosses who think the more words the better. But readers are busy. Unnecessary words slow them down. Every word should matter.
Some words and phrases do no work; they're slackers. Deleting them doesn't hurt your meaning -- it often improves the readability of your content.
Consider this sentence:
I am bewildered by your inconsistent use of the serial comma.
Tacking on any of the expendable phrases below would add nothing. So, if you catch yourself including them in your copy, hit the delete key:
- All things considered
- As a matter of fact
- As already stated
- As far as I'm concerned
- At the present time
- By means of
- Due to the fact that
- For all intents and purposes
- For the most part
- For the purpose of
- In a manner of speaking
- In a very real sense
- In the final analysis
- In the event that
- In other words
- It goes without saying
- It is important to note
- It is interesting to note
- It may be said that
- It stands to reason that
- It was found that
- It was demonstrated that
- Needless to say
- Take steps to
- The fact that
- The field of
- To be sure


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by Paula M Riley
Once upon a time, people considered Penn Charter a private school just for athletes. Today, the oldest Quaker school in the world is showing that it's not just a school for sports, but a school that tries to cater to the whole student.
One example is "Arts + Re-Creation," an invitational exhibition and sale currently at Penn Charter, showcasing environmentally inspired fine art created by established and emerging artists and students.
A team of parent volunteers, many of them artists themselves, transformed Penn Charter's Old Gym into an amazing gallery space with student art work complimenting the variety of work using natural elements, found objects or inspired by the natural world. The show is timed and themed to coincide with Earth Week and includes an electronic waste recycling drive.
Sculptor Leo Sewell is well known for the replica of the Statue of Liberty's arm and torch created from discarded toys. This huge sculpture sits at the entrance to the Please Touch Museum. On exhibit in "Arts + Re-Creation" is Sewell's "Boxer," created in the shape of the beloved dog using an eclectic combination of found brass objects. Also available at the show is "Bison," featuring a colorful collection of discarded items.
Sewell said that he grew up next door to a junkyard and developed a passion for playing with trash and creating new objects from it. When asked about his approach, he explained, "It's just as Edison described, '2 percent inspiration and 98 percent perspiration'."
Exhibiting artist Ellen Benson said she shared Sewell's affection for refuse.
"I'm a Dumpster Diva," she said. "Everything (I find) is material."
Philadelphia Dumpster Divas focuses on re-using castoff pieces of the world around to make found object art. Her display of talisman figures garnered much attention.
"Talisman to Protect My Computer from Crashing" is made of a computer's memory board and the thistle of a paintbrush. "Play Blue" is a light blue baseball glove decorated with other found objects in the shape of a face, with fishing lures for eyebrows and door hardware for eyes.
Ann Zahn's work uses items created in nature. Her "Tulips and Peony Garden" is nothing short of stunning. She makes this (size) linoleum cut and collage by creating paper from leaves of plants in her garden, such as rhubarb, iris, daylily, and chrysanthemum. She tears these leaves, boils them in lye and dries each upon cheesecloth in the sun. This creates wonderful natural cuts that are printed on paper made from the plants. The tulips in her work are as bright as those in the garden.
Other artists, such as Meg Cundiff, are exhibiting whimsical collages made of recycled papers. Her "Nature" piece features cut paper, pencils, acrylics, and leaves. Leah Macdonald's encaustic photography is created using only organic material such as wax, silver, water, cotton pigment and light. These are interesting creations of photography and painting, which seem to change each time they are viewed.
Scattered throughout the work of these talented artists are the creations of Penn Charter's own budding artists. The fifth grade class worked together to create different versions of the school's landmark bell tower. This project was carefully organized with students taking on roles such as CEO, set-up and clean-up person, material person or document person. Students' final projects used mixed media, candy wrappers, words of William Penn or natural elements to create the bell tower.
Head of School Dr. Darryl Ford said art was a vital part of the school's curriculum.
"Arts + Re-Creation speaks to the education students receive at Penn Charter," he said. "Arts and athletics are not extra curricular here, they are co-curricular. Our students have to do them for coursework and have to work to move on to the next level. This speaks to their importance at our school."
The show also speaks to the supportive parent population at Penn Charter. Lynne Dorman, ceramic artist/educator was the parent chair of the art show.
"We hope to educate and excite the viewer through works that repurpose materials to create art as well as pieces that honor the beauty, diversity and fragility of the environment," she said.
Her goal was to raise the visibility of the arts at Penn Charter and to tie the show's 232 pieces to environmental awareness as well.
"We are all trying to figure out how to reduce our carbon footprint," Ford said. "This helps us be more aware of the environment and encourages our students to reconnect with nature and to 're-create' outside."
The students' artwork represents this developing connection. Penn Charter ninth graders created a Contemporary Bestiary in their foundation arts course – an interdisciplinary visual arts, theater arts and music course – and some of their work is included in the show. Graphics, collages, photographs, animations, paintings, puppets and radio plays celebrating various beasts make up the three volume Contemporary Bestiary e-book that will soon be published.
Proceeds from the Arts + Re-creation fund visiting artists and eco-friendly initiatives. On Monday and Tuesday, artist Dewey Blocksma worked with students creating wind machines from recycled plastics bottles and whirligigs. Blocksma's "Young Abe," a figure of the beloved president with a body made of Lincoln Logs and topped with a pencil jar wrapped in a world map, is part of the main exhibit.
Blocksma is thrilled to be part of the show and hopes each student reacts differently to his work.
"I hope viewers bring their own experience and react to what they see," he said. "There is not one story or one narrative. I hope they build their own narrative of what makes it (a piece) work."
"Arts + Re-Creation" is free and open to public from 7:45 – 10 a.m. and from 2 – 4:30 p.m. The electronic waste drive is open to anyone attending the show, and the e-waste drive is also open to the community on Sunday, April 21, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more information about the show or the e-waste drive, visit www.penncharter.com/artshow or call 215-844-3460.


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What is a S'mmmmmmarshmallow, you ask? They are fluffy homemade vanilla marshmallows with divine ribbons of creamy Ghirardelli chocolate. They are completely covered in graham cracker crumbs. These are the perfect gift for the true S'More-o-holic.
You will receive one dozen HUGE marshmallows packaged in a clear tuck-top box. Perfect for gift-giving...or not. ;)
Copyright © 2020 Cupcakes In Jars


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Posts Tagged 'Kitty Hawk'
North Carolina's Outer Banks – A Dog-Friendly VacationMonday, October 14th, 2013
North Carolina's coastline is made up of long barrier islands, the northern part is known as the Outer Banks. This area, from Kitty Hawk to Nags Head, Avon Hatteras and Ocracoke Village became a tourist draw with the construction of bridges from the mainland to the barrier islands on the northern end of the barrier islands. There is also ferry service to the islands available where the barrier islands are further out and no bridges are practical. Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches along much of the state's barrier island coast. Leashed dogs are welcome to enjoy this long, pristine beach with you. The area is dog-friendly with small inns and vacation rentals and makes for a great pet-friendly vacation spot.


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**** that. Lucas said he wanted the cprywrite so he could prevent **** like this from happening. Now we know for sure, he's only in it for te money.
I cannot stand Donald Trump. And now he has taken the one thing we all love and violated it.
Page created in 0.054 seconds with 19 queries.


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Animal derived ingredients are often found in skin care: beeswax, lanolin (a grease derived from wool), gelatin (from animal skin and bones), and squalene (extracted from shark's liver). To be considered vegan, products must consist of only ingredients sourced without any use of animals.
Look for the sunflower logo (by the UK based Vegan Society) on product packaging. The Vegan Society sets stricter standards regarding the use of animals in cosmetics and toiletries than any other certifying body. Another certifying body for vegan products is the American Vegetarian Association. The AVA certifies both Vegetarian as well as Vegan products.
But what about products that are not vegan?
Companies should use only the best natural ingredients. No chemicals, no artificial preservatives and no animal by-products. Where a cosmetic product is not vegan, it likely means that the formula contains honey, beeswax, or perhaps milk — natural, organic derivatives we carefully source without any harm to animals, and which we can find no better replacement, at least for now.
Vegan products on loveTrueNatural are indicated with one of these three possible logos in the product page.


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Welcome to Kotaku's Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.
Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published Dec. 2. Read more of Nerf NOW!!
Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published Dec. 2. Read more of Awkward Zombie
Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Published Dec. 4. Read more of Penny Arcade
Brawl In The Family by Matthew Taranto. Published Dec. 3. Read more of Brawl In The Family
Nerd Rage by Andy Kluthe. Published Dec. 6. Read more of Nerd Rage
Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published Dec. 5. Read more of Corpse Run
Life in Aggro by Fei Hsiao and Casey Vasquez. Published Dec. 1. Read more of Life in Aggro
ActionTrip by Borislav Grabovic and Uros Pavlovic. Published Nov. 30. Read more of ActionTrip
Double XP by M.S. Corley and Josh Crandall. Published Dec. 2. Read more of Double XP
To contact the author of this post, write to firstname.lastname@example.com or find him on Twitter @owengood.


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Sloan Center News
Sloan Center researchers receive the Larry R. Klein Award
Sloan Center researchers, Kevin Cahill, Michael Giandrea and Joseph Quinn received the Larry R. Klein Award for the best article during 2011 in the Monthly Labor Review in the category of joint BLS and non-BLS authors.
The article "Reentering the labor force after retirement" uses data from the longitudinal Health and Retirement Study indicating that approximately 15 percent of older Americans with career jobs returned to the labor force after having retired; respondents were more likely to reenter the workforce if they were younger, were in better health, or had a defined-contribution pension plan.
Each year since 1969, the Lawrence R. Klein Award has honored the best articles appearing in the Monthly Labor Review. The award was established in honor of Lawrence R. Klein, who retired in 1968 after 22 years as editor-in-chief of the Review and established a fund to encourage articles that (1) exhibit originality of ideas, methods, or analysis, (2) adhere to the principles of scientific inquiry, and (3) are well written.


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MMBase uses Subversion as its content repository since May 1st, 2009.
To access MMBase's Subversion repository anonymously you must of course have svn installed.
The URL is: https://scm.mmbase.org/
It can be used on the command line:
svn co https://scm.mmbase.org/mmbase/trunkfor guest access but when you want to check in, svn will request a name and password. MMBase developers or committers can use their original CVS pserver account. Otherwise contact the developers-list and we'll help you.
The history of our repository can be browsed at http://scm.mmbase.org/view/


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Jakob Magiera brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 144 Designs von 34 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
I love using software and I want to create software that people love using. Software is a tool in our hands that should give us satisfaction as we use it. Auctober is such a tool.
Small to medium volume ebay sellers who want a no-nonsense easy-to-use tool that automates the boring and cumbersome tasks of writing emails, invoices, etc. and/or who are fed up with slow-loading web-based tools. Auctober users love selling and don't want a tool to get in their way. Rather, the tool makes them love what they do even more!
Content & Layout:
- Must contain a maple leaf and the word Auctober
- The maple leaf will be used as an application icon so it must still be recognizable at 16x16 pixels.
- The leaf and the text may overlap, as long as I can still extract the leaf to use as an icon
- Feel free to improvise with the maple leaf, can be abstract
Look & Feel:
Since the product name is a play on words with "auction" and "october", I would tend to go with autumn colors, but the autumn theme shouldn't be so obvious as to distract from the fact that Auctober is a software product. If in doubt, rather stress the software product theme than the autumn one.
I will favor designs that are simplistic yet powerful over ones that try to awe you by a lot of "special effects". Try to refrain from using gradients as much as possible.
These are the old logos:
The old Auctober: http://www.auctober.de/auctober_logo.gif
The new Auctober (currently in Beta stage): http://www.auctober.de/beta/forum/s…e_logo.gif
Logos I like:
Sun Microsystems ( http://www.sun.com ) - this is just genious, of course it strikes a chord with my geek-nature :-)
Adidas ( http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped…s-logo.svg )
Energy XT ( http://energy-xt.com )
SVG format, or other vector format that can be imported into Inkscape, since I do not own Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.
Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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Friday, November 23, 2007
Better than yarn!
16 comments:
- Marianne said...
Gorgeous socks!
Drats about running out of yarn on the hat though!
Have a great weekend!
- November 23, 2007 7:09 a.m.
- Angelika said...
Love the socks. They look nice and toasty in that color. Glad you are feeling better. Now if we wouldn't have to catch up on that darn house work again.... I'm sure there is some knitting time left in there somewhere.
- November 23, 2007 9:15 a.m.
- Heike said...
Hallo Monika,
prima, dass es Dir wieder gut geht. Bei so tollen Socken kann es einem ja nur gut gehen. Sehr schönes Muster und die Wolle ist sowieso gut!
Unsere Haustiere sind klasse - ich habe viel Spaß mit Wilma und über Sammy mit seiner Schneeschüppe kann ich mich immer wieder amüsieren.
Liebe Grüße von Heike
- November 23, 2007 9:27 a.m.
- shannon said...
love love LOVE the socks! The color is gorgeous and the striping is just divine.
Man, I need to learn how to knit socks...
- November 23, 2007 10:37 a.m.
- Yarn Devil said...
Love the socks! Nice pattern! Congrats on the win! I bet you'll find something you'll like to make in there...
- November 23, 2007 10:58 a.m.
- Kris B said...
Nice socks, I can see the pattern much better in the action shots :).
I also enjoyed seeing the pictures of Sam finding the shovel.
- November 23, 2007 9:42 p.m.
- Debi said...
I got the calendar for my BD - like you I wouldn't have bought it but I love having it! I can't wait to explore each day!
LOVE the socks but you know how I feel about orange
- November 24, 2007 1:55 a.m.
- hakucho said...
Your finished socks are beautiful :) Lucky you winning such a wonderful door prize!
happy knitting :)
- November 24, 2007 10:26 a.m.
Cool calendar!
and very bright beautiful socks!! (I agree with you on the wonderfulness of Trekking!)
- November 24, 2007 12:01 p.m.
- Elemmaciltur said...
Die Socken sehen ja richtig kuschelig weich aus!
- November 24, 2007 12:41 p.m.
- Cloudberry said...
Beautiful socks - love the pattern!
Have a great weekend :)
- November 24, 2007 2:33 p.m.
- eyeleen said...
Nice prize. Love the socks!
- November 24, 2007 8:37 p.m.
- Violiknit said...
I love those socks! The stitch pattern looks great, and the color is nice and cheerful! Congrats on your door prize :)
- November 24, 2007 9:39 p.m.
- Windyridge said...
I love your blog. It's great the way the dogs model some of your stuff! Your Navajo plying came out fine. It's hard the first few times. You'll get the hang of it.
- November 24, 2007 10:30 p.m.
beautiful socks, i love the softness of the colors!
- November 25, 2007 12:16 a.m.
- Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...
What a great prize! I love the Trekking XXL - I keep looking for it in my LYS but no one ever carries it. I guess an on-line splurge is in order!
- November 26, 2007 1:54 p.m.


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Party Girl
A few years ago a film premiered at Sundance starring several major blockbuster stars, shot by a couple of music video directors, and produced by a small, but successful Hollywood production company. Because of an aggressive marketing campaign and a highly publicized distribution deal, the film won several Academy Awards and made more than $100 million. Regardless of its high star wattage, its directors' wealth of commercial experience, and Hollywood development credentials, it was still termed an "independent film." 11 years previous, for 1/50th of its modern counterpart's budget, Party Girl was made in New York by a first time filmmaker, starring an actress who, except for a notable supporting turn in a Richard Linklater comedy, had had only small character parts in independent films. Party Girl was accepted into Sundance that year and garnered only a limited theatrical run. But over the years through word of mouth, it has become a beloved cult hit, quoted ad nauseam by its devotees, whose ranks multiply yearly.
The plot seems at first utterly conventional, straying between nominally feminist chick flick to slacker comedy. Downtown It girl Mary (Parker Posey) is unemployed, on the verge of eviction, and "fabulous," which in movie parlance means she wears quirky outfits and uses her acerbic wit against her friends. When she gets arrested for turning her apartment into a makeshift nightclub, Mary is bailed out by her godmother, Judy, a librarian. In order to pay Judy back and to prove herself to as capable and trustworthy, Mary becomes a clerk at Judy's library. Gaining her good opinion is complicated by Judy's constant panting that she can't trust Mary because she reminds her so much of her mother, an irrational grousing that is the movie's only major flaw. Mary's mother may have been quite the party-goer, but many young women are, and one can't hold young people accountable for doing the same things that their parents did when they were the same age. I would be extremely frustrated if my grandparents always said, "Gillian, you're such a bleeding heart liberal, just like your mother was when she was your age. I won't be surprised if you end up getting divorced, too."Continue Reading


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Note to this dickbag in a Ferrari 458: It's not certified hoonage if you're putting innocents at risk. Watching him cut blind corners and blow past cyclists like they're signposts makes us wish there was a car-to-car rocket launcher. But those risk collateral damage too.
The line between being a hoon and a twat-on-wheels is crossed in this self-congratulatory, onanistic garbage. Hoonage is the skilled display of vehicular mayhem and, sometimes, a dash of luck and stupidity. This video gives you just the opposite: all luck and stupidity with little mayhem and absolutely no skill.
If you're going to cross over the line on a busy street into oncoming traffic, and we don't recommend that you do, at least take a proper racing line. You, who claims to be Mr. John R of Blue Horizon Productions Inc. at 220 N Crescent Drive Apartment 4 Beverly Hills, CA 90210, are no hoon. You are an embarrassment.


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More Greeks are staying within the country for their holidays. The number one choice and therefore favourite place for Greeks in Greece to take their holiday on the island of Crete, specifically Chania in western Crete. That is according to the online travel booking system, Trivago. The travel firm researched its own database to find that Chania has come out on top of the bookings for domestic Greek tourism.
The top-10 "Destinations in Greece" list are all on islands except one - Parga (Preveza)!:
Just for reference, more than 2 million Brits and Irish visit Greece each year. About 50 per cent favour Crete and many of those choose the Chania area for their fun playground. So it is not just the Greeks that sing the praises of Chania. end


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Researchers in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) working with a colleague at Georgia Tech have shown in a paper titled " Optimization of Lyapunov Invariants in Verification of Software Systems" in the latest issue of the journal IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, that principles from control theory can be applied to computer software to improve software verification. Principal author Mardavij Roozbehani and MIT professor of electrical engineering Alexandre Megretski and Eric Feron, a professor of aerospace software engineering at Georgia Tech have designed a way to measure robustness of software -- an approach to software design that is new and shows potential. Their work has explored control theory which in its simplest level can be compared with a pendulum.
[Image left: The oscillation of a pendulum offers the simplest example of a Lyapunov function, a central concept in control theory. The pendulum's loss of energy with each swing guarantees that it won't lurch into a less stable state. Courtesy MIT News Office]
Read more in the MIT News Office March 19, 2013 article by Larry Hardesty titled "Can control theory make software better? Techniques used to ensure that airplanes won't stall out in flight could be adapted to prove that computer programs won't divide by zero," posted in its entirety below.
"Formal verification" is a set of methods for mathematically proving that a computer program does what it's supposed to do. It's universal in hardware design and in the development of critical control software that can't tolerate bugs; it's common in academic research; and it's beginning to make inroads in commercial software.
In the latest issue of the journal IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, researchers from MIT's Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) and a colleague at Georgia Tech show how to apply principles from control theory — which analyzes dynamical systems ranging from robots to power grids — to formal verification. The result could help computer scientists expand their repertoire of formal-verification techniques, and it could be particularly useful in the area of approximate computation, in which designers of computer systems trade a little bit of computational accuracy for large gains in speed or power efficiency.
In particular, the researchers adapted something called a Lyapunov function, which is a mainstay of control theory. The graph of a standard Lyapunov function slopes everywhere toward its minimum value: It can be thought of as looking kind of like a bowl. If the function characterizes the dynamics of a physical system, and the minimum value represents a stable state of the system, then the curve of the graph guarantees that the system will move toward greater stability.
"The most basic example of a Lyapunov function is a pendulum swinging and its energy decaying," says Mardavij Roozbehani, a principal research scientist in LIDS and lead author on the new paper. "This decay of energy becomes a certificate of stability, or 'good behavior,' of the pendulum system."
Of course, most dynamical systems are more complex than pendulums, and finding Lyapunov functions that characterize them can be difficult. But there's a large literature on Lyapunov functions in control theory, and Roozbehani and his colleagues are hopeful that much of it will prove applicable to software verification.
Skirting dangers
In their new paper, Roozbehani and his coauthors — MIT professor of electrical engineering Alexandre Megretski and Eric Feron, a professor of aerospace software engineering at Georgia Tech — envision a computer program as a set of rules for navigating a space defined by the variables in the program and the memory locations of the program instructions. Any state of the program — any values for the variables during execution of a particular instruction — constitutes a point in that space. Problems with a program's execution, such as dividing by zero or overloading the memory, can be thought of as regions in the space.
In practice, finding a Lyapunov invariant with the desired properties means systematically investigating different classes of functions. There's no general way to predict in advance what type of function it will be — or even that it exists. But Roozbehani imagines that, if his and his colleagues' approach catches on, researchers will begin to identify algorithms that lend themselves to particular types of Lyapunov invariants, as has happened with control problems and Lyapunov functions.
Fuzzy thinking
Moreover, many of the critical software systems that require formal verification implement control systems designed using Lyapunov functions. "So there are intuitive reasons to believe that, at least for control-system software, these methods will work well," Roozbehani says.
Roozbehani is also enthusiastic about possible applications in approximate computation. As he explains, many control systems are based on mathematical models that can't capture all of the complexity of real dynamical systems. So control theorists have developed analytic methods that can account for model inaccuracies and provide guarantees of stability even in the presence of uncertainty. Those techniques, Roozbehani argues, could be perfectly suited for verifying code that exploits approximate computation.
"Computer scientists are not used to thinking about robustness of software," says George Pappas, chair of the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. "This is the first work that is formalizing the notion of robustness for software. It's a paradigm shift, from the more exhaustive, combinatorial view of checking for bugs in software, to a view where you try to see how robust your software is to changes in the input or the internal state of computation and so on."
"The idea may not apply in all possible kinds of software," Pappas cautions. "But if you're thinking about software that implements, say, controller or sensor functionality, I think there's no question that these types of ideas will have a lot of impact."


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China Journal: Photographs 1980-1990
by Jerry Greenfield
This is the price your customers see. Edit list price
About the Book
Features & Details
- Primary Category: Fine Art Photography
Project Option: Large Format Landscape, 13×11 in, 33×28 cm
# of Pages: 160
- Publish Date: Mar 18, 2013
- Keywords Panorama Photography, China, Rephotography, Widelux
About the Creator
Jerry Greenfield, MFA, EdD, is Professor Emeritus at Miyazaki International College in Japan, where he taught from 1997 to 2008. He studied photography with Minor White at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind at Rhode Island School of Design. Prior to moving to Japan, he had a long career teaching photography at the University of Massachusets-Boston, Indiana University-Bloomington, and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was head of the Media Arts Department and Coordinator of Graduate Programs. His photographs have been exhibited widely and are in a number of public collections in the United States.


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|Ganteka Future (talk)
|Date Created:
|18 June2008
|Complete (Price may be suspect).
|Please feel free to edit constructively!
This syrup concoction acts like a potion, but doubles the duration of any other potion consumed up to one round previous. It has no effect on potion effects that have an instantaneous duration, such as a potion of cure light wounds. Potion durations are doubled from their initial starting duration and not the remaining duration.
For example:
- A character drinks a potion that has a duration of 8 rounds.
- His next turn, he drinks Parempo.
- The total duration of the potion becomes 16 rounds, not 14, for doubling the initial total rounds (8) minus the first round, leaving 15 rounds of effect.
Parempo can be premixed with another potion so that both it and the potion are consumed at the same time. Parempo affects only the most recent potion consumed. Parempo does not affect archpotions.
Contains enough Parempo to affect 4 potions. 1000 gp
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Equipment → Magical Potions and Oils
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


text:
Mashup: DocuSign + Genworth Financial Wealth Management Comments
Genworth Financial Wealth Management, Inc. (GFWM), a Genworth Financial Company, is an investment management and consulting firm that helps independent financial advisors build great businesses. We take a consultative approach to helping you establish and retain investor relationships, and we support this with a relentless service ethic of personalized attention. GFWM's platform gives you strategies and tools to help your investors navigate changing markets, and to help you manage client relationships and build your practice.


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Gifts For Fathers
Finding the perfect present to give the man who raised you is no easy feat. But we think we're up to the task – here you'll find plenty of ideas to get you started as well as our selection of the best gifts for fathers, including ties, shaving kits, watches, wallets and more.
Filter2 Results
- Recommended
- Price Low to High
- Price High to Low
- New In


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So is "Man Up!" a sitcom, a sociological statement or just another collection of stereotypical jokes about the arrested development of the XY chromosome?
The series, which premieres tonight (Oct. 18) on ABC as a sort of Gen Y companion to Tim Allen's "Last Man Standing," offers the following setup: a trio of 30-ish guy pals – Will (Mather Zickel), who's happily married with kids; Craig (Chris Moynihan), the sensitive, impractical romantic; and Kenny (Dan Fogler), embittered by divorce and potentially explosive – wrestle with living up to their idealized notions of adult masculinity while still indulging in soft-seeming escapism, like their intense online video game sessions and fondness for specific non-dairy creamers and fruit-scented body scrubs.
Moynihan, who also created and executive produces the sitcom, says that modern men are caught on the crux of wanting to live up to the tougher, more capable and responsible notion of manhood perpetuated by previous generations and the softer, more self-indulgent lifestyle available today.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"I think it's a product of luxury," says Moynihan. "We don't have to do these things anymore because everything is kind of made readily available to us and the opportunities to actually be a real man are few and far between. We are a generation that has a war, and we have the luxury of other people volunteering and doing that for us. Our grandfathers and our fathers, they were drafted and they were made to do it. I think we're starting to socialize and civilize men to the point where…let's be fair, there's a lot of product in my hair right now that my father, at 38 years old, would never have had this much stuff in his hair."
Fogler – who describes his character as "kind of like George Costanza with hair, a slow burner and then an exploder" – says he thinks "Man Up's" comic plotlines are an accurate reflection of the current manly zeitgeist. "I think this show reflects what's going on with men right now in society," he says. "I feel very close to Kenny, and I know that I have a lot of friends out there that will watch the show and say, 'Hey, that's me up there, man. That's me going through this crisis.' And I think they'll dig it. I don't think the show is about men being emasculated. It's about men trying to find themselves again."
Zickel says his character's marriage to Theresa (Teri Polo) will be different from the typical "wife knows best" angle that's characterized dozens of recent sitcom relationships. "In terms of the phrase 'manning up,' particularly in regards to our marriage on the show, it's a matter of accepting responsibility for the things that a man should do, as opposed to being guilted or cornered into doing something," Zickel says. "I think my character Will wants to take responsibility for his life. He has certain boyish aspects: he likes to play video games, but he also has a job, he helps with the kids, he's married, he provides, and he takes great pride in that. I don't think he's trying to, get out of things or shirk responsibility. And I don't always think Theresa is necessarily trying to force him to do things that he doesn't want to do."
Executive producer Victor Fresco ("Better Off Ted") hopes to mine as much humor from the modern male experience, noting that "life hasn't gotten easier – It's just gotten different. We don't mow our lawns and trim our trees, but in the advent of computers and online, somehow we're working 12 hours a day, so something went wrong with that idea that technology was supposed to liberate us, but those of us who are lucky enough to have jobs are working harder than ever. I think that's put a lot of stressors on both men and women. You work long hours, and then you are expected, and you want to help out around the house. I'm not of my father's generation where I come home and have a martini and watch television. I want to see my kids, and I want to hang out with them, but it does create more stress as you try and wear all those hats and be super-dad and super-husband."
It's a problem that's never too far out of mind, adds Fogler: "If the electricity went out right now, we'd all be screwed."
"Man Up" premieres tonight at 8:30 PM ET on ABC


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|Mid-Side Envelope Follower FX Multifilter+
|Price (MSRP)
|Type / Tags
|Envelope FollowerFilter
|Copy Protection
|Serial Number
Mid-Side Envelope Follower FX multi-filter+ is a G-Sonique's VST effect from the G-Creative series.
Envelope follower is the technology of modulating a filter by the dynamics of a signal with set attack, release and envelope amounts – simply put dynamics and amplitude of the music signal, modulate the cutoff frequency of the filter and the result is a funky, liquid filtering effect that responds to the musical material.
But Mid-Side Envelope follower FX multi-filter+ offers much more... the signal is split into MID (mono) and stereo (side) parts, each part can be boosted or attenuated to create larger or smaller panoramic 3D effects, filtered by 9 various filters and Ring Modulation Twist FX or Analog Distortion FX. Each of the two filters (of the Mid or Side parts) can be modulated by an envelope follower (attack, release, envelope amount) and the dynamics of the music signal as well as with a LFO (speed, depth and 4 waveforms). If you prefer a less altered signal, a Dry/Wet knob is available – you can use just 10% wet and 90% dry for more gentle effects, or use a 100% wet (Altered) signal for a short part of your song, for example in a breakdown, intro or outro (using automation in your host application).
Use of Mid-Side envelope follower is almost endless and can be used for example:
- On stereo beats or percussion to create new, progressive or crazy, funky sounds.
- On individual stereo channels (real stereo with MID and SIDE parts) as synths, pads, FX.
- On main (stereo bus) channel of dance music (by automation of Dry/Wet knob in host application like Cubase, Fruity loops etc.).
Top features:
- Mid (mono part of signal) and Side (stereo part) splitter, with the possibility to boost or attenuate each part. (side stereo signal can be boosted up to 5x).
- 1x MID and 1x Side filter module with 9 different filters (G-Low pass, G-Band pass, G-High pass, Low pass, Band pass, High pass, Band reject, Peaking, Analog low pass, None).
- 1x MID and 1x Side envelope follower (with attack, release, envelope amount control) that modulates the cutoff frequency of the filter.
- 1x MID and 1x Side LFO (with speed and depth control and 4 waveforms: sine, saw-tooth, triangle, Square) that can additionally modulate cutoff frequency of the filter.
- 1x Ring modulator Twist FX with knob for controlling amount of the effect from 0 to 100% on MID part.
- 1x Analog Distortion effect with a warm sound on the SIDE part of the signal.
- Dry/Wet knob of overall effect amount.
- Preset manager with selected example presets.
Please log in to join the discussion


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Home > Outdoors & Sports > Exercise & Fitness > Silicone Eyeglasses Strap Glasses Sunglasses Sports Band Cord Holder for Children- Blue
Product Details
This glasses strap is suitable for children. Super soft silicone material, comfortable wear. Elastically, can stretch up to 35cm. Ideal for gym class and outdoor sports.
- Brand new and high quality
- Material: Silicone
- Total Length: Approx. 21 cm ( unstretched )
- The widest part of the middle: Approx. 10mm
- Ear stem perforation Dimension: Approx. 0.9 cm x 0.2 cm
- Color: Blue
Package Included:
- 1 x Glasses strap
Related Tags


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The goal of this book is to make people aware of what the prolific use of violence in television, movies, and video games is doing to our children. Teaching Our Kids to Kill calls to the table the makers of this violence to address the myriad scientific research on the subject–research that couldn't make it clearer how solid and deadly the link is between this kind of graphic imagery and the escalating incidences of youth violence–and understand and change what they are doing and the dangerous effects their products are having on our children.
Using this book, parents, educators, social service workers, youth advocates, and anyone interested in the welfare of our children will have a solid foundation for effective action. We give you the facts–what's behind the statistics, how to interpret the copious, empirical research that exists on the subject, and the many ways to make a difference in your own home, at school, in your community, in the courts, and in the larger world–so that we all can work together to help end this problem and create a safer environment in which to live. If by doing this we can prevent future Paducahs, Jonesboros, and Littletons, it will be well worth it.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Gloria DeGaetano


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New England Institute of Technology's Vice President of Corporate Education and Training sat down with Dan Yorke recently for a candid conversation about "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" in Rhode Island.
"There are opportunities in Rhode Island and they are all related to skills. Twenty to twenty-seven jobs that have the most need in Rhode Island require an Associate degree or better" said Kitchin.
For more information about any of New England Tech's over 40 Associate, Bachelor's, Master's and Online degree programs, call Admissions at 800-736-7744 ext. 3357 or email email@example.com or for additional information about the SAMI program, call 800-736-7744 ext. 3700 or email email@example.com.


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Surprise Pregnancy For 56-Year-Old Grandma
Photo credit: Suphat Bhandharangsri Photography/Moment/Getty Images
Sallie Brown lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children, and when she went to the doctor complaining of recent, unexplained weight gain, she got the shock of her life — the 56-year-old grandmother was expecting a baby.
A miracle pregnancy
Brown and her husband, Charles, were completely shocked when her pregnancy test came back positive. They told High Point Enterprise that they'd wanted a baby together for a long time, but after an ectopic pregnancy a dozen years ago, they figured a biological child wasn't in their future.
When the news broke, Charles reports that nobody at work believed him,but everyone is now excited for the family, which includes the biological grandson they adopted, plus an adopted brother and sister pair.
Her pregnancy has been, for the most part, uneventful. She feels great and is taking care of herself really well. She does report that the doctor suspects twins, and so far, that hasn't been ruled out, which would be even more wild.
Their baby is expected sometime around this December.
"Advanced maternal age"
When I became pregnant with my last baby, I had just crossed the threshold into "advanced maternal age." My pregnancy was not much different than my others, except I was offered a visit to a larger city's obstetrical unit for an amniocentesis (which I did decline).
When I say "not much different," I mean it was medically no different with the exception of a few hiccups along the road — mainly I developed a heart arrhythmia that was eventually diagnosed as benign PVCs, which are uncomfortable but not dangerous at all. My baby grew normally, I grew normally, and yes I felt horrible by the end, but I delivered a healthy baby girl on Christmas Eve.
That being said, I can't imagine getting pregnant in 16 more years (I'm 40 now). Huge kudos to this mom and her family, and I hope her delivery is beautiful.
More surprise pregnancies and births
Mom went in for operation, came out with surprise baby
Idaho mom gives birth while driving
Tasmanian mom surprised with unexpected home birth


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Crochet dresses for little girls
It bin a long while, but I'm still here. I hope you are still following me. I plan to give out a bigger pattern with 3 sizes on the wraparoundbody pattern.. Its improved. You can get it in the book Handmade. it was very fun to contribute to a book sold all over Norway.. If you just want the pattern have some patience until fall.
Now I have actually sewn some in this year but not so much that I wanted. This house and job takes a way the evening hours and soo soo tired some times. This summer I have managed to sew and crochet 3 dresses. It's a very popular pattern in the sewing community in Norway and everyone makes them, so I had to make some myself. Love to combine crochet and fabric and its easy and fast enough to do in 3 free evenings. since we have vacations I've managed to make it in 2 weeks or so. The pattern is Dale 27707. I think is some danish translations somewhere out there but don't remember. I let you know. Edit: Found it
I made it in three different versions. 3, 4 and 5 years. The pattern goes to 3 years but its very simple to justify to bigger sizes.The biggest dresses are given away for some late birthday present and the smallest its given to my now three year old daughter. I think she loves it too
Happy summer and I will get back to you all soon
2 Responses to "Crochet dresses for little girls"
Hei! Og tusen takk for koselig kommentar i bloggen min:-) synest absolutt at dine Dale kjoler var nydelige også! Likte det uglestoffet kjempegodt:-)


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So I've taken a new job.
Actually... I've kind of taken two new jobs (long story) but you get the idea.
And neither of these jobs are in coffee.
Yup... it looks like my time in the professional coffee world is truly coming to a close.
I've got three things to wrap up and then I'm done.
I am writing an article for Barista Magazine that I've really excited about.
I have to finish up the Monster Briccoletta project.
And I am going to write a sort of retrospective piece about my experiences in coffee - in particular talking about the good things that get too little recognition and the bad things that everyone tries to pretend don't exist.
And then I will smile, tip my hat and become just another customer waiting for my damn coffee.
The Clock is Ticking
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Area items of interest
Students explore career options
Caswell Developmental Center participated in job shadowing with North Lenoir Students on Oct. 11.
The students were placed with staff in occupations such as physical therapy, nursing and social work.
The job shadowing experience provides students an excellent opportunity to explore career options.
New exhibit at Queen Street Deli
A display of paintings by Snow Hill artist Dinah Sharpe Sylivant is on display through Dec. 3 at the Queen Street Deli, an off-site exhibition extension of the Community Council for the Arts.
Sylivant�s oil paintings on canvas feature a mix of florals and landscapes. They are for sale as well as exhibition.
Queen Street Deli is at 115 S. Queen St. For more local artist information, call 252-527-2517.
Stop by the Farmer�s Market today
Don�t forget all the fresh fall produce available at the Lenoir County Farmer�s Market. Vendors will be ready by 9 a.m. today to serve the community.
In addition to the regular produce vendors, Sweet Creations will be on hand with homemade cakes and pies. Heather of Della�s Delights will have her usual temptations on site. Judy Johnson and Paul Mixner will debut their Hawk Sauce holiday gift pack today at the market.
The next big event will be Nov. 3 when Pat Walston, of the Lenoir Community College Culinary Arts program, and her students present �What would Governor Caswell have eaten?� This cooking demonstration will offer a sampling of foods from the colonial era. This is in conjunction with the celebration of the 250th founding of the City of Kinston.
Mark your calendar to go back in time Nov. 3.
Health offerings at LMH
Exercise Specialist Tara Barber will give an informative presentation at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Minges Wellness Center at Lenoir Memorial Hospital.
Her tips on protecting joints, and strengthening muscles around the joints, will be especially helpful for people who have joint issues and fail to work out and stay motivated.
Stroll the aisles of the Piggly Wiggly on McLewean Street from 10 to 11 a.m. Nov. 7 with Angie Doncaster, registered dietician. The session will focus on tips for healthier holiday meal planning, shopping and cooking. For information or to register, call 252-522-7471.
A two-hour session on prediabetes will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 8 in the Minnie P. Stackhouse Diabetes Center classroom. The free session will be taught by Sandra Midyette, registered nurse, and Angie Doncaster, registered dietician. Recent studies have concluded that people with prediabetes can prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes by making changes in diet and increasing physical activity.
Pre-register for this session by calling Midyette at 252-522-7616 or Doncaster at 252-522-7471.


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Thompsons New Era Calc Fluor Cell Salt ia a biochemic remedy to maintain tissue elasticity, over relaxed tissue, deficient enamel of teeth. The Biochemic System of Medicine system was founded in the late nineteenth century by German physician Wilhelm Heinrich Schuessler (also spelled Schussler). Schuessler held that all curable diseases were curable with minuscule doses of one or more of a dozen inorganic compounds, called cell salts or tissue salts: the fluoride, phosphate, and sulfate salts of calcium; the chloride, phosphate, and sulfate salts of sodium and potassium; the phosphate salts of iron and magnesium; and silicon dioxide. There are twelve tissue salts which are the most commonly occurring ones available as New Era Single tissue salt remedies, number 1 to 12. New Era Combination Remedies, marked A to S were developed after many years of experience because for many ailments more than one Tissue Salt is indicated. New Era Combination Remedies have been designed to cover in one preparation what is needed for frequently occurring conditions.The mineral salts in soft, moulded tablets are present in highly assimilable form. The tablets readily dissolve on the tongue and the minerals are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, bypassing the stomach where the acidic conditions would alter them.Safety Homeopathically Prepared Mineral Tissue Salt Remedies are safe and without known side effects. It is not possible to take an overdose of Tissue Salt Remedies, and there is no possibility of developing a dependence. Mineral Tissue Salts are safe for children and also during pregnancy.
Adults - 4 tablets Children - 2 tablets Infants - 1 tablet To be dissolved on the tongue. Chronic cases 3 doses daily, acute cases every half hour until relief is obtained. Thereafter 3 doses daily.
Active Ingredients: Tablets contain homeopathic Calcium Fluoride.


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Lloyd Maxcy & Sons Beauchamp Chapel was founded in 1873 when David Maxcy started a funeral home on 14th Street and Avenue "A" in New York City. He was one of the first funeral directors to practice embalming and was responsible for many innovations in funeral service. He died in 1900 and his wife, the former Mary Ann Wyse, who helped him get his start, assumed direction of the business.
David and Mary Ann had 13 children. One of them became a priest, the Rev. Joseph Maxcy, and was ordained at Dunwoodie Seminary.He eventually became Assistant Pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in 1905. He died of peritonitis after an appendectomy in 1911 at 30 years of age. He was deeply mourned by the parish and the community. A memorial window, given by the children of the parish school, was placed in the last carriage. It was an all-day in Blessed Sacrament in remembrance of him.
Two of David and Mary Ann's sons pursued the funeral business. David Jr., was a licensed funeral director in Brooklyn. Another son, Lloyd A.I. Maxcy came to NewRochelle at the age of 19 and opened a new branch of the family business on Main Street, just west of Centre Avenue. The business was moved to Centre Avenue and Leroy Place and eventually was a private residence on Shea Place, its present location. The address, formerly known as Beauchamp Place, was changed in memory of the late Monsignor Shea, pastor of the Blessed Sacrament Church. Mary Ann joined her son at the New Rochelle location in her later years. She died in 1920. Lloyd A.I. operated the funeral home until his death in 1955. Lloyd A.I.'s son, Lloyd A. and his wife Catherine, owned and operated the funeral home until their retirement in 1980.
The funeral home has since been owned and operated by Stephen P. Tenore and Fred R. DiCarlo. Under their direction, the funeral home has grownto serve communities outside the New Rochelle area and it is now one of the premier funeral homes in Westchester County.


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Constructed with heavy gauge tubular steel, 3/4″ thick wood and a 1/4″ rubber to provide a solid platform that withstands the most abusive conditions. Rubber feet are mounted to the bottom to prevent slippage and marring on floors. Platform easily "nest" when not in use to maximize space. Import
Dimensions: 48X48X42in
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Saturday, December 4, 2010
Genealogy - art or science or a mixture of both? Or neither?
One of the main challenges of genealogy as a serious pursuit originates in the failure of many, perhaps most, of its adherents to follow any sort of rigorous methodology. Genealogy should be considered a branch of History (with a capital "H"). But it is notable that there is only the most tenuous connection between the mainstream of historical research and genealogy as a discipline. There are a mere handful of schools and only one university that award degrees in genealogy. There are two four-year programs, one at the Heritage Genealogy College, a privately operated school in Salt Lake City, Utah and Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. Other schools offer associate degrees and class credit.
I do not believe that universities have a monopoly on either learning or teaching, but the lack of association of genealogy with established university departments, indicates that genealogy is certainly not an accepted academic discipline. Why is that the case? Part of the explanation lies in the historical context. In years past, genealogists (or those claiming to be) were self appointed and unregulated. Unlike some disciplines, such as medicine and law, that started out with no academic requirements and now have widespread academic endorsement, genealogists never organized and regularized their discipline.
As an example, in the 1800s and before in the United States, a person did not "go to law school" to become an attorney. If a person wanted to practice law, they simply bought some law books and started to read and perhaps associated with an already established attorney. Ultimately, they could practice law by being "admitted" to the practice by the courts. Although in England during the same time period, the practice was more structured, there were no law schools. The first law school in America was the Litchfield Law School in Litchfield, Connecticut established in 1772. but until late in the 1800s law school attendance was very rare. There are still states where a law degree from an accredited law school is not a requirement to practice law and students can get a qualifying degree from an online correspondence school.
Genealogy, unlike law, never became an organized profession. Even today, there are no government imposed qualifications for becoming a professional genealogist even though most states regulate every profession from dog grooming to hair styling. Despite the efforts of the various genealogical boards and other professional institutions, very few of the practitioners of genealogy obtain any kind of professional credential and none is required to become a "professional" genealogist.
The absence of genealogy as either an academic discipline or as a regulated profession is obvious from the advertising that goes along with the sale of genealogically related products that advertise how easy they make genealogy. Also, the constant emphasis on how many people can "do" genealogy is exactly contrary to ever having the subject accepted by either academia or as a profession.
Is this a problem? Well, many of the issues with sloppy and incompletely sourced family trees comes from the inclusive nature of the discipline. We can't have it both ways. Either genealogy is a pastime or it is a profession. If it tries to be both then it will always be part science and part hobby.
2 comments:
- AnonymousFebruary 8, 2014 at 2:55 AM
Hmmm. I like it. somewhere I read that Genealogy, 'the science', relates to the child-parent relation ship alone and only. This is the transfer and evolution of genetic material among humans; (horse & dogs too for those that have those interests.). Once a person is identified and documented to exist, then the 'rest is history' so to speak. Genealogy becomes an 'Art' where the history of a person is documented (or not) and generally written about in free-form prose. Every event in a person's life from birth to death is an event of history. It need not be proven; just as with any mythology. However the event produce information which can tell a story, and the artistry in that can be fascinating. It is interesting James that the pursuit of ancestral knowledge is undertaken as a hobby, as a pastime or obsession by folk who might have scholarly skills or those devoid of any learning or insight of the subject. A communal culture exists where groups impart; shall I say 'help' in a ad-hoc, ill disciplined way. The guidelines, splendid as my be are often ignored for independence & self-centred methodologies.ReplyDelete
Enough of this. Cheers. Barry P. 08/02/2014Replies
Thanks for your recent comment to this older post. I reopens the question posed. I guess it is time to write another post.Delete


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News from the world of Maths
June 16, 2016
What's the best spot to aim a penalty at?
June 13, 2016
Mathematical model predicts Olympic success.
May 31, 2016
How popular and successful are you? Not as much as your friends is the sad answer, at least as far as Twitter is concerned.
May 27, 2016
Nira Chamberlain tells us how solving difficult maths problems can be like fighting an invisible boxer.
May 5, 2016
Where does our ability to do abstract maths come from? A new study sheds some fascinating light on the question.
April 29, 2016
Vicky explains how maths is an adventure that's really worth having.
April 29, 2016
You may not have heard his name, but you're making use of his work every single day: Claude Shannon, hailed the father of the information age, would have turned 100 this week.
April 26, 2016
A very strange way of explaining away the strangeness of quantum mechanics.


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Oprah Winfrey will be the latest celebrity interviewed on Facebook Live next week, with the chat at Facebook headquarters streamed live.
Apparently Winfrey hit it off with Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, which is one of the reasons she's doing the Facebook show, according to AllThingsD. Winfrey will also meet with members of the local tech industry to discuss social media and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Winfrey has 6.3 million fans on her Facebook page.
Facebook users are encouraged to submit questions for her on the Facebook Live page. Several have already posted a few:
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"What kind of boss are you?" "Would you explain your meditation and visualization techniques?"
It's only fair that Winfrey appears on Facebook. Last year, Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg used her show to announce his $100 million gift to the Newark Public Schools District. This is the least he can do for her.


text: This information is available at http://www.stakhaus.com/ where you can enter your information yourself. It also has search and sort functionality that you just can't get out of a forum posting. I recommend you update your information there. This is a database of owner supplied data. If you don't find yours listed, look in your paperwork for the little brown envelope containing two fired casings. What's the date on that envelope? Don't have it? Then please call GLOCK, US Inc. and ask them. The website was derived from years of work on the Glock Talk forum by the users MakeMineA10mm, Dandapani and GSD17. They obviously put untold hours updating the original threads and it is an amazing compilation. The purpose of this list is to be a resource for people who wonder what the "born-on" date of their GLOCK is, and to provide a historical record, which, if ever it is complete enough, can indicate some information about caliber trends, model popularity, production changes, etc. THE RULES 1. It doesn't matter if you have information that is similar to what someone else has. There is a thousand possibilities for each three letter prefix and that doesn't count suffixes. As long as you have different information than what is already existing, please add it. HOWEVER, there is no reason to have three entries for SNR*** G-17 with no generation or SNR*** with no model or BoD. 2. You can decide how much of your serial number you want posted. When entering the serial put in as much of it you would like to be shown and the system will pad the remainder with asterisks. i.e. If you enter SNR123 it will display as SNR123, but if you enter SNR1 it will display as SNR1** and if you enter SN it will display as SN****. 4. Do not use any X's unless that is part of your serial number. Do not put pound/hash marks (#) or spaces anywhere in the serial number. Any of these things will mess up the sorting and display. i.e. if your actual serial number is SNR123 these are Good Entries: SNR123 or SNR1 or SNR ...and these are Bad Entries: SNR 123 or SNRXXX or SNR### 5. If you still decide to post in this thread instead of using the website, please use the following format: SERIAL # - MODEL GENERATION - BORN ON DATE - NOTES GENERATION Here is an excellent thread by DJ Niner with pictures and description about the different generations and differentiating features. FRAMES BARREL DATES GLOCK HISTORY UPGRADES The original post had information regarding Upgrades, as GLOCK refers to them, but you may refer to them as Recalls. That information isn't directly relevant to this thread and can be found on the website posted above.


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Diary of a Fat Girl
- $75.00
- $75.00
Descripción de editorial
This is the diary of Burn Rivers.
Bernadette Rivers has had enough. Always the fat friend and fat twin, she's ready to be more.
This summer she's going to lose the weight that's been holding her back.
As determined as she is, Burn knows she can't do it alone.
Enter Warren Grey; ex-high school hottie and stereotypical jock. He is everything that tormented her about high school but she knows he's exactly what she needs.
With a distant mother, a sister with poor taste, a polar opposite best friend and enough insecurities to fill the Grand Canyon, can she learn to love the skin she's in?
And then, of course, there's Fred.


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Rayfish, a custom footwear company, is marketing leather sneakers that come in every color from shimmering gold to neon green, in patterns that mimick giraffes, zebras, leopard, and lady bugs. And they claim that these designs are grown directly on the hides of custom-engineered stingrays. But are these sneakers for real?
Rayfish claims that it has developed a "bio-customization" process that lets it achieve its enormous range of colors and designs using genetic engineering instead of dyes. The Thailand-based company says that it engineers stingrays to produce these colors (somewhat) naturally, letting consumers design their own ray to be harvested for its kookily colored leather. But pink leopard-spotted stingrays don't come cheap; sneakers currently cost between $14,800 and $16,200, although Rayfish says that, later this year when they are in regular production, sneakers will be available for a mere $1,800.
But don't go throwing your sneaker money at them just yet. An article from LiveScience suggests Rayfish's claims are, well, fishy. Utah State University biologist Randy Lewis brought up his doubts to LiveScience:
To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to do what they claim both in terms of the colors, as many of those colors on their website have no way to be expressed in the skin, and the ability to completely control the pattern that they imply has not been achieved for any animal.
Other genetics researchers noted that patterns in the skin are controlled by multiple genes, requiring some complex feats of genetic engineering. What Rayfish is claiming isn't necessarily impossible, but these researchers would like to peer-review their research before folks start plunking down hard cash on what turns out to be a dye job.
Rayfish [via Design You Trust]
Why 'Transgenic Stingray' Shoes Are Likely Fake [LiveScience]


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Aung Zaw Oo - better known as the parkour-lovin' game animator AZO - shows how he incorporates moves he does in real life into the animations of the upcoming class-based shooter Monday Night Combat by Uber Entertainment.
The good stuff begins about the 0:56 mark - especially the move where the sniper tees up his foe with the butt end of the rifle. And then sometimes AZO goes into the gym to see if that backflip-kick he drew up is feasible in real life.
The game will release on Xbox Live Arcade. No word of a release date yet, though.


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Thirty years ago a strange phenomenon called a "spacequake" devastated the center of Eurasia, claiming the lives of at least 150 million people. Since then, smaller spacequakes plague the world on an irregular basis. Shido Itsuka, a seemingly ordinary high schooler comes across a mysterious girl at the ground zero of a spacequake and learns she is one of the "Spirits" who are the real cause of the spacequakes that occur when they manifest themselves in the world. He is recruited to make use of his mysterious ability to seal the Spirits' powers thus stopping them from being a threat to mankind. However, there is a catch: to seal a Spirit's power, he must make her fall in love with him and kiss him.
|Date a Live
|Alternative Titles
|Dēto A Raibu, デート・ア・ライブⅡ, デート・ア・ライブⅢ, Date a Live II, Date a Live III
|First Air Date
|Last Air Date
|Number of Episodes
|Number of Seasons
|Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Action & Adventure,
|ANIMAX, Tokyo MX,
|Shimazaki Nobunaga, Marina Inoue, Ayana Taketatsu, Misuzu Togashi, Iori Nomizu, Asami Sanada, Maaya Uchida, Sarah Emi Bridcutt, Minori Chihara, Aya Endo, Takehito Koyasu
|Plot Keywords
Shido Itsuka (voice)Shimazaki Nobunaga
Tohka Yatogami (voice)Marina Inoue
Kotori Itsuka (voice)Ayana Taketatsu
Origami Tobiichi (voice)Misuzu Togashi
Yoshino (voice)Iori Nomizu
Kurumi Tokisaki (voice)Asami Sanada
Kaguya Yamai (voice)Maaya Uchida
Kuzuru Yamai (voice)Sarah Emi Bridcutt
Miku Iyazoi (voice)Minori Chihara
Reine Murasame (voice)Aya Endo
Kyōhei Kannazuki (voice)Takehito Koyasu


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Only 20% of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are given to people who are sick with bacterial infections, such as ear and urinary tract infections and pneumonia. Most of the penicillin, tetracycline and other antibiotic drugs used in this country are given to livestock that are perfectly healthy.
Farmers have been putting these medicines in animal feed since the 1950s. They say the drugs help protect herds from infectious diseases and help animals grow faster.
But for at least 40 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been concerned that the widespread practice may be fueling the growth of human pathogens that are no longer vulnerable to doctors' front-line drugs.
In the last few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made two rulings addressing the use of antibiotics in animals that will end up as food on our dinner tables:
• On Dec. 22, the FDA pulled the plug on procedures, begun in 1977, that might have ended the practice of feeding penicillin and tetracycline to livestock.
• On Jan. 4, the agency issued an order that prohibits certain uses, including preventive uses, of another class of antibiotics also used to treat pneumonia and other infections in people.
The two moves may seem contradictory. But the FDA asserts that both decisions were made in the interest of preserving antibiotics that are medically important for humans.
Some public health advocates agree that the latest moves indicate a new willingness by the government to tackle the longstanding issue.
In finally dropping its long-stalled plans to limit the use of penicillin and tetracycline in farm animals, the FDA signaled that it intends "to regulate more than just a few drugs," said Laura Rogers, who directs the Pew Charitable Trusts' campaign on human health and industrial farming. Seen in that light, last week's ruling limiting the use of cephalosporin antibiotics in agriculture "is the first step toward a broader regulatory approach," she said. (The Pew campaign opposes routine use of antibiotics in food animals.)
The science behind antibiotic resistance is a classic story of survival of the fittest. Antibiotics target key life functions in bacteria, killing them or preventing them from multiplying. But individual bugs that survive a drug's assault will grow and multiply, potentially creating a whole population of drug-resistant bacteria.
Resistance to antibiotics is a growing public health problem across the globe. People infected with resistant pathogens tend to get more severely ill and are harder to treat. Antibiotic resistance adds an estimated $20 billion to healthcare costs in the U.S. each year, including longer hospital stays and the need for more expensive drugs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, it's not clear how much the use of antibiotics in cattle, pigs, chickens and other animals contributes to problems in people.
Those who oppose the practice of putting antibiotics in animals' food or water point to studies that have found livestock-associated strains of bugs such as salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus in humans.
Decades ago, the FDA commissioned Seattle's public health department to study salmonella and campylobacter found on meat and in people sick with enteritis. In a 1984 report, researchers found that illness-inducing campylobacter was similar to that found on poultry products. In addition, about 30% of bacteria from both sources were resistant to tetracycline.
Eating contaminated meat isn't the only way people can become colonized with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Those who work with farm animals are also at risk. For instance, a Chinese study published in 2010 found antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in animals and farmworkers. The year before, researchers in Iowa reported that they found a livestock-associated strain of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus in pig farm workers.
The World Health Organization, the American Medical Assn. and other major health groups have denounced the practice of feeding human antibiotics to animals. The mere threat that agricultural use could cripple drugs for people is reason enough to take action, they say.
Advocates of the practice refer to scientific reviews that discount the risk to human health. A 2004 paper in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy argued that cross-contamination between farm animals and people is a two-way street, with most antibiotic-resistant disease stemming from human use of these drugs. In any event, the authors wrote, illness from bacteria on meat can be prevented with proper cooking — even if the bacteria are resistant to drugs.
Blanket regulations limiting how the drugs are used on animals would remove valuable tools from the veterinarian's medical bag, according to the American Veterinary Medical Assn. Using the drugs prophylactically allows farmers and ranchers to prevent or control disease outbreaks, especially when animals are kept in close quarters. If drugs are only given to animals after they are visibly ill, disease can spread quickly and risk the lives of an entire herd or flock.
There's little dispute that livestock animals carry antibiotic-resistant organisms. But there's all sorts of barriers that prevent those bugs from infecting humans, said Dr. Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian for the National Pork Producers Council. They'd have to contaminate the meat at slaughter, survive cooking and be ingested in a large enough dose to make someone ill.
In ending its long-stalled initiative to reconsider penicillin's and tetracycline's use in agriculture, the FDA said the "notices of opportunity for a hearing" issued in 1997 were so old that they were essentially useless. Though there was evidence back then that the practice fuels antibiotic resistance, new data would have to be taken into account for such a decision to be made today.
At a minimum, any effort to move forward at this point would have to consider other classes of antibiotics that have become popular since the 1970s and include a rationale for which ones should be targeted, according to the agency.
The FDA's move may have been prompted by a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Food Animal Concerns Trust. Convinced that feeding antibiotics to animals is a major public health problem, they were trying to force the FDA to move forward with its plans — not abandon them altogether.
"It's the FDA's overcautious attitude," said Steven Roach, public health program director for FACT. "If anything we have more evidence now than we did in 1977. And they had enough evidence to proceed back then."
The drugs that were affected by the FDA's decision are among the oldest around. Tetracycline tops the list of most popular antibiotics, with more than 4 million kilograms used in food animals per year, according to 2009 data collected by the FDA. Penicillin comes in fourth, with about 610,000 kilograms of the drug used each year. (Both figures include drugs used on healthy animals as well as to treat those that are sick.)
Both drugs still are widely used by pork producers but in very specific ways, Wagstrom says. For instance, penicillin (usually in combination with other antibiotics) is fed to weanling pigs because it stimulates growth at this early stage in life.
How antibiotics promote growth is not entirely understood. The drugs may affect gut bacteria in a way that permits food nutrients to be better absorbed, or they may suppress low-level disease, according to Dr. H. Morgan Scott, a professor at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Manhattan, Kan. "If they're growing faster, some people would argue they must be healthier."
The FDA has made other moves to restrict antibiotic use in animals. In 2003, the agency began requiring drug companies to do a risk assessment of drugs given to animals as part of the overall approval process. However, those rules don't apply to older drugs like penicillin, Roach said.
The FDA is also developing guidelines for the "judicious use" of antibiotics in livestock. These guidelines, first made public in July 2010, are still in draft form. The agency hasn't set a timeline to finalize them, although it's considered a priority, according to FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao.
Latest Nation & World
But those guidelines will only be voluntary, which is why watchdog groups tried to force the FDA to move forward with the decades-old rules about penicillin and tetracycline, Roach said.
The lawsuit brought by the NRDC, FACT and others to force the FDA to take regulatory action against antibiotics in animal feed is ongoing.
Meanwhile, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) has introduced legislation to restrict the use of medically important antibiotics in agriculture. The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act would require the FDA to re-review approvals for drugs currently allowed in animal feed. Slaughter re-introduced the bill last March.


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No, honestly boss, I was looking up 'analyse', not that
But the Amazon Lens squeezes itself into attempts to look for files on the desktop in front of the user, or on the local network, rather than web searches. Having Amazon shopping results come back when you're looking for a document or program on your desktop proved not only surprising, but next to useless - you're searching, say, for that holiday journal you kept in Russia two years ago, not Moleskine journals, diaries and bags on special offer.
The search results can even be, depending on your sensibilities, offensive.
Thanks to Unity's find-as-you-type feature, seemingly benign searches for words such as "analyze" and "assets" can bring up smutty Amazon video results for slow typists.
It got worse. As the EFF pointed out, your local search queries are sent to Amazon via Canonical's servers over a secure connection, but what Amazon sends back is not. That means, because images for suggested products are loaded directly from Amazon's servers rather than the in-between systems run by Canonical, Amazon has the ability to correlate search queries with your IP address.
Free-software firebrand Richard Stallman jumped into the fray by calling the Amazon Lens "spyware" and "surveillance code". Stallman went on to suggest that the free software community "tell people that Ubuntu is shunned for spying". Ubuntu's Jono Bacon called Stallman's tongue-lashing "childish" although the Ubuntu man later apologised and was unable to refute anything Stallman actually wrote. If the 300-plus comments on Bacon's blog post prove anything it is that - for once - the vast, vast majority of Linux users appear to agree with Stallman.
So why go out on a limb to turn on a feature that's largely useless, potentially offensive, may violate user privacy and is insecure to boot? Critics said Canonical is desperate for revenue. Shuttleworth said he just wants to make Unity more useful. Either way, despite the backlash and public criticisms over privacy, Canonical did not back down. Ubuntu 12.10 shipped with the Amazon Lens enabled by default but offered a kill switch.
Ubuntu's Amazon lens: a marriage of your desktop and the web bazaar's Jeff Bezos
In other words, it's our way or the highway. Again.
Of course while GNOME and Ubuntu may be turning a deaf ear to the community and forging off on their own separate paths, one Linux distro seems to be gaining converts: Mint Linux.
Not only does the Mint team listen to its users, it's solving real problems and offers two alternatives to the GNOME Shell: the temporary fix that is the MATE desktop and the longer-term alternative Cinnamon.
MATE, originally forked from GNOME 2 by an Arch Linux developer, is for anyone who wants to stick with the familiar GNOME 2 desktop. Cinnamon, on the other hand, takes GNOME 3's guts, rips out the GNOME Shell and replaces it with a user interface for those who prefer to "get things done", as Team Mint puts it. Cinnamon isn't perfect. In fact it can be quite buggy at times, but at least it's heading in a direction roughly opposite to GNOME and Unity.
Both of the Mint-sponsored desktops have proved popular enough that they're now part of Fedora's default repositories as well. Ubuntu, once the darling of desktop Linux and the overwhelmingly popular choice for newcomers, may soon lose that role to Mint.
Maybe 2012 will be the year we look back upon as the beginning of a changing of the guard among the Linux distros. ®
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