text:
- Archive 1 (19:36, August 12, 2007 thru 03:41, September 17, 2007)
- Archive 2 (03:49, September 17, 2007 thru 13:36, November 12, 2007)
- Archive 3 (13:32, November 12, 2007 thru 01:53, March 20, 2008)
- Archive 4 (01:53, March 20, 2008 thru 14:48, 11 June 2008)
- Archive 5 (14:48, 11 June 2008 thru 02:12, 12 August 2008)
- Archive 6 (02:12, 12 August 2008 thru 16:49, May 19, 2009)
Thanks for the news. :) ★ Starstuff (Owl me!) 19:43, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
House games, etc
While I would personally support that, I don't see how we could do it. Sending them over there might not sit well with either the editors or the users over at HP Fanon. We could, if need be, cite talk page policy. Unfortunately I think we are stuck with them :( However, I am thinking about banning this "truth or dare" game since we should not be making frivilous edits for the sake of it. - Cavalier One(Wizarding Wireless Network) 15:57, 23 May 2009 (UTC)
I genuinely am saying this in as kind, and as gentle a voice as I can, (and hopefully not in a patronizing one) but do you not think assuming that one of your members who has been unable to get here for a while simply stayed long enough to create a user page (without a concept of what you are trying to achieve here) a tad rude? I started with an edit, and intended to learn how to contribute properly with further edits in time. I am only suggesting that a friendlier way of ascertaining how serious a new member is about HPW may be a good idea*smiles*. Taba(i)tha 07:55, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
I am new to editing. Can you tell me how to create pages? And a signature?- Incredisuper
you type is a signature make four tildes or to press the signature button and to make page their is a button that says Add A Page. Speedysnitch 15:38, June 7, 2011 (UTC)
Hey DarkJedi 613. Can you please ban Strikerman, he continues to replace the file for Tom Riddle's main image, despite being told to stop several times. I've made him aware of the fact that the image was voted for and he said we werent in our right minds when we voted. At any rate he needs to be dealt with, cheers. Jayce Carver Talk 14:46, 26 May 2009 (UTC)
Custom signatures?
Thank you for your time yesterday. But is there a way with which I can customize my signature with pictures and stuff? Cheers! - Incredisuper
Thanks. I wanted to make sure before I incorrectly totaled votes.--Matoro183 (Talk) 20:49, 27 May 2009 (UTC)
That particular image is, not because it comes from the website, but because the website itself is visible in the image, which places it out of universe. Jayce Carver Talk 18:57, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
File:Salazar.jpg. This is the image in question. No, it may not be that big a deal, but the size of the image is also a problem. It does not fit in the infobox, wheras the film image does. Jayce Carver Talk 19:06, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
File redirects
- File:1.JPG
- File:3748.jpg
- File:Photo 49.jpg
- File:002.jpg
- File:A 833.jpg
- File:Vlcsnap-34871.png
These could be renamed to be more descriptive and informative as to what they actually are. There are many other files with numerical of alphabetical names.
Thanks for doing this. Should i find some more? ShirleyA(The Quibbler) 10:50, 29 May 2009 (UTC)
From the above list rename (in order) as:
- Hermioneespell.jpg
- Hpolyjuice.jpg
- Cursebellatrix.jpg
- Chocfrogcard.jpg
- Slugginny.jpg
- Patronus-Otty.png
Here are some newer ones. The desired name is in brackets.
- File:2007-07-18-hpdumbledore.jpg (OPdumbledoreduels.jpg)
- File:Desk15pu1.jpg (Dumblecole.jpg)
- File:HP6-TRLF5-2975.jpg (Albus_inferitius.jpg)
- File:GF 12.jpg (DumblydorePP.jpg)
- File:Images.jpg (Gobletfirecov.jpg)
- File:PA C1.jpg (3owlls)
- File:Project1.jpg (Hedwigg-caged.jpg)
ShirleyA(The Quibbler) 01:13, 30 May 2009 (UTC)
Thanks for telling me, so when the length of the page affects its loading time, thats when it should be archived? Jayce Carver Talk 08:43, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
I was following through on a suggestion I put forward on Forum:Real-World Categories. When I originally looked through Category:Real world, I couldn't find a single standard by which subcategories should be titled. We had Category:Real books, Category:Locations (real), and a couple of categories that were distinguished from in-universe ones by using alternate terminology (e.g., "Category:Writers" for real-world and "Category:Authors" for in-universe; and "Category:Publishing houses" for real-world and "Category:Publishers" for in-universe). I'm a stickler for consistency, and I thought that this inconsistent categorization needed to be addressed. If you would prefer the "(real)" suffix to be the standard, then could you use your bot to go through all the articles and replace the categories, as it would be too difficult to do manually again? ★ Starstuff (Owl me!) 22:33, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
- Or at least use the bot to replace Category:Real actors with Category:Actors (real)? The other "Real" categories are probably small enough to be handled manually. ★ Starstuff (Owl me!) 22:42, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
Thanks for fixing my signiture for me. Jayce •Avada Kedavra•Crucio•Imperio• 08:58, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
Re:Color of the admins
Thank you for our help,
I have edited the common.css as you told me to do, nonetheless nothing happens. Could you just check the last lines of the code here ?
Thank you! Kevin51340, 18:18, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
- Thank you, it was very helpful! 21:48, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
- I have fixed up the problem, the admins and wikia are now in orange. Thank you ! Kevin51340 09:15, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
How to Win at Google
Hi! I started a community discussion here, and I just wanted ot make sure it got the admins attention. Thanks! —Scott (talk) 19:11, 15 June 2009 (UTC)
Hey, I was wondering, how do you add new categories? I've been wanting to add a few for a while, but could never figure out how to. Quidditch Lover (My talk)(contribs) 02:27, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
- I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand what you meant. I'd like to start a whole new category, and I see that you've made quite a few. Please help me! Thanks. Quidditch Lover (My talk)(contribs) 18:21, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
- Okay, so let me check this one last time. Should I just start a page titled Categories: something and then make links to it? And also, how would you edit the categories page? I tried pressing the Edit this page icon on the top on one of them, but all I get is a blank editing section. Thanks Quidditch Lover (My talk)(contribs) 23:33, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
Hey DJ,
how do you add the little box with all the categories you've created on your page? I've tried to do it, but when I link it, I just end up with the category added to my page, and not as text. Thanks. Quidditch Lover (My talk)(contribs) 23:58, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
- I'm sorry, I still don't get it. I don't seem to be able to do it. Could you do it for me, please? I'd like to add Category:Users who support Dumbledore's Army to my Created Categories section. Thanks a bunch. Quidditch Lover (My talk)(contribs) 06:11, 27 June 2009 (UTC)
- Thank you SO much. I was kinda slow understanding, and I apologize if it bothered you. but really, thanks a lot for all your help. Quidditch Lover (My talk)(contribs) 05:19, 29 June 2009 (UTC)
hi... can u pls. tell me how to join housepoints games?? tnx —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bluephoenix69 (talk • contribs).
Fan Sites
Hi DarkJedi613, My name's Karim. I'm on the Wikia Entertainment team along with Scott and Shawn. I'm getting super excited for the Half-blood prince. It was by far my favorite book in the series (although book 7 was pretty darn good as well :) I had a random question for you. Do you think the community here would be interested in doing link exchanges with other harry potter fan sites and having the wiki featured on those sites? This most likely won't happen, but i was curious nonetheless. Are there any fansites that you or your community especially like? Anyways, I appreciate your feedback. Lemme know if there's anything I can help here with and have a happy fourth of July weekend! Best, -- Karim (talk) 23:49, 2 July 2009 (UTC)
- Thanks for sending the link :) Do you visit any of the fan sites on the list? Thanks again, -- Karim (talk) 01:07, 7 July 2009 (UTC)
movie blurb
Hey, DJ! Would it be okay if I put that blurb about the new movie in the news section on the front page? —Scott (talk) 00:14, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
- Great, it's up there now. Thanks again! And please don't hesistate to let me know if there's anything the community here needs. You guys have done an amazing job with this place! —Scott (talk) 02:11, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
Did You Know?..
Vote For Me In Did You Know?... http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Template_talk:DYK
--Bongo2009 18:09, 21 July 2009 (UTC)
Your colour page is of extreme use to me. Thank you!––Σ ãliãs G.r.paw 11:47, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
I've put in a request for Rollback privileges. Since I joined I've caught and reverted a great many fanon and vandalism edits, in addition to being an active contributor. Seth Cooper has already supported my bid. If there's anything else I need to do, please let me know. Thanks. - Nick O'Demus 20:42, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
- Thank you. It's already come in handy. - Nick O'Demus 22:09, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
I as well as Nick have put in a request for Roll-back privilege. I work a lot of time into reverting fanon and vandalism edits. I have Matoro and Seth already supporting my bid. If anything else is needed, please let me know, Thank you --Profiteor (Owl Me) 20:35, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
Thank you very much --Profiteor (Owl Me) 22:24, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
Jayden Matthews, moment of silence
You may not have heard, but Jayden Matthews, a helpful and active user on this site, sadly lost his brother recently. His brother's funeral is this Friday, and some of us who've worked with him were wondering if it would be possible to put a special notice up on the Main Page that day, asking people to observe a moment of silence and sign the Condolence Card we've set up on his talk page. Please let me know if this would be feasible. Thank you. - Nick O'Demus 13:22, September 10, 2009 (UTC)
I will give you an administrator access to the Ceiling Fan wiki if you give me an administrator access to the HPW. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Philip Diehl (talk • contribs).
- They've been bugging Seth Cooper about this recently too. - Nick O'Demus 04:18, November 8, 2009 (UTC)
Harry Potter Quote for Magazine Article
Hi, I was referred to you by Jimmy Wales, who says you are quite a Harry Potter expert. I would love to have a quote from you on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure. I am actually past my deadline, but if you could send it before the end of the weekend that would still work. You can reach me at this email address: orlandoexaminer at gmail.com Thanks, Barb —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 188.8.131.52 (talk • contribs).
- I would like to direct you to Seth Cooper. -- DarkJedi613 (Talk) 14:16, November 13, 2009 (UTC)
how does a guy named darkjedi613 become an admin on a harry potter website? (Multiverseman 02:30, November 19, 2009 (UTC))
Red links
Recently, I've been working on cleaning out the Wanted Pages, and I'm almost done. There are a few left in some Users' talk pages and archives, including yours, and I'd like your permission to go in and fix them. If it's simply a misdirected link, I'll fix it, and if it's a deleted article/file/template, I'll either remove the brackets or put "nowiki" around it so it isn't active. If you'd like, when I'm finished I can leave you a full account of any changes I made. Thanks. - Nick O'Demus 17:26, December 3, 2009 (UTC)
Since I have finaly caught you, I have requested for rollback, and I was wondering if you could look at it please. I posted it a while ago, as I have made many more contributions since then. Thanks. -- Ratneer Owl Me! 00:42, December 20, 2009 (UTC)
Happy Holidays
Hey DarkJedi, would you mind if I asked a very tiny favor of you? -- GrouchMan (Send an owl then scram!!) 16:15, January 7, 2010 (UTC)
- What do you need? -- DarkJedi613 (Talk) 16:23, January 7, 2010 (UTC)
Harry Potter Wiki Twitter account
Hello DarkJedi, i just want to inform you that recently i created a Twitter account dedicated to Harry Potter Wiki; The username is @HPWiki. What do you think about it? And also, please let me know if you also have a twitter account. --ÈnŔîčö DC(Send me an Owl!) 07:04, January 18, 2010 (UTC)
- Yes, i would do so. Next time i will link the featured picture exactly to the page. My intention in creating it is to help promoting our Wiki. As of now, my plans in posting is like on what you already saw on my first 3 posts in twitter. --ÈnŔîčö DC(Send me an Owl!) 16:01, January 18, 2010 (UTC)
Temporary adminship for Grunny
Just a heads up to let you know that I've temporarily granted Grunny admin rights so that he can work on the coding for the infoboxes across the wiki to make them all uniform. This is to avoid the necessity of constantly lowering and raising protection levels on affected articles. Grunny is a trusted member of the Wikia community, and I vouch for his knowledge of technical matters and coding when it comes to Wikis. Although his adminship will be removed once he has completed the work I have asked him to do, I fully intend to nominate him for actual adminship so that we may benefit from his expertise in the future. - Cavalier One(Wizarding Wireless Network) 09:08, January 20, 2010 (UTC)
New User, knows there's a mistake, doesn't know how to fix it
Hi! I was on the Battle of Hogwarts participants page, and I noticed that Molly Weasley is listed under 'M' instead of 'W'. Others wrongly listed include, Augusta Longbottom and Augustus Rookwood under 'A', Nymphadora Tonks under 'N' and Percy Weasley under 'P'. I have no idea how to edit yet, but it was bugging me, so I thought I would let someone else know - someone who might actually know what to do about it.
Hoping I'm not bothering you,
Kaiserin De Lyons 06:50, August 3, 2010 (UTC) Kai
Hey darkjedi613,
In the harry potter series, it is mentioned that proff. McGonagall transfigured a desk into a pig. I was wondering how she changed a non-living object into a living object, an inanimate substance to animate. i would be grateful to you if you cleared this doubt for me.184.108.40.206 10:25, August 26, 2010 (UTC) Alison .G. Potter
About bots i need help?
hi i have my own wiki, and i was wondering how you create one? MegaHyperNova 07:01, September 30, 2010 (UTC)
my brains gonna melt trying to figure out everything, lol but thatnks :) MegaHyperNova 15:20, September 30, 2010 (UTC)
well i have no time to make a bot right now atm, because i'm helping the new gta wiki set up, because they left wikia like a couple other sites because of the new skin that wikia is changing on all wiki's on the 3rd of November :/ MegaHyperNova 03:14, October 12, 2010 (UTC)
MediaWiki admin colours
Hey. I'm from another wiki, and I'd like to know how you made the admin colour changes in recent changes work. I have tried copying and customising the code, but it does not work. Could you help me out please? --ThatDevilGuy(Administrator) 09:05, May 27, 2011 (UTC)
Please remove the image harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:UH.jpg it doesn't belong in the wiki. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 18.104.22.168 (talk • contribs).
Hello, I was wondering if you knew anything about the Harry Potter xbox game Goblet of Fire?RonW.22 (talk) 01:04, November 22, 2013 (UTC) Preferences§1234567890-=Backspace Tabqwertyuiop[] Return capslockasdfghjkl;'\ shift`zxcvbnm,./shift English Deutsch Español Français Italiano Português Русский alt alt Preferences
Wikia Polls
Hi there! I wanted to let you know that currently the wikia polls aren't working on mobile. We know that voting is a great way to survey the community so we recommend replacing them with another mainpage unit. Pollsnacks is super easy to incorporate and I can change it for you if you like. Sorry for the inconvenience! Let me know if there is anyway I can help you with this transition. Witnessme (talk) 18:43, August 16, 2016 (UTC)


text:
I have flashed my phone with Odin loading hardcore's Kernel with the ClockworkMod Recovery 2.5.
How can I know which is the latest version of ClockworkMod and how can it be updated, please?
I saw there is a Play Store app for ClockworkMod but I am unsure of how it differs from the one installed using Odin.
Thank you.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Moustache Cookies for Freddie For A Day
September 5th is Freddie Mercury's birthday; it is also the annual charity fund-raising event Freddie For A Day, in which people dress up as Freddie and raise money through sponsorship towards the Mercury Phoenix Trust to fight AIDS. I've wanted to do something as part of celebrating Queen's 40th anniversary and, seeing all the recent Freddie For A Day activity, decided on something fun with moustache-shaped cookies. This idea was made even better after I read this on Queen's official website.
I got the idea for moustache cookies when I saw them on Pinterest a while back and found moustache cookie cutters online. I decided to do it myself, though, since the generic moustache cookie cutter is not reflective of Freddie or, indeed, his moustache. Until they start selling Freddie Mercury moustache cookie cutters, D.I.Y. will have to be the way.
I made the basic shape from tracing the shape of a fake clip-on moustache that's being sold on the FFAD online shop (they also sell the Wembley costume and, most recently, a mug with a design of Freddie's moustache) and I cut the cookies tracing the moustache shape with a knife – I would have made my own cookie cutter but I ended up not doing so. Using a knife to cut shapes out of cookie dough means that they won't be as uniform if I had used a cookie cutter, but I'm fine with that. I cut the cookies into heart shapes as well as moustaches.
The cookies, adapted from a sugar cookie recipe in the Martha Stewart Makes Cookies app, while fine and satisfying on their own, are taken to another level and made irresistible with a chocolate coating – indeed, it's hard to just stop at one.


text:
ekool necesitaba un nuevo diseño de botón o icono y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
2 ganadores han sido elegidos entre 12 diseños de 7 diseñadores freelance.
DroidForums.net is an Android community which specializes in the Verizon Droid offerings.
We are having a custom App designed to make it easier to participate on our site (forums) from Android devices and this icon will be for that app.
In addition to the icon, a splash screen will also be needed.
Anyone with an Android phone.
Splash screen should work in the following resolutions:
QVGA: 240x360
HVGA: 320x480
FWVGA: 480x854
For the launcher icons, it requires three sizes, here are the specification:
We have attached our logo artwork but it is not a requirement to use them. Be creative and feel free to come up with something unique!
For those who are interested you can read the Android Icon specs/suggestions here:


text:
Provides just the right amount of coverage
Elastic material gives a comfortable fit
Material: 65% polyester, 35% cotton
Waistline: Approx. 26 inch / 66 cm (unstretched)
Crotch Depth: Approx. 9 1/2 inch / 24 cm (unstretched)
Color: Red
Package Includes:
1 x Men's Underwear
Due to health regulations, we regret to inform you that we cannot accept returns on intimate apparel. Only defective product will be offered exchange or store credit. Please be reminded that due to lighting effects and monitor's brightness/contrast settings etc, the color tone of the website's photo and the actual item could be slightly different.
Keywords: Mens underwear, thong, G-string for men


text:
Congratulations to Debi Arnett, for winning the 2018 Presidents Choice Award and the 2013 Director's Choice award !!!
Hosted by Debi Arnett of Champion Windows, Sunrooms and Home Exteriors (http://www.championwindow.com) and the Regional and Allegheny County Director of WSBA and Meghan Cooper of Arbonne International (http://www.arbonne.com/pws/meghancooper1).
Get Heard! Get Noticed! Get Leads! (TM)
This is an informal networking event from 5:30 - 7 pm, open to any business men and women who would like to increase their business contacts or clients in the Pittsburgh area.
Please bring 10-20 of your business cards to pass out as you mingle, and cash for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. This is a casual event, so there will be no formal commercials. Please RSVP if you plan to attend this after-work event. If your schedule becomes free the day of the event, you may attend without an RSVP, but RSVP is still appreciated. This event is subject to cancellation when the event has 3 or less RSVPs. Event cancellation policy. (http://www.meetup.com/Womens-Small-Business-Association/pages/Lunch_cancellation_policy_5-09)
If you are not a WSBA member and would like to attend as a guest, please contact WSBA office at firstname.lastname@example.com
If you have an interest in becoming a General member ($60/year) or Premier member ($140/year) of WSBA, please contact Debi Arnett @ email@example.com or by phone at 412 519-6848.
Any non member that RSVP s and does not attend will be removed from this site. All members should also be changing RSVP's if not attending so the hosts are up to date on how many are attending.


text:
City Carting Provides Reliable Residential and Commercial Garbage Collection To Fairfield County & Surrounding Areas.
We've created an efficient system to locate, direct, and coordinate collection vehicles and drivers with Global Positioning Service units to offer efficient, same-day collection. And we are one of the only companies who offers same-day service for orders received by noon, Monday through Friday. From senior management to sales representatives to customer service, we pride ourselves on developing and maintaining customer relationships.
Our team is always available to answer questions. Customer service representatives are available by telephone Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Saturday from 7 a.m. - 12 p.m.


text:
The information on this site may not be reproduced, in any form, for any purpose other than personal use.
© Kevin Reddigan (2002 - 2019)
Latest update per Individual or Family "LastModified" timestamp.
This site powered by The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding ©, v. 11.0.2, written by Darrin Lythgoe 2001-2020.


text:
Califia Performance Collective
The Califia Performance Collective is dedicated to the creation of inclusive multi-ethnic
and multi-generational performances that 1) make visible and interrogate issues of
social justice; 2) seek to build bridges between and within diverse communities in
our home city of San Jose. We locate the transformative power of performance in a
wide variety of aesthetic presentational forms, including theatre, performance art,
dance, music, and electronically mediated arts. We create original performances and
adaptations of existing texts with and for people of many ages, cultures, and levels
of presentational experience. We are also committed to conducting performance workshops
to help inspire and develop emerging performers and audiences.
The Califia Performance Collective is a student organization at San José State University. This organization was created by graduate and undergraduate students in the Departments of Communication Studies and Television, Radio, Film, and Theatre. The faculty adviser is Dr. Nikki Yeboah, firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Our Divisions
Chef Recruitment
We believe that chefs are the heart and soul of the hospitality industry, with the ability to transform customer perceptions of a hotel, bar or restaurant.
Due to the incredible rise of catering-based reality TV shows and celebrity chef programmes, jobs in catering are more popular than ever, with many aspiring to build a career as a professional chef.
The team at COREcruitment cover both a wide geographical area and a wide spectrum of chef roles – everything from fine dining in central London to commercial services on oil platforms off the coast of Africa. We have positions to suit a wide range of catering experience and aspirations. Increasingly, we see the geographical spread increasing as people seek catering or chef jobs in Dubai, Australia, Singapore or other warm climates. The fast moving and diverse catering industry means that there is plenty of scope for travelling and seeing the world.
Ask us about:


text:
This is the plan. There are two tracks. The beginner track is on the left and the big kids track is on the right.
The overcast morning provided cool temps for digging. Shovels and barrows were the tools of choice for this work.
Building a berm
There were probably about 30 workers over the course of the day. A Bobcat arrived at 3 pm and it made the work simpler.


text:
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' public colleges and universities could allow staff to carry a concealed handgun on campus under legislation that a House panel endorsed Tuesday.
The House Education Committee unanimously approved House Bill 1243 by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville.
"In my view we have a significant problem in America, and the problem I'm talking about the number of crazies and killers that select college campuses to kill our loved ones," Collins said in presenting his bill to the committee.
The panel approved an amendment to the measure which would allow trustees of public colleges and universities to decide in an annual vote whether to allow guns on campus. It also would allow the board to restrict concealed handguns to certain parts of campus.
Speaking against the measure was Greyson Teague, a senior at Hot Springs High School, who said he worried that when he attends college he might feel intimidated by an instructor who he learns has a concealed weapon.
"The idea of one of my professors, who I do not know on the first day going in, having a gun kind of scares me," Teague said.
"It might make me fear my professors," Teague added, which he said could create a "detrimental" environment for him and other college students.
Joseph Youngblood, a student at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a supporter of the bill, said crime would drop if criminals knew that some professors and staff at colleges and universities were concealed permit holders and were carrying weapons.
He said most mass shootings occur at locations where people are not allowed to have weapons.
"This debate has nothing to do with criminals carrying guns to campus," he said. "Concealed carries are far more law abiding than the general population, as well as being far less violent. The overwhelming body of criminalogical study conclusively demonstrates that concealed carry is safe and makes society safer."
Chris Campolo, a philosophy professor at Hendrix College in Conway, spoke for the bill, saying that a professor at the University of Utah, where concealed weapons are allowed on campus, told him that having guns on campus was not a concern.
"This is not something that we need to be afraid of," he said, noting that many people have concealed-carry permits and "I don't think I see people walking through Wal-Mart afraid, or in my grocery store, or at the gas station."
Everywhere else concealed carry is allowed, people get on with their business responsibly, he said.
The bill goes to the House.
Shane Broadway, interim director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said after the meeting that state institutions of higher education favored the option of being able to opt out of allowing guns on campus if they so choose.
"While I understand that there are strong concerns among our colleges and universities regarding guns on campus, it is my understanding that as amended to allow for local decision-making, our institutions are not opposing the bill," Broadway said.
Gov. Mike Beebe said he wanted to discuss the issue with Broadway and get more details on who he talked to before giving his opinion on the bill.
Beebe did say he liked it better with the amendment allowing colleges and universities to opt out.
"Oh yeah. Much more than I would have been if they'd just legislated that campuses were wide open to guns. I would not have liked that," the governor said.


text:
Beans, the musical fruit
Find all four varieties of Breakwind Farm organic baked beans hot and ready to go at the Tilton Farmers Market at 67 E. Main St., every Saturday through March, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. See tiltonwinterfarmersmarket.com.
Patti and Rick MacMillan tossed around a few slogan ideas for their organic baked beans. "Far too good" was the frontrunner, but it was missing something: the word "toot."
"It just had the 'fart,'" Patti MacMillan said.
Now their slogan is "Far too tempting," or, strung together, "Fartootempting."
The MacMillans began producing organic baked beans at their farm in Hopkinton last fall. It seemed only natural that the traditionally gas-inducing dish be produced at a farm named Breakwind, MacMillan said. The MacMillans, who renamed the farm after purchasing it from Rick's parents two years ago, had been running an organic farm stand outside their home and selling their produce at the Contoocook Farmers Market before trying their hand at the organic baked bean business. Their four varieties of organic baked beans are now available at the Tilton Winter Farmers Market every Saturday through March. The couple brought 70 quarts to a recent market to fill their four 10½-quart crocks.
"It's hard to keep up with the demand," MacMillan said. "We sell out every week."
The four baked bean versions that made the final cut of testing among friends and family of the MacMillans are the Outstanding Original, a New England-style baked bean made with both Vermont and New Hampshire maple syrup; Soothing Summer Breeze, made with kombu seafood, which MacMillan said eliminates the gas; Fiery Texas Tornado, which boasts a smoky chipotle Southwestern flavor, and Jumpin' Jalapeño, made with black beans, red and green peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeños, of course. "It's a meal in itself," MacMillan said. Pinto, Navy, Red Chili and Black Turtle beans are used in the dishes and are purchased from Granite State Natural Grocers and the Concord Cooperative Market because they do not grow well locally, she added. In the summer, produce grown at the farm will be used in the recipes. All of the beans are gluten- and dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
"They appeal to everyone," MacMillan said, adding that she plans to create a sugar-free variety of baked beans over the summer to fulfill customer requests.
It seems Breakwind Farm organic baked beans are well-received not only because they are an alternative protein source but also because of the lengthy process it takes to make baked beans at home.
"The process takes hours and hours and hours," Rick MacMillan said. The MacMillans soak their beans for eight hours before boiling them for two. The beans are then baked for another two hours after the ingredients have been added.
"If you do it right, it takes a day to make them," MacMillan said. On nights before the Tilton Winter Farmers Market, the MacMillans, who both work full-time jobs, stay awake until nearly 1:30 a.m. preparing their beans. The beans are baked in a commercial kitchen, which Rick MacMillan said makes the process a little easier. They are served warm at the market, but the beans can be stored in a refrigerator for up to a week or be frozen.
The MacMillans have received many requests to sell and serve their beans at Granite State events, including the Hopkinton Fair, New Hampshire Fish & Game Expo and concerts at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, and they hope to have their products sold in deli-fresh sections at local markets. Their goal is to open a store of their own later this year.
And the jokes show no signs of stopping, MacMillan said.
"We had a customer who only wanted us to serve her 239 beans … she told us not to give her one more [because] it would be 'two-farty,'" she said.


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The Brush and Fort Morgan Special Olympic basketball teams, sponsored by Blue Horizons, participated in the Fort Morgan Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 23, where the Brush team, coached by Don Dillehay, defeated the Scottsbluff Tigers in game one.
The younger Brush players played in game two and defeated the Scottsbluff Cougars, while in game three Brush defeated Fort Morgan by a close score.
"The game was very competitive, and it was close all the way," said Fort Morgan Coach Christine Johnson.
The Fort Morgan team went 2-1 for the day.
"Christine Johnson did a great job setting up the tournament and the athletes all had a lot of fun," noted Dillehay of the event.
Blue Horizons hosted a post-game pizza party, and everyone enjoyed the food and companionship.
Up next for the Blue Horizons basketball teams is the State Special Olympics tournament in Denver on Saturday, March 16. While both teams wait to hear word on whether or not they have qualified, several scrimmages will be planned before the date.
"We have been practicing since November, and the kids have had a great season," said Dillehay.
The skills basketball class for Thomson Primary and Beaver Valley athletes also had a great season, which ended on Feb. 19. About 25 Special Olympians worked on basketball skills each Tuesday afternoon at the Beaver Valley gym, and Dillehay handed out participation certificates to the participants on the last day.
"The kids really improved their skills since we started at the beginning of January," noted Dillehay.
Track and field practices are slated to begin in the middle of March and early April. The highly anticipated Regional Fun Day Track Meet will be held once again at the Brush High School, on Monday, May 6. Nearly 75 area athletes annually participate in the event.
An area Snowshoe Contest was set for Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Fort Morgan High School. For more information on this and the many Blue Horizons sponsored youth programs hitting the area soon, contact Dillehay at 842-4077, or visit online at bluehorizonsinc.org.


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Teens these days may seem like ne'er-do-wells, with all of their sexting and terribly bland pop music, but it turns out, according to a new CDC survey, that they're actually behaving themselves for the most part. For starters, smoking is way down. In 1991, 70 percent of kids had tried a cigarette, but by last year that number was down to 45 percent. Though kids these days are hitting the pot harder than ever. For the first time, more kids reported smoking marijuana than cigarettes. At the moment, about 23 percent of kids smoke marijuana and only 18 percent smoke cigarettes. Dude, could be worse. They could all be doing bath salts.
Binge drinking has also gone down by about 10 percent since 1991. Drinking and driving is down nine percent since 1997. And they're even being slightly less sexually promiscuous. In 1991, 19 percent of kids had had four or more sex partners, in 2011 that was down to 15 percent.
The one front on which teens these days are failing miserably is texting. One in three kids reported texting or emailing while driving at least once in the previous month. This is dangerous for anyone, but especially for teens because they're inexperienced drivers. Still, the good news is that auto deaths have fallen by a whopping 44 percent since 1991—though car accidents remain the biggest cause of death among teens. Still, if texting in the car once in a while is the worst thing a kid does, we're in pretty good shape. What happened to the days when teens were ruining our future with all their free love and rock n' roll?
Teens Improve on Most Risky Behaviors, but 1 in 3 Text While Driving: CDC [Time]
Image via Poulsons Photography/Shutterstock.


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Tecmo Koei has almost single-handedly been feeding horse racing enthusiasts with console games to sate their appetites over the years. The Gallop Racer and G1 Jockey franchises in the UK and US (plus Winning Post in Japan) have made countless successful transitions from console to console over the years, and adapted to suit each new games technology as it arrives. Now, with the advent of the PlayStation Move and Kinect, the two big brands have been combined to make one: Champion Jockey.
Pocket-lint was, therefore, invited to Royal Windsor Racecourse to check out the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the new game (a Wii version is also available), and was more than happy to look foolish in the process. After all, we came home £65 up, having backed the winners of three out of six real races. But that's another story entirely...
Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer
What platform is it on?
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
When's it due out?
2 September 2011
What other game is it like?
G1 Jockey, Gallop Racer
Does it use any new tech like 3D, PlayStation Move or Kinect for Xbox 360?
Yes - it uses each console respective motion controller, Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation Move for PS3, and Wiimote for Wii. However, it can also be played with a normal joypad on the former two.
The pitch
Get back in the saddle for some serious thoroughbred horse racing action!
Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer is the spiritual successor of the G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer series, and depicts the horse racing universe through a collection of real world races and immersive and intuitive gameplay with simple controls. Through the use of the latest motion controllers on the market, experience what it feels like to be a jockey!
The storyline
You start out as a trainee jockey, and must progress through the game, riding in higher and higher class races as you go. The game also features an in-depth management simulation, with horse breeding and training as part of its make-up.
Trailers, demos and video
Our first impressions
We've always been fans of the G1 Jockey games here at Pocket-lint, and the use of the Wiimote with G1 Jockey 2008 definitely added a new layer of fun to what we already thought was an engrossing, involving simulation series. Clearly developer Koei was happy with the new input format too, as it's utilised its experience with the Wii to bring motion controls to the PS3 and Xbox 360 too.
Champion Jockey is also the first in the company's long pedigree of horse racing titles to hit the Microsoft console, so it was that specific version that we made a beeline for.
It was also, mercifully, the easiest to get to grips with as there was no physical controller to, er, grip. The Kinect is a great control method if you have the room for it, and there was plenty in a VIP tent near the parade paddock at Windsor races, we were just hoping that no real jockeys were peering in.
As a mighty, in-depth simulation, with plenty of options and clickable buttons on each page, unfortunately Champion Jockey cannot be played simply with the Kinect alone. There's little use for menu motions here, so an in-reach joypad is a must. However, once you get into the game, you'll find plenty of jiggling about to satisfy even those who've drunk a few too many Red Bulls.
Miming the pulling of reins controls the speed of the horse during a race, putting your arms down then bringing them up will leap over a fence (if timed correctly), and slapping the air next to your thigh, like a poor 1990s disco dancer, will use the whip for that last burst of acceleration. There are other moves, such as arm motions to move left or right, but after two races we had such a dab on that we needed a good sit down.
If nothing else, it's a great keep fit game for those that avoid lycra like the plague.
That said, it's highly pleasing to note that you never have to bang about, jump off the floor, or cause any of the noise and havok that might annoy those in a lower flat (for example). Indeed, a little birdy told me that it could even be played sitting down, with no impact on the gameplay. But Microsoft doesn't want Kinect owners to know that, so forget we said anything.
Graphically, there's not much difference, to our eyes, between Champion Jockey and its more recent predecessors, at least in the horses and jockeys themselves. The racecourses have been improved, however, with tracks from Japan, Europe and the US all featuring distinguishing graphical flourishes. Steeplechases are also new.
And, for the first time, online multiplayer has been included this time around, with up to four people being able to race against each other remotely.
From our quick play, Champion Jockey is a must for horse racing fans, and makes a very welcome debut on the Xbox 360.
Please note
Although the version we played and saw was the review code, we only had time to play a couple of quick races - enough to get a feel for both jump and flat racing. And we also only played the Xbox 360 version of the game, using a Kinect.
So, with that in mind we present you with our Quick Play.
What we've done is broken down the key facts you need to know and then given you our first impressions based on around 15 minutes of gaming. For us, that 15 minutes isn't enough to do a First Look review, and especially not a review. How can you rate a game that offers over 30 hours of gaming based on just 15 minutes of play? However, it should hopefully give you an idea, a feeling, a notion of what to expect come launch day.


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1. When you format a computer hard drive you will lose everything that is on the drive. Therefore, it is very important to back up anything you might want later. Additionally, if you are going to be formatting and installing XP you need to make sure you have the discs for any applications or third party hardware you use since you will need to re-install your programs and drivers after re-installing Windows.
2. Take a moment to think of anything that you have on the computer that you wouldn't want to lose. Generally, you probably want everything in your My Documents folder, and you also want to save things like your favorites or bookmarks from your Web browser. Remember that each user on the computer has his or her own My Documents folder, Desktop items and Favorites/Bookmarks.
3. Save everything to a CD, DVD or a hard drive that you won't be formatting.
Formatting a Secondary Hard Drive
4. Right-Click on the "My Computer" icon either on your desktop or in the Start Menu and select "Manage."
5. A new window titled "Computer Management" comes up. Select "Storage" from the left hand side by clicking it once, then select "Disk Management(local)" from the right side by double-clicking it.
6. Now in the lower part of the main frame (right side) of the window you should see a nice visual of all your hard drives. Each line is a different drive. Each box on a line (with a colored bar at the top and a size displayed in MB or GB) is a partition on the drive. Partitions are separations of space on a drive. Unless you are doing something specific that requires multiple partitions, you only want one partition per drive.
7. First you must delete any existing partitions on the drive you are going to format. Do this by right-clicking on the partition's box and selecting "Delete Partition..." Since you already know that you will be deleting everything on the drive, and have already backed everything up, you can safely say yes to any warning the computer presents you with.
8. If there are multiple partitions make sure you have saved everything off them since they might each have different drive letters (i.e. "D:" or "F:"). Then repeat the above step for each of them. If you only want to format one partition that is OK and you can continue to the next step without deleting the other partitions.
9. The box for the drive to be formatted should now have a black bar at the top of it and should say "Unallocated" under its size (see picture). Right click on it and select "New Partition..." The New Partition Wizard comes up.
10. In the New Partition Wizard click next. On the next page make sure "Primary Partition" is selected and click next. Now make the size equal to the maximum (it should already be set to it), and click next again. On the next page the computer will automatically choose the first available drive letter for the new drive. However, if you like you can choose another drive letter from the drop-down menu, and then click next.
11. Finally the New Partition Wizard asks if you would like to format the new partition and if so what format. Choose "NTFS" as it is faster and more secure. Leave the "Allocation unit size" as "Default." In the "Volume label" field enter whatever name you want the drive to have. Simple is better. Avoid using spaces. Lastly, if the drive is brand new and has never been used before check the "Perform a quick format" box. If the drive has been used before leave this box unchecked. Leave the "Enable file and folder compression" box unchecked and click next. Then on the next page click finish.
12. The wizard will now spend a little while formatting the drive. On old or large drives this may take a while. Do not close the "Computer Management" window until it finishes. You will know it is done when the word under the size of the drive changes from "Formatting" to "Healthy" and the name and drive letter you chose for the new drive show up. After it is finished you can proceed to use your newly formatted drive.
Formatting and Installing from the Windows XP CD
13. This section explains reformat a drive from the Windows XP installation CD. This can be used when installing a fresh copy of Windows onto a computer. Here it is especially important to backup all of your important information because upon formatting you will lose EVERYTHING that used to be on the drive. This includes all applications and device drivers, so you must back up everything you can.
14. Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD drive (Home or Pro--it does not matter).
15. Now as you computer boots a little more it will say "Press any key to boot from CD.." press a key to do so.
16. The CD will load up a blue screen and then spend a while loading files it needs. When it is finished it will list a few options, mainly "Press ENTER to set up Windows XP." Press Enter or Return.
17.Now you will be at a screen to select where to install Windows to. This is where you can delete old partitions and format drives. The box in the bottom half of the screen shows all your drives and the partitions that exist on them. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to highlight your "C:" partition and press the 'D' key (if all that shows up is "Unpartitioned space" and you have no C: or D: partitions, skip this step). On the next screen press the 'L' key to finalize deleting the partition.
18. Now you are back on the screen to choose where to install Windows. The box on the lower half of the screen should no longer show a partition but simply have an entry "Unpartitioned space xxxxxMB." Select this with the arrow keys and press the 'C' key to create a partition on the drive. The next screen tells you the minimum and maximum sizes the partition can be and lets you pick the size. The default size is the maximum, but double check that the number entered is the maximum and hit enter.
19. Now you will again be back at the choose where to install Windows screen. But this time you will have a partition that looks something like this "C: Partition1 [New (Raw)]xxxxxxMB." Highlight this entry and press enter.
20. The next screen lets you choose which file system to format the drive with. Choose NTFS as it is faster and more secure. If the drive is brand new and has never been used before then use one of the options that ends in "(Quick)." Or, choose one of the lower down options. Use the arrow keys to select the proper one and press Enter or Return.
21. From here you are all set and the installation of Windows will proceed starting with a format of your drive. This will take a while (over half an hour) so you can take a little break.Tags: click next, arrow keys, been used, been used before, drive letter, install Windows


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With Senator Akaka at his side, Vice President Joe Biden formally swore in Brian Schatz as Hawaii's United States Senator, filling the seat left open by the passing of Senator Daniel K. Inouye.
After the swearing in, Senator Akaka made remarks in support of Senator Schatz.
Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Hawaii, National Affairs, State Affairs Tagged: | Brian Schatz, Daniel Akaka, Daniel Inouye, Joe Biden


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HARRISBURG, PA -- Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has filed consumer protection lawsuits against two Pennsylvania clubs, one of which closed last month after it was hailed by Allentown, PA, city leaders for its great deals.
Daro's Extreme Fitness in Allentown and Nazareth (PA) Powerhouse Gym and Fitness Center failed to register with the state as a health club and also failed to post a bond or letter of credit with Corbett's office, Corbett claims.
Daro's opened earlier this year, advertising one-year pre-paid memberships of $99 to $199, before closing abruptly. The lawsuit seeks full refunds for about 200 consumers along with fines and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. The Allentown mayor had held a ribbon-cutting at the club, which was praised by the city on its blog.
Nazareth closed last month before recently reopening in a smaller facility in a different town. The club charged as much as $600 for a two-year membership, but the club's registration claimed it was exempt from posting a bond or letter of credit with Corbett's office because no long-term memberships were being sold, according to the lawsuit.
Consumers did not receive refunds—even though the club was closed for more than 30 days—and failed to provide a comparable facility when it reopened, claims Corbett, who is seeking refunds for 146 consumers who paid for long-term memberships.


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Teen asks fake Facebook stranger to kill family
Woman poses as boy to talk to niece, who asks 'boy' to kill her
A teenager is behind bars after police say she asked a fictional stranger to murder her family.
According to AL.com, Marissa Williams, 19, was living with her aunt in Fosters, Alabama, but the two had a strained relationship due to Williams' social media habits. Her aunt forbade Williams from inviting men she met on social media to the house to party. So Williams blocked her aunt from viewing her Facebook page. So her aunt created a Facebook profile for a fictional man that she named Tre "Topdog" Ellis so that she could friend Williams and chat with her, monitoring her behavior.
According to court documents, Williams began unknowingly talking to her aunt, posing as Ellis and gave the fictional boy her phone number and home address and asked him to come over, get drunk and have sex with her.
That was not the shocking part.
Williams then allegedly told "Ellis" that she disliked her family and asked him to come kidnap her and take her away from Alabama. According to the deposition, Williams told the man to kill her aunt, her aunt's fiancé, her cousin and the family dog.
After that communication took place, Williams' aunt called the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Williams was arrested and charged with solicitation of murder.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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The Vermont Attorney General's office says two logging companies will pay a total of $150,000 in fines for improper timber harvesting.
The office says Adrien Inkel and Son Inc., and Stephane Inkel, Inc. failed to follow current use forest management plan on their more than 2,000-acre parcel in Bloomfield.
Under the court-approved settlement, the companies will pay the state for four violations of its "Heavy Cut" law.
The law was enacted in 1997. It requires landowners to follow forest management practices when heavy cutting 40 acres or more.


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Flickr Faves on Fridays: Modern Architecture in Austin
Posted by
Becky |
View all posts by Becky
2 Comments » | Published in Architecture, Flickr | 2 Comments
This is the Annie Residence, Austin Texas, by Bercy Chen Studio LP. I love the blues and grays next to the leaves and the way the glass reflects the trees in this shot. Here's a little more about the project:
The house was built for two families in Austin and therefore is split into two living areas. The house consists of two pavilions connected by a glass hallway.
The design was greatly influenced by different regions and cultures. Both the use of the roof as an outdoor living space and the shading devices are derived from Moorish architecture. The body of water and the spatial continuity between inside and outside was inspired by Asian architecture. while the structural transparency of the volumes and the minimalist aspect of the interior was derived from Japanese pavilions.
The house is constructed of a modular steel frame. The frame is infilled with prefab thermasteel panels to minimize construction on-site waste. The structural frame is exposed, showing the construction process and articulating the house's facades. The repetitive modular method, as well as the prefabrication allowed for greater efficiency during construction.
Thanks so much for subimitting this to our fresh new spaces group!
Hi, I'm Becky. I live in Atlanta. Besides acting as the Editorial Director here on Hatch, you can find me talking design over at Houzz. Make me happy — leave a comment!


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1st Gear: Ford reported a profit that beat Wall Street expectations. Excluding one-time items, Ford's quarterly profit fell to 65 cents per share from 68 cents a year ago. Analysts, on average, had expected earnings of 60 cents per share excluding one-time items, according to Thomson Reuters. Revenue rose 13% to $35.5 billion. Net income of $2.4 billion in the quarter, or 59 cents per share, was down $201 million from a year ago when per-share net income was 61 cents per share. Ford has now posted eight straight quarterly net profits after recording net losses totaling $30 billion from 2006 through 2008.
2nd Gear: But it's not all peaches and cream in Dearborn, Mich., today. Bloomberg reports this morning that Ford, ordered by a Florida judge to face a new trial in a lawsuit it previously won, can't dispute that a defect caused an Aerostar van to accelerate out of control. A state court jury in Bushnell, Fla., cleared Ford of liability in February 2010 in a lawsuit brought by a woman who was left paralyzed from the waist down when the van she was riding in crashed. The woman, Peggy Stimpson, and her husband sued Ford in 2004, claiming a defect in the 1991 Aerostar's cruise control system could trigger unintended acceleration. They also claimed the company destroyed or concealed documents related to the risk. Circuit Court Judge William T. Swigert reversed the jury's verdict and ordered a new trial on damages only. Swigert entered judgment on liability for Stimpson, barring Ford from claiming in the new trial that the vehicle wasn't defective.
3rd Gear: Chrysler, after recording its first post-bankruptcy profit three months ago, posted a net loss of $370 million in the second quarter due to costs tied to the repayment of government bailout loans. Chrysler incurred a charge of $551 million in paying back the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Canadian loans that kept the automaker afloat in 2009. "Modified" operating profit nearly tripled from a year earlier to $507 million, while revenue climbed 30% to $13.7 billion, the company said today. Helped by new models and a big advertising push, Chrysler's second-quarter worldwide sales increased 19% to 486,000 units. Cash reserves rose $300 million during the past three months to $10.2 billion.
4th Gear: The fools over at Motley Fool asked yesterday whether Tesla needs to sell cars. The answer? If it wants to be an automaker, yes. If it wants to be a profitable, stand-alone auto supplier that changes the world all on its lonesome without a regular insulin-like cash injection from Toyota, no.
5th Gear: A trip by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, more than a dozen members of Congress and their aides to the January 2010 North American International Auto Show cost taxpayers about $35,000, according to documents released Monday. According to records obtained by FOIA, members of Congress spent $24,336 on commercial plane fare — which is cheaper than flying on military aircraft — plus $10,046 on expenses, including hotel rooms, taxis and meals. The congressional delegation rented 14 hotel rooms at $275 a night in Detroit; among other charges, it spent more than $700 in meals at Fishbone's restaurant in Greektown. Reps. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph; Tim Ryan, D-Ohio; and John Larson, R-Conn., as well as two aides, charged the government $135.87 for a meal at the Old Shillelagh in Detroit, according to a receipt. Mmm, bipartisan beer.
6th Gear: Toyota sought a court order in the United States approving its use of technology in hybrid electric vehicles, including the Prius and Lexus RX 400h, after an auto-parts company claimed its patents were infringed. Efficient Drivetrains Inc., based in Palo Alto, Calif., has an exclusive license from the University of California for use of the technology, including the way electricity is drawn from a battery to power an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, according to a July 20 federal court complaint filed by Toyota in San Jose, Calif. "EDI has contended that the Toyota Hybrids infringe each of the asserted patents and has indicated it intends to enforce" them, according to the complaint filed by the Toyota City, Japan-based automaker. "Toyota denies that."
⏎ Bentley Explores SUV With Demand Beyond Sultan of Brunei: Cars [Bloomberg via SFGate]
⏎ General Motors touts resurgence with new ads. [Detroit News]
⏎ McLaren MP4-12C enters its first 24-hour race. [McLaren]
⏎ Americanized Fiat 500 Abarth coming to the L.A. Auto Show this fall. [Fiat via Twitter]
⏎ BMW's New Four-Door Coupe Detailed. [Motor Trend]
⏎ Honda wins five awards for low-cost cars. [Detroit News]
⏎ Electric Cars: The Documentary. [International Business Times]
⏎ Melding of Fiat, Chrysler advances. [Detroit News]
Today in Automotive History:
The U.S. 500, the most prestigious race in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series, dissolves into tragedy on this day in 1998, when three fans are killed and six others wounded by flying debris from a car at Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. [History]
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« Back to Tree Recycling
The citizens of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, may not see exactly where their recycled Christmas Trees go, but chances are they use the products made possible by them. Each year, Packaging Corporation of America hires a contractor to grind up the Christmas Trees dropped off at a yard waste site. Once this is completed, the materials are loaded up and taken straight to the company's environmentally friendly mill.
"We use it as a boiler fuel to power our pulp and paper mill plant," says John Piotrowski, environmental manager at PCA, which manufactures containerboard and corrugated packaging.
Once Christmas Trees have been ground up, they can be used to create boiler fuel to power plants and factories.


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Browsing Working Papers (ECON) by Author "Iversen, Jens"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Heterogeneity and Non-LinearitiesIversen, Jens; Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj; Sørensen, Anders (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The returns to education in self-employment are addressed in four different specifications of the relationship between log income and years of schooling. The specifications range from a standard Mincer equation with a constant percentage increase in income to an additional year of schooling to the most flexible specification with dummy variables for the different number of years of schooling split into different types of education. Based on the more flexible specifications, important non-linearities and heterogeneity in the returns to education in self-employment are found. These results are robust across different estimation methods: OLS; Heckit correction models to handle sample selection; and IV to deal with the potential endogeneity of years of schooling. Moreover, the results are insensitive to the use of different sample years, different definitions of self-employment, and different income measures for the self-employed. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8225
Files in this item: 1Sorensen_WP_2010.pdf (411.9Kb)
Now showing items 1-1 of 1


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Are you ever in doubt about which dress code is applicable to a given occasion? What colors should you not wear to a wedding? When can you wear the full suit and when perhaps to settle for a plain simple shirt? Do you also ask yourself these questions, we are at your rescue! We have collected a number of occasions, where you might need a few tips on how to best style your outfit.
For example, if you are heading out for the biggest New Year's party and have not received a dress code, we will guide you through the classic, the modern and the more casual style. Or are you going to a wedding where you would like to know all the standards for wearing the suit? Whether you are going to a casual party or going all-in on a stylish outfit, we are ready to provide tips and advice.
We can all agree that clothes for men must be elegant, classic and unique. Therefore, we have investigated how you dress the best for every occasion. So are you looking for a blazer for a wedding or a shirt for a party, we can guide you in the do's and don'ts for any occasion, whether it's the Christmas party, New Year, a wedding or a special date with your loved one.


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Women between the ages of, say, 19 and 40, if I can have your attention for a brief moment, I would like to present something to you: me! I just got this new shirt back from the cleaners, I showered and shaved, and I'm sporting a nice new haircut. They even put some gel in it. I got plenty of sleep last night and the light in here at this moment is just right. This is me in my prime. I'm looking sharp and feeling fine. Be warned, though, it's all going to be downhill from here on out. So who among you is going to be the one to take a crack at this?
Before you reject me out of habit, stop and think for just a minute. I know there's better out there. I'm no gold-medal guy, but there's definitely worse. I'm not fat, yet, and I'm not bald, though it definitely runs in my family. I have a tan from doing some yard work at my mom's house back in Minnesota that will probably result in melanoma when I'm older. It's as much of the whole package as you're ever gonna get with me. Here it is. The dinner bell's ringing, and it ain't getting any hotter, so come and get it!
Feel this. That's distinct definition in my biceps. I joined a gym in March. I've been working out two or three times a week, but I know that it isn't going to last. Maybe six months more before I decide that I would rather sleep in instead. And before you know it, this definition will melt away like butter in the sun. Sure, I won't get fat for a few years. But it's coming, so I suggest you jump on the Jeff Macon train while it's still in the semi-attractive station.
If you want me to meet your parents and friends, it had better be soon—in fact, this weekend would be best. I'm in a good mood overall. I am presentable and my resolve has not yet been eroded by years of bitterness and regret. I am still optimistic about getting involved in a long-term relationship, even though in five years the sex will slow to a trickle and I'll be riddled with doubts about whether I jumped into this too soon. The wedding pictures will look great, though, I promise.
If you're worried about stability, don't be. I just got a new job last week. It's entry-level at a software company, but I still have some hopes and dreams about pursuing my music. I might even start a band. That's right now. Realistically, that band will just wind up being me and some friends getting together to drink. In 15 years, the "band" will be a memory. I'll be mired in middle management at the same job, and won't be able to see farther down the road than the six-pack I'll drink when I get home at night. So, seriously, you'd better strike while the iron's hot.
If you want to check out my house to get some insight into my personality, you should come over right away. I spent the afternoon throwing out a bunch of old magazines and straightening up the place. I took my action figures and put them in a box, where they'll stay until I start to feel nostalgic for my childhood again. I vacuumed, too. That was such a pain that I don't see myself doing it again for a long time. Hang on—I just need to put my Skeletor back on the mantle.
While the expiration date on Jeff Macon is still a few years down the road, my optimal shelf-life is going to expire in two days. In fact, even since I began writing this, my personal appearance has gotten imperceptibly though irreversibly worse. The longer you wait, the further advanced my decline will be. Ladies, the clock is ticking. My teeth won't be my own forever.
So. Who's first?


text:
LONDON — Models and fashion editors descended on Britain's sunny capital from snowy New York Friday for the start of London Fashion Week, kicking off a whirlwind of runway shows featuring Burberry, Versus, Roksanda and dozens of other designers.
The first day of the fashion showcase started in a new location on the Strand in central London. Here are some highlights:
For a change, politics took center stage as the event opened.
"Brexit" — Britain's upcoming exit from the European Union — and political uncertainties in the U.S. and Europe dominated opening remarks by the organizers, who urged the fashion industry to make a clear statement of unity and inclusiveness in the face of rising nationalism.
Britain's fashion leaders are concerned about how Brexit will impact trade in an industry that has grown accustomed to the easy movement of talent and goods across European borders.
"I'd like to take this opportunity ... to remind the government that retaining our competitive position isn't straightforward and we hope that you'll listen and understand our concerns and our needs when we talk to you about visas, talent, tariffs, and IP (intellectual property)," said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council at an opening session.
The London-based Turkish designer Bora Aksu dedicated his show to Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, a prominent advocate for women's rights in Britain during the suffragette movement. He said she showed a "beguiling combination of royalty and revolutionary fervor."
The collection played heavily on lilacs, blues and powdery pinks. Some of the outfits offered playful variations on Victorian themes, complete with severe, almost masculine hats, while others were completely contemporary.
The 1960s were present also, with some models braiding blue flowers into their hair and several outfits offering variation on black and white Op Art themes.
A full-length pink and pale blue dress was particularly striking, seeming to bridge several eras of fashion history in a soft, subtle vision. At its best, the show had an ethereal quality.
It was a splendid evening for Irish-American designer Paul Costelloe, a stalwart of London Fashion Week who spiced up his show with Jimi Hendrix's apocalyptic "All Along the Watchtower" and finished by dancing with one of his models to Sam Cooke's joyous "Another Saturday Night."
Between the first Hendrix chords and the last steps of his dance, Costelloe showed dramatic evening gowns, many with sheer, sparkly designs, and ensembles featuring tight corsets over culottes and oversize tweedy jackets over skintight leather trousers.
Models were given a horizontal line of blood-red eye makeup that gave them a somewhat forbidding look. Many of the short dresses featured attached hoods, and one elegant outfit showed a distinct Japanese influence, with a floor-length kimono-style dress.
Costelloe highlighted his Irish heritage with the use of tweeds, but not in traditional cuts or styles. He has perfected the sexy librarian look — giving one model a long, high-waisted tweed skirt paired with a ruffly white blouse. Many of his simple outfits, relying on solid pieces in contrasting colors, worked extremely well. The gowns were the highlight: distinctive, imaginative and fun.
Off the catwalks, there was also a broad array of international talent on display at presentations at Somerset House, which includes designers from India, Guatemala, Slovakia and elsewhere.
The new presentation rooms at the Store Studios included a virtual reality display that let visitors don special equipment for brief presentations about London's fashion heritage plus a video about Alexander McQueen.
The headphones and goggles gave viewers a startling display of the workmanship and detailing that goes into the construction of the highest of high-end apparel.


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The breeder's equation – R = h2S – from greg cochran.
Making Europeans kinder, gentler – from peter frost.
Napoleon Chagnon: Blood is their Argument – "'It's almost always for revenge. Blood is their argument. The Yanomamö will always attempt to avenge the death of a kinsman. It may take them a long time, and when the tables are turned on the guys that did it, like they get too small as a group, then it may appear to be a preemptive strike, but it has some historical roots. It's almost never a case where they attack another Yanomamö village preemptively for no reason at all. It's usually a consequence of some previous argument.'" – via habitable worlds: Darwin's Dangerous Clan. see also Historical Reality: Infanticide vs Abortion @occam's razor.
Zazes, Flurps and the Moral World of Kids – four-year-olds "assume that everybody else will be biased against other groups. And this extends beyond race, gender and religion to the arbitrary realm of Zazes and Flurps." – h/t charles!
Manly Sweat Makes Other Men More Cooperative – "A chemical component of other guys' sweat makes men more cooperative and generous, new research says. The study is the first to show that this pheromone, called androstadienone, influences other men's behavior and reinforces the developing finding that humans are susceptible and responsive to these chemical signals."
120,000 Years of Cancer – "A Neanderthal who lived more than 120,000 years ago had cancer of the bones, in the earliest known incidence of the disease found in the human fossil record, a new study reports."
How does inbreeding avoidance evolve in plants? – "Case study of Leavenworthia suggests that loss of complex traits may be reversed."
A Requiem for Science – from john derbyshire.
The Gentleman Naturalist – "[Darwin and Wallace's] papers were presented to the Linnean Society in July 1858, and met with silence: as Desmond and Moore say, 'no fireworks exploded, only a damp squib'."
ORIGINAL PAPER: How clever were the Victorians? A comment on Woodley et al. (2013) – from elijah armstrong!
The Onset and Development of B-W Ability Differences: Early Infancy to Age 3 (Part 1) – from jason malloy. see also dr. thompson: By the age of three, a clear gap in ability.
Slowing immigrant assimiliation – "George Borjas's latest paper released at NBER shows that newer waves of immigrants are less able to assimilate than previous immigrants waves." – @gucci little piggy. see also: Two books, one conclusion. Immigration has been and is too high. @conservative home (u.k.).
The Real Threat to British Elites – "Why British elites covered up the Pakistani pimps' child gangrape horror." – from steve sailer.
Population history of the Caribbean (Moreno-Estrada et al. 2013) and IBD sharing between Iberians and North Africans (Botigué et al. 2013) – @dienekes.
How Game Might Have Benefited Jason Richwine – ask and ye shall receive! [no double entendre intended. you guys have been reading too much roissy! (~_^) ] – good stuff from heartiste! (thanks, h!)
Geography, race, religion, and class – "[W]ealthy suburban and rural blacks go to church more than poor inner-city blacks do, and wealthy suburban and rural whites attend more than poor inner-city whites do." – from the awesome epigone.
People Are Overly Confident in Their Own Knowledge, Despite Errors
Ethnic policy in ancient Japan – from spandrell!
"'[F]ertility may be a strategic choice for ethnic groups engaged in redistributive conflict'" [pdf] – via race/history/evolution notes.
Atheists turn to science during times of stress
Genetics and the increase in obesity – from jason collins. see also mr. mangan, esq.: The Rise of Mental Illness and Obesity.
100 Blog Posts – A Reflection on HBD Blogging And What Lies Ahead – from jayman. and jayman jr.!! (^_^)
Back in the saddle – m.g. @thosewhocansee is back (or will be back shortly)! yaaaaayyyyyy!!!! h/t nelson!
Human Biodiversity – Things You Are Not Supposed to Know About – from staffan!
bonus: Review of "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy – from foseti. see also this great set of "randoms" from mr. f. you should click through to every last one of them (if you haven't already)!
bonus bonus: How the chicken lost its penis – a lesson for all!
bonus bonus bonus: Leviathan Unbound – from malcolm pollack.
bonus bonus bonus bonus: light entertainment – @PRISM_NSA on twitter and Obama Is Checking Your Email on tumblr. (~_^)
bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus: Life wasn't all trouble at mill – "[T]he Industrial Revolution came as a tremendous boom to a lot of working people: they earned far more than they had done before, escaped lives of crushing poverty and for the first time began to exert some measure of control over their lives."
bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus: Is Humbert Humbert Jewish?
bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus: The Fight to Save Ping Pong – excellent!
(note: comments do not require an email. dirty jobs – sexing baby chickens!)


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Selena Gomez Shares Ad for Debut Fragrance
Selena Gomez is soaking wet. The teen is the latest entrant into the celebrity perfume sweepstakes, and she has issued a sexy new ad for her debut scent, which is named after the singer/actress.
In the ad, Justin Bieber's beloved is wearing a frilly purple frock while her bottom half is submerged in water, with the skirt twirling around her. She is surrounded by fluffy clouds and everything flows and looks airy and pretty in this print ad, including Sel herself.
Her hair is drenched and brushed back, as if she just got out of the shower, but her smoky eye makeup is utterly flawless. With her hands behind her, swirling in the water, Sel looks like a lovely sea nymph.
The scent will go on sale at Macy's first and then hit other retailers in late summer.
Sel spoke about the shape of the bottle, saying it was the hardest part, even harder than picking the notes and accords that would comprise the scent, according to Inquisitr. "I wanted it to be tall. I like the fact that it stands out, because I always go to the ones that are tallest in the morning. The design of the bottle is almost like a gown, so it represents me on the red carpet. The lips are fun! It makes it more youthful, and you can play with it," she said.
The teen also said she wanted the wearer of her fragrance to feel kissable. Mwah!


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The latest brochures from industry suppliers and manufacturers.
Adolph Kiefer and Associates
Adolph Kiefer and Associates' current Competitive Training 2000 catalog has all the necessary products for every swimmer, including Olym-pic-caliber competitors. Kiefer Competi-tive Training 2000 offers all of the top names in swim wear and a great selection of caps, goggles and more. Competitive Training 2000 also contains flotation and resistance products.
Apex Fitness Equipment
Apex offers a complete line of strength equipment that features free weights, and single station and multi-station machines to accommodate a range of routines. The company also offers a Lady Apex line tailored specifically for women. A wheelchair-access line is also available. Apex offers a lifetime warranty on the frame and weight stack plates, a five-year warranty on major components and a six-month warranty on upholstery.
Benoit Built Inc.
Microloading—the act of strength training with smaller in-cremental increases—with PlateMate is the safe, scientific way to build strength at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, states the company. PlateMates make microloading easy with their patented strong magnetic design, three versatile styles and micro-increments (from 5/8 pounds to 5 pounds).
Biodynamics Corp.
The Model 310e Body Composition Analyzer from Biodynamics is a rechargeable,whole-body bioimpedence an-alyzer that allows the user to measure body fat, lean weight, and fat weight percentages, as well as basal metabolic rate and total body water. It also analyzes body composition accounting for body type, age and sex. Completely portable, it comes with a rechargeable battery pack and a built-in printer.
Carlisle Surfacing Systems
Carlisle Surfacing Systems—which is a supplier of playground, fitness, recreational and architectural resilient rubber flooring—provides comprehensive product literature that includes product descriptions, schematics and project photography for each of its products. The literature consists of three informative brochures that cover Carlisle's surfacing systems.
CCSI International Inc.
CCSI's Atria/Garden Prairie swimming pool enclosures offer a light, airy indoor swimming environment. Atria's opening roof system creates natural air circulation providing a unique appeal. Materi-als and designs of the enclosures minimize maintenance. The aluminum frames have powder-coated color and custom designs in freestanding or roof-only applications. Factory assembly is available worldwide.
CheckFree's EFT program provides users with increased, predictable cash flow, while it significantly reduces their overhead, states the company. It also adds extra value by making an automatic payment plan available to users' customers. CheckFree can collect from any U.S. checking or credit card account. Funds are moved electronically through the Federal Reserve ACH Network or via the major credit card networks.
The Exerflex Ae-robic Floor Sys-tem is made of 7/8-inch beech hardwood that provides durability and strength. This surface is prefinished with an aerobic traction polyurethane designed for precise footing. The boards meet at a tongue-and-groove joint and are held together by a spring steel clip, which allows the floor to flex along this joint upon impact. At the point of impact, the 3/4-inch foam underlayment absorbs the shock of impact on the floor.
E-Zone is an entertainment system designed specifically for the club environment. The system features an individual video screen and wireless headphones. Users have access to a variety of video channels, or they can choose to play their own CDs or audiocassettes. Exercis-ers may even watch television silently while they listen to their own music.
Fitness Products International
Brands from Fitness Products Internation-al include Icarian, the Abench and Flite. Icarian features more than 60 units, including single station machines, multi-stations, benches, racks and free-weight accessories. The Abench, an abdominal trainer, uses a rolling pivot design. The Flite product line features a cross-pivot technology that allows the user to exercise through a natural range of motion.
The Gatorade Exercise Physiology laboratory was founded in 1985 to fully explore the role of fluid re-placement and sports nutrition in athletic performance. Research continues to be a focus of the company. Company data shows that 89 percent of sports-drink users choose Gatorade, and also shows that the sports drink market has more than doubled in size over the last seven years.
Years of training and research were done before concluding how the Hoist commercial strength-training equipment should be designed. Stan-dard equipment with Hoist machines include Kevlar belts, silent steel weight stack, exercise placards and incremental weights, to self-adjusting roller pads, premium hand grips, weight stack shields and easily adjusted pads.
K&K Insurance Group
For insurance coverage that fits, K&K Health/Fitness Club Insurance offers club operators strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance. Coverage is designed specifically for the health/fitness industry and can include property, casualty, medical, professional and participants liability, excess and umbrella coverage, and flexible de-ductible/self-insured programs.
Kidzpace Interactives
Kidzpace Interactives Inc. offers a variety of electronic interactive products for entertainment and education. Kidzpace Interactive's carousel mounting system can be ordered with up to four D-series interactives. Customers can choose from Nintendo, Sony and Sega video game technologies. Optional dual controls and game timers can be added to complement this design. Carousels are available in variety of colors.
Kraiburg offers a full line of rubber gym flooring systems for weight rooms, locker rooms, and aerobic and exercise floors. The athletic flooring line features zip-structured interlocks that is easily installed. Kraiburg's solid rubber black weight plates absorb impact when barbells are dropped to the floor. They also help to extend the life of the weight room flooring and help reduce club noise.
Life Fitness
Life Fitness added a dual adjustable pulley system to its strength selectorized line. The new offering has two weight stacks of 190 pounds each and two adjustable pulleys that are similar to a cable crossover, state company officials. It features two pulleys that can be moved from approximately eight to 84 inches high in four-inch increments. The item's resistance ratio can also be adjusted with a shift of a lever.
McArthur Athletic Towels
McArthur Athletic Towels' Full-line To-wel Buyer's Guide features an extensive line of towels, and laundry and hospitality linens. It also includes promotional items and offers fully licensed collegiate, NBA, NFL and NHL logo placement on its product line for awards, special events and pro-shop sales. Customized options are also available. McArthur has been manufacturing quality athletic towels since 1885.
Muscle Mixes Music
Muscle Mixes Music's Reebok Core Training Program is based on athletic training and physical therapy prin-ciples that include a workshop, a core board and core training music. In addition to the Reebok line, Muscle Mixes Music's catalog includes special music styles for all fitness needs. If you aren't satisfied after 30 days, the company will give you a full refund on the price of the product.
Natural Choice Corp.
Natural Choice provides a drinking water appliance that keeps health, purity and convenience in mind for consumers. It offers a technically so-phisticated design that provides hot, cold or sparkling water at the touch of a button with no need to lift, change or store a bottle again. Natural Choice offers high-capacity filtration systems, built-in water quality monitors and increased cooling systems.
Perform Sports Drink has been scientifically formulated by PowerBar to meet the demands of athletes. It combines a refreshing taste with an optimal balance of fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrate energy to refuel users, according to the company. Perform Sports Drinks have no preservatives and are fortified with antioxidants and B vitamins. The 20-ounce bottles are available in orange, lemon lime ice, berry and tropical punch.
Push Pedal Pull
Push Pedal Pull is a speciality fitness distributor with more than 14 years of service to the national fitness equipment market. With more than 25 retail locations in 13 states, the company specializes in sales and support of high-quality, brand-name equipment, including models for retail, institutional, rehabilitative and medical settings at competitive prices. A technical hotline also serves customers after the sale.
Science Foods
Science Foods sports nutrition drinks are designed to help athletes train and work more efficiently, maximize performance during competition and recover from intense exercise more quickly. The products' bottles are color-coded and feature a unique image to indicate its proper use. The company claims that its formulas are blended with great-tasting, thirst-quenching ingredients to create satisfying sports drinks.
Supreme Audio Inc.
Supreme Audio's Profes-sional Dance & Fitness Audio Buyer's Guide, features Telex, Samson, Sony, Shure, Special Projects, Audio-Technica and Hydrophonics head-worn aerobic microphone systems. The catalog also includes Klipsch, RCF, Bose, Kenleigh, JVC, Sony, Denon, Technics, QSC, Marantz variable speed tape recorders, CD players, amplifiers, speakers, and BroadcastVision and ClubFM FM broadcast systems.
SportsArt offers a full range of patented elliptical products. All feature a smooth, flu-id, no-impact motion that delivers a superior feel—and great results, state Sports-Art officials. The SportsArt 8007 was built to withstand the rigors of club use. It has 12 preprogrammed courses, two custom interval programs, heart rate control, heart rate touch and manual quick start. It also delivers a wide range of resistance (14 levels).
The Sportsmith parts and service catalog has expanded to 88 pages. It features items including tread-mill decks and belts, as well as free weight equipment. The 13th catalog features a wide selection of cardiovascular and strength-training pro-ducts. Sportsmith technical support, parts and electronic repairs cover most brands of exercise equipment. All parts include a full warranty, say officials.
Vision Fitness
With the iNetTV Series, members have the option of working out while surfing the 'Net or watching TV. Almost anything you normally do on the Internet can be done while working out on an iNetTV Series product. Vision Fitness has built the iNetTV Series on its light institutional platform of products. You can choose from the E3600 Upright Bike to the R2600 Semi-Recumbent Bike to the X6600 Elliptical Trainer.


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South African Journal of Science
versión On-line ISSN 1996-7489
versión impresa ISSN 0038-2353
S. Afr. j. sci. vol.105 no.9-10 Pretoria sep./oct. 2009
Modern behaviour in ancient South Africans: evidence for the heat treatment of stones in the Middle Stone Age
Judith Sealy
Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. E-mail: email@example.com
To what extent was fire used as an engineering tool by early modern humans? Kyle Brown and co-authors marshal an impressive array of evidence to show that by 72 000 years ago, and perhaps as far back as 164 000 years ago, prehistoric people prepared the stone from which they planned to make artefacts by intentionally heat-treating it to improve its flaking qualities.1 This practice is well known from later sites but the increased time depth reported here is remarkable, and contributes to a growing body of evidence that Middle Stone Age people in South Africa were capable of far more sophisticated behaviour than previously realised.
The study is part of a major research project focused on the caves at Pinnacle Point, near Mossel Bay, led by Curtis Marean from Arizona State University. Marean and an international team are excavating a series of archaeological sites near Mossel Bay and researching environmental conditions between about 400 000 and 30 000 years ago,2,3 obtaining detailed information about environmental conditions during the period in which modern humanspeople like usevolved. There is general agreement among palaeoanthropologists that modern human anatomy developed between 250 000 150 000 years ago, but much less agreement on the beginnings of 'modern behaviour ', i.e. the highly-developed intelligence and cognitive abilities of people alive today.
For many years, the dominant view has been that behaviour lagged behind anatomy, developing perhaps as recently as 40 000 years ago. This was based on the observation that archaeological sites older than 40 000 years contain a narrower range of artefacts and food waste than more recent sites, consistent with a more limited behavioural repertoire. As more sites are excavated, this picture is changing, though disagreement persists about the origins of modern behaviour, and the criteria by which we can recognise it. Most archaeologists agree that evidence of abstract thought (in the form of obviously symbolic artefacts, including 'art') is distinctively modern, as are complex technologies involving a high degree of forethought and planning, e.g. the manufacture and use of poisoned arrows in hunting.
Many of the stone artefacts at Pinnacle Point are made from silcrete, a rock type consisting of quartz grains cemented together by microcrystalline silica (SiO2). Textures and lithologies are variable: coarse-grained silcrete is granular, like quartzite, whereas fine-grained silcrete usually has a relatively greater proportion of cementing silica, and may have a texture approaching that of chert. As fine-grained silcrete fractures more evenly and predictably, it is a more desirable material for making stone artefacts. It has been known for many years that prehistoric stone-knappers heated silcrete (and other rocks) in order to improve their flaking characteristics. This works because the poorly ordered cryptocrystalline matrix of such rocks becomes more crystallised after heating, so that fractures follow the direction of force initiated by the tool-maker, rather than being deflected by the internal structure of the rock.4 This enables the craftsman to control the shape of the end product more closely, and achieve a sharper edge, although the trade-off is that the rock also becomes more brittle. Heat-treated rock is more lustrous, and frequently redder, as goethite transforms to haematite during heat treatment. This practice is well documented across the world in stone artefact assemblages dating from the last 20 000 years, and has been observed among recent stone knappers in Australia. Brown et al.'s contribution is to push the time depth of this behaviour much further back into the past.
The study began as an investigation of silcrete sources in the Mossel Bay area. Silcrete is uncommon in the vicinity of the Pinnacle Point sites, and usually occurs in discrete outcrops. If archaeologists can find the sources of the rocks from which artefacts were made, they can tell how far people were travellingor tradingto obtain desirable raw material. A number of silcrete sources were located, but none yielded the reddish-coloured material seen in many of the archaeological artefacts. Brown attempted to make replicas of the artefacts from the excavations, but found that the silcrete simply wasn't of sufficiently high quality to make very fine pieces. These and other clues alerted the team to the possibility that the silcretes they were looking for actually don't exist in outcrop form. In order to obtain silcrete of this quality, colour and texture it would be necessary to use heat to alter it.
Sceptics argued that the team hadn't yet found the best silcrete sources, and suggested that chunks of rock might have been heated accidentally if they were left lying around and then campfires built close by. In response, Brown conducted an extensive series of experiments in which he found that, to obtain silcretes like those seen in the archaeological artefacts, he had to heat them to a high temperature (350ºC) for many hours. This is far beyond the degree of heating that would occur in an ordinary campfire, and required a great deal of fuel (20 kg of dried hardwood per 3 kg stone).5 To properly modify silcrete, ancient tool-makers would have had to expend considerable time and energy collecting firewood before beginning the process, making heat-treated silcrete a valuable commodity. The treated silcrete was found to have much improved flaking qualities, allowing the production of thinner points.
The most persuasive part of the study, however, was the battery of analytical techniques which the team applied to unheated silcrete, experimentally heated material and archaeological specimens, comparing gloss, magnetism and thermoluminescence in each sample set. Experimentally heat-treated silcrete was significantly glossier (had higher reflectance) than untreated. Most archaeological specimens dating to 6560 kya were within the heat-treated range, as were some of the oldest artefacts recovered, c. 164 kya. Magnetic analyses showed that the sediments surrounding the archaeological artefacts were not burned, but that the artefacts themselves were. The final technique used was thermoluminescence analysis, which measures the amount of trapped charge that accumulates in the crystal lattice of minerals over time, as a result of naturally-occurring radioactivity in the soil. Heating releases the trapped charge, zeroing the signal. All the archaeological samples analysed gave thermoluminescence signals indicating that they had been heated in prehistory. These concordant results from three independent techniques provide wholly convincing evidence for Brown et al.'s argument.
The next question is the role of heat-treatment in the Middle Stone Age, including how widespread it was. Opinions vary among researchers working at similar sites elsewhere in South Africa. For instance, in a recent study of silcrete bifacial points from Blombos Cave, less than 100 km west of Pinnacle Point, Villa et al.6 note that many of their artefacts are made of silcrete that is grey or yellowish in colour, rather than red, and therefore that heat treatment may not always have been practised.6 Of course, the change to red colouration with heating occurs only if iron is present. Further work will no doubt address this issue.
As Brown et al. point out, one of the reasons this study is of interest to a wider audience is that it helps chart the development of human mastery over fire, a key component of our ability to manipulate the world around us for our own purposes. In later times, this led to the firing of pottery and eventually metal working. In addition, if people were using fire in a highly controlled way to alter the properties of stone raw materials, they were clearly capable of complex goal-oriented behaviour that included solving a range of problems along the way. Brown et al.'s study gives us precious insight into the chain of purposeful, planned, interlinked activities required to heat-treat silcrete. It is rare to be able to identify anything in archaeological sites of this age that allows reconstruction of ancient behavioural processes in quite such detail. The more information we accumulate, the more it appears that complex human behaviour goes back a long way. There is now a sizeable body of evidence dating from 70 000 to 100 000 years ago,710 but stretching it as far as 164 000 years ago constitutes a substantial extension, to a time close to the emergence of modern human anatomy.
1. Brown K.S., Marean C.W., Herries A.I.R., Jacobs Z., Tribolo C., Braun D., Roberts D.L., Meyer M.C. and Bernatchez J. (2009). Fire as an engineering tool of early modern humans. Science 325, 859862. [ Links ]
2. Marean C.W., Nilssen P.J., Brown K., Jerardino A. and Stynder D. (2004). Paleoanthropological investigations of Middle Stone Age sites at Pinnacle Point, Mossel Bay (South Africa): archaeology and hominid remains from the 2000 field season. PaleoAnthropology 2004.05.02. 1483. [ Links ]
3. Marean C.W., Bar-Matthews M., Bernatchez J., Fisher E., Goldberg P., Herries A.I.R., Jacobs Z., Jerardino A., Karkaas P., Minchillo T., Nilssen P.J., Thompson E., Watts I. and Williams H.M. (2007). Early human use of marine resources and pigment in South Africa during the Middle Pleistocene. Nature 499, 905908. [ Links ]
4. Domanski M. and Webb J. (1992). Effect of heat treatment on siliceous rocks used in prehistoric lithic technology. J. Archaeol. Sci. 19, 601614. [ Links ]
5. Brown et al. (2009). Science 325, 859862. Supporting online material. [ Links ]
6. Villa P., Soressi M., Henshilwood C.S. and Mourre V. (2009). The Still Bay points of Blombos Cave (South Africa). J. Archaeol. Sci. 36, 441460. [ Links ]
7. Bouzouggar A., Barton N., Vanhaeren M., d'Errico F., Collcutt S., Higham T., Hodge E., Parfitt S., Rhodes E., Schwenninger J-L., Stringer C., Turner E., Ward S., Moutmir A. and Stambouli A. (2007). 82,000-year-old shell beads from North Africa and implications for the origins of modern human behaviour. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 104, 99649969. [ Links ]
8. D'Errico F., Henshilwood C., Vanhaeren M. and van Niekerk K. (2005). Nassarius kraussianus shell beads from Blombos Cave: evidence for symbolic behaviour in the Middle Stone Age. J. Hum. Evol. 48, 324. [ Links ]
9. Henshilwood C.S., d'Errico F., Yates R., Jacobs Z., Tribolo C., Duller G.A.T., Mercier N., Sealy J.C., Valladas H., Watts I. and Wintle A.G. (2002). Emergence of modern human behaviour: Middle Stone Age engravings from South Africa. Science 295, 12781280. [ Links ]
10. Vanhaeren M., d'Errico F., Stringer C., James S.L., Todd J.A. and Mienis H.K. (2006). Middle Palaeolithic shell beads in Israel and Algeria. Science 312, 17851788. [ Links ]