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So I am finally posting about #journchat Live Detroit. I am super slow at posting this but I had a hell of a week last week. Coping with Grief creeping up on me and holding my first event. Was a lot of stress to handle plus finding out I didn't get a second interview for a dream job.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. EST 7 people joined me for a #Journchat discussion last week. I was hoping for more since this was my first event I would call this a success. What was supposed to be a meeting of the minds wound up being a meeting of public relations professionals and bloggers.
@jennimurr and @davemurr at Buddy's before the discussions began.
@diapersndragons (back) and @rockdrool
We had some interesting topics. The laptop died a little way through and since we were on the wrong side of the restraunt for power. We made due. It was a great learning experience and I hope more journalists join us next time.
#Journchat roll call
and Evan Branch
Last week was very interesting. I had to go to the grave site of my Mom for the first time in over 2 years. This was tough because it brought back a swell of emotions I thought I had worked through.
I also found out who got the Detroit Regional Chamber job and I got a rejection letter from ESPN. Which was fine I thought I had a slim chance living in Detroit. I did wind up connecting with the manager who didn't hire me on Linked In and I tried connecting with the HR person who chose to send me the email. He was not as nearly as open minded as I would have thought.
Truly a learning experience and a lot of stress. I am glad last week is over. Too much emotion in a short period of time. You live and learn.
I will do the event planning again but I think I would change a few things. So be sure to check out this space for more things regarding #journchat if there is another live event I am going to be planning it.


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Waltzing With the Underdog by Leanne Ortiz
Waltzing with the Underdog
It is a quiet morning in a pub in Wodonga as Steven Bradbury OAM enters the room, his still youthful face is framed by his signature spiky do, but the spikes are brown now to match his intense dark brown eyes. There is no pretence to Bradbury's demeanour, he is smartly but casually dressed and offers a shy smile as he shakes my hand. He gives a nervous chuckle as I introduce myself – 'the oldest university student in history,' if he agrees he is too polite to say so.
Bradbury's claim to fame is his performance at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City where he won the 1000 metre short track speed skating event when all of his opponents famously hit the deck on the last corner, and he sailed past them to snare Australia's first ever Winter Olympic Gold.
'Are you the ultimate underdog of Australian sporting legend?' My question is greeted by an infectious laugh, 'Possibly? I'm one of the few people who can say they have a saying named after them,' (Doing a Bradbury is defined in the online slang dictionary as achieving something by accident, or winning against extreme odds). 'For me that makes me feel proud,' says Bradbury, 'it's nice to be remembered.'
And remember him we do. As I look to discover what it is that drives Australia's penchant to support the underdog, be it an athlete or an anti-hero, and their love of a win against the odds. I chat to Bradbury and others about famous unlikely sporting feats and about folk heroes such as Ned Kelly and the swagman of Banjo Paterson's Waltzing Matilda.
When Paterson penned his legendary ballad in 1895, he could not possibly have predicted it would become the unofficial anthem of a nation which champions the underdog.
Various historians conclude that Waltzing Matilda's lyrics were inspired by the Great Shearers Strike in Queensland throughout the early 1890s. The song is most likely an interpretation of a story told to Paterson whilst he was staying at The Dagworth Homestead near Winton in Queensland's outback. In September 1894, a shearer named Samuel Hoffmeister (also known as 'Frenchy') was involved in a chase with three policemen after allegedly setting fire to the woolshed on the Dagworth Homestead. Rather than surrender to the authorities, Hoffmeister is said to have shot and killed himself at the Combo Waterhole.
Waltzing Matilda tells the story of a swagman, with an appetite for other people's livestock, who drowns himself in a billabong rather than be captured, and then later returns to haunt the billabong. It is the swagman's laconic attitude that seems to echo the Australian lifestyle:
'Once a jolly swagman, camped by a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?'
In 2003 the International Rugby Board dared to ban the singing of Waltzing Matilda at the Rugby World Cup to be staged in Sydney, claiming it was not 'culturally significant' to Australians, much to the chagrin of John Howard, Australia's Prime Minister of the time. 'Waltzing Matilda is deeply evocative of Australian culture and how can you justify trying to ban the singing of it?' asked Howard. 'But in any event I pose the question, how are they going to stop it being sung? You try and stop 82,000 Australians singing Waltzing Matilda; you'll only make their night.'
Bradbury agrees. 'Ridiculous!' is his response to the Rugby Board's decision, suggesting perhaps that the IRB had been living under a rock the size of Uluru. In his book 'Last Man Standing' Bradbury writes that the song was sung in gusto at a bar full of Aussies in Salt Lake City celebrating his momentous win. 'I don't think it would disappoint a lot of people if our national anthem was Waltzing Matilda, it's the most iconic song that anybody can think of.'
For generations the song has captivated Australians who embraced the swaggie's fighting spirit and larrikin cheek, and nowhere is it sung with as much feeling as in our sporting arenas.
On an unusual muggy September evening at Melbourne Park in 2003, The Fanatics, Australia's unofficial cheer squad, were out in force at a Davis Cup semi-final which was looking grim.
Lleyton Hewitt, gasping for air in the back corner of the court, was two sets to love, and 3-5 down in the third set. Hewitt lifted his weary eyes to the crowd. 'I've seen the little fella do it so many times before, I had a funny feeling he could still do it,' says Warren Livingstone, founder of The Fanatics.
A desperate rendition of Waltzing Matilda from the stands, led by Livingstone and his faithful, resonated through Rod Laver Arena. It seemed to spark the patriotic young Australian.
'The thing with Rusty is, you always hold out hope till the last point,' Livingstone said. 'He is amazing that way.' Though Hewitt's on court antics had polarised the media and pockets of the public throughout his career, his never say die attitude was something that eventually earned him the respect of the nation. Relishing the opportunity of clawing his way back to a five set home soil victory, Hewitt glared ominously in the direction of Roger Federer, his formidable opponent. Later he would describe the win as 'beats the hell out of winning Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.'
Hewitt's Davis Cup heroics on clay in Brazil in 2001 against home town hero Gustavo Kuerten also made a huge impression on Livingstone: 'Eight thousand people were singing something like "go home faggot" in Spanish. It was flabbergasting, but he used that to fire himself up, and against all the odds, he crushed Gugga.' Steve Frazer, former head of sports management firm Octagon was quoted in The Australian Magazine in 2003: 'not since Jimmy Connors has there been a player who so badly wants to stick it up your arse.'
Is that the charm of underdog victories? Is it about sticking it to the opponent? Or is it about daring to dream, no matter how slim the possibilities? Steven Bradbury feels that the tall poppy syndrome has a lot to do with it. 'Aussies like more than most to see the underdog get up, most other countries when they've got a champion like to see that person win forever, but in Australia we like to see people do well, for a while, but maybe not too well. I think there's something to be learned from that American mindset though.' Bradbury explains that even though his win was 12 years ago he still receives letters from parents who have used his inspirational story as an example to their kids of never giving up, no matter the obstacles. 'I think children need their tyres pumped up sometimes, I think in Australia we sometimes say kids aren't good enough, or they shouldn't worry about that sport, that sort of thing.' Salt Lake City was Bradbury's fourth Olympic appearance, he had endured two horrendous injuries in the prime of his career, including an incident in 1994 where he came perilously close to bleeding out on the ice when a collision with another skater's blade sliced open his leg and saw him lose two thirds of his blood. Another devastating blow followed in 2000 when he broke his neck in a training accident and spent six weeks with a halo brace screwed into his skull. Though the headlines in 2002 were as though he'd come from nowhere to win a gold medal, Bradbury was in truth no accidental hero, he had fought with trademark guts and determination to put himself in a position to compete in another Olympic final.
If determination is the appeal, arguably the favourite of Australia's underdog success stories belongs to the 61 year old potato farmer from Colac, ironically named 'Young' who won the gruelling 875 kilometre Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in 1983.
Australians fell in love with the late Cliff Young; whose now famous unorthodox shuffle was legacy of long hours spent training in gumboots on his property in Beech's Forrest. In her book 'Forever Young: The Cliff Young story' Julietta Jameson writes of the growing adulation experienced by Young as he shuffled along the Hume Highway: 'He was original but loveably familiar, a combination of listening to Dad 'n' Dave on the wireless and watching an underdog team win the Grand Final.' She then explains Young's unassuming character as he was greeted by so many well-wishers along his journey. 'He was humble, someone who shared his success with those who admired it. When it comes to star-making, there are few talents more powerful than making other people feel included.' Perhaps Young captured the essence of Australia's identification with the underdog best, someone who could relate to the ups and downs of everyday Australians. It is the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is the power of hope.
Another author of the Cliff Young story is ultra-running historian Phil Essam. Having competed against Young on a number of occasions, Essam is now the Director of Helping Ultras Ltd, based in Canberra. 'I wouldn't say that Cliff was really the underdog in that race,' says the quietly spoken Essam, as we sit in the comfort of a cosy bar in Manuka, 'but I would say he was undervalued.' He explains that Young did have quite a few runs on the board in ultra-running prior to the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne event. 'I would place him about half way in that field, it was only two months prior to that day when Cliff won a 100 mile race at Manly.' Though most were unaware of Young's running history, it was his withered, toothless appearance that seemed to appeal to the nation (it was reported he raced without his false teeth, because they clattered about too much). Jameson writes: 'on the second evening of the Westfield Ultra, when Channel Ten news ran a story on the race, particularly its scrawny, aesthetically challenged oldest participant, oddballs might just have been flavour of the month.' Essam is pensive as he absorbs this description: '1983 was a funny era in Australia,' he says, 'I think we were looking for something new, the economy was a bit tougher, 1983 was the year for that sort of thing, it was the same we year we won the America's Cup.' When asked what Young's reaction may have been had someone predicted the euphoric response to his victory, Essam chuckles: 'Oh it would have been something like "Bugger off mate!" if you had of told him he'd be on the Don Lane Show? Well, he would never have expected the fuss that eventuated.'
We loved it when John Bertrand and his boys stole the America's Cup with a sneaky winged keel, our Prime Minister Bob Hawke famously declaring that 'any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum!' We ran every mile with the 61 year old farmer who captured our hearts. We laughed with joy as the blonde tipped, spiky haired dude from Brisbane watched the stars collide and collected the Gold. 'What is your favourite underdog victory (apart from your own)?' I ask Bradbury: 'My favourite would have to be Kieran Perkins, when he won from lane eight, in the 1500 in Atlanta. He won every 1500 metre race forever, and then Grant Hackett eventually came along, and I was ecstatic that someone had finally knocked him off, but things hadn't gone well for Perkins leading up to Atlanta and he only made that final by two one hundredths of a second, by then everyone had written him off. I've thought about that race, it was a learning experience, it taught me that I shouldn't have been happy to see him beat by Hackett at the next Olympics, a lot of Australians have that attitude with that tall poppy syndrome, to see Perkins win that gold medal from lane eight, that's up there in our most highly rated underdog victories of all time.'
Although not a sporting hero and arguably not a 'hero' at all, another underdog who undoubtedly benefited from the emphathy of the Australian public was bushranger Ned Kelly.
As the winter sunshine glistens through the gums on the lush green valleys of North East Victoria, I head out to the historic town of Beechworth for the annual Ned Kelly Festival. It is not hard to fathom Australia's romance with bushranger folktales driving through this countryside of rolling hills, craggy rocks and beautiful waterfalls.
Former Indigo Shire Mayor Vic Issell is preparing to read 'The Jerilderie Letter,' dictated by Ned Kelly to gang member Joe Byrne, who scribed the letter in 1879. It contains a detailed account of Kelly's struggles with the authorities, describing many cases of alleged police corruption and justifying many of his actions as self-defence. It was intended for Jerilderie's newspaper Editor Sam Gill; however it ended up being delivered instead to the Bank of New South Wales, where unfortunately it remained hidden for 90 years.
The small room is filled with around 35 people, there are the long grey haired fellows in R.M. Williams Drizabones, a smartly dressed urban couple, a local comedian, two women in their 40s taking selfies on their iPhone (I wonder what Kelly would have made of that?), two young men dressed in trendy black leather jackets, a number of middle aged couples, and one or two young families. The Kelly story it would appear interests a vast cross section of the community.
The general consensus at the end of Issell's impressive reading is: 'Well said Ned.' Most reflect on the eloquence of the speech for its time, and the command of the English language displayed by a man who had not been to school since he was 10. Clearly Ned was no dill.
As I roam the cobbled streets of Beechworth I ask a gentleman decked out in trooper regalia 'Ned Kelly, legend or loser?' He gives a hearty laugh as he thinks only for a second before his reply. 'Oh, Ned was absolutely a loser, that's why he is such a legend!' It is this anti-establishment undercurrent and support for the oppressed that seems to fuel most of the positive remarks made about Ned Kelly. No-one is able to say in one absolute statement that he was a 'legend' as they must justify this statement with a balanced viewpoint; he was an underdog undoubtedly, but a hero not-so-much.
An 11 year old little girl grins shyly as she responds earnestly to my question: 'Was Ned Kelly a bad man, or a good man?' Her answer is possibly the best I've been given all morning. 'No, my Mum said my Dad is a good man, she said Ned tried hard to be good, but he did bad things.' In one short sentence she has pointed out that everyday people do good things in their community, and some really battle to do so, but when the going gets tough nothing justifies murder or theft.
Pondering the common thread of all of my underdog discussions, one philosophy is clearly evident in each.
Whether it be Paterson's swagman returning to haunt the billabong, Ned Kelly's defiant last stand and 'such is life' statement at the gallows, 82,000 people breaking the rules to sing Waltzing Matilda at the Rugby World Cup, or another audacious Australian sporting victory, Steven Bradbury's signature sign off represents the underlying attitude present in all of Australia's underdog legends:
Never give up.

subset: commoncrawl


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The all new Hilux builds on 50 years of heritage to set new benchmarks in strength, performance and drivability, while introducing even higher levels of comfort and equipment. Tested by the world's toughest terrains and equipped with advanced technologies to keep you safe, in control and connected, it's a pick-up that gives you more and takes your further. Now, the Toyota Hilux is available with 3.9%* APR on HP finance.
|Hilux Single Cab DLX
|Finance Advance
|48 months
|Total Cost of Credit
Finance Terms and Conditions:
†Includes delivery & related charges. Model is shown for illustrative purposes only.*Lending criteria, terms and conditions apply. Minimum deposit of 30% required and max term of 48 months apply. Finance example is based on a fixed rate APR of 3.9% and is inclusive of a documentation fee and purchase fee of €63.49 each. Finance provided by way of Hire Purchase agreement by Toyota Financial Services Ireland DAC. Rate quoted is correct as at 18th October 2018 and is subject to change. This offer is available on all Hilux models registered/purchased from 1st November 2018 to 30th April 2019.
Warranty Terms and Conditions:
Comes with a 3 year or 100,000km comprehensive warranty and a standard five-year or 100,000km warranty for Hybrid parts. The Hybrid battery warranty can be renewed annually for up to 10 years from the date of registration by completing a Hybrid Health Check from the 6th year. On successful completion of the Hybrid Health Check the battery will benefit from a further one year's (or 15,000km) Hybrid Battery Extended Care cover.
The Hybrid Health Check (HHC) is included with any Hybrid Service.
The Hybrid Health Check (HHC) is included with any Hybrid Service.


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David Zelenka began developing interactive media in 1993 under the company name Interactive Earth. Since that time he has developed web sites, graphic design, educational materials and released books that reflect the great creativity evident in both human endeavor and the natural world.
David's skill as a naturalist, artist, educator and designer find their roots in a deep curiosity and love for the natural world. He has worked to promote stewardship of a variety of ecosystems in the United States as a multimedia contractor, seasonal park ranger, wilderness guide, teacher and curriculum developer. His recent endeavors have been to encourage critical-thinking in education and to foster genuine interactions between students, their communities and the environment.


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Kazu Kibuishi Interview @ DC
Talks with Flight artists, as well as reviews of related books...
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Kazu Kibuishi Interview @ DC
Wayne Ree has a fantastic interview with Flight Kazu Kibuishi, which is sure to shed some light on the upcoming release of the fourth anthology. Be sure to check that out if you're a fan.
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GLK5406 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 149 diseños de 30 diseñadores freelance.
NightinGail Photography
We are a fun-loving boutique style photography studio specializing in custom collections for weddings and portraits. We are not the run-of-the-mill studio and there are no cookie-cutter styles for our clients who choose us because of my style and personality along with my ability to translate their dreams into artistic prints and albums for their memories. We use a free-style approach that ensures that each session is unique and is the right fit for the client. We are based in Canada but travel worldwide.
We are targeting up and coming engaged couples between 25 - 40 who do their research and know their style for their wedding day. They are professionals or entrepreneurs with an understanding of the value of photography in making those memories for them with every portrait commission. They like art and urban locations but may have vacation homes or travel. They want their photos to represent them and not what their parents may have had. They like wall canvases and are looking for a life-long photographer to capture all of the main events of their lives. They do their research on-line before making contact via e-mail or phone. They are technically savy and don't like any "snow jobs" when we meet them.
We are looking for a clean, crisp logo with a modern style, easy to read, font and colours that will appeal to the client who is researching on-line. It also should be something that will stand the length of time as we have had 3 different logos over the last 5 years as the company has evolved. We have changed colours also so it is important that the new logo incorporate colours that are also timeless and will appeal to our target market. We don't want clip art as the logo has to be easy converted into a watermark for our photos.
Our logo will be used in print, web and for the creation of our marketing materials, letterhead, etc. so we would need it in all the appropriate formats for these files. The font should also be able to be recreated into a "stamp" for our albums/folios.
Some styles of logos that I like are:
These are just ideas.. feel free to use your creativity and style. Colours should fit within the market that we are trying to target.
Our current logo is at http://www.nightingailphotography.com
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Foiled prank sends area schools into lockdown
ST. MARYS - A senior prank gone awry was reportedly the reason for a lockdown Thursday morning that affected schools in the Elk County Catholic School System and the St. Marys Area School District. The St. Marys City Police reported responding to a report of an intruder in the Elk County Catholic High School (ECCHS) at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday morning. All schools within the district were immediately notified to go into lockdown as city police and area law enforcement agencies responded. According to City of St. Marys Police Chief Todd Caltagarone, all schools went into lockdown as a safety precaution because police had received "conflicting information" and were not yet sure what they were dealing with when initial reports were coming in. Containment measures were quickly applied while police tactical teams entered the school and conducted a search. The investigation disclosed that the incident was the result of two students from SMAHS who planned the event as part of a senior school prank. One subject was apprehended by police upon arrival at ECCHS and a second subject was later arrested at St. Marys Area High School (SMAHS) and taken into custody. Caltagarone said ECCHS school personnel became suspicious when they observed a suspect dressed like a janitor and acting "evasive and elusive." He added that the suspect may have had "other things that may have been placed to distract (from) what they were doing." "We basically declared our tactical alert," he said. Emergency alerts sent from the schools' messaging systems alerted parents of a lockdown and assured them that students were safe. According to police, both of the alleged pranksters are being charged with criminal offenses. Police said the two were not juveniles, but their names will not be released until charges are filed. St. Marys City Police were assisted by the Ridgway Borough Police, Johnsonburg Borough Police, Elk County Sheriff's Office, the Pennsylvania State Police, the St. Marys Area Ambulance Service and the Crystal Fire Department.


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Selection against Neandertal deleterious alleles – "'Approximately 2-4% of the human genome is in non-Africans comprised of DNA intro- gressed from Neanderthals. Recent studies have shown that there is a paucity of introgressed DNA around functional regions, presumably caused by selection after introgression. [U]sing previously published estimates of inbreeding in Neanderthals, and of the distribution of fitness effects from human protein coding genes, we show that the average Neanderthal would have had at least 40% lower fitness than the average human due to higher levels of inbreeding and an increased mutational load, regardless of the dominance coefficients of new mutations. Using simulations, we show that under the assumption of additive dominance effects, early Neanderthal/human hybrids would have experienced strong negative selection, though not so strong that it would prevent Neanderthal DNA from entering the human population.'" – @dienekes'…
…but see greg cochran: Degenerate Neanderthals – "Part of the problem is that the model is probably too simple. There is an argument, which makes sense to me, that suggest that small-N populations do better than you would think, because as the average population fitness gets farther from the optimum, strongly beneficial compensatory mutations become more and more possible."
A Few Months of Evolutionary Change Reshapes a Whole Community – "The overall lesson is that evolutionary change is constant, and that evolving populations can change the very environments to which they're adapting. Natural selection isn't shaping species to achieve some single ideal version of themselves, but in pursuit of constantly moving targets — and that's worth keeping in mind no matter we're talking about Daphnia magna or Homo sapiens."
Size (Population) Matters for Inbreeding – "Presumably, in large populations there will be many low frequency variants of weak deleterious effect and recessive expression. In contrast, in small populations the power of drift is such that even rather deleterious alleles can be fixed against the gradient of selection. At cross-purposes with this is the idea that because inbreeding populations tend to 'expose' alleles which express recessively to selection they can 'purge' the genetic load which drags on fitness…. What [the researchers] found is that in line with theoretical prediction those sampled from large populations had lots of segregating deleterious alleles, which manifested in strong inbreeding effect when individuals were purposely crossed with those genetically similar. In contrast, those from small populations did not exhibit so much inbreeding effect, indicating that a lot of the deleterious alleles were already fixed and so exposed. These individuals from small populations also exhibited lower fitness than those from large populations, reflecting in all likelihood their genetic load. Crossing individuals from different small populations resulted in immediately hybrid vigor, as the fixed variants differed across lineages." – from razib.
Fires in the Forest: The Revolution in Human Evolution – "On top of the story of migrations of whole peoples, and the extinction and absorption of others, is the story of bands of men operating as units, related either in truth or fictively, which extract rents across a thickly populated landscape of human cattle." – also from razib.
Regression to the Mean – "Clever people might notice that all of HBD is based on just two concepts: behavioral genetics (or again, more broadly, heritability) and the breeder's equation. Know those two things and most of the rest follows." – from jayman.
Deutschland über alles, dann unter allen? – dr. james thompson on an apparent reversal of the flynn effect in germany. (see also his comment here.) – see also Dysgenic Deutschland from anatoly karlin.
The Correlation Between g Loadings and Heritability in Russia – "Data from 402 twins aged 13 and 296 twins aged 16 showed correlations of r=−0.45 and r=−0.60, respectively. It is concluded that the two data points are clearly not in line with established findings. It may be that the link between g loadings and heritabilities is more complex than previously thought." – h/t sketchy person!
Are CEOs Born Leaders? Lessons from Traits of a Million Individuals – "CEOs have higher cognitive and non-cognitive ability scores and are taller than typical members of the population. The difference in traits is larger when CEOs run bigger companies; it is smaller when they run family firms, in particular in the capacity of an heir or in a less competitive industry." – h/t ben southwood! who tweeted: "CEOs: in the top 5% of smarts, height and well-adjusted personality at age 18"
The path and performance of a company leader: A historical examination of the education and cognitive ability of Fortune 500 CEOs – "Across the last two decades ≈ 40% of CEOs were on the top 1% of cognitive ability. Even within CEOs, education/ability was associated with company gross revenue."
The Quantitative Genetics of Disgust Sensitivity – "Twin modeling revealed that approximately half of the variation in pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust is due to genetic effects. An independent pathways twin model also revealed that sexual and pathogen disgust sensitivity were influenced by unique sources of genetic variation, while also being significantly affected by a general genetic factor underlying all 3 disgust domains. Moral disgust sensitivity, in contrast, did not exhibit domain-specific genetic variation." – h/t erwin schmidt!
Can intelligence explain the overrepresentation of liberals and leftists in American academia? – "Liberals and leftists are overrepresented in American academia. One explanation is that liberals and leftists have higher intelligence. This hypothesis is tested. Intelligence accounts for some but not all of the overrepresentation."
Inter-group conflict and cooperation: field experiments before, during and after sectarian riots in Northern Ireland – "The idea that cooperative groups out-compete less cooperative groups has been proposed as a theoretical possibility for the evolution of cooperation through cultural group selection…. In this study we test the hypothesis that inter-group conflict promotes parochial altruism (i.e. in-group altruism and out-group hostility) by using longitudinal data of a real-world measure of cooperation – charity and school donations – sampled before, during and after violent sectarian riots between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We find that conflict is associated with reductions in all types of cooperation, with reduced donations to a neutral charity, and both in-group and out-group primary schools. After the conflict, both in-group and out-group donations increased again. In this context we find no evidence that inter-group conflict promotes parochial altruism."
Interactions between personality and institutions in cooperative behaviour in humans – "We investigate interactions between personality and a punishment situation via two versions of a public goods game. We find that, even in a strong situation, personality matters and, moreover, it is related to strategic shifts in cooperation. Extraversion is associated with a shift from free-riding to cooperation in the presence of punishment, agreeableness is associated with initially higher contributions regardless of game, and, contrary to our predictions, neuroticism is associated with lower contributions regardless of game. Results should lead to new hypotheses that relate variation in biological functioning to individual differences in cooperative behaviour and that consider three-way interactions among personality, institutional context and sociocultural background." – h/t andrew sabisky!
Nonreligious children are more generous – "Religious doctrines typically urge the faithful to treat others with compassion and to put the greater good before selfish interests. But when it comes to generosity, nonreligious kids seem to be more giving, according to a new study of 1170 children from around the world. Children from religious homes — particularly Muslims — also showed a greater inclination to judge someone's misdeeds as wrong and punish the perpetrators…. Muslim children on average gave the highest rankings and sought harsher punishments than either their Christian or secular counterparts. Decety says he is unsure why this is the case." – h/t jayman! see also staffan who tweeted: "Religious or not often coincide with Clannish and WEIRDO. A big and likely confound overlooked." and me: "would've been nice if they'd broken down the race/ethnicities for the u.s., canadian, and south african samples."
Sex and STEM Occupation Predict Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Scores in Half a Million People – "As predicted, sex and occupation differences were observed: on average, males (m = 21.55, SD = 8.82) scored higher than females (m = 18.95; SD = 8.52), and individuals working in a STEM career (m = 21.92, SD = 8.92) scored higher than individuals non-STEM careers (m = 18.92, SD = 8.48). Also as predicted, age and geographic region were not meaningfully correlated with AQ. These results support previous findings relating to sex and STEM careers in the largest set of individuals for which AQ scores have been reported and suggest the AQ is a useful self-report measure of autistic traits."
Seven Dimensions Of Personality Pathology Are Under Sexual Selection In Modern Spain – "In a sample of 959 outpatients, we examine whether, and how, sexual selection acts on seven main dimensions of personality pathology, taking into account mating success, reproductive success, and the mediating role of status. We find that, to varying extents, all personality dimensions are under sexual selection. Far from being predominantly purifying, selective forces push traits in diverging, often pathological, directions. These pressures differ moderately between the sexes. Sexual selection largely acts in males through the acquisition of wealth, and through the duration (rather than the number) of mates. This gives a reproductive advantage to males high in Persistence-Compulsivity. Conversely, because of the decoupling between the number of mates and offspring, the promiscuous strategy of psychopaths is not so successful. Negative Emotionality, the most clinically detrimental trait, is slightly deleterious in males but is positively selected in females, which can help to preserve variation…. An evolutionary perspective on PDs can provide a better understanding of their nature and causes than we have achieved to date by considering them as illnesses." – h/t siberian fox!
On the relationship between school suspensions, race, single-motherhood, and more and Small update to prior post on school suspension rates, comparing racial/ethnic differences with national aggregates – from mr. random c. analysis, esq.
Polygyny makes men bigger, tougher … and meaner and The contradictions of polygyny – from peter frost.
No evidence that polygynous marriage is a harmful cultural practice in northern Tanzania – "We present counterevidence that polygyny is often positively associated with food security and child health within communities and that, although polygyny and health are negatively associated at the group level, such differences are accounted for by alternative socioecological factors. These results support models of polygyny based on female choice and suggest that, in some contexts, prohibiting polygyny could be costly for women and children by restricting marital options." – h/t sergey gavrilets!
The missing hour of sleep – "In reality, there is no single human nature. Genetic evolution didn't slow down when humans began to split up and settle the different continents. It accelerated. And not just because our ancestors were adapting to different natural environments. Most of the acceleration took place long after the globe had been settled from the equator to the arctic. It happened when humans began to adapt to an increasingly diverse range of cultural environments. And those adaptations were mostly behavioral and psychological. One of them is the way we sleep. The African sleep pattern is normal in its native environment. It is simply an adaptation to a particular set of circumstances, just as the northern European sleep pattern is an adaptation to another set of circumstances." – also from peter frost.
The Measured Proficiency of Somali Americans – from chuck @humanvarieties. see also: Chisala and Powerpoint Publishing from dr. james thompson.
Heritability of Racial and Ethnic Pride, Preference, and Prejudice – "[I]t does seem that individual differences in expressed ethnic and racial preference have a non-trivial genetic basis, as we might have anticipated given that most social preferences do." – also from chuck.
Genetic and socioeconomic study of mate choice in Latinos reveals novel assortment patterns – "In Mexican and Puerto Rican couples, we find that partners share more similar genomic ancestries, which is characterized as the fractions of genome that come from European, Native American, and African ancestries, than random pairs of individuals from the same community. Our analysis shows that this similarity cannot be explained by the individuals' socioeconomic factors alone." – h/t ben southwood and jayman!
Cognitive ability and tattoos and piercings – from emil kirkegaard. (full disclosure: i don't have any tattoos, nor do i have any "extreme" piercings. (~_^) )
G. E. Moore Contra Edvard Westermarck and The Moral Philosophy of G. E. Moore, or Why You Don't Need to Bother with Aristotle, Hegel, and Kant – from helian.
Corruption In Eastern Europe: Tail Or Dog? – from malcolm pollack.
Huxley: Brave New World Revisited – from steve hsu. also Houellebecq on Tocqueville, Democracy, and Nietzsche.
Crashing the Gates: A Crash Course – from m.g. @thosewhocansee on the european migrant crisis.
Changes in Inequality and Generalized Trust in Europe – "This paper analyses the determinants of trust in a pool of 34 European countries over the period 2002–2012. We find that income inequality is negatively related with generalized trust when we analyze the pooled data of individuals with multilevel models, confirming a well-established result in the analysis of cross-country differences in trust…. In contrast, in the fixed effects models, we find negative and significant effects of ethnic and linguistic fractionalization, discrimination (general or based on migrant status) and crime rates on trust." – behind a paywall.
Why Did Asian America Abandon the GOP? – short answer: the shifting composition of asian americans. – from t.greer.
Het 'verboden onderwerp': Inteelt is weldegelijk moslimprobleem – from joost niemöller. in dutch [obv]. h/t sam schulman! who tweeted: "Warning to geneticists: stay out of the #Netherlands. They're arresting those who mention cousin marriage."
bonus: Did Africa's Apes Come From Europe? – "Fossil evidence hints that the common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees and humans evolved in Europe." – h/t billare!
bonus bonus: The greatest vanishing act in prehistoric America – "Seven centuries ago, tens of thousands of people fled their homes in the American Southwest. Archaeologists are trying to work out why."
bonus bonus bonus: Thanet, Tanit and the Phoenicians: Place-Names, Archaeology and Pre-Roman Trading Settlements in Eastern Kent?
bonus bonus bonus bonus: Thank heavens, someone figured out which bacteria live on a donkey's penis – (O.O)
bonus bonus bonus bonus bonus: Ancient mummified hand hidden in wall of Yorkshire cottage 'has power to entrance humans' – a hand of glory?!
and the tweet of the week! (i almost forgot)…
(note: comments do not require an email. smile!)


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Hollywood- Do you have a racy, risqué or downright raunchy line you need sold to an audience without horrifying them? Betty White is, and always has been, your go-to girl.
"Honey, I've been getting away with it for 63 years, I hate to tell you," White chuckled to PopcornBiz at the recent PaleyFest tribute to her hit sitcom "Hot In Cleveland." "I've been doing double entendre all my life, but it's just fun. It's kidding."
Exactly when did America's favorite octogenarian realize she had a gift for delivering cleverly concealed dirty dialogue, something she's specialized in since "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the 70s?
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"My father was a traveling salesman and growing up we'd sit around the breakfast table or the dinner table and he'd bring jokes home," White remembers. "They'd never explain them to me. Either I got them or I didn't, and that was it, but he'd say, 'Honey, you can take this one to school, but I wouldn't take THAT story to school.'"
But White does take certain titillating turns of phrase to work with her these days, as her current co-stars attest.
"Oh my God, she'll take anything and turn it into a double entendre," laughs Jane Leeves, who said White recently dropped a fresh line on her, "something about 'I don't swing through that gate.' That one was new to me! She's filthy-mouthed!"
"Most of her stuff is double entendres," agrees Wendy Malick. "What we all realize is that she's the woman who can say what would be the raunchiest line. She had one recently on the show where she has to have a screen name, and it's called 'Benderover.' And you think anyone else saying that would've been so disgusting, but there's something about Betty because she's got the twinkly blue eyes and that all-American smile."
What's the naughtiest bomb Valerie Bertinelli's heard Betty drop?
"I can't say it!" Bertinelli blushed. "But she's not nasty. It's just fun and flirty and it's Betty. God - If I could grow up to be a Betty White, I'd be a very happy lady."


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"2002-2003 Arctic ozone loss deduced from POAM III satellite observations and the SLIMCAT chemical transport model", Atmos. Chem. Phys., vol. 5, pp. 597–609, 2005.,
"3C 129 at 90 Centimeters: Evidence for a Radio Relic?", The Astronomical Journal, vol. 123, pp. 2985–2989, 2002.,
"A 3D-CTM with detailed online PSC-microphysics: analysis of the Antarctic winter 2003 by comparison with satellite observations", Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics, vol. 7, pp. 1755–1772, 2007.,
"Aerosol extinction profiles at 525 nm and 1020 nm derived from ACE imager data: comparisons with GOMOS, SAGE II, SAGE III, POAM III, and OSIRIS", Atmos. Chem. Phys., vol. 8, pp. 2027–2037, 2008.,
"Aerosol optical depth measurements by airborne sun photometer in SOLVE II: Comparisons to SAGE III, POAM III and airborne spectrometer measurements", Atmos. Chem. Phys., vol. 5, pp. 1311–1339, 2005.,
"An analysis of Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II Arctic polar stratospheric cloud observations, 1993–1996", Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 104, pp. 24341–24357, 1999.,
"Antarctic dehydration 1998–2003: Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM) measurements and Integrated Microphysics and Aerosol Chemistry on Trajectories (IMPACT) results with four meteorological models", Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 112, 2007.,
"Antarctic stratospheric ozone from the assimilation of occultation data", Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 31, 2004.,
"Arctic chemical ozone depletion during the 1994–1995 winter deduced from POAM II satellite observations and the REPROBUS three-dimensional model", Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 103, pp. 19231–19244, 1998.,
"Arctic winter 2005: Implications for stratospheric ozone loss and climate change", Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 33, 2006.,
"An assessment of southern hemisphere stratospheric NOx enhancements due to transport from the upper atmosphere", Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 27, pp. 329–332, 2000.,
"An assessment of the ozone loss during the 1999–2000 SOLVE/THESEO 2000 Arctic campaign", Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 107, pp. SOL 3–1–SOL 3-15, 2002.,
"ASTROCAM: offner re-imaging 1024 X 1024 InSb camera for near-infrared astrometry on the USNO 1.55-m telescope", in Proc. of SPIE, vol 4841, 2003, vol. 4841, pp. 564–577. (1.38 MB),
"The Atomic and Molecular Content of Disks Around Very Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs", The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 779, 2013. (855.99 KB),
"Black hole accretion and star formation as drivers of gas excitation and chemistry in Markarian 231", Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 518, p. L42, 2010. (247.79 KB),
"Broad [C II] Line Wings As Tracer Of Molecular And Multi-Phase Outflows In Infrared Bright Galaxies", The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 822:43, 2016. (1.87 MB),
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Nintendo's Wii Party is more than just a collection of enjoyable mini-games. It's also the ideal instrument to get you the girl of your dreams, even if she's currently dating a total douchebag who just happens to have great hair.
In the battle against the Johnny Lawrences, Stan Winstons and Chas Osbornes of the world, turns out a little Wii Party can help expose their innermost asshole to the crushes in your life. As proven in this informative promo spot, noticed by NeoGAF member jarosh, mini-games are the shortest way to a girl's heart, but like poison to William Zabka types.
So, remember. At your next rockin' house party, a little Wii Party might just let you score in a whole new way.


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Honglei Liu-Airland Shenzhen Hotel
At Design Interviews
Interview with Honglei Liu : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Honglei Liu : The design intent was to achieve a pure, natural and romantic ambiance with minimum budget. The designer wished to create a minimal and pure space that offers relaxing and pleasant experiences through its natural beauty. .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Honglei Liu : BLVD's interior study focused on creating a unique beach holiday experience for our hotel guests, through optimizing and harmonizing the entire interior space to enhance the quality of hotel lighting ambiance. In addition, natural design elements from the beach were introduced to form a spectacular interior color scheme. The colors hue of natural sand extended through the entire hotel. On the other hand, the biggest challenge of this project was how to integrate interior design with the existing architectural structure. In order to complete this renovation within a limited construction budget as our client request, extra design consideration was given to retaining the existing architectural structure. At the end of the project, the solutions we found were functional, enhanced the quality of life and culture of the occupants, and were aesthetically attractive. .Frank Scott: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?. Honglei Liu : As it was a renovation project, the total budget was quite challenging. Because of this, the designers made the best use of the existing space, which is shaped by the curvy architecture. The complicated design was abandoned; instead, natural landscape and sunlight are introduced into interior while keeping the openness and ventilation of the atrium and its surrounding. .Frank Scott: What made you design this particular type of work?. Honglei Liu : BLVD got involved in this project from winning a biding competition invited by the hotel client. BLVD was responsible for interior design of all the front of house areas and landscape design within this hotel property. .Frank Scott: Who is the target customer for his design?. Honglei Liu : The hotel is nestled in a harbor area on the west side the Shenzhen city. It usually takes one or two hours driving from Shenzhen CBD to this fabulous destination. Guests from all around the world and citizen who are working and living in downtown CBD would like to visit Airland hotel a lot for leisure, conferences, and mainly for vacations. BLVD created a contemporary styled beach resort hotel in order to satisfy the market needs of this area. .Frank Scott: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?. Honglei Liu : What is worth mentioning is that in the buffer zone between the atrium and the western styled restaurant, a natural screen resembling a bamboo forest, is artfully created with minimum cost, accented with a sea creature-like light fixture. The screen provides certain privacy and also delivers elegant ambience. The color scheme of the restaurant seeks its inspiration from sea life, which is the theme of the western restaurant. Meanwhile, most of the original European classical stairs are transformed into white and minimalist bowl-like "Bird Nest" forms, which are integrated into the wavy architecture, pure and unique, providing a visual focus for the atrium. .Frank Scott: What is the most unique aspect of your design?. Honglei Liu : The complicated design was abandoned; instead, natural landscape and sunlight are introduced into interior while keeping the openness and ventilation of the atrium and its surrounding. In the pure white space, wood grains and shadows become the dominant lines in the lobby, accented by the interaction between sunlight and the interior color scheme. As the guestroom is very small, the open-style design was adopted to maximize the light effect in space expansion. The sunlight splashes through the white sheer onto the wall and floor, with the change of time, creating different shadows and lines as in an abstract painting. .
Honglei Liu-Airland Shenzhen Hotel Images:
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Revolution (Part II)
1. Grunt Doc with a revealing graph.
2. Scalpel with a kick-ass analogy.
3. The inevitable.
4. An economist's view (a real asshole conservative type, typical!).
5. Monkey Girl sums it up.
Personally I can not live without a 60" plasma screen TV so I'm all for the government paying for it.
9 comments:
When the chick with the humongo hot pink fake nails and the matching hot pink Razr signed in last night with abd pain and asked for a work note before even being triaged, I thought of you.ReplyDelete
When she left her "State Funded Medical Insurance" paperwork at the bedside after telling the registration clerk that she couldn't afford to put even 25 bucks down as a deposit for her care, I twitched a bit.
When she threw a fit when we wouldn't "find her a ride home" because she didn't want to call babydaddy and wake him up, and said "what kind of a hospital is this that you don't care about the patients?", I almost stabbed her in the neck.
Our system sucks.
I wonder if she fills her cart up at Wal-Mart and then throws a fit if they expect her to pay?
- Anonymous8:03 AM, July 31, 2007
It's too bad we don't all live in Cuba so that we could be taken care of by our Father Fidel, be healthy and live in harmony with the world. It's like Eden!ReplyDelete
Don't you get it??? If you give away everything for free to everyone, then everyone gets free stuff and no one suffers. End of problem. Who doesn't get this? Hello?
I'm starting a utopian society based on this. Who is with me? Our motto will be: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his work." I think it could work!
Good Tuesday morning 911 Doc !ReplyDelete
I must not be working the system correctly. I worked for my 50" and paid for it. sigh... :)
- Anonymous2:28 PM, July 31, 2007
Nice links to some good stuff...ReplyDelete
I think all of this is blantantly obvious and I haven't heard a rational argument against these ideas. Please, someone out there in the ether tell me why this is wrong!!! Probably will have to wait a while for that (read: forever).
Monkeygirl - I'm digging the violent vibe.
BTW, I used the 60 inch plasma TV as an example because that is about the same price as an ER visit for chest or abdominal pain.ReplyDelete
I like to try to keep things in perspective.
But etotheipi--Health care is a RIGHT! Barack Obama said so, and he is handsome, wears nice suits, and went to Harvard Law, so it must be true.ReplyDelete
You're not out to deny people their RIGHTS are you? It's only your right to make minimum wage, and it's their right to never-ending free care, so you're going to have to suck it up and take it like that poor soul with the jackrabbit up his hinder until it hurts. We frankly don't care about your "needs" to be "compensated." And, by the way, compensation above minimum wage is a need and not a right.
HEALTH CARE, on the other hand, is a right.
Because Barack Obama said so.
I liked Walter Williams column on Health Care in Last Sunday's paper.ReplyDelete
Walter Williams on Health Care
dear marlaquack,ReplyDelete
thanks for the link. it is now part of the original post.
- Anonymous8:23 AM, August 01, 2007
nurse k: thank you for clarifying. I feel much better. And Barack is soooo cute!ReplyDelete


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In all of Star Wars fandom, there is maybe only one name that strikes more disgust than Ewok (Gungan/Jar Jar). Often decried as nothing more than "teddy bears" that drag down the original trilogy, the Ewoks have been vilified by many. However, I loved the Ewoks as a kid, and even today, I consider them to be murderous badasses who might just be one of the most dangerous species in the entire galaxy.
In their first appearance, over thirty years ago in Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks tried to roast Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca alive and probably intended to tear R2-D2 apart and use his parts for some nefarious purpose. The only thing that saved our heroes was the Ewok worship of C-3PO (with a Force assist from Skywalker), who ordered the furry psychopaths to let the three heroes (and R2) go.
Later in the film, the Ewoks gleefully waged war against the Empire's best soldiers. Their mastery over metallurgy allowed their weapons to easily pierce the stormtroopers' state-of-the-art armor, and their small size was ideal for evading Imperial assaults (usually).
At the end of Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks celebrated their successful battle against the Empire, which was actually an elaborate hunt they had planned long before they met Luke and Co., by turning the helmets of fallen stormtroopers into musical instruments. What happened to the heads inside those helmets is sure to haunt our darkest nightmares were we ever to find out. While the Ewoks lost their appetizers with the divine intervention of C-3PO, they were still able to enjoy their main course — the soldiers of the Empire.
"But wait!" you might be saying. "What about the Ewok movies with the Towani family?! The Ewoks were nice to them!"
Ah, but the Ewoks were fully planning to eat the Towanis as well. That particular tribe was simply a group of Ewok hippies who believed in free-range meat. So they allowed the Towanis to roam free, intending to slowly fatten them up while letting them get exercise so their meat was nice and lean when the time came. The Marauders in The Battle for Endor threw a hydrospanner into those plans; killing Cindel's parents and brother and sending the young girl into the care of Noa, who took her off the planet. The Ewoks mourned the loss of their feast, but soon after, the Empire arrived with thousands of workers and soldiers. It was as though an all-you-can-eat buffet had come to the Ewoks' doorstep.
So, believe the Ewoks were nothing more than silly teddy bears if you want. Me, I think about the Ewoks and get a tingle of fear up my spine.


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Licenses to participate in Michigan's first wolf hunt in modern times are going on sale.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) ? Licenses to participate in Michigan's first wolf hunt in modern times are going on sale.
The Department of Natural Resources says 1,200 licenses will be available beginning at noon Saturday. They'll cost $100 each for Michigan residents and $500 for out-of-state residents.
The Natural Resources Commission approved the hunt this summer and scheduled it for Nov. 15 through Dec. 31. Opponents are gathering petition signatures for a referendum in hopes of preventing future hunts.
The commission is allowing 43 wolves to be killed in seven Upper Peninsula counties. Hunters who get a wolf must report it by day's end. Others must check daily to make sure the quota isn't exceeded.
Licenses will be available online, at any authorized license agent and at some DNR offices.


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Code: BA171216
Ilse Jacobsen Raincoat LC 606 Moonstone: 16
- Out of stock
Made of breathable soft shell material, this raincoat allows you to move freely in the rain with no sweat. Resisting water pressure up to 5000mm, it can withstand even the hardest torrential downpour. A Teflon Nanotech membrane creates an invisible shield, that will protect you from the elements.Taped seams keeps the wet out, leaving you happy and dry. The 2-way zipper makes it easy for you to ride your bike, without feeling tight in all the wrong places. This is a style for you, weather you prefer biking or golfing, shopping or strolling. Available in a myriad of colours, it is hard not to get moving in the rain.


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Tim Sanders is the maverick CEO of Los Angeles tech start-up Net Minds and founder of research firm Deeper Media Incorporated. Prior to these positions, he was the Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo, as well as its Leadership Coach (2001-2005). He's a strategic consultant to leading brands, associations and government agencies.
His background is economics, psychology and debate, giving him a rare blend of stories and science to move audiences to action. He's weathered the Quality Movement, the Dotcom Crash and the recent downturn of 2008 – emerging stronger from the experience.
Time Magazine called him a "Public Consultant" because of his extensive pre-keynote research and highly customized advice points for groups. He's one of the top rated speakers in the history of over twenty conferences, conventions and offsite meetings.
Tim is the author of four books, including the global best seller Love Is The Killer App: How to Win Business & Influence Friends. His second book, The Likeability Factor was featured in major media from USA Today to the New York Times. His latest book, Today We Are Rich: Harnessing the Power of Total Confidence is an Inc. Magazine business bestseller. Its message: "Take control of your outlook and get your confidence back!" is right for the times.
Corporate Experience
Tim has valuable experience in cutting-edge businesses, sales and marketing. He's weathered the quality movement as well as the dotcom crash and emerged with precious insight.
After graduate school and a short stint working with quality movement guru Ed Deming, Sanders went to work for Southwestern Bell Mobile systems at the birth of the U.S. cellular phone industry. He applied his expertise of quality, marketing and sales to help launch one of the most important industries of our time – wireless communications for the masses.
In 1996, Sanders went to work at broadcast.com for Mark Cuban, an audacious entrepreneur. After the company was sold to Yahoo!, Sanders created and led the Yahoo! ValueLab, an in-house "think tank" which delivered futuristic insight on technology and human behavior. While working there, he discovered that the company was moving too slowly for the innovation required at the time. Leading by example, he started a movement that inspired their executives to make more and faster decisions and to take calculated risks. Even though he was just a Director, within one year, market analysts and board members recognized him as the leader in the company.
In 2002, Sanders was named Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!, at a time when the Internet industry was going through significant change and pressure from the stock market. He was charged with responding to multi-million dollar critical situations and empowered to make decisions in the field. From this experience, he learned that leadership is a personal decision, not just the function of a title.
Educational Background
Tim attended Loyola Marymount University and studied in the graduate school of communications at the University of Arizona.


text:
Michael Douglas, back in the public eye after a bout with throat cancer, came out to present the final award of the evening, and was met with a thunderous applause from a roomful of friends and colleagues thrilled to see him well.
"There's got to be an easier way get a standing ovation," joked Douglas.
It was the feel-good moment of an otherwise acidic Golden Globes, where "The Social Network," "Glee" and "Boardwalk Empire" were the big winners.
Ricky Gervais wasted no time in picking up where he left off at last year's awards show. As he approached the dais at center stage a beer awaited him, and he took aim at his first victim.
"It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or as Charlie Sheen calls, it, 'Breakfast,'" quipped the British funnyman. It was all down (up?) hill from there. Even Robert Downey Jr. would be moved to describe the evening as "mean-spirited."
U.S. & World
"The Social Network" came into the night with six nominations, making good on four of them, as the film about the birth of Facebook was honored for Best Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin), Best Director (David Fincher) and the evening's big prize, Best Picture.
It hardly came as a surprise, as the film has been rolling up best-picture accolades from all manner of bodies, guilds and associations. At this point there will be little to no suspense come Oscar night, which will surely get people talking again about the idea of moving up the date of the show.
The evening went pretty much as expected on the television side, as well, with "Boardwalk Empire" and its star, Steve Buscemi, earning Best Drama and Best Actor, respectively. And pre-show favorite "Glee" defended its Best Comedy title, and picked up Best Supporting Actress (Jane Lynch) and Best Supporting Actor (Chris Colfer) trophies.
Seeing Colfer out of character, one gets the sense that his role as Curt on "Glee" isn't all that far removed from his own personal experiences. His acceptance speech likely had more people reaching for Kleenex more than any other.
"To all the amazing kids who watch our show and the kids that our show celebrates, and are constantly told 'No,' by the people in their environments, by bullies at school, that they can't be who they are or have what they want because of who they are--well screw that kid. Thank you!" The crowd loved it.
Mark Wahlberg had easily the best night of anyone who didn't win anyting, with his "Fighter" co-stars Melissa Leo and Christian Bale both scoring trophies and "Boardwalk Empire," for which he serves as executive producer, winning Best Drama and Best Actor for Steve Buscemi. Leo was fawning in her praise of the man who marshaled both projects to life.
"Mark Wahlberg, you are a prince, you're amazing," gushed Leo. "It was so beautiful to see you and your team work and thank you so much for working with the Ward-Eklunds for so long and so hard so that Mickey's legacy and Dicky as well will live on so much longer and brighter."
Throughout the evening, Gervais fired off countless take-no-prisoners barbs:
"Some of (the Hollywood Foreign Press) were taken to see Cher in concert—how the hell is that a bribe?"
"He has done all these films, but you probably know him best from facilities like the Betty Ford clinic and Los Angeles County Jail—Robert Downey Jr!"
"I just had to help (Hollywood Foreign Press President Phil Berk) off the toilet and pop his teeth in."
But it didn't feel quite as fresh as last year's performance, when he went after Mel Gibson, Paul McCartney and Angelina Jolie, among others. Maybe we just wanted it too badly, but he was still far funnier than your average awards MC.
There were a few awkward moments throughout, like when Natalie Portman assured the audience that her fiancée Benjamin Millipied "totally wants to sleep with (her)!"
Robert Downey Jr. also expressed an interest in sleeping with every woman nominated in the Best Actress in a Comedy category, saying he was unsure "an actress can do her best work until I've slept with her—Julianne (Moore)." He worked his way down the list before coming to the last and youngest nominee.
"I'm not trying to creep anyone out," he said, "But where's Emma [Stone]?"
Once again, Gervais kept the Golden Globes loose, and had more fun than anyone else in the room on a night went pretty much according to script (with the possible exception of "Carlos" beating out "The Pacific" for Best TV Movie or Miniseries), with "The Social Network" reaffirming its dominance, and "Glee" and "Boardwalk Empire" winning big.


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Tanya is a spirited 22-year-old with dark, cropped hair, a penchant for body art, and a secret. On a chilly October afternoon, she sits at a round wooden table in a knitting shop in New York City and shows off her latest tattoo. Her companion, a 56-year-old nurse practitioner named Susan Ledlie, examines the design and grins, pulling up her sleeve to display her own.
Ledlie and Tanya (name changed) are an unlikely pair. Ledlie, a plump older white woman with a brisk maternal air, teaches graduate nursing at Molloy College in Long Island, New York, since retiring from her job as a nurse practitioner in 2010. Tanya, young and black with a cavalier attitude towards adulthood, grew up with her grandmother in Brooklyn, NY and wants to be a hairdresser. Yet the two have been close friends for 16 years. In 1995, when Tanya was six years old, her grandmother took her to Ledlie's clinic in Brooklyn. Tanya had HIV. She had become infected at birth when she came in contact with her mother's blood, and was diagnosed soon after.
"The first time I saw Susan, I remember I had to get my shots for school," says Tanya. "I was kicking and pushing Susan and she had to bring three other doctors in to hold me down." From that day forward, Ledlie saw Tanya at least once a month, as her primary Aids care provider - a role that included prescribing drugs, doing regular medical checkups and providing teenage counselling. "Visits became like a family thing," Tanya laughs.
Ledlie's role was almost unthinkable three decades ago. In June 1981, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first known case of what would eventually become known as Aids. Just a year later doctors began to diagnose the disease in children. Initially, they were treated with zidovudine - the first antiretroviral medicine designed to treat HIV - or nothing at all. During these early years of relevant ignorance about the disease, 45% of HIV-positive children died before their tenth birthdays. "We were focused on pain relief and comfort, without any thoughts about the child's future," says George Siberry, an adolescent HIV expert at the US National Institutes of Health.
But in the years since Tanya was diagnosed, there has been a dramatic shift in what it means to be born HIV-positive, particularly in western countries. Today, babies born to mothers infected with HIV receive anti-HIV medication within hours of birth and are not breast-fed so as to avoid passing the virus from mother to child. As a result, fewer than two babies in every 100 born to HIV-positive mothers in the US and Europe become infected with the virus. With treatment, 95% of kids now reach the age of 10. "Since antiretroviral therapy, we've showed they can live well into adulthood, although we don't know for how long," says Siberry.
This is Generation HIV. They are the first kids and young adults to have battled a lifelong infection since birth, and scientists are trying to understand what that really means. "There are so many unanswered questions," says Yvonne Kingon, an HIV nurse practitioner in New York City who now treats Tanya. "Are these kids' immune systems the same when they've been fighting a virus since birth? What does it mean to be an adult and have been on multiple medicines throughout your life?" she says.
A long-term study of 450 HIV-positive youth aims to answer some of those questions. The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (pHAcs) began in 2005 and now has 21 sites across the United States. Researchers are studying two groups of adolescents: those infected with HIV at, or shortly after, birth, and those who were exposed to treatments as infants or during foetal. They hope to understand the effects of the long-term use of HIV medications and the impact of HIV on the biology and psychology of these children. Infectious disease specialists have been closely watching these young survivors, analysing their cellular makeup and immune health, and characterising the HIV virus in the context of these patients' infections. The study will also collect information on immune function, neurological development, cardiac function, bone growth and metabolism. Siberry says the early results show some worrying results, such as increased risk of heart attacks, attention deficit and language learning abilities, as well as higher rates of asthma. "But we won't know for sure until we've followed this pioneering group into their 30's, 40's and 50's," he says.
'Dangerous secret'
According to the United Nations, at the end of 2010, there were 3.4 million children (under 15 years of age) living with HIV around the world – nine out of 10 living in sub-Saharan Africa. Every hour, around 30 children die as a result of Aids, but in the developed world, paediatric HIV has morphed into adolescent HIV, and brought with it a fresh set of obstacles. When Ledlie started as a paediatric HIV nurse practitioner in 1991, most kids who came to her clinic died by age three or four. "They stopped crawling and holding their bottles…they became stiff as a board until they died," she says. But a couple of years into her practice, she reached the first landmark in her fledgling career. "The first kid whose kindergarten graduation I could go to, that was a big thing," she says. "It was like, 'wow'."
Today, instead of fending off swift, deadly infections, practitioners - and HIV-infected youth - are grappling with subtle complications. Two danger areas, according to HIV researchers, are cardiovascular health and neurological illness. Early results from the pHAcs study and others show that many of the children who have been treated with anti-HIV medications since a young age have heart abnormalities, higher cholesterol levels, and above-normal rates of obesity and glucose intolerance—a precursor to diabetes. "In the long run, these factors put the kids at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes," says Siberry. But scientists emphasise that these results don't necessarily herald an epidemic of cardiovascular disease among HIV-positive youth over the next decades. They are initial findings and more work needs to be done to understand what factors contribute to the risk. "It just means we are mindful of the risk and exploring the use of new medications that don't increase cardiovascular side-effects," says Paul Krogstad, a physician and virologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
These kids also have higher than normal rates of mental health issues including depression, substance abuse, attention deficit disorder and learning difficulties. We don't yet know the effect of HIV on the brain during development," says Krogstad. It's still unclear whether the cause is social - a consequence of the kids' socioeconomic backgrounds and speckled family history - or biological. "It deserves close scrutiny," he says.
Whilst questions like this will take time to answer, there are more immediate challenges facing Generation HIV.
Sex can be a messy issue for many young adults, but when an adolescent is HIV positive, it is even more complex. Unlike their peers, these teens have to think about public disclosure of their HIV status, the impact of their sexual encounters on their partners, and whether they want to have kids of their own. "I kinda grew up with this disease and it's totally different now," says Ledlie. Pediatric Aids specialists are wading into unfamiliar territory when they begin talking about pregnancy with their patients. Because of the inextricable relationship between sexuality and HIV transmission, some small studies in the UK and the US have followed the pregnancies of young, HIV-positive women, to assess their reproductive and sexual health, and found their fertility remains relatively intact. One study did however find that a high proportion of girls had abnormal cervical cells, although this could be attributed to their increased susceptibility to genital infections like the human papilloma virus, a cause of cervical cancer.
Tanya's long-term boyfriend still doesn't know she is HIV positive. "It's hard to tell a person whom you're already so [physically] close with," she says. Tanya says she always insists on using protection, but sometimes her boyfriend asks if it's because she "has something." "My excuse is that I don't want to get pregnant," says Tanya. But she has had a pregnancy scare. "Susan sat me down and she was like, 'How do you wanna do this?'" says Tanya. Although Ledlie tried to convince Tanya to tell her boyfriend, she has refused to reveal her secret.
Regime change
Clearly, there are still huge challenges and unknowns. But studies of Generation HIV have also thrown up glimmers of hope. For years, physicians worried that children infected with the virus would grow up with crippled immune systems. But, research shows that most of the children have suppressed the infection and have nearly normal levels of the CD4+ immune cells that are typically destroyed by early HIV infection. That's good news.
Yet not everything is quite as it should be. Many of the group received their childhood vaccinations before they were put on HIV medications but after their immune systems had been compromised. This has made them more susceptible to certain viral diseases, such as shingles and its complications, as well as bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia and meningitis. "Their immune systems were not in optimal shape to make a lasting protective response. That's something fairly unique about this group," says Siberry. "We need to do something different to protect them against vaccine-preventable illnesses." Some ideas about how to tackle this problem include starting anti-retroviral therapy in infancy, before they are given their childhood vaccines, to preserve immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases. An alternative could be to re-vaccinate young children once they've been on the therapy for a few years.
Another hot-button issue for this unique cohort is that of drug resistance. Kingon, who inherited Ledlie's cases in 2010 when she retired, finds her biggest challenge is getting her patients to adhere to their drug regimes. "Adolescents are always going to do what they want to do. If you order them around, they'll either get fed up and leave or they'll 'yes' you to death," says Kingon. When adolescents become lax about their treatment, it can have serious medical repercussions. Skipping HIV meds gives the virus an opportunity to start multiplying rapidly again and to develop drug resistance.
The daily medications have always been Tanya's biggest challenge. Taking your life-saving medication may seem like a straightforward and obvious thing to do for someone in her position, but taking "meds" is not just a simple case of popping a pill once a day. There are more than 20 different drugs approved for the treatment of HIV in the US and Europe. Many patients take a combination of drugs, often two or three at a time, to reduce the likelihood of developing resistance and make treatment more effective. In the past, HIV-positive people used to take as many as 30 pills a day. Although things have improved so that many of the drugs are combined into a single pill, some patients may still need to swallow a tablet two or four times a day. Even after her mother died of Aids and substance abuse in 2004, Tanya didn't stick to her regime, says Ledlie. Together, Ledlie and Tanya worked on a week-to-week schedule. "I would call her and ask her to do good just for a week," says Ledlie.
Although Ledlie is not Tanya's physician anymore, she can't seem to shake that role. "Have you been taking your meds?" she asks casually. Tanya shakes her head, but insists that she knows she should. "I know you know," Ledlie says, holding Tanya's gaze for an extra beat. Tanya says she realises the dangers of drug resistance and is ready to change her attitude - particularly if she wants to have kids someday. "I hear Susan's voice in my head all the time when I walk past my meds on my dresser," she says. "I'm getting older and I want to change before it's too late."
The need for holistic medical care like Ledlie's is becoming obsolete in the west. The sick helpless babies who have survived HIV infection are now independent grown-ups who need to transition safely into adult HIV healthcare. "These children - I still call them that, though they aren't - they really are the pioneers," says Siberry. He says it's important for the medical community to stay in touch with this generation to see how their bodies and minds respond to the virus and the medications through adulthood. "For their sakes, but also for younger children who will be following them in future decades."
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text:
Once Tyne had turned 18 months old, we started to notice that he seemed to be outgrowing his cot quiite quickly.
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
The Toddler Bed Transition + Your Chance To WIN A Thomas or Peppa toddler Bed worth £119.00!
Once Tyne had turned 18 months old, we started to notice that he seemed to be outgrowing his cot quiite quickly.
123 comments
I woul choose the Peppa Pig bed for my little niece because she is still in her cot an will be soon making the big transition! She loves Peppa Pig so I am sure she will love love to sleep in it - hopefully all night long!ReplyDelete
I love the Thomas The Tank bed as every boy loves trains. This would be great for my nephew as I know my son used to be mad about Thomas.ReplyDelete
Thomas & Friends Snuggle Time Bed please! :)ReplyDelete
Thomas the tank fandabidozyReplyDelete
I would choose Peppa Pig as I am expecting a baby girl xReplyDelete
Thomas & Friends Snuggle Time BedReplyDelete
Thomas & friends one because all boys like trains.. right?ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig! xReplyDelete
Thomas the Tank Engine Storytime Toddler BedReplyDelete
I would choose the Thomas & Friends for my grandson who loves ThomasReplyDelete
peppa pig, this would help with the transition from my jasmines cot, as its her favourite chraractor this would encourage her to use itReplyDelete
Peppa Pig Snuggle Time Bed for my little Peppa Pig fanReplyDelete
Lynsey Buchanan
i would choose the thomas and friends oneReplyDelete
Definitely the Thomas the Tank Engine one! My nephew is obsessed with him!ReplyDelete
The Peppa Pig bed as both my son & daughter would like it.ReplyDelete
Thomas & Friends Snuggle Time Bed as my son would like it.ReplyDelete
I would choose the Peppa Pig Snuggle Time Bed for my youngest who is just getting to this age and who loves Peppa Pig (and snuggles)! :)ReplyDelete
(Elizabeth Hinds)
Thomas & friends one because my son loves him xReplyDelete
I would choose the Peppa Pig because my daughter would love itReplyDelete
I would go for the Peppa Pig bed. My granddaughter is about to make the move from a cot to a bed and loves Peppa Pig, this might help make the move easier xReplyDelete
Peppa Pig for sure, my daughter would love it!ReplyDelete
Thomas & Friends Snuggle Time Bed please! - leanne wReplyDelete
peppa pig, my daughter loves peppa pigReplyDelete
The Thomas bedReplyDelete
The Thomas bed please, for my Thomas-obsessed little boy!xReplyDelete
The Peppa Pig one would be great! :)ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig because we only have little girls in our familyReplyDelete
I would choose Peppa pig as my niece absolutely loves her.ReplyDelete
Thomas the tank engine for my little fellaReplyDelete
The Thomas and friends one as my son loves anything blue! Thanks for such a great competition and helpful post xxReplyDelete
The Thomas the Tank Engine for my godson :) He'll think I'm the best godfather ever :)ReplyDelete
Thomas the tank engineReplyDelete
We love peppa in this house, so it would have to be the peppa pig bed!ReplyDelete
Thomas and Friends because my youngest adores Thomas.ReplyDelete
Thomas bed for my little man.ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig Bed!ReplyDelete
peppa, my youngest is a big fan :)ReplyDelete
Peppa as my daughter is peppa pig mad.ReplyDelete
My little girl would love peppa pigReplyDelete
I'm not sure. As the child for which this bed would support, hasn't been born yet. He/she is due in November. I guess should I win, I would have to take a gamble and pick one, probably Thomas. It's a shame both are so gender specific.ReplyDeleteReplies
They're not at all gender specific, they're children's TV characters. My son loves Peppa pig and I know lots of little girls who love Thomas, if you don't enforce old fashioned gender stereotypes of blue for boys and pink for girls on children then theres no reason at all that either bed couldn't suit either genderDelete
Peppa Pig - for my daughter.ReplyDelete
I would choose the Thomas one my little one is Thomas mad! currently having bed time issues trying to get him to sleep in the bed he has already, so this would be great to win as I think this would help the bedtime routine as he would want to get into the Thomas bed. great giveaway fingers crossed!ReplyDelete
The Peppa Pig one!ReplyDelete
Peppa pig for my little Peppa fan :) xxxReplyDelete
Thomas for my little nephew who is thomas mad xReplyDelete
Thomas for my nephew who is Thomas mad xReplyDelete
My daughter would be happy with either but she's more of a Peppa fan so I'd choose Peppa :)ReplyDelete
Peppa pig as my kids are addicted to Peppa!ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig please, my daughter is crazy for the little pink pigletReplyDelete
Peppa Pig for my little girl as she has just turned two and we will be moving her into a bed soon and both she and her baby brother love peppa pig xxReplyDelete
Thomas - my monkey is obsessed!ReplyDelete
I would definately select the Thomas the Tank Engine Storytime Toddler Bed as my little boy loves him so much I already say to him when he's going to sleep that 'it's time for the no.1 Blue Engine to take you off to dreamland' - I can imagine his reaction if it was really true! xReplyDelete
i would choose thomas. although my youngest does love peppa, it would be easier to have thomas when my boys have their friends overReplyDelete
Id choose the Peppa pig one.ReplyDelete
I don't know which one yet as we don't know what we're having.ReplyDelete
Has to be THOMAS, little man loves his trains :)ReplyDelete
I would choose the Thomas bed in preparation for my little boyReplyDelete
My daughter loves Peppa Pig therefore the Peppa Pig bedReplyDelete
The Peppa Pig one looks lovely and snugglyReplyDelete
Thomas & Friends cause i dont think my son would be impressed by peppa pig. lol but I think they are both fab.ReplyDelete
peppa big as there is a little girl that would love it :)ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig Snuggle Time BedReplyDelete
I love the Peppa Pig oneReplyDelete
Peppa pig because my daughter loves peppa pigReplyDelete
the boys LOVE Thomas, so i'd have to choose that.ReplyDelete
Thomas, looks cool!!!ReplyDelete
The Thomas one for my son - he's a big fan!ReplyDelete
Emily loves Peppa Pig, so it would be ideal for her.ReplyDelete
I would choose thomas for my nephew he loves thomas and it's his birthday soon so would be a lovely present if I was to winReplyDelete
It would have to be Peppa Pig - my 19 month old Lola is CRAZY about her - she even mentions her name in her sleep! This would totally be the bed of her dreams, literally! (S.Morris)ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig bed for my daughter, she would love it :)ReplyDelete
My son Reece would love the thomas bed he makes a train on his bed at home x xReplyDelete
i put my twitter id as @vch22217 instead of @vch2217 on the rafflecopter sorryReplyDelete
My little boy is a huge fan of Thomas so it would have to be the Thomas bed that I chose for himReplyDelete
The Thomas bed for my grandsons when they have a sleepover at Nannys xReplyDelete
peppa pig -unisex and super cuteReplyDelete
Thomas and friends for my gorgeous nephew!ReplyDelete
Thomas and friends for my son Max xReplyDelete
I love the Thomas The Tank bed as every boy loves trains and I know my grandson would so love this thank youReplyDelete
peppa pig my niece loves herReplyDelete
Disney Princess StarTime Carriage Toddler Bed - I'd choose this for my daughter who loves absolutely everything all Disney Princess!ReplyDelete
Thomas the tank for my little boyReplyDelete
I don't have any children but would love to win this prize to donate to charity, to go to Romania. Would choose ThomasReplyDelete
would love to win this gorgeous Thomas bed for my adourable Grandson William who is Thomas crazy,ReplyDelete
would love to win this gorgeous Thomas bed for my adourable Grandson William who is Thomas crazy,ReplyDelete
Peppa pig as my little one adores PeppaReplyDelete
disney princess star time carriage because it would fit in lovely with the decor we already have xxReplyDelete
Thoman the tank engine for my train mad girlReplyDelete
would have to be thomas for my grandson LloydReplyDelete
I would choose the Thomas on for my cute little nephew, I was only discussing with my sister the other week when she was going to get rid of the cot for a wee little bedReplyDelete
I would choose the bear hug design, my little boy loves animals and this design is soooo cute xReplyDelete
Thomas for my nephewReplyDelete
Poppa pig because my girls love everything peppaReplyDelete
My nephew would love the Thomas bedReplyDelete
Peppa Pig for my 2 year old daughter she loves PeppaReplyDelete
Thomas because my 3 year olds crazy on it xxReplyDelete
I'd choose Thomas because my little Alfie would love it :) xReplyDelete
Thomas bed for grandsonReplyDelete
My daughter loves Thomas the Tank Engine so would definitely be that one for her! <3 xReplyDelete
Thomas & Friends Snuggle Time Bed please :) My son would love this it was his birthday yesterday so this would be the icing on the cake ;)ReplyDelete
I would choose the Peppa Pig Snuggle Time Bed as my niece lives Peppa Pig!ReplyDelete
thomas as my daughter loves the programme xReplyDelete
I'd choose the Thomas one as a treat for my nephew who has just changed to a toddler bed successfullyReplyDelete
I'd choose the Thomas bed because it would go well in my little boys room and he would love it.ReplyDelete
I would choose Peppa Pig for my little girl as my girls all love Peppa pig!ReplyDelete
I would choose thomas the tank for my youngest son. He loves thomas.ReplyDelete
i'd like the Peppa Pig one, because i know my daughter would love it xxReplyDelete
My son loves both Thomas and Peppa, but since he has a few Thomas bedroom thing already I think I will have to say Thomas! Sarah GibsonReplyDelete
My son loves both Thomas and Peppa, but since he has a few Thomas bedroom thing already I think I will have to say Thomas!ReplyDelete
My son will be having a big boy bed soon, so I'd choose the Thomas one for him! Lovely giveaway xReplyDelete
The Thomas bed, for sure - she loves having the stories read to her already.ReplyDelete
Peppa Pig for H she is turning 2 in August and is now able to climb out of her cot so deffo time to go to a toddler bed :)ReplyDelete
I would choose the Thomas one for my little boy for his 'big boy room' xReplyDelete
Thomas the Tank Engine. My son loves the original television series and we are reading the Thomas collection!ReplyDelete
Thomas the Tank bed please.ReplyDelete
Pepos Pig as she is adored here!. DxxReplyDelete
I'd choose peppa pigReplyDelete
Peppa pig for my neiceReplyDelete
I would choose the Thomas & Friends for my grandson who loves ThomasReplyDelete
Peppa Pig for my *almost* 2 year old niece. She is absolutely obsessed. All she says is "Peppa" :)ReplyDelete
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text:
I have received this review unit of iFi iUSB from Vince few weeks back, and I used it extensively with my rigs. It is indeed a sin for me to enjoy the iUSB so much but delayed the review for so long, in fact, I intentionally delayed this review because lately I have bunch of DAC and Amp arrive at Earmass, so I think this is a good chance for me to truly test the iUSB, after some extensive use, I can say I am positive with what iUSB have achieved in sound.
Why you need a 'regulator'/Power Regenerator for USB?
iUSB is selling for 199USD and I am sure most of you are questioning, why should we need a external regulator or power regenerator for our USB port? And is this all matter?
If you are an audiophile and you have some room for your budget, I will says good sound is not only about how good or expensive is your audio equipment, synergy or matching, but every components and process in your audio equipment do count, they are all equally important in role playing to me. You can't expect a good spaghetti with a bad sauce mixed with good ingredients, or with a bad cook. Same thing goes to audio equipment, a good power supply/source is very important, this is something that we often overlooked when setting up our audio system.
I can't provide any technical data for you nor frequency chart, but a cleaner and stable power source is every important. For home audio/theatre system, they often used a AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator) for generate a clean and stable power. Nothing is difference for the headphone system, our DAC and amplifier need a clean and lean power source as well.
Unfortunately our USB power supply from computers is always unstable and dirty. This is why iUSB exist in the market. I have been long time searching for something like this, a truly good regulator/Power generator for USB. Yes it is quite true that our computer USB provide a 5v output for devices, but have we ever think that is this real? I have read from some place that our computer (Especially the budget one) is not cannot constantly provide the 5V for u, and there is another section (Sorry can't provide you more as there are too many scientific terms that I don't understand) that straight USB from computers are bad to.
Description and Operation
You will get a good quality PSU adapter along with this iUSB and you needed that to supply the power for iUSB, and a USB cable to iUSB for sending information.
Means, in order to make iUSB work, you have to:
1) Plug USB cable from your computer to USB input of iUSB.
2) Plug power supply unit from included PSU adapter/ USB power supply (Also included in the package).
Then you can connect your devices to output of iUSB. I am sure that you have seen there is 2 types of output on iUSB which is output for Power only and output for Power + Audio. Let me explained these in layman term.
1) Power Only : means you can plugged in the device that require no interaction with computer, such as USB phone Charger, Charging your music player (But cannot transfer file, just charging), mainly just for anything that require power to charge/power up them but require no interaction/information transfer with your computer.
2) Power + Audio : These will be used for DAC, file transfer (Thumbdrive, Hardisk, Mouse and keyboard), and it can also function as like 'Power Only mode'.
What I wished and praying for are 2 Power + Audio output, as this will work way more versatile and convenience. However this is considered reasonable though. It is just that if iFi Audio made both of the output that can communicate/transfer file with computer, it will surely better, especially when I connected my DAC and Hardisk together to my computer.
Sound Changes?
Well, the most important and decisive factor is still sound quality, and is iUSB helping DAC to sound great. For short answer, YES and improved by a big scale.
How often am I pairing my devices with iUSB? To be frank, I am using this iUSB all the time since I got it. For me sound differences are just obvious, and I wish just the best from my system. Every time when I want to plugged in my DAC to computer, I always find iUSB as my companion, not a single time missed.
Tried iUSB with iFi iDAC and iCAN
I have tried the iUSB with iCAN and iDAC, forming the team that I called 'Triad', I played La Campanella (Diabulous in Musica by Aerpr), with iUSB added into the combo, I can heard more details and also seems to have more energy. Instrument are sounding more real, for example violin sound lean and textured, triangle sounded crisp. The differences are quite obvious if you noted how the instrument sounded, with iUSB instrument sounded leaner and cleaner, and much more real in comparison with better body.
When I listened to vocal in some songs, the ending nuance of vocal is much more present and expressive when I paired with iUSB. The piano sounded muddy without iUSB in comparison. Adding in the iUSB do improved sound further.
Tried with Audinst HUD-mx2, XDuoo XD-01 and JDS Labs Objective DAC
Sound is definitely cleaner, leaner and fuller with iUSB. I played Hotel California (Hell Freeze Over by The Eagles), I can hear every nuance and plucking of guitar fuller.
I tested with some vocal tracks, same as the 'Triad', vocal has more space to breath, expressive and fuller (Nuance) than without iUSB, everything has better clarity and richness. Bass is filled with texture.
How about Yulong Audio U100 and D100 II?
U100 and D100 II are different device, becaused they are powered by external PSU or power source, unlike those power supply is directly from USB port, however I have noticed some improvement although not as subtle as previous setup but differences are definitely there.
I can't say just go and buy this now as everyone has different perception regarding the sound that one is after, but for me I will just get it, because I seek clean power source as an important factor that can definitely improving the sound, and a constant power supply do prolonged your audio devices too.
If there is anything that I wished can be improved it must be adding one more Power + Audio output, this will make iFi iUSB a better bargain.
Anyway, the improvement is subtle, you will get better high, mid, low, space and speed with iFi iUSB, this is a good thing and when you have clear power for your DAC, then you just should start to look at a better DAC, if you love how your DAC sounded, then get an iUSB instead, you will love your DAC more.