text:
8 Days 7 Nights Amboseli/Nairobi/Samburu/Aberdare/Lake Nakuru/Masai Mara
Day 1; Nairobi-Amboseli;
Pick up from your respective hotels or Airport in the morning and drive to Amboseli national pack which is famous for its scenery with a backdrop of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, which dominates the landscape, and open plains. Arriving with a short game drive at Ol Tukai lodge, check in ,have lunch and a short rest .Afternoon game drive at the park later Dinner and overnight at Ol Tukai lodge.
Day 2; Amboseli-Nairobi;
Early morning breakfast game en-route leave Amboseli for Nairobi arriving in time for lunch at Sarova Panafric Hotel check in and have lunch. In the afternoon drive to Karen Blixen and Giraffe centre for an excursion. Later drive back to Sarova Panafric Hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3; Nairobi-Samburu;
Early morning breakfast at Sarova Panafric Hotel and depart for Samburu National reserve through Mt Kenya and The Equator arriving with a short game en-route at Samburu Ashnil camp. Check in and have lunch. Later afternoon game drive across the park which is a unique resident wildlife species like the Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Beisa Oryx and the Blue legged Somali Ostrich. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Ashnil camp.
Day 4; Samburu- Aberdare;
Early morning game drive then full breakfast at your camp. Leave Samburu for Aberdare arriving with a short game drive in time for lunch and check in at Aberdare Hotel, have lunch and relax. Afternoon transfer across Aberdare's park to The Ark, The Ark has four viewing decks with balconies and lounges to provide superb game viewing from the comfort of the lodge. The animals come to you!. Later dinner and overnight at The Ark hotel.
Day 5; Aberdare -Lake Nakuru;
Early morning breakfast leave Aberdare for lake Nakuru with game en-route to Lake Nakuru arriving with a short game drive in time for lunch and check in at Lake Nakuru Lodge have lunch and relax. Later afternoon game drive to see one of the largest ornithological spots, Flamingo, and a variety of wildlife not forgetting the famous white Rhino and black rhino found in this park. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge
Day 6; Lake Nakuru-Masai Mara;
Early morning breakfast . After breakfast leave Lake Nakuru for Masai mara arriving in time for lunch. Check in at Ashnil Mara camp or Mara Sarova Camp and have lunch. Afternoon game drive through the park in search of the Lion, Cheetah, Elephant, Buffalo and a visit to Mara River. Dinner and overnight at Ashnil Mara camp or Mara Sarova Camp.
Day 7: Masai Mara;
Early morning game drive game drive return back to camp for breakfast after breakfast Full day spend in the park with packed lunch in search of its popular residents like the well-known predators and their opponents like the Zebra, Wildebeest, Giraffe, Hippo and the dangerous Crocodiles with a visit to Mara river. Meals and overnight at Ashnil Mara camp or Mara Sarova Camp.
Day 8; Masai Mara-Nairobi;
Early Morning breakfast at your camp or lodge check out of the camp and park and Drive to Nairobi arriving in time for lunch. Lunch at carnivore afterwards drop off at your respective hotel or Airport.
İlke ve Şartlar
Günler : 8 | Gece : 7

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The many splendid faces of Malbec
Wine Reviews / Food & Drink Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Check out Gabe's View for more wine reviews!
If you go wine shopping and get anywhere near the South American section, you've likely seen Malbec on the shelves. This grape, with its roots in France as one of the five Bordeaux varietals, has really come into its own in Argentina. Many red varietals grow well and produce lovely wines in Argentina. Malbec, however, is the grape that shines brighter in Argentina than it does elsewhere. They not only bottle it as a stand-alone wine, they often generously blend it with other varietals too. What really gets me excited about Malbec is the versatility of styles it's made into. The three Malbecs I'm looking at here are all well priced and pretty tasty in their own right. Depending on your tastes and desires, you might lean one way or another.
The first Malbec is from Trapiche, a producer with a long history in Argentina. If you drink Argentine wines, the name Trapiche is likely familiar; they make a wide range of offerings in several tiers. The Malbec I'm examining today is from their varietals tier. These wines are under $15 and aimed at everyday affordability and enjoyment. The 2008 Trapiche Malbec is produced from fruit sourced at their Mendoza vineyards. This offering is 100 percent Malbec. Aging was mostly accomplished in stainless steel with a small portion of oak influence. This wine is widely available and most often sells for around $8.
A bowl of fresh fruit fills the nose of this young, eager Malbec. Sweet, dark berry pie, plum and vanilla fill the lively palate. Hints of tart fruit, espresso and a touch of black pepper make up the finish. It has good acidity and will pair well with many full-flavored foods. Corned beef or pastrami on rye would be examples of an excellent match.
What I like about the Trapiche is its youthful charm. This wine is made to enjoy now when its flavors are fresh and inviting. The rich berry flavors reminded me of the Hostess Blueberry pies I used to eat in high school with my buddy Paul. This Malbec is friendly and pleasing, like your favorite uncle who regales everyone with stories at a barbeque. A really nice value too. And while Trapiche has been around forever, they're embracing some current trends. If you dig this wine, check them out on Facebook.
The second Malbec is the 2008 Crios De Susana Balbo. Susana has been making wine for a couple of decades with several different labels, and the Crios offerings are her take on wines meant to be drunk young for a reasonable price. This selection is made from fruit sourced in the Uco valley of Argentina. This Malbec spent eight months in one-year-old French oak; 40,000 cases of this selection were produced and the suggested retail price is $15.
Eucalyptus, plum, tobacco and hints of smoke are all part of the nose. The palate is mouth-filling and loaded with cherry and spice notes that fill your senses with pleasure. These are followed by darker fruit notes such as plum and blackberry. Earth, licorice and continued spice emerge on the lingering finish. Good structure and tremendous acidity keep this wine in balance. While the fruit is still bold, it's more restrained than the Trapiche, making this a match with a wider array of foods. It's also delicious and easy to drink on its own.
My first contact with the Crios wines was at a large tasting in Manhattan a couple of years back. I was struck by the level of quality across the board in the five or six I tasted that night. I've revisited them several times now and continue to be impressed with the amount of complexity and pleasurable drinking they offer for the money. This wine is often available for around $12, making it a terrific value.
The third Malbec is also from the Uco Valley of Argentina. This area is less known than the Mendoza region in the U.S. right now, but it's coming on strong with some excellent wines. Bodegas Salentein, the producer of this selection sits on 5,000 acres, of which 1,124 are under vine. They're a relatively new producer having been established in the late 90s.
The 2008 Bodegas Salentein Reserve Malbec is sourced from estate vines located more than 3,900 feet above sea level. As with the other two selections, this wine is 100 percent Malbec. This vintage was aged for 13 months in barrel and 6 months in bottle prior to release. The suggested retail price is $22.
Plum pudding, leather, tobacco and a hint of vanilla are part of the intense nose of this wine. Sweet, dark berry fruit, wrapped in chocolate and cloves make up the powerful and full flavored palate. More and more spice notes emerge on the finish of this Malbec, and they just keep giving more and more flavor as they are joined by an excellent earthy component. Four words sum up this Malbec: dark, spicy, earthy and sexy. Herb-rubbed, slow roasted pork shoulder would be a tremendous match for this wine.
While it retails for $22, it's often available for about $17. Considering how delicious and terrific this wine is, that's a killer deal. Quality-wise you're getting a $30 wine. Tasting this Malbec was my first experience with Bodegas Salentein; trust me, it won't be my last.
What I like about this trio of Malbecs is that they are emblematic of the diverse styles of this great grape. If you shop around, you could pick up all three for less than $40, and create a mini Malbec tasting of your own, that would really display many of the attributes Argentina's signature grape offers.
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.


text:
Mining in the Pacific - an industry perspective
11 September 2012 | Audio
The 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress has provided a forum for all sectors of society, including industry to discuss critical issues concerning the conservation and sustainable use of nature. Nautilus Minerals, the first company in the world to be granted a deep-sea mining license, is here at the Congress to share their work and plans.
The global demand for minerals is on the rise and attention is now shifting to the opportunities that can be obtained from the seabed. It has been proposed that seafloor mineral deposits may play a role in supplying society with an acceptable means of obtaining metals needed to meet global development objectives.
While mining is expected to begin off the coast of Papua New Guinea in the Bismark Sea within the next 18 months Pacific Island governments are weighing the costs and benefits of engaging in deep-sea mining.
IUCN spoke with Dr. Samantha Smith of Nautilus Minerals on why she is at congress.
"IUCN believes that dialogue is important and any impacts on biodiversity, people's well-being and livelihoods by industries is considered carefully and minimized as much as possible," says Jan Steffen, Marine Programme Coordinator at IUCN Oceania Regional Office.


text:
There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this artist.
Bronston Jones
"Life's short—I'm not." Not just a pun for this 6'7" funnyman, that's his motto, mantra and mission statement. It means "Don't let life's limitation limit you—tall or small, Live Big!" So after a five-year hiatus in advertising, Bronston is back at the mic doing what he loves most—saying something without selling anything. In clubs from coast to coast, he talks about real life honestly, or "Bronestly, which is Truth filtered through me." Bronston revels in revealing his failings and through his conversational style often reveals failings we all share. His credits include writing, producing or directing over 200 commercials, promos & music videos. He's directed Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Griffin, Tommy Lee and the Jonas Bros, plus superstars of the NFL, Olympics & NASCAR. He also was production manager on Jerry Seinfeld, Sandra Bernhard & David Brenner HBO specials. Talk about inspiration to be funny!


text:
The opera envisions a world in the not-so-distant future of 2060 where algae have become the world's dominant food source. Is this really music or just an curious commentary?
A lot of people love music, but how many have eaten it? A recent opera performance made that possible, as the breath from mezzo-soprano Louise Ashcroft's singing produced algae that was then fed to the audience. (Gulp.)
It all happened at the Digital Design Weekend at the V&A, a two-day festival of art and technology at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the U.K. After Agri, a collaborative arts group that examines the future of agriculture, affixed Ashcroft with a squid-like mask that looked like something from the nightmares of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and "Alien" movie designer H.R. Giger. As the opera singer performed, the carbon dioxide fed the algae in her mask and nearby tanks, and the algae grew over the course of what was dubbed "The Algae Opera."
The opera envisions a world in the not-so-distant future of 2060 where algae have become the world's dominant food source. According to a recent blog post by Ashcroft, the opera imagines a world where people actually depend on opera singers for their dinners and imagines "how our bodies in the future could be re-designed to eat differently, and how new rituals of eating will create alternative relationships with the 'producer' and enhance the sensory experience of eating."
In another blog post, the singer discussed how she had to adapt her normal performance methods to create optimal conditions for algae growth. "The algae mask captures CO2 to grow the algae and requires a non-reflexive breath cycle to maximize CO2 output. This means the singer needs to take the breath cycle to the point of collapse. In today's opera tradition, this type of breath cycle is considered inefficient and undesirable due to the issues surrounding sustainability and aesthetic. However, in 'The Algae Opera,' a breath cycle based on a point of collapse is considered efficient and ultimately desirable, for it produces more algae. "
The actual songs also had an impact on the algae. They were composed and sung so that the algae produced would either be sweet or bitter. According to After Agri, they used the "new science of sonic enhancement" to produce this flavoring effect.
via MNN


text:
With all the billions of neurons that are present in the body, things would be a complete mess if these neurons were not organized in some way. So to help tidy things up a bit, the body arranges all these neurons together as part of the nervous system.
The nervous system therefore acts very much like the body's communication network, as it contains all the highways of information which our brain uses to send and receive information to and from different parts of the body. There are two main divisions of the nervous system, these are: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system with each serving a specific role.
In this article, we are going to start by looking at what the basic functions of these divisions are, and then later, look at the endocrine system, the different structures of the brain, and finally, provide a brief overview of the different types of neurons.
The Central Nervous System
The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
The spine, which runs up the centre of your back, carries sensory messages from various parts of the body (e.g. hands, feet, legs etc…) up to the brain. In turn, the brain also sends messages down the spine in the form of motor messages, which then result in the movement of your body.
The importance of these messages running up and down the spine can be seen in people who have suffered from spinal injuries. In severe cases, where the spinal cord has become irreversibly damaged, paralysis can occur resulting in a person who becomes unable to move their legs or other parts of their body.
The Peripheral Nervous System
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of all the neural tissue that lies outside the central nervous system. It can be further subdivided into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.
The Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) mainly deals with involuntary (or automatic) responses. This means that it can sometimes act independently from the brain without receiving any information from it.
As a result, many of the processes that occur in the body which you don't have to consciously think about (e.g. digestion, breathing, regulation of body temperature), are under the control of the autonomic nervous system. These are known as involuntary responses.
In addition to this, the autonomic nervous system can itself be divided into two types (or divisions); the sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division.
The sympathetic division (fight or flight)
The sympathetic nervous system tends to be activated when there is an increase in autonomic activity. For example, when you exercise, the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system will increase your pulse and rate of respiration.
The parasympathetic division (time to rest)
The parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system works in reverse to the sympathetic division. It is activated when there is a decrease in autonomic activity. For example, when you are very relaxed (such as during meditation) the parasympathetic division causes your pulse and rate of respiration to decrease.
We can summarize both divisions of the autonomic nervous system by saying;
The sympathetic division speeds things up and prepares your body for activity.
The parasympathetic division progressively slows things down so that you can relax.
The somatic nervous system
The somatic nervous system is the other major division of the peripheral nervous system, and its role is to control the actions of the body (soma). For example, walking, talking or any other form of voluntary bodily movement.
Now that you know a little bit about the nervous system and its different components, let's turn our attention to another very important organizational system within the body, the endocrine system.
The Endocrine System
The body has a series of glands, known as endocrine glands, which play a big role in shaping your moods throughout the day. They do this by secreting hormones into the blood, which then dock with specific receptors causing an effect at their target. Collectively, all these glands working together are known as the endocrine system.
Below we examine some of the major glands of the endocrine system and the types of hormones that they release.
The Pineal Gland (sleep & puberty)
The pineal gland is a small gland located roughly in the centre of the brain. It is called the "pineal" gland because it is oval in shape, looking almost like a pine cone. The pineal gland secretes a hormone called melatonin, which is important for sexual maturation and controlling the sleep cycle.
The Pituitary Gland (the master gland)
Below the pineal gland and roughly in line with the centre of your forehead, is the pituitary gland. This gland is often called the "master gland" because it secretes hormones which affect the action of other glands.
For example, the adrenocorticotrophic (ACTH) hormone affects the adrenal glands, the thyrotrophin hormone affects the thyroid gland and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) affects the gonads.
The pituitary gland also secretes growth hormone, a hormone that affects the growth of the body. In some people who have a tumor in their brain, their pituitary gland secretes abnormal amounts of growth hormone which causes them to grow very large. This condition is known as gigantism.
The Thyroid Gland (fat or thin)
Located towards the base and front of the neck is a butterfly shaped gland called the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland secretes a hormone called thyroxine which helps to regulate your metabolism (i.e. the rate at which you burn food).
If low levels of thyroxine are secreted, your metabolism will slow and you will put on weight easily. You may also feel lazy and lack energy. On the other hand, if too much thyroxine is secreted, then your metabolism will become abnormally high making it difficult for you to put on weight. You may also feel hyperactive and full of energy.
Iodine is very important for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. In countries where people don't get enough iodine, they develop a disease called goitre where the thyroid gland swells to roughly the size of an orange. Due to modern-day dietary habits, many people have a underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) which may partly explain the rapid rise in obesity over the past few decades.
Things which interfere with the body's ability to absorb iodine are known as goitrogens, and include things such as fluoride (in water, toothpaste), bromine (in bread, foods) and chlorine (shower, water).
Unfortunately, many of these are competitive inhibitors, which means that they bind to the same receptor sites as iodine. In order to reverse this, it is recommended to take iodine/iodide supplements under your doctor's supervision at a high dosage for around 3 months.
Adrenal Glands (fight or flight)
Your adrenal glands (2) are located on top of your kidneys, or just above either side of your belly button.
They produce two main types of hormones. The first are the corticosteroid hormones which regulate the way that the body uses substances such as glucose, salt and water during times of stress.
The second type of hormone is epinephrine (adrenalin) which puts you in a heightened state of awareness so that you can rapidly respond to danger. This is also known as the fight or flight response, part of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system which we discussed earlier.
If you are constantly under stress then your body may release epinephrine throughout the day. This may then stress the body so much that it leads to the development of disease or even an early death.
The Pancreatic Gland (insulin)
The pancreatic gland is located roughly in the same location as your belly button, and it secretes the hormone insulin. Insulin is a very important hormone because it helps to regulate blood sugar levels. When the body is unable to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels, a person is said to have developed the disease of diabetes.
Some people are born genetically predisposed to diabetes (Type I diabetes). However, it has become increasingly more common for regular people to develop diabetes later in life (Type II diabetes).
This is largely due to the over consumption of sugary foods and refined carbohydrates, as such foods lead to insulin resistance in the body. This means that over time insulin become less effective at being able to control your blood sugar levels after you eat.
Insulin also causes the body to store fat, which is why eating lots of sugar can cause you to put on weight quickly and easily.
Gonads (sexual characteristics)
The gonads are the sexual glands. In males, these are the testes, and in females, they are the ovaries.
The ovaries produce the hormone estrogen, which results in the development of female sexual characteristics such as no facial hair and large breasts. In males, the testes produce the hormone testosterone, which also plays a role in the development of sexual characteristics such as facial hair and muscle growth.
However, it is important to note that both males and females have estrogen and testosterone, and that it is the relative amounts which determine the effects they have on the body.
For example, men who have abnormally high levels of estrogen and low levels of testosterone may develop man breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia. Likewise, women who have abnormally high levels of testosterone but low levels of estrogen may develop facial hair, a condition known as hirsutism.
The reason why hormonal levels may become unbalanced in the body can be due to many things, although one of the major factors is due dietary habits. For example, it is known that the majority of plastics contain estrogen mimicking compounds such as Bisphenol A which are leached into food and water from food packaging and plastic water bottles.
The water supply may also cause an imbalance of these sex hormones as a result of people flushing medications such as birth control pills down the toilet.
The effect of this was first noticed on frogs, which, over time, appeared to change sex due to the chemicals in the water. Overall, this is leading to a society where men are becoming increasingly demasculinized and women increasingly defeminized.
Structures of the Brain
Sitting right at the top of the spine is the brain which acts as the body's central command centre. Below you will find a brief description of its major components.
Brain Stem
The brain stem connects the brain to the spinal cord, and is considered to be the oldest part of the brain. Some people call this area of the brain the "reptilian brain" because it deals with the regulation of basic autonomic bodily functions.
Reticular Activating System
Inside the brain stem is a structure known as the reticular activating system (RAS), which projects nerves into various regions of the brain.
The RAS is involved in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, and is what causes you to fall asleep quickly or wake up in the morning. Think of the RAS as a light switch. When you switch it on you wake up, when you switch it off you fall asleep.
The RAS is also involved in how much information your brain processes at any one time. For example, when you are feeling drowsy or tired, the RAS reduces the flow of incoming information to the brain.
This is why working when you are tired is generally not very effective, because it will take you much longer to understand something when that information is being processed slowly by the brain.
The reverse of this is when you are very alert and attentive. In this case, the RAS increases the flow of information that your brain receives.
A good example of this occurs during life threatening situations, where the brain becomes hyper-vigilant rapidly absorbing lots of information at once. A peculiar side effect of this, is that time seems to slow down.
Medulla Oblongata & Pons (vital functions)
Right at the bottom of the brain stem and connected to the spinal cord, is the medulla oblongata. This is responsible for controlling autonomic bodily functions such as the beating of the heart and the rate of respiration.
Above the medulla is the found a bundle of nerve structures called the pons. The pons is involved in the regulation of breathing, sleep and attention.
Cerebellum (balance & movement)
Towards the back of the brain stem is the cerebellum. This structure helps to maintain your sense of balance and coordinate muscle movement. The cerebellum is sometimes called the "little brain" because it contains two hemispheres which resemble the larger brain.
Hypothalamus (regulation of biological drives)
The hypothalamus is located just above the brain stem and below the thalamus. This is easy to remember because hypo means "under". The role of the hypothalamus is to regulate primitive drives such as eating, drinking and sex.
It is also involved in the control of autonomic bodily functions such as temperature regulation and the release of hormones via the pituitary gland.
Pituitary Gland (master gland)
The pituitary gland, which is located towards the front of the hypothalamus, is a small oval-shaped gland which produces hormones that control other endocrine glands.
For this reason it is sometimes called the "master gland". The pituitary gland also influences the growth of bone structure, sexual maturation and metabolism.
Thalamus (sensory relay station)
Just above the hypothalamus is the thalamus, and its purpose is to pass sensory information from the sense organs to the cerebral cortex.
For example, the optic nerves transmit visual information to the thalamus which then passes it on to the cerebral cortex. The thalamus is responsible for giving us awareness of all our senses, except for smell.
Cerebral Cortex (thinking brain)
The cerebral cortex is the outermost part of your brain, and what some people call the "thinking brain" because it allows for higher levels processes such as learning, thinking and memory. It consists of the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe and the occipital lobe.
The Limbic System (emotions)
This region of the brain is associated with basic needs and emotions such as hunger, pain, pleasure, sex and satisfaction. Damage to the limbic system can lead to an inability to experience pleasure.
The Cerebral Hemispheres
If we look at the brain from above, we can see that it has two distinct cerebral hemispheres. These two hemispheres are connected by a structure known as the corpus callosum which allows both hemispheres to communicate with each other.
As treatment for some epileptic patients, the corpus callosum is cut to prevent the spread of epileptic seizures from one hemisphere to the other.
Right hemisphere (creative)
The right hemisphere is the creative part of the brain, and is used for things which involve you having to create mental images in your mind. For example, drawing, dancing or meditation. It is also used for facial recognition, music and spatial tasks (3D images).
The right hemisphere is sometimes called the (R)omantic hemisphere.
Left hemisphere (logical)
The left hemisphere deals with verbal and mathematical thinking, and is used for things such as writing, reading, talking, maths and the majority of the work you do at school.
The left hemisphere is sometimes called the (L)ogical hemisphere.
Note: Although one hemisphere may predominantly deal with a certain type of thinking (i.e., lateralization of brain function), it is important to remember that the less dominant hemisphere can also play a role in that same function.
Neuron Structure
Neurons make up the core components of the brain, and specialize in transmitting messages via electrochemical impulses. Structurally, neurons can be simplified by breaking them down into dendrites, the axon and the axon terminal.
Dendrites are the roots of a neuron, and project from the cell body just like roots do from a plant. Their purpose is to pick up information from the surrounding environment and carry it towards the cell body.
The axon transmits impulses away from the cell body towards the axon terminal. To help speed up this process, the axon is insulated with a myelin sheath that is made up of Schwann cells.
Axon terminal
At the very end of the axon is the axon terminal, and this is what transmits information to a neighbouring neuron via the release of neurotransmitters.
Once these neurotransmitters have been released, they will then travel across the synaptic cleft and dock with receptor sites on the dendrites of an adjacent neuron.
And so the whole process begins again, with the dendrites sending information to the cell body and the cell body sending information down the axon and onto the next neuron.
Neurotransmitters & mental disorders
It is believed that neurotransmitters may be responsible for many mental disorders. For example, low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin are thought to cause depression, whilst excessive amounts of dopamine are thought to cause schizophrenia.
Certain drugs such as ecstasy, work by influencing the activity neurotransmitters. In the case of ecstasy, the massive release of serotonin it causes results in feelings of euphoria.
"Firing" of neurons
When a neuron releases its neurotransmitters, it does so through a process known as depolarization. This involves the neuron alternating from a resting negative electrical potential to a positive electrical potential and then back again to a negative electrical potential.
Neuron Types
The brain has roughly 3 billion neurons, and the nervous system has around the same amount. This is almost the same number as the entire population of Earth, which as of March 2009, is said to be at around 6.76 billion people.
Below you will find a brief description of the three main types of neurons; the sensory neuron, the interneuron and the motor neuron.
Sensory Neuron
Sensory neurons allow you to receive information from the outside world via your senses. For example, there are sensory neurons that allow you to see light, hear sound, feel things, taste food and smell odors.
Interneurons, also called association neurons or connector neurons, communicate with other neurons and represent the majority of the neurons in your brain. They allow you to think, remember and perceive your surrounding environment.
Motor Neuron
Motor neurons are neurons which communicate with muscle fibres, the result of which makes them contract or relax thereby allowing you to move your body.
A nerve is a bundle of axons that are twisted together just like the individual fibres of a rope. Nerves can be classified as being afferent or efferent.
Afferent nerve
Afferent nerves carry information inwards towards the brain. For example, the optic nerve is an afferent nerve because it transmits visual information to the brain.
Afferent = (A)nything that comes into the brain.
Efferent nerve
Efferent nerves carry information outwards from the brain. For example, motor nerves carry information to muscle fibres which then causes them to contract.
Efferent = Everything that (e)xits the brain.
Note: It is possible for nerves to carry two-way information (i.e. be both afferent and efferent).
Reviewed – 26th March 2016


text:
More than 800 teens, ages 14-18, attended the "Sci-Fi Out of this World" New Year's Eve dance, held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Aliso Viejo.
After the teens were checked in and briefed on the rules for the dance, they filed into a gigantic cultural hall decorated with a Sci-Fi theme.
Liz Forrest, Santa Margarita stake young women's president, said, "The youth dictate both the theme and the refreshments and even help decorate the building the morning of the event. The dance is planned by the teens that serve on the four local youth councils."
Four projectors were positioned about 20 feet high, playing four different Sci-Fi movies on the walls without sound, while the DJ pulled out all the stops with current music, light shows and a smoke machine. At one minute before midnight, the teens crowded toward the center of the dance floor to count down to the new year, as hundreds of balloons fell from the ceiling at exactly midnight.
Starting more than 35 years ago, the LDS church felt a need to provide a safe, wholesome, alcohol and drug free environment for youth to celebrate the new year.


text:
When the F10-based 5 Series was revealed at the end of last year, all we could think about was the 2012 M5. Especially now that we've whet our whistle with this latest set of spy photos of the upcoming model.
Alas, these shots of an all-new Monte Carlo Blue BMW M5 do little more than tantalizingly tease us with the promise of some very aggressive lines — and a question or two about the dark area between those shiny pipes. We'll have to wait until we see it drop a little bit more of its tarp lingerie before we can say anything for certain. [via 5Post]
Hat tip to Jason!


text:
Staff Spotlight: Jamie Mrozla
Winter Walk to School Day
Staff Spotlight: Patrick Garcia
Staff Spotlight: Phylicia Elvestad
Staff Spotlight: Sidona Malz
School Calendar
Learn more about Jefferson Elementary's curriculum meeting days, parent-teacher conferences and more! And don't miss the event highlights from the district!
Infinite Campus Portal
Click here for steps to access or reset student or parent account. You can also learn more about campus family, student and account management portals here.
The goal of our program is to provide a relaxed, enriched and safe environment where children are encouraged to pursue their personal interests, develop friendships and grow.
Media Center
Welcome to Jefferson Media Center where students are frequent visitors and learning is actively pursued. The library is open for checkout from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.


text:
By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our Cookie Policy unless you have disabled them. You can change your Cookie Settings at any time but parts of our site will not function correctly without them.
- Sugar stocks rally; Balarmpur Chini Mills, Dhampur Sugar soar over 15%
- ''How it's going': Goldman Sachs exec's email on racism goes viral at firm
- Trump memo asks US exchanges to protect investors from Chinese firms
- Hexaware Technologies hits 20% upper circuit on voluntary delisting plan
- Bharti Airtel up 3% on Amazon interest buzz, pares gain post clarification
Announcement for "Uniroll Leather India Ltd"
|No record found.
MARKETMost Active by Value Top Gainers Top Losers Hourly Gainers Hourly Losers Weekly Gainers Weekly Losers Monthly Gainers Monthly Losers Yearly Gainers Yearly Losers Fall from Intraday High Recovery from Intraday Low Bulk Deals Live Announcements BSE/NSE Holidays
FUTURESGainers Losers OI Gainers OI Losers Most active Value Most active Volume Increase in OI, increase in price Increase in OI, decrease in price Decrease in OI, decrease in price Decrease in OI, increase in price Highest OI Lowest OI Position Build up Short covering Profit booking Accumulations Discount to premium contracts Premium to discount contracts
OPTIONSGainers Losers OI Gainers OI Losers Most active calls Most active puts Highest put/call ratio Highest call/put ratio


text:
Actor Rainn Wilson, Photographer Chase Jarvis and Internet Personality "iJustine" Select 140-Second Video $100,000 Winner in Celebration of HD Video
MELVILLE, N.Y. (Jan. 26, 2010) – In search of the next great online video talent, Nikon Inc. today announced the winners of its Nikon Festival, launched in November to celebrate, inspire and harness the current popularity of D-SLR video creation and social media.
The Nikon Festival Judges' Award Winner is Marko Slavnic, a 2006 graduate of the University of Texas Austin, and he will receive $100,000 and Nikon equipment to further his film career.
"So many people see filmmaking as this elite thing and that you need a big crew to produce a quality film," said Marko Slavnic, Nikon Festival Judges' Award Winner. "I was excited when a friend told me about the Festival, and Nikon has shown people that you don't have to be a professional to create a film and be seen by a huge audience."
Drawing from his own experiences as a shy teenager, Marko Slavnic's video submission entitled "Chicken vs. Penguin" is a unique short film that shows a funny, physical story of unexpected love brought to life through a fast food mascot rivalry between a boy and girl. It was shot over two days on Congress Street in Austin, TX. Slavnic plans to use the $100,000 to invest in his next project, which will be a feature film. He also wants to give back to his local film community who supported him, especially friend Andrew McDonald, who was instrumental in helping with his submission.
"I plan to use a Nikon D-SLR to shoot my feature film because it's so simple," added Slavnic. "In my experience with theFestival, Nikon's cameras allowed me more shooting versatility, while producing mind-blowing images."
Slavnic entered four different submissions for the Nikon Festival, including "The Hug Lady," "One Second," and the two top 50 finalists "Chicken vs. Penguin" and "Where Were You in '92?" He credits his mother as his role model, who served as a television producer in Sarajevo before their family moved to the U.S. in 1992.
The Nikon Festival Audience Award winner is San Antonio resident Joshua Friedberg. He will receive $25,000 as the top fan favorite for his video "New York State of Mind." The video captured twenty four hours in New York, featuring renowned locations.
"I got into video through skateboarding and learned how to shoot by just doing it," said Joshua Friedberg, Nikon FestivalAudience Award Winner. "That's part of why I think the Nikon Festival is such a great event, it motivated people to be creative and get out there and shoot."
As a former professional skateboarder, Friedberg rallied widespread support from the skateboarding community to earn a combination of the most views and highest average rating. He credits retweets of his Festival video via Twitter by media personalities Bam Margera, Steve Berra and Tony Hawk as a key to his win. Friedberg plans to use the $25,000 to help revive 411 Video Magazine that covers the skateboarding community.
"The great response for the Nikon Festival demonstrates the positive impact online engagement can have for brands and consumers. We believe there was tremendous participation because the online festival provided a unique way for people to create, collaborate and share their videos," said Lisa Baxt, Senior Communications Manager for Nikon Inc. "The Nikon Festival is an example of our commitment to innovative marketing communications programs that drive meaningful interaction with consumers, particularly aspiring content creators. Through this program, we were able to help educate people about Nikon products that offer HD video capabilities, while empowering them to try their hand at using video and become a part of a Nikon community."
The groundswell of support and campaigning by participants and judges and fans in the online Nikon Festivalcommunity occurred through Facebook (facebook.com/NikonFestival), Twitter (@NikonFestival) and blogs reflects the overall success of this integrated marketing campaign. The Nikon Festival website received more than 590,000 unique visitors and generated more than 1.9 million page views.
About Nikon Festival With the accessibility of HD video for independent movie making, Nikon created the Nikon Festival to challenge people to upload 140-second short-form videos with the theme "A Day through Your Lens" to www.NikonFestival.com.
The top 50 Nikon Festival finalists were posted in an online gallery on www.NikonFestival.com, where finalists were given the opportunity to win one of two awards: a Judges' Award or an Audience Award. The Judges' Award Winner was determined by the Nikon Festival judges, who selected the high-scoring video based on image quality, originality and the ability to capture the "A Day through Your Lens" theme in 140 seconds or less. In addition to the $100,000 awarded by the Festival judges, the top 50 finalists were encouraged to use social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to campaign for views and votes in order to win the Audience Award of $25,000.
Nikon enlisted influencers from TV, photography and social media to serve as official Festival judges, who each shared personal videos shot with a Nikon D-SLR camera to inspire and guide entrants. Nikon advertising star, Ashton Kutcher, who kicked off the Nikon Festival with an opening tweet from his Twitter platform @aplusk, features his own personally shot video taken with the D5000, which captures his recent visit to Africa.
For more information on the Nikon Festival and other information on products from Nikon, please visit www.nikonusa.com. Follow the Festival on Twitter at the address: @NikonFestival or visit Facebook atwww.facebook.com/NikonFestival for winner updates and new information.
About the Nikon Festival Judges Rainn Wilson is an actor and writer, best known for his role as the endearingly awkward Dwight Shrute on The Office. He has acquired a major online following and strong media presence for his thought-evoking website SoulPancake.com, with more than 1,800,000 followers through his Twitter address: @RainnWilson.
iJustine (Justine Ezarik) is a popular Internet evangelist and online video personality, who is the top video blogger on YouTube and iJustine.com. With more than 1,100,000 followers through her Twitter address: @iJustine, she recently served as the official Twitter correspondent for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Chase Jarvis is an acclaimed professional photographer, author and active social media influencer. To see more of his work visit www.chasejarvis.com or follow him at his Twitter address: @chasejarvis.


text:
The rupee is in trouble, and nobody seems quite sure what to do about it. The Indian currency closed at an all-time low of 64.11 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday alongside a tumbling market, feeding widespread anxiety over the fact that the government has yet to curb the currency's downward trajectory since it started tumbling in May. On Wednesday, Deutsche Bank issued a report saying the rupee may reach as low as 70 in the coming months.
It's the latest bit of unwelcome news in a bad few years for the Indian economy, which has slowed from its rapid 9% growth rate to a forecast of between 5.5% and 5.7% for this fiscal year.
Why is it the rupee's turn to take a beating? Part of the problem is not India's alone. With the U.S. Federal Reserve expected to start tapering off a stimulus program that has pumped cash into the global economy, investors have grown wary of the emerging markets they became so fond of in recent years. Countries running their own current account deficits (CAD) have borne the brunt of the mood swing: currencies in India, Brazil and Indonesia, among others, have seen drops as investors pull money out ahead of the Fed's anticipated tightening.
(MORE: The Clash Between Two Famous Indian Economists Echoes Larger Battle)
That problem may be global, but the fact that the Indian economy has some homegrown structural problems has exacerbated the flight of foreign funds. "If you're an investor, you want to put your money where there's going to be growth," says Daniel Martin, an economist with Capital Economics in Singapore. "The shine has come off India. It's not the glaring success story it was a few years ago."
That's not a new assessment, but it's important now because it means that the core issues slowing down Indian growth are now hurting its currency — and, by proxy, Indian consumers who want to buy, say, an imported phone, or foreign carmakers that need to import parts. Those fundamental weaknesses — poor infrastructure, unreliable power supply, difficulty in securing land and lots of sticky red tape — are all keeping foreign investment out of the country, and that's a problem for a country that imports far more than it exports and thus needs to finance a large current account deficit. When the CAD widens, the rupee's decline accelerates further. So even at a time when many emerging markets are looking risky to investors, India is looking riskier than most.
(MORE: In India, Gold Glitters but Brings Economic Woes)
The government is attempting several things to stem the rupee's decline, including trying to reduce the CAD by increasing import taxes on gold and limiting how much money Indians can send abroad. In July, after the rupee hit an earlier low, the Reserve Bank of India made moves to raise interest rates to tighten liquidity in the domestic market. That didn't help, and this week, the bank changed tack, announcing it would take action to flow more cash into the economy to bring interest rates down and usher in growth. The move caused markets to open on Wednesday on a note of optimism, but that fizzled by the end of the day.
Some analysts worry that this kind of policy turnaround could be read as a further sign of weakness by investors. Then again, longer-term lower interest rates are in keeping with what many say will ultimately help get the economy back on track. Some even speculate that the rupee's decline could have unintended but welcome benefits. Capital Economics, in a report published on Aug. 20, pointed out that a weaker rupee could help exports grow — in short, "exactly what is needed over the long run to narrow the current account deficit and reduce India's dependence on volatile financing from abroad."


text:
In today's magically delicious episode of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Chris P. Bacon claims that while not one video game has portrayed magic perfectly, several have come close. He should know. He is a wizard.
I've always been a fan of magic users in games. A magician who always has a bag of tricks for any situation and an ace in the sleeve should all else fail. A sorcerer who can reshape reality with unthinkable powers. But, to this date, I've never seen a magic system in a videogame without a few glaring flaws.
Why is it that a warrior or rogue can jog an unlimited distance then swing a weapon for minutes on end while never breaking a sweat or slowing down even slightly, yet wizards often find themselves out of magic and just standing there with little to do. Muscles never tire, and yet magic energy from some unknown impossible source often does.
Now, of course magic needs its limitations, otherwise there would be no reason not to blast the strongest spell all day over and over again. A cooldown system is a fine enough choice, yet it becomes very robotic, going through a consistent rotation of the same spells thoughtlessly just about everywhere.
Then, there's the D&D style, as used in, for example, Baldur's Gate 2 wherein you think of what spells you'll want tomorrow within limited slots then fall asleep until you can use them 8 hours later. It's rather clunky, yet it does cause you to go through everything in your spellbook according to the direness of the situation. It does seem rather silly that a whole party has to wait 8 hours for the wizard to take a nap before he casts one little remove curse spell. Or resurrecting a dead friend first thing in the morning before you brush your teeth.
I should add here that I do love the game Magicka. Big spells took a little time to type in as quickly as you could, practice and premeditation definitely helped, walking was slow when ready to cast so you can't instantly disintegrate enemies on sight, you never just run out of steam and stand there like a dope, and there was all sorts of interesting combinations to try, always a perfect tool for the job. The only drawback is that this system required a very particular control scheme, one that not every game will necessarily facilitate. Also, no one I know owned the game so I just played it single player about a dozen times over and over.
Another honorable mention should go to Two Worlds 2, getting the spell cards and elemental levels was a pain and it was still a mana bar system but it did allow creativity, fun experimenting, and a certain uniqueness between every mage who didn't go with a cookie cutter I-read-it-off-the-internet model.
I thought of a method that may be interesting to try which combines the D&D model and the basic mana bar. You can preselect a limited number of spells which cast instantly but at variable mana costs. But you can also cast from your entire spellbook at variable casting times which leaves you open and mostly stationary. This way you can choose between a quick burst of instant offensive magic or a collection of defensive spells to be used quickly, but non-clutch needs such as long-term damage per second and basic over-time healing can be cast without eventually getting tired and watching someone swing a 6 foot long greatsword for the rest of the fight without as much as needing to sit down in a chair to catch his breath.
What are some other games systems or your thoughts on how magic should best be handled?
About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here.


text:
Hi guys,
i got a tour from verison usa that i want to use on airtel network here in nigeria. the fone is unlocked and voice calls are working perfectly. i noticed that a number appears on my screen when am making call. i have used the command ##000000(cdma service edit screen) to change it but after deleting the number and saving, fone restarts and when i check again, its still there.
please how do i change my fone to a full gsm fone cos i dont want any cdma stuff. pls assist.
thanks in advance


text:
How Do I Know if I Took Drinking to Far?
I know I have taking it to far, but after drinking very heavy for several days I have gastritis very bad, and my kidneys have some pain. My lower right stomach has some to. In the past this has happen, and I stopped drinking and the pain went away. The gastritis is much worse this time around. I`ve had a test done on my kidneys and checked my live checked and nothing looked to bad about 1 year ago. My concern is I was not very smart, and I did not drink enough water during this last binge. Could this be the effects I`m feeling? Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your question. There is clearly nothing normal about your use of alcohol and you should quit drinking. You deserve to feel better than you do.
You can and will be successful in quitting, and the sooner you quit the less physical, personal and emotional pain and suffering you will endure. If you need help quitting then access the resources available through your County Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Board, or the resources available through this web site.
Physical problems like the ones you describe are very common when a person is drinking in a toxic way. Physical issues are pretty reversible and tend to heal over time, but the other problems associated with your drinking are less reversible and are more personally painful.
The physical problems tend to occur after many years of inter-personal, emotional and social problems. That is why it is so important for you to address the issue soon and stop drinking completely. I hope this is helpful information to you.
For more information:
Go to the Addiction and Substance Abuse health topic.


text:
Rest in peace guitarist Mickey Baker.
The Onion fooled China.
Bjork shares her favorite TED Talks.
He was a Chinese sex slave dungeon master.
A cat made of fur and anger.
Two students were forced to hold hands.
Here's what that fire was yesterday.
A New York man got a DWI on his way to a DWI.
A false Messiah gets three years for spitting.
A church in Milan has set up an exorcist hotline.
Amazing anamorphic illusions.
Apparently Andrew W.K. will not be a Cultural Embassador to Bahrain.
Glitter Dick posters on UNM campus sparked a controversy.
Commissioner Wiener wants Charlie Sheen to play him in a movie. Wiener's writing a screenplay.
The lesser prairie chicken is threatened.
Gawker interviews the pale nerd king.
Happy birthday Billy Idol.
Contance Moss, Marisa Demarco and Emily Aragon: Thanks for the linkies!


text:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Bryan Cranston and Ben Affleck in "Argo."
REVIEW: "Argo" is a crackerjack political thriller told with intelligence, great period detail and a surprising amount of nutty humor for a serious look at the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-81. Proving even more than before that he's a behind-the-camera force to be reckoned with, Ben Affleck tells a dense, multilayered yarn "based on a declassified true story" with confidence and finesse, while its unlikely Hollywood angle will make the hometown industry crowd feel proud of itself. From all points of view, this is one the major releases of the fall season.
VIDEO: "Argo" trailer: Ben Affleck offers first look at new thriller
The current perilous state of U.S.-Iranian relations can only heighten the interest and relevance of this fascinating sideshow to the main event, as a reminder of a dire turning point in modern history for those old enough to remember it and as a pertinent history lesson for people under 35. The truth about the "best bad idea" the CIA could concoct to rescue six U.S. embassy workers who had escaped the compound was unknown until 1997 and even then did not receive enormous publicity.
A stylishly succinct prologue made up of cartoons and documentary footage lays out in simple terms what led up to the departure of the Western-supported Shah and the advent of the Ayatollah Khomeini and fundamentalist Islam in Iran in 1979. Visceral scenes convey the desperation of American embassy workers to burn or shred sensitive documents before the raging mobs break through the gates and invade the premises, where they quickly take 52 hostages.
But more than two months later, the Iranians still don't realize that six Americans managed to slip out and take refuge in the still-operating Canadian embassy. With his CIA colleagues at a loss to figure out how to sneak the six out of Iran, bearded, longish-haired agent Tony Mendez (Affleck), who has already extricated some of the Shah's cronies out of the country, happens to catch a bit of "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" on TV and hatches a scheme both bird-brained and brilliant: He'll approach the series' prosthetics expert (real-life Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers, wonderfully played by John Goodman) to help set up a phony science fiction project with sufficient plausible reality that he might be able to get the six out of Iran posing as Canadian production personnel who'd been on a location scout.
STORY: Telluride 2012: The Oscar Season Begins
Thus follows a most amusing Hollywood interlude for which the cynical remarks of a veteran producer with some time on his hands, Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin at his deadpan best), set the absurdly funny tone. Lester insists that the picture must appear to have a degree of legitimacy to it, so an existing Star Wars-type rip-off script called "Argo" is purchased, a reading is held at the Beverly Hilton with costumed actors, and ads are prepared.
So while Lester cracks that, "We had suicide missions in the Army that had better odds than this," the CIA, fronted here by Mendez's boss Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston), surprisingly approves what it calls "the Hollywood Option." The necessary doctored passports in hand, Mendez heads for the Canadian embassy in Tehran, where he meets six fellow Americans who are scared stiff.
The final act of the highly skilled screenplay by Chris Terrio, whose other principal credit is for directing the little-seen 2005 film Heights, ramps things up from cold-sweat tension to seconds-ticking suspense in traditional movie-movie fashion, even down to a pretty implausible but undeniably exciting climactic chase. It would be a major surprise indeed to learn that things actually went down just as they are shown to have done here. But if you want a strictly factual account, you'd probably rather be watching a documentary, which Argo decidedly is not.
Still, the film goes to great lengths to achieve an authentic feel and an outstanding sense of period. Turkey ably stands in for Iran in crucial exteriors; the many phones, communication and copying machines are right; and the fashions -- from the tacky casual wear sported by most characters to the outsized glasses frames -- are spot-on in their infinite hideousness. The old Warners logo from the period is used upfront, and the studio's famous water tower has even been relabeled to duplicate its look at the time. Rodrigo Prieto's superior cinematography affects a deliberately grubby look entirely in keeping with locations and desired feel of sweaty squalor.
Evocative use is made of TV news clips, from Mike Wallace's in-person interview with Khomeini to glimpses of the very young-looking Ted Koppel and Tom Brokaw. Small details are telling, such as how an Iranian passport official crosses out "Kingdom of Iran" on a form and scrawls in "Republic" instead, and how a British Airways flight attendant announces the end of alcoholic beverage service once the plane enters Iranian airspace.
STORY: Telluride 2012: Screening of Ben Affleck's 'Argo' Opens Fest, Stirs Oscar Talk
Although the dramatic conclusion comes as no real surprise and represents the merest drop of cheer in a sea of unpleasantness between the United States and Iran over the past 33 years, it nonetheless delivers a strong charge of honest emotion, especially surprising for what in format is a genre film. The final explanations of how the real story of the mission was finally revealed includes a voice-over by Jimmy Carter, who was president when it all took place.
Except for the showier turns by Arkin and Goodman, the performances are credibly utilitarian, led by Affleck as a smart agent who has learned not to tip his hand through outward displays. Cranston as Mendez's boss and Victor Garber as the stalwart Canadian ambassador are similarly solid and unostentatious.
Related content:
- Hi, I'm Ben Affleck and I dented your ride....
- Clooney, Keibler walk 'Argo' red carpet despite rumors
- NBC Latino: Meet the real-life inspiration for 'Argo' hero
Also in NBC News Entertainment:


text:
Rarely do I want to keep an order from my {Little Craft Shoppe} for myself instead of sending it to the customer.
That was not the case this time.
I am completely in love with these letters. With the color - her idea, not mine - with the pattern, with the message.
Aren't they just so pretty!? I hope the recipient of this gift loves them as much as I do.
Don't they just complete my Christmas mantle? I may have to make a few of these for myself!!
Joy to You


text:
This Blog focuses on Ancestor Stories, both the stories themselves about my family's ancestors and discussions of where they come from and how to prepare and share them. These stories may be non-fiction or fiction – we will always tell which is which, of course. Also see my KINNICK blog and The HOMEPLACE Series Blog, left sidebar, scroll down.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Surname Saturday - WILLIAMS
Their parents' surnames, respectively, were SMITH, PRESTON, KINNICK, and SORENSEN.
Their parents' surnames, respectively, were SMITH, SODERSTROM, PRESTON, MILLER, KINNICK, WILLIAMS, SORENSEN, and NEILSEN.
Today we will focus on the WILLIAMS surname in my familiy.
I introduced the WILLIAMS surname in each of my last two Wordless (nearly) Wednesday posts - Iceman and Annual Picnic. This is my mother's paternal grandmother's surname. Nettie WILLIAM's father, Elias WILLIAMS, was born in either Gyffylliog, Denhigh, England or Ruthin, Wales (Depending on the relative you listen to; I do not have confirmation either way, yet) on 29 Jan 1838.
Elias married Ann Eliza DUNCAN in Illinois in either 1842 or 1843 (confirmation of date and place is needed here).
His death was reported in my hometown newspaper, The Coon Rapids Enterprise (Iowa), 10 Dec 1920: "Elias Williams, genial, hearty, whole-souled passed away after about a year's failing health due to cancer of the stomach. He was one of the oldest of Coon Rapids' citizens and a native of Wales. He followed the trade of brick mason and plaster for 40 years."
Three children lived to adulthood: Lemuel Benson (b. 1866); Margaret Jeanette (Nettie) (b. 1869); Josephine (b. 1872).
Family is Forever! ;-)
4 comments:
Thank you for providing this interesting blog. My grandfather wrote the story of his life in three parts, but unfortunately only one if them survives to this day. One of these days I'm going to do something similar, whenever I get the time.ReplyDelete
I found your blog by pushing the "Next Blog" button after maintaining my own one day recently. If you're interested in photography, here's an invitation to visit mine at jmahood.blogspot.com.
Neat, thanks! I tryed the "Next Blog" a week or so ago, as well, and found some interesting folks. You do have a very interesting blog. Best wishes!ReplyDelete
Bill ;-)
The spouses of both Lemuel and Josephine are descended from Dr. Abner Miles of Waterford, Vermont. Since our family is also descended from his father, Abner, Sr., I have been researching as many branches of the family as I could find. Glad to have found your blog.ReplyDelete
@gigi2009 Thanks for stopping by. This is one of the pleasures of maintaining a blog. You do meet some really interesting people! ;-)ReplyDelete


text:
Get all the major supplies needed to make this project with the Inked Necklace Bundle or you can order them separately.
Gold Inked NecklaceBy Susan Cobb
Designer Tip: This necklace is so easy to make! You can also vary the colors of the alcohol inks, and use a different part of the swirl transfer to create a totally different look. To keep the necklace flat while the Diamond Glaze dries, I added a piece of foam tape to the back of the rectangle portion and adhered it to my mat.


text: Thursday, June 20, 2013 New FLR Toolkit Walks You Through Requirements Are you ready for the July 1 functional limitation reporting (FLR) requirements? APTA has a new online toolkit that explains the rules, lists the codes you need to report, provides examples, and links to other resources. Beginning July 1, the testing period ends for reporting functional limitations on claim forms for all outpatient Medicare Part B patients—if the appropriate codes are not included in claims for patient visits on or after July 1, your claims will be returned unpaid. "Functional Limitation Reporting for Medicare Part B Patients: A Toolkit" will help you get started on the process and file your claims correctly. APTA members can access the toolkit free; it soon will also be available for sale to nonmembers through the APTA online store. Comments thank you! Posted by denise rounds on 6/20/2013 5:29 PM Cannot get into this toolkit! I log in and get into a loop with the screen for my username and password coming up over and over again. Posted by Kathleen ClarkePT on 6/20/2013 6:31 PM Cannot get into this toolkit! I log in and get into a loop with the screen for my username and password coming up over and over again. Posted by Raghurami Reddy -> =LR`BF on 6/21/2013 6:02 PM Cannot get into the toolkit need help Posted by Mimi Saadat on 6/21/2013 6:50 PM Users having problems logging into the site should try any/all of the following: 1) Look in the upper right corner of the website: click the Login or Logout link, depending on what you see. 2) After your browser refreshes, click the Login link and login to the website using your username/password (feel free to use the Remember Me feature to make login easier in the future). 3) If your login is again unsuccessful, use the "Forgot your password?" feature, OR clear your browsing history in your Internet browser of choice, OR try using an alternate browser and see if you have the same problem. PLEASE REMEMBER: cookies must be enabled to successfully login to APTA.org. Posted by News Now Staff on 6/21/2013 10:42 PM Cannot get into this, it loops back to APTA sign in. Linda Coats Posted by Linda Coats -> @OQa? on 6/21/2013 10:45 PM I still cannot get into the FLR tool kit. It loops me back to sign in and I am already signed in. this is very frustrating. Posted by Ashley Forrest -> BHW^BJ on 6/24/2013 7:22 AM the file opened well for me today :) Posted by Germaine Timlin -> ?FY`= on 6/24/2013 10:28 AM Access to the tool kit should not be this labor intensive and complicated. I have tried your above options to try to open the tool kit without success. Please fix it. Time is of the essence. Thanks you. Nancy Rowan Posted by Nancy Rowan -> ?GT]> on 6/24/2013 6:42 PM If a user is not logged in and clicks on the toolkit PDF link, the user will be redirected to login. After logging in, the user will be redirected back to the previous page. At that point, the user needs to reselect the toolkit link. To simplify this process, login in the upper right corner of the site first. Then go to www.apta.org/FLR, then click the toolkit link. It should open successfully. (Ashely and Nancy, we have logged in using your profiles and successfully accessed the toolkit.) Posted by News Now Staff on 6/24/2013 8:15 PM


text:
What is presidential leadership?
I think it is this. Almost all presidents reach a point when they are faced with choosing among unpalatable alternatives under conditions of great uncertainty and with potentially great consequences, both for their own political future but also for the nation. It is at these times that presidents must decide: what are my core beliefs – my bedrock principles that help me decide when there are no good choices and no sure outcomes? What sustains me when events go wrong – when I am surrounded by doubt and there is no consensus on what to do? What am I about?
This is the essence of leadership: defining those values on which one is willing to stake one's presidency. For Lincoln, it was to preserve the Union. Franklin Roosevelt believed government could protect citizens against capitalism's worst excesses. Reagan sought to restore Americans' faith in traditional values of individualism, small government and free enterprise at home, and defend against communism abroad. Again and again, when offered opportunities to back away from these fundamental beliefs, these presidents refused to do so, even when it cost them politically.
What defines Obama? To this point I don't think anyone knows – including him. He won the presidency largely by saying what he was not, and that he represented change – but change to what? As president he has faced policy choices of immense complexity and significance – a deep economic recession, historic health care reform, an unprecedented oil spill – but none of these have as yet forced him to define his presidency in terms of articulating core beliefs. Instead, the dominant characteristic of his response to these issues is political pragmatism – choosing policy responses primarily on the basis of what he believed possible, as opposed to what he aspired to do. If national politics was a courtroom, Obama's preferred approach has been to settle rather than go to trial. His solutions are not based on ideology – there is no right or wrong, no guilty or innocent – there is only a dollar figure. Politics, to Obama, is the art of closing the deal – not choosing sides.
The virtue of this approach is that he has accomplished a great deal. Congress passed an $800 billion stimulus bill. It enacted health insurance reform. BP has agreed to establish a $20 billion escrow fund. We are on the cusp of reforming financial regulation. These are important accomplishments whose significance should not be diminished. But they are accomplishments in which Obama chose from a menu of alternatives largely drawn up by others, and when there existed a consensus – not always a strong one, to be sure – to move in a particular direction. Under these circumstances, Obama's job has been to sound out the litigants, see who was willing to cut a deal, and negotiate the final price.
This lawyer-like approach, I think, is about to be tested in Afghanistan in a way that no other issue has tested it to date. The reason is that there are no good options there, there is no certain outcome associated with any single option and thus there is nothing remotely resembling a consensus pushing in a particular direction. Progressives think it is the wrong war and are agitating for a complete withdrawal. Conservatives want Obama to come out and state what they see as both strategically preferable and inevitable: that circumstances come July may dictate a troop increase, not a drawdown, and that no bets are off the table. The public, unsure, waits for some sign of success while fearing the cost of staying.
That is why I believe Obama's decision to fire McChrystal is so potentially revealing – not because it signaled that he was "in charge" (as Martin's comments imply, by overreacting to a perceived slight it may in fact signal just the opposite). Rather, it is potentially significant (and I stress potentially) because it may force Obama to begin confronting the inherent tension in his politically pragmatic but ultimately untenable decision made last December to build up the American military presence in Afghanistan so that we could draw it down 18 months later. By coupling the firing of McChrystal with a strongly-worded recommitment to the counterinsurgency policy McChrystal championed, Obama has made it that much harder, come next July, to begin that drawdown if the counterinsurgency goals – giving the Afghans the time to develop the capability to govern themselves and to prevent that country from providing a haven for terrorists – do not yet appear in reach. As I noted in my comments during his speech announcing McChrystal's resignation, Obama had doubled down on McChrystal's strategy, making it in essence his war.
Is this the first step toward defining his presidency? Note his recent statement that "We didn't say we'd be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us" come next July and that instead this date is best viewed as the time to begin transfering responsibility to Afghan forces. This is the first signal from him that U.S. military forces may remain in significant numbers long past the July 2011 drawdown date. But it is not the first such indication from his administration; just last week General Petraeus expressed a similar sentiment in his Senate testimony, and he will almost certainly repeat that refrain during his confirmation hearing this Tuesday. It will be interesting to see how far he is willing to go in public to push Obama toward stepping back from the drawdown date.
It is unclear to me, based on Obama's comments during the McChrystal firing, whether he is deciding what he wants to do in Afghanistan, or that he continues to make policy by combining elements from others' preferred options. Whatever the McChrystal decisions portends, I see no good reason for Obama to publicly clarify his war aims until after the November midterms. That is why, after all, he scheduled the first review of the counterinsurgency effort for December, when there will have been enough time to begin evaluating the COIN strategy and, not incidentally, when the political landscape will be better defined.
I do believe, however, that the run-up to December, and then the July drawdown date, offers an opportunity for Obama to elucidate – in his own mind – what his presidency is about. He may as Tom Ricks suggests here, use the July deadline to say "I tried the surge. It didn't work. We are leaving."
In this respect, these deadlines offer an opportunity to lead – but it does not mean he will do so. For all the talk about Obama's "Truman moment" in sacking McChrystal we forget that Truman's firing of MacArthur did nothing to bring the Korean War to a resolution. Indeed, Truman's "take charge" moment obscures the more important failure of his Korean policy: that he allowed his war aims, which initially centered on re-securing the 38th parallel as the boundary between North and South Korea, to expand in the first heady days after MacArthur's Inchon landing. That prompted the Chinese counterattack, and led to the stalemate that persisted until Truman left office as one of the least popular presidents in the modern era.
Let me be clear: to define one's presidency as I suggest Obama must do is no guarantee of success. Bush's embrace of the surge did not, as yet, guarantee peace and stability in Iraq. Nor did it secure, as yet, his historical standing. We honor Lincoln for his single-minded commitment to saving the Union, but without military victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg we very likely would be debating President McClellan's choice to seek a negotiated peace with the South after 1864.
No one can predict what will happen if we abandon Afghanistan – nor if we build up our military presence there. There is surely risk in either option. The greater risk, however, is not to choose. By taking that route – by continuing to seek the settlement point rather than go to trial, Obama risks having his choices in Afghanistan determined by others: his military commanders, Hamid Karzai, the Pashtun, the Pakistanis, the progressive wing of the Democratic party and, not least, the American public. The danger in the strategy of pragmatism is that Obama will continue to do just enough not to lose Afghanistan, but not enough to win there – if winning is possible. It was precisely this politically pragmatic strategy adopted by LBJ that led to disaster in Vietnam.
In what does Obama believe? What is the essence of his presidency? At this point, it's McChrystal clear.


text:
Dum Dum Club is a side project of David Vervoort.
You probably know him best as co-producer and songwriter of Lasgo's first two albums. In recent years he's ventured into writing and producing for all kinds of genres, from pop (Fourlicious' new tracks) to schlager (most notably the epic "Dos Cervezas" by Tom Waes). David has also had chart success of his very own, with "B*tch" being his biggest hit to date under the moniker Dave McCullen. With the line "I just like to call you my bitch" as the song's catchy hook and a brilliant video of old people raving to his dance beats, the track got to number 6 back in 2004.
In 2009 David created the first Dum Dum Club release. "I'm Sorry" was a cheerful little pop tune that sees a lover apologising for what he's done wrong in the hope of getting back together. As he did with the odd Lasgo album track David provided the vocals himself. In the video however he's nowhere to be seen, with a group of his friends taking to the stage instead. Among them you may recognise former Lasgo singer Evi Goffin, Edmée and Flor from DHT ft. Edmée and Temptation Island contestant turned singer Reshum Van Til!
Dum Dum Club – Don't Go
I have to admit that Dum Dum Club's second single kind of passed me by when it was first released. "Don't Go" came out in 2010 and sadly all traces of it seem to have vanished from YouTube since. It is however available on Spotify, where you can hear David's sad tale of lost love set to summer-y reggae-light beats. Think crying into your cocktail at a beach party.
Now Casino Total, David's imprint on the Solid Music label, brings us a new classic for 2012. "Oh Boy" marks a change in musical direction, although it does continue Dum Dum Club's run of setting non-happy lyrics to cheery backing tracks. This time an as of yet unidentified lady tells her lover for the night to take a hike. "Cause boy, it was fun just for a while, you even made me smile and now I realise and see that you're no good for me". I'll tell you what though, there couldn't be a more swinging way to get shown the door than by hearing this tune! It's "We No Speak Americano" without the dance bits. It's Caro Emerald or Lady Linn if they were into cheeky one night stands. It's awesome.
"Oh Boy" by Dum Dum Club is available on Spotify and iTunes.
"Don't Go" by Dum Dum Club is available on Spotify and iTunes.
"I'm Sorry" by Dum Dum Club is available on Spotify and iTunes.
See also: Charley says ARTIST! David Vervoort (Formerly Of Lasgo)


text:
From: Catacol Records <andy@x???????xxxxxx.xx.xxx
Date: (Date Unavailable)
Subject: RPG Studio-in-a-box
Hi all!
I wonder if any of you guys have an opinion on (or first hand experience
with) RPG's Studio-in-a-box. It's a package that contains enough material
(acoustic tiles and bass traps) to treat a room up to 14'x10'x8'.
These are more or less the dimensions of the room in which we record.
Right now, the room is to "live" and I capture too much ambience. I am
really looking for a way to dampen the room without making it completely
dead or "boxy".
The thing is, I am a little suspicious of this "one size fits all"
approach and never had a chance to see or hear the product (being based
in the UK).
The general idea suits me perfectly, since I don't have much confidence
in my DIY skills.;-)
Would it make sense to add a couple of diffusors to improve the sound
further? Or do you think that any such off-the-shelf-solution is a waste
of money? Please keep in mind that we are not talking about the control
room. Any feedback would be very welcome.
Best regards
Catacol Records


text:
By Michael Soriano January 13, 2015 Rent to own a house is also called lease to own house (or a whole slew of other phrases… like "lease option", etc.). So how does rent to own homes work in Central NJ and other parts of NJ? How Does A Rent To Own Home Agreement Work? It is […]
Home / Uncategorized
Archive | Uncategorized RSS feed for this section
Should I Rent To Own My New Jersey Home? – The Process
By Michael Soriano on January 13, 2016 in Uncategorized
Mike Buys Houses is a division of Troy Properties LLC (In Memory of His Dad) and is owned locally by Michael Soriano. Michael has been volunteering locally in various factions of the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)Foundation. These factions include "The Survivor Outreach Program", "Planning Committee for NJ Advocacy Day" and the Central NJ Walk.
Other Areas We Buy FAST
Hear What Others Have To Say…
"Nearly 4 million Americans are more than 60 days behind on their mortgage, and countless others are only a paycheck away from missing a mortgage payment. You're not alone. " That's why we're here, to help home owners like you when you need it most.
This letter is to thank you for the outstanding job you did in selling our home. When we met you, you informed us of all of our options. You explained the foreclosure process and kept us aware of the progress. We tried to sell our house through a realtor and buy ourselves for over a year with no buyers. We attempted to work out an arrangement with the bank but were unsuccessful. You however, never took no for an answer from the bank. the bank granted us a short sale. As the parents of three children, you allowed us to focus on our family's basic needs while you dealt with negotiating with the bank on our behalf. You went beyond your duties. We especially appreciate your honesty , professionalism and your caring manner. We came to trust the fact that you had our best interest at heart. It was a pleasure to work with someone with a strong sense of integrity. As we renew our lives by continuing our education we are extremely grateful to you for this new beginning. Sincerely forever grateful, The Ramos Family
Recent Posts
- What does "REO" stand for in East Brunswick, NJ?
- I Live in East Brunswick, NJ and Behind on Mortgage Payments Help
- How to Handle Your Advertising in East Brunswick, NJ In-House Without Losing Money
- How to Advertise a House on Sale in East Brunswick, NJ
- How Does Lease-to-Own Work? Need to Rent to Own in East Brunswick, NJ


text:
Linked product
This is a scanning electron microscope image of a silicon nanowire array synthesized for thermoelectric applications. Thermoelectric materials convert heat to electricity and vice versa. Most fossil-fuel-powered engines generate waste heat, so researchers are using nanotechnologies to explore ways of making thermoelectric devices more efficient in order to convert that waste heat to usable power—and thus save energy. • SIZE: Each nanowire is approximately 100 nm in diameter. • IMAGING TOOL: Scanning electron microscope
Product category
Download link
Owning institution
Renkun Chen, University of California at Berkeley - Attribution is required.
The creator listed here has made this image available to NISE Network partners for non-profit educational use only. Uses may include but are not limited to reproduction and distribution of copies, creation of derivative works, and combination with other assets to create exhibitions, programs, publications, research, and websites.


text: Having watched it again, I think it was better than when I first saw it. It wasn't a story like Casino Royale was, it was more like an actual Bond film although it did expand on some of the plots from Casino Royale, which is more than you can say for most Bonds. Outside of a few small references most Bond films ignored anything that happened in the last Bond films. There really wasn't as much of a story to tell here. It just wanted to start with what Quantum was and make it more of an enemy for future movies. It's not like SPECTRE which was basically gone after Diamonds are Forever. Also SPECTRE never developed, it was just evil and that was that. Maybe now we can get future movies that explain what the bad guys really are. They want to make the Quantam story line enough to last several Bond films so that Bond can go on another 20 years or whatever. But they did have a lot of key character moments in this one. He was trying to become a better agent, not just a killer even though his temperment didn't allow him to use his restraint till the end. There isn't the memorable moments of Casino Royale. But that movie had really been written for a couple of years before it was being made. I do hope they do a little better job in writing the next one, even if it means that there's a little extra time between this movie and the next movie. The writting for QOS wasn't near as good as it was for CR, I will agree to anyone on that. But it was still a really solid Bond outing and one of the better Bond films.


text:
Each serving of this delicious meal provides one vegetable serving.
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Place tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, basil and onions in a large bowl. Combine the oil, lemon juice and garlic and pour over vegetables. Mix well and set aside to marinate.
Place spaghetti squash in boiling water and cook 15 minutes. Prick in four places with a fork and continue cooking another 30 minutes.
Remove squash. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Using a fork, pull out the strands of "spaghetti".
Mix with the well-marinated vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.


text:
The Jasper County school board this week filed a lawsuit against Jasper County Council and the county's auditor.
According to a news release, the school board contends that state law gives it the authority to determine the budget and ad valorem millage rate for school operations.
According to the lawsuit, a "genuine, justiciable controversy exists between the Board and the Council."
Recently, County Council voted to lower the school's property tax millage rate from 172 mills to 166 mills, which equals a reduction in revenue of $444,000.
The board is seeking a declaratory judgment against the County Council and the county's auditor in hopes of restoring school funding for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
The district notes it faces a general fund budget that is $865,802 less than last year.
"Our school board and our community carefully worked through this new budget before we adopted it. It has been scrutinized and cut back and reviewed again and again," said board chair Berty Riley. "This is what we need to help our children succeed in school, in our county and in our world."
The school board voted 6-3 on June 24 in favor of possibly pursuing legal action.
At Monday's regular County Council meeting, Council Chairman Henry Etheridge declined comment on the school board's lawsuit because no council member had seen it. Etheridge said he would like to give county attorney Marvin Jones an opportunity to read the lawsuit before making any comment.
Councilman Tom Johnson said the lawsuit could very well be a first of its kind in South Carolina, and most likely a first in Jasper County.
Johnson said he would like to see the issue heard and resolved in court as quickly as possible "before either side has to spend taxpayers' money."
According to the S.C. School Boards Association, Jasper County is one of 21 school districts in the state that sees County Council set the millage rate. Other districts include Beaufort and Hampton 1 and 2.
The lawsuit cites local law, Act No. 982 of 1968, which gives County Council the power to levy taxes for corporate purposes and educational purposes.
Bick Halligan, the school district's attorney, believes the act has been superseded by Article VIII, section 7 of the state constitution, amended in 1975, which notes powers and duties of counties are established by general law, not local laws.
Therefore, the suit says County Council has no legal authority to make appropriations or levy taxes for educational purposes.
"Our claim is a rifle shot aimed at who has the authority to establish the property tax rate," Halligan said.
If the school board takes authority, it would still be subject to the general law limitations on property tax increases.
In the news release, Riley said even with fewer students expected to be enrolled for the coming school year, the district's operations costs have increased. The $24.8 million fund balance includes increased school security upgrades and school-resource officers totaling $290,735.
The board's fund balance is at 7.2 percent, which the school district says is below the recommended 15 to 20 percent level.
The district said its financial experts recommend increasing the fund balance to a minimum of 10.5 percent.
The board's approved budget had included funds as part of a two-year plan to boost the fund balance to that minimum, according to the news release.
"Our fund balance is very low at 7 percent of our operating budget," Riley said. "That puts our school district, our county and our taxpayers at risk for paying higher interest rates and losing a strong credit rating, and that's according to South Carolina's best school finance experts."
In the news release, the district said it has been the practice of County Council to incorporate the school board's local revenue budget into the County Council's budget, but it said the law is "clear that school districts are separate, distinct entities from counties, and that county governments do not play a role in the function of the South Carolina education system."
State Act No. 288 of 1989 directs the school board to approve a budget "sufficient to meet the educational needs of the County," and Riley said the board has met the requirements, but County Council has "single-handedly put us and the county in violation of that law."
Fiscal autonomy issue
Etheridge and Council Vice Chairwoman Barbara Clark referenced a State Senate bill filed during this year's legislative session that attempted to give the Jasper County Board of Education the power to levy taxes for school purposes, instead of County Council.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Clementa C. Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, of the Jasper County Legislative Delegation, never passed the Senate.
Recently, Etheridge said the school district should be able to operate and not have to make any cuts based on what County Council allowed it.
At a June 17 County Council meeting, Clark said the council's responsibility is to set the millage rate and "there is still more fat" needed to be cut from the school's budget.


text: Visualization of Protein Ligand Graphs (VPLG) uses a graph-based model to describe the structure of proteins on the super-secondary structure level. A protein-ligand graph is computed from the atomic coordinates in a PDB file and the secondary structure assignments of the DSSP algorithm. In this graph, vertices represent secondary structure elements (SSEs, usually alpha helices and beta strands) or ligand molecules, while the edges model contacts and relative orientations between them. The graphs can be visualized, written to a database, and saved in a text-based file format.


text:
Will Ferrell, super pro.
It seems next to inevitable that at every press opportunity with an actor providing a voice for an animated character, some journalist tosses out the familiar softball: what's it like being able to go to work in sweatpants, pajamas, no makeup, etc. Fortunately, we can count on Will Ferrell, the voice behind the titular supervillain-turned-world-saver in "Megamind" to provide a fresh insight into his process.
"I didn't show up just in some T-shirt and sweats," insists the comedian. "I had a three-piece suit on. I did full hair and make-up for every recording session, because I view myself as a professional."
U.S. & World
The actor, whose voice appears alongside those of Tina Fey, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in the film, also verged into the TMI zone when describing the traits he has in common with Megamind.
"I have a lot of tight leather pants that I keep in a vault," he says. "I don't wear them, but I just keep them there. And there is a part of my body that I cannot go into detail on that is blue. That's just like a genetic defect. That's what I share with the character."
And of course Ferrell's kids must've been thrilled when Daddy asked what they thought of him becoming a cartoon character, right?
"My children were not consulted in this decision. Nor are they ever consulted about anything. They will speak when spoken to! It's a very strict household."
You were expecting straight answers from Will Ferrell? Seriously?
Okay, here's one, still on the topic of his kids' reaction:
"They've seen some of the advertisements and some of the trailers and stuff and I think they're intrigued by the fact that I do the voice of this guy with the blue head. There's one poster that has the Megamind baby that's featured. My three-year-old is really fascinated with the Megamind baby."


text:
Q. I've been in the habit of informally compacting my trash before putting it out by doing things like stuffing as much as possible into, say, a deli container that's not recyclable. I've always assumed that this is an earth-friendly thing to do because my trash will require fewer bags and take up less space in the landfill. But a friend just said I might be making things worse because my compacted trash will take longer to decompose because less oxygen will get to it. Who's right?
–Ward Goldsmith, Manhattan
A. Neither of you is totally correct, but you both get gold stars for thoughtfulness and attention to your waste disposal habits. On the one hand, garbage trucks will compact the living daylights out of whatever goes inside them, making all your home-compacting efforts somewhat irrelevant. That's according to Darby Hoover, resource specialist for the Natural Resources Defense Council. And garbage will be even further compacted once it gets to the landfill.
On the other hand, you don't really need to lose much sleep worrying that your compacting has robbed your garbage of access to precious oxygen. Our dumps aren't really designed to allow for much decomposition anyway. "Decomposition in modern landfills takes a surprisingly long time," explains Hoover, noting that garbologists have unearthed such biodegradable goodies as banana peels and newspapers decades after they were thrown out. (What — you didn't know that garbology was a legitimate academic discipline?)
True, compacting garbage yourself might make it harder for any post-collection extraction of recyclables to occur, but if you're the type of guy who would go to the trouble of cramming all your napkins, bubble wrap, used Kleenex and bottle caps into an old margarine tub before throwing them away, then you're probably not throwing any of your recycables in with your trash, right? So … go ahead and keep compacting as long as you've been good about sorting. You'll conserve some resources and save a few bucks by using fewer trash bags. Plus, future garbologists will have that much more interesting data to analyze when they dig up all of your overstuffed yogurt containers many decades from now.
Story by Sarah Schmidt. This article originally appeared in Plenty in October 2008. This story was added to MNN.com.


text: Another beautiful music review I had (with my pseudonym Vanethian) is this one at Splendid E-zine. The music review is about my music album Futures Past, with my pseudonym Vanethian. If you want to read more music reviews just search my name on Google and Yahoo. Music Reviews: Splendid E-zine […] Music Reviews: Splendid E-zine20 Oct, 2007 in Reviews tagged beautiful music review / Laurence Olivier Award / List of Cheers characters / List of The West Wing politicians / Mel Brooks / music review / Rebecca Howe / Rick Wakeman / Robin Hood: Men in Tights / Roger Rees / Royal Shakespeare Company / Splendid E-zine / The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (play) by Manuel Marino


text:
Alina Balonuskova, 2005-2007
Alina Balonuskova majored with an individual major in International Finance and minored in Spanish. She was born and raised in Latvia, an Eastern European country that used to be a part of USSR and then regained its independence in 1991. Throughout her childhood, Alina was able to observe the change from planned economy to market economy. This was a time when a vast number of small businesses arose. Being exposed to such an environment planted in Alina a goal of starting her own business venture someday. Besides the interest in business, especially international, Alina is interested in learning different languages. She can speak Russian, Latvian, English, German, Spanish and a little Modern Greek. An important role in Alina's life is volunteering and helping the others.
During the spring of her sophomore year she spent a week in the Dominican Republic volunteering at an orphanage. Alina hopes that someday she would be able to run an international company that would benefit ordinary people of developing countries, especially women and children.
Alina was the CFO of our student started student run coffee shop called Clemens Perk. In that role she managed all of the accounts payable, budgeting and was on the management team with two other Entrepreneur Scholars.


text:
A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Beaujolais region of France. The grape is also grown in Austria and the United States (CA). Gamay varietal wines that are not produced in the Beaujolais region are labeled "Gamay". Wines that are produced in the Beaujolais region from the Gamay varietal are typically labled "Beaujolais". Although there are many grape varietals grown in California given the name Gamay, none are the true Gamay of France's Beaujolais region. Traditionaly, Gamay is a 100% varietal, though it is increasingly being used as a blend in Beaujolais regional wines.
Also known as: Gamay Noir, Jus Blanc, Gamay Noir a'Jus Blanc, Petit Gamai, and Bourguignon Noir.
Characteristics: A light hearted, light to medium bodied, crisp red wine. Wines made with the true Gamay varietal are typically low in tannin and alcohol, high in acidity with flavors of fresh fruit, cherries, strawberries, bananas and peaches.
Ageing: Most are drunk young, ageing 1 to 2 years. Also available in Nouveau, to be drunk immediately. Crus of Beaujolais is the only Gamay blend showing ageing potential of up to 10 years.
Serving temperature: Serve slightly chilled, 60º-65ºF.
Food pairings: bacon, cajun cuisine, calzone, cannelloni with ricotta, cannelloni with meat, chicken with garlic, BBQ chicken, spicy chicken, Chinese cuisine with beef, chicken chow mein, sushi with maguro tuna, Chinese garlic chicken, sweet and sour pork, moo shoo pork, vegetable couscous, meat couscous, steak and fish creole, egg dishes, Greek cuisine, hummus, Indian cuisine, Italian cuisine, Mexican cuisine, middle eastern cuisine, pâté, pasta, potato salad, cheese soufflé, southwestern cuisine, pizza, hamburger, sandwiches, and fish.