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Kahne talks about season so far, among other things
Aug 17, 2012; Brooklyn, MI, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne (5) during a press conference before the practice for the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship competitor is in his first season of driving the No. 5 entry for Hendrick Motorsports. He heads into Sunday's Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 at Talladega Superspeedway — the fourth race in the 10-race Chase — sixth in the championship points standings.
On the season, Kahne has two wins, nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes through 29 points-paying events.
Kahne participated in NASCAR's weekly teleconference on Tuesday. During the conference, he discussed his first year, so far, with Hendrick Motorsports, his relationship with long-time crew chief Kenny Frances, and the Chase, among other things.
Below, is the transcript from Tuesday's teleconference:
Q. You and Kenny Francis have stuck together with each other through thick and thin, through various race teams and all kinds of changes. What is it about y'all's relationship that has kept you guys together, and are there any other crew members that maybe we don't hear about that have also been with you guys throughout all the changes y'all have had to go through?
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, it's been really neat to be able to stick with Kenny as long as I have, and Keith Rodden, our engineer, he's been with us, with Evernham and when I started with the Great Clips team, Todd Devnich, Marv; I think there's three or four of us, five of us that have all stuck together for a while now, and it's worked out really well. I love working with those guys, and they just — I have a ton of respect for Kenny and how much effort that he puts into the cars and into being prepared when we get to the racetrack.
So we've just always worked really well together. We both work hard at trying to win and trying to run strong, and it's been nice through all the ups and downs that we've been through, the different organizations and trying to learn new situations and things each year, to have some of that same group to be able to work with.
Q. And you talked about basically kind of the close-knit family that you have there at Hendrick Motorsports and you're able to bounce things off of Jimmie and Dale and all the other teams. Is that different for you guys? Did you guys have that same type of situation with any other programs that you were with?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, I mean, you always have the teammates, and you want to work with them and things like that. But I just feel like this year it's a must. There's a big emphasis on all of us working together and sharing information and just trying to get better together. So it's different. It's at a different level than I've ever had before. And working with the guys that I'm working with, I mean, Dale and Jeff and Jimmie, just everything they've done over the years, it's a group that I've never had an opportunity like that before.
Q. I know Talladega is a place it's hard to go in with a defined strategy, but considering where you are in the Chase now and 32 points out, does that impact how you approach the race on Sunday? Do you try to race more up front or more at the back to maybe stay out of the big ones? Does that change your approach at all?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, I think you definitely need to think about it and try to figure out what you feel is best for yourself, for the team, and just trying to get all the points that we can on Sunday. What I've done the past two, three years is just tried to race and stay out front, as close to the front as possible, and that's worked pretty good for us.
So I don't exactly know what we're going to do yet. I need to run that by Kenny and kind of see what his plan is. But usually he likes to just race, too, and stay up front. It's hard to sit in the back and just kind of sit back there, relax and wait until 10 laps to go and then — I've done that before, you wait until 10 to go and you get up there and crash as soon as you get in the middle of it. It is tough. You never really know what to do, but I think whatever you do, you just need to stick to it the whole race, and when it's times to go at the end, hopefully you can stay out of trouble and have a shot at winning.
Q. How do you see your Chase chances now? You're not in the best position obviously but there are guys behind you who are in a much worse position. Do you feel like you still have a pretty good shot?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, I think we've done really well so far. We were third the first race, fifth the second race, and last week we were running in the top 5 and were even maybe going to win the race. So we've brought great race cars to the track, the team has prepared and done an awesome job, our pit stops have been great. There's just a lot of really good things going on. Last week we had heartbreak with 50 laps to go, and that stuff happens. We'll fix it, and it won't happen again. But that's part of it.
So we gave away some points, but I feel like we've been really consistent, maybe not the best car in the Chase but one of the top three or four cars for sure.
Q. I'm curious about what your opinion might be on a new racing championship called Formula E, which is like Formula 1 but with all electric vehicles. These electric vehicles will be able to go really fast, but in these races the cars' charge won't last for more than like 25 minutes or so, so the drivers will need to switch cars during the races. And they're going to have them kind of in the heart of major cities around the world starting in 2014. I'm curious to hear your opinion on racing electric cars, if you think it's something that can be cool, even if there's not the roar of the engine and the exhaust and the switching of the cars and all that.
KASEY KAHNE: I don't know, that's interesting. I've never heard about that before. But it sounds pretty neat, really, and how that switch happens and how fast the cars can actually go, how much work is done to the cars as far as suspension and things. I don't know anything about it, but I'd imagine they could build a pretty neat series around that. I'd like to learn more about it.
Q. I guess they have pretty amazing torque, but the limitation is that the battery doesn't last that long.
KASEY KAHNE: Right, so they need to be recharged pretty quick.
Q. So you hadn't heard of it before?
KASEY KAHNE: No, I hadn't heard of it. One thing I do like about our cars is that they're loud, and racing is loud. So that's different. That's a huge difference. But at the same time, that could be very cool. I'd like to — I'm going to look into it.
Q. When you think about the positions Brad and Jimmie have already put themselves in, how realistic do you think it is someone can go 10 races in a Chase without a single bad finish, and do you feel that maybe you used up your bad finish last year at Dover with a 15th?
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I kind of feel like we used up ours, so we need to try not to have another one at this point if we want to have an opportunity. I think realistically someone could go 10 races. I think that's very tough to do. But I think it could happen because you can definitely put together 10 solid races and not have any bad luck or no mistakes, no errors, mental errors, whatever it may be. So that could happen.
But I think where we're at and having one, we probably can't have another one if we feel like we have a shot to contend for a championship when it gets down to the line.
Talladega is a race that's really going to show us all kind of where everybody is at after Talladega and then Martinsville and some of these other tracks. So I think we'll learn a lot at Talladega.
Q. Do you think for Johnson and Keselowski in particular that Talladega might be their best chance at a worst finish? I know you don't want to root against your teammates, but I guess you kind of are in that position.
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I don't root for anyone to wreck or any of that stuff, but it's definitely a track that has the most possibilities of getting in the wrong spot at the wrong time and having no control of the situation. So yeah, it could take out all 12 of us in the Chase or maybe just two of them or however it works. But Talladega is that one wild card that nobody really knows, and we won't have a clue until after it's all over.
Q. This morning I read on Jeff Gordon's Facebook account that he was having coffee in his favorite coffee shop, and in walks a guy wearing a 24 hat, and the guy didn't realize even sitting down next to him who he was until Jeff said, "hey, nice hat," and of course that must have elated the fan. Is that something that still excites you guys, to surprise fans like that and meet up with fans like that?
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I think it definitely excites me. I read that this morning. It was on his Twitter, also. And it's pretty funny how that all works. But that would be neat, I think, for the — for Jeff and then also that fan that was sitting next to him and had no clue. But yeah, I like it when you can surprise a fan, someone that supports you and enjoys watching you race, things like that, and then kind of run into them and they're clueless at the time what's going on until you make them aware of it. That's a good feeling.
Q. Looking to the Chase, what do you think it is about this season in particular that really tightened things up rather quickly early on here in the Chase?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, I think the competition, and there's a few of those drivers that have just been running really, really good for a while now, so it's going to keep it close. Talladega is one of those races that could kind of wipe some of it out or open up the points or make them even closer. So it's tough to say, but I would say the competition in the Sprint Cup Series right now is as competitive as it's been since I've been in the sport. So it's hard to gain points, it's hard to get away. Those same guys are running good each week, so it's hard to make points on them or gain points back if you need them.
Q. Looking ahead to this weekend, do you guys predetermine your drafting partner or is anybody with a Hendrick engine fair game to be your dancing partner?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, I think going into it, myself and Jeff Gordon, we'll work together if we can. That's kind of how it works. We're in the same shop. The 88 and the 48 will do the same thing. But there's restarts, there's positions you get yourself in where you can't get to your teammate, and then it's who's in front of me or who's behind me, and those are your new drafting partners. So you just really want to help each other, but at times you can't, and you have to just look out for yourself.
Q. Looking at this weekend at Talladega and of course the rest of the season, now, if my knowledge is correct, it looks like you've had some very good success at the tracks that are left on the Chase. You finished second at Talladega in 2009; in 2010 you won the pole at Kansas; and I think in 2011 you won the race at Phoenix. Does that give you a greater amount of confidence? And it seems like you enjoy racing at those tracks.
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I enjoy racing at all the tracks in the Chase, the first three that we've been to and then the next four — the next seven. They're all great tracks. I enjoy them, we run well at them, and just a — you never know what's going to happen at all of them, but you definitely enjoy going to them, and we've had some pretty good performances at all of them. We've won at a few of the tracks and came close at others. So it's a good Chase. It's a good bunch of races for myself, and hopefully we can take advantage of that and have a little bit of momentum and confidence going into them and capitalize and gain points.
Q. You mentioned math, and I'm just looking at some stats here about the Chase. Going back to the top 10 guys who have been in the Chase, Jimmie Johnson, nine times; Tony Stewart, eight times; Jeff Gordon, eight; Matt Kenseth, eight; Denny Hamlin, seven; Kurt Busch, six; Carl Edwards, six; Kevin Harvick, six; Greg Biffle, five; and then Dale Jr., five. Of those 10 top 10 in the Chase years, only Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch have won the championship. So does experience — with being in it three times, and obviously I think you guys would say experience counts, Clint Bowyer has been in it four times and Brad Keselowski twice and Martin Truex twice, but do you think that experience is really as big a factor, or what does really make that champion?
KASEY KAHNE: I think experience helps. I think you kind of went through the pressure of going down to the wire and just probably on your mind constantly, hard to break away from anything more than just racing and think about that, and you've pulled it off, you've accomplished it, something that's really difficult to do.
So those guys I think are in a really good spot because they've been there, they've done it, they feel comfortable about where they're at, but they're not the only ones who have won championships, so there's other guys that will step up eventually and beat them. Will it be this year? I have no idea. But it's definitely a tough deal to win is to win the Sprint Cup Championship. It's exciting. That's why we're all doing it. We all would love to win it and work really hard to put the best effort in that we can.
Q. Do you spend as much time with stats like this, or maybe your crew chief spends a little bit more time with it?
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, probably other guys. I haven't — I don't look too much at that stuff. I just kind of go week to week and look at what I can do and what I've done and kind of notes that I've had from the past at those racetracks. That's how I do it.
But definitely stats are good and stats are fun to look at once in a while.
Q. Coming into the Chase, Denny Hamlin said last week that the track he wanted to make sure he didn't lose too many points at was going to be Dover. I was wondering if coming into the Chase if you had any track marked down that you really wanted to focus on as far as not losing too many points, outside of Talladega where we know anything can happen.
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I feel like they're all — each one of the tracks are pretty similar for myself, so it's just trying to get the most points at each track and do that the best that you can. It's tough to say. Denny ran great at Dover and he's struggled there in the past, so they obviously stepped up and made some gains.
But I like all the tracks we go to. I feel like we run pretty well at them and have a chance to win at each one of them. Just kind of go to them and try to do the best that we can.
Q. Obviously the season started out kind of rough for you guys, but you were able to come back really strong and won a couple races and made one of the wild card spots. Being down in the Chase here early on, I was wondering if maybe the fact that you guys have already fought back once this season gives you any extra motivation or any extra hope for being able to compete for the championship when you guys get to Homestead.
KASEY KAHNE: Yeah, I mean, I feel like our team has done a really nice job of that all season long, of coming back and getting behind and charging back as well as we could. So we still have a lot left in the Chase. It's a bad race, but if I can win at one of those races, we're back in it and we're all tied up. We definitely have a shot, we're definitely not out of it, but we can't give up any more points at this stage of it. We just need to run well and run up front from here on out.
Q. My first question is with racing in Nationwide Series races, do you feel like it's a little bit of an advantage for you in the Chase?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, I'm just doing two races in the Chase; one was Dover, which we ran great in; our Great Clips Chevy was fast and had a shot to win at the end and had a problem late so that was taken away. And then we're doing Phoenix also in that car. I think you can learn a little bit about tires and the racetrack and how it rubbers in. Other than that, I think the cars are — they're different enough that more than anything you're doing it just to race and for the competition and trying to win.
Q. At Talladega this weekend, how do you think your performance will be at Talladega compared to previous years in the past running there?
KASEY KAHNE: Well, hopefully it'll be really good. I like that place. I've always liked racing at Talladega, and we've ran pretty well there for the last couple years. Hopefully it'll be pretty good. We'll have a fast Hendrickcars.com Chevy and just do the best we can and try to stay out of trouble. If we can stay out of trouble, I think we'll be in the mix to be up in that top 5 and hopefully have a shot to win.
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It's about time for something truly seminal. Even if you have never read David Norman's 1985 encyclopedia - and I hadn't, until last week - you will instantly recognise the majority of John Sibbick's illustrations. They are without a doubt among the most influential dinosaur illustrations of all time, inspiring countless knock-offs and derivative works that even ranged to toys and life-sized models. While the majority of them are now scientifically obsolete (with some groups of animals having aged better than others), they remain breathtakingly beautiful artistic achievements. When it comes to hyper-realism, Sibbick is the (computer-enhancement free) man.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Vintage Dinosaur Art: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Part 1
It's about time for something truly seminal. Even if you have never read David Norman's 1985 encyclopedia - and I hadn't, until last week - you will instantly recognise the majority of John Sibbick's illustrations. They are without a doubt among the most influential dinosaur illustrations of all time, inspiring countless knock-offs and derivative works that even ranged to toys and life-sized models. While the majority of them are now scientifically obsolete (with some groups of animals having aged better than others), they remain breathtakingly beautiful artistic achievements. When it comes to hyper-realism, Sibbick is the (computer-enhancement free) man.
23 comments:
One of the 'great masters' of palaeo art. I have many of these illustrations in various volumes (who doesn't?), but I'm very tempted to get this book too, now.
ReplyDeleteRepliesDo pick it up Niroot! What this post doesn't show is the true format of the book. First is a collage of several animals, followed by a skeletal/bone spread, and than heavy writing page full of black and white drawings (like the Spinosaur).
The skeletals are still useful in the modern era. While not 100% accurate, I find, the skull drawings especially, they are a good supplementation of modern sources (Hartman and... *shudder* Paul)I shall! (And I'm sure Marc is indeed planning to show those skeletal spreads in later posts :D)
Hooray for nostalgia! I used to have a poster of this book's anachronistic assemblages.
"In spite of their being closely related, the troodonts have aged somewhat better than the dromaeosaurs, even if they are naked. I love the startled, birdlike expression on the face of the Saurornithoides in the background here, and Sibbick seems particularly skilled at making the animals' claws appear suitably vicious."
That reminds me of a question: Would troodonts have been able to fold their killing claws back the way Sibbick drew them? I always thought that looked cool.
"Send in the 'carnosaurs'!"
You forgot to mention the appearance of a "Sparkleraptor" ( http://babbletrish.deviantart.com/gallery/24953321#/d2xuijl ) in the form of Archaeopteryx (or something similar).
"(including a famous painting depicting one attacking a Diplodocus)"
That's still 1 of my favorite pieces of dino art ever. Despite the nostalgia of Sibbick's older art, I prefer his 90s art (a lot of which appears in 1 of my favorite dino books ever: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-History-Museum-Book-Dinosaurs/dp/184442183X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339895483&sr=1-4 ) b/c of how much better he got by modern standards.
"OK, OK, this next one's just here because it's unfortunate. 1980s Spinosaurus ahoy! Looks like he's skipping home from school."
What's weird about that is that the way it's running looks more like what you'd expect from a lizard running bipedally than from a theropod.
"Another reminder that 1985 was a long, long time ago and if you were alive then you're very old by now (yeah, you heard, gramps): scaly, egg-splattering Oviraptor."
Don't forget about its nose horn. Ah, memories.
"(including Dinosaurs! magazine in the early '90s, which Norman was involved with)"
What's weird about that is that despite including a lot of real Sibbick art, there are also a lot of Sibbick art rip-offs (E.g. Both the aforementioned Allosaurus & Coelophysis).- AnonymousJune 18, 2012 at 6:19 PM
"It might sound daft, but such skill is too often lacking in commercial palaeoart, especially in the dire CG clag that stuffs so many books these days."
My thoughts exactly. I just don't feel as engaged by looking at most modern depictions as I do with Sibbick's older pictures, independent of accuracy.
Thanks a lot for posting these! Ooh, yes. This was the first serious dino book that I got. I loved how Sibbick's illustrations made them seem like real animals but, as Craig said, the dinoramas are only half the story, er... art - I also loved the large detailed skeletals. And I appreciated the colour-coded phylo-trees. Plus, there was a decent amount of text to supplement the visuals.
Apart from the Spinosaurus which looks like it has to keep on accelerating lest it fall over, this is a book to be fondly remembered rather than made fun of (I know you weren't doing that). Sure, there is a distinct lack of feathers and a lot of the theropods have bunny hands, but I think it compares very favourably with other dino books of its time or even ten years later.
That does look like an impossibly wide stance for the Tyrannosaurus, tho'.It's now known that Avimimus had premaxillary teeth, though this information appears to be quite obscure.
ReplyDeleteWow, I loved gazing upon those images again, in so many glorious pixels, and I loved gazing upon those I had never seen. Thank you for all that. Precious stuff.
(Just for the record: the Ornithomimus is in fact a Dromiceiomimus.)RepliesHas not Dromiceiomimus been sunk into Ornithomimus since? I may be mistaken though (more than likely).
DeleteOh. Now that's sad. I've always liked Dromiceiomimus. (Yet I do like even more LITC's constant reminder that I'm lacking quite a lot in dinoknowledge)
DeleteActually, it's only the referred species O. edmontonicus that has been sunk into Dromiceiomimus. The type species O. velox is valid. But as velox is so fragmentary, no doubt Sibbick's drawing (as an aside, looks like GSP has a time travel lawsuit to pursue) is based on a specimen now referred to Dromiceiomimus. What's irritating is that everybody's using edmontonicus for the ex-Dromiceio species, when brevitertius has priority.
What a trip down memory lane! I almost (literally) loved that book to death. . .it was the first "real" dinosaur book I had (must have gotten it not long after it was published). The pages are scribbled with my notes and slightly stained where I used the skeletals as templates for my own clay dinosaurs. The whole mass is held together by a generous quantity of duct tape, and still has a place of honor on my bookshelf at the museum.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousJuly 4, 2012 at 5:26 AM
OMG, the hideous Oviraptor. what ever did the Sibbick do to you? All squished in and ugly. Oh, wait, you were born that way ... *tosses away all feelings for it*
This brings back memories, my second big book of dinosaurs [Lambert's encyclopedia came first], but with amazing art (at the time, for me). I'm commenting long after this post originally 'aired', but I just want to say how much I'm enjoying reading your posts and savouring your scans. These are the books I grew up with (well, maybe slightly older) and it's striking as I read to my son how much things have changed in the field.


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Youngstown, Ohio - 26 - MLIS from Kent and BA in art history from Youngstown State University - http://www.personal.kent.edu/~asulliv7/
I would say that I make my own world and I give form to my world through my work. It has a lot of forests and seas and there is lawn furniture everywhere and everybody gets sick. Nobody can really communicate but to make convoluted puns. Nobody understands anybody else too well. Visions don't need visionaries, they occur on their own. All of the art that is made is absurd and redundant to look at because everything is already so bewildering, so they try to make jokes instead. There is a very famous book about a man with an upside-down face that nobody has read, but still it is very important to everybody. It is known for a significant quote, "Man created God in His own image." Everybody knows they are in a narrative but that it's somebody else's. Everybody is probably afflicted with Asperger's syndrome, but they probably don't know it because there is nobody who isn't. Everybody is in love with somebody but also nobody is in love with anybody. It is too difficult for everybody, somebody, anybody, and nobody to understand who they are and what "they" means. To wonder about it is very exciting though, and gives existence its meaning.
I am influenced by Robert Gober, Raymond Pettibon, Asian arts, Les Nabis and the Symbolists, Horace Pippin, James Ensor, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Aya Takano, and a comic strip from Japan that is called "Juicy Fruit" I think but I can't read it so I'm not certain [http://juicyfruit.exblog.jp/], among other things I'm sure. Certainly there are thematic influences and ideas from stuff like Celtic Frost, Strawberry Switchblade, Flipper, Burroughs, Momus, Kosuth, conceptual art, language, and art history. Net artists are very inspiring as well but I am not very good at making net art.
Sometimes I imagine something and then I take a few months thinking about it and talking about it and losing sleep over it then falling asleep and dreaming about it, then eventually I sit down and cut out some shapes and make it into a picture. But other times I feel very urgent and then I work closer to a stream of consciousness and make free associations as I draw and cut out shapes and put them together. Some pictures are very indulgent and emotional, some are mysterious things that I can't account for even thinking of, some are jokes, some are questions.
Paper, scissors, blades, UHU Stic, pens and pencils.
I have an idea for a movie called "Party Bird" that I would like to make. It is about a guy who is a dork but he has a pet bird that can talk and is cool and tries to make him become cool so he can get dates. I would like to spend the money on this movie but I think it would be pretty cheap so whatever money is left I would like to use to start an infomercial archives and museum.
There are trees everywhere and old buildings. The aesthetic character is frozen it seems because the industrial infrastructure of the city collapsed in the 70's. I have always liked looking around at things here and there is an absurd kind of depressedness that has probably exerted a lot of its influence on the things I think.
There are two art museums that have had worthwhile exhibits and a few galleries and many theaters and an art department at the college. Still, I am not sure there is anything you would think of as an "art scene," but there are some quite good artists, and some good audiences as well. I think it is detached in many ways and I like that, doesn't everyone want to be an "outsider artist" after all? Maybe not, but I just imagine feeling so defensive and awkward if there were a big social scene and any kind of sexiness attached to making stuff.
I would choose invisibility I think because I would feel very anxious about flying around.
I would like to meet people then we go to some garage sales and buy some VHS movies about spring break or summer vacation and watch them and then talk about stuff and then maybe make some pictures or play music.
In March I have an exhibition at the Bliss Gallery in Youngstown and I would like to do an exhibition in Chicago soon.
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As Valentine's Day cards attest, humans value love and friendship that aren't just forged by family ties, common interests or sexual attraction. Now researchers have determined that such human-like friendships exist among at least five different types of animals.
Prior studies determined that elephants, dolphins, some carnivores and certain non-human primates, such as chimpanzees, have the ability -- just as humans do -- to maintain enduring friendships in highly dynamic social environments. A new study, published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, adds bats to that list.
Female wild Bechstein's bats prefer to literally hang out with certain friends while they also keep loose ties to the rest of their colony. Lead author Gerald Kerth told Discovery News that these bat buddies mirror human ones. Despite all of their "daily chaos, the bats are able to maintain long-term relationships," he said.
"We do not work, play and live together with the same individuals all the time during the day and week," he explained. "But nevertheless, we are able to maintain long-term relationships with our friends and our family despite our often chaotic and highly dynamic social lives."
Kerth, a professor at the University of Greifswald's Zoological Institute, and colleagues Nicolas Perony and Frank Schweitzer monitored colonies of the bats over a period of five years. Male bats of this species are solitary, but females roost together in bat boxes and tree cavities. They preferred certain companions over the years.
In addition to resting together, "colony members exchange information among each other about suitable roosts, make flexible group decisions where to communally roost next, groom each other and profit from communal roosting through warming of each other," Kerth said.
The researchers determined that the female bats did not just select their companions based on size, age, reproductive status or relatedness, although older female bats often maintained links between friend subgroups.
Kerth believes the human-like friendships likely exist among other bats living in temperate zones, since these bats often live in colonies that also frequently split and merge, a phenomenon known as "fission-fusion."
"Fission-fusion dynamics with long-term social relationships are also found in elephants, dolphins, chimpanzees and humans," he said.
Jonathon Balcombe, an animal behavior research scientist and consultant for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, pointed out that female bats even sometimes serve as midwives.
In one documented case, a pregnant fruit bat in Florida was attended by an unrelated female fruit bat, according to Balcombe, who is author of the book "Second Nature." The helper bat repeatedly groomed and hugged the pregnant bat during the birthing process.
"Following birth, the helper groomed the pup, and she and a third female fanned the mother with her wings," added Balcombe.
Other animals with human-like friendships, such as elephants, tend to have large brains, but bats prove that even species with "peanut-sized brains can also have long-term relationships," Kerth said. "This for me suggests that it does not necessarily take large brains to keep track of relationships in highly dynamic societies."
The discoveries may negate prior theories on why humans evolved large brains and became such a dominant species. Previously, some anthropologists thought this was driven by our need to maintain relationships in an ever-changing social setting. Now it's suspected that other factors must have come into play. In fact, tiny-brained bats may even be better at maintaining friendships than we are.
Kerth said he admires "bats for doing things that I find difficult: making quick and efficient group decisions in a group of 20-plus individuals and keeping social relationships despite a regular mixing of social partners."
"I sometimes feel that this is cognitively demanding for me (since) we all know the embarrassing feeling when we forget the name/affiliation of somebody we haven't seen in a while but who remembers us well," he continued, suggesting that this recently happened to him at a conference.
In the future, he'd like to see if bats ever experience such social faux pas.


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Top forecasters say the economy will grow this year and next at a slower pace than previously thought, weakened by governments and consumers spending less so they can pay down debt.
That's the findings of a new survey released Monday by the National Association of Business Economics.
The 46 economists polled tempered their expectations after seeing weak economic data in recent months. The panel reduced its forecast for annual economic growth to 2.6 percent in 2010 and 2011. That's down from its forecast of 3.2 percent in May.
The economists expect the economy will add jobs through the end of 2011, but not enough to bring down the unemployment rate below 9.2 percent. They don't see home prices rising much or the nation's soaring deficit falling much.
The mainly downbeat report comes as persistently high unemployment, weak consumer spending and stagnant wages drag on the U.S. economy. The nation emerged last summer from the deepest recession since the 1930s. But the economic recovery has not yet led to widespread job gains or growth.
"This summer's slowdown has exposed the economy's sensitivity to wealth losses, the unwinding of debt, and the reductions in economic stimulus," NABE President-elect Richard Wobbekind said in a statement.
The NABE's Outlook survey is conducted four times per year. It compiles economists' big-picture expectations for factors such as growth, hiring, home prices and spending. The economists work for industry groups, government agencies, banks and economic analysis firms.
The economy grew at a 1.7 percent annual rate in the second quarter, according to the government's latest estimate. That's a sharp slowdown from a 3.7 percent growth rate logged in the January-March quarter. Most economists expect growth to be similarly weak in the July-September quarter, with estimates ranging between 1.5 percent and 2 percent.
Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity. Economists told the NABE that consumer spending is likely to remain low over the next year, with families spurning retailers during the holiday shopping season.
The housing market also will struggle, the economists said. Home prices will not rise enough in 2011 to keep up with inflation, and housing starts will remain near record lows, they said.
Still, they expressed few concerns about inflation, deflation or so-called stagflation — a dangerous mix of rising prices and slow economic growth.
The economists expected hiring to increase at a painfully slow rate. They predicted the economy will add 150,000 or fewer jobs each month until the middle of 2011, after which the numbers will improve to about 175,000. Only then will the jobless rate begin dropping, from 9.6 percent to 9.2 percent, the economists said.
The economy needs to add 125,000 net new jobs each month just to keep up with population growth.
The biggest concern among the economists was the federal deficit. They predicted it will shrink by only about $100 billion to $1.2 trillion — a level the NABE called "extreme."
There were a few bright spots. Economists expected businesses to increase spending on equipment and software as their profits keep rising. Spending by businesses has helped keep up demand for goods from American factories, a vital sector for the economic recovery.
Foreign trade was not seen weighing on economic growth. The panel said trade deficits would remain constant as a share of gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the economy's health. Those surveyed forecast a one-third chance of a "bubble" in China's economy — a low level of concern, the NABE said.


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Gokusen Version2, ????
Genre: Comedy, High School.
Date: April 2002
Episodes: 12
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English
Casts: Kohmoto Masahiro, Nabe Osami, Nakazawa Yuko, Oguri Shun, Ookuma Ichirou, Sakata Tadashi, Sawamura Ikki
Synopsis: The story of a young, idealistic teacher who enters Shirokin Gakuen with hopes of making a difference in the students' lives. However, Yamaguchi Kumiko (Nakama Yukie) is in for a rude awakening when she finds that she will be the homeroom teacher of 3-D, the hardest class to maintain in the school. The students have multi-colored hair, sloppy uniforms, and show absolutely no respect to her. The leader of the class, Sawada Shin is lazy but bright and shows some interest in Yamaguchi when he notices that she is very different from other teachers. The students try to bully her to make her quit, but their attempts don't get them very far.What the class and the rest of the school does not know is that Yamaguchi Kumiko is actually the 4th generation heir to the Ooedo Group, a notorious yakuza clan. Even though her family would like her to take the title of Ojou when her grandfather dies, they have accepted the fact that Yamaguchi would rather be a teacher.Eventually, the students learn to respect their quirky teacher because of her devotion to them, and even give her a nickname: Yankumi.
[tubepress mode='tag', tagValue='Gokusen Version2′]


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New Car Review
by Bill Maloney
SEE ALSO: Mitsubushi Buyer's Guide
Whenever we test drive a new car we attempt to elicit as many opinions as possible from motorist friends, co-workers, family members....anyone who can make our writing job eazier with suggestions and comments re styling and performance. When we showed off the new Mitsubishi Mirage Coupe LS with its 1.8 SOHC, 16V four cylinder engine and pretty neat sports car styling the most oft query we received was something along the lines of... "het, that's pretty nifty and peppy...what's it cost?" Mitsu calls it an entry level sports car and while it doesn't have any real sporty car speed or agility it does look good, offer plenty of four seat room and comes in at $14,330. That is a good price for a distinctive car that will probably retain its styling for several more years.
The Mirage started life a few years ago as a four-door sedan and it was only last year that the plant in Normal, Illinois started cranking out coupes. Like other "handling" sports cars, the Mirage features 4-wheel independent suspension and in our LS it sported a five-speed manual transmission to once again give it more sports car flair. The four banger engine only puts out 118 horsepower but makes all, the right moves.
There are so many cars in this bracket that a buyer really has to sit down with a wish list and detail exactly what he/she is looking for in a personal car and this all may come down to price. Other cars in this class are Dodge Neon and Nissan 200SX SE-R.
On the iside the Mirage coupe is pleasant...am/fm stereo, air, seat height adjustments, 60/40 split bench seat, side view mirrors and options include door locks, power sunroof, ABS, cruise control, side air dam and fog lights. Much to our chagrin the radio did not have a cassette player as we were just finishing the final chapter of books on tape... "The court martial of George Armstrong Custer" Never did find out the ending.
A coupe employing a fairly anemic 1.5 or 1.8 liter motor you're better off opting for the five-speed manual gear box over the automatic. It is smooth and if you want the automatic that's electronically controlled and is that new breed of trans that "learns" a drivers driving habits and adjusts shifting strategies accordingly.
If a sporty coupe is something you have ben contemplating check out the Mirage and if you can beat up the retailer you could come out with a pretty good value and a fun car. and 36 mpg highway is a big plus.


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Calorie-laden cocktail? No: A 20-calorie glass of Pink Grapefruit Tropicana Fruit Squeeze, turned into a "mocktail" with some lime and mint.
Category Main Page Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles
Articles & Reviews Of Foods From A To Z
KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
April 2007
CAPSULE REPORT: Fruit juice water is a new entry into the bottled water category: Tropicana Fruit Squeeze is 13% real fruit juice in bottled water with added sweetener (sucralose), providing a refreshing "juice very lite" drink for just 20 calories per 8-ounce serving. We especially enjoyed the lemon and grapefruit flavors as natural-tasting alternatives to lemonade and grapefruit juice; and added some glamour via lime and mint to make "mocktails."
Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water aisle...there's another new category of waters. Or is it juices? We've put this review of Tropicana Fruit Squeeze in the Juice Section of our product reviews, because the waters are so juicy, they don't belong in the Bottled Waters section with Fiji, Volvic, Voss and the lesser-known (but very delicious) mineral waters we review.
There are different categories of flavored water:
Now, there's:
Is fruit juice water juice, or is it water? Since water is a hot category and juice sales are flat, marketing the product as water makes sense. But it's definitely juice. Leave an open bottle of flavored water in your car or gym bag for a few days or a few weeks, come back to drink it, and it's fine. Leave an open bottle of Tropicana Fruit Squeeze unrefrigerated for a few days and it is spoiled and undrinkable.
There already is a category called Juice Lite, with less sugar/fewer calories than regular juice. Since Juice Lite Lite sounds a bit silly silly, Fruit Juice Water it is!
Tropicana Fruit Squeeze is available in four flavors:
The beverages taste like artfully diluted juice, and are very well-crafted. You won't mistake them for water: They're juice lite lite. The Fruit Squeezes are sweet, light and extremely refreshing. The Pink Grapefruit and Summer Lemon tasted as natural to us as the real thing—in fact, we actually prefer the Fruit Squeeze to a regular glass of grapefruit juice or a lemonade, because of the lightness.
The attractive calorie count—20 calories per 8-ounce serving—is achieved by artfully combining juice concentrates* with filtered water, adding some natural flavorings and sweetening with sucralose (the ingredient in Splenda®).
*What's in it? Filtered water, apple juice concentrate, grape juice concentrate, citric acid (a preservative), natural flavor, sucralose; a coloring agent like beta-carotene (yellow), cochineal (orange), red 40, and the concentrate of the "name" juice: lemon, lime, tangerine, raspberry and ruby red grapefruit juice concentrates. There are 25 mg sodium, 5g total carbs, 4g sugars, 0g fat, cholesterol and protein.
We preferred the Pink Grapefruit and Summer Lemon flavors; we're not sure why tangerine was chosen instead of the famous Tropicana orange juice, but we longed for the flavor of orange over the tangerine. Lime Raspberry, although made of natural flavors, seemed less natural to us than the single-note citrus choices. But everyone will have his or her own favorite(s).
Most of us don't get close to the recommended 9 to 13 eight-ounce glasses of water per day. We'd have to program ourselves to drink one glass every hour of the traditional work day. Even for the most enticing beverage in the world, that would be a chore. Add to that the bad news that the coffee, tea and cola many of us drink is anti-hydration: Caffeine is a mild diuretic,† leaching water from the body (hence all of those runs to the bathroom).
†Caffeine increases the excretion of water and sodium from the kidneys, resulting in a net water loss. Since it is a very mild diuretic, the stimulating properties of caffeine more than make up for slight net eventual water loss.
Other beverages besides water are hydrating. Juice contains a high percentage of water, although fruit juice generally comes with a high tally of calories and sugar carbs: An 8-ounce glass of fruit can have 130 calories, 30 from sugar. Tropicana Fruit Squeeze, on the other hand, has 20 calories, 4 from sugar. Just think: you can drink seven of them for the caloric value of a glass of regular juice. And, like diet soda and nonfat milk, you can learn to find them just as satisfying.
In addition to drinking them straight from the bottle, you can romance the Fruit Squeezes into 20-calorie "mocktails," as you'll see in the next section.
Pour your favorite Fruit Squeeze from the bottle into a collins glass or a wine goblet, add your favorite fresh citrus and an optional herb garnish. Top with a splash of diet tonic water or diet ginger ale if you like.
Straight or mocktail, we're happy to have this new juice drink to squeeze.
Juicy Water in Lime Raspberry, Pink Grapefruit, Summer Lemon and Tropical Tangerine
At supermarkets, club stores, convenience stores, and other retailers nationwide.
Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication, but are subject to change.
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AirClean Systems' AC600 Series chemical workstations are designed to provide a low-cost solution for protecting the operator and environment from toxic vapors, gases, fumes and particulates when performing low-volume applications with known chemicals. According to the company, the workstations:
- Are smaller and more mobile than a traditional or ductless fume hood, but include the same advanced safety features and technology as other systems, such as gas-phase bonded carbon filtration, real-time gas detection and constant airflow control and monitoring.
- Utilize gas phase bonded carbon filtration, providing higher capacity and eliminating filter 'dusting' caused by traditional granular carbon filters.
- Are available with multi-layered and chemically-impregnated filters in addition to standard formulations (to increase load capacity).
- Can be configured with multiple carbon and HEPA filters.
- Feature the AirSafe™ automatic safety controller, which displays, monitors and maintains proper airflow to ensure fumes and vapors do not enter the operator's breathing zone.
- Can be placed virtually anywhere within the laboratory with the only installation requirement being access to a standard power outlet.
- Are available with an optional sturdy cart, allowing flexibility and mobility within the laboratory.
- Are self-contained, fully assembled, factory-tested, and certified before shipment.
- Are suitable for applications such as general chemistry involving small volumes of common chemicals, tissue staining, gluing operations, cleaning and polishing of parts, sample preparation, soldering applications and a variety of other common laboratory manipulations and formulations


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In accordance with the requirements of the United States Constitution, President Barack Hussein Obama was officially sworn-in and began his second term on Sunday, January 20, 2013.
Under the Constitution, a president's term ends at noon Jan. 20. So the official swearing -in occurred on Sunday. Following historical precedent, the inaugural ceremony did not take place on Sunday.
The official swearing-in was a nearly private affair in the White House's oval shaped blue room. You can watch video of the official swearing in below:
This time, unlike Obama's first swearing-in, Chief Justice John Roberts administered the 35-word oath correctly. The Constitution, in Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight, requires that the President take the oath of office:
"Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: -- I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
After the oath was taken, President Obama was heard to say, "I did it." His daughter Sasha replied, "Good job, Dad, you didn't mess up."
For those of us who remain in the loyal opposition, the good news is that only 1,460 days remain in the Obama presidency.


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The educational resources from PropaneKids.com are availble for download to use in the classroom or to send home with students. Kids are curious by nature and will most likely want to learn more about propane (what it is, how it's used, where it comes from) and good safety habits, as well as share what they've learned with other family members and friends.
Please use the links below to download various materials for lesson planning and additional resources that will aid in reinforcing good propane safety habits at home.
For any questions or comments, please contact PropaneKids support at 202-452-8975 or support[at]propanekids[dot]com.


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While the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphinshaggle over compensation for offensive tackle Branden Albert, a favorite appears to be emerging for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel once was viewed as a near-consensus guy to go to the Chiefs with the top pick, but now analysts are lining up on the side of Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher.
Follow on your smartphone or tablet for exclusive content including live video from Radio City Music Hall.
FOX Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer predicts Fisher will go No. 1 because he's "big, nasty" and fits Kansas City's personality. Plugged-in NFL.com reporters Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport are on board with Fisher at the top of the draft.
NFL Network's Mike Mayock has opined for weeks that Fisher has more upside than Joeckel. The draft guru also pegs Fisher to the Chiefs in his only mock draft, which is the culmination of months of phone calls and research.
Chiefs general manager John Dorsey might still be fielding offers for the draft's first pick, but signs are starting to point toward Fisher as his left tackle for the next half-decade.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


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Daniel Estrin
April 23, 2011
Associated Press
The small doorway to the traditional site of Jesus' tomb cracked open to reveal a bright flame and tens of thousands of worshippers cheered ecstatically, marking the pinnacle of Easter Week's holy fire ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The annual ritual has been practiced for at least the last 1,200 years on the day before Easter, which celebrates Jesus' resurrection.
Worshippers of various Orthodox Christian sects packed into the Jerusalem church — Christianity's most sacred shrine and revered as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. In the ceremony, a flame believed to be miraculously lit emanates from the tomb.
"I'm all vibrating," said Romanian pilgrim Ivan Kurnia. "It's really, really impressive."
Hours before the ceremony, local Christians and pilgrims from around the world snaked through the narrow alleyways of Jerusalem's old city and filled the small courtyard outside the church. About a thousand Israeli police officers processed the crowds through police barricades that filtered access to the church's only entrance.
Inside gathered a colorful mix of clergymen and worshippers representing the different Orthodox Christian sects — from Armenian monks in black robes and pointed hoods to Russian Orthodox women wearing turquoise headscarves.
People crammed against each other in the dimly lit, cavernous church, and police broke up scuffles. One middle-aged American woman fainted, but she remained standing because people were pressed up against her in the densely packed crowd.
Despite the suffocating crowds, the throngs waited in anticipation for the ceremony to begin, clutching bundles of 33 slim candles signifying the years of Jesus' life.
Adorned with a golden crown encrusted with jewels and religious icons, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theofilos III, entered the Edicule, the small chamber at the core of the church marking the site of Jesus' tomb. Armenian clergymen entered as well, and the door was sealed, guarded by clergymen and an Israeli policeman.
Worshippers pass flame on
Then, the door was opened to reveal candles lit with the holy fire — said to be miraculously lit and interpreted as a message to the faithful from the heavens. The precise details of the flame's source are a closely guarded secret.
The flame was quickly passed on from one bunch of candles to another, and soon the dark church was filled with worshippers holding flickering torches and waving it around their faces. Bells rang and people cheered.
"Christos has risen. I feel amazing," said a Russian Orthodox pilgrim from San Francisco who identified himself only as Igor. "It came from God, from the sky."
Police spokesman Shmuel Ben Rubi said around a thousand police officers were deployed to direct foot traffic and keep the peace. He estimated tens of thousands of worshippers were in the church.
Asaf Abras, spokesman for Jerusalem's firefighting services, said about 10 firefighters with mobile units were stationed around the church in case of emergency.
Israeli officials have been worried since the late 1990s that a fire could erupt from the church during the ritual. In 1834, pilgrims in the church panicked, a stampede ensued, and several hundred people were crushed or suffocated to death.
Precious real estate means no emergency exit
But the six Christian sects that stake claim to different sections of the church have been reluctant to build an emergency exit or a fire escape. The sects zealously guard their portions of the church and brawls have erupted in recent years when clergymen of one sect encroach on another section, even when only sweeping the floor. None of the sects wants to give up an inch of precious real estate in the church to construct a second exit.
After the holy fire ceremony, the flame was immediately taken from the church and past an Israeli military barrier into the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Bethlehem where it was received at the Church of the Nativity, the traditional site of Jesus' birthplace.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad attended another holy fire ceremony in a central square in Ramallah, the seat of his government in the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, about fifty Christian worshippers attended a mass in one of Gaza's two churches.
More photos here.


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In G+ hangouts, I'm often sharing my desktop. Sometimes when I do this I mute the other participants because I'm giving some kind of lecture, but I will check back to see what they're saying in chat for questions.
When I do this, there's a hhhaaallllll ooofff mmmiiirrrrrrooorrrsss effect where my window is drawn inside itself down into infinity. It's very distracting and it stresses people out. :)
This isn't a problem if I'm sharing just one window, but I often need to share the entire desktop so multiple windows are visible.
Is there any way to prevent this effect, or to get chat messages without returning to the hangout window?


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Last week I received a lovely parcel in the mail from Amy at During Quiet Time. I had seen her very cute "quilt process" mini quilts a while ago and finally got around to ordering one for me. I got a pale/baby pink and dark grey printed panel which probably wouldn't have been my first choice in colours but I think this may have been the last one available so I was very happy with it anyway. I also bought a little "Baste" pincushion from her as my homemade pincushion is not really deep enough and I keep getting pins sticking through the bottom of it.
Amy also sent a PDF of instructions to make a mini quilt from the panel including 5 different ideas for the 3 blocks that run down the left of the quilt. So I spent this morning going through my stash for some fabrics to make up the little 4.5 inch square blocks and to use for rest of the quilt.
I am basing the quilt on the pink and grey colours of the panel and adding in a bit of yellow and darker pink so these are what I came up with: Amy Butler, Sherbet Pips, Henna garden, AMH Good Folks, DS,and some Daiwabo elephants.
Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced (button in sidebar)
Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced (button in sidebar)


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Deathmatch #2 (2nd Printing)
Sensational Second Printing! The battle royale continues as the world's greatest superheroes are forced to fight each other to the death in a mysterious, otherworldly prison. Who will be crowned the victor in this month's grudge match? More importantly, who will be the loser? And will the cabal of Sable, Meridian, Sol Invictus, and the Manchurian be able to decipher the mysteries of the prison before one of them is selected to enter the arena? Written by industry legend Paul Jenkins (Sentry, Inhumans) and drawn by comics superstar Carlos Magno (Planet of the Apes, Transformers), Deathmatch is a dark, psychological deconstruction of the superhero genre that can't be missed.


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Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday. I'll be posting several 24-hour giveaways throughout the day to give you plenty of chances to win!
You know the saying, "Time is money." Well, there's definitely truth to it, so I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to make tasks easier and less time-consuming. For this very reason, I was excited to give the new Intuition app a try on my iPhone.
Intuition promises to be "Mom's Personal Assistant" — couldn't we all use one of those? And while it may not physically assist you in your day-to-day tasks, it will definitely make some chores easier.
Intuition helps busy moms:
- Simplify life by organizing tasks or events by location, category or due date. Intuition uses the iPhone's GPS to automatically sort, alert and map errands. What a time saver!
- Save money by receiving the best offers via mobile coupons right on the phone for the brands they know, trust and use. You know this feature sparked my interest!
- Share helpful tips, to-do lists or simply what's new with friends, family or colleagues via Twitter, Facebook or email. Great for when you need hubby to pick up a few items on his way home!
In addition to all of these features, Intuition also offers moms access to a community of other moms for parenting tips, work-life balance, recipes and entertaining, and more. Need tips for planning a baby shower? Quickly access a detailed list with key information. Looking for a tasty guacamole recipe? Pull up an ingredient list with step-by-step instructions.
Check out the promo video to see Intuition in action.
One lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win an Apple iPod Touch 8GB.
To enter, tell me which feature of the Intuition app you think you'll find most useful.
Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!
If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.
Methods of entry:
1. Leave a comment. What is your favorite feature of the Intuition app for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch?
2. Become a fan of Deal Seeking Mom on Facebook. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you've done so!
3. Follow @DealSeekingMom and @IntuitionApp on Twitter and tweet the following. Be sure to come back and leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet!
Enter to win an 8GB Apple iPod Touch from @IntuitionApp and @DealSeekingMom: https://bit.ly/cPar5D
4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you're already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you're already subscribed. Lovin' my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.
(1) Apple iPod Touch 8GB
This giveaway ends at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, 4/15 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I'll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!
While you're in a contest entering mood, don't forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers' blogs!


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LBNL Scientist Shares 2011 Physics Nobel Prize
Astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter wins Nobel "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae."
The Science
The prize, shared with Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess, was for the simultaneous discovery that the rate of expansion of the universe is not slowing down as expected due to gravitational attraction but rather is speeding up.
The Impact
These findings initiated new lines of research to understand the nature of the universe, including the exploration of dark matter and dark energy.
Because Type 1a supernovae form in the same way and explode with the same mass, their absolute light output is the same regardless of where and when they explode. That makes them "standard candles" – useful reference points in the night sky. By measuring their apparent luminosity here on Earth, and comparing that with what we know to be their absolute luminosity, scientists can calculate how far away these supernovae are. And the farther away they are, the older they are because it takes light a longer time to arrive here if emitted from an object farther away than another. By comparing the redshifts of older supernovae with younger ones, scientists were able to determine conclusively that the rate of expansion of the universe is speeding up. This finding was contrary to the conventional wisdom, which held that the rate of expansion of the universe would slow down due to universal gravitational attraction. Instead, physicists were forced to contemplate a radically different view of the universe. Physicists speak of the total matter-energy of the universe. The world that we see and touch, the world that we are made of, physicists now believe is only about 5% of the total matter-energy of the universe. Twenty percent is thought to be dark matter, which leaves approximately 75% of the universe's matter-energy to be dark energy.
Robert Cahn
Basic research: Office of Science High Energy Physics program
Perlmutter, S., et al., Discovery of a supernova explosion at half the age of the universe, Nature, 391, 51 (1998).
Related Links
http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1745 (video)
Highlight Categories
Program: HEP
Performer: University , DOE Laboratory


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Gimme My Discount!
A directory of deals on travel, entertainment and more for frugal federal employees, retirees and members of the military.
Government jobs might be more stable than most, but that doesn't mean federal employees aren't watching their pocketbooks. Luckily, one of the perks of being a government worker is that there are many companies eager to thank public servants by offering them deals on everything from Caribbean vacations to iPods.
The following is a sampling of just some of the discounts available to federal employees, retirees and military members. We plan to update it regularly with your suggestions, so check back often for new additions. E-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com if you come across discounts or freebies you'd like to share.
A word to the wise as you browse our directory: A number of sites will ask you to enter your government e-mail address to find out if you qualify for discounts. But one reader warns us that if you do so, you should be prepared for an onslaught of unsolicited e-mails.
General |
Travel |
Communications and Technology |
Furloughs |
Army & Air Force Exchange Service: An online shopping center open to some State Department embassy employees as well as members of the military.
Auto parts: The Kragen Auto Parts chain will knock 5 percent to 10 percent off your purchase if you have a military ID, one reader says. AutoZone offers military discounts as well, according to another reader, and Advance Auto Parts gives active and retired military members 10 percent off. R1Concepts.com offers 10 percent off brake pads and brake rotors to military personnel when you call in to order.
Auto service: American Auto Assurance offers government employees and active and retired military members discounts on fully insured vehicle protection plans. Click here for a quote. The company also offers first-time callers $500 off fully-insured, A-rated vehicle service contracts (extended auto warranties). Call (877) 214-0335 with discount code "AAA1Gov" to obtain the deal, but note you must sign up for a plan on your first call to qualify.
Baseops.net: A clearinghouse of military discounts.
Bass Pro Shops: Offers military and civilian discounts, a reader tells us.
Bradsdeals: A directory of more than 200 stores and services offering military discounts.
Cars: One reader tells us Volkswagen offers military/civil servant discounts on new cars. Hyundai offers active and retired military members a $500 discount on new cars, another reader says. And active and reserve military members can get discounts on new Infiniti or Nissan vehicles, according to another. The "purchase price will be with a fixed discount at or below dealer invoice," the reader said, and the deal requires proof of active service.
Child care: NannyPro.com, an online resource for parents seeking nannies or babysitters, offers federal employees 30 percent off family memberships. To claim the discount, visit the company's website and use the coupon code "Fedsave" at checkout. Sittercity.com, a website that offers babysitting, housesitting, petsitting, and other services such as housekeeping, has free registration for military members, according to one reader. Service providers have gone through background and criminal checks, and the site is an "ideal way for military families to find reliable childcare in a new area," the reader says.
Choice Promotional Products: Offers 10 percent off, with the coupon code "GOVT10."
Cleaning: The Green Mop offers all government employees in the capital region 15 percent off an initial home cleaning and a discounted rate of $65 per hour on subsequent cleanings.
Clothing, shoes and accessories: Nautica and New York and Co. give discounts of 10 percent or more to customers with military IDs, and Old Navy gives a 10 percent discount on the first of the month, readers say. Aeropostale also offers 10 percent off, according to one tipster, as does Lucky Brand. Footlocker and its affiliates offer a 20 percent discount to active, reserve and retired military personnel who present their identification card, a reader says. Payless Shoes gives military families 10 percent off, another reader tells us. American Eagle stores offer military families a 20 percent discount, according to one tipster. The Banana Republic at Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, Va., offers a 15 percent discount to military personnel and their spouses/dependents, with a valid military ID, a reader reports. Tanzanite jewelry offers all federal employees, retirees and military members a discount of 10 percent by entering the code "EXECTAN" during checkout.
Eye care. Group Health Eye Care offers federal employees, military members and retirees a 20 percent discount on prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses, and a one-time 20 percent discount on contact lenses. Membership is not required. MilitaryContacts.net offers contact lenses to military members and their families at prices as much as 30 percent lower than other retailers, according to its website. And Buy More Contacts offers 5 percent off when government employees spend $100 or more, and free shipping.
Fedsave.com: A free, monthly newsletter highlighting savings and special offers on entertainment, dining, shopping and travel.
Food: IHOP, Denny's and Long John Silver's give military members 10 percent off, readers tell us, though one notes the IHOP offer is not available at all locations. One reader noted that Applebee's gives discounts of 15 percent, and one said T.G.I. Friday's offers a 10 percent discount. The Hard Rock Cafe offers military members discounts of 10 percent or more.
Gift baskets and flowers: GiftTree.com offers military members 15 percent off on most gift baskets, flowers and other merchandise. According to the company, "To access the discount, simply visit our website and enter the promotion code MILITARY67 at checkout." Wine Country Gift Baskets is giving military members 5 percent off baskets, flowers and fresh baked goods. Enter the catalog code "Military" at checkout. Silk Plants Direct gives federal employees and military members 10 percent off online purchases, if you mention your employer at checkout. Gift Basket Villas offers federal employees a 10 percent discount with the code "FED10." Gift Baskets Overseas offers 10 percent discounts to military and government employees. Enter the coupon code "USMILITARY10" on the order form.
Government Employees Marketplace: A free service that offers members exclusive discounts on everything from pet health insurance to rental cars, and aggregates information on thousands of other deals.
Gyms: Civilians and military members qualify for a discount at Washington Sports Clubs. As of early November 2010, the gym was offering feds $17 off monthly memberships. According to a reader, the BlueCross BlueShield Federal Employees Program offers $25 per month memberships to several gyms; more information can be found at Fepblue.org
Home improvement: Readers tell us Lowes and The Home Depot give military members and retirees 10 percent off at most locations, but the discount isn't always advertised so be sure to ask about it if no information is readily available. Also, be sure to carry your military ID. Menards gives shoppers with a military ID or VA identification card 10 percent off, according to one tipster, but the policy seems to vary from store to store because another reader said a branch in Wisconsin denied him a military discount. Long Fence and Home offers deals to federal employees and military members -- employees should contact the company to get an estimate of how much the discount would be. Mohawk flooring is offering a 10 percent discount through 2013.
Home security: Absolute Security of America - Your Local ADT Authorized Dealer provides government employees a special offer on home security. Employees should click here or contact the company at 1.866.792.3595 to find out more. JMAC Supply, a national distributor of life safety and security systems, will give feds a 10 percent discount. To claim the discount, enter the coupon code "JMACFED" at checkout.
Insurance: Federal employees receive 3 percent to 10 percent off on automobile insurance at Geico, depending on the state. Readers tell us they've found insurance deals at Liberty Mutual as well. And Capitol Benefits of Gaithersburg, Md., has partnered with Travelers to offer federal employees in the Washington area a break on home, auto, renters, boat and umbrella insurance.
Military and Veterans Discount Center: A comprehensive directory of discounts in categories ranging from apparel to sports and recreation, searchable by ZIP code.
Moving/shipping: Transit Systems Inc. offers discounts on moving and shipping services. Use the discount code "GOV611" to obtain the deal. MoversCorp.com offers 10 percent off all orders made with the "GOV10" coupon code. ShipHawk offers military members a 10 percent discount on all shipping and moving services except for flatbed or full truckload shipments. To obtain the discount, visit ShipHawk.com or email the company at email@example.com, indicating you are a service member.
National Active and Retired Federal Employees: Arranges discounts on travel, financial services, insurance, moving and emergency services.
Pet Supplies/Services: Petplay.com offers military members 25 percent off on luxury dog beds. Enter the code "MILITARYK9" upon checkout.
Superior Nut Co.: This Cambridge, Mass.-based specialty food provider offers military members a 10 percent discount on orders through its website, one reader tells us. The coupon code is "military," and according to our tipster, there is no minimum order or expiration date.
Veterans Advantage Program: A card that offers discounts on travel, entertainment, home and office supplies, insurance, financial services and more. A one-year membership is $59.95.
Armed Forces Recreation Center Resorts: Joint service facilities aimed at providing affordable vacation options for military members and their families.
Armed Forces Vacation Club: Offers military members, Defense Department civilians and some contractors deals at condominium timeshare resorts as space is available.
Better World Club: This environmentally-conscious roadside assistance provider is offering federal employees a 10 percent discount on new auto club memberships.
Federal Discount Lodging Directory: A searchable directory of domestic and foreign hotels with discounts for federal employees.
FedRooms: While this website is aimed at official government travel, many of the hotels also extend discounts to federal employees on vacation.
Government & Armed Forces Travel Cooperative: Condominium rentals, cruises, car rentals, hotel reservations, golf discounts, vacation packages and more for feds, military members and retirees.
Government Employees Travel Opportunities: This program, sponsored by Resort Condominiums International, offers discount rentals at condominium timeshare resorts and vacation villas worldwide. The catch is that the discounts often are available only in the off-season or on short notice.
Government Vacation Rewards: Offers access to government and military rates on cruises, tours, vacation packages, resorts, hotels, air travel and cars, through International Cruise and Excursions.
Holiday Inn Express: One reader notes he has received big discounts by showing government identification at Holiday Inn Express hotels.
La Quinta Inns and Suites: Offers substantial lodging discounts to federal employees, military members and retirees, one reader says.
Mount Vernon Estate: One reader says she has received discounted admission on two occassions, after showing her federal employee badge. She also received a discount on her gift shop purchase.
National Parks: Active-duty military service members and their families can visit national parks and wildlife refuges for free, under a new program. Show your military identification card at agency fee stations nationwide to obtain a free America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. Other discounts are available to veterans.
Rental cars: A number of rental car companies offer government employees deals for non-official travel, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and Thrifty.
SatoVacations: Offers discounted vacation packages and leisure travel services for government workers and military members. The company specializes in tours and cruises but also provides air, car, rail, and hotel accommodations and tickets to local attractions, according to a marketing manager. Feds based in Europe can click here.
Shades of Green: A resort for active and retired armed services members on Walt Disney World in central Florida.
Smithsonian: Federal employees get a 10 percent discount on food services in Smithsonian museums when they show their ID, a tipster says.
Starwood Hotels: A reader tells us he received a big discount on rates in the San Francisco area when he asked if the hotel offered deals for government workers.
Veterans Holidays: Travel deals for vets.
Communications and Technology
Apple: Offers discounts on iPods, computers and other equipment for personal use, through its Store for Government.
AT&T: Federal employees may qualify for reduced rates. To find out more, visit the company's website and enter your government e-mail address.
Dell: Government workers can save at least 7 percent on most computers, printers and other electronics. One civilian reader warned the discount can be as low as 2 percent, however.
HP: A reader tells us Hewlett-Packard offers federal employees discounts of at least 10 percent.
Microsoft: Offers discounts on software through its Home Use Program for government employees.
Sprint-Nextel: Offers federal employees a 15 percent discount on top of other deals, such as the family plan, according to a company spokeswoman.
T-Mobile: Offers a 15 percent discount to federal employees. To obtain the deal, new customers can call (877) 426-2024 or visit a local store, and existing customers can call (877) 453-8824.
U.S. Cellular: Gave at least one USDA employee a 15 percent discount on her bill.
Verizon: The company offers federal employee discounts of 20 percent or more on phones, calling plans and accessories. Check here to find out if you are eligible. (One reader said that as of fall 2013, the discount is 15 percent).
Gyms: The Energy Club, and Arlington, Va., based gym, is offering furloughed feds the chance to workout for free. Feds who take advantage of the offer will qualify for discounted memberships once furloughs are over.
Restaurants: The Daily Dish in Silver Spring, Md., will give furloughed feds 20 percent off on food for weekday lunches.
Radio station giveaways: Washington area rock station DC101 is giving away tickets to its chili cook-off at RFK Stadium on May 4. To enter, send the station your furlough story. They will select one winner each week.
Resume writing: Employment BOOST is offering federal employees 20 percent off resume writing and coaching services.


text:
(800)776-1194 email@example.com
Add to Home screen
Product no. 857010
Click Here for Multiple SKUs
Choose 2 Plastic colors Plastic Colors: Maroon Plastic, Cardinal Plastic, Scarlet Plastic, Orange Plastic, Gold Plastic, Yellow Plastic, Kelly Plastic, Dark Green Plastic, Teal Plastic, Light Blue Plastic, Royal Plastic, Navy Plastic, Purple Plastic, White Plastic, Black Plastic, Gray Plastic, Neon Pink Plastic, Neon Green Plastic
Pom as shown: Royal and White 3/4" wide Plastic strands with Silver 3/4" wide Metallic strands
Superior Cheer is proud to offer an expanded selection of custom poms! With an abundance of colors, styles, materials, and sizes, we give you more choices than ever before for your cheer squad, dance team, drill team, and color guard. These superb poms are crafted from the finest quality plastic and metallic materials, always made in the USA. Custom cheerleader pom poms are shipper pre-fluffed and with approximately 1,000 streamers. Custom cheerleading pom poms take a little bit longer so allow plenty of time for production and shipment.
No minimum order required. All custom poms are priced and sold individually, not as a pair. Because custom poms are made just for you, these items cannot be returned.
Need some help before you order? Contact our Sales Team at (800)776-1194 or by email at email@example.com with any questions and they will be happy to assist you.
Allow 15 business days for production
Superior Cheer knows that the right pom pom will complete the look of any cheer uniform. All custom our poms are made-to-order, pre-fluffed, shed-resistant, fade-resistant, and waterproof so that your squad gets the perfect look right out of the box!
All poms sold as singles (individually).
There is no composition information for this item
There is no wash and care information for this item
Easy Order 3-Color Plastic with Metallic Pom: 857010
Maroon Plastic


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In the past six months or so, there has been a lot of talk about drones being used in all types of applications. Sure, we all know the military uses drones to carry out combat missions and surveillance, but it wasn't until December when Amazon unveiled its plans for Amazon Prime Air – package delivery by drone – that people really started taking notice of the possibilities.
UPS quickly noted that it, too, was exploring the use of drones to deliver packages. And the race was on…although the actual real-world debut of such technology is more likely years away, if ever at all.
Some people have predicted that drones could watch over the supply chain – particularly the security of high-value loads by flying over a vehicle on its route and monitoring conditions and potential threats to the vehicle and/or load.
Now, a company in the Netherlands is envisioning a more practical use of drones. Qimarox, a manufacturer of material handling system components such as palletisers and vertical conveyors, thinks drones may be helpful in building pallets.
Based in Harderwijk, Netherlands, and with a location Aurora, IL, the company commissioned a Demo3D video to show the capabilities of such a system. According to the company, the drones could pick up cargo off a conveyor system and neatly pack it on pallets for loading into a trailer. Although weight is a potential obstacle, Qimarox notes, that is not seen as insurmountable. Qimarox is currently studying the use of a drone system and commissioned Emulate3D to develop a dynamic 3D software model of a system in action.
"Because of the limitations in terms of capacity and ergonomics, using people to stack goods on pallets is no longer an option for most manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods," says Jaco Hooijer, operational manager. "Using drones, they can fully automate the palletising process, while retaining the much greater level of flexibility and scalability entailed by using real people."
One of the benefits, Qimarox suggests, is the ability to adapt your warehouse loading procedures quickly by simply reprogramming the drones – which could be as easy as changing the setting to a pre-programmed configuration. Capacity can also be adjusted quickly, allowing companies to ramp up efforts during busy times. And, during slow times, there are no people to lay off nor the need to hire additional staff during busy periods.
If Google and others are ultimately able to perfect driverless cars and trucks, it's possible that your next package may never actually touch human hands – from the warehouse to your doorstep – and that leads to a bigger problem for future generations: where will the jobs be?
Technology such as drones is great, but at what price?


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CREATE USER username [ [ WITH ] option [ ... ] ] where option can be: SYSID uid | [ ENCRYPTED | UNENCRYPTED ] PASSWORD 'password' | CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB | CREATEUSER | NOCREATEUSER | IN GROUP groupname [, ...] | VALID UNTIL 'abstime'
CREATE USER will add a new user to an instance of PostgreSQL. Refer to the Administrator's Guide for information about managing users and authentication. You must be a database superuser to use this command.
The name of the user.
The SYSID clause can be used to choose the PostgreSQL user ID of the user that is being created. It is not at all necessary that those match the Unix user IDs, but some people choose to keep the numbers the same.
If this is not specified, the highest assigned user ID plus one (with a minimum of 100) will be used as default.
Sets the user's password. If you do not plan to use password authentication you can omit this option, but the user won't be able to connect to a password-authenticated server. The password can be set or changed later, using ALTER USER.
These keywords control whether the password is stored encrypted in pg_shadow. (If neither is specified, the default behavior is determined by the PASSWORD_ENCRYPTION server parameter.) If the presented string is already in MD5-encrypted format, then it is stored as-is, regardless of whether ENCRYPTED or UNENCRYPTED is specified. This allows reloading of encrypted passwords during dump/restore.
See the chapter on client authentication in the Administrator's Guide for details on how to set up authentication mechanisms. Note that older clients may lack support for the MD5 authentication mechanism that is needed to work with passwords that are stored encrypted.
These clauses define a user's ability to create databases. If CREATEDB is specified, the user being defined will be allowed to create his own databases. Using NOCREATEDB will deny a user the ability to create databases. If this clause is omitted, NOCREATEDB is used by default.
These clauses determine whether a user will be permitted to create new users himself. This option will also make the user a superuser who can override all access restrictions. Omitting this clause will set the user's value of this attribute to be NOCREATEUSER.
A name of a group into which to insert the user as a new member. Multiple group names may be listed.
The VALID UNTIL clause sets an absolute time after which the user's password is no longer valid. If this clause is omitted the login will be valid for all time.
Message returned if the command completes successfully.
Use ALTER USER to change the attributes of a user, and DROP USER to remove a user. Use ALTER GROUP to add the user to groups or remove the user from groups. PostgreSQL includes a program createuser that has the same functionality as this command (in fact, it calls this command) but can be run from the command shell.
Create a user with no password:
CREATE USER jonathan;
Create a user with a password:
CREATE USER davide WITH PASSWORD 'jw8s0F4';
Create a user with a password, whose account is valid until the end of 2001. Note that after one second has ticked in 2002, the account is not valid:
CREATE USER miriam WITH PASSWORD 'jw8s0F4' VALID UNTIL 'Jan 1 2002';
Create an account where the user can create databases:
CREATE USER manuel WITH PASSWORD 'jw8s0F4' CREATEDB;
The CREATE USER statement is a PostgreSQL extension. The SQL standard leaves the definition of users to the implementation.


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Corporate America has discovered solar energy. Is it a fad or the start of a fundamental shift toward renewable energy? Associate Editor Sandra Upson explores the intricacies of big companies going solar in "The Greening of Google," in this issue.
Google garnered frenzied media attention in June when it fired up 9000-plus polysilicon panels mounted on rooftops at its complex in Mountain View, Calif. (check out the Google Solar Panel Project monitor at https://www.google.com/corporate/ solarpanels/home to see a real-time tally of their output). When fully operational, the panels will be able to generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity, about 30 percent of the total needed to run the buildings they sit on at the headquarters, known as the Googleplex. The company is also using solar power to charge a fleet of hybrid electric vehicles to promote the development and use of plug-in hybrids. And it plans to generate an additional 50 MW of renewable energy by 2012. Google can take such steps more easily than many other companies because it is flush with cash and doesn't need an immediate return on its investment, and because California subsidizes solar investments more than any other U.S. state.
What makes the Google solar project more than a green publicity stunt is that it is part of a larger energy strategy that encompasses conservation efforts. The company plans to continue improving the energy efficiency of its densely packed, power-intensive data centers, home to hundreds of thousands of servers worldwide. It has been installing more efficient lighting and building control systems in all its corporate locations. And it runs a biodiesel-fueled shuttle service for its employees at the Mountain View location. Google also has situated its new Oregon data center precisely where hydropower is cheap and abundant.
Reaching out beyond the problem of its own energy issues, Google this year joined forces with Intel and a number of other technology heavy hitters, including Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Pacific Gas & Electric, to launch the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that plans to set new efficiency targets for computers, which are notoriously wasteful of energy. Another industry consortium called Green Grid is pursuing similar goals.
Google says it wants to be carbon-neutral by 2008, a huge challenge given the power-hungry nature of its businesses. But if Google and the Microsofts and Wal-Marts of the world continue their concerted efforts to save energy and invest in renewable sources, and government policies continue to encourage them to do so, this could be the start of something big.
So whatever you think about the economic logic of solar energy or the wisdom of subsidizing renewable energy—or about the fact or fiction of climate change, for that matter—you've got to give Google and the rest of the participating corporate giants credit for taking on this important work. Maximizing energy efficiency and pursuing workable alternatives to fossil fuel�based energy isn't just green. It's good engineering sense.
MacCready's Last FlightPaul MacCready, prolific inventor of human- and sun-powered machines, died in August. He built the Gossamer Condor, the first practical human-powered flight machine; the Gossamer Albatross; the Gossamer Penguin, the world's first successful solar-powered airplane; and the Solar Challenger, which awakened the world to the possibilities of solar energy. In 1981 the Challenger flew 262 kilometers, from France to England. In 1987, MacCready's team also designed the solar-powered Sunraycer car for General Motors, to compete in the Solar Challenge, the first competition to cross Australia from Darwin south to Adelaide. The Sunraycer won, and its success led MacCready to work on the EV-1 line of electric-powered cars for GM.
Contributors to a special section for condolences on the Web site of his company, AeroVironment, refer to him as a cherished inspiration. "More than anyone I know, he was aware of the dangers we all face due to environmental abuse, and he was aware of the possibilities for solving these problems," says Wally E. Rippel, principal power electronics engineer at Tesla Motors in San Carlos, Calif., who worked with MacCready on the EV-1 project. "It is my desire that people will remember him not just for his aeronautical accomplishments but also for his environmental vision and achievements. May others follow passionately in his footsteps." We couldn't agree more.
The editorial content of IEEE Spectrum magazine does not reflect official positions of the IEEE or its organizational units. Please address comments to Forum at


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I'm trying to implement mouse interaction in a 2D isometric game, but I'm not sure if it's possible given the coordinate system used for tile maps in the game.
I've read some helpful things like this. However, this game's coordinate system is "jagged" (for lack of a better word), and looks like this:
Is it even possible to map mouse coordinates to this successfully, since the y-axis can't be drawn on this tile-map as a straight line?
I've thought about doing odd-y-value translations and even-y-value translations with two different matrices, but that only makes sense going from tile to screen.


text:
For more information or to provide your comments, please contact the NYBG Bioinformatics Managers:
Work is underway to catalog the type specimens of fungi at the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium, as a continuation of the Type Specimen Catalog Project. The Cataloging of Vascular Plant Type Specimens was completed in 2002. The type specimens of rust fungi (Pucciniaceae) were completed several years ago, and types from recently incorporated herbaria (e.g., Tulane University, Kansas State University) have also been cataloged.
The current focus of the Type Specimen Catalog for Fungi is the mushrooms and related groups of fungi (i.e., Macrofungi). A complete type catalog record for Macrofungi includes a wider variety of elements than plant specimens, to permit a complete evaluation of key taxonomic features. These fungi are characterized by an ephemeral spore-bearing structure that changes drastically upon drying. Therefore, in addition to a transcription of the specimen label and an image of the specimen, type catalog records for fungi include text, images of associated unpublished notes and drawings, published descriptions and images of spore print, living organism, or microscopic features. These supplemental items, which are not all maintained physically with the related specimen, can now be associated with it virtually. Some of the items in the Macrofungi type specimen catalog are illustrated below.
To search the Fungi Type Specimen Catalog by name of plant or fungus (division, family, genus, species, or subspecific epithet), author, collector, collector number, barcode id, or type status, use the Basic Search box below. To search one or more specific fields in the database, choose the Detailed Search.
Searches in the Virtual Herbarium are by default word-based. The fastest searches are made by using whole words as the criteria. Wildcard characters can be used to find partial words, but search times will be significantly longer. Some useful wildcards:
Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases. Words not enclosed by quotation marks will be used to return records with all of the words, but not necessarily in the order typed.
The New York Botanical Garden would like to thank Gene Yetter for his contributions to this catalog.
Copyright� 1996-2004, The New York Botanical Garden
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The Festival Center, headquarters for the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, is officially open!
Here are some of the fun souvenirs that you can take home to remember the 2012 Festival long after you've sipped and sampled your way around the World!
What are you planning on taking home?
Festival T-Shirts and Wearables
As always, the Festival is offering LOTS of different t-shirts in different styles for men and women. One of the coolest 2012 adds is the "Brews Around the World" line, which features this awesome t-shirt, sweatshirt, glasses, and a bottle opener. (We'll show you the glasses in just a bit!)
I love the color of this women's shirt!
And it's about time we have a "Mission Around the World" shirt, right? And now we have pics of front AND back!
Cups and Plates
Light up glasses
mean you never have to say goodbye to that Glowtini!
You can also get an Epcot 30th Anniversary light-up glass at some of the World Showcase Booths around the park!
The souvenir stein at the booths is sporting a new logo this year.
This handy and super cute acrylic tasting plate means that you never have to worry about finding a table!
There are also nice small plates and glassware to take home. Throw your own Food and Wine Festival! Why not?
Stemless wine glasses are a great way to remember the fun — and a chic statement for serving wine or even cocktails.
And here are the Brews Around the World glasses we mentioned before! I have a feeling that a few of these will be going home with me. 😉
These small plates and dip server are pretty cute and would be handy for a tapas party, I'm thinking.
Miscellaneous Merch
If you aren't a big t-shirt or glassware fan, this tote is a great way to remember the Festival – and will come in handy for toting all that bread, wine, and cheese around!
Always a very quick sellout are the bags that Epcot has made from the previous year's banners! These are such a cool souvenir, and a great way to recycle the artwork from the year before. So far, we've spied two styles. This messenger bag features a giant lobster front and center!
There's also a cute makeup bag available again this year as well.
This year's signature print is available as a clock, on coasters, or framed.
Vinylmation collectors, take note! Here is the limited edition (2,500!) Festival vinylmation, featuring Lady and the Tramp's Tony!
And of course, everyone's favorite bear, Chef Duffy, is dressed for the occasion! This little guy proved very popular in 2011 – only the cookbook outsold him!
And if you want a convenient and hip way to pay for your purchases (cash is such a pain at those kiosks), consider loading this handy little gift card with your Festival budget.
Introduced in 2010, these little cards – complete with wristbands – are seriously convenient.
I'll be updating our merch list this week as we check out more items in the Festival Center and around the park!
So what are you going to buy at the festival?