text:
This project is either unmaintained, or its status is unknown. Please do not remove this until the status of this project has been determined.
The GNU 3DKit provides an object oriented graphics API for writing 3D graphics applications using GNUstep or Cocoa.
Current Version: 0.4
- Released:
- Licensed: GNU Lesser General Public License
The GNU 3DKit is officially part of the GNU project! It is an extension to GNUstep, which provides an object oriented application development framework and tool set for use on a wide variety of computer platforms. GNUstep is based on the original OpenStep specification provided by NeXT, Inc. (now Apple). Additionally the GNU 3DKit may also be used on Mac OS X using the Cocoa API.
Instead of developing yet another OpenGL based scene graph API the new GNU 3DKit will become an object oriented graphics framework based on global illumination concepts which will use OpenGL only for preview capabilities. More information will be reveiled as soon as the time is ready for it.
Related Links


text:
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
Mathura, India: April 12, 2000 (evening)
Rama-katha is endless. Sankarsana (Lord Anantadeva) himself continuously sings the glories of Sri Rama, but even with unlimited mouths he is unable to touch the end in any way. We can just relish, and pray that these infinite pastimes may appear in our heart. Tulasi dasa has written Rama-caritra-manasa, which is based on Sri Valmiki's Ramayana. All the pastimes written by Tulasi dasa come from the Ramayana and other Puranas, but the principles of bhakti that he gave there have been taken from Srimad-Bhagavatam. He presented important selected verses, especially from the eleventh canto, and translated them into Hindi poetry.
Some people consider Tulasi dasa to be a mayavadi, but this is not correct. If we study Rama-caritra-manasa carefully, we can see that Tulasi dasa has written down the same principles that are in Srimad-Bhagavatam. God is personal, the living entities are His parts and parcels, and our eternal constitutional position is to serve Him with love and affection. Another important point is that Tulasi dasa could not have written Rama-caritra-manasa unless he truly saw all these pastimes of Rama. Just as Valmiki received the mercy of Narada Muni, similarly, when Tulasi dasa sat down in trance, all the pastimes came into his heart. He has certainly received the mercy of Vyasadeva. Only by Sri Vyasadeva's mercy could he have written these pastimes.
The main topic of this class is 'anyavilasita sunyam,' freedom from desires other than the desire to please Krsna. Bharata and Satrughna had gone to their maternal uncle's place, and upon returning to Ayodhya, they noticed that all was silent. Usually the city was cheerful and so many activities were joyfully taking place, but now it was like a lady whose husband is dead and who wears no decorations or ornaments. Seeing these and other inauspicious omens, Bharata and Satrughna became fearful. When they entered the royal palace and went to Kaikeyi's chamber, they were stunned to hear how Rama had gone to the forest for fourteen years and, because of that, their father had died of a broken heart. When Bharata heard this news and the reason for it, he became completely inimical towards his mother. From his heart he disconnected his relationship with her, and because of his pain and shock, he spoke harshly and abandoned her.
Bharata later assembled the citizens of Ayodhya, including Kausalya and Vasistha Rsi, and went to the forest to try to bring Lord Rama back. Because he was now the eldest member of the family, he was responsible for making the decision as to what to do. Maharaja Janaka would be holding a sabha, an assembly meeting, on the next day. To prepare for this, Bharata first went to Mother Kausalya and requested her, "O mother, Rama loves you and always obeys your orders. You miss Him so much, and we all want him back. Please ask him to return and happily rule here in Ayodhya." When Kausalya heard these words she said gravely, "Yes, you are right. I also want this, but I cannot do what you ask. Your suggestion is not against dharma, but now you should look at Rama's position. According to religious principles, He is also trying to execute the order of your father. From your respective positions you are both trying to act righteously. I'm sorry, but I know He will never change His decision, so I cannot do anything."
Disappointed, Bharata now went to his Gurudeva, Vasistha Muni, and made the same request. He said, "If you order Rama, He will come back and you will be the cause of everyone's happiness." Vasistha Muni's answer was similar to that of Kausalya, but he presented an alternative. He said, "Instead of Rama, if you yourself agree to go to the forest, perhaps I can make him return to Ayodhya. Someone must go, so you can do it." Bharata very enthusiastically agreed, but when Vasistha presented the proposal to Rama, he could not change His decision. Again, Bharata was disappointed.
Bharata thought his only remaining shelter was Sunaina devi, the wife of Maharaja Janaka. He visited her on the evening before the sabha, and very politely pleaded at her feet, "Mother, are you not worrying about your daughter? She is so gentle and tender, and She is going to the forest for fourteen years where she must perform severe austerities. I know your heart is so soft and you cannot bear this pain. You must do something to help them." Sunaina replied, "What you are saying is what I also want. But my husband is very strict and he will never change his mind nor hear my words. He will consider both sides as per the principles of religion, and then he will give his decision. He is a liberated soul, and nobody can influence him." Because Janaka Maharaja was a jnani-bhakti, a devotee with some aisvarya, he knew well that there would never be a problem for Rama – anywhere He would be. Bharata was again disappointed, but there was nothing he could do.
The next morning Guru Vasistha convened the assembly. On one side Lord Rama was sitting with Sita devi, on the other side Bharata was sitting with all the citizens of Ayodhya, and Maharaja Janaka was on the asana in the middle, to hear the case and give the decision. The evening before, all had agreed to abide by the order of Maharaja Janaka because he knew religion and was impartial.
He first inquired from Bharata, "What is your proposal? Please speak." With folded hands, Bharata said, "All I want is that Lord Rama shall come back to the kingdom. His father has given his order, but under unfortunate circumstances. Maharani Kaikeyi also became influenced, and she participated in this decision. This should not be considered as the ultimate decision, because now we can see that there is no real purpose for them to go to the forest. I am not going to accept the position of the king. By all evidence it belongs to Rama. This is what all the citizens want, and I also want it. It will be a great injustice if we send Him to the forest and don't give Him this position."
Maharaja Janaka was silent. He then turned to Lord Rama and asked Him to speak. Rama then said, "Yes, you have heard what Bharata said. My father agreed with the order to send Me to the forest and to give the position of king to Bharata. Mother Kaikeyi jointly participated, and my father kept silent. 'Maunam sammithi laksanam. Silence is the symptom of agreement or consent.' Now Kaikeyi wants to retract her statement, but that cannot be accepted. Why? Because my father is here no more. If he would be here and just remain silent, then I could agree. But that is not the situation. That is what I have to say."
Maharaja Janaka closed his eyes and went into silent meditation upon his Gurudeva, Lord Sankara. After coming out of his meditation he very gravely began to speak, "Yes, what Bharata has said is true and is according to religious principles. He is speaking with a pure feeling of love. His prema for Rama is very deep, like an ocean, and Rama's maryada, His adherence to dharma and strictness in following the principles of religion, is like a mountain. Bharata's ocean of love is so deep that the mountain will sink into that ocean. Bharata has won, and whatever is his decision shall be done." When everyone heard that Rama would now come back, they all began jumping in ecstacy, and Bharata was also so happy.
However, Maharaja Janaka had something else to say. All could see that he was still very grave, and they waited to see what would come from his mouth. He then said, "Though the ocean of Bharata's love is so deep that Rama's mountain of maryada has sunk into it, at the same time this mountain is so strong that it will not deviate even an inch, even if it is drowned in water. It will stay in its position. Rama may be overcome by the love of Bharata, but He will not move."
Then he looked to everyone and said, "Now Bharata should consider this point. It is true that his love has won, and there is no comparison to his love, but he should know the principle of love. The current of love does not consider any obstacles on the way. It crosses all the general rules and regulations, and there is no principle of religion which controls it. It has its own law and tradition.
"The heart and theme of love is that one who loves will always be very careful about the desires of his lover. He will not impose his desires upon his lover, but will instead minutely observe what his worshipful deity wants. That is what must be seen and understood. So my question to Bharata is this: Did you try to understand what Rama wants, or did you become overwhelmed with your own desires? Did you think, 'If I am unsuccessful in bringing Rama back, then all the citizens will criticize me. Perhaps for my own reputation I may be doing this.' To be only thinking of what is pleasing to Rama is the principle of real love."
When everyone heard this, especially Bharata, it was as if the earth had slipped from under their feet. For some moments Bharata's breathing stopped, and it was as though he was deaf and dumb. Maharaja Janaka continued, "Now you must decide what to do. Your case is strong and you have won; you must tell Rama what you want Him to do."
Bharata had now gotten the biggest shock of his life. His whole nervous system had broken due to this lesson about love, and his heart and thinking were completely changed. When he approached Rama, who understood the mood and gravity of his feelings, Rama said, "Yes, you have won. You want me to rule the kingdom, so I accept your request. I will now act as the King of Ayodhya. Since I am the king, you must now follow my directions. What should you do? You should let me go to the forest and fulfill the orders of our father. On my behalf, while I am in the forest, you should become My representative and do the needful duties for the kingdom."
Bharata accepted this, and we cannot understand what kind of happiness he was feeling. So many opposite sentiments were coming in his heart and jumping, but he accepted Rama's order because now he understood the meaning of love. Even if one has to drink poison to please his lover, he should do this. This is the evidence of pure love. Similarly, when Kaikeyi was requested by Rama as a child to later banish him and give the kingdom to Bharata, her heart was broken and she cried out, "No, Rama. I cannot do that." Why not? She loves Rama more than Bharata. How could she do that? But Rama compelled her; He forced her, saying, "You must drink this poison, mother, because it is for the welfare of the whole world. This is My purpose for coming here, so you must do this."
Bharata thus took Rama's crown, His wooden sandals, and His rajai. Rajai is a Hindi word. Most people, those who are not dedicated to the personal form of Lord Rama, think that rajai means only 'quilt.' They say, "Just see how Bharata is so cruel. Rama had to go to the forest, and Bharata even took his sandals and his quilt." But here rajai here does not mean quilt. It comes from the word raji, meaning 'to agree.' Bharata took the orders of Rama, to act as His representative and manage the kingdom in His absence.
Here is a very important lesson for all who are practicing bhakti. We hear the sloka beginning "anyavilasita sunyam," and we can very critically look into our hearts and consider, "What am I doing? Am I trying to serve Krsna in the way my mind likes to serve Him?? It is a subtle difference, because the mind is very tricky. If we fail to distinguish between these feelings, then anyavilasa, material desires, will cover our bhakti and there will be no way we can advance. Today, about ninety-nine percent of the devotees are like this. Some do it willfully, and some fail to distinguish the difference. If Gurudeva asks them to do something which is not pleasing to their own mind, they get angry or annoyed with him. That is prevailing in the majority of cases. We have to very carefully observe this and try to kick out this anyavilasa.
Bhakti is not so cheap. We are trying to attain that love which controls both Srimati Radhika and Krsna, but we must understand what price we have to pay for this. We have to give up everything we consider to belong to us. We do not have any separate existence of our own. The feeling of unconditional, unalloyed surrender is so deep that we become one with the mood of Gurudeva. Then, within our hearts, all aspirations are no longer our aspirations. They are Gurudeva's aspirations, or those of Hari, Guru, and Vaisnava. This is the state we want to achieve, and unless we attain it, there is no way to advance in bhakti.
Whatever position we want to achieve in eternal Vraja, we have to start practicing here with Gurudeva. We have to apply this verse, anyavilasita-sunyam. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written: "I have happily mixed all my desires in Your desires. My desires follow Your desires. There is no difference. They do not go even to a small degree in a different direction. They are completely in line with Your desires." This is what we want.
Maharaja Bharata then returned to Ayodhya with all his citizens, and he brought the sandals of Lord Rama. There was so much pain and grief on his return that he did not enter the kingdom. He acted like a representative and stayed in a village near the city, called Nandigrama. There he made a small hut, like Rama's hut in the forest, and took the dress of a renunciate, like Rama. He did not cut his hair, and he lived only on fruits or whatever was available in the forest. He placed those wooden sandals on an altar and began worshipping them, just as if he was worshipping Rama. He performed arati, offering food, and made all the decisions based on consultation with those wooden sandals. All his ministers also came there to discuss the ruling of the kingdom.
Once Mother Kaikeyi approached him. Now she suffered still more, because she was feeling the separation of two sons. If Bharata was there with her, there would be some consolation, but she had lost two. No one can understand her feeling of misfortune. She arrived in a palanquin and called the guards who were there, because Bharata rarely came out. He was always absorbed in separation of Rama. When he was informed that Mother Kaikeyi had come, he said, "All right, please call Queen Kaikeyi inside." He never called her 'mother.' He only considered her as Raja Mata, not as his mother. When she came before him she began crying in great pain and sorrow, "Please forgive me. I have really committed such a big mistake. My intelligence was covered with ignorance. I failed to use my intelligence. Please come back to Ayodhya and stay there with me." Bharata said, "O Queen Kaikeyi. This is what you deserve. You should taste this more and more. This is the price you must pay."
She said, "Bharata, you don't know my position. I have to stay in this palace, and this palace is biting me like scorpions. It is so painful; I cannot tolerate it any more." Bharata was so strong and dedicated to dharma that he would not agree. Then she said, "At least, please address me as mother. That will give me some solace." Bharata replied, "I cannot utter that word for you any more. It is not possible."
'Jinike priye na rama videhi.' This verse from Rama-caritra-manasa is a translation from a verse in the Bhagavatam, which means that one should abandon that wife who is not favorable to bhakti, one should abandon that husband who is acting as an obstruction on the path of devotion, one should abandon that father, that son, that brother and so on. Any relationship that obstructs bhakti should be given up. Vibhisana gave up his brother Ravana, because he had no love for Rama, Prahlada gave up his father Hiranyakasipu, and Bali Maharaja gave up his guru.
Mirabhai wrote a letter to Tulasi dasa about her circumstances regarding her performance of devotional activities for Krsna. Her family, and especially her husband, the Rana of Mewar, were unfavorable. He would always suspect that she had some illicit connection with a man, but she was absorbed in the love of Giridhari. She wrote, "I cannot tolerate it any more. They are torturing me. They have given me poison, they have tried to have me bitten by a snake, and they insult me. Please guide me." Tulasi dasa wrote this verse to her, and though he did not instruct her specifically, she understood his message.
One day she was deeply absorbed, dancing and singing in kirtana behind closed doors, with Giridhari there. The King heard her singing in great jubilation, and he also heard someone playing a flute. With great anger, his sword in hand, he tried to enter the room, but she did not hear him. Krsna was playing the flute, so how was it possible for her to have any external consciousness? When the king entered,he saw that no one else was there with her, and Mirabai had fainted. He looked everywhere for the man who was playing the flute. Somehow or other he revived Mirabai, and he asked her with harsh words, "Where is that man you have hidden here?" Mirabai said, "You cannot see Him? He is standing right there." "I cannot see him," he said. Then Mirabai mercifully placed her hand on his eyes and,by the touch of her fingers, the Rana was able to see the three-fold bending form of Krsna playing the flute. Now taking darsana, he was humbled, and he also fainted. In the meantime, Krsna disappeared, and when the Rana returned to consciousness, he so much repented. Lamenting, he fell at the feet of Mirabai and again and again begged for forgiveness. He said, "I was so offensive and foolish."
Because she had suffered so much, she had no reaction to his words. She had made up her mind that she must go to Vrndavana. She explained that what had happened had happened, and nothing could stop her now. Chanting, "Giridhari Gopal," she left for Vrndavana. There she met Srila Jiva Gosvami and he took gopal-mantra from him. Was she a real disciple of Jiva Gosvami? No, she was a half disciple, because she ended up in Dvaraka. She said, "I only see Krsna. I don't see anyone else." Her vision was not so broad that she could see the gopis. She failed to accept the guidance of the gopis, and for that reason she could not get any position in Vraja. She went to Dvaraka, and there she entered into the Deity of Dvarakadisa and never came out.
This is a very important point for those who want the service of the Divine Couple in Vraja, but who think they can achieve it by following all the principles of vaidhi-bhakti.They are meditating on Dvaraka-lila, and yet they want the service of Radha-Krsna in Vraja. Because they have such meditation, they will not get a position in Vraja.
If a husband is somewhat following bhakti, he will be very happy if someone else's wife takes to spiritual life and, becoming completely surrendered, gives up her home. However, if it comes to his wife, he cannot tolerate it. And it is the same with a wife. If someone else's husband becomes so absorbed that he gives up family life, she says, "Oh, this is good. You are so fortunate. You have become a pure devotee and your whole family will be delivered." But when it comes to her own husband, it cannot be tolerated. And it is the same with a son and father. This consideration is very bad and should not be done. No one is going to stay here in this body. We should try to use our power of discrimination to understand the purpose of life.
[For more information about Rama, Laksmana, Bharata, and Satrughna, see Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.10].
Translator: Pundarikadasa Brahmacari
Transcriber and editor: Mula Prakrti dasi
Assistant editor: Syamarani dasi
Typist: Premavati dasi

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This image of the giant asteroid Vesta was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in the evening Nov. 27 PST (early morning Nov. 28, UTC), as it was spiraling down from its high altitude mapping orbit to low altitude mapping orbit. Low altitude mapping orbit is the closest orbit Dawn will be making, at an average of 130 miles (210 kilometers) above the giant asteroid's surface. The framing camera obtained this image of an area in the northern mid-latitudes of Vesta from an altitude of about 140 miles (230 kilometers).
The Dawn mission to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. The Dawn Framing Cameras have been developed and built under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, with significant contributions by DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering, Braunschweig. The Framing Camera project is funded by the Max Planck Society, DLR, and NASA/JPL.esearch, the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team.
More information about Dawn is online at http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov.


text:
Burn Out
I had a lot of really positive feedback from my friends and family after writing about my experiences of going through burn out. If you haven't read the post, check it out here. I've done some article summaries on the topic of burn out before, but I feel like it's probably a good topic to bring up again in light of my recent post.
For a bit of background, burn out is a process that can occur to an individual that's dedicating too much time to a particular activity. It leads to an imbalance in terms of what his or her time is put towards and can result in a person feeling depressed without any energy. Wikipedia does a pretty good job of summarizing it in one quick sentence:
Burnout is a psychological term that refers to long-term exhaustion and diminished interest in work.
With that said. please enjoy a couple of articles that I've surveyed from the web.
- Job burnout: How to spot it and take action: This article is from a clinic's staff, so it has an interesting unbiased perspective. It talks about the lack of drive or interest that people might experience from burn out, which is interesting, because I personally never felt that I started to lack drive or interest in my work. Personally, it was more about losing interest/drive in other areas of my life. I also wanted to draw attention to one of the symptoms the article mentions: irritability with colleagues/clients. This one is pretty dangerous because you can actually cause some damage based on your inability to control emotions because of this. It's worth noting that if you constantly find yourself irritated by colleagues and/or clients and have some of the other symptoms present, you might be on your way to burning out. If you've always been irritated by your colleagues/clients, maybe you're just sour. 🙂 The list is pretty short, but the article does a good job of covering some of the common causes and symptoms, so it's worth it for a quick read.
- 10 Signs You're Burning Out — And What To Do About It: This article by Lisa M. Gerry speaks to a story very similar to my own. Our burn out experiences were really not something like working overtime for a couple weeks straight… it took years to happen, and that's why it's dangerous. Lisa lists several symptoms that should be familiar now if you've checked out Wikipedia and the previous article(s). Interpersonal problems come up again as a symptom and same with cynicism… They're probably related. The interpersonal problems can come on multiple fronts too, whether it's an individual removing his or herself from their friends and family, or finding that they're getting in more arguments (or just plain not getting along) with their friends/family. Lisa goes on to list some ways to get back on track, including cultivating a rich non-work life (something I'm seriously lacking right now) and actually taking a break from work. Those are two really important things, but she lists a handful more.
- I Came Undone: One Woman's Horrifyingly Real Experience With Burnout: I really loved this article by Glynnis MacNicol because it felt like the same experience I was going through… Except I never got to the point where I quit my job. One thing I keep pointing out because I feel it's a bit different is that most people that go through burn out seem to resent their job… But I still love what I'm doing, and maybe that's the only reason things didn't go too far for me. Glynnis talks about being overly connected (thanks to social media, smart phones, email, etc…) and how it's a struggle to actually just go home and be away from work. Are you even able to do that in your career? I've always felt like I like being connected to work when I go home so I can help out when it's necessary… but on days where I'm feeling burdened, I have to explicitly tell myself "Close Outlook. Only use your phone when you want to get a hold of someone. Close the work instant messenger." It does the trick for me, but I suppose it's unfortunate that "home time" doesn't actually mean "time to not work".
- Burn out and chronic stress: This one is another sort of "fact sheet" on burn out and chronic stress. It re-iterates many of the same points regarding symptoms of being over-stressed and feeling burnt out, but I liked the latter portion of the listing. Specifically, the very last point on the page says to re-evaluate your priorities and goals. Many of the other posts suggest that taking time off and forcing yourself to slow down are necessary, but few of them actually say to re-evaluate your goals. I think that without re-evaluating, you're setting yourself up for some difficult times… at least if you're feeling like me. I know I'm starting to burn out. I know I should slow down… but if I don't change my priorities around, taking that time off and disconnecting is going to feel like a mental burden to me. How could I remove myself from work if my goal was to get more work done? If I can re-evaluate my goals to say that spending more time with friends and family is important and that taking X amount of time off for myself is important, then it's a lot easier to convince myself that I actually do need that time off.
Thanks for reading! If you like this post, follow Dev Leader on social media:


text:
(NNPA)—Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has delivered his mandatory semi-annual report to Congress. For consumers, the good news is that more than $750 million has been returned to consumers who were victims to various violations of consumer protection laws. In addition, CFPB assessed more than $40 million in related penalties.
Condray's presentation this month connected how plain language rules, web-based services and timely actions on consumer complaints together provide benefits to everyone from consumers to industry and regulators.
"Every day we work to accomplish the goals of renewing consumers' trust in the marketplace and ensuring that markets for consumer financial products and services are fair, transparent, and competitive," Cordray told the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
"These goals not only support consumers as they climb the economic ladder of opportunity, but also help responsible businesses compete on an evenhanded basis, reinforcing the stability of our economy as a whole."
Director Cordray also spoke to what is perhaps the Bureau's largest long-term achievement to date: the Qualified Mortgage rule that takes effect January 2014.
The rule requires lenders to make a good faith, reasonable determination that mortgage borrowers can afford to pay their loans. Similarly, CFPB's mortgage servicing rule will require lenders to clean up sloppy practices and ensure fair and more effective methods to assist troubled borrowers facing the loss of their homes.
In fact, mortgages alone represented half of the more than 230,000 consumer complaints received by CFPB for July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013 reporting period.
Although CFPB investigates a range of lending areas, including credit reporting, debt collection, money transfers, vehicle and other consumer loans, only three lending areas account for 80 percent of all complaints filed: mortgages, credit cards and bank accounts/services.
Loan modifications, collections and foreclosures represented 64 percent of CFPB's 61,500 mortgage complaints. More than 22 percent of other mortgage complaints concerned loan servicing, payments and escrow accounts.
By comparison, credit card complaints spanned a wider variety of concerns with billing disputes topping the list of 17,700 complaints. Other credit card complaints included interest rates, credit reporting, identity theft, fraud and embezzlement.
Account management and deposits or withdrawals accounted for more than two-thirds or 68 percent of complaints in the consumers' bank accounts and service category. Consumers identified problems such as confusing marketing, denials, fee disclosure and interest statements.
Availability of deposits, withdrawal problems and penalties, lost or missing funds and transaction holds were among the specific problems reported on the category of deposits and withdrawals.
Of the 3,900 student loan complaints, 96 percent were in two areas: repaying loans and problems when consumers were unable to pay. On repayment, fees, billing, alleged fraud and credit reporting all came to CFPB's attention. Default, debt collection and bankruptcy were often cited in complaints related to an inability to repay.
Every complaint filed with CFPB affords consumers the option to review and dispute all company closure reports. Even if a complaint is closed, consumers retain the option to dispute the finding for 30 days.
Additionally, CFPB's Office of Minority and Women Inclusion has a two-fold purpose: to promote diversity in the workplace and among its contractors. As of the third quarter of FY2013, CFPB awarded 26 percent of its procurement ($13 million) to small businesses categorized as either disadvantaged or woman-owned.
"It is clear from the report that consumers now have a responsive place to turn when financial products and services fail to meet fair and reasonable standards," observed Gary Kalman, the Center for Responsible Lending's executive vice president. "The main takeaway is that the Bureau has delivered for consumers. And as a result, we expect to see more fair and affordable credit options emerge—especially for those who suffered most from the deceptive lending practices all too prevalent in communities across the country."
Whether you are a minority business seeking contract opportunities, or a consumer seeking redress in personal finance issues, CFPB has a lot to offer. For more information on these and other consumer lending concerns, visit: http:rspnsb.li/1aCCqen
(Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.)
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Download our mobile app at https://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier


text:
Download hd wallpaper flowers wallpaper from the resolutions links listed below. If the resolution you are looking for it is not listed, then you can download Original size or higher resolution which may fit to your device.
poppy flowers and thyme
magnolia flowers hd wallpaper
white and pink roses
hd wallpaper lotus flower pink water
hd wallpaper flower wallpaper
picture beautiful flowers hd wallpaper
hd wallpaper landscapes flowers california national monument plain
Several poppies
nice blue flower


text:
Quickie Questions - Life - Plants
Date Answered | Questioner (age, location) | Question | Answer |
April 23, 2010 | Bradley (wv) | do magnets affect plant growth? | Yes, as early as 1862, Louis Pasteur discovered that magnetism affects plant growth when he was experimenting on the fundamentals of fermentation. See this intereting article for more information on this topic. |
February 9, 2010 | Skye (Texas) | How does plant roots break down rocks? | It is a process that takes time and many factors. Plant roots exert physical pressure on the rocks. The initially, when they are not too big, find the crevices and grow in to them, but then they start growing and, as a result, exert pressure from inside the rock. But they also provide a channel for water and chemical infiltration! accelerating in this way the weathering of the rock. |
January 27, 2010 | Jade (north carolina) | how miuch water does a large tree put back into the water cycle per day | A large oak tree can transpire 40 000 gallons (151 000 liters) per year, at an average of 110 gallons (414 liters) per day. |
January 11, 2010 | Cameron () | What is the scientific name and full classification of an orange? | Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis): Family: Rutaceae, Genus: Citrus. |
February 24, 2009 | Ashley (Georgia) | How living plants give off oxygen? | Plants use sunlight, air, and water to make food. This process is called photosynthesis. While they are doing this, they give off oxygen. |
October 21, 2008 | Manuel (Arizona) | A tree grows and increases its mass. Why is this not a violation of the law of conservation? | Because there are several ways in which the tree gains energy that then is converted to mass. Most importantly, there is the Photosynthesis, the process by which autotrophs (self-feeders) convert water, carbon dioxide, and solar energy into sugars and oxygen. It is a complex chemical process by which plants and other autotrophs create the energy needed for life. The water and mineral are absorbed through the roots, and the solar energy through the leaves. |
March 11, 2008 | Jib (Ohio/United stayes) | What do animals need nitrogen for? | All plants and animals need nitrogen to make amino acids. |
July 6, 2007 | Jojo (WI) | How do Tsunamis affect Plants? Respond ASAP!!!!! | Tsunamis can be a very aggressive natural phenomenon. Both fauna and flora suffer when the waves reach inland. Trees can be uprooted by the waves, salty water can also damage them, sediments could have many effects, etc. For a more extensive description, visit the United Nations webpage Impact of Tsunamis on Ecosystems. |
November 30, 2006 | Marissa (Florida) | What are some examples (organisms) of Autotrophs? | Examples of autotrophs are plants and algae. More information about autotrophs is available at our page Autotrophs |
June 27, 2002 | Amir (Singapore) | Why is a leaf green? | A leaf is green because it's a part of a plant and plants have special cells! Their cells contain green stuff called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll(located within the chloroplast part of a plant cell) is what lets a plant get its energy from the sun through photosynthesis. We humans get our energy from food, but most plants don't need to eat food like we do, their chloroplasts use the sun's energy to make a special sort of food within their cells. |
June 26, 2000 | Ryan (California, USA ) | Do trees affect the temperature of the earth? | Probably not enough to measure. Although trees themselves fluctuate in temperature according to the weather, very little if any heat is transferred to the ground by the trees themselves. |
June 15, 2000 | Andjie (Washington, USA ) | What is transpiration process on water cycle? | When plants give off water, we call that transpiration. Water is absorbed by a plant's roots. The water moves through the plant and can actually come out of the plant through tiny pores on the underside of the plant's leaves. Transpiration is a small part of the water cycle compared to say evaporation of water from the oceans. |
June 1, 1999 | Sunday (Michigan, USA) | How is it that the sun can give people energy? | The sun can give people energy in a couple ways. When sunshine warms your body it is giving you some heat energy through radiation. The most important way the sun gives us energy is through the food we eat. Plants can convert the suns energy into food for itself, which we can eat. In fact, all the food we eat relies somehow on the sun. Kinda makes me hungry. |
April 23, 1999 | Bill (Tennessee, USA) | Is it true that a seed before planting is truly dead or is there a sign of life in it? | In order for seeds to sprout, they must be alive, even though they look dead. The seeds you plant which never sprout are really dead. |
March 14, 1999 | Alexis | Is it possible to grow plants in space? Are there any plans to grow plants on the International Space Station? Without gravity, how will the plants know which way to grow up? | Experiments have been done which show it is possible to grow plants in space. Since there is very little gravity in space, the plants grow in any and every direction. The ISS will have a Plant Research Unit on board which will maintain small plants for different experiments. |
March 17, 1998 | Brad (Ohio, USA) | What roles can plants play in recovering carbon dioxide, water, and other nutrients from the waste products generated in an Advance Life Support environment? | Plants play a big role in recycling carbonates, nitrates, phosphates, and other salts, even from waste products which might be generated in a Life Support environment. Plants extract certain forms of nitrogen from soils, and plants recycle certain forms of carbon in the respiration/transpiration process. |


text:
Kiriko Original, Face Mask, Classic, White Cord, Multicolor Chinese Characters
See more from Kiriko Made
Introducing our new Kiriko face masks! Each one has a special Japanese pattern displayed on the front just for you! Perfect when you want to take a quick trip to the grocery store or to drop something off at your friend's doorstep. This mask will definitely come in handy when you are on-the-go.
- Made in Portland, OR
- Patterned Fabrics from Japan
- Outside Fabric: 100% Cotton
- Inside Fabric: 100% Cotton
- Strings: Cotton & Spandex
- Cheek to Cheek Length: 10"
- Nose to Chin Length: 6.5"
- Regular Cord Length: 5.5"
- Long Cord Length: 6.75"
- Product #: FM124
- Code: WP50
Washing Instructions
Hand washing and hang drying is highly recommended. If you would like to use the washing machine we suggest putting the mask in a laundry net.
*Buy two masks and get the third one 40% off! Use code: MASK40
* Due to the current situation with Covid-19, this item is non-returnable.
* Multi Patterned masks use different parts of the original fabric resulting in variances from one mask to the next.
* Wholesalers: Please follow our maximum 25 masks per order policy! Thank you


text:
Nathaniel Foote was born on November 15, 1849 at Morrisville, Madison County, NY. He came from an influential family, and was the tenth descendent with that name. His interest in family genealogy led him to organize and direct for a while an organization he called the "Foote Family Association of America." He went to Cazenovia Seminary, Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, and Hamilton College, receiving a Bachelor's Degree from the latter in 1870. Following this, he was briefly an instructor of Classics at Monticello Academy, after which he was admitted to the bar at Binghamton on December 8, 1870.
After two years of practice with his father, Foote moved to Rochester in 1873. He aided in organizing a partnership in 1874 in which he practiced for thirty-one years. During this period he was a founder and first president of the Rochester Bar Association (1892-94) and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1894.
Foote was appointed to the Supreme Court for the Seventh District in January of 1905, and returned by election the same year. He sat as a trial judge for seven years before being elevated to the Appellate Division for the Fourth Department in January of 1912, there to remain until his mandatory retirement
at the end of 1919. For twenty years thereafter, he functioned as an Official Referee and an associate of a local law firm, finally giving up work at the age of 90. He died in Rochester on January 26, 1944.


text:
Would cutting taxes help business create jobs, or just make the rich richer? Should the state encourage climate change regulations, or would going green become a job killer? We hear the pros and cons of proposals from Whitman and Brown, candidates for Governor of California. Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers are fading fast. What does their owners' divorce case have to do with it? We hear more about Frank McCourt. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, when California's ban on same-sex marriage was overturned, it was a victory for gay rights. What did the women's movement have to do with it? Why does one writer and scholar think it was too much, too soon, even though he's married to another man?
Banner image: Pamphlets with information about unemployment are displayed at Eastbay Works Oakland One-Stop Career Center August 5, 2010 in Oakland, California. US jobless claims unexpectedly rose by 19,000 new claims for the week ending on July 31. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images


text:
This post brought to you by Famous Footwear. All opinions are 100% mine.
Summer is almost over and school is slowly creeping once again. What does that exactly mean? Shopping! Moms will be busy again working on their budgets to get the kids ready for the upcoming school year. Getting new pair of shoes is a must most especially for those who already outgrew theirs last school year. Sounds impossible but not really, kids have growth spurt and when this happens everything seems to be shrunken.
Finding deals is theway to go for budgety moms. Famous Footwear's back-to-school promotion has a printable BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon for great discount off total purchase. Make sure to print and redeem coupon in-store between August 2-18, this surely will make shopping a lot lighter in the budget with a buy one get one 50% off topped with 15% discount. That is good for all costumer but if you're a member of the FREE rewards program, you can easily top it off with 20% discount, 5% higher than non-members. Nothing to lose as the rewards program is free for all, more to gain with the perks you can get from it. Having to be a rewards member can earn you 1 point per $1 spent in-store or online. Imagine earning certificates up to $100 a year, well of course it depends on your purchases.
Famous Footwesr has a wide selection of styles and designs good for the whole family. With a special clearance rack in-store, you'll easily find great deals that you're hoping for. You may also shop online and have the items delivered right to your doorstep (for a fee) or pick-up in-store free of charge. Totally the most convenient shopping you can do without having to leave home. It is just as good as going in-store though you won't have the pleasure to fit the shoes. It doesn't really matter if it does work for you.


text:
Cracked Heels not only affects the beauty of your foot but also prove to
be very painful in intensive cases.These cracks are generally caused by
insufficient moisture.The most common reasons for Heel Fissures are
mainly walking barefooted, excessive hot showers, prolonged
standing,climate,age, medical conditions etc.,
Here we have listed few of the best possible solutions that would help you cure this condition from itself.
Method 1:
- Vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Listerine(any mouthwash) – 1/4 cup
- Warm Water – 1/2 cup
- Mix them properly
- Soak your feet in it for 10-15 minutes
- Wipe it off with a clean piece of cloth
Method 2
- Hydrogen Peroxide – 2 cups
- Hot water – 4 cups
- Foot file or pumice stone
- Lotion
- Socks
- Add hydrogen peroxide to hot water and soak your feet for 20-30 minutes.
- Pat your feet dry with towel and use the foot file to remove the dead skin.
- Finally apply lotion and cover feet with socks.
- Leave it overnight and wake up to a softer feet in the morning.
Method 3
- Vicks Vapour Rub
- Socks
- Luke warm water
- Salt
- Rub the vicks vapour rub over the cracked regions of your feet.
- Cover it with socks overnight.
- In the morning, wash your feet properly.
- And then pamper your feet by soaking in lukewarm water mixed with salts.
- Stay in there for about 10 minutes and notice the difference.
Method 4
- Baking Soda – 1/2 cup
- Vinegar – 1 cup
- Luke Warm Water
- Mix the above ingredients.
- Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes.
- Pat them dry with clean towel.
Method 5
- Warm Water – 2 gallons
- Lemon Juice – 2-3 Tablespoon
- Soak your feet in this mixture for around 20 minutes.
- Pat them dry later.
- Then Scrub it with a soft foot brush to exfoliate the top layers of dead skin.
- Repeat this method on a weekly basis for a good result as lemon juice is a mild acid.


text:
Every year on Christmas day, the same patient arrives in the emergency department at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston.
He comes in bloated, alcohol fumes wafting from his breath, and slightly hypothermic from spending the entire evening outdoors.
"This patient seems to have a recurrent intermittent alcohol problem at this time of year," said Alasdair Conn, MD, director of emergency services at MGH. "Every year we give him a warning about not driving his sleigh while intoxicated."
Yes, Santa Claus inevitably presents to the ED on what's typically a slow day in the hospital because "he drank too much eggnog and his sleigh has crashed," Conn said.
In this case, this "sick Santa" is an entirely sober hospital staff member, dressed up in costume and continuing a 50-year-old tradition at the hospital. "[Santa's] chart is about seven volumes thick," Conn said. "There's a lot of competition to write in it."
Patient Santa is just one of the many holiday traditions played out in hospitals across the country, as employees on the schedule for the holiday try to bring a bit of the Christmas cheer to work -- whether it's sharing a meal or having a laugh about the minor injuries treated every year during this season.
"There is a camaraderie, particularly at Christmas, that is special," Richard O'Brien, MD, of Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, Pa., told MedPage Today. "We all want to be home with our loved ones opening presents, but there's a certain devotion you have to your career."
O'Brien's devotion has been so strong that this is the first Christmas in 28 years he actually has off. It will be the first that he won't be treating patients who've sustained lacerations from trying to open gifts with a kitchen knife or food allergies sparked by uninformed hosts and menu planners.
Nor will he see the sprained ankles twisted by high-heel mishaps. These often occur when inexperienced people don heels to attend a Christmas religious services. "Sometimes, there's just enough ice on the stairs of the church, and down they go," O'Brien said.
Of course, not all accidents are minor or the source for staff jocularity. Excessive drinking doesn't just lead to issues like holiday heart syndrome; the holidays tend to bring an uptick in drunk driving accidents.
"It's such a tragedy when you have to deliver bad news to parents or loved ones that there's been a fatality" during Christmas or New Year's, Conn said.
Then there are the lonely, who'd rather go to the hospital than spend their holiday by themselves. They'll present to the ED with complaints of pain or illness, but after a workup they appear to be just fine.
"We have a number of people living alone, who are depressed, who end up in the ED for help," Conn said. "We need to look after our disenfranchised and get them involved."
O'Brien also noted that domestic violence also tends to rise around the holidays, often resulting from the combination of alcohol or too much time spent in close quarters.
But hospitalized or emergency patients can easily get the care they need during Christmas and New Year's, as clinicians say there's rarely a problem with staffing. Most employees compromise on which holidays they're covering and which they have off, O'Brien said.
On top of that, very few elective surgeries are scheduled, Conn said, so hospital beds are free.
While emergency department beds will often fill up the rest of the year with patients who have to be boarded because of a lack of available hospital accommodations, over the holidays, "there are empty beds upstairs, which is a relief," Conn said.
And that bed temporarily taken up by Santa is never occupied too long -- not when there are presents to deliver.


text:
Why did diamonds become a girl's best friend in the first place?
By kellybare — Written on Apr 18, 2006
Recently my unattached friend Katie told me that she had taken a trip to Tiffany's, solo, to try on diamond engagement rings. I shot her a look. "But they're just so sparkly!" she protested, deeply in lust.
Before another friend's bachelorette party, doing fact-finding for the old "How Well Do You Know Each Other?" game, I asked her groom-to-be what was the best gift he'd ever given her. "The rock, of course," he replied instantly.
Later on, his fiancée's answer lined up neatly: "That's gotta be my ring!" she shouted to a limo full of hooting, nodding female heads, most of them attached to clapping hands adorned with dazzlers much like her own.
And then there's the hard-charging entrepreneur who, in an enviably ballsy move, spontaneously proposed to her fiancé with a rock that she picked up on a nature hike in Minnesota. He accepted, but her finger is still bare because "we just haven't had time to shop."
"At first, I was thinking we should find something a little more egalitarian," she confided. "But then I thought, 'F--- it. I want a great ring.'"
And that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? It would be a different story if the culturally mandated token of lifelong commitment was, say, a hood ornament on a chain, or something equally large and obnoxious, like those Pampers-box bathroom passes favored by smart-ass teachers in junior high school. But as things stand, there's no downside: The diamond engagement ring is a perfect confluence of show-stopping sign and deeply emotional signifier.
According to a recent DeBeers study, four out of five brides receive diamond engagement rings. National Jeweler's 2003 survey found that more than 40 percent of customers planned on buying a diamond one carat or larger. And the 2002 American Wedding Study (sponsored by Condé Nast) revealed that the average engagement ring costs $3,576: more than 16 percent of the average wedding budget.
No one can deny that we're in a "wedding moment" right now—and an expensive one, to boot. But the "timeless" symbol that kicks off many a frenzy of chocolate fondue fountains and sushi stations and ice sculptures is actually a fairly new development in wedding-paraphernalia history.
"It's hard to talk about exactly when these traditions started," says Vicki Howard, adjunct professor of economics and women's studies at Hartwick College. "Before the 1870s, diamonds were rare. People were wearing diamond engagement rings, but it wasn't yet a mass thing. In the late 1800s, archival evidence and etiquette books suggest, a wide variety of engagement and wedding band styles, including different stones, were considered proper and desirable."
Howard—whose upcoming book, The Business of Brides, details the rise of the wedding industry between the 1930s and 1950s—explains that the modern engagement ring's story really begins with the discovery of vast quantities of diamonds in South Africa in the late 1860s. Diamond jewelry of all kinds became more and more popular in subsequent decades, but the industry fell on hard times in the 1930s, due to the Depression and its accompanying plummeting marriage rate. Soon the DeBeers diamond cartel had a surplus. "So they tried to promote the diamond engagement ring," she says. DeBeers put New York's N.W. Ayer advertising agency on the case, and in 1948 they hit pay dirt with the slogan "A Diamond Is Forever." This hypnotic mantra has seduced America ever since, calling out from magazine and television ads, billboards, and bus shelters.
The Ayer agency came up with other ways to get couples' attention. "They created short films about diamond engagement rings that they would show before feature films, at women's clubs, churches, high schools, colleges," Howard says. "It was kind of like you couldn't escape it at that point. I have a 1955 statistic from the ad agency that said that between 75 and 85 percent of brides had diamond engagement rings."
We're still hooked. The diamond jones has become part of our cultural DNA. The number we buy, the amount of money we spend (or cause to be spent), and the size of the stones we favor all have increased steadily. It appears this is one accessory that will never go out of style. Jewelry and fashion expert Michael O'Connor will tell you, however, that brides-to-be definitely are affected by trends that mirror the emotional state of our culture.
"Right now, people are really looking back to antique and vintage pieces, looking to them for comfort," O'Connor says. "These are pieces we all remember from when we were younger: 'This looks like my mom's ring, my grandmother's pin.' Celebrities and stylists want authentic vintage pieces for award shows, and a lot of designers are reflecting that trend."
The other big influence, he says, is a counter-trend toward classic, straightforward lines. "Everyone's so overloaded because of everything we have going on in the world. We're looking forward with the view that 'I want everything in my life to be as simple as possible'." (Though not, of course, so simple that we'd skip the sparkler altogether.)
As always, Hollywood helps set the trends. Unprompted, O'Connor rattles off a bevy of celebrity-ring details: "Jessica Simpson-pear-shaped with two brilliants, very classic. Anna Nicole Smith-marquise with tapered baguettes. Melania Knauss, Donald Trump's intended [now wife]-emerald shape with tapered baguettes. Jennifer Aniston had a much more romantic, frilly kind of style. Sarah Michelle Gellar, she has a princess cut." And he notes that J. Lo's big pink ring from (then fiancé) Ben Affleck ushered in a colored-diamond trend that has outlived their relationship.
Some would argue that the pop-culture icons we worship—and the romantic roles we love to watch them play on-screen—figure more prominently in our collective lust for engagement rings than setting the standard for color or cut.
Jaclyn Geller, now an English professor at Central Connecticut State University, posed as a bride-to-be to research her 2001 book, Here Comes the Bride, "a feminist critique of the blockbuster wedding."
For her, the engagement ring is the central prop in the performance that modern weddings have become; an object with "talismanic" power. "A woman has this engagement ring jammed on her finger, and it's supposed to be this thing that represents the narrative apex of her life," Geller writes. "The man kneels before her, she's supposed to emote so violently that she loses the power of speech. Now, this is a very public, exhibitionist thing-something that takes place at a restaurant or park. Once she says 'Yes,' everyone is supposed to cheer. There's no parallel scene in the wedding iconography where a woman offers a man a piece of jewelry and he loses consciousness."
Vicki Howard puts it a bit less theatrically. "For a woman, getting engaged is a significant time in her life," she says. "Men have not needed that symbol to have power in society. Men enjoy being married, too, but they have other things."
Which is not to say that men can't get really emotional about their rings.
Late last year, a 19-year-old Marine wounded in a firefight in Fallujah asked doctors to amputate his injured finger instead of cutting off his ring. "That would mean destroying my wedding ring," the soldier told the Associated Press. "My wife is the strongest woman I know."
Call me cold-hearted, but if I were his wife, I would have preferred a whole husband. I asked jeweler Herman Rotenberg of 1,873 Unusual Wedding Rings, a store in New York City's diamond district that has be-ringed the betrothed since 1947 (and actually carries more than 4,000 styles of wedding bands), what he thought of the soldier's reaction.
"That's a very rare story, but I could see it under those circumstances," he answered.
Rotenberg was a psychotherapist before he married into the jewelry business, holds a masters in social work, and says he has "seen everything under the sun" in his 22 years selling wedding rings. He finds that men are much more sentimental—and choosy—than one might expect. "They come in wanting the simplest ring, and they go out with the most complicated," he observes. "They're very particular, obsessive in the best way."
Today's grooms want all the bells and whistles, he says: detailed finishes, mixed metals, even rings adorned with optical illusions. Rotenberg worked with one customer, a surfer, to design ocean waves that appeared to move when the ring was turned.
This attention to detail takes on even more weight when you consider that the history of the groom's band as we know it is about as short as that of the diamond engagement ring. Until the mid-1940s, most men didn't wear wedding rings at all.
In "A 'Real Man's Ring'," her 2003 article in the Journal of Social History, Vicki Howard notes that "while wedding bands for men were not a completely new phenomenon in the United States around 1940, neither were they 'tradition.'" She writes that "male wedding bands made brief appearances in the Western world at different times," but it took an earth-shattering event (World War II) plus a friendly commercial shove (a wartime campaign by the Jewelry Industry Publicity Board) to make them a fixture.
By 1947, Fortune magazine was reporting that the percentage of "double-ring" (as opposed to single-ring) wedding ceremonies in the U.S. had increased from 15 percent at the end of the Depression to approximately 80 percent.
It's easy to see why the practice took root when it did, flourishing parallel to the nascent engagement-ring trend. For a man heading to Germany or the Pacific, the band on his finger identified him in a way his dog tags couldn't. "Couples about to marry may have seen that tokens of love and commitment could provide some relief from the pain of separation and potential loss," Howard writes. "During wartime, a man could wear a groom's band as a symbol of what he was fighting to preserve."
Which, of course, brings us back to the Marine in Fallujah. If neither his ring nor the diamond engagement ring and wedding band his wife is probably wearing are "timeless" symbols, they surely are more than just valuable objects. A sociologist would call them "invented traditions," but they fit so neatly into our desires that we can't imagine life without them.
So now it's a three-ring circus: her diamond, her band, his band. But how many hoops to jump through, where to buy them, how much to spend—and what they really mean—is up to you.
Vicki Howard doesn't wear an engagement ring, but she does wear a wedding band, and so does her husband.
"When two people wear rings, it's more about the companionate ideal," she explains. "Husband and wife are equally committed to their marriage and their future. Whereas an engagement ring worn solely by the woman is this prize, something that she's won."
Purchasing data supports the idea of the engagement ring having a different emotional significance from the wedding band. A Professional Jeweler study found that fewer than a third of engagement rings were purchased as a set with a wedding band. Herman Rotenberg knows that all too well. "By the time they come to me, they've spent all their money," he laments. "I try to convince them that the wedding ring is the least expensive item, relatively."
Not to mention that couples get free therapy when they go to see him. "People have the need to talk," he says. "They talk about themselves, how they met. I know their whole history. Buying a wedding ring, whether they spend $5,000 or $100, it's a very emotional purchase, a subject that brings out a lot. Some people are very nervous. You can see the anxiety. Some people have arguments in front of my counter." (Perhaps the engagement ring says, "Let's take the plunge!" while the wedding ring says, "Wait a minute, what exactly are we doing?")
Rotenberg recalls couples who made him think, "This is not the right match. But who am I to say? I saw one young gentleman trying on a ring. He's standing in front of the counter, taking it on and off. He's saying, 'I can't believe I'm doing this' to himself. I felt like saying to him, 'Maybe you shouldn't.'"
This solitary shopper is an exception, though. Nine times out of ten, Rotenberg estimates, both members of the couple present themselves at his counter. In contrast, only 60 percent of women accompany their fiancé to shop for the engagement ring, as Bride's editor in chief Millie Martini Bratten noted last November in New York Metro. A 2004 Fairchild Bridal Group Study found that 47 percent of brides don't even know how much their engagement ring cost.
Is one a gift, and the other a joint purchasing decision? Does one symbolize a man's love for a woman, and the other, their love for each other? Where do money and meaning part ways?
The idea of some kind of wedding-related ring as "earnest money," or a symbol of the groom's ability to support his bride-to-be, dates way, way back; ancient Roman, Jewish, and Germanic literature all mention it. Jaclyn Geller argues that this particular meaning still thrives, calling the modern proposal with a chunk of ice "a display of financial success. The gesture announces that for [the groom] such purchases are easy, that he is capable of decorating his beloved with baubles and gems (and, by implication, supporting her in high style). The gift combines romantic finesse, sexual prowess, and economic savvy in a streamlined package."
But in 2005, the groom-as-gravy-train is only one way to get a great rock. Take, for example, a recently married woman whose engagement ring would impress anyone. It was in the family-her family. Her fiancé presented it to her on bended knee, and she wears it proudly. Now it's an outward symbol of their status as a couple.
Related Stories From YourTango:
Another knockout ring wound up dissolving the engagement of a pair whose financial histories were very different: She owned her home and other investments, and was completely self-sufficient; he still rented and was nowhere near financially stable. So when the man spent literally every penny he had on the ring, his fiancée couldn't see it as a symbol of his love. Instead, it came to represent an insurmountable incompatibility, a future full of unwise financial decisions and, quite possibly, struggle.
Engagement-ring tension played out in an entirely different fashion for a third couple. He gave her his grandmother's diamond in a new setting, a decision on which his parents consulted. "Let's call them a very traditional East Coast family," says the bride, who hails from Texas and absolutely loathed the ring. "It wasn't me. I was thrilled that he had proposed, but after the dust settled, I told him, 'I really do want to marry you, but I don't want to wear this ring for the rest of my life.'"
It says a lot about her husband that he didn't quibble. "It's hard to tell your fiancé that you don't love what he's just given you," she admits. "I think it hurt his feelings a little bit, but he was willing to do what it took to make me happy. He put me in front of his parents' desires."
Since her husband-to-be was only making $18,000 a year, and she was unemployed at the time, she had to wait almost two years for her dream ring-a Harry Winston platinum band with a pear-shaped diamond and two little baguettes-which he bought at an estate jewelry store and presented to her on the day of her final wedding-dress fitting.
Ten years later, though, the ring she drooled over doesn't fit her life. (Partly because she has a young daughter she's afraid of scratching, and partly, well, just because. "When we go out with friends, I feel obliged to wear my rings, but I truly don't think much about them otherwise," she says.) Her wrist does the talking now. She wears two Cartier "love bracelets," gifts from her husband. "They literally screw on-it comes with a gold screw-driver. They're really special, and anyone who recognizes them knows that they are only given by a significant other."
So at best, perhaps, the rings couples wear (or don't) are fluid signs of how a relationship and the people in it evolve. I know a couple in their ?fties who have used the tell-tale finger as a space to express all kinds of things: Custom-made silver-and-turquoise rings when they were footloose and fancy free in the '70s. A second-hand diamond solitaire for her about five years later, purchased out of respect for (and with the help of) a "traditionalist" mother, along with new matching bands for both of them, designed by the husband, an architect, and cast by his amateur-jeweler father-in-law. A new ring for him, in the mid-'90s, skillfully fabricated of white, rose, and yellow gold, and bought on a whim while on vacation. Two "anniversary bands" for her, added to the mix when she was diagnosed with breast cancer right around the time of their 25th wedding anniversary. At times, one or both wore nothing at all, not because they didn't want to, but because they were waiting for something that "worked" with the lives they were living at the moment.
Whatever you wear on the third finger of your left hand makes a statement. But sometimes rings don't tell the truth, and sometimes they don't tell the whole story-at least not on their shining surfaces.
Herman Rotenberg's father-in-law, Bill Schifrin, the original proprietor of 1,873 Unusual Wedding Rings and an 87-year-old archive of wedding-ring anecdotes, told me one of his favorites. A well-dressed woman came into the shop, alone, and began placing an order for a custom-made ring. As they were about to complete the transaction, she told him, "It's for my husband. If he doesn't like it, can I bring it back?"
Of course not, Schifrin said, this is custom work. "No refunds, no returns." Sorry.
OK, the woman responded, she would come back with her husband. The next day they both appeared; the husband liked the ring, signed off on it immediately, and went back to his office. His wife paid for the ring, then asked Schifrin to engrave something inside it for her.
The message? Their wedding date, and a truly timeless sentiment. "No refunds, no returns."
More for You:
More Related Content From YourTango:


text:
Hugely delayed because I've been out of town since Friday…
~ Rachel finds out if a body lotion can be energizing with Liz Earle.
~ Makeup Morsels finally tries out those famous Urban Decay Liners.
~ Looking for a similar powder to the Magic Cool Powder from MAC? Look no further – Sleek Makeup have one for half the price!
~ Check out Audrey Dao's review of Zoya's Spring 2011 Intimate Collection along with photos and swatches!
~ Daily Polish shows off sneak pictures of China Glaze's Holiday 2011 Collection Let It Snow!
~ Phyrra tells you about Shadow Transformation. She compares four products from Fyrinnae, Hi-Fi, Sobe Botanicals, and Medusa's Makeup. See which one comes out on top!
~ Kelly of Gouldylox Reviews finds a new love at the drugstore. It's quickly becoming a foundation favorite!
~ What do you do when your bosses go on leave? Why, wear crazy turquoise fishnet nails to work of course – Musicalhouses did it!
~ Retrodiva shares her five favorite tinted moisturizers that can be used even on oily skin.
~ One palette; how many looks can The Lip Print create? It's a Palette Challenge!
~ Sarah from IHeartCosmetics bypasses Bella Bamba and goes straight for Benefit's Prrrowl and Magic Ink.
~ Jo at Music and Makeup finally had a play with MAC Club eyeshadow and liked the results!
~ Are China Glaze Channelesque and China Glaze Below Deck dupes or not? Check out this post at Beauty addict's blog to find out!
~ Big pores? You need this! Hellcandy shares her love for Benefit's Porefessional.
~ Craving the new Make Up For Ever Lab Shine lip glosses? Well, you're in luck because Krasey Beauty has swatches of the full collection!
~ Mz. More of The Glamorous Gleam tries out OPI Shatter Nail Polish. Is it all it's "cracked" up to be?
~ Jenn over at Spiced beauty puts on her best glam face using BarryM Cosmetics!
~ theNotice chats about the new love in her life – that is, Clarins Rouge Hydra Nude lipsticks. Will you be picking up a tube before they're sold out?
~ Amy Antoinette reviews ELF's Studio Line blushes.
~ It's all about glowing skin and pink hues this spring! Anita reviews (almost) the entire Guerlain spring collection over at Pleasureflush.
~ Beauty Crazed wants to solve your winter hair woes with $200 worth of Marc Anthony products! So enter the contest already!
~ Start the new year with a new you. Win a La Mav anti-age skin care pack and enjoy your new skin.
~ Help Cindy celebrate the one year anniversary of Prime Beauty. At this celebration the presents are for you!
~ Come by Jeweled Thumb to read a review of the Eyeko My Coral Crush Peachy Keen blush and also win one! Enter now to be one of the 2 lucky winners!
~ Socialite Dreams is hosting a giveaway of socialite approved goodies!


text:
THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- "Am I going to die?"
It was 11 days since Dr. Vijay Battu's first symptoms, and four days since his admission as a patient to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. And now the ravages of COVID-19 had begun to make breathing nearly impossible.
"I asked because I was scared," recalled Battu. "It was horrible. I didn't feel like I was getting enough air. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything. I wanted to call my lawyer, to make a will. But honestly I couldn't even put my finger on my phone to type. I just couldn't. I didn't have the energy."
Battu would eventually win his battle against COVID-19. But it was a harrowing journey back to health.
For Battu -- an otherwise healthy 52-year-old ophthalmologist and attending surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary -- it all began on March 12 with a little cough. The next afternoon, while at work, a fever took hold.
Other than allergies, Battu had no underlying conditions. "But my temperature was pretty high: 102.4," he said. And three of his friends already had COVID-19, after attending a small early-March house party in Miami. "The concept of social distancing hadn't really happened yet," said Battu. "And at the time, none of us had symptoms."
A struggle to get tested for COVID-19
So Battu then tried -- and initially failed -- to get tested. A local urgent care center turned him away. His insurance company told him to call the New York Department of Health. Once he called, he was told that all they could provide was a list of 100 different facilities that might offer testing. "But do they?" he asked. They didn't know. "But they said they'd call me back. In five days. I was floored," Battu said.
So, Battu contacted Lenox Hill directly and convinced the attending physician to give him a test. But by the time he got to the ER that physician had left, and the staff were reluctant. Then, a standard flu test came back negative. So, Battu was screened for COVID-19.
Five days later, the results came back: positive. By then, Battu's situation had worsened. His fever was spiking, his coughing was harder, and he wasn't eating or drinking. "And I've never been that exhausted in my life. I couldn't move. I could barely walk," he said.
Hoping to avoid hospitalization, Battu reached out to physician colleagues for advice and began self-treating. That meant cough suppressant ("which did nothing"); Kaletra (an HIV drug); and hydroxychloroquine, the much-discussed anti-malarial medication that preliminary research suggests might be helpful.
"I have colleagues who didn't think I should," he acknowledged. "Because none of it is proven, and there are always risks. But at the same time when you're in dire straits, you balance that risk. And I'm a doer. I tend to choose action over inaction."
Whether the drugs helped is an open question, admitted Battu. But the bottom line is that things went downhill. On March 19, eight days after his symptoms began, Battu took a taxi back to the ER.
"My parents were in India. My sister is in Texas. My friends had been dropping off food for me, but nobody was with me," he said. "And I had nothing prepared. I almost couldn't do it. I was so tired. All I could manage to take was one extra T-shirt and my medications."
Though X-rays revealed pneumonia in both lungs, the hospital was reluctant to admit him. "I didn't even know I had pneumonia," Battu said. "They didn't tell me at first. But I was afraid. I didn't think I could take care of myself. And then when they told me I just refused to leave."
A friend from medical school gave an added push by calling in as his referring doctor. And in the end, Battu was admitted. "Sometimes those decisions can be a tricky call. I'm a doctor. I get that. But I was super, super sick. I had bilateral pneumonia. And still I had to fight. I had to insist."
The next day, Battu started to lose taste and smell, a classic COVID indicator. "I didn't lose my taste completely. It's just everything tasted and smelled horrible. So I couldn't eat," he said. "And I had diarrhea, so I was getting more and more dehydrated and exhausted."
Things get worse, oxygen levels drop
Over initial objections, Battu continued the drug regimen he had begun at home. But his breathing deteriorated, so he was placed on oxygen. By March 21, deep shoulder pain set in on his right side, raising the specter of heart trouble. Even more concerning, his "sats" -- oxygen saturation levels -- started to slide.
"Normally they should be like 97 to 100," Battu explained. "But mine had fallen to 91-92. And if I moved in any way, the energy I expended would drive those numbers down. And then that night my breathing got so bad that I thought they would put me on a ventilator.
The prospect terrified him. He knew that the trigger for ventilator intubation is dropping to 88 for a sustained period of time. "If that happened, I wouldn't be able talk or communicate. And I know that a huge percentage of COVID patients who get put on ventilators die."
Battu's sats did dip as low as 89 before rebounding. "I couldn't breathe. It was really, really frightening. I was right on the edge. But in the end, the ventilator didn't happen."
In fact, day 10 turned out to be Battu's low point. By morning, his breathing and sats had improved. But consumed by fear, he turned to the resident physician and point-blank asked if he was dying.
"She looked at me and without hesitation said, 'No. Your sats didn't fall further. You're going to be fine.'" The speed of her response gave comfort, though Battu remained anxious about the night to come. "Because the nights," he said, "are the worst."
Finally, recovery begins
And then, in the blink of an eye, the situation shifted from dying to discharge.
"I know they probably needed the bed. And in retrospect sending me home was probably the right thing to do. My fever had gone down, and my sats were better. But I was still using oxygen. I didn't even know if I could walk to the bathroom by myself. So, the idea of leaving was very scary."
Battu convinced hospital staff to let him stay for two more days. But on day 13 discharge came, along with fresh challenges: oxygen and transport.
"They wouldn't let me take oxygen with me," Battu said. His sats were just above the cutoff, he was told, and oxygen wouldn't be covered by insurance. On top of that he had no way to leave. Still infectious, COVID patients were prohibited from departing by taxi, yet instructed to arrange for an in-person pickup, "which obviously was impossible."
In the end, Battu paid $150 out of pocket for a hospital ambulette to cover the 1.5 miles home. And a physician colleague was able to rent an "oxygen concentrator" to assist with breathing once there. "What happens if you don't have the money, I have no idea," he said.
Still, Battu is appreciative. "Those nights in the hospital were horrific. I was totally alone. And I really thought I was dying. But then I think of the nurses who exposed themselves to all of this. They were just great."
Once home, a friend -- just over COVID himself -- volunteered to stay and prepare meals. "Having him here was really amazing, because this is not the flu. This is not like anything else you've ever experienced."
Now 15 pounds lighter and nursing a slight cough, Battu's energy has largely bounced back. He's feeling "98% better," plans to donate blood to help future COVID-19 patients, and feels grateful to have survived.
"But it was just crazy," he said. "Everything about it. Crazy. From start to finish."
More information
There's more about COVID-19 symptoms to watch for at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCE: Vijay Battu, M.D., attending surgeon, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, and ophthalmologist, BattuVision, New York City


text:
Architects: Peter Kostelov
- Area: 110 m²
Photographs:Zinon Razutdinov
Text description provided by the architects. The apartment is on the 5th floor of a tall multistory building with inner yard. Large balcony next to the dining room, low location of the apartment and a part of the house, which strongly shadowed the inner yard – all these didn't let the sun get into this very part of the house.
The greater part of apartment has vividly oblong proportions. Space between windows used to be large notably 14 meters. Walls and balcony made it 2,5 meters larger now its 16,5 meters!
The width between structural solid-cast walls was only 3,3 meters while the places, where ventilating shafts were embedded, made it even less just 2,8 meters. Having these proportions and spaces it came out that the middle of the apartment practically was not lightened.
The solution came like this: there shouldn't be dead walls in this part, instead they are to replace with glass wall which if necessary can be blinded with curtains. In the end, the part of the apartment with dining room, guest space, living space and working place got enlightened from both sides.
Thus, apartment proportions and poor lighting caused its space-planning design. As for the middle part it was lifted on the podium, so that "to catch" the light coming through the window. Smooth and rounded passages between walls, ceiling and floor visually joined and expanded the small spacing between the walls in the living room.
This part of the living room is finished with light oak tree, which gradually goes from ceiling to floor and walls with its built-in closets, shelves and desk. In fact styling design concept was determined by so called "oak tube" which runs just in the middle of the apartment with its working and leisure place to which the dining room adjoins it from one side and the guest room from another.
External parts of "the tube" are fined with composite stone. The butts of the "tube" imitate the cuts of its form, while loose airy joining to the walls underlines its ease, giving the illusion of something brought from outside.
Similar idea was implemented for the bedroom too. The room is divided into sections which also have smooth, closed passages between ceiling, floor and walls making up shelves closets and a bed. The butts of the "tubeª is also fined with stone, imitating the cut shape.
As for the part less enlightened it is given to secondary premises: guest loo, gowning room and a bathroom adjoining bedroom.
Kitchen is sited as separated block contra-lateral to a window. The floor in the common places like hallway, kitchen, dining room and corridor is fined with ceramogranite while all private zones like leisure space, study, and bedroom are fined with oak planks.


text:
[Rick] is at it again, this week he has conjured up an even more dangerous Halloween hack. Thankfully [Rick] has included a warning of just how dangerous this hack can be, especially if children are around. Don't do this hack unless you know what you're doing and you can do it safely.
For [Rick]'s number four hack of the month he gives us the Fire Breathing Jack-O-Lantern of death! This isn't a new idea but it is a very unique and simple implementation. We always love seeing the ingenuity of hackers to repurpose existing commercial products. In this case, [Rick] uses an automated air freshener which dispenses a flammable spray for the pumpkins breath if you dare get too close, but not so close as to get burned. The trigger distance is controlled by an Arduino and a Parallax Ping))) sensor so as to fire only when people are farther than 3 feet but closer than 5 feet. You can get a copy of the Arduino sketch from his blog posting.
A small candle is used to ignite the flammable spray, which shoots out 5 to 10 inches from the pumpkin's mouth when triggered by the ultrasonic sensor. It couldn't be simpler. The most challenging part was getting the large air freshener dispenser in the pumpkin with the flames coming out the mouth. A little extra whacking at the pumpkin fixed the fit, but planning for a larger pumpkin would be advised.
Theoretically the Arduino shouldn't trigger and throw flames if people are too close, but when kids are running around they may come right into the target area unexpectedly. If this hack is used in the right place it would make for a great Halloween display item and could be used safely.
After the break you can watch [Rick's] flame breathing Jack-o-Lantern build tutorial.
If you would like to see a voice controlled dragon pumpkin that throws flames whenever somebody says "trick or treat" then checkout this Microsoft Kinect voice recognition hack .


text:
An afternoon of tea, scones and local authors in Dillsboro
The inaugural Autumn High Tea will run from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26, at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. The event will raise money for Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping heritage alive.
In England, where having afternoon tea is traditional, a high tea is usually for special events only. High tea, as it is now used, occurs on weekends, at parties, or on special occasions.
Served at the high tea will an old-fashioned tea called Gun Powder Green Tea, Raspberry Black Tea and Earl Gray, along with scones, lemon curd, petit fours and other typical tea fare. Mimosas will be available for purchase.
"Hats and gloves are optional for the ladies," joked Janet Chinners, owner of Country Traditions.
Authors who have been published by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia will be present. The nonprofit has published more than 45 books written by people who either grew up here in Western North Carolina or now work and live in the region. Books include "My Mountain Granny," "Aliens in God's County," "Laughter Was God's Idea," "The Legacy of Bear Mountain," "Little is Much," "A History of the Bible," "Johnny, My Favorite Mouse," "Learning to Fly," and more.
$7.50. 828.586.1600 or www.spiritofappalachia.org.


text:
Wednesday marks a year since President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law.
But in those ensuing 12 months, the debate has barely missed a beat.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats have continued to sing the measure's praises.
"With this landmark law, we made health insurance and health care a right, not a privilege, for all Americans," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, "by extending coverage to 32 million more Americans."
Meanwhile, Republicans, like Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, have been considerably more downbeat. "I hate to talk this way, but it's true: It is one of the worst pieces of legislation in the history of this country," Hatch said on the PBS NewsHour. "And it's not going to work."
Will The Law Take Root?
Sowing seeds of doubt about the law is all part of opponents' strategy, says Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies for the libertarian Cato Institute.
"I think this really is a race between those who want this law to take root and those who want to prevent this law from taking root," Cannon said.
At the moment, with Democrats still in control of the Senate and presidency, opponents know they can't actually get much accomplished substantively.
"So if you want a legislative fix to Obamacare — if you want to repeal it — you have to keep it unpopular between now and January of 2013, when you get a new Congress and maybe a new president," Cannon says. "And what that means is you try to keep the law from taking root, and you try to educate the public about all its harmful effects between now and Election Day 2012. That's what opponents of the law are focused on doing right now."
Meaning forcing all those otherwise symbolic votes to repeal or defund the law, as well as the dozens of lawsuits challenging the law's Constitutionality.
Cementing A Constituency
Supporters of the law, on the other hand, want to pursue exactly the opposite strategy: sink those roots in so deep as to make the law unrepealable.
"Certainly, when the law begins spending hundreds of billions of dollars on health insurance subsidies to low- and middle-income Americans, you're going to be creating a huge constituency that will fight to preserve it," says Cannon.
Ron Pollack of Families USA, which strongly backs the law, says that as the public sees more of the law's benefits, support for it will grow. But he insists it's about more than just buying off individual constituencies. It's about what the law actually does for people.
"Those people who have pre-existing conditions, they don't want to be denied coverage by insurance companies," Pollack says. "When people get sick, they don't want to lose the health coverage they've been paying for for many years."
Establishing Health Exchanges
Pollack says supporters of the law are also still fighting to help the public understand the 2,000-plus-page measure. "There are so many myths about this legislation — from death panels, government takeover, that this is adding to the deficit," he says. "None of those things are true."
Health law opponent Cannon, meanwhile, is worried that many Republican governors who oppose the law are undercutting their arguments by working with the Obama administration to set up the new insurance marketplaces known as health exchanges.
"Governors should not be taking the funds that are available under this law and not setting up those new government bureaucracies," he says, "because that further entrenches the law."
In other words, on the law's first birthday, it's still one big race — a competition between supporters who hope the health law will have many more birthdays to celebrate, and opponents who'd like to blow out the candles. Permanently.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
10% Off For March Madness Sale | Use Coupon: MARCH10
Perfect Grip
Sweat Wicking
PU Leather
ShippingAllow 5-7 Business Days for delivery.Returns and ExchangesPlease submit a return or exchange request at our Returns & Exchanges Page. We stand behind our products and services. We will provide prepaid shipping label for defective products and mistakes.
All Elite Sports products are covered by our 1-year warranty policy. If there is a problem with any our products, reach us out at email@example.com and we will get working on sending you a replacement.Note that our warranty does not cover regular wear & tear.
WHOLESALE PRICES FOR EVERYONEWholesale customer or not, you have access to best prices in the World
NO SIGNUP REQUIREDSave the hassle of signing up. We offer the best prices without you giving us your personal or business information.WHOLESALE PRICE MATCH GUARANTEEFind someone who's wholesaling at a better price? Give us a call and we'll beat their price.SHIPS WITHIN 48 HoursOur products are always in stock and ship from California within 48 hours or sooner.
Adding product to your cart
Regular price $38.99 $29.99
Regular price $51.99 $34.99
Regular price $51.99 $44.99


text:
(visited by Patrick Nobles and David Nelson)
04-May-2004 -- David Nelson and I departed San Antonio, Texas, early in the morning. It was a 2 hour drive to the border crossing from Eagle Pass, Texas, to Piedras Negras, Mexico. We had already gotten our Tourist and Truck permits last visit, so crossing the border into the interior was easy.
We made our way out of town and headed towards the convergence point, which was southeast from the entry point. We passed through several military inspections, and the letter (in Spanish) from the website was very helpful in getting us through them. Having an "official" explanation of why we were there lent us credibility. The Mexican military was friendly, and helped us at one point when we passed our turn off.
We traveled paved roads until we were about 1.5 miles (2.4Km) from the point. Here we encountered a locked gate, and it looked like we would not be able to get to the point, but while we were there the owners arrived in a red pickup truck. Once again, the letter was helpful and we received permission to continue onto the property. They declined to have their picture taken for our records, however. We traveled down this dirt road until we were about 500 meters from the point before stopping at a fence.
Passing through it, we traveled the last 500 meters on foot over broken ground, going down through a deep gully and back up the other side through native vegetation. The convergence point is at the very edge of an arroyo. In order to get the GPS units to zero, we were less than a foot from the edge—it was about 10-15 feet to the bottom. The area is mixed scrub and cactus, but shows signs of flooding during spring rains, which is most likely what created the arroyo.
From David Nelson I was a bit nervous about this point because it was so close to the border. There is a fair amount of drug trafficking and people trying to cross into the U.S. and I wasn't sure what we would find at the confluence point. The maps and GPS data showed the point right between the highway and the Rio Grande. The GPS actually showed the point to be about 300 feet from the road but this ended up being way off. Both of our GPS units during the drive down had the road between 2 to 3 miles off where it actually was. When we got to the ranch where we thought the point was, we were lucky to encounter the owners and be given permission to pass on the spot. For any 'gringos' wanting to find points in Mexico speaking Spanish is an absolute must. Without Spanish I think one would have a very tough time getting access to many places. Also the "Letter to Landowners" was gold, don't leave home without it. After a short hike we came to the point and were able to get all zeros! After getting back home I got online and dug up some satellite photos and I estimate we were about 350 meters from the Rio Grande. Overall it was a great trip and our first successful confluence point.
From Patrick Nobles-But not our last.


text: Needham Crossing welcomes world-class businesses and complimentary retailers in a modern, connected, mixed-use urban layout that embraces contemporary architecture and urban design. Needham Crossing is unique in its mix of residential, office and other commercial uses (including retail, restaurant, and consumer services allowed on the first floor of multistory buildings), as well as the natural amenities which surround it—Cutler Lake Park and the Charles River. Already a high tech center with PTC, TripAdvisor, and other companies, Needham Crossing is home to many life science companies including Verastem. Needham Crossing is serviced by infrastructure undergoing expansion and improvement through Add-A-Lane on Route 128 (adding a new Kendrick Street interchange to the existing and soon-to-be improved Highland Avenue one), MassWorks on Highland Avenue (widening and improvements fostering multimodal travel), widening of Second Avenue intersection, and new traffic signal at First Avenue. The 2011 rezoning of this area reflects the Town's vision of an urban, real, ready, flexible and accessible modern environment. Existing infrastructure together with improvements already funded will support up to three million square feet of new development with visibility on and easy access from/to Route 128.


text:
The Argon Neutrino Teststand or ArgoNeuT detector, nicknamed for Jason and the Argonauts of Greek mythology, is a liquid argon neutrino detector at Fermilab. Argon is a noble, non-toxic element that in its gaseous form constitutes about 1 percent of air. It exists as a colorless liquid only in the narrow temperature range of minus 186 to minus 189 degrees Celsius.
Neutrinos passing through a large volume of argon can interact with an argon atom, producing secondary particles such as muons and protons, which then ionize other argon atoms. An electric field within the detector causes any charged particles to drift through the volume of argon, producing a breadcrumb trail of ionization electrons as they go.
Wireplanes collect the signals of the ionized particles. The position of the wires within the wireplanes, timing from scintillation light or elsewhere and the knowledge of the drift velocity of the ionization particles provides all the information needed for 3D reconstruction of the event.
Physicists hope that the experience of using the ArgoNeuT detector will prepare them to build a similar detector on a much larger scale. No one has ever built a multi-kiloton liquid-argon neutrino detector. One of the major challenges of building such a detector would be keeping a tank of liquid argon that large completely free of tiny impurities, which could ruin its effectiveness. Electronegative materials such as oxygen or water in the argon will combine with liberated electrons before they can drift to the wireplanes to be detected.
About 20 students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty from six institutions in the United States and Italy participate in the experiment. After building a second, larger detector called MicroBooNE, physicists eventually hope to build a 50,000-ton version of the detector to place in a proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory.


text:
As part part of its new Scentium brand, Iberchem Group has unveiled a new line of natural ingredients based on home cooking, called Scentium Gourmet, which do not need the word "aroma" to appear on the labeling.
"The idea stems from the fact that our own clients were anxious to come up with industrial products whose recipes were based on home-cooking, synonymous with 'healthy eating,'" said Claudio Ghizzoni, Sentium Gourmet's technical manager. "Our aim was to develop flavoring solutions based on natural ingredients which contain no additives and do not have to be declared as aromas."
Ghizzoni added: "We are addressing a very specific type of client, in this case makers of high-quality ready-made dishes, stocks and sauces to be placed on the market as products akin to those lovingly and individually made at home."
Homemade or handmade products do not rely on additives (preservatives, colorings, thickeners) and aromas, which can be challenging for a large-scale producer in formulating this type of product. Industrial products inevitably contain aromas, so Iberchem says the challenge is to come up with a way of ensuring flavor which does not need the word "aroma" to appear on the labeling. Iberchem said its aromas team has developed a range of semi-elaborated ingredients which fulfill these requisites with its Gourmet Scentium range.
"We at Iberchem Aromas do not believe that this line will be the future of aromas, as it is meant for a range of very specific products placed at a medium to high level on the market. Our line is aimed at producers who wish to test out the trend to natural or homemade dishes which is presently being favored," he said.


text:
What makes a home varies wildly around the world. From a small apartment in the heart of Dubai, to a hut in the steppes of Mongolia, to two-story prefab on a quarter-acre lot in Phoenix, houses come in many shapes and sizes. On occasion, they also come in monster size.
In 2012, the average cost of an American home was $178,600, and that includes everything from spanking-new "McMansions" to run-down ranches [source: National Association of Realtors]. There are those in the world, however, who pour entire fortunes into their homes. While even homes on the market for a few million dollars are out of grasp for most of us, there are some people who've exceeded even that expense, spending what amounts to the gross domestic product of some countries on their homes.
While every person's home is his or her castle, sometimes we still can't help but gawk at someone else's really large, really expensive house. It's in this spirit that we get to the bottom of just who has the most expensive home in the world? We settle the issue here, taking a glimpse at the top ten.