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Opera opportunity for the elderly |
In the recent days, Teatru Astra and the Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Active Ageing Dr. Justyne Caruana, have announced a joint initiative whereby free tickets will be made available to eldery people. The secretariat has infact purchased a number of opera tickets for Nabucco to give to the elderly, according to established criteria.
Elderly people who apply for these free tickets will be evaluated according to certain criteria, including that they must be Kartanzjan holders, if they are attending a course, or are involved in voluntary work, the Parliamentary Secretary said. The requests will be evaluated and tickets will then be issued. ''In this way, the Secretariat will be is promoting art and culture among our elderly, as well as promoting tourism for the elderly in Gozo," Dr Caruana said. The formal announcement was made during a visit made by Dr Justyne Caruna at Teatru Astra on Sunday 29 October. The Hon Caruana who was welcomed by Mr Paul M. Cassar, President of the La Stella Philharmonic Society and Mr Michael Formosa, Administrative Secretary, was briefed on the preparations ahead of the opera and Festival Mediterranea.

subset: commoncrawl


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VC thoughts via Peter Cranstone
From Vinod Knosla: The mobile phone will be a mainstream personal computer.
From Roger McNamee: Betting on smart phones: The mobile device migration to smart phones from features phones will produce even greater disruption than PC industry moving from character mode to graphical interface.
Pretty much what I've been saying for the last year or two...
Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday, May 09, 2008
Speaking at UK CMG TEC Conference - May 19-21st 2008
UKCMG TEC 2008 is near Northampton in the UK. I'm giving two of the same presentations as I gave at the US CMG, the enterprise version of my Millicomputing talk, and a half day workshop on Unix/Linux Performance.
My old friend Phil Harman is also giving a talk on DTrace, and I'm staying in the UK for a few days after the conference to catch up with friends and family.
My old friend Phil Harman is also giving a talk on DTrace, and I'm staying in the UK for a few days after the conference to catch up with friends and family.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Usenix 08 - Tutorials and Invited Paper - Boston June 23-27
I'm giving the two tutorials that I have been presenting at CMG the last few years, but at Usenix in Boston. The tutorials are the latest update of my Solaris/Linux performance metrics and tuning class, and Capacity Planning with Free Tools.
I'm also giving an invited speaker talk on Millicomputing, and have a nice big time slot, so will cover both the mobile and enterprise aspects in some depth, with time for discussion.
I hope to see you there...
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The Commercial Market
MEMS Moves Stealthily into the Wireless Sector
Driven by innovation, pushed by legislation, and pulled by market need, wireless MEMS will experience strong growth in the next couple of years. In-Stat/ MDR reports that worldwide revenues for wireless MEMS (in the form of RF MEMS components and wireless MEMS sensors) will experience a 32.2 percent compound annual growth rate between 2001 and 2006, with the cell phone, automobile, and industrial processing/condition monitoring markets benefiting most from what the technology has to offer.
"Development of the MEMS piece of the wireless pie has required significant innovation at the engineering level, while the electronics that provide the wireless portion, by and large, are already well established," says Marlene Bourne, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR. "It is the pairing of the two that is opening the doors to markets and applications that have been waiting for such a breakthrough."
In-Stat/MDR also found that:
- While packaging hurdles appear to have been overcome for RF MEMS, the next real issue being faced is getting the devices into the market - no one has yet proven volume manufacturability.
- The use of wireless MEMS sensor networks has been limited to date by a lack of interface standardization and the basic question of which wireless standard to choose -both of which are quickly being resolved.
- Sales of RF MEMS (switches/relays, filters, inductors, etc.) are forecast to reach the $200 M mark by 2006, which is down considerably from earlier forecasts. This is the result of better pricing and volume guidance from companies in this brand new market segment.
- Sales of wireless MEMS sensors are forecast to reach about $700 M in 2006, largely based on the use of sensors in tire pressure monitoring systems. However this application is not yet a done deal - a pending government decision could either completely eliminate this segment beyond 2006, or provide for exponentially higher revenues.
New Ultra Wideband Report
Ultra Wideband (UWB) is a wireless technology that is trying to fill a void for extremely high data rate wireless connectivity, beyond what 802.11a/b and Bluetooth are capable of. Until February 14, 2002, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved commercial use of the technology, the military and the government were the only users of this technology. UWB has a data rate potential of greater than 100 times that of Bluetooth solutions and over twice as fast as 802.11a, while using 80 percent less power than current Wi-Fi implementations. UWB will allow for the transmission of video files and streams between digital TVs, projectors, camcorders, PCs, and digital set-top boxes. We can expect to see UWB-enabled electronics and chipsets devices to start appearing in 2003.
Allied Business Intelligence (ABI) forecasts the total global shipments for UWB-enabled electronics and chipsets under the moderate scenario could reach 45.1 million units by 2007, with resulting revenues of $1.3 B. These projections include shipments into market segments including communications, imaging, vehicles, locators and military and government use.
The new ABI report, "Ultra Wideband (UWB) Wireless - An Evaluation of Technology Prospects and Potential Market Applications," investigates the world markets of UWB and examines if this will be the next generation in wireless communications such as wireless LANs, personal area networks, imaging, vehicles, locators and radar. The report employs a scenario analysis approach (moderate, aggressive and pessimistic) in providing forecast for 20 different market segments through 2007.
Smart Appliances: Bringing the Digital Home Closer to Reality
Smart appliances cover a diverse range of products by both small and large companies. According to a report from In-Stat/ MDR, most segments have been affected by the economy and many smaller companies have been forced out of business or have been acquired by larger ones. However, there are still many small companies interested in smart appliances.
Smart appliances include two main categories: Internet-enabled consumer electronics and white-goods. Smart Internet-enabled consumer electronics include audio products, picture frames, analog Internet TV, and e-mail devices, while white-good segment is divided into major and portable appliances. Consumers remain confused about the value of smart appliances and whether they are worth the premium prices being demanded, and manufacturers remain concerned about applications, upgrade ability, standards, and subscription fee requirements. Internet and home networking penetration rates and price also affect the market for smart appliances.
There have been considerable product introductions in the Internet audio segment, which is expected to continue as manufacturers and consumers decide which applications are most desirable and prices decline. Products such as e-mail devices and Internet picture frames will be spurred on by continuing interest in complementary technology products and growing consumer awareness. These products have been primarily targeted to the North American market. However, this is beginning to change.
CDMA Leads the Pack in the Race to 2.5G and 3G Networks
The race to deploy more advanced wireless networks is in high gear in North America, with next generation CDMA networks currently leading, says Allied Business Intelligence (ABI). While both TDMA/ GSM and CDMA operators have picked up the pace in recent months, it is the CDMA operators who currently dominate this closely watched race. Extensive 2.5G coverage now exists in both the US and Canada for more than 55 million CDMA subscribers in the region.
While CDMA2000 1X technology allows operators to roughly double voice capacity and provide a theoretical data rate of 144 kbps, the GSM operators should not be discounted just yet. Despite the arduous transition from TDMA to GSM/GPRS, the next step for many North American GSM operators is EDGE technology, a much less complex transition. EDGE offers data rates more than double that of CDMA2000 1X. Of course, the CDMA camp has their answer to EDGE technology with higher evolutions of CDMA2000. This constant jockeying for dominance has heightened the awareness of both investors and consumers alike as they have become increasingly interested in observing the evolution of wireless technology.
"In North America, CDMA is clearly ahead, benefiting from its easier upgrade path from 2G. However, we cannot discount the enormous presence of GSM/GPRS networks in the rest of the world. In the end, spending on upgrading these networks to WCDMA will dominate total 3G investments over the next five years. It's important to differentiate between first deployed and total deployed," declares ABI senior analyst Edward Rerisi. He adds, "That said, we are still closely examining the situation in Europe for signs of a further delay in WCDMA."
In the end, the consumer will likely win as 3G coverage begins to proliferate worldwide. Despite the current lead of CDMA networks in the race to 3G, those based upon GSM technology will likely become more ubiquitous. In a new study by ABI, findings indicate that spending on GSM-based 3G networks, or WCDMA, will far exceed that of CDMA-based networks. The report, entitled "Wireless Base Stations: Global Deployment & Revenues for 2G, 2.5G and 3G Systems," reveals that WCDMA spending will represent a staggering 78 percent of total 3G investments over the next five years. Note that ABI considers CDMA2000 1X a 2.5G technology. Updated information on 3G developments will be available from ABI in first quarter of 2003 as part of the Wireless Base Station study.


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Greetings fellow gamer -
The World Boardgaming Championships (WBC) has existed in its present form since 1999. For eight years prior to that, it was called Avaloncon. In both cases, we're talking about a unique gaming convention that many consider the best boardgaming experience on the planet. Allow me to try to explain why many a gamer feels that the WBC is Disney World without lines. I've enjoyed a lifetime fascination with boardgames that spans five decades. If you've been a gamer long you may have heard of me. My name is Don Greenwood. For 27 years I worked for the Avalon Hill Game Company as a designer, developer and editor—and was responsible in varying degrees for such games as Squad Leader, Third Reich, Up Front, War At Sea, March Madness, Titan: The Arena, Rail Baron, History of the World and dozens more. During that time I also started ORIGINS—a gaming event widely credited as the first annual boardgaming conference of national consequence in the U.S. I ran five of those conventions and many more regional ones during the "golden age" of gaming when boardgames were commonly seen in national toy outlets. But times change, and with the rise of the computer age, the fortunes of boardgames ebbed. One by one, the major publishers fell and the boardgaming hobby reverted to niche status. Aside from the occasional fad, it exists today largely through the magic of the Internet, which reaches out freely to its far flung adherents and makes play of these wonderful games easier than ever by matching us with skilled opponents and providing affordable access to ever more ingenious designs. In 1991, after years of trying, I convinced Avalon Hill that their interests would be better served by hosting a new kind of gaming convention where the emphasis was not on selling product—but rather on playing the games. Seminars, auctions, flea markets and large vendor areas—the major attractions of other game conventions—would be omitted in favor of an emphasis on tournaments. And those tournaments would be covered and recorded in such a way as to build the traditions of a hobby in which one could strive to better one's personal bests and provide a measuring stick of one's success. Competition would be the furnace in which we would forge a new gaming camaraderie. Excellence would be measured not only by plaques on the wall but records of vicarious feats in which on a given bygone day we could do no wrong. The contrast with existing conventions was pronounced and the reaction was love at first sight for many. So much so, that when Avalon Hill succumbed in 1998, Avaloncon's adherents implored me to continue the conference independently. Consequently, WBC was born anew the following year as the annual gaming convention of the newly incorporated non-profit Boardgame Players Association. WBC differed from its predecessor mainly in that tournament offerings were open to any boardgame (non-collectible card games being included in that definition) regardless of publisher. Focus was maintained by limiting the offerings to 100 tournaments, increasing the likelihood of a viable field of competent opponents for each one. A formula was used to fairly gauge the worthiness of each event regardless of type or length and a mechanism implemented to infuse this Century Group annually with fresh blood. And when it comes to boardgame tournaments, no one has ever done it better. Long an afterthought elsewhere, tournaments are king at WBC. Almost all WBC attendees acknowledge that its tournaments are far superior to those offered elsewhere. Whether applauding the victors or previewing the upcoming events or scheduling your week in advance, no one does it better. Although volunteers, our Game Masters tend to be among the most dedicated in the hobby. Years of experience and feedback from our players have helped them improve, and they all vie for the honor of GM of the Year. In short, these people as a group care about their events and making your gaming experience an enjoyable one. The other difference is that this gaming convention is not owned by any one individual or publisher. Every attendee is a member, and as such, a part owner with voting rights in how it is run. Three members are elected annually to rotating three-year terms on an unpaid Board of Directors that governs the corporation. Any excess funds are plowed back into the conference or set aside for emergencies or hobby philanthropy, at the Board's discretion. WBC is truly a gamer's convention—run for boardgamers by boardgamers—with no middle men involvement. Adherents to this new type of gaming conference have proven immensely loyal. Many return year after year regardless of distance. As such, WBC is truly national—even international—in scope with "left coasters" in abundance and more than a smattering of foreign visitors every year. Most of the union's 50 states are represented by one or more attendees. And the attraction is spreading to families as a result of our family-friendly location in Lancaster, Pa., and our successful "Junior" program that offers a full schedule for the next generation of gamers—those who are 12 and under. A host of Beginner-rated and Coached events also provide plenty of entry points for those family members and significant others with with less experience as gamers. Indeed, the system of organized teaching demonstrations at WBC makes it among the most user friendly of conferences. And for those intimidated by competition or organized events, Open Gaming opportunities abound, although I cannot resist mentioning that I find such fear of competition unwarranted. While "win at all costs" types can be encountered anywhere, in my experience they are less prevalent in WBC tournaments than one would expect to encounter in the average Open Gaming session. A good GM and a system that honors sportsmanship above all else tend to make incidents of this nature rarer than one encounters in many gaming groups. That said, WBC is not for everyone. While we strongly disagree with those who find "competition" and "fun" mutually exclusive, we acknowledge that those who favor auctions, seminars, flea markets, and large vendor areas may well enjoy other conferences more, although the list of vendors, publishers and designers of note at WBC seems to grow every year. There are other things you won't find at WBC—like, long lines. Having been personally responsible for one of the hobbies worst registration fiascos at the first convention I ran back in the '70s, I've made it a point of emphasis to make WBC as efficient as possible. There are no event tickets to buy—one admission covers all. Want to stop in just long enough to visit the vendor's area or get a quick peak at the events? Be our guest. There is no charge for such visits and your non-playing spouse or children are welcome spectators as well. They can pass the time using the Lancaster Host Resort's indoor and outdoor swimming pools, 18-hole championship golf course, game room, ping pong and pool tables, shuffleboard, driving range, lighted putting green, fitness center, 1.9 walking/jogging trail, volleyball, miniature golf, bike rentals or any number of local attractions, including Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park, Strasburg Railroad, Tanger Outlet Center, Rockvale Square Outlets, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Kitchen Kettle Village, Sight & Sound Theatres, American Music Theatre, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, Amish Farm and House, Hershey Park, Gettysburg Battlefield Park, and Wheatland (the estate of President James Buchanan). Can't see yourself ever traveling to Pennsylvania for a gaming convention? Don't write us off yet. BPA sponsors many email tournaments free to current members. For many, they are a way to practice between conventions, but for others they are a way to compete free of expense. Memberships cost as little as $10. While boardgames no longer enjoy the retail prominence they once did, in many ways boardgaming's real golden age is alive and well today. Never have the games been better or skilled opponents more accessible. Whether you crave the new generation of card-driven wargames or the latest quick playing Euro from Germany, playing opportunities and the chance to excel in a meaningful tournament have never been greater. Even in its heyday during the 80's, a nine-day boardgaming convention was unthinkable. Yet, it exists today for those hearty souls caring to take the plunge in WBC's various Pre-Con mini-cons which begin four days prior to WBC. Indeed, many of our attendees do more gaming at one WBC than they do the rest of the year! The only thing we need is you! We rejoice in the presence of fellow gaming hobbyists who share our passion for boardgames. Another kindred soul speaking the gaming jargon of our favorite games, comparing strategies, and swapping "what might have been" stories is our most precious resource. We hope you decide to join us for a spectacular week of gaming—if not this year, then next, or the year after that. All of the above and much more is explained in detail throughout our website. I hope you'll be able to join us for the next WBC. | ||
Want to know more? Get our yearbook for just $5. Send request to BPA, 1541 Redfield Road, Bel Air, MD 21015. |
Don Greenwood |
updated 6/14/06 by kae. © Copyright 2006 by the Boardgame Players Association. Trademarks are property of their respective holders. |


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A little after the turn of the millennium, we - a handful of Indian petrolheads - felt that a common ground was essential for us to do what we were best at – talk cars! There was just one fly in the ointment; that kind of platform didn't exist yet. We wanted to discuss Indian cars, analyse industry happenings, exchange ownership reviews, share tips & technical information, all of it shoehorned into one definitive knowledge base. GTO took the initiative of creating a tiny forum on MSN Communities called "Formula India". This message board offered little more than a free storage of posts on the MSN website. There were only 10 - 12 active members at the time. Even though the team was small and the features of that proto-community limited, our passion was fathomless. And the spirit strong. Within no time, our group became a valuable repository of car reviews, advice on tuning and owning cars, manufacturer idiosyncrasies, lists of problematic models and more.
At some point, our group realized that the information on cars available from traditional media outlets was terribly misleading. This came as no surprise given the financial power of the auto industry's advertising departments. We firmly believed that the camaraderie of Indian petrolheads deserved better. Driven by the zeal of the inconspicuous MSN community, we decided to build an independent Indian automotive website. We aspired to become a feature-rich community where car enthusiasts could get together and have free access to unbiased & accurate information. It was at this time that the founding team developed an unyielding stance to refuse any and all car advertisements; financial independence from the auto industry was critical to our objectives.
On the 10th of February 2004 (also GTO's birthday), the Team-BHP.com domain was registered. On the 14th of February, only 4 days later, Team-BHP went live. Our name was coined to emphasize that we are more than just another interest group or forum – we are a team bonded by an indomitable spirit...driven by our love for cars. Along with BHP, the name stands for collective power. Due to the paucity of available resources in the fledgling days, Team-BHP was hosted on a shared server and only used free software. Within a few months, by sheer dint of hard work, we grew to 1,000 automobile enthusiasts and 50,000 articles. Eventually, we decided to host Team-BHP.com on fast dedicated servers & solid state drives, utilizing the most premium software solutions available.
From the original 12 stalwarts, Team-BHP has grown phenomenally to be happily ensconced as the largest Indian automotive community. Today, we are home to a colossal database of 3 million posts, tens of thousands of members and 15+ million annual visitors from all across the globe. It's been an exciting odyssey...but the best is yet to come.


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Back with the Bears Monday after a four-day excused absence, Brandon Marshall acknowledged that he went for a checkup on his surgically-repaired hip and that it's in "amazing shape."
"Structurally, my hip is great," the Pro Bowl receiver said after practicing without restrictions. "My hip's in great shape. It's going on eight months out and I'm ready to roll."
Receiver Brandon Marshall has been voted to four Pro Bowls in seven NFL seasons. |
Marshall sat out the preseason opener and struggled two weeks later against the Raiders, dropping three passes without recording a reception. Last Tuesday he told reporters that he wasn't where he wanted to be in terms of his conditioning and was uncertain about his role in the Bears offense.
"I was a little frustrated and I'm going to be frustrated," Marshall said Monday. "I think that's just human nature. There's going to be some ups and downs this season, but we've got to stay productive and efficient and effective in the way we act. I'm just excited to be here.
"It's tough playing at a high level. When you have a surgery, sometimes you get frustrated getting back to that level. We have a lot of amazing things going on here on and off the field, and I want to be a part of it. At times it can be [frustrating], but we made it to Week 1 and that's a positive thing."
If Marshall's hip is bothering him, it hasn't been evident to Marc Trestman. But the Bears coach will monitor the situation as Sunday's regular-season opener against the Bengals approaches.
"I don't see that in practice because he's working hard and he's running at full speed and maybe working through it in his mind," Trestman said. "So we have to communicate. We have to make sure we're not going to do anything to hurt him. We're not trying to do that. We want to make sure he's able to go at full speed every play he can be in there for. I just don't see it in practice at the present time."
Last Tuesday Marshall said that he felt "rushed a little bit" to rebound from his surgery, but on Monday the eight-year NFL veteran denied that the Bears were pushing him too hard.
"Coach Trestman has been great," Marshall said. "[General manager] Phil Emery has been great. We've sat down plenty of times talking about what we need to do to get to this week. So they've been really helpful. But now it's go time."
Just six days away from season opener, it doesn't sound like Emery is concerned about the 6-4, 230-pounder.
"He's going to get mad at me for saying this because I have been telling him this all summer: I see a guy that is better than he was last year," Emery said. "I see a guy that is more dynamic. I see a guy better in and out of his breaks. I see a stronger player.
"When you stand up behind Brandon Marshall, you realize how big that man is at the position that he plays. He's at an elite level for his position in terms of size, dynamic ability and production. I don't see any back off. Actually, I see a better player.
"Obviously he was a little frustrated about where he is at and he's definitely shared that with me. Those are conversations that we've had, and that's just an athlete wanting to be elite, wanting to be the best at his game. His goal is to be the best wide receiver in the NFL on the best team. I've got no problem with those goals. I've got no problems talking to him about those goals."


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Ferrisburgh inks land deal; vote set for December
By ANDY KIRKALDY
FERRISBURGH — Ferrisburgh officials say the town has reached a $700,000 deal to buy a 34-acre Route 7 parcel if residents approve the purchase in a vote tentatively set for Dec. 12.
Selectman John DeVos said he — on behalf of a selectboard-appointed task force that also included board chairman Larry Simino — and landowner Clark Hinsdale Jr. of Charlotte both signed a letter of intent last week and that attorneys on both sides have begun preparing a formal purchase-and-sale agreement.
The deal is contingent on selectmen's formal approval as well as voter support. DeVos said the rest of the five-member selectboard believe residents should have the opportunity to weigh in on the land purchase, which will close early next year if backed in December.
"Everything hinges on the voters when we present it to them," DeVos said. "Hopefully we can convince the taxpayers to support the idea."
Hinsdale had been asking $750,000 for the property. Town appraiser Justus DeVries did a preliminary analysis of its value in September and came up with a range of $640,000 to $660,000, but said that estimate did not constitute a firm appraisal figure.
The land includes an approved nine-lot subdivision and a 10th lot with an existing home on 2 acres. Town officials plan to quickly sell the home, which has been valued at more than $200,000, to reduce the town's costs.
The deal also calls for the town to spend almost $50,000 to finish work on a septic system that will serve the school and the new town office building, which has been delayed by an insurance dispute that followed an early 2005 arson fire. That septic system will also have the capacity to serve the nine homes approved for the lot.
Selectmen estimated that carrying the entire $700,000 loan to a full 10-year term would add about 2.5 cents to the town tax rate, or $50 a year per $200,000 of assessed value.
They may opt, however, to sell more of the land than just the home. That will be one of many options the town will have if it owns the parcel, DeVos said.
Town officials have said the land could be used for school and town office parking, school expansion, a safer traffic pattern for the school, a town green or park, town gardens or a new post office site; be resold for private use; or offer a blend of those and other possibilities.
DeVos said selectmen will listen to residents and work with the town planning commission before decisions are made.
"We'll sell the house immediately to lower the debt load. Then it's time to sit back and plan," DeVos said. "There are so many options out there…. Planning is going to have to do some homework."
The idea of buying the land, which abuts the Ferrisburgh Central School and the planned site of a new town office building, first surfaced in 2005. After a developer approached the town this summer about extending a Vergennes sewer line to serve up to 150 homes on the parcel, the idea resurfaced, and selectmen appointed a task force to negotiate with Hinsdale. Last week they reported that the $700,000 offer had been made.
"It's the last opportunity to secure the center of Ferrisburgh and have a say on what's going to go there," DeVos said. "It's a lot of money, but when you consider the alternative it's a better way to go."


text: «Do you know Dynam-Victor FUMET ? He was an organist such as you are hardly likely to find in a hundred years... A disciple of Franck, he had inherited a gift for improvisation which bordered on genius. In my youth I heard him but once on the organ of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Maison-Blanche, of which he was the incumbent. I experienced that day once of the most overwhelming emotions of my life. Do you know what it means to be gripped? Gripped, sucked in as though by maelström, emptied of all personal substance, but in return shot through by a river of fire which ravished me with its flames. Everyone who has heard FUMET has had similar experiences to mine. His name has always beenpresent in my memory». These are the words of the famous critic Bernard GAVOTY in 'Musica' in 1969.


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Santa rides a cast-iron sleigh made in the United States in the latter part of the nineteenth century. When pushed across the floor, the reindeer move up and down as if leaping from roof to roof.
Betokening Christmas
photography by Tom Green
captions by Jan Gilliam
America accumulates Christmas customs, symbols, artifacts, ideas, practices, and paraphernalia like a child rolling up a snowman on the family front lawn. As the season winds, year after year, across the landscape of popular culture, its girth expands like Santa Claus's belly.
Celebration has long been the core of Christmas in this country. But it took time to pick up things as simple as evergreen wreaths and as elaborate as homes hung with icicle lights. It was not until the nineteenth century—1842 in Williamsburg—that the Christmas tree became the altar of Yuletide hopes. Our image of jolly old Saint Nick didn't stick until a couple of decades after that, when Thomas Nast drew him for a Civil War issue of Harper's Illustrated Weekly.
It took time for what answers to our idea of a toy—miniature sleighs, dollhouses, rocking horses, locomotives, and more—to become a holiday appurtenance, and longer for it to become so highly manufactured as tricycles or Tickle Me Elmos.
The collections of Colonial Williamsburg's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum help illustrate the progress of the festivities. In their inventories are objects and images that betoken the ever-expanding joys of Christmas. A few of them are exampled on these pages.
Suggestions for further reading:
- Babies, Balls, and Bull Roarers: Christmastime or Anytime, Kids Still Enjoy the Toys and Games Their Forebears Loved


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Related links:
The Earliest History of Venus
As the process which formed them came to an end, the planets may have been left in either of the following two states:
- very warm, separated into layers, with lots of water on the surface, with volcanic activity, as well as continental drift.
- cold and rocky, needing to be warmed from the inside before activity is seen on the surface. The planet never separates into layers, and the planet never forms a core.


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The Zohar (quoted here), says that the souls that are undergoing the painful cleansing process of Gehenom (purgatory, hell, see here), are given respite during the 24 hours of Shabbat.
This idea is brought in Halacha as well.
Does the same apply to proper Jewish Holidays (i.e. when work is forbidden), such as Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot?


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Image 4-750-27 | Photo ©David Sanger | Ireland, County Antrim, Giant's Causeway
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This breed was developed by Truda Straede in Australia beginning in 1976. The breed was developed by crossing the Burmese, Abyssinian, and miscellaneous domestic short-haired cats to create a short-haired cat with a spotted coat. The name was changed from "Spotted Mist" to "Australian Mist" in 1998, when cats with marbled coats, rather than spots, were accepted as part of the breed. It is the only cat from Australia, while most cats aren't in Australia.
Australian Mists are tolerant of handling and are not inclined to scratch. As kittens, they are lively, but are less so when mature. Australian Mists can be excellent indoor cats, which also protects native wildlife. Some Australian Mists can be trained to go for walks on a lead. Neutered/spayed cats and kittens of this breed fit in easily with other cats and dogs, a trait further enhanced through selective breeding.TraitsAustralian Mists are medium-sized short-haired cats, with a round head and large eyes. The coat is very short and lacks an undercoat. Australian Mists do not require much brushing because they lose little hair. The coat patterns have three aspects: the ground colour, which is paler than the pattern; the pattern; and the appearance of wearing a misted veil, caused by random ticking in the solid colour areas. The legs and tail are ringed or barred, and the face and neck also have lines of colour. Their life expectancy is 15-18 years.
As a relatively new breed, most Australian Mist catteries are in Australia; however, there are a few in the UK and the US. The UK breeder who brought the first Australian Mist cats to the UK was Mary Stuart. Two pregnant queens arrived in the UK in February 2007. From those initial queens and a further imported mature male stud boy and one other unrelated queen in August 2007, a colony of over 100 cats was created within two years in the UK. In July 2010, when a further six cats had been imported into the UK from Australia, there was the chance to widen the gene pool and offer healthy and genetically-sound kittens to buyers within the UK and the US. Breeding cats have been sent to Norway where two breeders are currently working to get them recognized by FIFE.
Breed acceptance status
The breed is accepted for championship status by the World Cat Federation. It was also accepted at championship status in TICA (The International Cat Association) on 1 May 2014. It gained preliminary recognition with the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in October 2011. The Australian Mist celebrated 20 years as a championship breed in Australia in 2006.
Australian Mist Breed |
Accepted For Championship in TICA in 2014
- Australian Mist at a Glance
- Breed Introduction
- Australian Mist Breeders
- Breed Standards
- Breed Committee
Photos used courtesy of © Helmi Flick Cat Photography.


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Show All Answers
California Building Officials (CALBO) made an interpretation on how to apply these legislative requirements (when it comes to home repairs that also require permits by City codes). This legislative analysis is a result of the work of CALBO; furthermore it is how the City of Pismo Beach will apply the legislative requirements. The analysis by CALBO, as followed by the City, will aid the public in retaining the ability to maintain their properties without the requirement of retrofitting their plumbing fixtures; which will curtail permit avoidance and assist property owners in obtaining the proper permits for their repairs.
Noncompliant plumbing fixtures are defined as:1. Any toilet manufactured for use more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush2. Any urinal manufactured for use more than 1 gallon of water per flush3. Any showerhead manufactured to have a flow capacity of more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute4. Any interior faucet that emits more than 2.2 gallons of water per minute
Water-conserving plumbing fixture is defined as;Any fixture that is in compliance with current building standards applicable to a newly constructed real property of the same type.
If you need additional information please call the Building Division at (805) 773-7040.
SB 407 (2009) Analysis
For important information you need to know BEFORE pulling your permit please visit the Owner-Builder web page. Owner-Builder Information
The new codes will be effective January 1, 2014 and will govern all projects that are submitted for plan check on or after the effective date. Permit applications that have been submitted and paid plan check fees prior to January 1, 2014 will be reviewed and permitted under the 2010 California Codes as long as the plan check has not expired. More...


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Since the Financial Crisis erupted in 2007, the US Federal Reserve has engaged in dozens of interventions/ bailouts to try and prop up the financial system. Now, I realize that everyone knows the Fed is "printing money." However, when you look at the list of bailouts/ money pumps it's absolutely staggering how much money the Fed has thrown around.
Here's a recap of some of the larger Fed moves during the Crisis:
- Cutting interest rates from 5.25-0.25% (Sept '07-today).
- The Bear Stearns deal/ taking on $30 billion in junk mortgages (Mar '08).
- Opening various lending windows to investment banks (Mar '08).
- Hank Paulson spends $400 billion on Fannie/ Freddie (Sept '08).
- The Fed takes over insurance company AIG for $85 billion (Sept '08).
- The Fed doles out $25 billion for the automakers (Sept '08)
- The Fed kicks off the $700 billion TARP program (Oct '08)
- The Fed buys commercial paper from non-financial firms (Oct '08)
- The Fed offers $540 billion to backstop money market funds (Oct '08)
- The Fed agrees to back up to $280 billion of Citigroup's liabilities (Oct '08).
- $40 billion more to AIG (Nov '08)
- The Fed backstops $140 billion of Bank of America's liabilities (Jan '09)
- Obama's $787 Billion Stimulus (Jan '09)
- QE 1 buys $1.25 trillion in Treasuries and mortgage debt (March '09)
- QE lite buys $200-300 billion of Treasuries and mortgage debt (Aug '10)
- QE 2 buys $600 billion in Treasuries (Nov '10)
- Operation Twist reshuffles $400 billion of the Fed's portfolio (Oct '11)
- QE 3 buys $40 billion of Mortgage Backed Securities monthly (Sept '12)
- QE 4 buys $45 billion worth of Treasuries monthly (Dec '12)
The Fed is not the only one. Collectively, the world's Central Banks have pumped over $10 trillion into the financial system since 2007. This money printing has resulted in a massive expansion of Central Bank balance sheets, spread inflation into the system, and done nothing to address the key solvency issues that lead up to the great crisis.
This competitive debasement has lead to increased tension between the world's Central Banks. You will never hear their stated outright for the simple reason that the single most important responsibility of the Central Banks is to maintain confidence in the system.
However, underneath the veneer of goodwill and the occasional necessary coordinated intervention, tensions are rising between Central Banks. When the US debases the US Dollar it pushes the Euro higher. This hurts German exports which in turn angers the Bundesbank.
The Bundesbank fired a warning shot at the Fed last autumn when it announced it wanted to have its Gold reserves at the Fed audited. To be clear here: no one of major financial import has ever questioned the Fed's trustworthiness before. However, at the time of this announcement Germany stated it had no intentions of actually moving its reserves.
Today, months later, Germany has not only audited and checked its Gold reserves at the Fed but it is now moving them. In plain terms, Germany has told the world that A) it does not trust the Fed and B) it is through playing around.
This situation will likely be getting worse going forward. The fact that Germany will be removing all of its Gold reserves from France certainly doesn't bode well for future German French relations if push ever comes to shove (it's not as though Europe has a history of getting along well).
Look for increased tension to grow between the world's Central Banks in the coming months and years. This tension will likely result in:
1) Economic warfare (see the recent situation in Iran)
2) Political infighting
3) Key players being sacrificed
Given that the financial system and economic "recovery" have been built on a house of cards, these political developments will have major impacts on the financial markets.
Outside of internal dissent, the power players in the global economy (the US, China, Japan, and Germany) are showing increasing signs of tension both internal (China and the US) as well as external (China vs. Japan, Germany vs. the US, the US vs. China).
These tensions will lead to economic warfare and very likely physical warfare in the coming years.
If you have not taken steps to prepare for a market collapse, we have a FREE Special Report that outlines how to prepare your portfolio. To pick up a copy, swing by:
Best Regards
Phoenix Capital Research
via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/EbEVywXxi2g/story01.htm Phoenix Capital Research


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Includes updates and/or revisions.
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan lauded the teaching experience of her mother as the Senate Judiciary Committee opened her confirmation hearings Monday.
"I said when the president nominated me that the two people missing were my parents, and I feel that deeply again today," Ms. Kagan said in her opening statement. "My parents lived the American dream. They grew up in immigrant communities; my mother didn't speak a word of English until she went to school. But she became a legendary teacher and my father a valued lawyer. And they taught me and my two brothers, both high school teachers, that this is the greatest of all countries, because of the freedoms and opportunities it offers its people."
Ms. Kagan's mother, Gloria, taught at Hunter College High School in New York City. Her brothers, Irving and Marc, teach at Hunter College High and Bronx High School of Science, respectively.
Ms. Kagan, 50, was nominated May 10 by President Barack Obama to succeed Justice John Paul Stevens, who stepped down after 35 years on the court, which wrapped up its 2009-10 term Monday. She is a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, a professor and dean of Harvard Law School, and U.S. solicitor general since last year, although she stepped aside from that position upon her nomination.
In her time in the White House counsel's office from 1995 to 1997, and as deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council from 1997 to 1999, Ms. Kagan was intimately involved in Clinton administration K-12 education policies, including those involving education funding, testing, social promotion of pupils, bilingual education, single-sex schooling, and affirmative action. Some Republicans have criticized her lack of judicial experience and her handling of military recruiters while dean of Harvard Law School.
The first day of the hearings was one for opening statements, and little was said about education. A few Republicans were willing to raise critical concerns about Ms. Kagan and one of her mentors, Justice Thurgood Marshall, for whom she clerked on the Supreme Court in 1988-89.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that based on "his self-described judicial philosophy and his performance on the bench, it is clear that Justice Marshall was a judicial activist as I have described that phrase earlier. Thurgood Marshall described his judicial philosophy as 'do what you think is right and let the law catch up.'"
This prompted a defense of Justice Marshall from Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who is also the Senate majority whip.
"America is a better nation because of the tenacity, judiciary and the integrity and values of Thurgood Marshall," Sen. Durbin said, adding that Justice Marshall broke down "barriers of racial discrimination that haunted Americans for generations."
Public Policy Record
Ms. Kagan's public record has been amplified by hundreds of thousands of pages of documents related to her released in recent weeks by the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark.
For example, in a thorny legal case involving a school district's defense of its decision to lay off a white teacher over a black colleague for diversity reasons, Ms. Kagan endorsed a 1997 legal memo that concluded the school district failed to justify its race-based decision. ("Papers Show Kagan in Loop on Clinton K-12 Policy," School Law Blog, June 6, 2010.)
"I think this is exactly the right position—as a legal matter, as a policy matter, and as a political matter," Ms. Kagan wrote in the margins of the legal memo in the case involving the Piscataway, N.J., school district. ("N.J. District Settles Case On Race Bias," Nov. 26, 1997.)
Also in 1997, Ms. Kagan discouraged a White House education policy aide from urging President Clinton to call for a voluntary high school test to accompany a proposal for voluntary 4th and 8th grade tests. She told the aide in an e-mail that because the 4th- and 8th-grade testing plan was already slow to win support, the high school testing proposal "will make us look semi-oblivious." ("Kagan E-Mails Show Resolve on K-12 Issues," School Law Blog, June 21, 2010.)
The hearings are expected to take about a week, and Democratic leaders are hoping to have a floor vote by the Senate's August recess.
In preparation for today's kickoff, the Judiciary Committee altered its schedule to accommodate a rare instance when a confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court nominee would nearly overlap the end of the high court's term. The justices convene at 10 a.m. to issue opinions, while the Senate panel is to begin at 12:30 p.m., across the street in the Senate's Hart Office Building.


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Started by Mark Morton. Last reply by Ahmed M. Aug 26, 2013. 1 Reply 1 Like
Started by Grant Grinnell. Last reply by Grant Grinnell Oct 31, 2009. 2 Replies 0 Likes
I am a 3.5-4.0 who lives in Hamilton and works in San Rafael. Looking for practice partners at the same level. Men or women. Mornings work best for me. Hamilton/Marinwood/Albert Park/maybe Pioneer Park, maybe Piper. At the moment I have a ball machine if you'd like to come to Hamilton.
Anyone up for playing on Sunday morning? San Rafael? Just rally around....I haven't played in a while, but I do fitness classes and just want to play again...
anyone interested in playing friday eve. anywhere in southern marin? i am around 3.5, email me
[edit: please share private info via PM or Friend Request]
Hi Elizabeth,
I am trying to get back into playing also...I am between 3 and 3.5, just love the game and can meet up by the civic center, I have a court right around the corner from my house in Santa Venetia, usually free. Email
[edit: please share private info via PM or Friend Request]
Can anyone play tennis tonight? I can meet anywhere in Marin ideally north of San Anselmo - Novato....
Just joined the site. I am looking for someone interested in rallying and maybe playing a few sets on Saturday mornings. I live in Tiburon so southern Marin is fine, but I normally play at Redwood where it is warmer in the morning and the courts are usually quiet.
I'm free to play any day of the week after 6pm anywhere in Marin (Ideally Novato or San Rafael) - I'm probably a 3-3.5 - I can be emailed at
Hey Mari, I'm in Mill Valley and also a 3.0... can play any day of the week, shoot me a message when you get a chance.
I'm looking for 3.5 to 4.0 to hit with this Friday morning or afternoon in the Larkspur and surrounding area. You can email me at . Hope to hear from someone...
© 2024 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


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ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerian special forces launched a rescue operation Thursday at a natural gas plant in the Sahara Desert and freed foreign hostages held by al-Qaida-linked militants, but estimates for the number of dead varied wildly from four to dozens.
Militants claiming revenge for France's intervention against rebels in Mali seized the Ain Amenas natural gas complex on Wednesday, taking dozens of foreign workers hostage.
Algerian state television said Thursday that four captives, two Britons and two Filipinos, had died. But the militants said at least 35 hostages had died in the state's rescue attempt. There was no way to independently verify the toll in the remote location, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from Algiers.
The reports of high casualties have deeply disturbed foreign governments, prompting a number to criticize Algeria's operation. Britain's Foreign Office attempted to prepare the British public by saying, "We should be under no illusion that there will be some bad and distressing news to follow from this terrorist attack."
Oil prices rose $1.08 on the news to $95.32 on the New York Mercantile Exchange and prompted energy companies like BP PLC and Spain's Compania Espanola de Petroleos SA to try to relocate energy workers at other Algerian plants.
The Algerian government said it was forced to intervene due to the militants' stubbornness and their desire to escape with the hostages.
"An important number of hostages were freed and an important number of terrorists were eliminated, and we regret the few dead and wounded," Algerian Communications Minister Mohand Said Oubelaid told national media, adding that the "terrorists are multinational," coming from several different countries with the goal of "destabilizing Algeria, embroiling it in the Mali conflict and damaging its natural gas infrastructure."
Islamists from the Masked Brigade, a Mali-based al-Qaida offshoot, who have been speaking through a Mauritanian news outlet, said Algerian helicopters opened fire as the militants tried to leave the vast energy complex with their hostages. They claimed that 35 hostages and 15 militants died in the attack and only seven hostages survived.
Algeria's official news service, meanwhile, earlier claimed that 600 local workers were freed in the raid and half of the foreigners being held were rescued. Many of those locals were reportedly released on Wednesday, however, by the militants themselves.
One Irish hostage was confirmed safe: supervising electrician Stephen McFaul, whose mother said he would not be returning to Algeria.
"He phoned me at 9 o'clock to say al-Qaida were holding him, kidnapped, and to contact the Irish government, for they wanted publicity. Nightmare, so it was. Never want to do it again. He'll not be back! He'll take a job here in Belfast like the rest of us," said his mother, Marie.
Dylan, McFaul's 13-year-old son, started crying as he talked to Ulster Television. "I feel over the moon, just really excited. I just can't wait for him to get home," he said.
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the Obama administration was "concerned about reports of loss of life and are seeking clarity from the government of Algeria."
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested the military raid as an act that "threatened the lives of the hostages," according to a spokesman.
Jean-Christophe Gray, a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron, said Britain was not informed in advance of the raid but described the situation as "very grave and serious." French President Francois Hollande called it a "dramatic" situation involving dozens of hostages.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg would not criticize the Algerian operation but said he wished the Norwegian government would have been notified before it started. He added that while Algeria has declined medical help, Norway will send a plane with medical equipment and personnel.
An unarmed American surveillance drone soared overhead as the Algerian forces closed in, U.S. officials said. The U.S. offered military assistance Wednesday to help rescue the hostages — whose numbers varied wildly from dozens to hundreds — but the Algerian government refused, a U.S. official said in Washington. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the offer.
Algerian forces who had ringed the Ain Amenas complex in a tense standoff had vowed not to negotiate with the kidnappers, who reportedly were seeking safe passage. Security experts said the end of the two-day standoff was in keeping with the North African country's tough approach to terrorism.
"I would not be surprised if the death toll was has high as the militants put it, it's a well-known fact that the Algerians never had problems causing a blood bath to respond to terrorist attacks," said Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa analyst for the Eurasia group, who expressed doubt over Algeria's claims that mediation was abandoned in the face of the kidnappers' intransigence. "I wonder whether really in 24 hours you can establish some kind of negotiations with terrorists, I don't think they really tried."
The kidnapping is one of the largest ever attempted by a militant group in North Africa. The militants phoned a Mauritanian news outlet to demand that France end its intervention in neighboring Mali to ensure the safety of the hostages in the isolated plant, located 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) south of the capital of Algiers.
Phone contacts with the militants were severed as government forces closed in, according to the Mauritanian agency, which often carries reports from al-Qaida-linked extremist groups in North Africa.
A 58-year-old Norwegian engineer who made it to the safety of a nearby Algerian military camp told his wife how militants attacked a bus Wednesday before being fended off by a military escort.
"Bullets were flying over their heads as they hid on the floor of the bus," Vigdis Sletten told The Associated Press in a phone interview from her home in Bokn, on Norway's west coast.
Her husband and the other bus passengers climbed out of a window and were transported to a nearby military camp, she said.
"He is among the lucky ones, and he has confirmed he is not injured," she said, declining to give his name for security reasons.
It was then that the militants went after the living quarters of the plant instead of disappearing back into the desert.
Information about the 41 foreign hostages the militants claimed to have — which allegedly included seven Americans — was scarce and conflicting. All were reportedly workers at the plant.
A spokesman for the Masked Brigade told the Nouakchott Information Agency in Mauritania that the seven surviving hostages included three Belgians, two Americans, a Briton and a Japanese citizen.
Earlier in the day before the raid, an Algerian security official said that 20 foreign hostages had escaped. He did not return phone calls after the raid.
The Norwegian energy company Statoil had said three Algerian employees who had been held hostage were safe but the fate of nine Norwegian workers was unclear. Japanese media reported at least 3 Japanese citizens among the hostages and Malaysia confirmed two.
Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila said the roughly 20 well-armed gunmen operating under orders from Moktar Belmoktar, al-Qaida's strongman in the Sahara, who is now based in Mali.
It is certainly the largest haul of hostages since 2003, when the radical group that later evolved into al-Qaida in North Africa snatched 32 Western tourists in southern Algeria. This is also the first time Americans have been involved.
BP, the Norwegian company Statoil and the Algerian state oil company Sonatrach, operate the gas field and a Japanese company, JGC Corp, provides services for the facility.
Mali and al-Qaida specialist Mathieu Guidere said Algeria's refusal to accept help was also normal.
"They never accept any military help," he said. "They want to do it their way."


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If you've been searching for one camera that can do it all, look no further: the Canon EOS R5 is a professional full-frame mirrorless camera with cutting-edge specs for both stills photography and video – making it ideal for anyone wanting to switch between the two disciplines quickly and with ease.
"The Canon EOS R5 can pretty much do it all," says Mike Burnhill, European Professional Imaging Product Specialist at Canon Europe. "It delivers high-speed shooting, high resolution images and 8K RAW video – specifications that would have been deemed impossible just a short time ago."
Here, we examine 10 of the Canon EOS R5's most important features, and look at its groundbreaking capabilities in more detail.


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How Petraeus Turned the CIA into the Good Guys in Benghazi
The intelligence agency has been quite effective in limiting the public discussion of its role.
How did the CIA become the hero in the Benghazi talking point controversy? The Republican theory of the case is that the CIA provided mostly correct talking points (with one big flaw — it blamed spontaneous protests), which the State Department and the White House then edited into misleading mush to protect President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But, of course, the CIA is part of the Obama administration, too, and run by Obama appointees — why hasn't it enjoyed as much scrutiny as everyone else involved?
One reason is the political skills of David Petraeus, then-director of the CIA. The Benghazi talking points came into existence because Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger asked for guidelines for the newer members of the House intelligence committee, so they wouldn't accidentally reveal classified information in interviews with the press, The Washington Post's Scott Wilson and Karen DeYoung report. "A close reading of recently released government e-mails that were sent during the editing process, and interviews with senior officials from several government agencies, reveal Petraeus's early role and ambitions in going well beyond the committee's request, apparently to produce a set of talking points favorable to his image and his agency." As has been widely noted, Petraeus was unenthusiastic about the final talking points, writing:
"No mention of the cable to Cairo, either? Frankly, I'd just as soon not use this, then... [National Security Council] call, to be sure; however, this is certainly not what Vice Chairman Ruppersberger was hoping to get for unclas use."
But Ruppersberger tells the Post, "I'm not sure what he meant. I had no expectations."


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Making Connections to Grow Your Law Firm
Tricia Meyer is our guest author who gives her advice on growing a law firm.
Like any business, a law firm must strategize to attract clients. Through networking, mentoring and participating in speaking engagements, I have shared my expertise and built credibility in my community and within my practice area. This has ultimately helped me grow my business. Following are a few tips I have learned along the way I think other lawyers, and business owners in general, will find helpful.
1. Hold office hours
Many local chambers and business organizations provide client services firms the opportunity to host office hours and meet briefly with their members. I host office hours regularly, which has afforded me the opportunity to help entrepreneurs and connect with people outside of my network. Meeting people and making an impression before they actually need your services is a great way to start relationship building and letting people know how you can help them in the future. I have garnered many new clients who have come back to me as a result of the time I spent with them during office hours.
2. Share your knowledge through speaking engagements
Speaking engagements will position you and members of your firm as experts, allowing more people to know who you are, what you do and how you can help.
Select speaking opportunities where you can address a specific issue and demonstrate you know the topic inside and out. This will also attract a more targeted audience of people interested in the topic you are addressing. Also, think outside the box and seek speaking opportunities that help you reach markets where you want to grow your business.
3. Manage your calendar thoughtfully
When you consider speaking or networking event opportunities, evaluate each one to ensure you'll be exposed to potential clients or meaningful connections. You and your firm must participate in enough events to make an impact, but it is crucial not to spread yourself too thin. Aim to speak often but not everywhere; you want people to look forward to a chance to hear you speak.
Tricia Meyer is managing attorney of Chicago-based Meyer Law, specializing in tech. She is well connected in Chicago's tech community, regularly provides office hours at a local tech co-working space, and speaks at events geared toward tech entrepreneurs. She credits all of these things for Meyer Law's successful growth.


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IRS agents testified before Congress that the agency's political targeting did not apply to progressive groups as Democrats and the media have claimed, according to a bombshell new staff report prepared by the House Oversight Committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa.
IRS agents testified before Oversight that ACORN groups were scrutinized because the agency thought they were old organizations applying as new ones. Emerge America was scrutinized for potential "improper private benefit." No evidence exists that the IRS requested additional information from any Occupy Wall Street group.
"Only seven applications in the IRS backlog contained the word 'progressive,' all of which were then approved by the IRS, while Tea Party groups received unprecedented review and experienced years-long delays. While some liberal-oriented groups were singled out for scrutiny, evidence shows it was due to non-political reasons," according to the Oversight staff report, which was obtained by The Daily Caller.
"[T]he Administration and congressional Democrats have seized upon the notion that the IRS's targeting was not just limited to conservative applicants," the report states. "These Democratic claims are flat-out wrong and have no basis in any thorough examination of the facts. Yet, the Administration's chief defenders continue to make these assertions in a concerted effort to deflect and distract from the truth about the IRS's targeting of tax-exempt applicants."
"[T]here is simply no evidence that any liberal or progressive group received enhanced scrutiny because its application reflected the organization's political views," the report stated.


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Robin Good: I feel that curated selections of "apps" by a trusted source is definitely an area where people will be willing to pay to get good advice while saving time and money to choose what tools to use on their new iPad.
The new interesting aspect is that the availability of different apps and software has
increased so much that the ability for someone to provide reliable advice and selection of what is really useful and effective becomes by itself a valuable and monetizable service.
"AppStart is the first app to download on your iPad: An app starter kit with all the essential apps you'll ever need.
AppStart takes a fresh and fun approach to teach the average Joe (or insert your name here) how to become more familiar with his/her iPad and apps. NO THIS IS NOT A BORING MANUAL. We'll fill you on the basic things that everyone should know, and then get you started with the best apps for you.
Throughout the app you'll find special sections that tell you apps you'll need to turn your iPad into a specific kind of tool. You'll also be given a list of the essentials apps for certain types of user (lawyers, teachers, musicians, moms, dads, etc). If you see something that sounds interesting to you, click it! We'll give you the exact set of apps to download and you'll be on your way, no need to scour the top charts in the App Store."
Find out more: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/appstart-for-ipad-2012-edition/id408984648?mt=8
Via Ana Cristina Pratas


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File photo: CGTN
Faced with COVID-19, an abrupt global public health crisis, all countries are taking containment measures to prevent it from further spreading. China has achieved remarkable progress at this stage thanks to our most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures, but we are still facing great risks of imported cases and domestic resurgence. Particularly, as the pandemic spreads all over the world, imported cases are causing mounting pressure.
China and Africa are good friends, partners and brothers. Our friendship is forged on the basis of joint efforts to seek national independence, liberation, economic development and better livelihood in the past decades. Such time-tested friendship is a treasure for both Chinese and African people. Humanity shines through the darkness of the epidemic.
After the Ebola epidemics broke out in three West African countries in 2014, the Chinese government provided assistance at the earliest time possible and fought side by side with the African countries and people. Now faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Africa are again tiding over difficulties hand in hand, and our friendship is again elevated. We will not forget the support from Africa during our most difficult times. While overcoming difficulties at home, we also give love and care to all African citizens in China, especially African students. As the situation is getting more severe in Africa, the Chinese government and people have urgently delivered batches of supplies to the continent.
Our assistance, conveying deep friendship for our African brothers and sisters, demonstrates our fine tradition of mutual assistance and mutual support, and has been highly acclaimed by African countries and the African Union. While arduously fight the virus at home, China has donated large amounts of test kits, masks, protective suits, goggles, face shields, forehead thermometers, medical-use gloves, shoe covers, ventilators and other supplies to the African Union and African countries. We will continue helping our African brothers to the best of our ability.
During our fight against the coronavirus, the Chinese government has been attaching great importance to the life and health of foreign nationals in China. All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination. Since the outbreak, the authorities in Guangdong attach high importance to the treatment of foreign patients, including African nationals. Specific plans and proper arrangements are made to protect their life and health to the best of our ability, thanks to which we were able to save the lives of some African patients in severe or critical conditions.
The Guangdong authorities attach great importance to some African countries' concerns and are working promptly to improve their working method. The measures include: to provide health management services without differentiation, to designate hotels for the accommodation of foreigners required to undergo medical observation and adopt price adjustment for those in financial difficulties; to set up effective communication mechanism with foreign consulates-general in Guangzhou; and to reject all racist and discriminatory remarks.
The Chinese people always see in the African people partners and brothers through thick and thin. China-Africa friendship is unbreakable as it is deeply rooted in this land. African friends can count on getting fair, just, cordial and friendly reception in China. The foreign ministry will stay in close communication with the Guangdong authorities and continue responding to the African side's reasonable concerns and legitimate appeals.
The virus knows no borders. The pandemic, a challenge to all mankind, can only be defeated through concerted international efforts. With mutual understanding, mutual support and cooperation, we are ready to continue working with African friends to achieve the final victory.


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Jun 03, 2013 | |
Repairing turbines with the help of robots |
(Nanowerk News) The German turbomachinery sector is booming. Over the past 25 years, it has doubled its share of the global market from 15 to 30 percent. For manufacturers, the service business – i.e. maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) – is steadily growing in importance. The blades in compressors and turbines are subject to particularly high levels of stress and strain. The job of the blades is to convert fluid energy into mechanical energy. They ensure that aircraft engines generate the required thrust and that power plant generators produce sufficient electricity. | |
"Damage to the blades of aircraft turbines is caused by wear from vibration and friction, for example, or by erosion from particles of sand and dust. Other triggers are hard landings, when individual engine components come into contact with each other, and large objects striking the engine," explains Martin Bilz, head of manufacturing technologies at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK in Berlin. In such cases, the geometrically complex components, which are mostly made of titanium- or nickel-alloy steels, bend or crack and the flow of air is no longer optimal. This can cause engine performance to drop and fuel consumption to rise. | |
A robot automatically restores the damaged sections of a turbine blade at a grinding station. | |
Time-consuming manual labor | |
Repairing the damaged components makes sound financial sense. Depending on the stage and engine size, a single turbine blade can cost several thousand euros. With an airplane needing up to 80 blades, the costs stack up very quickly for aircraft operators. Repair, however, is over 50% cheaper. The drawback with repair is that the processes involved are very complicated and elaborate. The individual work steps cannot be easily integrated into largely automated series manufacturing. Specialists process the workpieces by hand or with specially adapted machine tools. Depending on its size, it can take anything from a few hours to several days before a single blade is repaired. Or to give another example: on account of the strict quality assurance requirements in the aviation industry, it can often take two to three weeks before an individual rotating engine component can return to action. | |
Within the Fraunhofer MRO innovation cluster, Fraunhofer IPK and the Institute for Machine Tools and Factory Management IWF of the Technische Universität Berlin set themselves the goal of developing an automated, robot assisted technique. "Whereas machine tools remain consistently expensive, robots are getting cheaper all the time, and now they can even be used for machining tasks," says Bilz, explaining the institutes' approach. Lending the researchers support were specialists from turbomachinery manufacturers such as MAN, MTU, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens. Together with further partners from business and research, the IPK not only managed to make individual process steps suitable for automation, they also developed a technique whereby a robot passes through several repair stations inside a single production cell. What is special about this technique is that the robot holds on to the component at all times and moves around to the individual stations in turn, which are arranged around it in an area of about 15 square meters. It cleans the component, measures its geometry, locates the faults, and carries out machining repairs. | |
"Not only is the robot assisted production cell a good example of a resource conserving and energy-efficient MRO process, it has also opened up new prospects for the manufacture of turbomachine components. For example, it makes the repair of compressor blades faster, cheaper, and more precise. Now we want to see the technology quickly taken up in manufacturing plants ," explains Bilz. IPK scientists will be exhibiting the technique at the International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, Paris from June 17 to 23, 2013 (Hall 1, Booth 316). | |
Fraunhofer is driving ahead with further research into this topic with the new "Life Cycle Engineering for Turbomachines" innovation cluster, which was launched at the end of May. Joining the IPK in the cluster are the Fraunhofer Institutes for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin, for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI in Berlin, and for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Dresden. Bilz summarizes the cluster's work as follows: "Our goal is to provide energy-efficient and resource conserving technologies for all turbomachine life cycles. In addition to MRO, we are also taking into account the upstream design and production stages. Our focus is on aircraft engines and gas turbines for power plants." |
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology |


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Human genes cannot be patented, US court says
WASHINGTON - The Associated Press
The US Supreme Court Building is seen in this March 31, 2012 file photo on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO/Karen BLEIER/FILES
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that companies cannot patent parts of naturally-occurring human genes, a decision with the potential to profoundly affect the emerging and lucrative medical and biotechnology industries.The high court's unanimous judgment reverses three decades of patent awards by government officials. It throws out patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc. on an increasingly popular breast cancer test brought into the public eye recently by actress Angelina Jolie's revelation that she had a double mastectomy because of one of the genes involved in this case.
Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the court's decision, said that Myriad's assertion - that the DNA it isolated from the body for its proprietary breast and ovarian cancer tests were patentable - had to be dismissed because it violates patent rules. The court has said that laws of nature, natural phenomena and abstract ideas are not patentable.
"We hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated," Thomas said.
Synthetically-created DNA can be patented: Court
However, the court gave Myriad a partial victory, ruling that while naturally-occurring DNA was not patentable, synthetically-created DNA could be patented. The court said that synthetically created DNA, known as cDNA, can be patented "because it is not naturally occurring," Thomas said.
Patents are the legal protection that gives inventors the right to prevent others from making, using or selling a novel device, process or application. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been awarding patents on human genes for almost 30 years, but opponents of Myriad Genetics Inc.'s patents on the two genes linked to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer say such protection should not be given to something that can be found inside the human body.
The company has used its patent to come up with its BRACAnalysis test, which looks for mutations on the breast cancer predisposition gene, or BRCA. Those mutations are associated with much greater risks of breast and ovarian cancer. Women with a faulty gene have a three to seven times greater risk of developing breast cancer and also have a higher risk of ovarian cancer.
Jolie revealed last month that her mother died of ovarian cancer and that her maternal grandmother also had the disease. She said she carries a defective BRCA1 gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, and her doctor said that the test that turned up the faulty gene link led Jolie to have both of her healthy breasts removed to try to avoid the same fate.
The court's ruling on synthetic DNA leaves the door open for future genetic patent work for companies like Myriad, lawyers said.
Thomas noted there are still ways for Myriad to make money off its discovery. "Had Myriad created an innovative method of manipulating genes while searching for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, it could possibly have sought a method patent," he said. And he noted that the case before the court did not include patents on the application of knowledge about the two genes.
Most biotech companies have already moved on from trying to patent isolated DNA, instead looking at synthetic options and other ways of protecting their multimillion-dollar investments, said Matthew McFarlane of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
"On a day-in and day-out basis, I don't see this changing that part of the industry," McFarlane said. "Isolated DNA itself is not something that companies seek to protect anymore."
Myriad's stock price jumped 10 percent after the ruling and was above $36 a share in early afternoon trading.
For its part, Myriad focused on what the ruling left intact.
"We believe the court appropriately upheld our claims on cDNA and underscored the patent eligibility of our method claims, ensuring strong intellectual property protection for our BRACAnalysis test moving forward," said Peter D. Meldrum, Myriad's president and chief executive. "More than 250,000 patients rely upon our BRACAnalysis test annually, and we remain focused on saving and improving peoples' lives and lowering overall healthcare costs."
Myriad sells the only BRCA gene test. Opponents of its patents say the company can use the patents to keep other researchers from working with the BRCA gene to develop other tests.
"Today, the court struck down a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation," said Sandra Park, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union Women's Rights Project. "Myriad did not invent the BRCA genes and should not control them. Because of this ruling, patients will have greater access to genetic testing and scientists can engage in research on these genes without fear of being sued."
Companies have billions of dollars of investment and years of research on the line in this case. Their advocates argue that without the ability to recoup their investment through the profits that patents bring, breakthrough scientific discoveries to combat all kinds of medical maladies wouldn't happen.


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Chess and IQ
An intelligence quotient or IQ is a number derived from a set of standardized tests developed to measure a person's cognitive abilities, or intelligence, in relation to thier age group. Originally, IQ represented the ratio between a person's "mental age" and actual chronological age.
Intelligence is oftened viewed by computer scientists as the ability to process information, by psychologists as the ability to deduce relationships, by educators as the ability to learn, and by biologists as the ability to adapt to the environment.
Some sources say the adult with the highest IQ that ever lived was Leonardo da Vinci, with an IQ of 220. Of course he lived before the development of IQ tests.
In 1870, Hippolyte Taine (1828-1893) stated that playing several games of blindfold chess was an achievment in visual memory and high intelligence. If measured in his day, Taine would have had a very high IQ. Taine asked a chessplayer how he understood imagination and images and how he played blindfold chess. Taine believed that the type of imagery used in chess was an "internal mirror" that reflected the precise state of the things being imagined.
In 1893, Alfred Binet (1857-1911) made a study of the connection between mathematics and chess. After questioning a large number of leading chess players, he found that over 90% of them were good mental calculators and had good memories. On the other hand, he found that some mathematicians played chess, but few were strong players.
In 1894, Alfred Binet conducted one of the first psychological studies into chess. He investigated the cognitive facilities of chess masters. Binet hypothosized that chess depends upon the phenomenological qualities of visual memory. He found that only chess masters were able to play chess successfully without seeing the board and intermediate players found it impossible to play a game of blindfold chess. Binet found that experience, imagination, and memories of abstract and concrete varieties were required in master chess. His work was titled: Psychologie des Grands Calculateurs et des Joueurs d'Echecs. Binet relied much on chess masters such as Alphonse Goetz (French Champion in 1914), Rosenthal, Arnous de Riviere, Janowski, and Taubenhaus.
Binet thought that playing blindfold chess would require strong powers of memory and of visualization. However, he found this was not the case. It was not that the expert blindfold player could visualize a chessboard better than the amateur. It was the opposite that was true. The good blindfold player was not dependent on the visual aspect of the game. It was the amateur who tried to picture the whole board. The strong blindfold player was using a more efficient way of storing the position in his mind.
Alfred Binet and his collegue Theodore Simon created the Binet-Simon scale in 1905. It was aimed at identifying students who could benefit from extra help in school. His assumption was that lower IQ indicated the need for more teaching, not an inate ability to learn.
In 1906, Lewis Terman (1877-1956) decided to see what mental tests could do in distinguishing unusually backward students from very bright ones. One of his tests was documenting the skill in learning the game of chess. At the time, he was unaware of the work of Binet and Simon. Terman did not find significant differences of slow students and bright students learning chess, partly because he had failed to take into account the student's age. Terman defined intelligence as the ability to acquire and manipulate concepts.
In 1912, German psychologist William Stern (1871-1938) coined the phrase "intelligence quotient," in which a student's score was the quotient of his or her tested mental age with his or her actual age. The test was later used for U.S. Army recruits.
In 1916, Stanford University psychologist Lewis Terman released the "Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale," generally known as the Stanford-Binet test.
William James Sidis (1898-1944) was considered the greatest genius of the 20th century with an IQ of over 250. He was a child prodigy and a gifted mathematician. He was able to read newspapers at 18 months, taught himself Latin at the age of 2 and Greek at age 3. By age 4 he had written a treatise on anatomy. At age 6, he learned Aristotelian logic and memorized Gray's Anatomy. At age 7, he passed the Harvard Medical School anatomy class. By age 8, he knew 10 languages (English, Latin, Greek, Russian, Hebrew, French, German, Turkish, Armenian, and a language of his own invention). By age 8, he wrote two books on anatomy and two books on astronomy. He attempted to enroll in Harvard at the age of 9, passing all exams. By age 11, he had mastered higher mathematics and calculus. In 1909, at the age of 11, he became the youngest student to ever enroll at Harvard. At the age of 16, he graduated from Harvard, cum laude. He then became a professor of mathematics at Rice University, but got bored with it. At 18, he entered Harvard Law School, but never finished, finding it too boring. In 1919 he became interested in politics, but was arrested for participating in an anti-draft parade. He lived the rest of his life in obscurity, writing books using a pseudonym and collecing streetcar transfers. He was able to read and write over 40 different languages.
In 1925, three Soviet psychologists, Djakow, Rudik, and Petrovsky, conducted extensive tests om chess masters and came to the conclusion that their powers of memory were only greater than that of the layman as far as chess was concerned. In other areas, there was no difference. The researchers determined that high achievement in chess is based on exceptional visual memory, combinational power, speed of calculation, power of concentration, and logical thinking.
In 1930, F. Baumgarten studied 9 child prodigies (IQs with 120 to at least 160), including one chess prodigy. She found that they all appeared ambitious, pragmatic, wary of those who might harm their careers, passionately devoted to their fields, unafraid of public performance, and desirous of using their gifts to benefit their families.
In 1938, LL Thurstone (1887-1955) broke intelligence up into 7 primary abilities - verbal comprehenson, fluency of words, spatial visualization, number facility, inductive reasoning, associate memory, and perceptual speed.
In 1942, Leta Hollingsworth studied children with IQs of 180 or more. Included was a chess player who became nationally ranked (source not named). She found out that early talking and reading was what most differentiated these children from the average. She observed that high IQ children failed to develop desirable work habits in a school setting geared for average children. In such a setting, the high IQ children spent considerable time in idleness and daydreaming. Consequently, they learned to dislike school. She also noted that high IQ children found it difficult in finding companionship. Consequently, these high IQ children became socially isolated. Hollingsworth believed that high IQ children need to be educated for leisure and recommended that high IQ children play chess since it could be enjoyed by people of all ages and could potentially assist these children in bridging social gaps.
In 1949, David Wechsler (1896-1981) developed the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. It consisted of 6 verbal and 5 performance subtests to measure IQ.
In 1955, W. Freeman regarded intelligence as the extent to which a person is educable.
In September 1956, Marilyn Mach (Marilyn vos Savant) scored an IQ of 228 in the Stanford-Binet score as a 10 year old, the highest IQ ever recorded. As an adult, she was given a second intelligence test and score an IQ of 186.
For chess players, some sources list Bobby Fischer's IQ between 180 and 187. This was his Stanford-Binet score when he was at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn before he dropped out. He was probaly tested in 1958 at the age of 15. At the time, he was US champion, which he won again in 1959. He dropped out of high school around 1959.
In 1965, Adrian de Groot (1914- ) published his book Thought and Choice in Chess. He found that visual memory and visual perception were important attributers and that problem-solving ability was of paramount importance. Memory was particularly important.
In 1973, W. Chase and Herbert Simon showed superior memory for chess positions by chess experts through "chunking." The ability to recall a position from an actual game increased as a function of chess skill. For positions, beginners were able to recall the correct location of about four pieces in 5 seconds, whereas grandmasters recalled virtually all of the more than 20 pieces.
In 1973-74, a study in Zaire (Chess and Aptitudes) by Dr. Albert Frank showed that introducing chess to teenage players increased their IQ. These players that were taught an additional 2 hours of chess instead of mathematics had stronger spatial, numerical, administrative-directional, and paperwork abilities than the group that did not get introduced to chess.
In 1974-76, Dr. Johan Christiaen conducted research (Chess and Cognitive Development) in Belgium on fifth grade students. The group that had 42 one-hour chess lessons had better academic results than the group that did not have chess lessons.
In 1975, David Feldman studied six prodigies, including two 8-year old chess prodigies. None of the prodigies performed any higher in logic, role-taking, spatial reasoning, and moral judgment than children of their own age. Feldman studies these prodigies for 10 years. The chess players opted out of an intense commitment to the study of chess due to peer acceptance and popularity.
In a 1977-79 study by Dr. Yee Wang Fung in Hong Kong, chessplayers showed a 15% improvement in math and science test scores.
From 1979 to 1983, a Bradford, Pennsylvania study found that a chess-playing group consistently outperformed a control group engaged in other thinking development programs. All the students had IQs of 130 or more in grades 7 through 9. The study was done by Dr. Robert Ferguson.
From 1979 to 1984, a Venezuela experiment, Learning to Think Project, tested whether chess could develop intelligence of 4,266 elementary age children as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. The children showed an increase in IQ after less than one year of studying chess in a systematic way. The Venezuelan government was so impressed that all Venezuelan schools introduced chess lessons in 1988.
In 1982, Terrell Bell, former Secretary of Education, recommended chess as a way to develop a preschooler's intellect and academic readiness.
Some sources give Kasparov an IQ between 185 and 190. But one source has it listed as 135. In 1987-88, the German magazine Der Spiegel went to considerable effort and expense to find out Kasparov's IQ. Under the supervision of an international team of psychologists, Kasparov was given a large battery of tests designed to measure his memory, spatial ability, and abstract reasoning. They measured his IQ as 135 and his memory as one of the very best.
In 1987-88, all students in a rural Pennsylvania 6th grade class were required to participate in chess lessons. None of the pupils had previously played chess. After a year, the pupils significantly improved in both memory and verbal reasoning. The program was called 'Development of Reasoning and Memory through Chess.'
In 1988, British Grandmaster Jon Levitt came up with the Levitt equation. His equation says that a player with an IQ of Y, after many years of tournament play and study, would tend to have a chess Elo rating of about 10Y + 1000. So if Fischer's IQ was 180, then his Elo rating would be 10x180 + 1000 or 2800. Fischer's Elo rating was 2785. His maximum USCF rating was 2825.
In 1989-92, 5th graders in New Brunswick, Canada were split into groups. The group that had chess and math increased gains in math problem-solving and comprehension proportionate to the amount of chess in the curriculum. In 1989, 120 students played in the provincial school chess championship. In 1992, over 19,000 played.
In 1991, Dr. Stuart Marguiles studied 53 elementary pupils who particpated in the New York City Schools Chess Program and compared them with 1,118 nonparticipants. He concluded that chess participation enhanced the reading performance of its particpants.
In 1994-1997, a Texas study in Houston showed that regular elementary students between 3rd and 5th grade who participated in a school chess club showed twice the improvement of non-chessplayers in Reading and Mathematics.
Some lists of people with highest IQ include Judit Polgar. These lists give her an IQ if 170.