text: The military uses virtual reality to enhance its training. But there is one hurdle to overcome before the experience can be truly immersive: how to fool the senses in a virtual world. The Mixed Reality Lab - a part of the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies - is exploring this problem for the Army in a project called "Redirected Walking."


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Courtney Power '15, a communication major, is spending the summer in New York City with Evolution Media Talent (EMT), through the generosity of the Class of 1964 Internship Support Fund. She described EMT as, "a talent representation firm, managing and representing professionals in the news, sports and entertainment industries."
While in high school, Power met David Amber, a sports broadcaster who has held positions with ESPN, The NHL Network, and the CBC. Throughout her time at Hamilton, she kept in touch with Amber, seeking advice about the sports industry and discussing possible career paths. Amber put Power in touch with Seth Mayeri, his agent at EMT, who eventually offered her a summer position at his firm.
An athlete herself, Power enjoys advocating for their clients, and said, "I truly feel that I am doing work that the agents themselves do, which has given me a genuine insight into the industry." She continued, "I have also assisted in drafting representation agreements and invoices, as well as preparing for client negotiations."
Working at Scotiabank for the past two summers, Power "became familiar with a somewhat centralized corporate structure." After interning with one of Canada's Big Five banks, "making the jump from an organization that employs 35,000 individuals, to a boutique firm entirely run by two partners, was an eye-opening experience."
Describing the two partners, Power said they "are extremely dedicated and creative individuals, always looking for new opportunities to further Evolution and the clients it represents." She considers herself " fortunate enough to observe what it takes to operate a business."
Despite entering the internship with very little knowledge of the television industry, Power said she has learned about broadcasting, the television industry in general, and "the constant negotiations and talent promotions that occur off air." Power is interested in pursuing a career in the sports industry after completing law school.
Courtney Power is a graduate of the international independent school, Appleby College.

subset: commoncrawl


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OCEAN CITY –The Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company (OCVFC) responded to the Mayor and Council's proposal this week, offering a counterproposal that would place the OCVFC in charge of all fire fighting responsibilities within the town.
"The OCVFC has presented the Mayor and City Council with a plan that it believes resolves all the issues in the continuing discussion of how best to manage fire and rescue services," read a press release from the OCVFC this week.
The counter proposal came as a response to the proposal put forward by the Mayor and Council three weeks ago. At that time, the City Council, through a 4-3 vote, decided to offer the position of interim fire chief to Volunteer Fire Chief Chris Larmore. The proposal came with some conditions however, one of which required Chief Larmore to step down as the Volunteer Fire Chief.
After a lengthy and passionate meeting before the Mayor and Council on February 19, the Council voted 4-3 to draft a letter outlining their proposal, to be sent to Chief Larmore and the OCVFC. Larmore responded in kind, promising to review the proposal thoroughly and respond promptly.
The OCVFC responded this week, with a press release outlining their counterproposal. "After examining all proposals made during this year-long process, and consulting with some of the top experts in the field, OCVFC has proposed a simple division of responsibilities that would save taxpayers revenues, and avoid possible conflicts between volunteer and career personnel."
"Under the plan, the OCVFC would assume all responsibilities for firefighting in the City, while the paid EMS division would provide emergency medical services," reads the statement. The counterproposal leaves the OCVFC in charge of all fire services in the town. The fire company would remain answerable to the town government on budgetary matters.
The OCVFC acknowledged the proposal put forth by the Mayor and Council, outlining reasons why they could not embrace the concept.
"After careful review, this plan has several troubling aspects, the least of these is the requirement that he [Chief Larmore] be required to resign as Chief of the OCVFC in order to assume the post," the OCVFC statement reads.
At the Feb. 19 meeting, several people, including a few council members, voiced displeasure with the condition that Chief Larmore step down from his current position with the OCVFC.
The release also addressed underlying issues with the paid union members, who stated at an earlier council meeting that they would be uncomfortable working under the direction of a volunteer chief. "Simultaneously, the paid EMS Division union members have made it clear they would be uncomfortable answering to a volunteer fire chief, even in the interim," reads the statement.
To resolve the issue, the OCVFC proposes a division of the fire services and EMS Division, a proposal they feel will be a more efficient use of taxpayer funds. They also suggested a better use of money budgeted for a paid fire chief. "The OCVFC proposes that money budgeted for a paid fire chief be used to enhance the firefighting capabilities of the volunteer fire company."
"The OCVFC senses discomfort on all sides with the proposed hybrid operation, especially with the Council only voting 4-3 in favor," reads the release, referring to the inability of the Mayor and Council to reach a consensus on the proposal which would call for a combined paid and volunteer fire force under the interim control of Chief Larmore. "The volunteers are also leery of becoming involved in a situation containing so many variables that organizational success is questionable."
The OCFVC hopes to further address the issue at Monday night's regular session of the Mayor and Council. Mayor Rick Meehan commented on the proposal yesterday, and although he is hopeful that all parties can reach an understanding, he did not show support of the OCVFC's recent proposal.
"I do not see the advantage, or rational, to requiring 43 trained members of the Town's Firefighters/Paramedic division to step down as respondents or as active firefighters in Ocean City. Currently I believe there are only 40 active members of the OCVFC that live in the Ocean City First Due response area," said Meehan.
Meehan maintained his support for the OCVFC, remaining hopeful that a solution will prevail. "I believe we need and I have always supported the OCVFC and will continue to support volunteer service in Ocean City," he said. "The Town of Ocean City and the OCVFC have been partners for over 100 years and I would hope that partnership can continue for the next 100 years."
Meehan also addressed the current mode of negotiations between the town and the OCVFC, maintaining that the strategic planning retreat, proposed and voted on by the council in February, is the best plan of action. "I again urge both parties to move forward with the meeting," he said. "I do think that continuing to formulate proposals and ultimatums, without the input from the Ocean City elected officials, is the wrong way to go."


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Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 21st Century Table: The kitchen journal of a vegan food writer.. I'm on Facebook and Twitter (see links in sidebar at right).
Sunday, August 4, 2013
1/2 cup crumbled silken tofu (reduced-fat if you like)
1/2 cup commercial non-dairy "milk", a low fat type
4 tsp. light granulated unbleached organic sugar OR maple syrup
1 pinch salt
Optional: 1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
Place all the ingredients in the blender or food processor and process until very smooth. Place the cream in a covered container and refrigerate for several hours before using.
This easy vegan "cheddar" is tastier than most commercial vegan cheddar wanna-be's, and much cheaper, too. It makes great grilled cheeze sandwiches and quesadillas, and can also be used to make a cheese-y sauce.
1 cup water OR 3/4 cup water + 1/4 cup flat beer or white wine
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
3 3/4 tablespoons oat flour (OR use 2 Tbs. cornstarch + 1 Tbsp. unbleached white flour)
1 Tbsp. light soy or chickpea miso
1 Tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic granules
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika (can be smoked if you like)
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
2 T. water
Place the water, yeast, oat flour (or alternate), miso, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic granules, paprika and mustard powder into a blender and process until very smooth (the oat flour will take a little longer the the cornstarch/flour mix).
Pour the blended mixture into a small saucepan, or into medium microwave-proof bowl or pitcher. Stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then let bubble 30 seconds and whisk vigorously, OR microwave on 100% power for 2 minutes, whisk, then microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes, and whisk again. Whisk in the water until smooth.
Drizzle immediately over your food and broil or bake until a skin forms on top; OR, if not using immediately, refrigerate in a small rigid covered container for up to a week. It will get quite firm upon chilling, but will still be spreadable and melt-able. You can spread the firmed cheeze on bread or quesadillas for grilling, heat it to spread more thinly on casseroles, etc.
Cheeze Toast |
For lunch, I made a version of a zucchini dish that my mother used to make-- halved small zucchini, par-cooked (I used a microwave), topped with tomato sauce (you could use a spicy one, if you like), and then, in this case, Melty Chedda' Cheeze Sauce (you could use warmed undiluted Cheeze instead, if you like). Place under the broiler, with the rack on the second level, and broil until it has a dotted brown skin on it.
I hope these recipes will come in handy for you some time. Enjoy!
5 comments:
- in2insight said...
I made the "cheese" and it is fantastic. So far have only used it cold and love the taste and smooth texture.
Thank you for the easy and tasty recipe! - Tue Aug 06, 09:16:00 AM PDT
- jacqui said...
Miso isn't something I have in my area. I know I could order online, but how would the cheeze be without it? Could something else be substituted for it?
- Tue Aug 06, 12:53:00 PM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
Jacqui, you might try a small amount (about 1/2 as much) of Marmite or other yeast extract in place of the miso. The miso definitely adds a fermented flavor.
- Tue Aug 06, 01:07:00 PM PDT
- jacqui said...
Thanks! Kroger (20 miles away) carries marmite on their international aisle. Small towns in Texas are definitely geared toward a heavy meat eating lifestyle. :D
- Wed Aug 07, 05:56:00 AM PDT
I bought your book just to get that melty cheeze recipe :). You are such a generous lady Bryanna, you are always willing to share a good recipe with everyone and for that, the blogging community owes you a whole lot. You have been the backbone of the vegan blogging confraternity for a long time now and I take my hat off to your amazing ability to create wonderful home cooking with vegan ingredients. You took vegan cooking out of the "too hard" basket and put it right back on our regular tables to delighted "Ooh Ahh!" sounds from Omni's and vegan's alike and Steve is addicted to your melty cheeze and he is a regular cheese addict. That should tell you something about how great your recipes are :)
- Mon Sep 02, 12:17:00 PM PDT


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Other Articles On Socialism: Socialism Must Rest Upon Force |
By Cheryl K. Chumley April 25, 2004 NewsWithViews.com The phantom of government-controlled Internet has raised its menacing head again; this time on the global level. �Even the definition of what we mean by Internet governance is a subject of debate. But the world has a common interest in ensuring the security and dependability of this new medium,� said Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the opening of a March 25-26 United Nations Global Forum on Internet Governance. �The medium must be made accessible and responsive to the needs of all the world�s people.� In UN-speak, that means America better ready itself, once again, to relinquish a bit more of its Founding Father�s free-market freedoms and accompanying hard-earned dollars to support the policies and expenses of a socialist system that demands equality for all at whatever cost. The idea of government control of the Internet is not new, not even in this country where pending congressional bills reflect very different opinions on if and how this technology should be regulated. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA), for instance, wants a permanent moratorium on Internet taxation via H.R. 49, while Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) proposes to tax email and Internet access in S. 2084. The difference between these contrasting regulatory proposals being discussed at the US federal level versus global echelon, of course, is that congressional representatives are accountable to their constituents. The members of the United Nations, primarily anti-American in ideology and deed, are not. So when United Nations leader Kofi Annan announces publicly a �common interest� in providing Internet access to �all the world�s people,� suspicion should be the prevailing emotion among all those who claim reverence for the right of the individual and for free market dogma. This is not an idle pronouncement, an off-the-cuff expression of a personal dream or childlike desire for all in the world to have equal rights and access to this technology. Rather, Annan�s formal statements come on the tail end of a UN meeting on �telecommunications� regulation that was planned in December 2003, the same month the global body solidified its Declaration of Principles and its Plan of Action for actually achieving control of the Internet. This UN push for control is not going to die. Already scheduled is a follow-up meeting in Tunis Nov. 16-18, 2005 to give updates on how successfully these principles and action plans have been implemented in the various member states, to include America. In terms of what the UN wants to accomplish, here�s the gist of what we face. �The Internet has evolved into a global facility available to the public and its governance should constitute a core issue of the Information Society agenda,� the Declaration of Principles states. �The international management of the Internet should be multilateral, transparent and democratic ?It should ennsure an equitable distribution of resources.� So what does this mean to you, an American citizen with constitutionally guaranteed individual rights, freedoms, privacies and free-market abilities? Well, there�s that niggling �equality for all� philosophy again, the socialist�s dream of achieving absolute uniformity among those of dissimilar abilities and resources that runs completely contrary to our constitutional system of capitalism. This is how the plot for global control will unfold. In its Plan of Action, the United Nations lists ten goals, most aimed at linking various Internet users and records to one, single, master global system. Planned connections include �villages, universities, colleges, secondary schools and primary schools, scientific and research centers, public libraries, cultural centers, museums, post offices and archives, health centers and hospitals (and) all local and central government departments.� Also planned is adapting �all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the challenges of the Information Society,� ensuring world-wide access to television and radio and encouraging �conditions in order to facilitate the presence and use of all world languages on the Internet.� This is UN language; in simpler terms, the principles and actions outline the goals and means for taking charge of the Internet at the international level. By their own statements, UN members want access to medical records. They want to know what�s being taught in the schools, from elementary grades through college. They want to keep abreast of all scientific advancements. They want to know what�s being mailed, what�s being exhibited in museums and what�s being discussed in town hall meetings. They plan to achieve these objectives by 2015. Once realized, our free-market system will surely crumble. Not only does the United Nations call for sharing technology with disadvantaged and possibly even hostile states, but this body will also be in position to impose whatever access and usage fees deemed necessary for the good of all, regulate business, and oversee all content placed on the Internet for public access. � 2004 Cheryl Chumley - All Rights Reserved Cheryl K. Chumley is a freelancer and contributor to The Daily Cannon, a conservative news site located at www.thedailycannon.com. She may be reached at email@example.com. |
"So when United Nations leader Kofi Annan announces publicly a �common interest� in providing Internet access to �all the world�s people,� suspicion should be the prevailing emotion among all those who claim reverence for the right of the individual and for free market dogma." |


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Supports and Braces at Walgreens
Sometimes your body needs a little extra support. That's where braces and supports come into play. These are made of elastic material that presses against your body for added support and protection. Unlike rigid braces, these supports are comfortable to wear while you go about your daily activities. Most are made of breathable fabrics that never feel hot or constrictive even in the summer. Talk to your doctor about whether a support or brace is right for you.
Binders and Supports for Waist and Back
The muscles in your back, waist and abdomen work together as a team to support and protect your internal organs. These muscles also give your body strength and support when you move and keep your body balanced. They're critical for everything you do, so it's important to protect them. Lumbar back braces with adjustable compression give your lower back added support whether you're standing, walking or using your upper body to lift. Wearing one is a reminder to use correct posture too.
Back Braces
Whether you've recently strained a back muscle or have back discomfort from too much activity, a soft, breathable back brace can comfortably support your back. These braces adjust to conform to your unique dimensions. Industrial-strength lumbar-sacral support braces are also available. They provide the highest level of support and back protection when you're active on the job or at home. They can also be useful if you do a lot of lifting.
Lumbar Supports
Do you sit at a desk or in a car for long periods? Prolonged sitting can have a negative impact on your health. It can also pose problems for your back too. If you have a history of back pain or injury, sitting too long can make it worse. Inflatable lumber supports give your lower back added support when you sit. Wearing one can help you maintain healthier posture too. You can use it to support your back at the office and you can keep one in your car when you have to drive for long periods.
Post-partum Supports
Post-partum abdominal support binders offer extra support to abdominal muscles after pregnancy, a caesarian section or abdominal surgery. Right after pregnancy, your abdominal muscles are in a stretched state. Post-partum binders can provide added support until stretched abdominal muscles return to their pre-pregnancy shape. These belts bind firmly but comfortably and even have a slimming effect on the abdominal region and waistline.
Support for Your Calves
It's not just your back and tummy that need support. Your calves do too, especially if you sit or stand for long periods of time. Compression stockings and socks lightly compress your calves. This gentle compression may help to improve blood flow and reduce leg fatigue. Compression stockings may also reduce the symptoms of varicose veins.
Compression socks and stockings are available in plain colors and in a variety of fashion-forward colors and patterns that are anything but boring. Each offers the same comfortable support for all of your activities. With so many options, you can wear a different sock or stocking every day and coordinate with your outfits.
All Day Support
Whether it's your back, tummy or calves that need support, there are lots of options available. Talk to your doctor and then choose the one that's right for you.
* Restrictions apply. See walgreens.com/offerdetails for more information.


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12-50mm |
$499 average price |
Your purchases support this site
Buy the Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ M.Zuiko Digital ED
SLRgear Review
August 2, 2011
by Andrew Alexander
The Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 was announced at the end of 2011. The lens was designed to fit the micro four-thirds mount, and offers a wide-to-short tele equivalent range of 24-100mm in 35mm film terms. In March 2012, Olympus offered a firmware update to version 1.1 for the lens, improving various aspects of the lens' performance. This lens isn't a "constant" lens, in that as you increase the focal length, the maximum aperture size decreases, though the minimum aperture size stays the same. The following table reflects the change in aperture available for the lens:
Focal length | 12mm | 25mm | 50mm | ||
Largest aperture | ƒ/3.5 | ƒ/5.1 | ƒ/6.3 | ||
Smallest aperture | ƒ/22 |
The lens takes 52mm filters, but does not ship with the LH-55B lens hood. The lens is available now for around $500.
The 12-50mm provides excellent results for sharpness: used wide open at 12mm, the lens provides a sharp center and just slightly soft corners; it's basically as sharp as it will get at ƒ/3.5, only getting very slightly better when stopped down to ƒ/4. Stopping down any further doesn't provide any further gains. In the mid-range of 25mm, the lens shows its best results: it's tack sharp at 25mm and ƒ/5.1, and remains so until diffraction limiting begins to set in at ƒ/8. If there is a weakness to this lens, it would be at the 50mm point, where the lens isn't as tack-sharp as other settings and the maximum aperture is a comparatively slow ƒ/6.3. It still provides very good, if not excellent results, and one only need to stop down to ƒ/8 to get a slight improvement.
Diffraction limiting sets in at ƒ/8 with this lens, but there is no noticeable impact on sharpness until ƒ/16, and more so at ƒ/22.
Chromatic Aberration
There is a bit of a story with chromatic aberration, and it is most obvious at 12mm, where the corner performance numbers are off the chart. It's summarized with this crop from our viewfinder accuracy chart:
This ranks as some of the most dramatic chromatic aberration we've ever seen in a lens, and it's important to note that this is with the camera's automatic chromatic aberration correction operating. While in-camera CA correction can sometimes work wonders, in this case, the Panasonic GX1 test body could correct only some of it, leaving quite a bit in shots captured at 12mm. Your mileage may vary, depending on the camera body you're using, but our admittedly elderly former test body (an Olympus EP-1) had more trouble knocking down the CA than did the GX1. Bottom line, unless your camera has some really major CA-reducing chops, you're going to see a lot of CA in your shots taken at 12mm. The good news is that CA comes down to much more reasonable levels as you zoom towards longer focal lengths: as you can see in our sample images.
Shading (''Vignetting'')
Corner shading is only noticeable when the lens is used at its widest aperture (12mm), and even then, the extreme corners are only a third of a stop darker than the center. Stop down the lens slightly, and corner shading becomes negligible.
Distortion is kept to a minimum, presumably with some help from an embedded lens profile. At the 12mm mark the lens provides some light barrel distortion, that disappears when the lens is zoomed in to the 25mm mark.
Autofocus Operation
The Olympus 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 M.Zuiko is very fast to autofocus, taking less than a second to go through its entire focusing range. The lens adopts the new MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) design, making it ideal for use in both still and video applications. The front element does not rotate when focusing, making life that much easier for polarizer users.
The lens offers a special macro focusing mode, which is accessible by pushing on the Macro button on the lens while pushing the zoom ring all the way forward. When in Macro mode the zoom is disabled and fixed to 43mm. The focus ring operates smoothly and is fly-by-wire; in this mode, the lens offers 0.36x magnification and a minimum close-focusing distance of 20cm, or 8 inches.
Build Quality and Handling
The Olympus 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 M.Zuiko is an all-plastic lens, quite long and skinny. The lens mounts well on the OM-D E-M5, and is available in a matte black finish. The plastic filter threads take 52mm filters, and the body mount is metal. There is no distance scale, depth-of-field scale or infrared index, however, when in E-Zoom mode the lens' focal length will display on the camera LCD. The lens offers a button marked L-Fn, which allows the user to assign a function to the button from the camera; this functionality is supported in the OM-D E-M5 camera, but we're not certain about other cameras.
The zoom ring is an inch and a quarter wide, plastic with alternating raised ribs sections that run lengthwise to the lens. The ring turns about 90 degrees through its range of focal lengths, and is quite easy to turn. There is no lens extension as the lens is zoomed out towards the tele end, thus, zoom creep isn't a factor with this lens. The lens features Olympus' new MSC technology, offering a very silent zoom operation which is very useful during movie capture.
As mentioned in the macro mode section, the zoom ring also moves forward and backward throughout three positions, which offer different functionality for the lens. In the rear position the lens offers standard mechanical zoom operation. If you push the zoom ring forward one position you are in E-zoom mode: This is the fly-by-wire zoom with two speeds, useful when you want to zoom smoothly while shooting video. If you push the zoom ring forward while holding down the MACRO button, you enter the dedicated Macro mode, where the lens is fixed to a zoom position of 43mm.
The focus ring is located at the end of the lens, an indented plastic ring that's 3/8-inch wide. The ring is a fly-by-wire design, controlling focus electronically, so there are no hard stops at either the infinity or close-focus ends. Given that focus is electronically controlled, you can assign the direction of focus to be either left or right. The front element doesn't turn during focusing operations.
Our sample didn't ship with the LH-55B lens hood, which is a rectangular-shaped, bayonet mounted model that appears to be able to reverse onto the lens for storage. The lens hood will run you $25.
Olympus 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ED SWD Zuiko Digital ~$1,000
With a MMF-series adapter, it's possible to mount regular Olympus four-thirds lenses on micro four-thirds bodies. This lens offers a significantly ''faster'' optic, in the sense that the maximum aperture at all zoom settings is at least a stop faster; on the E-510 camera body, the lens performed extremely well, offering very sharp results and great results for CA, corner shading and distortion. However it is double the price, larger and heavier, and does not offer the advanced zoom features found in the 12-50mm EZ.
Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH MEGA OIS LUMIX G VARIO ~$180
Much less expensive than the Olympus 12-50mm, the Panasonic 14-42mm is the kit lens to the Panasonic G2. Not as wide or tele as the Olympus 12-50mm, the Panasonic 14-42mm offers a similar range of apertures and offers almost as good (if not better, stopped down) performance for sharpness. In other test categories it's similar (except for CA performance at 12mm, where the Olympus is awful in the corners) but there is more technology packed into the Olympus.
As the kit lens for the OM-D E-M5, you couldn't really ask for more; the lens offers excellent results for sharpness, corner shading and distortion. The only sore point for the lens is the extraordinary chromatic aberration noted at the 12mm mark, but happily, it's really only noted in the extreme corners - it's very well-controlled in the central region of the frame, and in other focal lengths. And because image stabilization is present in the camera, taking movies with this lens is a pleasure, coupled with the advanced power zoom functionality.
Our senior editor Shawn Barnett discussed the lens in his review of the OM-D E-M5, which you can read here.
Product Photos
Sample Photos
The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.
As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and ƒ/8. For the ''VFA'' target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.
Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ M.Zuiko Digital ED
Your purchases support this site
Four Thirds - Black
Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ M.Zuiko Digital ED User Reviews
Great value, very versatile, good macro for a zoom.Slow at the long end.
This is a great little lens for the money. Readily available for under $300, I got mine as a kit lens with my first OM-D E-M5 and was expecting it to be crap after the reviews that I read.
reviewed March 19th, 2017
I think it is superior to the standard 14-42mm kit zoom in every way. The 12mm wide end is useful and the 50mm does the job in most circumstance despite the slow f/6.3 aperture.
Having weather resistance in such a low-cost lens is impressive and the macro setting makes a dedicated macro lens redundant for most people.
Light weight and reasonable build quality top off what is a great value lens for the photo hobbyist on a limited budget. -
Wethersealed. Cheap. Nice FL range. Fast AF.Not the best IQ. Corners are soft at all apertures. Lots of ca. Slow opening.
Tried so much to like this lense. But in the end the rather nice macro and FL range were not enough. Mediocre IQ at best. If you like the 24mm (eq) get the pana 12 32.
reviewed March 22nd, 2016 (purchased for $230) -
Versatile - does it all.Unspectacular - doesn't do anything very well
The power zoom and focal range make this a great video lens, and it also doubles as a decent macro lens too. Weather sealing is good but image quality for stills is a little disappointing and f/6.3 is just pitiful. So for stills, it doesn't satisfy me - thankfully, I have the 12-35 too.
reviewed April 11th, 2014 (purchased for $250)
I suppose it shouldn't matter, but think it is poorly proportioned - way too long and thin. They should have made it fatter and at worst f/5.6, and better f/4.5
It's very versatile but if you want a stills lens, look elsewhere or don't pay as much as me. -
Build quality, weather sealing, small sizeslow at long end
Build quality, weather sealing, small size
reviewed March 22nd, 2014 (purchased for $200) -
- sharp, low distortion, very flexible, good build quality, weather-sealed- quiet big (8 cm long), only f/3,5-6,3
The weather sealing and the build quality is excellent for this price. One of the best Kit-Lenses that I ever had!
reviewed March 24th, 2013 -
Macro Mode, fast AFcheap construction, only f:6,3, no IS, no Lens hood
small and handy but I am not used to the cheap-construction Level without lens hood
reviewed December 30th, 2012 (purchased for $300)
Optics are good with a bit to much CA.
Olympus can do much better. -
Useful 12mm wide end. Overall good sharpness. Macro function.A bit slow aperture
Compared to other kit lenses I've owned from other systems this is the best so far!
reviewed September 21st, 2012
Surely it doesn't match a prime lens for sharpness or shallow DOF, but what it does it does well.
Really find the macro function and 12mm wide end very useful.
Rating is only to be compared with other kit lenses. Not on the same scale as eg the Olympus 75/1.8 -
Small, light, weather sealed, wide, macro, internal zoom & focusslow tele aperture
The M.Zuiko Digital 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ kit lens was a bit of a surprise. I did not think that I needed this lens but I do like it.
reviewed August 9th, 2012
It is very small and light. It is also weather sealed like the camera and focuses very quickly. I like that the wide end is at 12mm. At f3.5 it is not that slow in aperture.
The implementing of the power zoom is well done.
The images are good. Stays on my camera a lot. Here in WA we get a lot of rain so this is a nice lens to have.
I also use the macro function quite often.
The lens did not come with a lens shade so I ordered one from a third party one. Come on Olympus, where is the shade? Thank you, Panasonic.
See my EM-5 review at: http://frugalfilmmakers.com/2012/07/10/i-could-not-resist-the-olympus-e-m5/


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"For his significant and wide ranging contributions in the areas of stellar evolution, element synthesis, the theory of core collapse and type Ia supernovae, and the interpretation of gamma-ray bursts - most notably, the collapsar model of gamma-ray bursts."
Background:BA in Physics Rice University 1966
PhD in Space Science - Rice University 1971 "The Explosive Burning of Oxygen and Silicon" advisor Don D. Clayton
Postdoc at Kellogg Radiation Laboratory, Cal Tech with Willy Fowler, 1972 - 1975
I worked with Willy on strictly nuclear physics issues related to the synthesis of heavy elements in stars. In particular, we calculated the set of nuclear reaction rates used for studies of nuclear energy generation and nucleosynthesis throughout the 1980's and most of the 90's.
Assistant Professor Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, UCSC - 1975 - 1978; Assoc Professor - 1978 - 1983; Professor 1983 - present
Chair same department 1983 - 1987; 1989 - 1991; 1998 - 2003
Research Description:
My research centers on nuclear astrophysics, stellar evolution, supernova models, and gamma-ray bursts. With Fowler, in the mid-70's I calculated the standard set of Hauser-Feshbach nuclear reaction rates used in astrophysics for over 25 years. With Taam, I proposed the thermonuclear model for Type I x-ray bursts and with Wallace, discovered and named the $rp$-process of nuclear flows that occurs there. With Weaver and now Heger, I have for two decades provided the standard set of presupernova models and nucleosynthetic yields from supernovae of all types. With Hoffman, I discovered the neutrino-wind model for the $r$-process and with Haxton, discovered and named the $\nu$-process of neutrino-induced nucleosynthesis. Contemporaneously with Khokhlov, I proposed the delayed detonation model for Type Ia supernovae. More recently, I have been working on multi-dimensional models for supernovae and gamma-ray bursts and invented the currently popular ``collapsar'' model (aka, the hypernova) for bursts.
Trevor C Weekes
Smithsonian Astrophys Observ
PO Box 97
Amado, AZ 85645-0097
Phone (520) 670-5726
Fax (520) 670-5739
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Other Committee Members:
Hamish Robertson (12/04)(DNP)
Wick Haxton ('04 winner)(12/04)
Arthur Champagne (v. chair)(12/05)(DNP)
Tony Mezzacappa (12/05)(DAP)


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Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492 and we celebrate him each year on Columbus Day. At least that is what all elementary school children were always taught: "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."Here is the problem, it's not really accurate.
Myth: Death Penalty Does Not Deter Crime
Columbus never did "discover" North America, and the regions he did explore were already inhabited. He only discovered them from the viewpoint of the Europeans. Yet his first voyage did prove one thing for sure, that the earth was not only round, but that it was bigger than he had thought.
One of the first known celebrations marking the discovery of the "New World" by Christopher Columbus was in 1792, when a ceremony organized by the Colombian Order was held in New York City honoring Christopher Columbus and the 300th anniversary of his landing in the Bahamas. Then, on October 12, 1866 the Italian population of New York organized the first celebration of the discovery of America. Three years later, in 1869 Italians in San Francisco celebrated October 12 calling it C-Day.
To mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage, in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison made a commemorative proclamation. But it was Colorado, in 1905, that became the first state to observe a Columbus Day. Since 1920 the day has been celebrated annually, and in 1937 President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed every October 12 as Columbus Day. That's where it remained until 1971 when Congress declared it a federal public holiday on the second Monday in October.
Columbus and 90 crewmen boarded the three ships that were to make the first voyage to the New World, the Niña, Pinta, and the flagship, Santa Maria. On October 12, 1492, Columbus first saw the islands of the new world, landing in the Bahamas. Later in the month, he would sail to Cuba, and to Hispaniola (now Haiti). He thought he had reached the East Indies, the islands off Southeast Asia.
On Christmas Day, 1492, the Santa Maria sank off Hispaniola. Columbus departed for Spain on January 16, 1493 on the Niña, arriving there on March 4.
Columbus made three additional voyages to the New World. The second voyage set sail in September, 1493, with 17 ships. During his expeditions, he helped to colonize Hispaniola, and discovered the South American mainland.
He did not, however, see mainland North America during any of his voyages.
Watch the video below for an understanding of Christopher Columbus:
Christopher Columbus Did Not Discover America was originally published on elev8.com


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It remains one of the greatest mysteries of medicine. Although autism will be diagnosed in more than 25,000 U.S. children this year, more than new pediatric cases of AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined, scientists and doctors still know very little about the neurological disorder.
Unlike childhood diabetes or pediatric leukemia, there is no blood test, no scan, no image that can detect autism. Diagnosis relies totally on behavioral observation and screening. And that's not easy.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, three distinctive behaviors characterize autism: lack of social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. But children with autism display these symptoms in many different ways, some as mild as avoiding eye contact, while others are totally immersed in a world of their own.
Dr. Gary Goldstein, president of Kennedy Krieger Institute, one of the leading U.S. facilities for autism research and treatment, says although doctors know more about autism than ever, plenty of questions remain unanswered. Over the past few years, it has become clear that genetics play a big role in the development of autism. But researchers believe something -- a trigger -- sets off autism in a child.
"It's a combination of being genetically vulnerable, and then having some kind of social or toxic exposure that tips you over," Goldstein says. If scientists find that trigger, they could find the missing piece of the autism puzzle. Read full article »
Val Willingham is a producer with CNN Medical News.
All About Autism • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


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After being picked number one overall in the Draft last year, Cam Newton threw for more yards than any rookie in the history of the National Football League. He is the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 4,000 yards and run for more than 500. He is the fastest to ever throw for 1000 yards; the first NFL player to throw and rush for five touchdowns in his first five games and if I listed all of his accomplishments here, you'd be asleep before you finished.
Newton began the season… and his career with back-to-back 400-yard games and then continued on to pass for 21 touchdowns and rush for 14 more. Unheard of. And it wasn't like he was throwing to future Hall-of-Fame wide receivers, either. With the exception of Steve Smith, the Carolina Panthers receiving corps was made up of a bunch of no-names.
Flash back to a year ago when Newton was being heavily-criticized coming out of Auburn. Pro Football Weekly described him like this: "Limited field vision — does not process the passing game… Very disingenuous — has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them… Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness — is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example… he always will test the rules, be difficult to manage and lacks the intangibles to win the trust of a locker room… Can provide an initial spark, but will quickly be dissected and contained by NFL defensive coordinators, struggle to sustain success and will not prove worthy of an early investment. An overhyped, high-risk, high-reward selection with a glaring bust factor, Newton is sure to be drafted more highly than he should."
The knocks on him were consistent: he wasn't a leader, and he could never earn the respect of his teammates. He definitely wouldn't be able to learn NFL pro offense.
A lot of the negativity swirling around Newton stemmed from the accusations that his father, Cecil Newton Sr., solicited money from Mississippi State University to have his son attend the school. But ultimately, Newton went to Auburn and the NCAA's investigation determined that Auburn hadn't paid anyone for him to go there—and that Newton had nothing to do with soliciting money.
He was cleared but no one forgot about it.
Yet despite the shadow of doubt that followed him, Newton won a national championship at Auburn and snagged the Heisman trophy. Amazingly, even that wasn't enough to shake the negative reports.
The big question is: what was it really about? The racism that all Black quarterbacks have faced since the beginning of the NFL? Or were teams trying to downplay Newtown's value with hopes of causing him to drop down in the Draft so that they could pick him up? A little bit of both? You decide, but racism was clearly a factor when Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers, interviewed Newton before drafting him.
The Panthers had the number one pick and the owner wanted to see what he was getting ahead of time. He asked Cam if he had any tattoos or piercings. Huh? Well when Newton responded, no, Richardson told him to keep it that way. He even told Newton not to grow out his hair. Ironic considering he signed the notorious, long-haired, tattooed and white Jeremy Shockey during the same offseason.
Once Newton got to North Carolina, he didn't get the press you would think a guy playing as well as he was, would get. Somehow all of the press coverage went to Tim Tebow. The pro-life, Christian quarterback who received great reports from those same scouts, but ultimately—even considering his playoff streak—couldn't throw. He couldn't grasp the offense either forcing the Broncos to dumb down their playbook for him. His bad performances were covered up by a great defense.
Cam Newton had no such cover. There was bad play all around in Carolina and his shining star was bright enough to lead the team to four more wins than they had last year.
With all of that, Newton, at 22-years-old still doesn't seem to have a grasp on how being Black affects him as a quarterback. When asked if much of the negativity surrounding him prior to the 2011 NFL Draft was fueled by race, he responded by throwing the blame on two Black quarterbacks that were not only in vastly different situations than he was, but faced the same racism that dogs him and every Black quarterback.
"I can't sit up here and look at it like, 'Oh man, my critics are racist,'" Newton said in an interview with ESPN. "I blame JaMarcus Russell and to some degree Vince Young. If you have the opportunity to make that kind of money doing something you love to do, why would you screw it up?"
Even if he wanted to say that racism had nothing to do with how he was treated, why throw two other Black QBs under the bus? Sigh. (Luckily, he will be around for a long while and that statement will eventually be forgotten.)
Newton has been described as a much bigger Michael Vick and who can argue? At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, his pinpoint accurate arm definitely mirrors Vick. He can throw on the run and he can run when the play is designed to throw. The difference is his size. He is as big as many of the linebackers that come after him. He can take a big hit and bounce back up smiling. And after his record-setting season, despite the baseless naysayers, that's exactly what Carolina fans are expecting him to do.
Chris Wilder is a Philadelphia and NY-based journalist who covers sports for the Associated Press and ESPNU.com. He also writes for Black America Web and Common Ground News Service. He is the former Editor in Chief of The Source Sports. Follow him on Twitter @chriswilder.


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By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
WASHINGTON – Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Ruggiero's heroic actions more than five years ago saved lives and earned him the first Purple Heart awarded to a Coast Guardsman since the Vietnam War.
Ruggiero entered the service May 1, 2000, not knowing what the future would hold for him. His father, who served in the U.S. Marines in Vietnam, also served in the federal government for nearly four decades before retiring.
"I always wanted to be a cop or something in law enforcement, especially back then, the Coast Guard wasn't really known for its law enforcement, and it has come a long way," Ruggiero said.
Ruggiero fulfilled those law enforcement goals, deploying overseas four times — three times to the Persian Gulf and once to the Mediterranean Sea — during his first four years while assigned to Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, also known as TACLET.
He recalled the fateful events of 2004 when he was attached to the TACLET's Law Enforcement Detachment team 403.
"We were deployed over to the Persian Gulf in late February, and were scheduled to stay until early June," he said. "On the morning of April 23, we deployed on a coastal Navy patrol craft called the USS Firebolt that was deployed to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 2004."
Firebolt and Ruggiero's detachment arrived in the northern Arabian Gulf on the morning of April 24. They were tasked with maintaining and establishing a security zone around the Khawr al Amaya Oil Terminal by cautioning and redirecting vessels, mostly local fishing boats called dhows, to remain two miles clear of the structure.
In the evening, the crew, comprising two Coast Guardsman and five Navy sailors, left the Firebolt on a rigid hull inflatable boat to conduct patrols around the terminal. "We were tasked that day, along with the Australian navy, to clear out the fishing dhows around the oil platform," he explained.
When they arrived at the oil terminal, they set up a two-mile security zone, passing out information pamphlets to dhows in a two-mile vicinity. They conducted a visit, board, search and seizure mission on board a 400-foot ship, but mostly interdicted dhows, Ruggiero said.
After securing these vessels, they were tasked to check out an incoming vessel on the other side of the terminal platform. This unidentified vessel was traveling on a course that would bring it too close to the oil terminal for comfort.
Something Wasn't Right
"We came around on the other side of the platform. This is where the significance of this came in. This boat was very different than the norm you would see over there," Ruggiero said.
The "norm," Ruggiero said, was a boat that was "nothing pretty to look at, that's all wood in construction with in-board engines." Ruggiero, who was serving his second tour in the Persian Gulf, was familiar with the fishing boats, and was immediately on guard when his crew approached the vessel.
"As we were approaching this vessel, I noticed that it looked brand new. It had a brand-new paint job, outboard engines, and no fishing gear on the deck whatsoever. All I could see was one person on deck," he said.
Ruggiero said the crew aboard a dhow typically will have five to 15 people, depending on the length of the vessel.
The vessel, maintaining a speed of about 20 knots, forced the crew to maintain a relatively safe distance of 10 to 15 feet from the vessel.
Ruggiero noted that the incoming vessel had outboard engines, unmarked, and possibly too small for the 30-foot vessel.
"The outboards were loud and putting out a very smoky exhaust," he recalled. "That was just one indicator that the boat was loaded with something heavy or the engines may have been too small, or unequipped for that size of a vessel."
In just 45 seconds, everything changed. As the crew pulled alongside the vessel, due to the language barrier, they used hand signals to gain the attention of the boat's driver and inform him to slow or stop. Instead, he sped away from the oil terminal, but then quickly returned, and moved toward the oil terminal at full speed.
"We then looped around the vessel to gain a better position," Ruggiero said. "We again tried to establish communications with the man on the vessel when he suddenly turned the boat very sharp and was heading directly toward us. [We] attempted to turn away from the vessel and opened up a distance of 15 to 20 feet when the vessel then exploded."
In the Face of Danger
"When the explosion happened, I was basically looking at the boat," he said. The blast capsized the boat, "throwing everyone into the water in all different directions."
"[I was later told by] my shipmates and other Navy sailors, as soon as the blast went off, they were about 150 yards from us; they didn't see anyone emerge from the water for at least a full minute," Ruggiero said.
Leaning on his prior service and training, "I first pulled my lanyard on my life jacket, when the only thing that happened was air escaping from it causing it not to inflate," he said. "I then tried to stop spinning in the water," which was caused by forcefully being thrown into the water. Ruggiero knew he needed to let his natural buoyancy take over to help him reach the surface.
When he reached the surface, he looked around, attempting to gain his bearings, and saw that his boat was capsized. His first instinct was to search for the remaining crew.
While looking for his fellow crew members and dodging the falling debris, he realized his lifejacket was in shreds.
"As I was turning around in the water trying to see if anything or anyone was around me, my hand hit the hose to my camel pack, which is normally used to hold drinking water," Ruggiero said. "But knowing I drank most of the water early in the day I blew air into the hose, which inflated the blater resulting in it becoming a modified flotation device."
Despite being wounded in the explosion — his eardrums appeared to be ruptured, his right arm was wounded and face was bleeding and swollen from the blast — Ruggiero remained calm. He needed to help his fellow crew members.
The first person Ruggiero found after coming to the surface was Coast Guardsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal. "The back of his head was hit many times," he recalled, and Bruckenthal was falling in and out of consciousness.
While swimming with Bruckenthal on his chest, Ruggiero then saw the coxswain, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class A.R. Daley, whose arm was badly injured. After swimming with Bruckenthal and locating Daley alongside the boat, his first intention was to take them both toward the Firebolt.
Before doing so, he scanned the surroundings and found Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael J. Pernaselli floating face down 50 yards away. Pernaselli was the leading boatswain's mate and a machine-gun operator on board the Firebolt. Ruggiero secured Bruckenthal and Daley on the boat and swam toward Pernaselli. With the current's strength of eight knots, Ruggiero swiftly reached Pernaselli's location. However, once there, he discovered Pernaselli was dead on impact.
"Right then and there I realized that we only worked with this Navy group not even a day, we really didn't know anyone personally. The only person that I knew was Mike Pernaselli," he said.
On instinct, without regard to his personal injuries, Ruggiero started to tow Pernaselli's body against the current that had aided him swiftly through the water nearly five minutes earlier. After swimming against the current and fighting to see and breathe through the rotor wash from the helicopter above for nearly 20 minutes, he arrived at the capsized boat.
The helicopter was barely 15 feet above him and was involved in trying to help Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher E. Watts by lowering a cable to pull him out of the water.
As three other crew members were being rescued, including Bruckenthal and Daley, Ruggiero waited aboard the capsized boat trying to regain his breath. "I straddled the keel of the capsized [boat] and pulled Mike's body across my legs," he said.
"I later re-entered the water from the capsized [boat] with Mike's body and started swimming back towards the Firebolt where I was assisted by two shipmates, who jumped into the water from the Firebolt. The three of us, while pulling Mike's body, eventually made it close enough to the Firebolt where we were given a line and pulled in towards the ship," Ruggiero said.
He later learned that his team member's actions that day prevented a large-scale attack that would have caused severe damage to the oil pipeline or destruction of the offshore oil terminals.
In the explosion, Ruggiero's fellow Coast Guardsman, Bruckenthal, and two sailors, Pernaselli and Watts, were killed, and four others wounded.
"We are all indebted to the boatcrew involved that fateful day, for they put others before themselves," said Captain Gail Kulisch, acting commander for the Deployable Operations Group, the Coast Guard command responsible for overseeing tactical law enforcement teams. "BM1 Ruggiero's heroic attempts to save the crew and his actions epitomize our service's core values."
A Salute to Heroes
Ruggiero was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while defending the terminal, and the Bronze Star with a Combat "V" for Valor for his rescue efforts. Ruggiero's shipmate team member and friend, Bruckenthal, was posthumously given the same awards.
"I returned to the Persian Gulf by choice about a year and a half after the attack," Ruggiero said. "I conducted missions around the oil terminals and actually lived on one of the terminals for about two weeks training Iraqi marines on how to conduct boardings."
Today, Ruggiero still deals with lingering effects from the explosion. He said that for nearly a year and a half after the explosion his biggest concern was difficulty hearing and bleeding from his ears. He currently is having dental work completed to realign his jaw.
Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.


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In 2014, the Roseville Police Department sent a letter to all fuel retailers outlining policy updates and new procedures for reporting gas drive-offs.The Gas Drive-off Report (PDF) is for businesses that wish to file a police report involving a gas drive-off with the Roseville Police Department. Please fill out all of the required fields before submitting the form.
The Department understands this type of call is both civil as well as criminal and encourages retailers to report no-pay losses to local trade association services for civil recovery or demand customers pay before they fuel.
If a retailer opts to criminally prosecute the customer who fails to pay, the following criteria must be met before an officer will respond and investigate:
1) The retailer must provide an accurate description of the suspect auto and license plate number.
2) The retailer must provide video/digital imaging of sufficient quality capturing the suspect vehicle's license plate registration and the suspect dispensing fuel.
3) The retailer must complete above listed Gas Drive-off Report.
4) The retailer must complete a copy of a Notice and Demand of Payment for Motor Fuel along with a copy of the certified mail receipt showing the 30-day waiting period has passed without payment.
5) The total fuel loss must exceed $50.
Without providing the above information, police investigative follow-up and criminal prosecution is nearly impossible.
Continue to report drive-offs as they occur by calling 9-1-1. All calls are prioritized depending on the situation. When possible, officers will check the area in an attempt to locate and stop the offender and have them return for payment.
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Shana and I had planned to have Christmas dinner with friends and go to a movie after calling on various family members, but with 14 inches of drifting snow on the ground we rescheduled our dinner for Saturday night and spent Christmas Day snugged up at home. I had a big bowl of chicken soup for my Christmas Dinner and went to bed early. Just as well, as my cold bloomed into a full on snot fest that I would not have liked to share with everyone.
Saturday night we had our festive dinner with friends and slid on out to see Sherlock Holmes which we we all thoroughly enjoyed. I'm hoping to get out today to deliver my cookies so I don't eat up a lifetime supply all by myself. Tomorrow I'll be back at the coal mine, but today I hope to spend mainly knitting, reading, and watching movies at home.


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24-Hour Party People
Scenes from a tax day tea party protest
Yesterday I waded into a mass of tea party protesters gathered at the front of Colorado's Capitol and completely forgot to brace myself for a "small-scale mimicry of Kristallnacht" (as New York Times columnist Frank Rich once characterized these events).
As it turns out, earlier I happened to peruse a new CBS/New York Times poll detailing the attitudes of tea party activists, who, it turns out, are more educated than the average American, more reflective of mainstream anxieties than any populist movement in memory, and more closely aligned philosophically with the wider electorate than any big-city newsroom in America.
What seemed to be the biggest news derived from the poll nationally? A plurality of tea party activists do not deem Sarah Palin qualified for the presidency—proving, I suppose, that some people have the ability to be exceptionally fond of a political celebrity without elevating her to sainthood.
More significantly, the polling showed that most tea party activists believe the taxes they pay are "fair." The largest number of them want their movement to work to reduce the size of government rather than focus on cutting budget deficits or lowering taxes. Whether you concur or not with this viewpoint, it exhibits more economic sophistication than we often hear from pandering senatorial candidates.
It was news that tea party activists—unlike our president or most senators—send their children to public schools. (With a public monopoly in place, where else are they expected to send their children?) The majority of them also deem Social Security and Medicare worthy taxpayer burdens, putting a crimp in the left-wing mythology that the anarchist mob is about to explode.
And though tea party supporters are more conservative than the average voter on social issues, as well—particularly abortion, according to a separate Gallup Poll—The New York Times reports that 8 in 10 tea party activists believe the movement should focus on economic issues rather than cultural ones.
How long have we been hearing from moderate, sensible, worldly Republican types that if only—if only—the right found God on economic issues and lost God on the social ones, there would be an expansion of appeal and support? Apparently, they were right.
Now, I won't allege to have observed any sweeping displays of multiculturalism at the tea party shindig I attended (though without question, it featured more diversity than my own cloistered rock-ribbed lefty neighborhood). According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, tea party "supporters skew right politically; but demographically, they are generally representative of the public at large."
More specifically, the economic strata in which the tea party movement resides will bear the brunt of Washington's economic reorganization, namely the middle class. The majority of Americans are middle-class, and their concerns (the economy, job creation, etc.) more closely mirror the tea party than Washington's progressive agenda (the environment, entitlements, etc.).
Naturally, the hyperventilating and demonization of these crackpots who carry around copies of the Constitution and babble about the 10th Amendment will continue unabated. It is, perhaps, as much a matter of a cultural divergence as it is an ideological disagreement. Yet, once again, the evidence demonstrates that by the very definition of the word, the tea party is less "radical" than are the elected officials busy transforming the nation.
Or, as one sign succinctly put it: "There are no crazies here. They are all in Washington, D.C."
Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say there were "no crazies" there, but I can tell you every word on the sign was spelled correctly.
David Harsanyi is a columnist at The Denver Post and the author of Nanny State. Visit his Web site at www.DavidHarsanyi.com.


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I was watching 12 Angry Men, which was made in 1957; and they show this floor plan of an apartment:
My main question is, what's the opening in the wall between the hallway and the main room? It looks like it ought to be a door, but it's shown using a window symbol. Why?
(Edit: I didn't emphasize enough - that opening really, really ought to be a door. If it's not, then I want to know why an apartment would be designed with the front door opening into the bedroom.)
(This is shown as an exhibit in a murder case, and they spend a fair amount of time discussing how long it would take a man to get from the bed in the upper right to the front door in the lower left. They all assume that he uses the bedroom door in the lower right and runs all the way down the hall. Going through the living room would involve more doors but be a straighter line, but no one mentions the possibility. Normally I'd attribute that to lazy writing, but with the way it's drawn it made me wonder.)
I'm also curious about two other things:
1) The double wall between the bedroom and the living room. I guess the space in between is used as closets, but they would be very oddly shaped; about 5' deep and 3' wide. That would be very difficult to use - a normal closet is about 2' deep, while a walk-in closet needs to be at least 4.5' wide. A more normal design, today at least, would be to make the closets open into the bedroom.
2) Why the hallway extends all the way to the right. It's not providing access to anything but the man's bedroom (ie there aren't any other apartments), so why wouldn't the bedroom go down all the way to the bottom wall? It'd be four feet wider that way, and could still open into the hallway.
The answers to those two questions could be structural. You can see I've already done a fair amount of speculating here - I'm hoping someone who knows something about midcentury architecture can give me a more definitive answer, especially about the mystery opening in the living room.
(Edit: So, one of two questions has to be answered:
- Why is a door drawn as a window? I don't buy plain blundering, because even someone who doesn't know anything about architecture could tell the difference between the door and window symbols.
- OR why would anyone, ever, design an apartment with the front door opening into the bedroom? Such a bizarre layout would reduce the amount of rent you could charge by so much that the trivial cost of turning the hallway window into a door would pay for itself within a couple of months.)


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DC Appeals Court Rejects CIA's Secrecy Claims in ACLU's Targeted Killing FOIA Lawsuit
Court Rules that CIA Cannot Deny "Interest" in Drone Program
March 15, 2013
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; email@example.com
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court ruled today that the Central Intelligence Agency cannot deny its "intelligence interest" in the targeted killing program and refuse to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests about the program while officials continue to make public statements about it.
"This is an important victory. It requires the government to retire the absurd claim that the CIA's interest in the targeted killing program is a secret, and it will make it more difficult for the government to deflect questions about the program's scope and legal basis," said ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer, who argued the case before a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Appeals Court in September. "It also means that the CIA will have to explain what records it is withholding, and on what grounds it is withholding them."
The ACLU's FOIA request, filed in January 2010, seeks to learn when, where, and against whom drone strikes can be authorized, and how and whether the U.S. ensures compliance with international law restricting extrajudicial killings. In September 2011, the district court granted the government's request to dismiss the case, accepting the CIA's argument that it could not release any documents because even acknowledging the existence of the program would harm national security. The ACLU filed its appeal brief in the case exactly one year ago, and today the appeals court reversed the lower court's ruling in a 3-0 vote.
"We hope that this ruling will encourage the Obama administration to fundamentally reconsider the secrecy surrounding the targeted killing program," Jaffer said. "The program has already been responsible for the deaths of more than 4,000 people in an unknown number of countries. The public surely has a right to know who the government is killing, and why, and in which countries, and on whose orders. The Obama administration, which has repeatedly acknowledged the importance of government transparency, should give the public the information it needs in order to fully evaluate the wisdom and lawfulness of the government's policies."
Today's ruling is at: aclu.org/national-security/drone-foia-appeals-court-ruling
More information on the lawsuit is at: aclu.org/national-security/predator-drone-foia
Information on the ACLU's other targeted killing cases is at: aclu.org/national-security/targeted-killings
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Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.


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A Nursery, Rocking Horse Design, Sterling Silver photo frame made in our workshop in the UK. Made from .925 silver and Hallmarked in the UK.
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Every monday at 20.00h Stockholm time
NF Waters #13
Välkommen till en ny vattnig vecka. Glöm inte att snö bara är fruset vatten. :)
Welcome to a new edition of NF Waters. If you don´t have liquid water, snow is good too.
Click to enlarge
From the archives, NF Photo 090912, Maren, Södertälje
. My entry is HERE today. You are always welcome to visit NatureFootstep. :)
The rules are simpel enough. Post a watery shot at your blog and ad your permalink in the Linky list below. Then link back to this site.
What is permalink? It is the link that takes you direct to your watery post. That is a courtesy to your visitors, they need not search for your post. The list will be open Monday to Sunday.
Labels: NatureFootstep, nfphoto, foto, photography, natur, naturfoto, nature, fotoutmaning, photo challenge, photo meme, Bildverkstan, photo manipulation, photo shop, art, konst, sweden, sverige, Monica Johansson, NF Macro, NF Flowers,NF Winged editing, NF Waters, NF Memes


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Click here to download tracks from
"Beautiful Mystery" – for free!
The journey of singer-songwriter Zacharia is filled with twists and turns and stunning surprises.
Born in Toronto, Zach was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as "Burkitts Lymphoma" at the age of 11. While enduring six months of intense chemotherapy, Zach was visited by the Starlight Foundation, which offered him one wish for anything he desired. To the surprise of everyone, Zach asked for a guitar, amp and lessons. "My sister was probably hoping I'd ask for a Disney cruise," says Zach.
Eli and Zack |
Flash forward 15 years to 2009. Zach had been on a spiritual journey which led him to Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem. One day he was attending a presentation by New York musician/producer Eli Schwebel. "I was talking and playing some songs, and one of the students – Zach – asked if he could use my guitar for a minute," Schwebel recalls. "He started to play the most incredible song, with a beautiful voice and an amazing soulful style. I was blown away and I asked him, 'Whose song is that?' He looked up and I said, 'It's my song. It's called Beautiful Mystery'."
Schwebel sprung into action and booked a recording studio for the next day. In the course of the next two years, criss-crossing two continents and three countries, Zach wrote and recorded the 12 tracks encompassing his debut album, aptly titled "Beautiful Mystery."
Zach's style is intimate, reminiscent of James Taylor, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Though his inspiration often comes from classical Jewish sources, the themes are universal.
"The typical partying themes are really boring for me," says Zach. "With everything I've been through in life, and with the deeper thinking that Torah study has provided, my songs are more introspective."
Like poetry, Zach's lyrics are open to interpretation and can apply the message to your own situation in life. "I enjoy word plays, and using subtle devices to describe a mood," he says. "My music is for people who want to grow."
Coming full circle, Zach is now releasing the album under the sponsorship of the same organizations that set him on this course: the Starlight Foundation and Aish HaTorah.
"Aish took me beyond the surface of Jewish ritual and gave me the opportunity to taste the full beauty and power of Judaism. And even more, they gave me the support and space I needed to set my own pace and make my own choice."
This year marks another milestone in Zach's young life: Now 16 years cancer free, he will be getting married in June to a young woman he met at Aish Toronto.
Click here to download tracks from "Beautiful Mystery" – for free!
[HT: Aish.com]


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When word first hit our newspaper office that a large power outage had hit the eastern side of the Coachella Valley, sometime around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, my first thought was of my cat.
If my house in Indio, about 18 miles from our Palm Springs office, was hit by the outage, the temperature in the house would begin to soar quickly. And the cat, 20 years old and accustomed to air conditioning, ceiling fans, and plenty of water during the day, could be in some trouble. I checked the Internet for a quick temperature read, and it was 112 degrees in Palm Springs and 115 degrees in Indio. That's about 10 degrees above average for this time of year and not exactly the best day for a power outage to knock out air conditioning.
But because it's a dry heat, the website cheerfully informed me, it only felt like 109 outside.
At first it seemed like the outage was nothing more than the typical outage that can hit the Palm Springs desert when temperatures reach 110 or higher, and the desert's thirst for electricity overwhelms the equipment of local power companies. After all, the outages were mostly in the eastern end of the valley, where Imperial Irrigation District rules the desert, not the western end, where Edison supplies power. Because outages are common, the usually civic precautions were put into place. Senior centers, with backup generators, were opened as cool stations for those without electricity. For those with Twitter capability on their cellphones, one local casino resort in Indio tweeted that they had generators, food, cold beverages, and big-screen televisions to watch the opening game of the NFL season.
Then came the stories of outages spreading to San Diego, western Arizona and even northern Mexico. And there was word that power could be out until Friday, making for a long, hot, and dark evening in the desert. My cat would not be pleased.
Leaving the office as early as I could, I made it home in bright daylight at 5:35 p.m. through a maze of stop lights, half of which seemed to work and the other half either blinking red or just out entirely. Some lines were forming at gas stations that had no power for their pumps. Traffic at one off ramp of Interstate 10, the main artery from Los Angeles to Phoenix which cuts through the desert, was backed up about half a mile onto the freeway because the traffic light was out.
I was greeted at home by a garage door opener that didn't work and a cat that seemed to sense something was up besides the temperature. I was also greeted with no air conditioning, no ceiling fans, and temperatures inside my house already climbing above 90 degrees.
Always in fear that an earthquake (aka the Big One) might hit at any second (my house is about a mile and a half from the San Andreas Fault), many desert residents own flashlights and are stocked with extra batteries for emergencies. I put those into play for lights and a radio, knowing I'd have to restock my supplies later in the week. But the power outage is better than the Big One any day.
As it turned out, I was one of the lucky ones. Somehow power in my housing development was restored about an hour after I came home. After resetting the time on microwaves and alarm clocks and putting lots of ice in the water dish for the cat, I went out exploring.
Just one mile from my house, on the south side of Avenue 42 in Indio, there was no power at all. Employees were milling around the entrances of grocery stores and home improvement stores, turning away customers who didn't have batteries or candles at home. But just across the street, on the north side of Avenue 42, the lights blazed at Indio Golf Course, the desert's only lighted course for nighttime play. And there were people teeing off, even as the temperatures still hovered at about 105 degrees.
In a Walgreens store on the north side of the street, a line was developing with people looking for bags of ice, plastic ice chests, and ice cream. The clerk said she expected to be busy all night, but she was just glad the store could be there for people in need. As I left, another man walked in saying, "Do you all have any ice?" One man told me he had just stopped by to get something to drink, but that he and his dog were going to cruise around the desert in his air-conditioned car until it was safe to go back home.
We heard that a rare Thursday night high school football game at Desert Mirage High School in Thermal, another small town in the agricultural east end of the desert, had been cancelled because stadium lights might not work. In fact, several schools in the Coachella Unified School District cancelled classes for Friday well before officials knew if they would have power restored by then.
By 9 p.m., with only small areas of the affected area getting power back, police were telling people without power to head to the casinos. Emergency room lobbies at hospitals with backup power were also being advertised as cool stations. Those places were getting plenty of action on one of the hottest nights of the year.
I received a call from a friend who lives in La Quinta, about 10 miles from my house, who had no power at her house. She had packed up her long-haired Chihuahua and headed to the west end of the desert, where her mother had power in her mobile home. She was lamenting how the desert, with about half a million full-time residents just two hours east of Los Angeles, is so totally reliant on power for our very existence in the summer. She was also worried that an entire pork shoulder she had just bought might go bad in her unpowered freezer.
The good news for those still without power into Friday morning is that a cooling trend is expected. The temperature should reach a high of only 105 degrees by midday.


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News » sales
It's your last chance! Workshop's Trunk Sale ends at 7 tonight.
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Workshop's Spring Trunk Sale ends at 7 tonight! It's your last chance to shop the Spring Trunk Sale at Workshop! After today, we'll be packing up the remaining Trunk Sale...
Trunk Sale starts TODAY! Join us for the launch party tonight!
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You've waited...and waited...and finally, it's here! Our annual Spring Trunk Sale starts today! And now's your chance to snap up some oh-so-wonderful Canadian-made wardrobe staples at rock-bottom prices! We have...
Showing items 1-2 of 2.


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Network: NBC
Episodes: 22 (half-hour)
Seasons: One
TV show dates: September 23, 2010 — May 12, 2011
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Ben Rappaport, Anisha Nagarajan, Diedrich Bader, Parvesh Cheena, Pippa Black, Rebecca Hazelwood, Rizwan Manji, and Sacha Dhawan.
TV show description:
This workplace sitcom revolves around a catalog-based company that sells American novelty goods (including whoopee cushions, foam fingers, and wallets made of bacon) and whose call center has suddenly been outsourced to India.
After completing Mid America Novelties' manager training program, top salesman Todd Dempsy (Ben Rappaport) is reassigned to India to act as the manager of the company's call center. Having never ventured out of the country, Todd is unprepared for the culture shock. Overwhelmed, he discovers that his new staff needs a crash course in how to think, speak, and breathe American. He wants them to fully understand the unique product line so they can ramp up sales from halfway around the world.
Todd inherits a sales team that includes socially-awkward Gupta (Parvesh Cheena); Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan), a young romantic who is enamored with America; Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood), a smart and striking woman who's intrigued by Todd; Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan), who's extremely shy but finds her voice through her work; and Rajiv Gidwani (Rizwan Manji), the assistant manager who wants Todd's job.
Todd also discovers that there are other transplants who work in his office building. Charlie Davies (Diedrich Bader) runs the All-American Hunter call center and has no interest in assimilating. He even has junk food shipped from home. Tonya (Pippa Black) is a beautiful Australian who runs the call center for Koala Air and catches Todd's eye.
Episode 22 — Rajiv Ties the Baraat, Part 2
Rajiv's bachelor party is starting to get interesting: a transvestite stripper is dancing, Charlie's serving breast-shaped Jell-O shots, Rajiv is tied to his chair and Pinky has just arrived with a blow-up doll wearing pasties. But suddenly Vimi and her father burst in, appalled by what they see. Rajiv tries to explain that it's just a silly American custom, but they storm off. Rajiv is a wreck, but his pals refuse to slow down. Manmeet shows up and announces he's had a wild night of sex and is now in love with Ashlynn.
Madhuri and Ajeet walk on the beach at night. Madhuri tells Ajeet that she read his note and reveals she has feelings for him too. Ajeet wants to pursue her, but Madhuri must discuss the matter with her family.
The next morning, the wedding preparations are in full swing. A smitten Manmeet brings Ashlynn to one of the wedding tents where the ladies are being pampered in preparation for the festivities ahead. After he leaves, Ashlynn shares some girl talk with Asha and Madhuri. Ashlynn explains that she's been having fun with Manmeet, but now she's ready to see the countryside – without Manmeet. Apparently, he was only part of her itinerary.
The father of the bride argues with the proprietor of the wedding facility. Given Rajiv's reckless pre-wedding behavior, Vimi's father wants to call the wedding off; he insists that the meal and everything else be cancelled. Todd intervenes. He explains to Vimi's father that the bachelor party was his idea and that the wedding should continue.
A very hungover Gupta stumbles down the beach with Charlie. They encounter a brilliant white horse; it's the steed that Rajiv is to make his wedding entrance upon. They serenade the horse – which promptly bolts off down the beach.
Rajiv finds a contemplative Vimi on the beach. He apologizes profusely and implores her to continue with their wedding plans. She forgives him, explaining that they've both done things they're not proud of. Rajiv's mind begins to race: is his Vimi not quite as pure as he thought? She skirts the question. Distraught, Rajiv seeks out Todd. Should he go through with the ceremony? Todd counsels him that he should.
Manmeet excitedly shows Asha and Madhuri a family heirloom necklace he intends to give to Ashlynn. The girls look at each other with concern. Asha disappears, leaving it to Madhuri to break the news to their coworker that Ashlynn may not be quite as in love with him as Manmeet is with her.
A perturbed Asha complains to Todd about her betrothed: he's not going to show up to the wedding. She wonders if she's being taken for granted even before she's married. Todd explains that any man who would take her for granted is a fool. She smiles.
Gupta and Charlie can't find the bridal horse that they spooked. They pursue the next best option: coaxing an elephant into the job.
Rajiv still has doubts. Todd tries to console him and points out that even though she may not be a virgin, Vimi has many fine qualities. Rajiv comes around. The wedding is on!
Astride the elephant, Rajiv rides down the beach, followed by a dancing procession of friends and family. He and his beloved Vimi complete the various ceremonies; the wedding is traditional, joyous and beautiful. A raucous reception follows. A dejected Manmeet realizes that Ashlynn is not the one, and there's a hint that perhaps Asha may be feeling the same way about her betrothed — much to Todd's delight.
First aired: May 12, 2011.


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Joint FAO/WFP/Oxfam statement
From mega-emergencies, such as the earthquake in Haiti or the floods in Pakistan, to headline-grabbing humanitarian crises, such as the conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire or Libya, the international community has stepped up to help those impacted by disaster and tragedy over the last few years.
Unfortunately, "slow-onset" humanitarian crises, such as the worsening drought in the Horn in Africa, have not received the same attention, leaving millions of women, men and children vulnerable to devastating hunger and malnutrition.
Rather than waiting for a full-blown, life-threatening disaster, that will cost exponentially more in loss of lives, livelihoods and humanitarian interventions, we must act now to save those already suffering from hunger and malnutrition as we build resiliency and food security in the region.
Unfortunately, we are already behind the curve, having lost a narrow window of opportunity to begin building upon food security gains in the Horn of Africa following several seasons of successful rains and harvests that had reduced the number of hungry people.
Today, countries in the region are confronted with the failure of the short rains in late 2010 and negative trends that threaten the long rainy season in 2011. These conditions have already increased the number of severely food insecure people. The number of those requiring emergency assistance has grown from 6.3 million in early 2011 to 10 million today – a 40 percent increase – in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda (Karamoja region). The majority of the newly affected people are reported to be in Kenya (1.2 million). In addition, the number of Somali refugees in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia has reached the unprecedented figure of about 517,000 people.
The good news is that we know what to do. In 2010, the humanitarian community created an Action Plan to address the root causes of food insecurity to bring resiliency to a region that has suffered from protracted crises for nearly three decades. This plan calls for a partnership between countries, humanitarian organizations and the development assistance community to link long-term development efforts with humanitarian assistance to build food security.
It is critical that we build household resilience, protect productive assets, reduce the scale of emergency assistance and put in place measures to avoid a similar crisis when rain inevitably fails in the future.
To ensure that complacency does not drive destiny in this region we therefore call for:
• Emergency and Sustainable Food Assistance - Full funding of emergency requirements to stop the current hunger and malnutrition from accelerating and support of safety net programs, such as school feeding and local purchase and P4P initiatives.
• Small farmer support - Immediate support to national food security plans to ensure that countries support the poorest farmers with essential assistance such as tools, seeds, fertilizers, food-based nutrition and the knowledge needed to boost agricultural production and sustain rural livelihoods.
• Proactive policy and risk reduction and investment - Supporting policies and investments that address core challenges such as climate change adaptation, preparedness and disaster risk reduction and management, rural livelihoods, productive infrastructure, production and marketing, institutions and governance, conflict resolution, pastoralist issues and access to essential health and education.
These efforts need to build upon national and regional frameworks and strategies, especially the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme led by the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Regional organizations will be crucial for mobilizing concerted action against threats to food and nutrition security. The African Union and the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development, in particular, have an important role to play.
We recognize that emergencies in the Horn of Africa will not be stopped tomorrow. But we must seize the opportunity to break the chronic cycle of food insecurity and make sure that this is the last generation to be robbed of a future through the scourge of hunger and malnutrition.
We call on the international community to extend all the necessary political, moral and financial means required to comprehensively address the worsening crisis now affecting the Horn of Africa as we help nations in the region build a food secure destiny.
Jacques Diouf Josette Sheeran Barbara Stocking
Director-General Executive Director Chief Executive
FAO WFP Oxfam GB
Read more
Oxfam's humanitarian response to the East Africa food crisis


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The National Restaurant Association is now accepting applications for the 2014 FABI Awards. The FABI Awards program recognizes and celebrates food and beverage manufacturers who advance the industry through innovation in ingredients, preparation, processing, and/or packaging. An independent panel of expert judges will select the Award recipients, which will be showcased at NRA Show 2014, taking place May 17-20 at Chicago's McCormick Place.
"Successful operators continually seek and adopt new products that reflect consumer trends, are highly marketable, and can add incremental value and benefits to their operations," says Mary Pat Heftman, executive vice president, convention and strategic alliances, NRA. "The FABI Awards were created to identify emerging products that operators can use to enhance their business."
"We are looking for trailblazing products that will help drive customer satisfaction and profitability for restaurants," says John Li, senior vice president, research and development, Bloomin' Brands Inc. and FABI Awards judge. "I have seen how introducing a FABI Award can contribute to improving operators' businesses. That is why it is so important to bring these cutting-edge innovations to the forefront of the industry."
The deadline to apply for the 2014 FABI Awards is January 10, 2014. To be considered, all food and beverage products (new food or beverage product can include the packaging or delivery system) must be introduced in the U.S. foodservice marketplace between January 1, 2013 and May 17, 2014. The innovative product must meet four criteria:
· Unique with meaningful differentiation
· Superior to directly competing products
· Documentation for claims made and proof of performance
· Deliver significant benefit(s) to targeted operators as judged by the panel
All applications are judged by an independent panel of experts, representing both commercial and non-commercial industry segments, including Carlyn Berghoff (CEO, Berghoff Catering and Restaurant Group), John Li (senior vice president, research and development, Bloomin' Brands Inc.), Jeff McClure (director of culinary services, Sodexo Education Market), Deborah McDaniel (senior director, product innovation and development, McDonald's USA), Mary Angela Miller (administrative director, Ohio State WexnerUniversity Medical Center), Brad Nelson (vice president and corporate chef, Marriott International), Linda Sceurman (national director of nutrition and menu development, ARAMARK Education), William J. Spencer (chief, Air Force appropriated fund food and beverage operations), Brian Wilson (senior culinary development chef, Bob Evans Farms Inc.) and Ed Wronski, (director, culinary and concept development, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts).
The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice, and lodging professionals. NRA Show 2014 will be held May 17-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and the 2014 International Wine, Spirits, and Beer Event held in conjunction with the NRA Show will take place May 18-19. The events attract 62,000+ attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and the event showcases the latest products, services, innovative ideas, up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues, and more growth opportunities than any other industry event.


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A British sailor survived 90 minutes in the freezing Pacific Ocean after he fell overboard Monday while sailing from China to California in the Clipper Round the World Race.
Andrew Taylor, 46, of London, was being treated for severe shock and possible hypothermia and said he endured "horrible" hailstones during the rescue mission on the high seas, NBC News reported.
"I didn't know if you were looking for me or not – didn't know if you'd seen me," he told crew members in footage posted to YouTube. "You just got further and further away."
Taylor was on the tenth leg of the race from Qingdao, China to San Francisco when he landed in the freezing seas.
Derry Londonderry Doire's skipper credits three things with the successful rescue: Taylor's dry suit, his personal locator beacon and the training of the crew.
According to the race website, Clipper Race organizers reminded sailors to take a moment to clip on and check the connection.
"Human life is far too precious to be thrown away by a moment's forgetfulness," wrote race chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.
Sailing races by nature are inherently dangerous.
British-born Andrew "Bart" Simpson died in May 2013 while training for the America's Cup in San Francisco. Simpson's catamaran, "Big Red," took a "nosedive" catching Simpson under the water for about 10 minutes.
In March 2013, a San Diego man died while competing in the Southern California Islands Race. Silver Gate Yacht Club member Craig Williams was found unresponsive in the water after the 30-foot sailboat was ripped apart by rocks and waves in an 8-foot surf.
In April 2012, a sailboat taking part in a race from Newport, Calif. to Ensenada, Mexico, disappeared from the online race tracking system. Four people died when The Aegean struck North Coronado Island.


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