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Setting up a Proftp server
Sponsored Link
1. sudo apt-get install proftpd gproftpd. This will install all the necessary config files for proftp along with the GUI (gui being gproftpd)
2. Once install check to see if the server is running by using pgrep proftpd. If you do not see a PID than start it by typing /etc/init.d/proftpd start or status to see if again, the process is running.
Configuring Server
1. Once installed proftp will be under a new category of programs called system tools. Go to system tool -> GA-ADMIN PROFTP
2. There are several tabs that gui provides in editing your FTP settings: they are server, users, transfers, discs, files, secuirty, and configuration
Server- name your server to your liking. Use your private IP address in the address field. Issuing an ifconfig at the cmd line will bring you your private IP.By default the server is set to an idle time of 120 seconds so adjust time if you wish to.
Users- this is where you will create all users that are allowed to your ftp site. You can create user accounts with annoymous access by unchecking the required password box. The users section is where you will disignate directories/drives for remote users to access as well.
Transfers- Will show you files that where transfered between remote pc and server
Discs- Displays directories that are avaliable to share along with how much space is currently avaliable in those directories
Files- shows stastics about what was download by the user
Security- Gives a log file view of who was last logged on the ftp server
Configuration- If for whatever reason that your settings that you edited do not adjust you can change them here. Its easier to read by editing it here than terminal its a little cleaner and easier to see where and what you are editing
Home Router settings
Next, we are going to have to open up some ports on your router. Most newer routers they use port forwarding and with the older ones like my d-link router we create a new virtual server
1. In your web browser go to the you gateway address which would be somthing like 192.168.0.1 or verify it by using ifconfig
2. The port that you want to open is port 21 or if you feel you will be vulnerable to attacks use 2121 or something along those lines
3. For the IP address of your sever it will be your private IP address
4. Save settings
Connecting to ftp server
1. Using a client such as filezilla which is free of charge or if you are an intermediate-advance user use the command line. This is how we are going to connect to the ftp server
2. Find out Your public IP address using IPchicken.com. Once there it will display your public IP
3. You will use the public IP address to access you site along with a username, password, and port number. If everything is setup correctly you will be able to upload and download files. If you cannot go back and check that your settings are correct along with you private and public ip adresses


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Since the regular season ended, the NFL has delayed taking action regarding Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent, who faces intoxication manslaughter charges after a December 2012 auto accident that claimed the life of teammate Jerry Brown.
With Brent and prosecutors unable to work out an agreement to resolve the charges and trial looming in November, the league needs to make a decision on Brent before training camp opens. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the league will.
A league spokesman told Archer that a decision on Brent's status is expected next week, before training camp opens on July 21.
The Cowboys don't expect Brent to play in 2013, but he currently is eligible to show up for work. And he counts against the 90-man roster. Unless the Cowboys cut him, Brent has every right to report to camp and prepare for the season.
Alcohol offenses fall not under the personal-conduct policy but the substance-abuse policy. Under either provision, Commissioner Roger Goodell has the ability to make the initial suspension decision and to appoint the person who will handle the appeal.

subset: commoncrawl


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Out Of Sight
They held a polo meeting at a little country town,
And all the local sportsmen came to win themselves renown.
There came two strangers with a horse, and I am much afraid
They both belonged to what is called 'the take-you-down brigade'.
They said their horse could jump like fun, and asked an amateur
To ride him in the steeplechase, and told him they were sure,
The last time round, he'd sail away with such a swallow's flight
The rest would never see him go — he'd finish out of sight.
So out he went; and, when folk saw the amateur was up,
Some local genius called the race 'the dude-in-danger cup'.
The horse was known as 'Who's Afraid', by Panic from 'The Fright'.
But still his owners told the jock he'd finish out of sight.
And so he did; for 'Who's Afraid', without the least pretence,
Disposed of him by rushing through the very second fence;
And when they ran the last time round the prophecy was right —
For he was in the ambulance, and safely 'out of sight'.


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Nathan Germick is a brilliant fellow. He recently performed at a social games meetup in San Francisco. Apparently, he had been reading the Flash Love Letters. This is the result.
I take away the following:
- Flash games are incredibly sexy. Don't let your wife see this or you may lose her forever to this floppy maned Flash engineer siren. Or there may be some transferal of sex appeal and the ladies will see your work in a rather exciting new light.
- You don't need to read my original essays any more: Nathan has captured all the basics of premium Flash games right here. This is the equivalent of Cliffs Notes. So easy!
- You should spread this video: Instead of forwarding on all those boring links to heavy essays full of text and numbers, just forward this video on to anyone who has the smallest interest in making games. You will infect them and they will be better for it.
Do you wanna buy flowers?


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Photo: Katrice Howell
Of Counsel
Mercy Mission - Lawyer Aids Former Felons
Clemency lawyer Reggie Garcia helps convicted felons get their rights back.
Reggie Garcia
Clemency attorney and Tallahassee lobbyist
Focus: During the last 18 years, Garcia has argued clemency cases before four governors.
Education: Law degree, University of Florida, 1985; bachelor of science in journalism, public relations major, University of Florida, 1982
Goes with the job: Garcia has visited 23 state prisons.
The 30,000 to 35,000 felons released from prison each year in Florida who have been convicted of felonies can't vote. They can't serve on a jury. They can't run for office. They will encounter difficulties in obtaining state or federal licenses, security clearances, government contracts and gun permits. The only way to get these rights restored is to apply for clemency, a process with new rules implemented last year by Gov. Rick Scott. Reggie Garcia is a Tallahassee clemency lawyer:
Florida Trend: What does a clemency lawyer do?
Reginald R. Garcia: We help people who have had a prior felony conviction obtain 'mercy' from the Florida governor and Cabinet so they can get their civil rights restored. I'm an attorney and a lobbyist, so I enjoy it because it's really half law and half lobbying. The law part is researching the criminal case and the appellate record. The lobbying part is convincing the governor's lawyers and ultimately the governor and the Cabinet that the applicant deserves mercy. We actually get to present 10 minutes to the governor and the Cabinet at clemency hearings, but the hard shoe-leather work occurs well before that.
FT: There have been some recent rule changes pertaining to clemency in Florida. Please explain.
Garcia:In March 2011, Gov. Scott and the Cabinet created new eligibility waiting periods for every type of clemency, namely five- and seven-year waiting periods after being released from prison for restoration of civil rights and an eight-year waiting period for restoring firearm authority and a 10-year waiting period to obtain a full pardon. Previously, there were no waiting periods for restoration of civil rights. There were the same eight- and 10-year waiting periods respectively for firearms and full pardons, but those could be 'waived' and usually were."
FT: What has been the impact of these changes?
Garcia:"The practical effect is people have to wait five to seven years to demonstrate rehabilitation before they are eligible to seek restoration of civil rights. Some people think that is too long, but only time will tell. Law enforcement strongly supported the rule changes. Members of the state's black legislative caucus strongly opposed them. I testified that there was already in effect a de facto two- or three-year waiting period, even without the rule changes, and that should be long enough to demonstrate rehabilitation. The sheer volume of applications resulted in the de facto waiting period. More than 30,000 people are released from prison each year.
FT: Why does clemency matter to your clients?
Garcia:Almost every clemency applicant I have represented in 18 years is a business owner or professional who had a prior felony conviction, usually as a young adult, and now they have a roadblock to obtaining state or federal licenses, security clearances, government contracts, better jobs and even volunteer opportunities with non-profits. Clemency is the ultimate second chance, where the state's highest officials recognize that someone has turned their life around. It's an incredible achievement in the fourth-largest state to say the governor and Cabinet granted me a full pardon or granted me firearm authority or granted me restoration of my civil rights. You almost have to be there to see it. The people openly weep when they are successful because in many cases they've devoted years of their life, their blood, sweat and tears, to redeeming themselves."


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By: Associated Press//June 20, 2011//
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court blocked a federal lawsuit Monday by states and conservation groups trying to force cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
The court said that the authority to seek reductions in emissions rests with the Environmental Protection Agency, not the courts. The ruling was 8-0.
EPA said in December that it will issue new regulations by next year concerning power plants' emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. The lawsuit targeted the five largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the United States, four private companies and the federal Tennessee Valley Authority.
The Obama administration sided with the power companies in this case.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the court, said the Clean Air Act gives the EPA authority to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants.
The landmark environmental law leaves no room for what Ginsburg described as a parallel track, "control of greenhouse gas emissions by federal judges."
On the other hand, Ginsburg said, that the states and conservation groups can go to federal court under the Clean Air Act if they object to EPA's eventual decision.
David Doniger, the Natural Resources Defense Council lawyer who represented the conservation groups, called on EPA to impose new regulations "without delay." The agency has said it will act by May 2012, although the government's brief said it is possible EPA ultimately could find "imposition of such standards inappropriate."
The decision reversed a ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not take part because she sat on the appeals court panel that heard the case.
The states' lawsuit is the second climate change dispute at the court in four years. In 2007, the court declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. By a 5-4 vote, the justices said the EPA has the authority to regulate those emissions from new cars and trucks under that landmark law. The same reasoning applies to power plants.
EPA's consideration of regulating those emissions stems from the earlier court ruling.
The private defendants in the suit are American Electric Power Co. of Ohio, Cinergy Co., now part of Duke Energy Corp. of North Carolina; Southern Co. Inc. of Georgia, and Xcel Energy Inc. of Minnesota.
Eight states initially banded together to sue. They were California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. New Jersey and Wisconsin withdrew this year after Republicans replaced Democrats in their governor's offices.
The high court did not rule on some potential state-law claims. Ginsburg said those are best addressed by lower courts.
The case is American Electric Power Co. v. Connecticut, 10-174.


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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The deal was sold to New Mexicans in classic Richard Branson fashion. If taxpayers would build the colorful British businessman a $209 million futuristic spaceport, he would make New Mexico the launching point for a space tourism business catering to the rich and famous.
Now, with Spaceport America nearly complete but still mostly empty, a Virgin Galactic official says the company will reassess its agreement if lawmakers don't pass liability exemption laws for its suppliers, raising the possibility it could take its spacecraft elsewhere.
And state officials acknowledge the company — which has yet to post a deposit for what is supposed to be a $1 million-a-year lease — could walk away from the quarter-billion-dollar project.
"They really could, if they are not committed. I would hope that they are and I think that they are," Spaceport America Executive Director Christine Anderson said.
Asked if she thought the state failed to properly protect itself in the deal, she said, the agreement negotiated under former Gov. Bill Richardson and approved by lawmakers in 2005 was for the state to build the spaceport and Virgin Galactic to develop the spacecraft.
"It's easy to second guess what was in people's minds," she said. "I'm sure everybody was excited to have Virgin Galactic as an anchor tenant."
Paul Gessing, president of the conservative Rio Grande Foundation, said the lack of protections for the state was not surprising, "given the Richardson administration's record of throwing money at 'development' of these big vision projects" like the spaceport and a $400 million commuter train.
Richardson's spokeswoman did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Other states, including Texas and Florida, are also developing spaceports and aggressively courting commercial space businesses with incentives. Most of them are revamping old airports or other facilities. New Mexico's is unique because it is the first to be developed from scratch.
With an elegant and futuristic design, the spaceport is intended to become an attraction unto itself.
Building the spaceport with taxpayer money could be likened to governments spending taxpayer dollars on stadiums or arenas for sports teams, Gessing said, noting that building a stadium "is not completely speculative with an industry in mind that may never materialize."
"What is truly unique about this project is that it was completely, 100 percent speculative," he said.
Tourism and spaceport officials have estimated as many as 200,000 people a year will visit the first-of-its kind center. And officials promised it would spur economic development and bring high-paying jobs to the mostly rural state.
But other space companies have passed New Mexico over and there is growing skepticism about whether Virgin, which has pushed its estimated date for starting flights from 2011 to 2014, will ever move into the spaceport.
A provision in the development agreement prohibiting it from operating its aircraft at competing spaceports without permission expires at the end of the month, and Virgin has entered a deal with a Middle East investment group to develop another spaceport in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Investors from Abu Dhabi have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to help Virgin Galactic develop its spacecraft.
Due to delays in both the construction of Spaceport America and development of Virgin's spacecraft, the company has yet to begin paying rent on the facility, which is located in remote southern New Mexico, about 45 miles from Las Cruces and 200 miles from Albuquerque.
An unsigned, undated copy of the lease agreement provided by the state calls for Virgin Galactic to be penalized $2 million if it breaks it lease with New Mexico and then begins flying elsewhere within two years. But state officials said Wednesday the company won't post that deposit until it activates the lease.
When asked for copies of the quarterly business plans Virgin Galactic is supposed to submit to the state, officials with the state economic development said those updates were given orally to Anderson.
Anderson and state Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela said they expect the company to begin paying rent next month.
Virgin Galactic President and CEO George Whitesides was less specific and noted the company, which is testing its spacecraft in the Mojave Desert, has an office in Las Cruces and will move to Spaceport America "when the Spaceport Authority finishes the level of the work that it has agreed to provide on our building."
Whitesides denied news reports that quoted him as saying Virgin might leave if lawmakers for a third year in a row refuse to approve exemptions for parts suppliers from being sued for liability by any passengers on spacecraft launched from New Mexico. But he also didn't rule it out.
He said that it was "very concerning" that companies were not coming to the spaceport. The company, he said, signed up for a "healthy spaceport" with multiple businesses that could divide the costs. Whitesides said Virgin Galactic would work with lawmakers, and then reevaluate.
New Mexico has exempted spacecraft operators from liability lawsuits from passengers, but competing states have also extended that exemption to parts suppliers.
Virgin Galactic officials "have not told me that they are going to leave if they do not get this done," Barela said. "By the same token, I can assure you they are getting calls constantly from other states saying, 'New Mexico hasn't passed the law and we can get you a better deal.'"
In Sierra County, one of three counties that implemented a special tax to help develop spaceport infrastructure, some remain optimistic about project.
"I think Richard Branson is not where he is by luck," said Gary Whitehead, a car dealer in Truth or Consequences and a former Spaceport Authority board member, adding that he feels encouraged because of Branson's history of success.
Rancher Jim Taylor, however, calls the project a "terrible, terrible rip-off.
"Some people are concerned that Virgin might leave, conversely some wish it would all just go away," he said. "Maybe they could convert the 'hangar' into a concert hall for 'Woodstock West' or something that would actually generate money."


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New to breadmaking a few simple questions
Welcome me. I stumbled across this site and I am amazed that I found this. Tons of great info here. Thanks!
Ok, my questions.
1. Do I need to buy a couche or something like this to get more height to my French Baguettes? Most of my baguettes are rising well, but they seem a bit flatter than normal.
2. I use a mizture of 1/4 wheat flour and 3/4 bread flour and have been hacing good results. How does one use all wheat? Its always a brick.
3. I am also a homebrewer. I use all grains to make beer. I began making a few loaves using spent beer grains. Does anyone have any recipes for this?
4. I am currently using King Aruther's Whole Wheat and Unbleached White Bread flours. My bread tastes like just "bread" but if I go to an artisan bakery, they sell breads with amazing flavor and the ingredients are just bread flour water salt and yeast. What flours are better? (I also own a Corona flour mill, so I can make my own?)


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Watch Hugh Jackman Sing from The Greatest Showman & Les Miz on Today
December 4th, 2018 | By Broadway.com Staff
Hugh Jackman is taking his act on the road, and we couldn't be more excited. On the heels of the announcement of his upcoming concert tour, the Tony winner showed off his talent for TV audiences on NBC's Today with a pair of showstopping performances. Jackman sang Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's "The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman and a medley of "Valjean's Soliloquy" and "One Day More" from his stirring, Oscar-nominated turn in Les Misérables. Watch the superstar performer below and make plans soon to catch his solo turn across America.


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The following obituaries were received for Thursday –
David Russell Arnold – Mitchell
David Russell Arnold, 71, of Mitchell, passed away at 2:29 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, 2012, at IU Health Bedford Hospital.
Born September 11, 1940 in Mitchell, he was the son of Russell and Zimro (Price) Arnold. He married Rosetta Payton July 8, 1961. He was a delivery route salesman and had been employed at 7-Up Bottling Company and Thompson Dairy. He attended the Mitchell Wesleyan Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Terry Louise Arnold, of Indianapolis; wife, Rosetta Arnold, of Mitchell; sons, David Brian Arnold, of Hardinsburg, Robert Lee Arnold, of Greensburg, 6 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; brother, Jack Arnold, of Mitchell; sisters, Janice Kimble, of Mitchell, Sue Griffin, of Bedford
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Bill Arnold and Robert Arnold.
Funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 1, in the Memorial Chapel of Chastain Funeral Home & Cremation Center with Rev. Steve Jones officiating. Burial will be in Mitchell Cemetery.
Friends may call from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and from noon until the service on Sunday at the funeral home.
Memorial Gifts can be made to the Mitchell Wesleyan Church.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.chastainfuneralhome.com.
Claude Swartz – Bedford
Claude Swartz, 83, of Bedford, passed away at 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday, June 27 2012, at Garden Villa.
Born January 8, 1929 in Lawrence County he was the son of David and Pearl (McCullough) Swartz. He worked in construction in Lawrence County and was a member of the Moose Lodge.
Survivors include his children, Claude Robert Swartz Jr., of Indianapolis, Elizabeth Pollard, of Kentucky, Sherry Cox, of Bloomfield, Charles Swartz, of Texas, Kenneth Swartz, of Tennessee, Robbie Swartz, Claude David Swartz, of Bedford, Cristi Swartz, of Bedford, Stormy Mitchell, of Bedford; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren; a brother, Herbert Swartz, of Texas.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, David, Howard and Herman; sisters Lillian, Goldi and Lela; a daughter, Victoria Swartz.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 29th at the Mitchell Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Friday at the Day & Carter Mortuary.
Family and friends are invited to sign the guest book and light a candle in memory of Claude at www.daycarter.com.
Doug Peyton – Heltonville
Jonathon Douglas Peyton, 66, of Heltonville, passed away Tuesday, June 26, 2012 while working on his farm.
Born September 5, 1945 in Bedford, he was the son of Johnny and Lorene (Franklin) Peyton. He married Cheryl Gardner on April 3, 1964 and she survives. He retired from General Motors after 45 years in various positions in diecast. He was a member of the Community Baptist Fellowship, U.A.W. Local 440, Norman Conservation Gun Club and a lift-time member of the N.R.A.
Survivors include his wife, Cheryl, of Heltonville; a son, Chris Peyton and wife Tina, of Heltonville; two grandchildren, Britta and Brandon Stiles; four great grandchildren, Coleson, Case, Caylee and Braxton; one brother, Charles Peyton, of St. Louis, MO.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Lovetta Russell.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 29th at Community Baptist Fellowship with Pastor Eric Kennedy officiating. Burial will follow in the Mundell Christian Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 28th at the Day & Carter Mortuary and from 10 a.m. until the hour of service on Friday, June 29th at the Community Baptist Fellowship.
The family asks that friends consider memorial contributions be made to Community Baptist Fellowship.
Family and friends can sign the guest book and light a candle in memory of Doug at www.daycarter.com.


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Semistitched Cotton Lawn casual Suitset
Semistitched Cotton Lawn casual Suitset
Semistitched Cotton Lawn Suitset (VKSD01CT69)
This is a 3pc top and dupatta semistitched set. The top kurta is of soft mercerised cotton lawn fabric digitally printed in contemporary design layout soft and drapey to feel, complemented with a pure handloom cotton kota shaded dupatta in coordinating colours. The dupatta is 36" in width and 2.5 MTR in length. The bottom is provided as cotton satin matching to dupatta/kurta as per your desire for 2.5 mtrs
Length is max set at 48" and single side bottom ghera achievable is 32".The picture is for visualisation purposes only and the kurta can be tailored and styled to suit your requirements with your desired neckline style
- The kurta doesn't require any lining
- Kurta is designed to achieve length up to 48"
- Single-side ghera is 32" and sleeve length is max 20" giving ample room for customizing the same into any size and style
- Coordinating cotton satin bottom fabric for 2.5mtrs is provided that can be stitched to any bottom style
- Dupatta provided is 36" in width and 2.5mts in length as a standard to coordinate with the ensemble
- The seen picture is for visualization purposes only and the actual piece doesn't have any neckline for making the desirable choice of stitching styles and lengths. For necklines and styling suggestions refer to our stitching style guide
Read about payment options, shipping, and returns here.
Fabric Content and Care278659896712
- digital printed cotton lawn fabric
- Preferably dry clean only but can be home washed in lukewarm water
- Dupatta is Handloom chanderi printed in Sanganer and kurta fabric in cotton lawn further fabricated in Delhi, India


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The philosophy at DigiTech seems to be 'if you've got it, flaunt it', and why not? The latest range of modelling multi-effects units is superb, and the technology involved lends itself perfectly to a 'modular' approach, allowing for any number of reinterpretations. One such approach is demonstrated with the Artist pedals, based around the classic sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Dan Donegan and Scott Ian. With these pedals you just get a selection of amp and effect models associated with each artist, avoiding the complexity of the full-size modelling units.
The EX-7 is designed along similar lines, but the effects are chosen by type rather than associated artist. It features a selection of modelled 'expression' effects along with a selection of distortion and cabinet models. The obvious need for an expression pedal means that the unit is bound to be bigger than the majority of DigiTech's compact stompboxes, but it's still quite a streamlined design and similar to the Hendrix Experience pedal. Like the Hendrix and Clapton pedals, the EX-7 can be connected to either a mixer (or any direct recording tool) or a standard guitar amp, so there are two mono outputs to allow for this. Along with the input, there's also a jack socket for connecting an optional footswitch for more 'on the fly' flexibility.
Of the four controls, three are dual tip/ring knobs, which can be slightly fiddly but help keep the control panel down to a minimum size. The three ring controls adjust the gain, level and tone of the switchable distortion models, while the tip controls adjust various parameters of the expression models. The fourth control is used purely for selecting the preset sounds. There are two footswitches; one at the pedal's toe end and the other at the heel. In normal use, the toe end is used for engaging the effect model only, while the heel switch engages both effect model and distortion model simultaneously.
Not all of the effects modelled in the EX-7 are usually associated with expression pedals, but don't worry about that. The beauty of digital modelling is that we're no longer constrained by the limits of hardware. A footswitch or continuous controller pedal can be used to adjust any parameter, far beyond the limits of the 'real' version. So with that in mind...
The first two models take us way back into the history of the expression pedal. While the Vox Clyde McCoy wah was originally aimed at trumpet players (and named after one) it was designed by a guitarist and found most success in the guitar community. Launched during the initial flush of Vox's wah success, the rival Dunlop Cry Baby did the same job, but with a slightly fatter tone. You can adjust the frequency range on the EX-7 and bandwidth of the wah sweep for both models, as well as output level.
Next up are two of DigiTech's own pedals, starting with the hard-to-find XP300 Space Station. Just like the original, the EX-7 model is designed to give you other-worldly chorus effects, pitch shifts and a synth-like swell effect. The pitch shifter has seven settings, ranging from an octave above to an octave below, while the other two controls cover the swell attack time and the balance between chorus and pitch shifting. Then there's the even more legendary Whammy pedal, which needs no introduction. The original Whammy had far more settings than would fit comfortably on the EX-7, so there are just a selection of sounds here... one harmony setting, detune and five whammy settings. You can also control the wet/dry mix (unlike the original!) and the overall tone.
The lush effect of a rotating speaker has long been popular among guitarists and the next two models represent two approaches to this sound. For purists only the original Leslie 147 model will do, and the EX-7's digital model makes good use of the expression pedal format, allowing you to adjust the drive, volume and minimum rotary speed. The pedal itself sweeps between (preset) maximum and minimum speeds. For guitarists who didn't want to lug rotary speakers around with them, the Unicord Univibe was the perfect solution and soon became a legendary effect, thanks to the efforts of Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower. The DigiTech model has the standard intensity and volume controls and choice of chorus or vibrato sounds, while the footpedal controls the modulation speed.
The last model recreates the jet-engine rush of the A/DA Flanger, but with much less noise than the original. The expression pedal on the EX-7 controls the sweep of the flanger's filter, while the other three controls cover the feedback, LFO speed and delay range. So how does the EX-7 perform? We initially found the heel/toe footswitch arrangement a little awkward to use. This is probably more to do with habit than any shortcomings in the pedal design; when you use a Cry Baby (or similar) you tend not to notice how much pressure you're putting on your heel, but that can be crucial when there's a footswitch under it. With a bit of practice, though, the dual switch format becomes intuitive. The sounds are all very impressive.
After reviewing the GNX3000, we had a good idea of what to expect, and the set of models on the EX-7 was disappointing only in its greatly restricted range. The pedal can optionally be used in stereo mode (either with a mixer or a pair of amps) and this is particularly effective on the lush-sounding Space Station and Univibe models. Some of the combinations of effects and distortion types weren't quite to our taste, but that's no problem; it's a fairly trivial matter to change the default distortion model for each effect. There's a well-chosen set of distortion sounds on offer, ranging from vintage classics such as the Big Muff and Tube Screamer to the Rat and DigiTech Metal Master.
Bottom line, the effect models cover a sensible range of modulation and expression effects, and although you can't fine-tune, or store, the sounds as much as on a full-size multi-effects unit, there's a surprising amount of flexibility.


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One of my favorite Joe Pulizzi sayings is "it's not about you." For the most part, he's talking to marketers, trying to get them to focus on the information their customers need rather than what the marketers most want to talk about: themselves. Journalists generally don't see this as their own problem. After all, their role is to point towards other people. But as a new study suggests, the story is different on Twitter. There, they mostly point to themselves. It's a pronoun problem: too much "I" and not enough "you" and "they."
Back in August, I did an informal study of one B2B publisher's editorial use of Twitter, and found that most tweets tended to be promotional (linking to in-house sources) rather than curatorial (linking elsewhere) or conversational (engaging with users). Now a Pew Research Center study of 13 mainstream media outlets finds an even more dramatic excess of promotion. The organizations studied included The New York Times, NPR, ABC News, The Huffington Post, and Fox News. More than 90% of their tweets with links were to their own sources. While only 7% of their tweets linked to outside sources, even fewer were conversational in nature: just 2% asked readers for input, and only 1% were retweets.
The causes and implications of these findings have been well covered by Megan Garber, Mathew Ingram, and Ethan Klapper, among others (if I missed other good ones, why not note them in the comments below?).
I'll just add this suggestion: when you tweet, try to balance your pronouns. Make sure you match your I—links to your own stories—with equal measures of they—what others, including your competitors, have said—and you—reacting to and soliciting information from your readers and followers.


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WeeTech Solution Pvt Ltd is one of the foremost, friendly and lucrative companies within the field of information technology.
The services of this veritable IT company is second to none. If you browse through the Internet, you will surely discover that there are thousands of companies that offer the same services with us, but none does it better than us. We are the experts in this field.
WeeTech is interested in giving our customers ultimate satisfaction- allowing them to create adaptive and successful businesses.
There are many reasons why you should choose WeeTech Solution; they offer the following in an effective and friendly way: direct client interaction, flexible solution, on-time delivery, data confidentiality, cost effective, dependable support and so on


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Hoboken Historical Museum opens new exhibit on social clubs
The Hoboken Historical Museum will hold a new exhibit on the history of the city's social clubs beginning Sunday, July 29. The exhibit will trace the history of a wide variety of organizations (roughly 250 clubs) through the display of photographs, uniforms, medals, event programs, trophies, artifacts, and more.
A free reception will take place July 29 at the museum at 1301 Hudson St. from 2 to 5 p.m. The show will be on view until Dec. 23, and includes talks and lectures by noted historians.
Hoboken Grace will host fourth Annual Dog Party
The Hoboken Grace Community Church will host its fourth annual Dog Party Saturday, Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. in Church Square Park.
Free to the public, the party will feature several competitions, including largest dog, smallest dog, best costume, and highest jumper. Dogs will be awarded with prizes.
The event will also feature activities for children, including a bounce house, and plenty of treats.
Senators meet at Hoboken station to discuss $76M transit investment
U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg joined transit officials and Mayor Dawn Zimmer on Monday to announce more than $76 million in federal funding awards at the Hoboken Bus Terminal.
The funding will be used to replace over 5 percent of the New Jersey Transit bus fleet with hybrid buses and other buses powered by alternative energy.
The funding will be awarded for three projects, including the purchase of 84 new compressed natural gas buses, the purchase of 37 new hybrid cruiser buses, and the implementation of a "Bus Rapid Transit" service between Camden County and Philadelphia, which aims to decrease the length of commutes.
Mile Square Theatre will hold monologue audition class
The Mile Square Theatre, at 720 Monroe St., will host a monologue audition class Tuesdays and Thursday evenings until Aug. 9 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The class is taught by Broadway actor Matthew Lawler and is open to 13-16 year olds. Students receive instruction in selecting, rehearsing, and performing a contemporary monologue, which they will then perform for New York City casting director David Cady of Donna DeSeta Casting.
Tuition is $260. For enrollment and registration information, email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Housing director selected for Harvard program
Neighborworks America has announced that Carmelo Garcia, executive director of the Hoboken Housing Authority, has been selected for the "Achieving Excellence in Community Development program."
The program is an 18-month education program for senior leaders in community organizations with a focus on affordable housing, community revitalization, or other community development endeavors. It is conducted in conjunction with Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
The program includes three formal sessions at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, as well as executive coaching, peer learning, and guidance. The sessions will begin in early September, and will be spread out until spring 2014.
20th Annual National Night Out scheduled for Aug. 7
The 20th Annual National Night Out events will take place in Hoboken on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Hosted by Hoboken Police Chief Anthony P. Falco Sr., the event aims to heighten crime and drug awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community partnership, and send a message to criminals to let them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
To participate, contact Sgt. Melissa Gigante at (201) 420-2100.


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Machine Safety: Near-miss events and residual risk
Are near-miss events and residual risk related when it comes to machine safety? Is there a machine guarding requirement specified for near-miss events?
For machine safety are there any commonalities between near-miss events and residual risk? Do near-miss events have a machine guarding requirement? There is nothing in common. In fact, residual risk is fully covered in standards. I cannot find any standards coverage for near-miss events.
I recently read an article in Professional Safety (May 2013) titled: Near-Miss Reporting, A Missing Link in Safety Culture by Mike Williamsen, Caterpillar Safety Services. Given my background in machine safety and standards this article caused me to think about near-miss accountability and machine guarding. As I look back over time and ask the question, what machine safety standard has provided any guidelines for prevention of near-miss events? In fact, what standard has even mentioned the words – "near-miss"? Due to this absence, does it mean that near-miss events must be considered too vague for machine safety standards or risk assessment standards to provide meaningful guidance? Is near-miss protection for employees totally left up to the mind set of management?
I have looked into this subject and it seems that near-miss protection is left to a company's "safety culture" as to how well it's developed and ingrained into the safety practice. So far, I've not found a standard that provides any coverage for near-miss events. OSHA, on the other hand, does provide a definition for near-miss events: An event that does not result in an injury or damage. It is important to record and investigate near-misses to identify weaknesses in the safety and SHMS [health management system] that could possibly lead to an injury or damage.
However, aside from calling out the need to have a reporting format to record and elevate near-miss events, there doesn't seem to be an OSHA regulation establishing requirements or enforcement details.
So, is it correct to assume that a near-miss event practice is to be called out in a company's safety policy manual for the protection of employees? Or, maybe it's a requirement for some companies because it's written into agreements with their union? Yet others may have a near-miss program because of an injury settlement. Is this sounding all too familiar to most of you? Is it only due-diligence?
Can anybody share with us an approved standard or regulation covering near-miss events? And, what about the reporting forms?
Has this presented you with any new perspectives? Add your comments or thoughts to the discussion by submitting your ideas, experiences, and challenges in the comments section below.
Related articles:
ASSE – Professional Safety Journal- Near-Miss Reporting, May 2013
OSHA – search for near miss
Control Engineering article: Process risk assessment uses big data
Contact: https://www.jbtitus.com for "Solutions for Machine Safety".
Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.


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People Like Everybody Else
A family affected by schizophrenia supports NARSAD with the belief that future generations will be better off through the funding of scientific research today
Christine Phelps remembers how, when she was a little girl, she and her mother, Sharon, would listen to music together. "I had very long hair, and my mom would brush my hair and we'd sing Carole King songs. I still know every word of every song of our favorite album."
But the loving mother, who ran a comfortable, well-ordered home for her husband and three children, held a full-time job, painted pictures, refinished furniture and loved to sing along with Carole King, would sometimes become, Christine says, a different, "scary" mother. That other mother would tell her perplexed daughter that "people were listening to them through the radio, or that a mind machine was controlling her thoughts, or that our neighbors, who were good friends, were hit men hired to kill her. She would try to telephone her father, who had died years earlier, frantically dialing numbers at random."
Sharon, now 67, has been battling schizophrenia all her adult life. She had her first psychotic episode in college, not long after she'd started dating Thomas, a fellow student at Penn State. "The story goes that she was in the infirmary for six weeks, and he sent her a love letter every day," Christine says. Her diagnosis at that time was uncertain, but not the love, and when they graduated in 1965, Sharon and Thomas married. Thomas worked in sales. Sharon, an art major, taught art in high school and middle school for many years, and later had a second long and satisfying career in customer service at a department store. Christine, the oldest child, was born in 1968, brother Ken two years later and sister Carrie, the baby of the family, five years after that.
Resiliency and the determination to live a normal family life have carried the family through 45 sometimes rocky years. "My dad would always say, 'together there's nothing we can't handle,'" Christine says. "And it did always amaze me that mom would have an episode, and when it was over, go back to her life as if nothing had happened."
It was a disconcerting on-and-off pattern during many years through which the search for the right medication regime for Sharon was, Christine says, "basically trial and error." Christine learned early on how important resiliencey could be. She recalls that in sixth grade, during a period when her mother was having a particularly hard time, she confided the situation to two close friends, "and they turned on me. From then on they acted as if we weren't friends anymore." So, Christine says, "I got new friends."
While the childhood incident is no longer painful, it instilled in her a lifelong anger at the stigma attached to mental illness. In her eyes "we were a regular middle-class family. People like everybody else. My mom went to college, worked, raised three children. She just lived with this extra struggle."
But as Christine well knows, love doesn't conquer all. Nor do pills heal all. Although most of the time Sharon is stabilized on antipsychotic medication, which mostly keep at bay the so-called positive symptoms of the disease — the voices, hallucinations and paranoia — the medications currently available can't do much for the negative and cognitive symptoms. These symptoms include problems with attention, memory, drive and thinking, which increase over time to become for most people with schizophrenia, the most devastating effects of the illness. At the time Sharon was diagnosed it was not believed that "talk therapy" or CBT would be helpful to her. That belief has changed in recent years with some compelling case studies demonstrating the efficacy of "talk therapy" for people with schizophrenia, but Sharon was not exposed to this type of therapy early on.
In recent years, Sharon, now retired, has started to have difficulty keeping her thoughts on track, following conversations or initiating activities. She no longer paints or takes classes at the senior center. "She watches TV and sleeps a lot," Christine says. "She's not the person she used to be."
Five years ago, this brave family was dealt a second blow — Christine's brother, Ken, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It was an unusually late onset — he was 35 at the time — but Christine had noticed disturbing signs a year or so earlier. By that time, married and working as a speech therapist, she was living in Chicago. Ken, like the rest of the family, lives in Detroit. He had come to visit her, and she was hearing him say "the kinds of things my mother would say, and the more he talked, the more horrified I became."
It was around the time of her brother's diagnosis that Christine learned about NARSAD. "I would read all I could about mental illness, trying to understand what had happened to my family, and a lot of the publications I found were from NARSAD, so I became a donor."
Christine wants research to find out what happened to her family. "I don't know whether my mom's current problems are the effects of long-term medications or that just by having mental
illness your brain changes." In retrospect, she realizes that her brother was always "a little different," but his symptoms weren't recognized as such.
She feels particularly urgent about research toward prevention. "My sister, Carrie, has a 14-year-old son. He's seen what his grandmother and uncle go through, and it's very scary for him. He's asked my dad, 'is this going to happen to me?'"
People like Christine Phelps, who live with the day-to-day heartbreak of mental illness and put their hope in scientific research, may often feel that the pace of progress is agonizingly slow. Their frustration is understandable, but the inescapable fact is that the human brain is complex; it's been called the most complex system in the universe. Neuropsychiatric research has, in fact, accelerated enormously in the last decade, probably more so than in any comparable previous period. And NARSAD has played a key role in funding cutting-edge brain and behavior research to find answers for Christine and her family. NARSAD researchers have been at the forefront of discovery, developing new, ever more sophisticated and powerful methods for imaging the brain: to discover how it looks and works in real time.
Genetic research is critical to understanding schizophrenia, as dramatized by families like Christine's with multiple affected members. But although almost all mental illnesses have a large genetic component, they're not like sickle-cell anemia or other diseases that are caused by errors in one or a few genes. Scientists now believe that schizophrenia arises from the contributions of many genes and genetic mutations interacting with environmental factors.
In labs across the world scientists are finding schizophrenia-related genes, uncovering novel molecular mechanisms, testing novel pharmacological compounds and devising better psychological interventions. Much of this research was initiated with NARSAD support, and this is why Christine's family has lent the organization its support.
Christine's family remains close and caring. She wanted to disclose her own personal story in the hope of encouraging others to support NARSAD in its quest to understand and conquer mental illness. She remains hopeful that the time will come when other families won't have to go through what hers has experienced. But while acknowledging the difficulties and the anguish, she still feels "for the most part we have a good life." Then, punctuating her words with her infectious laugh, she adds, "of course, with a few quirks."


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I've had a strong desire to give knitting a try for a few weeks now. Firstly I was hugely impressed by some of the knitting work I had seen Dennis create, and secondly I couldn't help but notice all of the knitting inspired Christmas ornaments that were in the shops last month.
Knitting inspiration was everywhere!
I finally got around to giving it a try and started by just playing around with the basics. I watched videos online and read books to help me figure it out.
I was told that the continental style would suit me as I was used to holding the yarn in a similar way when I crocheted. This was the first hurdle, I struggled to hold an extra needle!!! STRESS EXPLOSION!!!! Figuring out how to hold two needles and keep any kind of tension to the yarn seemed almost impossible! The yarn would hang all loose, which meant my needles kept falling out!!! I tried so many times but it just wasn't happening!
The knitting needles ended up being put away for a few more weeks!!!
I let my temper simmer down and came back to knitting with a slightly different approach. I asked some of you on my facebook page for guidance and tips that would help me along the way. Many of you kindly suggested different methods, needles and yarns that would perhaps make my attempt at knitting a little easier. I tried many different things but the biggest help was to change my needles from metal to wooden ones. I found metal needles very very slippery and therefore kept on dropping my work. The wooden needles seemed easier to grip and made my knitting a little tighter and more manageable.
Wooop! So I could finally hold the needles and yarn, now to try some stitches! After watching videos about the continental style method of knitting and not fully understanding, I finally gave in and asked Dennis to show me how it was done. He was very patient with me (just like when he taught me how to crochet) and he kept showing me until I finally started to get it. Knit stitch was fairly easy but the purl stitch was extremely hard at first. It really took a while for me to get that. I kept trying and worked little swatches to practice with.
Once I was a little more confident with these simple stitches, I figured it was time to bite the bullet and give my first project a try.
I searched Ravelry for a fairly simple pattern and after a recommendation from Dennis I settled upon "Daybreak" a shawl pattern by Steven West.
I picked some suitable yarn in some slightly darker shades than I normally work with. I planned on making this for myself to wear and didn't fancy rainbow colours :-) I chose some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. It is sooooo lovely and soft, I knew instantly that this would feel amazing wrapped around my neck on a cold winters day.
Off I went to start my new project! At first I needed a few attempts to start it off. It was a little tricky, but once I got going there was no stopping!
I was loving how the yarn was feeling when worked up, It felt almost silky smooth! I was also extremely pleased with the colours as they started to grow and stripe together. Blue, grey, blue, grey, blue......
Before long I was reaching the end of my project. The knitting part was all done, it was just time to block it and stretch it out to the desired finished shape. I did this by making my project wet and patting out extra water. I then placed it on a large beach towel (to soak up any excess water) and blocked it with pins to the mattress on my bed.
My first knitted project was done!!! I'm so happy with it! So happy that I even decided to model it in a picture for you! You have to bare in mind though....
A dancer, I am. A crocheter, I'm that also. A Model......I'm not!!! Here I am looking randomly in some direction trying to look a little modelesque. It didn't really work! :-( Anyways, Ignore me and take a look and my scarf! I'm so very proud of it and I LOVE wearing it. The Debbie Bliss yarn is so soft and warm against my skin and I am extremely happy with the colours!
I'm totally chuffed to bits with this project and I can't wait for the next! I'm already on the look out for something simple that will challenge me with a few different stitches. I'm not sure what that next pattern will be yet, but I'll keep you posted!
Until then I have a fair few crochet projects that I MUST finish!!! Once again, my pile of unfinished projects is quite rapidly getting bigger!! EEEEEK!!!
Thanks for popping by!!
You can read an updated and revised version on our new blog.
Click here to read this post in full at it's new home!


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Wikileaks Cables Reveal U.S. Embassy Works with Venezuelan Private Media
The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, met with Venezuelan private media companies El Nacional, Globovision, and the Cisneros Group, to discuss their political content.
Mérida, September 6th 2011 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, met with Venezuelan private media companies El Nacional, Globovision, and the Cisneros Group, to discuss their political content with them and El Nacional asked the U.S embassy for funding, according to cables written by the U.S embassy in Caracas and published by Wikileaks.
Duddy met with the 2002 coup supporting channel, Globovision, and with private newspaper El Nacional on 17 and 19 February 2010, and documented the meeting in a cable written that month and released by Wikileaks on 30 August 2011, classified as secret and titled, "Globovision Owners Acknowledge Defeat: El Nacional on the Ropes?"
El Nacional told the embassy that it had allegedly lost "advertising revenue from companies that had either been nationalised or been threatened by the [Venezuelan government]" and asked "the Ambassador whether the U.S. could provide [it with financial] assistance." The newspaper said it was reaching "the end of its financial rope" and predicted that it could be out of business by April of that year (2010).
The El Nacional representative (whose name is blacked out) said El Universal had also lost advertising revenues, "over 14%, with the recent nationalisation of Exito [supermarket chain]".
The U.S embassy cable reads, "To keep El Nacional alive, XXXXXXXXXXXX asked the Ambassador whether the Embassy knew of services of private financing they could approach outside the country, or failing that, if the USG [U.S. government] could be persuaded to help."
El Nacional currently still circulates on a daily basis.
A Globovision representative, their name also blacked out in the cable, alleged that Venezuelan government officials had pressured them to "tone down Globovision's strongly anti-Chavez orientation" and talked about "buying time" until the National Assembly elections (which took place in September last year), saying "If Chavez wins, we are all gone." The pro-Chavez party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, did win a majority in those elections, and Globovision remains fully on air.
According to lawyer and journalist Eva Golinger, Globovision has a special agreement to transmit the program "La Voz de America" (The Voice of America), which is financed and supervised by the U.S government.
"Its objective is to promote pro-U.S propaganda in Latin America. For 2011, the U.S congress approved a multimillion budget in order to transmit the thirty minute program five days a week in Venezuela, supposedly to counteract the anti-US propaganda by the Venezuelan government," Golinger said.
Another cable, written and released on the same dates, classified confidential and titled, "Venevision Seaks 'Balance' in News Coverage" related a meeting between Ambassador Duddy and the largest private media conglomerate in Venezuela, the Cisneros Group, which owns free to air television station Venevision, as well as phone company Digitel, several news websites, radio stations, the Miss Venezuela pageant, and Coca-Cola FEMSA Venezuela. Duddy alleged in the cable that "some in the opposition" claim that Venevision has made "backroom agreements" with the government to water down its criticisms and "avoid retaliation".
However, as the cable details, during the meeting between the U.S. embassy and the Cisneros Group, which took place at Venevision headquarters on 10 February 2010, the television channel denied any government deal or self-censorship.
Carlos Bardasano, representing Venevision, said, according to the cable, that due to "the highly polarised atmosphere in the country, Venevision strives for objective and neutral news coverage."
"He said the station's coverage tends to be approximately 60% opposition and 40% pro-government by content, with the ultimate goal of achieving a 50/50 balance."
In the cable the ambassador is not impressed with Venevision's "objective" stance. "The Ambassador reminded Venevision executives that should Globovision be closed, Venevision would have to carry the banner of freedom of expression".
Context: Media power and influence in Venezuela
Eleazar Rangel, editor of highest circulating and private newspaper in Venezuela, Ultimas Noticias, said at a forum in New York last year that, "What's not published in Venezuela is what media owners don't want published". He also said no one had ever offered any evidence of news not being published in Venezuela because of government pressure.
According to Rangel, in Venezuela, "there are currently between 90 and 100 newspapers, of which 80 percent side with the political opposition…and of AM radio stations, at least 400 broadcast the content of outlets that have assumed the role of directing the [political] opposition."
Further, according to research by Mark Weisbot and Tara Ruttenberg, of CEPR, as of September 2010, Venezuelan state TV channels had just a 5.4% audience share. Of the other 94.6% of the audience, 61.4% watched privately owned television channels, and 33.1% watched paid TV.
Coordinator of the Global Media Observatory in Venezuela, Maryclen Stelling, said, "Venezuelan media outlets have stopped publishing information and have instead dedicated themselves to producing their own realities," adding that it was possible to talk about the creation of "media parties" in Venezuela.
At the end of last year, after the above cables were written and meetings took place, the Venezuelan National Assembly modified its media social responsibility law. The main changes consisted in including internet news services as media, and requiring the broadcast of at least 50% nationally produced television during prime hours.
In general, Venezuela's media laws are similar to those of most countries, and media can broadcast what it likes, as long as it does not incite hate, criminal activity, war propaganda, homicide, or the disobeying of constitutional authority.


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First off the mark is Caroline's mum Jacqueline with a blueberry sponge with blueberry buttercream and blueberry icing! That's a lot of blueberries and I'm sure you'll agree that it looks amazing!
Next is a Black Bread baked by Caroline from Cake, Crumbs and Cooking. This is a Dan Lepard recipe made from rye flour, black treacle, cocoa powder, instant coffee and caraway seeds. In her words, "a stunning loaf - visually, texturally and flavourwise" I don't think I need more persuasion - a slice please :)
Next a banana oatmeal cake from Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen - a lovely, healthy bake made with egg whites and vegetable oil.
Mike from Mike's Baking made a banana monkey bread - something I've always wanted to make but have not gotten round to yet. It's banana and cinnamon filled parcels all baked together in a bundt pan. Check out his blog for more beautiful pictures and instructions.
Corina from Searching for Spice baked these blondies which have white chocolate chips in them. Fun fact: traditional blondies do not contain any chocolate at all but get their flavour from the brown sugar. As they look like brownies but are lighter in colour, they are called blondies!
Next up is my own Baileys and Guinness Layer Cake which contains a whole bottle of Baileys! It's a very rich cake and you can definitely taste the Baileys in there. A great celebratory cake :)
Olivia from Liv a little Bakery made us these cute Birthday Cake Batter Bark which comes with a warning that it's very addictive and I can see why! The possibilites are endless, definitely going on my to bake list :)
Kelly from An American Cupcake in London made these delicious Banana Caramel Nut Muffins. She has a new breakfast ritual of staying in and having breakfast together on Sundays. They are served with her homemade vanilla spice latte. I wish I could invite myself over for breakfast :)
I'm back again with a triple "B" entry - Banana Butterscotch Bundt Cake. I'm a huge fan of banana bread/cake and this is definitely in my top 5 banana breads. The butterscotch and pecans really elevate the cake and it smelt really good too :)
Next my co-host for AlphaBakes Caroline from Caroline Makes made these Nigella Bacon Brownies.
This is a Nigella Lawson recipe who wrote an article about sweet and savoury combinations in a recent edition of the Sytlist Magazine. There were mixed responses - her boyfriend's response was "wrong, just wrong!" I had a chance to sample these brownies and I have to say I didn't mind them too much. I could taste the bacon bits and it was salty and sweet at the same time. Definitely not for everyone!
Still on the bacon theme, we have bacon and blue cheese muffins from Susie@FoldintheFlour. These sound much more conventional to me! According to Susie, perfect for a weekend brunch or if you happen to be lucky and are having a lazy day during the week.
Lauren from Around the World in 80 Bakes has been experimenting in her kitchen and loves making odd adaptations of recipes. She decided to make brownies in a madeleine pan and they turned out beautifully. Perfect for a wedding :)
My mum has also decided to join in AlphaBakes each month and made a Baileys Chocolate Cake decorated with curled coloured chocolate. She used a special edition of Baileys which had a hint of mint and chocolate - yum. Ps we are not alcoholics :)
An unusual recipe from Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog with Cheecolates. "What's that I hear you ask? Cheeky little cheesy chocolate biscuits!" Choclette co-hosts We Should Cocoa which challenges us to bake with chocolate and a special ingredient each month. This month it was cheese but as these biscuits were not chocolatey enough, she sent them to us and made something else for We Should Cocoa. I'm glad she did as I like the sound of them and would love to try one.
More chocolate but no cheese this time, Suelle from Mainly Baking made these chocolate chip and blueberry oat bars - a delightful tray bake for busy days. From start to finish in 30 minutes - I like the sound of that!
Fleur from Homemade by Fleur turned her kitchen into a brownie experimentation lab and came up with these 'Cute as a button Frownies'. Frownies are a combination of flapjacks and brownies. The button on top is definitely very cute which is sure to turn your frown upside down!
How gorgeous are these black sesame and cream cheese macarons? Made by Anuja from Simple Baking a very talented baker. I'd never have thought to use black sesame in baking but clearly it works!
Another slightly unusual B entry in the form of beetroot, chocolate and hazelnut brownies made by Lucy from Vanilla Frost Cakes. A much healthier alternative to traditional brownies which taste good too! She adapted it from a recipe in Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood where almost every recipe uses a vegetable as the main ingredient. Adding to my wishlist :)
Miss CakeBaker from What I Baked this Weekend made these healthy barley and banana muffins using barley flour she found whilst spring cleaning her cupboard. Perfect for breakfast!
Yet another banana offering with a quadruple "B" - Baked Banana Cheesecake with Bourbon Soaked Sultanas and a Boozy Toffee Sauce" Phew what a mouthful - can I please have a slice now? :) Claire from Under the Blue Gum Tree collated recipes from 3 well known chefs and came up with this gorgeous creation.
Look at these blueberry muffins bursting with blueberries! Yes please :) Baked by Kristina from With a Cherry On Top Cakes
She also made a moist and light old fashioned Banana Walnut Bread
Something I've never heard of before - buttercream bikkets of ginger and white pepper made by Lucas from CoverVersions.tv There is a brilliant video with a great soundtrack showing you how to make these beauties.
A second entry from my co-host Caroline from Caroline Makes is this Baby celebration cake. She signed up for an 8 week cake decorating class and this was class #4. How cute are those booties? :)
Javelin Warrior's Cookin' w/ Luv sent us these beautiful homemade brioche bread. There's a very informative post about brioche bread with beautiful step by step photos. I wish I could bake bread like this!
Sarah from Sarah Bakes sent us this Birthday Cake in the shape of a stegosaurus for her son. How cute! It is a sculpted Madeira Cake filled with vanilla buttercream and rice krispie squares for the head and limbs.
If you are faint hearted, look away now as this is quite a gruesome yet gorgeous cake. Nom from Nom!The Indulgent Baking Blog sent us this bleeding heart cake which she made for her brother's birthday. It's top 3 of her most visited posts and you can see why. This looks so realistic, I'm not sure I could eat the heart but yes to a slice of cake please :)
Just when you thought we were safe from bacon, we have a bacon and chocolate cake from The Mixing Bowl. The inspiration is her favourite breakfast of eggy bread with bacon and maple syrup. There was controversy in the house but it turned out to be a huge success!
The Nerdy Baker has made something with 2 of my favourite ingredients - Nutella Banana Cream Pie. The title of her blog also says "and my secret shame" - click over to read what it is :) This pie looks really indulgent with layers of nutella, banana, whipped cream and hazelnuts!
If you need another cup of tea/coffee, you'll want some of this polenta biscotti to go with it. Made by Gloria from Canela Kitchen it clocks it at only 58 calories each - bonus!
The Cookie Sleuth made this Banana, Chocolate Cookie bars from my favourite combination of ingredients - banana, peanut butter and chocolate. She describes it as a chocolate cookie base with a banana bread like layer on top - delicious!
Another triple B entry: Brilliantly Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Tart made by Dawn from Wild About Baking. Another successful Dan Lepard recipe, its a chocolatey pecan pie crust filled with a cream/bourbon/chocolate filling. I have to agree with Dawn "Phwarh" indeed :)
Last but not least my favourite dessert - banoffee pie made by Daisy from nevertoosweet. She has just moved house (check out the pic of her new kitchen) and was kind enough to make us this delicious tart even though she hasn't fully unpacked! Pie with bananas, caramel and cream - what's not to like?
Make sure you check out Caroline's blog on 1st May to find out what letter we are baking with in May.


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Surveyor Keeps Going and Going...
News story originally written on September 10, 1997
NASA's Surveyor spacecraft will start orbiting Mars on Thursday, September 11th. Getting the Surveyor into orbit is tricky. If the spacecraft's plunge is too deep it will fall through the atmosphere and be burned up. If the craft's dive is too shallow is will skip off of the atmosphere flying out into deep space (much like a rock would skip off of a pond's surface). The Surveyor will work with the famous Mars Pathfinder lander and rover. While the Pathfinder rover scouted the surface of Mars, the Surveyor's purpose is to map the surface, atmosphere and interior of Mars while in orbit around the planet.
Some interesting trivia is involved with the mission. The Surveyor probe is as tall as five Shaquille O'Neals standing on top of each other! Another interesting piece of information involves the cost of the mission. The Surveyor mission has a total cost of $154 million. It has a running time of at least 5 years. In comparison, Kevin Costner's movie Water World costs $174 million and has a running time of about 2 hours!


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Parenthood has been so good this season, I hope you'll forgive me if I express some disappointment with its season — and what sometimes looked like its series — finale. For a show that at its best likes to keep things unkempt and frowsy, this hour was a mite too neatly tied up with a pretty bow.
To be sure, this hour also contained many great pleasures.
Foremost among these pleasures had to be Kristina in her pink wig, going a little Gwen Stefani circa 2000 on us and inspiring the Adam Wide-Eyed Look, which is the Parenthood-approved signal that Adam is officially turned-on. This fashion move also occasioned a double-barreled Crosby joke in which he accused his brother of enjoying an "afternoon delight with Strawberry Shortcake."
Granted, Crosby was feeling pretty dang good, having finally passed his mother-in-law off on his brother-in-law. This was one of the first indications that this finale hour, written with authority by Parenthood guru Jason Katims, was going to resolve numerous plot-lines with something close to finality. Amber and Ryan got back together, and since he got his job back at Joel's work site, he's practically family. Drew got into Berkeley; Amy got into Tufts — so much for that terminated-pregnancy awkwardness.
As for the season's most important theme, the cancer subplot seemed to have only two ways to fall: survival or death. But because this series knows things are not so easily resolved, the "You're cancer-free" news from the doctor was tempered by his adding, "We don't use the word 'cured' for five years." This struck me as highly satisfactory as drama, and allowed for the happy final scene that Kristina and Adam had earned.
Sarah, continuing with the bad luck/bad choices that define her character, seemed to be making the right move in deciding to commit to making it "work" with Hank, but found the romantic rug pulled out from under her when recurring-guest-star Ray Romano's Hank told her he was moving to Minnesota. Now, Sarah having informed Mark of her decision, and since she damn sure isn't going to leave the warmth of California for chilly Minnesota, she's back to lonely singleton status, and Jason Ritter is free to move on to his new NBC pilot… created by Jason Katims.
I would also add that Romano/Hank had the single best scene of the night: His final one, bringing a lovely old camera as a gift for Sarah to give to Max, the Braverman with whom he most identified. Hank was a terrific character, and Romano played the hell out of every single scene, so matter how brief, he got.
I've left Victor's adoption ceremony for last. This was where my misgivings were felt most strongly. All of a sudden, Victor comprehends what a legally binding adoption means, and he never even asks if he'll be able to see his blood relatives or old friends again? Sydney suddenly has a change of heart toward him? Everybody in the extended Braverman family shows up in the judge's chambers for a big whoop-dee-do? How nice.
But then I began to look at it all this way: If I was looking for a sign that Parenthood is reasonably confident that it's being renewed for another season, it was to be found in the very Victor-centric nature of the episode. I mean, we stick with the Bravermans for four seasons, and the show goes out on an episode built around the adoption of a new and (sorry, kid) mostly unlikable character in whom we have barely been invited to invest? I think not. I'm told NBC is still high on this series…
There are many more aspects of Parenthood to be explored in another season. Sometimes I'm not sure I can go through having Sarah meet yet another doomed-to-disappoint guy, but I can probably live with that, I'm sure.
Ultimately what makes Parenthood worth fussing over and picking at and whining about and taking apart and exulting in is its often uncanny knack for capturing the ways in which no family situation is ever a pure triumph, a total botch, or an easily-arrived-at decision. By granting the Bravermans their often loopy eccentricities while managing to make them as all-American as the Waltons, Parenthood earns its continued place in our hearts, and on NBC's schedule.
Very curious to hear what you thought about the finale.
High points:
- Drew and his girlfriend.
- Joy Bryant's entire existence.
- Julia - MVP of the show two seasons running.
Low point:
- Amber and Ryan, when did they become OTP?
- Lorelai 2.0 (actually that was hilarious)


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Blame IT, not TV, for teen health apathy
Mobile phones and computers may have overtaken television as the root of all evil for teenagers' poor wellbeing, an Australian study shows.
University of Sydney researchers investigated the impact of technology on more than 1100 Australian teenagers' sleeping habits, finding that those who were unable to switch off from interacting with mobile devices at night were most likely to be sleep deprived.
More than half of those surveyed had two or three devices in their bedrooms, including mobile phones, computers and televisions, but for once, TV was not the problem.
"Television has been the root of all evil for so long that people are used to seeing it associated with unhelpful behaviour," said Dr Nathaniel Marshall from the university's Centre for Integrated Research and Understanding of Sleep.
"We didn't find that."
Instead, it was interactive devices, including mobile phones that teenagers found themselves glued to for hours, or in some cases, all night, to the extent they were suffering from a form of "social jetlag", Dr Marshall told AAP.
But he said researchers could not rule out that other factors were causing sleep problems.
"Maybe these kids have got sleep problems and what they are doing while they can't sleep is using these technology devices," he said.
Simply having the devices in teenagers rooms was not problematic, as some could refrain from using them and enjoy normal sleep patterns, he said.
"The presence of these devices is not the problem, it's when these kids can't help themselves but use it all night," Dr Marshall said.
He said the study was carried out to investigate the extent to which teenagers were sleep deprived because of intense technology use as this could potentially impact their school performance.
Dr Marshall will present the research this week for the first time at the Australasian Sleep Association Conference in Darwin.
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text: The Maryland Federation of Republican Women recently took their message of increased penalties for child sex offenders to the General Assembly in Annapolis. The women took part in the 3rd Annual Red Scarf Day. Pictured, above from left, are Barbara Loffler, Barbara Jenkins, Betty O'Brien, Ann Lutz and Louetta McClaflin of the Republican Women of Worcester County Club.


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10 Things You Should Know About Art Morrison Multilink Independent Rear Suspension
High-Performance IRS
Art Morrison Engineering (AME) came by to introduce us to their new Multilink independent rear suspension setup and boy, were we impressed. Everything about this suspension setup is top tier. We were able to get a first-hand look at the suspension on a second-gen Camaro that Art Morrison had brought by. This is not your average run-of-the-mill IRS and that's why you only see it on high-performance luxury cars. We decided to give you some insight as to what you can expect from this suspension, why you would want to look into buying it for yourself, and how it differs from a conventional independent rear suspension setup. You can expect this suspension to release sometime in early 2014. Without further ado, here are the top 10 things you should know about Art Morrison's new suspension.
#1 -What is the Art Morrison Multilink IRS made from?
"Art Morrison's multilink IRS is made from mandrel bent 2x4 rectangular tubing." AME
#2 - What are some vehicles that use multilink suspension?
"High-performance luxury cars. Plain and simple. This type of suspension is seen on the Ferrari California, Mercedes S-Class, Porsche 911, and BMW series-3,4,6 that are 2007+." - AME
#3 - What advantages do I have with a multilink suspension setup?
"The suspension is functionally independent with improved load paths and more knuckle support. The driver's control over the car is much better than other setups. If you are worried about the longitudinal and lateral stiffness being soft; multilink stiffness is way higher." - AME
#4 - What brakes can I fit on this multilink suspension?
"Art Morrison's multilink will fit 12.4-inc with floating caliper, Wilwood 14.3-inch with W6A caliper, or 14.4"-inch with OEM Brembo caliper." - AME
#5 - What is the maximum wheel size I can fit?
"The maximum wheel size the multilink allows for is 17-inch with 12.4-inch brakes or 18-inch with Wilwood brakes." - AME
#6 - What tire sizes do I have to use?
"That's really up to you the customer. You can have theoretically any tires size that you want." - AME
#7 - What are the disadvantages of previous IRS setups?
"Previous disadvantages encountered by other IRS setups are poor toe control under acceleration, very little anti-squat, poor camber control, packaging, and wheel offsets." - AME
#8 - What are my shock options?
"The multilink suspension will allow STRANGE coilovers and JRI coilovers in adjustable 4-way." - AME
#9 - Will I be able to use my stock chassis with this suspension setup?
"Currently there are no plans for the Multilink suspension to fit domestic stock chassis at this time." - AME
#10 - When will this suspension be available?
"Word on the street is that it will be available to the public first-quarter 2014." - AME
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Zintan, Libya (CNN) -- The Libyan government said Sunday it had retaken the key town of Bir al-Ghanam after losing it briefly to rebel forces, but a rebel commander said his forces were holding onto the town.
Bir al-Ghanam is about 85 kilometers (53 miles) southwest of the Libyan capital Tripoli. Its capture is significant because little else stands between Bir Al-Ghanam and the Libyan coastline where Tripoli is situated.
After rebels gained control of the town Saturday, one rebel fighter told CNN the "next step" was Tripoli.
Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi told reporters in Tripoli on Sunday that rebel forces had the town for only a few hours. Bir al-Ghanam "is now back in the hands of the honorable brave tribes, with its surface back in normal life and under the control of the legitimate government of Libya," Al-Mahmoudi said.
But Nasr Abu al Qassem, who was in Zintan, about 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Bir al-Ghanam, said rebels remained at the front line in Bir Al-Ghanam and were being reinforced. The situation in the town was stable, he said.
Some grad rockets were fired at the town from a distance Sunday morning, but no rebels were injured, he said.
Rebel commanders said 1,500 opposition members joined in Saturday's battle, which lasted five hours. Rockets and gunfire were exchanged from both sides, and rebels took on Gadhafi fighters from three fronts.
At least eight rebels were killed and dozens more were wounded, according to medical sources. Casualties inflicted on Gadhafi forces were not immediately known.
The fighters in Saturday's attack were part of what some have dubbed a Mad Max army -- a fleet of pickup trucks modified to take heavy weapons speeding across the desert. Most of the men were civilians before the fighting broke out.
For months, rebel fighters -- who have controlled the eastern city of Benghazi and other areas -- have been trying to move closer to the capital. They are seeking the ouster of Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya for 42 years.


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Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas Among Artists on Second Volume of 'The 1861 Project'
Some of the top performers in country, Americana and bluegrass music have joined forces on the new Civil War-based album, The 1861 Project Volume 2: From the Famine to the Front. The 21 songs specially written for the album chronicle the experiences of Irish immigrants who fought on both sides of the war. Among the artists contributing to the project are Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Connie Smith, Maura O'Connell, Irene Kelley, Carl Jackson, Peter Cooper, Jim Rooney, Verlon Thompson, Chris Jones, David Olney and Steve Gulley. Thomm Jutz produced the project for the artists collective Cohesion Arts. He, Peter Cronin and John Hadley are the principal songwriters. The first volume of the The 1861 Project was released last year to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Members of the collective have performed songs from the project at various Civil War sites.


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Merrimack College has announced that David McGillivray, '76, B.A.A. Boston Marathon Race Director, will deliver the commencement address to Merrimack College graduates, their families and friends at the 62nd commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012. An alumnus of Merrimack College, Mr. McGillivray is a dedicated philanthropist, inspirational speaker and has played a key role in the successful operation of the Boston Marathon for the past 23 years, earning the reputation as of one of the world's finest race directors.
This year, the College will bestow the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Public Service upon David McGillivray. Additionally, the College will also bestow the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Public Service upon Brian C. Mitchell, Ph.D., '74, Chairman of the Merrimack College Board of Trustees and former Bucknell University President; the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Education upon Patricia Meservey, Ph.D., President, Salem State University; the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Health Sciences upon Alfred L. Arcidi, Sr., Ph.D., '53; and the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Augustinian Education upon Reverend George F. Riley, O.S.A., Ph.D. (Please see full biographies attached). Each recipient embodies the College's core mission and values of generous service and courageous leadership and were selected based on their extensive knowledge in their field and tireless efforts and contributions towards society as a whole.
"Mr. McGillivray's dedication to service, community, and the greater good underscores Merrimack's core mission," said Dr. Christopher E. Hopey, president, Merrimack College. "David's belief in personal achievement and his diligence in making a difference in this world is a perfect example for our students as they begin to embark on their personal and professional journeys. Merrimack College is honored to have such a distinguished speaker address Merrimack College and its community."
"The College is thrilled to recognize the distinguished group of leaders receiving honorary degrees during this year's commencement exercises," said Hopey. "Their hard work and dedication to their fields represent the meaning, to the highest standard, of each degree that will be conferred."
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are honored to be able to bestow degrees onto each recipient because they illustrate the best of what Merrimack is," said Brian C. Mitchell, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Merrimack College. "As a recipient and a Merrimack alumnus, I am especially proud to be among such distinguished professionals whose life's work can be used to inspire the next generation of leaders to achieve great things."
McGillivray first gained national prominence in 1978 when he ran across the United States to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. Since then, McGillivray has accomplished numerous other exciting and inspirational feats. In 2000, McGillivray received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Competitor Magazine for his more than 20 years of service to the sport of road racing and triathlons. Later in 2000, he won a prestigious national award from Road Race Management for his direction of the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K. He is also Race Director of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and president of Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises (DMSE, Inc.), a nationally recognized event management company.
Mr. McGillivray was inducted into the Running USA Hall of Champions in January 2005 and celebrates his participation in the running industry for his exceptional contributions to the development of the sport. McGillivray recently was selected to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center's 2011 "The One Hundred" list honoring outstanding contributions to the fight against cancer.
David McGillivray holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Merrimack College.
During Commencement 2012, the College will award a total of 578 degrees, including 44 master's degrees and 531 bachelor's degrees.


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The Pathway to Self-Sufficiency
Volunteers make the difference for many Stride familes. Contact us to learn about volunteer opportunities. Internships are also available for students who are interested in pocket option helping in the community.
Stride provides families with support, advocacy, guidance and assistance that meet the family's individual needs through life skills and employment training and connecting families to educational and community resources.
Read our online newsletters to see how Stride is helping families achieve their goal.
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Each year, more than 60 low income and homeless families in metro Denver benefit from Stride's services.
"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom." Nelson Mandela


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This post originally appeared at Kaiser Health News.
The new health care law can be changed in ways that would make it acceptable to a bipartisan majority in the new Congress -- and, therefore, to the American people. But to find this elusive middle ground requires consideration of the competing philosophies at the heart of the nation's political divisions regarding this sweeping measure.
For starters, liberals want a health insurance system in which everyone is covered in a more equitable health insurance pool, but conservatives argue the individual mandate used to accomplish this goal is an unconstitutional encroachment on individual freedom.
Liberals also want a standardized competitive marketplace for health insurance ensuring consumers get comprehensive benefits, but conservatives argue that this would destroy choice and the free market, and create hundreds of pages of rules about what people can and can't buy.
And liberals want every citizen to be entitled to a comprehensive health insurance plan -- a defined benefit. But conservatives want individuals to have incentives, including tax incentives, to purchase and use coverage responsibly -- defined contribution health insurance.
However, there are ways to modify the new health law so that it includes the key elements both sides see as central to moving toward covering everyone and doing it in a way we can better afford.
The key elements of such a compromise could include:
1. Eliminating the individual mandate and replacing it with freedom of choice with responsibility – The existing mandate gives many families the choice of paying a fine they can't afford or paying even higher and more unaffordable insurance premiums. Because the penalty doesn't apply when family premiums reach 8 percent of income, which will be the case for many, it isn't even a very effective individual mandate.
Instead, a compromise could make guarantee issue health insurance entirely voluntary. If it is purchased when the consumer is first eligible -- such as when the exchanges are first available or at the time of a new job -- the consumer would not be subjected to underwriting or preexisting condition rules. The compromise, though, should let consumers purchase and use their health insurance at any other time. But if they didn't purchase coverage when they were first eligible, any preexisting condition would be subject to a two-year waiting period.
2. Eliminating the benefit mandates in the new law and creating a free market of health insurance choices, but with a standardized baseline for ease of comparison – Eliminate all of the benefit mandates in the new law requiring individual market and exchange consumers to purchase only plans that are yet to be outlined in what will be hundreds of pages of regulations. Instead, a compromise could have only two new benefit requirements. One could be a standard plan, which would take the law's existing "silver plan" and use it as a baseline. Every insurer would have to offer this coverage on the exchange or in the individual market. But insurers could also offer consumers any other plan design, so long as they told consumers the relative actuarial value the other plans had to the standard plan. The second would be a health savings account. Every insurer would have to offer an HSA-style program and state its value relative to the standard plan. Consumers who would be eligible for premium subsidies would have any premium savings deposited in a health savings account.
3. Eliminating the "Cadillac" tax on high cost health insurance plans and introducing elements of a conservative defined contribution approach to the existing liberal defined benefit legislation – With exchange premium subsidies already based upon the value of the new law's silver plan (and they should continue to be), the compromise could limit the employer deduction for health insurance, as well as the individual income tax exemption for employer-provided health insurance, to the cost of the standard plan (currently the silver plan) in any year. Phase this limit in over a period of seven-years -- to 2018, when the "Cadillac" tax was to take effect. As a result, tax policy would continue to support comprehensive coverage but also provide real incentives for consumers to buy wisely.
4. Using the budget gains from limiting the existing health insurance tax preference to pay for such things as improving the now inadequate insurance subsidies for the middle-class, permanently fixing the Medicare physician payment issue, or for reducing the deficit. In 2008, the CBO calculated a 10-year savings of $450 billion by limiting health plan tax preferences to the 75th percentile of premiums then paid by employers.
5. Letting states have the flexibility to experiment with alternatives by enacting the proposal by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., that would move up to 2014 the year in which states can submit proposals to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to implement their version of health care reform. The law already allows states to petition the federal government to use the overhaul's money to enact their own plans so long as they cover as many people as the new law would have -- but not until 2017.
The Republican House of Representatives will almost certainly vote to repeal the new health care law early this year. But everyone knows that is for show -- the Democratic-controlled Senate will not go along, nor will President Barack Obama.
On the current partisan political track, we are destined to have a stand-off for two years with Democrats and Republicans blaming each other for gridlock while uncertainty over the new health law, and its 2014 deadlines, has consumers, employers, and health industry stakeholders unable to plan for the future -- only providing another burden of uncertainty in an economy trying to regain its footing.
If the Congress waits until after the 2012 elections before seriously considering changes to the law, it will be 2013 and less than a year before key elements of the legislation are due to take effect.
Or, we can recognize that both sides can get a lot of what they really want by agreeing to a few key and carefully placed changes to the existing law.
Liberals can improve even further the promise that consumers will have access to comprehensive health insurance while still bringing down the cost and underwriting barriers.
Conservatives can significantly move toward their goal of a free market for health care by expanding choices and crafting new incentives for people to make more efficient health care purchasing decisions.
And, these objectives can coexist, giving the American people the confidence we really have accomplished something.
Or, both sides can play a cynical game in the run up to 2012 and the people can be the losers.
A Health Care Reform Blog––Bob Laszewski's review of the latest developments in federal health policy, health care reform, and marketplace activities in the health care financing business.
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HIPRA was the preferred partner at the VIIth NATIONAL CAPRINE FORUM held in Ronda (Spain), on 30th June and 1st July. It also sponsored the health panel discussion of the topic "No place for improvisation in Quality and Health" chaired by Miguel Angel Sanz Franco, small ruminants expert in the company.
A total of four national and international speakers took part in this health panel discussion, who covered various topics relating to the improvement of the quality of goat milk with the main focus on the importance of prevention.
The first was Dr. Gerrit Koop of the University of Utrecht who spoke about the importance of "Udder health in Dutch dairy goats". In second place, Dr. Carlos Gonzalo Abascal spoke about "The cell count as a tool for predicting production and financial losses as a result of subclinical mastitis". Thirdly, Juan Echeverría discussed "The influence of the milking machine on subclinical mastitis". Finally, Ramiro Casimiro spoke about "Veterinary Prescription. Impact on the goat industry".
Lastly, the chairman himself, Miguel Ángel Sanz Franco, presented a field trial which showed how vaccination with VIMCO®, a vaccine against subclinical mastitis, yielded a benefit of 17.66€ per goat in the first 4 months of lactation, simply as a result of the increase in production (17.13€) and the milk price premium (0.53€).
With its participation in the forum, HIPRA strengthens its commitment to the goat industry and the quality of milk in Spain, as well as consolidating its position as the reference in prevention for Animal Health.


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Ellison Onizuka
Ellison Onizuka was an American astronaut who was born on June 24, 1946, in Hawaii. Before he became an astronaut, Onizuka was a test pilot. He has flown over 1700 hours on 43 different aircraft.
Ellison Onizuka became an astronaut in 1978. He has spent over 72 hours in space on two spaceflights.
Onizuka became the first Asian-American in space aboard Mission 51-C in 1985. This was a Department of Defense mission. Onizuka was killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986.