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Line-free sets correlate locally with complexity-1 sets
The aim of this page is to present a proof that if [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] is a dense subset of [math][3]^n[/math] that contains no combinatorial line, then there is a combinatorial subspace X of [math][3]^n[/math] with dimension tending to infinity and a dense subset [math]\mathcal{B}[/math] of X that is a 12-set, such that the density of [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] inside [math]\mathcal{B}[/math] is slightly larger than it is in [math][3]^n.[/math]
Let us assume for now that the equal-slices density of [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] in [math][3]^n[/math] is at least [math]\delta[/math], and that the equal-slices density of [math]\mathcal{A} \cap [2]^n[/math] in [math][2]^n[/math] is at least [math]\theta[/math]. As discussed in the sections below, we can reduce to this case by passing to subspaces.
The key definitions are:
Note that [math]\mathcal{U}[/math] is a 1-set and [math]\mathcal{V}[/math] is a 2-set. Further, since [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] contains no combinatorial line, it must be disjoint from [math]\mathcal{U} \cap \mathcal{V}[/math]. We will now see that [math]\mathcal{U} \cap \mathcal{V}[/math] is large in equal-slices measure on [math][3]^n[/math].
To see this, let [math]z[/math] be drawn from equal-slices measure on [math][3]^n[/math] in the manner described at the end of the article on the topic. Note that this also generates [math]x, y \in [2]^n[/math]. As we saw in the article, we get that both [math]x, y \in \mathcal{A}[/math] with probability at least [math]\eta := \theta^2 - \frac{2}{n+2}[/math], using the fact that [math]\mathcal{A} \cap [2]^n[/math] has equal-slices density at least [math]\theta[/math] in [math][2]^n[/math]. But when this happens, [math]z \in \mathcal{U} \cap \mathcal{V}[/math], by definition. Hence [math]\mathcal{U} \cap \mathcal{V}[/math] has equal-slices density at least [math]\eta[/math] on [math][3]^n[/math].
We now have that [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] avoids the set [math]\mathcal{U} \cap \mathcal{V}[/math], which has equal-slices density at least [math]\eta[/math]. It is thus easy to conclude that [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] must have relative density at least
on one of the three sets [math]\mathcal{U}\cap \mathcal{V}^c[/math], [math]\mathcal{U}^c\cap \mathcal{V}[/math], [math]\mathcal{U}^c \cap \mathcal{V}^c[/math]. And each of these is a 12-set with density at least [math]\eta[/math].
We can move from this relative density-increment under equal-slices to a nearly as good one under uniform using the results in the passing between measures section ("relative density version").
Reducing to equal-slices
Let [math]\nu[/math] denote equal-slices measure on [math][3]^m[/math] (where [math]m[/math] will be clear from context), and [math]\nu'[/math] equal-slices measure on [math][2]^m[/math].
Suppose we merely start out with the assumption that [math]A[/math] has uniform density at least [math]\delta[/math]. Consider a random restriction [math](x,S)[/math] chosen as follows: a set [math]S \subseteq [n][/math] is picked by including each coordinate independently with probability [math]1-\epsilon[/math]; [math]S[/math] is conditioned on having cardinality at most [math](1-\epsilon/2)n[/math]; then [math]x \in [3]^S[/math] is fixed uniformly.
Let [math]\lambda[/math] (resp. [math]\lambda'[/math]) denote drawing [math](x,S)[/math] and then drawing the remaining free coordinates from [math]\nu[/math] (resp. [math]\nu'[/math]). As noted in the passing between measures article,
For simplicity, write [math]\epsilon = \gamma/(10\sqrt{n})[/math] and assume [math]\gamma \geq O(\log n / \sqrt{n})[/math] and hence the above total variation bound is at most [math]\gamma[/math]. Hence we have
Consider now [math]\mathbf{E}_{x,S}[\nu(A_{x})^2][/math]. If this is larger than [math](\delta + \gamma)^2[/math], it means there exists some restriction [math]x[/math] with a decent number of free coordinates under which [math]\nu(A_x) \geq \delta + \gamma[/math]. By passing to a further restriction we can ensure that [math]A[/math]'s uniform-density increases to at least [math]\delta + \gamma/2[/math] on a subspace. This would let us end the overarching density-increment argument.
Hence for now we can assume [math]\mathbf{E}_{x,S}[\nu(A_{x})^2] \leq (\delta + \gamma)^2[/math] and hence
(presuming [math]\gamma \ll \delta[/math]).
Thus Chebyshev implies that except with probability at most [math]\sqrt{\gamma}[/math] over the choice of [math]x[/math] we have that [math]\nu(A_x)[/math] is within [math](1/\gamma^{1/4}) \cdot \sqrt{5 \gamma \delta} = O(\gamma^{1/4}\delta^{1/2})[/math] of its expectation; in particular,
On the other hand, we know that [math]\mathbf{E}_{x,S}[\nu'(A_x)] \geq \delta - \gamma[/math]. Hence with probability at least [math]2\sqrt{\gamma}[/math] over the choice of [math]x[/math] we have [math]\nu'(A_x) \geq \delta - \gamma - 2\sqrt{\gamma}[/math].
We conclude that with probability at least [math]2\sqrt{\gamma} - \sqrt{\gamma}[/math] over the choice of [math]x[/math], i.e. with positive probability, we have both [math]\nu'(A_x) \geq \delta - O(\gamma^{1/2})[/math] and [math]\nu(A_x) \geq \delta - O(\gamma^{1/4}\delta^{1/2})[/math].
We can now pass to this subspace (which has [math]\Omega(\gamma \sqrt{n})[/math] free coordinates) and proceed with the argument in the preceding section.
Further (previous) sketch
Throughout this sketch, [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] refers to a subset of [math][3]^n[/math] of density [math]\delta[/math] in the uniform distribution on [math][3]^n.[/math] We shall sometimes use letters such as x, y and z for elements of [math][3]^n[/math] and we shall sometimes write them as triples (U,V,W) of sets that partition [n]. A triple of sets corresponds to the 1-set, the 2-set and the 3-set of a sequence. We shall pass freely between the two ways of thinking about [math][3]^n,[/math] at each stage using whichever is more convenient.
If (U,V,W) is an element of [math][3]^n[/math] and (U',V',W') is an arbitrary triple of disjoint sets (not necessarily partitioning [n]), we shall write (U,V,W)++(U',V',W') for the sequence obtained from (U,V,W) by changing everything in U' to 1, everything in V' to 2, and everything in W' to 3. For example, writing § for an unspecified coordinate, we have 331322311++§§§1§22§3=331122213. (We think of (U',V',W') as "overwriting" (U,V,W).) If Z is a subset of [n], we shall also write [math](U,V,W)++[3]^Z[/math] for the combinatorial subspace consisting of all [math](U,V,W)++(U',V',W')[/math] with [math](U',V',W')\in[3]^Z,[/math] and [math](U,V,W)++[2]^Z[/math] for the subset of this combinatorial subspace consisting of all points with [math]W'=\emptyset.[/math]
An unexpected aspect of the proof is that we shall use both equal-slices measure and uniform measure. This decision was not arbitrary: it turns out that either measure on its own has inconvenient features that make the proof difficult, but that these difficulties can be be dealt with by passing from one to the other. (Roughly speaking, uniform measure is better for averaging arguments over subspaces, but equal-slices measure is better when we want Varnavides-type statements.) For this we need a tighter version of the statement that the versions DHJ(3) for the two measures are equivalent. We need that any set of density [math]\delta[/math] in one of the measures can be restricted to a combinatorial subspace where its density is at least [math]\delta-\eta[/math] in the other. I'm fairly sure that the argument for the equivalence of the two versions (given here) can be strengthened to give this conclusion, and will in due course make absolutely sure.
The main steps
Step 1. If a, b and c are all within [math]C\sqrt n[/math] of n/3 and a+b+c=n, and if r, s and t are three integers that add up to 0 and are all at most [math]m=o(\sqrt{n})[/math] in modulus, then the size of the slice [math]\Gamma_{a,b,c}[/math] is 1+o(1) times the size of the slice [math]\Gamma_{a+r,b+s,c+t}.[/math]
Step 2. Let [math]\mu[/math] be some probability distribution on combinatorial subspaces S of [math][3]^n[/math] and for each S let [math]\sigma_S[/math] be a probability distribution on S. (We shall abbreviate [math]\sigma_S[/math] to [math]\sigma[/math] if S is clear from the context.) Let [math]\nu[/math] be the distribution on [math][3]^n[/math] that results if you choose a subspace S at random according to [math]\mu[/math] and then a random point x of S according to [math]\sigma[/math]. Suppose that the distribution [math]\nu[/math] is approximately uniform and the distributions [math]\sigma_S[/math] are reasonably nice. Then we may assume that for [math]\mu[/math]-almost all subpaces [math]S\subset[3]^n[/math] the [math]\sigma[/math]-density of [math]\mathcal{A}\cap S[/math] is at least [math](\delta-\eta).[/math]
Step 3. By 1,2 and an averaging argument, we find [math](U,V,W)[/math] and [math]Z\subset U\cup V[/math] of size [math]o(\sqrt{n})[/math] (but not much smaller than [math]\sqrt{n}[/math]) with two properties. First, out of all pairs [math](U',V')\in[2]^Z,[/math] the equal-slices proportion such that [math](U,V,W)++(U',V',\emptyset)[/math] belongs to [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] is at least [math]\delta/3.[/math] Secondly, out of all triples [math](U',V',W')\in[3]^Z,[/math] the equal-slices proportion such that [math](U,V,W)++(U',V',W')[/math] belongs to [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] is at least [math]\delta-\eta.[/math]
Step 4. Fixing such (U,V,W) and Z, let us write (U',V',W') instead of (U,V,W)++(U',V',W'). Then if [math]U_1\subset U_2[/math] and [math](U_1,Z\setminus U_1,\emptyset)[/math] and [math](U_2,Z\setminus U_2,\emptyset)[/math] both belong to [math]\mathcal{A},[/math] then, writing [math]V_i[/math] for [math]Z\setminus U_i,[/math] we have that [math](U_1,V_2,Z\setminus(U_1\cup V_2))[/math] does not belong to [math]\mathcal{A}.[/math]
Step 5. Let [math]\mathcal{U}[/math] be the set of all U such that [math](U,Z\setminus U,\emptyset)[/math] belongs to [math]\mathcal{A},[/math] and let [math]\mathcal{V}=\{Z\setminus U:U\in\mathcal{U}\}.[/math] Then the set of all pairs [math](U_1,V_2)[/math] such that [math]U_1\in\mathcal{U}[/math] and [math]V_2\in\mathcal{V}[/math] is equal-slices dense (this follows from the proof of Sperner's theorem). It follows that [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] is disjoint from an equal-slices-dense set of complexity 1.
Step 6. We can partition the set of all disjoint pairs [math](U_1,V_2)[/math] according to which of the sets [math]\mathcal{U}\times\mathcal{V},[/math] [math]\mathcal{U}\times\mathcal{V}^c,[/math] [math]\mathcal{U}^c\times\mathcal{V}[/math] or [math]\mathcal{U}^c\times\mathcal{V}^c[/math] they belong to. There must be at least one of the three sets other than [math]\mathcal{U}\times\mathcal{V}[/math] in which [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] has a density increment. Thus, we have a local equal-slices density increment on a set of complexity 1.
Further details
Step 1
This one is easy. First let us prove the comparable result in [math][2]^n.[/math] That is, let us prove that if a is within [math]O(\sqrt{n})[/math] of n/2 and [math]r=o(\sqrt{n}),[/math] then [math]\binom na=(1+o(1))\binom n{a+r}.[/math] This is because the ratio of [math]\binom nk[/math] to [math]\binom n{k+1}[/math] is (k+1)/(n-k), so if [math]k=n/2+O(\sqrt{n}),[/math] then the ratio is [math]1+O(n^{-1/2}).[/math] If we now multiply [math]r=o(\sqrt{n})[/math] such ratios together we get [math]1+o(1).[/math]
To get from there to a comparable statement about the sizes of slices in [math][3]^n,[/math] note that we can get from [math](a,b,c)[/math] to [math](a+r,b+s,c+t)[/math] by two operations where we add [math]o(\sqrt n)[/math] to one coordinate and subtract [math]o(\sqrt{n})[/math] from another. Each time we do so, we multiply by [math]1+o(1),[/math] by the result for [math][2]^n[/math] (but applied to [math][2]^p[/math] with p close to 2n/3).
Step 2
First let us make the statement more precise. Let us say that a probability distribution [math]\nu[/math] on a finite set X is [math]\epsilon[/math]-uniform if [math]\nu(A)[/math] never differs from [math]|A|/|X|[/math] by more than [math]\epsilon.[/math] (A probabilist would say that the total variation distance between [math]\nu[/math] and the uniform distribution is at most [math]\epsilon.[/math]) Then the precise claim is the following. Let [math]\epsilon,\eta\gt0.[/math] Suppose that [math]\mu[/math] is a probability distribution on some collection [math]\Sigma[/math] of combinatorial subspaces S of [math][3]^n.[/math] Now choose a point x randomly by first choosing a subspace S [math]\mu[/math]-randomly from [math]\Sigma[/math] and then choosing [math]x[/math] [math]\sigma_S[/math]-randomly from S. Suppose that the resulting distribution [math]\nu[/math] is [math]\epsilon[/math]-uniform. Then either we can find a combinatorial subspace [math]S\in\Sigma[/math] such that [math]\sigma_S(\mathcal{A}\cap S)\geq\delta+\epsilon[/math] or, when you choose S randomly according to the distribution [math]\mu,[/math] the probability that [math]\sigma_S(\mathcal{A}\cap S)\leq\delta-\eta[/math] is at most [math]2\epsilon/\eta.[/math]
Proof. Let us first work out a lower bound for the expectation of [math]\delta(S):=\sigma_S(\mathcal{A}\cap S).[/math] This expectation is [math]\sum_{S\in\Sigma}\mu(S)\delta(S),[/math] which is precisely the probability that you obtain a point in [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] if you first pick a [math]\mu[/math]-random S and then pick a [math]\sigma_S[/math]-random point in S. In other words, it is [math]\nu(\mathcal{A}),[/math] which by hypothesis is within [math]\epsilon[/math] of [math]\delta,[/math] and is therefore at least [math]\delta-\epsilon.[/math] If the probability that [math]\delta(S)\lt\delta-\eta[/math] is p and [math]\delta(S)[/math] is bounded above by [math]\delta+\epsilon,[/math] then the expectation of [math]\delta(S)[/math] is at most [math]p(\delta-\eta)+(1-p)(\delta+\epsilon),[/math] which equals [math]\delta+\epsilon-p(\eta+\epsilon).[/math] If [math]p\gt2\epsilon/\eta,[/math] then this is less than [math]\delta+\epsilon-2\epsilon,[/math] which is a contradiction. [math]\Box[/math]
In the informal statement of Step 2 above, we said "we may assume" that almost all densities are at least [math]\delta-\eta.[/math] The reason is that the above argument shows that the only thing that could go wrong is if there exists a subspace [math]S\in\Sigma[/math] such that [math]\delta(S)=\sigma_S(\mathcal{A}\cap S)\geq\delta+\epsilon.[/math] But we shall choose the measures [math]\sigma_S[/math] in such a way that if this happens then we can pass to a further subspace inside which the uniform density is at least [math]\delta+\epsilon/2.[/math] And if we can do that, then we have our desired density increment.
Step 3
Now let us pick a random point [math](U,V,W)[/math] and a random set [math]Z\subset[n][/math] of size [math]m=o(\sqrt{n}).[/math] We claim first that the distribution of an equal-slices-random point in the combinatorial subspace [math]S=(U,V,W)++[3]^Z[/math] is approximately uniform, and also that the distribution of an equal-layers random point in the set [math]T=(U,V,W)++[2]^Z[/math] is approximately uniform. (For the sake of clarity, I'll say "equal-layers" for [math][2]^n[/math] and "equal-slices" for [math][3]^n.[/math]) Just in case there is any doubt, the equal-slices measures on the subspaces are not the restrictions of equal-slices measure on [math][3]^n[/math] to those subspaces: rather, they are what you get when you think of the subspaces as copies of [math][3]^m.[/math]
To prove this assertion (which is essentially already proved in the discussion of the equivalence of DHJ(3) for the two measures), let us first fix three non-negative integers [math]a,b,c[/math] that add up to m, and then examine the distribution of the point [math]x[/math] chosen by first picking a random [math](U,V,W),[/math] then picking a random triple [math](U',V',W')[/math] belonging to the slice [math]\Gamma_{a,b,c}[/math] of [math][3]^Z,[/math] and finally taking the point [math]x=(U,V,W)++(U',V',W').[/math] This is equivalent to choosing [math](U',V',W')[/math] first and then filling up the rest of the sequence randomly. Since [math]U', V'[/math] and [math]W'[/math] are random sets of size a, b and c, the effect of this is to change very slightly the density associated with each slice. More precisely, the densities of near-central slices are hardly affected, while the densities of outlying slices are irrelevant because their total measure is tiny.
Once we've done that for a single triple (a,b,c) we can average over all of them (with appropriate weights) and get the result. For now, I will not give this argument in any more detail.
A similar argument (in fact, almost exactly the same argument) proves that if you choose an equal-layers random point in [math](U,V,W)++[2]^Z,[/math] then it too will have a distribution that is [math]\epsilon[/math]-uniform.
Now let us find the particular [math](U,V,W)[/math] and Z that we are looking for. Because the distribution of an equal-slices random point in [math]S=(U,V,W)++[3]^Z[/math] is [math]\epsilon[/math]-uniform, the hypotheses of Step 2 are satisfied for the uniform measure on the subspaces S of this form and the equal-slices measure inside. Therefore, we are free to assume that the proportion of such subspaces S inside which the equal-slices density is less than [math]\delta-\eta[/math] is at most [math]2\epsilon/\eta.[/math] But we also know that if we choose a random point from a random set of the form [math](U,V,W)++[2]^Z,[/math] then it is [math]\epsilon[/math]-uniform, so its probability of being in [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] is at least [math]\delta-\epsilon.[/math] It follows that with probability at least [math]\delta/3[/math] the density of [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] inside [math](U,V,W)++[2]^Z[/math] is at least [math]\delta/3.[/math] So provided we choose [math]\epsilon[/math] and [math]\eta[/math] so that [math]2\epsilon/\eta[/math] is less than [math]\delta/3,[/math] we can find [math](U,V,W)[/math] and [math]Z[/math] such that both statements hold. This proves Step 3.
Step 4
In one way this is trivial, and in another it is the observation that drives the whole argument (and has been mentioned in different guises and by various people several times on the blog threads). If [math]U_1\subset U_2[/math] and [math](U_1,Z\setminus U_1,\emptyset)[/math] and [math](U_2,Z\setminus U_2,\emptyset)[/math] both belong to [math]\mathcal{A},[/math] then, writing [math]V_i[/math] for [math]Z\setminus U_i,[/math] the claim is that [math](U_1,V_2,Z\setminus(U_1\cup V_2))[/math] does not belong to [math]\mathcal{A}.[/math] But that is because the points [math](U_1,V_1,\emptyset), (U_2,V_2,\emptyset)[/math] and [math](U_1,V_2,Z\setminus(U_1\cup V_2))[/math] form a combinatorial line, the first two points of which belong to [math]\mathcal{A}.[/math]
Step 5
The set of all pairs [math](U_1,V_2)[/math] such that [math]U_1\in\mathcal{U}[/math] and [math]V_2\in\mathcal{V}[/math] is in one-to-one correspondence with the set of all pairs [math]U_1\subset U_2[/math] such that [math]U_1,U_2\in\mathcal{U}.[/math] From Step 3 we know that the equal-layers density of [math]\mathcal{U}[/math] is at least [math]\delta/3.[/math] Therefore, if we choose a random permutation [math]\pi[/math] of [math][n],[/math] the expected density of initial segments that lie in [math]\mathcal{U}[/math] is at least [math]\delta/3.[/math] It follows from Cauchy-Schwarz that the expected density of pairs of initial segments is at least [math]\delta^2/9.[/math] Therefore, the set of all disjoint pairs [math](U_1,V_2)[/math] that belong to [math]\mathcal{U}\times\mathcal{V}[/math] has density at least [math]\delta^2/9[/math] in the set of all disjoint pairs (where the density of pairs is given by first choosing their cardinalities randomly and then choosing the sets given the cardinalities).
It remains to deduce from this that the collection of points [math](U,V,W)[/math] such that [math]U\in\mathcal{U}[/math] and [math]V\in\mathcal{V}[/math] is equal-slices dense. Hang on, I've just shown precisely the statement that the equal-slices density of this set is at least [math]\delta^2/9.[/math]
Step 6
This one is very simple. We have partitioned [math][3]^Z[/math] into four special sets of complexity 1. [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] is disjoint from one of those sets, which has density at least [math]\delta^2/9.[/math] Therefore, of at least one of the other three we must be able to say that its density is [math]\alpha[/math] but it contains at least [math]\alpha\delta+\delta^2/27)3^m[/math] points of [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] (since otherwise the density of [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] would not be [math]\delta[/math]). This gives us a density increment of at least [math]\delta^2/27[/math] on some special set of complexity 1, which itself must have density at least [math]\delta^2/27[/math] in [math][3]^Z[/math].
This argument is intended to form part of a density-increment strategy for proving DHJ(3). It is closely analogous to, though not quite the same as, a statement that plays an important role in Ajtai and Szemerédi's proof of the corners theorem. It reduces the problem to understanding special sets of complexity 1, which should in principle be much easier than the original problem, as it is amenable to the kinds of techniques that can be used to prove Sperner's theorem. This reduced problem will shortly be considered in a separate page.
The above write-up is clearly not of the precision that would be demanded in a journal article, and it has not been thoroughly checked. But it feels natural enough to be robust, in the sense that any mistakes ought to be technical rather than fundamental.
Where next?
Let [math]\mathcal{U}[/math] and [math]\mathcal{V}[/math] be collections of subsets of [m] such that the set [math]\mathcal{A}[/math] of all sequences [math]x\in[3]^m[/math] with 1-set in [math]\mathcal{U}[/math] and 2-set in [math]\mathcal{V}[/math] is equal-slices dense. Then there must be a set W such that the set of [math](U,V)[/math] such that [math](U,V,W)\in\mathcal{A}[/math] is equal-layers dense in [math][2]^{[m]\setminus W}.[/math] By the multidimensional Sperner theorem the set of all U contained in on e of those pairs (which determines the pair) contains a multidimensional combinatorial subspace. That is, we can fix some coordinates and find wildcard sets [math]E_1,\dots,E_r[/math] such that all 01 sequences that are fixed outside the [math]E_i[/math] and constant on each [math]E_i[/math] belong to [math]\mathcal{A}.[/math] But by the definition of [math]\mathcal{A},[/math] this implies that we can also map the elements of some of the [math]E_j[/math] to 3, so we actually obtain a combinatorial subspace of [math][3]^m[/math] contained in [math]\mathcal{A}.[/math]
Of course, we don't necessarily have a density increment on that subspace, but it is promising nevertheless.


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This weeks challenge is brought to us by Olga Jewell this week over at TMITA/PCC. It was to follow a sketch, which I love to do, but rarely do on my own. I used the image "Follow Me" and used a fun summery pp that was in my scraps. Kept it fairly clean and simple. Colored with my Bic Mark-its. Well, this past week zoomed by super fast and the next 2 weeks I will be working on putting some paint on some walls for some designs I did for a church, so I will be away during the days and I am sure busy when home as usual.
So, thanks for stopping by and now I am headed for bed just short of mid-night. Thanks for stopping by I hope to get by some of your blogs soon, so please forgive me if I haven't been by to visit, believe me I certainly miss stopping by and enjoying all your inspirations! Have a Magical Monday, or at least a good one anyway!
May 3, 2010
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subset: commoncrawl


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Christian metal veterans LIVING SACRIFICE will release their eighth studio album, "Ghost Thief", on November 12 via Solid State Records. The CD marks the Little Rock, Arkansas band's first release since returning from a multi-year hiatus with 2010's "The Infinite Order", an album that led Alternative Press to declare the band "back at full strength." Pop Matters called the band "masters of their craft," adding that "'The Infinite Order' is proof of why LIVING SACRIFICE is one of the most influential Christian metal bands of all time."
Running the extremes from blisteringly fast to mid-tempo thrash with groove to spare, "Ghost Thief" is a clinic on how a band with a 20-plus-year career can continue to make relevant metal. While the music stretches out sonically, the songs are held together thematically through one dark motif: the fleeting quickness of this life and the idea of an afterlife.
"'Ghost Thief' is a reference to the personification of Death," guitarist/vocalist Bruce Fitzhugh explains. "Depending on the circumstance, death can be greeted as an enemy or a friend. We have a few songs that deal with the suddenness and finality of death. 'Ghost Thief' and 'Sudden' both are inspired by people who died suddenly and unexpectedly. Friends of ours or family members that we were close to."
Produced by DEMON HUNTER's Jeremiah Scott, "Ghost Thief" marks the eighth studio album LIVING SACRIFICE has issued since 1989, when a teenage Fitzhugh and Lance Garvin (drums) first united with friend DJ Johnson and later Jason Truby, determined to create a metal band as musically uncompromising as the secular groups of the day with a positive lyrical message. Practically unheard of at the time and to many quite controversial, the result blew open doors and crossed preconceived boundaries with a mix of thrash and death metal across their first three albums.
The band went through natural shifts over the ensuing years, with some members going on to join bands like P.O.D. and EVANESCENCE. Through the years, however, the constants of Fitzhugh and Garvin, and then mainstays Rocky Gray (guitar) and Arthur Green (bass) since 1998, steered the ship, and LIVING SACRIFICE achieved its goal of helping Christian metal transcend its own boundaries to become something respected and admired throughout the metal realm — a fact evident today in the countless bands LIVING SACRIFICE has influenced.
"Ghost Thief" track listing:
01. Screwtape (featuring Ryan Clark)
02. Ghost Thief
03. The Reaping
04. Straw Man
05. Sudden
06. Mask
07. American Made
08. Before
09. Your War
10. Despair (featuring Dave Peters)
The "Ghost Thief" title track can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of RevolverMag.com).


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I was on campus this past Saturday for Accepted Students Day, and was very impressed with the well-run event. Activities included a Future Leaders Breakfast, time to meet the faculty, a "Beyond the Books" look at campus life, Student Organization Fair, a luncheon, and breakout sessions on a variety of topics including leadership & service, career education services, study abroad opportunities, public safety, the Student Success Center, scholarship and financial aid, and University Ministry. The day concluded with a Presidential Reception in the Student Fitness Center. They gave out Detroit Mercy tee-shirts to all student attendees. There was a nice glossy brochure available specific to the event with agenda and other information. Alumni were invited to mingle with the student and parent guests. Approximately 600 people were in attendance including 238 students.
Photos from the event can be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/udmercy/pho ... 3173998896


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Warms your heart doesn't it?
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The Pacific debuts in US: Melbourne Scenes
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RV Technician Application
Did you know that you don't need any experience working on RVs or cars to be an RV technician? General RV hires people with all kinds of technical, mechanical and construction backgrounds: everyone from do-it-yourselfers and handymen, to electricians and auto mechanics. Our technicians work on everything except the engine and chassis, so they need a variety of skills.
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General RV Center and its family of companies, which includes America's Choice Insurance Partners and Salem Distributors, are a large multi-state employer founded in 1962 in the heart of the Motor City. General RV has become the nation's largest family-owned RV Dealer, and what started as a small 'mom and pop' operation has since grown to 11 locations in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Florida and Utah. Additionally, General RV has a globally recognized eCommerce division that reaches customers throughout the world.
Since 2014, General RV Center has been named by Crain's Detroit as one of Michigan's largest and fastest growing privately held companies.


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Neiman Marcus Giveaway | December 2013
Favorite Holiday Gifts Giveaway, Day 1: Win $2,000 to Neiman Marcus
It's the holiday season, and we're getting in the spirit with our favorite holiday gifts. We've been rounding up our picks for everyone in your life, and now we want to gift you with something from our six amazing giveaways.
We're kicking off Day 1 of our Favorite Holiday Gifts Giveaway with a chance to win $2,000 to Neiman Marcus.
Enter below, and you could be one step closer to a shopping spree at one of our favorite stores!
This giveaway has ended.
Don't forget to enter our home giveaway for all your home decor needs with $1,000 Pier One Imports, and our tech giveaway to get the latest gadgets with $1,500. And be sure to check out our POPSUGAR Editors' Guide to Giving.


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Title: Kinetics of C2O radicals formed in the photolysis of carbon suboxide at 308 and 248 nm
Journal: J. Photochem. Photobiol. A
Volume: 64
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Year: 1992
Reference type: Journal article
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NEW YORK – The Eastern Conference just added a little Texas twang for the 2011 MLS season.
League officials on Friday announced the highly awaited plans for conference realignment with the inclusion of expansion sides Portland and Vancouver, and the Houston Dynamo will make the shift from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference.
Both conferences will carry nine teams for the 2011 season, and teams will play each other twice as part of the league's new balanced 34-game schedule.
Houston were realigned because they were the franchise furthest east in the Western Conference, roughly 100 miles east of in-state rivals FC Dallas.
"With the addition of Portland and Vancouver in 2011, MLS wanted to have two conferences of nine teams each," MLS President Mark Abbott said. "The most logical solution was for the Houston Dynamo – the easternmost club in the 2010 Western Conference – to move to the Eastern Conference."
The move adds some hard-earned MLS hardware to the already proven Eastern Conference, as the two-time MLS Cup winning Dynamo make the change. The Dynamo won back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007 and had reached the postseason each of the past four seasons before missing the playoffs in 2010.
With Houston now in the East, the Conference now boasts the winners of three MLS Cups since 2005 (Houston in 2006 and 2007, Columbus in 2008). The Western Conference has won the last two (Colorado and Real Salt Lake).
The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps will both join the Western Conference, where they'll compete with the regional rival Seattle Sounders and the rest of the conference.
The Dynamo open the season on March 19 at home against the Philadelphia Union.


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Exit 0 International Jazz Festival makes its debut in Cape May
Not even Mother Nature could stop this music festival in Cape May. The first-ever Exit 0 International Jazz Festival had a good turn out this weekend and the weather was great. However, for the festival's producer Michael Kline there were some tense moments in the past few weeks.
Hurricane Sandy brought destruction to many of New Jersey's coastal towns. Cape May was relatively unscathed. Kline and his crew were hoping for the best and it looks like they got it.
Seven years ago Kline relocated to Cape May, N.J. from New Orleans. Following Hurricane Katrina and the damage it brought to his hometown, Michael moved to the Northeast. It's clear that had Hurricane Sandy taken a different path, Kline would have relived that terrible experience all over again. Fortunately for those in Cape May the town was spared and this weekend's festival went on without a glitch. Several concertgoers reported how happy they were to see the festival going on following the hurricane.
With Kline at the helm the first Exit 0 International Jazz Festival had a real New Orleans feel to it. More than 20 artists performed to standing room only crowds in eight different venues all within walking distance. All around town the smiling faces and people eating and dancing painted a picture of fun. There is no doubt in my mind that this festival will expand and continue to grow.


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Excerpt: 'You: Being Beautiful'
Read an excerpt of "You: Being Beautiful" by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz.
Nov. 14, 2008 -- In the follow-up to the best-selling book "You: Staying Young," Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz are taking on beauty from three vantage points: looking beautiful, feeling beautiful and being beautiful.
Click here to take the "Your You-Q" inner and outer beauty quiz.
The book provides tips on how to care for your body with everything from healthy diets to weighing the value of cosmetic enhancements. It also teaches readers how to care for their spirit by identifying major stresses and examining relationships.
Read the introduction and a chapter of the book below, then check out some other books in the "GMA" library.
Excerpt courtesy of Free Press.
For those of you who think beauty is about mirrors, makeup, and how many pudding packs you have to sacrifice to fit into your skinny jeans, then pull up a chair, postpone your top-of-the-hour Botox appointment, and hear this.
Beauty isn't some vapid and superficial pursuit that exists solely to sell products, wag tongues, and produce drool. Beauty is actually precisely perceived, purposeful, and rooted more in hard science than in abstract and random opinion. From the time we started prancing around the world with our body-hair parkas and leafy lingerie, evolution has pushed us to be more beautiful. And that's why beauty serves as the foundation for our feelings, our happiness, and our existence. In fact, beauty doesn't reflect our vanity as much as it does our humanity.
Beauty—dear appearance-obsessed friend—is health.
We already know that beauty is always on your mind, because it's on everyone's minds. You can't help but think about it or suppress it—consciously or not—every time you step in the shower or in front of the mirror. It drives many of the decisions you make about exercise and eating, and it determines how you choose between the black dress and the white pants.
This kind of traditional beauty—the outer kind—really isn't just about looking good. Outer beauty serves as a proxy of how healthy you are; it's the message you send to others about your health. Way back when—before we could decode your genome, use fertility tests to see when you're ovulating, and order MRIs to see what was going on with your liver—people used beauty as the serious assessment of the potential health of a partner. Beauty was the best way to figure it out (and in a tenth of a second, mind you). Now, if you take the concept of beauty a few steps deeper, you realize that inner beauty—the idea of feeling good and being happy—also has tremendous health implications in every aspect of your life.
But for so long, we've had it all wrong. We've thought of beauty as nonessential and superficial. Just look at our most popular beauty-based clichés:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Translation: Just as we all have different taste buds, we all have different beauty buds, as well. Some like blond; some like brown. Some like their men to wear boxers; others prefer leopard-print G-strings.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Translation: Don't make assumptions or judgments about people just because they have big boobs, no hair, or a belt that's longer than a circus tightrope.
Beauty is only skin deep. Translation: Stop linking outer beauty with the inner kind. They're as separate as mashed potatoes and maple syrup.
The logic behind all these myths argues that external beauty is unimportant, most likely misleading, and at best relevant only until more useful information becomes available. But we have three words for these three clichés: wrong, wrong, wrong. Scientific study after study shows that these popular principles are more myth than reality.
In fact, research shows that human beings have evolved universal standards of beauty, both within and across cultures. Research also shows that attractive people are judged more positively than unattractive people—even when there's other information available about them. The data show that more attractive people are judged to be better liked, more competent, and more exciting (all by about a two-to-one margin). Research also indicates that external beauty is linked to personality and behavior.
Though there are biological and social influences on beauty, it does seem that being deemed attractive creates a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy that reinforces and internalizes certain behaviors and self-concepts. And guess what? Most of these crucial factors are ones you can change for the better.
In YOU: Being Beautiful, we're going to share with you the biology of beauty, as well as what you can do to be your most beautiful self by making choices and taking actions that will help you look the way you want, and most important, feel and be the way you want.
We're going to clarify what beauty really is—and give you the tools to become healthier and happier by paying a little more attention to it. How? We're going to chop up beauty into three distinct pieces—pieces that will give you a perspective that may change the way others view you and, ultimately, the way you view the world. These three hunks serve as the structural outline for this book.
Part 1:
Looking Beautiful: You don't have to be a screen star to know that outer beauty matters. Simply, appearance is the proxy—the instant message to others—for youth, fertility, and health. In this section, we'll explore some of the ways that you can improve your looks when it comes to such things as your skin, your hair, and your body shape. Most of all, these things are important because how you look partly helps determine how you feel.
Part 2:
Feeling Beautiful: There's no doubt in our minds that looking like diamonds doesn't mean squat if you feel like a wooden nickel. You can have the best hair, skin, and butt this side of Kalamazoo, but if you lack energy or your knees creak or you're sadder than a leashed kitty, then all the outward magnetism you may have will be obscured—and fade fast. Here we'll take a look at the big things that can keep you from feeling beautiful—things like fatigue and chronic pain and destructive attitudes—so you can help turn the blues into, well, hot pinks or purples.
Part 3:
Being Beautiful: Though you may assume that we'd be imposing morality in a section about "being beautiful," we're not really talking about behaviors here. We're not here to tell you what's right and wrong but to explain how to take your life one step deeper—to find a more authentic and happier you in your life and relationships—and how to use different strategies to do so.
The beauty of these three kinds of beauty is that they're all tied together: Looking as good as you like helps you feel good about yourself, which serves as the foundation for developing that sense of authenticity and deeper purpose that so many of us crave as we search for meaning in our lives. Plus, being authentic and happier makes you physically more attractive.
Now, let's get one thing straight so you can relax a bit. You wouldn't be here unless your ancestors were beautiful. You need to accept the fact that we're all beautiful; sexual selection guaranteed it, because your ancestors mated with the most beautiful partners. We all have beautiful elements in us; we're going to talk about ways that we can expose and maximize them.
The beauty industry is one of the biggest money-takers around (it sells us a lot). We have cosmetics companies and cosmetic surgeons. We have super-models with their own magazine covers, commercials, and reality shows. We're obsessed with fashion and our weight. We fret over inopportune pimples in inopportune places. We exercise our bodies, we scrub our faces, we wax off gnarly hair, we buy expensive underwear to push our breasts up and suck our stomachs in. And maybe you're right. We're all emphasizing the wrong things.
Here we argue that beauty is also much more than outer appearances alone. As we'll explore through the middle and the end of the book, beauty is also about how you feel and how you define your life. These three interlocking elements—look, feel, be—work together to form what we believe is the ultimate goal in all of our lives: to feel good about yourself because you have strong self-esteem and a healthy, energetic existence that allows you to appreciate the subtle beauty of day-to-day life, and because you know your purpose in life—and to show off that purpose by helping others do the same.
YOU: Being Beautiful is really about the fact that we're all hardwired with automatic thoughts and perceptions about beauty. That means that many of these ideas have evolved over thousands of years to form a foundation for human behavior, emphasizing that it's especially hard to overcome some of the automatic drives.
To that end, beauty is very serious business—as in survival-of-the-species serious. When we think about survival of the species (living long enough to pass your genes on to the next generation), it's natural to emphasize the survival part of the equation. But when it comes down to a choice between surviving and breeding, breeding often wins. (Think of male grizzlies fighting to the death for a mate.) Considering the stakes, you'd better be sure that the object of your affection (that man with those magnificent abs) is worthy of the effort to attract him. But how can you know for sure? Thankfully, just like the metal detector–toting treasure hunter who leaves luck and serendipity to the amateurs, you come fully equipped with your own professional-grade beauty detectors.
When we spot a particularly attractive person, somewhere deep in our reptilian brains, a beauty alarm goes off. It tells us when we've struck gold, and it does so automatically and subconsciously. Just like a reflex, it's automatic, impossible to stop, and Annie Oakley accurate. Your beauty detectors have the mathematical precision of a Swiss watch, and this precision comes in the form of some very specific numbers that you'll learn about in this book, including something called the Fibonacci sequence. You'll also learn that's the reason why we make so many decisions with our emotions and not our logic; those decisions play a major role in how beautiful and healthy we feel.
To teach you about these things, we're going to use some of the same techniques you may be familiar with if you've followed us along this wonderful journey about YOU. We'll offer YOU Tests to allow you to assess your various states of beauty. We'll explain (both verbally and visually) all of the biology that makes up the systems we talk about; once you know the why, you're more likely to take action with a what. We'll offer plenty of YOU Tips and YOU Tools that you can use to look and feel better than you ever have before. Right after this introduction, we'll test your YOU-Q—a measurement of how well you're doing in your overall pursuit of authenticity and happiness, since there's quite possibly a large difference between the current you and the potential you (it's hard to be happy if that difference is big). And we'll end up with the ultimate beautiful day—24 hours of simple changes that can help you get where you can.
Along the way, you'll be challenged, shocked, and surprised—and your perceptions about inner and outer beauty may very well implode right in front of your freshly exfoliated face. You'll learn why shampoo may not be all that necessary, why and how the perfect smile can be measured down to the millimeter, how a secret to effective foreplay centers around your ten toes, why female orgasms are crucial to the continuation of the species, how tennis balls can mend an aching back, why a simple change in language fosters or stops addictions, and why our definition of spirituality is like nothing you've ever heard before. We'll cover lots of topics in these three parts of beauty—including all the health implications and easy-to-follow solutions that can help you get the most out of life. (In our humble opinions, it doesn't get more beautiful than that.)
As you dive into this book, you'll come across essential information about the seemingly inconsequential things in life (hello, pores!), and you'll come across mind-blowing inspiration about the absolutely consequential things in life (how to find true meaning and purpose). While we'll hit you with the nuts and bolts of outer beauty, we also hope to inspire you to make changes about how you feel on the inside. Throughout, we'll try to challenge your assumptions about what true beauty is.
Along the way, you'll surely look in the mirror—both literally and metaphorically. You'll get new perspectives on body shapes, on fingernails, on tongues, on depression, on knee pain, on energy levels, on sexuality, on prayer, on so many things in your life that you can strengthen to live healthier and happier. It may be hard to imagine that hangnails and deities belong in the same book. But as we hope you come to appreciate, beauty isn't about the parts. It's about how those parts work together to form the whole. The whole YOU.
Head of Class: How to Save Your Hair
When it comes to appearances, some of us may be predominantly defined by our faces, some by our bodies, and some by our addiction to tattoo ink (nice skull, Grandma!). Many others, of course, are largely judged by their hair. And for good reason.
Your hair—on your scalp, face, or back—is your body's fashion statement. While you're born with a natural color, shape, and style of hair, you also have the power to control how good (or bad) it looks, how long (or short) it is, and whether it's black or blond (or blue). With a few snips or tricks, you can tell the world you're wacky (Britney's shave job and Sanjaya's famous faux-hawk). You can say you're sexy (pick your favorite celeb). You can let it grow (Rapunzel) or hack it off (Kojak). You can be the inspiration for millions (thank you, Ms. Aniston) or the proud butt of jokes (sorry, Mr. Trump).
Sure, hair is great for running your fingers through and growing make-a-statement goatees, but hair used to be more purposeful than simply serving as bodily ornamentation. Today, the hair on our scalps protects us against the sun, and our eyelashes act as our first defense against bugs, dust, and other irritating objects. But back when clothes were as scarce as skyscrapers, the hair in our nether regions camouflaged our reproductive parts from generation-threatening spears. And by lining our armpits (we docs call them the axillae) and groins, our dry hair actually acts as a lubricant, allowing our arms and legs to move without chafing. Then and now, our body hair serves as a protector against malaria (see more on body hair on page 75). The anopheles mosquito—a low-flying bug that likes the legs—hates hair, in part because hair warns its victim to start swatting. While their bite is painless, our hair signals their presence before they bite (it's why kids are at greater risk—they have less hair on their legs). That's most likely the original purpose of hair: It served as an early-warning system of bodily threats. We seem to ignore the armor function of our hair today, removing it every chance we get, except on our heads and eyes.
In addition to its utilitarian functions, hair reflects a lot about our self-esteem, taste, gender, age, and attitude. It also plays a major role in how we're attracted to and attractive to other people (more on this in chapter 10). It can even be a source of conflict. While men tend to prefer women with long hair (ever see a painting of Eve with a buzz cut?), women, especially as they age, seem to prefer wearing shorter hair. More important, our hair tells us a ton about our overall health status, as the growth or loss of hair can signal other malfunctions going on inside our bodies. Whatever the case, we all know why in the United States alone we spend $50 billion a year on hair care: because we care about our hair.
We care about cleaning it. We care about beautifying it. We care about keeping it in some places and losing it in others. Just as skin can shine and glow, so can your locks—as long as you use the right tactics to maintain your mane.
Your Hair: Losing It and Abusing It
In today's world, we don't treat our hair all that well. In fact, if your hair knew what was going on, it would be pulling its hair out.
To show you how, let's talk about the structure of hair—how it grows, how it can end up in your shower drain, and how it can end up looking about as lively and healthy as sun-scorched grass. The average person's head has up to 150,000 hair follicles (the adult body has 5 million). That number is constant over a lifetime; it's hereditary, so only thickness, condition, and whether you lose the actual strands that come from those follicles can change. Each one of those strands grows about six inches a year—women between the ages of 16 and 24 pump it out the fastest.
While it may seem that your hair is as far removed from your internal organs as your clothes or jewelry, each strand of hair has its own blood supply. Because of that, hair is greatly influenced by health and diet. Hair is also under the delicate control of hormones, which is why men have beards and hair on their chests and male-pattern baldness on their heads, and women don't.
As you can see in Figure 2.1, [not pictured] your hair is made up of distinct structures: the follicle and the shaft. A tunnel-like segment in the epidermis portion of your skin, the follicle resides under the surface of the skin and extends down into the dermis. The base of the follicle contains little blood vessels that nourish the cells. The living part is the bulb at the base, while the shaft—the part of the hair that we see above the skin—is dead.
That hair shaft is made up of a protein called keratin. The inner layer (the medulla) and the middle layer (the cortex) make up the majority of the shaft. Like the nail's structure, the hair's cuticle, which looks like a tile roof under the microscope, serves as the outer, protective layer that covers the medulla and cortex.
Now, to keep your hair shiny, it needs oil. Surrounding your hairs are tiny muscles that give you goose bumps, standing your hairs on end when you're cold or during a scary movie. These muscles also squeeze the glands that lube up your hair, which produce sebum—your own natural vitamin E–rich hair and skin conditioner.
How Hair Is Lost
When it comes to hairy situations, many of us can live with a bad haircut or a little graying or the occasional day when our hair looks like a haystack. But the most frustrating problem for many people—men especially—is what's perceived to be the start of the downhill slide to death, or at least the impetus for wanting that Corvette: hair loss.
While we tend to say that baldness comes from the mother's side, an individual's genes from both parents influence that person's predisposition to male-- or female--pattern baldness. Of course, hair loss is far more visible in men (80 percent of whom experience some degree of baldness), but nearly 40 percent of women lose substantial amounts of hair after menopause, as well (women tend to thin out all over, rather than develop the signature spots that men do), making it a major appearance issue for both genders.
To learn how you lose hair, you first have to understand how it grows. Hair goes through its own growth cycle that's unrelated to seasons or hormones or anything else. It's a random biological process that's dictated largely by your genetic disposition. The two main phases:
Anagen (active): Cells in the root are dividing quickly and pushing the hair out. It averages to three years.
Telogen (resting): This phase lasts for about 100 days on the scalp. Consider it hair hibernation -- the follicle is completely at rest.
Doctors don't know why certain hair follicles are programmed to have a shorter growth period than others. One suspected factor for age-related male-pattern baldness is a person's level of androgens—the "male" hormones that are actually produced by both men and women. Take a look at Figure 2.2. For many years, people believed that a predominance of testosterone was the root cause of baldness, but it's not quite that simple. We do know that we lose hair especially fast if it is exposed to dihydrotestosterone (DHT, which comes from metabolism of testosterone). It's believed that the exposure of follicles to levels of testosterone that are normal for adult males causes the hair follicles to go into a resting state. This DHT is formed in the testes, prostate, adrenals, and hair follicles themselves through an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. The enzyme raises the levels of DHT, and that's why there's a link between higher levels of this enzyme and areas of baldness. DHT changes healthy follicles to follicles that grow thin dwarf hairs—hairs that resemble peach fuzz. Essentially, DHT shrinks hair follicles, making it impossible for healthy hair to survive. Drug companies have targeted this process by making antibaldness medication that inhibits 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that makes DHT. (Some of the infrequent side effects of these meds include impotence, decreased libido, and breast enlargement.)
Now, age-related baldness isn't the only reason why clumps of hair start falling from the head like raindrops from the sky. Other causes, especially for women, include low iron levels and anemia (low blood count), recent anesthesia for surgery (it's the stress of the surgery and the pressure on one area of the head, not the anesthesia), menopause or being postpartum, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, thyroid disease, and polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS).
Rapid hair loss is often a strong sign that you ought to have a battery of tests to evaluate your nutrition, health, and hormone levels. And that makes an important point: Hair loss isn't just an appearance issue; it can be a sign that something wacky is going on elsewhere in your body. Inflammation in the scalp, from an overdose of sun or from seborrheic dermatitis, can speed up hair loss. More often than not, it's a hormone issue—especially one involving your thyroid gland. In women especially, it's common to experience a decline in thyroid hormone (that's called hypothyroidism), where some of your bodily systems slow down. Scalp hair loss or facial hair growth is a sign that you should have your hormone levels checked. We recommend having your thyroid-stimulating hormone checked every other year if you're losing hair, or, for all others, once at age 20, then at age 35, and every other year after age 50 (TSH is the trigger from the brain that tells your thyroid gland to make thyroid hormone). If your level of thyroid hormone is low or if it's normal but you are experiencing thyroid-related symptoms, you can be (and usually need to be) treated with a synthetic (sometimes bioidentical) hormone. You'll need to be rechecked six weeks later to see if the supplemented dose is enough. For a man, a decline in the need to shave signals a decrease in testosterone (for a woman, it's the same clue if she needs to shave her legs less often).
How Hair is Destroyed
Our hair occasionally needs lubrication the way other parts of our bodies do. But with hair, the things many of us do to help it are actually hurting it. Most of us treat shampoo as if it's toothpaste for our head—we've got to use it every day. But that doesn't have to be the case. Some people find that their hair has just as much body and shine without shampooing every day (and they like the fact that they can take a break from putting additional chemicals on their head). On the other hand, if shampooing is a Zen experience for you, its calming benefits may well do more for you than its hair-stripping effects, so we can't argue with daily shampoos (you can also use conditioner alone). See below for our specific recommendations for hair-washing.
Now, here's some information that's going to make your hair stand up. Artificial coloring on your head—whether you're bleaching it or coloring it—is the equivalent of artificial coloring in food: It may make it look as pretty as can be, but it's not always the healthiest thing you can do to your head. There is some suspicion that permanent black hair dye can cause leukemia and lymphomas and some chemicals that are no longer used caused bladder cancer. So the purple Mohawk you're considering? It's probably fine for your health (temporary hair dyes are safer than permanent dyes), though probably not for your next job interview. Bleaching, on the other hand, will really run up your hair bill as you try to salvage permanent damage.
Here's why: The pigment of your hair comes from the inner two layers. When you bleach your hair, you damage the shingles that create the covering of the hair shaft. The dye, which slips through the gaps in the outer layers, swells to give your hair a different color. But the prior or current damage the bleach caused allows the dye to slowly slip out of the hair, so you end up losing the full body of the hair faster than if you just left it alone.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
In one of life's injustices, many of us have the frustrating experience of losing hair in the places we want to keep it (the scalp) and growing it in the places where we want to lose it (perhaps the back and shoulders for men and the chin and around the belly button for women). Though there are plenty of remedies that can eliminate unwanted hair, such as Nair and other hair dissolvers, waxing, and shaving, the latest hair zapper is laser therapy.
Here's how it works: The brown pigment in the hair soaks up the laser light, acting like a firecracker fuse leading to the follicle 2 millimeters under the skin. The laser's heat travels down through the hair to zap the follicle so it can never grow hair again. It doesn't work with blond, red, or silver hair because there's not enough brown pigment to fry. It takes several treatments to remove lots of hair in one area (it removes about 20 to 40 percent each time). The coolest thing is that the laser works like military weapons, seeking out and frying hairs, even ingrown hairs, diving beneath the surface of the skin (as long as part is above the skin). They can grow, but they can't hide.
Now, growing a mustache may very well be a rite of passage for teenage boys, but it can also be one for menopausal women, because of hormonal changes. About 30 percent of women report unwanted hair on the face. The cause? A predominance of male hormone, often caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome or menopause, which accelerates hair growth. This excess hair is generally a harmless condition, but you can treat it a number of ways, including bleaching, plucking, laser therapy, or electrolysis (an electric current damages follicles so hairs don't grow back). Electrolysis (as long as it's done by someone who's trained to do it) can work well for those with unwanted blond or white hair, since lasers aren't as effective for them. If you're going to wax any part of your body, ask to have room-temperature wax, not hot wax; the cooler kind will generally do less damage as the wax rips the hair and follicle from your skin. Wait a year after stopping Accutane or steroids before considering waxing. If you don't, you might be not only hairless but skinless.
Another remedy: losing weight. Weight loss (works in women and men to decrease unwanted hair and increase wanted hair) can decrease male hormone levels and slow down the growth of unwanted mustaches.
From YOU: BEING BEAUTIFUL by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Copyright © 2008 by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Oz Works, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., NY.


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I want to install Ubuntu 12.10 besides MacOSX 10.6 on my Macbook 6,1. I found some instructions like here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook/TripleBoot But these are pretty old and I'm not sure whether they will still work and everything. So I'm asking for some up-to-date instructions or information about whether this will work and how to do this.
My guess would be:
- partitioning using bootcamp
- somehow install this rEFIt thing
- install ubuntu via usb or cd
But I have NO idea.


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Signing offSunday, December 31, 2006
Right, that's more than enough blogging for one year - I'm off to the pub shortly. A splendid, entertaining and prosperous New Year is wished to almost all who have called into this part of Blogotá since April, especially my regulars, but also to occasional posters, long time lurkers (dive in, the more the merrier), short term lurkers (ditto), googlers, blog stumblers etc. However, may blog spammers choke on their diet pills, prescription drugs etc etc.
Hope to see you all for more of the same
tomorrow next year.


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|Diabetes doc: Can Nadler nix the needle?
|Ski seen: Wintergreener has sights on Olympics
|Meeting a need: Lessons are just the beginning
|Robot parade: Rat to cat to elephant size
|Noteworthy: New school makes lessons hip
|Return of the lyric: Leiter's path back to poetry
|Happy horse: Teaching <I>les etudiants </I>with photos
|Tyler Boles: Outstanding in his fields
|Breaking up ...Without breaking kids' hearts
|Swanson's song: Sports fiction eases grief
|On the fly: Ad man jumps into filming
|Unseparated <I>Woodsman</I>: Will Bacon sizzle as pedophile?
|Blade runners: Williamsons and icy synchronicity
|Mosby's mom: Dog's slaying inspires a crusade
|Miss America? Burps can't stop her victory
|Do the right coast: Ross scripts a local life
|Foodzone: Connor serves meals, not politics
|Caplin's corner: He's making Venable affordable
|Dr. near-death: Greyson's heart-stopping study
|Confronting taboos: The low-down on the down low
|Reston bound: Little Miss angles for state crown
|Election nay: Anti-Bush vendor shirts the issue
|Horsey set... To win some in Athens?
|No whimpers: Rubin orchestrates Phish exit
|Must-seed TV: Frischkorn + Rainey = flower power
|Shiny dancer: Gals choose pole power
|High places: Monticello Road's busy summer
|Power ranger: Parker looks to alternatives
|Ramblers man: Jamie Dyer goes way back
|Good sport: Svetz puts it in Parks


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Stuntman David Blaine Will Risk Electrocution for Social Media
Master stuntman David Blaine is gearing up to stand on top of a platform in New York City surrounded by thousands of volts of electricity for three days and three nights. He won't be able to eat, sleep or even touch his face without electrocuting himself, but he will be using a keyboard to answer questions from people around the world in real-time via social media.
Starting on Friday, Oct. 5, Blaine will stand on a 20-foot high platform at Pier 54, surrounded by seven towering metallic orbs that will stream 1 million volts of electricity around him. He will be dressed in a metal suit and helmet capable of conducting millions of volts of electricity.
The event — called "Electrified" — will be Blaine's first-ever interactive stunt. Not only will the event be live streamed on Facebook and YouTube, he will also be fielding questions from fans on social media.
"A keyboard will appear during certain times that will allow me to interact with people all over the world," Blaine told Mashable. "We are in a different age now where technology is so important and I wanted to be connected with people along the way."
The entire spectacle will be controlled by Intel-branded Ultrabooks, a super light and thin laptop. To make the experience more interactive, Intel has set up satellite stations in New York, as well as London, Beijing and Sydney, so visitors can control the coils remotely through the Ultrabooks. Users can pick the colors and intensity of the electricity throughout the duration of the student.
"I'm expecting the whole experience to be a very serious challenge," Blaine said. "The part for me that is most difficult will be the mental state, not eating, standing in place and staying awake the whole time. The lights and social media interaction will help a lot. The doctors and scientists involved have thought about the environment as much as they possible could, and I will do the mental part."
As for what he thinks about while attempting these feats, Blaine says he goes to a quiet place.
"It's an amazing time because you aren't thinking about what you are going to eat tonight and who you are going to see," he said. "All of that is gone and you are just in the element. It's similar to running a marathon or climbing a mountain — you go into a place where everything else escapes you."
People can visit Blaine in New York City from Friday night until Monday night. The best time to go? "At night," he says.


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Related Articles
- The MYSTERY of HIV/AIDS. // Current Health 1;Nov2003, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p26
Presents information on HIV/AIDS.
- AIDS costs in Trinidad and Tobago. Henry, Ralph; Newton, Elizabeth // Studies in Comparative International Development;Winter95, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p68
Studies the emergence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Trinidad and Tobago. Increase in HIV/AIDS cases from 1983 to 1992; Effects of the cost of the disease to on the economy; projected increase in HIV/AIDS cases.
- The Scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Church's Response. Nguru, Godfrey M. // Transformation (02653788);Oct2003, Vol. 20 Issue 4, p245
Delves into the issue of HIV and AIDS in Africa. History of the disease; Impact on the African society; Discussion of selected issues related to HIV/AIDS; Response of the church to the situation.
- Aids update. Csatari, Jeffrey // Men's Health;Mar96, Vol. 11 Issue 2, p54
Presents information on topics related to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Supporting AIDS research with use of Rainbow Visa Card; Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of anti-HIV drug Epivir; AIDS activists' views of AIDS...
- The Invisible Epidemic. // Population Reports;Fall2001, Vol. 29 Issue 3, p3
Provides information on the AIDS/HIV epidemic worldwide.
- HIV doesn't cause AIDS. Jueneman, Frederic B. // R&D Magazine;May96 Supplement, Vol. 38 Issue 6, p11LS
Discusses the association between HIV retrovirus and AIDS. Number of diseases that fall under AIDS; Ratio of HIV-positive people to the rest of the population worldwide; High-risk groups to HIV.
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. // World Almanac & Book of Facts;2002, p746
Presents an overview of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), a disease which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Symptoms of the disease; Risk behaviors that may contribute to the body's ability to fight disease; Drugs that have been approved by United States Food and...
- AIDS at 20. Smith, Steph // Scholastic News -- Senior Edition;12/3/2001, Vol. 70 Issue 12, p6
Features the nature of AIDS and HIV and the efforts of finding a cure for them.
- No cure in sight. // USA Today Magazine;Oct95, Vol. 124 Issue 2605, p9
Reports on the absence of a cure for AIDS despite research regarding long-term AIDS survivors. Different responses of individuals to AIDS varieties; Constant mutation of the virus when it comes up against drugs and enters new hosts; Comments from Ronald C. Kennedy of the University of Oklahoma...


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Top-seeded Virginia beats UC Irvine, 6-0
The No. 2 overall pick in this week's major league draft looked nothing like a two-time ACC pitcher of the year.
It didn't matter because Danny Hultzen got plenty of help from his Virginia teammates.
Hultzen and Cody Winiarski combined on a four-hitter and Jared King hit a three-run home run to break open a close game Saturday, helping the top-seeded Cavaliers stretch their winning streak to eight games with a 6-0 victory against UC Irvine in the opener at the Charlottesville Super Regional.
"It was just one of those days," Hultzen (12-3) said after an outing interrupted by a lightning delay of 1 hour, 23 minutes. "I guess I didn't have it, but it's my job to just give the team a chance to win. It's not my job necessarily to throw a shutout or throw a no-hitter."
The left-hander pitched 5 1-3 innings, allowing three hits with three strikeouts and three walks. He wasn't sharp early in his first game since the Seattle Mariners selected him Monday, but benefited from two double plays in the first three innings.
"That was awesome," he said. "Going out there not feeling great and not having the best stuff, getting those double plays, getting two outs on one pitch, was crucial."
The first came on a grounder to third with runners on second and third in the first. Steven Proscia fielded the ball moving to his left, but D.J. Crumlich froze at third as Proscia fired to first. First baseman King then caught Sean Madigan too far off second, prompting Crumlich to break for home, but second baseman Keith Werman's throw beat him to the plate.
Anteaters coach Mike Gillespie said he was to blame for the confusion, but said the Cavaliers were "a really, really good team playing really, really well" and "as advertised."
"I think our best chance was if lightning had blown up the stadium," he said.
Hultzen also got a 4-6-3 double play with two runners on in the third. He left after Brian Hernandez reached on a wild pitch while striking out and Drew Hillman singled in the sixth.
Winiarski got Jordan Leyland to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Winiarski went the final 3 2-3, allowing one hit while walking two and striking out two.
Leading 2-0, King gave the Cavaliers plenty of breathing room in the sixth. After Kenny Swab and David Coleman singled with one out, he homered to left field off Anteaters starter Matt Summers (11-3). It was just King's second home run, and the second against Summers this year.
"I was just the guy today," said King, who had three hits and scored twice.
Summers allowed five runs and had his nine-game winning streak snapped.
He also returned after the long delay, already trailing 2-0, and sailed into the sixth before allowing consecutive one-out singles and then King's second home run of the season.
"I was hoping it would hook foul," he said of King's shot, which easily cleared the wall. "It was a changeup and he must have been sitting (on) it because he was right on it."
Virginia, which had Chris Taylor thrown out at home when he tried to score on an infield grounder in the first, scored twice in the third on RBI singles by John Hicks and Hultzen.
Swab drove in the final run with a single to score Hicks in the seventh. Hicks reached when center fielder Christian Ramirez dropped what appeared to be his routine fly ball with one out.
In four NCAA tournament games, Virginia has outscored its opponents 35-3.


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Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
(written from a Production point of view)
Issue 141 (US issue #14) of Star Trek Magazine was the November/December 2008 issue.
- The Undiscovered Country
- Paul Simpson pays tribute to Randy Pausch and Robbie Greenberger.
- Hailing Frequencies
- Post-production continues on Star Trek; J.J. Abrams clarifies the Shatner situation.
- James Swallow reports on the Star Trek Online launch event.
- Star Trek The Exhibition to stay at San Diego through 2008; second venue to run in tandem.
- Shards and Shadows story eras announced; Star Trek: The Last Generation revealed; Star Trek: The Complete Comic Book Collection.
- Jon Povill working on Star Trek: Phase II.
- Diamond Select Toys to release full-size TOS captain's chair.
- Treknology: Graphical imagery technology, holographics, artificial vision, space debris
- Communicator: Memories of Star Trek: The Experience.
- Interview - Chris Pine - "Reporting for Duty"
- by Paul Simpson.
- Strange Relations
- Michael A. Martin explores the history of the Romulans.
- Interview - Joanne Linville - "Cloaked in Mystery"
- by Pat Jankiewicz.
- Lost & Found
- Larry Nemecek reveals behind the scenes images of the Romulan Senate from Star Trek Nemesis.
- Poster
- The four Star Trek promotional images released at Comic-Con.
- Just Following Orders
- Keith R.A. DeCandido dispels the myth of "Kirk the renegade"
- Interview - Denise Crosby - "Storm Sela"
- by Pat Jankiewicz.
- Now You Sela, Now You Don't - Robert Greenberger examines the role of Sela in episodes, comics and novels.
- Celebrating Star Trek: The Experience
- Jeff Schnaufer looks back at the attraction.
- Includes photos contributed by Experience staff, along with Dayton Ward and his wife Michi, Keith R.A. DeCandido and Terri Osborne, David Mack and Jill Sherwin.
- Eye of the Beholder
- Robert Greenberger on what attracted him to Star Trek, and the impact the show had on his life.
- Book extract
- Star Trek: Destiny - Lost Souls.
- Replicator
- Infinity's Prism, Echoes and Refractions, Greater than the Sum.
- Intelligence Gathering TPB, "Mirror Images, Part 1", "Mirror Images, Part 2", "Enterprise Experiment, Part 3", "Enterprise Experiment, Part 4", "Turnaround, Part V", "My Name Is Legion", "We Have Met the Enemy...".
- TOS-R Season 2 DVD.
- Next Issue
|Issue 140
|Star Trek Magazine
Issue 141 - November/December 2008
|Issue 142
Community content is available under CC-BY-NC unless otherwise noted.


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Common Cold
The common cold catches all of us from time to time, bringing sniffles and sneezes and perhaps a sore throat and annoying cough.
Kids can get eight colds per year or more, making them the most common infectious disease in the United States and the top reason kids visit the doctor and miss school.
The common cold is a contagious viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. Most are caused by rhinoviruses carried in invisible droplets in the air we breathe or on things we touch. These viruses can get into the protective lining of the nose and throat, setting off an immune system reaction that can cause a sore throat, headache, and trouble breathing through the nose.
Dry air — indoors or outside — can lower resistance to infection by the viruses that cause colds. So can being a smoker or being around someone who smokes. Smokers are more likely to catch a cold than people who don't smoke, and their symptoms probably will be worse and last longer, and can even lead to bronchitis or pneumonia.
But despite some old wives' tales, not wearing a jacket or sweater when it's chilly, sitting or sleeping in a draft, and going outside while your hair's wet do not cause colds.
Signs and Symptoms
The first symptoms of a cold are often a tickle in the throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. Kids with colds also might feel very tired and have a sore throat, cough, headache, mild fever, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Mucus from the nose may become thick yellow or green.
Cold symptoms usually appear 2 or 3 days after exposure to a source of infection. Most colds clear up within 1 week, but some last a bit longer.
Colds are very contagious, especially in the first 2 to 4 days after symptoms begin. They can even spread for a couple of weeks after someone starts feeling sick.
Colds spread through person-to-person contact or by breathing in virus particles, which can travel up to 12 feet through the air when someone with a cold coughs or sneezes. Touching the mouth or nose after touching skin or another contaminated surface can also spread a cold.
Because so many viruses cause colds, there isn't a vaccine to protect against them. To help avoid catching one, kids should:
- steer clear of anyone who has a cold
- avoid secondhand smoke
- wash their hands well and often, especially after blowing their noses
- sneeze or cough into a tissue or their elbow, not into their hands
- not share towels, drinking glasses, or eating utensils with someone who has a cold
- not pick up other people's used tissues
Experts aren't sure whether taking extra zinc or vitamin C can limit how long cold symptoms last or how severe they become, but large doses taken every day can cause negative side effects. Studies on herbal remedies, like echinacea, are either negative or aren't conclusive. Few properly-designed scientific studies of these treatments have been done in kids.
Talk to your doctor before you give your child any herbal remedy or more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of any vitamin or supplement.
"Time cures all." That may not always be true, but in the case of the common cold, it's pretty close. Medicine can't cure the common cold, but it can be used to relieve symptoms like muscle aches, headache, and fever. You can give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen based on the package recommendations for age or weight.
Never give aspirin to children younger than 12, or to kids and teens under age 19 who have a viral illness. Such use has been linked to Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can be fatal.
You might be tempted to give your child over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants and antihistamines to try to ease the cold symptoms. But there's little or no evidence to support that they actually work. In fact, decongestants can cause hallucinations, irritability, and irregular heartbeats, particularly in infants, and shouldn't be used in kids younger than 4 years old without first consulting a doctor. Many experts now believe that there's usually no reason to use these medicines in any child younger than 6.
Some ways you can help ease cold discomfort include:
- put saline (saltwater) drops in the nostrils to relieve nasal congestion
- run a cool-mist humidifier to increase air moisture
- dab petroleum jelly on the skin under the nose to soothe rawness
- give hard candy or cough drops to relieve sore throat (for kids older than 3)
- run a warm bath or use a heating pad to soothe aches and pains
- run a hot shower to create a steam-filled bathroom where your child can sit to help clear stuffiness
What about chicken soup? There's no real proof that eating it can cure a cold, but sick people have been swearing by it for more than 800 years. Chicken soup contains a mucus-thinning amino acid called cysteine, and some research shows that chicken soup helps control congestion-causing white cells, called neutrophils.
The best plan, though, is not to worry about whether to "feed a cold" or "starve a fever." Just make sure your child eats when hungry and drinks plenty of fluids like water or juice to help replace the fluids lost during a fever or from mucus production.
When to Call the Doctor
Your doctor won't be able to identify the specific virus causing cold symptoms, but can examine your child's throat and ears and take a throat culture to make sure the symptoms aren't from another condition that may need treatment. If symptoms get worse instead of better after 3 days or so, the problem could be strep throat, sinusitis, pneumonia, or bronchitis, especially if your son or daughter smokes.
If symptoms last for more than a week, appear at the same time every year, or happen when your child is around pollen, dust, or animals, an allergy could be to blame. Kids who have trouble breathing or wheeze when they catch a cold could have asthma.
Always call the doctor if you think your child might have more than a cold, your child gets worse instead of better, or if your child has any of these symptoms:
- coughing up a lot of mucus
- shortness of breath
- unusual lethargy/tiredness
- inability to keep food or liquids down or poor fluid intake
- increasing headache or facial or throat pain
- severely painful sore throat that interferes with swallowing
- fever of 103°F (39.3°C) or higher, or a fever of 101°F (38.0°C) or higher that lasts for more than a day
- chest or stomach pain
- swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck
- earache
Like most viral infections, colds just have to run their course. Getting plenty of rest, avoiding vigorous activity, and drinking lots of fluids — juice and water — all may help your child feel better while on the mend.
Keeping up regular activities like going to school probably won't make a cold any worse. But it will increase the likelihood that the cold will spread to classmates or friends. So you might want to put some daily routines aside until your child is feeling better.


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Japan and South Korea are among the countries contemplating requests from the United States to reduce or cut ties with Iran's banking and energy sectors. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner received a partial commitment Thursday in Tokyo from his Japanese counterpart. Meanwhile, South Korea is still undecided on how far to go.
Treasury Secretary Geithner is praising Japan, which he calls a "vital security and economic ally" for standing with Washington and the international community to support a "very important strategic objective."
The United States is pressing other countries to support sanctions against Iran for its nuclear development.
Geithner says the United States is exploring ways to cut off Iran's central bank from the international financial system and to reduce the earnings Iran derives from its oil exports. "We are in the early stages, just the initial stages, of consulting with our allies both in Europe, Japan and around the world on how best to achieve those objectives," he said.
Standing alongside Geithner in Tokyo, Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi expressed understanding for Washington's stance.
Azumi says, in the past five years, his country has already significantly reduced the amount of oil it imports from Iran. He adds that Japan will take specific steps to further cut oil purchases from Iran, which now stand at 10 percent of Japan's total imports. But he did not cite a specific amount or timeline.
The finance minister says Japan, which also buys natural gas from Iran, is also working to cut non-oil imports.
Japan's largest circulation daily, the Yomiuri Shimbun, says Tokyo, in exchange for telling oil importers to change suppliers, will ask Washington to exempt from sanctions Japanese financial institutions dealing with the Iranian central bank.
The bank processes most of the revenues for Iran's oil exports.
Officials at South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance tell VOA no decision has yet been made for this year's level of oil imports from Iran.
South Korea, similar to Japan with few natural resources, also imports about ten percent of its crude oil from Iran.
Last month, South Korea announced it would expand sanctions against the Islamic republic and discourage domestic companies from importing petrochemicals from Iran. But that action did not deal with crude oil shipments.
Analysts say Seoul is moving cautiously because new, more expensive, oil import contracts would need to be signed with other countries and that will take time. Officials here also express concern the shift away from Iranian oil will raise consumer prices and hamper efforts to control inflation in South Korea.
Foreign firms continuing to deal with Iran would face a cutoff of business with the United States.
The United States and other countries want Iran to halt uranium enrichment. They fear Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian government insists its nuclear program is peaceful and intended to increase electricity generation and make medical radioisotopes for cancer treatment.


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Perfect pet shoes to keep your pets' paws safe and in style. These dog shoes feature with casual style denim exterior, fasten with shoe lace. Anti-skid rubber sole of these dog shoes for safe walking.
1. Please hold your dog's paw in your hand and keep your dog balance;
2. Please try your best to open the dog shoes as more room as possible; then put the dog paw and the nails to the inside of the shoes; and make sure your dog paw close to the bottom of the shoe;
3. Put on the dog shoe and make sure the paw as closest to foreside of the shoes as possible;
4. Fix the dog shoes up and make sure the strap under the dog's ankle, not too tighten or too loose, and just enough fastness is ok.
- Fashion accessory for your pets to step out in trendy style
- NOT waterproof
- hook and loop fasteners snap
- Material: Faux suede
- Fit Paws (Approx.): 1.6 inch (L) x 1.4 inch (W)
- Color: Red
- Sold by 4pcs / set
Package Includes:
- 4 x Dog Shoes
Note: Please be reminded that due to lighting effects and monitor's brightness / contrast settings etc, the color tone in the pictures and the actual item could be slightly different.


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(CBS News) BEIJING - At a book party in Beijing, American author Joy Chen offered dating advice for Chinese women.
"If (you) are on a date," she said, "presenting how awesome and impressive we are at work might not be the best way to impress a man."
Chen, a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles and a successful businesswoman, is the author of the Chinese language book, "Do Not Marry Before Age 30," in which she urges women to pursue their careers while postponing marriage.
But that can be a risky strategy in China, where single women over 30, and even in their mid- to-late 20s, can find themselves branded as "leftover women."
"When they go to work, people call them leftovers to their face," Chen notes.
She says these women are trapped between the present and thousands of years of Chinese history.
If they're 31 and not married, they're considered over the hill, and that's "a complete travesty!" Chen exclaims. "These women are just women who've been playing by the rules, achieving as they've been taught to achieve since they were little, getting great grades, going off to great schools, getting great jobs."
Then, in their mid-20s, she says, the rules change.
"And then, suddenly, it's like Bammo! Wham! No! Don't achieve -- you don't want to scare the boys. Slow down and jump back into your traditional roles as a wife and a mother."
The problem is, that's not easy.
Katherine Zhou spent her 20s and early 30s working on her career. Now 35, she says she can't get a date, much less a husband. Chinese men, she says, want younger, more subservient wives.
"Maybe a younger girl is more naive and easy-going," Katherine speculates.
She says many men find her intimidating. "I'm quite an independent. Maybe this is one of the reasons a person is afraid to be with me."
Katherine says she learned those qualities from her parents. Until she finds a husband, she's living with them. Which means she feels constant pressure from her mother, who says at this point, she'd be happy if Katherine married a frog.
"They think I'm too picky!" Katherine laughs.
But she says she's only interested in finding true love. "I believe there's still somebody waiting for me, and that we're just looking for each other!" Katherine says.
But, as a leftover woman, she worries it might be too late -- at the ripe old age of 35.
China's government has even made the term "leftover women" an official part of the language.


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CONCORD — The New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation warns investors of threats from fraud and financial exploitation following the release of a national survey reporting that seniors continue to be targeted for financial exploitation.
In addition, the Bureau noted all investors are vulnerable to fraud from certain products and schemes that play on the current economic uncertainty.
The survey of over 750 experts in senior issues, conducted by Investor Protection Trust (IPT), found a majority reported they have dealt with elderly victims of investment fraud and financial exploitation. The survey showed that the most common abuses are theft and diversion of funds by family members and caregivers, as well as financial scams perpetrated by strangers. It also noted that seniors often lack good information to select advisers. About 75% of the experts said swindles are a very serious problem and that older Americans are very vulnerable to investment fraud and financial exploitation. Barry Glennon, Director of the Bureau, stated, "New Hampshire seniors continue to be targeted by unscrupulous salespeople and scam artists. As the survey states, the best defense against fraud is a better-educated investor." Glennon noted that the Bureau can provide important background information regarding financial professionals and investments.
In addition to the results of the survey, Glennon warned that certain products and schemes create a higher risk of fraud for all investors. He stated that the volatility of the stock market and low interest rates have combined to make certain products more appealing. According to the Bureau, the most frequent threats to investors include:
Gold and Precious Metals. While hyped for their rising prices, these investments are just as subject to risk as others. Scams are common. Like any risky investment, there are no guarantees.
Risky Oil and Gas Drilling Programs. Investors are often sold on lucrative returns from oil and gas drilling programs. Yet these investments typically involve high risk and are suitable only for investors who can bear the loss of all their principal. Due diligence and a tolerance for risk should be considered before investing.
Promissory Notes. These are promoted as a safe way for investors to earn high returns compared to standard investments. Investors must be wary of promises of security and liquidity on promissory notes, which are often false or overstated. These investments are often highly speculative and the risk of total loss is high. In addition, New Hampshire and other regulators warn that Ponzi schemes often rely on the sales of promissory notes.
Real Estate Investment Schemes. The potential recovery of the U.S. housing market has increased the popularity of investments in distressed real estate. Legitimate real estate investments can be an important part of a diversified portfolio, but there can be sizable risks with properties that are bank-owned, pending short sale, or in foreclosure. Schemes related to buying, renovating, flipping or pooling distressed properties are also popular with con artists. Potential investors must be careful and conduct extensive due diligence.
Private Offerings. In a recent survey of regulators, private placement offerings, also known as Regulation D Rule 506 offerings, were ranked as the most common product or scheme leading to investigations and enforcement actions. These are limited investment offerings that are highly illiquid, generally lack transparency and have little regulatory oversight. Recent rule changes now allow these private offerings to be marketed to the public. While often legitimate, they are high risk and are not suitable for most investors.
Unlicensed Salesmen. The liquidation of securities by insurance-licensed firms or agents who are not registered to sell securities, often to fund the purchase of annuities, is a significant source of complaints that have resulted in several enforcement actions. Insurance agents who are not securities licensed and who recommend liquidation of securities lack the training and expertise to determine the suitability of such transactions. Insurance agents recommending the sale or purchase of securities must have a securities license. Insurance licenses are not enough.
The Bureau encourages citizens to do their due diligence, ask questions and check with the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation to review the backgrounds of individuals and companies promoting financial product or to determine if the product is appropriately registered. This information can be checked by calling the Bureau at 271-1463 or its 24 hour Hotline at 1-800-994-4200, or by visiting the Bureau's website at www.sos.nh/gov/securities.


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About Us
Alameda Magazine is the most authoritative guide to our island city's wonderful quality of life. From comprehensive coverage of the trend-setting local food scene to thorough reporting about local retail and real estate, the magazine chronicles the things that make life in Alameda so special. And our newly reinvigorated culture and news coverage documents the latest trends in arts, development, and politics. Alameda Magazine is an indispensable resource to the exceptional beauty, diversity, and quality of life of Alameda and the greater East Bay.
In Every Issue
Our newly reconceptualized upfront section, Reporter, is dedicated to covering the current news, politics, and trends that ought to be on your radar.
Connoisseur, our lifestyle section, features coverage of interior design and real estate, travel, shopping and style.
Food & Drink
Epicure, our food and drink coverage, includes critical dining reviews on destination dining locations, a smattering of pieces on cocktail culture, hidden culinary gems, and trendy foodstuffs; and the East Bay's thorough and up-to-date dining guide.
Arts & Culture
Curator integrates rotating articles on arts and culture, from music to film, books to visual art, plus much more. This is capped off by the society and events coverage of our ever-popular Snapshots and a re-energized, expanded calendar of events with more listings and venues represented.


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Take a look and find something new. Explore this selection of remarkable materials and the exhibitions that feature them.
Follow where your curiosity leads you!
The Cripple, 1864
The men who enlisted to serve during the American Civil War, many of whom were as young as 18, were often unprepared for the ruthless realities of war. They were usually marshaled for service without training, and often stationed miles from where they had grown up. The US General Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia published The Cripple, one of six small hospital newspapers printed in the Washington, DC area during the Civil War period. The newspapers included news, poetry, and jokes, among other things, and served as an amusement and morale-builder for sick and wounded soldiers. To learn more about the life of Civil War veterans, visit the online exhibition Life and Limb: The toll of the American Civil War.
A True Relation of a Barbarous Bloody Murther, ca. 1688
This sensational pamphlet reports on a murder investigation that used a forensic test based on an ancient belief: that the corpse of a victim will bleed if touched by the murderer. To learn more about the history of forensic science, visit the online exhibition Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body.
"The Yellow Wall-Paper," 1892
American activist, writer, and artist Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) wrote a story of a woman driven mad by the extreme treatment prescribed by her doctor for her depression, during the summer of 1890. More than a year later, The New England Magazine published Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-Paper." Unusual for the time, readers were both intrigued and disturbed by the story. In a letter to the editor, a respondent signing off only as "M. D." described the piece as sensational and morbidly fascinating, and questioned if such literature should even be permitted in print. The National Library of Medicine has a copy of "The Yellow Wall-Paper," bound with a complete volume of the magazine (New Series, Vol. 5, Old Series, Vol. 11, September 1891-February 1892). To read this story, visit the online exhibition The Literature of Prescription: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "The Yellow Wall-Paper."
Last Reviewed: December 4, 2015