text:
Designed by Oji Masanori and handcrafted at the Takahashi Kougei wood workshop in Hokkaido. The Kami mug is made of castor aralia wood from Hokkaido, shaped down to a thickness of 2 mm, which allows light to glow through but remains thick enough for durable insulation.
Finished with a thin polyurethane coating that is meant to keep the mug nonporous and resistant to staining.
- Made in Japan of castor aralia.
- Finished with food-grade polyurethane.
- Approx. 9 oz. capacity.
- Hand wash.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Related: Amid firestorm, Va. Democrat reconsiders tobacco job
On Saturday, June 7, I mailed a letter to Senator Charles Colgan, President Pro Tempore
of the Senate of Virginia resigning from my position as Senator of the 38th district effective
June 9, 2014.
I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve my constituents from Southwest Virginia
for the past sixteen years. And, my family has sacrificed greatly to allow me to serve, especially
considering how far we live from the state Capitol. But that family sacrifice is now too great.
Due to recent developments in our family, I feel I should be more available to them. They have
supported me during the sixteen years that I have served the people of Virginia and now I will
devote my time to them.
My daughter, who is an established attorney in Russell County has been appointed by area
judges to serve in a temporary capacity as a juvenile court judge. She cannot be confirmed into the
position permanently as long as I serve in the General Assembly. My colleagues on both sides of the
aisle acknowledge that she is fully qualified for the position. At this point in my life, I feel that I cannot
allow my political career to hamper my daughter's future and her desire to
serve the families and children of our area on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. While I
regret the circumstances, I stand by the ethical rule that generally prohibits the appointment of
judges who are directly related to sitting legislators.
But this is not the sole reason for my resignation. My family is dealing with several difficult issues
that need our attention. These are private matters and I ask that you respect our privacy
in working through them as a family.
As a State Senator representing the 38th Senatorial district, I strongly supported the Senate budget
and Medicaid Expansion and defended those who were without healthcare. I voted with my
colleagues in a bipartisan 23-17 vote. My resignation now leaves that vote at 22-17 and remains as
a favorable status for the budget and Medicaid Expansion in the Senate. It is my heartfelt prayer that
the General Assembly will be able to close the gap for healthcare coverage for all Virginians.
Some reports have suggested that I am resigning to accept paid employment with the Virginia
Tobacco Commission. Those reports are incorrect. I have never been officially offered a job by the
Tobacco Commission.
As stated previously, I have resigned from the Senate of Virginia due to the recent issues that have
developed in our family and require our full attention, I ask again that you accept my decision and
give us the privacy that we desire, to work through these important issues.
Respectfully Submitted,
Phillip P. Puckett


text:
Greetings to you on this fine Monday morning, Arsians! Are you tired of cleaning your house? Do you watch black and white videos from the 1950s that promise an army of robot servants would do your housework for you by the year 2000? Well, do I have a deal for you: almost half off a Neato XV-11 robot vacuum. It's probably not as good as Rosey from The Jetsons, but it will at least vacuum up crumbs and stuff and help keep your floor tidy.
This will free you up for more human-type activities, like surfing the Internet on one of the discounted VAIO laptops we've got this week, perhaps while seated in a new office chair, which we also have this week. Truly, the future is here!
Top deal:
- Neato XV-11 Robotic Vacuum w/ Pet & Allergy Kit for $259 with free shipping (normally $459.98)
Laptops and tablets:
- 17.3-inch Sony VAIO E-series Core i5 1080p Laptop for $599.99 with free shipping at Sony Store (normally $649.99 - use coupon code SONYE1729)
- 15.5-inch Sony VAIO E-series 3rd Gen Core i3 Laptop for $499.99 with free shipping at Sony Store (normally $549.99 - use coupon code SONYE15129)
- 14-inch Toshiba Satellite U945 Core i3 ULV Ultrabook for $549.99 with free shipping (normally $699.99)
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- Dell TP713 Wireless TouchPad for $53.99 with free shipping (normally $69.99 - use coupon code LDSM7VQCS8??0B)
- D-Link DCS-942L Wireless Home Network Camera for $129.99 (normally $149.99)
- D-Link Wireless-N Range Extender for $49.99 (normally $69.99)
- Gryo Phantom 3.5CH RC Helicopter for $22 with free shipping (normally $85)
- Earloomz Bluetooth Headset for $25 with free shipping (normally $35)
- Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H90 16-MP Digital Camera Bundled with 4GB Memory Card, Lens Cleaning Kit for $144 with free shipping (normally $179.99 - use coupon code DIG5)
- Pre-order select Xbox 360 Games (like BioShock Infinite), get Free Xbox LIVE 1600 points from Microsoft Store
- Realspace Calusa Mesh Task Chair for $64.99 with free shipping (normally $179.99 - use coupon code 1BSAOMPXMXRG90)
- True Innovations Leather Massage Chair for $129.99 with free shipping (normally $149.99 - use coupon code 7a9fh6sayr8oob)
- Realspace Vayle Mid-Back Chair for $109.99 with free shipping (normally $129.99 - use coupon code: 7a9fh6sayr8oob)


text:
Built To Spill: Crashtastic
Vehicles that look like scaffolding on wheels are doomed to fail. Drop them on an obstacle course, no matter how simple, and they're likely to struggle with simple concepts such as 'moving in a straight line without toppling over like a giraffe wearing roller skates'. That's why it's sensible to attach rockets to them so that they can at least collapse in a glorious heap, spindly segments shattering and pirouetting through the air. That's the vehicle, obviously – don't do that to a giraffe, or a vehicle in fact. People would get hurt and/or cross. Crashtastic allows you to construct pretend vehicles and
put them through their paces destroy them. Preorder to receive immediate alpha access.
Is it wrong that I want the same game but with genetically modified creatures? Yeah. It almost definitely is.


text:
SS 4 Qt Saute Pan w/ Domed Lid
All Clad
Regular price
Crafted to the exceptional standards, All Clad Stainless Steel pots and pans are made of three layers of metal; two stainless steel outer layers with an aluminum core. The stainless steel exterior combined with the aluminum core allows the pan to be used on all types of stovetops, including induction, and heats the pan evenly to eliminate hot spots.
The stainless steel lid holds in heat and steam and has an easy to grip handle. The classically shaped, straight sides and design provides a beautiful presentation in the kitchen, and makes cooking straightforward while keeping foods cooking evenly.
Hand washing is recommended.
21" x 11.3" x 5.5"


text: Databases Law & Political Sciences Law Databases Political Science databases Legal sources Switzerland Legal sources Europe Legal sources International Top databases law Database Go! activated for Access Type SWISSLEX BECK-ONLINE HEINONLINE LEGALIS OXFORD REPORTS ON INTERNATIONAL LAW - ORIL KLUWER ARBITRATION WESTLAW INTERNATIONAL WESTLAW UK Other databases law Database Go! activated for Access Type ALEXANDRIA FORSCHUNGSPLATTFORM BLOOMSBURY COLLECTIONS BRILL - NIJHOFF CAMBRIDGE LAW REPORTS DE GRUYTER DIGIZEITSCHRIFTEN DISSERTATIONS & THESES DUNCKER & HUMBLOT EBOOK CENTRAL INVESTMENT ARBITRATION REPORTER JSTOR - JOURNAL STORAGE KLUWER LAW ONLINE KUSELIT-ONLINE MAX PLANCK ENCYCLOPEDIAS OF PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW - MPIL MAX PLANCK ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - MPECCoL NCJRS - NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFERENCE SERVICE ABSTRACTS DATABASE NEXIS UNI OXFORD BIBLIOGRAPHIES OXFORD INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (OXIO) OXFORD JOURNALS OXFORD SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE - OSO TAYLOR AND FRANCIS EBOOKS WEBLAW CAMPUS WORLD TRADE LAW DISPUTE SETTLEMENT COMMENTARY - WTO DSC WTO AGREEMENTS - ONLINE Top databases Political Science Datenbank Go! activated for Zugriff Typ CIAO - COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ONLINE HEINONLINE POLITICAL SCIENCE COMPLETE POLITICAL SCIENCE - FULLTEXT COLLECTION - SAGE JOURNALS PAIS INDEX WORLDWIDE POLITICAL SCIENCE ABSTRACTS Other databases Political Science Database Go! activated for Access Type ALEXANDRIA FORSCHUNGSPLATTFORM CIANDO E-BOOKS DE GRUYTER DIGIZEITSCHRIFTEN DISSERTATIONS & THESES DUNCKER & HUMBLOT EBOOK CENTRAL FACTIVA FORS - SCHWEIZER KOMPETENZZENTRUM SOZIALWISSENSCHAFTEN GREENFILE IBSS - INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES ICRG - IRIS DATASET JSTOR - JOURNAL STORAGE MOME - THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD 1450-1914 NEXIS UNI NOMOS ELIBRARY OECD ILIBRARY OXFORD BIBLIOGRAPHIES OXFORD HANDBOOKS ONLINE OXFORD INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (OXIO) OXFORD JOURNALS OXFORD SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE - OSO ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOKS SWISSDOX TAYLOR AND FRANCIS EBOOKS TAYLOR AND FRANCIS ONLINE WEB OF SCIENCE WISO Federal Confoederatio Helvetica The central portal of the Swiss agencies; extensive services, full texts can be found under Documentation. Federal Assembly The internet service of the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) includes a searchable version of the Amtliches Bulletin (debates of National and States Councils, Official Gazette) since 1999 and other parliamentary materials. The Amtliche Bulletin from 1891 till 1999 can be searched online at the Swiss Federal Archives. Federal Gazette The Federal Gazette (Bundesblatt) is an important official publication of the Swiss Federal Government, including drafts of decrees, Reports of the Federal Council and written reports of the parliamentary commissions. Documents are available from 1849 onward, only in German, French and Italian. Official Compilation of Federal Legislation The Official Compilation of Federal Legislation (Amtliche Sammlung des Bundesrechts) is a sequential collection of federal decrees, available in PDF format from issue 34 (1 October 1998). It is supplemented by a list of the dates the published decrees came into effect. The Official Compilation of Federal Legislation from 1891 to 1995 can be searched online at the Swiss Federal Archives. It is only available in German, French and Italian. Revised Compilation of Federal Acts and Ordinances The Revised Compilation of Federal Acts and Ordinances (Bereinigte Sammlung) for the Years 1848-1947 can be searched online at the Swiss Federal Archives. It is only available in German, French and Italian. Classified Compilation of Federal Legislation The Classified Collection (Systematische Sammlung des Bundesrechts) contains all legislative texts currently in force. You can search by classification or within the full text. Excerpts are available in English, the full collection is only available in German, French and Italian. Swiss Federal Supreme Court Rulings 1954 to today Members of the University of St. Gallen can follow the link Expertensuche für Abonnenten and so take advantage of advanced search options for case law of the Federal Court: the search can be performed over landmark rulings since 1954 or over all decisions since 2000 (landmark rulings and unpublished decisions). In addition, you receive access to the electronic index volumes and can define push filters that automatically provide you with current decisions in electronic form for the topics you define. The Supreme Court also provides a tip sheet with search strategies. With Jurivoc the Swiss Federal Supreme Court also offers a trilingual thesaurus. For the Expertensuche für Abonnenten the University members will have to register with their SWITCH edu-ID. Swiss Federal Supreme Court Rulings 1875 to 1953 As a part of its digitizing project, the Institute of public law at the University of Bern provides Federal Supreme Court Rulings from 1875 (Volume 1) to 1953 (Volume 79). Access is provided via the page reference; a full text search is not available. Federal Criminal Court Here you can find rulings of the Federal Criminal Court starting from the beginning of its activities in 2004. Federal Administrative Court Rulings database of the Federal Administrative Court since its founding in 2007. Federal Patent Court Case law of the Federal Patent Court, from 2012 on. Federal Administrative Practices VPB Access to rulings for the period 1987 to 2017 . Rulings and Communications of the Asylum Appeals Commission EMARK Here you can find fundamental decisions, a selection of additional important decisions and relevant communications of EMARK for the period 1993 to 2006. Federal Office of Justice FOJ A broad information service of the FOJ regarding current issues. Here you can find information on ongoing and completed consultation procedures since 1992. Cantonal Cantonal laws AG Aargauische Gesetzessammlungen AI Gesetzessammlung Appenzell Innerhoden AR Gesetzessammlung bGS Appenzell Ausserrhoden BE Gesetzessammlungen des Kantons Bern BELEX BL Systematische Gesetzessammlung Basel-Landschaft BS Systematische Gesetzessammlung Basel-Stadt FR Systematische Gesetzessammlung Fribourg GE Systeme d'Information sur la legislation geneveoise GL Gesetzessammlung des Kantons Glarus GR Bündner Rechtsbuch JU Recueil systématique de la legislation république et canton du Jura LU Systematische Rechtssammlung des Kantons Luzern NE Recueil systematique de la législation neuchâteloise (RSN) NW Nidwaldner Gesetzessammlung OW Gesetzesdatenbank Kanton Obwalden SG Gesetzessammlung des Kantons St. Gallen SH Schaffhauser Rechtsbuch SO Bereinigte Gesetzessammlung Solothurn SZ Schwyzer Gesetzessammlung TG Thurgauer Rechtsbuch TI Raccolta delle leggi vigenti del Cantone Ticino UR Urner Rechtsbuch VD Recueil systématique de la législation vaudoise VS Kantonale Gesetzgebung des Kanton Wallis ZG Bereinigte Gesetzessammlung des Kantons Zug ZH Systematische Gesetzessammlung Zürich ZH-lex LexFind LexFind.ch LexFind.ch provides full text access to the entire federal and cantonal legislation. The data is updated daily and is therefore as up-to-date as the official websites. The search results contain an overview of all available versions. A version comparison is also possible. The website is available in German, French and Italian. Jusbib jusbib - Metacatalogue for law literature jusbib is a metacatalogue of data records from Swiss libraries of law and other relevant stock of law literature. The interface and search functions correspond to those of Swissbib. Law journal articles are also listed in Jusbib. Data records can also be searched for by a standardised law classification system; it's a multilingual, systematic classification of Swiss institutes of comparative law. EU EUR-Lex EUR-Lex offers access to the legislation of the European Union free of charge. Users can consult the Official Journal of the EU, treaties, legislative acts, case law and legislative acts in preparation. Search help EUR-Lex European Union Central online gateway of the EU. PreLex Users of PreLex, the database of the inter-institutional processes, can follow the individual stages of the legislative process between the Commission and the other institutions. Council of the European Union Information of the Council of Ministers, in particular on the topics of common foreign and security policy and collaboration in the areas of justice and domestic affairs. European Commission Official documents of the Commission (Green Papers, White Papers, etc.), annual General Report and Bulletin of the European Union. European Parliament Access to the proceedings and a number of additional documents of the parliament. European Economic and Social Committee Information provided by the Economic and Social Committee and access to official documents, statements, etc. Committee of the Regions The colourful site of the Committee of the Regions; general information and official documents. European Central Bank On the pages of the ECB you will find periodical publications, bulletins and the annual report, as well as working papers and documents on currency law and monetary policy. Court of Justice of the European Union Case law database, with rulings since June 1997; rulings before June 1997 can be found in EUR-Lex. RAPID Full-text database, containing the official EU press releases. Summaries of EU legislation Documentation of the most important aspects of EU legislation, concise and easily understandable, true to the original text. Here you can find 3,000 summaries of EU legislation, subdivided into 32 topics, corresponding to the areas of activity of the EU. Council of Europe Official website of the Council of Europe, including all convention texts. European Court of Human Rights ECHR Free access to the case law of the ECHR. EFTA Court Access to the rulings of the EFTA Court; general information on EFTA can be found at the EFTA Secretariat. European Documentation Centre Mannheim Information services of the EDC Mannheim; an extensive collection of links and a virtual library. Germany Federal Law The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection offers free access to the current federal law. Bundesregierung Central portal to the German Executive. Bundestag Website of the German parliament, with access to the documentation and information system for parliamentary proceedings DIP of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. Bundesgesetzblatt Access to the Federal Law Gazette in full text. Decisions of German Federal Courts Database containing decisions of German Federal Courts, starting with 2010. Furthermore, you get access to decisions on State level. Bundesverfassungsgericht Website of the Federal Constitutional Court, containing rulings since 1998 in full text. Bundesgerichtshof The highest court of the Federal Republic of Germany in the area of ordinary courts, that is civil and criminal justice with a rulings database since 1 January 2000. Virtuelle Fachbibliothek Recht An extensive online informational guide to German law; directory of German and international law sources in the Internet. Austria Bundeskanzleramt The portal for the www services of the Austrian Chancellery. Parlament Access to parliamentary materials of the National Council (Nationalrat) and the Federal Council (Bundesrat): stenographic records, reports, applications, inquiries, etc. Rechtsinformationssystem RIS Access to decrees of federal and state law (current, in part also older versions), Federal Law Gazette, and rulings of the Constitutional Court from 1980 on (Verfassungsgerichtshof VfGH) and Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof VwGH). Rulings of the Constitutional Court from 1919 to 1979 are available as well. Liechtenstein Landtag The website of the Liechtenstein Parliament. It includes the Parliament records since 1997 and speeches from the throne. Collection of Liechtenstein Laws (Lilex) Collection of laws of the Liechtenstein State Administration. France Présidence de la République Information service relating to the Presidency. Portail du Gouvernement The information service of the French government, with direct access to web services of the Prime Minister and the individual ministries. Assemblée nationale Informative www service of the National Assembly with access to parliamentary materials (proceedings of the plenary sessions and the committees, legal texts that affect the National Assembly, etc.). Sénat The Internet service of the Senate, with access to parliamentary materials. Journal officiel Official online edition of the Journal Officiel since June 2004. Conseil Constitutionnel Rulings of the Constitutional Court in full text since 1985, index since 1958. Conseil d'Etat The highest administrative court in France; contains a database of rulings with full texts. LegiFrance Official legal portal, publication of legal texts and judicial rulings in full text, the non-authorised version of the Journal Officiel has been included in the full text since 1990. Service Public French E-government portal: with searchable directory of all public www servers, online advice on everyday legal issues when dealing with authorities and agencies, and administrative forms in PDF format. Droit.org Directory service for French law, a service of the Institut Francais d'Information juridique. United Kingdom Cabinet Office The staff office of the government, information service on its own activities and links to the Prime Minister and an overview of the individual Ministries. Houses of Parliament An extensive information service with access to the official transcripts starting in 1988 and additional parliamentary materials. UK Statute Law Database A collection of the laws of the United Kingdom currently in force. Office of Public Sector Information (OSPI) The OSPI publishes a variety of official documents in full text and allows access to legal texts starting from 1988 in their original form. British and Irish Legal Information Institute An extensive collection of links about law in Great Britain and Ireland. Directgov An extensive portal on government information services, from the municipal to the national level. Italy Presidenza Chigi The gateway to the information services of the Italian head of government and the individual ministries. Parlamento Italiano Access to the parliamentary chambers; with access to parliamentary materials. Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana The Gazzetta Ufficiale since 1989 in full text. Giustizia Italia Gateway to the Italian justice system. Istituto di Teoria e Tecniche dell'Informazione Giuridica (ITTG) Provider of a number of databases on various aspects of the Italian legal system, collection of links for additional institutions and materials. International Organisations ICRC Humanitarian Law The information services of the International Red Cross in Geneva on the topic of international humanitarian law; contains treaties, commentaries and supplementary documents. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General information on the WIPO, full-text access to important legal texts and documents. World Trade Organization (WTO) Document services on the topic of world trade; contains general information, documents and rulings. Global Sales Law A service provided by the Basel Faculty of Law, covering different aspects of international sales law; it contains texts of conventions, comments to draft convention texts, a database of rulings and bibliography. /p> OECD Online General information on the OECD, full access to various documents. Members of the University of St.Gallen have access to the more extensive database OECD iLibrary. Electronic Information System for International Law (EISIL) An annotated collection of links of the American Society of International Law. United Nations (UN) United Nations UN The central portal of the information services of the UN. UN Documentation Research Guide A good introduction to the documentation of the UN: advice for efficient searching in the extensive information services of the UN; overview of the various types of documents and forms of publications, a service of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library. International Court of Justice (ICJ) Access to materials and rulings of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. United Nations Treaty Collection The full text of all international treaties that have been stored at the United Nations, and those that were previously stored at the League of Nations. UNCITRAL The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law; the services include treaty texts, case law, bibliographies and additional documents. United States of America (USA) White House The official site of the President, broad information services, overview of the Cabinet with links to the individual departments. Congress.gov The congressional information service; extensive information on legislative activity in the House and Senate. Constitution Comments on the constitution with respect to decisions of the US Supreme Court. US Government Manual A description of public institutions in the US, with a short historical summary, description of programmes and activities, updated annually. US Code Access to the current applicable US Code as full text. US Supreme Court The official website of the US Supreme Court; contains current decisions in full text and the schedule for future proceedings. Current and important historical decisions (landmark cases) can be found at the Legal Information Institute. Justia's US Supreme Court Center allows a full-text search for all decisions since 1791. Legal Information Institute An extensive service of the Cornell Law School; the site provides Internet sources for legislation, government and case law. Justia An extensive directory service for legislation and case law, including the US Supreme Court Center and Blawgsearch, a service that directly searches a large number of legal blogs. Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (SICL) The Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (SICL) is a centre for information on international and foreign law and a research centre with a vast library of foreign and international law. French name: Institut suisse de droit comparé (ISDC) Legend: freely accessible / open access licensed for University of St.Gallen (Eduroam/VPN) available only in Dataroom or Library / with HSG Login Scientific articles (fulltext/abstracts) E-Book portal Reference Corporate / industry information Country information / statistics Press / Newspapers Top database Video database Legal database integrated in Metasearch SFX is activated go to database


text:
I'm using the following code to produce a
wp_editor instance:
<?php if (version_compare($wp_version, "3.3") >= 0) { ?>

<?php wp_editor( $answer->post_content, 'answer', array( 'media_buttons' => true, 'wpautop' => true ) ); ?>

<?php } else { ?>

<textarea name="answer" class="wp32"><?php echo esc_textarea( $answer->post_content ); ?></textarea>

<?php } ?>
Yet for some reason, the answer content isn't displaying with paragraphs.
The HTML for the question content is:

I am somehow missing it. When I go to the "Knowledge Base" and click on "Tetras"

I get one page of tetra descriptions starting with the "A"s.

How do I get to the next page????

But the HTML content for the answer is:

Hi Jim,
The Tetras that you're seeing there are currently the only Tetras marked as being in that group!
Matt is working fervently to update the species database to our new website format, so at the moment, not every species is marked as being in the correct Knowledge Base groups.
Please bear with us!

EDIT: Printing out the answer content
foreach ( $answers->posts as $answer ) {
setup_postdata( $answer );
<div id="answer-<?php echo $answer->ID; ?>" class="answer">
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Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,


text:
Download Agenda of the 8th Transnational study visit here
Remember Me
SAGITTARIUS is a Transnational Territorial Cooperation Project, funded by the SOUTH EAST EUROPE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME) at 85% and by EU Member States at 15%. SAGITTARIUS includes 20 Partners from EU Member States (ERDF), from countries with EU candidate status (IPA), and Partners within the territorial zone of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI).
+30 210 6492 227 Southeast Europe


text:
Duplication ring
The unique Duplication ring is a part of my urban collection.
This clean look ring is a minimalist and sophisticated, great for a touch of glam on your finger.
I have always loved the urban views. The city – its buildings – It's people – its streets.
As a designer I wander the streets, look at the little details the textures – and bring it alive in my jewelry collection. My wondering around brought upon this piece of jewelry that combines contemporary jewelry with a statement.
The ring is especially ergonomic and perfectly adapts to the curve of the finger.
Ring size: 4-16 US size
Width: 0.5 cm
Height: 0.5 cm
Material: 925 silver
Technique: hand sculptured, sawing, casting, soldered by hand
Finishing: shine or matte
All products can be ordered in the following materials:
925 silver, 14 or 18 karat gold, yellow, red and white (rhodium-plated white gold).
The ring is custom-made to your ring size – please mention it on checkout.
The ring is sent beautifully gift-wrapped, and can be used as a perfect gift for you or someone you love.
Each ring is individually suited according to any request. Therefore the producing time may vary up to 14 business days.
Our standard shipping is with Registered Airmail with tracking code, a 2-3 weeks delivery service.
We also offer express shipping 2-5 day.
Feel free to ask me any question and other details.
Liat Waldman


text:
When A Disabled Woman's Bike Was Stolen Her Boss Stepped Up In A Big Way
By Shared.com
December 6, 2017
Have you ever had your bike stolen? It's probably one of the singularly most frustrating experiences you can encounter. Chances are, if you've got a bike locked up outside your building, it means you use it a LOT to get around and go about your day, and that's even before you factor in the cost of what you probably spend on accessories and a lock for it.
It's one of the most common kinds of theft in heavily populated areas, and it always feels so pointless too. Bikes don't exactly fetch a lot of money, so what's the point of stealing them? Just because you felt like it? Is that really worth inflicting as many issues on somebody as that ends up doing?
It has to be especially frustrating when you have cerebral palsy and your bike that was stolen is your only means of getting around town, which was the case Bridget Kuhlman of Cedar Rapids, Iowa found herself in when her special 3-wheel bike was stolen from outside her work. Fortunately, people are stepping up to help her out.
Read the full story on Shared.com
Photo: Shared.com


text:
Prentiss is back!
Paget Brewster is returning to Criminal Minds for the show's 200th episode later this season, TVGuide.com has learned.
"Our 200th episode is going to be a special show," executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer said in a statement. "We can't imagine telling this story without Paget being present."
Fall TV: Hot scoop on your favorite showsThe 200th episode will shed light on JJ's (A.J. Cook) year in the State Department during Season 6 and the case she worked on with new BAU section chief Matt Cruz (Esai Morales), who will make his debut in the fourth episode. "[Episode] 200 is flashback-heavy, but with things fans who've watched all 199 will be happy with," Messer told TVGuide.com last week. "Our goal is to reward everyone who's been with us for 200 episodes."Brewster left Criminal Minds at the end of Season 7 with Prentiss having left the BAU for an Interpol job in London. She briefly departed the show the season before after CBS reduced her episode count and she chose instead to leave to film a comedy pilot. However, CBS rehired Brewster, along with Cook who had been dropped, for Season 7 after her pilot wasn't picked up.Are you excited for Prentiss to return?Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on CBS. The 200th episode will air in February.(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)


text:
Hackett backstops NHL-leading Wild over Kings with 42 saves in 1st NHL start
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Matt Hackett has played in only two NHL games, and already he's showing the poise and confidence of a veteran.
Hackett made 42 saves in his first career start and the Minnesota Wild set a franchise record with their sixth straight road victory, beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Thursday night.
"I can't explain it. It's been crazy," said Hackett, the 21-year-old nephew of former NHL goalie Jeff Hackett. "It's the best 72 hours of my life so far. I'm just living the dream right now, and I just want to keep it going. Usually, I have a pre-game nap, but I was so excited to play that I really didn't get to sleep. I was just focusing on what I was supposed to do, and I felt like I did it pretty well."
Hackett made his debut Tuesday night at San Jose and stopped all 34 shots he faced in a relief role. He replaced Josh Harding 71 seconds into the game with a 1-0 deficit and enabled the Wild to pull out a 2-1 win.
Hackett stretched his string of consecutive saves to 65 on Thursday before Dustin Penner converted a rebound of Jack Johnson's shot from a sharp angle to the right of the net at 3:59 of the third period to cut Minnesota's lead to 3-1.
"I played with Hack in the minors with Houston, and he brought us all the way to the Calder Cup finals. So I have a lot of confidence in the guy," Minnesota defenceman Marco Scandella said. "He works hard in practice and he's a gamer, so I had no doubt that he was going to perform well tonight and also in the last game. He's really good with his positioning, and that's really important—especially for a young goalie."
Scandella, Mikko Koivu, Darroll Powe and recent call-up Cody Almond scored for Minnesota, which leads the NHL standings with 41 points and is off to the best start in the franchise's 11-year history at 19-7-3. The Wild have won 11 of their last 13 games, a stretch that began immediately following a 5-2 loss to the Kings on Nov. 12 at Los Angeles.
"We've got a lot of talent in this room, so I don't know why it would be a surprise," Scandella said. "Yeozie (Mike Yeo) is a great coach. He was in the minors with some of us last year and a lot of the young guys in here know the system, so that helped. Everyone had confidence in him coming into the season and everyone's bought in here. He's hungry, just like everyone in this room. It starts in practice, and in the games we just have to follow the system and we're going to have success."
Trent Hunter also scored for the Kings, who are averaging a league-worst 2.3 goals per game. They were coming off a tough-luck 3-2 loss at Anaheim in which they outshot the Ducks 23-8 in the third period and gave up the winning goal to Bobby Ryan with 11 seconds remaining.
Minnesota was leading 2-0 when centre Kyle Brodziak received a five-minute boarding major and an automatic game misconduct for shoving Kings leading scorer Anze Kopitar into the boards in the right corner of the Los Angeles zone at 4:48 of the second period during a Minnesota power play.
"I was worried about that one. That's a very dangerous play," Kings coach Terry Murray said. "I've seen too many players blow out their knees or break their legs in those situations."
In the previous meeting between the teams, Kings defenceman Alec Martinez drew a five-minute boarding major from Warren Peters and ended up missing 10 games with an upper-body injury before returning to the lineup for the rematch.
"I watch games around the league, and it's a concern that it happens as often as it does," Murray said. "The hits that come when you're five or six feet from the boards—I mean, I saw one in a game on television tonight before ours even started. I don't get it. I don't get the attitude and the mentality of the players in the game today—the lack of respect, and the danger they're putting their fellow (NHL)PA member in with that kind of an attitude. It makes no sense to me."
The Wild, who began the game at San Jose with a 16-0 lead in shots on net, outshot Los Angeles 7-0 through the first five minutes. Their first official shot resulted in a goal by Koivu, who swooped in behind the net to get the puck and jammed a wraparound past Jonathan Quick's left leg just 24 seconds in after Jared Spurgeon's 45-foot one-timer went wide of the right post.
Powe made it 2-0 during a goal-mouth scramble at 1:25 of the second period. A delayed penalty was about tobe called against the Kings when Scandella scored at 16:02 of the period, finishing off a nice passing play with Dany Heatley and Matt Cullen and beating Quick to the glove side from 25 feet in the slot.
Minnesota right wing Devin Setoguchi missed his first game of the season with an injured right leg. Cal Clutterbuck, who was scheduled to move into Setoguchi's spot on a line with Koivu and Heatley, also sat out due to a leg injury. So ninth-year veteran Jeff Taffe made his Wild debut on that line and got an assist on Koivu's goal. Taffe signed with Minnesota as a free agent in June.
Notes: The Kings outshot Minnesota 44-24. ... Niklas Backstrom served as Hackett's backup after missing the previous two games due to a groin injury. ... The Kings, still playing without the injured Mike Richards, Justin Williams, Willie Mitchell and Scott Parse, have scored fewer than three goals in 20 of their first 28 games and each of the last seven. ... Quick stopped Pierre-Marc Bouchard on a breakaway at 13:22 of the first with the Kings down a goal. ... The Wild have started 4-0 in December for the first time. ... The Kings have lost three straight games in regulation for the first time since January 17-20 last season. ... Thursday was Kings D Drew Doughty's 22nd birthday. ... Minnesota is Taffe's fourth team in four seasons, including Pittsburgh, Florida and Chicago. ... Hunter's goal was his first with the Kings and his 100th in the NHL.


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Lunch in the Loop: It's Okay to Rage-Eat at the Marquette Inn
Reviews of restaurants in the Loop.
Editor's Note: Whether you're a tourist or an office worker in downtown Chicago, you can get sick of eating at chain restaurants all day. So we've started a series to get you the lowdown on where to find a great and affordable lunch.
The sandwich is pretty much a perfect lunch. It has bread, usually some kind of protein, fruits and vegetables, sometimes cheese, and condiments. You can pick it up and eat it conveniently on the go. You can also pick it up and throw it with blind rage. Tacos are actually better rage-throwing devices, just in case you were wondering. One time a friend of mine (his nickname is Pork Chop) was drunk and in the backseat of my car, and he rage-threw a Taco Bell soft taco into my windshield (no actual malice intended, he was just blasted). It exploded into a beautiful display of pebbly little beef, unmelted shredded cheese, and lettuce. It's probably been about six years since that incident, and there's still beef in the vents right under my windshield.
There's no good way to segue from that last paragraph, so let's pretend it didn't happen. The Marquette Inn is an unassuming little diner right in the heart of the Loop. The interior is dark and dingy, but it has a lot of character and is, in my experience, always busy. When you walk in, head for the take-out sandwich bar in the front, where you'll find one of those old backlit menus with the interchangeable letters. It's almost all sandwiches. (Note that every sandwich comes with your choice of soup, which is perfect for winter.)
When I visited, one of the specials of the day was the Chicago Loop sandwich ($8.00). It sounds expensive, but when you unwrap this puppy, it's got to be at least a pound of food (plus you get the soup). It features thick roast turkey, ham, and Swiss. And let me tell you—I'm still thinking about this sandwich. The thick-cut turkey is by far the best part. It's not just some liquid-injected and emulsified turkey meat; this is the real deal, full of that rich, round, poultry flavor. The ham is just standard deli issue stuff, but it helps counterbalance the turkey by adding some meaty and salty goodness. The dark rye is a perfect choice of bread, and make sure you get some yellow mustard to seal the deal.
If you're not a turkey person, go straight for the corned beef sandwich ($7.25). My coworker wasn't paying attention when he ordered it and got lettuce and tomato plopped on there, but they're not necessary—all you need is some mustard. They're generous with the beef, and while it's not artisan-style fancy stuff, it's a really hearty sandwich.
Of course, there is a Reuben ($8.50), which comes with fries by default. The Reuben is pretty much what you'd expect; strong and salty corned beef comes topped with sauerkraut that soaks up the bread below. If you order the sandwich to go, they package it with a big packet of bright orange factory-made Thousand Island for you to spread on as you please.
I wouldn't get too excited about the soup; the Manhattan Clam Chowder tastes like it came out of a can; the veggies are super soft, and the orange broth doesn't have much flavor, not even of tomato. There are, however, a few big chewy chunks of clam.
The mac and cheese ($4.00) came completely cold, which is a bummer, because it's actually kind of addictive. The noodles are way overcooked, but the cheese sauce is thick and rich. But somehow it's good anyway, in that greasy spoon diner sort of way. But when I'm back at the Marquette Inn, I'm definitely getting the turkey again, and I won't be rage-throwing it at anybody's windshield. I'll be rage-eating it. In a good way.
Marquette Inn
60 West Adams Street, Chicago IL 60603 (map)
No Website
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LETTER: Turnout too low at DeRuyter Citizens for a Voice fracking meeting
Joe Yankowski
To The Editor:
DeRuyter Citizens for a Voice recently held a fracking meeting on Dec. 28 at the American Legion in DeRuyter from 6-10 p.m.
Over 50 people attended the presentation even though it was during the holiday season and other activities were being held in the area at the same time. This event was free and open to all.
There were three presentations.
The first was a slide program from two people and a Pennsylvania resident who traveled to view drilling operations in Pennsylvania. The second was another slide presentation from a man who lived in Pennsylvania and was driven out by the gas drilling. He now lives in Syracuse. The third was the viewing of the documentary, "Gasland."
Questions were not screened and all were answered. Missing from this meeting were any DeRuyter Town Board members even after they were given an invitation with numerous postings of this event. Also missing was a news reporter and law enforcement.
Hopefully, Madison County Courier will put the minutes in the paper that someone is putting together at this time.
The Oneida Daily Dispatch welcomes letters from our readers about subjects of interest. Letters should be fewer than 500 words.
Letters are subject to editing for clarity, brevity and taste and limited to one per writer per calendar month.
All letters must include the author's name, address and a daytime phone number to verify the letter's authenticity; phone number and exact street address will not be published.
Please send to Oneida Daily Dispatch,
130 Broad St. Oneida, NY, 13421


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Foote, Julia A.J.
From this time the opposition to my life work commenced, instigated by the minister, Mr. Beman. Many in the church were anxious to have me preach in the hall, where our meetings were held at that time, and were not a little astonished at the minister's cool treatment of me. Strength two of the trustees got some of the elder sisters to call on the minister and ask him to let me preach. His answer was: "No; she can't preach her holiness stuff here, and I am astonished that you should ask it of me." The sisters said he seemed to be in quite a rage, although he said he was, not angry.
There being no meeting of the society on Monday evening, a brother in the church
There was another meeting appointed at the same place, which I, of course, attended; after which the meetings were stopped for that time, though I held many more there after these people had withdrawn from Mr. Beman's church.
I then held meetings in my own house; whereas the minister told the members that if they attended them he would deal with them, for they were breaking the rules of the church. When he found that I continued the meetings, and that the Lord was blessing my feeble efforts, he sent a committee of two to ask me if I considered myself a member of his church. I told them I did, and should
At this, Mr. Began sent another committee with a note, asking me to meet him with the committee, which I did. He asked me a number of questions, nearly all of which I have forgotten. One, however, I do remember: he. asked if I was willing to comply with the rules of the discipline. To this I answered: "Not if the discipline prohibits me from doing what God has bidden me to do; I fear God more than man." Similar questions were asked and answered in the same manner. The committee said what they wished to say, and then told me I could go home. When I reached the door, I turned and said: "I now shake of the dust of my feet as a witness against you. See to it that this meeting does not rise in judgment against you."
The next evening, one of the committee came to me and told me that I was no longer a member of the church, because I had violated the rules of the discipline by preaching.
When this action became known, the people wondered how any one could be excommunicated for trying to do good. I did not say much, and my friends simply said I had done nothing but hold meetings. Others, anxious to know the particulars, asked the minister
Now, if the people who repeated this to me told the trust--and I have no doubt but they did--Mr. Beman told an actual falsehood. I had never asked for his pulpit, but had told him and others, repeatedly, that I did not care where I stood--any corner of the hall would do. To which Mr. Beman had answered:"You cannot have any place in the hall." Then I said: "I'll preach in a private house." He answered me: "No, not in this place; I am stationed over all Boston." He was determined I should not preach in the city of Boston. To cover up his deceptive, unrighteous course toward me, he told the above falsehoods.
From his statements, many erroneous stories concerning me gained credence with a large number of people. At that time, I thought it my duty as well as privilege to address a letter to the Conference, which I took to them in
My letter was slightingly noticed, and then thrown under the table. Why should they notice it? It was only the grievance of a woman, and there was no justice meted out to women in those days. Even ministers of Christ did not feel that women had any rights which they were bound to respect.


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Seven Decades of Success
A Brief History of the Carbone Family of Cars.
Don's Ford Superstore was established in 1968. But the Carbone tradition of quality goes back much farther. The story begins in the Upstate New York city of Utica, in the year when the roaring 20's came to an abrupt end and the nation embarked upon hard times.
Joe Carbone: $40 and the Drive to Succeed.
When a 19-year old kid from East Utica named Joe Carbone decided to use his life-savings of to start a business, nothing - not even the Great Depression - could stop him.
Joseph Carbone was the oldest of four children. When his father Dominick died in 1918, Carbone left formal school and delivered milk for the family dairy business. He started his first car venture in May, 1929, opening the C&S Garage on Wetmore Street with his friend and partner, Phil Sacco. Carbone, then 19, and Sacco, a year older, pooled their resources to get the business started. For Carbone, that amounted to $40.00. Their new business consisted of an eight-stall garage, a Cadillac converted into a homemade tow car, and two employees - themselves.
In spite of Carbone youth, this car-loving entrepreneur already knew the secret of a successful business - customer service. Despite the Depression, Joe knew he would succeed if he concentrated on doing the best job he could....and treating people well.
Carbone Motor Sales is Born.
Eventually, Joe Carbone became sole owner of the business. When Phil Sacco left the partnership in 1931, Joe began to buy and sell used cars. He proudly renamed the business Carbone Motor Sales. In 1933. Carbone accepted a franchise from Graham-Page and expanded his business to a larger facility on Utica's Bleecker Street.
In 1936 Carbone married Inez Paolozzi. She immediately became the secretary and accountant for the infant business. "We put a lot of hours in," recalled Joseph Carbone, "a lot of hours."
The Carbone Family Grows... In More Ways Than One.
In 1938, Carbone Motor Sales saw significant expansion, adding the Studebaker and International Truck franchises. The Carbone family was destined to expand, as well, with the arrival of sons Don and Al. Their growing family resided in an apartment above the dealership.
"We were both born and brought up in the automobile business," said Don Carbone. He remembers washing the showroom floor mornings before school, as well as a host of other mundane tasks no one else wanted to do. His daily walk home took him right through the garage. Al Carbone recalls those early days with equal fondness. "I was born with the business in my blood," said Al.
As convenient as living upstairs from the dealership was, it did have its downsides. "Mom used to have canaries," Don recalled. His brother nodded. "We lost all the canaries because of the fumes," Al added. "We just couldn't keep a bird."
Don and Al Carbone: A Second Generation of Automotive Excellence.
Now you know how the Carbone Family of Cars got its start. But that's not even half of the story. Over our 70-year history, we've made it our mission to provide excellent customer service, as well as the finest automobiles in the world. We proudly stand behind the products we sell, and the communities we serve. That has been the secret of our success since Joseph Carbone first opened his business in 1929. And that's the way it will always be at the Carbone Family of Cars.Welcome to our new website!


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A story of pi
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A trivia question related to pi and my teammate's subsequent recitation of pi to ten digits reminded me of this memory which I may not yet have shared here.
It was an evening get-together with several friends in the roofdeck garden of our home in the Philippines. After dinner, the conversation turned to geek superpowers, the little specialties and quirks we'd developed over time. The friend on my left started reciting the digits of pi. To my surprise, the friend on my right joined in – the same pace, the same digits, and I in the middle entranced by this melody of tenor and baritone. They went to about 100 digits head to head, then one dropped out; the other continued to 200 digits or so. It was as sublime a concert as I have ever listened to.
If you're curious, you might want to check out the Wikipedia page on piphilology – the creation and use of techniques for remembering pi.
Like the way beauty often brings pleasure to viewers, my reaction to intellectual displays is closer to "Oooh, that's awesome" than to "You have way too much free time." W- and I have tons of geek moments, and I'm lucky to meet so many people who relish being geeky. Life is good.
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By now, most are familiar with the controversy surrounding Danish political scientist Bjørn Lomborg and the claims made in his book The Skeptical Environmentalist. The latest development took place in early January 2003 when the Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty issued a decision that declared Lomborg's research "to fall within the concept of scientific dishonesty," and to be "clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice." The committee, however, did not find grounds that Lomborg "misled his readers deliberately or with gross negligence." Instead, the decision recommends that the book should be properly understood and interpreted as a "a provocative debate-generating paper."
The Danish decision and the reviews that have appeared in Scientific American, Science, and Nature strongly question the scientific merits of Lomborg's claims. He remains, however, highly regarded by conservatives and by the financial press. Last year, Lomborg was appointed director of Denmark's Environmental Assessment Institute by the newly elected right wing government, and among the many kudos emanating from the financial press, Lomborg was named one of the 50 stars of Europe by Business Week magazine.
Clearly, The Skeptical Environmentalist has fueled Lomborg's personal celebrity. So, how did a book authored by an obscure Danish academic with little or no expertise in environmental science become an international media event? Or more precisely, what was so newsworthy about this book?
Sketchy Science, Heavy Promotion
The critiques of Lomborg's claims by scientists can be summarized and categorized as the following:
- Lomborg misinterprets or misrepresents data. He criticizes the misuse of data by environmental groups and the media, but commits similar mistakes in his own work (Bongaarts, 2001; Gleick, 2002; Grubb, 2001; Holdren, 2002; Pimm and Harvey, 2001; Pimentel, 2002; Schneider, 2001; Wilson et al., 2002). Lomborg selectively examines issues or problems that support his thesis that the state of the environment is improving, while ignoring other issues that refute his claims (Bongaarts, 2002; Grubb, 2001; Pimentel, 2002). In other cases, he over-simplifies, commits gross-generalizations, or fails to discuss the issue of uncertainty and subjectivity in the data that he presents (Gleick, 2002; Schneider, 2001)
- He uncritically and selectively cites literature, much of it non-peer-reviewed, and misinterprets or misunderstands the previously published scientific research (Gleick, 2002; Grubb, 2001; Schneider, 2002; Wilson et al., 2002). Several scientists observe that most of Lomborg's 3,000 citations are to media articles and secondary sources (Pimm & Harvey, 2001; Schneider, 2002).
- Lomborg's research is conceptually flawed. He ignores ecology and connections among environmental problems, taking instead a "human-centered" approach (Gleick, 2002). In several cases he uses statistical measures that are not valid indicators of the problems he reports are improving (Pimm and Harvey, 2001). On the topic of biodiversity, E.O Wilson and a team of reviewers find that Lomborg's work is "strikingly at odds with what every expert in the field has stated…" (Wilson et al., 2002, pg. 5). The review appearing in Nature goes broader, and concludes that The Skeptical Environmentalist is "a hastily prepared book on complex scientific issues which disagrees with the broad scientific consensus, using arguments too often supported by news sources rather than by peer-reviewed publications" (Pimm & Harvey, 2001, p. 150).
The vast criticism of the book from credentialed scientists contrasts sharply with the early advance hype from the mainstream media. Just how so much glowing enthusiasm and credibility could be thrust upon a single book from an unknown author before experts could even begin to weigh its claims offers an excellent case study in the manufacture of news.
Getting on the Agenda
Lomborg first made his optimistic claims about the state of the environment in a series of newspaper op-eds published in his home country of Denmark. By Lomborg's count, the op-eds sparked some 400 news articles and commentaries in the Danish press. The vast amount of resistance to his optimistic views on the environment, and his debunking of what he termed "the litany" of extreme claims made by environmentalists, motivated him in 1998 to publish a Danish version of The Skeptical Environmentalist. The fracas went largely unnoticed outside of Denmark, but that would change with the fall 2001 release of an English version of the The Skeptical Environmentalist by Cambridge University Press.
News of the pending book first appeared in the U.K in early June of 2001 when a Sunday Times article by Nayab Chohan featured an advanced report of claims made by Lomborg that London's air was cleaner than at any time since 1585. Headlined "Cleanest London Air for 400 Years," the publicity hook was both local and timely, as the tail end of the article linked the book's questioning of the Kyoto climate change protocol to U.S. president George W. Bush's visit the same week to Europe, and Bush's controversial opposition to the treaty. The Times followed up the report the next day with a news article further detailing the book's Kyoto protocol angle.
With The Times reports, Lomborg and his claims had made the Anglo media agenda. As is typically the case, other media outlets followed the reporting of the elite newspaper. Articles pegging the claims of The Skeptical Environmentalist to Bush's European visit ran later that week in the U.K's The Express and Daily Telegraph, and Canada's Toronto Star.
All this set the stage for news of The Skeptical Environmentalist to hit the U.S. media, and no other outlet could provide a better launching pad than the New York Times "Science Times" section. The publication of national record for the U.S., the paper's weekly science section is widely regarded as the leading model for quality, depth, and breadth of newspaper science coverage. So in August 2001, when Nicholas Wade put together a 2,000 word mostly positive profile of Lomborg as part of the section's prestigious "scientist at work" feature, it proved to be a significant publicity coup for Lomborg. Indeed, probably the only thing that kept coverage of the book from completely taking off in the U.S. after the New York Times profile was the September 11 terrorist attacks that dominated the news media's attention for the next six months.
Dramatizing the Lomborg Affair
Yet beyond what media researchers call the "inter-agenda setting" effect with coverage at elite news outlets setting off follow up coverage by other media (Trumbo, 1995), additional aspects of the Lomborg affair made the story especially appealing to journalists. Previous studies of the news have shown that journalists as a profession are attracted to compelling narratives, with a good story comprised of personalities, conflict, and the odd, peculiar, or unusual (Bennett, 2001). Specific to coverage of science, those issues that receive the greatest media attention are often those that are most easily dramatized, regardless of other more objective criteria (McComas & Shanahan, 1999).
In terms of narrative, Lomborg was a ready-made movie script. Almost every news article about Lomborg made reference to the journey of self-discovery he describes in his book. The narrative as sold by Lomborg and repeated by the media goes something like this:
A former member of Greenpeace, a self-described leftist, a backpacking outdoorsman, and a vegetarian, Lomborg in 1997 was paging through a copy of Wired magazine in a bookstore in San Francisco. He happened across an interview with Julian Simon, a University of Maryland economist known for his optimistic prediction that population growth was unlikely to exhaust the planet's resources. Later that year, an intrigued Lomborg set about in Denmark with ten of his brightest students to examine Simon's claims. Expecting to prove Simon wrong, Lomborg and his students were surprised to find that many of the economist's predictions about the state of the environment were on the mark. This discovery led Lomborg to pen a few op-eds for a center-left Danish newspaper, and eventually to the publication in Denmark of the first edition of The Skeptical Environmentalist.
Not only did Lomborg offer a compelling personal narrative, but his claims were both unusual and controversial. Perhaps tired of the same old "doom and gloom" predictions of environmental scientists, journalists discovered in Lomborg a fresh perspective. His claims were those of a "maverick scientist," a favorite character in science news dramas (Dearing, 1995).
Moreover, Lomborg's thesis fit the polarized, black and white style in which most public controversies are covered, with journalists featuring Lomborg's counter-claims against the most extreme arguments of environmentalists. In other instances, journalists evoked a "dueling scientists" frame, with Lomborg challenging conventional scientific wisdom. Finally, most journalists fell victim to the smoke screen of scholarship that the book projected. Over and over again, as supporting evidence for Lomborg's claims, journalists made reference to the book's 515 pages, 2,930 endnotes, and 182 tables and diagrams, as if sheer volume of words and data were proof enough of scientific merit.
Constructing Expert Endorsement
The credibility of the The Skeptical Environmentalist was further promoted by reviews in leading newspapers that were inexplicably glowing, and tributes in the conservative and financial press that were predictably enthusiastic. In several leading newspapers, experts from the environmental sciences were noticeably absent from the crop of reviewers. Instead, the newspapers turned to popularizers, writers with a literary flair that lacked expertise in the environmental sciences, but could be counted on for either an entertaining read or a strong opinion. Technical precision didn't matter, entertaining storytelling and ideology did.
In a late August review for London's Sunday Telegraph, science writer Matt Ridley (formerly of The Economist) called The Skeptical Environmentalist "probably the most important book on the environment ever written." A September review in The Economist
opened with the following over-the-top endorsement: "This is one of the most valuable books on public policy—not merely on environmental policy—to have been written for the intelligent reader in the past ten years."
In an October review for the Washington Post, Denis Dutton, a professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, concluded that the "richly informative, lucid book is now the place from which environmental policy decisions must be argued….It's a magnificent achievement." In a review the same month in the Wall Street Journal, Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for the libertarian Reason magazine, judged The Skeptical Environmentalist to be a "superbly documented and readable book," and referred to the evidence presented as "uncontroversial data." He ended the review by comparing radical environmentalists to Islamic radicals. The National Review picked John Adler, an assistant professor of law at Case Western Reserve University, for its April 2002 assessment. Adler proclaimed Lomborg "the environmentalists' Enemy Number One," and deemed The Skeptical Environmentalist "an encyclopedic assessment of environmental concerns."
The Skeptical Journalist: Beware of Books
If there is a lesson to be learned by journalists from the Lomborg affair it is to be suspicious of books, especially those by outsiders to a scientific or academic field who make extraordinary claims that counter scientific consensus. The Skeptical Environmentalist is the latest in a line of books over the past decade that present the strongest of arguments supported by a smoke screen of data and end notes. Consider for example Hernstein's and Murray's The Bell Curve, or Tierney's Darkness in El Dorado (the jury is still out on Wolfram's A New Kind of Science). Some of the material in these books mirrors at least some aspect of the truth, but the claims made by the authors are stretched into infinite shades of gray, or just plain error, by their extraordinary nature. If reporters are concerned with getting a story right, then the challenge remains to balance what the culture of journalism says makes for a good story with what a scientist knows about detecting sound science.
See Also
Features reviews, Lomborg's bio, Lomborg's replies to criticism, and related links.
Union of Concerned Scientists Examines The Skeptical Environmentalist
Scientists assess the book's methods and the sections on water, climate change, and biodiversity.
Fisher, R.M. (2002, Nov./Dec). Skeptical about The Skeptical Environmentalist. Skeptical Inquirer, 49-51.
Fisher, a scientist and lawyer in New Zealand, applies the standards for critically evaluating claims and evidence outlined in Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World to The Skeptical Environmentalist.
Scientific American: Skepticism Toward The Skeptical Environmentalist
Page features links to initial reviews that ran in Scientific American along with reply from Lomborg, letters-to-the-editor, and remarks from SciAm editor John Rennie.
World Resources Institute: Things a Journalist Should Know About The Skeptical Environmentalist
Page includes links to resources for journalists and educators.
- Bennett, L.W. (2001). News: The Politics of Illusion. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
- Bongaarts, J. (2002). Population: Ignoring its impact. Scientific American, 1, 67-70.
- Dearing, J. (1995). Newspaper coverage of maverick science: Creating controversy through balancing. Public Understanding of Science, 4 , 341-361.
- Gleick, P.H. (2002, July/August). Is the skeptic all wet? The Skeptical Environmentalist. Environment 6, 36-40.
- Grubb, M. (2001, Nov. 9). Relying on Manna from Heaven? Science, 1285-1287.
- Holdren, J.P. (2002). Energy: Asking the wrong question. Scientific American, 1, 65-68
- McComas, K. and Shanahan, J.E. (1999). Telling stories about global climate change: Measuring the impact of narratives on issue cycles. Communication Research, 1, 30-57.
- Pimm, S.L. and Harvey, J. (2001). No need to worry about the future: Environmentally, we are told, "things are getting better." Nature, 414: 149-150.
- Pimentel, S. (2002). Exposition on skepticism. Bioscience, 3, 295-298.
- Schneider, S. (2002). Global warming: Neglecting the complexities. Scientific American, 1, 62-66.
- Trumbo, C. (1995). Longitudinal modeling of public issues: An application of the agenda-setting process to the issue of global warming. Journalism & Mass Communication Monographs, 152.
- Wilson, E.O, Lovejoy, T.E., Myers, N., Harvey, J.A., Pimm, S.L. (2002a). Biodiversity depictions in Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist. Washington, D.C.: Union of Concerned Scientists.


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A moment of inspiration
Ubicquia is making cities across the globe smarter with Kairo, a customizable, light pole-based router that takes advantage of existing city infrastructure. The inspiration for Kairo came from a street light outside of co-founder Tre Zimmerman's house. Ubicquia had been working on an IoT project in Rome, involving IP cameras and smart water grids. The biggest issue they had was keeping the devices on 24 hours a day to record data they needed. "The cost of lithium-ion batteries, the cost of cabling, the cost of fiber, all of these things started to create a big impetus on the platform," says Zimmerman. Then he spotted a street light outside his son's room, still on at 2:00 pm.
"It gave me the sense that there obviously was power coming off the top of this light pole, and that all we had to do was figure out how to tap into it. There's a light pole every 120 feet apart in every major city in the world. Do the math. That's 255 million street lights just waiting to be connected."
By taking advantage of the existing network of street lights, Kairo allows cities to become smart overnight. A city like Sao Paulo that suffers from major air pollution can simply plug Kairo into the cobra head on its light poles and suddenly have a network of pollution sensors ready to go.
"I knew Avnet as a component supplier, but I didn't know Avnet as a full-service shop. Someone that can literally go and look at my plans, take my ideas, wrote down notes and help me figure out all of the logistical steps needed to bring my product to life." Tre Zimmerman, Ubicquia Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Getting to the world to change the world
Deploying Kairo meant finding a partner who could help guide the product through the design process to market, which is where Avnet entered the picture. "We help customers optimize the cost profile of their product. We also help them source the right components. We help them find the right manufacturing partners. And we help them take the product to market," says Chuck Loomis, the Avnet FAE (Field Application Engineer) who worked with Ubicquia.
"Avnet does a fantastic job in supplying their customers with FAEs to come and sit in our lab with us while we source these components," adds Zimmerman. "Then they cross-reference them from their line card to check availability as well as quantity, which really speeds up our process of decision making in terms of building out the product as a whole."
Zimmerman was also impressed with Avnet's global scale and distribution, which was something he said a small start-up like his could "only dream of."
Smart technology gets smarter
During development, Avnet also suggested Ubicquia make the product customizable online. "Kairo is a stack of boards, basically, that all have different functions. Depending on what you want from this device, you just add a board or take a board out," explains Avnet account manager Matt Bossaers. "So now you can go online and just click, drag and drop these different boards in place and create your product for what your needs are."
"Avnet didn't just show us how to make the product," says Zimmerman. "They showed us how to make the product better."
The end result was a product both teams could be proud of. "When you get involved with somebody like Tre and Ubicquia and doing a product like this," says Avnet FAE Loomis, "you know it's special." Zimmerman shares the sentiment.
"When I think about the nights and nights that I spent in my garage developing this product, then I look out at the impact that it could have around the world, it reminds me why I got into this business in the first place."
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