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Difference between the G Pro Herbal Vaporizer vs. Snoop Dogg Herbal G Pen Vaporizer
17th Mar 2020
The Grenco Science brand has been one of the most notoriously known wax vaporizers since its inception in 2012. It is known as the Apple of portable vapes. This is due to the simplicity of the design yet the efficiency of the G pen, focusing on user experience. It has recently opened up collaboration with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang.
Ironically, today we won't be discussing the wax vaporizer G pen is known for, but the dry herb vaporizers from the Grenco Science lineup. The G Pro Herbal Vaporizers is one of the most popular vapes on the market. Discreet, sleek, and sophisticated, the G Pro offers not only powerful vaping but also a bit of class and style. The king of smooth Snoop Dogg, has recently lent his face and signature "coolness" to his own G Pen and is giving G Pro a run for their money. But what's the difference between these two brands and which one is right for you? We will start with a small review.
G Pro Herbal Vaporizer
The G Pro made by Grenco Science created the portable dry herb vape to discretion and accuracy. Its design is specifically crafted to omit harmful toxins from the vapor. This is a strong selling point for the G Pro and reasonable so. Vapers are constantly on the lookout for a healthier way to enjoy their herbs, and the G Pro provides a substantial reason to choose them.
Durability of the pen
Durability is another key fact with the G Pro. The sophisticated outer shell is not to be underestimated. The designers at Grenco Science choose a durable body to enhance the user experience and to ensure that portability is made easier. The shape of the G Pro helps it sink and grip in your hand. The mouthpiece easily snaps off for easy dry herb reloading.
User experience & temperature
User-friendly components such as the temperature button, contribute to the G Pro's portability. After all, the last thing you want in your vaporizer is complexity. With an easy to find temperature button and vape button, on-the-go vaping has never been easier than with the G Pro. The temperature setting can be changed from mild, moderate, to hot, which range from 320 degrees Fahrenheit to 420 degrees Fahrenheit. It can reach its potential peak temperature in under 90 seconds in the stainless steel chamber.
If you have been hearing of the Snoop Dogg 2.0 then just know it is not real. A lot of word has been going around for it that it is the new Snoop Dogg G Pro 2.0 but it is just a copy of another vape with a new theme design.
Snoop Dogg Herbal G Pen
Snoop Dogg's G Pen also was also crafted by Grenco Science and is portable. However, that's where the similarities end for these two devices. Since Snoop is such an identifiable character himself, it's easy to see where his vaporizer gets its originality. A lengthy and slim pen like the artist himself.
The Design
The G Pen is a portable dry herb vaporizer, it has a sleek exterior body, and offers a superior herbal heating tank and element. The design of this specific pen is based off of the street of Long Beach, CA, where Snoop Dogg was born and raised. The outside of the device was specifically created to withstand extremely high temperatures which also makes the unit perfect for endurance vaping. Although there may be a bit of a learning curve at first, the g pen snoop dogg herbal vaporizer offers premium dry herb vaping in an easy to tote vaporizer. Its glass herbal attachment is perfect to make sure you are not inhaling toxins along with its ceramic base.
The glass herbal chamber on this replaceable and easy to clean. If your heating element coil should burn out, you can replace it with another attachment. G pens g coils also fit on these since Grenco Science has its own threading made to fit only Grenco Science pens.
The Difference Between the G Pro Herbal Vaporizer and Snoop Dogg's Herbal G Pen
There are quite a few distinct differences between these two devices. For starters, the Snoop Dogg gpen has celebrity appeal. Snoop not only puts his name on the g pen snoop dogg herbal vaporizer but he also sends his autograph along with a map of long beach with the kit. In addition, the it also has an incredible battery life which makes portable vaping that much more easy. Also snoop dogg offers a glass attachment with his vape pen which you may know is known to give off less harmful toxins.
The G Pro Herbal Vaporizer has its own unique benefits, however. For starters, the design elements of the unit give it the edge over its competition. A precision heating chamber along with an incredible filtering process contribute to some of the purest vapor on the market. In fact, most users place the G Pro ahead of other desktop vaporizers when it comes to vape purity. Customization is also a hallmark of the G Pro which contributes to its marketability. The most important part to consider is the fact that G Pro is variable voltage so you can change your vaporization temperatures when necessary.
In the end, you cannot go wrong with either of these devices. Depending on whether you prefer a long-lasting battery or variable temperature vape, you can choose the G Pro or Snoop Doggs herbal g pen.


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Model Home Village Sneak Peek~
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to tour a new model home village at Daybreak here in Utah.
(This post is NOT sponsored in any way...but I do happen to work for the builder whose homes I am going to feature.)
Daybreak is a planned community based on the idea of good, old fashioned neighborhoods. It is know for it's colorful homes and sense of community. And I love the concept that they have of putting model homes in a "village" rather than having them spread out in the different subdivisions for each builder.
On Friday evening, there was a sneak peek of the newest model home village for designers, realtors, bloggers etc. before the village opened to the public the next day. Since I am a bit of a house junkie, I was in my happy place touring through each of the eleven homes.
Two of the homes were built by Ivory Homes, which is the builder that I work for as an interior designer. My design team worked on picking the finishes for each of the houses, and then my friends at House of Jade Interiors decorated each house.
Today, I wanted to share a few photos from the houses. (I have also been sharing these on Instagram...which is a great place to follow me for behind-the-scenes fun.)
This great room was stunning! The navy blue grass cloth wallpaper. The brass and Lucite light fixture, the raspberry sofas. All of it was so gorgeous, it took my breath away.
There were so many things to like about this adorable boys' bedroom, but you all know I love faux animal heads, so let's talk about them first..they were so cute. The wallpaper was perfect, and I loved the detail on the roman shades!
See more beautiful spaces after the break...
Speaking of wallpaper, this beautiful paper by Thibault made the laundry room a work of art. What a show stopper!
Still more great wallpaper was found in this little girl's space. A bright and cheerful color palette, and bold mixing of patterns give the space some serious personality.
I was enamored with this oversize bulletin board in a desk area off the kitchen. I. Must. Have. One. Of. These.
I really love the subtlety of the color palette in this guest room. The blue tones, accompanied by the beach photograph give the entire space a feeling of relaxation and rejuvenation.
I hope you enjoyed these little snippets from the gorgeous homes I got to tour. Do you like to visit model homes?

subset: commoncrawl


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Indications: An actual need or a potential need for intravenous medications or fluid therapy and intravenous access in unobtainable and cardiac arrest or "near arrest" state.
- If presented with an unconscious patient with rapidly deteriorating vital signs, and peripheral veins can be seen or palpated, attempt at least one peripheral IV. If IV access fails following two attempts or after 90 seconds, proceed to an intraosseous line.
- Landmark the site appropriate to the specific device being used (sternum or proximal tibia).
- Place IV solutions in a pressure bag inflated to a maximum of 300 mmHg or "push" the fluid bolus with a large bore syringe for more-rapid infusion. Infuse fluid volumes as per the Intravenous Access & Fluid Administration Protocol.
- Intraosseous access will be limited to a maximum of two (2) attempts only.
- Monitor the site near the point of skin penetration to ensure fluid is not infiltrating the tissues.
- Update the receiving facility en route.


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Despite war drums beating and appalling anti-Arab beatings, the Israeli school year started quite normally yesterday, August 27. Pushy parents and cranky kids swarmed clothing stores and stationery stores on Sunday. They were then followed by legions of fresh-faced students dreading the return to school on Monday. But you'd never know it, given the headlines, which advanced a political agenda by always caricaturing Israel—and Jerusalem—as dysfunctional.
Life in Jerusalem today is quite pleasant and peaceful—far more similar to clean, safe Montreal in the 1990s than the racially-charged Boston I first encountered in the early 1980s or the crime-scarred New York I grew up in during the 1970s. That does not mean that Jerusalem is problem free—no city is. And the problem that erupted in Zion Square last week was particularly heartbreaking. An Arab teenager, Jamal Julani, 17 was beaten unconscious by a mob of Jewish teenagers, shouting "Death to Arabs." One of the eight who was subsequently apprehended uttered more bigoted statements when remanded.
By contrast, the entire Israeli political establishment led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu united in what President Shimon Peres called "shame and outrage." Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin visited Julani and his family in Hadassah Hospital, which itself happens to be a lush garden of Arab-Jewish cooperation, where individuals work naturally with each other and serve human beings with tremendous dignity, no matter what their ethnicity, citizenship, or religion.
"It is hard to see you lying in the hospital because of an unimaginable, outrageous act," Rivlin told Julani, who is now at home. "I came here in the name of the State of Israel, in order to apologize and express anger over what happened." Rivlin, a proud right-wing Likudnik, was particularly appalled that some of the hooligans wore Betar soccer shirts. He noted how disgusted the founder of Betar and revisionist Zionism, Ze'ev Jabotinsky would have been by the crime. And then, showing he was not mentioning the historic disjunction to dodge responsibility but to take it, he said: "We, the government, the Knesset, schools and everyone who sees himself as a leader, are responsible for this."
In turn, showing the seeds educators can sow, we had at least two conversations about the incident around our table, and another one with family friends within six hours of the kids returning home that day.
Young teenagers calling out "Death to the Arabs" while beating a fellow human being is a despicable byproduct of an inflamed atmosphere, and reflects the worst of Israeli society. Predictably, Israel's critics have jumped on the incident, using these crimes to indict Israel's society, culture, and politics more broadly. But that simplistic demonizing narrative overlooks the fact that Israel's "right wing" leaders are taking responsibility for such violence and trying to educate youth away from such horrors. While Israel's defenders will only focus on the leaders' anguished but constructive response—and contrast it with Palestinian celebrations of terror—a true, nuanced conversation about Israel—like all democratic societies—must acknowledge the good and the bad.
The truth in the Middle East is murky. Simplistic condemnations or celebrations should invite suspicion. In complexity, we may not find salvation, but we will at least be closer to the truth and, possibly, better mutual understanding.


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Bank NPAs: Operating in regulatory vacuum, CDR Cell doles out packages as RBI washes of its hands
Promoters like Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher and Pramod Mittal of Ispat are living examples why transparency is completely a non-negotiable requirement
New Delhi: Don't let the fact that India has a staggering Rs 7,50,000 crore worth of stressed financial assets frighten you. Nor even that this is an under-reported figure.
What is far, far scarier is that the system, through corporate debt restructuring (CDR) schemes which are disbursed by a CDR system created according to the recommendations of a committee headed by the Deputy Governor of the RBI and comprising of the country's top bankers actively facilitates and legitimizes lending to sectors and corporates with "high impairments".
According to documents available with Firstpost, a company called B. L. Kashyap and Sons (BLKS), which made history for the largest ever Provident Fund (PF) evasion of Rs 593 crore, instead of being punished, was handsomely rewarded in December 2014, with a whopping Rs 840 crore of debt restructured at extremely favourable terms. This is despite the fact that PF evasion is a serious criminal offence and both the CDR Cell master circular as well as RBI guidelines specify that companies found to be involved in any kind of fraud or diversion of funds should not be eligible for CDR schemes.
The goodies doled out to BLKS include:
# A fresh working capital term loan (WCTL) of Rs 62 crore with automatic sanction of fresh WCTL to finance any future invocation of Bank Guarantees (BGs);
# A fresh corporate loan of Rs 27 crore to pay the company's liabilities such as statutory tax dues, pressing creditors and salaries of directors and employees;
# Concessional interest rates of 1% above base rate despite being a D-rated company (interest rates are what an A rated company would get);
# Holiday for interest payment up to 15 months financed by another loan called funded interest term loan (FITL);
# and lastly, sacrifice/ write off of Rs 37 crore by all lenders.
But such a generous dole-out to a company involved in the biggest provident fund scam, failed to raise the hackles of the banking regulator. Upon flagging the issue, the RBI instead chose to absolve itself of any responsibility in the CDR disbursal mechanism (despite evidence to the contrary) by "pointing out that CDR Cell does not function under RBI". RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has further declined to comment on detailed questions emailed to him while those mailed to the CDR Cell were not acknowledged. In effect, even the question of how BLKS, whose PF evasion was widely publicised, became eligible for a CDR package has met with total silence from both concerned parties.
Stressed assets are an unhealthy mix of gross NPAs and restructured loans. Of these, CDRs, designed as a panacea, a rehabilitation mechanism for 'temporarily' distressed corporate advances, are fast emerging as a Pandora's box that no one wants opened.
As per performance details available on the CDR website, the cell has restructured loans amounting to Rs 4,03,000 crore, with additional loans worth Rs 2,000 crore in various stages of implementation. The cell does not share any further data, including the share of public sector banks. However, since public sector banks contribute nearly 70% of credit, they are likely to account for at least Rs 2.84 lakh crore worth of these restructured loans.
Considering the staggering amounts of taxpayers' money involved, it is incomprehensible that the CDR Cell, under the RBI, responsible for restructuring loans worth roughly Rs 4.05 lakh crore, functions completely opaquely and does not consider itself to be a public authority. According to the CDR cell, "The CDR cell is neither established nor constituted by or under the Constitution or any other law made by the Parliament or any other State Legislature and is a self empowered body". This implies that the CDR Cell is not accountable to Parliament, and as per the RBI's reply to an RTI query by former Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, has never been audited by the RBI, which claims it has no information regarding who audits the CDR cell.
Impact of CDR Cell
The CDR cell was created under the ostensible 'noble' cover of helping stressed companies out of financial distress so as to safeguard job creation and economic growth. However, the structure, opaqueness and increasingly questionable CDR awards to dubious and fraudulent firms by the CDR cell raises disturbing questions.
In a direct conflict of interest, the CDR Cell core group comprises of chairmen of various public sector banks whose performance is linked to reduction of NPAs and credit growth. This structure, without any active regulation by RBI, incentives banks to pour good money after bad money under the cover of CDR. The merit of this argument is borne out from the fact that almost no new case has been referred to the CDR cell since the RBI ended forbearance from 1/04/2015, requiring banks to make provisioning for loans that are restructured.
Other structural defects include opaqueness regarding techno commercial viability reports and forensic audit reports. "Viability of business" is among the most critical conditions for eligibility of a company to restructure its debt and these assessments are left to consultancy firms whose fees are paid by the borrowing company, while the reports are not open to public scrutiny. Similarly, forensic audits to assess financial bungling are left to chartered accountants paid for by the applicant firm with no format provided/ role played by the ICAI. While in 2014, RBI guidelines did specify that for high value CDRs techno commercial viability reports would be scrutinised by the IBA, there is no way to assess its effectiveness in the absence of performance audits.
RBI caught napping?
A formal framework for restructuring of debt is a legitimate requirement to give flexibility to a company's management in case of a genuinely erroneous decision. But because restructuring of debt almost always involves sacrifice of public money, it is both logical and prudent to have a statutory framework allowing policy makers and taxpayers to evaluate the merit of such decisions through transparent cost benefit analyses.
It is these opaquely disbursed CDR largesses which allow canny 'billionaire bankrupts' like Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher Airlines to host 3-day-long destination birthday parties for 600 guests and Pramod Mittal of Ispat to boast of having one of the five most ostentatious weddings in history for his daughter. These examples, which are responsible for India battling ever-expanding income disparities and multiple cases of sick companies with super affluent promoters, make transparency a completely non-negotiable requirement.
Yet neither the RBI nor the CDR Cell, run by the country's top bankers, thought it worth their while to answer whether a cost benefit analysis of the impact of restructuring of loans of BLKS had been carried out; whether the RBI or any other body had conducted any performance audit to confirm if the CDR Cell is functioning as per prescribed guidelines on restructuring of BLKS and other companies; whether BLKS, as a listed company which has to place audited financials in the public domain to ensure protection of investor interest, has had any forensic audit/special investigative audit carried out for allocation of the CDR package; in the absence of any established format for carrying out a forensic audit by the ICAI or any other competent authority, whether selective audit disclosures by a chartered accountant who is paid by the restructured company itself constitutes conflict of interest; or why techno commercial viability report for companies like BLKS, restructured through CDR packages are not placed in the public domain.
Far more damning is the RBI's silence on questions like how it ensures self-regulation in the CDR Cell when the core group comprises of those very bank chiefs whose incentives are linked to reduction of NPAs; how as the custodian of financial stability the RBI could overlook assessment/ regulation in the misuse of CDR for evergreening of bad loans, leading to the vaporization of public money with serious risks to financial stability; and finally, since actual NPAs are much higher than what is disclosed and CDRs form a substantial chunk of these stressed assets, how much would unregulated CDRs be responsible for the scarcity of capital or capital remaining stuck in over-leveraged private companies, placing unwanted brakes on the development engine.
RBI's doublespeak
According to recent reports, the NPAs of 37 banks grew 26.8 percent to Rs 3,36,685 crore in the 12-month period ended September 2015 as compared to a growth of 16.9 percent a year ago. Yet, this growth is not indicative of growing transparency.
The RBI has asked banks to reveal details of the top 150 loan defaulters of India Inc by March 2016. The banks are resisting the move as this is likely to spill out much murkier numbers, considering banks have been found to be lending more to sectors and corporates with high impairments, pointing to glaring lacunae in prescribed credit appraisal standards.
Banks tend to dress up their balance sheets by either writing off as much as 50% of their NPAs in some years, or converting them to often questionable CDR packages, so the fact that banks have strong motive in resisting transparency is well known.
What is incomprehensible, is the fact that the banking regulator, which has outwardly been making all the right noises about under-reporting of NPAs, has been itself found to be actively covering up for these banks. Dismissing the RBI's plea for exemption under the RTI Act, the SC recently slammed the RBI for denying information about banks and financial institutions for their action against loan defaulters, including industrialists, sternly reminding it of "its statutory duty to uphold public interest and not the interest of individual banks".
The SC bench headed by M Y Eqbal, while upholding the Central Information Commission's (CIC) order to SBI and other banks for disclosure of information under the RTI Act, pointed out that the, "RBI is clearly not in any fiduciary relationship with any bank. RBI has no legal duty to maximize the benefit of any public sector or private sector bank, and thus there is no relationship of 'trust' between them. RBI has a statutory duty to uphold the interest of the public at large, the depositors, the country's economy and the banking sector".
The SC said many financial institutions have resorted to acts that are neither clean nor transparent observing that, "The RBI in association with them has been trying to cover up their acts from public scrutiny. It is the responsibility of the RBI to take rigid action against those Banks which have been practicing disreputable business practices."
Given the serious questions raised about the structure and working of the CDR cell, and now direct evidence of the RBI's own complicity, there is a distinct likelihood of a large portion of the Rs 4.05 lakh crore of restructured debt being eroded. The growing anxiety to write off such vast quantities of "unsustainable" bad debt, may also be not so much to "clean up the books" as the RBI Governor claims, but to put the lid on a well-executed scam so no further questions are raised.
So while externally the government is making efforts to kick-start the economy, the rot within the financial system is likely to stymie those efforts in the absence of sufficient capital, which has been wilfully forsaken to favour a few individuals at the cost of the national exchequer.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
also read
Bank NPAs: RBI's second list of defaulters include Videocon, JP Associates, says report
Others that figure in the defaulters list are East Coast Energy, SEL Manufacturing, Shakti Bhog, Nagarjuna Oil, Jai Balaji Industries, Uttam Galva, Monnet Power, Orchid Chemicals, among others
SBI writes off Rs 7,000 crore worth wilful defaulter loans including Vijay Mallya's
Vijay Mallya tops the wilful defaulters list with Rs 1,201 crore
Qissa Kingfisher ka: Lenders already know of fund diversion; but will they get their money back?
Chances of the banks getting back their dues appear less and ultimately, it is the taxpayers who bear the brunt


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Natalie Cromwell is a worship leader and singer/songwriter based out of Minneapolis, MN. Natalie is widely experienced leading in various settings including churches, conferences, retreats, and most recently as Worship Leader at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. Her first project, entitled "The Reason", was a huge success for her as an independent artist. Her title track charted on the radio in September of 2013 after only a couple of months of airplay. Since then, she has seen a large amount of success as an artist, performing at large Christian music festivals such as Joyful Noise with artists such as Jamie Grace and For King and Country.
Up to Something
Since Natalie's most recent project,"Up To Something", was released, she has continued to be recognized as an inspiring and creative songwriter, with lyrics that reflect depth and maturity, and melodies that are both original and accessible. One review from Hallels.com says, '"Up to Something," at the end of the day, is an album that has arms. It is spiritually pragmatic enough that it offers handles of how we can turn to our Master in our times of need. But it's also an album with heart. Utilizing such an array of vocal intonations and inflections, Cromwell not only sings well but she conveys a feeling that we are not alone in our strife. She's there with us leading us by the hand to our Heavenly Father.' This project is available on iTunes, Amazon, or www.nataliecromwell.com.
Natalie has shared the stage with many anointed singers and leaders, including Gordon Mote, Wes Hampton (Gaither Vocal Band), and Doug Anderson (Signature Sound), and has partnered with authors Bob Goff and Jon Ortberg in various conference and church settings. She also is no stranger to the studio, recording with some of the top names in the industry. Natalie's songwriting extends beyond her own albums. Most recently her song "I Can Feel You Healing Me" was recorded on the national release called "Hope and Healing" from the Taylors on StowTown Records. Timothy Yap from Hallels.com says, "Worthy of mention is 'I Can Feel You Healing Me.' This is not only one of the Taylors' most heartfelt ballads, but it nails judiciously down the theology of healing. While some have erred on the side that God only heals in a miraculous instant, this song allows God to be God. The song prays for the humility to allow God to heal whether it is in an instant or over a process of time." Natalie regularly writes with many award-winning Christian writers, and is making her mark on Christian music with songs published by Sunset Gallery.
Continuing on
Natalie continues to reap musical experience in every aspect of her life. She is frequently sought out to lead worship at large conferences, retreats, and churches throughout the Midwest, along with speaking and teaching about worship to various audiences. Along with offering practical insight, Natalie's hope is to inspire worship leaders to be authentic and genuine in their leading and lifestyles. In addition to full-time music ministry, she is currently teaching at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul as an adjunct instructor of worship teams in the Worship Ministry degree program.
Natalie is now offering workshops and worship leading experiences in churches throughout the country. Her workshops include sessions about leading a band, organizing volunteers, and how to effectively engage a congregation. If you are interested offering these workshops at your church or event, please contact Natalie via the "Contact & Booking" tab.


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Ted Koppel: America's Chronic Overreaction to Terrorism
The country's capacity for self-inflicted damage must have astounded even Osama bin Laden.
June 28, 2014, will mark the 100th anniversary of what is arguably the most eventful terrorist attack in history. That was the day that Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb, shot and killed the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
In one of those mega-oversimplifications that journalists love and historians abhor, the murder of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife, Sophie, led directly and unavoidably to World War I. Between 1914 and 1918, 37 million soldiers and civilians were injured or killed. If there should ever be a terrorists' Hall of Fame, Gavrilo Princip will surely deserve consideration as its most effective practitioner.
Terrorism, after all, is designed to produce overreaction. It is the means by which the weak induce the powerful to inflict damage upon themselves—and al Qaeda and groups like it are surely counting on that as the centerpiece of their strategy.
It appears to be working. Right now, 19 American embassies and a number of consulates and smaller diplomatic outposts are closed for the week due to the perceived threat of attacks against U.S. targets. Meantime, the U.S. has launched drone strikes on al Qaeda fighters in Yemen.
By the standards of World War I, however, the United States has responded to the goading of contemporary terrorism with relative moderation. Indeed, during almost a decade of terrorist provocation, the U.S. government showed the utmost restraint. In February of 1993, before most of us had any real awareness of al Qaeda, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who would later be identified as the principal architect of 9/11, financed an earlier attack on the World Trade Center with car bombs that killed six and injured more than 1,000.
Five years later, al Qaeda launched synchronized attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 220 and injuring well over 4,000 people. In October 2000, al Qaeda operatives rammed a boat carrying explosives into the USS Cole, which was docked in Yemen. Seventeen American sailors were killed and 39 were injured.
Each of these attacks occurred during the presidency of Bill Clinton. In each case, the U.S. responded with caution and restraint. Covert and special operations were launched. The U.S. came close to killing or capturing Osama bin Laden at least twice, but there was a clear awareness among many policy makers that bin Laden might be trying to lure the U.S. into overreacting. Clinton administration counterterrorism policy erred, if at all, on the side of excessive caution.
Critics may argue that Washington's feckless response during the Clinton years encouraged al Qaeda to launch its most spectacular and devastating attack on Sept. 11, 2001. But President George W. Bush also showed great initial restraint in ordering a response to the 9/11 attacks. Covert American intelligence operatives working with special operations forces coordinated indigenous Afghan opposition forces against the Taliban on the ground, while U.S. air power was directed against the Taliban and al Qaeda as they fled toward Pakistan.
It was only 18 months later, with the invasion of Iraq in 2003, that the U.S. began to inflict upon itself a degree of damage that no external power could have achieved. Even bin Laden must have been astounded. He had, it has been reported, hoped that the U.S. would be drawn into a ground war in Afghanistan, that graveyard to so many foreign armies. But Iraq! In the end, the war left 4,500 American soldiers dead and 32,000 wounded. It cost well in excess of a trillion dollars—every penny of which was borrowed money.
Saddam was killed, it's true, and the world is a better place for it. What prior U.S. administrations understood, however, was Saddam's value as a regional counterweight to Iran. It is hard to look at Iraq today and find that the U.S. gained much for its sacrifices there. Nor, as we seek to untangle ourselves from Afghanistan, can U.S. achievements there be seen as much of a bargain for the price paid in blood and treasure.
At home, the U.S. has constructed an antiterrorism enterprise so immense, so costly and so inexorably interwoven with the defense establishment, police and intelligence agencies, communications systems, and with social media, travel networks and their attendant security apparatus, that the idea of downsizing, let alone disbanding such a construct, is an exercise in futility.
The Sunday TV talk shows this past weekend resonated with the rare sound of partisan agreement: The intercepted "chatter" between al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri and the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was sufficiently ominous that few questions have been raised about the government's decision to close its embassies.
It may be that an inadequate response to danger signals that resulted in the death of the U.S. ambassador in Benghazi last September contributed to an overreaction in the current instance. Clearly, it does not hurt, at a time when the intelligence community is charged with being overly intrusive in its harvesting of intelligence data, that we be presented with dramatic evidence of the program's effectiveness.
Yet when all is said and done, al Qaeda—by most accounts decimated and battered by more than a decade of the worst damage that the world's most powerful nation can inflict—remains a serious enough threat that Washington ordered 19 of its embassies to pull up their drawbridges and take shelter for fear of what those terrorists still might do.
Will terrorists kill innocent civilians in the years to come? Of course. They did so more than 100 years ago, when they were called anarchists—and a responsible nation-state must take reasonable measures to protect its citizens. But there is no way to completely eliminate terrorism.
The challenge that confronts us is how we will live with that threat. We have created an economy of fear, an industry of fear, a national psychology of fear. Al Qaeda could never have achieved that on its own. We have inflicted it on ourselves.
Over the coming years many more Americans will die in car crashes, of gunshot wounds inflicted by family members and by falling off ladders than from any attack by al Qaeda.
There is always the nightmare of terrorists acquiring and using a weapon of mass destruction. But nothing would give our terrorist enemies greater satisfaction than that we focus obsessively on that remote possibility, and restrict our lives and liberties accordingly.
Mr. Koppel is a special correspondent for NBC News and news analyst for NPR.
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


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Altadena, CA - Master Hypnotherapist Carmela Tunzi, owner of Mind Flow Hypnosis, presented at the Altadena Rotary Club on August 10th, 2017, at the Altadena Town & Country Club (2290 Country Club Dr., Altadena, CA 91001). Carmela's talk focused on how hypnotherapy can assist with stress management and pain relief. Her presentation also included a live demonstration, working … [Read more...]
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Starting at the stately headquarters of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, it is just a short and scenic Paris stroll – taking in the Champs Elysées, a view of the Arc de Triomphe, a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower – to the equally imposing offices of that rival giant of luxury fashion, Kering, home to Gucci, Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney. Last year, each of these conglomerates announced that it was committing to a serious investment in a young fashion designer: a strategic move that had been out of favour in the investment community for more than a decade. LVMH took a minority stake in 29-year-old wonderkid JW Anderson; Kering a majority one in 31-year-old Christopher Kane.
A Eurostar hop away, the studios of Kane and Anderson are just two blocks apart on the very same scruffy road in Dalston, east London. This is more than a coincidence: it is a mapping of the dynamic at work in global fashion. Paris, the long-established nerve centre of fashion-as-a-business, is right now tapping directly into the rich vein of fashion talent that runs through London. The buzz around London fashion week for the past few years has finally transformed into something more tangible. Nicholas Kirkwood, who reigns as British Accessory Designer of the Year, sold a majority stake in his business to LVMH in September. And the most recent spin of the fashion merry-go-round saw veteran British design talent shuffled higher in the pack across the Atlantic, where Stuart Vevers – alumnus of Mulberry, Bottega Veneta and Loewe – has taken the helm of Coach, and Katie Hillier has lured Luella Bartley out of a four-year fashion hiatus to join her at Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Suzy Menkes – who has just been appointed international editor of Vogue – was style editor of the International Herald Tribune, now the International New York Times, since 1988, playing a crucial role as scout and champion in the careers of many British fashion designers. It is, says Menkes, "the dynamism of London and its international status as the New York of Europe that makes the fashion scene here so energetic. There is so much money sloshing about in central London that it has spilled over to where the designers work, in Dalston and Mile End."
Lulu Kennedy, who as founder of Fashion East has held the hands of many talented young British designers along the nursery slopes of their careers, also sees a fearlessness and ebullience about the scene at the moment.
"A couple of weeks before London fashion week I was at a friend's house for dinner and lots of the designers were there, and they were all talking quite openly about their ideas and references. There's a confidence, a belief that there is plenty of talent, plenty of ideas to go around. I find it really inspiring."
What makes British talent compelling to international business, says Kennedy, is that "whereas French ideas about fashion are based around history and traditional notions of chic, the British take is about the future, about what we want to see next. Phoebe Philo has been a game-changer for the whole industry by addressing femininity and modernity, opening up a wider discussion about women's lives that reaches beyond fashion."
Paula Reed has recently joined Munich-based international retailer MyTheresa.com as creative director, having previously worked in London at Grazia magazine and Harvey Nichols. "The modern fashion shopper is addicted to 'newness' and London delivers that in spades," she says. "It's the pure energy of the city. Now that I work abroad, it strikes me every time I come home how vibrant and unique the atmosphere is here. There is a cultural eclecticism that underpins everything we do."
It is telling that the current generation of hot British designers differs from their forefathers in the McQueen and Galliano era by being far less likely to set their collections in the past. History book references, once considered de rigueur for adding gravitas and culture to a collection, have fallen out of favour. Galliano's 1984 graduation collection, Les Incroyables, was inspired by the French revolution; McQueen entitled his 1992 MA collection Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims; three years later his infamous Highland Rape collection was based on the historical English slaughter of Scots. These lyrical, storytelling collections have disappeared in favour of personal stories and abstract references that keep a brand feeling constantly modern.
Also falling out of favour on the catwalk, notes Menkes, is "the squiffy, jokey, ironic aspect of Britishness. Burberry has some of those elements, but they seem rather carefully introduced to pepper up the plain".
What's more, this shift is based on sound business sense in the age of the brand. "Young designers today are much more aware of the concept of brand-building," Menkes says.
Jonathan Anderson named his label JW Anderson because from the beginning he was clear that "it wasn't just about me, it was about a brand," he has said. He was just 26 when he created his first diffusion collection for Topshop, but he pushed the limits of what was expected: as well as clothes, he produced logo-ed scarves, pens and sweeties in a deliberate strategy to offer the JW Anderson name at pocket-money prices.
Anderson's studio is "so, so different" from the early days of McQueen, Menkes says. "My earliest memory of Lee at the same age is of a chaotic room with bits of frayed cloth and stuff all over the floor and him sitting on a rickety chair effing and blinding over the fit of a jacket shoulder."
The new generation of hot young things is more likely to be found sweating over how that shoulder speaks to their brand values or plays to the house codes.
"Each designer approaches collections in their own way and it is hard to have a generalist view of the contemporary scene," Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, says, "but there is certainly an awareness of the importance of defining what a brand will stand for very early on."
For the past decade the BFC has worked hard to secure and bolster the businesses of emerging designers. There is a deep desire not to repeat the mistakes of previous eras, in which wave after wave of talented young innocents were vaulted out of the safety of the college system into an industry for which they were unprepared, only to be felled at the first hurdle by their lack of financial acumen, or absence of manufacturing contacts or industry muscle.
"A great deal of business support goes on behind the scenes," Rush says. "There is now a safety net around designers so that they can learn about the nuts and bolts of the business. The industry has come together to create a mentoring environment."
What's more, Rush says, the digital age has altered the fashion industry, giving greater visibility to the less commercially mighty brands; to the benefit of London's new generation.
"Social media allows you to create a lot of noise around a collection without an advertising spend, and that is really being exploited by this generation of young creatives."
The next challenge, Rush says, is for the new wave to seize more control over the business side of their industry. "The luxury investments we saw last year are just the beginning. They have sparked a great deal of interest from the investment community. This is great news for our designers. But the real hunt now is for the next generation of homegrown CEOs."


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My husband found this recipe in the Dallas Morning News and insisted that I make it - he did help by "throwing" the coconut on the top and sides of the cake! It was well worth the effort. The article named it "The glamour queen of confections".
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and use a fork to mix them together. Pour the milk or coconut juice into a measuring cup and stir the vanilla into the milk.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating, stopping to scrape down the sides, until the mixture is light and evenly combined. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well each time, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
Add about 1/2 of the flour mixture to the batter and beat well at low speed. Then add about half the milk to the batter, beating well. Continue beating as you add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the milk, and then the remaining flour mixture, beating well each time until the batter is very thick and smooth.
Quickly scrape the batter into the prepared cake pans, dividing it evenly, and place them in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are golden-brown, spring back when touched lightly in the center, and begin to pull away from the sides of the pans. Watch closely - one may be done before the other.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 10 minutes. Then turn out the cakes onto wire racks or plates, turn the layers top side up and cool completely.
Make White Mountain Coconut Icing; set aside.
White Mountain Coconut Icing
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
Add the sugar and water to a small sauce pan and stir to dissolve it. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Then boil for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the syrup has thickened and will form itself into a thread about 2 inches long when poured from a spoon back into the pan. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until they are bright white, shiny and pillow into voluminous clouds. While beating at high speed, slowly pour the cooked syrup into the egg whites to blend them into a fluffy-white icing. 4 to 5 minutes.
To ice the cake, place one cake layer, top side down, on a cake stand or serving plate. Cover it generously with icing and sprinkle with some of the coconut. Place the second layer on top of the iced layer, top side up. Ice the sides to help keep the cake steady, and then spread icing generously over the top, completely covering the cake. Place cake stand or serving plate on a cookie sheet to catch loose coconut as you shower the cake. Sprinkle coconut all over the cake, and then gently pat handfuls of coconut onto the sides and top to cover the bare spots. Transfer leftover cocnut to a jar or plastic bag and store it in the freezer.
This recipe calls for the juice from a fresh coconut. I substituted canned, unsweeted coconut milk (cream), found in the Asian foods section of the grocery store. Be sure to shake it good and then stir it with a spoon to mix it well once it's open. The icing and coconut topping would also be great on a chocolate cake.
View line-by-line Nutrition Insights™: Discover which ingredients contribute the calories/sodium/etc.
|Serving Size: 1 Serving (328g)
|Recipe Makes: 10
|Calories: 1038
|Calories from Fat: 374 (36%)
|Amt Per Serving
|Total Fat 41.6g
|55 %
|Saturated Fat 26.2g
|131 %
|Monounsaturated Fat 9.2g
|Polyunsanturated Fat 2.4g
|Cholesterol 471.8mg
|145 %
|Sodium 352.1mg
|12 %
|Potassium 321.3mg
|8 %
|Total Carbohydrate 154g
|45 %
|Dietary Fiber 3.2g
|13 %
|Sugars, other 150.7g
|Protein 17.9g
|26 %
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database
Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition.
Calories per serving: 1038
Get detailed nutrition information, including item-by-item nutrition insights, so you can see where the calories, carbs, fat, sodium and more come from.


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Authored by Julia Sukhu
The oddest things can bring a community together. In the case of Northport, a Long Island community, a piece of music made to advertise law books has a special place in the community's history and brought them together in 2015. This bright and well-maintained illustration is the cover page for the "Pleading and Practice Grand March" sheet music created by George H. Bishop to sell law textbooks in the 1800's. Continue reading


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The Children of Canada's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Are Forgotten
The children of these women are almost forgotten. Our half-hearted national conversation on the ongoing racialized violence against stolen indigenous women barely acknowledges their existence. If there is even an estimate of the number of children affected, please let me know. And yet, the surviving children's loss is unimaginable. They lost mothers, sisters, aunts and cousins. You don't need to be a psychiatrist to understand that the grotesque violence aboriginal women suffer affects the mental integrity of the children they leave behind.


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Women's Athletics at KU
Posted on May 15, 2018 in News and Sports
The Kenneth Spencer Research Library on KU's campus features seasonal exhibits curated by the library's archivists. From Jan. 30 to Apr. 30, the library showcased the athletic achievements of KU women through their exhibit "Women's Athletics at KU: From Physical Education to Recognized Athletic Program." The display celebrated the strides the University has made in giving women the opportunity to exceed outside of the classroom.
Formation of the Women's Athletic Association
Before the creation of university-sponsored teams, women at KU could only participate in club sports. The first documented sport for KU women was the Tennis Club in 1892. A few years later, women's basketball was added in 1897.
In 1912, the students and faculty of the Women's Department of Physical Education established the Women's Athletic Association, or WAA. The first three sports under the WAA were hockey, tennis and basketball.
While women could now compete in intercollegiate competitions, funding was very limited. Students were expected to supply their own equipment and transportation, so individual sports held fundraisers to cover the cost, such as the gymnastics team who held an annual carnival so they could afford traveling to competitions.
Earning a letter sweater
Throughout this ever-changing landscape of women athletics, the letter sweater served as a literal badge of honor. The WAA awards these letter sweaters to athletes based on criteria outlined in the 1925 Jayhawker yearbook. Each woman had to accumulate 75 points to earn their sweater.
Women could earn points from excelling in their sport, as well as from more obscure ideas of success such as good posture and maintaining grades.
Impact of Title IX
By the 1960s, club teams received funding from the Student Senate, yet not enough to cover all of the costs. Although Title IX was passed in 1972, changes were not immediate.
According to KU's Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, Title IX's purpose is "to end discrimination on the basis of sex in education and applies to all programs and activities that receive federal funding." However, Title IX's passage in 1972 had no immediate effects on the WAA.
The WAA won a victory in 1974 when the state and the Student Senate allocated a combined $122,435 for women student-athletes. Women's Athletic Director Marian Washington was able to completely fund all nine sports, covering the costs of coaching staff, equipment, transportation and lodging. It was not until 1979 that the men's and women's athletic departments merged to meet the federal funding requirements.
Today Title IX plays an active role in providing equity for male and female student-athletes. Under Title IX, three key principles apply to men's and women's athletics: equitable opportunity to participate; equal proportion of scholarships; and equal treatment and benefits.
–Brianna Mears


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Freedom Leather Handbag (small)
Freedom Leather Handbag (small)
Freedom Handbag (small)
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All your designs and inquiries can be happily sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Slinger, Wis., May 20—Just prior to the start of the Slinger Speedway racing season, Alex Prunty's mother suffered a brain aneurysm and Sunday night was the first time she was at the track since being released from the hospital. It made for an emotional night as Prunty won his first super late model feature of the year and added his name to the prestigious list of winners of the Alan Kulwicki Memorial.
"It's unbelievable and it's the first race my mom was able to make after a brain aneurysm and she has been in the hospital for a long time and we're just happy to have her back," Prunty told the crowd from victory lane, "The Alan Kulwicki Memorial is awesome as obviously there are a lot of big names who have won and with the Kulwicki Driver Development Program and everything those guys have done for me, there are just a lot of emotions going through my head right now."
Prunty took the lead from defending Kulwicki Memorial winner Conrad Morgan just after a restart on lap 27 and then had to hold off numerous challenges from Dennis Prunty who had won the first two super late model features and was undefeated at the track in 2018.
"It wasn't bad but I started back farther and had a long ways to go and burned up my tires," Dennis Prunty stated after his second place finish, "And I knew if I touched him he would spin out so I figured I would stay off him and do the best I could."
"We're getting there," third place finisher Steve Apel said after the race, "I just kind of fell back and was trying to ride and didn't want to really get involved with the top two, but all in all the car is in one piece and the nose is clean."
Pole-sitter Tim Lampman paced the first two laps before Conrad Morgan took command from the outside on lap three, bringing Alex Prunty along with him into second. Chris Blawat and Gary LaMonte also made their way by Lampman to move into third and fourth and a few laps later, Dennis Prunty and Steve Apel joined them as Morgan continued to lead over Alex Prunty. The running order behind the top two shuffled as first Apel nudged Lamonte for position in turn four and a lap later, Dennis Prunty used a similar move to get by Blawat and when everything sorted out, Prunty had third ahead of Apel, LaMonte, and Blawat. The first and only caution flag of the event occurred on lap 26 for a tangle between Rich Loch and Tim Lampman in turn four which allowed the rest of the field to close in on Morgan and Alex Prunty.
Morgan chose the inside lane for the restart, leaving Alex Prunty the outer groove which proved beneficial as Prunty charged from the top side as racing resumed, completing the pass for the lead the next lap around. The outside lane became the preferred place to be as Dennis Prunty, Apel, LaMonte, and Brad Mueller all used it to advance forward. In the final laps, Dennis Prunty ran down Alex Prunty and made several attempts to pass on the inside but each time was denied as Alex Prunty was able to power off the turns to maintain the lead. With eight laps to go, Dennis Prunty tried an inside move once again but his car washed loose in turn two and as he regained control, Alex Prunty scooted away with the lead. Alex Prunty could not be caught from there and he drove to his first super late model feature victory of the season, leaving Dennis Prunty to settle for second while Steve Apel took the checkered flag in third. Gary LaMonte finished fourth and Brad Mueller was fifth. Conrad Morgan crossed the line in sixth followed by Chris Blawat and Ryan DeStefano in seventh and eighth respectively while Grant Griesbach and Brad Keith rounded out the top ten.
Super late model heat races were won by Rich Loch and Alex Prunty while Gary LaMonte was the fastest qualifier after touring the speedway in 11.243 seconds.


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It's one of life's harshest realities, but a large percentage of relationships break up. Depending on the studies you read, divorce rates could be anything from one in four to one in two. Couples can fall apart for many different reasons and, for many people, the natural pathway is one fuelled by hatred. After, giving up on someone that you love seems a lot easier when you learn to hate them. Or at least that's the theory.
In reality, though, feelings of mutual hatred can make divorce even messier. It doesn't need to be that way, and here's why.
Better For You
There's no point in sugarcoating the fact that divorce is going to hit you hard. However, staying civil will help your heart. Not only will it enable you to gain closure and appreciate the good things that came out of the marriage. But it'll also enable you to move on with the rest of your life far sooner.
It's slightly different if you were in a dangerous relationship. If, like most divorcing couples, you simply drifted apart, you still want each other to be happy. Just because it won't be with each other, that shouldn't be an excuse to hate each other. While you're not going to be close friends, being polite to each other is advised.
Better For The Kids
Divorce is naturally a little tougher when children are involved. If you let your hatred get the better of you, a child custody lawyer can use it against you. More importantly, though, you need to stay amicable for the sake of the kids.
Both parents should form a united front when breaking the news to their kids. It will be a big blow for them to take, but children are resilient. As long as they know that they are loved by mommy and daddy, they will be just fine.
Better For The Extended Family
When you get married, you don't just take on a partner. You take on their entire family, and you will inevitably make friendships along the way. Those bonds can become jeopardized by a bad breakup. If you stay on civil terms with your ex-partner, though, there's nothing to stop those links lasting.
There's still a very good chance that the two families will cross paths at various times in the future. Whether it's at parties, graduations, or other events doesn't matter. Knowing that those celebrations can be enjoyed without friction makes life easier for everyone. After all, those friends and relatives don't deserve to become the victims of your breakup.
The Verdict
When a relationship heads towards its conclusion, there will be arguments. While a little anger is healthy, you can still work together to reach a suitable outcome for everyone involved. Ending this chapter in a positive manner will allow you to start the next in a positive one too. Even if it feels difficult, the benefits of staying civil are clear to see.


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Like Wisconsin, Minnesota has a longstanding tradition of strong civic engagement. Alongside Wisconsin and Maine, Minnesota was one of the first states to pass same day registration in 1974. Today, Minnesota has led the nation in voter turnout for both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Minnesota elections already use early voting, online voter registration, no excuse absentee ballots, and portable registration, and activists and advocates in the state are working toward reforms like automatic voter registration and pre-registration.
In 2012, the people of Minnesota rejected a restrictive voter-ID ballot measure - the first time a voter-ID law had been defeated at the ballot box - because so many Minnesotans mobilized to protect the equal access that had shaped their state for decades. As Secretary of State Steve Simon said, "The debate has been more or less settled [in Minnesota]. I'd hope that some people have learned their lesson about rash attacks on the right to vote."


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Browsing through Pinterest before the girls were born, I always came across the cutest twin costumes. However, when it came time to actually choose their first Halloween costume, I was stuck. Everything that I remembered either was still too old for them or just did not seem right.
In preparation for Halloween and still working through the costume dilemma, we took these adorable "Pinterest Inspired" pumpkin pictures. A few tips if you want to attempt these pictures and not end up with a "Pinterest Fail".
- Make sure your baby is fed and still at least an hour out from naptime.
- Don't carve the hole at the top of the pumpkin too large.
- Stuff blankets in the base of the pumpkin to make it more comfortable.
- Have at least one other person around to help make your baby/babies smile and look the right direction.
- Feed your baby squash baby food at least a few days before to ensure they are not allergic. It is inevitable that they will start chewing on the pumpkin.
- We did not do this, but I heard you can blow hot air from a hair dryer on the inside of the pumpkin to help warm it up.
"Pinterest Fail" for you
Now back to the costume dilemma. I went back and forth, which is really quite silly considering they have no idea they are even dressing up, until I settled on bumble bees. To be honest, the real reason I chose this costume is because it was on sale from Toys 'R Us and looked cute online. At first I thought I was going to have them be little chickens and turn our stroller into a chicken coop. However, DIY costumes really add up, not to mention the time it would take. I also came across an easy beekeeper costume made from a painters suit, jungle hat and netting – I was sold. Austin and I could be beekeepers and the girls bumble bees.
Well, it rained for the girls' first Halloween so we did not end up going Trick-or-Treating, We did still put them in their costumes to help hand out candy to the dedicated kids that came out in the rain. To be honest they probably preferred this and had more fun playing with the bags of Skittles than if they were sitting in a stroller.
For you other twin mama's out there, here are few other twin costumes I came across that were adorable.
- Mouse and Cheese
- Grannies
- Cutie Oranges
- Chickens in a Chicken Coop
- Madeline


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UC Irvine Scientists Develop World's Longest Electrically Conducting Nanotubes
Breakthrough Discovery Is 10 Times Longer Than Previous Current-Carrying Nanotubes, Paves Way For Supercomputer And Health Care Applications
Irvine, Calif., Oct. 18, 2004 - UC Irvine today announced that scientists at The Henry Samueli School of Engineering have synthesized the world's longest electrically conducting nanotubes. These 0.4 cm nanotubes are 10 times longer than previously created electrically conducting nanotubes. This breakthrough discovery will lead to the development of extremely strong, lightweight materials and ultradense nano-memory arrays for extremely powerful computers, ultralow-loss power transmission lines, and nano-biosensors for use in healthcare applications.
A nanotube is commonly made from carbon and consists of a graphite sheet seamlessly wrapped into a cylinder only a few nanometers wide. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, about the size of 10 atoms strung together.
Peter Burke, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, conducted the research along with graduate students Shengdong Li, Christopher Rutherglen and Zhen Yu.
"We are extremely excited about this discovery," said Burke. "Recently there have been several key advances around the world in synthesizing very long carbon nanotubes. Our research has taken a significant step forward by showing we can pass electricity through these long nanotubes. Significantly, we have found that our nanotubes have electrical properties superior to copper. This clearly shows for the first time that long nanotubes have outstanding electrical properties, just like short ones."
Researchers grew the carbon nanotubes using a simple procedure: Burke allowed natural gas to react chemically with tiny iron particles or "nanoparticles" inside a small furnace. By placing a small amount of gold under the iron, Burke's group found that ultralong nanotubes grow; whereas without the gold, only short nanotubes grow. Because nanotubes are so small, it is difficult to connect regular wires to them. By using gold in the growth process, Burke solved this problem by growing nanotubes that come out already attached to gold wires. An added scientific benefit is that Burke was able to accurately determine how the electrical resistance of a nanotube depends on its length. The relationship between resistance and physical size (length) is a key property for any new material. Burke's finding indicates that the electrical conductivity is greater than copper wires of the same size, a world record for any nano-material of this length.
The findings are reported in the September issue of Nano Letters, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
The Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation provided funding for this research. The project work took place at UC Irvine's Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering.
About The Henry Samueli School of Engineering
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering numbers nearly 3,000 students and 95 faculty members across five academic departments: biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and materials science, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and mechanical and aerospace engineering. The school is home to numerous research centers, including the Center for Pervasive Communications and Computing, the Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility, the National Fuel Cell Research Center and the Center for Biomedical Engineering. It is a major participant in the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. For more information, please visit www.eng.uci.edu.
About the University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked public university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with approximately 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,300 faculty members. The third-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3 billion.


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Ep. 0129 of The Dangerous History Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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On this episode of the Dangerous History Podcast, CJ talks with Dr. Jim Cunagin, a practicing psychiatrist, about the psychology of power and obedience and some of the experiments that can help us understand these phenomena.
Join CJ & Jim as they discuss:
- Stanley Milgram's experiments
- Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment
- The conformity experiments of Solomon Asch
- The Bystander Effect (or 'Kitty Genovese Effect')
- Jane Elliot's Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes experiment
- The lessons and meaning of these experiments when it comes to understanding power,
Via: Jim S.


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By Matthew L. Skinner Charity doesn't leave us unchanged, which is just one reason why it's hard to make ourselves do it. To be more specific: when we extend generosity and justice to others, it alters our relationship to them. Especially when those "others" are foreign to us. Hospitality has ways of making the people […]
I was 17 years old. This was Philosophy 101. There stood Dr. Rob Brady, diminutive in stature, expansive in mind, with a Socratic gleam in his eye and devilish grin on his face.
"Let's imagine your wife is imprisoned in Nazi Germany. They will let her go free if she agrees to have sex with a Nazi guard and be impregnated. Do you advise your wife to have sex with the guard or not? And if so, do you hope that she enjoys herself?" I will never forget the horror I felt when I saw the number of people who would let the woman rot in a Nazi prison.
"Let's imagine constructing a society using the philosophical strategy known as the 'veil of ignorance.' In this set-up, you have no information regarding who you are–your race, gender, class, sexual orientation, intellectual capacity, physical ability, etc.; you must try to establish a just society. Only after you have constructed the society is your own social location revealed." I wasn't religious; I was captivated by the ethical challenge.
I promptly became a Philosophy major.
In Matthew 22, we find Jesus catching it from the Left and Right. Just before our passage, the Sadducees (the landed aristocracy whose power was based upon the Temple and inheritance, legacy-based traditions) go after him; in 22:34-46, the Pharisees (those concerned about the people of the land, a more democratic movement) go up against him for the sole purpose of "testing" and entrapping him. But Jesus pandered to no one: not Sadducees, not Pharisees, not Zealots (the nationalistic movement that repudiated any cooperation with Rome who occupied their country), not even Rome itself. Over-indulged religious leaders and government officials alike found it impossible to get him to sell-out. Jesus remained single-minded throughout his life: Love God and neighbor, neighbor and God. Then let the chips fall where they may.
They ask Jesus: "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" An ethical challenge.
How does Jesus respond? With a media-worthy sound-bite, partisan talking-point, the latest brilliant, think-tank political and economic theory? Nope. Jesus presumably underwhelms by merely quoting scriptures that any Jew of speaking age then or now could probably recite:
"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Jesus' first quote comes from Deuteronomy 6:5, part of the prayer known simply as the "Shema." The second is found in Leviticus 19 which says, among other things:
- "You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning."
- "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great"
- "You shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor"
Here's how you know if something is Christian or not: "Does it promote the flourishing of all creation?" If not, it may be expedient and satisfying, but it's not Christian.
We're now a month into #Occupy Wall Street. What's it all about? Opinions vary. I've had lively conversations these past few days with friends who identify across the political and religious spectrum. I've been left with the unsettling, distinct feeling that Dr. Brady's class, Jesus, and the #OWS process intersect in provocative ways that demand attention:
1. How much is enough?
We've all read the news so we know the routine. Liberals want a redistribution of wealth that takes money from the extremely rich and gives it to the poor with the government heavily involved. Conservatives argue that the wealthy already pay the majority of taxes and the government should stay out of things since it is bloated and inefficient and should just let the market fix things. Both sides have some valid arguments and concerns.
What doesn't seem to be on the table is "how much is enough?" What does "enough" look like? Is there a point where "more than enough" cripples us, truly cripples us as human beings made in the image of God? Sure, Ebenezer Scrooge worked tirelessly to amass his wealth. But what point did his greed chain him at the expense of his neighbor?
2. What about the "veil of ignorance?"
We would all do well to don it. We tend to argue with only our own experiences, assumptions, and prospects in mind. It's hard not to. But justice demands otherwise. As Martin Luther King, Jr. insisted: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial 'outside agitator' idea." What system would we advocate if we argued using the "veil of ignorance?" That's the view of "heaven on earth" that Matthew is talking about.
3. Generosity?
Do we or do we not, as individuals and as a community, have the capacity for generosity? Deep generosity. Not just "fairness." Not bean-counting. Generosity. Again, Scrooge was "fair." He agreed to pay a wage and he paid it. He was always timely with the wage and entirely predictable. He was Scrooge. Heads-up, friends.
4. Where's the accountability?
There can be no convincing justice without rigorous systems of accountability. #OWS has made it obvious that Americans of every age, race, and political affiliation understand that our mechanisms of accountability have failed abysmally, all the way around. People are "cheating the system" in various ways and sometimes being generously rewarded for doing so. Jesus was all about gracious love, which includes straightforward accountability.
5. Until We Have Faces
Whatever the final outcome of #OWS, it's encouraging to find ourselves in dialogue about the common good once again. We are crossing the lines of age, race, gender, and political party. Our neighbors are starting to have faces, and that's crucial. We can't love in the abstract, at least not well.
We are in the habit of caricature. If someone disagrees with us, we tend not to listen deeply, respectfully, and humbly; rather we immediately think, if not say, "Of course you think that, you are a _______ (fill in the blank: liberal, conservative, whatever). We assume the other person is not as smart, perceptive, informed, objective, ethical or faithful as we are. They are deluded because they get their news from such and such a source. We will do anything in our power to avoid listening and taking each other's points seriously. As Jesus knew, we will crucify faster than we will listen or stand corrected in any way. Until we treat one another as friends, as those who have faces, we will stand polarized and unable, unwilling to compromise and devise solutions, preferring to blame and complain instead.
We have a rare opportunity at this time in this place to build something worthwhile and true, just and rich, that comes from our very best selves, our humble, generous, other-oriented, daringly hopeful selves. That is, our godly selves.
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In the 1960s a
day care centre for children from the Tunapuna region was established in East
Trinidad, Macoya.
For a short
time, the day care facility served its purpose of child development and
community outreach. However, in 1994, the day care centre was remodeled into
the Cyril Ross Home - a residential home for children living with HIV/AIDS - to
meet a variety of other pressing needs, including the medical, emotional, spiritual
and educational needs of young children and teenagers. Owned and operated by
the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Cyril
Ross Home houses thirty-five (35) children between the ages of 2 and 18 years.
When asked what
has been the Home's biggest milestone in the last five years, Manager Claudia
St. Bernard beamed as she spoke about its role in curtailing the number of
HIV/AIDS related deaths. "When people ask what sort of impact we're making, I
always mention our role in curbing the number of deaths at the institution
itself. The kids here receive anti-retroviral medication every month and it has
been making a tremendous impact. It's good to see a child, come in at an early age
and live beyond childhood"
She continues, "We've
also become a haven for the children who are usually in need of love, care and
attention." In 2011, statistics show that more than 13,000 people were living
with HIV/AIDS in Trinidad. Claudia is happy that her home is able to make what
she calls a 'small' but 'important' impact on society.
Even as Cyril
Ross continues to make strides, Ms. St. Bernard is looking forward to developing
their psycho-social needs even further.
She notes, "With all the care and medicine they receive, many of the
residents still need to develop a sense of self-worth, self-esteem and healthy respect for authority. We would like to hire a
trained professional, who can manage this for us."
For the last nine
years the Massy Foundation has provided annual grants in support of the NGOs


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Sunday, September 6, 2020 | 7am Start
Aid Stations (We are a cupless event)
There is one aid station located along the 11K course near 4.7 miles into the race. It will be supplied with water, Skratch Labs electrolyte drink, first aid, and energetic volunteers.
By the Numbers
- Distance: A short 11K (6.4 Miles)
- Aid Station: 4.7 Miles
- Elevation Gain: 1600 ft / 487 meters
- Elevation Loss: 1600 ft / 487 meters
- 80% Single Track
- 20% Dirt Road
- The Rut 11K is limited to 850 Runners. There will be NO WAIT LIST this year
11K Course Detailed Description
- The course begins in the Big Sky Base Area directly behind The Huntley Lodge.
- Runner's will head south from the Base area onto the Coolridge Trail.
- The Coolridge Trail will take runners along a long climb switchbacking back and forth on the backside of Andesite Mtn.
- As The Coolridge trail comes back around the front side, the single track turns into a double track.
- Not long after, there is an unmarked STEEP singletrack trail which heads up and left. That takes you to the top of the ski run called Shady Chute.
- From there runners head up a dirt road to the summit of Andesite and the 12K's only Aid Station almost 5 Miles into the race.
- From the summit of Andesite, you head downhill on the Pacifier dirt road until you get to the top of a STEEP unmarked downhill Mtn bike trail called Africa. It's just after the Africa ski run.
- Runners descend the Africa singletrack until it connects into the Ambush cat track road where they will take a right.
- From there you head along the road until the Moose tracks cut off trails veers off tothe left.
- From there you connect into Moose tracks trail.
- Runners will then take a right onto the Moose Tracks trail and head downhill back to the base area and finish line near Huntley Lodge.
The Rut would not be possible without the support of our sponsors.
Wave Start
To limit trail congestion and promote safety along the course, the 11K, 28K, and 50K Rut races will be started in 4 waves at 5-minute offsets. If you believe you will finish in the first quarter please sign up for wave one. If you think you will be in the second quarter, please sign up for wave two, and the same for wave three and four. By choosing the correct wave it limits congestion on the trail and makes the flow of the race better for everyone.
Course Markings
This is not an orienteering race. The race organizers will do everything they can to have the course marked well for race participants the day of the event. Off-trail sections of the course will be marked in a way that race participants should be able to see from each course marking to the next to help guide them along the course. The Rut 11K will be marked with RED tape and pin flags with a black Rut Logo on them.
Please be prepared for any type of weather. Though weather in Big Sky is relatively mild and stable in mid-September historically we are still in the mountains and conditions can quickly change. This is a challenging run on challenging terrain and the race organizers reserve the right to stop the race at any time should they deem the course unsafe due to weather.
11K Fine Print
- Pacers and dogs: Not allowed.
- Trekking poles: Allowed
- Headphones: highly discouraged due to areas with rockfall hazards and potential wildlife hazards along the trail.
- Crewing: Not allowed
- Speakers: Out of respect of others, please do not use speakers for music that other people can hear. Not everyone loves your music.
- Course Changes: Due to the mountainous and technical nature of this course, race organizers may choose to make course changes on race day due to severe weather with the race participants safety in mind.
Rut Registration Policy
- There will be no deferrals, credits, transfers or waitlists for any Rut race.
- Rut Runners who must drop out due to unforeseen circumstances may do so by May 15th will receive a 50% Refund.
- Rut Runners may also move down in distance. This must be done no later than August 15th.
- The 50K can move to the 28K or 11K, but not the VK. The 28K can move to the 11K, but not the VK. The VK can move to the 11K. A transfer in distance will be charged a $5 processing fee.
- Questions? Check out our Rut Registration FAQ's page.


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Embracing Change
Vol. 1 Embracing Change
Alpha Transformational Systems for Women
This process will help you create lasting change in your life regardless of past success or failure. As the foundation for the entire system, use these recordings every day for at least 30 days to create a receptive mind and a willing heart. Your purchase gives you access to listen online.
$11.97 $9.97
Welcome to the Alpha Transformational System created and delivered by Master Neuro Coach, Deb Erickson. Once you understand the mechanisms of the mind that keep you stuck in negative patterns and self-sabotaging behavior, you can choose to change using these tools to help transform your life.
Each title focuses on a different topic, yet is designed with each of the following three retraining tracks:
Morning Wake-Up Affirmations
The Morning Wake-Up track can be used each morning to set the tone for your day. Listen to it upon awakening, before your feet hit the ground and feel the power of setting your intention.
Power-Up Affirmations
The Power-Up Affirmations track can be used anytime you need to refocus your energy and feel the surge that these powerful I AM statements provide. Feel the beat of the music and the power of the words to get an internal boost.
Alpha Affirmations
This track should be used as your meditation or bedtime retraining session. Feel free to fall asleep to it every night as the YOU ARE statements reaffirm your power and value. It is suggested that you listen to it at least once in a fully awakened state so you can hear the suggestions being made to your subconscious mind.


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Here's drone footage from the Pignic.
Here's drone footage from the Pignic.
The 47th annual Glutton Memorial Day Pignic will take place this Sunday, May 28, 1017. ?People generally start arriving around 11 or 12 and it usually goes until the wee hours of Monday morning. ?
There'll be food and drink, games, laughter, and lies told by the keg as we kick off the summer season at the Glutton Club. ?Don't miss it!
The menu will include the usual: pork steaks, chicken breasts, brats, hot dogs, baked potatoes, baked beans, veggies, corn on the cob, coleslaw, chips and dips, beer and soda and maybe a dessert or two.
Cost is $20 for adults, $10 for non-drinkers and kids 6 to 20, with kids under 6 FREE. ?Bring the family and we'll see you Sunday.
The 45th Annual Glutton Memorial Day Pignic will take place on Sunday, May 24th. The cooks will arrive early to get the party started. People start arriving about 11 am and the partying goes on until the wee hours of Monday morning.
We'd love to see the Senior members attend. Invite a friend! Click flyer below to enlarge it.
Close to 200 people attended the Glutton 50th Anniversary Pignic at the club on Sunday.? A lot of hard work went into pulling this event together, from the 50th Anniversary Committee who've been working on this since last summer to all the people who worked hard to get the club in shape and those who shopped, cooked, cleaned in preparation for the?four day celebration.? By ALL accounts it was a wonderful celebration.? We got SO many compliments about how great the club looked and how?involved most of?the newer members are.? We also heard many comments about how much the newer guys learned about the history of the club.?It was truly a mutual appreciation celebration.? The old guys appreciate how much the newer guys ?get it?.? Click image to enlarge.
Prepare yourselves for an onslaught of old Gluttons coming to town for next weekend's Glutton 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Festivities get underway Friday night about 6 pm as the guys gather for a Homecoming at the club to tell stories, some of which might be true. There will be a $5 charge for food and beverages. Gluttonettes are gathering at Seven Stones Winery in New Melle from 3 to 9 pm on Friday.
The Glutton 50th Anniversary Banquet is Saturday evening at Spazio near Westport Plaza. Appetizers from 6:30 to 7:15; buffet dinner at 7:30 and a program starts at 8:30. They will kick us out at 11 pm.
Sunday is the day of the big 50th Anniversary Memorial Day PIGNIC. It gets underway from 11 am until the last person leaves in the wee hours of Monday morning. This event is free to anyone who was ever a member of the Club and they can bring one guest free. Others will pay $20 for adults, $10 for non-drinkers and kids 6 to 20, and kids under 6 are free.
The 50th Anniversary Golf Tournament will be held Monday (May 26) at Emerald Greens starting at 10 am.
We're looking forward to seeing everyone and seeing who looks the oldest. It's ok to be and look old. At least your name isn't on a brick yet. 🙂
More than 70 people attended the 43rd annual Glutton Memorial Day Pignic at the club on Sunday. A very brief shower made it an official Memorial Day Pignic because we know it ALWAYS rains on the Pignic. Click the photos top enlarge
A great time was had by all. Can't wait until next year when we celebrate 50 years of Gluttony!


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The convenience and joy the city life are also accompanied by many troubles, which may haunt people. For instance, the huge crowds in the cities cause many troubles to people because of the traffic peaks or limited traffic resources. Many people have experienced the nightmares of waiting in the carlines for hours or being late to the conferences because of the endless carlines. Now here come Airwheel intelligent scooters.
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I support the space program, and I hope to see people walking on the Moon again, and then Mars. We need to see people in space to reboot our dreaming engine. At the same time I am persuaded that, ultimately, space will be colonized by our post-biological mind children, who will leave their flesh and blood bodies behind and become cyber angels living as pure software in robotic or virtual bodies. Many astronomers and space enthusiasts share this view.
Of course, Sir Arthur C. Clarke was one of the first to see it. In 2001 — A Space Odyssey, he wrote: "And now, out among the stars, evolution was driving toward new goals. The first explorers of Earth had long since come to the limits of flesh and blood; as soon as their machines were better than their bodies, it was time to move. First their brains, and then their thoughts alone, they transferred into shining new homes of metal and of plastic." Other science fiction writers have described a universe populated by upload civilizations, and many scientists agree:
Paul Davies, a British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science and Co-Director of the Cosmology Initiative at Arizona State University, says in his book The Eerie Silence that any aliens exploring the universe will be AI-empowered machines. Not only are machines better able to endure extended exposure to the conditions of space, but they have the potential to develop intelligence far beyond the capacity of the human brain.
"I think it very likely — in fact inevitable — that biological intelligence is only a transitory phenomenon, a fleeting phase in the evolution of the universe," Davies writes. "If we ever encounter extraterrestrial intelligence, I believe it is overwhelmingly likely to be post-biological in nature."
If the human race manages to redesign itself, to reduce or eliminate the risk of self-destruction, we will probably reach out to the stars and colonize other planets. But this will be done, Stephen Hawking believes, with intelligent machines based on mechanical and electronic components, rather than macromolecules, which could eventually replace DNA based life, just as DNA may have replaced an earlier form of life.
"The time window during which detectable alien intelligence is biological is very, very short," says Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. "Machine intelligence — which could be durable and long-lasting far beyond the limits of a biological species — will dominate the universe."
"NASA's Kepler telescope is busy tracking down habitable planets around other stars. It's likely that, within a year, it will discover other worlds that are very much like our Earth. Such planets would be obvious candidates for incubating life, and possibly intelligent life. But the incubator is not necessarily where intelligence will stay. It will, I think, leave the cradle rather quickly," says Shostak. "In other words, biological intelligence might be only a stepping stone to something far cleverer, something that is both longer-lived and more widespread than its protoplasmic precursors."
Shostak argues that the time between aliens developing radio technology and artificial intelligence (AI) would be short. Writing in Acta Astronautica, he says that the odds favour detecting such alien AI rather than biological life. He makes the point that while evolution can take a large amount of time to develop beings capable of communicating beyond their own planet, technology would already be advancing fast enough to eclipse the species that wrought it.
"If you look at the timescales for the development of technology, at some point you invent radio and then you go on the air and then we have a chance of finding you," he told BBC News.
"But within a few hundred years of inventing radio – at least if we're any example – you invent thinking machines; we're probably going to do that in this century. So you've invented your successors and only for a few hundred years are you… a 'biological' intelligence."
From a probability point of view, if such thinking machines ever evolved, we would be more likely to spot signals from them than from the "biological" life that invented them.
"Biologically based technological civilization… is a fleeting phenomenon limited to a few thousand years, and exists in the universe in the proportion of one thousand to one billion, so that only one in a million civilizations are biological," says former NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick.
If extraterrestrial intelligence exists, Stephen Dick concludes in an article in the International Journal of Astrobiology, it has probably evolved beyond biology to an advanced form of artificial intelligence that is the product of million or billions of years of technological and cultural evolution similar to the civilizations Arthur C Clarke envisioned that created the Tycho Monoliths in 2001 — A Space Odyssey. In a post-biological universe machines are the dominant form of intelligence.
If these scientists are right, and I think they are, the most advanced civilizations in the universe have transcended biology and moved on to a post-biological phase of their evolution. If we want to become an advanced civilization and colonize the stars, this is what we must do.
Hugo de Garis, author of The Artilect War, agrees that our cosmic destiny is to transcend biology and build/become "Artilects", but thinks that flesh-and-blood humans (the "Terrans") will resist and wage bloody wars against those who want to move on (the "Cosmists"). De Garis fears that "species dominance" wars may result in billions of deaths, and perhaps he is right — Ted Kaczynski was the first Terran, and other violent Terrans are emerging.
To avoid this, I think we should persuade as many people as possible to embrace our post-biological future with open arms as the next, necessary phase of our evolution. There is nothing to fear, and a universe to gain. Terrans fear that Artilects will destroy us, but they cannot destroy us because they will be us. The child that I used to be was not destroyed by the adult that I have become: he is still here, inside my current self.