text:
|Oracle® Java Micro Edition Software Development Kit Developer's Guide
Release 3.2 for Eclipse on Windows
The Mobile 3D Graphics API for J2ME, (JSR 184) provides 3D graphics capabilities with a low-level API and a high-level scene graph API. This chapter provides a brief overview and general guidelines for working with JSR 184.
JSR 184 is a specification that defines the Mobile 3D Graphics (M3G) API for the J2ME. This API provides 3D functionality in a compact package that's appropriate for CLDC/MIDP devices. The API provides two methods for displaying 3D graphics content:
The immediate mode API makes it possible for applications to directly create and manipulate 3D elements.
Layered on top of this is a scene graph API, also called retained mode, that makes it possible to load and display entire 3D scenes that are designed ahead of time.
For more information, consult the JSR 184 specification at
Applications are free to use whichever approach is most appropriate or to use a combination of the retained mode and immediate mode APIs.
JSR 184 provides a standard API for CLDC/MIDP devices, enabling a new generation of 3D applications. The immediate mode API, in turn, is compatible with OpenGL ES, a standard lightweight API for 3D graphics. See
http://khronos.org/ for more information on OpenGL ES.
Immediate mode is appropriate for applications that generate 3D graphics content algorithmically, such as scientific visualizations or statistical graphs. The application creates 3D objects and manipulates them directly.
For an example of immediate mode, see the
Life3D MIDlet in the
Demo3D example application.
Most applications, particularly games, use the retained mode or scene graph API. In this approach, a graphic designer or artist uses 3D modeling software to create a scene graph. The scene graph is saved in the JSR 184 file format. The scene graph file is bundled with the application. At runtime, the application uses the scene graph API to load and display the file.
Applications can manipulate parts of a loaded scene graph to animate characters or create other effects. The basic strategy is to do as much work as possible in the modeling software. At runtime, the application can grab and manipulate parts of the scene graph, which can also include paths for animation or other effects.
For an example of retained mode, see the
retainedmode MIDlet in the
Demo3D example application.
One of the challenges of MIDP development is the constrained environment of typical devices. Compared to desktop computers, MIDP devices have slow processors and little memory. These challenges extend into the arena of 3D graphics. To accommodate a wide variety of implementations, the JSR 184 specification provides various mechanisms to make the display of a 3D scene as efficient as possible.
One approach is scoping, a technique where you tell the 3D graphics implementation when objects are not going to interact with each other. For example, if you defined a scene graph for a house, you could use scoping to specify that the light in the basement doesn't affect the appearance of the bedroom on the second floor. Scoping simplifies the implementation's task because it reduces the number of calculations required to show a scene.
In general, the best way to improve the rendering speed of 3D scenes is to make some compromises in quality. The Mobile 3D Graphics API includes rendering hints so that applications can suggest how the implementation can compromise quality to improve rendering speed.
Most mobile 3D applications use scene graphs in resource files to describe objects, scenes, and characters. Usually it is not programmers but graphic designers or artists who create the scene graphs, using standard 3D modeling tools.
Several vendors offer tools for authoring content and converting files to the JSR 184 format.
Because it is relatively difficult to create and manipulate 3D graphics content in an application using the immediate mode API, most applications rely as much as possible on a scene graph file. By putting as much as possible into the scene graph file at design time, the application's job at runtime is considerably simplified.
Demo3D contains MIDlets that demonstrate JSR 184 features.
Go to File > New > Project and in the Categories window select Examples > Java ME SDK 3.2 and click on Java ME Sample Applications. Click Next. In the next screen choose Demo3D and click Finish.
Life3D implements the popular Game of Life in three dimensions. Live cells are represented by cubes. Each cell has 26 possible neighbors (including diagonals). For each step of the animation, cells with fewer than four neighbors die of loneliness, while cells with more than five neighbors die of overcrowding. An empty cell with exactly four neighbors becomes a new live cell.
The view of the playing board rotates slowly so you can view the board from all angles.
The keypad buttons in Table 20-1 provide control over the game.
Table 20-1 Controls for
Pause the animation.
Resume the animation at its default speed.
Speed up the animation.
Slow down the animation.
Choose the previous preset configuration from an arbitrary list. The name of the configuration is shown at the top of the screen.
Choose the next preset configuration from the list.
Generate a random configuration and animate until it stabilizes or dies. If it dies, generate a new random configuration.
The source code for this example can be found at:
Where projects is the directory you are using to store your Eclipse projects.
RetainedMode MIDlet plays a scene file that shows a skateboarder in an endless loop. The source code is found at: projects\Demo3D\src\com\superscape\m3g\wtksamples\retainedmode
PogoRoo displays a kangaroo bouncing up and down on a pogo stick. To steer the kangaroo, use the arrow keys. Press up to go forward, down to go backward, and left and right to change direction. Try holding down the key to see an effect. The source code is found at:


text:
Apparently Eagles Vikings Redskins retired quarterback Donovan McNabb doesn't think any quarterback should get a big payday.
In March, McNabb ripped the new deal signed by Cowboys QB Tony Romo, saying Romo wasn't worth the money.
Now, McNabb has an issue with the Lions and the five-year, $76.5 million deal signed by Matthew Stafford.
Here are his comments on NFL Network, via ProFootballTalk.com:
"It's about wins and losses again. Now, as a quarterback and as Matt Stafford, hey, I would take that contract just like Tony Romo took his contract. But is he worth top 5 money? I would have to say no. And I say that because it's about wins and losses. What has he really done for the Detroit Lions? Nothing."
Sure, the Lions haven't been great since Stafford was selected No.1 overall in the 2009 draft, but they're certainly better since before his arrival.
McNabb may also be forgetting that he signed a 12-year, $115 million contract after the 2001 season. Sure, his record was better than Stafford's, but injuries have hampered the Lions' passer.
Here's a look at how their numbers compare before they signed their first deal after their rookie contracts expired:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 8th Sep 2010 18:53 UTC
Hold on to your security blanket, people, because Google is rolling out a pretty big change to its search engine. Not too long ago the internet was in a shock because Google rolled out a new feature that allowed you to pick a background image for the Google home page, just like Microsoft's Bing. Google went a lot further today, and has launched Google Instant, adding search-before-you-type results to the Google home page.
Thread beginning with comment 439958
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Not Working
by RIchard James13 on Thu 9th Sep 2010 02:37 UTC
RE: Not Working
by righard on Thu 9th Sep 2010 20:41 in reply to "Not Working"
Disable noscript and see for your self.
For me this feature only seems useful if you are the kind of person that wants to search for Britney Spears pictures, Turkey recipes or if you are the person that is terrified of Chinese people.
For the few times Google predicts what I want to search right it only save me pressing the down arrow and enter. Whoo-hoo.
If Google knew what I wanted to search before -I- know, now that would be cool! (and a bit scary)


text:
February 20, 2007
» News Etc.
Tags: News Etc., News, mail
More News Etc. »
October 17-23, 2018
What is a home without a furry one to make you smile and keep you company? Incomplete, at least to
By San Antonio Current Staff |
October 17, 2018
San Antonio may have been warned about the cold front, but that isn't stopping us some taking to social media
By San Antonio Current Staff |
October 15, 2018
San Antonio loves creepy stuff. Plain and simple. So in an effort to fulfill your need for scariness in your
The Animal Defense League of Texas, a no-kill shelter located 11300 Nacogdoches Road, has several cats that are
By San Antonio Current Staff |
October 10, 2018
Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.
915 Dallas Street
San Antonio, Texas 78215
(210) 227 0044
All parts of this site Copyright © 2018 San Antonio Current.
© 2018
San Antonio Current
Website powered by Foundation


text:
I really can't believe the amount of gray area people are trying to inject into this very simple topic. Don't touch it. Don't move it. Don't manipulate it. If you can't get a picture of it the way you found it, and aren't willing to wait and see if it moves, then move on to something else.
I think it's because not everyone see it as you do, Jeff. Not all manipulation of a subject or image involves touching or moving. My most common use of a stick (besides poking it in sand or touching dead spots which constitutes the overwhelming majority of its use) is waving it to attract attention or to get a subject to turn. It is equally effective, does not cause stress, and does not involve touching the animal. What amazes me is that everyone who expresses distain for such techniques fails to understand how they are used.
Please explain how touching a sea cucumber is bad...
Yes, exactly! This is the point I tried to make before. We manipulate shots in all sorts of ways and we accept that in images in varying degrees, yet people single out one particular type of diver behavior and condemn it as universally bad.
When you and Gini are taking pictures of that nice angel on your website did you ever ask her to circle around the fish to keep it headed your way or cutoff her escape? Did you swim in front of the angel to get it's image? That is simply another form of manipulation. Did it stress the fish? Sure. Did it harm the fish? I don't know, as hard as I've tried I can't ask her.


text:
It might have escaped your attention or maybe you aren't concerned, but Microsoft's formal support for Exchange 2010 SP1 expires today. Ongoing support activities were proceeding until quite recently, with Exchange 2010 SP1 RU8 released on December 11, 2012. But now it's time to move on and get servers upgraded to Exchange 2010 SP2, preferably applying the latest roll-up update (RU5) for that service pack, making sure that you test everything thoroughly first.
Exchange 2010 SP1 completed the development process for Exchange 2010. I know that's not the official story because Microsoft always holds that development is complete when they ship the RTM version for a product, but in reality this isn't so as there's invariably a rush to get software out the door to meet arbitrary dates and usually there are some gaps remaining that have to be close post-RTM, usually delivered in the first service pack. Exchange 2010 SP1 appeared with a completely rewritten version of Outlook Web App, for instance, and it included lots of new UI in the Exchange Management Console to help administrators cope with retention policies and tags. It also introduced some very interesting technology in the Store, including block-mode replication.
Of course, we're still waiting for news about Exchange 2010 SP3, a release announced by Microsoft in October 2012 with a delivery date in "early 2013". This is an important release because SP3 is needed to allow Exchange 2010 to co-exist alongside the brand-new Exchange 2013. The word is that work is progressing and that SP3 will appear soon. I hope so as its lack is preventing any sort of activity around Exchange Server 2013.
Another item that we're still awaiting news of is what Microsoft intends to do to address the issue that they caused when the decision was made to move Exchange 2013 into prime position for TechNet searches. I don't think anyone would quibble with the notion that it is a good idea to keep TechNet refreshed in such a way that the latest information is presented as a response to a search request. The problem is that Microsoft make the switch far too early. As noted above, Exchange 2013 is still of academic interest to the vast majority of the Exchange community (although available in Office 365 Preview, Exchange 2013 is not even deployed in full production within Office 365 datacenters yet, maybe because Microsoft's datacenter team is waiting for Exchange 2013 SP1), so quite why they decided to make the switch is beyond me, as it is for lots of others, at least according to the comments entered on the EHLO blog.
Microsoft have said many times that they're working on how to address the issue but a fog of deafening silence still envelops the answer. It would be nice to know that Microsoft actually listens sometimes. Or at least just this once.
Follow Tony @12Knocksinna


text:
If you know the actress and comedian Niecy Nash, you're probably either excited about her new reality show, Leave It To Niecy, or you're cringing just thinking about it. Nash does not do things halfway. Her new show starts Sunday, and it's intended to be something like a real-life Modern Family.
Back when she was on Comedy Central's Reno 911!, Nash played up every ridiculous stereotype about black lady cops. Then she perched a flower in her hair and hosted the reality show Clean House, about overhauling shockingly messy houses. Last year, when she got married in a two-hour special called Niecy Nash's Wedding Bash, almost five million people tuned in to cable channel TLC. That was enough for the network to offer Nash a reality show about her newly blended family — new husband and stepson, plus Nash's mother and three teenagers.
"I've known for quite a while that I was a funny girl," Nash confided during an interview in a Hollywood hotel. She's slinky and huge-eyed in a zebra-striped top and lipstick-colored stilettos. She grew up in southern California in a family where being a funny girl wasn't particularly rewarding.
"You know, I got pinched in church, I got the notes sent home from school from the teacher," she remembers. And Nash says she was uncertain about how to channel her big personality until her brother was shot and killed accidentally in the hallway of his high school. Nash was in her early twenties. She felt helpless as she watched her mother sink into a deep depression.
"She said, 'I'm getting into bed and I'm never getting up,'" she remembers. "So I would go to the foot of my mother's bed and tell her jokes, stories and do characters. And my mother went from laying down in the bed to sitting up in the bed."
Comedy, Nash realized, could be meaningful. "It didn't completely heal my mother, but I saw it serve as a spackle or a salve."
With Leave It to Niecy, Nash wants to show what goes into building a new family. "We're not quite a blended family," she confesses on the show, as her kids raise their eyebrows at their stepdad's uncool jokes. "We're in the blender. I just need to turn it on."
Before she allowed cameras into her house, Nash says everybody sat around the table and decided collectively to put the family on TV. Did they have any limits? "I would draw the line if my children were challenged by something," Nash says. "I wouldn't want to embarrass them in front of the world."
But that's happened before. Middle daughter Donielle, who has inherited her mother's impeccable comic timing, allows that being Nash's daughter can be embarrassing. "My mom's the one who wore the fake butt on TV," she says dryly.
Donielle's referring to the 2007 movie Reno 911!: Miami, in which Nash's costume included a massive prosthetic bottom on display in a tiny thong. Nash wore it to the movie's premiere, as a gag.
"I wore the booty to the red carpet. I wasn't even thinking!" she says, her voice, shaded with amusement and a hint of regret.
Nash says she did not expect pictures of the booty to pop up all over the internet, nor did she expect to be criticized by people who felt she was perpetuating African American stereotypes. She says it did not even occur to her back then that anyone would care about the joke besides her fellow cast members.
"So I realize now that we need to have conversations if there's something that I do that can affect [my family]," she say wryly. "That's hindsight."
Before Leave It to Niecy started to film, Nash preemptively sent her kids to counseling, to spare them — and herself — any more fame-related pitfalls.
"I'm a work in progress," she laughs. "You know, my kids didn't come with instructions ... and neither did this business, so when I put the two of them together, I gotta take it a little at a time."
In Leave It to Niecy, Nash's kids tease her constantly. They joke that they're not volatile enough to be interesting to a big television audience. But Nash believes there's plenty of drama in exploring how people learn how to love each other.
The actress and comedian Niecy Nash does not do things halfway, which means her new reality show - starting Sunday - may be really over the top. But it's a family show. Nash says she wants it to be a real-life modern family. It's a show about Nash's own family. NPR's Neda Ulaby talked to Nash in Los Angeles about blurring the lines between her private life and public persona.
NEDA ULABY, BYLINE: Niecy Nash pushed every stereotype about black lady cops to the max when she was on the comedy show "Reno 911!".
ULABY: It was a spoof of police procedurals with ridiculously incompetent officers flummoxed by problems like a stray chicken on the loose.
ULABY: Then Niecy Nash perched a flower in her hair and hosted a reality show about shockingly messy houses.
ULABY: When Nash got married on TV last year, the show was an unexpected hit for cable channel TLC.
ULABY: Almost 5 million people tuned in - enough for TLC to offer Nash her own reality show about her new blended family.
ULABY: In a typical scene, the three teenagers act out when Nash and her husband try to convince everyone to go on a family bike ride.
ULABY: Niecy Nash met me in a hotel in the middle of Hollywood, slinky in a zebra-striped top and high heels the color of bright red lipstick. She grew up in Southern California, a performer from day one.
: Ive known for quite a while that I was a funny girl, but it wasn't rewarded, you know? So I got pinched in church. I got the notes sent home from school from the teacher.
ULABY: And she was uncertain about how to channel her big personality and impeccable comic timing until her brother was shot and killed accidentally in the hallway of his high school.
: My mother was so depressed, and she said, I'm getting into bed, and I'm never getting up.
ULABY: Nash was in her early 20s. She felt helpless. All she could think to do was try to make her mom laugh.
: So I would go to the foot of my mother's bed every day, tell her jokes, stories, do characters. And my mother went from laying down in the bed to sitting up in the bed. I got my peanuts and my water, go on and get up there and do your rendition of things.
ULABY: That's when Nash realized comedy could be meaningful.
: It didn't completely heal my mother, but I saw it serve as a spackle or a salve, at piecemealing her back together.
ULABY: With her new show, "Leave It To Niecy," Nash wants to show the hard work of piecemealing a new family together.
ULABY: Before she let cameras in her house, Nash says everyone sat around the table, including her ex-husband, and decided collectively to put the family on TV.
: I would draw the line if my children were challenged by something. I wouldn't want to embarrass them, you know, in front of the world.
ULABY: But Nash admits that's happened before. Here's her daughter Donyelle in the wedding special.
ULABY: OK. Let me explain the fake butt. In the "Reno 911!" movie five years ago, Nash's costume included a massive prosthetic bottom displayed in a tiny bright blue thong. Then she wore it in public, to the premiere, as a gag.
: I wore the booty to the red carpet. I wasn't even thinking.
ULABY: Pictures of the booty popped up all over. Nash got criticized by people who felt she was perpetuating African-American stereotypes. She says it did not even occur to her that anyone would care besides her fellow cast members, who were in on the joke.
: So I didn't have the wherewithal to discuss with my family then. My hindsight is 20/20, so I realize now that we do need to have conversations if there's something that I'm going to do that could affect them. Who are these little kids at your school watching "Reno 911!"? They don't even need to be watching that anyway. That's hindsight. You know what I mean? We saw your momma's booty. What? Who said that? Oh, shoot, maybe I should have told you I was doing it.
ULABY: Before the new show started, Nash sent her kids to counseling preemptively to spare them and herself any more fame-related pitfalls.
: I'm a work in progress. You know, my kids didn't come with instructions, so I got to - and neither did this business. So when I put the two of them together, I got to take it a little bit at a time.
ULABY: Nash believes there's drama and plenty of it in exploring how people learn how to love each other. Neda Ulaby, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Resurgence in bed bug infestations and widespread pesticide resistance have greatly renewed interest in the development of more sustainable, environmentally friendly methods to manage bed bugs. Historically, in Eastern Europe, bed bugs were entrapped by leaves from bean plants, which were then destroyed; this purely physical entrapment was related to microscopic hooked hairs (trichomes) on the leaf surfaces. Using scanning electron microscopy and videography, we documented the capture mechanism: the physical impaling of bed bug feet (tarsi) by these trichomes. This is distinct from a Velcro-like mechanism of non-piercing entanglement, which only momentarily holds the bug without sustained capture. Struggling, trapped bed bugs are impaled by trichomes on several legs and are unable to free themselves. Only specific, mechanically vulnerable locations on the bug tarsi are pierced by the trichomes, which are located at effective heights and orientations for bed bug entrapment despite a lack of any evolutionary association. Using bean leaves as templates, we microfabricated surfaces indistinguishable in geometry from the real leaves, including the trichomes, using polymers with material properties similar to plant cell walls. These synthetic surfaces snag the bed bugs temporarily but do not hinder their locomotion as effectively as real leaves.
1. Introduction
Bed bugs are an ancient scourge that have made a dramatic comeback in recent years across the globe, infesting structures such as homes, hotels, schools, movie theatres and hospitals [1–3]. Historical reports describe the trapping of bed bugs in Balkan countries by leaves from bean plants strewn on the floor next to beds [4,5]. During the night, bed bugs walking on the floor would accumulate on these bean leaves, which were collected and burned the following morning to exterminate the bed bugs. The entrapment of bed bugs by the bean leaves was attributed to the action of microscopic plant hairs (trichomes) on the leaf surfaces that would entangle the legs of the bed bugs (figure 1). The decline of bed bug infestations in the 1940s and 1950s following the application of DDT and other potent pesticides legal at the time, and the distraction of the Second World War undoubtedly prevented the 1943 report 'The action of bean leaves against the bedbug' [5] from gaining as much attention as it would have otherwise. While bed bugs have no evolutionary association with bean plants, similar non-glandular trichomes for a variety of plant species have been documented to trap a number of insects in more natural settings [6–13]. This physical entrapment is a source of inspiration in the development of new and sustainable methods to control the burgeoning numbers of bed bugs. A purely physical management method has the additional advantage that it would avoid the problem of pesticide resistance that has been documented extensively for this insect [14–17].
We were motivated to identify the essential features of the capture mechanics of bean leaves to guide the design and fabrication of biomimetic surfaces for bed bug trapping. The interaction of bed bug tarsi with the microscopic plant trichomes was evaluated by videography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microfabricated surfaces were generated using a template method and evaluated for hindrance of bed bug locomotion.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Experimental organisms
Kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were raised from seeds (Johnny's Seeds, Product 2554). Individual leaves (trifoliate, node ≥ 1) were severed where the base of petiole met the stem, were sealed in bags with moistened paper to remain hydrated prior to experimentation and were used within a few hours.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) were raised at the University of Kentucky and were not fed within three weeks before use. All bugs used were male adults.
2.2. Imaging techniques
2.2.1. Videography
Digital movies of bugs walking on surfaces were acquired on a Sony HDR-CX100 at 30 frames per second with a resolution of 2016 pixels by 1134 pixels (this corresponds to a spatial resolution of 0.1 mm for the field of view used). The camera was positioned in a vertical orientation, viewing the dorsal surface of a bug walking on a horizontally oriented leaf or microfabricated surface. A leaf or its fabricated analogue was placed with the abaxial side (undersurface) facing upward, and a single bug was introduced to the centre of the surface by gently tipping the bug from a glass vial approximately 2 cm above the surface. The abaxial side was used because it usually has a greater density of hooked trichomes than the adaxial side in many species, including the one used [9–11,18,19], although this is not universal [20,21]. All recordings were made at ambient temperature (22–24°C).
2.2.2. Scanning electron microscopy
All SEM imaging was performed on a FEI Quanta 3D FEG Dual Beam SEM (FEI, Hillsboro, Oregon). For low-vacuum SEM (LV-SEM), entrapped bugs on leaves were prepared by cutting the leaf around the impaled bug to a size approximating the size of an SEM stub, and mounting the leaf piece with its attached bug on the SEM stub with copper tape. In order to confirm and quantify the number of piercing trichomes, every specimen was repeatedly tilted to view underneath the tarsi of all six legs. For some bugs, we forcibly detached impaled bugs from leaves by pulling straight up with forceps, and immediately examined them upside-down with LV-SEM to look for attached broken trichomes or physical damage to the underside (ventral surface) of the bug legs. LV-SEM images were attained at a pressure of 0.6 mbar and 5 kV with water as the ionizing gas. Bugs were still alive and resumed struggling after removal from the LV-SEM.
For high-vacuum SEM (HV-SEM) imaging of replica materials, samples were sputtered with iridium (IBS/e, South Bay Technology, Inc.) with a 60° tilt angle and constant rotation for 4 min (approx. 5 nm iridium). Images of the microstructures were acquired at 5 kV.
2.2.3. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS; 50 mm X-MAX, Oxford Instruments, INCA 4.15) was performed using the FEI Quanta 3D FEG Dual Beam SEM (FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA) on samples at 10 kV with a current of 0.75 nA at a working distance of 8 mm. Elemental mapping was executed over the desired area for 230 s to determine the presence of silicon. Carbon, oxygen, sulfur and iron were also imaged as controls to account for the topography of the sample surface (see the electronic supplementary material, figures S1 and S2). Fabricated surfaces were prepared as described earlier for HV-SEM imaging, including sputtering with iridium. Natural leaf controls used the same EDS parameters, but in LV-mode at 0.6 mbar and without sputtering.
2.3. Locomotion hindrance of bugs by surfaces
Digital movies were reviewed to identify changes in bug locomotion associated with mechanical interactions with the natural leaf or fabricated surfaces that interrupted normal movements. Incidents of momentary or prolonged struggling by the bug as one or more legs were stuck in place were tabulated. The number of locomotory cycles until a bug experienced a momentary snag and until entrapment by a leaf were counted (n = 11 bugs). One locomotory cycle refers to a single step taken by each of the six legs. The number of steps was used rather than time because bugs vary in their walking speed and number of pauses on the surface as most insects [22]. Also, the number of locomotory cycles directly represents the number of opportunities for leg/trichome encounters that can lead to piercing. Each bug, each leaf and each fabricated surface was used only once. One hundred and fifty-eight bugs were run on 158 fabricated surfaces and evaluated for entrapment. Twenty-eight of those 158 fabricated surfaces were selected for detailed counting of locomotory cycles.
2.4. Retention on leaves after initial entrapment
In order to determine whether a bug could move on a leaf after its initial entrapment, a time series of static images was obtained (n = 6 bugs). After entrapment by a leaf surface, an initial photo was immediately taken documenting the location of entrapment (using the same camera described earlier). Subsequent photos were taken after 10, 20 and 30 min. Images were imported into image analysis software (Canvas v. 12, ACD Systems International, USA), stacked, and oriented on the top of one another, lining up the leaf outlines. A circle (4 mm diameter) was centred over each bed bug for each of the four images and the centre-to-centre distance between these circles was calculated. We estimated that a displacement of approximately 6 mm of the circle centre would result if a pierced bed bug was able to rotate about a single leg impaled at its tip, and therefore a displacement of greater than 6 mm would indicate that the bug was able to free itself during that time interval.
2.5. Trichome density
Trichome density (number of trichomes per area of leaf surface) was measured on leaves with impaled bugs, close to the points of capture. Lengths of leaves were measured from base to tip (not including the petiole) to the nearest millimetre. An LV-SEM image of each leaf surface was acquired, opened in ImageJ and all trichomes on those images counted. An average of 42 trichomes were counted over an average area of 0.46 mm2 per leaf (n = 10 leaves).
2.6. Microfabrication
Using kidney bean leaf surfaces as templates, we have constructed biomimetic polymeric surfaces (figure 2a). Our method for generating biomimetic leaf surfaces is based upon a double moulding process that had been shown to reproduce complex leaf architectures [23–25]. First, a leaf was placed in a Petri dish (100 cm2 area) with its abaxial (undersurface) side facing upward. The negative polyvinylsiloxane moulding material (President Plus Jet Light Body, Affinis Light Body or Affinis-Fast Light Body, Coltene-Whaledent, Inc.) was then poured onto the leaf surface and the other side of the Petri dish was placed on the top of the negative moulding material with pressures ranging from 2 to 10 g cm–2 during polymerization. The leaf was then peeled off of the negative mould. The negative mould was subsequently filled with a positive moulding material and left to dry overnight prior to removal. A variety of polymeric positive moulding materials were used that replicated the plant microstructures successfully (figure 2b–e), including Loctite Heavy Duty Quick Set Epoxy (Henkel Corp.), Loctite Epoxy Extra Time (10 : 4 ratio, 1 : 1 ratio) (Henkel Corp.), T88 epoxy (Systems Three Resins, Inc.), Titebond III Wood Glue (Franklin International), Bob Smith Mid-Cure 15 min Epoxy (Bob Smith Industries, Inc.) and Bob Smith Slow-Cure 30 min Epoxy (Bob Smith Industries, Inc.). The mechanical properties of these polymers span the range expected for the cell walls of the natural plant trichomes (see §4).
Accurate replication of the sharp trichome tips is presumably crucial to facilitate piercing of the bed bug cuticle by synthetic trichomes. The sharpness of trichome tips from both natural and microfabricated surfaces was measured for several representative surfaces to the nearest half pixel (approx. 100 nm) in ImageJ software using SEM images to evaluate whether our synthetic trichomes were sufficiently sharp.
2.7. Incorporation of natural trichome tips into hybrid microfabricated surfaces
In addition to generating completely synthetic surfaces, we were also able to create surfaces that contained some percentage of hybrid trichomes: natural trichome tips incorporated onto synthetic trichome stalks. Synthetic trichome tips are usually indistinguishable from natural trichome tips in SEM (figure 2c,d), and therefore special analytical techniques are required to unambiguously identify whether a tip is natural or synthetic. EDS was used to reliably identify natural trichome tips by looking for the chemical signature of silicon, which was present in large amounts in the natural trichome tips [20,26] but not in the synthetic polymers used. EDS mapping was used to estimate the percentage of natural tips on 37 of the fabricated surfaces. Analysis of hybrid trichomes was performed by corroborating the elemental silicon maps with the electron image in the INCA software. Four representative areas (each of typical size approx. 0.25 mm2; figure 2e) per surface were analysed and their trichome counts summed (an average of 95 trichomes were analysed per surface). A trichome was deemed 'hybrid' if there were more than 3 pixels with silicon signal that matched with a trichome in the electron image. The percent of hybrid trichomes was calculated from the number of hybrid trichomes (from the Si images) divided by the total number of trichomes (from the electron images). Identical measurements were made on real leaves to serve as a control (n = 4 leaves).
If any natural tips were snapped off of leaf trichomes during the generation of a negative mould, broken trichomes should be visible on the leaf afterwards. To verify this step in the moulding process, we used LV-SEM to examine the number of broken trichomes for 30 leaves after moulding. This analysis also used four images acquired on each leaf at different locations. The trichomes on each image were tallied to determine the number of sharp, intact trichome tips and the number of broken tips on the natural leaf surface (an average of 78 trichomes were evaluated per leaf). The data acquired for the four images were summed and the percentage of broken trichomes was calculated for each leaf. These 30 leaves were a subset of the 37 fabricated surfaces that were characterized by EDS (see above). We tested whether there was a significant correlation between the percentage of broken trichomes on the leaves and the percentage of hybrid trichomes on the fabricated surfaces made from those leaves.
The presence of broken natural trichome tips in the negative moulds after leaf removal was evaluated using SEM. The negative polyvinylsiloxane moulds were prepared for this analysis by freeze-fracturing to generate a crack without surface deformations and mounted at a 90° angle with silver paint in order to observe the interface. These samples were sputtered (approx. 5 nm iridium) and observed in HV-SEM at 5 kV.
2.8. Using the percentage of hybrid trichomes on a microfabricated surface to generate a standard for comparison with natural leaves
A fabricated surface could include both synthetic and hybrid trichomes. If only hybrid trichomes (with natural trichome tips) are capable of snagging or impaling bed bugs, the number of expected locomotory cycles to snag or impale can be estimated from the proportion of trichomes that are hybrid. For example, if half of the trichomes are hybrid, then twice as many cycles might be required to snag a bug compared with a real leaf if only the hybrid trichomes are functioning as natural trichomes. We used a conservative approach in our choice of a standard: the 90th percentile for the number of locomotory cycles that led to entrapment on natural leaves (n = 11 bugs). For 28 of the fabricated surfaces characterized by EDS, and therefore had known hybrid percentages, we calculated the expected number of locomotory cycles that would result in entrapment 90 per cent of the time if only the hybrid trichomes are functional: 2.1
We counted the number of locomotory cycles for a bug running on a fabricated surface until a momentary snag was observed (up to a maximum of 200 cycles or the expected number based on the hybrid percentage, whichever was smaller). This allowed us to compare the performance of the different surfaces in causing difficulties in locomotion.
2.9. Assessing damage to microfabricated surfaces caused by bug walking
Fabricated surfaces would not entrap bugs as effectively if the hooks on the fabricated surfaces simply snapped off without impaling the bed bugs. In order to evaluate whether hooks break when walked on by bugs, three surfaces were examined in SEM both before and after extensive exposure to bug contact during walking. These samples were attached to SEM stubs, and examined under LV-SEM for hook number and integrity on four different areas (each with a surface area of 2 mm2) on each of the three surfaces. The total area of each of the three samples of surfaces examined was approximately the same as the SEM stub: 130 mm2. The approximate surface contact area for all six tarsi of a single male adult bed bug is 0.15 mm2. Therefore, 870 locomotory cycles on average would be required for each part of a 130 mm2 surface to be stepped on once (assuming each 0.15 mm2 step is on a new area). In order to conservatively ensure that each part of the surface would get stepped on at least once, 10 bugs were placed on each surface (sealed inside a vial) and rotated slowly at 8 r.p.m. (Barnstead Thermodyne Labquake Rotisserie Model C400110) to gently agitate the bugs so that they continued to walk over the surface for 18 h; the total area impacted by 60 bug feet with eight locomotory cycles per minute on average over an 18 h period would be 10 times the area of the surface. After the surfaces had been thoroughly walked on by bugs as described, the same locations on these surfaces were re-evaluated in SEM.
2.10. Statistical analyses
All analyses were performed using SAS statistical analysis software (v. 9.2; Cary, NC, USA). When doing linear regressions (using the GLM or general linear models procedure within SAS), graphs of the variables (or the residuals) were visually inspected to ensure that there were no patterns that would violate the underlying assumptions of using a linear regression (such as a nonlinear trend in the data, or heteroscedasticity). The data expressed as percentages (such as percent broken trichomes) were tested for deviation from normality using the 'proc univariate' procedure, and when deviations from normality were significant, they were transformed (using arcsine(squareroot(X))). Correlation between variables was evaluated using the 'proc corr' procedure. T-tests used the 'proc ttest' procedure.
3. Results
3.1. Mechanism of bed bug entrapment by bean leaves
As a bed bug walked on a leaf, entanglement of any legs by trichomes caused a visible change in its walking behaviour. We have identified two discrete categories of entanglement: (i) a momentary snag of a leg with the bug able to break away (usually within a second; electronic supplementary material, movie S1) and (ii) a more lengthy and irreversible snag in which a visibly struggling bug is unable to pull away and is therefore considered 'trapped' by the leaf (see the electronic supplementary material, movie S2). It was usually impossible to see details of the trichome–bed bug interaction in situ using light microscopy because the trichomes are very small (approx. 10 µm in diameter and 50–100 µm high) and were often underneath the tarsi. In order to visualize the actions of the trichomes that corresponded to entrapment, we examined live bed bugs on leaves using LV-SEM after recording their entrapment. Every bug entrapped by a leaf had at least one piercing on one leg by a trichome (n = 18 bugs). 'Piercing' was defined as a clear and unambiguous penetration of the insect cuticle by the trichome tip (figure 3a–c); tilting the specimen was usually required for such confirmation because piercing generally occurred on the underside of the foot. The same legs that appeared irreversibly snagged on the leaves in the movies of the struggling bugs were confirmed as pierced in LV-SEM. Therefore, we conclude that piercing is necessary for entrapment. Occasionally, some legs were hooked by the trichomes (figure 3d), and we inferred that this hooking could lead to momentary snags.
Bed bugs were entrapped fairly quickly when walking on kidney bean leaves. Typically, a bug showed a visible momentary snag after only six locomotory cycles (one locomotory cycle refers to a single step taken by each of the six legs; median = 6 cycles, range 0–13 cycles, '0' means that the bug displayed snagging behaviour immediately on introduction to the surface, n = 11 bugs). Bugs were typically entrapped only after nine cycles (median, range 0–39 cycles, n = 11 bugs), with 90 per cent of the bugs entrapped after 19 locomotory cycles (therefore, 19 locomotory cycles is the 90th percentile standard for equation (2.1)). This means that a bed bug was usually entrapped within seconds after placement on a leaf. Bed bugs continued to struggle after being pierced by a trichome, and the struggling movements often led to more piercings of the bug on the same or additional legs. Examination of all legs of a set of entrapped bugs in LV-SEM showed an average of 3.8 piercings/bug (range 1–7 piercings/bug, n = 6 bugs, 36 legs). The most common location for piercing was underneath the pretarsal claws (figure 3a,c; 61% of the 23 piercings on the six bugs). The other common location on the legs where piercing occurred was in the intersegmental membrane between the first and second tarsal subsegments (figure 3b; 30% of the 23 piercings on the six bugs; tarsal subsegments were counted from proximal to distal).
Additional piercings can occur because the trichomes are of sufficient density that all legs are surrounded by trichomes (figure 1b; average 106 trichomes mm–2, s.d. = 51, n = 10 leaves); this trichome density is comparable to that reported in the literature for this species [19]. The lengths of these leaves ranged from 69 to 123 mm (base to tip, not including petiole); although there was an overall trend towards a decrease in trichome density with increasing leaf length, trichome density is extremely variable and was not significantly related to leaf length for this sample size (r2 = 0.36, n = 10, regression line y = −1.4x + 244; slope of regression line is not significant at the p = 0.05 level); and therefore, leaf length was not included in other statistical analyses.
The average displacement of a bug 30 min after entrapment on a bean leaf was only 3.2 mm (range 1.4–9.9 mm; n = 6 bugs), consistent with rotation in place around a pierced leg (approx. 6 mm, see above). Impaled bugs struggled, but were only rarely able to generate enough force to pull free of a piercing trichome (by breaking the trichome or ripping the insect cuticle), and usually immediately got recaptured on the leaf.
We forcibly detached impaled bugs from leaves, and immediately examined them upside-down in LV-SEM to look for attached broken trichomes or physical damage to the underside (ventral surface) of the bug legs. In eight out of nine cases, we were able to identify at least one broken trichome still attached to the bug (figure 4), and in the remaining case, there was evidence of damage (leaking haemolymph in the pierced location). Therefore, we are able to confirm piercings from damage on the undersides of bug tarsi. Bugs that had been momentarily snagged but not entrapped by leaves never exhibited any evidence of piercing when examined using LV-SEM; presumably their legs had only been hooked.
3.2. Microfabrication and characterization of biomimetic surfaces
The bean leaves entrapped bed bugs so quickly and effectively that a logical starting place for microfabrication of an entrapping surface for bed bug control was to faithfully reproduce the leaf trichomes with the relevant surface density and orientation. The hardest challenges in the microfabrication of the high aspect ratio trichomes on a replicate bean leaf surface are to accurately reproduce the sharp tips and the recurved shapes.
Microfabricated surfaces were generated with indistinguishable trichome geometry and hook point sharpness seen in natural leaves (figure 2b–e). The kidney bean trichomes had an average tip sharpness of 220 ± 35 nm (mean ± 1 s.d., n = 16 trichomes from 16 different leaves) and the synthetic replicas had an average tip sharpness of 230 ± 50 nm (mean ± 1 s.d., n = 27 from 27 different synthetic surfaces); tip sharpness is not significantly different between the real trichomes and the synthetic replicas (t-test; t = 0.69, d.f. = 41, p = 0.49). Therefore, our method is accurately duplicating the geometry of the microstructures on the natural surfaces.
Bugs were run on fabricated surfaces for a number of locomotory cycles that exceeded the maximum number observed for entrapment on natural leaves (greater than 39 locomotory cycles, see above). Occasionally, bugs were temporarily hooked on our fabricated surfaces (45 out of 158 bugs on 158 surfaces; electronic supplementary material, movie S3), but they were never pierced (0 out of 158 bugs). We examined the undersurfaces of bug tarsi in LV-SEM for 14 bugs which had been momentarily snagged on a fabricated surface for evidence of piercing or damage. No evidence for damage or piercing was ever seen on bug tarsi that was consistent with what we observed from damage by natural leaves (figure 4).
Serendipitously, we discovered that natural trichome tips would sometimes be retained in the negative mould material (figure 5) and become incorporated into fabricated surfaces (figure 6). This allowed us to generate surfaces that had trichomes with natural piercing hook tips attached to synthetic stalks (hybrid trichomes). The natural tips were usually indistinguishable in appearance from synthetic tips when viewed in SEM (figure 6b). Therefore, to reliably identify natural trichome tips, EDS was used to look for silicon, which was present in large amounts in the natural trichome tips (figure 6a,c) [20,26] but not in the synthetic polymers used (figure 6b). The percentage of natural tips ranged from 0 to 68 per cent in the 37 fabricated surfaces that were characterized by EDS mapping (median of 16% natural tips; figure 6d). In the controls, the percentage of natural tips measured on real kidney bean leaves using identical methods ranged from 77 to 100 per cent (median of 94%, n = 4 leaves). EDS was not used to evaluate the specific trichome tips from the microfabricated surfaces used for measuring sharpness of the tips (see above); and therefore, an unknown small percentage of them were probably hybrids with natural tips. This suggests that natural tips incorporated into hybrid trichomes were not dulled during the process, and that the fully synthetic replicas were as sharp as the natural trichomes.
Any natural trichome tips incorporated into fabricated surfaces must have snapped off the natural leaf; and therefore, broken trichomes should be visible on the natural leaf after being used to generate the negative mould. There was a significant correlation between the percentage of broken tips on a leaf surface evaluated using LV-SEM (range 0–95% broken tips, n = 30 leaves) and the percentage of the number of hybrid trichomes (range 0–100%) on the fabricated surface made from that particular leaf estimated using EDS mapping (r = 0.76, n = 30 leaves, p < 0.0001, correlation performed on arcsine-squareroot transformed percentages). This is further corroborative evidence for our interpretation of the incorporation of natural trichome tips in fabricated surfaces.
The number of locomotory cycles before a bed bug exhibited a momentary snag while running on a fabricated surface was always greater than measured on natural leaves. However, a fabricated surface could include both synthetic and hybrid trichomes. If the hybrid trichomes (with natural tips) are able to hook or pierce the bed bugs, but the completely synthetic trichomes are not, fabricated surfaces with a larger percentage of hybrid trichomes should interfere more with bed bug locomotion than fabricated surfaces with fewer hybrid trichomes. Therefore, the number of locomotory cycles expected to generate a snag or entrapment could be predicted by correcting a conservative standard (19 locomotory cycles, the 90th percentile for entrapment on natural leaves) for the percentage of hybrid trichomes estimated using EDS (equation (2.1)). Only four out of 28 bugs showed a momentary snag within the number of locomotory cycles that would be expected to result in entrapment 90 per cent of the time for their particular surface: these four bugs showed snags after a median of 84 locomotory cycles (on four surfaces ranging from 8 to 29% hybrid trichomes). Therefore, even the hybrid trichomes with natural tips are not snagging or entrapping bed bugs as efficiently as the trichomes on the natural leaves.
If the bugs were not entrapped by fabricated surfaces because they were able to break the synthetic or hybrid trichomes, broken trichomes should be evident on the fabricated surfaces after bugs ran on them. We compared SEM images both before and after bugs were confined on surfaces for many hours. Not a single broken trichome was observed out of the several hundred trichomes viewed, suggesting that neither synthetic nor hybrid trichomes are breaking when the bugs are walking on them.
4. Discussion
Plants exhibit extraordinary abilities to entrap insects using a variety of mechanisms [27]. Glandular trichomes on a plant surface may exude sticky or poisonous chemicals, while non-glandular trichomes, which do not secrete chemicals, may impale, entangle or impede the locomotion of insects by physical interactions [6, 11]. Non-glandular trichomes from a variety of plant species have been reported to impale aphids, bees, ants, leafhoppers, flies and some other insects [6–13], but there is no information about the mechanical properties of these impaling trichomes, how long it takes for an insect to become impaled, whether an impaled insect can ever escape, and little quantification of the locations of piercing. However, these studies provide compelling justification for developing a more mechanistic description of this physical entrapment.
A serious insect pest that is vulnerable to this method of attack is the bed bug, a species that has made a recent global resurgence. Bed bugs are entrapped quickly and effectively after walking only a few steps on the leaf of a kidney bean plant, despite the lack of any evolutionary association between bed bugs and kidney bean plants. We have identified the mechanism of entrapment as the physical impaling of bed bug tarsi by the leaf trichomes. This is a mechanism different from a Velcro type of entanglement; the trichomes are more analogous to barbless fishhooks in their mechanical action. Furthermore, we have established that there are two primary locations on a bed bug's body that are mechanically vulnerable to piercing by these trichomes: underneath the pretarsal claws and at the intersegmental membrane between tarsal subsegments. Intersegmental membrane is thinner cuticle, and therefore should be pierced more easily, but this is the first identification of the mechanical vulnerability of the underside of the pretarsal claws. Specification of the vulnerable locations on bed bug tarsi is required to design an effective piercing method for bed bug entrapment and control.
Inspired by the impressive entrapment of bed bugs by bean leaves using a purely physical mechanism, we microfabricated surfaces that duplicated the geometry of the natural trichomes on a leaf surface. The moulding process generated synthetic trichomes that were indistinguishable from the natural trichomes, with the proper aspect ratio and sharpness of tips, arranged with the same density, orientation and height seen on the natural leaves. One way to duplicate the mechanical properties of the natural surface is to match both the geometry and the material properties of the synthetic surface to the natural leaf. Various epoxies and glues with different hardening rates and resin : hardener ratios were used in order to generate artificial trichomes with mechanical properties that span the largely uncharacterized properties of natural trichomes. For example, epoxies have Young's moduli (tensile) in the range 0.8–4.2 GPa [28–32] compared with 0.1–70 GPa for plant cell walls [33–37]. In a rare example of mechanical testing of trichomes, individual bending tests resulted in a range of 2–23 GPa for Young's modulus (flexural) for hooks from fruits of Galium aperine [38]; these hooks are substantially larger than the trichomes in this study. Therefore, materials used to generate our synthetic surfaces overlap in material properties with plant cell walls. However, it should be noted that there is tremendous variability in plant material properties over orders of magnitude [37]. Both our natural and synthetic trichomes had a large breaking strain, as indicated by their ability to bend completely over and elastically return to an upright orientation without breaking. In addition, the curved portions of both the natural and synthetic trichomes are able to straighten and elastically return to their curved configuration when pulled from the negative mould; freeze-fracture of the negative moulds showed none of the damage or ripping that would be caused by a non-straightened hook pulling through the material (figure 5). Therefore, qualitatively the natural and synthetic trichomes are showing similar mechanical behaviour in this regard.
Although natural trichome tips are able to pierce bed bugs as they walk on bean leaves, the same trichome tips are unable to pierce bed bugs when incorporated into hybrid fabricated surfaces that position these trichome tips at the natural and relevant orientation and height. This surprising result occurs despite the unchanged sharpness of the tips and the similarity of the material properties of the synthetic compounds to those of plant cell walls, and suggests that the bending or twisting behaviour of the trichome stalks is crucial to guide piercing and is not yet exhibited by our fabricated surfaces. Because structural properties are a function of both geometry and material properties, it can be challenging to simultaneously satisfy geometrical and mechanical requirements of these complex natural surfaces. For example, our synthetic trichomes are entirely solid, while only the tips but not the stalks of the kidney bean trichomes are solid (figure 4; also documented for hooked trichomes on French bean leaves [10] and on plant burrs [39,40]). Therefore, even if the material properties and external dimensions were the same in the natural and synthetic trichomes, the flexural and torsional stiffnesses would be greater for the stalks of the solid synthetic trichomes because of the increase in the second moment of area for a solid compared with a hollow cylinder [41,42]. The second moment of area, I, of a solid cylinder is related to the outer radius, ro, as 4.1and I for a hollow cylinder with an inner radius, ri, is 4.2For example, a trichome stalk with an outer diameter of 10 µm and a wall thickness of 400 nm (figure 4; ro = 5 µm and ri = 4.6 µm) would have a second moment of area approximately 3.5 times as great as an otherwise identical but solid stalk. Both flexural and torsional stiffness (of a bending and twisting cylinder, respectively) are directly proportional to the second moment of area. Thus, the tip of a more flexible hollow natural trichome could more readily skitter along the cuticle of a bug's surface until the sharp point ended up in a crevice or pit, leading to piercing, while a stiffer solid synthetic trichome may simply bend away. Our ability to attach natural trichome tips to synthetic trichome stalks has allowed us to unambiguously identify the importance of the mechanical behaviour of the trichome stalks in facilitating piercing of bed bugs. The next generation of microfabricated surfaces for insect control by physical methods will require direct measurements of the relevant mechanical properties of natural trichomes.
5. Conclusions
Bed bugs walking on bean leaves are trapped within seconds by the sharp microscopic trichomes on the leaf surfaces. We have documented that these trichomes pierce the cuticle of bed bug tarsi at specific mechanically vulnerable locations, resulting in entrapment. We were able to generate synthetic surfaces that accurately mimicked the geometry, orientation and arrangement of the trichomes. Hybrid surfaces in which natural microscopic trichome tips were attached to synthetic stalks allowed separate evaluation of the mechanical properties of the different parts of the trichome in bed bug entrapment. These fabricated surfaces snagged the bed bugs but did not hinder their locomotion as effectively as real leaves, suggesting that future development of surfaces for bed bug entrapment must incorporate mechanical characteristics of whole trichomes. With bed bug populations skyrocketing throughout the world [1,2], and resistance to pesticides widespread [2,3,17], bioinspired microfabrication techniques have the potential to harness the bed bug-entrapping power of natural leaf surfaces using purely physical means.
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (CHE-1057638). Imaging and EDS were performed at the Laboratory for Electron and X-ray Instrumentation (LEXI) at UCI. Rollins, Inc. supported our bed bug rearing programme. The paper was improved by constructive criticism from three anonymous referees.
- Received February 23, 2013.
- Accepted February 25, 2013.
- © 2013 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.


text:
On Wednesday evening, the Camden County Planning and Zoning Commission will hear a reexamination appeal for a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow outdoor music at Paradise Tropical Restaurant & Bar in the Sunrise Beach area.
On Wednesday evening, the Camden County Planning and Zoning Commission will hear a reexamination appeal for a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow outdoor music at Paradise Tropical Restaurant & Bar in the Sunrise Beach area.
In May, the Camden County Planning Commission denied a proposed CUP on the property zoned B-1 commercial that would have allowed the lakefront establishment to have outdoor music with an acoustic privacy wall for noise abatement.
The permit went down in a tie vote with four commissioners voting for the permit and four against. Three commissioners were absent from the meeting.
Paradise owner George Tucker has requested a reexamination of the CUP with a new proposal, according to Administrator Don Hathaway.
The reexamination will allow Paradise the opportunity to ask the planning commission to consider the new information or an alternate option without going through the entire process and paying application fees again.
Paradise representatives will have the opportunity to present the general concept of the new information. For the reexamination to then go forward, just one of the planning commissioners who voted against the CUP must request to reopen the case. If that occurs, the planning commission could then get further detail from the applicant or others and vote on the new proposal.
The reexamination procedure does not include a public hearing, causing concerns from many of the homeowners who attended past meetings to testify against the CUP.
These full and part time residents have complained about noise from the business disturbing the peace and in some cases causing the walls of their homes to vibrate. In addition to disturbing the peace of their neighborhood, a certified appraiser paid for by one of the homeowners indicated that the outdoor music had negatively affected residential property values in the area by 20 percent.
Homeowners have complained that Paradise is continuing to play outdoor music despite the May 15 decision against the CUP.
The lakefront venue is also facing a lawsuit from homeowner Richard Danowsky.
The lawsuit claims that Paradise has been in violation of the Lake District Unified Land Use Code by playing outdoor music in B-1 commercial zoning. The suit seeks a permanent injunction against the outdoor music to enforce the county's regulations because it claims the county is failing to prevent zoning violations.
The Camden County P&Z meeting will held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, in the third floor hearing room in the Camden County Courthouse at Highway 54 and Business Route 5 in Camdenton.


text:
Fireworks burst in the sky and green lasers waved overhead as millions of Egyptians celebrated the military's announcement that it was ousting Islamist Mohammed Morsi after four days of mass protests demanding his removal.
"The people finally overthrew the regime," hundreds of thousands chanted, rocking the plaza in scenes reminiscent of the protests that toppled autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak.
But highlighting the deep divisions that remain, supporters of the Islamist leader cried "Down with military rule" after army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi finished his statement. Scores of Morsi backers also went on a rampage in southern Egypt, breaking shop facades in the southern city of Assiut, smashing a police car in Aswan, and attempting to break into a police station in the coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, leaving six people killed.
But in most of the Egyptian capital, el-Sissi was seen as a savior and the military was hailed by the public for answering their calls to remove Morsi, just over a year after his June 30 inauguration. Some people fired guns into the air to celebrate, and subway riders broke into cheers of "the people and the army are one hand."
It also came after hours of waiting for the military to make its move as Morsi defiantly refused to step down despite the expiration of a Wednesday afternoon deadline to reach agreement with his opponents. Morsi was Egypt's first democratically elected leader but he drew the ire of many Egyptians who accused him and his Muslim Brotherhood of polarizing the country by trying to impose Islamist rule and failing to introduce reforms.
"It was a nightmare and it ended," said Mona el-Desouki, 38, waving an Egyptian flag as she stood in front of the famed Egyptian museum on the edge of Tahrir. "Life came back to us. Egypt is ours again. Our life will become as it was, with no difference between Muslims and Christians."
Chants of "Misr" or "Egypt" also rang through the square. Signaling the high hopes that the country could return to a sense of normalcy, security officials removed some of the concrete barricades that have blocked several streets in the area because of the frequent clashes between protesters and police.
The military has long been seen as protectors of the people, although the generals were accused of holding onto power for too long after Mubarak's ouster.
Protesters carried el-Sissi's picture, and others climbed onto armored vehicles to take photographs with the soldiers. Residents of a house near one military post offered the soldiers tea and food, counting on them for protection from the wrath of Morsi's supporters.
"When I saw these military trucks in front of our house, I felt safe because I know the Brotherhood and their supporters will not just leave that easily," said one of the residents, 75-year-old Mervat Talaat.
People drove around Cairo, honking car horns as children waved Egyptian flags from the windows. Outside the presidential palace across town from Tahrir, people cried and hugged as cheers drowned out the rest of el-Sissi's speech.
In the ancient city of Luxor, boats docked in the Nile River also sounded their horns as crowds marched by in celebration. People shot off fireworks in the city, which has suffered from a drastic drop in tourism due to the turmoil that has wracked Egypt since Mubarak's ouster. Others handed out gifts and cartons of cigarettes to bystanders.
Ahmed Gad, 23, said it was the happiest moment of his life.
"In 2011 we won a political battle. This time we won a political and a religious battle because the Brotherhood kept accusing us of being heretics and used religion and acted as if they had the real Islam," he said.
Mohammed Nageh, 25, said he had voted for Morsi but felt the Islamist leader had acted in the interest of himself and the Muslim Brotherhood and failing the rest of Egypt.
"I voted for him because I didn't want the old regime back in," he said as he danced and removed his shirt. "But this revolution was made for poor and they are the people who suffered the most. We are here to put the revolution back on track, so it serves the poor, not just the Brotherhood."
- URL:https://yaplog.jp/jerrirpik/archive/17


text:
If you're not in the path of this weekend's annular solar eclipse, bookmark this page for some online viewing options.
This weekend will offer a view of the "ring of fire" eclipse, or at least a partial eclipse of the Sun, to some of Asia and much of the U.S. The rest of the world (including U.S.'s Eastern seaboard) isn't so lucky, but don't worry: there are plenty of places where you can view this spectacular event online.
- See live coverage of the eclipse from the SLOOH Space Camera.
- Amateur astronomer Scotty Degenhardt will broadcast live from Area 51 in Nevada.
- Panasonic will broadcast live from the top of Mt. Fuji after the broadcast crew, engineers, and mountain guides scale the ice-cold summit.
- Live feed from Hong Kong, China,
thanks to Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Space Museum
- Live from Boulder, CO, a hydrogen-alpha view of the Sun:
Since hydrogen-alpha shows us the Sun's chromosphere, you'll be able to see stringy filaments cross the Sun and prominences at its edge. Coverage will last until 7:18pm (Boulder time), 12 minutes before the fullest eclipse.
Also from Boulder, CO, the white-light view of the Sun's visible surface, visible until sunset around 7:45pm:
- From Arizona, Jerry W. at Night Skies Network writes; "Please feel free to check us out on Sunday at approx. 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time [0:00 UT]. I myself will be broadcasting from Channel name Cosmicviewsphxaz. Enjoy the view!"
- Watch University of North Dakota's Sun Earth Moon Systems (SEMS) live broadcast from Redding, CA.
Are you doing a live broadcast and don't see your event listed here? Post in the comments and we'll add yours to the list.
|More eclipse coverage:
How to View the Eclipse Safely


text:
Jason Michas and the Harvard Crimson will play on the road for the first time in 2010-11 this weekend (photo courtesy Gil Talbot).
The No. 5 Harvard men's squash team will take to the road for the first time in 2010-11 this weekend. The Crimson will visit No. 6 Cornell on Saturday and No. 4 Rochester welcomes Harvard on Sunday.
Last Time Out
Harvard dropped two individual matches for the first time this season but recovered to down Dartmouth, 7-2. The win moved the Crimson to 3-0 overal and 2-0 in the Ivy League.
About Harvard
The Crimson have relied on some young talent in its early season dominance. Four freshmen currently play significant roles in Harvard's top nine, and each is still undefeated.
About Cornell
Cornell will host its first home match of the season on Saturday when the Crimson visit Ithaca, N.Y. The Big Red captured 5-4 wins over Franklin and Marshall, as well as Penn, before Princeton dropped them, 6-3.
About Rochester
The Yellowjackets are currently 4-0 this season. After defeating Western Ontario 8-1 to open the season, Rochester has added wins over St. Lawrence, Hobart and Vassar.
Last Season's Meetings
Harvard beat Cornell a year ago Sunday, 6-3, at the Barnaby Courts. Rochester handed the Crimson its first loss last season, 7-2.
Next Up
Harvard will be off until Jan. 26 when it welcomes Trinty to the Barnaby Courts.


text:
East Orange, NJ Rental Homes and Apartments for Rent
Search rentals in East Orange, NJ. At RentalGuide.net, we have comprehensive rental listings to help you find East Orange apartments for rent. You can also find rental houses and condos. Click on a listing to view details, or refine your search for East Orange apartments to search by price, beds and other criteria.


text:
Skip to Content
Massey is committed to developing applied, real world opportunities for sustainability-related teaching and research.
Details about our research, partnerships, Living Labs and what we can offer you.
Profiles and contact details for some of the leaders in sustainability at Massey.
Find out how you can contribute to developing Massey's first Sustainability Strategic Plan.
Find out what sustainability courses we offer at Massey and view student profiles.
Find out about our campus sustainability initiatives.
Check out the latest sustainability news and events at Massey and sustainability resources.
Page authorised by Director, Sustainability
Last updated on Thursday 30 March 2017
Partner with us to become part of the solution.
Massey University Sustainability Club
Massey Contact Centre Mon - Fri 8:30am to 4:30pm 0800 MASSEY (+64 6 350 5701) TXT 5222 firstname.lastname@example.com Web chat Staff Alumni News Māori @ Massey


text:
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is the third largest of the oil majors in the world. It operates in all sectors of the oil and natural gas industry: exploration and production, midstream, refining and marketing, and petrochemicals.[1]
ConocoPhillips was formed by the merger of Conoco Inc. (Conoco) and Phillips Petroleum (Phillips) in 2001. It is a vertically integrated petroleum company with operations in more than 30 countries.[2]
Fiscal Year 2010 Summary
For the full year 2010, ConocoPhillips had net income of $11.4 billion, a 160% increase from the previous year, due to higher realized oil prices and higher refining margins, despite lower production volumes and higher costs. This included $4.6 billion in asset sales and reduction of its LUKOIL equity position.[3] WTI crude oil averaged $79.39 per barrel during the quarter, a 29% increase from 2009, while natural gas averaged $4.39 per million BTU, a 10% increase from 2009.[4] The E&P segment produced 1.75 million BOE per day, a 5% decrease from the previous year.[5]
The E&P segment is mainly involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, as well as the marketing of natural gas and natural gas liquids.
ConocoPhillips at the end of 2006 held a 20% share of Russian oil major, Lukoil. Its share of Lukoils's upstream production included 401 MBbl per day of oil, 256 MMcf of natural gas per day, and 214 MBbls of refined petroleum per day.[6] Despite Lukoil being hit hard by fluctuating fuel prices, with weak profits in 2009, Lukoil had net income of $2 billion in the first quarter of 2010, a 126.9% increase year-over-year.[7]
Despite the struggles that Lukoil faced, for years, ConocoPhillips maintained its beliefs that Lukoil may pay dividends in their restructuring process, as Lukoil Chief Executive, Vagit Alekpero, has been quoted as stating the he hopes Lukoil will be informed of any assets that ConocoPhillips brings to the markets such as pipelines, terminals, and natural gas pipelines in North America that it may be divesting[8].
However, by the end of 2008, ConocoPhillips changed its plans and decided to sell a portion of its stake to cover debts and buy back its own stocks. This continued onward--in August 2010, Lukoil bought back 8%, and in September 2010, bought back another 5% in options from ConocoPhillips.[9] In February 2011, ConocoPhillips sold off its remaining 2% holding in Lukoil, completing its sale of all Lukoil shares.[10] By the end of 2010, Conoco held 2.25% interest in LUKOIL shares.[11]
COP's midstream segment "gathers" natural gas, moving it from the well to the pipeline, and processes it, breaking it down into individual components and purifying it for use. On April 8th, 2008, COP announced that it would build a pipeline, in partnership with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, that would span from the North Slope of Denali in Alaska through Canada and into the U.S. The total cost of the project is estimated at $20 billion, and will require over 1000 government permits in both countries, but the returns could be massive, as the gas shipped by the line has the potential to meet 8% of total U.S. gas demand[12].
On January 12, 2010 it was announced that BP and ConocoPhillips had a joint venture to plan and build a pipeline from the Alaskan North Slopes to the contiguous states. The earliest that it could be in operation is 2018, however TransCanada Corp TRP is also planning to build a competing pipeline, and has state backing which the BP-COP joint venture does not. Federal officials would like to see one pipeline rather than two competing projects, but it does not seem as if any agreement or deal between these two competing projects has been reached. [13]
Petroleum refining operations turn crude oil into the petroleum products that people use everyday, like gasoline and diesel. ConocoPhillips is the second largest petroleum refiner in the U.S and the fourth largest refiner in the world. The company owns 12 refineries in the U.S (the largest of which, Wood River is jointly owned with Cenovus Energy) and either owns or has an interest in six European refineries. In 2009, refinery production was 1,986 million barrels per day with a utilization of 84%, lower than the 90% of the previous year due to economic conditions and higher planned downtime.[14][15]
The company has a distribution network of 10,500 branded outlets in the U.S, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Its products are marketed under brand names Phillips 66, 76 and Conoco brand in the U.S and under the Jet and ProJet brands in Europe and the Asia Pacific region.[16]
COP's chemicals segment is essentially the company's 50% share in Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, a JV between ConocoPhillips and Chevron. It processes petroleum into petrochemicals.[17]
COP's Emerging Businesses segment includes its investment in new technologies or businesses outside of its normal operations.
In September 2008, COP entered a, $8 billion, 50/50 joint venture with Australian energy company Origin to develop coal-seam methane beds.[18]
In an effort to respond to criticism from members of Congress and to reassure the public after the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster, some of the oil majors have come together to prepare for deepwater oil spills.[19] In July 2010 Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron Corporation (CVX), CONOCOPHILLIPS (COP) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDS'A) agreed to pool $1 billion to establish a new company, which would be tasked to respond to offshore oil spills at up to 10,000 feet underwater. Apache Deepwater LLC, a subsidiary of Apache (APA), subsequently joined on March 16, 2011.[20] The company would deploy equipment that could arrive within days and be operational in weeks of a spill.[19]
The company would be a nonprofit organization called the Marine Well Containment Company and would operate the response system that would be used for any spills.[19] The response system would use underwater equipment designed to seal busted wells and have the ability to separate oil from gas and bring it to the surface where the gas would be burned off and oil would be stored in containers. The equipment should be useful in depths up to 10,000 feet.[19] Currently, the system has capacity to contain up to 60,000 barrels per day of fluid in up to 8,000 feet of water, with plans to expand to 100,000 barrels per day in up to 10,000 feet by 2012.[20]
The establishment of the company is an effort for the oil majors to demonstrate that plans are in place to minimize any potential damage of deepwater drilling. All four companies rely significantly on offshore drilling, while Shell and Chevron have significant operations in the Gulf of Mexico. All companies will participate, however ExxonMobil will lead the effort.[19]
Your honesty is like a becoan
Since the middle of 2008, oil prices have been trending downwards, to levels not seen since 2004. These falling oil prices have driven down COP's E&P margins. However, the company earns about 45% of its revenue, not including its Lukoil investment, from its Refining & Marketing segment.[21] Since oil is the primary input for a refiner, when oil prices rise, refining costs rise. In the first quarter of 2008, right after oil prices hit $100/barrel for the first time, COP's oil refining (downstream) business saw productivity decline. Capital utilization dropped 6% year on year. U.S. refining margins fell $3.56 per barrel from the fourth quarter of 2007, while international refining margins fell $0.30 per barrel (international demand for refined products is rising, while U.S. demand is falling).[22] Q3 earnings reflect a similar situation, during which crude oil prices for West Texas Intermediate averaged $117.83. Earnings estimates for the first quarter of 09 are a little less than 50% earnings for Q3 08, taking into consideration the new, low price of oil.[23]
As one of the oil majors, ConocoPhillips control oil resources in countries around the world; with oil prices soaring, the company's E&P segment has a strong incentive to push forward and explore in countries that are less politically stable Most of COP's petroleum comes from North America and Europe, two regions where oil production is declining; expanding around the globe allows the company to keep growing its average reserve life.
In a partnership with Lane Energy, ConocoPhillips is looking to drill a horizontal well in Poland to harness the country's 3 trillion cubic meters of shale gas reserves. With Poland consuming over 14 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and importing over 70% of its consumption from Russia, this deal will greatly relieve the country of its dependency on Russia.[24]
An international presence makes the company highly vulnerable to terrorism. In early July, 2008, the company penned a $10 billion deal to develop the Shah natural gas field and build a one bcf gas-processing facility in the United Arab Emirates.[25] Just a month earlier, however, the U.S. released a high-alert warning for its citizens living and working in the region - after the UK did the same.[26] A terrorist attack on one of COP's facilities would halt production and hurt employees, leading to higher costs and lower margins.
Exploitation of natural resources in other countries also puts COP at risk of property loss from nationalization. For example, ConocoPhillips' 3Q07 income of $3.7 billion appears to be many times higher than the 2Q07 income of $301 million. In 2Q07, however, the company's Venezuelan assets were seized by Hugo Chavez, causing the company to lose $4.5 billion of expected income.[27]
COP's investment in Lukoil is another example of the benefits and possible risks of international expansion. Lukoil has the second-largest reserves of any publicly-traded oil company[28], and ConocoPhillips has a 20% share of the value generated by them. Russia, however, has gone through numerous upheavals in the last century, and, with Vladmir Putin in power, is less friendly about its resources than it has been in years. In 2006, the Kremlin forced Shell to cede 50% of its share of the lucrative Sakhalin-2 gas field to Gazprom, the state-controlled oil company, at below-market prices by using "environmental concerns" to pressure the company.[29] In early 2008, the Kremlin made multiple raids of BP and TNK-BP's Moscow offices, supposedly for investigating allegations of industrial espionage; a little over a year before, Gazprom expressed interest in the $40 billion TNK-BP project.[30] All these events indicate that the Russian government has no problem with pressuring companies into ceding their interests in Russian petroleum projects, especially at lower price, after significant capital has been sunk into the projects. With a 20% stake in Lukoil, ConocoPhillips is risking significant losses, especially if the Kremlin decides to nationalize Lukoil and its assets.
Whether it's because of the desire for energy independence, the rising price of oil, or fears of climate change, public opinion has turned away from petroleum, and it is driving government policy changes that encourage the adoption of alternative fuels. Environmentalists have been calling for a shift to renewable energy for years, and though the river of change is running slow, it is running deep. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 is the first step towards a grander series of changes. By forcing automakers to achieve 35 mpg by 2020 and setting a Renewable Fuel Standard of 36 billion gallons of biofuels in 2022[31], the Act has potential to get the ball rolling to greatly reduce American dependence on hydrocarbons.
Already, 26 states across the country have adopted Renewable Energy Standards to increase the share of renewables in their energy mixes, while the Democratic candidate for President has pledged to reduce carbon emissions 80%, to below 1990 levels by 2050.[32] While the Republican candidate isn't so tough on climate action, he still supports a strong cap-and-trade system. In emerging markets like China and India, the drive for economic growth supersedes environmental concerns, but in the first quarter of 2008 ConocoPhillips sold 74% of its petroleum in the U.S.[33] A changing American environmental and energy legislation landscape would be disastrous to COP's business without the development of some effective carbon sequestration technology.
A more immediate threat to oil based demand is the rapidly evolving technology of solar and wind and the heavy government subsidies that make them competitive in some cases with oil based energy. John McCain recently introduced a bill that would give a 50% government subsidy to solar panels. President Obama himself has endorsed nuclear energy and backed government subsidies for them, and the first nuclear power plants in 30 years are currently being built, with 33 slated to be built.
Every stage of oil production, refining, and use have aspects that are damaging to the environment. Drilling leads to deforestation and groundwater contamination on land and coastal ecosystem damage offshore, refining leads to chemicals being released into groundwater and harmful fumes being released into the air, and the burning of oil and its products leads to the release of particulate emissions and greenhouse gases into the air. When the environmental damages caused by COP's operations occur to the extent that they break environmental protection laws, the company is sued by NGOs or government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency. These lawsuits are usually settled out of court; on May 7th, 2008, for example, ConocoPhillips, Shell, BP, Chevron, Marathon Oil, Valero, and Sunoco agreed to pay $423 million in damages for contaminating groundwater with methyl tertiary butyl ether[34], an oxygenate used to increase octane levels in gasoline that has been replaced in recent years with ethanol. Exxon Mobil, along with five other companies named in the lawsuit, are not settling and will continue to contest.
The major competitors of ConocoPhillips are the oil majors: BP, Exxon Mobil, Valero, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, Total S.A., etc.
The table provided below compares the operational metrics for ConocoPhillips vis-à-vis its competitors in 2008.
|Eni S.p.A(1)
|Total S.A.
|Oil and Gas Liquids
(Millions of barrels)
|Natural Gas
(Billions of cubic feet)
|Oil and Gas Liquids
(Thousand b/d)
|Natural Gas
(Million cf/d)
(1) Latest data is for 2007 (2) Does not include reserves of equity affiliates
|Royal Dutch Shell
|Eni S.p.A(1)[54]
|Total S.A.
|Refinery Capacity
(Million BPD)
|Number of Refineries (including partial interests)
|Number of Retail Gas Stations
|6,441 (in Europe)
(1) Latest data is for 2007
The oil majors face intense competition from national and state-owned oil and energy companies. Governments in oil-rich countries support these companies and give them preferential access to reserves by prohibiting direct foreign investment in oil exploration and production projects. Further, investments made by foreign companies are made unattractive by the government through taxation and other measures. Oil and gas companies, such as ConocoPhillips, thus face problems in gaining access to oil reserves and commencing operations in spite of their large size.


text:
Categories: Torts
Instructor(s) Dykman, Charles
The class is designed to explore the rationale courts have used to prevent case law advances from changing negligence into strict liability. We will revisit Palsgraf and examine other early cases which limited negligence recovery. We will discuss important early articles. We will concentrate on Wisconsin cases, and the path the Wisconsin Supreme Court and various justices have taken in negligence methodology. We will attempt to develop an analysis acceptable to a majority of the present court. Engaged discussion is required.


text:
Find quality bodybuilding supplements, vitamin supplements and health supplements online in Australia
At My Health Warehouse, we specialise in providing the best when it comes to the health food industry. Whether you're in need of a bodybuilding supplement, whey protein shakes or powder, or simply want to buy vitamins online, My Health Warehouse is the place to start. A family owned and operated business, benefit from the knowledge our team has when it comes to health products in Australia, and find something that will suit your requirements.
Quality bodybuilding supplements at affordable prices
If you're into bodybuilding, you'll find that bodybuilding supplements in Australia can be costly after a while. At My Health Warehouse, our aim is to offer quality products at cheap prices, making bodybuilding supplements an affordable part of the bodybuilding process. Achieve your fitness goals with the help of a bodybuilding supplement from My Health Warehouse.
Incorporate whey protein shakes and protein powder from My Health Warehouse into your diet
When it comes to diet and exercise everyone is unique, and different methods work for different people. One popular way of achieving health and fitness goals is through the use of whey protein shakes and powder. These can be an excellent inclusion in any health or diet plan, and used correctly, can bring about excellent results. However, finding cheap prices for the best when it comes to protein powder isn't easy, and this is where My Health Warehouse comes in. Browse through our product range to find something that suits you and your needs.
Browse through a range of skin care products online at My Health Warehouse
Part of health and fitness includes taking care of your skin and hair. At My Health Warehouse we carry a range of skin care products that are perfect for maintaining your appearance. From shampoos through to cleansers and soaps, we carry a range of natural skin care products that are designed to bring out the best in your appearance.
My Health Warehouse is the choice for natural health supplements and Aussie health products at warehouse prices, so shop online today and benefit from quality products at warehouse prices.


text:
Egypt's Interior Minister removes prison official
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Interior Minister removed the head of the country's prison authority Wednesday amid reports he facilitated meetings between detained Islamists, an official said.
The decision was part of a limited reshuffle in the ministry in charge of security, which also saw security and investigative chiefs removed in the southern governorate of Minya, where unrest is rife and mobs have attacked government buildings and churches.
A security official said Minister Mohammed Ibrahim removed Mostafa Baz after reports emerged he had overlooked meetings in jail between Muslim Brotherhood leaders and other Islamists and allowed them to communicate outside the prisons.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. Baz had been in the post since June 10.
Explaining his decision, Ibrahim told Egypt's state news agency the reshuffle was necessary to restore state security. A day earlier, Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour said security was his government's top priority.
Asked about Baz, Ibrahim said: "Prisons are one of the most important police sectors and require strong leadership. The removal was to correct the path and appoint a more qualified leadership."
Authorities accuse the Brotherhood of organizing a campaign to destabilize Egypt, and have intensified their crackdown on the group since the July 3 military coup that toppled Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
Security officials estimate some 2,000 Brotherhood members have been detained since the crackdown intensified after authorities broke up two pro-Morsi encampments in Cairo on Aug. 14, leaving hundreds killed.
In an interview with a private television station this week, Baz denied he facilitated meetings between the Brotherhood leadership. He said the media reports had referred to a communal prayer time involving several leaders of the group and other Islamists.
Baz said police officers outnumbered the Islamists at the prayers to make it clear they were being watched.
"There were no meetings. They each dispersed and went to their cells," he told ONTV. He said the prayers brought together the Brotherhood's supreme leader, Mohammed Badie, and other senior figures held in the same prison in southern Cairo.
Baz said he strictly followed prison regulations, dismissing reports that the leaders were allowed contact with the outside world, allegedly through mobile phones smuggled to the prison.
A report Monday in the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper quoted prison officials as saying regulations had been relaxed and a Brotherhood member allowed to lead prayers, instead of a designated preacher from the prison authority. The report also said that the Brotherhood detainees had been given extra free time together that could undermine the authorities' investigations.
Ibrahim, the interior minister, told the paper he's looking in to the incidents.
The Brotherhood leaders that prayed together are being held in high security prisons. Families of some of the detainees say they have been only allowed limited access to them. Others have complained of "inhumane conditions."
Aside from the Brotherhood detentions, at least 2,400 other people have been taken into custody since the bloody breakup of the sit-ins, a group of lawyers and activists said Wednesday.
The Front to Defend Egypt's Protesters, which tracks detentions, said those in custody are held in nearly a dozen facilities. They face accusations ranging from membership in an armed group, attacking security, and possession of weapons.
The new head of prison authorities, Mohammed Rateb, previously lead the ministry's internal investigation unit.
Meanwhile Wednesday, Egypt's state-run MENA news agency reported that a police officer was killed and three conscripts wounded when gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint in a village in the southern Aswan governorate.
Also Wednesday, a security official said two policemen were kidnapped from outside their home in Toukh, a town the Delta governorate of Qalubiya, by masked gunmen who drove off with them in a pick-up truck. The official said authorities are investigating the case.
In other violence, security and medical officials said one policeman was killed when gunmen in a sedan opened fire on a bus transporting riot police in the northern Sinai's capital el-Arish. Six other policemen were injured, the officials said, adding that the gunmen escaped.
An investigative judge also ordered a travel ban of former prosecutor general Talaat Abdullah and two of his deputies over allegations they installed surveillance devices in their former offices. Morsi appointed Abdullah at the height of the political tension over his Nov. 22 presidential decrees that put him above the courts. The judiciary protested the move to choose the chief prosecutor, normally an appointment made under its authority.


text:
(visited by Shawn Fleming)
24-Aug-2005 -- It was time for another confluence adventure, this time successfully visiting confluences in Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana. This would be the final of thirteen visits on this trip.
I had just left 45N-110W and had hoped to visit one of my favorite places at Beartooth Pass. I had wanted to drive over the pass but because of extensive road work, it was closed. Rats! Although WY-296 was not nearly as scenic, the detour did take me along roads I had not traveled before and ended up positioning me very close to this confluence. Since I had not anticipated taking this route, this would be a real confluence of opportunity for me. With no preparation other than simply following my StreetPilot and using NG TOPO on my computer as a real-time moving map, I would find 45N-109W.
Just after crossing the Montana border (although I must have missed the sign) on WY-120/MT-72 I turned east onto the unmarked Hollenbeck Draw Road. I continued east along this road and stopped at 109W, only 80 feet away from the confluence. It was a fairly good dirt road although in a couple of spots, a high clearance vehicle would be nice since there were ruts from recent rains and driving when the road was wet.
I walked south and found the confluence just north of the fence line (that wasn't very straight), on top of a plateau. The first visitor had found the confluence south of the fence line. The general area was mostly low sagebrush and grasslands.
Picture #1 looks west towards the Beartooth Mountain range. Picture #2 looks north towards the road and shows the confluence vehicle. Picture #3 looks east. Picture #4 looks south. Picture #5 shows my GPS location. Picture #6 shows a faded sign at the start of the dirt road that says "Entering Wheeled Motorized Restricted Area on Federal Lands. Stay on Roads & Trails". The ground was so flat and hard that had the sign not been there, it would have been possible to drive right to the spot.
Total time off MT-72 was 0:45 with a distance of 6.9 miles. What a finish to another outstanding confluence adventure!!


text:
May said October 10, 2013
The fire was dramatic news. That river bank path is great for cycling, love it.
July 12, 2013
Many of you know I am a huge L.A. river fan. As a fan of the river and an advocate for river access, I was of course shocked and worried to hear about the fire that took place in the pilot recreation zone last Saturday.
The fire raged on a sandbar adjacent to the river bike path (image courtesy of Anthea Raymond). The fire was caused by a gasoline tanker that crashed in the interchange tunnel between the 2 freeway and Interstate 5 (incidentally causing some of the most heinous traffic some of us have experienced in a long while). After it overturned, some of the 8,500 gallons of gas it was transporting leaked into a storm drain and traveled about half a mile into the river. The resulting fire was thankfully constrained to a sandbar located at the terminus of the storm drainage system, and according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Andrew Hughan, "There's very little to no environmental damage to the L.A. River." YAY! This news makes me particularly happy as this is one of the most wildlife-rich stretches of the river, and consequently one of my favorite spots to enjoy it. Literally, I was enjoying it only a week earlier, as I paddled by the area that caught on fire with the folks from L.A. River Kayak Safari.
Posing for a picture at the end or our kayak adventure! Not only was this one of the most fun things I've ever done on the river (sorry Mummy, but going down rapids in a kayak was way more fun than the Mother's Day picnic we had there), I also got to experience some wildlife I'd never seen in this urban riparian area before. The highlight of the trip was seeing my first Mexican Amberwing dragonfly, Perithemis intensa:
Male Mexican Amberwing, image courtesy of Bill Bouton. This dragonfly is one of the smaller of our region, with a wingspan measuring just over an inch and a half. Just like other dragonflies, it relies on water sources such as ponds and slow moving rivers to lay their eggs in. Female amberwings lay eggs in jellylike masses just above the waterline, as soon as water touches the eggs they literally explode out in different directions. This helps out, as after hatching dragonfly larvae can be cannibalistic on their bretheren. So much for peace and harmony on the river! The larvae spend a few months developing in the murky waters, eating what they can catch with their bear trap-like jaws, and in turn, escaping from predators like fish and frogs. When they're ready, the larvae emerge from the water and find a nice reed or stick to hang out on. They slowly crack open their exoskeleton and the adult dragonfly emerges, soft and drably colored. In a few hours they inflate their wings, harden their exoskeleon, and develop their more colorful selves. Then they'll zip off looking for a mate to repeat the whole cycle— provided they don't get eaten by a bird or an overly acrobatic fish! As you can imagine fire, gasoline, and dragonflies don't mix very well. Let's keep our fingers crossed that next time an accident like this happens the river will be just as lucky.
1 Comment
May said October 10, 2013
The fire was dramatic news. That river bank path is great for cycling, love it.
October 16, 2018
October 2, 2018
June 29, 2018