text:
Sergeant Krueger has written to add a word on the issue between CNN and Senator McCain that we raised on "To our readers in Iraq." Sergeant Krueger emphasizes that he of course speaks for himself alone in his personal capacity. Sergeant Krueger writes:
Senator McCain is incorrect on one point. No you cannot just go out and walk around if you were an American. It is not that safe yet, give the surge some time and the security situation will improve. But remember we are not here to make it safe enough for Americans to go out and get coffee and eat dinner here. Yes sectarian violence is down but that is because we are on the ground in force and doing operations with the assistance of the IA/IP's. It is a complex situation here that Gen. Petraeus is taking command of, I would hope everyone would give the man some time and let the surge work.
In regard to the AQI attack on a military base that Ware spoke of: It was easily repulsed and the insurgents dealt with. It was one of their spectacular attacks that is meant to garner attention from the media but it does not accomplish anything of tactical/strategic value to them. They do not care if they lose 10 or 50 insurgents in an attack. And the alleged eight wounded Americans sustained only minor scratches, bruises and the like.
And yes the common Iraqi citizen may not pay a ot of attention to what happens in the political arena in the states but you can bet AQI pays attention and they know the leanings of the American public. The everyday Iraqi knows that if America leaves so goes all of their
security and any freedoms they have now. Tell Michael Ware to come
out here. We have all the services represented out here and they are all doing deeds that are beyond compare. We need not be setting the Iraqi government and their people up for failure. There are so many more things I could talk about but we get into operational security issues. Let everyone know that the US military will prevail just hang in there with us. Thank you for your continued support, Sir.
Semper Fi,
Steve Krueger
I believe the "Sir" whom Sergeant Krueger is thanking is our friend Bill Bennett, who has also posted Sergeant Krueger's earlier message. We are of course grateful to Sergeant Krueger for his service and for the privilege of serving as a forum for his assessment.
The men putting their lives on the line for us every day are so far superior in maturity and responsibility to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues as well as Wolf Blitzer et al., for that matter, that it should shame them.
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The requested research item does not exist. Please return to Research
The yearly publication provides detailed market analyses of the office lettings markets in Wiesbaden. A 12-month forecast shows the trends for the key market parameters.
Tables and charts: space take-up; vacancies and vacancy rate; prime rent; prime yield; map of sub markets with rental price bands; office space take-up by sector; office space under construction.
Please fill out the form to download the report.
04 June 2018

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm fine although pretty bored. And I'm getting depressed reading the thread about the Ignition shows I really wanted to go to one of them but the timing just sucks. How are you?
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What You Can Do to Stop the Execution of Troy Davis
An execution warrant for Georgia death-row inmate Troy Davis was announced on Tuesday. His execution is now scheduled to take place on September 21 at 7pm.
Davis has been on death row for 20 years for the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail. Since his conviction, however, the case against him has completely fallen apart. There is no physical evidence linking Davis to the murder; 7 of 9 eyewitnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony; and one of the remaining witnesses has been implicated as the actual shooter. Despite a lengthy appeals process and an evidentiary hearing ordered by the US Supreme Court, there remain scores of unresolved questions about what actually happened the night of the murder. Only one thing in Davis's case is crystal clear: there is overwhelming doubt. And, in the words of GSU law professor Anne Emmanuel, "A verdict that is not ironclad is not good enough to support a death penalty."
Once the US Supreme Court denied Davis's final appeal on March 28, an execution date became inevitable. An execution, however, is not.
As GSU Law Professor Russ Covey said, "The state of Georgia does not have to execute Troy Davis, and it should not execute Troy Davis."
Davis is scheduled for a clemency hearing before the Georgia Board of Pardons & Parole on September 19, two days before his scheduled execution. Immediate action is needed to let the Board know that people all over the world are greatly concerned about putting a possibly innocent man to death.
What you can do:
- Sign the petition to the Georgia Board of Pardons & Parole asking them to grant Troy Davis clemency and encourage others to do the same.
- Attorneys, law professors: endorse a sign-on letter from legal professionals to the GA Board of Pardons & Parole (non-lawyers: encourage friends who are legal professionals to endorse).
- Members of the clergy (all faiths): endorse a clergy sign-on letter to the GA Board of Pardons & Parole (non-clergy: encourage friends in the clergy to endorse.)
- Work on organizing an event for Friday, September 16th's Global Day of Solidarity for Troy Davis.
- Watch the Amnesty International video series about the Troy Davis case, explaining in depth exactly what is meant by "too much doubt."
Troy Davis' sister on defending her brother's innocence.
Patrice Gaines: We can keep our streets safe without throwing people away.
Why real justice means fewer prisons.
The American problem with mass incarceration is less about crime than it is about how—and who—we lock up.


text:
A research team from Google, George Mason University and the National Security Agency have developed a hardened kernel for the Android 3.0 operating system that could solve the problem of using smart phones in military operations and emergency response.
The kernel, which is in the final stages of certification testing, opens the way for the Army to begin issuing smart phones or tablet-type wireless devices to troops in combat operations.
The White House also is interested because the hardened kernel could help fulfill a government plan to create a secure national wireless network for first responders, Michael McCarthy, operations director of the Army's Brigade Modernization Command's Mission Command Complex, said in an interview with GCN's sister publication Defense Systems at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington on Oct. 10. McCarthy also heads the service's Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications (CSDA) program, the lead organization involved in selecting handheld wireless technologies for military use.
Related stories:
Rising battlefield smart-phone use raises safety concerns
Android a likely target once mobile crime pays
One of the problems vexing Army smart phones has been getting the right security accreditation to operate on military networks and eventually on classified networks. This is particularly important to allow smart phones to connect into battlefield networks, McCarthy said. The initial goal is to get the hardware and software accredited.
"We have to have a way to verify the identity of the user of the smart phone. So it's a triple-level security measure that we have to deal with," he said.
There were delays in getting the operating system accredited until NSA came forward several months ago and offered to expedite the approval process, McCarthy said. The new effort kicked off with a series of meetings with CSDA program personnel and representatives from NSA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The Android kernel is now being tested for a Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification, which is expected by mid-October. "That's the first level of security that we've got to get before we start moving onto being able to ultimately do secret [communications]," he said.
After the testing is complete, it is just a matter of filling out the certification paperwork, McCarthy said. "That is a game-changer for the security business because it then sets the conditions so that in the second quarter [late March 2012] they can do the certification of the Secure Sockets Layer, which then gives us the ability to operate at the classified levels," he said.
In addition to the Army's plans to provide troops with smart phones, the Obama administration was attracted to the technology to support two of its initiatives. One is an effort by the White House Communications Office to move the executive branch from BlackBerry devices to Android-based phones. The reason is because Android devices with the new kernel can be secured at a higher clearance level than BlackBerry devices, McCarthy said.
In June 2011, NSA approached McCarthy about working on the problem. The White House interest came from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, run by federal CTO Aneesh Chopra. "They had apparently been tracking the CSDA project on the Internet for several months, and they wanted me to come and give them a briefing," he said.
McCarthy thought he was going to brief White House staffers, but instead he presented to Chopra, his deputy, senior representatives from the Justice Department and the FBI. The other, wider government interest tied into an ongoing White House initiative to create a secure, wireless national public safety infrastructure. The infrastructure would combine all of the nation's public safety organizations into a secure wireless system, moving first responders away from radio-based systems. "It is potentially a multi-billion dollar effort," he said.
Justice is the lead civilian agency working on the White House effort. There, the FBI and its scientists are the responsible for developing their version of CSDA. The FBI and Justice are also planning to conduct pilot projects, but on a larger scale than the Army, McCarthy said.
One of the concerns behind the government's drive is that the radio communications networks used by federal, state and local response agencies are not very secure. This is a special concern for law enforcement and emergency response organizations' operational channels, which could be subject to interception, spoofing and jamming. "They're looking at replacing radio with a smart phone," he said.
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@Joe The "tracking logs" for "these operating systems" are "disabled" because that's what any hacker would do to cover their tracks. Conspiracy theories are for nuts. Stop being a nut.
So how will the government perform cyber-attacks on itself and blame the Chinese, Iranians or Russians with such secure operating systems? They need to have some issues built-in. Otherwise, they can't justify their massive security budgets.
FYI, Google IS a branch of the CIA/NSA. You don't say the Special Forces AND the U.S. Army are working together. This is sugar coating to keep the public thinking they are a separate entity. Don't be fooled.
And I'm sure the next time AL-CIA-DA has an event, the tracking logs for these operating systems will be mysteriously disabled.
I think that Mr McCarthy is a little over selling when he says that when he gets SSL then they will be able to handle multiple levels of security. It usually takes a little more than SSL to provide the appropriate separation for classification levels within and between devices
Putting national security and public safety comms only on the public cell network is a mistake. They are a very useful adjunct, but they should NEVER be the only available pipe. Cell towers, and the power and back-haul networks that support them, go down. Even if a radio system uses IP connections between towers, in most cases, if that IP connection goes down, people within that tower's footprint can still talk to each other. And in a mass-disaster situation, setting up a portable base station in a trailer is a lot easier than setting up a portable cell tower.
I think the article meant FIPS-140-2 validated crypto modules - not a hardened OS - the FIPS program validates crypto modules.
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text:
Participating Organization(s)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Funding Opportunity Title
Increasing Opportunities in Advanced Heart Failure and Palliative Care Research (R01)
Activity Code
R01 Research Project Grant
Announcement Type
Related Notices
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number
Companion FOA
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)
FOA Purpose
The purpose of this research initiative is to examine the burden of illness imposed by advanced Heart Failure and the complex palliative care needs due to the multi factorial etiology and varying trajectories of disease in this population; Study the medical, physical and psychosocial relationships between disease status, symptoms, psychological and functional conditions, spiritual concerns and QOL; and Develop and test appropriate palliative and end-of-life care interventions for those with advanced HF and their caregivers.
Posted Date
January 21, 2011
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)
April 2, 2011
Letter of Intent Due Date
April 2, 2011
Application Due Date(s)
May 2, 2011, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
AIDS Application Due Date(s)
Not Applicable
Scientific Merit Review
June/July, 2011
Advisory Council Review
August, 2011
Earliest Start Date(s)
September, 2011
Expiration Date
May 3, 2011
Due Dates for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
Advanced Heart Failure (HF) is a life threatening condition that affects nearly 5 million people in the U.S. Not only does it represent a major adverse pathologic consequence of the effect on the heart of diseases originating in many discrete organ systems (e.g. cardiac, pulmonary, renal, endocrine), it also may occur as a negative sequela of pharmacologic exposures such as adriamycin, herceptin, and other drugs used in common multidrug regimens for the treatment of high prevalence cancers among both children and adults. In addition to the multiple etiologies, HF may also progress along various trajectories and may involve years of chronicity before becoming refractory to treatment. Advanced heart failure may therefore play a unique role in enhancing our understanding of the inter-relationships between palliative and end-of-life (EOL) care due to its position as a transition point between palliative care and pre-emptive end-of-life care.
Despite the improving outcomes in HF, one of every eight deaths in the U.S. is due to HF. HF is characterized by symptom burden, diminished QOL, and high costs to the health care system. Although the 2006 Comprehensive Heart Failure Practice Guideline advocates for palliative care, symptom management, referral to hospice and end of life support for advanced HF patients and their caregivers, to-date, little empirical evidence is available to guide palliative care, including hospice, for these patients. Good clinical care can prevent or alleviate suffering for many patients at the end of life by assessing symptoms and providing psychological and social support to the patients and their families. End-of-life care has been identified by the Institute of Medicine as one of the priority areas to improve the quality of health care. This IOM report identified specific gaps related to end-of-life care, such as pain control in advanced cancer and care for patients with advanced organ failure, a topic germane to advanced HF that still needs to be examined robustly. High-quality evidence on palliative or end-of-life care is limited for this condition, and most of the evidence is derived from the literature focusing on patients with cancer. Therefore, this knowledge resulting from this Initiative, and based at least in significant part on a population of non-cancer patients, will fill a specific deficit in what we know to-date. Some important topics in end-of-life care, such as interpersonal and social interventions, remain especially difficult to study and it is expected that this Initiative will stimulate work in this area. Further, to improve palliative care at the end of life is important for patients, caregivers, and clinicians / providers. This Initiative, by laying the groundwork for developing palliative and EOL care interventions among advanced heart failure patients and their caregivers will go far in stimulating this body of work.
Little is known about the burden of illness associated with advanced HF and the complex palliative care needs brought about by the varying trajectories and the many causes of this adverse health condition. Understanding the complex medical and psychosocial care needs of the population suffering from Advanced HF, and the impact on caregivers and family members, requires the conduct of palliative and end of life care research that could ameliorate the negative health outcomes, enhance Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), QOL in general, and manage disease related symptoms that could affect these variables negatively.
The purpose of this research initiative is to explore the complex needs of advanced HF patients; study the medical, physical and psychosocial relationships between disease status, symptoms, psychological issues, functional conditions, spiritual concerns and QOL; and develop and test appropriate palliative and EOL care interventions for those with advanced HF and their caregivers. This concept is consistent with the NINR Strategic Plan areas of Quality of Life, Symptom Management, Palliative Care and End of Life.
Specific research areas of interest for this FOA include, but are not limited to, the following:
Funding Instrument
Application Types Allowed
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) intents to commit $2 Million, for up to 5 awards in FY2011..
Award Budget
Application budgets are limited to $300,000 in Direct Costs per year, and are not to exceed 4 years.
Award Project Period
The total project period for an application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed 4 years.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Higher Education Institutions:
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
For profit Organizations
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are
not eligible to apply.
Foreign (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not allowed.
Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations
as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply
for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following
All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must
also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons
or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons
account of the applicant organization.
All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal
Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an
application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic
groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply
for NIH support.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.
NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. However, when a previously unfunded application, originally submitted as an investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to a funding opportunity, it is to be prepared as a NEW application. That is, the application for the funding opportunity must not include an "Introduction" describing the changes and improvements made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes from the previous unfunded version of the application.
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the "Apply for Grant Electronically" button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
Descriptive title of proposed research
Name, address, and telephone number of the PD(s)/PI(s)
Names of other key personnel
Participating institutions
Number and title of this funding opportunity
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Dr. Yujing Liu
Chief, Office of Review
National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH
6701 Democracy Blvd., Rm. 710
One Democracy Plaza
Bethesda, MD 20892-4870
Telephone: (301) 451-5152
Fax: 301-480-8260
Email: email@example.com
The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional. Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for application submission. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate "optional" components.
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Resource Sharing Plan
Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modifications:
Do not use the appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.
Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.
All PD/PIs must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF 424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
See more tips for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by the National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
In order to expedite review, applicants are requested to notify the NINR Referral Office by email at firstname.lastname@example.com when the application has been submitted. Please include the FOA number and title, PD/PI name, and title of the application.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, or in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?
Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses
well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project?
Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success
presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the
strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be
If the project involves clinical research, are the plans for 1) protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members of both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?
Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact/priority score, but will not give separate scores for these items.
Protections for Human Subjects
For research that involves human subjects but does
not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR
Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human
subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their
participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to
subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the
subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data
and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children
When the proposed project involves clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for inclusion of minorities and members of both genders, as well as the inclusion of children. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.
Vertebrate Animals
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.
Applications from Foreign Organizations
Not Applicable
Select Agent Research
Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).
Resource Sharing Plans
Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).
Budget and Period of Support
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the National Institute of Nursing Research (assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons), in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:
Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA . Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Council on Nursing Research . The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH
will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as
described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
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When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
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text:
Football Iron on Nametape
Click to enlarge | Restore default image
25 Football
Iron on Nametapes
User-friendly Iron On Nametapes
Fun logo/character for easy recognition by young children
Tapes are pre-cut to size with rounded corners
Printed with non-fade permanent inks
Applied using a normal household iron on medium heat
Professionally printed
Bonds permanently to fabric
printed with up to 2 lines of text
Full instructions supplied
These nametapes are just a little bit out of the ordinary, apart from being a name tape with outstanding performance when ironed on according to the supplied instructions, they are also very practical and sold in convenient packs of 25.
Younger children can recognise the Football long before they can read and older children like the designs available so they can be different.
Both the thermally bonded ink and the nametag material itself have been designed for outstanding adhesion and durability and will withstand washing, dry-cleaning, ironing and steam pressing.
Tag size is 46mm wide x 12mm high and are Die cut giving rounded corners to avoid discomfort to the wearer and fraying. They can be printed with up to 2 lines with up to 14 characters and spaces per line.
Our printing quality is exceptionally high, we have digital printers worth thousands of pounds to produce high quality work and fast turn around.
The material is a woven, porous, "nylon-like" material. When printed the ink is thermally introduced into the material, a similar process to tattooing human skin. Like a tattoo the ink will not fade or wash off. It has amazing properties and is almost indestructible.
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Previous: Variable Index, Up: Top
This manual is maintained in Texinfo, and automatically translated into other forms (e.g. HTML or pdf). If you're reading this manual in one of these non-Texinfo translated forms, that's fine, but if you want to modify this manual, you are strongly advised to seek out a Texinfo version and modify that instead of modifying a translated version. Even better might be to seek out the Texinfo version (maintained at the time of this writing as part of the Elephant project at http://www.common-lisp.net/project/elephant/) and submit a patch.


text:
Keith Naughton, Craig Trudell and Tim Higgins
Thursday, 10 January 2013 08:10 AM
In the waning days of 2012, car dealer Gordon Stewart's Chevrolet showrooms were jammed with tire-kickers he hadn't seen in a while: truck buyers. At his dealership in Garden City, Michigan, he sold 44 Silverado pickups in two days, five times his typical sales volume.
"It's been fantastic," said Stewart, who also did brisk truck business in his two Chevy dealerships in Florida and his Augusta, Georgia, store. "Trucks have been a sleeping part of our business that's been almost dead the last couple years. Now all of a sudden, it's catching fire."
After pickup sales sputtered along with the U.S. economy the past four years, 2013 is shaping up as the year of the truck. Home building -- the key economic barometer among the hardhats who buy pickups -- finally is showing signs of life, with housing starts up 22 percent in November. And new pickups from Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. are stimulating interest in a segment that has struggled to gain traction.
This year, pickup sales will top 1.7 million, up more than 50 percent from 2009's low of 1.1 million, according to forecasts from researchers IHS Automotive and LMC Automotive.
"There's going to be waiting lists for trucks over the next couple years," said Adam Jonas, an analyst for Morgan Stanley. "Trucks will outperform the overall industry."
That's especially important for U.S. automakers. Despite all the advances they've made in small cars, Detroit still depends on trucks to haul in profits.
'Cash Cow'
Ford Motor Co.'s F-Series pickup accounts for 90 percent of its global auto profits, while GM's pickups and sport-utility vehicle derivatives generate two-thirds of worldwide earnings, Jonas said. The Detroit automakers control 93 percent of the U.S. pickup market, their last bastion of dominance.
"Trucks are a cash cow for the Detroit Three," Jonas said. "And let's face it, the D3 make the best products."
Detroit's truck prowess will be on display next week at the Detroit auto show. Ford will unveil a concept Jan. 15 of its next generation F-Series pickup in a flashy press conference in Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings, according to two people familiar with the plan.
Ford's new truck doesn't reach showrooms until October 2014, said Michael Robinet, managing director of IHS Automotive. The sneak peek is aimed at stealing spotlight from Chrysler's restyled Ram 1500, which debuted in October, and GM's new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, arriving in the second quarter.
Buzz Battle
"This is about generating as much buzz as possible for the next F-150," said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive in Troy, Michigan. "Their goal will be to get buyers to hold off until the Ford trucks come out."
Ford's F-Series has been the top-selling pickup line in the U.S. for 36 years, while GM's two truck models had led in market share until falling behind Ford last year, according to Brian Johnson, an analyst at Barclays Plc. F-Series, also the top- selling vehicle of any kind in the U.S., had sales of 645,316 last year, up 10 percent.
"My job is to make sure we keep that leadership string going," said Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager, who declined to comment on Ford's auto show plans. "It's a big deal. It's very important. It's the flagship."
Scott said he believes his job will be made easier by all the marketing dollars GM and Chrysler will pour into promoting their new models.
"More advertising and promotion typically results in more activity in the marketplace and more people shopping," Scott said in an interview this week. He said he hopes to steer shoppers to Ford showrooms by claiming that "the others are just catching up to us."
Efficiency Lead
GM and Chrysler see it differently. The Ram with a 3.6- liter V-6 engine surpassed Ford to offer the best fuel economy in a big pickup, getting 17 miles (27 kilometers) per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
That will give Chrysler an opportunity to lure truck buyers from Ford and GM, Fred Diaz, president of the Ram truck brand, said in a Jan. 9 interview.
"Now that we've got the mpg story, we think we're going to see even more and more defections," Diaz said. "To get a tried-and-true Chevy guy or a Ford guy to try a Ram, that's like sacrilegious. But if somebody's in the market to buy a truck, if we can get their butts in our seats, they buy our truck."
GM's pickups, last redesigned in 2006, offer three new engines with fuel-saving technology such as cylinders that shut down to maximize mileage. Additional "fuel-economy strategies" are coming, Mark Reuss, GM's North American president, told analysts in a Jan. 3 conference call, without elaborating.
Market Share
"GM will put a huge amount of marketing resources behind these two products because they are extremely important," said Tom Libby, lead North American analyst for auto researcher Polk & Co. "GM needs to have these launches stop their share erosion."
The trucks will help reverse the automaker's market share slide in the U.S., Mary Barra, the automaker's product development chief, said in a Jan. 8 interview. GM's U.S. share fell to an 88-year low of 17.9 percent in 2012.
"It will have a very beneficial effect," Barra said of the truck's impact on GM's U.S. market share. The new vehicles are "very strong," she said.
GM Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson said yesterday that he expects a "modest" share gain this year. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg is that the company will maintain its 2012 share this year.
Seeking Lead
Ford is seeking to regain fuel-economy leadership by improving the mileage of its next F-Series by as much as 20 percent, said two people familiar with the plan. Ford aims to boost mileage by cutting 700 pounds (318 kilograms) from its truck through extensive use of lightweight aluminum body panels, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified revealing internal plans.
"The fuel economy war in the full-size pickup segment is second to none," IHS's Robinet said. "The old 15 is the new 25. Everyone is trying to get 25 mpg on the highway."
The focus on fuel economy and smaller engines is a reversal for buyers who traditionally believed bigger is better, Scott said. Ford didn't even offer a V-6 engine on the last major redesign of the F-Series in late 2008. Last year, V-6 engines, which Ford added to the F-Series in 2011, were installed in 53 percent of the trucks it sold, Scott said.
"We may be at a tipping point," said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports magazine. "We're going to see a lot of work done on pickups to make them more efficient. Could they be smaller and not have a 10-foot hood? Probably."
Demand Strengthens
The improving mileage on new pickups, along with the strengthening economy, will continue to drive truck owners to trade in their old models, said Lacey Plache, chief economist for automotive researcher Edmunds.com. Trucks on the road today average a record 10.4 years old, according to Edmunds.
"The housing market is the big driver here," Plache said. "People start getting work and they see work ahead of them and they start looking at their trucks, which are older than ever, and they think, 'Well, I could use a new truck.'"
Chrysler is "seeing a lot of people trade in their old rigs for new rigs," Diaz said.
Housing starts rose 22 percent in November to an annualized rate of 861,000, according to the Commerce Department. Morgan Stanley's Jonas predicts housing starts will top 1 million this year, which will expand pickup share of the auto market.
"Consistent improvement in the housing sector is the best positive news you could look for if you're in the full-size pickup truck business," said Ford's Scott, who said it's "reasonable" to expect annual pickup sales to eventually top 2 million in the U.S. "Two million doesn't seem out of the question."
Peak Achievable
Diaz said the truck market could even get back to its peak in 2005, when 2.5 million pickups were sold, accounting for 14.5 percent of U.S. auto sales. Last year, full-size pickups accounted for 11.3 percent of U.S. light-vehicle sales.
"We're finding that we've got more and more customers that are looking at trucks, because of how nice they are on the inside, as their primary mode of transportation and their new family haulers," Diaz said. "More people who have not considered trucks in the past are now considering trucks."
Chevy Dealer Stewart said it will take time for the benefits of the housing recovery to be fully felt in his showroom. Having new trucks to sell as all those contractors return should fix the weakest piece of his business.
"The last few years weren't really bad, they were just minus truck sales," Stewart said. "The piece of the puzzle that was missing was trucks. And now here it comes."
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text:
well its official that three members of DBSk (junsu, Micky and Jaejoong) are now forming a new group of three and will be performing at Tokyo Dome, while Changmn and Yunho are doing their own thing. Do you feel that its right for them to be spliting this way? How do you feel about this new trio, is it just me or is there a lack of... i dont know something! without yunho and changmin things just dont seem the same....
DBSK saranghamnida
as a fan i will support everyone equally no matter what they do as long it is them. i will respect their decision and of course i'll pray that they will be 2gether as DBSK. The one and only . But if there is no other way for them to be 2gether i'll continue to be a fan of all of them and remember how thankful i am as a fan of DBSK
But i think it is not easy for them to forget about DBSK , if not there is no way they will still waiting and not disband . I mean it is almost a year and yet they r not disband. So i think all of them is still in love as a DBSK 's member . Perhaps HOMIN is waiting for JAECHUNSU to come join them and JAECHUNSU want HOMIN to be with them... argh.... i just wish they can settle this as ASAP.
DBSK's Tokyo Dome concert 4-5 July 09
I'm MORE than happy to support solo's and individual growth, but I'm scared that if I do, then 3/2 ratio will get TOOOO comfortable & they won't go back to 5 !!
I fell in love with ALL 5, before I fell in love with the individual. I FEEL SOOOOO TORN!!
TVXQ complete me!!!!!
I'm sorry...but I'm confused. For myself DBSK it's five members...I don't know cuz' I'm not sad but I'm not happy...So so confused I am.
Well I'm not thrilled about JaeChunSu forming a new Unit like this while the lawsuit is still pending, but I'm not angry either. Like Erxmeeza said, I also plan to support the decision of each of the members. I don't think JaeChunSu are doing this to hurt Yunho and Changmin at all. They just want to establish their own identity separate from SM's greedy claws. I actually think the new Unit is a smart way to give a nice blow to SM's ego. (HA! take that SM! ) Afterall, SM DOESN'T want to "cut" the 3 members from their contract, but they DO want to make them MISERABLE by alienating them from Yunho and Changmin, so why not start a new music Unit comprised of the "outcasts"?
I say we wait and see what happens with these upcoming Live performances from JaeChunSu in June. Maybe they have a special message for us. Let's also see if Yunho and Changmin will have anything to say about the new Unit FROM THEIR OWN MOUTHES, not those SM DUMMIES. Until they speak up themselves, I'll be cool with watching at least these 3 on stage.
Catch me before someone else does!
I'm sad that yunho and changmin will not join them......but........i'lL supPort them (junsu, micky and jaejoong) always!!...i'lL always support the five members whether solos or trios.. love them 4ever!..hehehe
✖ G O N E ✖ -find me @-byunkii !!
EmpressB7 I read your comment. Now I understand their story. Thanks. I will support the members
EmoElmo2134 wrote:
well its official that three members of DBSk (junsu, Micky and Jaejoong) are now forming a new group of three and will be performing at Tokyo Dome, while Changmn and Yunho are doing their own thing. Do you feel that its right for them to be spliting this way? How do you feel about this new trio, is it just me or is there a lack of... i dont know something! without yunho and changmin things just dont seem the same....
firstly the will form a NEW UNIT NOT A NEW GROUP :)
I respect their decision and it's our(cassiopeia,I-cassie, Bigeast) job to keep supporting them.
I know we all have mix felling about this sad+happy but let's all pray that this lawsuit thing will end soon and it's all going to end with a hppy ending ;)
We should be grateful enough that our boys going to have a comeback in japan althought it just 3/5 of them. TVXQ love their fan. That's why they're trying to have comeback for us even if it just 3/5. Although i REALLY hope that they will have a comeback as 5 again.
Did you guys read junsu's comment that he afraid to go to singapore (for his brother; Zuno showcase) because he's afraid that cassie will be mad at him because of this issue.He even cancelled the autograph and photo taking session. He really feels the guilty...i feel really sorry for him. Even at the time like this he still thinks about TVXQ's fan. It really shows how he really cared about us. Junsu-oppa we love you, Cassiopeia dont hate you at all.
from onetvxq.com
We just received an emotional message from Junsu. This is what he said to Zuno's manager – "I am very worried when I come to Singapore for my brother's showcase. It is my first time to the country and with so many legal issues going on I had no choice but to pull out from the fans meet in Singapore. I am afraid that my fans will hate me because of this and in turn they won't support Zuno
Always keep the faith, Keep believing in them and keep waiting for them to comeback as 5.
Break out
I'm sad but at least they will still make music!
You love who you love and nothing else matters
Well what is the three member band called&What will Changmin&Yunho be doing by you were saying "There own thing"SO please reply Thnx ^-^
Aim @ saovalee
azngurllee wrote:
Well what is the three member band called&What will Changmin&Yunho be doing by you were saying "There own thing"SO please reply Thnx ^-^
Hey Azngurlee,
Um I don't know exactly who you are asking this question to, but I hope you don't mind me giving you an answer. The 3 members in the lawsuit are using their own first names (Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu) or JYJ for short during performances. Changmin and Yunho have been working on their acting careers lately. Changmin is working on the drama Paradise Meadow, which will air later this year, and Yunho has been doing modeling and interviews for magazines lately. He will also be playing the lead role in the musical version of the Drama "Goong" (Princess Hours) in September.
Hope that answers your question. If you have any more questions, you may ask us at the "Ask Questions Here" thread.
Catch me before someone else does!
as a fan, ill support their decisions all the way! even if its sooo sad :'C but chiyyaaahh
and the 5 of them being split up like this is sooo... disappointing. SO SADDDD!!
it wont be the same anymore!
but best of luck to JYJ, changmin and u-know!!!
i hope dbsk gets back together someday! AKTF
I feel sad. I want to see them all 5 together again. AKTF!<33
AKTF, Baby eternally~^-^
I feel sad and numb...
I miss them terribly... Wanna see 5 of them on the stage and off the stage again..
But still as their fans I hope the best for them.. Goodluck for JaeChunSu :)
gyahahahahaha... *faint* XD
to be honest....i still keep in faith to them....i still hope that they will be to9ether a9ain...in my personal opinion...the jyj and homin are lack of somethin9 in term of their music...i can feel that...their son9s are not as 9ood as before when they were still five....the perfection is lost in the son9...
cr is not like before anymore...


text:
We met up with Mrs. John Conyers when an eighth grade visitor to the Detroit City Council chambers instructed her in the basics of civil discourse. Mrs. Conyers put up a bit of a fight, but 13-year-old Keiara Bell had the better of the argument. On Tuesday Katherine Rosman caught up with the story in the Wall Street Journal. It turns out that Mrs. Conyers is a key City Council supporter of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, whose misconduct has directly cost the city millions of dollars in legal settlements. Mayor Kilpatrick is still on the job working hard — to beat the related perjury rap. Richard Burr summarizes the case in "Motor Mouth City."
In the most recent developments of the story, the Detroit City Council voted 5-4 to call for Governor Granholm to remove Kilpatrick from office. Still on the job, however, Mayor Kilpatrick has vetoed the resolution. The Detroit News reports:
In a 10-page letter sent Tuesday vetoing a resolution asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove him, Kilpatrick warned that ousting an elected official is "irresponsible" and deprives voters of their rights. The city charter doesn't allow him to veto the resolution calling for the start of impeachment-like proceedings next month, but Kilpatrick called the move "legally deficient."
Kilpatrick's letter, drafted by the Law Department, claims the council can only remove him if he was convicted of a felony or "lacked qualifications" to serve in office.
The argument is "brainless," said William Goodman, an attorney hired by the City Council to investigate the $8.4 million text-message scandal that has engulfed City Hall since January. The city charter clearly supports both actions, Goodman said.
It wasn't immediately clear late Tuesday if Kilpatrick's action carried any weight. Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Granholm, declined comment. Some observers called it more saber rattling than a serious effort to derail the council's efforts, since state law only requires the governor receive a sworn statement from one person to begin considering removal of officials.
In the spirit of Keiara Bell, the Detroit Free Press has provided intelligent commentary on the proceedings. In today's editorial, the Free Press observes:
Kilpatrick's behavior Tuesday is all about self-preservation and aggrandizement. What else could explain a move so futile, so redolent of the fantastical ploys you'd be more likely to find in an Alice-in-Wonderland type of story?
On what basis does the mayor really believe he might veto an effort that attempts to remove him for misconduct? It's absurdity gone wild.
And a compelling case study in the challenges of democratic self-rule.
To comment on this post go here.


text:
When the Southeastern Conference unveiled its week one 2013 football season start times, the collective groan from Gator Nation was heard from Key West to Pensacola.
When the Southeastern Conference unveiled its week one 2013 football season start times, the collective groan from Gator Nation was heard from Key West to Pensacola.
For the fourth time in the last six years, Florida was stuck with an afternoon kickoff for its season opener. This Saturday's 12:21 p.m. start time against Toledo at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will force fans to again stock up on sunblock and bottled water.
The burning question is why? Why would the SEC schedule an early-afternoon game for its southernmost member during a month when the average heat index (which measures heat and humidity) is at its highest point of the year?
The answer lies in television, and some factors beyond the SEC's control. Nonetheless, Florida administrators aren't happy about the prospect of another sweltering Saturday opener. They consider it a fan safety issue. In 2011, when Florida began the season against Florida Atlantic (7 p.m. kickoff), only six fans were treated by medical staff for heat-related problems. Last season, when Florida opened against Bowling Green (3:30 p.m.), 105 fans were treated for heat-related issues.
Florida associate athletic director Mike Hill said the school has had positive conversations with the SEC in recent weeks about balancing fan safety and comfort with optimal TV time slots. In five of the past six years, the Gators have had early afternoon kickoffs in early September (Florida faced Troy at 12:21 p.m in the second week of the 2009 season). In 2010, Florida had back-to-back early kickoffs against Miami of Ohio (noon) and USF (12:21 p.m.)
"The heat has to be considered," Hill said. "We all get it. There are 14 teams in this league. We're all in the Southeast, so it's hot in August and September.
"But the Gators have three of the last six openers between 12 and 12:30 and another one was at 3:30, so we've only had two night kickoffs to open the season in the last six years and that's what has to be considered at Florida. The conference has been very receptive to that concern that we've expressed."
SEC executive associate commissioner Mark Womack, who oversees league football scheduling, is aware of UF's concerns. When the SEC signed 15-year TV deals with ESPN and CBS worth a combined $3 billion, it brought in unprecedented revenue to the league and its members. But it also created TV windows that need to be filled.
"We will try to work with our TV partners in the future to balance that out as much as possible," Womack said. "The heat and humidity throughout the Southeast, it's something that we look into."
But Womack said there are a number of variables that go into scheduling start times for football games. Florida's season opener landed on the SEC Network, which produces games for TV affiliates throughout the Southeast Region (the SEC Network will become its own cable channel in 2014). There is no mandatory number of times a team can appear on the SEC Network, though the conference's goal is to have all 14 teams represented at some point throughout the season.
"There are certainly a number of issues to take into consideration, including the significance of the game, whether a game is SEC controlled and then trying to find the appropriate platform for that game to air on," Womack said. "You also have to take into account the number of times they can get on the SEC Network, if it's the only opportunity, or if there are going to be other opportunities."
CBS not starting its SEC football broadcasts until the third week of the season takes away an SEC-controlled 3:30 p.m. television window. Instead, Mississippi State at Oklahoma State landed in the week one 3:30 p.m. TV slot because it will air on ABC (regional coverage, ESPN2 for the rest of the nation) as a Big 12 controlled game.
At 7 p.m., Kentucky will play Western Kentucky in Nashville, Tenn., in a Sun Belt conference controlled game on ESPNU. A storyline will be the coaching debuts of Mark Stoops at Kentucky and Bobby Petrino at Western Kentucky. The SEC could have moved another northern matchup — Murray State and Missouri — from its 7 p.m. time slot to noon, but then would have pitted Florida and Toledo in direct ratings competition with Kentucky and Western Kentucky.
The SEC's expansion from 12 to 14 teams last season has made finding exclusive TV windows more tricky.
"The more games you have, the more challenges you are going to have," Womack said.
A possible solution for Florida would be to open the season with a BCS conference opponent to ensure a prime-time worthy matchup. Florida has traditionally opened the season at home against mid-major opponents to shake off some early rust before the rough-and-tumble SEC schedule.
"There are no plans to change our strategy at this point because there are too many unknowns," Hill said. "Will the conference go from an eight to a nine-game schedule? What sort of criteria will the selection committee use for the College Football Playoff?
"And the reality is, people gloss over this, we play Florida State every year. That is a bear of a non-conference game, and it just so happens it falls at the end of the season. If we opened the season with Florida State, people might have a different perception of who we are playing each year."
To combat the potential oppressive heat, Florida has again put in place important safeguards for fans for Saturday's season opener. Misting stations will be located outside Gate 2, Gate 16, Gate 9 and the upper North end zone Sunshine Seats. Hand fans, sunscreen and cooling hand towels will be available pregame outside Gate 2 of the O'Connell Center, and any fans overcome by the heat with a ticket can enter Gate 1 of the O'Dome to cool off (videoboards inside the arena will broadcast the game). Bottled water will be available for a reduced price (12-ounce bottles for $2) at concession stands.
"When this trend began six years ago and the league first scheduled an early kick for our opener, we put together a plan in place to try to protect fans and provide them access to things to try to keep cool to deal with the heat," Hill said. "In the end, your fans must protect themselves and take necessary precautions as they would if they go to the beach or anywhere else. You are dealing with Floridians so they are used to that heat. But sitting in that heat for three and four hours, you've got to be smart about it."
While the game may be uncomfortable for fans, Florida players view playing a Toledo team north of the Mason-Dixon line as a potential advantage. The Gators have started practice off-and-on during the middle of the day throughout August to prepare for its opening two early kickoffs. Florida's second game of the season, an ACC-controlled game at rival Miami, also will start at noon.
"It could be a huge factor for us, because teams from up north like Toledo and Tennessee, they are not used to this kind of weather," Florida sophomore offensive lineman Tyler Moore said. "It could be a humongous advantage for us."


text:
"UNIQUE" is certainly the best expression for this magazine-box which was developed in co-operation with the IPSC-Vice-European champion GABI GLASER. There are no limits to its individual use. This speed-box cannot only be swivelled 360° but is also adjustable in its elevation.
Colour: black
Article details
|Material INFO:
|The satisfaction of our customers in both authorities, civil, or in sports reflects the high quality and reliability of our products. This starts with the purchase of raw materials. The leather, for example, which we refer exclusively from Austria, Holland and Switzerland, on pure vegetable tanned (vegetable) basis. This includes sleek leather produced in this way no pollutants and is characterized by its compactness. The products made ??from it are very resilient and retain their original shape under high stress. Our manufacturing synthetic materials are selected with great care, which is set for longevity, durability and environmentally friendly production and processing of attention. From this material in our operation, the holster with the latest manufacturing technology combined with traditional craftsmanship produced.


text:
Amnesty International inspectors say conditions in an asylum seeker detention camp on Nauru have created a "climate of anguish" for the men being held there.
The human rights organisation, which released its formal report on its findings on Friday, now wants the federal government to close the centre and return the 387 asylum seekers to Australian soil.
Amnesty inspectors spent three days looking around the offshore processing centre and their report describes the conditions as "cruel, inhuman and degrading".
Amnesty said many of the asylum seekers, who are Sri Lankans, thought they had been sent there purely to encourage them to return to their home countries.
But the conditions are "harsh and repressive", with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees being exacerbated by the gravel ground covering and a lack of trees in the compound.
One asylum seeker told the inspectors: "This place is like an oven. An oven for our bodies and an oven for our minds."
Tents were "very cramped", holding up to 16 people with no room to move between the stretcher beds and asylum seekers also complained of insects and rodents.
Inspectors found at least one leak in every tent, which meant bedding and clothing got soaked whenever it rained.
Amnesty refugee expert Graham Thom said officials had prevented Amnesty inspectors from photographing the camp, despite having been told they would be able to take pictures.
He believes the men are being unlawfully detained and called on the government to close the centre and return all the asylum seekers to Australia for onshore processing.
Amnesty said it would be some months before Nauru had the capacity to begin processing asylum claims of the people in the detention centre.
"Why there was any need to send asylum seekers into these conditions when a serious delay in beginning processing was inevitable remains unclear," the report asked.


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|This article describes a concept which could impact a variety of companies, countries or industries. To see what companies and articles reference this concept page, click here.
Software is ubiquitous in today's business world, where software applications can help us track shipments across multiple countries, manage large inventories, train employees, and even help us form good working relationships with customers. For decades, companies have run software on their own internal infrastructures or computer networks. In recent years, traditional software license purchases have begun to seem antiquated, as many vendors and customers have migrated to a software as a service business model. Software as a service, or 'SaaS', is a software application delivery model by which an enterprise vendor develops a web-based software application, and then hosts and operates that application over the Internet for use by its customers. Customers do not need to buy software licenses or additional infrastructure equipment, and typically only pay monthly fees (also referred to as annuity payments) for using the software. It is important to note that SaaS typically encapsulates enterprise as opposed to consumer-oriented web-hosted software, which is generally known as web 2.0. According to a leading research firm, the SaaS market reached $6.3B in 2006; still a small fraction of the over $300B licensed software industry. However, growth in SaaS since 2000 has averaged 26% CAGR, while licensed software growth has remained relatively flat. Demand for SaaS is being driven by real business needs — namely its ability to drive down IT-related costs, decrease deployment times, and foster innovation.
As SaaS adoption continues to accelerate, traditional software application vendors or ISV's could face fierce competition from SaaS upstarts looking to steal market share. Over time, they could see their existing customers defect, and prospective new customers balk at their product delivery options (or lack thereof) – resulting in lower revenues, operating margins, and profits. Alternatively, ISV's could adopt SaaS models -- hence risking the cannibalization of their own software license revenue. Consequently, the disruption of ISV's offerings would hurt the demand for technology software service/consulting firms, who earn profits by integrating, customizing, maintaining, and upgrading traditional licensed software. On the other hand, pure play SaaS software companies, third - party application hosts, and Internet technology providers all stand to gain with accelerated SaaS adoption.
The Business Applications industry represents software that helps various businesses accomplish their tasks quickly and accurately. Magic Formula stocks in this industry include global leaders such as Microsoft (MSFT), Accenture (ACN), and Electronic Data Systems (EDS), as well as smaller niche players like STARLIMS Technologies (LIMS) and American Software (AMSWA). This is a pretty broad range of providers. Microsoft, of course, makes the ubiquitous Windows operating system and Office productivity software that is used by the vast majority of businesses today. Compare this broad based offering to STARLIMS, which focuses on a very specific niche - laboratory data management.
Business Applications as a sector is difficult to merit. The best opportunities here are either those companies with a large installed base or a very specific niche. For example, American Software produces Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, a way for clients to track their resources and allocate them efficiently. However, this market is controlled by software giant SAP AG (SAP), who has much larger financial resources, name recognition, and client base. For the companies with a large installed base, like Microsoft, switching costs are high because it would require a lot of time and money to re-train employees to use a new system. Additionally, since everyone knows Microsoft tools, the network effect is in place, making adoption of Microsoft's software necessary for smooth sharing of information across business segments or with customers.
Another broad based industry, Development Tools consist of software that is used primarily for product development and management, as opposed to business process management. Companies in this industry are usually focused towards one type of product. Stocks here include Cadence Design Systems (CDNS), a provider of semiconductor design tools, and Logility (LGTY), which provides inventory management systems.
what the hell is this?
In truth, the line between Development Tools and Business Applications is not well defined to me. A stock like Autodesk (ADSK) is classified by many as a Business Applications company, but in truth it's AutoCAD software is used in product development. On the other hand, Adobe Systems (ADBE) is correctly identified as a Development Tools company. In any case, Development Tools is a less attractive sub-sector. Here, technology can wipe out any competitive advantages. New methods or advances in product design can lead to quicker development times, cheaper production costs, etc. As in Business Applications, the best way to build a lasting competitive advantage is to become an industry standard. Take Adobe for example. Although there exist many Photoshop clones, some free and almost all cheaper, there is little risk to Adobe. Graphics professionals are trained to use Photoshop in school, are comfortable with it, and do not want to take the time to learn something else unless it provides a very great advantage.
The software market has matured from its days of double-digit growth back in the era of the Internet bubble to presently growing in the mid - to high single digits. This general industry maturing, the trend of outsourcing, as well as the mitigation of security and operational control risks, have all contributed to the accelerated adoption of SaaS delivery models.
The hyper-growth of the past, driven by cutting edge applications and the scarcity of solutions to improve productivity, seems to be largely behind us. Today, corporate buyers often have the ability to choose among a myriad of comparable software solutions–including lower cost SaaS solutions. SaaS not only alleviates the costs of traditional perpetual licensing fees but also eliminates the need for additional IT infrastructure investments to support new applications. In addition to fewer up-front costs, SaaS is often easier to discontinue or substitute, reducing switching costs. Nowadays, many buyers are applying the same fundamentals to technology purchases as they have been to other acquisitions – focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI). While comparing traditional CRM software packages, a recent study from the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) found that the TCO of the Salesforce.com CRM SaaS offering was 10 - 20% of the TCO of traditional CRM. The consensus seems to be that SaaS could lead to a potentially weaker bargaining position for sellers of traditional software products, and a stronger position for SaaS solution providers.
SaaS is a version of business process outsourcing (BPO) since it delivers software functionality without the overhead of operating the application. Outsourcing has become an increasingly important enterprise strategy, given that the IT outsourcing industry has grown at an average rate of 7.3% CAGR since 2003. Whether offshore or onshore, if companies are comfortable outsourcing key business functions and processes, then why not the operation of their software applications as well?
SaaS has long been considered a potential security and operational risk because it often requires that proprietary company data be transported outside of the confines of the internal network. However, the recent availability of better remote security technologies and data redundancy tools, together with the five nines availability of many SaaS vendors, may prove SaaS to be less risky.
Salesforce.com and RightNow Technologies (RNOW), both leading pure play SaaS solution providers, are in the best position to directly gain from adoption. The new delivery model has given them the opportunity to effectively compete with entrenched industry giants. Additionally, the predictability of their cash flows resulting from an annuity model make them appealing to many investors. SaaS has already influenced software sectors such as customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), web conferencing, human resource management (HRM), financial management, and E-commerce/email; look for it to invade other established sectors such as enterprise resource management (ERP), project life cycle management (PLM), computer security, and collaboration software in the future.
Electronic Data Systems (EDS),Equinix (EQIX), and SAVVIS (SVVS), all leading third-party network hosting companies, stand to benefit if they decide to take advantage of the transition to SaaS models by paying ample attention to SaaS application developers and their needs and adding SaaS software providers as customers. Furthermore, those hosts that support the trend could have a commanding lead over their late adopting competitors in this arena. It is important to note that EDS also provides IT/Software consulting services (see Who Stands to Lose).
Akamai Technologies (AKAM) and VeriSign (VRSN), two leading Internet technology providers who benefit from increased Internet usage, stand to gain as more enterprises access their applications via the internet using SaaS. Akamai offers a Web application acceleration solution that enables SaaS providers to deliver services to any enterprise regardless of size and geographic distribution, and VeriSign provides SaaS security-related web technologies such as hosted email security and filtering.
Google (GOOG) announced the $625 million acquisition of Postini, a provider of corporate security and anti-spam services. The search advertising giant may leverage this acquisition as part of their overall online applications offering, which includes email, chat, documents and spreadsheets, among others.
The evolution of SaaS effectively lowers barriers to entry in the software space as well. SaaS-type sales can occur further down the management chain than legacy, full-scale, enterprise-class business, which is geared to C-level decision makers. This enables organizations without large sales organizations to make effective in-roads at the grass roots level by appealing to programmers/developers. An example of a company that is building such a strategy is Actuate (ACTU), which is focusing on an open-source platform as they compete in the Business Intelligence space.
Microsoft (MSFT) and Oracle (ORCL), traditional ISV giants, as well as Cognos (COGN) and Intuit (INTU), two examples of traditional ISV niche players, have the most to lose as SaaS vendors position themselves to steal market share. Vendors who ignore SaaS could be at a competitive disadvantage long-term if the trend continues, while vendors who adopt SaaS early may be in a stronger competitive position. Larger ISV's adopting SaaS could face challenges because of the changes in network architectures (often but not always using service-oriented architectures or SOA) required to successfully exploit SaaS opportunities. Also, it is important to reiterate the risk of these traditional ISV's cannibalizing existing licensed revenues. Most industry analysts agree that it is unlikely that SaaS will replace traditional software licenses. What is likely, however, is adoption of hybrid models where both traditional software and SaaS delivered software co-exist. It will be interesting to see which companies seamlessly make the transition to having a SaaS option and which do not.
Accenture (ACN), IBM Global Services, and Electronic Data Systems, leading software/IT consulting companies, because they provide services to ensure that enterprise software works properly, stand to lose because these services are performed in-house by SaaS companies. With SaaS, clients may no longer need an Accenture (ACN) to show up with a large team of people for months at a time (sometimes years) to integrate, maintain, or customize enterprise software. Dis-intermediation is a risk for these consulting firms. It is important to note that IBM in particular has tried to embrace SaaS, aiming to substantially boost the number of SaaS software providers using IBM technology to host their SaaS offerings.
Dell (DELL) and Sun Microsystems (JAVA), leading examples of Network Infrastructure OEM's, may see reduced demand for their products because network resources are used more efficiently (often reused) in a SaaS driven SOA environment. Imagine a world in which individual companies aren't required to operate their software in house. They may spend less on servers and storage devices, among other equipment. Those equipment manufacturers who effectively develop hardware to support SaaS delivery may be able to mitigate their downside, while others could find themselves struggling to compete and losing market share.


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The government and the military have been using game technology for a number of years, taking advantage of the fact that a good game engages users and enables them to learn more effectively than if they were, say, sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture.
This is probably especially true in the military, where the students tend to be a bit younger, have been raised on video games and need to learn concepts like teamwork and fire control — which are best discovered by actually doing them — only without the inherent dangers of getting it wrong.
National Defense Magazine reported that game efforts in government are getting ramped up, with the Army planning to award a $44.5 million contract to whichever company can produce the best video game-like simulation.
The military already has a pretty good training game, albeit one that shows why the military is looking for something new. Created in 2007, it's called Virtual Battlespace 2. It was developed by Bohemia Interactive, which also created the successful mainstream battlefield game Operation Flashpoint, which shares many of the same features as the military version. And to an outside observer, Virtual Battlespace 2 looks pretty good, with lots of interaction and large, realistic environments. Someone who doesn't play a lot of video games might see the demonstration video and think that it's pretty high tech.
The problem is that many soldiers and sailors play a lot of video games. They see a game like Battlespace 2 and might cringe at how primitive it seems. Take a look at a modern, open-world title like Far Cry 3, ogle the lush scenery, the crazy man-eating tigers, the crystal blue vacation-guide water (which you can swim in) and then hear the crack of your Dragunov SVD sniper rifle as you engage a car-load of hard charging insurgents…er, pirates. I guess the bad guys in FC3 are pirates.
Sorry, I got a little carried away there. But I hope you see my point. Soldiers who have played games like Far Cry 3 for hours on end are going to look at something like Battlespace 2 and be a bit disappointed that they have to play it for hours on end. It may not be as bad as sitting in a lecture hall, but the educational value of such an experience is going to be a little hobbled by the boredom factor. And these are the kinds of soldiers who could benefit most from a good game simulation.
To be sure, games like Far Cry 3, or Medal of Honor or Call of Duty aren't realistic. The emphasis is on fun, not proper maintenance of your weapon or respecting the chain of command. If you tried some the of the things you did in Far Cry 3 in real life, assaulting an armed camp with a pistol while flying past on a zip line, hunting rabid dogs with an RPG, tossing grenades into a fuel depot to see how big a boom you can create, you would die. And that's not very good from a training perspective.
But that doesn't mean that the simulations can't improve. The end goal is to better prepare soldiers to do their jobs when things get real. Perhaps when they are pinned down or ambushed in real life, they won't panic because it happened in the game. Instead, they will follow procedure and get out alive. And for that training to be effective, it has to be engaging, so it's great that the military is starting to catch up with the times.
Posted by John Breeden II on Jan 18, 2013 at 9:39 AM
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Yes, it is not as detailed as say Battlefield series of games or others on the market, however, it is not scaled like those games to equal out weapon capabilities to enhance game play, but focuses more of the physics of the weapons systems and real world situations. It also allows us to build the scenarios to practice mission essential tasks from individual to collective levels and evaluate them extensively in the AAR module. You will get military personnel who will want to use this software on their own accord outside of the office or units just because of the stuff I have stated and the ability to simulate actions missions they have performed in the "big sand box". I know I down loaded the full blown edition back in 2008, but never got around to utilizing it due to busy schedule at work (not out of lack of interest). Excellent article.
I play ARMA 2, which looks like the civilian version of the military game. It's not Far Cry 3, but is probably an upgrade from what the Army is playing now. They should just consider updating their gear to be able to play it. And then of course there is also a zombie version which is pretty fun. And who knows, might be useful one day. http://www.arma2.com/home_en.html
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Author, activist, and performer, Renee Glover, and her alter ego MisKnickers, are back again today for Part 2 of her appearance on this The Erotic Mind show.
But wait, you didn't miss Part 1 of this chat, did you? Well not to worry if ya did, because you can find it and all my podcasts in the Podcast Archive right here on my site. All ya gotta do is use the search function in the header; type in Podcast #380 and Voilà! But don't forget the #sign when you do your search.
Last week, Renee read a sweet little selection from one of her stories that involved kissing! This week she promises something decidedly more dark and edgy. Hold on to your hats, folks, because I hear tell Renee can get really twisted when she puts her mind to it.
Renee and I discuss:
- Erotica as a performance art;
- Adult storyteller, MsKnickers;
- What will bring her to The Emerald City;
- The Talking Dirty Workshop;
- Becoming herself, the difficulties of growing up;
- Writing as a kid;
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US Hypocrisy: Pushing For Maximum Damages For Infringement, While Settling Its Own Piracy Bill For Less
from the but-of-course dept
That said, what strikes me about this is that at the very same time that the Army was ignoring all of this and clearly infringing on the terms of its license, the US government has been pushing a zero tolerance approach to copyright infringement both at home and around the globe. You have Homeland Security and the Justice Department both ramping up prosecutions of intellectual property violations. You have the US State Department going around the globe pushing for stricter and stricter enforcement. And, of course, you have the USTR trying to negotiate draconian criminal penalties into international agreements for copyright infringement.
Hell, if we count each excess installation as a separation copyright violation (and, for what it's worth, there's a reasonable argument that under copyright law multiple installations of the same file only counts as a single violation, rather than multiple -- but the DOJ itself has argued that each copy should count as an individual infringement), and then multiply by the $150,000 that's the top of the line for statutory damages for willful infringement (which this appears to be), the government would have had to pay somewhere around $1.4 billion. And, again, the DOJ itself has regularly argued in court that $150,000 per infringement is perfectly reasonable.
And yet, here, when the US government itself has to pay up, suddenly it gets to do so at a great discount? And this won't change a damn thing in how the rest of the government goes around the globe pushing for extreme punishment for infringement, insisting super high statutory rates are needed to "teach a lesson." Apparently, though, it's a lesson that doesn't apply to the US government itself.
This is part of what's so ridiculous with statutory damages. Copyright holders and maximalist defenders insist they're reasonable... until they realize that they're also infringers. And then suddenly they think it's reasonable for a much, much, much lower number. What a bunch of hypocrites.


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Hillary Clinton's turn to ask questions came late in this morning's appearance by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, a reminder of how junior she is in the Senate, notwithstanding that her campaign is based largely on her purported experience. Hillary consumed most of her allotted time by delivering a speech rather than asking questions. Her speech was notable for its defensiveness and for the fact that it ignored the hours of testimony that went before.
First, the defensiveness:
Before I ask you any questions, I just want to respond to some of the statements and suggestions that have been made leading up to this hearing and even during it, that it is irresponsible or demonstrates a lack of leadership to advocate withdrawing troops from Iraq in a responsible and carefully planned withdrawal.
I fundamentally disagree.
Rather, I think it could be fair to say that it might well be irresponsible to continue the policy that has not produced the results that have been promised time and time again at such tremendous cost to our national security and to the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States military.
Next, the obliviousness to what had gone before:
[T]he purpose of the surge, let's not forget, as described by the Bush administration, was to create the space for the Iraqis to engage in reconciliation and make significant political progress.
However, since General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker last testified in September, even General Petraeus as recently as three and a half weeks ago has acknowledged that the Iraqi government has not made sufficient political progress.
In fact, the morning's proceedings had been spent largely discussing the very real political progress that has been made since Petraeus and Crocker last addressed these same Senators. Petraeus politely amended Clinton's incomplete characterization of his comments, which were made to the Washington Post:
First of all, Senator, if I could just comment on the — that Washington Post article, what I said was that no one was satisfied with the progress that had been made, either Iraqi or American, but I then went on and actually ticked off a number of the different areas in which there had been progress and talked about the different laws that Ambassador Crocker has rightly identified in a number of other areas in which, in fact, there's been progress, although not satisfactory progress, as I mentioned, in the eyes of either Iraqis or Americans.
And so, that was the thrust of what I was getting at there, because there has, indeed, been progress in the political arena and there actually has been progress in a variety of the other arenas, as Ambassador Crocker laid out in his opening statement.
A third aspect of Clinton's comments should also be noted: the lack of any conclusion. This is how she wrapped up her remarks:
I think it's time to begin an orderly process of withdrawing our troops, start rebuilding our military and focusing on the challenges posed by Afghanistan, the global terrorist groups and other problems that confront America.
I understand the very difficult dilemma that any policy with respect to Iraq poses to decision-makers. If this were easy or if there were a very clear way forward, we could all perhaps agree on the facts about how to build toward a resolution that is in the best interests of the United States, that would stabilize Iraq and would meet our other challenges around the world.
Of course, troops are already being withdrawn from Iraq, in an orderly way, in response to conditions on the ground. How Clinton's "orderly process of withdrawing our troops" would differ from what is now underway, she did not explain.
It's noteworthy too, I guess, that Clinton didn't call General Petraeus a liar this time. That in itself may signify that the political dynamic on Iraq has changed. Sen. Wicker made a sly reference to Clinton's performance last time Petraeus and Crocker were in town:
It's been pointed out by previous questioners the dramatic difference that has occurred in Iraq since the surge began and since you last made your presentation to the Congress.
There's no question that the situation is better now, it's better than when the surge began and it's better than in September. It would take a major suspension of disbelief to conclude otherwise, to conclude that things are not much improved.