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Cases of Relapse (Teeth Shifting Back) After Invisalign?
I had braces for a little over 2 years when I was 12. I am now 26 and my teeth seems to have shifted back to their original position. I have slight overcrowding and an overjet on my upper teeth. I want to know, can Invisalign correct this? How likely are the teeth going to shift back after this treatment? Thank you.
Doctor Answers 3
Yes, teeth can relapse after Invisalign!
July 6th, 2009
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But the beauty of Invisalign is that you get clear retainers afterwards that look and feel just the Invisalign trays, so patients are more likely to wear them as opposed to the old plastic and wire ugly retainers of yesteryear.
All teeth will shift after teeth straightening if not held in place or a couple years. I always tell my patients that retainers need to be worn forever at nite if they want to keep their straight teeth. I still wear my retainer and I had braces 20 years ago.
Invisalign retainers to prevent teeth from shifting back
July 7th, 2009
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After you complete your Invisalign Treatment, you will wear retainers at night (still clear/invisible, comfortable Invisalign trays) to prevent your teeth from shifting back. You get new retainers 2 or 3 times per year and the new retainers keep your teeth in the ideal position.
Invisalign is a perfect solution for relapse after braces
July 6th, 2009
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Invisalign is perfect solution for relapse of braces. Invisalign should resolve slight overcrowding and slight overjet easily. However, in general, any kind of tooth movement needs to have retention program for good prognosis by using retainers for life.
Invisalign Pictures
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as
a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you
have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute
or initiate a patient/doctor relationship. | {
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Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart
Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart
Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart have some pictures that related each other. Find out the most recent pictures of Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart here, and also you can get the picture here simply. Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart picture posted ang uploaded by Admin that saved in our collection. The collection that consisting of chosen picture and the best among others. These are so many great picture list that may become your inspiration and informational purpose of Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart design ideas for your own collections. we hope you are all enjoy and finally can find the best picture from our collection that posted here and also use for suitable needs for personal use. The Inspiration for Your Kitchen – mpmkits.com team also provides the picture in High Quality Resolution (HD Resolution) that can be downloaded by simply way. You just have to click on the gallery below the Kitchen Trash Cans Walmart picture. | {
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Fighting For God And Country
(CBS) A new documentary examines religious discrimination in the U.S. military. Should American forces be fighting for God as well as country? Here's Susan Spencer of 48 Hours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------When it comes to the role of religion in the military, a famous saying from World War II seems to sum things up:
"There are no atheists in foxholes."
Immortalized in the 1942 film "Wake Island," the line reinforces the idea that there' s just nothing quite like bombs and bullets to convert a non-believer.
Whoever decided that owes Jeremy Hall an apology.
Army Specialist Hall was a turret gunner who has been deployed to Iraq twice. His Humvee came under fire - a bullet nearly killed him - but he didn't find God, and he wasn't looking…
"I'm an atheist," Hall told Spencer. "I just don't have any belief in supernatural, any forces - deities, luck, fate, destiny - that's about it really. It's very simple."
And he says atheism has cost him. After he refused to join in a prayer, he says he was ostracized and passed over for promotion. He sued the Army for discrimination. Then he was threatened when word got out that he had filed a lawsuit.
"They had found out who I was," Hall said. "And I had about six to eight guys following me around in Qatar. And they were saying stuff like, 'atheist ass pirate,' 'faggot,' 'I'm gonna beat your ass.'"
Things got so bad the Army assigned him a full-time bodyguard.
Hall's lawsuit is the latest skirmish in the debate about whether the military has become, in essence, a Christian organization. This, in a country that has "In God we trust" on its currency, but separation of church and state in its constitution.
"You gotta be able to minister to soldiers of all different faith groups, and some who don't have faith groups," said Chaplain David Shurtleff.
Chaplain Shurtleff is based in Fort Riley, Kansas. He says protecting the rights of those non-believers is essential, but he doesn't see any harm in a voluntary prayer.
"It's a two-way street," he said. "And so, you know, the atheist soldier should be happy that some of his band of brothers were able to have that religious experience, whereas, you know, there was no pressure put on him to participate in it."
Try telling that to Mikey Weinstein.
"It's very hard to argue when we have the evidence, the clear evidence - not just implicitly, but explicitly - that we're turning our American military into government-paid Christian missionaries."
Perhaps no one in America is as angry about Jeremy Hall's situation as he is.
"In the U.S. military today, if you wanna get ahead, well, you're promoted by who you pray with," Weinstein said.
You'd be hard pressed to find a family more dedicated to military service: Weinstein's father was a distinguished graduate from the Naval Academy's class of 1953. He's a graduate of the Air Force Academy, as are both his sons and his daughter-in-law.
But in 2005 his love affair with the military came to an abrupt halt, when his son Casey experienced virulant anti-Semitism at the academy.
As documented in the film "Constantine's Sword," Casey Weinstein said, "I never heard it in high school - if people knew I was Jewish, they never made any point, never got mentioned. But once I got to the academy, I became so aware of it, that I was different."
The Pentagon investigated, and said mistakes were made, admitting to "incidents where some superior officers and some cadets were engaged in inappropriate religious behavior."
Suspecting this was but the tip of the iceberg, Weinstein started the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and got a torrent of calls.
"We just recently went over 7,500 members: active duty members of the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force, Reserve and Guard, and vets, both officers and enlisted, who have come to us, you know, begging for help."
As evidence that Christianity is being forced on soldiers, there is a promotional video from a group called the Christian Embassy shot inside the Pentagon and featuring several generals.
Then there's the Web site of the Officers Christian Fellowship, which has representatives on nearly all U.S. military bases worldwide.
"They're unabashed about it," Mikey Weinstein said. "Goal number one, they wanna see 'a spiritually transformed United States military.' Goal number two, with ambassadors for Christ - now listen to the prepositional phrase 'in uniform.' Now parenthetically that hasn't worked out too well for planet Earth the last 2,000 years."
The Air Force Academy discrimination case is the subject of a new documentary, "Constantine's Sword," in which the Academy is characterized as putting their "stamp" on conservative Christian ideology.
Oren Jacoby, the film's writer and director, said, "As a filmmaker, I like to find stories about people who have real courage."
"Going back to the Roman Empire, when Constantine first made Christianity the state religion, it's a very dangerous thing when military might and religious fervor come together, because it inflames people. It inflames hatred of the 'other.'"
Critics say being perceived as a Christian army on a crusade is especially dangerous today, lest our country be seen as engaging in a holy war.
"I don't see it as a major problem," Carr said. "But it is something that requires attention so that it doesn't become a problem.
"I think the important part for the military is to be inclusive," he said. "When it does gather together, if a prayer is offered, that that prayer would not be faith-specific, naming, for example, Jesus Christ or Allah, but instead would lift the spirits of those that are present."
Carr points out that the generals in that Christian Embassy video were told they were out of line. Any evangelizing, he says, is strictly against the rules.
Carr said it is his firm belief that Christianity is not pushed in the military, "except in rare cases.
"Some people don't recognize that they've made an error. That's why we coach each other in the rules of the game, so that we respect each other and respect our traditions."
But that wasn't his experience, said Jeremy Hall, whose discrimination case is winding its way through the Kansas courts.
And where does his experience leave him as far as the military goes?
"I have about a year left in the military," Hall said. "I did plan to make a career out of it. I still love my country. I still love the service. But I don't believe you can continue to work for somebody who's infringed upon your rights.
"I hope the military changes. And if it does, I might just come back in."
And whether he wins or loses in court, just for the record, that old saying "There are no atheists in foxholes" - true?
Online Public Information File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or [email protected]. | {
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Three missing after plane disappears off Hawaiian island
Three people were reported missing Saturday after a small plane vanished from the radar off in Moloka’i, Hawaii.
As reported by CNN, the Cessna 172 aircraft left Moloka’i Airport in route to Honolulu Friday when it fell off radar about four miles east of Ilio Point.
Search teams are now looking the individuals who were on board. The Coast Guard said an aircraft, helicopter and coastal patrol boat were part of the search and rescue effort. However, high wind speeds and poor visibility were reported at the time of the incident, which could have played a factor. | {
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Religious fathers proposed government's intervention to save one of world's sacred places of Christianity, Deir al-Sultan Monastery, which they also said is on brink of collapse.
The holy site owned by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) according to the fathers is lone representation of black people despite contraction due to years of scramble by other denominations of Christianity.
Recently, the holy place has come to the spotlight once again as clash broke out between Israeli forces and Egypt's Coptic church on planned renovation works to renew the roof of the monastery. Later, EOTC holy Synod has condemned Egypt's Coptic Church attempt to mislead the Arab world and influence Israel aiming to prevent the renovation decision.
The Synod also expressed disappointment over Egypt's unfounded claim of ownership in what it said unfounded and fabricated one.While Egypt has tried to halt Israel's move of refurbishing the heritage, renovating the roof according to religious fathers, is a must do task to save the sole holy acquisition of the black Christian community in the monastery.
"Without the holy place, Ethiopia's history would be incomplete,” says a religious father under the condition of anonymity, adding that:" the place has deep connections since the visit of Queen of Sheba.''It was granted to Queen of Sheba by King Solomon and has remained to be Ethiopia's holding ever since.”Various documents show that when the Egyptian took control of Jerusalem as Ottoman surrogates, (1831-1840) compounded by a plague that claimed the lives of Ethiopian monks and nuns in 1838 may have opened loopholes to Egyptians to secure the gate’s key (Negussay Ayele (n/d), Deir Sultan, Ethiopia and the Black World)."What other claimants have been doing was inhuman, unholy and distortion of facts," as to the source.
The place in fact is one of the holist ones for Christianity, but the reality is a far cry.
It has been in precarious condition especially in the part of Ethiopia's section.
Due to the “Status Quo" - the controversial 1852 decree, issued by the then-Ottoman rulers of Jerusalem, to put an end to the arguments, innovation works become difficult, he adds.
"The options are now either to let it collapse or renovate the site. There must be a breakthrough in the deadlock. We should not set back and see the sacred place breaking up. "
The place has long been in precarious condition that it is even hard to liturgical processions. To the contrary, the Egypt's section is by far in better condition, he noted, adding: “Our former fathers had tried to protect the place.”
Later the church failed to assign multilingual and knowledgeable fathers who can handle and manage this important possession, according to him.To make matters worse, while the Ethiopia's government was doing nothing about it, Egyptian government, though knows the fact that the monastery belongs to Ethiopians, has been nationalizing the issue, as to the source.
“Discussions should be held at government levels involving Ethiopia, Egypt and Israel.” There is nothing the church can do about it. Now the highest responsibility rests on Israeli government to save the place.”
Ethiopia has uncontested right but Egyptian have forcibly been trying to forfeit its ownership which saw the size diminishing over time, says Aba Yohannes Worku, a theologian and Scholar of Intellectual History and Cultural Studies.
“I personally witnessed the situation of Ethiopian monks and nuns in Dier al-Sultan. It’s heartbreaking, to say the least.”
The Egyptian monks are well aware that the site does not belong to them. It historically belongs to Ethiopia who has been there since time immemorial. But the Copt’s conspiracy has been there for well over centuries to weaken Ethiopia's ownership of the sacred place, he argues.
However, he says the place which incorporates important events of both Old and New Testaments has been the only historical and holist holding of the black community.“It is a good step that Israel has now begun renovating the heritage. The Israeli move is promising one that would corroborate Ethiopia's ownership. The Israeli know well that the holy place belong to Ethiopia.”
Tel Aviv should have settled the matter long time ago but they wanted to remain neutral to avoid diplomatic row with Egypt, he says, adding that it has only been striking balance between the two churches.
Melake-Mhiret Aba Abreham Abebe, is Head of EOTC Church based in Egypt. To him, Israel is willing to renovate the place, Ethiopian government need to encourage the move and closely follow the matter."Egypt church has no historical and legal rights to claim the heritage. It has no any other holding in Israel. Paradoxically, Cairo is taking the issue to the wrong turn," he adds.The government of Ethiopia has only been a bystander doing nothing to stop Egypt's unfair treatment of EOTC. The issue should no longer be left only to the church, according to Aba Yohannes."Given its connection to Ethiopia's history and religious values, the government must stop turning blind eye. It needs to exert utmost efforts."
Expressing as he visited the site, he said Egypt’s aggression has been ongoing quite a while.
"Our forefathers have been able to preserve the sacred place even at the expense of their life. But many of our holdings were taken forcibly.
This Egypt's church aggression and other environmental factors have got Ethiopia's position in the monastery into trouble, he said, adding the church’s stubborn act has prevented renovation work and the recent clash with Israeli forces is also continuation of their unjustified acts.
"Their action should draw worldwide criticism and condemnation," he notes.
"Ethiopians had paid lots of sacrifices to protect the holy site and it would be up to this generation to perpetuate it.”
The government must lobby Israeli government while Ethiopians across the country must voice their concern about the scared site.
"We have many uncontested documents on Ethiopia's ownership but there has never been support from the government side.” Egypt is wrongfully claiming the site while its church has no legal and historical proofs.
In fact, Ethiopian and Egyptian churches have made attempts to make deals but fell short of yielding success. We need to expose Egypt's unjustified claim and years of unfair aggression,” he concludes.
Regarding how the site gets in their hand, many writers related it with the deadly plagues which are rather mysterious.
The plague was even associated as sourcing from Ethiopia’s parchments. “In the year 1838 when plague struck Jerusalem and all the Ethiopian monks died, the Copts took over the monastery and, according to the Ethiopians, burned the library containing the documents which validated the Ethiopian claim to Deir es-Sultan.” Robin Twite (2003), Africa in Jerusalem - The Ethiopian Churchess.
This is not to mention the various testimonials including from Greek and Armenian Orthodox Church patriarchate in Jerusalem that proven as Ethiopia’s ownership starts from time immemorial in letters dated 1321 and 1905 respectively.
And it was the bubonic disease that helped the Copt’s to distort facts; and honest and respected persons like Francis Stephan in a letter dated 1221 clearly stipulated as Ethiopia is the rightful owner of the holy place.
The Israeli government’s renovation efforts have parked the light at the end of the tunnel, and diplomatic efforts have to be accelerated from the Ethiopian side. The asset long-protected by the Ethiopians is also humanity’s heritage and the renovation works should not be politicized as the Copt’s are attempting to do so.
AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 140 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 140 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Monrovia, Nairobi and Washington DC. | {
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Brothers In Arms Foundation Charity Golf Classic
This golf tournament raises funds for a local hero, GYSGT Jonathan Gifford and all veterans and their families. It will celebrate those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
The Brothers In Arms Foundation was founded in 2009 and is an all-volunteer veteran operated
nonprofit organization. We “fill the gap” by providing financial and logistical support to disabled
veterans, active duty, and immediate family members of Marines & FMF Navy Corpsman who have
been wounded, fallen, ill or injured while serving within Marine Special Operations Community
(encompassing MARSOC, Marine Force Reconnaissance Companies and Battalions).
In addition to family specific programs, we assist Special Operations Marines & Corpsman in the
following ways:
• Donate/purchase airfare, food/lodging and transportation to Service Members, Veterans and
family members visiting wounded or fallen Marines
• Purchase medical supplies for wounded Service Members & Veterans recovering at home
• Donate money to special projects supporting Service Members & Veterans
• Donate money to families needing assistance with relocation due to a family member in a
rehabilitation hospital
• Education and Childcare financial assistance
• Home modification assistance for Service Members & Veterans disabled in the line of duty
We welcome donations for the silent auction and if you would like some ideas on the types of items
and services to donate, please contact me and we can discuss a variety of options.
Please help to make this event a memorable and successful one. With your support, we can
make this an annual event that brings the community together raising funds for this important
organization every year. Join our effort to show our respect, admiration, and support for our military
and their families. | {
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Steampunk Corset white / brown
Extravagant Gothic Corset with brass buckles
The Victorian Steampunk fashion is a highlight in the alternative scene because of their exceptional designs and cuts.The detail crafted with love creations can be particularly at festivals such as examine the WGT.
The Steampunk Corset white / brown is coated with a pretty, white lace and at the ends it ends with brown faux leather.As a stylish eye-catcher appeared the brown imitation leather each to three broad stripes on each side, which are fitted with brass rivets.The precipitated brass buckle closure is also an eye-catcher. | {
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Inspiration
Around here, we’ve heard lots of myths about sleep. The truth is simple, though; humans are animals, and just like other animals, we need sleep, food, water, and oxygen to live. Sleep is important to your health.So as much as you want to believe that all-nighter won’t catch up with you, don’t be fooled. Here’s a list of some of sleep related old wives’ tales, debunked.
You can ‘catch up’ on sleep.
Nope. According to the experts at the National Sleep Foundation, catching up on sleep is a thing of dreams. The studies say, “even when you sleep an extra 10 hours to compensate for sleeping only 6 hours a night for up to two weeks, your reaction times and ability to focus is worse than if you had pulled an all-nighter.”
Adults needs between seven to nine hours of sleep every night in order achieve peak performance during the day. Sleep deprivation has been linked to many health problems, including obesity and high blood pressure, bad moods, depression, and decreased productivity. So create a solid sleep schedule and try to stick to it.
If You’re Tired While Driving, There Are Ways to Stay Awake.
Hmm… This one is dangerous. Really, we suggest that you pull over to the side of the road in a rest area or that you check into a hotel if you’re starting to doze off. Opening your window or turning up the radio is not a safe solution, according to the NSF. Drinking a coffee or a caffeinated tea can be helpful, but only for a small period of time – and at a certain point your body needs sleep to stay alert. So don’t drowsy and drive!
If you’re tired during the day, it means you’re not getting enough sleep.
In most cases, this is true. But in serious cases it could be a sign of sleep apnea or narcolepsy. If you truly feel like you’re getting enough sleep at night, but are still sleepy during the day, you should discuss your symptoms with a doctor. Being foggy during working hours can have an adverse affect on your performance, and even wreak havoc on your emotions.
Your brain rests while you’re sleeping.
Well, not really. Your brain stays very active while you sleep, and it’s your body that gets rest. During sleep, your brain is still awake and controlling your bodily functions, but its being recharged – sort of like a battery.
If you can’t fall back to sleep in the middle of the night, stay in bed.
Lying awake in the middle of the night is a symptom of insomnia, according to the NSF. If this happens to you, you could try to relax by doing deep breathing, or by ‘counting sheep.’ But if you’re awake for more than 10-15 minutes, the foundation suggests that you get out of bed and try a relaxing activity like reading a book or listening to music. Try not to watch the clock!
There are many other myths about sleep out there, so your best defense is to get informed. Talk to your doctor, or stay on top of reliable sources online. If you’re curious, have a look at the National Sleep Foundation website. | {
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Are your finances and personal wealth dictated by rules and regulations, or do you use what has already been set as the playing field for your creation?The tools of Right Riches for You allows you to look at what systems apply to your financial reality and how you can use them to your advantage."Problem is a possibility with a point of view attached."-Steven Bowman, Right Riches For You Facilitator
What forgotten points of view have you been living with for long that you can’t see the possibilities right in front of you?
In this class, start to uncover what is in your way of a flexible financial future where the systems you work with, work with you. | {
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INTJ: The Mastermind!
ARCHITECT PERSONALITY (INTJ, -A/-T)
It’s lonely at the top, and being one of the rarest and most strategically capable personality types, Architects know this all too well. Architects form just two percent of the population, and women of this personality type are especially rare, forming just 0.8% of the population – it is often a challenge for them to find like-minded individuals who are able to keep up with their relentless intellectualism and chess-like maneuvering. People with the Architect personality type are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but they do not squander their energy.
Nothing Can Stop the Right Attitude From Achieving Its Goal
With a natural thirst for knowledge that shows itself early in life, Architects are often given the title of “bookworm” as children. While this may be intended as an insult by their peers, they more than likely identify with it and are even proud of it, greatly enjoying their broad and deep body of knowledge. Architects enjoy sharing what they know as well, confident in their mastery of their chosen subjects, but they prefer to design and execute a brilliant plan within their field rather than share opinions on “uninteresting” distractions like gossip.
“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”
Harlan Ellison
A paradox to most observers, Architects are able to live by glaring contradictions that nonetheless make perfect sense – at least from a purely rational perspective. For example, Architects are simultaneously the most starry-eyed idealists and the bitterest of cynics, a seemingly impossible conflict. But this is because Architect personalities tend to believe that with effort, intelligence and consideration, nothing is impossible, while at the same time they believe that people are too lazy, short-sighted or self-serving to actually achieve those fantastic results. Yet that cynical view of reality is unlikely to stop an interested Architect from achieving a result they believe to be relevant.
Every time I take this test, no matter where online I take it, I always get a hard INTJ result. Here are my results for this one, and you can also take the test yourself. When you guys are ready I would be willing to form our new team of Supervillains: | {
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The gold price was down 15–30% in various currencies that we track in 2013, mostly due to investment underpinned by ETF outflows. That obviously had a negative impact on our sector. Now, the gold price has been ..
06 Feb 2014
Many junior miners have an ace up the sleeve, and that is commodity price leverage. Joe Mazumdar, senior mining analyst with Canaccord Genuity, sat down with us to share what he looks for in junior companies with a lot of commodity price leverage. In this interview with The Mining Report, find out why bigger isn't necessarily better when it comes to gold mining projects, and why the market is favoring uranium explorers over producers—for now. Mazumdar also shares names of gold companies with "bite-sized" capital needs from Burkina Faso to California, as well as the apples of his eye in the Athabasca Basin, where management teams with significant track records are heading up promising exploration programs.
The Mining Report: The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) global index dropped 50% during the past year. Where is the silver-gold lining in this cloud?
Joe Mazumdar: Financing risk for the junior mining sector was highly elevated, to say the least, in 2013 and remains a source of uncertainty in 2014. To reduce the risk of financing a project, we seek projects that generate double-digit returns in the current pricing environment. We also look for management teams with the technical capacity to not only build and operate a mining project, but also to successfully execute the business plan, which includes permitting the project and attracting good personnel. We want to mitigate the technical and execution risks inherent in a project by selecting these management teams. As senior management cannot mitigate all risks such as geopolitical and financing risk, we seek projects in manageable jurisdictions where the management has appreciable relevant experience. Another key is that the underlying asset requires a manageable or "bite-sized" upfront capital requirement.
To be clear, we tend not be overly attracted to projects with significant production profiles that move the needle for large producers. These projects tend to require significant upfront capital expenditures, which puts one at the extreme end for financing risk, and do not offer the returns that investors are currently seeking. We are interested in projects with smaller annual production profiles (100,000–150,000 ounces [100,000–150,000 oz]) that can interest an intermediate acquirer and provide a decent internal rate of return (IRR). At that level with a good IRR, an intermediate can show growth that would not move the needle for a major, as well as provide a return for its shareholders.
TMR: In terms of financing, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have negatively affected the positions of shareholders in the mining spaces. Do you see any change in that phenomenon?
JM: Since inception, the ETFs have eroded the premiums of gold mining companies. But most of the erosion has happened among majors and intermediate producers, less so for junior developers and explorers, as they do not actually produce gold and do not attract the same investor base. In the last year, in our analysis of the sensitivities of gold equities to the gold prices, we have certainly seen that the junior sector is best for investors who want high beta to the gold price.
TMR: Let's talk about mergers and acquisitions (M&A), which are always germane to junior mining companies. How are those getting funded in today's financial environment?
JM: As producers have not seen share price depreciation to the extent that juniors have, suitors have tended to finance their M&A transactions predominantly through shares and less so with cash. Some deals include cash as an incentive to make the deal transactable—or to avoid having to go back to the shareholders for a vote to complete the transaction. We saw a cash component in the hostile bid by Goldcorp Inc. (G:TSX; GG:NYSE | Buy rated covered by Tony Lesiak) for Osisko Mining Corp. (OSK:TSX | Hold rated covered by Rahul Paul). That deal was positive for the gold sector because it provides confidence to shareholders that majors can be disciplined enough to make accretive transactions and not always make their acquisitions at the peak of the cycle.
The fall in the junior mining sector over the past few years and the "U-shaped" recovery make this a buyer's market. In part due to the underlying financing risk, developers and explorers are trading at low historic multiples. The potential suitor, whether it be an intermediate or a major, can be very selective, as the ability to "transact" these acquisitions is high. Potential acquisitions will be suitor specific where the nature of the jurisdiction, as well as the suitor's comfort level with developing and operating that asset, will come into play.
Suitors will acquire assets to diversify their asset base and/or add to their development pipeline with inexpensive options. While a few years ago a company would pay up to $70/oz for gold ounces in the Inferred category, currently it may be able to acquire for the same price or less ounces in the reserve category that may already be permitted for development.
TMR: Gold prices in India have dropped from a September high. What is your demand outlook for physical gold in India and China?
JM: Because India suffers from inflation and a weak currency, the local gold price has remained relatively high. India also has imposed duties and restrictions on the importation of gold. Nonetheless, gold still gets into the South Asian nation—albeit with less transparency than a few years ago. The bottom line is that India is buying physical gold because the underlying demand for it remains strong. In 2013, gold continued its flow from West to East with ETF outflows and growth in physical demand by China and India. China is the largest player in the gold market as it has replaced India as the biggest consumer of gold and is also the largest producer.
TMR: How do these trends affect the stock prices of junior gold companies?
JM: The gold price was down 15–30% in various currencies that we track in 2013, mostly due to investment underpinned by ETF outflows. That obviously had a negative impact on our sector. Now, the gold price has been flat to up, but because the betas are so high, the sector as a whole has moved up. Companies that were down over 60% came up almost that much in the month of January, and the gold price itself has not moved that much. We are seeing hypersensitive stocks with high betas to gold react to shifts in the gold price and the re-emergence of an underlying M&A bid for these stocks due in part to the current depressed valuations.
We are looking for companies that may be considered as M&A targets but with management teams that have the capacity to go it alone if the offers are less than attractive. Companies that lack these management teams will have no choice but to take the bid. I encourage investors to seek junior mining stocks where the underlying assets generate double-digit returns (>20%) under the current price environment. Note that companies seeking debt financing for projects are having their assets stress tested to gold prices of US$1,000 to US$1,100/oz.
TMR: Do you have any picks for us?
JM: One company that stands out is Orezone Gold Corporation (ORE:TSX | Spec Buy rated covered by Joe Mazumdar), which has rebranded itself from developing its Bomboré asset in Burkina Faso as a low-grade, open-pit milling operation on the oxide and sulphide ore that is marginal at current gold price levels to seeking to develop an open-pit, heap-leach scenario on the oxide portion of the resource. Orezone released a scoping study to provide the market a preliminary glance at the economics of the heap-leach scenario last week, which generates a >20% return applying our gold forward curve. The bite-sized capital requirement of US$200 million helps provide that level of IRR. The asset is located in a manageable geopolitical jurisdiction that has seen some M&A activity in the latter part of 2013.
Orezone is planning on delivering a feasibility study on the heap-leach scenario in the latter part of 2014. The management team has considerable experience in vending projects to majors in Burkina Faso. Not long ago, the CEO vended the Essakane gold project in the northern part of Burkina Faso to IAMGOLD Corp. (IMG:TSX; IAG: NYSE | Hold rated covered by Tony Lesiak).
TMR: What makes Burkina Faso attractive?
JM: Burkina Faso has 1) a significant geological endowment, 2) a streamlined permitting process, 3) other operating mines and pools of trained workers. The execution risk is not as high as in some West African nations. The combination has attracted some M&A activity in the area in the latter part of 2013. We saw B2Gold Corp. (BTG:NYSE; BTO:TSX; B2G:NSX | Buy rated covered by Rahul Paul) acquire Volta Resources Inc. (VTR:TSX). We saw Centamin Plc (CEE:TSX; CNT:ASX; CEY:LSE | Speculative Buy rated covered by Dmitry Kalachev), seeking diversification from Egypt, acquire Ampella Mining Ltd. (AMX:ASX). In our opinion, Burkina Faso and Ghana are two of the more stable countries in which to look for companies that can attract M&A bids.
TMR: What else is on your radar?
JM: We also favor Castle Mountain Mining Co. Ltd. (TSXV:CMM | Speculative Buy rated covered by Joe Mazumdar). This is an open-pit, heap-leach development play in California's San Bernardino County. I know that some are wary of California, but this is a permitted project that was a producer in the 1990s (Viceroy). Castle Mountain Mining continues to derisk the potential restart and declared a resource with a significant amount of Indicated resource. We anticipate a scoping study out by February 2014. This is a micro-cap play that may represent an easy bolt-on for an intermediate. We find it quite attractive.
TMR: How has the market been treating Castle Mountain over the last period?
JM: We started covering it in October 2013 when it traded at $0.40/share. It has come up 50% since then after it released a resource update in the latter part of 2013. Our current target price of CA$1 is based on its M&A potential and the further derisking to come through the delivery of a scoping study and eventually a feasibility study. Remember the project already has a permit to develop the deposit as it was left on care and maintenance after the previous operation was reclaimed.
I also want to draw your readers' attention to another open-pit, heap-leach project in California (Kern County): Golden Queen Mining Co. Ltd. (GQM:TSX | Speculative Buy rated covered by Joe Mazumdar). It is also a permitted open-pit, heap-leach development play but with 2P reserves known as Soledad Mountain. The company is currently breaking ground on the Soledad Mountain project. The project's proximity to infrastructure such as rail, highway and power are advantages for controlling potential capital escalation.
TMR: Is that an old mine that was producing?
JM: Soledad Mountain was previously an underground mine. Golden Queen has been working to restart it as an open-pit, heap-leach project. It has taken a while to permit because the firm had to deal with changes in the reclamation laws in California, which involve certain levels of backfilling of waste and limits on the mining rate, among other requirements. Golden Queen Mining has joined Castle Mountain and Midway Gold Corp. (MDW:TSX.V; MDW:NYSE.MKT | Hold rated covered by Joe Mazumdar) that have permitted open-pit, heap-leach projects in the southwest U.S.
TMR: Is anything happening for you in the uranium space?
JM: Uranium prices, with spot prices hovering around US$35/pound (US$35/lb) U3O8, have hurt producers. However the deferral of capital projects and prospects for a growth in demand from Asia, specifically from China, are positives. Given the long lead times from exploration to production, we favor junior explorers in the sector within low geopolitical jurisdictions such as the Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan.
We cover Fission Uranium Corp. (FCU:TSX.V | Speculative Buy rated covered by Joe Mazumdar), which we believe has an outstanding project along the southwest margin of the Athabasca Basin. Drilling over the past year or so has returned phenomenal results that indicate a shallow average depth of the U3O8 mineralization. We currently estimate a resource of 34–35 million pounds (34–35 Mlb) grading 3.6% U3O8. It may be fully valued at 34–35 Mlb U3O8, but the attainable goal is to declare a resource greater than 50 Mlb.
Fission just released its first round of preliminary results from its 30,000 meter 2014 drill program, which were excellent. The news flow will keep going until March or April 2014, when the winter program ends, but we should still be seeing assays for another two months following that. Some of Fission's zones of U3O8 mineralization are technically amenable to open-pit mining at a pretty decent grade—well over 1%. Saskatchewan is a very good geopolitical jurisdiction. Fission will, in our opinion, require further derisking in the form of a maiden resource estimate leading to a scoping study to attract any significant M&A bids.
TMR: Are there any other promising uranium juniors operating in the Athabasca Basin?
JM: Our 2014 Junior Mining Sector Watch List is composed of some uranium exploration companies that have management teams with explorationists who have discovered or worked on well-established deposits in the Athabasca Basin. Two companies that we prefer are spinoffs from the merger of Fission Uranium and Alpha Minerals Inc. (delisted). Alpha Exploration Inc. (AEX:TSX.V) is one of them. It is run by the old Alpha Minerals team, who were also part of the old Hathor Exploration Ltd. team. So it has quite an excellent track record. The team recently accepted an award at the Vancouver Mineral Exploration Roundup just last week for discovering the deposit. The other spinoff is Fission 3.0 Corp. (FUU:TSX-V), which has the same management team as Fission Uranium, which, incidentally, won an award. [Editor's note: Ross McElroy Fission Uranium CEO won the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada 2014 Bill Dennis Award for an important Canadian discovery and prospecting success.] Both of those companies have stellar management teams that have been there and done that in the basin.
And in terms of investing in people who are comfortable where they are working and who have a history of finding the U3O8 mineralization and converting it to resources, I like Forum Uranium Corp. (FDC:TSX.V). The company is run by a management team with a track record of discovering with major uranium players such as AREVA SA (AREVA:EPA).
TMR: I have noticed that there is a bit of a disparity in the stock performance of the uranium industry in the Athabasca.
JM: The disparity between the valuations of producers and explorers is in our opinion due in part to the fact that the Broker Average price is trading around the marginal cost of producing a pound of uranium for some producers. The low spot price, and the long-term price as well to some degree, is a function of a surplus in part resulting from the protracted reactivation of the Japanese nuclear industry. Depending on a company's exposure to spot prices and the quality of the underlying asset, margin squeeze may be an issue.
Uranium explorers, however, are focused on the long term where one seeks the incentive price to bring a project forward. The thesis for the long term is that China is planning on expanding its nuclear capacity. There is a long lead time—10 years—to finding, developing, permitting and actually producing uranium. The time is ripe now for exploring, especially in low geopolitical jurisdictions that offer high-grade deposits such as the Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan. That accounts for the dichotomy between an explorer that's exposed to the long-term incentive price that people are modeling at over $65/lb and producers that are exposed to spot levels of $35–37/lb.
TMR: Why should our readers invest in uranium stocks over the Dow Jones' best performers?
JM: Because if there is a potential shortfall in uranium going forward, investing in explorers is the way to go. The uranium explorers in Saskatchewan did quite well with respect to financing last year, whereas the producing companies suffered. In our opinion, in 2013, uranium was one of the few sectors in the junior mining sector that attracted investor interest.
TMR: Does that analysis apply to gold as well?
JM: In terms of the precious metals sector, we are witnessing a slow rebound from the June 2013 low on the TSX Venture. We urge your readers to follow well-run companies exploring for or developing assets that can generate decent returns in the current gold price environment. These are companies, we believe, that will attract financing. Junior companies with assets that represent out of the money options may continue to suffer if gold remains sideways to down.
TMR: Always a pleasure, Joe.
JM: Thanks for inviting me, Peter.
Joe Mazumdar joined Canaccord Genuity in December 2012 from Haywood Securities, where he also was a senior mining analyst focused on the junior gold market. The majority of his experience is with industry including corporate roles as director of strategic planning, corporate development at Newmont in Denver and senior market analyst/trader at Phelps Dodge in Phoenix. Mazumdar worked in technical roles for IAMGold in Ecuador, North Minerals in Argentina/Chile and Peru, RTZ Mining and Exploration in Argentina and MIM Exploration and Mining in Queensland, Australia, among others. Mazumdar has a Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of Alberta, a Master of Science in geology and mining from James Cook University and a Master of Science in mineral economics from the Colorado School of Mines. | {
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Gratitude
As hard as it was to be away from my family on Thanksgiving, I still have so much to be grateful for. So very much. Here’s my [extremely truncated] list.
1. Peter. Having a partner that makes me laugh every day, forces me to let go of the small things, and constantly encourages me to aim higher and dive deeper. I mean that last one literally.
2. My crazy-lovin’, laugh out loud, outrageously hysterical sisters. They never fail to give me shit, and I rarely finish talking to them without nearly crying with laughter.
3. Old friends.
4. New friends.
5. New family members.
6. Living in a country where Black Friday doesn’t exist. I am so thankful for this.
7. Technology. I could not live the life I’m living without the amazing advances of technology- Skype/Viber/Email/FaceTime. It eases the distance and makes the thousands of miles not seem quite so far.
8. I’m grateful for new opportunities, for different doors being opened. | {
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Lidia's Kitchen
LIDIA'S KITCHEN is a paean to the importance of mealtime. Over the course of 26 episodes, Daytime Emmy winner Lidia Bastianich conjures simple, seasonal and economical dishes with grace, confidence and love. She teaches viewers to draw on their roots, allow for spontaneity, and cultivate a sense of home in the kitchen. Lidia makes rustic staples, including oatmeal biscuits, apple cider-braised pork shoulder, potato pizza, salmon with mustard sauce, country onion soup, lentil country salad and Grandma Rosa's apple cake. Filled with tips and techniques collected through years in the kitchen and at the family table, Lidia channels her passion . . .
Wednesday, Sep 11, 2019 - 9:30 PM
"Everything Rice"
Today is all about rice, and Lidia teaches viewers how to master the technique of making risotto. She starts with an Italian classic, risotto with mushrooms. Next is red onions stuffed with rice. D | {
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Chevrolet Colorado Rally Concept
First revealed at the Buenos Aires International Auto Show in June 2011, the double-cab Colorado Rally Concept communicates strength through every square centimeter of its bodywork. It aims to deliver maximum authenticity and was designed with a rally raid category in mind.
With its wide, confident posture, 18-inch aluminum wheels with mud terrain tires, a height-adjustable (up to 50 mm) suspension system and Fox Racing Shox shocks (travel distance: 140 mm), the second show version of the Colorado midsize pickup truck communicates durability and performance. The first Colorado show truck was unveiled at the Bangkok Motor Show in April this year and is powered by a 2.8-liter turbo-diesel engine.
Large headlamps with LED lighting elements, Chevrolet's signature dual-port grille, a carefully sculpted hood and muscular fiberglass fenders define the Colorado's front appearance. Two additional lights let into the front edge of the roof and into the side mirrors, acrylic rally-car windows with air inlets and front and rear tow hooks underscore the car's off-road credentials. Two 5.5 hp winches have been incorporated into its front and rear bumpers.
While the Colorado's bodywork is painted with a triple coat of pearl white and sprinkles of 'golden' particles, its roof and bumpers, the stylized roll-bar as well as the inside of its load bay, which carries a spare tire and tool boxes, are made of charcoal-colored plastic. The decklid has two large openings for improved aerodynamic performance and a better rear view. Other details include the exposed fuel cap and, of course, the Chevy bowtie that is proudly emblazoned on the front and the decklid.
Inside, designers focused on ergonomics, safety and functionality. A dark, ash-grey color dominates the interior, which contrasts nicely with the silver painted roll cage and other metal details. The occupants sit in neoprene-lined seats with orange stitching whereas the upper instrument panel is made of textured leather.
A high-performance steering wheel designed for aggressive handling helps the driver navigate the truck through rough terrain. It features integrated LEDs that function as a quick display tachometer. Direction-finding assistance is provided by a satellite navigation system positioned in front of the navigator. The Colorado's five-point seatbelts are directly attached to the roll cage. Meanwhile, a dedicated fire-extinguishing system ensures that any fire in the passenger cabin and the engine compartment is quickly brought under control.
Further interior highlights include:
A master switch that is integrated to the center stack. It has two key functions: starting the engine and disconnecting every system in the vehicle, in case of an emergency.
An "air boost" system that quickly cleans the cabin after the car has entered a dust cloud during an off-road chase.
A hydration pack positioned behind each seat. A food solution is delivered to the occupants through a small tube. | {
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Oh for crying out loud! First you find fault if her hair is straight, then she has her curly hair and you find fault with her makeup? I'm just becoming more and more irritated with this whole fashion police thing with the Oscar red carpet. | {
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Prep Tips: Steam whole artichokes, then dip the leaves in tangy light vinaigrette dressing. Or, once steamed, stuff a mixture of cooked whole–wheat couscous and Parmesan cheese between the leaves and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Scoop up the delicious stuffing as you pull off the leaf and enjoy!
Apricots
Nutrition Facts: Blushingly beautiful and full of vitamins A and C, fiber and potassium. Potassium helps maintain normal blood pressure.
Prep Tips: Add sliced apricots to cereal or dice into whole–grain muffin or pancake batter. Or make an apricot salsa by tossing together diced apricots, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and cilantro with a squeeze of lime juice.
Asparagus
Nutrition Facts: These spears signal spring and are a good source of vitamins A and C. Also high in folate, a B–vitamin that helps form healthy red blood cells.
Prep Tip: Sprinkle spears with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast until tender and brown. Or chop raw or cooked asparagus and add to stir fries or salads. Serve steamed, chilled spears and other veggies with low–fat dip.
Butter Lettuce
Nutrition Facts: This tender lettuce is rich in vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C and folate. Butter lettuce is full of vitamin K too, important for bone health.
Nutrition Facts: Famed for its licorice–like flavor and funny looks, fennel also is a good way to get fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Vitamin C may help promote a healthy immune system.
Prep Tips: Fennel has a white bulb–shaped base and pale–green stems topped with green, feathery fronds—all edible. Chop the base and stems, toss with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, and roast until brown and tender. Stuff fish with fronds and lemon slices, then grill.
Prep Tips: The pungent flavor of mustard greens is deliciously different in green salads. Or sauté them in a little olive oil, then add a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of chopped, toasted walnuts.
Strawberries
Nutrition Facts: These juicy berries say "spring" like no other! They're also great for vitamin C. In fact, a serving of strawberries (about eight strawberries) has more vitamin C than an orange. | {
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While people are quietly mourning the implications for Silicon Valley, I actually think this move will open up new spaces for startups, although reducing some of the acquisition demand. Others are mourning the implications for Yahoo's open source projects. But I have to wonder if there is an upside of cultural injection.
Overall, this was Ballmer's way to give an answer to the Street for the one repeated question that drove him nuts. Now I wonder if Google is feeling lucky. And the same question for enterprise software giants.
While people are quietly mourning the implications for Silicon Valley, I actually think this move will open up new spaces for startups, although reducing some of the acquisition demand. Others are mourning the implications for Yahoo's open source projects. But I have to wonder if there is an upside of cultural injection.
Overall, this was Ballmer's way to give an answer to the Street for the one repeated question that drove him nuts. Now I wonder if Google is feeling lucky. And the same question for enterprise software giants. | {
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https://goo.gl/G7XNtW | {
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Each month, Bright Light shows brawlers devastating battle strategies they can use on the battlefield. Now it's your turn because this is the third guest strategy installment where brawlers come up with devastating battle strategies. Lets see what our latest guest strategist, Aquamentus, has on their Aquos strategy.
Aquos "Full Silver Salvo" Strategy
Necessary components:
-Silver Nugget (Gate card)-Quick Jump (Ability card, though any Blue Ability will work)-Any two Silver Bakunano (For this example, we'll use a Silver Bombaplode at 80G, and a Silver Hyper Pulsor at 70G)-Aquos Infinity Helios (700/800/850/1000/1050/1200G, set to 1200G)-Any Aquos Mechtogan (For this example, we'll use an Aquos Venexus Titan at 230G)
While a fairly simplistic strategy, this is one of Aquos's lastest and most ruthless tactics that come in the first wave of Mechtanium Surge. Silver Nugget is a Silver Gate card that not only offers a 130 bonus to Aquos, but allows players with Aquos or Subterra Bakugan in battle to get a +100G bonus to each of their Bakunano. Now normally you should be careful with cards like this as your opponent could use its power against you, but on average, Aquos and Subterra are the least common attributes you will experience in the game, so you should be pretty safe from this strategy backfiring.
Now the rest is simple. Load up your Mechtogan with Silver Bakunano, play your ability, and get a massive bonus. This strategy is amazing because one, it only requires two Bakunano, an Ability, and one support piece AND you get to reuse your Bakunano after the battle, and two, because this doesn't just give a big bonus. It will give you one of the biggest bonuses this game has ever seen:1200+130+230+80+100+70+100+90=2000G
So even if you don't win the battle, your opponent will practically empty out their unused pile catching up with you, leaving the rest of the game for you to hit them while they're left with nothing to fight back. And all you did was play a support piece, one Ability, and some Nano. Simple, effective, conservative, and devastating. Everything a good Aquos brawler needs to win. | {
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I must say I do like the audio version. I think it adds more personality to someone’s blog posts. I was just wondering, is there a way to play the recording without sending it to a different page? I would like to read along with you. Just curious. But I really did like it 🙂 And I love the post!
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Powers:Colin Hume has the mutant ability to create objects of solidified air molecules, dubbed "hard air." He commonly uses this ability to create shields or entrap others, but he can also project a stream of molecules for flight and to fire concussive blasts. He can also solidify the air around him and release it as a concussive explosion, or he can even transform liquids and gasses into solids, although he does this very rarely.
Bio:Colin Ashworth Hume was a Canadian expatriate who grew up in England. As an adult, he found work as a special operative, using his mutant powers for the superhuman division of Roxxon Oil Corp's United Kingdom branch. Roxxon Oil gave Hume a suit of armor and the code-name Windshear.
On one assignment, Hume investigated Roxxon Oil's energy research facility in Colorado, which seemed to have been taken over by an outside force. Hume was unable to thwart his foe, and Roxxon called in Madison Jeffries, then a member of Canada's Alpha Flight as Box, to deal with the problem. Jeffries soon realized the true nature of the problem- Roxxon had discovered the comatose body of James Hudson, formerly the hero Guardian, and attempted to use him for their own purposes. Jeffries, with the help of the mutant Forge, soon revived Hudson even as Roxxon executives hoped to destroy Hudson and their facilities in an explosion. Hume, upset over the truth of Roxxon's practices, returned to Canada with the members of Alpha Flight, and he was soon accepted onto the team.
Hume soon grew into his role as a superhero while also lending his executive talents as Cheif Administrator. He even became a mentor for Alpha Flight's trainee team, Beta Flight. Eventually, the Canadian government disbanded its sanctioned teams, and Hume returned to England.
Hume set up a curio shop to sell objects created with "hard air," and his objects command a high price. When the hero team Thunderbolts was investigating a series of murders committed with bullets created out of hard air, they investigated Hume and learned of Roxxon's connection.
More recently, after reality was twisted by the Scarlet Witch, many of Earth’s mutants were stripped of their powers. Colin Hume was revealed to have been among these, as his mutant energy signature was recognized as having been absorbed by the Collective. | {
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Lars von Trier, who’s refrained from doing press following his 2011 Cannes blowout, has been teasing his latest work, the two-part sexual epic "Nymphomaniac," via a sly poster, stills and a mysterious website. Today, the first footage from the film has made its way online.
Culled from the first chapter of "Nymphomaniac" (the two-part film is composed of eight chapters total), the clip doesn’t feature any of the film’s principal players (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Uma Thurman,
Shia LaBeouf and Stellan Skarsgård). Instead, it follows heroine Joe (Stacy Martin; Gainsbourg plays her in her later years) and her friend B (Sophie Kennedy Clark) as they set their sights on a pair of boys on a train. We can only guess what happens next.
Magnolia Pictures is handling the Stateside release for both the hard and softcore cuts of the film. They have yet to announce a release date. It opens in Denmark on Christmas Day, just in time for family excursions to the cinema. Watch the scene below.
Comments
Janno
May 12, 2016 1:46 pm
That clip certainly didn't entice me to see more. I have really loved some of his past work (e.g., Dogville), but this seems to be an attempt at juvenile attention mongering. We are in a world literally drowning in hardcore sex on the net, so a commercial film that is quasi-hardcore seems quite boring. Whether there's more to it than that, we have to see more, but it doesn't look promising. | {
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In search of humanity
It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Eliot quote — Daily Inspiration
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot Mary Ann Evans known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. See Also:- Inspirational Rumi quotes How to boost your Immune system The post… | {
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Get Stronger and Burn Fat (a 6 Week Workout Plan and more)
Before you skim this piece and miss it, take note: there are free workouts to download in this post, and there’s a Strongfigure apparel order at the end that you cannot miss out on!!
Get Stronger and Burn Fat.
Most people come to Strongfigure with two main goals: to get stronger and burn fat. And who wouldn’t want to accomplish both of these goals? Personally, it’s always been a goal of mine as well: see how strong I can be while eating as much as I can get away with and stay somewhat leanin the meantime–ha!
These goals are hard for most people. Especially as you age or if genetics are against you, or even if you have limiting factors like injuries, metabolic damage from previous dieting, or a crazy busy work-home schedule that doesn’t allow you much gym or prep-time.
Here is a 6 Week Metabolism Boosting WorkoutPlan(click to download) that helps build strength and lean muscle. Did you know that the stronger you are and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn daily, and the more you can also EAT?! (Isn’t that the best part?!)
To burn fat, not only does having a lot of lean muscle help us–because we’re burning so many more calories per day (studies have shown anywhere from 50+ extra calories per day per pound of muscle) — but performing HIIT cardio (high intensity interval training) activates the cellular function of stubborn fat. That means, the more intense you can perform your cardio, the faster your ability to burn fat–especially in the stubborn areas.
A note on performing HIIT: longer doesn’t mean better. I always say to people that if you can do HIIT for more than 20 minutes, you’re not working hard enough. Your intervals shouldn’t really last longer than a minute at a time. Personally, I’m a fan of tabatas (20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest) or intervals such as 45:15, 30:30, even 30:60 (work to rest ratio).
Just six minutes of HIIT can add an additional 200 calorie-burn to your metabolism. Try doing 3-4 of these HIIT sessions per week and if you love them, I actually have a book on Amazon called 365 Metcons. Yup, 365 different HIIT workouts. Check it out when you’re looking to add a little extra cardio conditioning to your training.
HIIT on your own schedule.
My 365 Metcons book is perfect for working out at home or in the gym. But if you’re pressed for time, you want someone to tell you exactly what to do each day — including warm ups, rest days, and stretching advice, check out my monthly workout programming! It’s designed to be done at home, but you can easily do it in a gym as well. You’ll need a kettlebell, a jump rope, a resistance band or two, and a slam ball. Time to build that home gym you’ve always wanted!
Don’t forget to EAT!
If you start adding extra workouts to your training, or you change your training to incorporate heavier weights, or even if you’re a beginner tackling exercise for the first time, do NOT make this rookie mistake that is made WAY TOO OFTEN:
EAT MORE.
Eat more when exercising more. The biggest culprit to getting a stalled/slowed metabolism and actually gaining weight (especially stubborn fat — think belly and hips for women and love handles for men) is by exercising more and eating less. Either continue to eat what you’re eating or even add some more food to your plan, but don’t sacrifice food because you think you’re going to lose more weight faster. You’ll likely lose muscle, some fat, slow your metabolism and BMR, and ultimately plateau which means a long struggle to overcome.
If nutrition is stressful to you and you want some help, I would be more than happy to help. I’ve got a few coaches on hand (including myself) and we can do anything from calculate macros for you to monthly nutrition coaching, to even working with you one on one with you for several weeks to teach you about food, fuel, and metabolic re-boosts! If you’re interested in that, check out our coaching page at coaching.strongfigure.com.
StrongFigure Apparel Order:You asked for more clothes so we’re placing an order!Check out the items in the photos below and then fill out the pre-order form. We’re taking pre-orders only and will close this order by the end of the week, Friday April 20th at 5pm. (Don’t forget that Mother’s Day is May 13! If you’re a STRONG momma, you need some gear!) 😉
About Us
We believe that every person has a right to a STRONG and healthy body and mind. And that if you train hard, eat well, and educate yourself; your life will not only last longer, but you’ll find it much more rewarding to live. Read More Here | {
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Chris Rea — Winning lyrics
So you say that you are tired
And you wanna make a deal
The way the see you turn
Well that's not the way you feel
Well I got news for you sunshine
You may not understand
You're living in a poker game
And you've already shown your hand
So if you can't stand up
You'd better learn how to fall
One thing is for certain
Ain't no way out of here at all
'Cos we're winning
Now we've ironed out the edges
That your mother may have loved
Or someone you may have wanted
But you're now too way above
'Cos you're shining like a razor
And we're all waiting just for you
We took you up on what you said
Now let's see what you can do
And if you can't stand up
You'd better learn how to fall
One thing is for certain
Ain't no way out of here at all
'Cos we're winning[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/chris-rea-winning-lyrics.html ] | {
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Register as a Veterinary Nurse
We have thousands of fantastic locum and permanent jobs available throughout the UK, for Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVN).
You may be thinking of increasing or decreasing your hours, changing shift patterns, working odd days, taking on a locum position or settling into something more permanent. Wherever we send you, you’ll have the confidence of knowing that we work with some of the best veterinary practices in the country.
Let’s get started! Please complete and submit the short registration form below and tell us a bit more about yourself. That will help us make the perfect match! You will receive a registration pack by email that includes a “clinical skills” checklist that you will need to fill in and return. To complete your registration, we will need a copy of your passport and visa, if required, to meet our obligations under UK “Right to Work” regulations. Once we have those, we can start finding that perfect permanent position or locum placements to suit your lifestyle.
By selecting "Yes" you will receive emails from our database regarding vacancies. By selecting "No" you will not receive emails from our database and will need to visit our web site to view vacancies. Sometimes, urgent vacancies are filled before they are posted on the web site. Nurses registered with A1 Locums may still receive emails from A1 Locums staff irrespective of this setting.
I hereby give consent to the Company, A1 Locums, to process my personal data, for the following purposes:
For the Company to provide me with work-finding services.
For the Company to process with or transfer my personal data to agreed Companies to provide me with work-finding services.
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I also give consent to the Company processing my personal data with third parties for work-finding services.
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Register
Vets Now offer emergency and critical care to over 1400 practices throughout the UK. They now have 60+ practices with 3 dedicated hospitals, and on average, look after about 1500 small animals per year. We are pleased to be able to support this reputable Company, by supplying, vet and nursing staffing on a regular basis.
Vets Now also support the industry with their comprehensive referral service and by supporting the blood transfusion charity 'Pet Blood Bank UK' who they use on many of their emergency cases. Contact us for more information.
Latest:
Testimonials:
"Why can't all locum agencies be as obliging and helpful as you. Keep up the good work A1.
"
"To Anne and A1 Locums,
Thank you very much for helping me to get work the last 4 years and for looking after me. I wouldn't be as successful as I am now without you all. Keep inspiring young woman like me to locum it's the best thing I did and thank you for coming to Harper Adams and encouraging me to come and work with yourselves." | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Domain extension options
The following domain extensions are available for the domain name, with a total of 731 variations available:
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Global Alexa rating
As mentioned by Alexa on their official page, the Alexa rank or rating is calculated using a number of different parameters, such as daily average of unique visitors as well as pageviews over the last three months. The more unique visitors and pageviews, the higher the overall rank.
Ama.dp.ua
Lowest rating:
975,295
spotted 1,882 days ago
Current rating:
499,098
spotted 1,254 days ago
Best rating:
363,872
spotted 1,287 days ago
Average rating:
344,465
Website domain mistypes
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Domain history
It seems ama.dp.ua has only been registered once and was never abandoned or has never expired.
Rating by Quantcast
Established in 2006, the technology company Quantcast provides audience measurements and an opportunity for advertising in real time. In addition to that, the American company ensures public access to all sorts of website-related data (traffic and demographic) for millions of websites, as well as in-depth user insights to digital bloggers and publishers enrolled in Quantcast's Quantified Publisher Program. The processing capability provided by Quantcast is impressive – over 800 thousand transactions per second, with, as claimed by the company, accurate audience calculation for over 100 million online destinations. In 2013, Quantcast was widely believed to be among the top five of world's largest data processing companies. Holding offices in London, Dublin, New York and Chicago, the main headquarters of Quantcast is in San Francisco, CA.
Unfortunately, our database contains no Quantcast rank data for Ama.dp.ua at this time. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Posts by Ian McNee
Page:
ROTM
This is clearly another sign that the Cylons are preparing their attack on humanity: Roper, and before him Sclavos, discovered that the Cylons are in control of everything that secures the internet. Therefore they had to be disposed of. They now have the means to control the whole human race: (i) online shopping (all females); (ii) net pR0n (all males). It's all in the tea leaves, just stop using the evil monstrosity that are tea bags!
Incidentally amanfromMars has known about this all along but is he our Dalek Caan or Gaius Baltar...
Holy turdspurt Batman...
There are at least three different issues going on here, mixing them all together and then ranting about the unholy mess just makes you look dim. Let's try to unravel them...
(1) lots of people have been stealing copyrighted material on-line for quite a while now, to the point that some people now feel that it is their god(TM)-given right to do so. Wrong. We just happen to be around at one of those junctures in history where the new medium is taking over from the old and this new Wild West Frontier will be tamed at some point and it will become difficult/pointless/socially unacceptable for large numbers of people to continue to steal copyrighted digital media;
(2) the BPI are a bunch of shites represtenting the old attitudes of the media megalo-corps that our money belongs to them and that they should have to provide us with as little quality product as possible in exchange. Wrong. As the ongoing demise of DRM in music shows, media companies will eventually (slowly and kicking and screaming in most cases) have to provide quality usable product at a reasonable price as a more effective strategy to combat piracy;
(3) spineless shortsighted ISPs like VM think they can continue milk their customers like cash cows providing the bare minimum of service and not looking beyond the antiquated all-you-can-eat fixed price broadband model that is slowly failing as the sums don't add up any more. Again wrong. As with (1) and (2) the ISP business model will have to evolve (whether that means music ISPs, metered broadband or whatever) and the dinosaurs like VM will become extinct.
To all those comments about how wonderful Typhoon, Churchill, Blighty, etc. ad nauseam are...
...you're missing the bleedin' point. All these extortionate willy-waggling big boys toys (like Typhoon, the Trident replacement, etc.) offer are bragging rights/junkets/backhanders for politicians and top brass while the execs and shareholders of arms companies laugh all the way to the bank. The same execs and shareholders of the 'British' arms industry are the same people who are bellyaching about paying British taxes when they already pay less pro rata that a cleaner on minimum wage.
And if we don't have platinum plated fighters or bigger glow-in-the-dark nukes we're going to be vulnerable to the Russians and the Chinese? I'm sorry but watching a bunch of 007 movies hasn't raised your grasp of geo-politics and economics above the infantile.
And even if we make these fabulously futile weapons ourselves do you think that the USA would allow us to use them *even* if our spineless politicians decided to stand on their own two feet and take a different line from the yanks? More likely we will just be acting out our usual role as the convenient junior arm of US foreign policy and paying through the nose for the pleasure.
And as for all that bollocks about British jobs in the arms industry: those are some of the most expensive jobs in the British economy (with the possible exceptions of the royal family and those chaps who hand-make wallpaper for the Lord Chancellor's office) and if the money were invested in public services and manufacturing unemployment would be slashed and we might see the beginnings of a country we could be proud of.
Hmmm....£25+bn....
....wtf are we spending all that money on these flying phallic extensions for? With all that money we could buy enough friends around the world to avoid having any stupid wars and still have change left over for a teaching hospital in every large city, more pies than Prescott can regurgitate in a year and a taxi ride home.
Subtilior: Canada awaits, bye! :)
But on a more serious note the Torygraph article states that Canada wants our management consultants! As the saying goes: every proto-racist ignorant nostalgic diatribe has a silver lining. Or sumfin like dat, innit...
A yard of flying boob?
Dearest Lester
Did you not challenge Prof Lawson re. the assertion that "a D-cup in a low-support bra can travel as much as 35 inches up and down during exercise"? If this were so such jubs could potentially become deadly weapons and ought to be banned from our streets along with other jihadi-paedo-terror activities like taking photos and walking the streets with your eyes open in the presence of minors.
So a little bit of satire at Bush's expense is comparable with Bush's crimes against humanity? Ask the relatives of those who have died in Abu Ghraib or those 'extraordinarily rendered' to be tortured in third countries or the parents of sick and dying Iraqi children living in streets running with raw sewage and no access to medical services. Personally I think Dubya (and Blair, Rumsfeld, etc.) should be locked up - but only after due process and a fair trial, a right that they have taken away from so many others.
@Paul Stephenson
Being a long-standing VM customer I can reassure you that they have not been head-hunting government dorks, lusers and arrogant incompetent gimps: VM seem to have an endless supply of these. Something to do with their 'pay them peanuts' remuneration package and 'mushrooms' HR policy (keep them in the dark and feed them sh*t) for their staff.
The only area they seem to spend money on real talent seems to be in their ad campaings. Unfortunately I never seem to get replies from either Uma Thurman or Samuel L Jackson to my complaints about their antiquated e-mail/webmail system and dreadful tech support.
Not an Eee PC 901-beater
So it has substantially less battery life, is bulkier, noisier (2.5" HD vs. SSD), can't read SDHC cards (this is about downloading your snaps not about expanding your storage space - duh!), only has a single mic, won't do 802.11n and the Linux version isn't available for another month and is the same price as the Windoze version. Am I missing something?
Oh and how about some benchmarks compared to the 901? All things being equal with the 901 having an SSD and overclocking the Atom to 1.8GHz I know where my money is.
I must be missing something...
...but surely it would be cheaper and less tricky to simply make robo-blob a bit smaller than to give it the complex mechanics and spatial brains/awareness to allow it to squeeze through holes smaller than itself.
By the way: 'It would probably be within the rules of the game for the robot to...release a gas in order to "perform a function".' Cunning! A farting robo-blob! I suppose while <Insert emeny/name of current Islamo-terror-jihadi-bod here> is having a good laugh about said flatulent fleshy droid, GI Jane nips round the back and melts him with her new electro-plasmatron gun fresh from the particle accelerator firing ranges at DARPA...
Big Apple Pooch Hoover
No description of the alleged "street-cleaning truck" was given here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/16/mutt_suck_truck/ other than to say "the truck was speeding". Perhaps this was in fact a low-level urban test flight for this new robo-wombat-suck-blow-a-tron.
And what a success: the stealth capabilities made everyone think it was a municipal garbage truck and four-legged-fleshy death was dealt out in double-quick time.
Non-military applications
I'm so glad the Home Office takes IT security so seriously...
Quote: 'The Home Office bods “take information very seriously”. This incident will now be included in a review of the security of its websites, undertaken by the Independent Reviewer of Information Assurance, and due to report back in Spring 2009.'
Must be a very thorough review, already in progress and continuing until Spring 2009. And after it reports it will take no more than (lets be optimistic) three months to fully implement all of the excellent security recommendations. I'm so relieved that leaves such a tiny window of opportunity of about ***ONE WHOLE F*CKING YEAR*** for assorted miscreants to hack the Home Office and pinch our personal data, etc.!
Yep, I'd give up all my personal biometric data to these people. And I'd trust them to not abuse detention without trial. And I'm sure they wouldn't dream of using evidence obtained by torture from people kidnapped by the CIA and taken to Aghanistan, Morocco, <insert name of country lacking in human rights here>.
Another (smug) wanker writes
Andrew wrote: "That wanker has a right old problem on his hands if he downloads a dodgie Java object or Firefox plugin. Easily coded to fuck windows, linux and mac to be fair. Linux/Mac have a console that support unix commands. simple "rm -rfv /" initiated by a bad plugin or java object would nuke the machine."
Care to show me an AV product that procects a PC from the luser clicking before engaing their brain? Care to show me an AV product that is of any genuine security benefit to us Linux lusers/wankers? The only benefit is that it allows us to check that the contents of a CD/memory stick/hard drive/whatever is safe to insert in a PC running a legacy OS from M$.
All flavours of Linux come with a proper firewall and none need AV software. Add NoScript and a bit of common sense with your mouse finger and your chances of being pWn3d are about the same as finding rocking-horse shit on your hand-woven FairTrade Andean mountain goat hair rug or a secure installation of Windoze.
Christpher Emerson: FUD or Troll - you decide! I mean we live in a democracy still, right?
Dearest Chris
Do you really think that Nottingham University has no means of regulating the conduct of its employees and students other than calling in Special Branch? So if Yusuf bin Walahi, mythical employee of a suspiciously dark complexion who has a distinctly sinister foreign accent, turns up late for a work a few times (in his role as Bolt Twiddler Third Class at Nottingham University's School of Advanced Psychoplastic Post-Modern Engineering) then his boss, the Bolt Twiddler General, will get on the blower to the Grand Wizard Witchfinder at MI6 to fit up poor Yusuf and failing that get him deported?
And now for news back in the real world...UK Universities have disciplinary procedures, bye-laws, codes of conduct, etc. coming out of their highly educated butts. Apparently though even the Vice Chancellor at Nottingham University (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vice-chancellor/vc.html) with his his fat >£100k salary does not have the common sense to say: "Has anyone actually asked this chap why he had this document and checked if his story stands up?" He was obviously too busy screaming and drooling in a mad panic when he heard someone say: "al Qa'eda".
Of course this isn't his field, Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Colin Campbell, he's...ermm...oh...a lawyer! Right...well I guess this isn't his area of expertise in the law, I doubt he's served on any bodies that would give him any insights into this kind of matter...ahhh....*ahem*...like the Standing Advisory Committee for Human Rights on Northern Ireland...oh...I see. Of course, he must be new in his job and still finding his feet, that'll be it...ummm...you say he's been the Vice Chancellor at Nottingham University since 1988...well...indeed.
SHOCK-HORROR! Asus offer less RIP-OFF in Rip-Off Britain than other IT companies...
Is this The Daily Wail? Let me see...so the more powerful and higher spec 900 offers almost as much battery life as the old 701 - I can see plucky British punters shaking their cloth caps in outrage in the streets and kicking their whippets in frustration.
*yawn*
Really, get over it, what a non-story! Tell me something significant and I my might raise an eyebrow at it. For example: what's the price comparison between an Eee PC 900 in the UK/USA/HK once taxes etc. are taken into account? If the disparity is less than for M$ Fistula or a Sony PS3 then I will remain underwhelmed. If not then I might become outraged about how much we have to pay for this very desirable bit of kit.
Please find something for us to be genuinely outraged about, I for one am not a Daily Wail reader and do not have a big red button on my back labelled "PRESS HERE FOR APOPLEXY"
Re: Whos [sic] to blame
Dear, dear babz - that's utter bollocks. Plod is entitled to use judgement in enforcing the law which is why the Met plods chose *not* to invoke Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 against the protesters at the Scientology bookshop on their turf.
And looking at the YouTube video I would suggest that the cu*tists at the bookshop were more "likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress" than the imposing cu*tist front doors at Queen Victoria Street, protected as they were by numerous City of London plods and a plod van.
This is simply a case of the CoL Inspector plod who was in charge on the day deciding to be a wanker for whatever reason (the article suggests a few possibilities). This is simply the flip-side of things like country plod failing to enforce the ban on hunting with dogs. Yes it may well be a bad law from crap politicians but it can also be badly enforced by plod.
Re: Not sensational....
Umm...I use Umbongo...so I don't have several million best friends. At least they don't e-mail me much. Can you tell me where I can get so many best friends?
But on a more serious note, not being as much of a Linux geek as I'd like to be, what are the implications for desktop flavours of Debian/Ubuntu? I mean we're all using OpenSSL when we're ordering our pr0n and v!@gR4 are we not?
@Joe Cooper
Are you sure Daniel was joking? Surely upscaling from one pixel to a whole movie is the basis of Jean-Claude van Damme's cinematic acting career? Taking that to it's logical conclusion you could probably upscale a sub-pixel to encompass the multi-layered and complex thespian talents displayed in Ms Hilton's screen appearances.
You know what? I think I'd rather just sit here watching the sub-pixel for an hour and a half. Or maybe something less painful still like stapling my feet to the floor with a nail gun.
Never mind comparison with the poxy Mac Plook Spare...
...how about comparing it with a *genuine* alternative like the Toshiba R500. As I recall the R500 comes with the usual C2D goodness, an optical drive as standard, floataway lightness of a mere 1kg and a substantially smaller price tag than this fancy ThinkPad.
Oh and try some real-world benchmarks (if that's not a complete oxymoron) rather than the spurious PCMark05 which is clearly easily skewed by the SSD in the X300.
All very simple really
Yes we get ripped-off by arms contractors because of MoD incompetence/infighting/whatever. The plain fact is that we still spend far too much on "defense". Firstly we spend substantially more than the European average as a percentage of GDP. Secondly (and this is the main reason for the first) our politicians still bear the imperialist delusion that we are some kind of great power that has an inalienable right to use our "defences" to illegally invade (i.e. attack, not defend) foreign countries.
Cut the budget to the European average or less and each time the MoD oversees an overspend take that off of next year's budget. Then we might end up with armed forces that reflect our true position in the world - a fairly average European nation that should neither want nor be able to do anything other than defend itself or make a proportionate contribution to legally sanctioned UN interventions.
First against the wall come the revolution
Oh please! This self-deluding flunkey, his deceased aristocratic (people's princess my arse!) former boss and the losers who follow the stories of these parasites on society as if they actually matter in any meaningful way should all be first against the wall come the revolution. Yes! Dig up her corpse and shoot her again!
Why have royal stories in El Reg anyway? So one loser got flamed by a bunch of other losers? Not an IT story. If his site had been pWn3d by the Hackney Marxist-Leninist Popular Front and replaced with bolshevik propaganda *that* would have been an IT story, just desserts and bloody funny all at the same time.
Poor [email protected]...
...I hate to think what kind of e-mail attachments and faxes she's been getting as a result of this. Not that any El Reg readers or staffers will be warming their butt-cheeks on the office scanner I'm sure...*ahem*
The Pompous Git replies from The Moral High Ground (tm)...
/set ground(moral) = high
/git:pompous
Graham Dawson: in exactly what sense do you *have* to buy your music from organisations who essentially fund child pornographers (and just to be clear, that means more children being violently sexually abused the more money they get)? Do you have a phobia that prevents you from entering a music shop and opening your wallet to buy a CD? Or of buying said CD for a reasonable price from CD-WOW? Or as others have mentioned downloading from one of the many legitimate non-DRM crippled sources?
Matt: actually if you read the article you will see that AllofMP3 (the old front for Media Services who are behind MP3sparks) was closed down by legal action. And yes you're right that these slimebags and their even slimier-bag ISP AbdAllah should not be fined/closed down/locked up without due process but that doesn't stop an intelligent person like yourself from making an informed decision (Spamhaus, etc.) that in the meantime one ought not to fund these scumbags.
Steve: yep, and in your tee-pee in North Wales listening to your freetard music on an organic hand-woven fairtrade MP3 player made by Andean peasant farmers you will, by toking on that huge spliff, be able to astrally project to the board rooms of Music Megalo Corp Inc to hear their share price crashing and execs throwing themselves from windows on the 50th floor, because you and your freetard buddies spent your giros funding child pornographers rather than multinational capitalists. And then you woke up....ah bless!
And who said El Reg readers were amoral brainless freetards?
Nice to see so many commentators really getting to grips with the issues raised by this article: WHERE CAN I GET MY MOOZIC DED CHEEP AN IT DOWNLOADS REEL FASSSST WIV HI BITRATZ??
FFS! Never mind that the people that created the music you purport to love so much don't get a brass washer from the likes of MP3sparks.com, what about a slice of their profits going to those peddling child pornography and selling fake pharmaceuticals?
No, the likes of the Recording Industry Ass. of America and their multinational media corp. backers are not the good guys. But giving money to a bunch of low-life Eastern European criminals is neither the moral alternative nor a strategy to force Sony BMG et al to change their ways.
Weaker consumer environments?
As always the exec tries to spin bad results. However John Lewis are reporting an overall improvement of over 7% on this time last year led by sales of personal technology and electronics...erm...DSG's core market?
Absolutely Fabulous!
I heard En(ema)damol filmed this event and it's going to be screened as: 'Britain's Next Top Nathan Barley' - I'm so excited I could wipe my arse with Hello!...and I'm so glad that my £120-odd quid license fee is being spent so productively!
One-handed Reg stories...
...I would suggest explains most of the poor typnig, speeling adn garmmer, and this is a classic example of the genre, long may it conintue, longer even than a greasy mouse-jockey with a stash of cut-price spam viagara, a large tub of Flora and a firm grip on the non-mousing side.
As for the comments about Senorita Carolina's sex/gender perhaps these say more about what excites the posters: you protesteth too much? Bless! :)
Time for El Reg Standard Measures Dept. to step in
Clearly Vulture Central is lacking a critical unit of measurement, exposed by this take-down of the much loved and highly esteemed B3ta site. We need an accurate description of the size of an ego.
My opening suggestions are the Prince (Pr) as the standard unit of ego and the pompous (or petulant) Prince (pPr) to signify the more highly-developed and esoteric celebrity-related property: the super-ego.
Rough translation...
What's all the fuss about?
After all, we know from the those documentaries sent back from the future that the warp drive will be invented, boulders on alien planets are made of a substance surprisingly similar to polystyrene and starship captains wear spandex uniforms over their corsets.
Then again perhaps this BIS bash led to that pointy-eared bloke getting the science bug...it all becomes clear! Clever devils after all!
Trust us, we're the health & safety breachers...
So Sir Ian Blair will make sure that the Met will learn the lessons about not pumping a whole clip of hollow point ammo into innocent civilians' heads while using Israeli extra-judicial assassination tactics? Oh I'm very comforted by that.
Will he also be a little more contrite over the allegedly desperate need to extend detention without trial in spite of the fact that neither the Met nor anyone else in the securocracy can provide any evidence based on real cases that it is necessary? We shall see.
Never mind how loud, how hot?
We've had a number of Lacie drives in these Porsche-designed plastic enlosures and not to put too fine a point on it: they fry. And getting a replacement or refund from Lacie for drives that have failed in a matter of weeks is like pulling teeth.
Re: Andy's (and other's) utter rubbish
Oh dear Andy - it must be awful for you to witness the occasional cyclist shooting a red light (cars, vans and lorries never do of course) and pedestrian jay walking (cars, vans and lorries only ever drive where they are supposed to with due care and attention to other road users of course). Would you like some therapy perhaps?
Or perhaps you could wake up and smell the coffee: pedestrians and cyclists are killed and injured in large numbers by motor vehicles on our roads every year, large numbers of motorists are NOT killed or injured by pedestrians or cyclists on our roads every year. These deats and injuries are STATISTICALLY (i.e. not one off Daily Wail hysteria) caused in the large majority of cases by poor driving by motorists.
On a less flameworthy note the use of technical enforcement of low speeds in urban areas by cameras etc. seems less likely to be effective than altering the structure of our urban streets to blur the boundaries between road and pavement as it is in cities like Amsterdam (and has been experimented with in Kensington I believe): this leads to a much more co-operativeand less aggressive culture between road users who have to negotiate their progress and be much more aware of everyone else around them. And no I haven't been smoking anything :p~
W@nker posting via proxy from the desert...
Funny...it's a bit too damp in the UK to be considered a desert. Maybe if your pal Dubya and his chums in the oil megalocorps get their way then global warming will turn parts of the UK into desert though.
Not a bad flame by the way, Anon Coward: some of us obviously touched a sore spot there! Is it the time of the month? The day after Patch Tuesday - always a difficult time for the running dogs of Washington and Redmond.
Let me give you a tip for quality flaming though: while hinting at our Moscow/Google gold connections try to address one or two of the facts in the situation even if just inaccurately and abusively :)
SHOCK-HORROR!
So the White House is more interested in the propaganda value of so-called terror intel than it's practical use in the again war on terror? Gee I would never have figured that one out for myself! I mean it's not like the White House ever fabricated terror intel to justify illegal invasions, extra-judicial assassinations, kidnapping and torture on a grand scale. Oh wait a minute - yes they did and they still do!
Serious Crime Squad...
So...plods from Satfford, Stoke, Newcastle-under-Lyme among others commiting serious crimes to line their pockets. Old habits die hard - perhaps they used to work for the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad before it was disbanded in an attempt to tackle the quantity of serious crimes commited by said plod-squad in the region.
Re: @Separation of powers
"If that was the case it would be hard to avoid the conclusion that the US is no longer a democratic nation" - well done for spotting my point
"Surely that idea would upset a whole lot of Americans" - perhaps but between the large minority who are effectively disenfranchised by poverty and racism and the large minority who do well enough economically out of America plundering the rest of the world (and it's own poor) to not care about anything more than their fig-leaf of a democracy there aren't really enough left to do much about it.
Separation of powers
Oh dear Mr breakfast, must have been a calorie-lite breakfast today, you don't seem to have engaged your brain-box on this one.
Firstly we're talking about the EXECUTIVE interfering with the JUDICIARY - this is nothing to do with the LEGISLATURE.
Secondly we are witnessing the use of a legal red card whereby the executive says to the judiciary: nothing to see here, move along, we've got this all in hand, no need for judicial oversight of the executive, we're the good guys and we know because we've seen the evidence that we're the good guys so you don't need to see it because we're the good guys!
Re: It's the law
Oh yeah - just vote Dubya out: go yanks!
Hey wait a minute...they DID vote Dubya out but then Dubya got his bro down in Florida to fiddle the result (which he had failed to win even after Jeb had got his cops to prevent black voters from getting to the polls...)
It's all coming up roses...
So "Venter is betting on artificial organisms delivering a bonanza for medicine, renewable energy, and anti-climate change efforts"? Break out the champagne! It's the end of history! *cue naff muzak* It is the dawning of the age of Aquarius...
So Venter wouldn't dream of making billions for him and his investors by selling this kind of tech to, say, Pentagon contractors? As if! He has a heart of gold! And there is no way that this could all go horribly wrong by manufactured organisms escaping into the wild and causing an ecological catastrophe. We all know how secure commercial and govt. biotech sites are after all *coughpurbrightcough*
And even if they did escape these bugs will have had their DNA coded so well that they couldn't possibly cause any problems. Right? I mean how hard can it be to code the DNA of an original organism so that it behaves in a predictable fashion in every situation? No more difficult than coding an OS like, say, Windoze - another triumph of monopoly capitalism - and we all know that that never goes wrong in the wild but only in the sad deluded imaginations of Linux lunatics... | {
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WASHINGTON/ADDIS ABABA, March 12 () - The U.S. aviation regulator said on Tuesday it would not ground Boeing Co 737 MAX planes after a crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people, bucking a trend of countries around the world that have suspended the aircraft's operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration's acting administrator, Dan Elwell, said a review by the body "shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft."
But Elwell said no foreign civil aviation authorities had provided data that would warrant action. If any safety issues are identified during an ongoing urgent review of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, the FAA will "take immediate and appropriate action," he said.
Britain, Germany and France joined a wave of suspensions of the aircraft following the crash, followed by a similar decision by India, piling pressure on the United States to follow suit.
Boeing, the world's biggest planemaker, which has seen billions of dollars wiped off its market value since the crash, said it understood the countries' actions but retained "full confidence" in the 737 MAX and had safety as its priority.
The three U.S. airlines using the 737 MAX - Southwest Airlines Co, American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines - stood by the aircraft, although many potential passengers took to social media to express concerns, asking if they could change flights or cancel.
United Airlines' union pilots said that they had found no mechanical deficiencies in the plane in more than 23,000 flying hours.
The cause of Sunday's crash, which followed another disaster with a 737 MAX five months ago in Indonesia that killed 189 people, remains unknown. On Monday, the FAA released details of a series of design changes and training requirements mandated from Boeing on the MAX fleet after the Indonesia crash.
There is no evidence yet whether the two crashes are linked. Plane experts say it is too early to speculate on the reason for the latest crash. Most are caused by a unique chain of human and technical factors.
EUROPEAN SUSPENSION
In an unusual move, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it was suspending all flights in the bloc of Boeing's 737 MAX 8 and 9 jets.
"Based on all available information, EASA considers that further actions may be necessary to ensure the continued airworthiness of the two affected models," it said in a statement.
It shied away, however, from the even rarer step of pulling the safety certification for the plane itself, focusing instead on the softer process of restricting its use by airlines. The move leaves some leeway for the U.S. FAA to decide its own approach.
Flight ET 302 came down in a field soon after takeoff from Addis Ababa, creating a fireball in a crater. It may take weeks or months to identify all the victims, who include a prize-winning author, a soccer official and a team of humanitarian workers.
Boeing shares fell 6.1 percent on Tuesday, bringing losses to 11.15 percent since the crash, the steepest two-day loss for the stock since July 2009. The drop has lopped $26.65 billion off Boeing's market value.
Of the top 10 countries by air passenger travel, all but the United States and Japan have halted flights of the 737 MAX. China, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Fiji and others have temporarily suspended the plane.
Canada has no plans to ground 737 MAX aircraft but is ready to act immediately to suspend flights if new information emerges indicating there is a problem, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said. Argentina and other South American nations are evaluating closing their airspace to 737 MAX airplanes, Argentina's state-run news agency, Telam, reported on Tuesday.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee on aviation and space, said on Tuesday it would be "prudent" for the United States "to temporarily ground 737 Max aircraft until the FAA confirms the safety of these aircraft and their passengers."
Cruz said he intended to convene a hearing to investigate the crashes.
U.S. President Donald Trump also fretted over modern airplane design.
"Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT," Trump tweeted, lamenting that product developers always sought to go an unnecessary step further when "old and simpler" was superior.
"I don't know about you, but I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!" he added.
He did not refer to Boeing or recent accidents, but his comments echoed an automation debate that partially lies at the centre of a probe into October's Lion Air crash in Indonesia. Investigators are examining the role of a software system designed to push the plane down, alongside airline training and repair standards.
Boeing says it plans to update the software in coming weeks.
Trump spoke to Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg on Tuesday and received assurances that the aircraft was safe, two people briefed on the call said.
VICTIMS FROM 30 NATIONS
Given problems of identification at the charred disaster site, Ethiopian Airlines said it would take at least five days to start handing remains to families.
The victims came from more than 30 nations, and included nearly two-dozen U.N. staff.
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Realtime Underground Feed Released Then Removed
Sometimes there's just too much interest in open data. The Greater London Authority has temporarily pulled its feed of the Underground due to "overwhelming demand." The service gave locations of every subway train in the city updating in nearly realtime.
The Greater London Authority seems optimistic about the feed returning:
We hope to restore the service as soon as possible but this may take some days. We will keep everyone informed of progress towards a resolution.
And that's a good sign, because this is the sort of useful data that should be opened up. While the live map was working, it gained significant attention, including this high praise from Softpedia:
In the not so distant future, every electronic gadget or appliance, every 'thing,' is going to be connected to the web, pouring massive amounts of data into the system. Already, some of the things that are connected would surprise you, like the London Underground trains... it's a very good way of showing what's possible when the web and the ever increasing computerized systems running the world's infrastructure come together.
About the author:Adam DuVander
-- Adam heads developer relations at Orchestrate, a database-as-a-service company. He's spent many years analyzing APIs and developer tools. Previously he worked at SendGrid, edited ProgrammableWeb and wrote for Wired and Webmonkey. Adam is also the author of mapping API cookbook Map Scripting 101. | {
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Lorraine Gale, coordinator of the Out and Proud Program at the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, understands this reality first-hand. Having developed the Out and Proud Affirmation Guidelines that provide an equity framework for gender and sexual diversity throughout the child welfare system, Gale says there’s still work left to be done when it comes to creating safe and inclusive spaces for youth in/from care. “We need to create the kind of environment where it’s [encouraged] to experiment with how we express our gender and think about our own identities,” says Gale. “Until we can shift the mindset and system, we need the support and programs to help our child welfare organizations do that. We don’t want to admit there’s bias out there – but there is.”
“There are often not a lot of opportunities for LGBTQ youth to go out and find safe spaces.”
Camryn, a former young person in care, current LGBTQ advocate, and Foundation scholarship recipient who identifies as transgender and uses “they/them” pronouns, has personal experience with these challenges. Entering care at the age of 13 due to abuse at home, they moved throughout multiple foster and group homes, before transitioning to independent living. “In terms of sexual orientation, I had that figured out when I was pretty young; my struggle was more with gender identity,” says Camryn. “I think it’s more difficult to come out when you have to come out to a new family or set of staff every three weeks; at that point it [feels like it’s] not worth it to come out, which I think caused my gender dysphoria to get a lot worse and led to some self-harm behaviours.”
Despite finally revealing to a foster parent that they thought they might be transgender, Camryn says their foster parent’s reaction was transphobic and only amplified traditional societal biases. “I’ve heard things like ‘you look better as a girl anyways’ and ‘[being transgender] doesn’t exist’,” Camryn says. “There are often not a lot of opportunities for LGBTQ youth to go out and find safe spaces.”
To help combat this lack of safe space, the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto launched the annual Pride BBQ, funded through Children’s Aid Foundation. Designed to celebrate LGBTQ children, youth, foster and adoptive families, as well as allies, the event also provides an opportunity for youth who might be exploring their sexual and gender identities to meet others they can connect with. “It’s really not just a BBQ,” says Gale. “It’s an event where we can be openly celebratory and demonstrate what sexual and gender inclusion looks like.”
“How many people, who we might not even realize are LGBTQ, are we losing to suicide because they’ve been made to feel so ashamed of who they are?”
The BBQ also provides an opportunity to recognize young people, along with staff, volunteers, and foster parents, who are advocating for LGBTQ inclusion and education throughout their communities. Camryn was the recipient of this year’s Krin Zook PRIDE Youth Leadership Award for their outstanding advocacy, particularly through Ryerson University where they’re also currently studying Criminology. Recently, Camryn became the first ever transgender executive of the Ryerson Students’ Union, and has organized over 20 events for Ryerson’s LGBTQ community.
“Being able to access post-secondary education meant a lot of freedom for me,” says Camryn, who hopes to one day pursue a law career in criminal defense. “It was the first time I was able to access freedom, independence, and really come out as a transgender person by changing my name and beginning hormone therapy.” Adding that access to resources and activism spaces through school has been incredibly important, Camryn says that their Foundation scholarship has meant financial freedom and the ability to pursue interests and services — including counselling — that, otherwise, would simply not be available.
Acknowledging the probable over-representation of LGBTQ youth in care, Gale affirms that increased education throughout the child welfare community, and general public, is key to becoming a better ally. “There’s a growing willingness to accept [LGBTQ] education, but too often people stop there,” says Gale. “They don’t think ‘what do I have to change in my daily behaviour to create that inclusive, equitable environment for young people to explore their gender and sexual identity with support and affirmation? How do we ensure that the policy is consistent?'”
Gale adds that beyond creating more inclusive spaces, we also need to expand resources for LGBTQ youth who are exploring their identities in care. “Think about that youth in care,” says Gale. “They’re 13, their family has already rejected them, and then they’re in a foster home, and the foster home just doesn’t get it.” Adding that statistically speaking, “a lack of strong parental support for transgender youth will increase a suicide attempt within a year by 14 times” Gale emphasizes that programming and funding to support these young people simply doesn’t exist in many areas. “How many people, who might not even realize are LGBTQ, are we losing to suicide because they’ve been made to feel so ashamed of who they are?” Says Gale: “Young people’s lives are on the line.”
About The Author
The Children's Aid Foundation funds programs to help Canada's most vulnerable kids overcome the obstacles in life that hold them back. We are committed to giving ongoing support to those who need it most. | {
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Conway celebrates first day under private management
University Health Conway, formerly LSU's E.A. Conway Medical Center, celebrates its first day under the private management of the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana.
http://archive.thenewsstar.com/VideoNetwork/2711672596001/Conway-celebrates-first-day-under-private-managementrtmp://cp81361.edgefcs.net/ondemand/&mp4:brightcove/44854205001/201310/2762/44854205001_2711770876001_trim-wDECuN.mp4http://archive.thenewsstar.com/VideoNetwork/2711672596001/Conway-celebrates-first-day-under-private-managementhttp://bcdownload.gannett.edgesuite.net/monroe/44854205001/201310/2762/44854205001_2711770884001_th-524b74f2e4b0c576ac110dcd-1592194028001.jpgConway celebrates first day under private managementUniversity Health Conway, formerly LSU's E.A. Conway Medical Center, celebrates its first day under the private management of the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana. 148Conwaynewsstarsarah eddingtonHealthfronttopnewsmnslocalBRFNewsiphonevideoMonroe01:24 | {
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Flight Control Overview
I'm trying to get my prototype hosted on the web but have ran into some problems. So I will cover the flight control script. It's a rather long script and involved script that uses the player data and vehicle data scripts.
This script was originally from the Space Game Starter Toolkit created by ArenMook. I have heavily modified the code to fit the game. It is also unrecognizeable from its original format.
It starts out with the usual declarations and documentation:
At this point, I will point out that the variables in vehicle data are replicated here. There is a very specific reason for this. First, I plan on leaving vehicle data (and player data) relatively untouched by the mission. These two data structures will represent the benchmark values for a fighter and do figure into calculations. Second, declaring them as values allow me to directly manipulate them in this script without worrying about unforseen interactions.
The variable declarations are pretty run of the mill; however, we do use a couple of new declarations. We set up a Listener for collisions, a List for collisions and make a public declaration for a GameObject.
The collision stuff is a hold over from the original code, and the game object declarations allow us to create (or instantiate) an explosion when the fighter is destroyed during gameplay.
The main section has many of the same type of statements in the data scripts. We do create a reference to the vehicle data script here. vInitialData = VehicleData.Find(vTrans) creates a reference to the VehicleData script attached to the fighter. We don't change any values; we use it as a quicker way of accessing the "benchmark" data.
At this point, there are calculation scripts. Update() allows the user to control the ship (if it is own ship) and is a built in Unity script. The LateUpdate() and FixedUpdate() are also built in scripts. Update() executes every frame. As long as your computer is not taxed, it is the quickest update script. LateUpdate() only updates after the other update functions have completed execution, and FixedUpdate() updates at a fixed interval. In the prototype, FixedUpdate() updates every 0.1 seconds.
The UpdateInput() is not a built in fuction; it is a user defined function. I deleted the android app section for readability. Basically, this function checks the mouse position against center screen and generates a turn force based on the offset. In addition, it checks for inputs for right, up and forward momentum (left appears as a negative right and down appears as a negative up). All of these inputs are placed parsed and placed into the manuevering variables (vTurn, vMove and vSmoothMove).
The future AI routines will directly place values into vTurn, vMove and vSmoothMove via the defined methods. The FixedUpdate() function actually executes manuevering based on what is in these variables by UpdateSteering() and UpdateTorque().
UpdateSteering() calculates the direaction and amount of force to apply to the craft. Based on what was calculated into the vector variables for vMove and vSmoothMove, it will apply the appropriate force to the fighter.
UpdateTorque() handles the actual turning of the fighter. It gets the values stored in vTurn and calculates what kind of angular velocity to apply to the fighter to make it turn.
DamageNavigation() applies damage to the ship's structure and navigation systems. It is invoked in a special script called DamageControl. The DamageControl script calculates the amount of force that impacted the ship and passes that value here via the DamageNavigation() script. The ApplyDamage() script does the actual calculations, and the DestroyShip() function will destroy the ship (and create a nice explosion) if the structure falls below zero.
These two scripts are "flags" used by AI routines. Basically, it just tells the AI routine if the ship's navigation systems are offline due to damage.
This actually a pretty long script. | {
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Mediaset first-half profit plummets 73.5%
Fewer ads, failing pay TV and huge overheads hit Italo group
ROME — Silvio Berlusconi’s Italo commercial broadcast group Mediaset posted a 73.5% drop in first-half net profit to €43.1 million ($53 million) on Tuesday, as advertising in Italy and Spain, where it also operates, continues to dry up while its pay TV side struggles.
Ad sales fell 11.2% to $1.4 billion amid bleak consumer confidence. Meanwhile subscriber revenue at paybox Mediaset Premium dropped to $320 million from $325 million in the same period last year. Eight years after its start-up it has yet to break even, indicating that it may never fly.
Mediaset Premium is suffering from stepped-up competition from Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Italia, which has been beefing up its lineup with content such as Formula 1 auto racing and extensive Olympic coverage on 13 channels, one in 3D. | {
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Canada must not remain silent on the Israeli military actions in Gaza
by Elizabeth May | April 9, 2018 11:05 am
April 09, 2018 Statement by Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands)
From March 30 to April 6, I participated in a study trip to areas of Palestine and Israel with 17 other MPs from all five parties organized by the Canada-Palestinian Parliamentary Friendship Group. Before our departure, Global Affairs Canada asked us all to keep public and social media comments to a minimum during our trip. For that reason, my statement on what occurred on Good Friday-Passover, March 30 and the following Friday, April 6, is delayed. Because I was there, I have more details and a strong sense of the facts on the ground.
The shooting of unarmed civilians in a peaceful protest along the border between Gaza and Israel is a clear violation of all accepted international norms. No one has made a credible claim that the shooting was in self-defence, or that the Gaza civilians were in any way a threat to Israel.
There is no question about the intentionality of the Israeli military. It has since taken credit for snipers doing exactly what was ordered. Every bullet went where it was intended to go, say the commanders. This claim by the Israel Defence Forces makes it very clear that there was no accidental shooting. No one panicked. This was a systematic plan to murder unarmed civilians.
What we as MPs heard from members of the Palestinian Cabinet was that this demonstration was the first time Hamas had committed to non-violence.
Clearly, the claims and counter-claims must be investigated by an independent international tribunal, but there is overwhelming evidence that the Israeli military has violated the Geneva Conventions and numerous other elements of international law.
Canada must not remain silent. We must suspend all military trade with Israel and increase pressure for the world community to collectively present an honest broker to replace the United States in this ongoing conflict. Under the administration of Donald Trump, the United States can no longer play that critical role.
Canada can and should do much more in defence of the State of Israel and the two-state solution. The two-state solution is at serious risk of disappearing as Israel pursues a program for permanent occupation of Palestine, also a violation of international law. | {
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Why aren’t there more frequent updates for A-Tech Cybernetic?
Nov 27, 2018
Good question!
And the answer is… PSVR. We are going to release the game on Sony’s platform as well. Click “Read more” for more information!
Read moreRead less
Background
When we’ve decided to include PSVR in our supported platforms, we knew it was going to be difficult… and we were right, it is a huge task for a small indie studio like us.
We’ve never done anything like this, we have to learn the limitations of the platform, then shaping and forming A-Tech Cybernetic to fit in those limitations.
The development process
In order to optimize the game for PSVR, we have to finalize the core mechanics, gameplay and content on the PC VR version. We’re doing this simultaneously.
It was the most efficient solution we could’ve gone with. While we’re exploring PSVR’s limits, we’re working on concluding the story, adding new weapons and fine-tuning gameplay mechanics.
With this method, we’re able to finish the PC VR version soon, and get the PSVR port done soon after.
When?
We’re planning to release the full version on PC (Steam, Oculus Store and Viveport) in 2019, probably late Q1, early Q2.
Unfortunately we can’t give an exact date for the PSVR release. The development is going well, even better than we’ve expected, but we don’t know what obstacles we’re going to face in the development process.
We won’t give ground to any difficulties, we’re going to work as hard as we can to bring A-Tech Cybernetic VR to PSVR as soon as possible! | {
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
On the eve of the Olympics, Nike is pouring its support behind ordinary athletes in its Greatness Everywhere campaign.
I just saw it this morning as the first featured video on Youtube home page and it is pretty cool, with a nice message.
Even cooler I am featured at 0:39, I swam all morning under the London Bridge as an extra for the triathlon shot for 1 sec of imagery that was used. It was a neat experience as I am a Huge Olympics fan.
Check out the video here.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Today will be an epic fight for tour pride on the cobbles around the
monuments in Paris. Today I took a ride of my own around Amboise, it
was fun to see villages on a quiet Sunday and have most of the roads
to myself. However I haven't ridden a woman's grocery getter since
college, but it worked well if I exclude the rear brake.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Today we travelled past Macon to jump in front of the tour as it headed south. It was just 45 minutes into the day and the break was just getting established. Sagan was drilling it through the village we were watching from. Sagan dragged Oss with him and the chase was on with another 20 or so. It seemed like less than a minute for each of the three groups to pass, but without timing it you would never know.
The excitement was fun, and you could feel the energy of the peleton breeze by. Below is the series of photos of the three groups in reverse order. See who you can recognize. I saw Wiggo, Cav, Griepel and more...
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
I admire and respect the advice that Lennard Zinn delivers. Reach and Stack are the key industry words that you need to know. For those of you wanting to setup multiple bikes the same way, here is the guide you need.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Will this season be Jens Voigt's last? I have to say I enjoyed his famous quote about what his internal dialogue is like when racing for the win in a ridiculous break. I just found out he has 6 kids, damn this guy can do it all! Mad props brother!Is it just me or did Levi's early season crash leave him with a rather large growth on his back?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
I am in love and totally obessed with STRAVA. I find that goal oriented riding is driving up my intensity even on short rides and really improving my leg speed and power. It isn't often I get to ride with friends, so having a social component ia fun way to stay connected and encourage others.
The next step for me is probably a Garmin 500, my current Iphone is a 3GS and it can only handle rides that are 2.5 hours. I am a bit surprised by my STRAVA obsession as I have never even had a computer or power meter installed on my 2008 BH Connect.
If you are interested in picking up a screaming deal on a 2010 BH CONNECT, do not wait. Use the image below and email me pronto. They are new and I have a very limited supply(54cm, 58cm, 59.5cm)
I can't say enough about mine, but don't take my word for it. It is comfortable, predictable, efficient, handles like a performance car and light enough to be built into a UCI illegal configuration. What I like is that I don't feel like I have given anything up. Some super light carbon bikes flex and wiggle out of control when the hammer is down and you are sprinting or climbing out of the saddle. For me that is the last time you want to feel like your bike succumbing to your riding inputs.
Just last week, I was hammering through a intersection on a well timed light. I really was feeling the love and kept dropping gears as I accelerated out of the saddle. It wasn't until I got home and downloaded STRAVA to see it was a 45 mph crossing of that intersection. I had some tailwind but it wasn't gusting, I hope it is accurate because I will be trying that sprint again real soon.
The basics of the story is that even going down to the 12 and 13 and putting out everything I had in a FULL SPRINT the bike tracked like an arrow and I had full confidence to push it to the MAX. That is what I love about my bike.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I migrated slowly in 2011 from 23c tires, to the Continental Gran Prix 24c tires and loved them. The comfort and confidence on rough pavement made them a great choice for El Tour de Tucson. When it was time to replace them I wondered if even wider would be better. Michelin Pro Race 3 in 25c went on and I haven't been happier. I used them in Tour de Mesa and had a great result. I was descending on Shea at a very high rate of speed when the guy in front of me lead me into a big pot hole. The impact was violent, and I even sat up momentarily thinking double flats might be possible. But NOTHING! Now it looks like the Pros are getting the word too.
Friday, May 11, 2012
This ride circumnavigates the San Tan Mountains. The effort required is not reflected in the mileage. It was the best I ride I could find to make a Gilbert version of the Tour of Flanders. It has 4 miles of dirt "road" riding [bring your 25 tires or bigger] which includes 2 gate crossings, 3 deep sand washes, one pissed off Pitbull, a nice sector of 50s era asphalt pave, and no place to refill your water bottles. Starts and finishes at Focus Cyclery and would probably exactly 50 miles if you take safer roads. Hands: Numb, Feet: Asleep, Butt: Unhappy, Smile: Unrestrained.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Hey Eric are you the same Brazen_Cycle_Works on eBay?
I do get this question a lot, and yes I buy and sell on eBay under that user name. I used to sell much more on ebay, but the fees between Paypal and eBay have gone out of control. It is difficult to pass on really great deals when ebay takes such a generous cut for themselves. I have turned to Craigslist > Phoenix> East Valley to sell which has been nice, but I rarely list items for sale on my blog.
If you see an item I am selling I can make you a very competitive offer, so feel free to email me directly, with your phone number and how I can help. Spammers and scammers don't do this so I will know you are serious. I would be happy to give you a prompt call. | {
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4 men die in New Jersey shore motel fire
POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. (AP) -- A fire early Friday destroyed a New Jersey shore motel that was housing people displaced by Superstorm Sandy, killing four people and injuring eight, authorities said.
The blaze erupted at the wooden Mariner's Cove Motor Inn in this popular summer resort town at around 5:30 a.m., and flames were shooting out the building by the time firefighters arrived. At least one person leaped from a second-floor window to escape.
Three people were injured critically. Other injuries included broken bones.
The discovery of a fourth victim was announced Friday afternoon just before firefighters removed the body on a stretcher. Authorities said all remaining occupants had been accounted for after hours of visiting hospitals, motels and other locations to track down other survivors.
The victims were identified as male adults, but the prosecutor's office said no positive identifications had been made and the cause of the blaze was unknown.
After the bodies were slid on stretchers down ladders to the ground, investigators brought out dogs specially trained to react to the presence of gasoline or other petroleum products that might have been used to start or accelerate a fire. The dogs sniffed at charred items and building debris at the curb and alongside the motel's outdoor swimming pool, but showed no obvious reaction to anything.
Task Force One, New Jersey's elite urban search and rescue team that has responded to disaster scenes around the world, also joined the investigation, which was expected to take days.
The blaze was the second major fire at the Jersey shore in seven months, following a September blaze that destroyed about a third of the boardwalk in Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. The boardwalk had just been rebuilt after Sandy. It is now being rebuilt -- again.
Survivors of Friday's motel fire described a chaotic scene of flames, smoke and screaming.
Peter Kuch said he smelled smoke and opened his door to find a lounge area engulfed in flames. He dialed 911 to seek help, and by the time the call was completed, the flames were at his door and licking at the windows of his second-floor unit.
He decided to jump.
"I had to, there was no other way out," he said. "My window was only open an inch and flames were already starting to come through it. There just was no other choice."
He suffered a sprained ankle but said he was otherwise all right.
Joe Frystock was one of the Sandy victims who was staying at the motel, which like many others in this resort, relies on people seeking low-cost rentals during the slow winter season. His home in nearby Brick Township took on 6 feet of water during the October 2012 storm, and the motel was the latest in a series of temporary homes for him.
"I lost everything -- again -- but I'm alive," he said. "I only got out with my insulin kit, but this is what keeps me alive, so I guess I'm lucky."
Frystock, who is diabetic, said he woke up to the cracking sound of wood burning, and saw an orange glow.
"People were yelling: 'Help me! Help me!' There was lots of screaming," he said. "A woman in the unit next to me, they pulled her from a bathtub, but I don't know how anyone could have survived those flames. The entire second floor was engulfed, from one end to another."
That woman, who had sought refuge in a shower and kept the water running on her while waiting to be rescued, was pulled from the bathroom by one firefighter, who handed her out a window to another firefighter, who carried her down a ladder to safety. The woman was taken to St. Barnabas Medical Center, a hospital about an hour north that specializes in treating severe burns, which Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said she had suffered.
"She was screaming, there was fire over her head," he said. "She was all black, from head to toe. It was chaos."
Denise Dougherty, the motel's housekeeper, said she was awakened by screams.
"There were people yelling, 'Help me! Help me!' and other people yelling, 'Jump! Jump!' It was terrible."
Shawn Wardell said a strong wind was fanning the flames across the second floor of the motel, where he had been staying with his cousin and grandparents.
"We got my grandfather out 'cause he's disabled, and by that time the whole second floor was just engulfed in flames," he said. "People were yelling and screaming."
Residents gave conflicting accounts of whether they heard smoke detectors or fire alarms sounding. Some said they heard nothing, while others said a fire alarm was blaring as the flames were sweeping eastward across the top of the building.
The Ocean County Sheriff's Department said one of the injured included one of its detectives, who suffered a severe leg injury, including broken bones, at the fire scene.
Investigators determined about 40 people were staying there when the fire broke out, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said. The motel's office was destroyed and many records were lost, he said, making an accurate accounting difficult.
Volunteer and county social service agencies placed the surviving motel residents in other rental units in town. | {
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I installed Spiceworks on one of my networked workstations. It worked flawlessly and helped me to find and install a network printer that Vista Add Printer would not recognize on its own. Now I want to install Spiceworks on the main work station. After I download the software, Spiceworks wants me to fill in the same information I provided for the first remote workstation and it won't let me enter the login credentials I have already established. Should I just repeat the same information after the software installs?
2 Replies
You need to install Spiceworks on a server and have only one install. From there you will access that install via a browser. You will have access to all the same options and features and the network scan will scan all devices on your network. You might have to add additional user accounts on the scanner portion of Spiceworks if you are not in a domain and you have different administrative passwords for different computers. By default Spiceworks will run its web server on port 80 unless you already have a web server running on the machine you are installing spiceworks on (in which case it will use port 9675).
Once Spiceworks is installed I would sugguest setting it to run as a service and then you can open ports on your firewall to allow you to access your Spiceworks from across the internet when you are not in the office.
There is no need to have two spiceworks installs.
But to answer your question. Yes just put in the same information, and make sure you remove the other spiceworks install so you don't have two databases with different info in each one. | {
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5 Ways To Enhance Your Creative Side
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5 Ways To Enhance Your Creative Side
As society becomes more and more accepting of the daily usage of marijuana, people are becoming more intrigued about the history of this medicinal and recreational herb. For decades, the use of marijuana was often regarded as one of the biggest sins, so much so, that people have been arrested and charged for innocently smoking a joint. Now that people can buy legal weed in Boulder, both stoners and non-stoner have taken an interest to weed, where it comes from, who’s used it, and what remains hidden about this mysteriously affective plant. The following are the top 5 things you didn’t know about marijuana.
You Can Become a Weed Critic
There are many people who dream about becoming a food or movie critic, because this profession requires them to know everything about their genre, and then critique. While getting into this line of work isn’t a very easy thing to do (because then everyone would do it), it can definitely be done with enough perseverance and dedication. Well, there is one job that has stoners lining up left and right for, and this is the job of a weed critic. Although this career path is relatively new, there are people who are paid to smoke weed and give their honest opinion on the matter. In fact, there is a man named Jake Browne, who is renown in Colorado for being Source a weed critic. Thanks to now being able to buy legal weed in Boulder, Browne has gone public, and many would agree that he’s hit the jackpot.
Australia is Marijuana’s Number 1 Fan
Believe it or not, but one of the countries most known for smoking marijuana is none other than Australia. In fact, the amount of Australians who smoke weed are three times the amount of the global average.
The Use of Medical Marijuana Dates Back to 2737 B.C.
A lot of people have wondered about the cannabis plant, and whether or not it was used for best site recreational and medical purposes in past generations. Well the answer is yes, it was. As a matter of fact, the use of marijuana can date back all the way to 2737 B.C., to when a Chinese emperor first fell in love with the herb because he believed it to be the solution for treating body aches, rheumatism, and gout.
Colorado Has Accumulated More Than 34 Million Dollars in Weed Tax Money Since It’s Legalization
Since weed has become legal in Colorado, its government has been able to accumulate more than 34 million additional dollars in taxes.
Most People Who Smoke Weed for Medical Reasons do it Without Consulting a Doctor
While some people are going to go to their doctor to have medical marijuana prescribed, most of them are just going to self medicate. | {
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Pianist Jon Nakamatsu performing April 3 through Adams Foundation
Fri, 2011-03-11 01:00 -- univcomm
March 11, 2011
The Anderson UniversitySchool of Music is proud to bring acclaimed American pianist Jon Nakamatsu in recital on Sunday, April 3 at 4 p.m. at the Central Christian Church, 923 Jackson Street, Anderson, Ind. This concert is made possible by the generous support of the Adams Foundation which is dedicated to the revival of solo piano concerts in cities and smaller towns across the United States, through funding by businessman and philanthropist Stephen Adams.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students with valid ID, and free for children under 12 if accompanied by adults; tickets are available by calling (800) 619-3047 or (765) 641-4543.
Nakamatsu is known throughout the U.S. and abroad as a pianist who, in the words of The New York Times, “has stunning technical control and can do anything at the piano he wants.” Nakamatsu will return to New York City in April 2011 for a recital at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of New York’s most important recital venues. Elsewhere he was heard as guest soloist with the Greenwich (CT) Symphony Orchestra, Peninsula Symphony Orchestra (San Mateo, CA) Bozeman (MT) Symphony, Rochester (NY) Philharmonic, and Santa Rosa (CA) Symphony. He has also participated in the Beijing International Piano Festival in Beijing, China. As orchestral guest soloist he has been performing Gershwin’s Concerto in F, Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1, Schumann’s Concerto in A Minor, and Brahms' Concerto No. 1 in D Minor.
Nakamatsu studied privately with the late Marina Derryberry from the age of six, and has worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, son of the great pianist Artur Schnabel. He has also studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein of the Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California, and pursued extensive studies in chamber music and musicology. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in German Studies and a master’s degree in Education. | {
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An anonymous reader writes: More than 10 years ago, I was very interested in this new thing called USB and the UHCI controller. I wanted to write my own code for good old DOS to allow the use of this controller. At the same time, I thought it would be interesting to write a book on the subject. However, as time passed, the interest in the book was lost.
Later when the EHCI controller and then the new xHCI controller was introduced, my interest in USB and these new controllers was re-ignited along with the long lost book. After spending months of research and work, the book was finally ready for those of us that enjoy the hardware side and how to program it. The book, though I admit, may not be the best grammatically written book, is very easy to follow. (English was not my favorite subject in school).
The book was written for the USB neophyte who is interested in learning the ins and outs (pun intended) of USB hardware programming, has many data examples, tables, code examples, and memory dumps, and is written as if the reader has never seen a USB device, let alone programmed for one.
It shows how to create a USB stack and schedule for all four major controllers, how to send and received control/int/bulk data to/from devices such as mice, keyboards, thumb drives, and external hubs, all without using any services from the operating system, except for memory allocation and the such.
As I was finishing this book, all I could think about was why didn’t I do this a long time ago. I much enjoyed the research and development of this book. Many fans even helped by sending in their feedback to the pre-release tests I asked for, and many manufactures even granted my requests for hardware, both controllers and peripherals, as I have thanked them all through out the pages of the text.
Finally, sales for the first year well exceeded any expectations that I ever dreamed of. I appreciate all of those who contributed and all of those who have purchased a copy. It has been a wonderful experience. | {
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A renowned concert hall chanteuse and cabaret artist, Valerie Lemon has performed across the United States as a concert soloist for composer Marvin Hamlisch. Her 12 –year association with the Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer resulted in Mr. Hamlisch writing a solo act for her that has been performed around the globe. Valerie is a four year veteran (2003-2007) of The Mabel Mercer Cabaret Conventionand is proud to have helped inaugurate the continuation of the series at Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in 2005.
Valerie has appeared in New York City at Feinstein’s at the Regency, the famed Oak Room at the Algonquin, The Metropolitan Room, Helen’s Hideaway and Mama Rose, followed by engagements at the Sheldon Center in St. Louis, the Music Conservatory of Westchester and so many others. She was a featured performer at Carnegie Hall’s recital room, Weill Hall, and performs as a special guest with top cabaret stars such as Andrea Marcovicci and KT Sullivan. She has appeared in many off-Broadway productions and toured with Diana Rigg in the pre-Broadway tour of the musical Collette.
Valerie’s salute to the Music of Marvin Hamlisch is a warm, funny, elegant and sophisticated evening dedicated to the famed composer’s past and present triumphs. Filled with stories of her travels with him on the road as a symphony vocalist, as well as tales of the huge influence he has had on her singing career, Valerie shines the spotlight on the man responsible for some of the best-loved songs of his generation. From "The Way We Were" to the Pulitzer Prize winning score for A Chorus Line, the evening is filled with memorable music that clearly demonstrates why both Valerie and Marvin Hamlisch are “singular sensations”. | {
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Barcelona F.C. will join the 50th Anniversary celebrations with the presentation of a large European flag on the Camp Nou pitch. The flag, 25 metres long and 19 metres wide, will introduce a league football match between Barça and Levante. | {
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Lucas Sweitzer
Marketing Communications & Graphic Design
Well hi there! Thanks for visiting my corner of the web. I am a designer and communicator living in Chicago, IL. If you're interested in working with me, feel free to check out my résumé below -- and reach out to me for some portfolio examples, too! | {
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Impact Aid Law
Section 8001. Purpose.
In order to fulfill the Federal responsibility to assist with the provision of educational services to federally connected children in a manner that promotes control by local educational agencies with little or no Federal or State involvement, because certain activities of the Federal Government, such as activities to fulfill a responsibility of the Federal government, with respect to Indian tribes and activities under Section 514 of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940(50 U.S.C. App 574), place a financial burden on the local educational agencies serving areas where such activities are carried out, and to help such children meet challenging State standards, it is the purpose of this title to provide financial assistance to local educational agencies that-
(1) experience a substantial and continuing financial burden due to the acquisition of real property by the United States;
(2) educate children who reside on Federal property and whose parents are employed on Federal property;
(3) educate children of parents who are in the military services and children who live in low-rent housing;
(4) educate heavy concentrations of children whose parents are civilian employees of the Federal Government and do not reside on Federal property; or
(5) need special assistance with capital expenditures for construction activities because of the substantial enrollment numbers of children who reside on Federal lands and because of the difficulty of raising local revenue through bond referendums for capital projects due to the inability to tax Federal property.
Section 8002. Payments Relating to
Federal Acquisition of Real Property.
(a) IN GENERAL.-Where the Secretary, after consultation with any local educational agency and with the appropriate State educational agency, determines for a fiscal year ending prior to October 1, 2003-
(1) that the United States owns Federal property in the local educational agency, and that such property-
(A) has been acquired by the United States since 1938;
(B) was not acquired by exchange for other Federal property in the local educational agency which the United States owned before 1939; and
(C) had an assessed value (determined as of the time or times when so acquired) aggregating 10 percent or more of the assessed value of-
(i) all real property in the local educational agency (similarly determined as of the time or times when such Federal property was so acquired); or
(ii) all real property in the local educational agency as assessed in the first year preceding or succeeding acquisition, whichever is greater, only if-
(I) the assessment of all real property in the local educational agency is not made at the same time or times that such Federal property was so acquired and assessed; and
(II) State law requires an assessment be made of property so acquired; and
(2) that such agency is not being substantially compensated for the loss in revenue resulting from such ownership by increases in revenue accruing to the agency from the conduct of Federal activities with respect to such Federal property, then such agency shall be eligible to receive the amount described in subsection (b).
(b) AMOUNT.-
(1) IN GENERAL.-(A)(i)(I) Subject to subclauses (II) and (III), the amount that a local educational agency shall be paid under sub-section (a) for a fiscal year shall be calculated in ac-cordance with paragraph (2).
(II) Except as provided in subclause (III), the Secretary may not reduce the amount of a payment under this section to a local educational agency for a fiscal year by (aa) the amount equal to the amount of revenue, if any, the agency received during the previous fiscal year from activities conducted on Federal property eligible under this section and located in a school district served by the agency, including amounts received from any Federal department or agency (other than the Department of Education) from such activities, by reason of receipt of such revenue, or (bb) any other amount by reason of such revenue.
(III) If the amount equal to the sum of (aa) the proposed payment under this section to a local educational agency for a fiscal year and (bb) the amount of revenue described in subclause (II) (aa) received by the agency during the previous fiscal year, exceeds the maximum amount the agency is eligible to receive under this section for the fiscal year involved, then the Secretary shall reduce the amount of the proposed payment under this section by an amount equal to such excess amount.
(ii) For purposes of clause (i), the amount of revenue that a local educational agency receives dur-ing the previous fiscal year from activities conducted on Federal property shall not include payments re-ceived by the agency from the Secretary of Defense to support-
(I) the operation of a domestic dependent elementary or secondary school; or
(II) the provision of a free public edu-cation to dependents of members of the Armed Forces residing on or near a military installa-tion.
(B) If funds appropriated under section 8014(a) are insufficient to pay the amount deter-mined under sub-paragraph (A), the Secretary shall calculate the payment for each eligible local educational agency in accordance with subsection (h).
(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, a local educational agency may not be paid an amount under this section that, when added to the amount such agency receives under sec-tion 8003(b), exceeds the maximum amount that such agency is eligible to receive for such fiscal year under section 8003(b)(1)(C), or the maximum amount that such agency is eligible to receive for such fiscal year under this section, whichever is greater.
(2) APPLICATION OF CURRENT LEVIED REAL PROPERTY TAX RATE.-In calculating the amount that a local educational agency is eligible to receive for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall apply the current levied real property tax rate for current expenditures levied by fiscally independent local educational agencies, or imputed for fiscally independent local edu-cational agencies, to the current annually deter-mined aggregate assessed value of such acquired Federal property.
(3) DETERMINATION OF AGGREGATE ASSESSED VALUE.-Such aggregate assessed value of such acquired Federal property shall be determined on the basis of the highest and best use of property adjacent to such acquired Federal property as of the time such value is determined, and provided to the Secretary, by the local official responsible for assessing the value of real property located in the jurisdiction of such local educational agency for the purpose of levying a property tax.
(c) APPLICABILITY TO TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY ACT.-For the purpose of this section, any real property with respect to which payments are being made under section 13 of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 shall not be regarded as Federal property.
(d) OWNERSHIP BY UNITED STATES.-The United States shall be deemed to own Federal property for the purposes of this Act, where-
(1) prior to the transfer of Federal property, the United States owned Federal property meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A), (B) and (C) of subsection (a) (1); and
(2) the United States transfers a portion of the property referred to in paragraph (1) to another non-taxable entity, and the United States-
(A) restricts some or any construction on such property;
(B) requires that the property be used in perpetuity for the public purposes for which the property was conveyed;
(C) requires the grantee of the property to report to the Federal Government (or its agent) regarding information on the use of the property;
(D) except with the approval of the Federal Government (or its agent), prohibits the sale, lease, assignment, or other disposal of the property unless such sale, lease, assignment, or other disposal is to another eligible government agency; and
(E) reserves to the Federal Government a right of reversion at any time the Federal Government (or its agent) deems it necessary for the national defense.
(e) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY CONTAINING FOREST SERVICE LAND AND SERVING CERTAIN COUNTIES.-Beginning with fiscal year 1995, a local educational agency shall be deemed to meet the requirements of subsection (a)(1)(C) if such local educational agency meets the following requirements:
(1) ACREAGE AND ACQUISITION BY THE FOREST SERVICE.-The local educational agency serves a school district that contains between 20,000 and 60,000 acres of land that has been acquired by the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture between 1915 and 1990, as demonstrated by written evidence from the Forest Service satisfactory to the Secretary.
(2) COUNTY CHARTER.-The local educational agency serves a county chartered under State law in 1875 or 1890.
(f) SPECIAL RULE.- (1) Beginning with fiscal year 1994 and notwithstanding any other provision of law limiting the period during which fiscal year 1994 funds may be obligated, the Secretary shall treat the local educational agency serving the Wheatland R-II School District, Wheatland, Missouri, as meeting the eligibility requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C) of the Act of September 30, 1950 (Public Law 874, 81st Congress) (as such section was in effect on the day preceding the date of enactment of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) (20 U.S.C. 237(a)(1)(C)) or subsection (a)(1)(C).
(2) For each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 1999, the Secretary shall treat the Webster School
District, Day County, South Dakota as meeting the eligibility requirements of subsection (a)(1)(C) of this section.
(3) For each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2000, the Secretary shall treat the Central Union, California; Island, California; Hill City, South Dakota; and Wall, South Dakota local educational agencies as meeting the eligibility requirements of subsection (a)(1)(c) of this section.
(4) For the purposes of payment under this section for each fiscal yeah beginning with fiscal year 2000, the Secretary shall treat Hot Springs, South Dakota local educational agency as if they filed a timely application under section 8002 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for fiscal year 1994 if the Secretary has received the fiscal year 1994 application, as well as Exhibits A and B not later than December 1, 1999.
(5) For purposes of payments under this section for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2000, the Secretary shall treat Hueneme, California local educational agency as if it had filed a timely application under section 8002 of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 if the Secretary has received the fiscal year 1995 application not later than December 1, 1999.
(g) FORMER DISTRICTS.-
(1) IN GENERAL.-Where the school district of any local educational agency described in paragraph (2) is formed at any time after 1938 by consolidation of two or more former school districts, such agency may elect (at any time such agency files an application under section 8005) for any fiscal year after fiscal year 1994 to have (A) the eligibility of such local educational agency, and (B) the amount which such agency shall be eligible to receive, determined under this section only with respect to such of the former school districts comprising such consolidated school districts as such agency shall designate in such election.
(2) ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.-A local educational agency referred to in paragraph (1) is any local education agency that, for fiscal year 1994 or any preceding fiscal year, applied for and was determined eligible under section 2(c) of the Act of September 30, 1950 (Public Law 874, 81st Congress) as such section was in effect for such fiscal year.
(h) PAYMENTS WITH RESPECT TO FISCAL YEARS IN WHICH INSUFFICIENT FUNDS ARE APPROPRIATED - For any fiscal year for which the amount appropriated under section 8014(a) is insufficient to pay to each eligible local educational agency the full amount determined under subsection (b), the Secretary shall make payments to each local educational agency under this section as follows:
(1) FOUNDATION PAYMENS FOR PRE-1995 RECIPIENTS.-
(A) IN GENERAL.- The Secretary shall first make a foundation payment to each local educational agency that is eligible to receive a payment under this section for the fiscal year involved and that filed, or has been determined pursuant to statute to have filed a timely application, and met, or has been determined pursuant to statute of meet the eligibility requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C) of the Act of September 30, 1950 (Public Law 874, 81st Congress) (as such section was in effect on the day preceding the date of the enactment of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) for any of the fiscal years 1989 through 1994.
(B) AMOUNT. - The amount of a payment under subparagraph (A) for a local educational agency shall be equal to 38 percent of the local educational agency's maximum entitlement amount under section 2 of the Act of September 30, 1950, for fiscal year 1994 (or if the local educational agency did not meet, or has not been determined pursuant to meet, the eligibility requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C) of the Act of September 30, 1950 for fiscal year 1994 the local educational agency's maximum entitlement amount under such section 2 for the most recent fiscal year preceding 1994).
(C) INSUFFICENT APPROPRIATIONS. - If the amount appropriated under section 8014(a) is insufficient to pay the full amount determined under this paragraph for all eligible local educational agencies for the fiscal year, then the Secretary shall ratably reduce the payment to each local educational agency under this paragraph.
(2)PAYMENT FOR 1995 RECIPIENTS.-
(A) IN GENERAL.- From any amounts remaining after making payments under paragraph (1) for the fiscal year involved, the Secretary shall make a payment to each eligible local educational agency that received a payment under this section for fiscal year 1995 or whose application under this section for fiscal year 1995 was determined pursuant to statute to be timely filed for purposes of payments for subsequent fiscal years.
(B) AMOUNTS.- The amount of a payment under subparagraph (A) for a local educational agency shall be determined as follows:
(i) Calculate the difference between the amount appropriated to carry out this section for fiscal year 1995 and the total amount of foundation payments made under paragraph (1) for the fiscal year.
(ii) Determine the percentage share for each local educational agency described in subparagraph (A) by dividing the assessed value of the Federal property of the local educational agency for fiscal year 1995 determined in accordance with subsection (b)(3), by the total eligible national assessed value of the eligible Federal property of all such local educational agencies for fiscal year 1995, as so determined.
(iii) Multiply the percentage share described in clause (ii) for the local educational agency by the amount determined under clause (i)
(3) SUBSECTION (i) RECIPIENTS.- From any funds remaining after making payments under paragraphs (1) and (2) for the fiscal year involved, the Secretary shall make payments in accordance with subsection (i).
(4) REMAINING FUNDS.- From any funds remaining after making payments under paragraph (1), (2), and (3) for the fiscal year involved-
(A) The Secretary shall make a payment to each local educational agency that received a foundation payment under paragraph (1) for the fiscal year involved in an amount the bears the same relation to 25 percent of the remainder as the amount the local educational agency received under paragraph (1) for the fiscal year involved bears to the amount all local educational agencies received under paragraph (1) for the fiscal year involved; and
(B) the Secretary shall make a payment to each local educational agency that is eligible to receive a payment under this section for the fiscal year involved in an amount that bears the same relation to 75 percent of the remainder as a percentage share determined for the local educational agency (by dividing the maximum amount that the agency is eligible to receive under subsection (b) by the total of the maximum amounts for all such agencies) bears to the percentage share determined (in the same manner) for all local educational agencies eligible to receive a payment under this section for the fiscal year involved, except that, for the purpose of calculating a local educational agency's maximum amount under subsection (b) data from the most current fiscal year shall be used.
(i) SPECIAL PAYMENTS.-
(1) IN GENERAL.- For any fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2000 for which the amount appropriated to carry out this section exceeds the amount so appropriated for fiscal year 1996 and for which subsection (b)(1)(B) applies, the Secretary shall use the remainder described in subsection (h)(3) for the fiscal year involved (not to exceed the amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount appropriated to carry out this section for fiscal year 1997 and (B) the amount appropriated to carry out this section for fiscal year 1996) to increase the payment that would otherwise be made under this section to not more than 50 percent of the maximum amount determined under subsection (b) for any local educational agency described in paragraph (2).
(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DESCRIBED.-A local educational agency described in this paragraph is a local education agency that-
(A) received a payment under this section for fiscal year 1996;
(B) serves a school district that contains all or a portion of a United States military academy;
(C) serves a school district in which the local tax assessor has certified that at least 60 percent of the real property is federally owned; and
(D) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that such agency's per-pupil revenue derived from local sources for current expenditures is not less than that revenue for the preceding fiscal year.
(k) SPECIAL RULE.-For purposes of payments under this section for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 1998-
(1) the Secretary shall, for the Stanley County, South Dakota local educational agency, calculate payments as if subsection (e) had been in effect for fiscal year 1994; and
(2) the Secretary shall treat the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania local educational agency as if it had filed a timely application under section 2 of Public Law 81-874 for fiscal year 1994.
(l) PRIOR YEAR DATA.- Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in determining the eligibility of a local educational agency for a payment under subsection (b) or (h)(4)(B) of this section for a fiscal year, and in calculating the amount of such payment, the Secretary-
(1) shall use data from the prior fiscal year with respect to the Federal property involved, including data with respect to the assessed value of the property and the real property tax rate for current expenditures levied against or imputed to the property; and
(2) shall use data from the second prior fiscal year with respect to determining the amount of revenue referred to in subsection (b)(1)(A)(i).
(m) ELIGIBILITY.-
(1) OLD FEDERAL PROPERTY.- Except as provided in paragraph (2), a local educational agency that is eligible to receive a payment under this section of Federal property acquired by the Federal Government, before the date of enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000, shall be eligible to receive the payment only if the local educational agency submits an application for a payment under this section not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of such Act.
(2) COMBINED FEDERAL PROPERTY.- A local educational agency that is eligible to receive a payment under this section for Federal property acquired by the Federal Government before the date of the enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000 shall be eligible to receive the payment if-
(A) The Federal property, when combined with other Federal property in the school district served by the local educational agency acquired by the Federal Government after the date of the enactment of such Act, meets the requirements of subsection (a); and
(B) the local educational agency submits an application for a payment under this section not later than 5 years after the date of acquisition of the Federal property acquired after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(3) NEW FEDERAL PROPERTY.- A local educational agency that is eligible to receive a payment under this section for Federal property acquired by the Federal Government after the date of enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000 shall be eligible to receive the payment only if the local educational agency submits an application for a payment under this section not later than 5 years after the date of acquisition.
(n) LOSS OF ELIGIBILITY-
(1) IN GENERAL - Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Secretary shall make a minimum payment to a local educational agency described in paragraph (2), for the first fiscal year that the agency loses eligibility for assistance under this section as a result of property located within the school district served by the agency failing to meet the definition of Federal property under section 8013(5)(C)(iii), in an amount equal to 90 percent of the amount received by the agency under this section for the preceding year.
(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DESCRIBED- A local educational agency described in this paragraph is an agency that--
(A) was eligible for, and received, a payment under this section for fiscal year 2002; and
(B) beginning in fiscal year 2003 or a subsequent fiscal year, is no longer eligible for
payments under this section as provided for in subsection (a)(1)(C) as a result of the transfer of the Federal property involved to a non-Federal entity.
APPLICATION FOR PAYMENT- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall treat as timely filed an application under section 8002 (20 U.S.C. 7702) from Academy School District 20, Colorado, for a payment for fiscal year 1999, and shall process that application from funds appropriated for that section for fiscal year 2001.
Subsection (j) was moved from Title VIII (Impact Aid) to Title V, Part D, Subpart 20 "Fund for the Improvement of Education -- ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES IMPACTED BY FEDERAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION.-
(1) RESERVATION.-From amounts appropriated under section 8014(g) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide additional assistance to meet special circumstances relating to the provision of education in local educational agencies eligible to receive assistance under this section.
(2) ELIGIBILITY.- A local educational agency is eligible to receive additional assistance under this subsection only if such agency -
(A) received a payment under both this section and section 8003(b) for fiscal year 1996 and is eligible to receive payments under those sections for the year of application;
(B) provided a free public education to children described under sections 8003(a)(1)(A), (B), or (D);
(C) had military installation located within the geographic boundaries of the local education agency that was closed as a result of base closure of realignments and, at the time at which the agency is applying for a payment under this subsection, the agency does not have a military installation located within its geographic boundaries;
(D) remains responsible for the free public education of children resident in housing located on Federal property within the boundaries of the closed military installation but whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services and assigned to a military activity located within the boundaries of an adjoining local educational agency; and
(E) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that such agency's per pupil revenue derived from local sources for current expenditures is not less than that revenue for the preceding fiscal year.
(3) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.- (A) The maximum amount that a local educational agency is eligible to receive under this subsection for any fiscal year, when combined with its payment under subsection (b), shall not be more than 50 percent of the maximum amount determined under subsection (b);
(B) If funds appropriated under section 8014(g) are insufficient to pay the amount determined under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ratably reduce the payment of each local education agency eligible under this subsection;
(C) If funds appropriated under section 8014(g) are in excess of the amount determined under subparagraph (A) the Secretary shall ratably distribute any excess funds to all local educational agencies eligible for payment under subsection (b) of this section.
Section 8003. Payments for
Eligible Federally Connected Children.
(a) COMPUTATION OF PAYMENT.-
(1) IN GENERAL.-For the purpose of computing the amount that a local educational agency is eligible to receive under subsection (b), or (d), for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall determine the number of children who were in average daily attendance in the schools of such agency, and for whom such agency provided free public education during the preceding school year and who, while in attendance at such schools-
(A)(i) resided on Federal property with a parent employed on Federal property situated in whole or in part within the boundaries of the school district of such agency; or
(ii) resided on Federal property with a parent who is an official of, and accredited by, a foreign government and is a foreign military officer;
(B) resided on Federal property and had a parent on active duty in the uniformed services (as defined in section 101 of title 37, United States Code);
(C) resided on Indian lands;
(D)(i) had a parent on active duty in the uniformed services (as defined by section 101 of title 37, United States Code) but did not reside on Federal property; or
(ii) had a parent who is an official of, and has been accredited by, a foreign government and is a foreign military officer but did not reside on Federal property;
(E) resided in low-rent housing;
(F) resided on Federal property and is not described in sub-paragraph (A) or (B); or
(G) resided with a parent employed on Federal property situated-
(i) in whole or in part in the county in which such agency is located, or in whole or in part in such agency if such agency is located in more than one county; or
(ii) if not in such county, in whole or in part in the same State as such agency.
(2) DETERMINATION OF WEIGHTED STUDENT UNITS.-For the purpose of computing the basic support payment under subsection (b), the Secretary shall calculate the total number of weighted student units for a local educational agency by adding together the results obtained by the following computations:
(A) Multiply the number of children described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) by a factor of 1.0.
(B) Multiply the number of children described in paragraph (1)(C) by a factor of 1.25.
(C) Multiply the number of children described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) by a factor of .35 if the local educational agency has-
(i) a number of such children described in such subparagraphs which exceeds 6,500; and
(ii) an average daily attendance for all children which exceeds 100,000.
(D) Multiply the number of children described in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) by a factor of .20.
(E) Multiply the number of children described in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (1) by a factor of .10.
(F) Multiply the number of children described in subparagraphs (F) and (G) of paragraph (1) by a factor of .05.
(3) SPECIAL RULE.-The Secretary shall only compute a payment for a local educational agency for children described in subparagraph (F) or (G) of paragraph (1) if the number of such children equals or exceeds 1,000 or such number equals or exceeds 10 percent of the total number of students in average daily attendance in the schools of such agency.
(4) MILITARY INSTALLATION AND INDIAN HOUSING UNDERGOING RENOVATION OR REBUILDING.-
(A) IN GENERAL. - (i) For purposes of computing the amount of a payment for a local educational agency for children described in paragraph (1)(D)(i), the Secretary shall consider such children to be children described in paragraph (1)(B) if the Secretary determines, on the basis of a certification provided to the Secretary by a designated representative of the Secretary of Defense, that such children would have resided in housing on Federal property in accordance with paragraph (1)(B) except that such housing was undergoing renovation on the date for which the Secretary determines the number of children under paragraph (1).
(ii) For purposes of computing the amount of a payment for a local educational agency that received a payment for children that resided on Indian lands in accordance with paragraph (1)(C) for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year for which the local educational agency is making an application, the Secretary shall consider such children to be children described in paragraph (1)(C) if the Secretary determines, on the basis of a certification provided to the Secretary by a designated representative of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, that such children would have resided in housing on Indian lands in accordance with paragraph (1)(C) except that such housing was undergoing renovation or rebuilding on the date for which the Secretary determines the number of children under subparagraph (1).
(B) LIMITATIONS- (i)(I) Children described in paragraph (1)(D)(i) may be deemed to be children described in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to housing on Federal property undergoing renovation or rebuilding in accordance with subparagraph (A)(i) for a period not to exceed 3 fiscal years.
(II) The number of children described in paragraph (1)(D)(i) who are deemed to be children described in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to housing on Federal property undergoing renovation or rebuilding in accordance with subparagraph (A)(i) for any fiscal year may not exceed the maximum number of children who are expected to occupy that housing upon completion of the renovation or rebuilding.
(ii)(I) Children that resided on Indian lands in accordance with paragraph (1)(C) for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year for which the local educational agency is making an application may be deemed to be children described in paragraph (1)(C) with respect to housing on Indian lands undergoing renovation or rebuilding in accordance with subparagraph (A)(ii) for a period not to exceed 3 fiscal years.
(II) The number of children that resided on Indian lands in accordance with paragraph (1)(C) for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year for which the local educational agency is making an application who are deemed to be children described in paragraph (1)(C) with respect to housing on Indian lands undergoing renovation or rebuilding in accordance with subparagraph (A)(ii) for any fiscal year may not exceed the maximum number of children who are expected to occupy that housing upon completion of the renovation or rebuilding.'.
(C) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendments made by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to payments to a local educational agency for fiscal years beginning before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(5) MILITARY `BUILD TO LEASE' PROGRAM HOUSING-
(A) IN GENERAL- For purposes of computing the amount of payment for a local educational agency for children identified under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider children residing in housing initially acquired or constructed under the former section 2828(g) of title 10, United States Code (commonly known as the `Build to Lease' program), as added by section 801 of the Military Construction Authorization Act of 1984, to be children described under paragraph (1)(B) if the property described is within the fenced security perimeter of the military facility upon which such housing is situated.
(B) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS- If the property described in subparagraph (A) is not owned by the Federal Government, is subject to taxation by a State or political subdivision of a State, and thereby generates revenues for a local educational agency that is applying to receive a payment under this section, then the Secretary--
(i) shall require the local educational agency to provide certification from an appropriate official of the Department of Defense that the property is being used to provide military housing; and
(ii) shall reduce the amount of the payment under this section by an amount equal to the amount of revenue from such taxation received in the second preceding fiscal year by such local educational agency, unless the amount of such revenue was taken into account by the State for such second preceding fiscal year and already resulted in a reduction in the amount of State aid paid to such local educational agency.
(b) BASIC SUPPORT PAYMENTS AND PAYMENTS WITH RESPECT TO FISCAL YEARS IN WHICH INSUFFICIENT FUNDS ARE APPROPRIATED.-
(1) BASIC SUPPORT PAYMENTS.-
(A) IN GENERAL.-From the amount appropriated under -section 8014(b) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized to make basic support payments to eligible local educational agencies with children described in subsection (a).
(B) ELIGIBILITY.-A local educational agency is eligible to receive a basic support pay-ment under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year with respect to a number of children determined under subsection (a)(1) only if the number of children so determined with respect to such agency amounts to the lesser of-
(i) at least 400 such children; or
(ii) a number of such children which equals at least 3 percent of the total num-ber of children who were in average daily attendance, during such year, at the schools of such agency and for whom such agency provided free public education.
(C) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.-The maximum amount that a local educational agency is eligi-ble to receive under this subsection for any fis-cal year is the sum of the total weighted student units, as computed under subsection (a)(2), multiplied by the greater of-
(i) one-half of the average per-pupil expenditure of the State in which the local educational agency is located for the third fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made;
(ii) one-half of the average per-pupil expenditure of all of the States for the third fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made;
(iii) the comparable local contribu-tion rate certified by the State, as deter-mined under regulations prescribed to carry out the Act of September 30, 1950 (Public Law 874, 81st Congress), as such regulations were in effect on January 1, 1994; or
(iv) the average per-pupil expendi-ture of the State in which the local edu-cational agency is located, multiplied by the local contribution percentage.
(D) DATA.-If satisfactory data from the third preceding fiscal year are not available for any of the expenditures described in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (C), the Secretary shall use data from the most recent fiscal year for which data that are satisfactory to the Secretary are available.
(E) SPECIAL RULE.-For purposes of determining the comparable local contribution rate under subparagraph (C)(iii) for a local educational agency described in section 222.39(C) (3) of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, that had its comparable local contribution rate for fiscal year 1998 calculated pursuant to section 222.39 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, the Secretary shall determine such comparable local contribution rate as the rate upon which payments under this subsection for fiscal year 2000 were made to the local educational agency adjusted by the percentage increase or decrease in the per pupil expenditure in the State serving the local educational agency calculated on the basis of the second most recent preceding school year compared to the third most recent preceding school year for which school year data are available.
(F) INCREASE IN LOCAL CONTRIBUTION RATE DUE TO UNUSUAL GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS- If the current expenditures in those local educational agencies which the Secretary has determined to be generally comparable to the local educational agency for which a computation is made under subparagraph (C) are not reasonably comparable because of unusual geographical factors which affect the current expenditures necessary to maintain, in such agency, a level of education equivalent to that maintained in such other agencies, then the Secretary shall increase the local contribution rate for such agency under subparagraph (C)(iii) by such an amount which the Secretary determines will compensate such agency for the increase in current expenditures necessitated by such unusual geographical factors. The amount of any such supplementary payment may not exceed the per-pupil share (computed with regard to all children in average daily attendance), as determined by the Secretary, of the increased current expenditures necessitated by such unusual geographic factors.
(2) BASIC SUPPORT PAYMENTS FOR HEAVILY IMPACTED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES-
(A) IN GENERAL- (i) From the amount appropriated under section 8014(b) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized to make basic support payments to eligible heavily impacted local educational agencies with children described in subsection (a).
(ii) A local educational agency that receives a basic support payment under this paragraph for a fiscal year shall not be eligible to receive a basic support payment under paragraph (1) for that fiscal year.
(i) IN GENERAL- A heavily impacted local educational agency is eligible to receive a basic support payment under subparagraph (A) with respect to a number of children determined under subsection (a)(1) if the agency--
(I) received an additional assistance payment under subsection (f) (as such subsection was in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000) for fiscal year 2000; and
(II)(aa) is a local educational agency whose boundaries are the same as a Federal military installation;
(bb) has an enrollment of children described in subsection (a)(1) that constitutes a percentage of the total student enrollment of the agency which is not less than 35 percent, has a per-pupil expenditure that is less than the average per-pupil expenditure of the State in which the agency is located or the average per-pupil expenditure of all States (whichever average per-pupil expenditure is greater), except that a local educational agency with a total student enrollment of less than 350 students shall be deemed to have satisfied such per-pupil expenditure requirement, and has a tax rate for general fund purposes which is not less than 95 percent of the average tax rate for general fund purposes of local educational agencies in the State;
(cc) has an enrollment of children described in subsection (a)(1) that constitutes a percentage of the total student enrollment of the agency which is not less than 30 percent, and has a tax rate for general fund purposes which is not less than 125 percent of the average tax rate for general fund purposes for comparable local educational agencies in the State;
(dd) has a total student enrollment of not less than 25,000 students, of which not less than 50 percent are children described in subsection (a)(1) and not less than 6,000 of such children are children described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1); or
(ee) meets the requirements of subsection (f)(2) applying the data requirements of subsection (f)(4) (as such subsections were in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000).
(ii) LOSS OF ELIGIBILITY- A heavily impacted local educational agency that met the requirements of clause (i) for a fiscal year shall be ineligible to receive a basic support payment under subparagraph (A) if the agency fails to meet the requirements of clause (i) for a subsequent fiscal year, except that such agency shall continue to receive a basic support payment under this paragraph for the fiscal year for which the ineligibility determination is made.
(iii) RESUMPTION OF ELIGIBILITY- A heavily impacted local educational agency described in clause (i) that becomes ineligible under such clause for 1 or more fiscal years may resume eligibility for a basic support payment under this paragraph for a subsequent fiscal year only if the agency meets the requirements of clause (i) for that subsequent fiscal year, except that such agency shall not receive a basic support payment under this paragraph until the fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year for which the eligibility determination is made.
(C) ELIGIBILITY FOR NEW HEAVILY IMPACTED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES-
(i) IN GENERAL- A heavily impacted local educational agency that did not receive an additional assistance payment under subsection (f) (as such subsection was in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000) for fiscal year 2000 is eligible to receive a basic support payment under subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 2002 and any subsequent fiscal year with respect to a number of children determined under subsection (a)(1) only if the agency is a local educational agency whose boundaries are the same as a Federal military installation (or if the agency is a qualified local educational agency as described in clause (iv)), or the agency-
(I) has an enrollment of children described in subsection (a)(1) that constitutes a percentage of the total student enrollment of the agency that-
(aa) is not less than 50 percent if such agency receives a payment on behalf of children described in subparagraphs (F) and (G) of such subsection; or
(bb) is not less than 40 percent if such agency does not receive a payment on behalf of such children;
(II)(aa) for a local educational agency that has a total student enrollment of 350 or more students, has a per-pupil expenditure that is less than the average per-pupil expenditure of the State in which the agency is located; or
(bb) for a local educational agency that has a total student enrollment of less than 350 students, has a per-pupil expenditure that is less than the average per-pupil expenditure of a comparable local educational agency in the State in which the agency is located; and
(III) has a tax rate for general fund purposes that is at least 95 percent of the average tax rate for general fund purposes of comparable local educational agencies in the State.
(ii) RESUMPTION OF ELIGIBILITY- A heavily impacted local educational agency described in clause (i) that becomes ineligible under such clause for 1 or more fiscal years may resume eligibility for a basic support payment under this paragraph for a subsequent fiscal year only if the agency is a local educational agency whose boundaries are the same as a Federal military installation (or if the agency is a qualified local educational agency as described in clause (iv)), or meets the requirements of clause (i), for that subsequent fiscal year, except that such agency shall continue to receive a basic support payment under this paragraph for the fiscal year for which the ineligibility determination is made.
(iii) APPLICATION- With respect to the first fiscal year for which a heavily impacted local educational agency described in clause (i) applies for a basic support payment under subparagraph (A), or with respect to the first fiscal year for which a heavily impacted local educational agency applies for a basic support payment under subparagraph (A) after becoming ineligible under clause (i) for 1 or more preceding fiscal years, the agency shall apply for such payment at least 1 year prior to the start of that first fiscal year.
(iv) QUALIFIED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY-A qualified local educational agency described in this clause is an agency that meets the following requirements:
(I) The boundaries of the agency are the same as island property designated by the Secretary of the Interior to be property that is held in trust by the Federal Government
(II) The agency has no taxing authority.
(III) The agency received a payment under paragraph (1) for fiscal year 2001.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE-The Secretary shall consider an application for a payment under section 8003(b)(2) for fiscal year 2002 from a qualified local educational agency described in section 8003(b)(2)(C)(iv), as added by paragraph (1), as meeting the requirements of section 8003(b)(2)(C)(iii), and shall provide a payment under section 8003(b)(2) for fiscal year 2002, if the agency submits to the Secretary an application for payment under such section not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(D) MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR REGULAR HEAVILY IMPACTED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES- (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (E), the maximum amount that a heavily impacted local educational agency is eligible to receive under this paragraph for any fiscal year is the sum of the total weighted student units, as computed under subsection (a)(2) and subject to clause (ii), multiplied by the greater of--
(I) four-fifths of the average per-pupil expenditure of the State in which the local educational agency is located for the third fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made; or
(II) four-fifths of the average per-pupil expenditure of all of the States for the third fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made.
(ii)(I) For a local educational agency with respect to which 35 percent or more of the total student enrollment of the schools of the agency are children described in subparagraph (D) or (E) (or a combination thereof) of subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall calculate the weighted student units of such children for purposes of subsection (a)(2) by multiplying the number of such children by a factor of 0.55.
(II) For a local educational agency that has an enrollment of 100 or fewer children described in subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall calculate the total number of weighted student units for purposes of subsection (a)(2) by multiplying the number of such children by a factor of 1.75.
(III) For a local educational agency that has an enrollment of more than 100 but not more than 750 children described in subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall calculate the total number of weighted student units for purposes of subsection (a)(2) by multiplying the number of such children by a factor of 1.25.
(E) MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR LARGE HEAVILY IMPACTED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES- (i)(I) Subject to clause (ii), the maximum amount that a heavily impacted local educational agency described in subclause (II) is eligible to receive under this paragraph for any fiscal year shall be determined in accordance with the formula described in paragraph (1)(C).
(II) A heavily impacted local educational agency described in this subclause is a local educational agency that has a total student enrollment of not less than 25,000 students, of which not less than 50 percent are children described in subsection (a)(1) and not less than 6,000 of such children are children described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1).
(ii) For purposes of calculating the maximum amount described in clause (i), the factor used in determining the weighted student units under subsection (a)(2) with respect to children described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1) shall be 1.35.
(F) DATA- For purposes of providing assistance under this paragraph the Secretary -
(i) shall use student, revenue, expenditure, and tax data from the third fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the local educational agency is applying for assistance under this paragraph; and
(ii) except as provided in subparagraph (C)(i)(I), shall include all of the children described in subparagraph (F) and (G) of subsection (a)(1) enrolled in schools of the local educational agency in determining (I) the eligibility of the agency for assistance under this paragraph, and (II) the amount of such assistance if the number of such children meet the requirements of subsection (a)(3).
(G) DETERMINATION OF AVERAGE TAX RATES FOR GENERAL FUND PURPOSES.-For the purpose of determining average tax rates for general fund purposes for local educational agencies in a State under this paragraph (except under subparagraph (C)(i)(II)(bb)), the Secretary shall use either--
(i) the average tax rate for general fund purposes for comparable local educational agencies, as determined by the Secretary in regulations; or
(ii) the average tax rate of all the local educational agencies in the State.
(3) PAYMENTS WITH RESPECT TO FISCAL YEARS IN WHICH INSUFFICIENT FUNDS ARE APPROPRIATED.-
(A) IN GENERAL.-For any fiscal year in which the sums appropriated under section 8014(b) are insufficient to pay to each local educational agency the full amount computed under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall make payments in accordance with this paragraph.
(B) LEARNING OPPORTUNITY THRESH-OLD PAYMENTS.-(i) For fiscal years described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall com-pute a learning opportunity threshold payment (hereafter in this title referred to as the 'threshold payment') by multiplying the amount obtained under paragraph (1)(C) by the total percentage obtained by adding-
(I) the percentage of federally con-nected children for each local educational agency determined by calculating the frac-tion, the numerator of which is the total number of children described under sub-section (a)(1) and the denominator of which is the total number of children in av-erage daily attendance at the schools served by such agency; and
(II) the percentage that funds under paragraph (1)(C) represent of the total budget of the local educational agency, de-termined by calculating the fraction, the numerator of which is the total amount of funds calculated for each local educational agency under this paragraph (not including amounts received under subsection (f)), and the denominator of which is the total current expenditures for such agency in the second preceding fiscal year for which the determination is made.
(ii) Such total percentage used to calculate threshold payments under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 100.
(iii) For the purpose of determining the percentages described in subclauses (I) and (II) of clause (i) that are applicable to the local edu-cational agency providing free public education to students in grades 9 through 12 residing on Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, the Secretary shall consider only that portion of such agency's total enrollment of students in grades 9 through 12 when calculating the per-centage under such subclause (I) and only that portion of the total current expenditures attrib-uted to the operation of grades 9 through 12 in such agency when calculating the percentage under subclause (II).
(iv) In the case of a local educational agency that has a total student enrollment of fewer than 1,000 students and that has a per pupil expenditure that is less than the average per-pupil expenditure of the State in which the agency is located or less than the average per-pupil expenditure of all the States, the total percentage used to calculate threshold payments under clause (i) shall not be less than 40 percent.
(C) LEARNING OPPORTUNITY THRESHOLD PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF PAYMENTS UNDER PARAGRAPH (2). - For fiscal years described in subparagraph (A), the learning opportunity threshold payment in lieu of basic support payments under paragraph (2) shall be equal to the amount obtained under subparagraph (D) or (E) of paragraph (2), as the case may be.
(D) RATABLE DISTRIBUTION.-For fiscal years described in subparagraph (A), the Sec-retary shall make payments as a ratable dis-tribution based upon the computation made under subparagraph (B) and (C).
(4) STATES WITH ONLY ONE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.-
(A) IN GENERAL.-In any of the 50 States of the United States in which there is only one local educational agency, the Secretary shall, for purposes of subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (1) or subparagraphs (B) through (D) of paragraph (2), as the case may be, paragraph (3) of this subsection, and subsection (e), consider each administrative school district in the State to be a separate local educational agency.
(B) COMPUTATION OF MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF BASIC SUPPORT PAYMENT AND THRESHOLD PAYMENT.-In computing the maximum payment amount under paragraph (1)(C) or subparagraph (D) or (E) of paragraph (2), as the case may be and the learning opportunity threshold payment under subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (3), as the case may be, for an administrative school district described in subparagraph (A)-
(i) the Secretary shall first determine the maximum payment amount and the total current expenditures for the State as a whole; and
(ii) the Secretary shall then-
(I) proportionately allocate such maximum payment amount among the administrative school districts on the basis of the respective weighted student units of such districts; and
(II) proportionately allocate such total current expenditures among the administrative school districts on the basis of the receptive number of students in average daily attendance at such districts
(5) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES AFFECTED BY REMOVAL OF FEDERAL PROPERTY.
(A) IN GENERAL- In computing the amount of a basic support payment under this subsection for a fiscal year for a local educational agency described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall meet the additional requirements described in subparagraph (C).
(B) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DESCRIBED- A local educational agency described in this subparagraph is a local educational agency with respect to which Federal property (i) located within the boundaries of the agency, and (ii) on which one or more children reside who are receiving a free public education at a school of the agency, is transferred by the Federal Government to another entity in any fiscal year beginning on or after the date of the enactment of the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000 so that the property is subject to taxation by the State or a political subdivision of the State.
(C) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS- The additional requirements described in this subparagraph are the following:
(i) For each fiscal year beginning after the date on which the Federal property is transferred, a child described in subparagraph (B) who continues to reside on such property and who continues to receive a free public education at a school of the agency shall be deemed to be a child who resides on Federal property for purposes of computing under the applicable subparagraph of subsection (a)(1) the amount that the agency is eligible to receive under this subsection.
(ii)(I) For the third fiscal year beginning after the date on which the Federal property is transferred, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall, after computing the amount that the agency is otherwise eligible to receive under this subsection for the fiscal year involved, deduct from such amount an amount equal to the revenue received by the agency for the immediately preceding fiscal year as a result of the taxable status of the former Federal property.
(II) For purposes of determining the amount of revenue to be deducted in accordance with subclause (I), the local educational agency--
(aa) shall provide for a review and certification of such amount by an appropriate local tax authority; and
(bb) shall submit to the Secretary a report containing the amount certified under item (aa).
(c) PRIOR YEAR DATA
(1) IN GENERAL.-Except as provided in subsections (b)(1)(D), (b)(2), and paragraph (2), all calculations under this section shall be based on data for each local educational agency from not later than the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the agency is making application for payment.
(2) EXCEPTION.-Calculations for a local edu-cational agency that is newly established by a State shall, for the first year of operation of such agency, be based on data from the fiscal year for which the agency is making application for payment.
(d) CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.-
(1) IN GENERAL.-From the amount appro-priated under section 8014(c) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall pay to each eligible local educational agency, on a pro rata basis, the amounts determined by-
(A) multiplying the number of children described in subparagraphs (A)(ii), (B) and (C) of subsection (a)(1) who are eligible to receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) by a factor of 1.0; and
(B) multiplying the number of children described in subparagraph (D) of subsection (a)(1) who are eligible to receive services under such Act by a factor of 0.5.
(2) USE OF FUNDS.-A local educational agency that receives funds under paragraph (1) shall use such funds to provide a free appropriate public education to children described in paragraph (1) in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.).
(e) HOLD-HARMLESS AMOUNTS.-
(1) IN GENERAL.- Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the total amount the Secretary shall pay a local educational agency received under subsection (b) -
(A) for fiscal year 2001 shall not be less than 85 percent of the total amount that the local educational agency received under subsections (b) and (f) for fiscal year 2000; and
(B) for fiscal year 2002 shall not be less than 70 percent of the total amount that the local educational agency received under subsections (b) and (f) for fiscal year 2000.
(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.-The total amount provided to a local educational agency under subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) for a fiscal year shall not exceed the maximum basic support payment amount for such agency determined under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b), as the case may be.
(3) RATABLE REDUCTIONS.--
(A) IN GENERAL. - If the sums made available under this title for any fiscal year are insufficient to pay the full amounts that all local educational agencies in all States are eligible to receive under paragraph (1) for such year, then the Secretary shall ratably reduce the payments to all such agencies for such year.
(B) ADDITIONAL FUNDS. - If additional funds become available for making payments under paragraph (1) for such fiscal year, payments that were reduced under subparagraph (A) shall be increased on the same basis as such payments were reduced.
(f) OTHER FUNDS.-Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a local educational agency receiving funds under this section may also receive funds under section 386 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 or such section's successor authority.
(g) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.-A local educational agency may receive funds under sections 8002 and 8003(b) for any fiscal year only if the State educational agency finds that either the combined fiscal effort per student or the aggregate expenditures of that agency and the State with respect to the provision of free public education by that agency for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of such combined fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures for the second preceding fiscal year.
Section 8004. Policies and Procedures Relating to Children
Residing on Indian Lands.
(a) IN GENERAL.-A local educational agency that claims children residing on Indian lands for the purpose of receiving funds under section 8003 shall establish policies and procedures to ensure that-
(1) such children participate in programs and activities supported by such funds on an equal basis with all other children;
(2) parents of such children and Indian tribes are afforded an opportunity to present their views on such programs and activities, including an opportunity to make recommendations on the needs of those children and how the local educational agency may help such children realize the benefits of such programs and activities;
(3) parents and Indian tribes are consulted and involved in planning and developing such programs and activities;
(4) relevant applications, evaluations, and program plans are disseminated to the parents and Indian tribes; and
(5) parents and Indian tribes are afforded an opportunity to present their views to such agency regarding such agency's general educational program.
(b) RECORDS.-A local educational agency that claims children residing on Indian lands for the purpose of receiving funds under section 8003 shall maintain records demonstrating such agency's compliance with the requirements contained in subsection (a).
(c) WAIVER.-A local educational agency that claims children residing on Indian lands for the purpose of receiving funds under section 8003 shall not be required to comply with the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) for any fiscal year with respect to any Indian tribe from which such agency has received a written statement that the agency need not comply with those subsections because the tribe is satisfied with the provision of educational services by such agency to such children.
(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ENFORCEMENT.-The Secretary shall-
(1) provide technical assistance to local educational agencies, parents, and Indian tribes to enable such agencies, parents, and tribes to carry out this section; and | {
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You really hated that your mother insisted on having a babysitter come over when she and your father went out tonight. After all, you’re big enough to take care of yourself!
Your lousy mood just wouldn’t go away, even though it was your favorite babysitter, Elizabeth Burns. Sensitive to your feelings, your babysitter tried to go along with your mood. She let you play video games, eat too much candy and let you stay up an hour past your bedtime.
But when you pitched a fit at having to go to bed, you were still marched into the bathroom and ordered to take a bath and get ready for bed. Well, you made a complete mess in the bathroom and tried to lock out your baby sitter. Then you made the biggest mistake … you opened the door!
“I’ve had quite enough from you, young man!” she snaps. One hand is wagging a shaming finger in your face and the other has grasped your earlobe. Pulling you to your bedroom, you hear the words you really didn’t want to hear, “It’s high time we gave you an attitude adjustment. You’re going to get a hard, bare bottom spanking!”
Even as you protest that you’re way too old for a spanking, your baby sitter takes charge. You’re whisked over her lap as she sits down on your bed, then you feel her hand grip the elastic of your pajama bottoms and suddenly, your backside is sunny side up and ready to be spanked.
She doesn’t waste a second and you soon feel her hard palm smacking your naughty bottom. In no time, you are kicking and squirming and PROMISING to be good and behave.
“Too late for that, young man!” she says, as the steady rhythm of her palm continues to spank your naked backside. The spanking hurts, but what worries you most is the look of conviction on the face of your punisher and you wonder just how long your spanking will continue! | {
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Rapture-Palooza Blu-ray
£7.40
You Save:
£12.59
Free Standard Delivery Over £10
Quantity
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Availability: Sold out
Description
When the Apocalypse actually happens and a billion people are raptured up to heaven, Lindsey (Kendrick) and her boyfriend Ben (Daley) are left behind in suburban Seattle. The young couple try their best to lead a normal life surrounded by talking locusts, blood rain showers, and pot-smoking wraiths. But when the Anti-Christ (Robinson) makes his home base in their neighbourhood, Lindsey finds herself the object of his affection. With the help of her family, friends, and a lawn-mowing zombie neighbour, the young couple set off to stop the Anti-Christ from taking her as his bride... and just maybe, saving the world in the process.
Trailer
Delivery & Returns
How long will it take to arrive?
Please check the stock availability notice on your item when placing your order. This item is: Sold out
Please remember to add postal time (2-3 working days) to obtain a complete estimate of delivery to your door.
How will I know it has been sent?
You will receive an email to confirm when your item has been sent.
You can also check the status of your order and individual items by accessing My Account details and following the prompts.
Please allow 10 working days from dispatch of your order before notifying us of any late deliveries.
It may be advisable to check with your neighbours to see if a parcel has been left with them, check any outhouses you might have where it may be left if it cannot fit through your letterbox and contact your local sorting office to see if the item has been returned to the depot as undelivered and awaiting collection. | {
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Banners for linking to the Revelation13.net site
Please link to this site, to help me spread my message to the world!
Below are some banners you can use to link to this site. You can copy the banner to your web site directory (by right-clicking and choosing "Save picture as" to save it to your PC), and use it to link to the Revelation13.net site.
Southern Cross banner:
banner.gif: 468 x 80
King James Bible Code banner: I would link to
this page on the King James Bible Code.
bannerKingJames.gif: 468 x 80
banner2KingJames.gif: 309 x 44
Psychic powers banner: I would link to the
page on psychic psychokinesis powers. | {
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our sustainable approach
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At House of Dagmar, our three pillars of sustainability are: Design, Ethics and Longevity.
We strive to create collections that are long-lasting, both in quality and style, using production methods that are both animal and environmentally friendly.
Our philosophy is that timeless design and the longevity of a garment go hand in hand. We aim to produce classic pieces with character, together with informing our customer on how to care for their Dagmar purchases to maintain their quality and durability.
Each garment expresses Dagmar’s design language, giving the pieces a strong personality, and therefore continuing to be wearable, year after year.
DAGMAR ETHICS
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We want to be vocal for what we stand for, both ethically and environmentally. We are proud to meticulously follow the environmental policies and ethical guidelines set by the EU. By doing so, we ensure that each step of the production and material sourcing moves towards modern and sustainable methods.
As a result of this, it is of vital importance to us that each factory producing Dagmar garments meet these demands and restrictions. Frequent checks and monitoring confirm that these policies are being followed correctly.
And it is not only the sustainable production of garments that we include in our ethics. We also strongly believe in using methods of working that care for the animal, the environment and the people that make it.
Finally, we aim to minimize the impact of transportation by sourcing and producing materials within the same country, whenever possible. In addition to this, we use the most environmentally friendly method of international transportation by shipping all our garments by boat. Locally, we always offer a delivery service by bicycle.
MULESING-FREE MERINO WOOL
To ensure that the ethical guidelines for our materials are followed, we work exclusively with farms that have been certified as mulesing-free. Mulesing involves the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breach of a sheep, in order to prevent flystrike: a horrifying and cruel act against animals that we will never stand for.
LYOCELL
Lyocell is produced by using cellulose from fast-growing trees; for example Eucalyptus. The fibre is created by using a bio-degradable chemical made in a closed-loop process – meaning that 99% of the chemical solution can be recycled and re-used.
ANIMAL-FRIENDLY FUR
House of Dagmar uses animal friendly fur that has been produced with minimal damage to both the animal and the environment. This is achieved by shaving the fur which is then weaved into a cotton base.
ORGANIC DENIM
The denim fabric used in jeans from House of Dagmar is made from organic, GOTS-certified cotton (Global Organic Textile Standard) Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Water consumption is also less in order to keep a low impact on the environment.
Moreover do the organic production systems help to replenish and maintain soil fertility and build biologically diverse agriculture never using genetically engineered or modified cotton seeds. The fabric makes both your conscience and clothes feel good
RePET POLYESTER
By using recycled bottles and the eco-technology RePet, a high-quality polyester fiber was created to reduce harmful impaction on the environment. We now use it when designing our sustainable pieces.
LLAMA FIBER
Llama Fiber is a soft, warm, light and long-lasting material made from the hair of the llama animal. It is durable, naturally hypoallergenic and has a hollow fiber, providing thermal insulation as well as having a very low flammability. In addition to this, it is water-resistant, does not easily stretch and most importantly, is harvested with minimal damage to the llama as well as the environment.
THE ECO-FRIENDLY ACCESSORY COLLECTION
The collection of bags is produced by Swedish-based Tärnsjö Tannery through a vegetable tanning process where local hide materials are used. Worldwide, only five percent of the remaining tanning houses still employ this art of vegetable tanning. The Tärnsjö Tannery has been a family business for 150 years, tanning leather of the highest standard, just a couple of hours outside Stockholm. Their process of tanning is always vegetable-based, which not only makes it ecological but produces the best quality with a more vivid finish of the leather.
REGENERATED CASHMERE
Cashmere is roughly 100 times more damaging to the environment than wool. At House of Dagmar, we are continuously looking for new ways to reduce our environmental impact, and as a result, we have chosen to work with regenerated cashmere, made from post-factory waste in Italy. The fibers have been manually selected to create a luxury yarn, resulting in both environmental protection and water conservation.
CHROME-FREE LEATHER
The leather we use is chrome-free. The production of chrome-free leather uses a natural tanning method, where tannins from bark, leaves and branches are used. Being an entirely organic material, vegetable tanned leather will change over time, it will grow softer and darker and acquire a patina depending on its use. A chrome-free leather product is biodegradable and recyclable.
MODAL
Modal is a man-made, semi-synthetic fibre and a type of rayon. The fabric is strong and retains its shape particularly well without shrinking. In many ways, it bears a resemblance to cotton with its soft texture. Modal is carbon-neutral and has a water consumption level that is ten to twenty times less than that of conventional cotton, therefore Modal can be seen as an eco-friendly choice.
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Coffee Service Corner: Single Cup Evolution – A Pod Resurgence?
Well more than a decade ago while writing for Ben Ginsburg’s Vending & OCS magazine, I wrote an article on pods that took the position that operators should delay considering this solution as an alternative to K cups and the Flavia system. My premise was that pod brewing technology had not yet advanced to the level necessary to satisfy the workplace. Newco and Grindmaster were among some of the manufacturers that had developed interesting brewer solutions but a number of operators, including me, felt the brewers at this time were not quite intuitive enough nor that had satisfactorily addressed potential cross contamination issues. Interestingly, another trade magazine around this same time had a feature article advocating the pod for the OCS industry.
I should clarify that for this article, and for most Coffee Service operators, a pod is what is depicted in the image above. Some “cup” manufacturers refer to their cups as “pods”. Not sure why that ever happened.
In my recent travels, I am hearing and seeing more operator interest in pods. The interest is driven by advanced brewing systems, quality of the cup, cost per brew and an eco-friendly story.
I sought out an old friend and industry associate, Dan Ragan, for more insight into the renewed interest in pods and he obliged. Dan is the National Sales Manager for Pod Pack International based in Baton Rouge Louisiana. The following is our conversation:
KS: Pods have been in the market for 14 years, why the sudden interest from operators?
DR: Employers continue to seek improvement in the quality of their coffee offerings to keep employees in the office and not venture out to the coffee shop, so the need for quality has never been more important. Pods offer Golden Cup quality, as well as flexibility for the consumer to customize their drink of choice. At Pod Pack, for 2015, 16 and 17, we have seen growth of 30%, 30%, and 50% respectively. This high growth number has continued through the first quarter of 2018.
KS: The single-cup category continues to grow in the OCS industry. Other than convenience and selection what other factors differentiate brew by pack, and pods in particular, from traditional open or batch brew?
DR: As a single cup pod manufacturer, we begin by analyzing the bulk density of the product to determine what can fit in a pod to brew the best cup of coffee. Many operators want to know the gram throw of a pod, but that metric is only part of the story. The bulk density of a dark roast may only require 9 grams, whereas a light roast could be 13 grams. Because the bulk density is so different between roasts these two products take up the same amount of space in the pod. The brewers that we recommend pre-infuse the pod and use pressure to push through the coffee bed to provide an optimal brew.
KS: Many consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of single-cup, brew by pack products. How does Pod Pack manage their expectations?
DR: We continue to work with film manufacturers to provide legitimate options for compostable film. Although, the oxygen barrier is less effective with some bio-films, we continue to look for solutions. Most bio-films have less than 1-year shelf life and as low as 3 months’ shelf, and our current film structure is guaranteed fresh for 1 year. Also, the cost difference for bio-film versus our current film is more than two times higher. However, the current packaging based on weight provides an 87% improvement from other single-cup cartridge systems because the pod is compostable.
KS: Are pods used in other channels?
DR: The QSR (quick serve restaurant) industry continues to look for ways to improve their coffee programs, particularly for the off-peak time. The most notable success is the Taco Bell coffee program. The goal was to have a high-quality, consistent product from coast-to-coast in all of their stores, and pods provide the solution they were looking for.
KS: Dan, thank you for these insights. Your contributions to our industry are greatly appreciated!
In closing, the NAMA Show in Las Vegas concluded recently. The booths that featured single cup product and brewer offerings were too numerous to count. Hot and cold brew by pack options as well as several new exhibitors with interesting bean to cup hopper based systems could be found throughout the exhibit hall.
There was also a lot of floor chatter regarding cup manufacturers that have competed so successfully against Keurig/GMCR at retail but have made relatively few in-roads in the Coffee Service industry, primarily because of the restrictive KAD agreements that largely prohibit operators from using alternative cups. Will 2018 be the year that we see major operators move some of their business towards the alternative cup manufacturers? Is there an achievable lower price point that could be the catalyst to make this happen?
From most all operator accounts at the show, times have never been better to be a Coffee Service operator. Employees are wanting and demanding more and better offerings. Offices are subsidizing more amenities than ever. The manufacturing community is giving the operators more solutions, more products and appliances to bring to the accounts.
CoffeeTalk Media, and its portfolio of products including CoffeeTalk Magazine, is the leading editorial source for news and developments in the business of coffee.
With a staff of dedicated professionals, CoffeeTalk is widely considered the most important and
complete independent media provider of information about all aspects of the coffee world – from crop to cup. | {
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Dayton Proclaims Wednesday 'Beyonce and Jay-Z Day'
Photo: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, FileIn this Feb. 12, 2017 file photo, Beyonce poses in the press room at the 59th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The singer reveals she had an emergency Caesarean section when she delivered her twins. | {
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Matthew Fox on the Pope's War
Matthew Fox, a Roman Catholic liberation theorlogian, was silenced by the church but he refused to stay silent. In his latest book, The Pope's War, he discusses the new Inquisition of Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Bnedict. We also talk about the suspicious death of John Paul 1, who was pope for only 34 days. | {
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NSF grant aids research
10:39 PM,
May 24, 2013
Geosciences Faculty Mark Abolins
Written by
From MTSU
Beginning Monday and continuing until July 26, undergraduates will work with MTSU professors in a research experience funded by a National Science Foundation grant.
The overall theme is environmental and involves the disciplines of earth science, chemistry and biology, said Mark Abolins, coordinator of the Geoenvironmental Challenges Research Education for Undergraduates site and associate professor of geology.
The site is the first of its kind at MTSU and one of only 21 such sites funded by the National Science Foundation. ... | {
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Red Ruffed Lemur
Varecia rubra
The red-ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) is a large quadrupedal lemur inhabiting a very small area of northeastern Madagascar. Ruffed lemurs are some of the most strikingly beautiful of all lemurs and have a thick coat of deep chestnut red fur, well suited to the oftentimes wet and chilly environment of Madagascar’s tropical rain forests.
Feeding
Red ruffed lemurs are diurnal, with peak activity occurring in the early morning and in the evening. Their diet consists mostly of fruit, nectar and pollen–they are considered the most frugivorous of all the lemurs. Small amounts of leaves and seeds are also consumed, primarily during the dry season when fruit and nectar is scarce or nonexistent. When appropriate flowers are available, the lemurs eagerly feed on nectar by sticking their long noses deep into the flower. During this feeding, the flowers are not harmed, but the lemur’s snouts become coated with pollen, which is then transported to other flowers. Thus, for certain species of plants in the tropical forests of Madagascar, the ruffed lemur is an important pollinator. Unfortunately, many of the larger fruit trees essential for the survival of the ruffed lemur are also regarded as the most desirable hardwoods by logging interests, and are often the first to be cut down when a forest is selectively cut. Thus, the presence of healthy populations of ruffed lemurs is considered an important indicator of the health of a tropical forest.
In the wild ruffed lemurs seldom descend to the ground, preferring instead to spend their time in the top layers of the canopy. Their movement through the trees is often spectacular. The animals will hurl themselves, often without hesitation, from one tree to another, landing at a lower level of a neighboring tree in a spectacular crash of vegetation. During feeding, the ruffed lemurs will dangle from the delicate terminal branches of a tree, with only their feet grasping the most slender of branches, in order to grab a hard-to-reach food item, or to engage in play wrestling or mutual grooming with another animal.
Reproduction
Ruffed lemur reproduction is highly seasonal. The animals breed in Madagascar between May and July with most infants born in September and October after a 102 day gestation. In North Carolina, breeding usually occurs in December/January with births in April or May. Unlike most lemurs, ruffed lemur females give birth to litters of up to six infants (two or three is more typical) in well concealed, well constructed nests 10 to 20 meters up a tree. Ruffed lemurs are the only diurnal primates in the world to keep their infants in a nest. Females can nurse up to six infants simultaneously. Infant ruffs are not as well developed at birth as is typical for other lemurs, which is not surprising given the brief gestation period. At birth, infants are not capable of grasping the mother, so if she needs to transport them, she simply picks up one infant at a time in her mouth. Mothers generally move their infants away from the nest after a week or two, at which point they simply leave them parked in a tree while foraging nearby. In the days following birth, if the mother needs to leave the nest, the infant’s father will stand guard close by. Infants develop rapidly, and by three or four weeks they are capable of at least attempting to follow their mother on their own. Not surprisingly, infant mortality appears to be very high for this species, with 65% of infants failing to make three months of age, due to accidental falls and related injuries.
Social Behavior
Ruffed lemurs appear to have a variable social system which changes depending on the season and the quality of their habitat. In some areas of Madagascar, the animals are found in small groups of two to five individuals, with a home range of 25 ha. In other areas, loose affiliations of between 18 and 32 animals occupy home ranges around 60 ha in size. All group members use a common core home range, and groups are occasionally aggressive towards other groups at the borders of these territories. There is a strong correlation between the location of home ranges and the location of the largest fruiting trees in the area. Females are the driving force in group dynamics and are always dominant to males. Ruffed lemurs will form larger groups during the wet season when food is plentiful, and disperse during the dry season in search of scarcer fruit. When foraging for fruit, large groups might fragment completely as individuals go their separate ways, which is in striking contrast to other diurnal lemurs which always forage and move through the forest together as cohesive groups.
Ruffed lemurs are among the most vocal of the non-human primates. Their raucous, barking vocalizations might serve several purposes: they allow distant members of the same group to maintain contact with each other even when they are foraging separately, they warn would-be competitors of territory already occupied, and they might also serve to alert other group members of the presence of an aerial or ground predator. Natural predators that can trigger alarms in Madagascar include boa constrictors, eagles and hawks, and the fossa (a weasel-like animal found only on Madagascar). One individual ruffed lemur can set off an alarm call that will alert even the farthest ranging group members.
As many as twelve different ruffed lemur calls have been recorded at the Duke Lemur Center, and each call has a different meaning to the lemurs. Scent marking is another means of communication strongly utilized by the ruffed lemurs.
Habitat & Conservation
Red ruffed lemurs are restricted to the forests of the Masoala Peninsula near Maroantsetra in northeastern Madagascar. They have been seen just east of the Antainambalana River, which divides their range from that of the black and white ruffed lemurs. The future of wild populations of the red ruffed lemur became much brighter when, in March of 1997, the 840 square mile Masoala National Park, Madagascar’s largest protected area, was established. Previous to the establishment of this park, deforestation in their range and hunting and trapping of the ruffed lemurs for food had dramatically reduced their numbers. Principal threats to red-ruffed lemur survival are currently habitat loss and hunting. Due to the ruffed lemurs large size and apparent need for intact primary forest, it is particularly susceptible to human encroachment and possibly selective cutting of the most precious hardwoods (ie rosewood) which, unfortunately has been occurring all over Madagascar since the start of the most recent political crisis. The most recent IUCN assessment places red-ruffed lemur, with its very limited range, in the critically endangered category (despite its presence in a major national park) because of the increase in illegal logging and hunting of Varecia in conjunction with logging camps inside Masaola National Park. The captive population is managed by a Species Survival Plan. The DLC maintains 20 red ruffed lemurs (10 males and 10 females), which includes two breeding groups. | {
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My curiosity about the use of chia seed as a thickener lead me to this experiment. Though not my first choice for dessert, it is an alternative to traditional pudding, without dairy or gluten. I ground the chia seeds, as I don't care for the look of the whole seeds in a pudding, but you could leave them whole if that is your preference. This is unusual, but worth a try if you're looking for a healthy dessert option. Serves 2
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 Tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons chia seeds, ground fine(I used a spice grinder)
pinch of salt
Place milk, honey, vanilla, and cocoa powder in the blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Add the chia seeds and salt and blend for about one minute.
Pour into individual serving glasses or a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Garnish with chocolate or white chocolate curls or shavings. | {
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Introduction: Casting Rings - From Startup to Finish
Who has the budget for a customized, unique engagement ring? I certainly don't, especially being a college student. Heck, I had no idea how rings were even made. It wasn't until a friend of mine told me about how he designed his own engagement ring for his wife. This really intrigued me and so I started doing some research on how this process is done. Pretty soon I discovered how relatively easy it is to make your own ring (or any other small metal part) using materials from the hardware store, jewelry supply shops, and a few online vendors. So here I've put together a comprehensive step-by-step Instructable on how to put together all the tools necessary (and quite inexpensively) for casting rings.
I am not a professional jeweler, nor am I going to school to be one. I am a mechanical engineering student, which gives me many benefits and insights into building the tools necessary to make successful castings; however, no part of this process requires you to have an engineering degree, or any prior knowledge in making jewelry.
A FEW WORDS OF CAUTION:
1) SAFETY FIRST! There are a few steps involved in this project that can be dangerous, so use caution and common sense! I assume no responsibility for anyone injured by following my Instructable.
2) The material cost of all parts and consumables used in this project will be approximately the same as a decent engagement ring. However, you will then have all the tools needed to make more rings - so in the long run you will be ahead!
3) As I said, I am not a jeweler. I have not had training or much experience with jewelry making until beginning this project. There are many ways to go about making jewelry that I do not discuss in this Instructable. If you know of a better way to do something, feel free to deviate and experiment (but make sure to let me know how it works!).
Step 1: Some Background and Overview
The method that I have used is called the Lost Wax Investment Casting process and is probably the most common way that professional jewelry is made today. This process has 5 basic steps that are followed:
Create a version of the part using a melting/burning material (such as wax or certain plastics).
Place the part into a heat-resistant cementing material using sprue channels.
Heat up the cemented mold such that the part melts/burns out through the sprue channel.
Melt down the metal to be used and force the molten metal into the mold through the sprue opening.
Cool the part down and clean as appropriate.
There are different ways and materials that can be used to perform each step; I will only be showing what is called the Centrifugal method (another popular method is the Vacuum method). This involves using a centrifuge to force the molten metal into the mold via centrifugal/centripetal (lets just call it centrifᵫtal to make everyone happy) forces.
Step 2: Making the Kiln, Part 1: Gathering Materials
The kiln that I built is based off of another Instructable by Wolfgar77. However, my kiln has a PID temperature controller which is used to regulate the temperature, allowing me to walk away and do other things while it is running.
Materials used:
Soft fire bricks, 9"x4.5"x3", 2600 degrees C (K26) (x7)
NOTE: these will make a chamber that has a cavity of 3"x4.5"x6". These dimensions can be adjusted to your needs by either slicing the bricks or by finding other sized bricks. Adjust the steps accordingly.
Step 3: Making the Kiln, Part 2: Heating Chamber
Steps to making the heating chamber:
Take one of the fire bricks and cut it in 1/3. This will be used for the back. Caution: I am unsure about the health effects of breathing in particulates from these bricks. I know that they are asbestos free, but I would strongly recommend using a breath mask when cutting them.
Take the Kanthal heating element and stretch it slightly so that the coils are not touching each other (see image). For a kiln of this size, you will want approximately 720 watt heater. To figure out the amount of coil needed, use Ohm's law for power: P = V*I = V^2/R, thus R = V^2/P. Since V = 120V (from a standard outlet) and P = 750W, R should be around 20 ohms. As a check, make sure that the current doesn't exceed the wall outlet's maximum (typically 10 amps). So, using Ohm's law again: V = I*R, thus I = V/R = 120/20 = 6 amps. This is perfectly fine.
Take a multimeter and check the resistance from one end of the wire until you read just above 20 ohms. Cut the coil at this spot.
Take the coat hanger and cut 2 sections that are about as long as the thickness of the back of the kiln. Take the rods and rap one in each end of the coil so that they are tight - these will be used to prevent the coil from overheating and breaking near the tips.
Lay out the firebricks that make up the 2 sides and the back of the kiln. Take pieces of string and lie them down on the bricks in the approximate pattern that you want the heating coils to make. Be sure to include a groove in the sides that allow the coils to pop out the back. Pencil in the outline on the bricks and then use the router with a 1/4" bit (or just using a knife), cut out a groove following those lines to a depth of 1/4".
Take the string that you used and lie them end on end. Stretch the heating coil so that it is about an inch longer than the total length of the string.
Set the long angle iron on end to make 4 corners, then insert the 4 threaded rods apply nuts to hold the base together. Also, set the smaller angle iron pieces on opposite ends to make a base for setting the firebricks.
Start placing the firebricks onto the stand. Put in the heating coil into the grooves.
Take some steel paperclips and cut them in 2 so that they make 2 "U" shaped pins each. Use these to pin the heating element in place.
Place the top firebricks on and insert the final 4 rods into the angle iron, nutting them in place.
Optional door:
Take a 9"x9" piece of sheet metal and cut out the 1.5"x1.5" corners. Draw lines at 1/2" and 1" from the edges on the tabs (see images) - these will be your bending points.
Bend along the lines with your fingers and a table edge until you have 2x 90degree bends on each side. Snip off a little bit if necessary to allow the edges to mesh better.
Figure out the alignment of the door with respect to the kiln; make marks on the metal leg and on the door where the hinge screws should go. Remove the leg and drill holes at those points.
Screw the hinges in using long wood screws for the kiln side, and use nuts and bolts to hold in the door side.
Take the 1" thick, 6"x6" piece of Kaowool and insert it inside the door
If you are making the bolt lock, then go ahead and screw it into the fire brick in the desired location. Then, drill a hole in the door where the bolt will go, making sure to keep it a tight fit.
Step 4: Making the Kiln, Part 3: Electronic Control
At this point, you will be working with wall voltages and decent currents, so make sure you consult someone with enough electronics know-how to be safe. For the most part, you will need to consult the electrical schematic for all the wiring steps. I've included a few pictures of the circuit that I made.
Drill a hole in the back of the kiln just large enough to fit the thermocouple - angle it slightly downward and located near the top of the kiln. Slide the thermocouple in and check that it protrudes enough inside the kiln.
Take the other piece of sheet metal and fold it as shown in the image above. You want the flat parts to be just wide enough to fit the PID controller when fully bent in place. Only bend half way at this point.
At the flat section that will become the bottom, screw in the Solid State Relay. Make sure the the "+" & "-" terminals and not the "~" terminals are facing toward the location that the PID controller will be.
Use the wire strippers and cut the power cord receptor end off. Cut off an additional 15" of the cord and completely strip this section. Strip only the end of the remaining cord.
Using the schematic above, wire up all the wires. I found that the Green, White, and Black wires corresponded to "Ground", "Hot" and "Neutral" respectively on the prongs.
Connect the thermocouple. At this point fold the sheet metal all the way to make a shell for the electronics and a fin that attaches to the kiln.
After drilling holes into the sheet, mount it onto 2 of the protruding threaded rods on the kiln body. Fasten with additional nuts.
Caution: Before testing the kiln, use a multimeter to check for any short circuits on the kiln.
Plug in and test the temperature settings.
If there is no door on the kiln, a small block of fire brick can be used to block the chamber. Make sure to test the maximum temperature you are using before leaving to do other things. My kiln can easily get over 800 degrees Celsius!
Step 5: Making the Vacuum Chamber
Materials used:
1/64th" thick steel plate, 8"x8"
Rubbergasket, 6"x6"
1/2" thick block of wood, 8"x8"
1/4" ID plastic tubing
1/4" male NPT to 1/4" MIP 90 degree elbow
1/4" FIP to 1/4" OD barb
3/8" MIP to 1/4" OD barb
Vacuum pump (cheaper substitute: hydro aspirator)
Rubber cement
Hose clamps (x2)
Screws (x4)
Glass bell-jar (a sturdy Tupperware container could work too)
Gas sealant
Tools used:
Saw, skill saw, band saw, etc (whatever you have lying around)
Drill, drill bits, and screw driver
Caulk gun
Steps:
Drill a hole about 1.5" from one edge of the steel plate large enough to be able to thread the elbow joint into.
Thread the 90 degree elbow into the hole, using the National Pipe Thread (NPT) side until it protrudes less than the thickness of the wooden board. Attach the female barb to the other end.
Caulk around the hole with the gas sealant. Rub with finger or object to get into the crevasses.
Cut a rectangular notch into the wood to accept the barbed part. Set the plate onto the wood as shown.
Cut a hole into the rubber gasket so that it lines up with the protruding threaded pipe on the top of the plate. Take rubber cement and apply it to the rubber gasket and then press the gasket onto the steel plate (keep pressure on it until it dries; it will want to curl). CAUTION: Rubber cement produces fumes that are not good to inhale - use proper ventilation when using it.
Attach the MIP barb to the vacuum pump (or use a hydro aspirator) and then attach the plastic tubing to the barb on both the pump/aspirator and use the hose clamps to tighten the seal.
Wet the edge of the bell-jar and set it onto the rubber gasket. Turn on the pump (or the water spigot for the hydro aspirator) and admire your new vacuum chamber! This chamber gets around 25 in Hg of vacuum depending on how well it is sealed.
Step 6: Creating Your Ring - 3D Print or Hand Carve?
There are really 2 different ways that you can make rings for casting:
Wax working - The process of taking a wax blank and subtracting and/or adding wax to make the shape of the ring by hand. This is the traditional way and takes many years of experience to perfect.
3D Printing - With the revolution of the 3D printer, printing a ring is a great way to integrate complex geometries without too much effort or skill, as long as you are somewhat familiar with CAD (Computer Aided Design) software.
Because I am a mechanical engineering student and have access to both quality CAD software and 3D printers, and because I really suck at hand carving geometries more complicated than a simple band, I chose to go the second route. For those who are not engineers and are familiar with CAD, DON'T STRESS! You can still go this route if you are willing to spend a little time learning a new program. Also, with the rise of online 3D printing vendors, you just have to send them a digital file and they will send you a completed part.
For a CAD program, I ended up using Creo (formerly known as Pro/ENGINEER). Solidworks is another high-end program. If you are really into making rings with CAD, I've heard that Rhino has an add-on specifically for jewelers. If you are looking for some free software, try either DesignSpark Mechanical, Google SketchUp, or FreeCAD.
I had school access to a Stratasys Objet260 Connex (think big, expensive, high resolution printer). The resolution on this sucker is plenty for making nice, smooth geometries. However, because the resin used in this printer is not designed to be able to cleanly "burn-out" (more about this process later), this is not the ideal way to make a plastic ring. A great printer to get fantastic resolution AND compatible resin would be the Formlabs Form 1+ printer. This printer eliminates a difficult step in the casting process, making things much more streamlined. Plus, it is within the price range of hobbyists!
Designing and creating a ring is not what this Instructables is about (you can find plenty of resources online for help with this) so I've thrown a few images of how I've made some rings just to give an idea of the process.
This is an optional step that can be done to save and assembly-line the process of making multiple copies. The reason why I used this step in my process was because I did not have easy access to a lost wax-compatible printer; all the rings I printed were of a material that had dirty burn-outs and didn't turn out so well. By converting to wax, I could get cleaner burn-outs. The ideal fix for me would be to get a 3D printer (like the Form 1+) which has compatible resin thus saving me from needing to do this step which is difficult for complex parts.
For traditional carvings, this is a pretty useful step since it helps to save your design in case you mess up later with the casting.
Using a metal bender or vice, take the aluminum bar and bend 2x 90 degree bends in it so that it forms a flattened "U" shape approximately wide and tall enough to fit the ring and sprue with some space (don't make it too tall or wide so that you don't waste a lot of liquid silicone). Glue a small block of rubber to the bottom inside of the bar.
Take the ring and add a sprue in an acceptable location on the ring. Attach the other side of the sprue to the top of the rubber such that the sprue is vertical.
Clamp the 2 sheets of acrylic to the open sides of the metal U using the C-clamp.
Using the 2-part liquid silicone, mix equal parts into the mixing container (measure out the amount that you need to properly cover the ring but not so much that you will waste). There is about a 15 minute working time - I spent about 7 minutes stirring and 6 minutes getting the air bubbles out with the vacuum chamber. The rest of the time is needed to pour the liquid silicone into the mold casing. Do this by letting it run down the side of the container and not onto the ring. It may take a little while because of the viscosity of the silicone.
Allow to sit for a few hours until it is properly cured. At that point you can remove it from the mold case.
Clamp the metal bottle opener to a table so that it can be used as a 3rd hand for prying the mold open. With plenty of light, take the scalpel and start opening the mold by cutting around the edge in a way that will allow you to pull out the ring without damaging either the ring or the mold. There are a few online videos that show the basic process of opening the silicone mold.
Once the ring has been removed, setup the injection system. There are commercial versions of wax injectors that run hundreds of dollars, and other ways of making decent injection systems. However, I wanted to be minimalistic here, so I simply took an air cylinder from my local surplus store and used it as an injector:
Invert the air piston onto the vice. With the barbed tip removed, place the metal funnel with scrap wax over the injection hole. Heat up the funnel and piston so that the wax melts and flows into the piston. Caution: This type of wax is not good for you to breath in - well ventilate the area and use a mask.
While heating the piston, screw on the the barbed tip. This will act as the injector nozzle.
Use a very small amount of baby powder on the inside surfaces of the rubber mold. This will help remove the wax part.
Once the wax inside the piston is warm enough to flow easily, take the 2 sheets of acrylic that you used earlier and place the closed mold in between them. Using your fingers to keep the mold together, place the hole over the injector nozzle. With a fair amount of force, push the piston so that the wax flows into the mold. Do this for about 4 seconds. Then allow the mold to cool for about 30 seconds.
Remove the wax part carefully and check for defects. Inject again if necessary.
Step 8: Investing Your Ring
Now it is time to begin turning your wax ring into metal! What you will need:
Flame/heat source (such as an alcohol lamp)
Flask (I use a 2.5" diameter steel flask)
Rubber sprue bottom (sized to flask)
Fine metal tool
Dish soap (for debubbleizer)
Hydrogen Peroxide (for debubbleizer)
Cotton Swab
Balance/scale
Investment compound
Gas mask
Spoon
Timer
Water
Measuring cup
Vacuum chamber
Tape
Mixing cup
Steps:
Attach a small sprue to your ring. Do this by taking a small rod of wax and fusing it onto the ring in a non-critical location. Use multiple sprues if necessary for larger and more complex parts.
Measure the mass of the wax and sprue. Record this number down somewhere for future reference. You will need to measure out your metal based on this quantity.
Affix the sprue and ring to the rubber sprue base. Keep the sprue as straight up and down as possible.
Using a 50/50 mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and Dish soap, apply generously to the wax ring (cotton swab is useful here). Allow to dry for about 10 minutes. This is the "debubbleizer" which prevents air bubbles from forming in the investment compound and ruining the part. After it drys, dunk in water to remove excess residue and to check for any bubble formation. Repeat as necessary until bubbles no longer form on part.
Attach the sprue base to the flask. Apply a ring of tape to the top edge of the flask to prevent spilling.
Using a measuring cup, measure out the amount of water you will need for mixing with the investment. Do this based on the manufacturer specifications of the powder you use. For my powder and flask size, I needed 100 ml of water with 150 g of investment. Keep a little bit of water on the side for fine tuning the mixture.
Put on your mask! At this point you will be working with investment, which contains silica. You REALLY don't want to breath this in (it would be like sanding down your lungs and destroying them over time!).
Using a balance, measure out the amount of investment you need into the mixing cup.
Add the water to the investment and start the timer. There is an 8 minute working window - don't go over. Here is the suggested process for the powder I use:
3.5 minutes mixing by hand in the cup. You want the mixture to be thin enough to be able to pour into the flask and surround the details of the ring, but not too thin. Fine-tune by adding bits of water or investment.
1.5 minutes degassing the investment (in the cup) under vacuum. This will help remove air trapped in the investment. Shaking/vibrating the chamber a little can be done to improve results.
Pour the investment into the flask, running it down the inside and not over the ring (you don't want to knock it out of alignment).
Remaining time is used degassing the investment (in the flask) under vacuum. Shaking/vibrating the chamber a little can improve results.
At the 8 minute mark, put the flask in a convenient location to sit for 2 hours and harden.
Step 9: Casting of the Ring
Materials needed:
Centrifugal caster
Centrifuge crucible
Slab of wood
Large cardboard box
Dual-gas torch - combines oxygen and MAP/propane
Oxygen canister
MAP/propane canister
Tongs
Borax
Carbon rod
Metal to cast (Zinc, Silver, Gold, etc)
Balance/scale
Bucket of water
Kiln
Fire resistant gloves
Screws
Tools used:
Drill with screwdriver
Cinder blocks (optional)
Safety glasses
Steps:
To prepare the centrifuge and keep it safe to use, take the wood sheet and screw the centrifuge to the center. Use the cardboard box to create a barrier around the centrifuge to block any flying objects from escaping without impeding the centrifuge motion (the more enclosed it is, the safer). Affix with glue/caulk.
Measure out the amount of metal you need. For converting from wax, take the mass of the wax and multiply by ratio of densities between the wax and the metal (for Sterling, the ratio is about 10.4) then add a little extra to make sure there is enough (some might fly off, not go into the mold, burn off, etc).
Balance the centrifuge out with the metal and flask (without rubber base) in place. This will help prevent molten metal from flying everywhere (as I incidentally found out) and give a better cast.
Take the flask and place it into the kiln so that the hole is facing down. Turn on the kiln and begin the burnout process. Based on my experience, the investment I use, and the suggestions by bcyrjewelry, this is what I do:
1 hour at 150 degrees C
1 hour at 370 degrees C
2 hours at 700 degrees C
1 hour at casting temp (550 degrees C for Sterling)
What this does is both allow the wax to "burn-out"/melt-out of the flask and also heat treats the investment so that it is much stronger. Once you are about ready to pull it out of the kiln, begin setting up the centrifuge.
Wind up the centrifuge to its maximum number of turns. Use the locking mechanism (mine had a pin) to keep it wound.
Start heating up the centrifuge crucible without any metal inside - this will help significantly with melting. Caution: Oxygen + Propane flame is HOT! Using MAP + Oxygen is REALLY HOT! Use common sense and get help if needed when using the torch. Be safe (tip: never start the flame with the oxygen on). You want a relatively "reducing" flame (one that is oxygen deficient) when working.
Once the crucible is warmed up, add your metal. Heat up until the metal starts to glow red (such as for Sterling) then add a small pinch of borax powder. This will help prevent too much oxidation of the metal. Keep heating the metal and stir with the carbon rod to distribute heat. Note: for Sterling, any green flame is Copper being burned away - try to avoid too much of this.
Hopefully the kiln is near by and you can quickly grab the flask and put it into the centrifuge while still heating up the metal. Use help if needed.
Once the metal melts down, keep heating for about 30 more seconds. Then, release the mechanism and let it spin! Caution: Be safe at this point - expect metal to fly off, so wear safety glasses and make sure your barrier is in place to stop flying objects.
Allow the centrifuge to slow down to a relative stop. Pull out the flask without inverting it. Let it cool until you can no longer see any red glow from the protruding metal, then take the flask and dunk it in the bucket of water, shaking back and forth. The ring will fall out to the bottom. Once cooled, go ahead and pick out the ring and flask and clean them off. A dark grey oxidation layer is common and can be removed easily in the next section.
Step 10: Cleaning and Finishing
Materials needed:
Mini Crock-Pot
Sparex
Ultrasonic cleaner
Water
Plastic fork
Small metal pick
Mini grinder with flex shaft
Disk cutter for flex shaft
Buffing compound
Buffing wheel/brushes for grinder and flex shaft
Tumbler (optional)
Dish soap (optional)
Burnishing compound (optional)
Metal shot (optional)
The first thing you need to do after casting is to clean off the excess investment from the ring. Start by using a small pick to get chunks out. Then, run the ring through an ultrasonic cleaner to get the finer chunks removed. After that, take the Crock-Pot and heat up some water, adding a small amount of Sparex. Don't touch the sparex or solution with your bare hands. This creates a "pickling" solution which helps to remove oxidation from the surface of the ring. Allow the ring to sit in the solution for a couple hours to remove any final oxidation. When you pull it out, use a plastic (not metal) fork. At this point you should have a white coating over the ring that can be removed by using a coarse brush attachment on the mini grinder. Once you get all the white compound off you can begin to use the buffing compounds and buffing wheels to polish the metal to the desired luster.
As an optional step the rings can be burnished (a type of polishing) using either a homemade tumbler, or one that was purchased. The burnishing process is performed by pieces of metal shot rolling over the piece of jewelry and therefore both work hardening and removing many of the minor defects.
Fill the container with shot until the bottom is just covered.
Fill the container with water until the shot is just covered.
Add either a pinch of burnishing compound or a single drop of dish soap.
Place the rings in the container and close it up.
Run for somewhere between 2 hours and overnight (depending on how much is needed) making sure to replace the water every 2 hours
Do any final polishing at this point.
For the engagement ring I made, I ended up going to a professional jeweler and having them set the amethysts and diamond - I didn't feel comfortable with my skill level making sure the diamond didn't fall out. However, for less expensive stones, I could certainly set them myself. This is a whole art in of itself.
Step 11: Tips and Tricks
Helpful suggestions:
Clean and dry the flask right away after quenching - it will be easier and you will prevent rust from forming
Balance the centrifuge before putting the flask in the oven. Use the metal that you will be melting down as well.
Oxygen tanks will run out quickly (around 20 minutes of use) - keep a few stockpiled
Start off using Zinc - it is much cheaper and easier to melt than silver. Zinc is the primary metal in newer pennies
Only add a little bit of Sparex to the hot water for pickling (not the whole container)
Make thicker and longer stone setting prongs than what you think you need - they can always be cut down and filed
Things I would do different/add:
Add a handle to the kiln door that won't be hot to the touch
Make the safety shield around the centrifuge a little taller
Add a relief valve to the vacuum pump to quickly remove the lid
Use a 3D printer with compatible resin for lost wax casting - this removes the need to convert to wax and the risk of dirty casting
Purchase a better quality torch
Cheap-scape substitutes:
Instead of using a centrifuge, you could make a sling that you place the flask in and attach it to a long piece of string/cable. Melt down the metal over the hole of the flask and then swing the flask around really fast to get the centrifugal force
I've occasionally cut the kiln time from 5 hours to 3.5 hours total and had some decent castings
Use Zinc instead of Silver or Gold
For the Tumbler, you can take a plastic bottle, cut a hole in the bottom, glue a screw through it, and attach it to a drill in a vice to get the tumbling motion.
You can use propane instead of MAP - lasts, like, forever, but doesn't burn as hot
Let me know if you have any suggestions, tips, questions, answers, or if you made any rings yourself. Good luck!
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Questions
Thanks for sharing this it's awesome, but for the electrical components for the kilin I can't understand them fully do all the components ( pid controller etc) come with instruction or is there a video I can watch about it ?
67 Comments
Great instructable, I feel like I was reading my own story. I am also a college student studying ME and have gone through almost this exact same process to make an engagement ring for my girlfriend. I was in the same boat of having a nice resin printer but no castable resin despite having a form labs printer. I originally tired the same method you did, with creating a resin part then making a rtv mold out of it for the wax injection. The big problem I found with this is I don't have a vacuum chamber and so my silicone had lots of air bubbles. This make the mold hard to cut accurately. I decided that instead since my ring was relatively simple, I would create a 2 part negative mold of the ring and print that with flexible resin. This has worked great I just recently started injecting wax into it with great success. I only wish I hadn't wasted the $50 on the silicone to begin with. My next step will be to cast test pieces out of pewter before moving onto white gold.
Hi Sure Hacksalot, I flatter you and Wolfgar77 by copying your kiln nearly identically, with help from Dudley of Joppa Glass-except I can't get my MYPIN TA controller to set higher than 1200 deg. Any tips? A smarter guy than me might hack into it. I want 2000 deg.for the satin cast investment, and other stuff. I really dig your inspirational instructable-it's been a fun challenge, 1 more hurdle.
I have the same PID. To change the temp limit hold down the up and down arrows at the same time for 5 seconds. This will get you to another menu beside the regular set menu. Push set to get to USP and hit the m button to change from 1200 to whatever temp you want(I set my limit to 2500F). Hold set for 3 seconds and you're good to go.
I am so glad that you found our instructables useful! I took a quick peek at the MYPIN TA controller you are talking about and it looks like the upper limit is the 1200 you mentioned. The main reason why most controllers only go up to 1200 degrees F is because typical heating elements cannot go much higher without burning up.
The first thing I would suggest is make sure that your heating element can handle the temperature you are looking for. If not, then try to find one OR you may need to use a different method of heating (such as using a furnace/forge). If all you need to do is reach 2000 degrees without much concern for stability, long duration, or "ramping" the temp, then I might suggest using a fuel source (charcoal, propane, etc) with a simple high temperature gauge near your work piece and keep an eye on it.
hi! do you know of any way to build a full vacuum casting unit? the vacuum chamber is great but I'm looking for a way to make the suction portion of a vacuum castor. any help would be much appreciated!
Hi Jarcelyn! I'm very glad you've found this useful - I'll see if I can help answer your question. The PID controller and the SSR look nearly identical to what I have, and from what you described it sounds like everything's hooked up correctly so far. The most helpful part of this instructable for you will be the electrical sketch I put together in the 3rd kiln section. Basically, the SSR is just a bit "switch" which can handle a lot of current and be controlled by the PID. So, imagine that you want to use a light switch to turn on and off the kiln coils. What you would do is connect the wires across the switch such that when the switch is on, then current flows through the switch and heating coils, and vice versa. The SSR is the switch, so wire the circuit across that.I hope that helps!
Hi thank you for your response!!! Where is this 3rd kiln section?!?! are you talking about the steps?!?! I have a SSR 25AA would this matter?!?! I see a lot of ppl have SSR 25 DA. this is my main hang up in moving foward. So the element wire should connect to SSR terminals 1 and 2?? Please point me in the direction of this 3rd kiln section thank you!!
Hey again. The section I'm reffering to is page 4 titled "Making the Kiln, part 3: electronic controls". There is a picture of the electronics. As for your SSR, it sounds like it would be fine, but make sure to read the spec sheet.
oh WWOOOOWWWW! I didn't know there was more pictures (a lot more matter of fact Im new to instructables) BUT THANK YOU THANK if this dont work i think the ssr is bust and im just going to buy another one thanx
Hi! Sorry for not responding sooner, life has been very busy these last few months. We are doing great! We were able to get married in July, and I was able to make both of our wedding rings (I`ll try to upload some pics). Within a month of the wedding I graduated school, we moved to a different state, got our first house, I started a new job, she started grad school and a new job...yeah, crazy! Thanks for asking!
Hi! Sorry for not responding sooner, life has been very busy these last few months. We are doing great! We were able to get married in July, and I was able to make both of our wedding rings (I`ll try to upload some pics). Within a month of the wedding I graduated school, we moved to a different state, got our first house, I started a new job, she started grad school and a new job...yeah, crazy! Thanks for asking!
Hi! Sorry for not responding sooner, life has been very busy these last few months. We are doing great! We were able to get married in July, and I was able to make both of our wedding rings (I`ll try to upload some pics). Within a month of the wedding I graduated school, we moved to a different state, got our first house, I started a new job, she started grad school and a new job...yeah, crazy! Thanks for asking! | {
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Culture... meh! 24/4/11 - 30/4/11
[B][I]TREME S02E01 (A-) Slightly too expositiony in places, but by god have I missed this show. Dannie FTW, and Antoine has groupies![/I][/B]
As soon as the [I]Treme[/I] theme song erupted from the double bass, I could just feel all the New Orleans energy just rush back through the screen and into my body. This show, like no other on TV, has the ability to make you want to just BE with all of its characters and live in the New Orleans it portrays so expertly. Picking up 14 months after Katrina, the beautiful opening montage finds everyone dealing with death in their own way on All Saints’ Day, all set to the tune of a beginner trumpeter playing ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’. In lesser hands, it would have been a clunky metaphor, but, by god, does [I]Treme[/I] know how to pull off stuff like this with real aplomb.
The one thing it’s still not great at is the moralizing. Now that Sophie’s a regular character this season, I just hope we don’t get a re-tread of her dad’s storyline from last year. Things don’t look good at the moment, but I have faith that something bigger will come of these YouTube rants and general teenage angst.
But everything else was bang on the money. Annie and Davis make such a cute couple; Antoine’s dealing with the possibility of having to find a real job; Janette’s toughing it out in a New York Kitchen with a Ramsay-ish head chef; Toni’s having to deal with the death of her husband and its effect on her teenage daughter; LaDonna’s under increasing pressure to sell her Treme bar and move to Baton Rouge; Albert has money issues, which’ll probably become another crusade, down the line; even Sonny and Del are becoming interesting in their own ways! Jon Seda and David Morse’s new characters are the only ones with uncertainty at this point, but that’s to be expected to a certain extent: the season’s only one hour in! The most glacially-paced show on television can’t be expected to lay out all of its cards in the first hour; where’d be the fun in that?
So… all in all, off to a very good start, down in the Treme!
[B][I]GLEE S02E18 (B+): Didn't need to be 90 minutes, but it kinda works. Mike Chang's dancing improves all numbers and lack of Sue is refreshing.[/I][/B]
The best episodes of [I]Glee[/I] this season have all aired without Sue Sylvester – ‘Duets’, ‘Silly Little Love Songs’ and now ‘Born This Way’. Sense a pattern?
Designed with the sole intention of trying to cripple NBC’s [I]The Voice[/I] – of which it failed miserably, according to ratings – this padded episode turned out to be refreshing. Teenage self-esteem issues have been done to death on television, and this show, but the ‘Unpretty/I Feel Pretty’ montage was a really good way to characterize both Quinn and Rachel and an excellent way to shed light on the issue. Also, major props to the show for not hammering home Ryan Murphy’s viewpoint, by actually presenting a cogent argument for the other side of the plastic surgery coin in Quinn’s past. By hopefully allowing the audience to make up its own mind and not have Murphy’s law rammed down their throats, [I]Glee[/I] is a lot more tolerable this way.
Everyone else was mostly on good form. Kurt was his fabulous self, even when being forced to sing overwrought Andrew Lloyd Webber ballads; Blaine will be back, but he’d better leave his piano at home; Santana’s scheme is kinda ridiculous, but I imagine it’ll pay dividends in the future; Emma finally got a storyline that didn’t make her a forced to be ridiculed; Will’s still weird, but I think that ship has sailed, to be honest. And Mike Chang can improve really boring Finn numbers by the power of his feet. Oh happy days!
[B][I]SOUTH PARK S15E01 (C-): Trying to be relevant; just comes across as repetitive and disgusting without satire. Same goes for Cartman's plot.[/I][/B]
There are good and bad [I]South Park[/I] message episodes. The good ones manage to transcend their immediacy and actually offer satire that lasts forever, with episodes like ‘The Ring’ and ‘The Passion of the Jew’. The bad ones simply say ‘look at this modern thing we’re making fun of’ and offer humour that lasts less than a week e.g. ‘Poor and Stupid’ and ‘You Have 0 Friends’. This one fell into the latter camp, and hard!
It’s not even the relative irrelevancy of both the iPad and [I]The Human Centipede[/I] that annoyed me: it was Parker and Stone substituting wit and satire for elongated fart jokes (or crap jokes). The best [I]South Park[/I] episodes combine the two; the worst ones replace the first with the second and hope no one will notice. Even the Cartman plot, while not as outright disgusting as the Kyle one just became the same joke repeated over and over. It’s a lazy device to keep going back to, and I hope Parker and Stone manage to improve throughout the season.
[B][I]PINA (B+): Sometimes indulgent, mostly extraordinary. Ace 3D usage. Interviews & dances great, but best use of hippos and veal in same film.[/I][/B]
One scene in [I]Pina[/I] features a German woman yelling ‘This is veal’ before proceeding to perform experimental dance in an abandoned dock. Another scene features a man in a hippo costume dancing with a scantily clad woman in the middle of a flowing river. And this is all in 3D! If that isn’t enough to get you to go and see it, I don’t know what is!
A documentary about the work of choreographer Pina Bausch, the film is split between showcasing her extraordinary work as a choreographer and interviews with some of her pupils. The dancing is magnificent. I knew nothing about experimental dance, and yet could follow with the majority of the scenes in question; even when they became slightly too long, it was still an amazing experience to watch. More extraordinary was when the dancers were taken out of the confines of the studio and were just let loose on the streets and forests of Germany. To see such emotional dance in such an unusual setting was exhilarating to watch.
Last week my first draft of this went over the 13,000 character limit by about 5,000 words. In an ideal world, I could probably write about 13,000 characters on this episode tonight, as SO. MUCH. HAPPENED! (See also: [I]Doctor Who[/I].) However, I’m going to concentrate on Dean Pelton and Troy: while certainly not the focus of the episode, they were definitely its MVPs.
Everything about this episode is evidence of why Jim Rash and Donald Glover deserve so many Emmys. Dean Pelton’s bewilderment at everything, coupled with his whiny yelling and hyperventilating after experiencing the race ‘kerfuffle’ were brilliant, and it’s nice to see him get more screentime. As for Troy, is there anything that boy can’t do? Getting Donald Glover to cry is always a surefire comedic hit, but just watching his face move is a joy to behold in itself.
The Shirley and Britta stuff was nice, but it really didn’t hold a candle to the exasperation and desperation in the faces of Troy and Dean Pelton.
[B][I]PARKS & REC S03E11 (A-): Can I just give the rest of the season this grade? Nice focus on Jerry, and Andy/Ben/April make a really good trio.[/I][/B]
Sigh… let’s get this over with. Everyone was really good; the plots were all nice and worked well together; I don’t care about the will-they-won’t-they Ben/Leslie plot; Ron’s speech was awesome; this is what I’m going to say every week because the show is so consistent but doesn’t take risks…
…unlike [I]30 Rock[/I]! Unfortunately, this show’s success rate with risks is roughly 50%, and this wasn’t one of the good ones. Instead of being really wacky, like the ‘Live Show’ or ‘100’, it ended up being kinda boring, despite having Avery kidnapped by North Korea and Liz fighting an evil plastic bag.
None of the plots really seemed to coalesce together, and fragmentation of storylines is the worst thing a show like this can do (see also: [I]Modern Family[/I]). Coupled with none of them being tremendously funny, but not really terrible, and you have a ho-hum half-hour of television. One of the epitomes of C+.
My favourite film critic is a man called Nick Davis. He’s a professor of Film and English at Northwestern University and has a really good, if slightly dated, [URL="http://www.nicksflickpicks.com"]website[/URL]. A few months ago, he updated it with an explanation of what each of his letter grades mean, and the C+ is my favourite: “Either a bland "pass" or a schizo mix of good and bad”. [I]30 Rock[/I] was the first epitome of C+, where as [I]BBT[/I] was definitely the epitome of the second.
I’d watch a show starring Penny, Bernadette and Amy any day of the week. I’d probably watch it only six days of the week if Sheldon and Leonard were recurring characters, and probably only four days of the week if Howard and Raj were also part of this hypothetical show. The best parts of this episode – like any recent [I]BBT[/I] ep – are when the three of them get together and just hang out. You have Penny’s relative normality, Amy’s ‘female Sheldon’-type thing, and Bernadette’s kooky mix of the two. For the most part, it’s comedy gold. Add Sheldon to the mix and it becomes slightly odd, due to the show’s need to focus EVERYTHING around him for fear of losing audience interest. Sometimes it works – the waltzing with Amy – and sometimes it crashes and burns – the group convo in the bar – but the writers are always trying to push the boundaries of the show, which is a good thing in my eyes.
The rest of the time, however, the show just turns to mean, spiteful durge. Priya doesn’t help matters, acting all lawyery when negotiating the roommate agreement with Sheldon. Rather than being a comedic character in her own right, she’s been shunted off as simply ‘Leonard’s girlfriend’ and as such, we don’t identify with, or care about, her the way we do about the other female characters. It’s a shame, as she has potential to be just as entertaining as the other ladies, but because she’s probably going to disappear by the end of the season, the writers have obviously given up trying to give her a discernable personality. Oh well…
[B][I]DOCTOR WHO S06E02 (A): THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT! So much action, creepiness, timey-wimey, and none of the problems from last week. Ace![/I][/B]
This would have received an A+ if about three lines of Nixon dialogue were taken out. It was THAT good. Everything Doctor Who is good at – fast-paced dialogue, intriguing, overarching stories, an inherent creepiness without resorting to shock tactics – as well as some new stuff – ZOMGTHEREWASASHOOTOUTANDAREGENERATIONATTHEEND! – all combined to make a thrilling episode.
Gone was the whiny, whimpering Amy of last week, and in her place was the girl so many fanboys fell in love with last season; gone was most of the on-the-nose dialogue that plagued the White House scenes last week – Nixon became strangely tolerable, which was certainly something I never thought I’d type; gone was the hyper-kooky Matt Smith Doctor – in with the contemplative and action-oriented Doctor who could still have a bit of fun.
And then there was the ending! So many questions! This season-long arc that they’re building towards already has me hooked, which is rare for me as I normally don’t give a crap about them until the season’s end. Presumably, the little girl is Amy’s daughter, but who’s the father? Who shoots the Doctor when he’s 200 years older? Who was the mysterious woman that Amy saw in the children’s home? For the first time in a long while, I’m really, really excited for a [I]Doctor Who[/I] episode… and it’s a good feeling!
-~-~-~
Next week: I’m going to review [I]Thor[/I] before it comes out in the US. It’s been about two weeks since its UK release, but I haven’t gotten round to seeing it yet. Nothing new on TV, so same-old, same-old!
Comments
You gave Glee a B+? :(
Glee was terrible. Absolutely terrible!
Posted May 1st, 2011 at 02:09 PM by
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patchisou Yutohru
You gave Glee a B+?
Glee was terrible. Absolutely terrible!
I'm a very atypical Glee fan. I hate most of the stuff that Gleeks love and like it immensely when the show is dealing with all the depression inherent in the core cast, as in this episode. My grade would have been even higher if the songs were better and it was normal length episode, to be honest! Sowwee!
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NEW YORK Crude prices spiked above $102 a barrel for the first time Wednesday but retreated after the government said stockpiles of crude oil and gasoline rose far more than expected last week.
Prices nonetheless remained within range of Tuesday's record close as the dollar tumbled to fresh lows against the euro and U.S. economic worries drove more money into energy futures as a hedge against inflation.
"This is a market that has been trending strongly to the upside, ignoring fundamentals, and focusing on other factors," said Tim Evans, an energy analyst at Citigroup Global Markets.
Light, sweet crude for April delivery fell 12 cents to $100.76 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after surging as high as $102.08 a barrel in electronic trading earlier. The contract on Tuesday jumped $1.65 to settle at $100.88 a barrel, a record.
"It's not about the gas inventories, it's not about the seasonality," Evans added. "Traders are buying and selling on other theories of valuation. They are not looking at how oil supply compares with oil demand."
Meanwhile, gasoline prices at the pump jumped a penny overnight, rising to an average of $3.152 from $3.142, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. A year ago, drivers were paying an average of just $2.37 for a gallon of gas.
The report by the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration showed U.S. crude oil inventories rose by 3.2 million barrels, or 1 percent, to 308.5 million barrels. Although that number is slightly lower than levels a year ago, it is well ahead of the 2.4 million barrel gain analysts had been expecting, according to a survey by Dow Jones Newswires.
It was the seventh straight week the report showed a rise in crude inventories, suggesting the U.S. at least has more than enough oil to meet demand. Data showed gasoline inventories also jumped more than expected by 2.3 million barrels to 232.6 million barrels. Analysts had expected a more modest rise of 400,000 barrels. Refinery activity also increased much more than expected.
Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Ill., said the report ought to send a bearish signal to the market. But, he added, traders have found other reasons to push prices up in the face of previous bearish reports.
"The initial response to the downside from this report could be easily reversed by day's end," he said.
Traders seemed to focus largely on the slumping dollar, which is increasingly driving investors to oil and other commodities to protect against inflation. The 15-nation euro jumped a record $1.51 against the greenback, ensuring that crude will remain a relative bargain for buyers overseas.
Negative economic news continued Wednesday when the Commerce Department reported that new factory orders for big-ticket manufactured goods tumbled 5.3 percent in January. The worse-than-expected drop was the indicator's biggest decline in five months.
On Capitol Hill, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned of sluggish business growth ahead, and signaled a willingness by the central bank to cut interest rates again. But Bernanke also noted that the Fed must keep a close watch on inflation given the sharp rise in energy prices and other costs.
"You're looking at ... the use of the crude market as a hedge for inflation, while at the same time crude has been the source of inflation," Evans said. "As long as that feedback loop is in place, then prices could conceivably continue to push higher even though there's plenty of crude oil and plenty of gasoline."
Oil prices are still within the range of inflation-adjusted highs set in early 1980. Depending on how the adjustment is calculated, $38 a barrel then would be worth $96 to $103 or more today.
In London, Brent crude fell 48 cents to $98.99 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange, below the intraday record of $100.30 a barrel set earlier in the session. | {
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Pros & Cons of Outsourcing Manufacturing Jobs
by Sam Ashe-Edmunds, Demand Media
Outsourcing has benefits that go far beyond reduced labor costs.
Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images
Outsourcing manufacturing jobs carries with it a negative connotation among consumers that can damage a small business’s reputation. The benefits of outsourcing can be so significant, though, you might find it’s worthwhile to suffer some bad publicity and reduced sales in exchange for the significant costs savings you realize from moving your production. Carefully comparing the costs and benefits of outsourcing your production will help you determine if this strategy is the right move for your company.
Lower Labor Costs
Depending on where you outsource your production jobs, you can reduce your labor costs significantly. This includes not only savings on salaries and hourly wages, but also on payroll taxes and benefits. Overtime laws might also be less stringent than your locale, allowing you to add a shift or offer workers longer hours without increasing your hourly pay rate. You might also be able to reduce your costs by paying an outsourced manufacturer by pieces produced, helping you better control your costs. You are less likely to face a union in many foreign countries, reducing problems such as strikes, contract negotiations and difficulty in terminating poorly performing workers.
Fewer Regulations
Businesses outside the U.S. are often subject to fewer regulations regarding labor conditions, use and disposal of materials, right-to-work laws and other areas of manufacturing that raise the cost of producing goods in more developed and regulated countries.
Lower Real Estate and Plant Costs
You will save considerable money on outsourcing if you reduce or eliminate your real estate, building, maintenance, property taxes, insurance, security, utilities and other operating and overhead costs. These savings alone might be enough to make outsourcing your manufacturing even if you don’t reduce your labor costs.
Effects on Sales, Pricing and Margins
Lowering labor, operating and overhead costs through outsourcing allows you to maintain or lower your current price levels. This can lead to increased sales and the ability to take market share from your competitors. Based on the savings you realize from outsourcing, you can lower your prices and still increase your profit margins.
Increased Operating Capital
When you outsource, you reduce your expenses, and if your sales remain the same, you’ll have more money to spend on marketing, debt reduction, research and development, headquarters salaries and other areas that can help improve your bottom line.
Reduced Quality
When a small business outsources manufacturing, it has to consider its ability to oversee and regulate the production process taking place at its contractor’s location. Unless you can afford pay one of your own employees to be on site, every shift, you won’t be able to examine and control the quality of your product. When an outsourcer produces an inferior product, it might take you weeks or months to find this out, based on how long it takes to ship finished product to you.
Bad Public Relations
Outsourcing manufacturing often carries with it a stigma in the eyes of consumers. While some manufacturers provide living wages and safe working conditions to outsourced workers, consumers might resent that you are taking jobs from their communities and sending these jobs overseas. Outsourced jobs are often performed by workers who are underpaid, physically abused, overworked or work in dangerous facilities. Some countries allow those companies that outsource to them to pollute the environment. When these conditions are found, consumer groups often publicize this information and call for boycotts.
About the Author
Sam Ashe-Edmunds has been writing and lecturing for decades. He has worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas as a C-Suite executive, serving on several nonprofit boards. He is an internationally traveled sport science writer and lecturer. He has been published in print publications such as Entrepreneur, Tennis, SI for Kids, Chicago Tribune, Sacramento Bee, and on websites such Smart-Healthy-Living.net, SmartyCents and Youthletic. Edmunds has a bachelor's degree in journalism.
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The European
Carlo Ratti
The Italian architect, engineer and activist teaches at the MIT, where he directs the Senseable City Lab. He is a founding partner of the international design office Carlo Ratti Associati – Walter Nicolino and Carlo Ratti. „Wired“ named Ratti as one of the „50 people that will change the world“. | {
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North Carolina Reckless Driving Laws
While you may have thought reckless driving was a simple traffic ticket or citation, in North Carolina, reckless driving is actually a criminal charge. If you have been charged with reckless driving, you need the expertise of a criminal defense lawyer to fight to keep you from a permanent criminal record.
If you made a mistake, and you were driving faster than you realized, or a distraction caused you to drive erratically, we understand. These things happen, and it shouldn’t mean you deserve to be punished like a criminal. We have handled many reckless driving cases in North Carolina, we are prepared to assist you in getting the best possible results in your case. In many types of cases, we can file motions to get your charges reduced to a civil penalty and
In many types of cases, we can file motions to get your charges reduced to a civil penalty and avoid a criminal prosecution.
Please contact us for a free consultation on a reckless driving offense in North Carolina. We’ll go over what you are up against, and what we can do to help.
But I wasn’t even swerving. Why isn’t it just a speeding ticket?
To be charged with reckless driving in the State of North Carolina, you do not have to be driving erratically. There are two different ways to meet the criteria of reckless driving:
Driving “carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard” of the rights and safety of others, or
Driving without due caution and at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property.
How fast is “in a manner to endanger”?
According to North Carolina Courts, if you are caught driving at least 15 miles per hour over the speed limit where the speed limit is less than 55 miles per hour you can be charged with reckless driving.
However, as the speed limit increases, the threshold decreases. This means that if the speed limit is under 70 miles per hour and you are caught doing over 75 miles per hours, you can be charged with reckless driving.
If you go 75 in a 65 mph zone, you may get pulled over and charged with reckless driving.
Can I go to Jail for Reckless Driving?
The short answer is yes, although it isn’t typical. Reckless driving is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Under North Carolina laws, reckless driving is punishable by up to 60 days in jail.
Jail time isn’t the only punishment you may face with your reckless driving charge. A conviction can bring 4 points on your driver’s license as well as driver’s license suspension up to 12 months. You may also face fines of up to $1,000.
As if those weren’t enough, your car insurance rates may go through the roof with a reckless driving conviction. The insurance company will view you as a bad risk and charge you accordingly.
Beating a Reckless Driving Charge in North Carolina.
The best way to win is to argue to get the criminal charge dropped or reduced to a civil penalty. That will remove the problem of a criminal record, and also significantly reduce the costs of fines, fees, and insurance rate increases.
Since it is often a judgment call by the police officer as to how fast or how dangerously you were driving, we can argue that the facts don’t warrant a serious criminal infraction.
Get A Free Case Evaluation on an NC Reckless Driving Charge
A minor traffic mistake should not result in a criminal record for the rest of your life or possible jail time, yet that it what you are facing. We know this is something you never expected, and understand the stress this can cause and want to help.
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12 “Divine” Holiday Treats: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
With just 10 days left until Christmas, now is the time to start preparing homemade holiday cookie trays. As one of my most favorite annual traditions, this year, I’m proud to bring you a recipe for a cookie that is sure to become the star of your assortment — Ultimate Chocolate Chip
Cookies.
Thanks to Divine Chocolate, I’m adding another fabulous cookie to the list. These Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies are so rich and decadent, you won’t want to put them at the bottom of the tray! Since I consider myself to be an expert chocolate chip cookie maker, I tweaked this recipe ever so slightly. I eliminated the nuts — feel free to use them, if you’d like — and added a hint of vanilla, plus a little salt to draw out the incredible flavor of the chocolate.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Break up the chocolate into squares and mix with the nuts. Set aside until needed.
2. Beat the butter with the sugars until soft and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well, then stir in the chocolate squares and nuts.
3. Arrange tablespoons of dough on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper, spacing the cookies well apart to allow for spreading. Bake in a heated oven for about 12-15 minutes or until just firm. Remove the trays from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a month.
TRB extends congratulations to the winners of the Divine Holiday Treats giveaway!! Laura of Style, She Wrote., Sally of Sweat Out the Small Stuff and Madeline Brubaker will each receive a chocolate gift set from Divine Chocolate. Thanks to all who entered! Happy Holidays!!
About Me
The Rescue Baker (TRB) began on a Saturday afternoon in 2009, when I received a panicked call from my youngest sister. She baked a cake for her (now) husband’s birthday, and 20 minutes before he arrived to pick her up for a family celebration, she discovered more... | {
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Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Chennai: A Jet Airways flight from Delhi made a hard landing at Chennai airport on Monday night after a bright blue beam of light momentarily blinded the pilot and left him disoriented.
Airport sources said the blue beam, most likely a laser, swept through the pilot's cabin just as the Boeing 737, carrying 148 passengers, was landing at 8.45pm.
"The pilot claimed the light was so bright it not only filled his low-lit cabin but also blinded him and the co-pilot for a few seconds. This resulted in the aircraft landing with a thud," an air traffic control official (ATC) said.
The plane, however, came to a halt without any further incident. The pilot immediately lodged a complaint with the ATC over the radio and later submitted a written complaint that the light had emanated from a hill to the east of the runway.
15/11/16 Telegraph | {
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This is the story of two people making their way through love, life and marriage--nesting if you will. The trials, the celebrations and the mishaps along the way.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Cooking Light: Episode 9
We cooked up a STORM this weekend. Is there really anything better than cooking when the weather is crappy? Ok well...maybe reading or watching movies. BUT, either way we ate like kings this weekend.
Saturday night I stirred for 45 minutes and the outcome was a pretty delicious Fresh Mozzarella and Prosciutto Risotto.
Risotto is kind of a weird dish because it is often served as a main course at restaurants, but whenever we make it at home I don't feel like it is robust enough of a meal to actually count as a meal. However, I do love me some risotto.
I was the sole stirrer (although I can hardly complain since Nate did about 8 hours of yard work), and I am very sad to report that my arm started to get sore after a little while. Clearly I need to hit the gym a little harder. Can you see my enthusiasm for stirring? | {
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Affiliations
Department of Biology and Center for Microbial Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America,
Department of Pediatrics, University of California at San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, United States of America
Figures
Abstract
The serine-rich repeat glycoprotein Srr1 of Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is thought to be an important adhesin for the pathogenesis of meningitis. Although expression of Srr1 is associated with increased binding to human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC), the molecular basis for this interaction is not well defined. We now demonstrate that Srr1 contributes to GBS attachment to hBMEC via the direct interaction of its binding region (BR) with human fibrinogen. When assessed by Far Western blotting, Srr1 was the only protein in GBS extracts that bound fibrinogen. Studies using recombinant Srr1-BR and purified fibrinogen in vitro confirmed a direct protein-protein interaction. Srr1-BR binding was localized to amino acids 283–410 of the fibrinogen Aα chain. Structural predictions indicated that the conformation of Srr1-BR is likely to resemble that of SdrG and other related staphylococcal proteins that bind to fibrinogen through a “dock, lock, and latch” mechanism (DLL). Deletion of the predicted latch domain of Srr1-BR abolished the interaction of the BR with fibrinogen. In addition, a mutant GBS strain lacking the latch domain exhibited reduced binding to hBMEC, and was significantly attenuated in an in vivo model of meningitis. These results indicate that Srr1 can bind fibrinogen directly likely through a DLL mechanism, which has not been described for other streptococcal adhesins. This interaction was important for the pathogenesis of GBS central nervous system invasion and subsequent disease progression.
Author Summary
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococcus, GBS) is a leading cause of meningitis in newborns and infants. This life-threatening infection of the brain and surrounding tissues continues to result in a high incidence of morbidity and mortality, despite antibiotic therapy. A key factor in disease production is the ability of this organism to invade the central nervous system, via the bloodstream. We now report that a GBS surface protein called Srr1 binds fibrinogen, a major protein in human blood. This interaction enhances the attachment of GBS to brain vascular endothelial cells, and contributes to the development of meningitis. A mutation in Srr1 that specifically disrupted binding to fibrinogen significantly reduced GBS attachment to brain endothelium, and markedly reduced virulence in an in vivo model of GBS disease. These studies have identified a new mechanism by which Srr1 contributes to GBS invasion of the central nervous system and may provide a basis for novel therapies targeting Srr1 binding.
This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
Funding: This study was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the VA Merit Review program, the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, grants R01-AI41513 (P.M.S.), R01-AI057433 (P.M.S.), a Fellowship Award from the American Heart Association, Western Affiliate (H.S.S), and R01-NS051247 (K.S.D.) from the National Institutes of Health. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Introduction
The serine-rich repeat (SRR) glycoproteins are a large and diverse family of adhesins found in Gram-positive bacteria [1], [2]. Each SRR protein is encoded within a large locus that also contains genes encoding proteins responsible for glycosylating the SRR protein, as well as an accessory Sec system that is dedicated to the export of the adhesin. The SRR proteins have a highly conserved domain organization, including a long and specialized signal sequence, two extensive serine-rich repeat regions that undergo glycosylation, and a typical LPXTG cell wall anchoring motif [3], [4]. The N-termini also contain a binding region that varies considerably, both in terms of structure and adherence properties (Figure 1).
Among the best-characterized is GspB of Streptococcus gordonii, which binds human platelets through its interaction with sialyl-T antigen on the platelet receptor GPIbα [2], [5]. This appears to be an important event in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis, since disruption of Siglec-mediated binding results in reduced virulence, as measured by an animal model of endocardial infection [3], [4]. A number of other SRR proteins have been shown to contribute to virulence, including SraP of Staphylococcus aureus, PsrP of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and the two SRR proteins (Srr1 and Srr2) of GBS [6]–[11]. However, the molecular basis for binding by these other adhesins is less defined. Their binding regions have no homology to that of GspB, indicating that they are not Siglec-like adhesins. Although SraP mediates binding to platelets, the receptor for this SRR protein has not been identified [6]. PsrP binds cytokeratin 10 in vitro, which appears to be important for binding to pulmonary epithelial cells and subsequent pneumonia [12].
Expression of Srr1 or Srr2 by GBS has been shown to contribute to virulence in models of meningitis [7], [8]. Srr1 mediates binding to several types of human epithelial cell lines, as well as human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC) [7], [13]. Binding of these cells appears to be important for both colonization and invasion. In vitro studies have indicated that one ligand for Srr1 is human keratin 4, which may facilitate attachment to cervical, vaginal, and pharyngeal cells [13], [14]. We now report, however, that Srr1 also binds human fibrinogen directly through its interaction with the Aα chain of the heteromultimeric protein. This interaction mediates the binding of GBS both to fibrinogen and to hBMEC, and appears to be important for virulence in the setting of meningitis.
Results
Srr1 mediates GBS binding
We first measured the adherence of GBS strain COH31 (a serotype III clinical isolate) to a variety of host plasma and matrix proteins. As shown in Fig. 2A, GBS adhered to immobilized human fibrinogen at levels (mean: 16±2.8% of inoculum) that were significantly higher than those seen to with the negative control, casein (<1%). Low levels of binding (<2%) were observed with thrombin, fibronectin, laminin, plasminogen, collagen IV, and fetuin. Binding was significantly inhibited by pretreatment of immobilized fibrinogen with anti-fibrinogen IgG, indicating that the interaction between GBS and fibrinogen was specific (Figure 2B). We also examined eight additional GBS isolates, representing a range of capsular types, all of which were found to bind immobilized fibrinogen. As was seen with the COH31 strain, binding of all GBS strains tested was significantly reduced during treatment with IgG specific for fibrinogen. These data indicate that GBS can adhere specifically to immobilized fibrinogen and adherence to fibrinogen is a general property of GBS.
To better characterize the GBS surface components responsible for fibrinogen interaction, we examined the binding of soluble human fibrinogen to GBS cell wall proteins by Far Western blotting. Although the GBS cell wall extracts contained numerous proteins (Figure 2C, left panel), fibrinogen binding was restricted to a group of high MW bands (300–400 kDa) (middle panel). Probing the membranes with WGA revealed binding of the lectin to one or more proteins of similar size, indicating that they were glycosylated (right panel). Since the serine-rich repeat protein Srr1 of GBS is a high MW glycoprotein, we next assessed the impact of deleting srr1 on WGA and fibrinogen binding. When cell wall extracts of COH31Δsrr1 (PS954) were probed with WGA or fibrinogen, no binding was observed, confirming that the glycoprotein bound by fibrinogen was Srr1.
To examine the impact of Srr1 expression on bacterial binding to fibrinogen, we tested the ability of GBS strains COH31 and NCTC 10/84, and Δsrr1 variants to bind to immobilized fibrinogen. As shown in Figure 3A, deletion of srr1 markedly reduced GBS binding to fibrinogen. Similar results were observed with additional GBS strains H36B and 515 (data not shown). To confirm the role of Srr1 expression in fibrinogen binding by GBS, we next assessed whether binding by COH31 and NCTC 10/84 to fibrinogen was inhibited by rabbit anti-Srr1 IgG (Figure 3B and Figure S1). In control studies, co-incubation of either strain with rabbit IgG had no effect on fibrinogen binding. In contrast, co-incubation of GBS with anti-Srr1 IgG significantly reduced binding to fibrinogen. The level of inhibition was concentration-dependent, with 100 µg/ml of anti-Srr1 IgG being sufficient to reduce WT GBS binding to levels comparable to those seen with GBSΔsrr1. Complementation of the srr1 mutation in trans restored fibrinogen binding by NCTC 10/84 Δsrr1 (Figure S2), thereby demonstrating that the loss of binding observed with srr1 disruption was not due to polar or pleiotropic effects. These results indicate that GBS binding to immobilized fibrinogen is mediated by the surface expressed Srr1 protein.
The attachment of GBS to human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC) is thought to be important for the invasion of the central nervous system by this organism [15]–[17]. Previous studies indicate that binding of GBS to brain endothelium is mediated by Srr1 [7]. To assess whether fibrinogen contributed to this interaction, we assessed the role of fibrinogen in Srr1-mediated binding of GBS to hBMEC. Fibrinogen was detectable on the surface of washed hBMEC, as measured by immunofluorescence microscopy (Figure 4A). Exposure of the cells to exogenous human fibrinogen (20 µg/ml), markedly increased the amount of the protein on the cell surface, indicating that hBMEC are capable of binding fibrinogen. Strain NCTC10/84 and an isogenic Δsrr1 variant (PS2645) were incubated with hBMEC in tissue culture wells. After 30 min, WT GBS efficiently adhered to these cells, whereas the Δsrr1 mutant was significantly reduced in binding (p<0.01) (Figure 4B). Preincubation of bacteria with purified human fibrinogen (20 µg/ml) enhanced the binding of the WT strain to hBMEC, but had no effect on binding of the Δsrr1 mutant strain.
Biochemical characterization of the binding domain of Srr1
The ligand binding site of the SRR proteins characterized to date has been localized to the region bridging the two serine-rich repeat domains (Figure 1) [1]–[3], [6], [9]. To confirm that the putative binding region of Srr1 (Srr1-BR) interacts with fibrinogen, we assessed the binding of the purified FLAG tagged binding region (FLAGSrr1-BR) with fibrinogen. In control studies, no significant binding by FLAGSrr1-BR to immobilized casein blocking regent was detected. In contrast, FLAGSrr1-BR showed significant binding to fibrinogen, which increased in direct proportion to the amount of protein applied (Figure 5A). No fibrinogen binding activity was detected by either the N-terminal of Srr1-BR (AA303–479) or C-terminus (AA480–641) alone, indicating that entire region is required. To determine the apparent KD for the binding of FLAGSrr1-BR to fibrinogen, we analyzed data from six independent ELISA-based binding assays, as described previously. The calculated mean KD was 7.51×10−8, which is within the range reported for staphylococcal fibrinogen binding proteins [18]. To validate these findings, we also examined the inhibition of this interaction with either anti-fibrinogen IgG or unlabeled Srr1-BR (Figure 5C and D). When immobilized fibrinogen was pretreated with anti-fibrinogen IgG, the binding of FLAGSrr1-BR to the protein was subsequently reduced (Figure 5C). In addition, when FLAGSrr1-BR was co-incubated with unlabeled (non-tagged) Srr1-BR, subsequent binding was effectively blocked (Figure 5D). These findings indicate that the fibrinogen binding domain of the Srr1 is indeed located in the binding region (AA 303–641).
Identification of the binding site for Srr1-BR
We next sought to characterize the region within fibrinogen responsible for Srr1-BR binding. Fibrinogen is a complex protein consisting of two subunits, each containing three polypeptide chains (Aα, Bβ and γ). When separated by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions, fibrinogen appeared as three bands corresponding to the Aα, Bβ, and γ chains (Aα = 63.5 kDa, Bβ = 56 kDa, γ = 47 kDa) having the expected masses (Figure 6B). When transferred to nitrocellulose and probed with purified FLAGSrr1-BR, the Aα chain was readily detected, with low levels of binding seen to the Bβ and γ chains (Figure 6B). We also assessed the binding of Srr1-BR to recombinant forms of each chain, expressed as MalE fusion proteins. In this case, FLAGSrr1-BR was found to bind the MalE:Aα chain, while no binding was seen to the MalE:Bβ and MalE:γ chains (Figure S3).
We next sought to identify the domains within the Aα chain bound by Srr1-BR, by examining the binding of Srr1-BR to a series of recombinant Aα chain truncates (Figure 6A and 6C). Far Western blot analysis showed that binding of FLAGSrr1-BR was localized to subdomains containing residues 283–410, which correspond to the tandem repeat region of the Aα chain (Figure 6C). To confirm that this region was the Srr1-BR binding site, we assessed by ELISA the interaction of FLAGSrr1-BR with the immobilized fibrinogen Aα subdomains (Fig. 6D). As was observed with the Far Western analysis, we found no significant binding of FLAGSrr1-BR to immobilized MalE:Aα198–282 or MalE:Aα(198–282+411–610). However, FLAGSrr1-BR exhibited levels of binding to MalE:Aα283–410 that were comparable to recombinant full length Aα chain (MalE:Aα1–610), indicating that the Srr1-BR binding site is indeed the 13 AA tandem repeat region within the Aα chain of fibrinogen.
Next we examined whether fibrinogen binding by GBS was mediated by the interaction of Srr1-BR with Aα283–410. GBS strains COH31 and NCTC 10/84, and their respective Δsrr1 mutants (PS954 and PS2645) were incubated with either immobilized MalE:Aα283–410 or MalE:Aα198–282 (Fig. 7A and B). The Δsrr1 mutant strains exhibited low levels of binding to both Aα chain truncates. In contrast, WT GBS strains had high levels of binding to MalE:Aα283–410, as compared with MalE:Aα198–282. In addition, we found that GBS binding to immobilized fibrinogen was subsequently reduced during co-incubation with MalE:Aα283–410 (Figure S4), suggesting that Srr1-BR binds fibrinogen specifically within AA 283–410 of the Aα chain, and that this interaction is important for GBS fibrinogen binding.
Sequence analysis of Srr1-BR
To gain a better understanding of the structural determinants present within the binding region of Srr1, bioinformatic analysis was performed on the predicted binding region sequence (AA 303–641). Interestingly, PSI-BLAST analysis identified this region to be related to the fibrinogen binding domain of the staphylococcal adhesins SdrG and ClfA (sharing 22% and 23% identity respectively). Structure prediction analysis using PHYRE -[19], Swiss-Model [20], and HHPRED [21] algorithms also identified the binding region of Srr1 as having structural similarity to the fibrinogen-binding region of SdrG (HHPred; 100% probability, e = 4.5e−51) and ClfA (HHPred; 100% probability, e value = 9.2e−51) (Fig. S5).
The binding regions of ClfA and SdrG are composed of two domains (N2 and N3) (Figure 1), each of which adopts an IgG-like fold [22]–[24]. This domain architecture enables fibrinogen binding through a “dock, lock, and latch” mechanism (DLL) [24], in which fibrinogen engages a binding cleft between the N2 and N3 domains. As the ligand “dock”, the flexible C-terminal extension of the N3 domain (the “latch”) changes conformation, so that it “locks” the ligand in place, and forms a β strand complex with the N2 domain [24]. Bacterial adhesins that are structurally related to Clf-Sdr family are able to bind fibrinogen using this mechanism, which appears to represent a general mode of ligand-adhesin binding [24]–[28]. Collectively, our bioinformatic analysis suggests that the binding region of Srr1 structurally resembles the binding region of the Clf-Sdr family proteins (SdrG, ClfA, ClfB) and may have a similar binding mechanism.
Impact of Srr1 latch domain on GBS adherence
Using structure prediction searches (HHPRED) [21], we did not identify a latch-like sequence in C-terminal end of the Srr1-BR. However, a highly homologous TYTFTDYVD-like “latching cleft” sequence between the D1 and E1 strands was identified at AA 412∼420 (TYTWTRYAS) (Figure S5 and Table S3). To investigate whether the C-terminal end of Srr1-BR contained a functional latch-like domain, we generated a variant of Srr1-BR, in which the C-terminal 13 AA had been deleted (FLAGSrr1-BRΔlatch). As shown Figure 8A, this mutation abolished the binding of the Srr1-BR. Moreover, untagged Srr1-BRΔlatch (100 µg/ml) failed to inhibit the binding of FLAGSrr1-BR binding to immobilized fibrinogen (data not shown). The Srr1-BR protein readily bound to hBMEC and this interaction was increased by preincubating hBMEC with fibrinogen (20 µg/ml) (Figure 8B). In contrast, the Srr1-BRΔlatch protein exhibited lower levels of binding to hBMEC compared with the Srr1-BR protein, which were not enhanced by fibrinogen. To exclude the possibility that this deletion had produced changes in the secondary structure of the protein that might account for the reduction in fibrinogen-binding activity, we analyzed Srr1-BR and Srr1-BRΔlatch proteins by circular dichroism (Fig. S6). The two proteins had a similar CD profile, with a maximum at less than 200 and a minimum at 216–218, resembling previously determined CD spectra for ClfA [29]. These results indicate that the Srr1-BR mediates Srr1 binding to fibrinogen, and that the C-terminal end of Srr1-BR contains a latch-like domain.
We next generated an isogenic variant of strain GBS NCTC 10/84 in which the latch-like domain of the Srr1-BR had been deleted. Of note, deletion of this region did not affect surface expression of Srr1 (Figure 8C). We then examined the impact of this mutation on GBS binding to fibrinogen and brain endothelium. As shown in Fig. 8D and E, deletion of the latch region significantly reduced GBS binding to fibrinogen and hBMEC, as compared with the parent strain. These results strongly suggest that GBS binding to fibrinogen is mediated by Srr1-BR via the “dock, lock, and latch” mechanism.
Impact of Srr1 latch domain on GBS virulence and the development of meningitis
To investigate the role of Srr1–mediated binding to fibrinogen in the pathogenesis of experimental meningitis, we compared the relative virulence of NCTC 10/84 with its isogenic latch-deficient variant. CD-1 mice were infected intravenously with either the WT or the Δlatch mutant strain. Twenty-four hours after challenge, the levels of GBS detected in the blood of each group were essentially identical (Figure 9A). Despite their initial similarities in establishing a high-grade bacteremia in the mouse, infection with the WT GBS strain resulted in significantly higher mortality (p = 0.017, Log Rank test). By 54 h, 50% of mice infected with NCTC10/84 had died. In contrast, all animals infected with GBSΔlatch were alive at 78 h (Figure 9B). At the time of death (or upon euthanasia at 78 h), blood and brain were harvested from each mouse for quantitative bacterial culture. Mice infected with the WT strain exhibited significantly higher final bacterial loads and penetrated into the brain more frequently than the Δlatch mutant (Figure 9C). Histologic examination of brain tissue from mice infected with the Δlatch mutant showed normal brain morphology with no signs of inflammation or injury (Figure 9D), whereas mice infected with WT GBS showed meningeal thickening, tissue destruction and neutrophil infiltration (Figure 9E and 9F).
Bacteria counts in the blood and brain of mice infected with GBS WT or Δlatch bacteria, determined 24 h post infection (A) or at the time of death (C). The horizontal lines denote the median number of bacteria in each group of 10 mice. (B) Kaplan-Meier survival curves of CD-1 male mice following i.v. infection with GBS NCTC 10/84 or Δlatch strains. (n = 10 per group). (D–F) Histopathology of representative brain tissues from mice infected with GBSΔlatch (D) and WT GBS (E, F). Note significant increase of meningeal thickness and neutrophil infiltration in WT infected brain tissue, but not in animals infected with the Δlatch variant.
Discussion
The SRR proteins of GBS are thought to be important both for colonization of the female genital tract, and for the pathogenesis of invasive diseases, such as sepsis and meningitis. Expression of Srr1 has been shown to enhance the attachment of bacteria to vaginal and cervical epithelial cells in vitro, and to facilitate genital colonization in mice [30]. These interactions may be mediated in part by the binding of Srr1 to cytokeratin 4 on the surface of these epithelial cells. Studies in vitro indicate that the Srr1 interacts with cytokeratin 4 to promote bacterial attachment to the cell surface [14], [30]. However, binding can be blocked by sWGA, suggesting that the glycosylated serine-rich domains may also be involved in the interaction of Srr1 with cytokeratin 4 [14]. Strains expressing Srr1 are also more virulent in animal models of meningitis, as compared with their isogenic, srr1-deleted variants [7], [8]. Expression of Srr1 enhances GBS binding to hBMEC, which is likely to be an essential step for initiating central nervous system invasion and meningitis [7].
Our results now demonstrate that Srr1 promotes the adherence of GBS to human fibrinogen, and that this process is likely to be important for the pathogenesis of meningitis. Binding occurs via the interaction of Srr1-BR with the C-terminus of the fibrinogen Aα chain. This appears to be a specific event, requiring the entire Srr1-BR, and amino acids 283–410 of the Aα chain. Although Srr1 has limited primary sequence similarity to other known fibrinogen binding proteins, our secondary structure analyses indicate that Srr1-BR is likely to have a conformation resembling that of ClfA and possibly other related proteins, such as SdrG of Staphylococcus epidermidis. These and a number of other Gram-positive bacterial adhesins are thought to bind fibrinogen through a “dock, lock, and latch” (DLL) mechanism [24]–[26], as described above. Deletion of the predicted latch-like domain of Srr1 significantly reduced fibrinogen binding by the recombinant protein, as well as by bacteria, suggesting that Srr1 binding occurred by a comparable mechanism. If so, this would be the first example of a streptococcal DLL adhesin. Notwithstanding these similarities, there are some notable differences between Srr1 and its staphylococcal counterparts. For example, while Srr1 binds the Aα chain of fibrinogen, ClfA recognizes the C-terminus of the γ chain, and SdrG binds the N-terminus of the β chain [24], [25], [27]. Although both Srr1 and ClfB bind the C-terminus of the Aα chain, their binding sites on fibrinogen appear to differ [27], [28], [31]. A recombinant peptide representing the Aα chain binding site for ClfB (AA283–347) did not inhibit Srr1-BR binding to fibrinogen (Figure S7). Conversely, a peptide containing Aα chain residues 348–410 effectively blocked Srr1-BR binding, but no effect on ClfB binding to fibrinogen. These findings suggest that, while the binding of Srr1 to the Aα chain has some features in common with ClfB, the interactions of these adhesins with fibrinogen must also differ significantly. Further understanding of the precise basis for Srr1 binding to fibrinogen, and whether it occurs via a DLL mechanism, will require solution of its crystal structure.
Srr1 binding to fibrinogen was also important for the attachment of GBS to hBMEC in vitro. Binding of GBS to brain endothelium was reduced by deletion of the putative latch domain of Srr1, and was significantly enhanced by adding human fibrinogen, at concentrations (20 µg/ml) well within those found in whole blood (2–4 mg/ml) [32]. These findings indicate that the Srr1-fibrinogen binding is a relevant process for CNS invasion, and indeed we found that in mice with experimental meningitis, the latch deletion was also associated with significantly reduced levels of bacteria, mortality, and inflammation within the CNS. Of note, levels of the bacteria within the bloodstream were not altered by the above mutation, further indicating that the virulence properties associated with Srr1 and fibrinogen binding are specific to CNS infection.
FbsA and FbsB are two additional fibrinogen binding proteins of GBS that have been characterized [33], [34]. These proteins appear to be structurally unrelated to Srr1 or other known fibrinogen binding proteins. FbsA and FbsB can bind fibrinogen directly in vitro, although their binding sites on fibrinogen have not been identified. FbsA can also enhance the attachment of GBS to hBMEC [35]. However, FbsA alone is not sufficient for cell invasion, but appears to require FbsB for this process [36]. The contribution of FbsA and FbsB, and their interactions with fibrinogen to virulence is not well-defined. Neither protein has been examined for its role in the pathogenesis of meningitis. Deletion of fbsA was associated with decreased virulence in an animal model of septic arthritis and septicemia [37]. However, neither active nor passive immunization with FbsA or FbsA-specific antibodies resulted in protection against subsequent infection [37], suggesting that the virulence properties of FbsA may be unrelated to fibrinogen binding. Two other GBS proteins (the fibronectin binding protein Fib and a predicted ABC transport protein SAG0242) have been shown to bind fibrinogen, but neither the mechanisms for protein binding, nor the biologic importance of these interactions, have been addressed [33].
In summary, our results show that Srr1 mediates the binding of GBS to fibrinogen, and that this interaction is likely to occur via a DLL-like mechanism, involving the C-terminus of the fibrinogen Aα chain. It is the first streptococcal adhesin for which this type of binding has been identified, indicating that DLL binding may be a generalized mechanism for attachment by Gram-positive organisms. In addition, Srr1-fibrinogen binding appears to be important for the adherence to brain endothelium and the development of meningitis Given that Srr1 or its homolog Srr2 appear to be expressed by most clinical isolates of GBS, this interaction may prove to be a promising candidate for novel therapies targeting bacterial virulence.
Materials and Methods
Ethics statement
This study was carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. The protocol was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of San Diego State University (Animal Welfare Assurance Number: A3728-01). All efforts were made to minimize suffering of animals employed in this study.
Strains and growth conditions
The bacteria and plasmids used in this study are listed in Table S1 and S2. S. agalatiae strains were grown in Todd-Hewitt broth (Difco) supplemented with 0.5% yeast extract (THY). All mutant strains grow comparably well in vitro (data not shown). Escherichia coli strains DH5α, BL21 and BL21(DE3) were grown at 37°C under aeration in Luria broth (LB; Difco). Appropriate concentrations of antibiotics were added to the media, as required.
Cloning and expression of Srr1-BR
Genomic DNA was isolated from GBS NCTC 10/84, using Wizard Genomic DNA purification kits (Promega), according to the manufacturer's instructions. PCR products were purified, digested, and ligated into pET28FLAG to express FLAG-tagged versions of Srr1-BR (amino acids [AA] 303–641), the amino terminus of Srr1-BR (AA 303–479), the carboxy terminus of Srr1-BR (AA480–641) or the latch deletion of Srr1-BR (AA 303–628). Untagged Srr1-BR and Srr1-BRΔlatch were cloned into pET22b(+) (Novagen). The plasmids were then introduced to E. coli BL21(DE3) for over-expression. Proteins were purified by either Ni-NTA (Promega) or anti-FLAG M2 agarose affinity chromatography (Sigma-Aldrich), according to the manufacturers' instructions.
Cloning and expression of fibrinogen chains
cDNAs encoding the Aα-, Bβ- and γ-chains of human fibrinogen were generously provided by Professor Susan Lord (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) [38]–[40]. The full length and truncated forms of chains were amplified and cloned into pMAL-C2X (New England Laboratory) to express MalE-tagged versions of the chains. Plasmids were then introduced to E. coli BL21 by transformation. All recombinant proteins were purified by affinity chromatography with amylose resin, according to the manufacturer's instructions (New England Biolabs).
Analysis of Srr1-BR binding to fibrinogen by Far Western blotting
Purified human fibrinogen and recombinant fibrinogen chains were separated by electrophoresis through 4–12% NuPAGE Tris-Acetate gels (Invitrogen) and transferred onto nitrocellulose membranes. The membranes were treated with casein-based blocking solution (Western Blocking Reagent; Roche) at room temperature, and then incubated for 1 h with FLAG-tagged Srr1-BR (0.5 µM) suspended in PBS-0.05% Tween 20 (PBS-T). The membranes were then washed three times for 15 min in PBS-T, and bound proteins were detected with mouse anti-FLAG antibody (Sigma-Aldrich).
Purified fibrinogen (0.1 µM) was immobilized in 96-well microtiter dishes by overnight incubation at 4°C. The wells were washed twice with PBS and blocked with 300 µl of a casein-based blocking solution for 1 h at room temperature [41], [42]. The plates were washed three times with PBS-T, and FLAGSrr1-BR, FLAGSrr1-BR-N, FLAGSrr1-BR-C or FLAGSrr1-BRΔlatch in PBS-T was added over a range of concentrations. The plates were then incubated for 1 h at 37°C. Unbound protein was removed by washing with PBS-T, and the plates were incubated with mouse anti-FLAG antibodies diluted 1∶4000 in PBS-T for 1 h at 37°C. Wells were washed and incubated with HRP-conjugated rabbit anti-mouse IgG diluted 1∶5000 in PBS-T for 1 h at 37°C. The dissociation constant KD for Srr1 binding was calculated using Prism software v. 4.0 (GraphPad).
For inhibition assays, the wells containing immobilized with fibrinogen (0.1 µM) were pretreated with rabbit anti-fibrinogen or rabbit IgG for 30 min, followed by washing to remove unbound antibody prior to the addition of FLAGSrr1-BR. In addition, FLAGSrr1-BR was coincubated with anti-Srr1 IgG or purified untagged Srr1-BR proteins on the wells immobilized with fibrinogen. After washing out unbound proteins, bound FLAGSrr1-BR was then assessed as described above.
Binding of GBS to immobilized fibrinogen
Overnight cultures of GBS were harvested by centrifugation and adjusted to a concentration of 106 CFU/ml in PBS. Purified fibrinogen (0.1 µM) was immobilized in 96-well microtiter plates as described above, and then incubated with 100 µl of GBS suspension for 30 min at 37°C. The wells were then washed to remove unbound bacteria, and then treated with 100 µl of trypsin (2.5 mg/ml) for 10 min at 37°C to release the attached bacteria. The number of bound bacteria was determined by plating serial dilutions of the recovered bacteria onto THB agar plates as previously described [41].
Cell lines and infection assay
The human brain microvascular endothelial cell line (hBMEC) was developed and kindly provided by Kwang Sik Kim (Johns Hopkins University) [43], [44] and cultured as previously described [45]. Bacterial adherence assays were performed as described [46]. In brief, bacteria were grown to mid-log phase and then added to confluent hBMEC monolayers at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.1. After 30 min incubation, monolayers were washed 6 times with PBS to remove non-adherent bacteria, lysed and plated on THB agar to enumerate the bacteria. Bacterial adherence was calculated as (recovered CFU/initial inoculum CFU)×100%. In indicated experiments exogenous fibrinogen (20 µg/ml) was added directly to bacteria and incubated 1.5 hours with rotation at 37°C prior to addition to hBMEC monolayers.
Mouse model of meningitis
A murine model of hematogenous GBS meningitis has been described previously [46]. Outbred 6- to 8-week old male CD-1 mice (Charles River Laboratories; 10 mice per group) were injected via the tail vein with 5×107 CFU WT GBS (NCTC 10/84) or GBSΔlatch mutant. At 24 h post GBS injection, blood was collected via tail vein (20 µl) and plated on THB agar to determine the bacterial load in the bloodstream. Mouse survival was accessed over time. At the time of death, or at 78 h post infection, blood and brain tissue were collected aseptically from mice after euthanasia. Bacterial counts were in blood and tissue homogenates were determined by plating serial 10-fold dilutions on THB agar. Brain sections were also embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E).
Bioinformatic analysis
Amino acid similarity was compared using PSI-BLAST and secondary structure was determined by the prediction servers (PHYRE and HHPRED) [19], [49], [50].
Data analysis
Data were expressed as means ± standard deviations and were compared for statistical significance by the unpaired t test.
Binding of Srr1-BR to recombinant MalE-Aα chain. Recombinant MalE-Aα, Bβ, and γ chains were separated by SDS-PAGE and stained with Coomassie blue (left) or transferred to nitrocellulose, and probed with FLAGSrr1-BR (right). | {
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A listing appeared in the Google Play Store this evening for the Nexus 5, but was pulled just moments later. The listing puts the device’s price at $349 for the 16 GB model. Apparently the page went live prematurely but the can probably be expected to launch some time in the near future. A high-resolution press shot is available below.
The device has also been spotted in white today in leaked shots allegedly showing packaging for the Nexus 5. | {
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0.21 лв.
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Product Details
This LEGO brick as well as all other items in the Pick a Brick category is available by online order only. | {
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JAMA Lists Chiropractic as Beneficial for Back Pain Relief!
05/21/2013“Some people benefit from chiropractic therapy…” (JAMA)
Yes, they do! And this comment comes from the Journal of the American Medical Association! (1) The JAMA released a new patient page about low back pain. It discusses causes of back pain, diagnosis tips, and treatment and prevention options. Well, your Plymouth chiropractor has so much more information on low back pain! It's what we care for all day, every day.
But Atiyeh Chiropractic and Functional Neurology will admit it's nice to see a positive comment about chiropractic care in a medical medium. Atiyeh Chiropractic and Functional Neurology is pleased to work with its Plymouth medical colleagues to help our mutual patients to manage and control their low back pain. We know our chiropractic treatment protocols and Cox Technic work. They relieve Plymouth back pain. Cox Technic has the research to show what happens when it is applied to a low back to relieve the back pain. The federally funded research projects are impressive and on-going.
And just how long will it take for our Plymouth low back pain patient to feel better? Usually not long! Together, patient cooperation and our treatment protocol get you on the way to healing. You can exercise and come to your appointments and do the extra at home to keep the pressure off your spinal nerves as you heal. These maximize your clinical outcome!
It's not the first time nor will it necessarily be the last that chiropractic and spinal manipulation have positive comments in a medical media. After all the Annals of Internal Medicine back in 2007 (2) recommended that patients should consider nondrug treatments like spinal manipulation, exercise, massage, yoga, acupuncture, massage and the like beforeback surgery.
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page."
About Us
Call us to set up an appointment: 734-455-2145
About Our Plymouth chiropractic Practice
Our practice at Atiyeh Chiropractic and Functional Neurology focuses on chiropractic wellness as well as relief of pain, especially spine pain and its related conditions. We offer comprehensive care for back pain, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, leg pain, and injuries to the body from a car accident, sports injury or other cause. Our chiropractic practice respectfully serves the Plymouth area. We pride ourselves on being patient-oriented and active to fulfilling your needs be they about insurance filing or appointment making or your health and healing. We administer individualized treatment plans to accommodate your exact needs. If you're in need of a chiropractor in the Plymouth area, contact us today! | {
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Impact and interest
Abstract
In 2010, a major reform of the Irish post-primary mathematics curriculum was introduced. In tandem with this reform, in-service professional development has been made available to all post-primary mathematics teachers, with over 4,000 teachers attending such training (Project Maths Implementation Support Group, 2014). However, as these specialised professional development programmes are presently drawing to a close, newly qualifying mathematics teachers will not have an opportunity to participate in such in-service initiatives. In this research, we investigate the concerns and efficacy beliefs of a cohort of pre-service teachers (PSTs) towards the curriculum reform. 41 PSTs from post-graduate initial teacher education in four third-level institutions in Ireland participated in the research. Preliminary data based on their concerns regarding the reform (Charalambos and Philippou, 2010) and additional qualitative responses are presented in this paper. Findings suggest that at the commencement of their initial teacher education, this group of PSTs are concerned about their knowledge of the reform, have mis-information about the reform, and do not yet show significant concern for the impact of the reform.
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If you are a publisher or author and have copyright concerns for any item, please email [email protected] and the item will be withdrawn immediately. The author or person responsible for depositing the article will be contacted within one business day. | {
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Graco Introduces New Fluid Management System
Graco Inc. recently introduced a new fluid management system for a wide range of vehicle service applications.
Suitable for use in automotive, heavy truck, heavy equipment, municipality and fleet service garages, the Matrix system tracks and monitors dispensing and manages the tank inventory of bulk oils, coolant, antifreeze and other fluids.
The system is composed of software, a transceiver to facilitate wireless connection over a secure wireless network, dispense meters, pump air control and tank level monitors. The wireless setup makes installation less labor-intensive than that of wired systems.
The system is designed to help vehicle service providers effectively manage their fluid inventory, ensure the proper amount of fluid is dispensed and create a record of each dispensing. With tank level monitoring, shops can program automatic alerts when fluid is low and automatically set the system to re-order fluid or schedule waste pickup when necessary.
The Matrix is also capable of interfacing with dealer-management systems, allowing for automatic billing, workflow improvements and other efficiencies.
Among the lubrication dispensing equipment suitable for use with the Matrix system include pumps, hose and cord reels, and used fluid handling and reclamation packages. | {
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0
With regime change in Tunisia and Egypt, and Libya’s uprising continuing apace, a growing number of commentators are hailing the influence of Facebook and Twitter in helping world-be-revolutionaries coordinate their actions.
Earlier this week, SGN founder and angel investor, Shervin Pishevar tweeted that “Twitter and Facebook are shields against future genocides. Like new antibodies in the body of humanity” – which is pretty damn profound. So profound, in fact, that I brought him into the TechCrunch TV studio to explain himself.
As an on-the-record skeptic of the role of social media in causing revolutions, I wanted to know how the “social media revolution” differs from previous communications revolutions. We also discussed how the Rwandan genocide might have been covered differently today, how the Internet can avoid being shut down by dictators and Pishevar’s involvement with Openmesh – a project that aims to use technology to keep communications channels open. | {
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And then Pegasus News went and posted an item today announcing that both Fair to Midland and Slow Roosevelt announced on each of their Myspace pages that they would be playing the weekend, with Fair to Midland playing on Saturday and SlowRo taking over the Friday night (and thus opening night) duties. But Barlow, when approached by Pegasus News, balked at confirming much of the details on the festivities, other than to say that, yes, both bands will be playing that weekend.
Well, having just spoke with Barlow, we can confirm this much: Fair to Midland will be performing on Saturday, August 15, at Trees. Slow Roosevelt, too, will be playing that weekend, although whether it performs on Friday, or on Saturday with FTM, remains up in the air--Barlow's still waiting on some other confirms before he announces anything official.
And, speaking of official? We should know, for sure, Trees' opening weekend lineup at some point this week, Barlow promises. | {
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Synopsis
A HAUNCH OF VENISON A GIFT OF VENISON. The latest arrival in the Duck Lake district of Northern Ontario was the newly appointed game-warden, Mr John Holden Fitzgerald, and here by his vigorous application to business, eagerness in calling in the power of the law, and his haste in procuring evidence, he nearly made the innocent suffer with the guilty. The noble game, the moose deer, were in danger of extinction in the beautiful lake and forest regions of the province of Ontario, such was the persistency and success of the hunters in these parts. To prevent such a calamity, the Provincial Government passed stringent laws that for a number of years no moose deer were to be shot under any consideration, and any person found killing one would be subject to a fine ranging from 20 for the first offence to 50 or imprisonment for Others. The game and guns of the poacher were to be confiscated. To enforce their law the Government appointed a number of game-wardens, and sent them to different points where killing had been reported. The beautiful country around Duck Lake was one of these regions which had fallen into ill-repute, and to it Game-Warden Fitzgerald was sent. He entered upon his duties with the zeal of a new appointee, but his pleasure in his appointment was increased by the presence of his cousin, Mr Horace Fitzgerald, with his wife and little children, who had taken a cottage on Duck Lake, and were extending their stay into the autumn | {
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An Interview with The East Pointers at EFMF
The East Pointers may appear like newcomers to the traditional music scene in Canada but each individual member has amassed performance experience in a wide variety of genres from country to folk. Comprised of Koady Chaisson (KC) on Banjo and the resident step dancer, Jake Charron (JC) on Guitar, and Tim Chaisson (TC) on Fiddle; the trio are a musically proficient generation of Traditional musicians based out of Charlottetown, PEI. Their debut album, Secret Victory, is primarily instrumental music compositions with some singer-songwriter tunes in the mix as well.
Their down-to-earth likeability and passion for music is evident as they begin their interview with handshakes and hugs all around. Their enthusiasm to be at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is evident with Tim noting that EFMF is one of his favorite festivals, “They treat us so well out here, it’s so organized, it’s amazing!” They also had the time to check out some of the other musical acts with Jake noting his excitement to see Dervish, “They’re staples in the Trad music scene. It’s great to see what they’re doing out here” and Koady’s love of Dreamer’s Circus.
How do you make Traditional music accessible to modern audiences?
KC: Drop the bass!
JC: We’ve got a couple little tricks to fatten up the sound a bit. We’ve got a bass pedal, stomp box, and traditional tambourine. We’re trying to make as big a sound as possible in order to be able to play these big stages and be comparable to these big bands. We’ve been writing new tunes and hope people will like them.
Why did you decide to incorporate aspects of singer-songwriter tunes as well into your instrumental approach as well?
KC: I feel with this style of music, there are the diehards that like strictly the tunes. For a broader audience, it’s always nice to sprinkle in a bit of song to change it up a little bit. Plus, we love it! It’s been fun writing songs. I’ve always written tunes, but songs are a new thing.
TC: With songwriting, we grew up listening to Traditional Celtic music. But obviously, you’re exposed to many types of contemporary music like the radio. You grow up playing fiddle tunes but then you hear top 40 and think, “that’s cool too,” and go back to playing fiddle tunes. You subconsciously hear all those melodies in your head. It’s cool to incorporate a bit of contemporary song-writing style into playing tunes.
Is there any fear of missing out on an audience because you’re playing Traditional instrumental music?
TC: There was no pressure in the band. It was very organic. We would get together to play tunes and have a few beers and play tunes all night. And thought, “we should start a Trad band!” and we’d laugh about it but none of us had time to do it at that time. But organically it kinda grew so there was no pressure from the get-go.
What is it about Trad music that connects to people?
TC: It’s in everyone’s blood. Maybe, not everyone, but it’s such an old style of music. It’s been around from the beginning of time.
KC: There’s always been dance music. We seem to have forgot that fact about Trad music. It’s actually dance music. There’s EDM dance music but there’s actual dance music that goes back hundreds of years. All of you have to do is expose people to it and they can see that rhythm that is very danceable. The music, as Tim said, with the Irish, Scottish, and French in Canada, the music resonates with so many people.
TC: Our parents were advocates to keeping the tradition alive. As teenagers, Koady and I were shy to step dance or play the fiddle in front of others because none of our friends are doing it. But now, it’s such a good thing to do!
When did Trad music become a cool thing to do again for you?
KC: When I got old enough to realize it doesn’t matter what certain people think. If it feels right for us, if it’s fun for us, then hopefully that is expressed through our tunes and on-stage shenanigans.
TC: It’s interesting to see people shy away from it at a certain point because you’re influenced by friends and popular culture. But you tend to go back to it, because it’s in you, and it’s part of your make-up.
JC: There seems to be a bit of resurgence of acoustic music in popular music. There are successful bands out there playing acoustic instruments that comes in waves over the years.
Why was it important to incorporate step dancing, Koady, into your live shows?
KC: I think it might loosen the crowd up a bit if one of us gets up and step dances. In our family, from the time you could walk, you danced to this music. It was your initiation to the music besides always being exposed to it. My mom taught me how to step dance when I was a little kid. It’s so funny, when I talk to mom she says, “I’m so happy you’re still doing those steps I taught ya!”
TC: Are some of those Donna Chaisson specials?
KC: I’m literally stealing my mom’s moves. How cool is that?!?
Do I sense a dancing throw-down?
KC: She would dance me under the table. She’s an amazing dancer.
You all have different genres of music experience coming to Trad music. How do those experiences influence your work in The East Pointers?
JC: We all grew up listening to a lot of different music. We draw from that when we’ve been writing music today, it’s not just Traditional. It’s everything we like that we try to put into our music.
TC: We don’t purposely go out to a certain style; it comes in somehow.
KC: I love danceable music and I feel like we just want people to dance.
Do you think we’ve lost some of the dancing magic?
KC: Everybody is so self-conscious about what their neighbor thinks. If you all just danced, then it just gets crazy.
You have all had diverse occupations from lobster fishing to personal training, when did you all switch to professional musicians?
KC: I didn’t really enjoy lobster fishing. I always wanted to be a musician. I feel like I was biding my time until I could navigate that path to get out of lobster fishing. It was a good job, don’t get me wrong. I always dreamed about being able to play music and whenever this band started that was my number one goal: We have to make it successful enough so I don’t have to go lobster fishing again! I haven’t lobster fished in the past two years so things are going alright.
TC: I did work on a potato farm, and I worked in a fish plant, and substitute taught. I did rough it out for a bit. I’ve been playing music for a long time doing solo stuff. I always loved playing music and I’d play with different artists over the years. Nothing beats doing what you love.
JC: Same sort of thing, I guess. I didn’t necessarily think I’d be doing it for a living but it was always what I loved to do the most and eventually realized what I should be doing. I’m really happy to be doing it.
Is it difficult to multi-task when you have other musical commitments in terms of solo work or accompanying other groups?
TC: The East Pointers has been so busy especially the last year. It’s been so amazing and we’ve been working with great people in different countries and get to travel to places we’d otherwise never go to. As far as I go, I’ve done a few solo shows in between and always writing different kinds of stuff.
JC: It’s been a priority for us to get this band up and going.
What is your group songwriting process like?
JC: You come up with little ideas on your own. We’ve been together for the past 8 months on the road and been writing stuff on the go.
KC: That’s something I’m grateful for. There are lots of bands for one reason or another, they find it hard to write on the road. When you’re traveling to such beautiful places, it’s pretty easy to get inspired to write. Festivals like Edmonton and Winnipeg, when you’re there and you hear the music, something happens inside and you think: “I wanna write and I wanna grow as a writer and musician.” We all feel the same way in that way. It’s inspiring to be places like this. The people are amazing. The music is amazing. It’s just happiness.
What were the first instruments that you all began to play?
TC: Fiddle came first for me.
KC: Step dancing and then fiddle was my first instrument.
JC: Piano but we also had fiddles around the house all the time so I was playing that pretty young too.
TC: There was just a bunch of instruments kicking around the house. I had a bunch of older brothers that played drum and bass and guitar. So fiddle then drums and guitar.
KC: That’s something else I was happy about: [being surrounded by instruments]. “I’m going to play a mandolin because there’s a mandolin in the house!”
TC: My brother hated when I played his drums. He got so mad when I was done playing them.
KC: I remember that! He would check the drums sticks!
TC: I would play drums for four hours while he was gone and put everything perfectly back. My dad was a piano player so he didn’t mind me playing his piano.
How is it being programmed in the more Traditional music sessions when you attend folk festivals now?
KC: It’s different in the different countries that we tour in. In Australia, they put us in dance spots and people just dance their faces off. It’s awesome. I mean, I like both. It’s an honor to share the stage with some of the bands we’ve done workshops with. The fact that you’re up stage with them is humbling. I love when people dance. I don’t know if I mentioned that 🙂
What are some of the future goals for the group?
TC: I think more of what we’ve been doing. We’ve been fortunate over the last little while to travel and play different festivals and meet great musicians. We’re working on a new record and working on a lot of tune writing. What’s the ultimate goal? It’s great to make people happy and keep people smiling.
JC: It’s exciting to grow as a band and really excited to get going on the new record. Get touring and playing for different people. Hopefully, we’ll be back here again someday too.
KC: I never thought that playing this style of music could take me the places it has taken me. The places you’ll go! We’re going to Spain in a couple of months. That is something that blows my mind. I think the goal is just to see where it goes. It’s been a great run so far and it’s only been a couple of years.
Do you ever have any checkpoints throughout this process?
TC: I definitely take moments to realize how fortunate to just play music and tour. I try to take moments to stop and sometimes on stage like today look up and see people dancing. Trying to be in the moment and realize it’s a beautiful thing.
KC: I try to live in the moment. I don’t necessarily do it all the time.
JC: We definitely don’t take it for granted to play at festivals like this.
TC: As a musician, there are so many years to work towards something. I remember thinking: “Oh, it would be so cool to play festivals every weekend and tour full-time.” I don’t forget pushing through to make that happen. Now that we’re actually doing it, I don’t take it for granted.
Do you find it’s a challenge to acknowledge your achievements as well as move forward?
JC: To be successful, you need a bit of both of that: You have to recognize where you’re at but see where you need to get to – keep moving forward and not be satisfied with where you’re at.
It is clear that The East Pointers are only just beginning their work to revitalize Traditional music for a modern generation of listeners.
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2 thoughts on “An Interview with The East Pointers at EFMF”
That was an amazing session with East Pointers, the Stepcrew and Dreamer’s Circus. Lots of step-dancing at EFMF this year, was high -energy and fun.And thanks for the interview as it helped me get to know the East Pointers a little better. | {
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Winter is a surprisingly good time to bird-watch
This may surprise you: Not only does bird-watching not end in winter, but this season can be one of the best for observing birds.
Admittedly, many fewer birds are around at this time, after something like 90 percent of them migrated away in autumn. But those that remain with us all winter are now easier to spot. Without leaves to hide them in tree canopies, and no longer engaged in summer’s mad round of parenting duties, birds simply are easier to see as they go about their daily lives.
At this time of year, sitting indoors at a window that looks out on bird feeders can be very rewarding. Just as night is changing into morning, juncos and cardinals dash in to feed, the small charcoal-colored juncos skittering over the ground as they search for seed pieces and standout red cardinals sitting at feeders or hopping on the ground. A tray or dish stocked with peanuts in the shell draws a crowd of flashy blue jays, swooping in on visit after visit until they’ve stashed every last nut around the neighborhood.
Nuthatches, chickadees and woodpeckers snatch seeds to eat off-site or hide around the backyard, while finches sit at feeders to consume nyger, safflower or sunflower seeds until they’re full.
Winter birds have to be tough, resilient and savvy to go up against the season’s challenges. There’s a reason they now spend so much time at our feeders: To survive cold days and especially nights, they need to consume at least 25 percent more calories each day than in summertime. But the days are shorter, so they have less time to forage for calories to keep their inner furnaces going. Hence, they’re in a hurry.
Feeder foods make up only about a quarter of a wild bird’s diet in winter, but sometimes these morsels provide critical calories. They’re especially important to provide an energy boost to start the day, or a last meal before heading to a roost for the long night. While an easy meal is welcome at other times of the day, too, birds rely more on wild foods, even in winter. The insect eaters (woodpeckers, chickadees) probe bark and twigs for hibernating insects or their eggs, and the seed eaters (finches, sparrows) pluck seeds from nature’s seed heads.
A British study has found that songbirds with regular access to bird feeders in winter had greater nesting success in spring. Apparently, the extra food from feeders helped make female birds stronger and healthier, so they laid their eggs several days earlier in the season and more of their chicks managed to leave the nest as fledglings.
Bird feeding is good for birds, but it’s good for people, too: A different study by British researchers concluded that people living in neighborhoods with more birds and shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer anxiety, stress and depression. Even if they couldn’t identify all the birds they saw, the study participants enjoyed better mental health than people who ignored the natural world.
Offering meals for birds helps them survive the darkest days of winter and helps us maintain a sense of well-being. With benefits like these, isn’t it time to hang up a feeder and fill it with seeds?
• Plant evergreen trees and shrubs for roosting during the day and at night.
St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, can be reached at [email protected]. | {
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Big Hairy Ian writes, quoting the BBC: "A DNA analysis shows that the number of creatures began to decrease much earlier than previously thought as the world's climate changed. It also shows that there was a distinct population of mammoth in Europe that died out around 30,000 years ago. ... Dr Dalen worked with researchers in London to analyse DNA samples from 300 specimens from woolly mammoths collected by themselves and other groups in earlier studies ... [The researchers] speculate that it was so cold that the grass on which they fed became scarce. The decline was spurred on as the Ice Age ended, possibly because the grassland on which the creatures thrived was replaced by forests in the south and tundra in the north."
Scientist keep changing their mind on things! It's big science that's supporting research that shows that AGW is not the root of all evil! Wait, no.... it's liberal academics who are polluting our childrens's minds with nonsense like wholly mammoths not being hunted to extinction by savage humans!
I'm confused. Someone please point me to the right meme I'm supposed to employ against evil scientists here. Help me, Bill O'Reilly!
Elephants -- close relatives of the mammoth -- are not grass grazers. They eat trees.
Not all elephants eat trees. In fact, not all elephants eat the same type of food all year round. They have behaviorial plasticity, and a relatively broad range of dietary possibilities. This helps them survive once-in-a-decade dry years (or wet years), which would occur in most elephant's lifetimes once between birth and sexual maturity.
Also, as you say, elephants are "close relatives" of mammoths ; not identical twins. S
Not considering their trunks, when talking about elephants, is a pretty major omission. All that brain needs something to supply it with sensation and to demand it's attention. Not being a proboscidian biologist by trade, I don't know how much of an elephant's brain power goes to it's trunk ; but I bet it's a lot.
>> point me to the right meme I'm supposed to employ against evil scientists
Try this: Those dumb scientists are blaming climate change for everything, including killing the Mammoths.
It was obviously all the SUV's that Cro Magnons were driving.
I think we should be blaming the cooking process. You know how much wood you have to burn to cook a freaking Mammoth? Not only is that carelessly discharging green house gases, at the same time it is destroying the best carbon sequestration system ever... trees! And don't forget that the Mammoths themselves released massive amounts of green house gases with each thunderous fart!All of this could have been avoided if the species in question simply evolved a less tasty flavor profile!
Good parody up until the last line. I don't think anyone who actually uses "Scientists are always changing their minds" are confused about anything ever. It takes like a microsecond for cognitive dissonance to kick in. Have you ever confronted someone with data that runs contrary to their established worldview? Usually not even a flicker of doubt crosses their face. Any "deep in thought" processes that go on are searching for a reason to throw out the new, unwelcome bit of data rather than considering it.
It's not specific to climate change deniers or conservatives obviously. I had a similar reaction last night to a deeply catholic friend's saying that natural family planning was the most effective form of birth control. I caught myself immediately going to wiki, which backed up his statement, and then I immediately decided no, they were both definitely wrong, I just needed to dig deeper to establish the truth, that NPF was a catholic conspiracy to make more catholic babies. So, we all suffer from it, or at least I do and so do other closed minded idiots. Don't try to prove me wrong on this point!
Absolutely false, laws are not "facts", they are uesful generalizations and most scientific laws have many exceptions.
You want examples? Ohm's Law, Hooke's Law, Charles Law, Boyle's law are all linear approximations that many materials obey but real world materials have higher order terms and some materials have *opposite* behaviour.
Second law of thermodynamics, one of the most useful laws, applies to closed systems, but there are no truly closed systems.
Coulomb's law, applies to electrostatic system but there are no pure electrostatic systems in the universe, it is approximation and so there is "the electrostatic approximation"
#1 thing to keep in mind: laws and theories refer to the same thing. Laws are just a historical anachronism when people used to call things laws of nature any time they found out a rule that seemed to be invariable in nature. Buoyancy, F=ma, etc.
#2 thing to keep in mind: theories are not just guesses. They are statements about how some things supposedly work, based on our current understanding of related things. They are fully independent of scientific facts, which are data. Sometimes though, theories and facts have the same name, but refer to different things. Example: the theory of evolution, and Evolution. The theory of evolution lays out how we think creatures evolve. Evolution is the fact (the data collected) that creatures evolve.
#3 thing to keep in mind: linguistically, a hypothesis and a theory is the same thing. In scientific vernacular, a hypothesis is what you have before you have data. A theory is what you have once you have collected some data and have the ability to support your theory with more than "cuz I say so."
#4 thing to keep in mind: laws, theories, hypotheses - all of these can and will be changed once data shows that they're not correct anymore. That is the hallmark of science. We've just gotten so used to things having been nailed down so well that they haven't been updated in a long time. That doesn't mean that they can't be in the future.
Look, who's the bigger villain, humans with their penchant for turning anything that moves or doesn't move into a ___burger or climate change that is the current boogeyman?
Who knows? Let's face it, any number of factors from volcanoes to natural predators to climate change to caveman barbeques all likely shared guilt. The world isn't black and white and people need to stop thinking of everything as having a singular one dimensional true answer.
The galapagos tortoises were indescribably delicious. They all got eaten on the way back to Britain, where they were being taken for the purpose of scientific study and preservation. Not sure about the PP, but it was hunted for food. Being delicious is only an evolutionary advantage if the species is also domesticable.
From Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:Captain James Colnett of the British Navy wrote of "the land tortoise which in whatever way it was dressed, was considered by all of us as the most delicious food we had ever tasted."[108] US Navy captain David Porter declared that, "after once tasting the Gallipagos tortoises, every other animal food fell off greatly in our estimation... The meat of this animal is the easiest of digestion, and a quantity of it, exceeding that of any other food, can be eaten without experiencing the slightest of inconvenience."[81] Darwin was less enthusiastic about the meat, writing "the breast-plate roasted (as the Gauchos do "carne con cuero"), with the flesh on it, is very good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup; but otherwise the meat to my taste is indifferent."
Wrong, allowing your self to become domesticated is the key to genetic success. So for example horses which are not widely eaten are doing well. On the other hand zebra's which are virtually undomesticatable not so much.
A BBC story reported that one croyologist said in late 2007 or early 2008 "At the rate it's going the Arctic could be ice free by 2013." In 2007 the Arctic sea ice extent minimum was 4,140,000 km^2, 22% or 1,190,000 km^2 less than the previous record low.so yes, at that rate it could have been gone by 2013. No one asked him if he thought that would actually happen though and most of his colleagues would have called it ridiculous. Latching on to that is really just a case of quote mining and ignoring the
Can we not contribute to the confusion between climate and weather, please? I mean, we're mostly technically literate people here and can appreciate the need to stick to agreed-upon definitions of words, right?
""The picture that seems to be emerging is that they were a fairly dynamic species that went through local extinctions, expansions and migrations. It is quite exciting that so much was going on," he told BBC News."
The idea that they were a dynamic and occasionally migratory species, yet died out because they couldn't find GRASS seems a little odd. I mean, it's not like the last Ice Age ENTIRELY covered the planet with glaciers.
Interestingly enough, I read an article about human lifespans and how it changed drastically about 30,000 years ago, giving us grandparents who were able to help spread knowledge across generations. Maybe if people were living twice as long, then humans were eating twice as many mammoths.
Or you know, the scientific method was used that refines theories, based on new evidence.
Maybe we should be like you, where we know that there's no human-induced climate change because we ignore the unprecedented rate of change in temperature over the past 2 centuries, and keep all our understanding exactly the same as when we were born.
Or you know, the scientific method was used that refines theories, based on new evidence.
Maybe we should be like you, where we know that there's no human-induced climate change because we ignore the unprecedented rate of change in temperature over the past 2 centuries, and keep all our understanding exactly the same as when we were born.
Or we can be like you and keep perpetuating memes about "unprecedented rates of change" and pretend there has never been any change in the climate before the evil humans and their "machinez" came along.
It's estimated that Homo Sapiens has been on this planet for around 200K years. This graph [socialtext.net] shows temperatures for the last 3/4 of a million years. Notice that it was warmer 110K years ago than it is now? So this isn't even
Seriously, we all need to do (a lot) more to avoid poisoning ourselves. Yes the planet is warming. Yes we are contributing to it. Yes we need to work toward ways to mitigate this. The planet has been here for 4.5 billion years. I find it a little disingenuous to look at the temperatures from the last 1500 years and claim the sky is falling.
They sky isn't falling but the roof is getting pretty leaky. The difference between a couple of thousand proto humans chasing herbivores off cliffs a couple of thousand years ago and 7 billion of the annoying creatures burning anything they can get their paws on is ecologically profound.
The planet will be here long after we're gone. But at the rate we're going it's likely that the entire human experience will be a narrow band of sediment trapped inside an alien archeologist's core sample.
It's not the change that's worrisome, it's the RATE of change that is. Change happens, always has. Climate takes millenia to change, it took thousands of years for the glaciers to retreat, for example. We're changing it measurably in decades, and noticeably in centuries. That's what's unprecedented.
It's estimated that Homo Sapiens has been on this planet for around 200K years. This graph [socialtext.net] shows temperatures for the last 3/4 of a million years. Notice that it was warmer 110K years ago than it is now? So this isn't even "unprecedented" during our time on this planet, let alone before our ancestors climbed down from the trees.
Love the way that graph has such thick lines you can barely read it... And judging by the hysterical captions, it looks like this is a "temperature rise always causes CO2 rise" meme. Those of us in the reality-based community understand that this historical sequence has a physical cause (Milankovich cycles) and don't take it as an absolute rule that prevents CO2 emissions from causing temperature rises...
Anyway, notice that yellow chunk at the far right? That is the development of agriculture. Notice how it
There are a host of things that can reasonably be called "controlled repeatable experiments" within the theory of human induced climate change. You're going to have to narrow down which specific hypothesis you're "concerned" with in the greater theory for me to address you query with an answer more specific than "you're wrong".
The experiment is to examine mammoth remains from diverse areas, to inspect the remains of the ecosystem, to look at the changes in isotopic take-up (a way to measure long-term temperature change) of organisms. If the findings are consistent across multiple you have your repeatable experiment. Just because something can't be done in a test tube doesn't mean it's not an experiment.
Funny that you think the scientific method was used in relation to explaining ice ages and global warming/cooling... Historical sciences are guesses at best and typically have very little to do with the scientific method. This is why they are overturned often and in massive ways. The "faith" that people have put into global warming based on only history and computer models is staggering. And the zeal with which they have attacked anyone who disagrees smacks of burning people at the stake for believing in a round earth. It's closer to politics or religion than science, because a true scientist doesn't care if other people agree with his "side". In a true science, the facts will do that for them.
Of course, now we know that instead of their being no ice in 2013 (as predicted), there is actually so much ice that 20 ships are trapped in the arctic and most of the shipping lines are completely blocked. On the past 2 seasons of Deadliest Catch, they had to go home and take a break for a few weeks because the entire sea was full of ice, the most in 30-40 years.
This stuff is way more complicated than most people think and we are in the early stages of understanding it. To treat anyone as an idiot for having a difference of opinion at this early stage is just mind-blowing. And as for "unprecedented rate of change of temperature"? I don't think.5 degrees over 100 years is that big of a deal, especially when I question the accuracy being good enough to catch half a degree 100 years ago.
Climate changes. With or without man. We see a "fertile crescent" in Iraq that now looks like a massive desert (because they cut down all the trees). We see a California which was a desert which is now Mediterranean (because of man planting lots of trees). We see flash frozen mammoths (and don't know why). We know the earth has recovered from an ice age in the past, so it's pretty darn resilient.
The bottom line is you are right. We should do our best to keep learning because we really don't understand this stuff yet. But vilifying people that disagree and trying to stifle their funding and ruin their careers hampers that effort significantly. And that's what the GP was lamenting.
Funny that you think the scientific method was used in relation to explaining ice ages and global warming/cooling... Historical sciences are guesses at best and typically have very little to do with the scientific method. This is why they are overturned often and in massive ways. The "faith" that people have put into global warming based on only history and computer models is staggering. And the zeal with which they have attacked anyone who disagrees smacks of burning people at the stake for believing in a round earth. It's closer to politics or religion than science, because a true scientist doesn't care if other people agree with his "side". In a true science, the facts will do that for them.
Yeah, we totally don't use science to understand things that already happened, like how the Sun formed, or how life operates, without directly observing those processes.
No wait, those are very well understood concepts in astronomy and biology, and you're a misguided idiot for pretending that science always happens in a test-tube.
a) Historical sciences do in fact use the scientific method: make observations-> make theories-> make more observations-> refine theories.b) Climate science is not at an early stage. A few of the predictions were slightly off, but that just means refining the parameters a little, not throwing out the whole model.
... especially when I question the accuracy being good enough to catch half a degree 100 years ago.
I see this all the time. People assume that just because the precision that the measurements were taken at in the past is somewhat less than it is today that it's invalid to express the aggregation of many of those measurements to a greater precision. This can be statistically shown to be wrong but perhaps the simplest example I can give is this. In baseball a player's batting average is commonly expressed to three decimal places and yet each measurement is a binary choice, either they got a hit (1) or
And one day you will have selectively forgotten that you were such a pro-global warming zealot--long after the gloom-and-doom scenarios didn't materialize and the hippies have moved on to the next environmental fad for hating on humanity.
... when people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.
Changing climates is a bitch for any species, no matter the rate. Evolution is a hash mistress and you get genes that adapt you really well to one circumstance, and when things change, the generalist k-selected species like cockroaches, algae, and e-coli kick your ass.
It's a little disingenuous to say that's similar to what's happening now. Human concerns are for relatively small temperature changes over REALLY REALLY REALLY short amounts of time, that threaten the stable conditions the agro-economies of
The change in temperature from the height of the last glaciation (around 25,000 years ago) to the Holocene is only about +4 Kelvins. The difference between the height of the Little Ice Age and now only about 1 Kelvin. The increase from 1880 to now is about 0.8 Kelvin. It doesn't take a lot of temperature change to cause some pretty drastic changes from a human point of view.
(BTW, being the pedant I am I have to say Kelvin's don't have degrees even though they are the same size as a Celcius degree. Kelvi
You have to separate facts from culture. You have a nice menu of extintion causes [wikipedia.org] to choose from, but culture have other priorities, Dinosaurs are still named antediluvian (from before the flood) or prehistoric (before written history) animals, no matter what killed them. Some of what you said are still potential extintion causes, i.e. for diseases, we have as precedent the black death [wikipedia.org] that killed from 30 to 60% of the population in europe, overpopulation is a ticking bomb, but will not mean extintion, "jus
It is said that ice ages caused the extinction of north america's earth worms, and the re-introduction of european nightcrawlers is destroying our forests by causing a change in the topsoil chemistry.
I say scientists are dumb. Okay, so some worms will till the soil, the nitrogen balance changes, leaves decay faster. These large shifts will impact how seedlings grow and thrive; over time, new seedlings which thrive better in an ecosystem with earthworms will outcompete the ones that take best to a worm-fr
Scientists (in average, at least) are not dumb, but their knowledge is limited. Probably the current ecosystem is not fully understood (at least, going to microbes and even lower levels), and so how fragile is or at least how easy is to go from one ecosystem to a different another is not (fully?) known. But the problem with ecosystem is that we are part of it, most of what we depend on is part of it too. Introducing big changes won't kill all life probably, life eventually adapts, if changes are not too fas
You conflate 'scientists' with small groups of people interested in one aspect off an enormous topic.
"Science" does not have an opinion on what reintroduction off burrowing worms on the NA continent will do. Some people researching the field may have some observations and possibly opinions about the desirability or lack thereof of a particular issue, but that isn't some giant statist conspiracy that you're trying to make it into.
And yes, you CAN make the argument that 'slowing down' or avoiding changes mig
Actually I was paraphrasing the "I think there's some inherent value" quote from an actual researcher whose only reason for wanting to stop the spread of earthworms was that keeping things the way they are is inherently valuable in some unqualified way. He never claimed there would be catastrophic collapse; that's separate, a lot of researchers are saying that the forests may eventually be destroyed by worms changing the nutrient cycle by causing faster consumption of nitrogen resources and integration int
Hey, whatever happened to nuclear apocalypse--radiation/nuclear winter/etc.? Anyone remember that one back in the 80's? Man, I'm old.
In case you didn't notice WWIII didn't come (yet) so tens of thousands of nuclear warheads didn't explode all over the world whirling up tons of dust into the atmosphere causing a massive global drop in temperature. The only reason nobody talks about it today is because a full scale nuclear confrontation seems so unlikely, we're still more than capable.
I remember growing up how asteroids, overpopulation, diseases, and shit like that once killed every species that ever went extinct. Now climate change did it all.
Incorrect. SOME mass extinctions were the result of climate change (like when the early anaerobic life produced too much of that poisonous oxygen). Some were caused by gamma ray bursts (which affected the climate by destroying the ozone layer and polluting the atmosphere with oxides of nitrogen), some by asteroids (this particular one was supposed
Well, the known causes of natural climate change point toward slow cooling so human causes are probably more than 100% of the cause of the warming. Both are still operating but anthropogenic causes are overwhelming the natural causes lately. | {
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MADISON - The 2010 Wisconsin football season was one filled with excitement, passion, controversy, drama, joy and disappointment. Now that it's over, BadgerBlitz.com staff members Jon McNamara and Tom Lea hand out their end-of-season awards.
The following are a look back at the players, plays, games and moments that mattered during UW's 11-2 run for the roses and Big Ten title season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: He didn't put up gaudy numbers or play his best in Wisconsin's final game, but senior Scott Tolzien's ability to solidify the quarterback position and lead UW's offense is the main reason why the Badgers won 11 games in 2010. A high-character guy on and off the field, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award recipient was the center of a powerful Badger offense that averaged 445.15 yards per game with 70 total touchdowns.
Lea: You can talk about the three-headed monster at running back, but I guarantee those three don't have quite the success they did without solid - and very efficient - play from senior quarterback Scott Tolzien. Entering the season, many tabbed Tolzien as a game manager. By the end of it, I'd be willing to bet many of those same people would tab Tolzien as one of the better playmakers on the squad. He was always poised in the pocket, shied away from mental mistakes, led one of the more efficient offenses in UW history and led the team by example. Simply put, UW doesn't win a share of the Big Ten title without Tolzien under center.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: This one really isn't even that close. J.J. Watt (stats) dominated from his defensive end position and was the heart and soul of this unit. The post-season accolades were both lengthy and well deserved for Watt, who just days ago announced he would enter the NFL Draft and forego his final season in Madison.
Lea: Like Jon mentioned, there really wasn't much of a contest in this department. Watt completely took over games at times and willed his team to victory. He had a relentless drive to be great and a motor that allowed him to reach that level. Whenever UW needed a big play defensively, it usually started (and ended) with Watt's involvement. He'll be a first round pick in April's NFL Draft and a player the Badgers will sorely miss a year from now.
COACH OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: Offensive line coach Bob Bostad gets the honor after producing two All-Americans this season in seniors Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt. A dominant unit that nearly produced three 1,000-yard backs, Bostad deserves much of the credit for keeping them focused and hungry all season.
Lea:Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst is going to take a bevy of flak for the game he called during the Rose Bowl. Whether that's deserved or overblown will always depend on who you talk to. Still, even with that game sticking out like a sore thumb, Chryst spearheaded an offense that blew any other historical UW offensive output out of the water. Seriously, how many of you would have imagined this Badger offense would average 41 points per game this season? Take a second to sit back and think about that, because it's nothing short of incredible.
I also think Bret Bielema should get his just due. He was the man in charge of this run and it was all his recruits that got them to where they went.
PLAY OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: Wisconsin's failed two-point conversion against TCU late in the Rose Bowl will be discussed, ridiculed and dissected by Badger fans for the next 20 years. Should they have given the ball to John Clay? Would Tolzien have hit the wide-open Jacob Pedersen in the end zone had the ball not been knocked down at the line of scrimmage? Fans will have those lingering thoughts until Wisconsin makes its way back to Pasadena and redeems itself.
Lea:I said it at the time and I'll say it again now. The play that preceded the fake punt at Iowa is my play of the year. Bill Nagy came in to play center for a nicked up Peter Konz and delivered a terrible snap to Tolzien on third down. Instead of just falling on the loose ball, Tolzien calmly scooped it up and delivered a strike to Isaac Anderson for a three-yard gain. Had the senior quarterback simply fallen on the ball, there is no way Bret Bielema dials up a fake punt facing fourth and 15+ deep in his own territory. The three-yard gain set up a more manageable fourth down and one that kept the drive alive in a game UW would go on to win.
GAME OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: Simply put, Wisconsin's road win over Iowa was the most entertaining game of the season, in my eyes. Battling numerous injuries, the Badgers, through a well-executed game plan by the coaching staff, picked up an electrifying win in a hostile environment just a week after defeating the No. 1 team in the country.
Lea:Even though it came in a losing effort, I'd say the Rose Bowl was the game of the year. On the games biggest stage, both UW and TCU poured their hearts onto that pristine grass inside the hallowed stadium. That game had everything you could want. There were big hits, solid offense, better defense and drama that had everybody on the edge of their seat. Unfortunately for UW fans, the game didn't go down the way many envisioned. That doesn't negate the fact that it was one of the best games of the 2010 regular and bowl seasons.
MOMENT OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: The scene at Camp Randall after Wisconsin defeated Ohio State is difficult to put into words. A special moment for all involved, this will go down in Badger lore as one of the top events in this university's athletic history.
Lea:Though I've only been working the Badger beat for a little more than four years, I have seen my fair share of games and post-game press conference. Never, in more than 100 different opportunities, did I experience anything like I did following UW's loss in the Rose Bowl.
When asked how long it would take to get over the loss, especially understanding that the game could quite possibly have been his last in a Badger uniform, Watt was reduced to tears in front of a throng of reporters. In that instance, you could tell how much that game meant to him because it simply overwhelmed him in that moment.
You had to feel for a kid that simply put his heart on the line for this team throughout the season both on and off the field. You can ask me five, 10 or 25 years from now what I remember most vividly about the 2010 UW season and I will say that post game presser with Watt because it was that emotional and poignant.
UNDER THE RADAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
McNamara: Carimi and Moffitt received all the attention this year - and deservedly so - but center Peter Konz played his position about as well as you can at the collegiate level. His unique ability to pull in the run game and eliminate defenders five or six yards down the field gave Wisconsin a sizeable advantage on the ground. The in-state sophomore should begin to garner national respect in 2011 as the key cog on the Badgers' line.
Lea: I know he was a senior and had made impacts throughout the course of his career at various times, but when Chris Borland went down with a season ending injury early on, I thought Blake Sorensen performed at a very high level. He might not be as explosive as Borland, but Sorensen was more than adequate throughout the course of the year and made several plays that allowed UW gets a few huge wins along the way.
THE PLAYER I WAS MOST IMPRESSED WITH...
McNamara: The impact running back James White made as a true freshman will certainly have Badger fans eagerly awaiting the 2011 season. White, who rushed for 1,052 yards and 14 scores, moved ahead of senior Zach Brown during fall camp and kept climbing the depth chart as the season progressed. The Florida native eventually eclipsed the 1000-yard mark and took home conference honors for the top freshman of the year. His speed and big-play ability gives Wisconsin something they have not had in the backfield since Brian Calhoun's days on campus.
Lea: Was Montee Ball. Really, through the first six or seven games of the season Ball was a complete afterthought behind John Clay and White. Then, when injuries surfaced in that Iowa game the sophomore tailback jumped in without missing a beat and willed the Badgers to victory. Apparently that game was just the beginning as Ball went on to rush for nearly 1,000 yards and double-digit scores. I was just so impressed with his demeanor in the adverse times and then again when he had success. He's a guy UW can expect big things from in the future.
THE BEST PART OF THE 2010 SEASON WAS...
McNamara: Getting the BCS monkey off Bret Bielama's back and sending Wisconsin to Pasadena was the best part of this season. After an 11-year absence, a sea of red flooded the Rose Bowl and the Badgers were the talk of the Big Ten in the days leading up to the New Year. Despite a close loss to TCU, Wisconsin fans will remember this as the year they returned to Camp Randall West.
Lea: Was just watching the look of determination in the players eyes throughout the year and then seeing them able to rejoice when hurdles were overcome at various junctures. I remember talking to the players during the Ohio State game and feeling how much they wanted that win. Then I remember being on the field following that win and seeing Jay Valai and Aaron Henry celebrating together with tears running down their face amongst thousands and thousands of ecstatic fans.
It was truly a special season and one that will go down in Badger history for many years to come. From my point of view, it was a joy watching the coaches and players faces light up on so many occasions throughout that season.
WHEN THE 2011 SEASON GETS UNDERWAY, THE PLAYER UW WILL MISS THE MOST...
McNamara: Watt's an easy call here and I wouldn't argue with anyone who picked him. But from a behind-the-scenes perspective, those who cover this football team will miss Moffitt's personality and cooperation with the media. A down-to-earth and likeable person through and through, the senior lineman has provided a good deal of laughs - along with his strong play on the field - for the past five years.
Lea: Is Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt. I understand the offensive line will be very good again next year because that's what Wisconsin does. They churn out incredible fronts each and every year. But it won't be the same without both Moffitt and Carimi. The two seniors played a ton of football for a Wisconsin squad that won a lot of games throughout their tenure.
They had a bond together and chemistry that was unmatched among many duos across both the Big Ten and nation. They shared a will to be great and want to succeed. I don't know if those are traits that are embedded within offensive linemen that often. But those two definitely had it and they will definitely be missed moving forward. | {
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The Nerd Manual
Pages
About the Manual
The Nerd Manual is meant to be both a useful resource for nerds and a guide for the people involved with nerds. If you're a nerd you can find information here that will help you improve your life and perhaps better understand yourself. If you're close friends with, dating, or married to a nerd, I want to give you insight into things nerds do that a lot of people have difficulty understanding.
I hope to avoid offending anyone--either nerd or non-nerd--but please understand that the manual will get into some sensitive topics, stray into contentious territories, and even use stereotypes to illustrate points. It's OK to disagree with something, but keep your comments civil.
2019-03-07
Here's a question that I personally answered a while ago, but after thinking about it, I figured there may be other people out there who want some straight talk.
Do you have any personal advice (not a gimmick or step-by-step program) for someone who is socially anxious?
Yes, actually. You know, I like step-by-step instructions, but they can be a little disconnected, and sometimes you just want to know what other people think, how they feel, and how they get through life.
So I’m going to share a few things that I’ve figured out over the years.
2018-12-10
It's that time of year again. Maybe you’re coming up on Christmas, or it's Hanukkah, or Hogswatch or possibly some other holiday.
Or maybe you refuse to acknowledge holidays.
Doesn't matter.
You know why? Because December is a big month for gift giving, so deal with it.
And while you're passing around gift baskets, you ought to do right by your nerdy friends. Sure, you could spring for a Loot Crate subscription, an Enterpise-shaped pizza cutter, or even Smash Bros Ultimate, but those are the gifts you’ll find on any old “Top 53 Geek Gifts” list thrown together by a news outlet where the nearest thing they've got to a nerd is the reporter who knows the first line of the Spider-man cartoon theme, but couldn't tell you who Miles Morales is.
So you’re here because you want to show that you’ve dug deeper than Buzzfeed and the Dallas Morning Herald.
Items in this list range from super affordable to fairly expensive, so you should be able to find something appropriate for any nerd you know. I try to locate gifts suitable for nerdy and geeky people of all walks of life, both girls and boys, and I’ve also tried to sort things a little bit to make it easier for you. I do not own all of these items, but I avoid suggesting things that get bad reviews. I won’t recommend something that I wouldn’t buy for my own friends.
Full disclosure: I am not selling any of these items myself, but if you use one of my links I may get a reward, which helps pay for The Nerd Manual. Even if you don’t buy one of these items, I hope the list gives you some ideas for gifts that your nerd friends will love!
Ready? Let's go!
For nerdy kids...of varying ages
LittleBits have earned all sorts of awards for their inventor kits, and their Droid Kit combines robotics, coding, AND Star Wars. What more could you ask for?
Learn how to control electronics with 22 block-based coding missions that are as simple as stacking Legos, but teach you to build an instruction set for your droid. Once you've worked through all the missions, you can build your own code and personalize your droid. Note: this requires an iOS or Android device to load the app for coding.
The unfortunately named Klutz Paper Flying Dragons Craft Kit will introduce you to six flying dragons from a variety of terrains--even including a steampunk dragon--with a fairly detailed book that not only gives you the lore behind each creature, but instructions for making great folds, checking your dragons' symmetry, and tweaking them so they fly the way you want. Seriously, everything you need to start flying dragons is in this kit, even the tape.
The
DC Super Hero Girls series is just plain cool, and offers a variety of gift choices whether the kid you have in mind is nerdy or not. I really
like that the dolls aren't wearing high heels, their bodies and hair are
sturdy, and their limbs actually move...you know...like a real
person's.
Learn about acids, bases, DNA, electricity, and more with the Playz Explosive Kitchen Lab. This activity kit uses normal stuff you find in your kitchen like lemons and slices of bread as the key components of a series of experiments. The guide is easy to follow, but full of detail. Kids under 10 may need some help, but older kids can probably follow the instructions on their own.
Make your own tabletop arcade with the Snap Circuits Arcade kit. Snap Circuits is another multi-award winner, and this kit introduces you to electronics in a game environment that requires no soldering--everything literally snaps together. The 30 Snap Modules come with instructions for 200 projects like a programmable word fan, a two-digit LED display, and even a micro-controller.
If you'd like a bit more flexibility, try the Snap Circuits Classic that gives you 60 components for 300 projects including a burglar alarm, and a radio. This kit is upgradeable, or you can go straight for the Extreme kit and get 80 components including an analog meter, photoresistor, power amplifier, and solar cell to build 750 projects.
The Kamigami Ladybug Robot is a fairly straightforward build-it-yourself robot, but it does more than just follow a line or light. Kamigami bugs skitter over most surfaces and even work outside, and they come with built in sensors that communicate with your mobile device. You can download the free app to drive your ladybug (or one of the other Kamigami robots), do battle with other Kamigami, or you can program your robot to follow commands and react to its environment. The app is graphical, so it's as easy to use as stacking blocks. There are other bots in this line including a praying mantis bot, scorpion bot, and of course a beetle bot, but the ladybug is definitely the cutest.
Ever wanted to be a cosmetics designer? Thames & Kosmos' Creative Cosmetics Lab lets you create your own cosmetic products like soap, shower jelly, lip balm, and fizzy bath bombs. The set comes with enough ingredients--things like potassium phosphate, tartaric acid, glycerin, and perfume oil--to make all the items in the experiment book, as well as instructions on how to make your own experiments from items purchased at your supermarket.
Botley the Coding Robot is cute as heck and ready to play, but he's way smarter than an Aibo or dancing gorilla. You don't need a computer, or even download an app to your phone, the coding device is a handheld remote with, believe it or not, actual buttons. This is the perfect first coding bot that could lead straight into Lego Mindstorms and perhaps FIRST robitics later on.
For gaming nerds
Some nerds argue Star Wars vs. Star Trek, while the deeply geeky still morn the end of Joss Whedon's Firefly. But the Firefly Adventures: Brigands and Browncoats board game lets you skirmish with with goons in the Eavesdown docks. This is a fairly sophisticated tabletop game with a unique turn order mechanic, and characters who all have different abilities. Terrain is included, even the bottom of the box has a role to play in your adventures.
Do you have friends who are into roleplaying? I bet they can always use a new set of dice. Why not give them something classier than a box of colored polyhedral plastic and spring for a set of metal gaming dice. Heavy, shiny, available in different colors, what's not to like.
Finally, if you've got a video gamer friend who isn't already on a Humble Bundle subscription, you need to remedy that situation. Humble offers bundles of games worth at least $100 each month, and you'll pay less than that for an entire year's subscription. The best part of this deal is that Humble donates 5% to charities.
For nerds who like gadgets
Do you know someone who wants to get into drones, but hasn't made the leap because it's an expensive hobby? The Tello Quadcopter is an easy gateway. For under $100 you get a camera quadcopter that's smaller than a paperback book, but takes photos and streams 720p video to your smartphone. I've used mine to inspect roofs for leaks after a storm came through...and drone derby day.
If you've got a gadget lover who's prone to misplacing things, whether that's car keys or quadrotor drones, Tile has a solution. Use the Tile Mate and Tile Slim to keep track of whatever you attach these little guys to. I've heard that people have found their lost dogs thanks to Tile, but you might come up with other creative uses.
For nerds who like putting things together
I'm leading with the heavy hitter in this category. The Lego Apollo Saturn V Building Kit is a drool-worthy model that, at $105, is definitely a splurge gift, but if you know a space nerd who enjoys assembling things, this is worth it. You get 1,969 pieces (commemorating the year Apollo 11 launched) that assemble into the Saturn V rocket with all its stages, the command and lunar modules, splashdown version of the capsule, two astronauts, and even a flag. This thing is huge, a meter tall, and can be displayed vertically, ready for launch, or horizontally on the included display stands.
However, if your nerd friend isn't inclined to assemble that many pieces, or is maybe a little more zany, there's always the Lego Bat-Space Shuttle from the Lego Batman Movie.
Get a set of these "Neon" Light Strings and turn your life into a perpetual 1980s video. The electroluminescent wire is flexible enough to bend into almost any shape, and it's water resistant so you can use it outdoors if the mood strikes you. The uses are endless--party decorations, car customization, cosplaying details, fashion accenting, music video effects, and whatever else you can think of doing with a non-toxic, cool to the touch, nearly amorphous, glowing light strand.
As always, I'm recommending the
Raspberry Pi. It isn't new, but it's still one of the coolest gifts for
nerds who like to build their own computers. Raspberry Pi is basically a
very small computer that you can program and add to, so you can make
anything from a media server to a home security system. You can get
everything you need to start out in a Raspberry Pi 3 starter kit, and there are tons of add-ons including an HD camera, a sensor pod, and even a touchscreen.
What else can I say about this item? Nothing says nerdy like a dinosaur taco holder. Don't eat tacos? No problem. Use it for your sandwiches, your waffles, heck, you can put your wallet or mail in it.
It's only prudent to warn people when you're transporting dangerous liquids, so carry your dangerous liquid in this WARNING Dihydrogen Monoxide container and rest easy knowing that no one will accidentally inhale it, make contact with its irritating solid form, or get contact burns from its gaseous form.
DISCLAIMER: The Nerd Manual admits no liability for people who choose to knowingly transport dihydrogen monoxide across state lines, or within 100 meters of a day care center.
Do you know an older computer nerd who remembers the days before WiFi, when you had to sneakernet files between computers using plastic encased floppy discs. Give them a set of Floppy Disc Coasters to rekindle that nostalgia. Unlike the hard plastic originals, these are made of colorful silicone, so you can use them as drink coasters, spoon rests or hot pads, microwave them, freeze them, and pop them in the dishwasher when you're done.
The Ototo Nessie Tale bookmark is is by far the cutest bookmark I've seen. The shy and elusive Nessie may not like cameras, but she'll happily keep track of where you are in your latest book adventure. If you don't have them already, be sure to check out the Nessie Family strainer, ladle, and tea infuser.
With the FreezerBoy Magnet Set you can turn your fridge into the world's largest Gameboy, and then write notes to your family or roommates on the 16x12 viewscreen. These are pretty darn large magnets, so they may be a little too large for a dorm fridge, but they're perfect for a full-size refrigerator, or maybe even a top-load washing machine.
Test your nerd cred with this page-a-day Nerd Trivia Desk Calendar that asks nerdy pop
culture questions, takes note of important geek dates, and offers bits of trivia
from movies, books, comics, and other resources across the nerd spectrum.
Swooping in to save breakfast, the Pan Man spatula is faster than French toast, stronger than a sunny-side-up fried egg, and flips pancakes in a single bound!
And it's perfect for morning super heroes.
As always, I have book recommendations
It's taken a long...long time for us to get a female Doctor Who, but now that she's here we've also got a book dedicated to the women who have been a huge part of the show from the beginning.
Doctor Who: the Women Who Lived is a beautifully illustrated book that looks at all the women of the Whoniverse and they roles they've played in the Doctor's story.
Explore the Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry in 3-D without investing in an Oculus Rift! It's easy to dismiss pop-up books as children's fair, but there's some serious engineering skill that went into making the Harry Potter Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts, which transform into a vast, three-dimensional map of Hogwarts that includes the Castle, Quidditch pitch, Forbidden Forest, and even tiny surprises like the Weasley's flying Ford Anglia.
Trek nerds can drool over all the Starfleet starships in two volumes, with a third volume covering Klingon craft coming in May.Star Trek Shipyards Starfleet Ships: 2151-2293 collects all the Eaglemoss publications for their ship models from Zefram Cochrane's Phoenix up to the Enterprise-B--the ship where Kirk was lost--and includes all the Starfleet ships from Discovery.
Holy carp, this book is awesome. Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana is a gorgeous book for D&D nerds, particularly those of us who grew up with the earlier editions of the game and remember the old artwork. Its illustrations trace the development of D&D art across the game's entire history from it's formation under Gary Gygax, through the Wizards of the Coast years. Art comes from core rule books, supplements, Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels, Dragon magazine, advertisements, and previously unreleased preleminary art work. If you really want to splurge, there's also a Special Edition with Ephemera that includes a special cover box and extra material.
Whether you've been on Reddit since the start, or just discovered Reddit culture, if you'd like to know more about the site's founders and what they went through to make Reddit "the front page of the Internet" We are the Nerds will tell you what it's like to build a global community from scratch. Be warned, just like the Reddit community this book addresses some controversial topics that might offend some readers.
And, to finish up, Geeks Line Publishing offers an entire selection of books about retro console gaming. My favorite, the Playstation Anthology, is their celebration of the Playstation gaming console in a full-color tome that traces Sony's journey from the company's creation to the PS's retirement in the early 2000's. Included with the historical information are interviews with industry figures such as Yuji Horii and Hideaki Itsuno. If you're a Playstation fan, you'll enjoy this nostalgic look at the history of the console that changed the face of home gaming.
2018-10-10
The Women's Media Center and BBC America had a question: what are the roles for women and girls in science fiction and superhero films and television? Actually, they had several questions about the visibility, inclusiveness, and representational presence--or absence--of women in the superhero genre, and what that means to the imaginations of viewers and readers.
Well, here's the obvious one: kids want to see heroes who look like them.
But there was also a desire to see more female heroes across every demographic, even among boys.
The study found that heroic representation can impact kids' confidence and self-image, as well as influence their career choices.
Another finding: teen girls are significantly less likely than teen boys to describe themselves as confident, brave, and heard, and this is even more significant among girls of color.
Julie Burton, president of the Women's Media Center said, “at this time of enormous, sweeping, social change, it’s important that television and film provide an abundance of roles and role models for diverse girls and young women." The research shows "that female sci-fi and superhero characters help bridge the confidence gap for girls, making them feel strong, brave, confident, inspired, positive, and motivated.”
BBC America president Sarah Barnett agrees. "If you can’t see her, you can’t be her. It’s time to expand what gets seen, and we hope this report will contribute to sparking change in the stories we see on screen.”
Fortunately one of our favorite time traveling heroes is ahead of the game and recently regenerated as a female, and 81% of the girls surveyed said that seeing a female Doctor on Doctor Who makes them feel like they can become anything they want.
You can download your own copy of the report from the WMC Reports site.
2018-09-22
Have you ever wanted an astronaut to read your kids a bedtime story...from orbit?
Well, you can make that happen for your children, or perhaps yourself, with the Story Time from Space project.
Part of the Global Space Education Foundation, Story Time From Space sends children’s books to the International Space Station where astronauts make videos of themselves reading to the children of Earth. The videos are archived on the Story Time From Space website in their Video Library. The astronauts also conduct educational demonstrations to go along with the books.
The books cover a range of space and science related topics, feature a diverse range of characters, and are read by different astronauts on the ISS. There's nothing quite like watching astronaut Kate Rubins floating in front of all the ISS equipment, the hum of the station's machines filling the background, as she opens a copy of Rosie Revere, Engineer. As she reads Rosie's story, you can hear the Russian's talking to Earth on the com system...not something you're likely to hear in your house.
At the moment, there are only thirteen books in the Story Time from Space project library, which is understandable, considering that the only way to get books up there is via rocket, but hopefully the project can add more with each launch.
2018-07-31
There was a time when ninja were the badasses of popular culture, then the market reached saturation, things took a turn, and the only people who were interested in ninja anymore were people actually practicing ninjutsu...and nerds.
Maybe ninja are cool again--there was that whole ninja pirate thing, and the Ninja Turtles seem to be hanging on--but I believe they still have some nerd cred.
Phil South - Sword Girl Not all nerds like swords. But a lot of people do like swords, so this question's worth entertaining. ...
Notes
Is there a "Geek Manual"?Valid question, seeing as how there is a difference in the connotation of nerd versus geek. However, in the common parlance, nerd and geek are terms used interchangeably to classify people who have also been identified as brainiacs, dorks, dweebs, eggheads and spazzes. If you are unable to accept “nerd” as a catchall term for this social group, it is highly likely you are a nerd or a geek, but keep in mind that no one is forcing you to read this guide. (If someone is forcing you to read this guide, use this major flaw as an argument not to make you read it.)
A note on genderGiven that the majority of nerds are male, this manual will often refer to nerds with the male pronoun. This is not meant to marginalize female nerds, nor is it a statement about feminism, chauvinism, or any other -ism. It is simply a way to keep things simple. | {
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best way to obtain them is from National Guardsmen in your area. Apparently when they go on their weekends in the field or 2-week drills, they must buy MRE's (meaning they lose their comrats pay during that time). When they get back, they usually have left overs - like cases sometimes.
Best part about this method is:
1. they are "fresh"
2. don't have to worry about shipping
best way to obtain them is from National Guardsmen in your area. Apparently when they go on their weekends in the field or 2-week drills, they must buy MRE's (meaning they lose their comrats pay during that time). When they get back, they usually have left overs - like cases sometimes.
Best part about this method is:
1. they are "fresh"
2. don't have to worry about shipping
That is only the officers.
Unless something has drastically changed, when you're and enlisted person on Uncle Sams time, he picks up the tab for your food (lunch on weekend drills and the whole 3 meal a day thing on Annual Training).
Officers are given a load more pay, but they are expected to buy their own meals/uniforms/etc.
I happened upon a couple of the Military issue MRE meals last week. Our friends who are still without power came over and I cooked them up a hot meal out back on the pit. They gave us two MRE packs they stood in line to get. I put them with the ammo stores.
Some day we will have two meals if need be while loading up some clips in the ammo room.
Unless something has drastically changed, when you're and enlisted person on Uncle Sams time, he picks up the tab for your food (lunch on weekend drills and the whole 3 meal a day thing on Annual Training).
Officers are given a load more pay, but they are expected to buy their own meals/uniforms/etc.
Incorrect. Depending on the state, you may still be charged. When I went to AT this year, I had (if I remember the price correctly) a $250 deduction on my LES. This was for rations. And Oklahoma was nice enough to reimburse me. However not every state may do this. I was shocked. However that was the first time since joining the Guard that I had done my AT at an Active Duty post.
Infantryman
Two Combat Tours
Criminal Justice Major.
15 years of shooting under the belt
Collection of both modern and antique handguns and riflesSTILL A YOUNG MAN WITH LOTS OF TIME
Man,
MRE's are great... They beat the hell ot of the C-rations(or my wife's cooking) I was issued in 11B OSUT(basic & AIT) in '83. I still eat them often.
Check Ebay or your local pawn shop,especially if you live near a military post, you'll find them for around $50-$65 a case. Make sure you get both A & B cases.
Bassett
Thats funny, kinda sounds like your saying I have never been to a combat zone. I bet you would NEVER say that to a Marine would you? Believe it or not, the USCG actually is an "armed force", part of the "armed force(s)". Never had to eat them for a month striaght though so I guess I never "really" served in a combat zone. THANKS.
Thats funny, kinda sounds like your saying I have never been to a combat zone. I bet you would NEVER say that to a Marine would you? Believe it or not, the USCG actually is an "armed force", part of the "armed force(s)". Never had to eat them for a month striaght though so I guess I never "really" served in a combat zone. THANKS.
I was not slighting the Coast Guard.
Wait until you get assigned to a ground unit out in the middle of nowhere ( no kitchen unit ) and get to eat MREs for days straight. | {
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Forts In Goa : 13 That You Haven’t Heard About
Forts in Goa are true gems and hold countless stories of the states rich history spanning hundreds of years. They might not be the staunch political and military prowess that they once were. But today they serve a greater purpose of displaying the triumph of the Goan people as they overthrew their Portuguese oppressors. So say goodbye to the usual beaches and resorts as we bring you a list of 13 mighty yet scenic Goan forts that will make your holiday experience definitely more exciting and your photo album more colorful than the rest.
1. Corjuem Fort
Where: Corjuem, BardezTimings: 6:00am – 10:00pm
Located at a stone’s throw from the village of Aldona, the fort’s small size is covered up by its prime location atop the island of Corjuem, North Goa. The fort offers breathtaking views of the Goan landscape and the Mapusa river from its ancient ramparts. On your visit, make sure to learn about the fort’s unique history.
Courtesy: TripAdvisor
2. Cabo de Rama Fort
Where: Canacona, South GoaTimings: 6:00am – 10:00pm
At a distance of 30 km from Margao, Cabo de Rama Fort is said to have been built by Hindu rulers and named after the Hindu god Rama. It is said that Lord Rama, the prince of Ramayana, stayed here with his wife during their 14 years of exile. At one point in history, the fort also served as a prison for political prisoners during the Portuguese rule. A visit to the fort is incomplete without seeing the beautiful church of St. Anthony situated within the fort walls.
Image courtesy: Sankara
3. St. Estevam Fort
Where: Juvem VillageTimings: 9:30am – 5:30pm
The popular statue of Christ the King makes for the perfect photo subject as this famous fort. Sitting atop St. Estevam hill, the fort, back in the day, used its vantage point location to monitor activities of traders and markets in the valley below. Until recently, local activists and heritage lovers expressed concern at the graffiti and abusive activities taking place within the fort premises. After turning a blind eye to the fort’s deterioration for more than a decade, the archives and archaeology department has finally secured the fort, ensuring an end to such illicit activities.
Courtesy: Kushal Satarkar, Facebook
4. Tiracol Fort
Where: Tiracol, North Goa
Overlooking the Tiracol river, the fort enjoys sole status atop the hill with an uninterrupted view of the Goan countryside. The church of St. Anthony in the fort courtyard welcomes visitors into the magnificent holiday spot. Now converted into a heritage hotel, Fort Tiracol Heritage Hotel, the church is open to the general public only on special occasions.
Courtesy: forttiracol.in
5. Fort Aguada
Where: SinquerimTimings: 9:30am – 6:00pm
With waves crashing into its formidable walls, Fort Aguada served as one of the Portuguese’s most important strongholds and replenishing stop for many passing ships. Although only a small portion of the fort is now frequented by tourists, it offers a breathtaking view of the Arabian sea.
Courtesy: Aguada Fort Lighthouse, Goa (Facebook)
6. Sinquerim Fort
Where: Next to Sinquerim Beach
Timings: 9:30am – 6:00pm
An extension of the larger Aguada fort situated above it, the lower Sinquerim fort covers a wider area and is guarded by fortified walls on both sides. During its younger days, the fort served as a landmark for passing ships and also doubled up as a stopover for replenishing fuel and food supplies. Spending your day at the Sinquerim and Aguada fort can be followed up by engaging in a wide array of thrilling watersports at the nearby Sinquerim beach to cap off the perfect Goan holiday.
Courtesy: TripAdvisor
7. Mormugao Fort
Where: Next to Mormugao PortTimings: Best to visit during the day
One of the best-preserved forts in Goa, Mormugao Fort regularly features in tourist itineraries and sightseeing lists. Overlooking the Mormugao port, the fort itself originally served as a port for Portuguese ships. Fortified on all four sides by an array of defensive structures, the fort featured in many battles during the Portuguese reign. Visible instances of Portuguese architecture can also be spotted within the mighty fort, which also offers a magnificent view of the Varca beach.
Courtesy: goa-tourism.com
8. Reis Magos Fort
Where: BardezTimings: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00am – 5:30pm
The fort which stands on the hill overlooking the Reis Magos Church today, was one of the first bastions of the Portuguese rulers against enemy invasion. The fort has also been skilfully repaired in recent years and partly restored to its former glory. It is clearly visible, with its distinctive reddish stone walls, all the way from Panaji which lies across the Mandovi River from it.
Courtesy: reismagosfort.com
9. Chapora Fort
Where: BardezTimings: Best to visit in the evenings
The Chapora fort is a very popular tourist attraction of Goa, being situated close to the Vagator beach. From the fort, one can get a commanding view of the Vagator beach, Ozran Beach, Morjim Beach and the mouth of Chapora river. The shooting of the Hindi Bollywood movie Dil Chahta Hai was at the fort which also added to the fort’s popularity.
Courtesy: Chapora Fort (Facebook)
10. Anjediva Fort
Where: Anjadip Island
Vasco Da Gama and Gaspar da Gama recommended to the King of Portugal to establish a naval fort at Angediva, which now stands on the Anjadip island, at the tip of Goa. Due to the presence of a marine base in Anjadip island, the Anjediva fort is not readily open to the general public. But tourists can spot the fort from nearby vantage points.
Image courtesy : Its Goa
11. Rachol Fort and Seminary
Where: Salcete, South GoaTimings: 6:00am – 10:00pm
Built in Rachol, a village in Salcete, the fort stands on laterite stones and offers scenic surroundings. Nothing much remains to be seen of the original fort except the archway spanning the road which leads to the Rachol seminary. The fort contained within it a chapel and church dedicated to St. John the Baptist as well as a formidable citadel.
Courtesy: goa-tourism.com
12. Nanuz Fort
Where: Sattari, North GoaTimings: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Nanuz fort is located in the Sattari taluka of North Goa, built in the 17th century by Maratha ruler Shivaji. The fort today is mostly in ruins and although it is small in size, draws many tourists.
Lace up your trekking shoes and set out on your expedition of Goa’s must-see forts. You’ll be amazed to see the rich history that each of these strongholds lends to the Goa we know today.
Image courtesy: Stella Tom
13. Ponda Fort
Where: Ganga Nagar, PondaTimings: 6:00am – 10:00pm
This old fortification was built by the Muslim forces of Adil Shah, and was conquered and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1549. It remained in ruins for more than a century, until the forces of Shivaji occupied the region, and came to rebuild the fort in 1675. In October 1683 the Viceroy of Portuguese India tried to conquer it, unsuccessfully, due to the large number of defenders.
The present structure is a reconstruction of the old fort at this location, surrounded by a park. Inside, there currently is a statue in honor of Shivaji, the leader of the Marathas in the seventeenth century.
Image courtesy : Frederick Noronha
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
so thanksgiving came and went without a hitch. everyone loved my sweet potatoes. theres a penny social on sunday but i dont think im going because my whiney baby grandmother will probably be there. and if i do go, im not bothering with her. and then she will act all hurt and whine about that. shes the one acting like a baby, pissed because i wont give up my moms 25yr old cabbage patch kids...theyre twins and im not giving them up. if she wanted them so bad, she could have claimed them up to 6 months after mom died...not 4 yrs after the fact, so legally they are mine and i dont have to give them up. and im not going to. above are the pics. they have their original papers, outfits and even diapers. the only thing we dont have is the box. everything else is original. OMG madison is going to drive me bonkers...everytime a commercial comes on, she whines, like i can control it. or when the cable box acts up, she thinks i can fix it. theres nothing i can do about it. she also ruined ALL of her sheets because she drew on them with marker and pen. that shit doesnt come out at all. mack lost one of the brackets from her braces. so i called the orthodontist and they said it was ok, and theyll put a new one on when she goes to get her bottoms done, but i think they might do it on the 8th when she goes to get them tightened. hopefully my bestie will be coming down on saturday. the guys can hang and me and her can take the kids to the park or something. thats the plan anyways, hopefully her hubby doesnt be a jerk again like last weekend. she was supposed to come down last weekend but her hubby got mad and took the truck with the carseats.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
brian and i got into a fight last week because he was spending all his time at his mothers work, where he worked after his day job. and it pissed me off to the extent that i was going to take my rings off. AGAIN. he hates it when i take them off. i hadnt seen him in 3 days which means madison didnt see him in 3 days and it pissed me off. we were sleeping by time he got home, didnt see him in the mornings, because he left while madison was still sleeping. this morning he asked me to do his laundry, what do i look like? the housebitch? oh wait, i AM the housebitch. yeah, still not doing his laundry. i need to wash one of my fave sweatshirts but i cant because HE is wearing it. now it reaks of alcohol because he works at budweiser breaking glass bottles so they can be recycled. went to walmart to put stuff on layaway for the kids for christmas and my fil was with us (brian just got his learners permit so he drove out there and his dad was with us cuz i dont have a license) well, fil said "dont bother putting it on layaway, ill pay for it" didnt expect that. but got the kids a few things. theyll get more, so im not really worried about it. fil bought himself a 47" flat screen tv. he had won some money at the casino on saturday, so he could afford it. also fil bought madison a child sized recliner with a cup holder and its pink. he got that at the grocery store. i dont like madison standing on the rocking chair to put her movies in and pressing play, so she can stand on that and have it not move. yesterday dad asked "what are you making for dinner?" i said "i dont know yet" he said "spaghetti sounds good, what do you need for it?" since i only needed a few things, he went and got it for me. and we had spaghetti, my moms style, since thats the only way i know how to make it. and it always tastes like moms. think today will be roast beef since all we have in the freezer is beef. no more pork or chicken. haha. oh wait we have a pork roast but i dont want that. i dont have applesauce and i dont want to go to the store to get it. yep, im lazy. besides my hips have been bothering me. sunday madisons forehead met my front teeth. hurt too. i was swinging her by her pjs and flipped her up too fast for me to catch and she got my teeth with her head. she has a small bruise on her forehead and my teeth hurt all day, theyre fine now, and it was an instant headache for me. that wasnt fun.
Friday, October 14, 2011
dad got a phone call the other night. then he came into the living room to tell me, MY BROTHER IS A FREE MAN!!!! he has spent the last two and a half, almost three years in jail for supposedly molesting his twin girls, when they were two. he does NOT have to register as a sex offender, and i think hes coming home. he hopes to be home by thanksgiving. which would be freaking awesome. i havent seen my brother in 4 years. a few months before our mom died. he came home with his wife and girls in tow, so we could meet the girls, i have only met them that one time, and i threw them a birthday party because they were turning two the week after they came here. i have never met my nephew and he hasnt met his son. he was born a few weeks after my brother was locked away. we have had contact with my brother via snail mail. he basically will NOT have a criminal record. its been expunged. my brother found out hes been cleared of the charges the night before we found out. first person i told was my bestie. he will be allowed to live here because of his not having to register as a sex offender. if he did have to register then he wouldnt be able to stay here, only have supervised visits, which really wouldnt be a problem since im home anyways. this is great news, i have said all along he didnt do it. and i was right. i do have contact with my SIL. and i can see pics of the kids. and my nephew looks exactly like my brother. the girls are 6 and my nephew is 3. he will be 4 in jan. just over a year older than madison. mack went to the orthodonist yesterday to get molds done of her teeth and also to put spacers in. she has 4 all on the top molars. in two weeks she will be getting her top braces. i guess thats why they only put spacers on the top. since shes only getting top braces first. then when she goes to get her lower ones, theyll put spacers in on the bottom. madison said to me yesterday "pot" lol, she was asking for a lollipop. she knows what she wants. she was weighed at WIC the other day and shes twenty four and a half pounds and 33 inches tall. so yes, shes still small, and thats fine. with me. HOLY HELL, shes been sleeping for 12 hours. she went to sleep a little before eight last night and is still sleeping. can we say growth spurt? lol. im just happy about the news about my brother.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
so for the last few weeks, brian has been working with his mom taking care of some woman, hes only supposed to work 2 hours a day. he is getting paid for it, but yesterday just really pissed me off...she had asked if he could go in for 430, ok whatever, then she calls and asks if he could go in at 230. that set me off. thats an extra 4 hours madison didnt get to see her daddy. oh and she said she was paying him 25 dollars, yeah FUCK THAT. thats 4 hours that madison didnt see her daddy, and 4 hours i didnt see my husband, are you kidding me, we are newlyweds. yeah not even 4 months yet. her excuse for not doing HER JOB? SHE WANTED TO GO OUT! yeah i think not, brian and i dont get to go out, except ONE TIME, in the 3 1/2 years weve been together, we only went out once without kids. and yes i did enjoy spending time with my husband without kids. i never get to leave without at least one kid, today i have a WIC appt, tomorrow i bring mack to the orthodontist to get molds made of her teeth. and 2 weeks from tomorrow she gets her top braces. hes supposed to work from 7pm to 9pm. while shes there, then hes supposed to walk her home. fuck that, he doesnt get home til ten thirty. that pisses me off too. she has a husband, he can walk her home, but i think he would rather cheat on the psycho. thats not the point though, she needs to learn that he has a family and he doesnt see them much because of her. oh and everytime he brings madison to her house, she barfs. must be something there that she doesnt like, you know, like pyscho...lol.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
so on oct 2 (this coming sunday) im going to the parade in north adams, meeting up with my bestie and bringing goulash and cupcakes and a special orange frosted one for her. hehehehe. i have clothes for her kids that i bought so ill bring that box. madison decided to decorate the box so her friends can see her great job. lol. i also have an orange lighter for her. i ordered the kids costumes last week, and theyll be here probably tomorrow. one is coming fedex and the other in the mail, which makes no sense because i ordered them from the same place at the same time and theyre both coming from the same city and state. theyre both witches. macks costume is orange and maddys is pink. mack is getting braces a month from today. just before halloween and shes pissed about it because she cant have gum, gummy candy, caramel, nuts, popcorn or anything like that, but the bonus is she wont be able to chew her fingernails. her nails are horrible because she bites them. i dont bite my nails, not sure where she gets it from. last night madison caught me painting my toenails for the first time ever in my life, so she insisted i paint her finger and toe nails, then her sisters...lol. so we all have painted toe nails and the girls have their fingernails done. i dont like my fingers painted. mack has to have braces. uppers and lowers. shes getting uppers first because of her overbite, if they put the bottoms on at the same time, she would bite them right off. so six months after her tops, shell get her bottoms done. shes doing orange for the tops for now, and the bottoms, im not sure. but weve got six months to figure it out. i figure the orange will go good with her hair. because in some lights her hair is orange and others its red. madison has been letting me put her hair up. and i trimmed her bangs last week, i got tired of her pushing them out of her face so i trimmed them. came out straight which is amazing. lol. she doesnt like staying still, so i had mack hold her arms and head still.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
so saturday was the big day. FINALLY! i noticed myself that i have calmed down, im not snapping at anyone at all, other than madison who tends to push my buttons when im tired. it was a great day all in all. at 8 in the morning my maid of honor and i did a no rain dance. it cleared up and the sun came out in time for the ceremony, then it rained while we ate, cleared up for us to have our dance, rained, cleared up for us to cut the cake, rained, cleared up for us to take the quads to go change, and rained the rest of the afternoon. its amazing that it stopped when we had things to do. then rained after we did what we needed to do. we KNOW my mom was there in spirit, EVERYONE felt it. my aunt who was marrying us called me by my moms name which happens to be my middle name, i corrected her by loudly whispering "my name is becky, not susan" then she asked if she had called me susan and i said "yes" she apologized and was going to redo the parts she called me susan, but i said "just keep going" lol. i had my hair in a french braid with little flowers and ribbon intertwined in my braid. brian had gotten sweat in his eyes, and everyone thought he was crying. i didnt cry. but thats because my bridesmaids and maid of honor were making me laugh. we brought the suits that were rented back yesterday, and brians so it can be cleaned. and yes i was a smart ass with the cake, i threw a piece at brian and got him AND my dad, so my dad threw some at me and got my dress...hahahaha....it really was a fun day. i really thought i was going to cry but im really surprised i didnt. i think its because i KNEW my mom was there in spirit. my grandpa, aunt, brother and other mom (two of the groomsmens mom) were there in spirit as well. since theyve all passed away. the rehearsal was pretty funny too. then again i was half blitzed on rum and coke, and my aunts dog was jumping at the plum tree trying to get a stick which he is no longer allowed to have because he had an accident last month where a stick got stuck in his throat so he had to have emergency surgery. we got married under that tree, which when i was a kid was my favorite climbing tree. when my aunt asked if anyone objected to us being married, she also added "my brother wanted me to say that if anyone objects he will get the shotgun" NOONE objected. LMAO. her brother is my dad. at the very last minute my back up photographer and ringbearer didnt show (turns out they were both sick) so we had one of my bridesmaids son be the ringbearer and since i have two digital cams, my cousin in law used one and my uncle used the other. the pictures came out great.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
we are now down to 9 days til the big day. im a ball of nerves. i lashed out at brian last night because i was so tired. i got up at 330 yesterday morning and had no nap at all, which makes for a very grumpy becky. i tried to get maddy down for her afternoon nap but she wasnt having it so she was whiney. we argued for a little bit, and i feel bad, but he knows if i dont get much sleep i get grumpy. everyone else in the house gets to sleep but me. i was asleep by 930 last night, which is unusual for me because if im that exhausted im usually out by 8. but i couldnt because madison wasnt sleeping by then and he was playing on the computer, which irritated me. i think once the wedding is done and over with ill be not so pissy. its mostly my nerves that drive my tude lately, and i know he doesnt like it, but i stress about way too much way too fast, but thats just how i am. i try to not let the stress get to me, but i cant help it. it doesnt seem like hes stressing much about it. i need to find a way out to whorles to pick up two picnic packs of meat...it contains hot dogs, hamburgs and sausage patties, which i will get sweet sausage. i dont like hot sausage, it irritates my stomach. mack is going to NYC tomorrow with my dad, my uncle, my cousin, my aunt and my gram til sunday. tomorrow will be the first night it will be just me and maddy all night. great, make my anxiety even worse. theres usually someone else in the house with us, but tomorrow night brian has to work and everyone else is going to NYC. i mean i know she will do fine, but my anxiety tends to make me worry about things which tends to make me NOT sleep. im thinking ill let mack take my NEW camera so she can take pics. ill even send a couple extra batteries. WTH heartburn from strawberries? WTF. thats new. lol...i just hiccuped and it tasted like strawberries. its been so peaceful since his mother hasnt called in get this 3 weeks. and if she has called i dont remember...lol. today its going to be tuna fish and chips for lunch, no clue about dinner. suppose i could take something out. since i went grocery shopping the other day, but its hot out and i dont want to turn the oven on. so maybe we will have egg salad for dinner. not sure. that would require me walking my fat ass to the store to get a jar of mayo. forgot it the other when i went shopping and i looked right at it. we only use hellmanns because thats what i was raised on and i like it better than anything else. meh, ill wake him up in a little bit and make him go...im good like that. just cuz i have so much to do here. like more flippin laundry. and its not even mine. oh well
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
holy crap, in ten days ill officially be married. where the heck has that year gone? i feel like ive been planning this thing by myself, though i know i havent. the only major things we need to get paid off are the cake and getting flowers. i have a cake person who is going to put real flowers on the cake along with the topper i picked. simple things. the flowers im just getting from the grocery store. the tent and tables are coming from a guy brian usually works with in the summer, and he said we dont have to pay him all at once and we can make payments when we can, hes really cool about it. im so exhausted, i dont sleep all that great, and dont get to take naps because no one will leave me alone! i tried to relax yesterday and all i heard was bickering between brian and mack and he kept sending the girls up to me. i dont bother him when he sleeps (except today because he said he wanted to go drop his tux off to get cleaned) like 45 mins ago. haha, you see what weve done, NOTHING. hes still sleeping. he hates when people mess with his ears, so what do i do to annoy him? mess with his ears. because its FUNNY! he messes with my ears, whats the difference? i hate when people mess with my ears or feet. i hate when people touch my feet, i hate anything on my feet. i dont like socks or shoes and only wear them if i have to. oh and bras too, i hate them. again only wear them if i have to. usually if im going out downtown, i dont bother because it will annoy the crap out of me. but if im going to someones house then i will. this past sunday brian and i practiced our vows with my aunt whos marrying us. and the part where i THOUGHT i might cry, i did. i didnt cry during the exchanging of the pretend rings, but rather the "til death do us part" part. because my mom wont be there. and i know she would be proud of me. so it wasnt sad tears it was more of happy tears if you want to call them that. crap, i still have to make some more table decorations and do a few more things for that. need to find the basket mack used in a wedding as flower girl for maddy. so she can use it.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
yesterday was memorial day. it was also the day we buried my grandpas ashes. and it would have been my grandparents 65th anniversary. after we buried his ashes, we went to one of my aunts houses and had eggs benedict. wasnt so bad, i shared my plate with maddy, as usual. then my gram said she had a couple surprises for the fam. couldnt imagine what it was. she showed some old pocketwatches and gold coins. my dad took the coins so he could see what they were worth. not sure how much they are worth. then she handed out envelopes, which we all knew what was inside, it was from my great aunts lottery winnings. several years ago she won 1 million on a 5 dollar scratch ticket, and when she passed it went to one of her other brothers, he passed, so it went to another brother and when he passed it went to my grandpa, and now that hes passed my gram gets the payments, each one of their kids got 500. thats a total of 2500. 5 kids times 500, equals 2500. but my gram had an extra one, which confused me at first til she said it was for me, it wasnt 500, it was 100. which is very helpful. she was talking to one of my aunts and said that each of her kids got 500 and she wanted to give me a little something so she gave me 100. that was a complete surprise. then i went out to the van to have a cig and one of my other aunts asked how much i got and i said "100, why how much did you get?" she goes "500" i said "bitch" then we started laughing. shes the aunt i go grocery shopping with every month. after we left there, we stopped at walmart to pick up a few things, like diapers, a hose and nozzle so we can fill up maddys pool. she seems to like it. she was playing in it yesterday. without whining or screaming, which she does at bathtime. then as a mini honeymoon in august me and brian are taking off for the weekend to VA. by ourselves...lol. KID FREE! shes going to keep both kids that weekend for us. i really need that. im always around the kids and they drive me bonkers sometimes. but thats what kids do. theyre good most of the time. the other day one of macks friends got grounded because she said she didnt have anything to eat at her own house and came over to mine to eat dinner, she lied got caught and was grounded. good, she can be quite annoying. always asking the same questions. oh well. shes not allowed over here for a week. gives me a break for a week. lol. my nerves are slowly calming down. NOT MUCH but a little.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
so in a month is the big day and my nerves are SHOT. i havent eaten lately, because when i get nervous i dont eat. brian made breakfast this morning, but i didnt eat much. if i eat a lot ill throw up, thats how shot my nerves are. im listening to some music on headphones to see if that will help mellow me out a little, probably not, but its worth a try. yesterday we got a card from one of my grandparents (the ones in vt) and it had 100 in it, so that helps out a little bit to get the little stuff we need to get. went to the family dollar last night to pick up some stuff for my bridal shower, its next weekend (the 4th) also got maddy a little inflatable pool for five bucks. so she has something to do this summer since i no longer will be letting either of the kids swim in the lake after last year. i want brian to go to the dollar tree with me but hes sleeping. hes been working a whole week. he works 11pm to 7am M-F weekends off. he works at polymatrix, which is a plastic manufacturing company. they make cd cases, game cases, dvd/blu ray cases. i hope psycho doesnt go. in fact i think brian told me she isnt going cuz she has no way to get there. GOOD! dont want her there anyways. last week we had some major switching around of the bridal party. my matron of honor couldnt get out of work early enough to make it, so i bumped up one of my bridesmaids and got her other sister as a bridesmaid. so now my maid of honor and one of my bridesmaids (ive known them both for 20 years) are throwing my bridal shower. its only on my dads side thats going. and my bridesmaids mom is making my shower cake. WHOO HOO. its funny because her mom and my dad went to school together then me and her went to school together. we even had the same dream one night on the same night with the exact same details. it was hysterical. we went to school the next day and described the dream to each other and we were filling in for each other with the details. her gram is going to my shower, cuz my bridesmaid said that i would be very upset if she didnt go...shes like my own gram. her grandpa is funny. he used to call me his girlfriend everytime i went over to her house. or i would call her. we are still in contact and i always told both of them if i ever got married they would both be in the wedding. and they are. i made that promise and i kept it, i couldnt leave my two best friends/sisters out. my maid of honor said that if she meets the right guy and gets married ill be in her wedding. shes a trip. the reason its only my dads side going is because its at my bridesmaids house and my moms side has no freaking clue where it is...lol...little hilltown, called huntington. thats where we went to school together and met. snapshot is still taking my pics for the wedding. i cant wait. but i really am getting extremely nervous. instead of me buying cake and bringing it to the lady to decorate it, shes just going to make it, and it will cost a LOT less than it would if i brought her the cake and such. lol. it wont cost 150 for it. she said since its going to be under 50 people itll be easier for her to make it herself. shes gonna put edible glitter on it. awesome! real carnations. i dont like roses, and since tulips are a spring flower they would be more expensive in the summer we went with carnations. im making the bouquets and boutonierres, myself. already have the table decos done, gonna get fake flower petals to deco the tables with too, other than the candles. and so maddy can throw them on the ground with her sisters help. ok, music is helping my nerves a very tiny bit. think thats it for now
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
spent the day at my best friends house. the kids had presents they needed to exchange, so up to her house we drove. an hour and a half away. madison got sick in the car but was fine by time we got there. she had fun playing and running around with her kids. they liked the presents we got them and madison loved the presents they got her. lots of pictures were taken, by her since my camera is completely dead. brian and my dad had another guy to hang out with, the kids were playing together all day, and me and her had time to chill out while watching the kids. we even made the men watch them for a little bit. it was a great day. we brought the dog with us. her cats werent too thrilled about it, but her son loved having him there but her daughter didnt, she was afraid of him. but thats ok, maybe as we hang out more and more she will get used to having the dog around and having fun and playing with him. her son took her daughters doll and carriage and was playing with that for a little bit, then she played with for a little bit. they played on the broken down toy jeep that someone had to push. they loved it. they shared and her kids actually talked a little more than normal. dunkin tried getting at her rabbit, but luckily he was in his cage so dunkin couldnt get him. im still worn out from yesterday. it was great getting out of the house for a while. had a great lunch, steak, hot dogs and hamburgers, macaroni and pasta salads, the kids really had fun. which was good. i like that theres a couple of kids madisons age she can play with even if it is a few times a year. this was actually our second meeting, on her turf. next time will be on my turf at my wedding. im sure the kids will have a blast then too. they will have so much room to run around in (huge giant field to run in) horses to see, goats to see, dogs too. plus food and music. hopefully it will be nice out so we dont have to have the ceremony in the garage. even so we will have a tent, so whatever. im probably just worried over nothing, but im also getting nervous because its two months away. this lady who has my dress needs to bring it back to me. i really need to have it here. we brought her son a thomas the tank engine toy, and when he woke from his nap, he loved it. madison came home with a toy kitchen which is outside and a doll high chair, a pair of sneakers an outfit a doll and two pairs of pants. she loves it all. she even slept with her new baby doll last night til her teeth woke her up screaming. then i put orajel on her paci, stuck it in her mouth and she went back to sleep in my bed.
Monday, April 4, 2011
so today is madisons birthday, the big 2. and you would think that that would be important enough for asshole to stay home instead of going job hunting, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. job hunting is MORE important than his daughter. oh and not to mention i told him LAST NIGHT that i wanted to finish cleaning our room. yeah apparently HIS NEEDS AND WANTS ARE MORE FUCKING IMPORTANT. so it is day 1 of the silent treatment, and he will know im pissed at him by time he comes home because i havent said a damn word to him since he decided he needed to go TODAY. just mumbles under my breath. yep, im done talking to him, think he will sleep on the couch tonight and hes not getting any for a while. fuck it, theres no point anyways. oh and nevermind that its fucking sleeting out. job hunting can be done TOMORROW when its NOT madison birthday and its nicer out. fucking asswipe. so now i get to deal with a very unhappy 2 yr old. because her daddy couldnt stay home. i told him that it could wait, and to stay home today, his excuse "im always home" i said "no, actually YOURE NOT, I AM" im am just rip shittin pissed today. and of course i have good reason too.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
for real? you make eggs for breakfast and put the eggshells in a frying pan from last night. really, the garbage can is less than 10 feet from you. i have a TON to clean before saturday, yes in two days. it doesnt help any when no one can do the stupid dishwasher. so now not only do i have to take care of the laundry thats FOLDED on the couch, i have to completely clean the flipping living room and kitchen. because some people cant do it. so while hes out looking for a job, i have to do this AND take care of a temper tantrum throwing toddler. yeah say that one five times fast. luckily that toddler who will be 2 on monday, is laying down on the living room floor on a blanket with a couch pillow, another blanket on top of her, plus 3 blankies, a cup of milk, a cup of juice, a baby doll and a fur real friends baby chipmunk, that she tries to feed, while im boiling eggs for lunch, for egg salad, not that i actually expect madison to eat the bread. she will only eat PLAIN bread as long as theres nothing on it unless its toast then she has to have butter and peanut butter on it. other than that, she wont eat bread unless its right out of the bag. little weirdo. well my new best friend cant come to the party since her truck is broke and her husbands car is broke and there is no other vehicle available for her to use. DAMN IT. guess she and i will have to do a meet up just to exchange the kids presents...when her truck is fixed. i will bring her kids goody bags when we do a meet up. damn shame she cant make it, i was looking forward to seeing her again. now i have a bigger mess to clean up. grr...plus have to clean out the stupid toy box because people like to throw dirty clothes and stuff thats NOT toys in it. kinda pissing me off. i swear i know im lazy but i have an excuse, my hips constantly hurt, but everyone else EXCEPT my dad. dad works 10 hours a day 5 days a week, then does side jobs. like today hes going to help his friend with his truck. the ignition is shot. the key just spins in the ignition. yeah, but still, really cant clean up after yourself, youre almost 30 for freaking crying outloud. im not your mommy, and shes a pyscho.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
the house to myself, so why is it i have all these things to do? clean the living room, fold mountain of flipping laundry, thats been growing for 4 days, finish laundry out on the porch, and flip clean my hellhole room. oh and run to the store in this freezing weather...yuck. omg shes at it again, fucking pyscho, already called twice today. yeah, NOT answering the phone. she will live. obviously if brian doesnt answer hes not home and she KNOWS i wont answer the phone. really, i mean, we have lives and they dont revolve around her. so anyways, the day after my birthday, we all got sick, well me, brian and dad did. we all threw up and pissed out our asses. NOT fun, but i had it bad, brians wasnt as bad as mine, and well dads was not as bad as mine either, but he was at my aunts house, so i didnt see him get sick, but he told me he did. my big mouth 12 yr old told him about the camera being dead. damn her, i was going to lie to him. then again, he would have found out the truth anyways. madison was sick two days prior to the rest of us getting sick, EXCEPT mack. not fair. pepto bismol and gingerale were my best friends those two days. thursday and friday i was sick, got better just in time for the weekend. i cant wait for next saturday, my new best friend is coming over for the party. we text almost every day, or talk on fb. but only seen each other once, three weeks ago, i think, wow. yes it has to be two or three weeks, because my camera died that same day thanks to kids dunking it in hot cocoa. little brats, but i still blame brian. has to be two weeks ago, because we met up the day i got my food stamps. so yes two weeks ago. lol...wow that was totally random thoughts there...lol...i cannot believe in a week im going to have a 2 yr old. CRAP, where did the time go? stupid stereo keeps skipping songs. nothing like a little AC/DC in the morning. another thing to do on the wedding front, burn cds, including one that has the wedding march on it. damn it, we already decided our song is going to be "amazed" by lonestar. love that song and i dont really like country...lol...well more like I decided that was going to be our song. oh, pants would be good for me to put on (relax im in pjs bottoms, you pervs...lol) to go to the store, but they needed to be washed because when you piss out of your ass, things happen. my pjs bottoms have scottish terriers on them...lol...isnt it funny, i got these pjs before i got dunkin who happens to be a scotty. lol...must find one of my favorite tshirts...JR. lol...so i can wash my sweatshirt of JR. no, i dont like JR at all...LMAO. madison is a nut, she put catfood in my jacket pocket, though im not sure why? little weirdo, she takes after her daddy. this past wednesday was the big 33rd birthday for me. and i wanted my birthday sex, well he fell asleep before i could get any, so in july when he hits the big 3-0, hes NOT getting any...lol. how many more times do you think she will call? i vote 100.
Monday, March 21, 2011
yesterday we celebrated my birthday on my dads side, it was awesome. ive never had THAT much fun up in the country (same place my wedding is going to be). for the very first time in 16 years i actually got on an ATV. i had a few bad experiences on a trike, thanks to my brother. whenever i wanted to ride, he would drive and purposely go through the field and find all of the holes and make me fall off, even when my dad put a seat on the back for me. it just made it easier for my brother to make me fall off, jerk. well anyways, i was kind of worried about driving macks quad, but thought, might as well get it over with, and if i dont like it i dont have to drive it ever again, well, i drove it and had a flipping blast. couldnt get me off the damn thing. lol. i even took maddy for a ride, but she didnt like it, probably because of the noise. and she was good all day even WITHOUT a nap. in total for my brithday so far, just from my dads side, i got 41 bucks. NICE. i got ten in the mail on saturday from my gram (the one that just lost my grandpa last month) yesterday i got a check for 25, awesome, so i signed it over to my dad and he gave me the cash and my dad got me three scratch tickets. he spent 6 dollars (they were 2 apiece) and on one i got 4 bucks and another 2, lol, so i got 6 bucks. lol. so it was a great day even though i had a slamming headache all day and i had been up for many many hours. me and my new best friend were texting throughout the day. it was great. stopped at the store to get cigs on our way home, and i was carded, of course the ONE time i DONT have my i.d. i get carded. son of a bitch. i mean i realize i dont look my age, but i certainly dont look under 27. by time we got home last night at seven thirty, i was exhausted, so i dragged my butt up to bed, and i was out before 8. and slept til 4. yes, a whole 8 hours, i dont even remember madison coming into our room, but maybe she never left our room, i dont know, i was just too tired. i know i turned on the tv and was starting to watch an episode of SVU, and beyond that i dont remember anything. i feel so energized this morning, and not grumpy. maybe i just needed a day of fresh air to wear me out so i could sleep. normally i dont get out of the house because i have so much crap to do inside, that it was nice to get out for ten hours and it was a beautiful day out yesterday. so i spent the majority of it outside, took a couple walks, with madison, but up there its mud country so we brought along her new trailer/stroller. she loved it. she got all dirty and muddy, but its a good thing i ALWAYS bring a change of clothes AND a pair of pjs for her. by time we left, she was already in her pjs so i didnt have to fight her to get her into them when we got home, and she fell asleep in the van, on the way home, woke up when we got home i took her jacket off and she went back to sleep. i dont know if brian put her in her own room or not. because by time he got up to bed, i was already asleep. and most times if i fall asleep before him, and if im so tired that i just go to sleep without even realizing it, just because of sheer exhaustion, i dont take my glasses off. so he ends up taking them off for me. i know he took them off last night for me, because i was just done. so fun...every weekend they go up there, theyre going to take maddy with them, because i have cousins who will watch her, so i can have time to myself. i need that occasionally too. usually when its just me in the house, i stay in bed and watch tv, i usually get sundays to myself so i can watch the entire race in peace. its great. i think next sunday brians going back up to help with sugaring, it will be the last week for it, so he will take maddy and i will be left all by my lonesome...LMAO.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
today is dont piss off becky day...its a day that is suited to me today. im running on very little sleep, and that tends to make me very grumpy. so anyways, pyscho called and asked if brian could "work" but we know it means "babysit" so he wont get paid. well, he TRIED to tell her she needs to give more notice, not an hour and a half, so i yelled, yes YELLED, "HE HAS A FUCKEN LIFE LET HIM FUCKING LIVE IT" to paraphrase. lmao. she did not like it. and i dare her to say anything to brian about my attitude or even attempt to talk to me, because that will also be a frozen day in hell. ok so my day just got an eensy bit better, im talking about birthday cards, and in one of those cards contained some money...lol...10 dollars just totally made my day better...lol...i wonder how much more ill get tomorrow when i go to middlefield for a party just for me. lol, prolly nothing, but hey i like getting birthday cards early...lol...since wednesday is my big 33rd birthday...money is money is money and if his mother didnt wanna pay him to go "babysit", then why do it? oh and get this...i want to know how she would be able to pay me back if i bought her a frozen lasagna if she didnt have the money to pay brian? yeah, if she has the money to buy a frozen lasagna then she can go do it her damn self, fucking lazy whore. one of the cards, not the one that contained the 10 dollars, my uncle wrote his name. hes so funny. it was from one of my aunts (one of his sisters) so he signed his name. silly. he calls me a beaut, when i was younger i was a yard ape. im not sure where he came up with that one but we were always outside playing so i guess thats where he got it. hes the youngest of 5. yes, 5, i had to think for a second. my mom was the middle of 6, yep, got that right. and its funny because on both sides the youngest is a boy and there are only two boys on each side. on my dads side for boys its dad and my uncle on my moms side its my two uncles.
Friday, March 18, 2011
bahahaha, his mother called this morning (yep, surprise surprise) and wanted to know if I had any money left on my food stamps. well as a matter of fact, YES I DO THANK YOU VERY MUCH...she only wanted to know because she wanted me to buy her a frozen lasagna for dinner and she would pay me back, yeah thats gonna happen in frozen hell. she must be on crack. first off why would i take food out of my kids mouths to feed her, and second, she wont pay me back anyhow. so yeah NOT doing that one. why should i be nice to her when she treats me and mack like shit. yeah im not stupid, i may be blond but definately not stupid and i know when im getting screwed over. dinner turned out great last night, corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. we had 2 extra guests over for dinner last night, my aunt whom i take grocery shopping every month and brians dad. i only wish my new best friend was here for dinner with her kids. that would have been even more fun. we decided yesterday we were best friends. we have so much in common and maddy and her two kids are around the same age. we have met, and the kids were weary of each other, not sure what to think, but weve only met once. we will meet again for madisons birthday party. and shes going to be my photographer for my wedding. so cant wait. really need to get some more funds for that. if only brian hadnt spent it on things not related to the wedding, but on the plus side brians dad said when we figure out how much more we need he will give it to us. the man is a saint, let me tell you. he saved Christmas for us last year by giving us money for gifts for the kids and we even managed to have some left over to buy him something. well its official, my camera is dead. DAMN IT. i loved that thing. guess its time to fess up to my dad and tell him one of the kids put it in hot cocoa on monday. damn it. mack blames maddy, maddy cant blame mack cuz she doesnt know, i mean shes not even 2 yet. but i can blame whoever i want and i choose to blame brian because instead of paying attention to what they were doing while i went to the store, he was on the computer. so its his fault. he wont own up to it, but it is his fault. then he gets pissed at the kids for something they shouldnt be doing when hes supposed to be watching them. he gets mad at the baby when she gets into something shes not supposed to or doing something shes not supposed to because he would rather pay attention to the computer or his stupid video games. JERK. me on the other hand can multi task. right now the baby is sleeping and when she wakes up its lunch time. after that play time and when her father gets home from therapy, which i hope is soon cuz i need a nap, i will take a nap, maybe. depending on when he decides to come home. if its after 2 i cant nap, but anytime before then i can. weird. so waiting for a package. or maybe 6 who knows i like surprise packages especially things i forgot i ordered and they come or things ive won and they come, kind of neat.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
so she called again last night, of course we know im talking about brians mother. woke up a just falling asleep madison, pissed me off. she wanted brian to go "babysit" today and he told her "no, we have things to do, i have 3 appointments tomorrow, and i cant do it, get over it" while i was laying right there. good job. lol. well she called while we were at our first appointment for the day (we only really had two, but one i figured he could do on his own and thats meeting up with his dad, ok more like hitting his dad up for cash for madisons birthday present from him, a bike trailer, the one we got last year, she already out grew) so before he left to meet up with his dad, brian called her back and told her AGAIN that he couldnt do it we are busy and we have plans, and hes tired of changing his plans to go help her. well he is, and im tired of it too. last night when she called, i was laying right next to him, but yelling "fuck off, get a life, learn to take her with you, get over yourself, he has a family" yada yada yada. yeah she didnt like it. and she had the nerve to get pissed when he told her no. what a fucking baby, cuz she cant have her way, shes gotta have a fit. madisons is more mature than she is. holy hell. i swear she starts anything at the wedding, im throat punching her and i know at least one other that will too...you know who you are...lol...ok maybe about 3 others that will along side me. oh yeah if you havent figured out that im using this blog as a vent, haha, well now you know...lol. see he doesnt like it when i yell at him, but sometimes thats how i have to get thru to him. and well it actually worked because im the one who told him to tell his mother no and we have things to do. she needs to learn he has a family and his own life. oh, and she hasnt liked me since i got preggo with madison before that i was ok with her.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
of course im talking about brians mom. fucking psycho she is. for the last 3 weeks shes called EVERY day, several times a day wanting brian to go "babysit" the woman she takes care of if she needs to run errands. she doesnt pay him, so i told him to tell her to fuck off and she needs to take this woman with her when she needs to run errands. her excuse "i cant push her, she weighs too much" the woman cant weigh more than 100 lbs. like seriously. so today he told her a million times he would be over AFTER lunch, because hes tired of not being able to eat with his family, good job on his part, shes a bitch and guess what he doesnt get to do yet once again. eat with madison. yeah. she sees him leave and doesnt understand that he will be back soon, so she stands there and screams and cries because her daddy is leaving AGAIN. and i get to deal with a temper tantrum throwing 23 1/2 month old. fun times. thank god its almost lunch time then after that is a nap. his mother needs to learn to take no for an answer, i dont give a shit, he has a family of his own. hes been trying to spend time with us but she wont let him because she has to have her way. talk about a bitch. so next time i see her (i always try to avoid her) my fist is going to meet her throat. cant junk punch her since she aint got nothing. shes called 3 times today, really, 3 all within 30 mins of each other. she needs to learn not to call. she has another kid, which surprise surprise she has nothing to do with and if she keeps it up she wont have anything to do with brian. its not fair to him when weve got a billion things to do. he told her this morning before we left for his dentist appt that we had things to do. she is so fucking stupid its not funny. i think she was dropped on her head way too many times as a baby, or maybe not enough, im not sure. when God handed out brains she didnt get any. ok, brian is a little slow but shes a lot slower and a lot stupider, trust me on this one.
Monday, March 7, 2011
ok, i really wish it would stop raining. i really dont like it raining in my room, really i dont. damn roof. madisons a cranky butt, im a cranky butt, only because i dont get to sleep in or get a lot of sleep. shes napping right now, how long will that last? ha, not long. then shell be into everything. she got mad at me earlier because i popped her leg (it was the closest part to me) for grinding her teeth. GUH! i hate that sound. dumbass, i mean brian has therapy today and then he goes to work tonight, EVEN THOUGH my dad TOLD him to stay home tonight because of the shit roof. i realize shes got teeth coming in but grinding them, REALLY? its worse than fingernails down a chalkboard. GUH! yeah i like that word today. today would have been my birthday if i didnt decide to be born 16 days late...yeah im a march 23rder. lol, not even a real word, dont care. watched the race yesterday, soooooooooooooooo glad JR came in 8th better than DNF last two races thanks to truex...asshole. and im soooooooooooooooo happy that jeff gordon had a DNF. hes an ass too. then again, my personal opinion. so dumbass decides we need all the towels we have in the house in our room to help soak up the water as its raining in my room, nice dumbass, now i cant shower. GUH! oh and not to mention someone was whiney during dinner last night because her teeth are coming and guess who didnt get to eat HOT food, and guess who did...if you guessed i got ICE COLD food, then you would be right, because he apparently thinks his food is more important than seeing what is wrong with madison. JACKASS. so i ate ICE COLD pork chops and ICE COLD noodles. yeah, GROSS. then he said he would warm up my food, yeah i had applesauce on my plate, i dont like warm applesauce, and he didnt warm it up anyways, he was in the attic with dad trying to bail water out of the pans that were placed under the roof to catch water. WHO DOES THAT? so it they kept filling up cuz it was raining ALL day yesterday, and it was irritating. yeah, so the towels are now in the wash, which means, I get the finish the damn things. nevermind i did 3 loads of laundry yesterday and i can tell ya NONE of it was mine. the kids mostly. even though i told mack that she needs to start doing her own, shes 12 and old enough. hell i was 7 when i started doing my own laundry, i was also 7 when i started cleaning and cooking. uh huh, LONG TIME. ima throat punch him one of these days. it was nice that dad took the kids with him to middlefield, yes he even takes maddy now. because shes old enough to go with him (he wont take the kids if theyre under 18 months old) it was only nice cuz it was quiet, and me and brian got it on a couple times, but besides brian driving me bonkers, yeah, it was nice. he decided that we are having sweet sausage grinders today, so besides doing laundry i have to make the sauce. because i will only use sauce I MAKE guess we will do it backwards, usually i use leftover sauce for the sausages, this time its backwards, so spaghetti tomorrow. DUMBASS.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
so we have pretty much figured out most of the wedding plans, i have my dress out being altered right now, cost me 100 bucks, when i get it back it will be cleaned. i already have the invites, not printed out yet, but im getting there, need to get ink. brian has his tux, we have the guys all fitted, i have to figure out what type of dress im going to use for my side, i already have madisons dress and macks dress, but other than that, thats it. im making the table decorations. and i made mack and maddy hair clips, even though i know maddy wont keep them in. what pisses me off is, i started with 800 for wedding money, not including our rings which we already have and his tux cuz he paid for both of those himself, and now i have nothing, he spent most of it on stuff NOT related to the wedding, i think i spent maybe 300 of it on the wedding. things like the invites, stuff to make the table decorations and hair clips, and the alterations for my dress, now i have to come up with money to have it cleaned. great...what a jackass. plus 125 for my cousins suit and 65 for one of his friends suit cuz we are paying for my cousins and half of his friends. everyone else is paying for their own. in nov of last year he had surgery and is now in physical therapy, and its very annoying when hes home, because most days he says "im bored" and i reply, "welcome to my life, now take care of your kid" yesterday, he had therapy, then went to his whore of a mothers house, and then after dinner he went next door to help the guy that just moved in work on the house, hey asshole, your kid hasnt seen you since 9 this morning, take care of her, shes been a snot since she woke from her nap. ugh. that was yesterday, today is a new day and i bet he will pull the same shit. dont know what hes going to do tomorrow, he has therapy and i have a dentist appt. hes going to have to go with me to the dentist cuz i cant bring madison there and leave her alone, im not stupid or irresponsible. and hes all pissy cuz i MADE him go to the dentist, so now hes costing me money to get fillings. hes got 7 of them. yeah, thats bad, and my insurance doesnt cover fillings anymore so the one i have to get tomorrow i have to pay out of pocket for. he has to go twice a month to get these fixed. if he learned to take care of his teeth he wouldnt have this problem and if he learned NOT to eat so much sugar he wouldnt have this problem. he whines that his teeth hurt, well, not my problem, now it is, because i have to pay out of pocket to get his fillings. the first one is going to be on the 14th and its going to cost 108. mine cost 58 for one and thats my insurance price. yeah, my dentist is only charging me what they would charge my insurance. ahhh well...kind of irritates me because right now i have to pay his bills, i cant wait til he starts bringing home 500 every two weeks, cuz then he can give me more money and i can finalize everything with the wedding. granted its 3 months away, but its ONLY 3 months, not a lot of time. specially with everything i have to do still. we are getting our cake from a grocery store bakery because thats cheapest and ill decorate it myself. saving $$. i cant justify spending 700 on cake, for real, ill spend the 80 dollars on a cake that will serve everyone and i can decorate it myself. oh thats another thing, he keeps adding people to the list, so it went from 65 to about 80. yeah, people ive never heard of or anything, at least the people i have on my side ive mentioned. geez. i told him, if they want to come then theyll have to pay for their own shit. because i cant afford that. im providing everything. oh and were now getting a half keg cuz my dad requested it. yeah well whatever. hes going to help pay for that. so thats good | {
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Zalando – Jaff
Client Jaff x Zalando
Jaff is a conversational commerce AI product operating on Facebook Messenger. Jaff delivers a more natural and instantaneous shopping experience to a mobile generation of fashion consumers. For its launch Jaff needed a face that represented its trustworthy, connected, and friendly AI offering. Final development included social media visuals, motion graphics video, and landing page at Zalando.co.uk. | {
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Related
Start talking about Vancouver and it won’t be too long before the conversation works its way around to affordability. Everyone has a story of the outrageous rent, the tiny high-priced condo — and the friends who had to move away because the bills were just too high.
This week, we received the final report from the Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing. It has the potential to make a huge difference for our entire city, and it’s an issue I campaigned strongly on in the last two elections.
But we can’t give the report’s recommendations the consideration they deserve unless we take the time to truly appreciate what the cost of living in Vancouver is doing to our communities.
Nearly every day since I became mayor, I’ve heard from family after family and business owner after business owner about how the high cost of living impacts their lives.
One day, it might be a young couple whose second child is on the way, and who’ve decided it’s time to buy a home. And they’ve come to the conclusion they simply can’t do it in Vancouver’s housing market, and they’re planning to move to the Fraser Valley.
The next day it might be a senior, someone who can tell me the names of the families who’ve lived on their block going back half a century … but with a fixed income he just can’t afford to stay in his neighbourhood.
I’ve spoken to people in deep distress because they hold down three jobs and it’s still not enough to make rent. I’ve talked to owners of major companies who can’t fill positions because their workforce is leaving the city for somewhere more affordable.
And I lost count a long time ago of the number of people who just laugh off the idea of ever owning a home here.
The lack of affordability imposes a burden on everyone. When mortgage and rental costs eat up the discretionary income of a large swath of our population, it depresses spending in the local economy. When our communities start losing young families and seniors on fixed incomes, we lose vitality and a sense of generational continuity.
Of course, all of this is playing out against the backdrop of a prosperous city. We have innovative businesses, a thriving cultural scene, vibrant neighbourhoods and remarkable business, community and environmental leadership.
We’re doing well — but we could be doing much better.
That’s why the task force recommendations are important to everyone in Vancouver. And whether making your next mortgage payment or rent is an impossibility or a foregone conclusion, I’m asking you to set aside a little time this weekend and read them over.
You’ll find some bold ideas and some common-sense approaches. They include:
Creating an arm’s-length affordable housing authority to deliver a steady supply of affordable housing, now and for many years to come;
Encouraging more low-rise row houses and townhouses on streets well-served by transit, and requiring them to be 100 per cent rental or sold at 20 per cent below market value;
Working to strengthen protections for renters and aging housing stock.
I’ve also heard loud and clear the concerns people had. That’s why we made clear the Thin Streets proposal — using wide streets to add small, affordable housing with additional park space — needs to slow down. Three community plans are underway in Marpole, Grandview Woodland, and the West End, and it’ll be up to local residents to decide if they support it. It’s not going to be forced on anyone.
And contrary to front-page claims of a “new, dense city,” our proposals to increase townhouses and row houses near transit are limited and highly restrained — we’ve set a cap of 20 pilot projects for the entire city. A final report comes back to council in June for more consultation.
Our job now — as a city — is to take these ideas from recommendation to reality, and to ensure Vancouver’s communities and the people who live in them participate fully in guiding their implementation.
This goes to the heart of what I’ve campaigned on in two elections now.
And that’s the vital importance of ensuring Vancouver is a livable city in every sense: economically, environmentally, socially … and, for every one of us, financially.
Gregor Robertson is the mayor of the City of Vancouver.
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Article - Professional football picks week 1 2018
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Sunday, August 16, 1998 Published at 07:50 GMT 08:50 UKNational day of mourning callRobin Eames: "We do not ask for a red carpet to paradise"Churches in Northern Ireland are being asked to organise a national day of mourning to remember the victims of the Omagh car bomb.
Archbishop Eames sat with bereaved relatives on Saturday night and those who had survived the blast.
He was asked if he had words for the bombers. "All I can say to them is if you had sat with me last night, if you had heard what I have heard, if you had listened to the anguish of those who had lost loved ones, even in your stony hearts, you would have been moved.
"From the church's point of view, all I am concerned about are not political arguments, not political niceties. I am concerned about the torment of ordinary people who don't deserve this."
'We cannot fail people'
He said all his public ministry over the years had been "exercised" by the Troubles. "I have had to pick myself up and help to pick up my colleagues time and time again when their own faith has been questioned.
"I think it is a token of the Christian faith that we do not ask for a red carpet to paradise. We are in this with the people we try to serve.
"They turn to their churches time and time again. We cannot fail them but above all else we have to preach the gospel of understanding, compassion and strength.
"Even last night I saw evidence of how people are yearning to get that."
Archbishop Eames touched on politicial issues. "I think this is the time when Northern Ireland needs to have proved to it by government, by politicians, by anyone in a position of leadership; it needs proved to it beyond all doubt, that when we put our trust in the Good Friday Agreement, we were not misled.
"That when we trust the democratic process, we were not misled; and when we place our trust in politicians who say there is a better way, that people are not misled." | {
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Times Square Suites - Vancouver
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CAD 15 per day
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Overview
The 3-star Times Square Suites in West End district provides a patio and a sundeck.
This venue is situated 600 meters away from Prospect Point Lighthouse and Coal Harbour. The distance between Vancouver city center and the property is 4 km.
Vancouver Convention Centre is 1450 meters from the hotel and Stanley Park is about 1250 meters away.
Guests can reach Times Square Suites by car from Coal Harbour airport in 5 minutes.
Rooms
At Times Square Suites, guests are offered rooms with a wardrobe, cable television, a DVD player, a living area and heating. Some rooms come with a view of North Shore Mountains and Stanley Park. Room facilities include a stove, a microwave and an electric kettle as well as a pillow-top mattress and foam pillows.
Eat & Drink
Musachi and Oishii Sushi Japanese Restaurant are situated in a beach area, about 50 meters away of the property.
Also known as "Large 2 Bedroom," this spacious suite offering an open concept living area features a full kitchen and living room with a balcony. Free WiFi and a cable TV are included. Air-conditioning is provided in the main bedroom. Laundry facilities offer added convenience.
Deluxe One-Bedroom Apartment
City view
Max occupancy:
3 persons
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Bathroom:Bathroom
Bath or shower
Hair dryer
Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "Corner 1 Bedroom & Den," this corner suite overlooking Robson St and Denman, offers 1 bedroom and a second smaller bedroom with a balcony. A full kitchen and a living room with a cable TV and a sofa bed are provided. Laundry facilities are included.
This suite can accommodate a maximum of 3 adults and 1 or 2 children 11 years old and younger.
One-Bedroom Suite
City view
Max occupancy:
3 persons
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Bathroom:Bathroom
Bath or shower
Hair dryer
Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
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Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
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Room Description:
Also known as "1 Bedroom & Den (Robson), this space suite overlooking Robson St, offers 1 bedroom and a second smaller bedroom with a balcony. A full kitchen and a living room with a cable TV and a sofa bed are provided. Laundry facilities are included.
This suite can accommodate a maximum of 3 adults and 1 or 2 children 11 years old and younger.
King Suite
Max occupancy:
2 persons
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Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "1 Bedroom King," this suite features 2 flat-screen TVs, a full kitchen and a dining area. A living room with a fireplace is featured. A private bathroom includes free toiletries and a bathrobe. In-suite laundry is available. Free WiFi is included.
Deluxe King Suite
Room size:
650 sq. feet
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2 persons
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Hair dryer
Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "1 Bedroom Park," this suite features 2 flat-screen TVs, a full kitchen and a dining area. A living room with a fireplace is featured. A private bathroom includes free toiletries and a bathrobe. In-suite laundry is available. Free WiFi is included.
One-Bedroom Suite
Room size:
650 sq. feet
Max occupancy:
2 persons
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Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "1 Bedroom," this suite contains one queen-size bed in a separate bedroom, 2 TVs, a full kitchen, table settings and cookware, in suite laundry, and a living room with fireplace. An en suite bathroom is included.
This suite can accommodate a maximum of 3 adults and 1 or 2 children 11 years old and younger.
One-Bedroom Suite Den
Room size:
725 sq. feet
Max occupancy:
3 persons
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Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "1 Bedroom & Den," this suite contains one queen bed in a separate bedroom and a den with a single bed. A full kitchen, private laundry facilities, table settings and cookware are offered. A living room with a TV and a fireplace are provided. An en suite bathroom is included.
This suite can accommodate a maximum of 3 adults and 1 or 2 children 11 years old and younger.
Two-Bedroom Suite
Room size:
855 sq. feet
Max occupancy:
4 persons
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Shower
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Telephone
Bathroom:Bathroom
Bath or shower
Hair dryer
Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "Standard 2 Bedroom," this suite contains 2 bedrooms with a queen bed and a double bed. A full kitchen, private laundry facilities, table settings and cookware are offered. A living room with a TV and a fireplace are provided. An en suite bathroom is included.
This suite can accommodate a maximum of 3 adults and 1 or 2 children 11 years old and younger.
Studio
Max occupancy:
2 persons
Bed type:
1 Double bed
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Room Facilities:
Shower
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General:Work desk
Seating area
Ironing facilities
Dressing area
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Private entrance
Telephone
Bathroom:Bathroom
Bath or shower
Hair dryer
Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "Studio & Den," this suite offers an open concept kitchen and living area, and private laundry facilities. Free WiFi, a TV and a desk are provided.
Family Two-Bedroom Suite
Max occupancy:
4 persons
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Room Facilities:
Shower
Coffee machine
Fireplace
Bathtub
— Less+ More
General:Seating area
Ironing facilities
Dressing area
Wardrobe/closet
Fan
Private entrance
Telephone
Bathroom:Additional bathroom
Bathroom
Bath or shower
Hair dryer
Bathrobe
Towels
Washing machine
Washer/dryer
Guest toilet
Bedding:Linen
Sofa
Dining:Electric kettle
Dining area
Kitchen unit
Microwave
Toaster
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Stove
Oven
Dishwasher
Media:Flat-screen TV
Wake up service
CD player
Blu-ray player
Radio
Room Description:
Also known as "Two Bedroom, Two Bathroom," this spacious suite overlooking Robson Street boasts 2 full kitchens and 2 living rooms each with a balcony. Laundry facilities provide added convenience.
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BLOG
ProSource.net is kicking off its program of video podcasts in a big way with
the first post-Olympia-competition interview with Ronnie Coleman, whose herculean string of eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles was finally snapped by Coleman's chief rival, Jay Cutler.
At 42, Ronnie clearly has some major decisions to make about
what he wants from his career and where he's going in the next few
years. In the interview, conducted exclusively for ProSource,
Ronnie reveals that he's made many of those decisions and he's not
reluctant to share the news with his legions of fans, as well as
dispensing plenty of his usual nuggets of wisdom and sought-after
insights into training, supplementing, and succeeding in competition. | {
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“US firm loses contract after Sats exam fiasco”
“The company at the centre of this year’s Sats test debacle had its contract terminated today by the government’s exams watchdog.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and ETS Europe agreed to dissolve the five-year contract to handle the national curriculum tests with immediate effect, after test results were delayed this summer. Under the deal, ETS will make a payment of £19.5m to QCA, and the watchdog will save approximately £4.6m in cancelled invoices and charges.
Full results for tests sat by 14-year-olds this year were still not available when national figures were released earlier this week.
The agreement to end the contract early has been made by both parties and there will be no payments made by QCA to ETS Europe for any future years of the contract.
It was feared QCA would have to pay off ETS Europe for breaking the deal.
QCA signed the £156m five-year contract with ETS in February last year. However, serious problems with the administration and marking of the tests this year meant the publication of results for key stage 2 and 3, which should have been released on July 8, were delayed by almost a month. KS3 results were released on Tuesday, although schools still did not have complete results.
ETS will continue to work to conclude this year’s Sats operations, publishing outstanding results and making sure all schools have a complete set of results and any unreturned scripts.
Schools are expected to call for a record number of remarks over disputed results this year.
The QCA said information about the arrangements for next year’s Sats tests would be made available to schools in the autumn.
The exams regulator, Ofqual, has asked Lord Sutherland to lead an inquiry into the delays in this year’s Sats results, which will conclude in the autumn.
The Conservatives have asked Sir Richard Sykes, the former vice-chancellor of Imperial College, London, to carry out a separate inquiry into the debacle.
Last month, ministers refused to sever the contract with ETS. Ed Balls, the schools secretary, insisted that negotiations should be kept “at arms length from ministers, to ensure the independence and objectivity of the testing regime”.
Ken Boston, the QCA’s chief executive, said today: “ETS Europe was selected due to the strength of their worldwide experience in delivering large scale assessments.
“It is disappointing that the issues with this year’s national curriculum test results have meant that the partnership between QCA and ETS Europe must end early.”
“As a subsidiary of a global, non-profit company, we are dedicated to assuring quality and equity for all pupils, and we are sorry that the results this summer were delayed for some schools.
In a letter to the Commons schools select committee chairman, Barry Sheerman, the schools secretary said the contractual discussions have legally been a matter for the QCA and ETS.
He added: “My department has sought to ensure that due process has been followed throughout, that the public purse is protected.”
Balls said that contractual costs to the end of the 2008 test cycle were £39.6m, of which £24.1m had been recovered from the £35m ETS Europe received from QCA.
He said schools now had 99% of KS2 and 95% of KS3 results – 93% in English, 97% in maths and 96% in science.
Balls told Sheerman the Sutherland inquiry would help “learn the lessons of this year’s delays” and QCA would offer a single year contract to run the 2009 Sats.
The shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said today’s announcement was long overdue.
“ETS had a long history of international failure before they were signed up by this government to run Sats tests. Ministers bear direct responsibility for signing up with a firm that let down children and teachers so badly,” he said.
Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, called for next year’s Sats to be cancelled.
“It is simply not possible for the QCA to appoint a new test contractor to deliver the Sats exams for 2009,” she said.
“The government needs to take this golden opportunity to completely overhaul its testing regime, and in the interim should suspend Sats for 2009.”
John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, agreed.
“Nine months is an incredibly short time in which to appoint a new provider, prepare the infrastructure and recruit and train markers. Many markers have lost confidence in the system and, even with ETS out of the picture, it will be difficult to deliver a wholly successful system in 2009,” he said.
The testing and examination system is “sinking under its own weight”, he added, and it is time for the government to “examine seriously how it can streamline the assessment regime and again make it fit for purpose”.
Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said the termination of the contract was “good news”. But the Sutherland review would be “critically important” to identify the causes of the problems and to try to ensure that they do not arise in the future, she said.
“Given the high stakes nature of testing, schools, teachers, parents and presumably the government will want to ensure that the inquiry examines fully the implications of arms-length private companies being charged with such onerous responsibilities.”” | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
SUMMARY OF ORIGINAL PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK
The project originally proposed to develop a time-series prediction system for parameters needed as input by a frost deposition model (road surface and air temperatures, air dewpoint, winds) by training an artificial neural network (ANN) on meteorological observations and model output. The project's objectives also included comparing RWIS observations with those of standard ASOS/AWOS instruments to determine the quality of the data. In addition, plans included working with the NWS WFO so that they could use the neural network system to improve forecasting of other parameters.
WORK ACCOMPLISHED
ANN Forecasting System
MOS data were gathered from the NWS NGM model for the 3-year period (1996–1998) that matched the frost observation record period. Researchers also collected an appropriate data set of RWIS measurements. They accessed the RWIS archive valid over this time period, interpolated the data to a standard 20-minute time interval, performed some quality control of the data, and flagged those time periods when gaps between observations exceeded 4 hours or could interfere with important time periods when frost was possible.
The corrected and usable data from both MOS and RWIS observations were organized into a very large database, which was used to train the ANN. The training set used 85 percent of all of the data, with the remaining 15 percent saved as a test set; 181 possible inputs to the model were tested. It was decided that the best approach would be to limit the inputs to the 8–10 found to be most important for each parameter. Programs were developed to collect the data automatically in real-time with a regular 20-minute resolution for future applications.
Staff tested several different neural network configurations to predict the four variables needed as inputs for the frost prediction model—roadway surface temperature, air temperature, dewpoint, and wind speed. Despite the ANN's ability to predict multiple outputs with one model, it can only predict at one point in time. Therefore, researchers determined that the best way to predict the necessary parameters with a time frequency of 20 minutes was to create separate neural network models for each weather parameter. Consequently, 288 neural network models were needed for the 4 weather parameters. Many configurations were tested to determine the best one for each parameter at each time.
When validation was done over the entire training and test set, the ANN predictions correlated well with the RWIS observations and generally performed better than the NGM MOS output alone. However, for the test set, the ANN predictions of temperature and wind speed were better than MOS only for the first few hours of the prediction period (corresponding to forecasts 6–9 hours in the future). MOS forecasts had smaller root mean square errors (RMSE) later in time. The ANN had smaller RMSEs for wind speed, but the smaller average errors were achieved by always forecasting light winds, even when strong winds occurred. MOS does not include a forecast for roadway temperature. Thus, the ANN system provided much better forecasts during daylight hours when compared to the 2-meter MOS air temperature as a proxy for road temperature. At nighttime, the ANN showed a small improvement over the crude estimate based on MOS. In general, the errors with the ANN system were smaller than those obtained from three mesoscale models. The mesoscale models ran with two different sets of initial conditions for the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) project1 in Iowa during the winter of 2003. As in that project, dewpoint errors are much larger than temperature errors.
The ANN output was then tested in the frost deposition model for the winters of 1996–1998, 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. The verification statistics for the winters of 1996–1998 were provided by the Iowa DOT. During this time, "yes" and "no" observations of frost were made by maintenance personal looking out the windows of their vehicles on the way into work. Therefore, great uncertainty is present about the quality of the verification statistics. The ANN-based predictions of frost for this period were not particularly good. False alarm rates were very high—generally .90 to .98 at most stations tested. Probability of detection tended to be in the .2 to .6 range. Although the lack of skill in the forecasts was likely partly related to poor verification data, it was observed that the ANN system often predicted a dewpoint exceeding the air temperature. This is a physically impossible condition, and it stems from the independent nature of the ANN models forecasting each parameter.
For the winter of 2001–2002, frost verification data was available from an Iowa DOT-sponsored project in Ames, IA, where Iowa State University (ISU) students closely monitored a bridge in the region during the early morning hours. These "yes" and "no" frost observations are believed to be highly accurate, although frost is a very microscale phenomena, again complicating interpretation of verification data. For this period, the ANN predictions were very accurate, nearly matching the forecasts made after the fact when RWIS data from Ames, IA, were fed to the frost deposition model. Thus, for this period, the ANN forecast approached the "best" value that might be expected. False alarm rates (FAR),2 though still high, were around 0.56. The probability of detection (POD)3 was 0.57. Even more promising, the forecasts were much more skillful than those of the private forecasting firm that had been contracted by the Iowa DOT to forecast frost during this winter.
In the winter of 2002–2003, the Ames, IA, frost verification project was expanded using Aurora4 funding, so that three bridges were monitored. This again complicated verification. Data for verification were not available until the end of the COMET project, and thus verification statistics are preliminary. It appeared that forecast skill was much less in 2002– 03 than in the previous winter, with the FAR rising to 0.79, and the POD falling to 0.30. Nonetheless, the threat score, a combined measure of skill, was still comparable to that of the private firm the previous winter. At the time of this report, no other verification data was available from 2002–2003 for comparison to the ANN.
In summary, the ANN forecasting system showed promise, and the performance during the 2001–2002 winter was very encouraging. The fact the system earned much better scores than a contracted forecasting agency also was considered a success. However, some other winters exhibited much worse performance of the ANN system. The independent nature of the predictions for different parameters allows for some nonphysical situations to be predicted. An improved ANN system in the future could predict the dewpoint depression instead of temperature and dewpoint as separate quantities. This would avoid the problem of unrealistic forecasts and may help improve performance.
RWIS-ASOS Comparison
Detailed comparisons of RWIS and AWOS/ASOS observations were performed. During the COMET project, a separate initiative was established at ISU to combine all mesoscale data into one convenient mesonetwork, known as the Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM). Several meetings occurred at ISU that included NWS Des Moines personnel, Iowa DOT personnel, and other interested parties from State agencies. Establishing the IEM enhanced the ability to compare RWIS observations to more standard meteorological observations of surface conditions, particularly ASOS readings.
A thorough comparison was performed for several weather parameters by averaging RWIS and ASOS or AWOS data over an entire year. The comparisons suggest that RWIS temperature readings have a high bias when wind speeds are light, with the worst problem at the lightest wind (figure 7). This behavior is expected because RWIS sensors are not aspirated, while ASOS and AWOS are aspirated.
Figure 7. Comparison of RWIS temperatures with ASOS
temperatures as a function of RWIS wind speed for 12 stations.
RWIS winds also typically read a few knots less than AWOS/ASOS (figure 8) at the stations where RWIS sensors were within 8.7 nautical miles (nm) (16.1 kilometers (km)) of AWOS or ASOS sensors. Although both platforms are designed to record wind at the same elevation (32.8feet (ft) or 10 meters (m)), many RWIS platforms are sited in ditches that may somewhat shelter the instruments. Average wind speeds were computed for RWIS and ASOS instruments as a function of wind direction (octants) at 12 stations. The impact of siting clearly can be seen when average wind speed differences vary from around zero at a particular site for a given wind direction to roughly 3 knots for other directions, a roughly 40 percent decrease in magnitude from the ASOS values. The RWIS values are less than the ASOS for most directions at all sites.
Figure 8. Comparison of ASOS-RWIS wind speeds as a function of direction for four stations.
Comparisons of other parameters as a function of hour of the day or of wind speed also were performed. See figure 9 for the comparison of dewpoints. It appears that systematic differences can be quantified; this should allow for calibration to improve use of the combined data set. At the time of this report, a paper on the comparison was being developed. Some of the results were discussed at COMET/FHWA meetings in Washington, DC, in September 2002 and in Albany, NY, in August 2003.
In addition to the detailed comparisons discussed above, researchers established a Web site that allows direct comparisons between the different measuring systems in real time. It can be accessed at http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/compare/. Some results from these comparisons were published in the preprints of the 18thInternational Conference on Interactive Information and Processing Systems (IIPS) in Orlando, FL, January 2002.
Extension of ANN Applications to the NWS
The graduate student also explored an additional use of neural networks designed to assist the NWS Des Moines office in forecasting. A neural network predictive system for warm season quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF) was designed. For this neural network system, the technique of Hall et al. was followed.(1A neural network was trained on data collected from the NWS Eta model and soundings valid for both Omaha, NE, and Davenport, IA, (DVN) over the warm seasons of 1998–2001. More than 30 variables were used as input parameters in the model. Results using just the Omaha (OMA) data were very encouraging, so more than 400 cases from Davenport (DVN) were added to expand the number of patterns used by the neural network. The expansion was necessary because early results implied some memorization or over parameterization might have been occurring. Results using the OMA and DVN data together indicated that the neural network system still performed better than either the operational Eta model, or 10-km meso-Eta simulations in predicting 24-hour rainfall, particularly for heavier amounts that are generally unpredictable in grid point models. However, combining the data seemed to harm the results, because errors were larger than using OMA alone.
Results from the Omaha, NE, training were presented at the 18thInternational Conference on IIPS in Orlando, FL, in January 2002. A discussion of all results was given at the U.S. Weather Research Program Science Symposium in Boulder, CO, in April 2002 and at the World Weather Research Programme's QPF Conference held in September 2002 in Reading, United Kingdom. The neural network system based on the combined data was run in real time during summer 2002, and results were made available to the NWS via a Web page. In this real-time test period, the system was altered to allow inputs directly from the Eta model instead of a mixture of model and rawinsonde output. This allowed forecasts to be made at grid points across Iowa. This output was also made available via the Web page. The summer 2002 test, however, indicated a high bias in the neural network predictions. It appears that some calibration would be necessary to improve the forecasts.
CHANGES TO SCOPE
There were no changes to scope of this project. Researchers benefited from a running start on the neural network modeling and by the fact the IEM project allowed for easier-than-expected comparison of RWIS observations to ASOS and AWOS.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
No serious problems were encountered in conducting the research, apart from some Microsoft Windows®operating system-related computer crashes that occasionally caused data losses.
DIVISION OF LABOR
The primary method of interaction during this project occurred through occasional meetings, phone calls, and e-mails with the NWS Des Moines office and the Iowa DOT. The vast majority of the work, because it involved very site-specific neural network software, occurred at ISU. The Iowa DOT's involvement extended beyond the 2.5 years of this project, because they provided the 1996–1998 frost observations before the start of the COMET project.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE WORK RELATED TO THIS PROJECT
Creating a neural network forecasting system is very labor intensive. Much of the project period was used to gather all necessary data, quality control the data, and enter it into the appropriately formatted input tables required by the ANN software. Although extensive testing was performed to find the best neural network models for each parameter, there are enough degrees of freedom to the problem that additional improvements would be likely if more experimenting could be done with the ANN software.
A future project evaluating the forecasting skill of a combined MOS-ANN system could benefit both the Iowa DOT and NWS. In addition, it may be possible to run an ensemble of MOS and ANN systems. The mean would likely provide the most valuable input to the frost deposition model. Also, an ongoing project at ISU has hinted that a mesoscale model such as MM5 may have more skill than the NGM-MOS that was used to train this project's ANN. It would be very interesting to test the performance of an ANN system that used MM5 output for training instead of NGM-MOS. When this project began, there were only 3 years of RWIS data useful for training. That period has now nearly doubled. With all ANN systems, the more data to train on, the better the forecast skill. In summary, this project clearly showed that with more study, artificial intelligence systems such as neural networks may offer valuable improvements in forecasting.
BROADER RECOMMENDATIONS
Although researchers were able to follow the original scope of work closely without major problems, it was still difficult to emphasize one core project of significant benefit to both the Iowa DOT and NWS partners. In fact, of the five groups that received funding, this was the only group whose main focus was not primarily to create a mesonet (merger of DOT data with NWS and other data sources). The creation of the mesonet is perhaps the only project that seems to benefit both partners roughly equally. Even this project included a task involving mesonet applications—the comparison of RWIS data with ASOS and AWOS. This project may have differed from the others, because the Iowa DOT has a long history of being at the cutting edge of initiatives. Researchers had access to the Iowa DOT RWIS data before the COMET request for proposal, and the establishment of the Iowa mesonet was likely the furthest along of any such effort in the Nation. It is possible that future combined COMET/FHWA projects will primarily assist the Iowa DOT or the NWS, but not both, unless the project simply manipulates multiple data sources. Traditional COMET projects benefit the NWS. Future FHWA collaborations may yield very little interaction and direct benefit to the NWS. For this project, the data comparison was believed to help the NWS, and they were welcome to use the ANN system. However, the system was designed to forecast road frost, which is something the NWS is not permitted to do. Thus, at best, the NWS would only be able to use the software system secondarily.
1 MDSS: A large, multiagency project that began with a prototype experiment in Iowa in winter 2002-03. The goal was an automated system that uses weather data as accurately as possible and that is easy to read and understand, and that recommends courses of action for road maintenance.
2 FAR: A measure of how often an event is forecast and fails to materialize; lower numbers are desirable.
3 POD: A measure of how often an event is forecast and does occur; higher numbers are desirable.
4 Aurora is an international program of collaborative research, development and deployment in the field of road weather information systems (RWIS), serving the interests and needs of public agencies. | {
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Fox Sports has emerged as the likely winner of UEFA Champions League rights, according to several sources. A decision could be announced as early as today by UEFA, which was considering bids from Fox, NBC Sports Group, Univision and beIN Sport. ESPN did not submit a bid for the rights, though sources said the company would look into sublicensing some of the games from the winner. UEFA accepted bids from the networks on Tuesday. Because the first bids were much lower than the $100M per year it was expecting, UEFA completed a second round of bidding yesterday. Sources said UEFA opted to pick Fox' bid, which still fell substantially short of $100M per year. Sources said Fox' bid is significantly below the $83M per year NBC Sports pays for EPL rights. Fox, which holds the current Champions League rights, will keep the English- and Spanish-language rights as part of a three-year deal that starts in the '15-16 season. Fox plans to use the Champions League programming to help promote the FIFA World Cup, which Fox will carry in '18 and '22. Last season, the 17 Champions League games across Fox Soccer, FX and Fox averaged 334,000 viewers.
Arum knew that having the fight in China would hurt American PPV numbers
Top Rank Chair Bob Arum on Thursday said that boxer Manny Pacquiao's Nov. 23 decision victory over Brandon Rios in Macau "generated in the neighborhood of 500,000 pay-per-view buys," according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. Arum: "We ran all our numbers on something a little less than 500,000 but figuring we'd do around 500,000, and that's what we're going to wind up doing. It means 490,000 or 510,000, something like that." Rafael reported the fight, which was HBO's first PPV card ever done outside the U.S., "generated approximately" $30M in domestic PPV revenue. However, there are "some in the boxing industry who claim the fight didn't crack 400,000 buys." Arum and HBO execs "knew when they made the fight that having it in China would hurt the American PPV numbers." The CotaiArena had "a capacity crowd of 13,101." But the PPV total "paled in comparison" to Pacquiao's previous bout in December '12. That fight, Pacquiao's fourth with Juan Manuel Marquez, "generated 1.15 million PPV buys" (ESPN.com, 12/4). USA TODAY's Bob Velin noted the number of buys "could take months or years to trickle in." HBO PPV President Mark Taffet said that PPV events originating from non-U.S. cities "generally do between 30% and 40% of the buys compared with similar events" that originate from the states. Taffet: "It was an extraordinary effort by everyone involved, and we recognized that anything above 350,000 buys would be a success." Velin notes by comparison, the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Canelo Alvarez super welterweight title fight in September "registered 2.2 million PPV buys on Showtime" for $150M in PPV revenue, an all-time record (USA TODAY, 12/6).
Drake (l) says ESPN's World Cup preparations are more complicated than in '10
ESPN Senior VP & Exec Producer Jed Drake was in Brazil for Friday's '14 FIFA World Cup draw, overseeing the construction of the net's main set on Copacabana Beach and the build-out of its technical system at the Int'l Broadcast Center a few miles away. THE DAILY caught up with Drake earlier this week as he was traveling to Brazil to get an update on how ESPN's World Cup preparations are going.
Q: What were you hoping for from the World Cup draw?Drake: There's one scenario that we played out where the U.S. ended up in a group with Switzerland, Cameroon and Greece. That's what I was hoping for. There was another scenario that we played out that had the U.S. with Brazil, Portugal and Russia. That's not quite as advantageous for us. We're hoping for great matchups at every opportunity, and we hope that the U.S. gets a favorable draw.
Q: Will Brazil be ready to host the World Cup?Drake: How is Brazil in terms of its infrastructure, stadiums and transportation? I would say that it's going to be a big challenge. These are the same things that were asked about South Africa in 2010, and miraculously everything got done to everybody's relative satisfaction. I'm always concerned. The events of last week only heighten that concern. There are only so many things that we can control.
Q: How do your Brazil preparations compare to your South Africa preparations four years ago?Drake: Our layout for this event is much more complicated than it was in 2010. In 2010, our entire operation was all at the IBC in Johannesburg. Soccer City was adjacent to that. This time around, we determined early on that because the IBC was basically in a big warehouse district, it was not in a place where you would want to host an event of this magnitude. We decided to go onto Copacabana Beach and found a location that is the most beautiful location to host any event that ESPN has ever done. We ended up separating the operation. The engine room is at the IBC, as is a lot of the infrastructure, media management and technical structure.
Q: How will your approach be different in Brazil?Drake: The word that we used throughout 2010 was 'authentic.' We wanted our coverage of soccer, our coverage of the country, our utilization of storytelling and music to be authentic. We have not forgotten that term. At every turn this time, we are going to make sure that our presentation in Brazil is authentic. That could be in the hiring of a new group of announcers to augment those that will be returning. It could be our fascination, curiosity and desire to better understand the culture of this country. It could be about making sure that we cover soccer from a level that our soccer fans could appreciate.
Q: What changes should viewers expect?Drake: We will be more integrated with ESPN International. They cover soccer 24 hours a day. We were not nearly as well connected as we should have been in 2010. They were off doing their own thing and we were off doing our own thing. In Brazil, we will be working side-by-side.
Q: What are you most excited about for this tournament?Drake: What I enjoy most about this event is the challenge of the scope of it 12 venues, 32 teams and what it means to the world. I'm trying to capture that. This is very likely to be my last World Cup. The next time ESPN could acquire the rights would be in 2026. By then, I hope to be concentrating on bonefishing in the Bahamas.
The Red Wings and Maple Leafs will have "little privacy for the next month, as crews of about 10 people will be with both teams" to capture footage for HBO's "24/7: Road To The Winter Classic," according to Ted Kulfan of the DETROIT NEWS. The cameras "were all over" the Red Wings locker room after Thursday's practice. Microphones "extended every which way, all over, capturing every sound, be it a laugh or a curse word." Players and coaches are "eager to be a part of it -- but admit it will be an adjustment." Red Wings C Stephen Weiss said, "There's a quiet time before the game and you're getting yourself ready and there's a guy in front of you while you're tying your skates. That's kind of different. You're not kind of used to that during the course of a season." D Jonathan Ericsson said that he was having a conversation with D Brendan Smith on Thursday "when he cut short talking because he could sense cameras peering in." Ericsson: "As soon as there are cameras in the locker room everyone gets real quiet and they aren't themselves anymore." But Olympia Entertainment President & CEO Tom Wilson said, "You get a glimpse of the people. That's what makes this entire series come alive." Kulfan notes the series will begin Dec. 14 and "continue for the next four Saturdays until the finale" on Jan. 4. This will be the third installment of "24/7" and "has the potential to be one of the most popular" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/6). Red Wings coach Mike Babcock: "They believe it's a big seller for the game. So, if it's good for the game, I'm all about the game" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/6).
ESPN's Lee Corso said that retirement "isn't a consideration at the moment." He said his role on "College GameDay" is "like 'stealing.'" Corso: "I get on a plane. I fly first class. I stay in a first-class hotel, eat first-class food and watch the top game of the week. I'll stay as long as I can. I'm like an old vaudeville act. They'll have to pull me off the stage with a hook." The 78-year-old Corso suffered a stroke four years ago, and said that he "has made some concessions to age in recent years." He said that ESPN "gives him the first hour of the three-hour show off so he can rest his voice." Corso: "You can't buy the loyalty that ESPN has showed to me" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/6).
MUSIC TO MY EARS: USA TODAY's Dan Wolken profiles composer Lloyd Landesman, whose theme song, which was "never given a name, has opened every college football broadcast on CBS and become an anthem of sorts for the SEC" since '87. The familiarity between the music and the SEC brand is "so strong" that CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said that the network had "concluded several times over the years that changing it would be a mistake." McManus: "The way it's composed, it sounds like college football" (USA TODAY, 12/6).
SCREEN SAVER: VARIETY's Brian Steinberg noted CBS Sports will "stream select games" from its '13-14 college basketball schedule "on CBSSports.com and the CBSSports mobile app." CBS Sports will "feature 28 games over the course of the season," beginning with UCLA-Missouri on Dec. 7. New features for this season include "an updated user interface, more access to social streams and expert commentary around the game, and live game updates directly in the video player" (VARIETY.com, 12/4).
FS1 averaged 2.18 million viewers for the Oregon State-Oregon football game last Friday, marking the most-viewed program since the net launched Aug. 17. The game marks the second time in three weeks that FS1 has broken its own audience record. Oregon State-Oregon surpasses the previous audience record of 2.11 million viewers for Oklahoma-Baylor on Nov. 7. FS1 also had its most-viewed month on record in November, as well it’s most-viewed week yet (Thanksgiving week from Nov. 25-Dec. 1).
ALL THE LADIES: LPGA telecasts averaged 179,000 viewers on Golf Channel during the '13 season, marking the second-best season on the net since '09 (also a Solheim Cup year). This year's audience was up 14% from '12, when Golf Channel averaged 157,000 viewers. Golf Channel saw nine of its LPGA events have year-over-year gains, including its best audience yet for the three-year-old, season-ending CME Group Titleholders.
FIRST TURN: NBCSN, CNBC and NBC combined to average 366,000 viewers for NBC Sports Group's first season of live F1 races, down 12% from the audience on Fox and Speed last season. The decline was mostly due to a slow start for the cable TV telecasts. NBCSN began gaining audience after the Grand Prix of Monaco on Memorial Day weekend. Looking at the four races on broadcast TV (different events in '12 and '13), NBC’s average was 1.13 million viewers this season compared to 1.04 million for Fox last year. The top race on NBCSN this season was its last telecast of the season -- 354,000 viewers for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The same race last season on Speed drew 326,000 viewers.
In St. Louis, Dan Caesar cites sources as saying that there "have been discussions" about former Fox broadcaster Tim McCarver being a part of the MLB Cardinals' broadcasts next season, "probably in a limited role." McCarver on Thursday said, "As I (said) this past summer I was not retiring -- I never used that word. ... So we'll see. I just don't want to crawl in a hole some place for the rest of my life. That's unrealistic" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/6).
STALKING THE MAMBA: In L.A., Eric Pincus wrote Lakers G Kobe Bryant "seems indirectly to be directing programming for NBA TV." With the "possibility that Bryant might return Friday in Sacramento from his Achilles' tendon injury, the Lakers-Kings game was added Wednesday to NBA TV's national broadcast." With Bryant not playing after all, the NBA on Thursday "predictably" announced that it is "dropping the just-added Kings game from the national broadcast -- instead, the Lakers-Raptors game will now be aired on NBA TV" on Sunday (LATIMES.com, 12/5).
POLITICAL JUNKIES: In DC, Dan Steinberg looks at how WJFK-FM's "The Sports Junkies" landed Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and writes the show's four hosts have "never been accused of excessive maturity, or of rigorous journalism, but they've earned a loyal following among Washington area sports fans for their lively, irreverent chatter." On Thursday they "briefly became international newsmakers." Ford staff members "anticipated a two- or three-minute segment," but it "wound up lasting nearly 24, plowing through a scheduled commercial break." After the interview, the show's hosts "were discussed on NBC’s 'Today' show, fielding interview requests from CNN, and mentioned by virtually every major Canadian news publication" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/6).
BEST FOOT FORWARD: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Kevin Helliker noted MLS and ESPN last year decided to move the MLS Cup Final to Saturday afternoon to "avoid competing against the NFL." However, the move "placed the MLS Cup in competition with the SEC title game." Both the Real Salt Lake-Sporting KC MLS Cup Final and the Missouri-Auburn SEC Championship game begin at 4:00pm ET on Saturday, and MLS is "accustomed to futbol getting kicked around by football" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/5). | {
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CSB Releases Analysis Showing Cause of Rupture and Hydrogen Blast in 2009 Silver Eagle Refinery Accident in Woods Cross, Utah; Pipe Walls Thinned due to Corrosion that went Uninspected for Years
read more
Statements of CSB Chairman John Bresland and CSB Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom Updating the Public on the Investigation of the Nov. 4 Explosion at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utahread more | {
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What should I read?
What do you like?
A quick note here: Because I write fantasy and science fiction that my kids and grandkids will read, you can presume that the language will be tame at worst (generally) and adult content generally kept to a minimum. I will try to put something like a (Rated R for adult content, see Imposters below) on something that might be a bit much for your 14-year-old to read, like a good sex scene, but most of what I write is intended for general audiences. One of my grandsons absolutely adores the Brak stories, and he’s 13. YMMV. | {
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Anxiety and anger as zebra mussel invasion spreads
For many Minnesotans, summer evenings at the lake are perfect for a refreshing swim after a hot day.
But if you swim in Pelican Lake, a popular spot in Otter Tail County, you'd better wear shoes or risk getting sliced by razor-sharp zebra mussel shells.
"I'm not talking just little cuts but razor-blade cuts, like drops of blood up the dock," said Erika Johnson, whose family has owned a cabin on Pelican Lake for three generations.
Since zebra mussels first showed up in large numbers in Pelican Lake a couple of years ago, residents and visitors have learned to protect their feet by wearing shoes in the water.
Johnson said that's not the only change. She points to the green-tinted water with clumps of algae bobbing on the waves.
"We have never had this before, ever," she said.
Pelican Lake is one of more than 60 Minnesota lakes infested with zebra mussels. The state Department of Natural Resources infested waters list shows that 65 lakes in 15 counties have zebra mussel populations. When rivers and wetlands are added, the number grows to 100.
As zebra mussels spread across the state, there is growing tension between lake property owners and the state Department of Natural Resources over how to deal with the invasive species.
Some lake associations contend that the DNR isn't doing enough to prevent the spread of zebra mussels. DNR officials say constant complaints and criticism are hindering their efforts.
Zebra mussels can cause more algae and weed growth. They filter the lake water, allowing sunlight to penetrate more deeply. That causes more plant growth.
The changed conditions also kill most native clams. That really bothers Johnson.
"Oh, my gosh," she exclaimed on a recent visit to the lake. "Here's finally a live one."
As a friend swimming near the dock dumped a mass of zebra mussels on the dock, Johnson picked up a native clam covered in zebra mussels. In the other hand she held an empty clam shell also encrusted with zebra mussels.
"They're not even finding native clams now," she said. "That to me is really sad because they've always been part of this lake and you always collected their shells as kids, and now they're just not here."
Johnson said watching the lake she grew up on change so quickly makes her realize what's at stake in the battle against zebra mussels.
"It's not some lake far away. It's our lake," she said. "Everybody's got the lake that is their lake, that they visit or live on or enjoy on weekends. And now when it's your lake that's affected, it hits home and that's why people are freaking out."
Thousands of other Minnesotans are anxious about the future of their lakes.
Aquatic invasive species are nothing new in Minnesota lakes. Plants like eurasian milfoil have been around for years. But zebra mussels appear to be a game changer, said Jeff Forester, executive director of the Minnesota Seasonal Recreational Property Owners Coalition.
"I have never been involved in an issue that has this much grass-roots and this much passion and this much mobilization around the state," said Forester, who has worked as a lobbyist on lake property issues for 20 years. "It's a truly grass-roots, uncontrollable push as people understand the threats to their lakes and their economies and their way of life."
That push for action, directed at the Department of Natural Resources, is creating friction between lake property organizations and department officials.
The tension boiled over last month at a meeting in St. Paul between DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and a half dozen people representing lake property groups across the state.
Several lake association members at the meeting say the commissioner shouted at them and demanded they stop wasting the agency's time with constant complaints and demands. Becker County Coalition of Lake Associations representative Terry Kalil said the message was clear.
"It was 'We don't want to hear from you; your input is not valued; your volunteer service is not appreciated or welcomed,'" Kalil said.
DNR representatives who were at the meeting played down the confrontation but concede the meeting was heated.
Landwehr said he was frustrated by the volume of complaints and questions about the aquatic invasive species program.
"Really, at this meeting I said, 'Look, we've got the money we're going to get, we've got the authority we're going to get, we've got a program we've got to implement. So I'm asking people to let us do our job and get the work done rather than going back and forth about what could be done or couldn't be done or ought to be done better or isn't being done enough,'" he recalled. "I was hoping people would understand we need to work together rather than just have a bunch of rock throwing."
The DNR must work within its $8.5 million budget for combating aquatic invasive species, said Landwehr, who suggests the best way lake property owners can help the agency is to lobby the Legislature for more money.
Landwehr said the six people in the meeting are among the most vocal on the issue of zebra mussels. He said they represent only a small percentage of lakeshore residents.
But the six people in that meeting with the commissioner work for organizations that represent tens of thousands of lake property owners from the Twin Cities metro area to northern Minnesota. They admit to aggressively challenging the DNR's invasive species programs and complain the DNR moves too slowly.
Kalil, vice president of the Becker County Coalition of Lake Associations, said his group applied for a $7,500 invasive species grant early this year for educational materials. The grant application lists March 5 as the date grants would be awarded, so the Becker County group planned a major education outreach for the May 12 fishing opener.
"We got word that we received our grant two days before fishing opener," Kalil said. "Two days. As a result we had nothing ready. To me that is an epic failure."
But the DNR considers that a minor glitch. Landwehr said that the agency is constantly determining staff priorities and that was why the grant awards were delayed.
The lake property groups also complain the DNR has been slow to hire aquatic invasive species inspectors who staff boat landings.
The agency announced in May it would have 150 inspectors in the field this summer. A DNR official said so far 123 inspectors have been hired because hiring so many people takes time.
Members of lake groups also want to know how the DNR is using decontamination units designed to clean boats with high-pressure hot water. The agency added new units this year and now has 23 decontamination units deployed. The DNR's regional coordinators determine where to send the units.
Landwehr said the barrage of criticism, questions and demands sap staff time and morale.
"Telling us to do more without telling us what we drop in order to do more is really not very productive," he said. "A lot of what we're dealing with now and a lot of the frustration I think is that stuff that is not particularly constructive, not particularly useful, simply asks us to do things we aren't going to be able to do."
The DNR recently announced it is formalizing a stakeholder group to advise the agency on aquatic invasive species, but it has yet to determine the criteria for membership. The group is expected to be in place by late this year.
The heart of this tension appears to be a fundamental disagreement on how to deal with zebra mussels.
Lake groups want the DNR to take a "stop the invasion" approach. The agency is focused on slowing the spread.
Steve Hirsch, the director of the Division of Ecological and Water Resources for the DNR, said the agency has to maintain a balanced approach on aquatic invasive species.
"We're trying to track a middle ground where we're taking actions we think will help prevent the spread ... but not doing things that are going to impede access to our lakes," he said. "That's the strategy the DNR is trying to use right now."
That strategy has some lake association leaders so frustrated that they are looking for ways to go around the DNR and create their own initiatives to protect their lakes.
Some might restrict public access or hire private inspectors to staff boat ramps, actions that likely would run afoul of DNR regulations or state law.
Forester, the head of the seasonal property group, said he worries the conflict between lake property organizations and the DNR will result in a patchwork of initiatives.
But on the other hand, Forester said, conflict could lead to positive change.
"When local people are out ahead of the issue, that creates conflict," he said. "I think that's OK and appropriate. I think that's how these things happen. It's that old idea: If the people lead, the leaders will follow. And while it's true, it's not very comfortable."
It also takes time. Forester worries the state doesn't have much time to contain the spread of zebra mussels.
Gallery
The infestation of zebra mussels in many Minnesota lakes is changing lake culture. Fifteen-year-old Kendra Gilsdorf of Lake Sally, Minn., now wears shoes when swimming during visits to her grandparents' home on Pelican Lake. While zebra mussels typically measure less than 2 inches in size, their shells are hard and can cut the skin. Gilsdorf was photographed on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Her sister, Megan, 12, is pictured at left.Ann Arbor Miller for MPRView full galleryA sign warns boaters and other lake-goers about the presence of zebra mussels in Pelican Lake at a public access on Thursday, July 12, 2012.Ann Arbor Miller for MPRStorm clouds gather over Pelican Lake on the evening of Thursday, July 12, 2012. Pelican is just one of dozens of Minnesota lakes dealing with a zebra mussel infestation.Ann Arbor Miller for MPRA cluster of zebra mussels rest on a piece of driftwood that was pulled from Pelican Lake on Thursday, July 12, 2012.Ann Arbor Miller for MPR | {
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LEAP 2025 Social Studies Grade 4 Chapter 9 Sample
Student Name:
1pt
2.
is an important part of economics. Two things are necessary for this exchange to occur. First, producers must be free to choose what to make and sell. Second, consumers must be free to choose what to buy.
1 pt
6.
Look at the choices below. Then select three correct answers. About specialization –
A
often helps a regions economy
B
Farmers in the Middle colonies specialized in corn and tobacco
C
occurs when a business can only makes one product
D
Every time a leader, group, or individual makes an economic or financial decision, something must be given up.
E
occurs when a region, business, or person focuses on producing one thing. | {
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A Pair Of Queens
A Pair Of Queens
Description
LOCATION: Cozumel, Mexico
STORY: “Queen angelfish are notoriously difficult to approach and photograph. For years, I had gotten only butt-shots as they swam away as soon as I got within range, but on this serendipitous day, I saw from a distance that they might….just might….. swim through a small crevice, and I was waiting patiently. One shot, one opportunity, before they quickly presented me with the normal butt-shot, or as my late friend Piers would often so eloquently put it – the southbound end of a northbound fish.” – Gug | {
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Facility Information
University of South Carolina offensive tackle Quintin Richardson underwent a successful surgical procedure Tuesday morning to repair a tendon in his left shoulder. The procedure was performed at Palmetto Richland Hospital under the direction of Dr. Jeffery Guy with USC Sports Medicine.
Richardson, a 6-4, 276-pound junior from Columbia's Spring Valley High School, will be sidelined indefinitely.
Last season, Richardson played in eight games making five starts. He started the first four games at right tackle and was moved to a backup role before regaining his starting assignment in the regular season finale against Clemson. Richardson did not participate in the PapaJohns.com Bowl after undergoing right shoulder surgery in December.
The 2010 Gamecocks will officially report on August 2 and will hold their first practice of fall camp on August 3. Fan Appreciation Day is set for Sunday afternoon, August 15 with the exact time to be announced at a later date. | {
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Volunteering May Make People Happier, Study Finds
FRIDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Volunteering may improve your mental health and help you live longer, a new review suggests.
Researchers analyzed data from 40 published papers and found evidence that volunteers had a 20 percent lower risk of death than non-volunteers. In addition, volunteers had lower levels of depression, increased life satisfaction and enhanced well-being.
Further research is needed to understand the apparent link between volunteering and health, the review authors noted.
"Our systematic review shows that volunteering is associated with improvements in mental health, but more work is needed to establish whether volunteering is actually the cause," review leader Dr. Suzanne Richards, from the University of Exeter Medical School in England, said in a university news release.
"It is still unclear whether biological and cultural factors and social resources that are often associated with better health and survival are also associated with a willingness to volunteer in the first place. The challenge now is to encourage people from more diverse backgrounds to take up volunteering, and then to measure whether improvements arise for them," she explained.
The findings were published Aug. 22 in the journal BMC Public Health.
Worldwide, the number of adult volunteers varies, with estimates of about 23 percent in Europe, 27 percent in the United States, and 36 percent in Australia, according to the news release.
Common reasons that people cite for volunteering include giving something back to their community or supporting an organization or charity that has supported them. Some people also volunteer to gain work experience or to widen their social circles. | {
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