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Who would have thought one of the most amusing and oddly insightful romantic comedies would be built around the power and the potent pull of porn?
Playing it straight out of New Jersey, that sweet-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the hopeless romantic of "(500) Days of Summer," has pulled off the subversive, seductive fun of "Don Jon" in fine fashion — complete with guinea tee — starring in, writing and directing his first feature film.
"The Don," or "Don Jon," is one Jon Martello Jr., a proudly single guy of Italian heritage whose ability to one-night-stand the most attractive female in the bar on any given night has made him a living legend. Bada-boom.
Scarlett Johansson plays his perfect opposite number. Barbara Sugarman's a gum-smacking beauty determined to "sophisticate" her life, turn that blue collar white on any potential mate. Julianne Moore is the film's X-factor — what she brings you won't see coming. Tony Danza's ranting dad, Jon Sr., is such a meatball — both consuming them and that ever-present plate of spaghetti with remarkable gusto and embodying that very specific male type — that I'm really hoping Hollywood is reminded of what a swell tough Danza can be.
Much of "Don Jon's" likability is because of its unapologetic frankness. Case in point: The film opens with Jon pointing out all the things he loves in his life — and Jon really loves his porn. He practices daily and religiously. Be forewarned, on this front "Don Jon" represents. The imagery is bodacious, bountiful and graphic.
So how did a movie about porn turn into a clever romantic comedy and, gulp, manage to be so meaningful?
Certainly a great deal of credit goes to Gordon-Levitt for his shrewd take on the topic. But it feels as if something larger is afoot. With films like "Don Jon" and, earlier this summer, the caustic apocalyptic pop of "This Is the End," perhaps R-rated comedy is moving past its mindless "Hangover" phase.
"Don Jon" is definitely smarter than your average R. It's as if the 32-year-old actor has taken everything he's learned — working with directors as diverse as big-vision Christopher Nolan and artful-indie Jonathan Levine and roles as distinct as the time-traveling hitman in "Looper" and his love-struck cancer patient in "50/50" — and rolled the collective wisdom into "Don Jon."
As a result, Jon is no one-dimensional dude. Sure, he may be addicted to porn, but he's seriously devoted to his boys, Bobby (Rob Brown) and Danny (Jeremy Luke), and his family, silent-texting sister Monica (Brie Larson milking the dialogue she's given), dad and a slightly hysterical mom (Glenne Headly).
There is his body too, gym-toned to perfection; his wheels, a vintage Chevy Chevelle SS; and his church, Catholic, to which he is faithful. Every Sunday he's there with the family, followed by confession — his primary sins masturbation and sex out of wedlock. A few Hail Marys, a clean slate and Jon is set for the week ahead.
Until the night Barbara shows up at the bar. She might be "the one," and the nagging sense that Jon may actually want something more than sex sets up the major axis on which the film turns.
On the surface, much of the humor is derived from baser instincts. The way Jon describes his dedication to porn is remarkably scientific and with a precision Masters and Johnson could only dream about. You do begin to understand what watching does for him and why he finds it more satisfying than the real thing, though lord knows he has plenty of that too.
But in using porn as Jon's touchstone and the Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet "Titanic" affair as Barbara's, Gordon-Levitt has zeroed in on the central friction of media-enhanced romantic expectations. Johansson is excellent in taking Barbara from tease to torturer, wielding her sexuality like a club. The couple's clashing ideals come into sharp focus during a heated argument over the merits of Swiffer. Yes, a mop makes a major mess. The humor tempered by hurt is classic.
The movie never forgets that relationships are messy too. Moore turns up as Ester, an unconventional complication. Jon first spots the sobbing woman at his night class and steers clear. When she wanders over to apologize and catches him watching porn on his cell, Jon's world view shifts again.
Gordon-Levitt peels back yet another layer of gender politics in their relationship. There is the age difference, and there is the sex. But it is in bridging the intellectual divide between them that the film gets interesting.
The acting is fine all around, but Gordon-Levitt is the anchor, wearing that Jersey accent like he was born with it. The crew, from camera to set design, does its work to keep that vibe going. It suits one of the film's smart secondary themes particularly well, that of the working class. Watching Jon behind the wheel of his souped-up Chevy shouting F-bombs at the idiots on the road, then seeing Jon Sr. hurling the same epithets at the idiots on TV, you see the traditions that bind father and son.
And if the plotting and the romancing in "Don Jon" goes slightly soft at the end, can't we forgive a guy a little sentimentality? Geez.


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Pat Summerall, the NFL player-turned-broadcaster whose deep, resonant voice called games for more than 40 years, has died at the age of 82.
Summerall died Tuesday of cardiac arrest, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center spokesman Jeff Carlton said, speaking on behalf of Summerall's wife, Cheri. (Read reaction and quotes from those who knew him best here.)
Summerall, a resident of Southlake, Texas, was known primarily for his broadcasting career and his decades-long partnership with color commentator John Madden.
However, before broadcasting a single game, Summerall played college football for the University of Arkansas between 1949 and 1951. In 1952, Summerall began a 10-year career in professional football, playing first for the Detroit Lions, then the Chicago Cardinals and finally the New York Giants.
Throughout his athletic career, he was primarily known as a place kicker, though did get in a few snaps at tight end for the Giants.
After leaving the NFL, Summerall joined CBS Sports as a color commentator. He made his mark in broadcasting, though, through his partnership with Madden, to whom he'd be tethered to on-air for more than two decades.
The pair moved to FOX in 1994 after leading the broadcast team for CBS since 1979.
In broadcasting, Summerall was part of network television broadcasts for 16 Super Bowls. His last championship game was for Fox on Feb. 3, 2002, also his last game with Madden.
"He was something very special. Pat Summerall is the voice of football and always will be," said John Madden via Fox Sports. "Pat was my broadcasting partner for a long time, but more than that he was my friend for all of these years. Pat Summerall is the voice of football and always will be."
In addition to football, Summerall also provided commentary for PGA matches and U.S. Open matches.
Over the years, Summerall retired from broadcasting at least twice, only to be lured back into the broadcast booth in 2002 and 2007.
"All of us who are in any way sports fans can close our eyes, and hear his voice and know something important is happening. And by the way, if he was ordering grilled cheese for lunch, that made it a pretty important grilled cheese," said "Voice of the Dallas Cowboys," sportscaster Brad Sham.
Most recently, between 2007 and 2010, Summerall was the play-by-play voice of the Cotton Bowl Classic. Organizers tweeted the following message after learning of his death Tuesday.
We are saddened by the passing of Pat Summerall. Pat had been the play-by-play voice of the Classic's @foxsports broadcast for recent games.
— AT&T Cotton Bowl (@ATTCottonBowl) April 16, 2013
Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones released the following statement on the passing of Pat Summerall:
Pat was the NFL's narrator for generations, with a voice that was powerful, eloquent and distinctive.
His presence at an NFL game elevated that event to a higher level. He was royalty in the broadcast booth. He was respected and admired by players, coaches, commissioners and Presidents of our country—and always a gentleman—someone who had time for the fans in the parking lot after the game.
Humility and kindness were his closest companions. He was a trusted friend and confidant, and for all of his immense talents as a professional, he was an even better person.
For a man who could dramatically capture a moment with very few words, there simply aren't enough words to adequately describe what he meant to sports and broadcasting in this country.
There is no question that Pat broadcast more Dallas games on CBS and FOX than any other man, and this is a great loss for thousands of Cowboys fans who spent their Sunday afternoons in the living room with Pat.
Our hearts go out to Cheri and his family. Pat was an icon and an American original.
Funeral arrangements for Summerall have not yet been revealed.

subset: commoncrawl


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Defiant Clarence Thomas fires back
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas – his impartiality under attack from liberals because of his attendance at a meeting of conservative donors sponsored by the Koch brothers and his wife's tea party activism – struck a defiant tone in a Saturday night speech in Charlottesville, Va., telling a friendly audience that he and his wife "believe in the same things" and "are focused on defending liberty."
Delivering the keynote speech at an annual symposium for conservative law students, Thomas spoke in vague, but ominous, terms about the direction of the country and urged his listeners to "redouble your efforts to learn about our country so that you're in a position to defend it."
Story Continued Below
He also lashed out at his critics, without naming them, asserting they "seem bent on undermining" the High Court as an institution. Such criticism, Thomas warned, could erode the ability of American citizens to fend off threats to their way of life.
"You all are going to be, unfortunately, the recipients of the fallout from that – that there's going to be a day when you need these institutions to be credible and to be fully functioning to protect your liberties," he said, according to a partial recording of the speech provided to POLITICO by someone who was at the meeting.
"And that's long after I'm gone, and that could be either a short or a long time, but you're younger, and it's still going to be a necessity to protect the liberties that you enjoy now in this country."
Thomas spoke at the closing banquet for the symposium, which was sponsored by the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group. Several hundred law students, professors, Federalist Society staffers and guests were in the audience for his speech, which was closed to the press.
It was the first time Thomas has spoken out – at least in a semi-public setting – about the mounting controversies that have swirled around him and his wife, Virginia Thomas, who goes by "Ginni" and who was in Charlottesville with her husband.
The justice's critics have argued that his attendance at, and speech to, a private January 2008 gathering of major conservative donors sponsored by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers in Palm Springs, Calif. and his wife's political activism have compromised his position on the court.
The liberal group Common Cause suggested in a January letter to the Justice Department that Justice Thomas's connection to conservative donors may have been grounds for him to recuse himself from the Supreme Court's ruling last year in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the court's decision striking down decades-old restrictions on political spending.
Thomas sided with the conservative majority in the decision, which allowed corporations to fund political ads and contributed to an explosion in advertising campaigns funded with anonymous contributions in the 2010 midterm elections.
At conferences like the one in Palm Springs in 2008, the wealthy Koch brothers, Charles and David, and their operatives have raised millions of dollars for groups that air such ads, POLITICO has reported.
Thomas's expenses for the conference were paid for by the Federalist Society, sponsor of Saturday's symposium, according to his financial disclosure forms. Tax filings show that the Kochs, through their family's charitable foundations, have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the society, though that represents only a fraction of the group's overall budget, which comes from hundreds of donors.


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Who is going? Who wants to room together? Who just wants to hang out in Boston? Where be the gamers!!!!!!!
PAX East is going to be Easter weekend of April, so if you don't have family obligations and would like to meet another CGer and increase your awesome time....post here!!


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In Grasshopper Manufacture's Shadows of the Damned, hero Garcia Hotspur has a demonic pal named Johnson that can transform into various weapons, tools, and even vehicles. Why? So they could release an 'Enlarge your Johnson' video.
Part of me wants to believe this entire game was developed and funded specifically to make this video. It seems unlikely that Grasshopper and EA would work together on the world's most expensive dick joke, but then this is a game co-created by Goichi Suda of No More Heroes fame, so I wouldn't write off the idea completely.
Shadows of the Damned visits the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 21. You'll have to keep your hands off your Johnson until then.


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She's sleeping now.
I managed to clean her up as much as I could,
And the women from the inn took away the birth straw.
They were far too busy after that to be bothered with her anymore.
The rooms were all full and the guests were shouting for their dinners and liquor and calling for service.
It was kind of the woman to give us some old birth cloths to wrap him in,
Said they were old, but clean, even if they had been used before.
She didn't seem to mind.
The boy has blue eyes.
Seems like a healthy lad, at least as far as I can tell.
That'll be a blessing anyway, it's hard enough feeding her and me just now.
Business has really fallen off since the Romans started squeezing the last coins from our pockets to pay for all their foreign wars.
He'll have to get used to hard work if he wants to keep his place by the fire and share what little food there is.
As I say, he looks sound enough, but what do I, an old man, know of these things, I never had a son before.
I wonder, were his father's eyes that piercing blue.
I've known her since she was very young.
Her father recently asked me to marry her as I was still alone, even after all these years.
He made me a good offer because he already had three other girls and she was, well, she was the least comely,
And he simply couldn't afford marriage portions for all of them,
That was how he put it.
When I agreed, he gave me a longer lease on the workshop and said he wouldn't press too hard for rent,
If I wasn't doing so well that quarter
Nice of him to do that, I thought
The only condition he wanted was to announce our engagement soon
Because she was expecting a child and he did not know who the father was.
Neither did she apparently, except that it came from heaven,
Or so she said, some daft story about an angel,
And her being chosen for a special task.
Don't suppose it makes a lot of difference anyway.
I'd been having some really odd dreams about this time and I found that I didn't mind about not being the father,
Although it took a bit of getting used to at first.
The men in the wine shop said I was a fool,
Said I could have held out for a lot more
Called her father a skinflint, said I was doing him a real favour
While the women talked about her in corners,
Making pointed references to certain dates in the calendar
And the arrival of a new cohort of Roman soldiers in the town.
But she simply put her hand in mine
And said she would be a good wife to me
And after that,
I found that it really didn't matter at all.
She's a strong little thing.
I'll say that for her, and when we were told we had to make this winter journey to get registered for the new taxes,
She didn't make a fuss, but just gathered her few bits and pieces
And went to see to the donkey.
She put what we needed in a bag and handed me the reins
And said we should start soon, as it looked as if the weather would be closing in.
She never once questioned the reason for having to go so far,
It kind of seemed like she was almost expecting it.
I thought we would make it all the way.
Except she couldn't go on any longer as she was far too tired and her feet were bleeding.
And when her waters broke and the baby started coming, she simply asked me to find her somewhere to lie down,
And she said she would be alright if I didn't stray too far away.
This inn was just down the road,
But the landlord said he was full up with paying guests
Unless of course I had enough money to pay for his best room
And by the look of our condition, he said he somehow doubted it!
I told him we were broke.
He just stood there with his huge fists on his hips and laughed
And shook his head and told me to get lost and not to waste his time.
His wife understood though, and said he should be ashamed and that we could use the stable
As long as we didn't mind sharing with the animals.
She came with her mother and old cloths and hot water later
But as I said, they couldn't stay long
She asked us not to think too hardly of her husband,
Said that he was a good man really.
She didn't want me then.
Told me to go away and not to come back until it was finished.
I began to argue but she was insistent,
Said that this was something she had to do alone and that she would receive all the help she needed, but she didn't say from where.
Just told me not to be too far away.
She was right of course, what was I really going to be able to do to help, what experience do I have of these things
She only screamed out once, a man's name I think,
But I didn't catch it.
Then, later, the strangers started to arrive.
You would have thought that they would had more consideration.
I mean it's bad enough trying to manage a new birth,
On your own, in a cowshed, without constant interruptions.
First a crowd of smelly sheepherders, the poorest kind who live out on the hills all year round, not much better than brigands and thieves,
Men with rough hands and even rougher speech, and dressed in fleeces which stank
They all insisted on crowding in to see the child
And wouldn't take no for an answer.
The landlord tried,
He wouldn't let them in at first.
Said he ran a classy house and said they had no money to spend
and that they would only frighten his paying guests.
He took some real persuading, but they were very persistent.
Their leader kept going on about angels telling them about the baby and how they had to come and witness his birth.
It's all nonsense of course, they'd probably all been drinking,
But they did seem genuinely pleased to see the boy
She didn't say anything, she just smiled.
Just as she was about to go to sleep the professors turned up.
Said they had come a long way and pointed at a star they claimed to have followed, but among all the others blazing away on that freezing cold night, I couldn't make it out.
They at least brought some presents, but these educated types have no common sense at all.
What is a simple carpenter going to do with myrrh? She can probably use the frankincense to air the clothes, but God knows what I'll do with the gold.
I'll have to hide it from the taxman, and hope no-one gets to hear of it.
They talked a lot of blather most of the time, or so I thought,
But isn't that just like academics all over.
They did tell me not to go home to Galilee just now
Seems it isn't safe because the King has been asking a lot of questions about some other king being born.
That rules us out of course
But I think I'Il take their advice anyway, it doesn't pay to pick quarrels with kings, priests or politicians.
It's a lesson to teach the boy when he's older,
No point in looking for trouble if you don't have to.
I'll have my hands full just teaching him the trade
Seems strange now looking at his tiny hands to think how will they ever get used to managing the skills of the carpenter.
But he looks strong, he'll learn, and when he's finished his apprenticeship, I'll take him into the business with me.
That'll be good, the two of us working together.
And when he has learned enough to be about his father's business,
We should be able to bring in enough to rent the olive grove behind the workshop,
And maybe buy some goats for his mother.
I'll teach him all my skills so he won't hurt himself.
Just making a simple joint to hold two pieces of wood together is a complex operation,
If they are going to last and draw from each other's strengths.
Using hammers and saws needs time to learn,
The slightest slip when working in wood can cause great pain,
I couldn't bear to think of the flesh of his hands being torn by nails.
No doubt you'll say its an occupational hazard for a carpenter
But he seems different somehow, I can't really explain it.
Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age.
We'll leave in a few days
When she's stronger and there's more colour in her cheeks and she can feed him properly.
I'll thank the innkeeper of course, but frankly, he's been acting a bit oddly since the professors left and keeps touching his forehead and calling me sir!
We'll have to register another time, when it gets a bit easier.
We have to think of a name for him as well. I expect she's already thought of that, but if she has, she hasn't let me know.
She'll probably say the angel told her.


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NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes fell Thursday, pushing the Dow to its lowest since July, after U.S. retailers turned in mixed earnings reports.
Wal-Mart's stock dropped $2.78 to $68.50 after the company issued a weak forecast for fourth-quarter profits. Ross Stores, whose stores includes Ross Dress for Less, fell $1.41 to $53.71 after its earnings forecast for the next quarter disappointed analysts. Limited Brands, the owner of Victoria's Secret, dropped $1.19 to $45.40 after its earnings outlook also fell short of analysts' expectations.
The Dow Jones industrial average wavered between small gains and losses shortly after the opening bell, then moved decisively lower at midmorning. As of 12:03 p.m. it was down 50 points at 12,521.22. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down five points at 1,351 and the Nasdaq composite was down 15 at 2,832.95
Stocks have fallen steadily since the Presidential election last week, when voters returned President Barack Obama and a divided Congress to power. Concern that political wrangling will stop lawmakers from reaching a deal on reducing the budget deficit has prompted the selling. The Dow lost 5 percent from Election Day, Nov. 6, through Wednesday's close.
A series of sharp tax increases and government spending cuts will go into effect Jan. 1 unless Obama and Congress reach a deal first. The impact would total $700 billion for 2013 and could send the country back into recession.
Superstorm Sandy drove the number of people seeking unemployment benefits up to 439,000 last week, the Labor Department reported. Applications for benefits rose 78,000, mostly because a large number were filed in states damaged by the storm.
The S&P 500 has declined 7.8 percent from its peak this year. The gauge reached 1,465 Sept. 14 after the Federal Reserve said it would extend its so-called quantitative easing program and buy mortgage-backed debt with the aim of lowering long-term borrowing rates to encourage spending and bolster job growth.
The central bank released the minutes of its October meeting Thursday and suggested that it may also replace a soon-to-end program of buying U.S. government bonds to lower long-term interest rates and spur job growth.
Under an existing program, known as Operation Twist, the Fed has been selling $45 billion a month in short-term Treasuries and using the proceeds to buy an equal amount of longer-term securities.
"To me the upside is far more limited than the downside right now," said T. Dale, a portfolio manager at Security Ballew Wealth Management in Jackson, MS. "The market has gotten well ahead of itself and a lot of that has been associated with what the central banks have been doing and what the government has been doing in terms of deficit spending."
Dale says there is a 50 to 60 percent chance that the U.S. will be dragged back into recession by slowing global growth.
Europe is still laboring under its ongoing debt crisis. The European Union's statistics agency confirmed that the countries of the euro zone are in recession, with GDP contracting 0.1 percent in the third quarter from the previous three-month period.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was little changed at 1.59 percent.
Among other stocks making big moves:
NetApp, a data storage business, jumped $2.86 to $29.97 after the company reported earnings that were higher than analysts were expecting.
Viacom, the owner of Nickelodeon, MTV and the Paramount movie and TV studio, rose $1.73 to $49.72. The media conglomerate did better than investors had expected thanks to lower costs and higher fees from cable and satellite companies for carrying its cable networks.
Petsmart, a specialty pet retailer, jumped $4.43 to $69.27 after raising its full-year outlook.
Target rose $1.48 to $62.86 after reporting that its profit rose more than analysts had forecast. The company also issued a strong outlook heading into the critical holiday season.
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Harbaugh to Screen Film Again May 3by Jim Amidon • April 22, 2005 Share:
Russ Harbaugh '06 has quarterbacked the Wabash football team for the last two years. In that role, he is often seen as the consummate cheerleader for everything Wabash — the "guts, brains, spirit, and strength" it takes to be the man who leads the football team to victory at Little Giant Stadium.
He laughs when he says, "I became popular and liked only because of the thing I could do with a ball."
But there's another side to Harbaugh, a side that questions Wabash's notions of masculinity and even Wabash's status as a college for men.
He discovered that side after his twin brother, Barry, transferred from Wabash to the University of Evansville. After football season in his sophomore year, Russ found himself leaving Wabash every Friday to spend weekends with Barry and a new cadre of close, personal friends — most of whom were women.
Leaving Wabash allowed him to escape his typecast identity as a single-minded quarterback. He enjoyed bonding with women who cared less about football and wanted to talk politics and literature.
"At Evansville, football never even came up," he said with a smile. "And that was empowering."
So much so that Harbaugh approached Wabash professors Warren Rosenberg and Michael Abbott about an independent study project that would allow him to look deeply into Wabash's history as a college for men, question it, and at once work through his own personal frustrations.
The result is a documentary film, which will be re-shown Tuesday, May 3 at 4:30 p.m. in Salter Hall of the Fine Arts Center. Titled 'Beside Myself: Wabash Men and Coeducation,' the film is "the most involved, productive experience I've ever had," he said.
He screened the film to a packed house of Wabash students, faculty, staff, and alumni last Tuesday night. More than 300 viewers attended the event, many of whom were forced to stand, prompting Harbaugh to show the film again May 3.
Harbaugh says the environment at Wabash keeps people, issues, and ideas in boxes. As he commuted to Evansville to visit his twin, he grew more and more unhappy at Wabash. But he soon discovered that the balance he was achieving away from campus brought focus to his academic and athletic work at Wabash. "That balance made everything better, and I enjoyed football more than ever before," he said while still editing the final clips for the film in the College's media center.
"I think most Wabash guys have these constantly mixed emotions about being here, and those emotions are what drive this project. There is this hypermasculine identity of the students, who outwardly love Wabash as a single-sex school, but who inside probably feel like I do about it.
"I feel like I'm doing something with this film that matters to a lot of people, and using my role as a football player to spark the discussion. We're sitting on a laboratory for masculine studies here, so it's something we ought to talk about openly and honestly."
The film includes clips of everyday life at Wabash; interviews with student leaders, faculty, and staff; and Harbaugh's personal narration from beginning to end. He describes it as the "history of Wabash and its struggle with coeducation" and "a visual memoir" of his experiences and frustrations at the College."
While still a bit nervous about how viewers will react to a film that questions — and in some cases criticizes — Wabash's very essence, it's easy to see how excited Harbaugh is as he completes the project. The film became the vehicle that allowed him to work through his pain and frustrations, and the result is a more healthy Harbaugh.
"As I grow and learn to balance myself more, I'm a happier person."
Amidon is Wabash College's Director of Public Affairs and College secretary.


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Beside david-cam-3.1-m i am also using monochrom industrial cam ICS ueye UI-1540-m.
Based on my experience with that cam i want to ask for the following two features in order to make DAVID much more compatible with various monochrome cam's.
1. David supports only "Y800" monochrome codec.
Request is to support also "Y8" monochrome codec (and/or "RAW bayer" format used from ICS) as used from ICS ueye cameras.
2. Monochrome cameras usually also provide RGB8 and RGB24 codes which are fully supported from DAVID. Unfortunately with RGB codec the textures are not capured in color from DAVID.
Request is to support also the capturing of colorized texture if monochrome camera is used by using RGB codec.
The feature will bring much more compatiblitly for other monochrome cameras.


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Swimming Pool Blog
by Rob Cox, October 14, 2011
Swimming Pool Heat Pumps: Florida loved, Michigan tested.
Swimming pool heat pumps have been the dominant pool heater in the Florida pool market for years. Most of the pool heat pump manufacturers are also located in the Sunshine State. And for good reason - with moderate to warm temps all year around, heat pumps can easily heat pools year 'round - at a very low rate. So low in fact, that pool heat pumps are endorsed many organizations in Florida that appreciate it's economical and eco-friendly form of pool heating.
Pool heat pumps can have efficiency rated at over 500%, which can equate to a savings of over 80% of the cost of operating a gas pool heater. There is a downside however, heat pumps typically cost almost twice as much to purchase as a gas pool heater, but the payback can occur in a little as 1-2 years of pool heating.
Heat pumps use a technology similar to your household air conditioner, just in reverse order. Pool heat pumps use a compressor and refridgerant to absorb the ambient heat from the surrounding air, and transfer the absorbed heat to a super-cooled metal coil, which in turns transfers it's heat into the pool water running through the heat pump.
Installing a new swimming pool heat pump can be the easiest type of pool heater to install. After unboxing your shiny new heat pump, place it on a sturdy and level bit of concrete or a plastic platform. With a hacksaw, cut your pvc pipe after it exits the pool filter, and with bits of pipe and pvc fittings, connect the piping in and out of the heat pump. Easy to use compression unions are used on the heat pump.
With heat pumps, there is no gas line to connect, but they do need to be powered with their own dedicated electric circuit. Most pool heat pumps require a dedicated circuit breaker, of at least 30 amp. If you have a sub-panel (breaker box) at your pool equipment pad, you should be able to add another 30 amps, as most sub-panels will accept 100 amp service. If you do not have a sub panel by your equipment line, you may need to run power from the main house breaker box to the location of your heat pump. Make sure to use a qualified electrician to make any upgrades to your electical service.
Pool heat pumps will heat your pool as hot as you want, even to 100 degrees on warm days - but their effectiveness wanes when average outside temps fall below 50 degrees, and below 40 degrees will struggle with putting out any heat at all. During the swim season however, and during the shoulder months of March/April and October/November - pool heat pumps will heat your pool without a problem.
Heat pumps are slow and steady. You'll not find them as fast as a gas pool heater, which can add as much as 3 degrees per hour, but a properly sized heat pump can usually add 1 degree per hour, during average summer temps.
Compared to gas heaters, pool heat pumps are virtually maintenance free. They literally require no maintenance, you only need to keep leaves and mulch raked up around the unit. Extremely durable, in the last 10 years, none of our pool heat pumps on our pool service routes have required any maintenance. $0.00 in repair costs, easy start ups every spring. Sure, they don't last forever, but compared to gas pool heaters, pool heat pumps are very low maintenance.
Heat pumps for pools have added a list of features in recent years:
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Enjoy your pool longer each year, consider replacing your inefficient, polluting and fossil fuel hungry gas pool heater with a sleek, quiet and safe swimming pool heat pump.


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Do You Love Friesians? You're In the Right Place!
Every website on FHANAMembers.com belongs to a member of FHANA, the Friesian Horse Association of North America. That means Friesians galore! You'll see many outstanding Friesian horses for sale with phots and videos, as well as other horse services all ready to be discovered.
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Born and raised in San Francisco, Jamie Zimmer is inspired by jazz singers Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan. Jamie is a SFJAZZ High School All Stars alumni and is currently singing for the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble. She has sung at venues including Carnegie Hall, SFJAZZ Center, Yoshi's San Francisco, Old Skool Cafe and the Teatro Valle in Rome. You can read more about Jamie at www.jamiezimmer.com
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: May 11Closed for Special Event
Later Event: May 13Strawberry Jam


text:
The Castillo Theatre Dares to Dream
License to Dream, a play at the Castillo Theatre brings East New York together with East Hampton
If you live
in an area that does not offer much hope you often dream of being somewhere
else. Anywhere where the grass is
greener and the beaches are cleaner. "License
to Dream" is a play featured at the Castillo Theatre, located at 543 West 42nd
Street in Manhattan, which bring youngsters from East New York together with
underpaid dance instructors in East Hampton, in a bid to teach one another the
art of dance. And, along the way, respect
each other's culture and learn that no matter who you are, you can dare to
A bit rough
around the edges, young minority youth from East New Yorkers wonder what the
majority of white young dance instructors could teach them about rhythm. Something so natural to these youngsters,
that other than simply getting out of the city for the summer, they cannot
fathom what they could possible learn about dance other than what they already
After some
initial frustration and sparring with their instructors, the kids learn they
can fly. Fly not only in their dreams
and ambitions but through the art of ballet.
They found that ballet could teach them structure, balance, purity of
line, simplicity of style, fluidity of motion, hope and a sense of freedom and
increased self-confidence the kids had never known. Both instructors and students learned that
preconceptions formed about one another, is just that -- false opinions that
have nothing to do with the reality of what and who people really are.
The charming young
cast members who performed as the youngsters from East New York, consisted of Kimarra
Cannonier (Shantelle); Christian Colon (Tyrone); Lauren "ElleCee" Curet
(Taneisha); Ty Evans (Aleem); and Rosemarie Madera (Nona). Ivanova as Edie; Kyla Ernst Alper as Justine;
Cornelius Brown as Doug; Melissa Rose Corning as Chris; Matthew Sparks as Brad
and Robin Taylor as Annie, played the role of the dance instructors. The majority of cast members have a
background in dance. Dance numbers and songs
included: The Flying Dance, Dreaming and Dancing, I Got Rhythm Down, Ready or
Not and License to Dream/Goin Home.
License to Dream is a feel good play that will run
until June 5th (with no performances Memorial Day weekend) and written
by Fred Newman, directed by David Nackman, music composition by David
Truskinoff and choreography by Javier Dzul.
"License to Dream" is wonderful musical fare. Go check it out!
parties can call the Castillo Theatre Box Office for tickets at 212-941-1234 or
go online at www.castillo.org.
As one
watches the play, one cannot help but get caught up in the fun and embrace the
human factor and moral lesson of the production. That being, that we are all one. Whether from the rich side of town or the
poor side -- given the opportunity to rise above their circumstance, most
people when given love, guidance, hope, encouragement and the opportunity, will
grab the brass ring and rise to higher ideals.
Latest comments
- Ann GarrisonFebruary 22,2018 @ 08:03 PM
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
googletag.pubads().definePassback('6785150/BENN/BlackStarNews', [[300,250]]).setTargeting('fold',['BTF']).display();


text:
Promotional materials are essential for photographers of all disciplines. Each week we feature an outstanding promo based on its design, cleverness, and ability to accurately reflect the photographer's aesthetic.
Photographer: Kristianne Koch
Designer: Kristianne (with guidance from her husband)
Want to have your promo featured? Mail your promotional materials along with your name and the name of the designer (if applicable) to:
The Kiernan Gallery, 23B W. Washington St., Lexington, VA 24450


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Transform an ordinary home into an extraordinary home with Fypon pediments. Offering a wide range of styles and sizes, nothing can make a statement – and enhance nearly any architectural style – like pediments. Many pediments are designed to work specifically with certain Fypon crossheads and pilasters. Paint or stain to create the finish that matches your style of home.
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It is AgSouth's desire to develop the one acre small farm into an educational and informational resource to the communities it serves. The farm will provide opportunities for young people to have a hands-on farming experience. In conjunction with local FFA chapters, 4-H clubs,Master Gardeners, and others, thefarm will be utilized to demonstrate, teach, and test farming techniques.
Address: 1325 Pearman Dairy Rd., Anderson, SC 29625
County: Anderson
Website: http://www.agsouthfc.com
Contact Person: Terry Wyatt
Phone: 864-226-8507
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Web Design in Florence, AL
Our team helps businesses get ahead of the competition by utilizing our knowledge & skills. We specialize in premium web design, SEO, social media marketing, app design & PPC for small to medium businesses. With so many professionals vying for market share in a highly competitive industry, it is more important than ever to build a strong presence both in the community and online. Our willingness to explore new concepts, trends, programs and platforms defines our approach to marketing and exemplifies our appreciation for challenging, unique projects.
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Designed with the do-it-yourself user in mind, making it notably easy for your you to maintain and update your website on their own, long after the project has successfully completed. Managing websites is a matter of dragging-and dropping, pulling on corners to resize images, and WYSIWYG editing. If you've used a computer in the past twenty years you'll feel right at home.
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text:
Obama's First Israel Visit as President, and More
What's News: President Obama calls Israel America's 'greatest friend' in his first visit to the nation; JP Morgan gets downgraded over the 'London Whale'; Walgreens, Alliance Boots and AmerisourceBergen make a prescription drug deal. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... interspersed with Israel as president this is what's news at this hour I'm WS J live unto Lanco ... president Obama calling Israel America's greatest friend and assuring the Middle East ally and is administration's commitment ... to Israel's security ... United States ... is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally ... and or read a script ... the president was greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Israeli President Shimon caress ... Mr Obama arrives with out a peace proposal for an expectation that he could jump start the Israeli Palestinian peace process ... Mr Obama will also be making his first trips is president of the West Bank and Jordan later this week ... and J P Morgan downgraded in a confidential government scorecard over concerns about the company's management ... it's a blow to a firm that has long been considered one of the best run on Wall Street the opposite the Comptroller of the Currency downgraded the banking giant in July twenty twelve citing lax governance and oversight ... the office responsible for the London Whale trades ... J P Morgan declined to comment and if a deal that will transform the global tell pipeline Walgreen Alliance Boots and Amerisource Bergen are forming a partnership to distribute and sell prescription drugs ... the ten year distribution contract teaching the three pharmacy giant's pull out the lines to demand lower prices from drug makers the deal also creates a clear path for more U S consulate were quickly overseas and vice versa ... looking keep us anomaly business about Mr upbeat and what's his aunt WS J live ...Joanne Po reports.


text:
After one year without Smallville on the air, The CW is once again returning to its superhero roots with a pilot order for Arrow. Based on DC Comics legend Green Arrow, the series will be headed up by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who wrote last year's Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds. Take that how you will.
Joining Berlanti and Guggenheim as an executive producer and writer on the tentatively titled Green Arrow series (perhaps to take the sting out of being associated with one of last year's most disappointing films) will be Andrew Kreisberg, who has worked on Boston Legal, Fringe and Warehouse 13, and penned several Green Arrow and Batman comic books. Kreisberg, Berlanti and Guggenheim previously worked together on ABC's short-lived Eli Stone in 2008.
Smallville fans will most likely be familiar with Green Arrow from Justin Hartley's portrayal of the character from 2006-2011 on the series. Initially brought into the series to fill the void left by not being allowed to include Batman in the series, Green Arrow quickly became a Smallville fan-favorite character - and arguably had the best superhero costume network television has ever seen.
As the Smallville series finale grew closer, fans were wondering whether or not The CW would spin-off Green Arrow into a series of its own. Despite Justin Hartley being interested in pursuing a Green Arrow series, nothing ever came of it.
And now here's the bad news: The Green Arrow pilot that The CW ordered from Kreisberg, Berlanti and Guggenheim has no connection to Smallville. In fact, everyone's favorite Green Arrow actor, Justin Hartley, is not even attached to this series. That doesn't necessarily mean he couldn't be - though it's highly unlikely.
While almost everyone will agree that a Justin Hartley Green Arrow series would have a lot of potential on The CW, casting Hartley in the role could potentially limit their ability to present the type of series they envision. If Hartley was attached to the series, there would be enough backstory, relationships, and character traits previously defined by Smallville that the producers would constantly be battling against that show.
Plus, there's a reason why a Smallville spin-off didn't occur; maybe The CW simply didn't want it, or maybe it was the lawsuit with Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar - or maybe the desire (or need) to separate from 10 years of television mythology... Whatever the reason may be, that Smallville spin-off didn't happen.
So maybe this isn't the Green Arrow series fans have wanted – and maybe the writers of (gulp) Green Lantern probably aren't who you would like to see behind it - but hey, at least the show already has some type of comic book credibility via Andrew Kreisberg. And if you really think about it, Berlanti and Guggenheim did the same thing with Green Lantern that many (many) Smallville writers had done previously: they got it all wrong – the only difference is, Berlanti and Guggenheim did it on a bigger scale.
Screen Rant will make sure to you updated on Arrow as more news becomes available.
Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Source: The Hollywood Reporter


text:
Ip address details
Lima, Lima, Peru
- City Lima
- Region Lima
- Coordinates -12.0432,-77.0282
- Country Peru
- Address type IPv4
- ASN AS6147 Telefonica del Peru S.A.A.
- Organization Telefonica del Peru S.A.A. (telefonica.com)
- Route 220.127.116.11/20
Access all of this data with just one line of code using our API.Sign up
Hosted Domain Names
There are 0 domain names hosted on this IP address.
Network Speed
- 170.75 ms Ping
- 4.4 MbpsDownload
- 14.47 MbpsUpload
The average network speed for Telefonica del Peru S.A.A. in Lima is shown above. See how your own network speed compares at speedsmart.net.
Try Our Free Geolocation and Basic ASN details API
Our free API is limited to 50,000 monthly requests and returns city level location data only, if you require larger query volumes or more information such as latitude/longitude, ISP details or threat level assessment, please see our paid plans.Sign up
- $ curl ipinfo.io/22.214.171.124/geo
- {
- "ip": "188.8.131.52",
- "loc": "37.3859,-122.0838",
- "city": "Mountain View",
- "region": "California",
- "country": "US"
- }
- # Get just the city as plaintext
- $ curl ipinfo.io/220.127.116.11/city
- Mountain View


text:
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes' Family Upset After TLC Replaces Her in "Waterfalls" Remake
Jun 26, 2013 6:45 PM EDT
TLC has upset the family of the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes by rerecording the hit "Waterfalls" with a Japanese pop star. "I did not know about it until a fan posted it online. I mean it would have been nice if they would have given us a heads-up befo… Read more


text: Hey, everyone! I'm new to this community (obviously, since I'm posting here). I have programmed in Java for a while, but I haven't really done any heavy-lifting for a while. Now I'm trying to reacquaint myself with the Java world. I'll do my best to answer any questions I can, and I hope you'll be able to answer my questions. :)>-


text:
1 Robertson Dr, Suite 11
Bedminster, NJ 07921
Ph: 908-234-9200
Drs Dwyer and Vessa of the New Jersey Spine Institute specialize in state-of-the-art spine surgery that can be performed in an outpatient setting. They also have years of experience in providing successful alternatives to surgical procedures.
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©2012 New Jersey Spine Institute, P.A.
1 Robertson Drive, Suite 11 • Bedminster, NJ 07921 • 908-234-9200
Medical Practice Websites by HealthPresence


text:
sponsored by
upholds Delhi rapists' death sentences
Send a link to a friend
[March 13, 2014]
NEW DELHI (Reuters) — Four men
convicted of raping and murdering a woman in New Delhi had their death
sentences upheld on Thursday for a crime that caused a huge public
backlash against an entrenched culture of violence against women in
The victim, a trainee physiotherapist who was raped for an hour
and tortured with an iron rod on a moving bus, became a symbol of
the dangers women face in a country where a rape is reported on
average every 21 minutes.
"The day the murderers of my daughter are hanged, we will feel we
have got justice," the victim's mother said after the Delhi High
Court confirmed the sentence of hanging handed down by a trial judge
last September.
"We hope, even in other such cases, justice will be done in the same
fashion," the mother said. Indian law bars the press from
identifying rape victims.
Defense lawyers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court, with
one denouncing Thursday's decision as politically motivated. India
holds a general election in April and May.
"This is not a fair trial," A.P. Singh, representing two of the
convicts, told reporters after the ruling by a panel of two female
judges. "If the judgment had come after the elections, it would have
been in our favor ... Clearly, the judges are under political
Gym instructor Vinay Sharma, bus cleaner Akshay Kumar Singh,
fruit-seller Pawan Gupta, and unemployed Mukesh Singh were sentenced
to death for their part in the gang rape and killing of the
23-year-old woman in December 2012.
During the seven-month trial, a fifth defendant hanged himself in
his cell. A sixth, who was under 18 at the time of the attack, was
sentenced to three years' detention, the maximum allowed under
juvenile law.
[to top of second column]
In his original sentencing of the four, the trial judge said India's
courts "cannot turn a blind eye to the need to send a strong
deterrent message to the perpetrators of such crimes".
If the Supreme Court upholds the sentence, a final decision will lie
with the president, who has the power to grant clemency. Indian
courts condemn around 130 people a year to death but the sentences
are rarely carried out.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; writing by Douglas Busvine;
editing by Malini Menon and Nick Macfie)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
< Top Stories index
Back to top


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Though I registrated only to download usermaps, I will take this chance to thank you. You can't believe how happy I was after finding CorsixTH yesterday. Theme Park without resolution struggles, all in all so much more enjoyable without having to use a VM or old PC, simple fun on Win7 x64. And thus I just want to thank you for letting me play this experience since I've missed it in my younger days.I've chosen OpenGL to run and there are some problems regarding missing background images when receiving a fax, f.e., and there are no videos clips (just black screen) within this graphic mode, BUT, I am really thankful for that effort you (and community) put into this. It is really a pleasure to play now. Did I say thanks? Thanks!


text:
27RU 1000mm Deep x 600mm Wide Server Rack Cabinet
Server Rack Cabinet Features (INCLUDED)
• Heavy duty frame work (holds up to 700kg)
• 2mm Steel thickness
• Reversible, front tempered glass door
• Toughened glass on front door
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• Revolving front and side locks
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• 2 x Side Lockable Side Panels
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Cabinet Security
This 27RU cabinet includes a key lockable front door, rear doors and side panels.
All keys are supplied


text:
I always have bananas going bad so I've been searching for a banana bread recipe without all the sugar and processed flour. Found an awesome balanced recipe made with coconut flour. By the way, my kids LOVE it! Ingredients: 4 ripe bananas 3/4 cup coconut flour 5 eggs 1/4 cup sugar (preferably coconut or pure […]
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Amy Sue Smith, Owner of Sol Luna Yoga Next
I eat pretty healthy but Betsy's detox program helped me take my body and nutrition habits to another level. One of my favorite benefits is my allergy relief. I have always suffered from allergies & would have to take medication to get through the spring and fall…I have not taken any allergy medicine since I did the detox. Betsy's detox programs are easy and enjoyable to follow because the menu, recipe ideas and shakes are delicious.
Denise Valenti, Business woman & mom Next
Working with Betsy has changed my life. When I follow the nutrition and supplement plan that she has developed for me, I feel energized, healthy, and in control. So far, I have lost 30 pounds! I LOVED Betsy's 9-Day Detox! I was hesitant to try it because I have occasional low blood sugar but I felt completely satisfied. Having a set meal plan and shopping list made cooking so easy.
Judith Smith, Meditation Teacher & Author Next
I am eternally grateful for Betsy's expertise. Through nutritional consulting and GI testing, we determined I was intolerant to gluten and other foods I had been eating regularly. Within a short period of time, I started losing weight, lost my severe sugar addiction, and became comfortable with food again. My blood sugar has stabilized and I have a lot more energy. I am finally in control and have my body back. Betsy has always been kind, non-judgmental, and very knowledgeable – thank you for all your support!
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Jean Drummond, L.Ac., Acupuncturist/Herbalist Next
Betsy is a realistic nutritionist and that makes her programs very achievable. Her workbook is excellent! It is comprehensive yet simple to follow. I have given her book to many of my patients because the information helps them heal faster. And, I had a great experience with her detox program. I have changed many of my eating habits based on Betsy's workbook and detox program. I highly recommend her!
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Virginia Savage, Sports Psychologist Next
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text:
YD - Vintage [Unsigned Hype]
L reports "YD, of Moola Gang, official music video to his new single off his upcoming CD "Vintage", produced by Kilz, scratches by Rec One (www.myspace.com/ydillcounty
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
Tucked inside Coca-Cola-shaped trash cans that ring Carver-Hawkeye Arena, authorities on Wednesday found devices wired to disseminate toxic gas into the facility capable of holding more than 15,000 people.
Fortunately, the mock devices were planted as part of a statewide emergency preparedness exercise spearheaded by the State of Iowa Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team. Emergency responders from 10 state agencies participated in the day-long drill on the University of Iowa campus, and dozens of volunteers played the role of victim in the exercise that had them stand under a decontamination hose outside Carver on Wednesday morning before being transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics emergency room.
�We have spent eight months preparing for this,� said Clint Powell, survey team leader with the 71st Civil Support Team for the Iowa National Guard. �We�re getting good training value out of this already, and it�s not even 10 a.m.�
To stage the drill, organizers wired trash cans in Carver with false gas-disseminating devices and then staged a bomb outside the arena aimed at creating more casualties. Once outside, volunteers participating in Wednesday�s drill stood under a decontaminating device � which looked like a massive shower � to clean off any toxic fumes.
Faux patients went to the UI�s Hospitals and Clinics with cards detailing symptoms for emergency responders.
The goal of the exercise, Powell said, was to practice communication procedures and agency coordination, employ equipment that responders don�t always use, and evaluate what�s working and what�s not.
�We hope this raises awareness about the things we could do better and the things we�re already doing well,� Powell said.
Iowa City�s Carver arena was chosen as the drill site, according to Powell, because it�s among the biggest in the state and can hold thousands of people.
�It�s a top candidate for an attack,� he said. �It�s in the top 10 for sure.�
Iowa City and its agencies participate in several exercises like the one Wednesday each year because, Powell said, a real disaster presents a �no-fail environment.�
This week's drill involved about 25 volunteers and enough responders to total about 100 participants. UI senior Bridgette Hunemuller, hugging her knees while soaking wet on a yellow tarp in the Carver parking lot, said she volunteered to participate as a victim in the drill because she believes in the value of practice.
�I think it�s really important to make sure all the teams are prepared,� said Hunemuller, a member of the UI Emergency Medical Services Student Interest Organization.
Moments earlier, Hunemuller had stood under the decontaminating hose and then rattled off her symptoms to an EMS responder.
�I�m pre-med, and I thought it would be a good experience to see how it would go if I had to help and be a part of it,� she said.
The drill started around 8:45 Wednesday and was scheduled to continue until 4 p.m. In an effort to make it as realistic as possible, UI spokesman Tom Moore said, exercise organizers kept details about the drill confidential from many of the men and woman participating.
The exercise used some emergency room space at the university hospitals, and Moore said the hospitals are no stranger to disaster drills. They conduct two full-scale exercises every year, and Moore said the Joint Commission � a national group that accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States � rated the hospitals as having one of the finest emergency preparedness programs in the country.
�We all need to be prepared,� Moore said. �These things can happen when you least expect it.�
Participants in Wednesday�s exercise include the Iowa City Fire Department, Johnson County Hazardous Materials Team, the Johnson County Emergency Management Agency, Johnson County Ambulance, the UI Department of Public Safety, UI Hospitals and Clinics, the State Hygienic Laboratory, Iowa, the Iowa National Guard�s 71st Civil Support Team, the Salvation Army and the State of Iowa Weapons of Mass Destruction HazMat Team.[nggallery id=899]


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Artist description:
I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday and that in the new year many blessings come your way.
Java Draw Created Dec 16, 2011 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2011 drawsattention.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
Hello, So nice to read your comments again. Hope your Christmas was wonderful also. Been such a very busy time and new year.
Very nice draw and idea! Great landscape 5/5h
Cute and pretty at the same time...pretty cute! LOL Love it...5 ♥'s
Merry Christmas RMD!
Aww wow very nice!
haha this looks cute :D i love the background and how you draw the trees with the snow, the snowman looks adorable ^^ nice job 5/5h C:
Nice work...reminds me of our drawchat from long ago...Merry Christmas to you Kathy
so cute!!! Thank you so much for your wishes! Merry Christmas to you too! :3
this is a very cute draw! merry christmas to you too, love the details in the landscape. 5h, faves!


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Sweet Potato, Parsnip and Chestnut soup (V)
Garnished with sage & onion pesto, served with baked rolls.
Springfield Quay, Glasgow, G5 8NP 0141 418 0810
Go traditional at The Springfield Quay with our festive seafood trio followed by hand-carved roast turkey with all the trimmings and a classic Christmas pudding. Or, forget tradition and try Camembert tartlet before digging into our 8oz Fillet Steak Melt*, followed by a Salted Caramel Billionaire's Bar to satisfy that sweet tooth. Oh, and make sure you don't forget the bubbly!
Our Christmas Menu will be available exclusively at The Springfield Quay on 25th December.
At Harvester, we want to make it easier for families to eat better together, which means providing you with the nutritional and allergen-related information you need to make the right choices for you and your family.
Click the link above to view our Allergen information, this will open in a new tab. Some dishes may not be available in all sites.
Please ensure that you refer to the onsite allergen guide on each visit to confirm that nothing has changed.


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IA-3: Des Moines
June 18, 2018
Congressional District Office:
400 East Court Ave. #346
Des Moines, IA
* Due to volatility of Congressional schedules, dates/times are subject to change. To the pastors-and-leaders welcoming us as prayer partners, thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Please check alerts for last-minute changes.
The Honorable David Young, Representative of Iowa
Red + Blue = Purple
Not a politically correct convergence of feel-good platitudes, but a common trajectory, from varying Christian faith-traditions, toward one transcendent and Biblical goal: True oneness in Christ.
We'll be posting photos and video from the prayerwalk, so be sure to come back to this page after the event!


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Teen Ink is a publication by the non-profit Young Authors Foundation, Inc. that provides a space for teens aged 13-19 a place to share their writing and works of art. One of the teen authors, under the pen name Victoriagrace, is a budding anthropologist. Victoriagrace has started a series entitled Confessions of a Teen Anthropologist. One day she hopes to become a university professor or a museum curator, until then she's working on building her portfolio by sharing anthropology with her peers. Here is an excerpt of her first entry:
Before I start, I would like to say that I hope that I am able to continue this as a series. This series will focus on teenagers and teenage concerns from an anthropological perspective. I am no expert, nor am I trying act as one. Everything is simply a collection of knowledge that I have acquired through reading and research. Take what I say for its face value. I am only an aspiring socio-cultural anthropologist trying to spread my passion for the field…
To read the entire entry, click here.
In reading the entry, one can feel the author's enthusiasm for the field and for the future that lies ahead. Here's where you, blog reader, come in:
- Do you recall your first anthropological writing?
- What was it about?
- Does your current work drastically differ from your initial spark of passion or has that spark evolved with you from once a student of anthropology to now a professional anthropologist?
- What pearls of wisdom might you have for aspiring anthropologist like Victoriagrace?
Leave your response in the comment field below.


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Emerald Desert Resort in Palm Desert, Calif., is the newest addition to Sunland RV Resorts, an outdoor hospitality company featuring seven upscale lifestyle resorts throughout Southern California.
"Emerald Desert is a gorgeous property and we can't wait to introduce it to Sunland's customers," said President Reza Paydar in a news release. "Now that the resort is going to be open year-round, we look forward to serving even more new travelers visiting the area from Europe, Canada, neighboring states and California. And for those who have visited Emerald Desert before, we invite you to come back and see again how beautiful a summer in the desert can be, with clear nights full of glittering stars and moonlight."
Building on a 28-year history of serving the Southern California region, Sunland is committed to expanding its range of luxurious RV resorts throughout the West – and, in the not-too-distant future, other states in the hospitable climate of the Sunbelt, Paydar said.
The 32-acre, 251-site gated resort's activities include an immaculate 2-hole putting green, lakes, lighted tennis courts, horseshoes, bocce ball and croquet, two spacious pools and two Jacuzzis.
Other amenities include a multi-million dollar clubhouse, with ballroom dancing, card games, billiards, commercial gourmet kitchen, library and guest computers. Emerald Desert also offers an array of services such as faxing, photocopying and wireless high-speed Internet. New laundry facilities, TV lounge, library and a state-of-the-art fitness center, round out Emerald Desert's range of first-class amenities. The fitness center includes cardio equipment, strength and circuit training equipment, flat screen TVs, free weights and an indoor spa.
Sunland's seven facilities now offer a total of 1,745 existing lots, and expansion plans call for an additional 130 lots to be added to its current resorts.


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From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):
State Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety officials on Thursday visited the site north of Twin Buttes off U.S. Highway 160 with seven potential bidders interested in restoring and revegetating 5 acres of steep hillside. The target is the Boston Mine, also known as Perin's Peak No. 1, which operated from 1901 to 1926. The site produced more than 1 million tons of coal and left behind about 4,000 cubic yards of coal waste…
The mine is within the Perins Peak Wildlife Area, which comprises 12,000 acres of Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Bureau of Land Management holdings. The area is closed to the public Nov. 15 to July 15 as a winter haven for deer, elk, turkeys and snoozing black bears and in the spring for nesting peregrine falcons. The western half opens April 1 because no peregrines nest there…
Efforts to clean up the Boston Mine site, which at one time leaked 20 gallons a minute of toxic iron, copper, manganese and zinc into Lightner Creek, aren't new. In 1992, grants from the Office of Surface Mining and the Bureau of Mines funded construction of wetland retention ponds to treat seepage and to assess the effectiveness of certain work.
"We stopped the leaks with the wetlands and by closing a collapsed spot that was allowing water to fill the mine workings and create seepage elsewhere," Brown said. No seepage is seen today, she said.
The restoration will include closing a shaft, contouring a hillside, redirecting a ditch to carry runoff to one of the old retention ponds and seeding, mulching and applying 8 inches of compost and biochar – woody material reduced to charcoal through anaerobic processing – that retains a lot of water.
More restoration/reclamation coverage here.


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NASA's ability to land a gigantic rover on the surface of Mars? Impressive. The fact that it did so for less money than AT&T spent on building cell towers last year? The best evidence yet that we're putting our faith in the wrong people.
And by "wrong people" I mean "anyone but NASA." [Doghouse Diaries]


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Hey folks–sorry, but please change your bookmarks again. "The Intersection" is now at this link.
Please note that we are working on the comments function so that you do not have to use Facebook to log in. See you over there!
New blog URL is here.
I've written an introductory post, telling readers what to expect, here.
And I've done a first real post over there, entitled "Could Personality Differences Help Explain the Reality Gap on Climate Change?" I have never seen anyone take a crack at it from this angle before, so response should be interesting.
Those of you who have bookmarked will want to redirect to http://www.scienceprogress.org/intersection
Commenting over there is by Facebook, btw, so that will also be something to get used to.
See you!
The answer, according to a new study, is making them feel better about themselves. As I report:
…the contested issues under examination were whether the 2007 troop "Surge" decreased insurgent attacks in Iraq (it did), whether the U.S. economy added jobs during 2010 under President Obama (it did), and whether global average temperatures have risen since 1940 (they have). Those who opposed the Iraq war and supported troop withdrawals were disinclined to credit George W. Bush's surge with having worked. Those who oppose President Obama are disinclined to credit him on the economy, or to generally believe in global warming—especially that it is human caused.
Nyhan and Reifler once again confronted partisans with information on these subjects that (presumably) contradicted their beliefs—but there was a twist. This time, the contradictory information was sometimes presented in the form of a convincing graph, showing a clear trend (in attacks, jobs, or temperatures). And second, sometimes the individuals went into the manipulation after having undergone a "self-affirmation" exercise, in which they were asked to describe a positive character attribute or value that they possessed, and a situation in which showing that attribute or trait made them feel good about themselves.
And in both cases, the manipulation worked—although by different means.
Presenting an unequivocal graph was powerful enough to change people's views, even as presenting technical text (at least in the rising temperatures case) was not. Meanwhile, getting people to affirm their values and sense of self also decreased their resistance, presumably because they felt less threatened by challenging information after having had their egos reinforced and their identities bolstered.
Read on here. Huge implications for effective science communication.
I was fascinated by this exchange from the Tea Party debate last night, as reported on by CNN:
Bachmann and Perry squared off on the vaccination situation, with Bachmann saying, "We cannot forget that in the midst of this executive order there's a big drug company that made millions of dollars because of this." She added that a former Perry aide was a lobbyist for the company and asked if the issue was about saving lives or money.
Perry responded that the company, Merck, made a $5,000 contribution and said to Bachmann: "If you're saying I can be bought for $5,000, I'm offended."
"I'm offended by what happened to all those girls, " Bachmann said of the required vaccination of girls as young as 12 against cervical cancer.
Traditionally, Republicans have managed to be both pro-business and also pro-religious right, despite rumbling contradictions between the two stances on key issues like the HPV vaccine–where a big drugmaker is making money helping to improve people's health, but the moralistic Christian right is opposed.
But here the contrast is so strong that you find a right winger making a traditional left wing argument against another politician–e.g., you were bought and paid for by that Big Company. (Hmm, how consistent would Bachmann be in using that logic?)
I don't think Republicans today are really the allies of corporate America any more, and I think exchanges like this–and the whole debt ceiling battle, and the shifting of energy companies to support cap-and-trade, and much else–prove it.
I've done my latest DeSmogBlog piece on the Rick Perry Galileo flap. I say a lot, but I particularly liked this part of it:
The misuse and abuse of Galileo's story, in other words, is a case study in how people reason about history—just as they do with science—in a biased, motivated way, seeking to cast themselves as the good guys, the victors, and their foes as the opposite.
And once you see things in this way, you realize there's a very close analogy in our politics to the Perry-Galileo flap. Climate "skeptics" invoking Galileo is really quite a lot like right wingers calling themselves the "Tea Party."
The great architects of the United States—Jefferson, Franklin, Madison—were men of reason and the Enlightenment, just as Galileo was a man of the Scientific Revolution. They were freethinkers and, in Jefferson's and Franklin's case, scientists and inventors. And they didn't want religion shoved down anybody's throat.
And yet we now find a movement in America that wants more religion in politics, and that rejects science on climate change and evolution alike, trying to claim the mantle of the country's founding.
Rick Perry's invocation of Galileo, then, is much more than merely ridiculous. It gives us quite the window on the right wing mind, and demonstrates just how much it has managed to turn reality upside-down.
Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength…and Galileo and Rick Perry ride off together into the Texas sunset.
Full piece here.
With such an amazing guest post on Wednesday, I didn't get to post my own DeSmogBlog piece (which is actually related to, but far less consequential than, Andrea Kuszewski's). So I thought I would do it now.
Basically, the piece looks at new data showing that Tea Partiers are considerably worse than mainline Republicans in their rejection of global warming. What I find most disturbing about this is the level of certainty among Tea Party members that they're right–e.g., the people who are most wrong are most sure of themselves.
Once again, reminds me of Yeats:
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Yeats thought this state of affairs signaled the Second Coming was at hand. Unfortunately, I think it's part of human nature and will be with us as long as we're on this rock.
Anyway, more specifically with regard to Tea Partiers' certainty:
"Tea Party members are much more likely to say that they are 'very well informed' about global warming than the other groups," according to the Yale study. "Likewise, they are also much more likely to say they 'do not need any more information' about global warming to make up their mind."
What do we make of this? Why would this be? Here's my attempt to answer:
Well, the study also shows that Tea Partiers are more likely than other Republicans to be "born again" Christians and to doubt evolution, and highly individualistic and anti-egalitarian in their moral values.
In short, what we appear to be seeing in them is a kind of merger of right wing free market views on the one hand, and the unwavering certainty associated with certain forms of fundamentalist religion on the other.
They know they're right, they know that liberals and scientists—and most of all, President Obama—are wrong, and there is no swaying them in that. (There is also some reason to think that Tea Party members are authoritarian in their outlook, wanting to impose various types of Christian views in government.)
When you merge this with previous data on white male conservatives and climate change, it becomes apparent that the person least likely to change his mind on this issue and accept the science is a 1) white 2) male 3) conservative 4) Tea Party American.
You can read the full DeSmogBlog item here.
It is time for an announcement. Well, two actually. Or maybe three.
What can I say: I'm a liberal. I have an unfortunate and ill-advised tendency to data dump.
So…for the past year, I've been working on a book that I've remained mum about, though you have definitely seen me blogging and doing articles on related themes (and publishing guest posts on them)–because one can hardly help oneself. And those of you that enjoyed my first book, The Republican War on Science, will be pretty interested, I think, in the new one. Especially as the campaign heats up.
Now, the deadline is approaching, even as my travel threatens to pick up again–and I find that I could use some research assistance.
In particular, I'm looking for someone willing to help me collect a set of easily available data together into a "study" format where these data can be analyzed—nothing very painful or intensive, but still a little laborious. (But oh, what we shall find! Uh, I think.)
Preferably, this will be someone with statistics training or a social science background. But it doesn't have to be. Just someone organized would do.
Aspiring helpful folks can email me or contact me on Twitter or Facebook.
Second, and also kind of important: The blog known as "The Intersection" has been through many changes and iterations over its nearly 10 year existence. And now it is time for another.
We've been showing sustained traffic highs here over the past several months, with the help of some great guest bloggers (Jon, Jamie, and occasional others). But Discover & I are nonetheless parting ways.
"The Intersection" is instead relocating to become the central blog of Science Progress, the science policy website of the Center for American Progress.
My intention is certainly to continue to have lots of guest bloggers over there, in addition to myself. So contact me if you want to get involved (links above).
The move will take effect, if all goes swimmingly, on September 12/13. Old posts will remain here, and a permanent redirect update post will be put up. There is no URL yet for the new blog, so stand by on that.
I will also continue my twice weekly climate science posts at DeSmogBlog. And hosting Point of Inquiry once every two weeks, on Monday.
Okay, that's a lot….but I hope you will all continue to tune in for the new book and new blog!
This is a guest post by Tim Broderick, a Chicago resident with a keen interest in science and science education.
One of the most painful moments in the film "Jesus Camp" (and there are many) comes when a parent homeschooling her children talks about evolution. The kids are shown watching creationist videos mocking science, and are then led, in a lesson, to reject and question science for no other reason than for a religious fundamentalist view of the world.
Contrast that with the image of a church congregation whose members join together to honestly explore their faith through exploration of science.
Now, think about at least 90 congregations wanting to do that.
St. John's Episcopal Church, located on the northwest side of Chicago, is one of those 90 congregations. It's a church that's diverse in its politics as well as in beliefs. Yet St. John's also blessed same-sex unions before they became legal in Illinois, promotes environmental causes, works with a local homeless mission and hosted two Darwin Day celebrations in the past three years.
As one of the instigators of those Darwin Day events, I was approached earlier this year by Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, the pastor of St. Johns, to help put together a grant proposal. The grant – Scientists in Congregations, sponsored by the Templeton Institute – sought to help congregations identify scientists among them interested in teaming with a religious leader to design a program to explore science and inform a dialogue about faith. The long-term aim of the the grant was to create a model program that other congregations could use as well.
We put together what we felt was a pretty interesting program – looking at the Dover evolution trial, global warming, cosmology and neuroscience.
And then an interesting thing happened last week.
We didn't get the grant. It turns out we were one of about 90 churches interested in elevating the voices of scientists in our congregation. Looking back, I suspect we likely drew too much on the opportunities afforded us by the world-class museums located here in Chicago. It's not something that a small church in Mississippi, for instance, could easily adopt.
But what's interesting isn't that we didn't get the grant, it's that after our proposal was turned down, the people involved in putting it together expressed an interest in going ahead with our program anyway.
The first portion – centered around a reading drawn from the exerpts of the Dover evolution trial transcripts – is planned for our 2012 Darwin Day celebration.
As we go forward, we'll see what we can pull from the other modules. Funding will be a challenge, but there are likely other opportunities for grants that we can explore. I'm particularly interested in doing something with global warming because there has been some skepticism expressed about the science. I think it would be an interesting discussion.
In the raging debate online about science-religion compatibility – a debate I've participated in – these kind of efforts gets lost. It's important to remember that for many people, the question of whether science and religion is compatible isn't very interesting.
Exploring how they're compatible is, even if it means challenging one's own beliefs.
This is an invited guest post by Andrea Kuszewski, a Behavior Therapist and Consultant for children on the autism spectrum based in Florida, and a researcher and manager with VORTEX: Integrative Science Improving Societies, based in Bogotá, Colombia. She blogs at The Rogue Neuron and tweets as @AndreaKuszewski.
Can neuroscience provide evidence for a liberal and conservative thinking style?
It may seem like a stretch to say that one could predict whether you lean left or right by looking at a brain scan—no questions asked, no opinions voiced—purely based on your neuroanatomy. However, this might not be too far from reality—at least insofar as predicting thinking style, which has been shown to be somewhat distinct based on party association.
Does brain structure determine your beliefs, or do your beliefs change your brain structure? What about those who switch parties at some point? How do they fit in to this model? We'll be discussing all of this. It's a complicated issue with lots of variables in play, so we're going to take a pretty deep look into this topic from all angles, so we can draw the most accurate conclusions.
Please keep in mind from the beginning that this is not an endorsement of any one political party. This is science—we'll just be discussing the data. Ready?
Let's begin…
Recent converging studies are showing that liberals tend to have a larger and/or more active anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC—useful in detecting and judging conflict and error—and conservatives are more likely to have an enlarged amygdala, where the development and storage of emotional memories takes place. More than one study has shown these same results, which is why I felt it was worth investigating. Read More
Ezra Klein has a cool piece, citing some psychology research to explain why the GOP was for economic stimulus under George W. Bush, but is now against it (when it is needed even more). As Klein writes:
Some say the explanation for all this is obvious: Republicans want the economy to fail because that is how they will defeat President Obama….
I don't believe this sort of behavior is quite that cynical. Psychologists and political scientists talk often of a phenomenon known as motivated skepticism. The idea, basically, is that we believe the evidence and arguments we want to believe, and reject ideas and information that undercut our preferences.
My favorite study (pdf) in this space was by Yale's Geoffrey Cohen. He had a control group of liberals and conservatives look at a generous welfare reform proposal and a harsh welfare reform proposal. As expected, liberals preferred the generous plan and conservatives favored the more stringent option. Then he had another group of liberals and conservatives look at the same plans, but this time, the plans were associated with parties.
Both liberals and conservatives followed their parties, even when their parties disagreed with their preferences. So when Democrats were said to favor the stringent welfare reform, for example, liberals went right along….
I tend to think there's much more motivated skepticism in politics than outright cynicism, much less economic sabotage. But it's a distinction without a difference, at least so far as policy outcomes go.
The study in question is of the influence of group affiliation on one's policy preferences. And it clearly shows that both liberal and conservative partisans were biased (in the first study reported in the paper) to favor a policy their party supported, regardless of its content.
More specifically, dress up a relatively stringent welfare policy inside a packaging that suggests that 95 percent of Democrats support it and say it would help the poor, and liberal/Democrat partisans support it. Similarly, dress up a relatively generous welfare policy inside a packaging suggesting that 95 percent of Republicans support it and say it would do enough for the poor without undermining their work ethic, and conservative/Republican partisans support it.
That's not at all surprising, given not only the strong partisan cues on offer, but also the fact that the policies were framed as being the epitome of liberal or conservative moral values (caring for the poor/ensuring personal responsibility for one's actions), which are also very strong determinants of beliefs.
But there seems to me to be something missing in applying this analysis to a matter like the stimulus flip-flop.
First, is there a major recent case of Democrats flip flopping so hard, and so fast, on some major policy matter–facing two recession threats in under a five year span? (Bush signed a stimulus bill with Republican support in 2008.)
Second, in terms of group solidarity, are Democrats as supportive of President Obama as Republicans always were of President Bush? Does anyone get the sense right now that, as Obama flails and fails, his allies are sticking up for him and making sure they have his back?
The point is, I'm not at all sure that the two groups react the same way when it comes to party loyalty, or to resisting whatever the other party says.


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Making Sure that Your E-Mail Marketing Complies with Spam Laws
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 makes certain e-mail marketing practices illegal and gives legal definitions to many best practices. Using these best practices is one way to reduce spam complaints and ensure that your e-mails reach their targets. The broad strokes of the law are here, but you need to consult your attorney to make sure you comply fully with regulations.
Don't rely solely on the info here to make decisions regarding your own compliance to the law. Contact your attorney if you need more information.
Determining which e-mails have to comply with CAN-SPAM
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and the 2008 revisions apply to commercial e-mail messages, which the law distinguishes from transactional or relationship messages. In general, the CAN-SPAM Act defines the two separate kinds of e-mail messages, as follows:
A commercial e-mail is basically an e-mail containing an advertisement, a promotion, or content from a business' website.
A transactional or relationship e-mail is basically anything other than a commercial e-mail.
Although understanding that some e-mail messages fall outside the definition of commercial e-mail is important, it's equally important to understand that all e-mails sent in the name of your business can be construed by the recipient as commercial in nature. Best practice is to make sure that all your business-related e-mails are legally compliant.
The 2008 CAN-SPAM revisions specify that e-mails forwarded to others by a recipient may be subject to all the CAN-SPAM requirements. Talk to your E-Mail Marketing Provider to make sure your forwarded e-mails are CAN-SPAM compliant.
Including legally required content in your e-mails
First off to be CAN-SPAM–compliant, you need to make clear that your e-mail is a solicitation. The exception is when you have permission or affirmative consent from every individual on your list to send the solicitation. Your marketing e-mails must contain other specific content:
A way for your subscribers to opt out of receiving future e-mails: You're required to remove anyone who unsubscribes from your e-mail list permanently within ten days of the unsubscribe request, and you can't add that person back without her explicit permission. It's illegal to charge someone to opt out or to ask for any information other than an e-mail address and opt-out preferences. Your opt-out process also has to be accomplishable by replying to a single e-mail or visiting a single web page. Your E-Mail Marketing Provider can provide you with an opt-out link that allows someone to automatically unsubscribe in one click.
Your physical address: If your business has multiple locations, include your main address or the physical address associated to each e-mail you send.
If you work from home and you don't want your home address in every e-mail, the 2008 CAN-SPAM revisions confirm that you're allowed to include your post office box address as long as the post office or box rental company associates the box to your legitimate business address.
An informative e-mail header: Make sure that your header clearly identifies your business and does not mislead your audience in any way.
Don't use your Subject line to trick your audience into opening your e-mail or to misrepresent the offer contained in your e-mail.
If your e-mail contains sexually oriented material, make sure your e-mail Subject line complies with the CAN-SPAM Act supplementary guidelines and also clearly states that the content of the e-mail is adult in nature without being explicit in the way you describe the content.