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Is the Grass Really Greener for the Fabulous Beekman Boys?
Don't miss Josh and Brent's adventure in rural living on Planet Green.
This guest post was written by bestselling author James Frey.
Horns endlessly blaring horns.
Five bucks for a coffee.
Eight for a sandwich.
Trains that change their schedules every day.
Cabs that are never available.
People fucking everywhere.
Concrete is ugly.
And it's fucking everywhere.
Welcome to New York, the greatest city in the world. I have lived here for eight years. Before that I was in Los Angeles, before that Chicago, before that London, before that Paris. Big ass cities, all of them. And while I love big ass cities, the energy of them, the cultural sophistication of them, the food, the shops, the people, the opportunities, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of leaving. Just sell everything and go. Find a sweet little town and live a simpler life. Sit in my kitchen and look out across my yard and smile and think about whether I want to go for a walk on an empty road or go work in the garden. Fuck, a garden. Right now I look across the street and see a giant red brick building that's an electrical supply warehouse and a thirty story half-built condo building. The idea of ditching it is incredibly tempting. Every time I'm out of the city I look at the local real estate listings. I could have a palace somewhere else. Or just a wonderful, and relatively normal, house for literally a twentieth of what my wife and I paid for our apartment in the city. Our kids could go to a lovely, and free, public school. They could play in the street with their pals and spend the summer swimming in a lake or a pond. It's a wonderful thought, but my wife will never leave the city, so it's never going to happen. I've learned not to mind the view. The rest of it is what it is. Life in the 21st century urban landscape. Woohoo.
Four or so years ago, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, my daughter's godfather, a cross-dressing writer and adman, was over at our apartment. We had ordered dinner, though I don't remember what, most likely either pizza or Chinese food, and we were waiting for it to arrive. He, like me, dreamed of getting out of the city, and we often talked about it. Using my computer, he brought up a real estate listing of a farm in upstate New York. It was a impressive place. Big white farmhouse with white columns and a gigantic porch. A couple hundred acres of land. A Barn. A pond. A pool. A crypt, which I thought was weird and creepy, but he thought was cool. I asked where it was and he said a small town about four hours away. I asked if he had seen it and he said yes. I asked if he was going to buy it and he said he was gonna try. Brent his partner, showed up while we were talking about the farm, which was so fancy, it even had a name: The Beekman Estate. I asked Brent if he wanted it as badly as Josh. At the time, Brent was a hotshot doctor who was working for Martha Stewart. He laughed and said you and Josh can go live there, I like the city, and he walked away. He, along with my wife, was used to me and Josh cooking up half-baked schemes to get out of the city. Little did Brent know that this one was going to become a reality (and a reality show!!!). Little did he know that this one was going to become their life.
Six months later they owned the farm. A couple months after that and we were there for Thanksgiving. Josh decapitated a turkey, which we ate for dinner. I bought them a couple guns at Walmart and we blew some cans to pieces and tried to blast some pigeons that lived in their barn (we didn't get any of them). Six months after that they started talking about making the farm their life, leaving their jobs, moving their fulltime. They started making soap, and then cheese. The soap smelled great, and the cheese just smelled, though they corrected that and now make something very tasty. When they said they were going to try and make the farm their fulltime residence, and were going to ditch the city for good, I was thrilled for them, and very jealous. I wanted to walk around in the mud all day. To have to worry about my goats and pigs and llamas. To know everybody in town and gossip about them at the local gas station. To have a Walmart and a gun and bunch of pesky birds to rid of. The crypt freaked me out, but fuck, I'd take it if it got me everything else.
And so it begins. The show about their move, their transformation into farmers of some kind, and the drive to support themselves with the products they make at the farm. I haven't seen it, but knowing them, I can imagine the laughs involved, the drama, the fights, and the love that they share, and will share with us. If it captures half of who they are as I know them, it's going to be great. And if it lasts until season two, and if they'll have me, I may move up there and join them. I'll clean out the goat pens, or feed the pigs. Aside from being a writer, I'm not qualified to do anything else. Until then, I'll watch the show and see what it's actually like on that farm on an average day. And after each week's episode, I'll write a round-up, and mark on a scale whether what I've seen makes me more or less likely to move up there. For even as many of us in the city dream of leaving of it, and changing our lives, and simplifying them, I suspect the reality, or not, is something very different. Thanks in advance to Josh and Brent for trying it first. And for allowing me, and everyone else in the world who is going to watch the show, which I hope is a very large group, to see how you do it. Woohoo, woohoo.
Woohoo, woohoo.
The reality series The Fabulous Beekman Boys, starring Josh and Brent, premieres Wednesday, June 16 at 9 p.m. EST on Planet Green. Learn where to tune in your area here.
James Frey is originally from Cleveland. He has written three books, and his work is published in 37 languages. He lives in New York.
More on the Fabulous Beekman Boys
Beekman 1802
The Fabulous Beekman Boys on Planet Green
Get to Know Brent and Josh (Video)
Fabulous Beekman Boys: The Musical! (Video)


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City of San Marcos, CA: 18th Annual San Marcos Trails Day
18th Annual San Marcos Trails Day
Discover San Marcos Hikes/Jack's Pond
Date: 11/7/2009 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Cost: FREE
Location: Santa Barbara St. Trailhead
San Marcos, California 92069
18th Annual San Marcos Trails Day Special Events Page
Info: Put on your hiking shoes or saddle up your horse for the 18th Annual San Marcos Trails Day. Step back in time and hike the rural trails of San Marcos. Special access to trails not usually open to the public will allow views of South Lake, Double Peak, and the surrounding Valley of Discovery. Hikes with varying levels of difficulty will be offered.
Meeting location:
South end of Santa Barbara St. From Hwy. 78, take Twin Oaks Valley Rd. and go south. Turn right on Craven Rd., then left on Santa Barbara St.
For More Information & Potential Partnership Opportunities, please e-mail or call (760) 744-9000 x3505. No RSVP Required.

subset: commoncrawl


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Session Three is designed to provide participants an introduction to running tests with the powerful testing engine behind the Accessibility Management Platform (AMP). Learn how to quickly set up tests for any non-authenticated publicly facing set of content, and get meaningful data that will help your organization craft a more accessible digital footprint.
- Where to start when creating a crawling test
- Explore test settings and configuration options
- Conduct a crawling test
- Introduction to the report dashboard
- Extension Activities
- Identify a representative sample of non-authenticated and public content that you wish to evaluate with an AMP crawling test.
- Establish a naming convention for a crawling test or set of crawling tests you wish to complete.
- Download and review the CSV template that allows you to create a bulk set of classic crawls for multiple URL's.
- Set up a re-occurring crawling test.
- Create a sample crawling test
- Relevant Support Articles


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Sponsored Links
gd is a graphics library. It allows your code to quickly draw images
complete with lines, arcs, text, multiple colors, cut and paste from other
images, and flood fills, and write out the result as a PNG or JPEG file.
This is particularly useful in World Wide Web applications, where PNG and
JPEG are two of the formats accepted for inline images by most browsers.
gd is not a paint program. If you are looking for a paint program, you are
looking in the wrong place. If you are not a programmer, you are looking
in the wrong place.
gd does not provide for every possible desirable graphics operation. It is
not necessary or desirable for gd to become a kitchen-sink graphics
package, but version 1.7.3 incorporates most of the commonly requested
features for an 8-bit 2D package. Support for truecolor images, including
truecolor JPEG and PNG, is planned for version 2.0.


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Look at the beautiful cover of Book Five of the Bellator Saga! Oh, you haven't read the first four yet? You mean you haven't met Jack and Caroline? What are you waiting for? Even with a TBR stack as high as my house and a Kindle full of books waiting, I have read the first four books TWO times! Full of drama, action, steamy scenes…and Jack. My book boyfriend, massive crush Jack.
Cecilia's story telling is impeccable and you are drawn in on a roller-coaster ride that you never want to end.
Go check out all the links below and give her Social media a Like. And…go meet Jack and Caroline. Go right now. 🙂
"I'm never going to stop loving you, Caroline. It's just not possible."
Major Caroline Gerard returns from a dangerous mission battered and bruised. Terrified to confront the emotional and physical gap between her and her husband, she's determined to do whatever it takes to avoid reality.
Commander Jack McIntyre has been tasked with saving American democracy, but he has to save his marriage first. He's desperate to regain the passionate connection that he and his wife once shared. And a man on a mission will sacrifice anything to succeed.
In the meantime, the rebellion is in need of a catalyst to spur international action to stop President Santos' increasingly unstable behavior. As Caroline and Jack repair their hearts, each day brings new secrets and new challenges, and a revelation that could shatter everything they thought was true.
Rhapsody is the fifth book in The Bellator Saga. It should be read after the first four books in the series.
Buy Links:
AmazonUS: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyUS
AmazonUK: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyUK
AmazonCA: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyCA
AmazonAU: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyAU
B&N: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyNook
iBooks: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyIBooks
Kobo: http://bit.ly/RhapsodyKobo
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/RhapsodySW
Author Bio:
Cecilia London is the pen name of a native Illinoisan currently living in San Antonio, Texas. She's filled several roles over the course of her adult life – licensed attorney, wrangler of small children, and obsessed baseball fan, among others. An extroverted introvert with a serious social media addiction, she is the author of The Bellator Saga, an epic, genre-crossing romance series. You can catch all of her quirky updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or at her website.
Author Links:
Website: http://cecilialondon.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorcecilialondon/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/authorclondon | @AuthorCLondon
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/cecilialondon
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cecilia-London/e/B00T6PJ7XG/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/blEfDT
IG: https://www.instagram.com/authorcecilialondon/
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/cecilialondon
BookBub Author Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cecilia-london
Head over to Cecilia's Author page on Facebook today to see what goodies she will be sharing on Release day!
Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorcecilialondon/


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Mental Health & the Workplace: Stigma, Reality & Hope
This type of talk provides an introductory understanding of what mental health & illness is and is not, how it manifests in the workplace, the attitudes and behaviours it engenders, and what can be done about it. Whether it's an audience oil and gas pipefitters in Empress, Alberta to wealth managers on Bay Street, from elementary school teachers to lawyers, a wide array of industries benefit from better understanding of how to manage mental health in the workplace.
Mental Health & Illness in the 21st Century
Goldbloom provides a broad overview, challenges stereotypes, and includes history as well as excitement about the future. He looks in detail at our beliefs, attitudes and behaviours toward people with mental illness and is equally suitable for lay and health professional audiences.
Mental Health, Mental Illness & Creativity
This talk has been given at the Stratford Festival, at teaching hospitals and universities, and in community settings. It's an entertaining exploration of the creative process and how it relates to mental health, invoking some of the latest scientific research about the nature of the association.
Order of Canada
Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee Medal


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- A splash of bright colour around the house will cheer everyone up throughout the winter months!
- These stickers are repositionable!
- Use as a message board for busy families; a task list in the home office; a playroom essential - just the thing to keep your budding little artist busy for hours on end.
- They come with Chalk and are wipe clean with a soft cloth.
There are currently no reviews for this product. Be the first to write one!


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I receive an error "Malformed \uxxxx encoding" when using db-tools
KB Home | I receive an error "Malformed \uxxxx encoding" when using db-tools
The PaperCut Support team recently came across this error when a customer was Up Sizing their PaperCut installation to use an external Microsoft SQL database.
PaperCut Supports both SQL Authentication (preferred) and Windows Authentication when connecting to the Microsoft SQL database.
In this particular instance, the Windows User was
companydomain\universal. The
universal is non-generic in this example. This meant that when running
db-tools init-db, the Java environment that PaperCut is developed in returned the following error:
Error ocurred running db-tools, command: init-db. Malformed \uxxxx encoding.
The server.properties file would require the \ to be escaped if this was the correct method of entering the Windows Authentication details. When using Windows Authentication, the username and password is not required.
More specifically, this error is because \u is reserved in Java for escaping Unicode strings.
Categories: Databases
Share your findings and experience with other PaperCut users. Feel free to add comments and suggestions about this Knowledge Base article. Please don't use this for support requests.
Article last modified on July 05, 2018, at 11:09 PM
Printable View | Article History | Edit Article


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As the world becomes increasingly more driven by technology, there is a way to find information online about almost anything you might be interested in. If you can't remember the quarterback from your team's most memorable season or you're not sure who won an award for best director in 1972, you can find the answer to just about any question online. A lot of things can also be done in what seem to be quicker, less traditional ways. Not immune from this are various legal processes that can supposedly be done with with a do-it-yourself kit of preprinted forms.
It may seem that just looking up the different aspects involved in the legal process of divorce in order to properly file required forms and negotiate settlement agreements might help you avoid needing to use a lawyer. However, it is important to remember that the legal process of divorce can be very complex and is exceptionally unique to each individual going through it. Laws governing divorce change frequently, and information available online may not always reflect the latest legal guidelines related to the topic you are researching. Generally applicable information or generic forms can only provide so much guidance, and making errors on forms or at certain points throughout the divorce process can be a costly mistake.
Legal Fees in Birmingham
Language and attention to detail are of utmost importance in legal proceedings. Many courts have specific formalities that must be followed when you are using that court, and these can be in addition to the legal guidelines of the state. Filling out forms improperly or not filing them completely can mean that you need to refile them or potentially restart the entire divorce process. Paying some of these fees one time can be a financial burden, and needing to pay them on multiple occasions in order to correct errors that could have been spotted by an attorney that has experience handling divorce cases can cause even more of a strain on your finances. It is also possible for those filling out generalized forms to inadvertently omit required information, which can delay the divorce process and have other serious personal consequences.
Child support and spousal support, sometimes referred to as alimony, are part of many divorces. They can be very complex aspects and are governed by a number of different things, including judicial discretion in some cases. Without a proper legal understanding of the laws governing those types of support and of how to go about requesting various types of support, you may end up agreeing to terms and conditions that could be unfair to you in the long run and unnecessarily financially burdensome in the present. Experienced attorneys that handle divorce cases on a regular basis know how to interpret documents related to financial disclosures and know what aspects of the law may enable you to achieve a better financial outcome when it comes to various types of support.
Unfortunately, many people that choose a do-it-yourself divorce find out after the divorce has been finalized that they had more rights than they originally thought. For instance, if legal information is misinterpreted it could result in your overlooking your interest in certain marital property being divided in a settlement. This is especially common in the case of retirement accounts and other similar financial assets. Without understanding how those types of property affect the settlement of a divorce, you could be giving up a great deal of money that you may have otherwise been entitled to.
Settlement agreements and support payments may also create tax consequences for both parties that have have unintended negative effects. Understanding the potential tax consequences can be difficult, but an experienced divorce attorney can help you understand more about how they might affect you so that you are not caught off-guard.
Contact a Birmingham, AL Divorce Lawyer
All of these financial costs can add up over time. When you consider the potential loss of tens of thousands in property rights, including rights to retirement or investment accounts, or the loss in support payments compounded with the delay caused by misunderstandings about certain aspects of the legal process, do-it-yourself divorces can end up costing you a great deal more than hiring a divorce attorney that can resolve many issues you will face going through the process on your own. There are many ways that you can help keep legal fees associated with divorce attorneys low, and scheduling a consultation with an attorney that has experience working on divorce in Alabama can help you understand how to do that. Contact Alabama Divorce & Family Lawyers, LLC to schedule a consultation and learn more information about the divorce process and how using an experienced divorce attorney can help you navigate the process more successfully than going it alone.


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From concept to curation, and design to production,
the arts of India are unrivaled in their depth, diversity and mystery and showcasing it to global audiences requires a deep understanding of our culture, an acute sense of relevance in programming and an unflinching attention to detail. Above all, we at Teamwork believe in love and respect for the artist.
Teamwork Arts is a highly versatile production company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. Our expertise lies in the area of entertainment and includes documentary and feature films, television, the conceptualisation and development of contemporary performing and visual arts and literary festivals around the world, and in nurturing new talents across all art forms.
For over 25 years, Teamwork Arts have taken India to the world and brought the world to India, presenting the finest of Indian performers, writers and visual artists in the cultural and art space in India and abroad.
Every year, we produce 25 performing, visual arts and literary festivals in 11 countries. We also produce the world's largest free literary gatherings, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival, the Ishara International Puppet Festival, and the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) amongst many others.


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System Change not Climate Change: take direct action for climate justice!
[How to get involved → see below]
In 2009, indigenous peoples called for a global mobilisation 'in defence of mother earth' on October 12, reclaiming what used to be 'Columbus Day'. In response, Climate Justice Action is coordinating a day of direct action for climate justice on October 12, 2010.
For years, many had hoped that governments, international summits, even industries and corporations could stop climate change. Today, after the disaster of Copenhagen, we are wiser. Today we know that we cannot expect UN-negotiations to solve the climate crisis for us; that the climate crisis is the inevitable outcome of a system growing infinitely; that climate justice means taking action ourselves.
Rewind some 500 years. On the 12th of October 1492, Christopher Columbus' so-called 'discovery' of the Americas kicked off the globalisation of a system of domination of the Earth and its people in the eternal pursuit of growth. Today, it is still this system that is causing the climate crisis, and it has a name: capitalism. Today it is all of us, and the entire planet, who increasingly suffer the fate that some five centuries ago befell the indigenous of the Americas and their native lands. Then, it was a continent and its people that were driven to destruction; today, it is a world and its people. Today, we are all the global exploited.
But why focus on the fight for climate justice at a time when, all around the world, people are losing their jobs and their livelihoods? Doesn't the 'economic crisis' trump the 'climate crisis'? But these crises only look different when seen from above. Seen from where we stand, they are all threats to our survival. Whether a tsunami or a bank takes your home – either way, you end up homeless. We can't treat these crises as separate: They are all the result of capital's need for eternal growth, a growth that is fuelled by the ever-expanding exploitation of social and natural 'resources'. Crisis is the standard mode of operation for this system.
To struggle for climate justice is thus at the same time struggling against the madness of capitalism, against austerity enforced from above, against their insistence on the need for continued 'growth'. Climate justice isn't about saving trees or polar bears – though we probably should do both. It is about empowering communities to take back power over their own lives. It is about leaving fossil fuels in the ground and creating socialised renewable energy systems; it is about food sovereignty against the domination of, and destruction caused, by industrial agribusiness; it is about massively reducing working hours, and starting to live different lives; it is about reducing overproduction for overconsumption by elites in the North and the South. Climate justice is the struggle for a good life for us all.
We invite all those who fight for social and ecological justice to organise direct actions targeting climate criminals and false solutions, or creating real alternatives. This is an open callout, we are not picking targets. But it is not a day for marches or petitions: it is time for us to reclaim our power, and take control of our lives and futures.
* October 12 – Flyer
* Call out: Thousands of Cancuns for climate justice!
* Climate Justice Action
The climate crisis has reached a new level. The failure of the 2009 UNFCCC Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15) showed us that global leaders and governments are unwilling to work together towards real solutions to the climate crisis.
The insanity of such inaction is becoming more and more obvious as extreme global climate catastrophes become more frequent. Right now an estimated 18.7 million Pakistanis are affected by the worst floods in Pakistan's history. Just last month in Moscow, gas masks were worn on the streets and in homes as a result of the poisoned air caused by fires, pollution and the highest recorded temperatures in the country's history. This is, of course, in addition to the ongoing environmental exploitation that severely threatens the livelihoods of the global south and all indigenous communities.
However, worldwide activists, organizations and many others are not just standing by. Indigenous communities experiencing climate change catastrophes and all people who care for the health and well being of the rights of Mother Earth are taking the lead towards real change.
We know the fight for climate justice is challenging, but our successes are many and we are building strength! In the last year alone we have seen a constant number of mobilizations that have turned off production at coal factories, occupied spaces planned for airport construction, dropped banners from sky high locations, held fierce massive public rallies, marches and demonstrations, and countless more actions
In an effort to reclaim the day that has traditionally been imposed as 'Columbus Day,' indigenous peoples around the world have called for a global mobilization 'in defence of Mother Earth'. Climate Justice Action has taken up this call and is proposing a global day of direct action for climate justice on October 12, 2010. CJA is not picking specific targets or actions, but is rather calling for all of us to engage, plan and take direct action on this day.
If you are already prepared to take action, let us know what you're planning by sending an email too (CJA ADDRESS!). If you haven't started there's still time. Mobilize and plan an action in your city, town or village. Don't forget to film it and take photos and send them to CJA so we can show off our global force!
There is power in numbers and together we can achieve system change not climate change!
About CJA:
CJA is a transnational non hierarchical direct action network that serves as a resource base for exchange of experiences and seeks to connect and give visability to localised struggles. We consider ourselves part of the broader movements for climate and social justice. Anyone agreeing to and acting in accordance with our aims and principles can be part of the CJA network by taking action at the local/regional level. CJA commits to having regular electronic and face-to-face organisational and strategy meetings to link our struggles for climate justice. All are invited to become an active part to the process!
Are you or your organization interested in becoming part of the CJA network? If yes, tell us about yourself /your organization and your climate struggles, successes and goals. Email us at: info [at] climate-justice-action.org
Dear reader,
Hope things are going all right for you.
The last meeting of the Climate Justice Action network was August 28-29, and one of the main agenda items was mobilising for the October 12th global day and week of action in cooperation with Via Campesina. There are already many diverse actions announced worldwide, but at this point we are lacking a platform that groups can use to connect their struggles.
CJA is trying to create a sustainable, transparent and participatory network and we need your help and participation to do so!
To highlight the global dimension of the actions, to afford networking and to support an overview for the movement and media work, we are re-launching our website. We aim to interconnect actions there with an interactive map and serve as a platforms for more information about the actions and groups sponsoring them.
We would thus like to request:
* Do you plan (or do you know of groups planning) actions on the topic of energy/ climate/ crisis at 12th of October or during the week of 12th of October?
* Do you want those actions to be included in the context of the global day of action at the website?
* If you want to be included, please send us 1) a short description of your action and its aims and 2) a link to more information. Also, photo/video documentation of actions (after the fact of course) would be amazing!
Please be in contact via info [at] climate-justice-action.org
We also want to take the opportunity to remind you about the call out for "A Thousand Cancuns," especially the global day of action on December 7th. Please be in touch about this as well if you are planning anything—the callout is attached.
In solidarity,
Some activist of CJA


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FIGHT pain before it starts—CURE the pain you already have—And do it all WITHOUT drugs
The path to drug addiction doesn't begin in some filthy back alley. It begins in mainstream doctors' offices all around the country.
Because the moment you complain about a barking back, aching arthritic joints or a migraine that feels like someone's tightening a belt around your skull, you've bought a ticket to Pill City.
These sledgehammer prescription painkillers are dangerous... and addictive... and come with a group of side effects longer than Santa's naughty list.
And doctors know it. But they get out the prescription pad anyway, because most docs don't have a clue how to treat the REAL cause of your pain.
And their ignorance ISN'T bliss—it's deadly.
Every year, more than 16,000 Americans are killed by an accidental painkiller overdose. Even cocaine and heroin don't kill that many Americans!
And with new numbers showing that 1 in 5 adults are battling persistent pain, you can bet this is just the tip of the iceberg.
But if you're sailing on the S.S. Pain yourself, I've got a life raft for you.
Throughout this issue, you'll find the best and most powerful drug-free cures for all forms of pain. Not everything works for everyone, but some of these cures are so good they work for just about every kind of ache around.
I call these tried and true all-in-one cures my...
#1) Fish Oil: Let me start with a personal favorite, one I take myself because it can help protect your heart, brain and even your eyes.
It's fish oil, and one of the reasons it's so protective throughout the body is that it happens to be one of the most potent all-natural anti-inflammatories around. And when it comes to pain, that inflammation-fighting power can bring relief just about everywhere.
It can ease your baying back, knock that crick right out of your neck and turn stiff muscles as loose as a goose. Even better, fish oil can lubricate your joints—including wrists, hips and knees—and ease the pain of arthritis.
#2) Turmeric: This is the secret ingredient in Indian food—the spice that gives curry its distinct brownish-yellowish color and aromatic flavor.
Locked inside turmeric is a compound that's been used since ancient times to fight pain. It's a substance called curcumin, and modern studies show it works like COX inhibitor drugs to block pain.
If you know anything about those drugs, you know they're downright dangerous—so risky that some have been yanked off the market (Vioxx, anyone?).
Curcumin doesn't come with ANY of those extra risks, only extra benefits. Along with fighting pain, this spicy compound can protect the brain and heart and fight the oxidative stress of aging.
If you eat curry by the bucket, you're probably getting enough. For the rest of us, take a supplement. Curcumin is available by itself and as part of antioxidant blends.
#3) Soothanol X2: This one almost sounds too good to be true: an all-natural painkiller so potent that just a couple of drops can ease aches virtually ON CONTACT.
It's a blend of 11 power-packed substances. Each has been used on its own traditionally for many years. But together? You won't find anything out there more powerful than this for muscle pain, backaches, arthritis and more.
Full disclosure: Soothanol X2 is made exclusively by NorthStar Nutritionals, which is owned by the same parent company that brings you The Douglass Report.
But you know me by now. I wouldn't mention it if it didn't work. In fact, that's why I asked them to provide you with even MORE details about this extraordinary pain reliever. Check for their special report on Soothanol X2 in the same envelope this issue came in.
#4) Arnica: If you ever come across Arnica montana in the wild, leave it be. The plant is poisonous on its own.
But diluted in a gel—or further diluted into homeopathic doses—it almost becomes poison for pain. Rub it into your joints, muscles or back and the pain can practically vanish.
One study in 2007 found that arnica gel worked as well as ibuprofen in patients with arthritis of the hands. Another study looked at the knees, and found this gel eases pain and stiffness and improves function.
One note: Allergic reactions are possible with arnica, but they're rare and usually minor.
#5) Methylsulfonyl-methane: Yes, that's a mouthful. Fortunately, you can call it MSM instead.
MSM is derived from sulfur and it's proven to prevent the loss of cartilage that leads to joint pain. One study found that it sliced pain levels by a quarter and improved function by nearly a third in patients with osteoarthritis of the knees.
And, like everything else on this list, MSM is a multipurpose tool for any number of types of pain, including muscle pain.
If you don't know where else to turn, any combination of these cures could ease or eliminate your pain and give you your life back.
If you've been battling pain, whether it's a semi-regular flare-up or a chronic and unwelcome companion, give it a shot. And along with these nature-based solutions for pain, don't fear what your doc will sneeringly call "alternative" therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic.
There's a reason they've become more popular every year: they work for a LOT of folks.


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Bugs are simple creature that can do complex things. Therefore robotic bugs are a good way to design simple robots to do some basic behaviors, while still completing complex tasks.
Look at Roomba, for example: it looks like an ant when it bumps everywhere looking for more food all the time. Well it was actually inspired by insect behaviors.
First, let's see the best research robots, like the butterfly robots that really fly. Then there are many cool robot toys based on bugs, but they are simple and fun.
Bugs are a model of how simple design can achieve complex tasks. Scientists have been searching for years how the ants were able to organize themselves. It even gave birth to new fields like swarm robotics (where you try to let 100+ robots organize themselves without centralized command center) and ant colony optimization, which is a swarm theory directly inspired by the study of ant colonies.
Another impressive research are the butterfly robots. Some of them weight less than 1 gram, and are still able to fly. This is possible thanks to the progress in micro-electronics. The main research is actually on making always smaller sensors and actuators as much as it is on making wings that fly.
RC Butterfly Robot, By Proxdynamics
The picture above is an RC butterfly robot. That means you can control it well enough to fly inside a room. It weights only 1.1 grams.
Yes, these cybernetic bugs are not just the creation of some mad scientist, they already started invading our homes years ago.
While the most populars are probably the Hexbugs, there are many cool robot toys in the form of bugs. Hexbugs come in many different forms: hexbug nanos are the small vibrating one, but you also have the Hexbug Ants that react to touch, the Hexbugs Spiders are remote controlled...
Also, you can find quite a few beginner robot kits that look like bugs. Actually, for every hexbug that exist, you could find an equivalent robot kit to build it yourself.
Be careful though, many kits that cost around $10 are cool to make, but also very fragile. So handle with a lot of care, or invest a little more money into better quality.
Other pages that may interest you:
Animal robots inspired by nature. Find out how nature and animals have inspired the greatest robotic designs.
My list of top robotic pets. Find out the Top 10 robotic pets. It covers all price range and abilities.
The dinosaur robot pets. Check out the Pleo and Little Inu robotic pets. Cheaper than Aibo, and still a lot of awesome features.
Click to go back to Robot dog, Robotic pets and other animal main page.
Click here to go back from Robotic Bugs to the Personal Robot Home Page.
Subscribe to Robot Tips and get the best tips to choose, dream, learn and build robots.


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A WOMAN yesterday told how her car was forced over a barrier by a landslide and left hanging in the air.
Jane Else was driving on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll when 200 tons of rubble came crashing down the hillside.
Her Nissan Micra was forced across the road and over the barrier, with only snow poles stopping it from plunging down the steep embankment.
The mental health nurse said: "One minute the road was OK and the next it was like a concrete barrier appeared out of nowhere.
"The car was forced across the road, turned around and shoved up on the barrier.
"The back end was sitting on one of the snow posts. That was the only thing that stopped me going down the glen."
She was driving to collect a friend from Glasgow airport at the time of Wednesday morning's landslip. The road reopened the next day.
Jane, 50, has been recovering at home in Lochgilphead after being released from hospital in Paisley on Hogmanay.
She said: "I've been lucky that I've only got severe bruising and a hairline fracture to my sternum. I'm very lucky to have survived."
Jane questioned if work would be done to make the Rest and Be Thankful, which is prone to landslides, safer. She said: "Does one of us have to die before something is done? It's not safe."
Another driver was caught up in the drama but wasn't seriously injured.
Eddie Ross of BEAR Scotland said nets lining the road caught most of the rubble but about
100 tons reached the road.
Transport Scotland said £48million had been invested in the A83 since 2007.


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See the Cool And Unusual People At The Steam Dream Expo 2016 at Old World Village in Augusta
The Steam Dream Expo is held annually at Old World Village in Augusta. This is the fourth year for the festival. Never been? You won't believe what's happening in your own back yard. Check out the photos.
With the many things that happen in Michigan year-round, maybe a steampunk celebration flew under your radar. And what the heck is steampunk anyway?
According to Wikipedia, Steampunk:
also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction
So basically, anything goes. We were invited to check it out on Friday and we had so much fun we came back Saturday. Here's what you missed.
This is not the only event you will find at Old World Village. They have events year-round, with themes from pirates swashbuckling to knights rescuing damsels in distress, haunted forests to the wonders of Christmas, there is sure to be something for everyone here.
Up next, starting July 9th is the BlackRock Medieval Festival. We can't wait to see how the revelers will be decked out for that one.


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BDA Gluten Free Foods on Prescription Policy Statement17 February 2016
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) released a new version of its policy regarding gluten-free foods on prescription in September 2015, to coincide with new coeliac disease guidelines produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The BDA, founded in 1936, is the professional association for dietitians in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the nation's largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals with over 8,500 members. The BDA is also an active trade union.
Coeliac disease is a serious and lifelong autoimmune disease caused by an abnormal immune response to eating gluten. If left untreated, it can have damaging effects on a patient's health including an increased incidence of osteoporosis, fractures, some cancers and infertility as well as nutritional deficiencies.
The BDA's updated policy states that a gluten-free diet is the sole treatment for coeliac disease and therefore warrants the continued provision of gluten-free staples on prescription. The BDA supports the innovative models for the provision of gluten-free foods using dietetic or pharmacy-led schemes. These schemes reduce the cost to the NHS of the provision of gluten-free foods on prescription, whilst maintaining an excellent service to patients with medically diagnosed coeliac disease.
The BDA is delighted to note that the newly updated NICE guidance clearly signposts dietitians and other health professionals towards the BDA's own Centre for Education and Development course Coeliac disease: an overview of management.
The 'Implementation: getting started' section of the NICE guidance advises that: "Commissioners and providers of coeliac services should work together to develop a local service model for coeliac follow up care, which could include access to specialist dietitians, group clinics or pharmacy based support.
"This may involve developing the skills and knowledge of their dietitians (and other healthcare professionals) in coeliac disease through training, such as attending the British Dietetic Association course, Coeliac disease: an overview of management, or the coeliac section of the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education's The Learning Pharmacy website (both having been developed in conjunction with Coeliac UK). The NICE resource impact assessment tool can help to inform this."
The next BDA Coeliac disease: an overview of management course will take place on May 4 2016 in Birmingham. Find out more information about the course.
More Information:
For more information / interview requests, please contact the BDA Press Office or telephone on 0800 048 1714.
Notes to the Editor:
- Visit the BDA website at www.bda.uk.com
- Dietitians are the only qualified health professionals that assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems at an individual and wider public health level. Uniquely, dietitians use the most up to date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease, which they translate into practical guidance to enable people to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices.
- Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be statutorily regulated, and governed by an ethical code, to ensure that they always work to the highest standard. Dietitians work in the NHS, private practice, industry, education, research, sport, media, public relations, publishing, Non-Government Organisations and government. Their advice influences food and health policy across the spectrum from government, local communities and individuals.
- BDA produce free Food Factsheets at www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts.


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The average tenancy in Britain is 20 months, and the trend shows
that tenancies are tending to last longer (up from 18 months just 3
years ago). The government have for a while been advocating and
promoting longer tenure as part of their wider housing
Three year (or longer) assured shorthold tenancies are already
enabled by legislation. Of course, tenants seek suitable and well
kept living spaces, and for some these longer tenancies might offer
increased stability and affordability.
Sajid Javid, Communities Secretary, has been vocal about the
issue; "All landlords should be offering tenancies of at
least 12 months for those who want them…. That's why,
at the autumn Budget, we will bring forward new incentives for
landlords who are doing the right thing." The Residential
Landlords Association found in a recent survey that 63% of
landlords would offer a tenancy of 12 months or longer if the
tenant were to request it.
Mortgage conditions are currently a barrier for one in four
members of the Residential Landlords Associaton, as in current
agreements a maximum restriction on tenancy length can be
Of course, for some tenants, a shorter tenancy agreement might
be preferred. Longer tenancies might reduce flexibility in the
employment arena, particularly for single individuals who might
need to move around relatively regularly for work reasons. One
other example would be couples who are renting before purchasing a
home; longer tenancies might get in the way if the right property
does come up. Will the push for longer tenancy agreements mean that
it is no longer possible to negotiate a shorter rental period?
Further details on the government policy should be arriving
soon, with the forthcoming budget imminent. It will be interesting
to see if any incentive scheme does come to fruition, but also we
hope that an even-handed approach is taken so that tenants with the
requirement for a shorter rental period do not lose out.
170 Greenford Road Sudbury Hill
Greater London, HA1 3QX
Tel: 0208 864 5775
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On the face of it Stuart Broad's first one-day international as captain has little value except to raise morale after the bashing England were handed by Australia. But that would depend on them winning and there is no guarantee of that against a mercurial West Indies side that can blow as hot as pepper sauce or as cold as rum punch often within the same match.
The pounding England took Down Under, in all formats, will not be shaken off easily, but if there is one team that is the antithesis of Australia's ruthless efficiency it is the West Indies, and that should be a source of comfort to Broad who is seeking to rediscover what it feels like to win more than one international match in four months.
Both teams have sketchy recent records in this format with England having won just one of their last nine matches (all against the Aussies) and West Indies three of their last nine. The latter's series against New Zealand a few months ago sums up their extreme nature after they lost one match by 159 runs while winning another by 203, margins that make England's recent losses almost respectable.
Neither side is at full strength here, though England may be getting the better of the deal, being without Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and James Anderson, as compared to West Indies who are missing Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Kemar Roach and Marlon Samuels, though the latter, suffering a groin problem, is here with the squad.
Gayle, who has a sore hip, is hoping to be fit for the T20 series in Barbados while Pollard, recuperating from a knee injury, is targeting the World T20 in Bangladesh for his return.
Trott is said to be returning to cricket at the start of the season with Warwickshire but Broad, while welcoming his comeback, cautioned against him trying to get to where he once was too fast. "It's great to hear that Trotty is going to pick up a bat again and I think the thing for him is not to put too much pressure on himself," said Broad on Thursday. "I think it's way too early to talk about playing for England again. He's got to take it one step at a time and just enjoy getting the bat back in his hand, training, and getting the processes right to eventually get his England shirt back.
"I'm not going to stand here and apply more pressure on him by saying we're desperate for him to play for England again. We know the high-quality player he is but it's about the processes of getting him back to where he wants to be."
England do not have happy memories of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, having lost an important World Cup match here to Sri Lanka in 2007 and been involved in the abandoned Test five years ago.
The sandy outfield which caused that Test to be cancelled after a few overs has been rectified. "We just watered it, added fertiliser and got the grass to grow better," said Tony Merrick the groundsman, though it and the pitches remain on the slow side.
If the strip used for Tuesday's practice match is any guide they will also take spin which places Moeen Ali or Stephen Parry in a strong position to make their England debut.
Moeen is probably the favourite if a second spinner is required.
Depending on tactics he could replace one of the openers, Luke Wright or Alex Hales, or Ravi Bopara or Tim Bresnan, though Moeen might come in for Eoin Morgan who has been nursing a bruised knee after jarring it fielding. The noises from England's management, despite him not taking part in yesterday's practice are that Morgan will play, but sandy outfields are no places for fielders carrying sore knees.
It was Bopara who nearly got England home in that World Cup match against Sri Lanka all those years ago with a fine knock, though one that came to nought when he failed to hit the last ball for four. If he plays today it will be his 100th one-day international, the 18th England player to reach the milestone.
"It's obviously a huge achievement but Ravi's hungry for a lot more success," said Broad who also has reached 100 caps in one-day internationals. "He's found a good role for himself in the middle order, trying to be that finisher, and that can take the pressure off the top four a bit. At seven he can come out and play his way."
As well as targeting the team's death bowling for improvement (there was a glut of yorkers in yesterday's practice) Broad also pointed to England's batsmen being more proactive during the Powerplay and first half of the innings. "We've had a lot of success at home through, not being defensive, but stacking it up at the back end by keeping wickets in hand and then accelerating," said Broad. "But when you play abroad, as was evident in Australia, you can't be 130 after 30 overs, you've got to look to be more like 160 so you're not as reliant on people like Morgan and Buttler to get us up to 300. So I think there's a bit of change in mind set to push our score a bit beyond 130 after the first 30 to take a bit of pressure off the guys at the end."
Theory is easy but that may be why these matches have been scheduled – to put such matters into practice and get England back to winning ways.


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google1d387a0828f72248.html http://pricklypawshedgehogs.co/
Policy Page
Please read our policy page if you are thinking of getting a hedgehog baby from us. Please pay special attention to the information under Sales, Returns, and Guarantees
Prickly Paws Hedgehogs reserves the right to refuse a sale of the hedgehogs for any reason and at any time before the completion of a sale.
Prickly Paws Hedgehogs only guarantees hedgehogs that are produced by us they come with a lietime warranty against wobbly hedgehog syndrome (WHS) and the only ones that our Health Guarantee is for. Our Health Guarantee stipulates that if you need to keep your hedgehog on Spikes Delight. Spikes Delight sends us a list of every one who has bought hedgehog food from them and their food is also a guarantee that the hedgehog will not have congenital defects for two years. We do this because that is the guarantee given to us when purchasing hedgehogs for our herd.
If your hedgehog has died of WHS, a Necropsy must be done, as proof that it has it. If the necropsy report says it is positive for WHS, then you will be gave another hedgehog. Please understand that the Veterinary cost of previous treatment are the owner's responsibility and we WILL NOT cover or reimburse the owner. Knowing if this happens its very important to us, so please keep in contact with us. If you believe your hedgehog has WHS and your vererinatian agrees please contact us. We would also like to send the results to a lab to confirm WHS.
Anytime an animal passes suddenly please contact your vet. In case of WHS and other disorders it is best to have a necropsy done. The animal must be kept cool, but not frozen after death. Most pet owners want to bury their companion right way, but that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. You would still be able to bury your companion after the veterinarian collects the needed samples. We are here to offer support both before and after the hedgehog goes home with you. Please feel free to ask questions and to contact us.
Please Note: Prickly Paws Hedgehogs is not responsible or liable for any veterinarian bills.
If you can not keep the hedgehog you purchased from Prickly Paws Hedgehogs for any reason, we request that it be returned to Prickly Paws Hedgehogs and no other breeder or hedgehog supplier. We will always accept our hedgehogs back and ensure that they have a loving home. Please note: We will need a veterinarian to check the hedgehog before we can except the hedgehog back. Prickly Paws Hedgehogs is not responsible or liable for any veterinarian bills.
We will always take a hedgehog back, but if it is just a surrender then no refund will be issued.
We will still take ANY hedgehog produced by Prickly Paws Hedgehogs back, but please understand that any hedgehog brought back has to go to the vet again and go through a 30 day quarantine holding period. Only after the vet gives a good bill of health, and the 30 days is up it can be placed for rehoming or kept here. During those 30 days it has to be handled, keep warm, and be located away from the other hedgehogs. Hedgehogs brought back are more likely to have health issues or socialization issues, all of which we will need work with before the hedgehog can be rehomed.


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About Trapp Interactive
Marcus Trapp is a freelance web developer based in Madison, Wisconsin with over 20 years of experience. In that time, he's built websites for large companies, small organizations, and creative visionaries alike. His lifelong fascination with the digital form started in the video arcades of the 1980's and progressed with the medium itself through the years. After creating and completing his own individual major of Interactive Design at the University of Wisconsin Madison, he cultivated his web development skills in the highly creative, highly demanding ad agency world.
In July 2012, Marcus and his dog, Gizmo, struck off on their own to establish Trapp Interactive. Whether collaborating with larger agencies or working directly with clients, he strives to build visually-engaging, easy-to-use experiences that are accessible on any device. Trapp Interactive specializes in custom frontend development (HTML, CSS, and JS) with the backend framework of Craft CMS. This versatile toolset allows for completely-tailored, easily-updated, low-maintenance websites.
Not sure what you need for your project? Get in touch and we'll figure it out.
Marcus Trapp


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From a Brilliant Writer
Thank you, 23 is such a confusing age. Friends graduating, bills piling, and thoughts of uncertainty in the air. Not once in school can I recall being debriefed on the real world. So young and full of imagination you feel invincible. Words of woes in one ear and out the other… hesitant to heed the warnings of elders, despite the "l've been there before" line. We continue to think, that's not me it can't happen to me. Then we wake up to a harsh reality, mine was in a jail cell. It was like any other Saturday, payday, friends, a bar, and always a good time. Everything was perfect. I had no worries or complaints. My summer was amazing and tonight was just a continuation of the party that started in April. 1, 2, 3 a sip of this, some of that sure I'll have another and in between I lost count but who cares, whose keeping track? Not me any more at least, I have that feeling. The one I was chasing after all night. Was it happy? I think. Was it fun? I think. Was it careless? I think. What was it really, that I was trying to fill? Some void? I really don't know, and to this day I am still trying to figure it out but that night it was fun. Time to go, Goodbye to the room full of all my new best friends whose faces I wouldn't remember. High fives, jokes, laughs, and escapes all exchanged under one roof. Walked them to the car, drove to mine, and pulled out the key. Unlocked my door, got in and started the engine. What was about to happen the next five minutes would turn my world upside down. Outside of a donut shop a gentleman signaled me to pull over. Seeing red lights in your mirror is never a welcomed sight. Outside the donut shop I stood on one foot, impressed bystanders with my ability to touch my nose with my finger I even flaunted my education background by estimating 30 seconds in my head. I thought I did a good job, honesty never steered me wrong. Then came the handcuffs. Cold holding area, a needle in my arm from a complete stranger, flash photography of my good sides, ink on my hands, held behind my back, iron bars, wait what is this? I'm invincible, that won't happen to me, words of woes coming back, why I didn't listen. 11am Sunday, my usual church service just got out. My iron cage slid open; I was given back my shoes but not my dignity. A bag with my stuff and shown the way out… what just happened? I was served a reality check too big to cash. At that very moment I sat outside the police department. Not sure of what I had become. The world as I knew it slipped out of my hands, the feelings from the night before were replaced with shame. I had fallen into a black pit. You were that ray of light that first shines through a dark forest. I don't know how to thank you enough for being that reaching hand. Thank you Vince, you were a godsend that helped me put the pieces back together. Although the days have slipped by there has not been a single one were my gratitude slipped by. I don't know how to ever repay you for what you did, or why you did what you did, but I want to thank you. With you there to lend a hand I was able to get ahead. So I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. As the years go by I will look back and kindly remember you.
– Young DUI Client


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The first bicycle I had wasn't the one I wanted. By American standards, I wasn't a spoiled child and tended to be openly grateful for everything I received—especially because I heard a lot from Whitie, my father, about how lucky I was not to have grown up in the Depression, the way he did, and about how "kids nowadays didn't know how good they had it," and how everything he was doing for us (my sister, my brother and me) was a major sacrifice so we needed to be more appreciative—but the bike wasn't the one I'd had in mind.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't throw a tantrum or anything. I smiled and hugged my dad and thanked him and yelled, "Oh, a bike!" when he brought it home. But there was a nasty little lump in my throat and a sinking feeling of certain disappointment in my gut when he raised the trunk lid on his '52 Chevy and I could see more of it than just the two wheels that had been sticking out when he pulled into our driveway and drove up to the back steps, where I was standing.
The bike was meant to be a surprise. My mother, Reba Mae, must have talked Whitie into it. His theory had been that since I was big for my age, there wouldn't be any need to transition from a "training bike" to a bigger one if he waited long enough. Up until then, while we still lived on South Pine Street, before we moved to the big house on West Auglaize where we lived now, he'd had my older sister, Darla, share her bicycle with me. While we were on Pine Street, our little brother Jim was still too small to be concerned with grown-up stuff like bikes, so at least Whitie didn't have to worry about his wanting one yet. Darla had gotten a full-sized bike right away. No training bike for her either. She'd gone from the oversized tricycle she and I shared to a twenty-six-inch bicycle. By now she could, stretching a bit, reach the pedals from the seat without having to ride standing up all the time. But in my case, the twenty-six-inch two-wheeler was still too tall to sit comfortably and pedal. Learning to ride involved learning to do so in a standing position, only sitting on the seat to coast. But that was okay, Whitie reasoned, because it was a girl's bike, so no crosspiece to worry about. Practical.
It wasn't the first time Darla'd had to share with me. It seemed that "since she was older" it was important for her to "learn to share," and since I was younger, my lesson appeared to be that I should be content to borrow certain things (expensive things) from her. It had begun with her allowance. My parents had instated a sort of "seniority" system by which Darla's "being older" entitled her to a bigger allowance than mine, but that right also burdened her with an obligation to "share with her brother," precisely because her allowance was bigger than mine. So if we went to the grocery store to buy penny candy or a popsicle, it was understood that my sister would have to buy something for me too because, on my allowance, I couldn't afford the same stuff she could.
Darla was an incredibly good sport about all of this—even if it often seemed quite apparent to me that I needed to be prudent in my attitude toward her whenever we were doing something in which she was obliged to share with me, because there were times, I felt sure, when she would gladly have shoved me under the wheels of a passing delivery truck as I tagged along to the corner store. There were a number of lessons encompassed in this binary process. I was learning to be patient and my sister was learning to be generous, or so we were told. Whether those lessons were accepted or not without a constant state of mental rebellion was an altogether different affair.
Along with Darla's two-wheeler also came the responsibility of passing on what she knew. I remember Whitie impatiently teaching her to ride her bike. When she first got it, it was way too big for her, but Whitie subscribed to the One Bike per Life Theory. Eighteen or twenty-inch bikes with training wheels were for sissies, and, more importantly, were a waste of money, since kids quickly outgrew them. I recall our father holding onto the tall seat of my sister's bicycle and impelling her forward, steadying her to keep her up, while she stood on the pedals, pumping away with strength and courage until Whitie let go, stopped trotting beside her, and watched her ride shakily off on her own. Darla was a good student and fiercely independent. Once she had it, she had no further need or want for parental help. She was free-wheeling.
But I was a different story and when it came time for me to learn, parental authority was delegated to my older sister, who was eight at the time. It was important, she was told, for her to "take some responsibility." She was the oldest and as such, she needed to "learn to take care of her little brothers." In my case, learning to ride a bike was the same as having learned to swim: Whitie gave Darla her first lessons and it was then up to her to give me mine.
In her precociously didactic way, Darla's cycling lessons were as precise and no-nonsense as had been the swimming lessons she'd given me in the public pool. Off we went with her enormous bike to the elementary school playground across the way and down a short alley from our house on Pine Street. She warned me that I'd best pay attention and be a quick learner because she didn't plan to "waste her entire summer" jogging around the playground teaching her idiotic little brother to ride. Despite the admonition, however, she put her heart into it, like everything else she did, and, with the help of her steadying hand and shrill orders, I was soon pedaling my jittery way around the playground blacktop and I heard Darla shout behind me, "Way to go, Dan! You're on your own."
As I gained confidence, I became more and more enthused with the ride, and my sister became more and more bored standing around watching me. It was as I was making my shaky umpteenth pass of the First Grade wing of the building that Darla said, "Oh look, there's my old first grade teacher." She waved and shouted, "Hello Miss Long!" as I saw through the windows that faced onto the playground, a portly middle-aged lady with her hair put up in a bun, apparently preparing her classroom for the coming school year. The woman waved back at Darla and Darla turned to me, and said, "Wave at Miss Long!" Being left-handed, I smiled and took my right hand off of the handlebars to wave at Darla's former teacher and immediately veered sharply south and crashed into the brick side of the school building.
Carrying out a quick damage control while trying not to cry, I realized, with a mixture of relief and self-pity that I had fared far worse than the bike, having sanded the skin off of my knee against the wall and having seriously hurt my opposite elbow, which was already swelling to twice its normal size, by landing on it with all my weight against the surface of the blacktop. My sister's bicycle, thankfully, only had a small scrape on the back fender. But she was already there recovering her two-wheeler and vowing she would never let me use it again, as she hurried me off the playground and back home, where it was left to my mother to patch me up and comfort me.
But Darla did let me use it again...repeatedly. In fact, I used it a great deal more than she did, even though I was the target of scorn among other boys for riding a girl's bike, until Reba Mae finally talked Whitie into getting me a bicycle of my own. It was a twenty-four-inch bike, slightly smaller than my sister's. I guess Whitie figured I could reach the pedals despite the crossbar and once I grew into it I could keep on using this medium-size bike forever. The size seemed fine to me, but it wasn't the shiny new Schwinn or Huffy that I'd been expecting "any time now" to show up on by birthday or for Christmas during the couple of years while I was sharing with my sister. Nor was it the "English bike" I'd dared ask for on numerous occasions. The term referred to any bicycle with razor-thin high-pressure tires, hand brakes and three gears. They were usually black or deep dark green, and seemed so sleek and cool to me when I saw my wealthier classmates riding them, compared to the stocky American bikes with their big balloon tires, heavy frames and back-pedal brakes.
But I'd given up on the dream of having one of those. Whitie thought they were sissy and impractical for sure. You couldn't run a paper route on one of those, and as soon as I was old enough, a paper route, he made it clear, would be in my future. My bike needed to be a practical one.
To be continued...


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To work in conservation you must develop skills in the arts - the art of patience, the art of tolerance, and the art of optimism. These have not always come naturally to me, but I've learnt a lot over the years, and I've come a long way. Today, however, I am going to express a fairly …
Chasing Coral
Can you tell me what a coral is? Is it an animal or a plant? Or is it something else entirely? In fact, it is both animal and plant, and then some! Corals are one of the unsung wonders of the animal kingdom. We've all heard of them, yet most do not consider them to …
UK Bats: Why we should learn to live alongside them.
Bats suffer from negative attitudes - why we should learn to live alongside them - learn how to detect bats in your house and what to do about it.
The Plastic Pollution Pandemic
Marine pollution - the plastic pollution explosion - what can you do to help?
Are zoos necessary in conservation?
Modern day zoos are the most conventional method of ex-situ conservation...Ex-situ conservation is paramount in our fight to protect our planets biodiversity


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To obtain a divorce, you must be separated from your spouse for one year. It is not necessary to have documents drafted indicating your date of separation. If you have made the decision to end your marriage or you have been confronted by your spouse with his/her intentions of seeking a divorce, please contact Rutherford Robertson, P.A. to schedule your confidential consultation in an effort to make informed decisions as you close one chapter of your life and enter into the next.
Related services are: spousal support, alimony, postseparation support, child custody, child support
Rutherford Robertson represents family law clients throughout Concord, North Carolina, including the cities and areas of Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Salisbury, Midland, Albemarle., and throughout Cabarrus County, NC, Rowan County, NC, & Stanly County, NC.


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This is what happens when you take someone else's parking spot. This is why you don't park in a spot that is not yours.Read More »
Worried About Mosquitoes In The Summer? Cheap Innovative Way To Get Rid Of Them Forever!
In the summertime people are outdoors which brings menacing bugs like mosquitoes. In this video we will show you how to get rid of all your troubles with mosquitoes by using regular house hold materials.Read More »
This Is What Happens When A Professional Pianist Finds A Unfinished Piano In A Hardware Store. Amazing!
This isn't sheet music but perhaps the next best thing. Professional pianist Jacob Tolliver finds an unfinished piano in a hardware store in Portsmouth, Ohio and starts playing some amazing jams.Read More »
6yr Old Break Dancing – Like A Boss
Check out this unbelievable 6-year-old girl, Terra Chelles while she serves up older kids in a B-boy battle. Break dancing like a boss!Read More »
Riding ON A Car – Like A Boss
These guys take two wheeling in a jeep to the next level. Riding on a car like a damn boss!Read More »
95yr Old Poker Player – Like A Boss
A 95-year-old geezer shows a cocky poker player who's boss.Read More »
Wheel Chair Of The Future
This wheel chair enables people to stand up and maneuver around. It includes an easy access point and enables the person to work out and stretch.Read More »
Meet The World's Fastest Dwarf
Meet Doug Farrel he was once the worlds strongest dwarf bench pressing more than 300 pounds. Now He is training to be the world's fastest dwarf alive.Read More »
YOU WONT BELIEVE What This Uncle Does To His Gang Banging Nephew!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2aQtZGLr7A Uncle catches nephew gang banging and gives him a a** whopping and records it all to post on Face Book.Read More »
Walking Away – Like A Boss
Right before a huge explosion, two men are seen walking away without being phased.Read More »


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If there's one thing the radical left hates without a shadow of a doubt, it's traditional gender roles. Many a modern feminist or radical SJW will attempt to convince the masses that there is no difference between the genders, that gender is a social construct, or that there are more than two genders. But, here's the fact of the matter: none of it is true! There are several, very distinct differences between the sexes. And to prove it, I'm going to use a few things that most people on the radical left seem to be allergic to: facts, logic, and science.
I won't beat around the bush here: by nature, men and women are different. I can agree that sex is based in biology and physiology and gender is based more on identity, but there's a catch. The differences in brain activity between males and females on top of male and female sex hormones that help form those identities. Multiple studies have shown that there can be significant differences between the male and female brain. For example, a woman's hippocampus is larger and works differently than a man's does, whereas a man's amygdala is larger and works different than a woman's. And before any of you call me out for not mentioning transgender people, I do admit that there are women out there who think they're stuck in a man's body and vice versa, but guess what? There's a term for that: gender dysphoria. But it goes a lot further than just psychology.
With these biological and psychological differences in play, this does end up evident through how men and women act in society. Men by nature are more assertive, have more muscle mass, and are more natural leaders. On the other hand, women are naturally more nurturing, level-headed, and caring. That's why for so long, traditional familial gender roles were the norm in just about every western society, especially the United States; the husband goes to work and the woman stays home to take care of the kids. Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that the man should work because he's in any way superior to his wife or anything else. In fact, my life experiences have taught me something quite different.
I know all of the material laid out above makes it sound like one gender may be superior to the other — but that isn't the case at all. Rather, what I've learned, from my family, the church, or just my own observations and experiences, is that the biological, psychological, and societal differences between men and women are meant to complement each other. One isn't necessarily supposed to be superior or inferior to the other; rather, they're more or less meant to balance each other out. In fact, that's why God created Eve alongside Adam.
"So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh." -Genesis 2:20-21
Even the Bible itself admits that Adam couldn't get it all done by himself, that's why God created the woman.
Men and women were meant to be complements to each other, natural companions. They are each better at different things, but that is in no way a bad thing. Having the two come together essentially makes a collectively stronger human being. That's why we have the tradition of marriage in our species. Moreover, trying to suppress or undermine the importance of the gender binary would only mean disaster for our survival as a species. For the sake of our species' survival, our traditional gender roles matter.
Read the author's personal online publication and follow him on Instagram


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57-year-old Lorraine Jara of Toms River, New Jersey has a mission: to make the world a better place by inspiring kindness throughout the entire human community.
Her project, Be Kind To Humankind, wasn't inspired by a random act of kindness, however, but rather an act of indifference. Jara started her campaign in August 1988 after reading about two men in their 20s who suffered a boating accident in her hometown's waterways. She describes the incident on her website:
"They were in a small rowboat which overturned. ...as they clung to the overturned vessel, two young ladies in another boat pulled them out of the cold water. The ladies did not have a motor boat or a radio on board to call land for help. Two other boats with radio antennas passed them by, refusing their calls for help. One passing boater reportedly said, "We don't want to be bothered." When finally rescued, one of the young men died."
The indifference shocked her. That's when she decided to try to make a difference. After the dead victim's family declined her offer to build a memorial for him, she hit upon an idea.
"I then thought…well, they have a Be Kind to Animals Week so why not have a Be Kind to Humankind Week."
And so Be Kind To Humankind was born.
Be Kind to Humankind Week is celebrated around the world from August 25 to 31 every year.
This year, Jara teamed with Medical Daily to spread some kindness around New York City.
Medical Daily sent out a small team to Wall Street on a particularly bad day: Black Monday, when the DOW dropped over 500 points. They captured some of the reactions on video.
"We set out on a humid Monday afternoon to buy (if only slightly ambush) New Yorkers lined up at food carts for an afternoon snack," writes Medical Daily's Stephanie Castillo, "from green juice to ice cream. It wasn't without hesitation, but each person allowed us to pay for their snack and remind them something as small as this can have a big effect."
But there's more to Be Kind To Human Kind Week than meets the eye...
A scientific study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies suggests that performing acts of kindness can improve mood and emotional wellness.
Researchers have also found that kindness may also help brain function.
In general, it seems that kindness is its own gift.
Watch Medical Daily's acts of kindness here.
For a list of suggested acts of kindness this week, please check out Be Kind To Humankind's website and Twitter.


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DUTERTE Loved By American Investors Expecting Biggest Philippines Masa Market Boom.
Now that the tough-talking Mayor Duterte is the President Elect of The Philippines Islands, the world's fastest-growing economy and the largest,new American investment haven in the world, American investments are pouring in.
Duterte often compared to the US Presidential Candidate, widely hated and seemingly racist, Donald J. Trump, if proving to be nothing like Trump at all.
"The peso has surged 0.7 percent this month to 46.555 per dollar… while all of its 11 Asian counterparts have weakened. The Philippine currency dropped 1.7 percent in April, before jumping 1.1 percent in the two days after the election… the biggest back-to-back advance since May 2014…Rodrigo Duterte is reinvigorating financial markets in the Philippines with his transformation into a business-friendly leader."–Bloomberg May 2016
The historical facts, surrounding Duterte's success in his own city:which meant profit-generating jobs, infrastructure, growth in small-business sectors, lower-crime rates, economic gains and subsequent higher-consumer welfare, has foreign investors inspired. Despite much of the main-stream media propaganda, foreigners who live in the region of and around Davao City, speak highly of the lifestyle, beauty, safety and true-Philippines lifestyle it offers.
Duterte promises the world, to tackle many of the Philippines' concerns which have (despite the successful numbers) kept foreign investors from investing even more in the country's economic future. Foreign investing groups such as Americans, Expats, Balikbayans and FilAms are anxious to see how the climate of the Philippines will change.
The new Philippines President, has another advantage as well –the exchange rate.
In main stream media, the sliding Peso rate is misconstrued to work 'against' the Philippines economy; which is not the case to the international-market. A strategy Duterte seems to understand very well.
A 'favorable global exchange rate' for the Philippines attracts millions of potential global tourists, investors and returning Balikbayans who benefit from the 50-times earning the Philippines currently boast to the West. It also keeps the Philippines pegged above markets such as Japan, India, Nigeria and even Mexico where in which Filipinos can invest Pesos at a higher-rate.
The power of 50-times earnings was exposed –to detriment of India- when the Philippines took over as the world leader in the outsourcing and BPO Industry –even though the Philippines is up to 25% higher in cost to outsources than India is.
"There is no doubt that the Philippines was going to beat-out India, and there is no doubt that the Philippines will remain the world's fast-growing Mega market. Just as in the United States, when slavery was abolished and racism shunned; an entirely new middle-class America emerged. Now Minority/Black America is the world's richest consumer market. And, we have learned names such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Obama and Kobe Bryant. People who would have been poor slaves just a generation ago. When Duterte cleans house, and can alleviate the corruption, the Philippines will hit the Second World and a new 'Peoples Economic Renaissance with happen. Investors, are beating on that outcome." -Kareem Jackson, Principle at KA&CO America, a US-based business development group. Jackson is also, The US Exec. Publisher of The Philippines Magazine International and The Philippines American International Lifestyle Ambassador.
In addition, the new Philippines administration is on the radar for middle-class Americans who would not be afforded the opportunities to many medical procedures, real estate opportunities, business investments, retirement options and philanthropy efforts in the current US economy. Many of these people(over 500,000 American residents now in the Philippine Islands) are US military retirees, disabled and discharged vets, creatives, as well as young US entrepreneurs, early retirees and Americans living on Social Security benefits.
An inspired, empowered and liberated poor and middle-class Masa Philippines, would eventually grow into tens of millions of additional consumers. The disbursement of wealth Duterte talks about; however slight, would mean trillions in Dollar-value, annually re-allocated to 'the people' of the country.
Specifically, millions in money extorted from the 'poor and middle-class' Filipinos and Expats, in the form of bribes or padded fees, which would then be available for food, education, savings and/or investments. It would also transfer -literally overnight- billions of 'pork barrel' or un-categorized privately used, lost or embezzled monies, which would now be available for roads, education, The Philippines Arts & Culture, as well as, welfare-type social programs.
Another perhaps more attractive aspect to the Duterte Economic Plan(s) is the uplifting of the Philippines Provinces. This would mean an expansion of the Philippines booming economic growth. Just as in the United States just a few decades ago; before marketing campaigns such as "Got Milk" and conglomerate-ization of farmers like 'Future Farmers of America' US farmer's where also considered irrelevant in the US economy, and subsequently-largely poor.
"…I'm open to greater foreign ownership of businesses and will seek to eliminate corruption in the tax system." –PH President Rodrigo Duterte after his May 9, 2016 election win.


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Here's your friendly FarmVille reminder to vote before today's end
While you're at it, take a look at these politically-themed games on Facebook and mobile that will surely get you through the next several hours of campaign ads on TV, radio, the Internet, via phone calls and everywhere else you might be. (Ohioans ... we're so sorry.)
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Are you going to vote or have you voted? Who do you think will win this election? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.


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Le Bakery Sensual is the best place in town for any of your erotic cupcake needs. The home-grown bakery has been at its current location (300 East 6th Avenue) for about 16 years, after fighting The Man for a permit to operate within Denver city limits. Despite being cock cupcake connoisseurs, almost half of their business is made up of neighborhood families coming in for unique G-rated custom desserts.
Below, we take a look at some of their most
disgusting boner-inducing interesting creations.
No, these do not come lactose-free.
"Look, Mommy, there's a pretty flower on that cupcake! Can I pick in and wear it my hair?"
All of Le Bakery Sensual's cake artists were trained at the prestigious Michelangelo da Teenie-Weenie Weenie Academia in Florence, Italy.
The cake artists use different clear mixtures for each of the body fluids depicted on the desserts. The recipes are closely guarded trade secrets, lest they be stolen by those horny little Keebler Elves.
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6. Who knew blue balls could be so sweet?
This artist knew that if he could just focus on perfect execution, he could live happily ever after with his Frankenwiener.
Meditation Thought Of The Day: If a nipple is made of marzipan, does it hurt when you purple nurple it?
This picture was originally a video, but every time we played it our screens got messy.


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How romantic!
Arrow star Stephen Amell and Cassandra Jean celebrated their second wedding in New Orleans on Sunday.
The couple originally tied the knot while on vacation in the Caribbean back in December 2012, but decided to have another reception surrounded by friends and family because their wedding last year was a more private affair.


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Today we rode a boat on Lake Nicaragua and saw the different islands that are located there. One of the islands was inhabited by 5 monkeys. One of the monkeys had a black body and a white face. Its name was Michael Jackson. Some of the people on both boats fed them Oreos and other snacks of sorts but I didn't. I still enjoyed the boat ride because we got to see even more of the country we had been spreading God's word throughout. We ate lunch at a nice restaurant that overlooked the lake. I had churros de pollo and some of Rachel and Sami's amazing pizza. Julio told us his testimony while we waited for lunch and I'm really glad we had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people on such a deep level. This trip has opened my eyes to the lives of so many different people and I'll be forever grateful for such a fulfilling experience.
En el nombre de Jesús, Alysa


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Trends in Energy Saving for Pumps and Motors
by Tatsuya MIYAMOTO
For prevention of global warming, many countries have started setting energy-saving regulations for pumps and motors.
The ErP Directive (Ecodesign requirements for energy-related products/EU) and the GB Standards (China) derive their minimum efficiency requirements for pumps from flow rate and specific speed, while standards such as IEC and NEMA define the efficiency of motors based on outputs. All of these standards are intended to contribute to energy saving by eliminating low-efficiency products from markets which will lead to overall improvement in product quality in the future.
Pump, Motor, Energy saving, Efficiency regulation, ErP Directive, GB Standard, International Electrotechnical Commissions, National Electrical Manufactures Association, Specific speed, Flow rate
Furnace Capacity Expansion Project at Chubu Recycle Co., Ltd.
by Akira SHIMOKURA, Ikuhisa YOKOTA, Takahiro ONO, Tadao ISHIDA, Tsugumitsu MATSUTOMI, & Kazuaki HIROTA
The furnace capacity has been expanded from 45.6 t/d to 67.2 t/d by upgrading the electric furnace transformer from 2000 kVA to 3050 kVA. Spanning about three years from planning to completion, the project has increased the annual throughput of the municipal waste incineration ash melting and recycling process to about 34000 tons. The submerged arc furnace melts raw material based on electric resistance heating by applying electric current directly to the material via electrodes. It supports the reduction melting of waste incineration ash with the addition of coke, facilitating the recovery of reducing slag (main product obtained by slowly cooling molten slag) and valuable materials, such as molten copper and other metals and crude zinc (urban mine). The furnace also contributes to environmental preservation. Thus, the completion of the project establishes one milestone toward the goal of the installation of the second furnace.
Electric furnace transformer, Submerged arc furnace, Recycle, Resource, Urban mine, Reduction melting, Minor metal, Environmental assessment for capacity expansion
Continuous Operation of a Fluidized-Bed Gasification and Ash Melting Plant for 226 Days
by Kazuaki WATANABE, & Katsutoshi NARUSE
"Ecotopia Ikehara" is a fluidized-bed gasification and ash melting plant with a capacity of 309 t/d (103 t/d x 3 lines) run by the Kurahama Sanitary Facilities Association in Okinawa. Continuous operation using the third line of the plant was accomplished for 226 days from June 2011 to February 2012. The results of the continuous operation have shown that the CO concentration in stack exhaust gas can be kept to 10 ppm or less during low air ratio operation and that the voluntary criterion for dioxin concentration in ash (0.25 ng-TEQ/g or less) is met without heating dechlorination equipment. Thus, it has been demonstrated that the plant can provide reliable incineration for a long continuous period. With a combustion air ratio of nearly 1.0 in the area up to the slag hole of the ash melting furnace, the transfer factor of lead to slag is less than 1%, which is quite a low value for ash melting furnaces operating in oxidizing atmospheres. In addition, slag quality during continuous operation meets JIS requirements.
Fluidized-bed, Gasification, Continuous operation, Transfer factor of lead to slag, Dioxins, Combustion stability, Low air ratio, Ash melting, Fuel consumption, Power generation
New Dry Vacuum Pump, Model EV-M
by Masami NAGAYAMA, & Tetsuro SUGIURA
Dry vacuum pumps are used to achieve a clean vacuum environment for manufacturing electronic components including semiconductors. However, inlet gases generated during the manufacturing processes often cause deposition of reaction by-products and corrosion inside the pumps; the pumps operate under harsh conditions.
The Model EV-M pumps have incorporated various countermeasures against deposition of reaction by-products and corrosion, including optimization of internal temperature, in addition to significant improvements in energy saving performance. These have enabled both excellent endurance and energy saving performance under harsh conditions such as the deposition and etching processes.
Dry vacuum pump, Semiconductor, Exhaust gas, Reaction by-products, Corrosion, Internal temperature, Energy saving, Deposition, Etching, Endurance
Compact Type Plating System, Model UFP-AD
by Yoshio MINAMI, Yoshitaka MUKAIYAMA, & Tomonori HIRAO
Model UFP-AD has been developed as a downsized version of Model UFP, our automatic plating system for packaging.
This model is reasonably priced for finalizing plating conditions in trial production or for small-scale production. It has plating cells arranged in a single row and uses a newly designed, thus simplified, mechanism for loading/unloading and transporting wafers. Only one type of frame is used for the plating chamber so that various types of plating can be handled by changing the arrangement of plating bathes based on the concept of the skeleton-infill system. In addition, a wagon-type stocker is equipped, which enables removal of wafer holders for maintenance even during operation. Such a structure maximizes production volume in spite of its small size.
Packaging, Plating, Wafer, Small-scale production, Throughput, Plating bath configuration, Wagon-type stocker, Transporter, Wafer holder, Anode holder
Operation of the HPCC21 Stoker System at Kawasaki City Ozenji Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Center
by Teruaki TSUKAMOTO, Masamitsu SASE, & Minoru SASAKI
Treatment plants for municipal solid waste have recently been required to deal with a wide range of issues, such as hygienic treatment, reduction of the burden on the environment, waste volume reduction, material recycling and efficient energy use. In particular, their role as a power generation source has become important. In this background, the construction of the Ozenji Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Center was completed on March 30, 2012. The Center is intended to serve as a key facility for the treatment of municipal solid waste in the northern area of Kawasaki City. This paper introduces and discusses the outline and the operation of the Center.
This plant uses Ebara Environmental Plant Co., Ltd.'s advanced stoker technology with the goal of achieving harmony with the surrounding environment based on three main concepts: low carbon emissions, resource recovery, and coexistence with nature. Featuring low air ratio operation based on exhaust gas recirculation and minimizing heat loss through the advanced process of dry exhaust gas treatment, the plant provides efficient power generation and reliable incineration.
Solid waste management, Incinerator, Stoker furnace, High-efficiency power generation, Low air ratio combustion, Advanced dry gas treatment system, Exhaust gas recirculation, Forcible air-cooling type stoker


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3D-printed organs let surgeons hone their craft before real patient operations
3D printed replicas of human organs are allowing budding surgeons to practise complex operations before they would typically be allowed to do so.
Researchers from the University of Michigan are developing the lifelike replicas which they say provide a cost-efficient tool to improve practical experience for more medical trainees.
Historically, a surgeon's skills have been acquired in live patients, anaesthetised animals or human cadavers, but surgical simulation is increasingly recognised as a vital educational tool.
"3D printing is bringing a whole new meaning to hands-on experience for surgeons in training," said David Zopf, neck surgeon at the university's CS Mott Children's Hospital.
"Hands-on experience is critical for acquiring and improving surgical skills, especially of new and complex procedures."
"This is an exciting tool that not only offers trainees exposure to opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have but that also allows them to demonstrate proficiency of skills before being performed on children."
Teams working at the hospital have used 3D printing for almost six years, which enables them to produce models at a low cost and a much faster rate. The models are based on computer designs of CT scans.
The ways in which the technology can be applied are many. For example 3D-printed splints made at the university have helped save the lives of babies with severe tracheobronchomalacia, which causes the windpipe to periodically collapse and prevents normal breathing. Mott has also used 3D printing on foetuses to plan for potentially complicated births.
It also has been applied to complex cases involving surgically removing tumours—including the full replica of a young patient's skull to plan a best course of action.
Uses such as this are particularly valuable in paediatric surgery when there are few alternative options for hands-on training.
"Airway reconstruction for specialised cases is a technically demanding procedure that often involves carving cartilage to support and expand a reconstructed trachea," said Zopf, who has helped develop high-fidelity models for ear reconstruction, cleft lip, and mandible surgery.
"Currently, a surgeon in training has scarce opportunity to carve cartilage graft for this type of procedure. We want to see if 3D printing can accelerate and enhance surgical training."
Eighteen surgical trainees in have already taken part in an otolaryngology head and neck surgery dissection course. They practised carving on a 3D-printed model of a harvested human cartilage graft created through a CT scan of a paediatric patient's rib. The mould was filled with cornstarch and silicone to give it the real feeling and texture of cartilage.
Most participants said the exercise was a very relevant training tool and that the replicas also were useful in demonstrating their skills to teachers.
"You only get one chance to carve a harvested graft from a patient's rib, so you have to do it perfectly the first time," said student Cher Zhao. "It takes years of practice to learn the technical skills to do it. This was a very realistic experience and what's great is you can keep printing dozens of these models at a time so you can practise over and over again."
Last August a team from the University of Connecticut showed how advances in 3D printing could result in organs actually being printed for use inside a human body.
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