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OXYGEN SCAVENGER ACCELERATOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a device and method for maximizing the rate of oxygen uptake of an oxygen absorber. More particularly, the invention relates to an iron based oxygen scavenging packet having an improved composition for accelerating the rate of oxygen absorption wherein the packet is specifically designed to be used in a packaging system designed to keep meat fresh.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Perishable foods, such as meats, fruits, and vegetables are typically placed into packaging systems after harvesting in order to preserve these foods for as long as possible. Maximizing the time in which the food remains preserved, especially the time between initial packaging at the plant and delivery at the retail grocery store, increases the profitability of all entities in the chain of distribution by minimizing the amount of spoilage. The environment in which the food is preserved is a critical factor in the preservation process. Not only is maintaining an adequate temperature important, but the molecular and chemical content of the gases surrounding the food is important as well. By providing an appropriate gas content to the environment surrounding the food, the food can be better preserved when maintained at the proper temperature or even when it is exposed to variations in temperature. This gives the food producer some assurance that after the food leaves his or her control, the food will be in an acceptable condition when it reaches the retail grocery store and ultimately, the consumer. In meat packaging, in particular, packaging systems which provide extremely low levels of oxygen are desirable because it is well known that the fresh quality of meat can be preserved longer under anaerobic conditions than under aerobic conditions. Maintaining low levels of oxygen minimizes the growth and multiplication of aerobic bacteria. One way to insure a minimal level of oxygen in a meat package is to subject the package or rigid gas barrier materials to a vacuum in order to remove as much of the gas in the package as possible prior to sealing the package. The package can then be sealed and the meat maintained in a "zero" atmosphere environment (commonly referred to as vacuum packaging). Under vacuum packaging conditions, red meat turns purple. Consumers, however, prefer to see their meat bright red. As a result, vacuum packaging has not been well accepted for consumer cuts of meat. Another means of insuring a minimal level of oxygen in a meat package is to seal the meat in a refill modified atmosphere packaging system. This kind of modified atmosphere packaging technology (MAP) is so successful that meat can be cut and packaged several weeks before purchase and still remain fresh. Such systems typically utilize multiple layers of packaging. The outside layer of packaging is generally a rigid container with good barrier properties. The inner layer of packaging is an oxygen permeable film. To provide a modified atmosphere environment, the air-evacuated package is typically filled with a mixture of gases consisting of about 30 percent carbon dioxide (CO2) and 70 percent nitrogen (N2). Refilling the air-evacuated package with such a mixture of gases is believed to suppress the growth of anaerobic bacteria. The outer layer is peeled off just prior to presenting the consumer cut for sale at the supermarket. This allows the meat to rebloom to a bright red color. An excellent example of such an evacuation and refill MAP process is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,115,624 to Garwood. Vacuum packaging and refill MAP is very expensive for three reasons. First, the rigid part of the package is expensive. Second, processing speeds are slow due to the vacuum and refill steps. And third, the equipment to do these procedures is very complicated and expensive. Another less expensive means of insuring a minimal level of oxygen in a meat package is to use a gas flush MAP process. The complicated steps of evacuating the package and refilling with the desired gas mixture are eliminated. The outer bag (a barrier layer), is simply flushed with the proper gas mixture as it is formed around the inner container. The flush process reduces the oxygen content of the package to about two percent. An oxygen scavenger is placed in the package to absorb additional oxygen just prior to or simultaneously with forming and flushing the outer bag. An excellent example of such a MAP system is described in the patent application entitled "Modified Atmosphere Package" filed on April 3, 1996, and given Serial No. 08/627,137.
A critical feature of a gas flush MAP packaging system is the ability to keep meat looking fresh and palatable. Oxidized meat turns an undesirable brown color. Accordingly, as discussed, an oxygen scavenger is typically placed inside the meat package in order to absorb any residual oxygen within the package after gas flushing and sealing the package. It is critically important to quickly remove the oxygen from meat to prevent it from turning brown. Especially important in preventing the irreversible change from red to brown is the rate at which oxygen is scavenged. If oxygen is removed quickly, the packaged meat turns a purple red color. This purple red color quickly "blooms" to a bright red color upon removal of the outer layer of packaging. Oxygen scavengers are increasingly being used in packaging systems in order to protect various products from the detrimental effects of oxygen exposure. Several oxygen scavengers utilize the oxidation of particulate iron as a method to absorb oxygen. A small amount of water is essential for this reaction. In some instances, a water attracting agent such as silica gel can be used to attract water and at times to supply water in the packet initially. A major drawback to this technology is, however, the limited amount of water that can be supplied. Typically, a major portion of the water needed for the oxidation of particulate iron is provided by the product and/or packaging environment being protected. This is oftentimes an inadequate amount to promote the efficient and expedient oxidation of iron. And as mentioned, the slower the rate of oxygen reduction, the more likely meat will turn irreversibly brown. A need thus exists to accelerate the rate of oxygen scavengers, particularly in the confines of a modified atmosphere packaging system. Optimally, it would be desirable to lower the oxygen level to about 0.04 percent (400 PPM) within 90 minutes and to about zero within 24 hours. This need will be addressed by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an iron-based oxygen scavenging packet which exhibits an increased rate of oxygen absorption especially in the confines of a concomitant meat packaging system. The invention specifically provides an oxygen scavenging packet which comprises an iron-based oxygen absorber and an oxygen uptake accelerator comprising water. The oxygen uptake accelerator accelerates the rate of oxygen uptake of the iron-based absorber. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides an oxygen scavenging packet where a ratio of between .2 ml and .8 ml of oxygen uptake accelerator to about 2.5 grams of iron is present in the packet. Plain water makes an excellent accelerator but preferably, acetic acid is the accelerator of choice. Optimally, approximately .6 ml of oxygen uptake accelerator per 2.5 grams of iron is present in the packet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an oxygen scavenging packet in which the oxygen uptake accelerator is being introduced into the packet via a syringe. FIGS. 2a and 2b, respectively, illustrate an oxygen scavenging packet containing a capsule which can be ruptured at an appropriate time to release the oxygen uptake accelerator and a packet containing a capsule being ruptured. FIGS. 3a and 3b, respectively, illustrate an oxygen scavenging packet including a protruding wick for absoφtion of the oxygen uptake accelerator into the packet and an oxygen scavenging packet in which the wick is being dipped into the oxygen scavenger accelerator. FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the oxygen scavenging packet of the instant invention inside a modified atmosphere packaging system. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the rate of oxygen absorption when a dry oxygen scavenging packet is introduced into a quart sized container which also includes 0.5 ml of water. FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the rate of oxygen absoφtion when an oxygen scavenging packet having 0.5 ml of water injected into the packet is introduced into a quart sized container. FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the rate of oxygen absoφtion as a function of the amount of water injected into oxygen scavenging packets. FIG. 8 illustrates the rate of oxygen absoφtion in the presence of varying amounts of CO2 utilizing an oxygen scavenging packet which has been injected with 0.6 ml of water.
FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the rate of oxygen absoφtion as a function of the number of oxygen scavenging packets introduced into a one quart jar. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the percent oxygen after 1 hour as a function of the amount of acetic acid (vinegar) injected into each of two oxygen scavenging packets. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the percent oxygen as a function of time and as a function of the material injected into the oxygen scavenging packets. FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the rate of oxygen absoφtion as a function of the amount of acetic acid injected into an iron containing packet and further as a function of whether or not the packet contains impregnated silica gel. FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating the rate of oxygen absoφtion as a function of time and the concentration of acetic acid in water. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, certain specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular forms described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 through 3 (a and b) depict an oxygen scavenging packet having a liquid oxygen uptake accelerator present in some form within the packet. Specifically, FIG. 1 depicts an oxygen scavenging packet 10 containing elemental iron 12 and in which an oxygen uptake accelerator 14 is introduced into the packet utilizing a syringe 16. Injection can be performed manually with a syringe and hand placement of the packet inside the package. Alternatively, the injection process can be automated by using a commercially available metering and dispensing pump such as the Luft Systematic model 45/50 and appropriate conveying equipment to position the packets for injection and then subsequently to place the packets into a package. FIG. 2a depicts an oxygen scavenging packet 20 containing elemental iron 22 and in which an oxygen uptake accelerator 24 is present inside a capsule 26. As FIG. 2b shows, the capsule 26 may be ruptured by mechanical force at an appropriate time in order to release the oxygen uptake accelerator 24. Optimally, the capsule should be ruptured immediately prior to or immediately after the sealing of the package in order to properly activate the iron-based scavenger for accelerated oxygen uptake. FIG. 3 a depicts an iron-based oxygen scavenging packet 30 containing elemental iron (not specifically shown) and in which an oxygen uptake accelerator 32 can be introduced into the packet by absoφtion onto a wick 34 which protrudes from the packet. As FIG. 3b shows, the wick 34 dipped into the oxygen uptake accelerator 32. An appropriate amount of oxygen uptake accelerator 32 is absorbed through the wick 34 into the packet 30. Optimally, the dipping occurs immediately prior to the sealing of the package in order to properly activate the iron based scavenger for accelerated oxygen uptake. Further information concerning the construction of the oxygen absorber packet preferred for use in the instant invention may be obtained from U.S. Patent No. 5,262,375 to McKedy, entitled "Oxygen Absorber." The preferred oxygen absorber packets are manufactured by Multiform Desiccants Incoφorated. However, other iron-based oxygen absorbers will work comparably well in the instant invention. The instant invention particularly concerns an iron-based oxygen scavenging packet which contains an oxygen uptake accelerator consisting of water or an aqueous solution of some other substance dissolved in or mixed with water. The oxygen uptake accelerator accelerates the rate of oxygen uptake of the oxygen absorber. Water alone will activate and accelerate iron-based oxygen absorbers via the presence of hydronium ions in the water. However, dilute acid solutions are preferred oxygen uptake accelerators. Acids provide increased numbers of hydronium ions which increase the oxidation rate of iron by acting as electron acceptors. These electron acceptors facilitate the ionization of neutral iron. Once ionized, the iron readily reacts with the available oxygen and water to form a hydrated iron oxide. Other electron acceptors such as the positively charged ions making up salt solutions or metals such as copper also facilitate the ionization of neutral iron. The preferred aqueous solution of the instant invention is an aqueous solution which contains approximately five percent acetic acid.
The introduction of water or an aqueous solution of acid, salt or appropriate metal into the oxygen absorber packet of an iron-based oxygen absorber serves to activate and dramatically increase the rate of oxygen uptake of the iron inside the packet. The particulate iron in the packet, in effect, turns to rust as oxygen is absorbed from the atmosphere surrounding the packaged meat or other packaged food product. As discussed, the water or aqueous solution enhances oxygen absoφtion by the iron by acting as an electron acceptor. A proposed mechanism for rust formation is as follows:
(1) Fe(s) → Fe2+ + 2e" (2) e + H3O+- H + H2O (3) 4H + O2 - 2H2O (4) 4Fe2+ + O2 {g) + ( 12 + 2x)H2O → 2(Fe2O3 • xH2O) (S) + 8 H3O+
In step (1) ferrous ions are produced by loss of electrons from the elemental particulate iron in the packet. However, this process cannot go very far unless there is some way to get rid of the electrons which accumulate on the residual Fe. One way to do this is by step (2) in which H3O ions either from the water or from acid substances in the water, pick up the electrons to form neutral H atoms. Since Fe is known to be a good catalyst for hydrogenation reactions in general, it is believed that step (3) now occurs to use up the H atoms. In the meantime, the ferrous ion reacts with O2 gas by step (4) to form the rust and restore H30+ required for step (2). The net reaction, obtained by adding all four steps is
4Fe($) + 3O2(g) + 2xH2O → 2(Fe2O3 • xH20)(s).
Acid accelerates the reaction by providing excess hydronium ions (H3O ) and driving step 2. Therefore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a dilute aqueous solution of acid. Such acid solutions should, of course, be compatible with food products and include, for instance, acetic acid and/or citric acid. Salt solutions also drive step (2) of the aforementioned reaction by providing an electron acceptor, thus they are suitable for use in the aqueous solution of the instant invention. Additionally, it has been found that adding copper to water and/or dilute aqueous solution of acid speeds the rate of oxygen absoφtion by the iron. It is believed that the copper induces a phenomena called electrolytic corrosion. Electrons flow from the iron to the copper, where their energy is lower. This removes the excess negative charge from the iron. In addition H atoms, which now form on the negative copper surface instead of the iron, detach themselves more readily from copper than from iron, thus accelerating step (3) of the aforementioned reaction. As shown in FIGS. 1-3 (a and b), the aqueous solution can be introduced into the packet utilizing an injection type process. Alternatively, the solution can be included in the absorber packet in a separate capsule or compartment which can be ruptured at the time of sealing the meat package. Also, a wick could be included in, and protrude from, the packet such that the wick could be dipped in liquid just prior to sealing the meat package. A preferred embodiment of the present invention involves the injection of an oxygen uptake accelerator comprising water into the MRM absorbers manufactured by Multiform Desiccants Incoφorated. This is done just prior to the placement of the absorber into a package. This can be done manually with a syringe and hand placement or the process can be automated by using a commercially available metering and dispensing pump such as the Luft Systematic model 45/50 and appropriate conveying equipment to position the packets for injection and then subsequently to place the packets into a package. The following data, depicted in FIGS. 5-13 and in Table 1 is specific to Multiform's MRM 100 scavenger packets. All of these experiments involve using these scavengers. The MRM 100 oxygen scavengers are specifically formulated to work in the presence of CO2 and refrigeration. MRM 100 oxygen scavengers contain approximately 2.5 grams of iron and silica gel impregnated with a carbon dioxide generator, NaHCO3. A carbon dioxide generator is utilized to replace gas volume in the sealed meat package as O2 is absorbed. The iron in MRM absorbers is electrolytically reduced and annealed which means that the iron is reduced by the passage of electric current through a solution of the iron which is in the form of a molten salt. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, while MRM 100 scavenger packets were used in the following described experiments, similarly constituted scavenger packets would be expected to have comparably enhanced oxygen scavenging activities with the addition of water and other accelerators.
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate that the oxygen uptake accelerator, in this case water, must be contained within the oxygen scavenging packet in order to increase the rate of oxygen absoφtion. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows the decrease in percent oxygen as a function of time when 0.5 ml of water is merely present in a quart-sized jar along with an oxygen scavenging packet. As shown in FIG. 5, at 40°F it takes approximately 30 hours for the percent oxygen to be reduced to approximately 0.5% (5,000 PPM) and more than 40 hours for the percent oxygen to be reduced to near 0.0% oxygen. By contrast, FIG. 6 shows the decrease in percent oxygen as a function of time when 0.5 ml of water is injected into an oxygen scavenging packet which is then placed in a quart-sized jar. At 40°F, it takes approximately 15 hours for the percent oxygen to be reduced to approximately 0.5% and about 20 hours for the percent oxygen to be reduced to near 0.0% oxygen. At 70°F, oxygen is scavenged much more quickly. FIG. 7 shows that the oxygen scavenging rate is maximized when 0.6 ml of water is present in the oxyggn scavenging packet. FIG. 8 shows that oxygen absoφtion appears to be independent of the amount of carbon dioxide in the container. FIG. 9 shows that two oxygen scavenging packets absorb oxygen at nearly twice the rate of one packet. As shown in FIG. 10, acetic acid, commonly known as vinegar acid, works particularly well in accelerating the rate of oxygen absoφtion of an MRM oxygen scavenger packet. Specifically, the injection of .5 ml. of acetic acid into each of two absorber packets reduces the amount of oxygen in a quart jar to approximately .1% O2 (1000 PPM) in one hour. As shown in FIG. 11, the percent O2 is reduced to approximately .04% O2 (400 PPM) in about ninety minutes when .5 ml. of acetic acid is injected into each of two MRM 100 scavenger packets. Two conclusions can be drawn from the data in FIGS. 10 and 11. First, injected acetic acid seems to work better than plain water in increasing the rate of oxygen absoφtion of an absorber packet. Second, from FIG. 10, .5 ml. acetic acid appears to work particularly well in increasing the rate and total amount of oxygen absoφtion. In the experiments resulting in the data in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the starting level of oxygen in the jars was 2.0%, simulating the amount of oxygen which would be present after the gas flush step of a gas flush MAP process. Also, the experiments were performed under refrigeration. Below is a table which shows the results of an experiment designed to determine the range of amounts of water needed to be introduced into an oxygen scavenging packet containing approximately 2.5 grams of iron in order to satisfactorily activate the packets in a gas flush MAP packaging process for red meat.
TABLE 1 1 Sample Water Initial Final Color Rating - 1.5 hrs. Color Rating - 24 hrs.
No. Injection Oxygen Oxvεen Of Bloom (Dav 8) Of Bloom fDav 9)
1 .8 ml 1.9% 0.00% Dark Red Some Browning
2 .6 ml 1.24% 0.00% Dark Red Bright Red 3 1.0 ml 2.30% 0.26% Major Browning Major Browning
4 .4 ml 2.20% 0.00% Dark Red Bright Red 5 .2 ml 1.70% 0.00% Dark Red Dark Red 6 .4 ml 1.50% 14.9% Excluded (Leaked) Excluded 7 .8 ml 1.70% 0.00% Dark Red Dark Red 8 .6 ml 1.55% 0.00% Dark Red Bright Red
9 1.0 ml 2.20% 0.00% Dark Red Some Browning
10 .2 ml 2.40% 0.00% Major Browning Major Browning
The results show that water injections greater than .2 ml but less than .8 ml per 2.5 grams of iron (approximately lOOcc of absorber capacity) are required. For adequate oxygen scavenging, water injections must be within this range, preferably at .6 milliliters. Water injections outside of this range will result in a high risk of metmyoglobin formation (browning) due to initial oxygen exposure. This experiment was performed utilizing Multiform's MRM oxygen scavengers but other similar iron-based absorbers are believed to work comparably.
EXAMPLE 1 - Determination of Range of Water Volume Necessary for Optimal
Oxygen Scavenging of an Iron Based Oxygen Scavenging Packet A ten pound chunk of fresh boneless beef (five days post mortem) was cut into ten pieces and individually placed on meat trays or a soaker pad. The meat trays had one and one half inch tall side walls. The meat and trays were then stretch wrapped with a standard PVC film on a Hobart machine. After wrapping, a half inch diameter hole was created through the PVC in one corner of the tray to allow free flow of gases in and out of this "inner package." Next, two MRM 100 scavengers were injected with a precisely measured amount of water and attached to one of the inner packages containing the beef. The water injections were varied from .2 to 1.0 mils per scavenger. The inner package, with the oxygen absorbers attached, was then immediately run through a Fuji/Foremost form fill and seal machine and packaged in a flushed outer bag made from Print Pack 861D 2.5 mil barrier film. The flush gas was approximately 80% nitrogen and 20% carbon dioxide. The initial O2 level in the barrier bag was measured through a rubber septum with a Dansensor oxygen analyzer and recorded. The completed packages were then placed in a refrigerator and stored at 34°F for eight days. On the eight day the final oxygen level was measured and the barrier bag and oxygen absorbers removed. The meat was allowed to rebloom in the inner package for one and a half hours in the refrigerator. At that time the packages were removed from the refrigerator and the meat visually rated for color acceptability. The packages were then returned to the refrigerator for another 24 hours after which the meat was again rated for color acceptability. The tray that was used for the experiment detailed in Example 1 and the data detailed in Table 1 left a significant amount of air space surrounding the meat, necessitating the use of two MRM 100 scavengers. However, beef has been successfully packaged on shallow wall meat trays using only one MRM 100 scavenger with a .5 ml injection of acetic acid.
FIG. 12 shows that maximum oxygen absoφtion occurs at an amount of vinegar between about .4 and .6 ml acetic acid. FIG. 12 also illustrates that maximum oxygen absoφtion occurs when the oxygen scavenging packet contains silica gel impregnated with NaHCO3 in addition to iron. MRM- 100 absorbers and other similarly formulated absorbers employ silica gel to absorb and release atmospheric H2O. As discussed previously, silica gel will not by itself absorb enough water to satisfactorily accelerate the oxygen scavenging ability of the iron to allow for the preservation of meats for longer than a few days at a time. For this reason, the present inventors have affirmatively added concrete amounts of water to the oxygen scavenging packets of the instant invention. FIG. 13 shows the rate of oxygen absoφtion as a function of time and the concentration of acetic acid in water. As can be seen, 5% acetic acid performs very well at accelerating the rate of oxygen absoφtion at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Furthermore, 5% acetic acid is very easy to obtain, being common table vinegar. The present invention is particularly useful when used in a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) process for fresh meats. The MAP process is a gas flush process that initially flushes the package to an oxygen atmosphere of about two percent or less. The oxygen scavenging packet of the instant invention is utilized to additionally reduce the oxygen level of the package to 400 PPM (0.04%) or less within ninety minutes. A brief description of the typical modified atmosphere package will follow. This description is not meant to be limiting, but instead is provided merely to elucidate one particular use for the instant invention. FIG. 4 depicts a modified atmosphere package 40 including an outer container 42 and an inner container 44. The inner container 44 includes a conventional semi-rigid plastic tray 46 thermo formed from a sheet of polymeric material which is substantially permeable to oxygen. Exemplary polymers which may be used to form the non-barrier tray 46 include polystyrene foam, cellulose pulp, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the polymeric sheet used to form the tray 46 is substantially composed of polystyrene foam and has a thickness ranging from about 100 mils to about 300 mils. The use of a common polystyrene foam tray 46 is desirable because it has a high consumer acceptance. The inner container 44 further includes a stretch film wrapping or cover 48 substantially composed of a polymeric material, such as poly vinyl chloride (PVC), which is substantially permeable to oxygen. In a preferred embodiment, the stretch film used to form the cover 48 contains additives which allow the film to cling to itself and has a thickness ranging from about 0.5 mil to about 1.5 mils. One preferred stretch film is Resinite™ meat film commercially available from Borden Packaging and Industrial Products of North Andover, Massachusetts.
A food item such as a retail cut of raw meat 50 is located inside the inner container 44. Prior to fully wrapping the tray 46 with the cover 48, the partially formed inner container 44 may be flushed with an appropriate mixture of gases, typically a mixture of about 30 percent carbon dioxide and about 70 percent nitrogen, to lower the oxygen level in the inner container 44 to about 1.5 to 5.0 percent. The foregoing mixture of gases displaces the oxygen within the inner container 44 during the flushing operation. After flushing the inner container 44, the tray 46 is manually or automatically wrapped with the cover 48. The cover 48 is wrapped over the retail cut of raw meat 50 and about the bottom of the tray 46. The free ends of the cover 48 are overlapped along the underside of the bottom wall of the tray 46, and, due to the cling characteristic inherent in the cover 48, these overlapping free ends cling to one another to hold the cover 48 in place. If desired, the overwrapped tray 46, i.e., the inner container 44, may be run over a hot plate to thermally fuse the free ends of the cover 48 to one another and thereby prevent these free ends from potentially unraveling. The outer container 42 is preferably a flexible polymeric bag composed of a single or multilayer plastics material which is substantially impermeable to oxygen. The outer container 42 may, for example, include an oriented polypropylene (OPP) core coated with an oxygen barrier coating such as polyvinylidene chloride and further laminated with a layer of sealant material such as polyethylene to facilitate heat sealing. In a preferred embodiment, the outer container 42 is composed of a multilayer barrier film commercially available as product no. 325C44-0EX861D from PrintPack, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia. The co-extruded film has a thickness ranging from about 2 mils to about 6 mils. Prior to sealing the peripheral edges of the outer container 42, the inner container 44 is placed within the outer container 42. Also, the outer container 42 is flushed with an appropriate mixture of gases, typically about 30 percent carbon dioxide and about 70 percent nitrogen, to lower the oxygen level in the outer container 42 to about 0.05 to 5.0 percent or 500 to 50,000 parts per million (PPM). Prior to or simultaneously with flushing the outer container 42, but still prior to sealing the outer container 42, the oxygen scavenging packet 52 is placed in the outer container 42 external to the sealed inner container 44. The outer container 42 is then sealed.
After a time period of about ninety minutes, the oxygen scavenging packet 52 lowers the oxygen level in the bag from its initial level of oxygen to less than about 0.04 percent or 400 PPM and most preferably to about zero percent. The oxygen uptake accelerator contained within the oxygen scavenging packet 52 is responsible for this fast rate of oxygen absoφtion. The oxygen scavenger 52 also absorbs any oxygen which might permeate into the outer container 42 from the ambient environment. In FIGS. 1 through 4, the oxygen scavenger 10, 20, 30, and 52 respectively, is illustrated as a packet or label which is inserted into the outer container 42 prior to sealing the outer container 42. Alternatively, an oxygen scavenging material may be added to the polymer or polymers used to form the outer container 42 so that the oxygen scavenging material is integrated into the outer container 42 itself. The retail cut of raw meat 50 within the package 40 takes on a puφle-red color when the oxygen is removed from the interior of the package 40. The meat-filled modified atmosphere package 40 may now be stored in a refrigeration unit for several weeks prior to being offered for sale at a grocery store. A short time (e.g., less than one hour) prior to being displayed at the grocery store, the inner container 44 is removed from the outer container 42 to allow oxygen from the ambient environment to permeate the non-barrier tray 46 and non-barrier cover 48. The puφle-red color of the raw meat 50 quickly changes or "blooms" to a generally acceptable bright red color when the raw meat 50 is oxygenated by exposure to air. While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.


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Snow, wintry mix expected in northern New England
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) � As residents in northern New England dig out of the big snowstorm, they're anticipating headaches from the next storm, which is expected to bring a combination of snow and freezing rain.
The National Weather Service says more snow was expected Monday morning. It will gradually change to sleet, freezing rain and rain.
The changes will start near the coast. Two to 4 inches of snow are expected across northern areas, with less than 2 inches in southern areas. Up to 3 inches of snow was expected in parts of Vermont.
The freezing rain can create a glaze of ice for many areas for northern and central New Hampshire and the mountains and foothills of western Maine, which are under a winter weather advisory.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sexiest Man Alive 2008 Articles
Every year, People Magazine names its Sexiest Man Alive. Every year, 2 to 3 weeks prior to the announcement, I handicap the odds and predict the winning dude. Every other year I get it right, starting with Johnny Depp, then missing on Jude Law, correct with Matthew McConaughey, not with George Clooney, and on target finally with Matt Damon in 2007 who, in my defence, I'd been calling for when George selfishly won for the 2nd time the year before. This year, People might very well go with President-Elect Barack Obama. But choosing a politician could be controversial. And People don't like to get the MiniVan all in a snit. Much safer then to stay with the stars, keep it frivolous, leave the important people lists to Time and the other serious publications. So what follows is an analysis of the pros and cons of the contenders. Have I forgotten anyone? Agree or disagree? Wanna fight? As always, would love to hear your comments even if I'm unable to reply. But please remember - it's not who you WANT to be the SMA but who you THINK will be the SMA. And even though, like, Jon Hamm is totally on your Freebie 5, Jon Hamm is also a tv actor on an AMC show that not a lot of people watch. And if Patrick Dempsey couldn't make it, and won't make it again this year, Jon Hamm certainly isn't at all close. When you make your suggestion then, remember, the Sexiest Man Alive is almost always a big, big name, recognisable everywhere. Here we go.
Idris Elba: Runner-up SMA 2017 Odds
Mike Marsland/ Getty Images
Arguments for: - Every single f-cking one you can think of. - Molly's Game will be in limited release at Christmas and will open wide in January. That's an award season schedule. Most of that awards attention will be on Jessica Chastain but as Sarah wrote in her review of the film Full Story
Jason Momoa: SMA 2017 Odds
Jon Kopaloff/ Getty Images
Arguments for: - I mean, he's pretty f-cking sexy. - Justice League. Aquaman. It'll be the first time we're seeing his character. The movie comes out exactly around the same time PEOPLE usually makes the Sexiest Man Alive announcement. Warner Bros wouldn't mind the promotion at all. Full Story
His farewell lap
MARIO MAGNANI/ Bauergriffinonline.com
You have been a good and just King. A deserving Sexiest Man Alive. A kind, compassionate, generous, and gracious Monarch. Your reign has been peaceful, full of humour and humility, wit and Wolverine. Today you are running but tonight you will sleep with your crown one last time. Your successor will be less than you. Full Story
The Sexiest Men
Who else aside from Hugh? Daniel Craig seemed to come in close second. Perhaps the difference was that Bond would not have actively campaigned for it, nor would he have been thrilled about it either. Hugh seems to handle the fame a lot more easily than Craig. Jon Hamm's inclusion puts him on track to take over from Clooney one day, if only more people would watch Mad Men. Full Story
Leonardo DiCaprio
By popular demand, an addition to the list of candidates for this year's People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive – if you've yet to read the feature handicapping the contenders, click here. Otherwise, this article means nothing. Full Story
Johnny Depp
Arguments for: Look at him Major box office player, just signed massive deal with Disney Certainly deserves to stand alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney as 2 time holders of the SMA distinction Family man, devoted to Vanessa Paradis, wild youth tamed by maturity, no recent scandals Universally admired by gay straight, man, woman, and MiniVan Arguments against: He doesn't give a sh-t Is currently super low profile: SMA winners are usually in the thick of, coming out of, or moving into heavy promotion for a project. Full Story
George Clooney
Arguments for: He's George Clooney…he's always in the running He's single. No more Sarah Larson. Who? Exactly The MiniVan Majority dream: there's a woman, the right woman, an everyday regular woman who can change George Clooney. The illusory fire keeps burning Arguments against: It has not been a vintage year. Full Story
Robert Downey Jr
Arguments for: Everyone loves a comeback Iron Man was a smash hit, the sequel is due in 18 months Landed coveted role of Sherlock Holmes Try to mask your shock here but in some circles there is actually talk that they just might campaign for him in the Best Supporting actor category… for Tropic Thunder. Full Story
Christian Bale
Arguments for: The total package: so much talent, so beautiful, not a cheesedick Devotion to his wife and daughter make him so MiniVan sexy The Dark Knight was a critical and commercial success, the biggest movie of the year so far with, some say, an outside shot at a Best Picture nomination Next up in the highly, highly anticipated Terminator Salvation in May which could see him go two for two in blockbusters Arguments against: He'd hate it. Full Story
Michael Phelps
Arguments for: Don't laugh. He owned Beijing and unless you've forgotten the 2008 Games were the most watched in history, propelled by the flippers of Dolphin Boy and then carried away on a Lightning Bolt But Bolt is not American. And America is the land of endorsements. Phelps's success made him a marketing machine. Full Story
Justin Timberlake
Arguments for: Pippy is trying to be a man. His team would most definitely push for the title. And hard. They'd probably even "exchange" several "exclusives" as part of the deal. People Magazine would definitely consider the arrangement Wooing a new readerbase. It's no accident that Us Weekly has a twat from The Hills on its cover every other week. Full Story


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June 29, 2012, 9:23 am
Justice League of Street Food returns with fresh eats, drinks, tunes on June 30
Summer is in full swing. How can you tell? Because the food trucks are circling.
The Justice League of Street Food's next gathering is on for Saturday, June 30, from 5-10 p.m at the Denver Design District, 595 S. Broadway.
On the menu:
Eats from Stick it To Me, Quiero Arepas, Biscuit Bus, Vegan Van, Aiko Pops and many more.
Drinks from Avery Brewing, plus Republic Tequila margaritas and shots. And more.
Tunes from DJ Matt Brown, who'll spin real vinyl (real vinyl!) like David Bowie, Velvet Underground, and other "Just Kids"-esque, New York City-philic melodies from the 70s. (Can I get a what-what for some New York Dolls?)
Take the light rail and get a $2 credit toward your drink.


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Investor Marc Faber is still warning about the horrible future that awaits us.
Specifically, he says that the world's wealthy will soon see half their wealth destroyed.
Faber's smart, of course, so he's not laying bets on exactly how it will be destroyed. He's also not picking a particular time frame:
"Somewhere down the line we will have a massive wealth destruction that usually happens either through very high inflation or through social unrest or through war or a credit market collapse," he told CNBC (via the Wall Street Journal).
The remarkable thing here is that this actually isn't a bold a prediction.
In fact, for monetary wealth NOT To be destroyed, we'd have to have a major shift in the world economy.
Inflation has been regularly destroying monetary wealth for the last century.
In fact, in the last hundred years, the value of each dollar has fallen to 3.8 cents.
That's a lot more than 50% wealth-destruction.
And it's why Warren Buffett observes that the investment most people think is the safest--cash--is one of the riskiest there is.
SEE ALSO: BUFFETT: The Investment You Think Is The Safest Is Actually The Riskiest In The World
Get the latest Gold price here.


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This almost got overlooked with all the Doctor Who busienss going on, but the crowd-funded Trek project from Tim Russ (Tuvok) and Walter Koenig (Chekov) finally has a trailer!
It looks damned good for an indie Trek web film!
And we get glimpses of: Icheb (one of the Borg kids from Voyager, now all grown up!) a new villain race, a Breen fighting the baddies (is he/she one of the good guys??), a Cardassian run afoul of someone, Doctor Lewis Zimmerman (the creator of the EMH holograms), Sean Young as a co-scientist of Dr. Zimmerman's (and something more, it seems...) and plenty of laser guns and explosions!
UPDATE: meant to add the initial Kickstarter teaser vid from Russ and Koenig that sets up the premise:
UPDATE: holy hell, 50+ comments? WOW!!!... thanks Charlie Jane for posting this to the main page!!
OFFICIAL PAGE: http://www.startrekrenegades.com


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The upcoming action game from the folks that gave the world Bayonetta and MadWorld has a been given a release date in a recent Famitsu magazine article. Would you like to know what it is? Would you?
Vanquish will be released in Japan on October 21. No word on its Western release date.
The game is being developed by Platinum Games and designed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil.


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The National Corn Growers Association says farmers who do not follow EPA's refuge guidelines for corn containing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene in 2004 may not be allowed to plant those varieties in 2005.
Those include farmers in cotton-growing areas of the South and Southeast who may not plant more than 50 percent of their acreage in Bt varieties that are resistant to corn borers and other insects under EPA's insect resistance management guidelines.
"For the first time, there may be growers who will be denied access to the Bt technology for the 2005 growing season if they do not meet the refuge requirements again in 2004," the NCGA said in a press release to its members.
"Under the Compliance Assurance Program — an EPA-approved IRM awareness and compliance program implemented in 2002 — growers who have been found not meeting IRM refuge requirements in two consecutive years, can be denied access to Bt corn borer resistant corn in the third year."
As a CAP requirement, seed company registrants of Bt corn borer-resistant corn are responsible for evaluating the extent to which growers are adhering to IRM requirements through on-farm visits and an annual grower compliance survey.
Established in 1999, IRM refuge requirements were enacted to help prevent corn insect pests, such as the European corn borer, from developing resistance to Bt technology, enabling the technology to be used well into the future, the NCGA said.
According to these requirements, growers are obligated to plant at least a 20 percent refuge, with Bt corn fields located within one-half mile (preferably one-quarter mile) of the refuge. In certain corn/cotton areas of the South, growers are required to plant at least a 50 percent corn refuge.
"Research confirms that farmers growing the majority of Bt corn acres value the technology and are adhering to IRM requirements," said Helen Inman, NCGA Biotech Working Group chairman. "As efforts to elevate the importance of IRM and implementation of IRM practices continue to increase, so does grower compliance. Every effort is being made to provide growers with the right information so they can make informed-decisions that result in added value to their business — economic and environmental.
"We do not want any grower to be deprived of this valuable technology."
A 2003 IRM grower compliance survey indicates 92 percent of farmers met regulatory requirements for IRM refuge size, while 93 percent met refuge distance requirements — an increase from 87 and 82 percent reported in 2000 when the survey began.
To help support IRM awareness efforts, NCGA recently launched the industry's first IRM online education center for growers — the Insect Resistance Management Learning Center.
Developed by NCGA and the Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship Committee — a coalition of the four Bt corn borer registrants — the IRMLC provides a comprehensive overview on the principles of IRM. (The ABSTC includes Dow AgroSciences; Monsanto Co.; Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a DuPont Co.; and Syngenta Seeds Inc.
Available free-of-charge on the Internet at www.ncga.com, the IRMLC provides corn growers access to training on several topics, including IRM, Compliance Assurance Program (CAP), Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Corn Borer, and Corn Rootworm. Within each section, users of the IRMLC can complete a series of questions to reinforce their knowledge. Upon satisfactory completion, the user can print out a certificate of completion.
The NCGA also suggests growers consult with their seed dealers and seed company representatives to help insure they understand IRM requirements. Growers also can visit the "Know Before You Grow" section of www.ncga.com for more information on Bt corn and the IRM requirements.
e-mail: email@example.com


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NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
The NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms features 8,547 terms related to cancer and medicine.
We offer a widget that you can add to your website to let users look up cancer-related terms. Get NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms Widget.
- survivorship
- listen (ser-VY-ver-ship)
In cancer, survivorship focuses on the health and life of a person with cancer post treatment until the end of life. It covers the physical, psychosocial, and economic issues of cancer, beyond the diagnosis and treatment phases. Survivorship includes issues related to the ability to get health care and follow-up treatment, late effects of treatment, second cancers, and quality of life. Family members, friends, and caregivers are also considered part of the survivorship experience.


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Within weeks of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and America's official entry into the Second World War, Allied forces in Europe activated the now-legendary VIII Bomber Command (often referred to as the Eighth Air Force) to serve as the principal American force to attack Germany from the air. Often in tandem with planes from the Royal Air Force, American B-24s and B-17s — or Flying Fortresses — from the "The Mighty 8th" would spend the next several years bombing strategic towns and cities in Nazi-held Europe.
As a jumping off point for countless bombing runs, including many in broad daylight, the United States Army Air Forces (the predecessor of the U.S. Air Force) set up bases in England during the war. In 1942, LIFE's Margaret Bourke-White spent time with the Bomber Command — an assignment that LIFE shared with its readers in an October 1942 feature notable, although hardly surprising, all these years later for its triumphant tone:
The most potent U.S. force to hit the Nazis so far in this war is the Bomber Command, stationed in England. Operating Flying Fortresses, it is making attacks on German-occupied Europe as frequently as weather and operating conditions permit. To date, all the raids have been tremendously successful. From 25,000 feet, it has given a superb exhibition of precision bombing by hitting German factories, airfields, ships and oil refineries on the nose. In two months of operations, it has shot down more than 100 German fighters, lost less than six of its own bombers.
[NOTE: As the war dragged on, the bombers and their crews out of England would, inevitably, face steeper and more dramatic losses. On October 14, 1943, for example — "Black Thursday" — nearly 600 crew members and 60 Flying Fortresses were lost in a single raid against a ball-bearing factory in Schweinfurt, Germany.]
To photograph Bomber Command, LIFE sent photographer Margaret Bourke-White to the headquarters of Brigadier general Ira. C. Eaker, commander in chief of Bomber Command, and to one of the secret airfields from which the Flying Fortresses operate. . . . Miss Bourke-White's pictures arrived in the U.S. just when the Bomber Command was making its biggest sorties. Flying Fortresses roared out over the Channel and attacked German industries in the Lille region. Another group of six Fortresses a few days before dropped 600-lb. bombs directly on the German airfield at St. Omer, France. On the way home they were attached by 35 crack Nazi pursuits. When the brief fight was over, at least 13 Germans were plunging earthward and the six Fortresses were sailing on.
Bomber Command was ready. It was confident that although still small, it would grow and grow, and as it grew, the intensity and terribleness of the attack on Germany would grow with it, until the skies of Europe would be blacked and its earth furrowed with American bombs.
Bourke-White, one of LIFE magazine's original four staff photographers, was America's first accredited woman photographer during WWII, and the first authorized to fly on a combat mission. For decades she covered conflicts, civil wars, humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Widely recognized as one of the greatest photojournalists of the 20th century, she died in 1971. She was 67 years old.


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A Pennsylvania judge is stopping a suburban Philadelphia court clerk from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, saying it was a clear violation of his legal authority.
Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pellegrini on Thursday issued an order that said Montgomery County Register of Wills Bruce Hanes didn't have the power to decide on his own whether the same-sex marriage ban violates the state constitution.
Hanes issued four more licenses to same-sex couples on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 174, despite a 1996 state law that restricts marriage to being between one man and one woman.
The state Health Department took him to court after he began issuing them in July. That was after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and state Attorney General Kathleen Kane called the Pennsylvania ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
In his opinion, Pellegrini states that Hanes, "admittedly failed to comply with his mandatory ministerial public duty under the Marriage Law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, by accepting the marriage certificates of same-sex couples, and by waiving the mandatory three-day waiting period, in violation of the express provisions of the Marriage Law."
Hanes says he's already considering an appeal of the Commonwealth Court decision, but says he will comply with the judge's orders, for now.
"I am obviously disappointed by the Court's decision today. Over the course of the next several days, I will be reviewing the decision with county solicitor Ray McGarry and my solicitor Michael Clarke in coming days to discuss with them next steps, including the possibility of appeal," Hanes said in a statement. "In the meantime, I will fully comply with the Court's order."
Previously, Hanes has said that he was somewhat of an unintended participant in the battle over same-sex marriage licenses in his county, stating that when a couple--two female doctors in their 40s--contacted him about applying for a marriage license in July, he only did what he thought was right.
"I decided to come down on the right side of the law," Hanes said in a July statement. "When I took the oath of office 19 months ago, I swore to uphold the U.S. and the Pennsylvania Constitutions. Article 1 Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, aptly entitled "Inherent rights of mankind," says "all men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which is "pursuing their own happiness."
In hearing arguments Sept. 4, Pellegrini stressed that the case is about the distribution of power in Pennsylvania not whether the marriage law is constitutional.
"What's before us today is generally, 'Who decides?'" Pellegrini said at the time.
In his opinion, Pelligrini maintained that Hanes' view that the state's marriage law is unconstitutional is irrelevant to Hanes' duty to obey the law.
"Even if Hanes is correct in his view that portions of the Marriage Law are unconstitutional… unless and until either the General Assembly repeals or suspends the Marriage Law provisions or a court of competent jurisdiction orders that the law is not to be obeyed or enforced, the Marriage Law in its entirety is to be obeyed and enforced by all Commonwealth public officials," Pelligrini's opinion stated.
Gov. Tom Corbett's top lawyer says the new court ruling resolves whether local officials have discretion to decide which laws to uphold.
General Counsel James Schultz issued a statement Thursday after Pelligrini ruled for the Department of Health and against Montgomery County Register of Wills Bruce Hanes.
Schultz says the administration respects "the interests and dignity" of all parties in the case, but notes "we are a government of laws." He says it's important that all state office holders enforce laws uniformly.
The Health Department argued that the agency must ensure that marriage registrations are "uniformly and thoroughly enforced throughout the state." It said Hanes' actions have interfered with the proper performance of its powers, duties and responsibilities. Greg Dunlap, an attorney representing the Health Department, said the agency has "an interest in the integrity of the record keeping system."
Hanes' lawyers have said the state's marriage law "affects a fundamental human right, and precludes an entire class of individuals from enjoyment of that right."
"Regardless of how my particular case is resolved, I believe the case for marriage equality continues to move forward, and I can only hope that my decision helped that effort," Hanes said in a statement.
Montgomery County Commissioner Leslie Richards today, issued a statement in support of Hanes' effort.
"I support Bruce in whatever he decides with his attorneys as the next step in advocating for marriage equality, but more importantly I continue to support those Americans who are seeking their inalienable rights," Richards said.
It was not immediately clear what the decision would mean to those who have already received a license.
A similar scenario is playing out in New Mexico, where a county clerk concluded the law did not prevent him from issuing same-sex licenses, and about a half-dozen others in that state have followed suit.


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|Cajun Cabbage Au Gratin Casserole, a seasoned cabbage baked with a Velveeta cheese sauce.
Cajun Cabbage Au Gratin CasseroleHad some cabbage on hand so decided to do an au gratin for y'all. I am happy that it is "casserole season," but I hate the way that casseroles photograph - the pictures just do not ever do justice to the dish - but don't let that lead you.
There's really nothing to this recipe, but it's delicious if you love cabbage like I do. Just microwave the cabbage with some Cavender's seasoning and butter to precook it a little. Saute the celery and onion and thicken with a little flour and half and half, toss in Velvetta and a little Cajun seasoning, stir it all together, top with some bread crumbs and bake. Easy.
Maybe not so pretty, but good and buttery, as it should be, if you love cabbage, this is for sure comfort food.
Recipe: Cajun Cabbage Au Gratin Casserole©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 15 min |Cook time: 40 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
For the Casserole:
- 1 head cabbage
- Generous sprinkling Greek seasoning, like Cavenders
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 stalk (rib) celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 to 1-1/2 cup half and half
- 1-1/2 cups Velveeta, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
- 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut cabbage into bite sized chunks and place into an oven and microwave safe covered casserole dish. Sprinkle all over with Greek seasoning, toss, sprinkle again. Cut butter into slices and scatter on top. Cover and microwave for 15 minutes; set aside and keep covered.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet and saute the celery and onion until tender. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the half and half and continue cooking for another 3 minutes until mixture is smooth adding additional half and half to make mixture thick, but pourable. Add in the cheese and Cajun seasoning and stir until cheese is melted and fully incorporated.
Pour cheese mixture evenly over the cabbage. Add the Parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs and place evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly and topping is lightly browning.
Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com
Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!©Deep South Dish
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Posted by Mary on October 26, 2009
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We investigate some of the deadliest places on Earth: the battlefields of Stonehenge and Eldorado, and Fusang Projects. Discover how Secret Societies fight, as they seek to control these places of power.
If you've been following our previous coverage on The Secret World, you probably think we've spent most of our time killing zombies, uncovering secrets, escaping Hell and battling long-dead Gods. But while the Secret Societies struggle to keep the world from crumbling beneath us, there's a further threat they also face: each other.
For the fourth and final Beta Weekend Event, Funcom invited all challengers into the fighting arenas of Eldorado, Stonehenge and Fusang Projects. Whether it's to settle old scores against other beta testers, represent your Society in battle, or simply sate a growing bloodlust, this weekend was all about PvP combat. With each of the three factions represented in every location, conflict promised to be fast-paced and brutal. Under the watchful eye of the Council of Venice, victories would be won and glory earned.
We won't have long to find out how The Secret War will unfold. With Early Access starting on Friday June 29th and full launch following on Tuesday July 3rd, thousands of players will be flooding in to unleash chaos on Funcom's Secret World. Although the grand battle is yet to begin, this is what we encountered in the prelude.
Beat 'Em Up
There are three different forms of PVP in The Secret World, including light sparring and duels, heavy combat involving hundreds of players, and formal team-based PvP for cabals or guilds to immerse themselves in. Each of the three major cities features a Fight Club, providing an open space to duel, test out ability builds and practice fighting as a team. Team-based Battlefields and the large-scale Warzone can be accessed anywhere, allowing us to continue with more mundane tasks while we queue for the slaughter.
The first battlefield we tried, Eldorado, was set in a ruined Mayan settlement deep in the South American jungle. Played with larger teams of ten per side, it has a simple objective: earn points for holding on to four relics. After some quick combat and heavy AoE, we earned a couple of relics early on, allowing us to hunker down and size up the opposition. We had two options with our relics - either keep holding on to them and make it tough for the other factions to snatch them from us, or place them on the ground for a substantial combat buff. Bagging all four relics and keeping them for two minutes would win us automatic victory, otherwise it would come down to points based on whichever faction held on to them longest. In the end, we seized on the fear of our enemies, snatched the remaining two relics from them and mounted an impenetrable defense while waiting for sure victory.
By contrast, the open field of Stonehenge is rife with paranoia. In blatant disregard of its status as a World Heritage Site, the ancient monument works as a "king of the hill" battlefield, catering to smaller teams of five per faction. Points are awarded for herding your team into the center of the stone circle, as well as ensuring the other two secret societies keep out. It's incredibly easy to get squashed in the center, as the two opposing Societies decide to make a sandwich out of you.
Fusang Frenzy
In contrast to the timed battlefields of Eldorado and Stonehenge, Fusang Projects is a never-ending warzone full of fluid strategy. The center of the map is dominated by a triangular orange-bricked fort, each apex containing a "facility" protected by a guardian golem, with a fourth in the middle. A strong team of five to ten players can hope to subdue the golem and take control of the facility, but may have to fend off defenders or opportunists from other factions. Depending on the time of day, facilities can change hands rapidly with small bands of roving skirmishers making quick captures, or transform into heavy combat as invaders battle to overcome an entrenched defense.
As well as facilities, anima wells are dotted around and inside the triangular fort. These provide useful respawn points for whichever society controls them, making them essential to capture as part of an invasion strategy. The wells also double as mission terminals, providing short-cooldown tasks that can award Marks of Venice, tokens that can later be used to buy top-quality gear.
We latched on to a large roving group, looking for easy facilities to capture. By using a handful of spotters around the map, we could work out which facilities were under attack and which ones had minimal defense. This allowed us to leap into a facility with a few token guards, quickly overcoming them and subduing the golem. Although defending the facility would be beneficial to our faction, the rapid capture and retake would earn us greater rewards by completing PvP missions.
While the timed nature of battlefields means that you're generally limited in how flexible your character can be, the large open space of Fusang Projects provides plenty of time to chop and change your character set-up. Although you're asked to pick between tanking, healing and dealing damage when joining a battlefield or warzone, there's nothing to stop you fine-tuning your deck and gear for a particular tactical advantage. If you spot a particular weakness in your enemy, you can swap abilities around to exploit it.
Points Mean Prizes
Being victorious in battlefields will earn Black Marks of Venice, while completing missions in Fusang projects will earn a mixture of Black and White Marks. These tokens can be exchanged at society headquarters for talismans, weapons and glyphs at a range of different Quality Levels. It'll take skill, effort and persistence to collect all the epic loot available, but there are definite rewards for die-hard PvP fans. You can also start collecting Marks right from the start, as characters with lower quality gear earn a boost to help bring them up.
It's not just combatants that benefit from taking part in PvP. The Society with the most victories in each battlefield earns an XP-boosting and combat effectiveness buff. The Fusang Projects Warzone offers the same rewards for each Facility held, allowing the boost to stack up to six times. If you were looking for an excuse to support your PvP playing brethren, that is definitely it.
This weekend gave us a taste of what The Secret War has become, morphing from a simple Facebook game into something chaotic, dynamic and brutal. With Early Access beginning on Friday June 29th, and full launch following on Tuesday July 3rd, we won't have to wait long to get stuck in again. Our advice: bring a fork.
Gareth "Gazimoff" Harmer, Staff Writer


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HarePoint HelpDesk Solution is now available for Microsoft SharePoint 2013
Helpdesk software is a basic part of practically any contemporary IT environment. As a rule, helpdesk solutions are intended to provide the customer/employee or other end-user with appropriate interactive support (technical, sales, etc.) related to the company's products and services. The main point of a helpdesk is to troubleshoot problems using a formal procedure for user requests creation, management and resolution.


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Designs456 needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 66 designs submitted by 26 freelance designers.
This is a project for the design of an un-coded website template for an events management company. We will require the finnshed product in a fully layerd and labled PSD file. Our client is a cutting edge events management company and require a stunning web presence to benchmark against their competitors.
See brief for company name
Desired Color Scheme:
Red / Wine & Grey - possibly other colors
Desired Style:
Crisp, Clean, Web 2.0 - Corporate
Accepted File Formats:
Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
Please download design brief from here: http://www.websplash.ie/brief.doc


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Lake Tuscaloosa News Article
Southern Company CEO Tells Congress That Proposed Standard Will Impact Economy and Electric Reliability and Affordability
Alabama Power
Posted: 4/16/2011
Southern Company
Thomas A Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, today told members of Congress that proposed regulations aimed at emissions from power plants could reduce reliability, raise electricity prices, slow economic development and eliminate American jobs.
"My message today is that the reliability and affordability that Americans deserve could be at risk," Fanning said in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power in Washington.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed regulation on further reducing air emissions from coal-fired power plants. The new regulation, known as Utility MACT (maximum achievable control technology), covers 125 different types of emissions. The EPA has allowed 60 days for comment.
"This is nearly a thousand-page rule with nearly a thousand more pages of technical supporting documents," Fanning said. "Sixty days is plainly inadequate for the industry to analyze this rule and its effects and offer meaningful comments."
Of greater concern, said Fanning, is the three years mandated for compliance.
"In just three years, utilities would have to develop compliance strategies for each plant, engineer solutions on a unit-by-unit basis, obtain required environmental permits, gain state public utility commission regulatory approval, actually procure and install the required technology, test the technology and implement any operational changes, and then demonstrate full compliance," Fanning said.
A study conducted for the Edison Electric Institute by ICF, Fanning testified, concluded that for the U.S. by 2015 over 80,000 megawatts of scrubbers and over 160,000 megawatts of fabric filter baghouses would have to be constructed and almost 80,000 megawatts of current coal capacity would have to be replaced.
"As the CEO of a company that has installed more pollution controls than any other utility," Fanning said, "I tell you that this cannot be done in three years."
Fanning also stressed that the Utility MACT proposal could cost the industry as much as $300 billion over the next five years.
Member Comments…
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Boxer - White - Striped Tote Bag
$ 25.00
Boxer - All White - Striped Tote Bag
by ©French Bulldog Love
Introducing The Dog Park: a brand new collection from the creator of French Bulldog Love. Inspired by our dog park adventures, FBL brings you five new adorable and fun-loving breeds including pugs, boxers, pit bulls, yorkies, and bulldogs. Follow us on Instagram @dogpark.co to see what we're up to.
Product Features:
- Tote measures 16 x 16 inches
- Design features Boxer face with teal stripes
- Design printed on both sides
- Two cotton web handles
- Made of spun polyester
- Black interior
- T seam at the bottom for expanded width
All artwork © 2019 French Bulldog Love
All rights reserved.


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Day 10 was kind of a bust. We were very busy and right before bed, we realized that we hadn't done our service project. So we went back to the trusty http://www.freerice.com/. As Sadie was answering math trivia questions and racking up rice, she asked me how many grains of rice were in a serving. We did a little researching and figured that one meal of rice would be around 2,000 grains. She played and played and played and got up to about 600 grains of rice. We added that to the total grains we had from previous days and estimated that we had donated close to a whole serving of rice. She was really proud of herself for a minute. Then she looked at me and said, "Mom. What happens when the hungry people eat that one bowl of rice. What will they do the next day when they get hungry again?" My heart broke. I wasn't really sure what to say. This very question plagues me every single day. And while there are no answers, there was a renewed sense that doing these projects has done a lot to teach my children about need and service.
The following day, we teamed up with my best friend in the wide world, Jessica, to help feed hungry people in our own backyard. Jessica brought her niece, Selena, and we went and bought canned goods and food to take to a local food bank.
Then today, for our last day of Christmas Kindness, we rallied with other members of our community to support a local family who is recovering from a terrible tragedy. The Brown's, a family in our town, had their house burn to the ground last week. They lost everything they owned. But worse than that, their 6 year old daughter was trapped in the home and didn't make it out. They also have a three year old son. I thought back to last year at Christmas when my children were six and three. I can't imagine what they must be going through. It truly makes you stop and think about what is important and brings your focus back to the things that matter.
A man in our city walked from one end of town to the other as people lined his route with donations in hand for the family. It was rumored that the man's company said they would match money raised for the family if the man would do the collection route in a Speedo. And by golly- he did it- in the freezing cold.
We were there with bills in hand to watch the spectacle and give to the Brown family. (By the way- they raised thousands and thousands of dollars!)
I can't even begin to tell you how proud I've been of my children for the last 12 days. The spirit with which they've served has been inspiring. I always thought about doing projects like this with them when they were teenagers, but I've realized that you are never too young to give back in your own way.
This has been the least stressful holiday season that we've ever had. We bought less, expected less and in doing so were able to give so much more. It has been amazing. It's not even Christmas day yet, and already my heart is so full, I can't imagine anything more.
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Tuesday, November 2nd 2010, 3:36pm
This post has been edited 2 times, last edit by "Marek Gutkowski" (Nov 2nd 2010, 3:43pm)
Tuesday, November 2nd 2010, 4:00pm
QuotedOriginally posted by Marek Gutkowski
Now that is one scary ship.
QuotedOriginally posted by Marek Gutkowski
I always liked the way the French superstructures.
And Japanese Funnels.
Ship's Mascot
Tuesday, November 2nd 2010, 9:33pm
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "TexanCowboy" (Nov 2nd 2010, 10:09pm)
Tuesday, November 2nd 2010, 9:57pm
QuotedOriginally posted by TexanCowboy
IIRC, turrets on light cruiser weren't introduced until 1913.
Ship's Mascot
Tuesday, November 2nd 2010, 10:09pm
Wednesday, November 3rd 2010, 5:51am
QuotedOriginally posted by TexanCowboy
IIRC, turrets on light cruiser weren't introduced until 1923
This post has been edited 2 times, last edit by "GromoBoy" (Nov 3rd 2010, 10:22am)
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 6:09am
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 7:13pm
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 7:14pm
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 7:20pm
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 7:45pm
QuotedOriginally posted by Brockpaine
The USN's Omaha class was laid down with the first ship in late 1918 with 6" guns in turrets.
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 7:48pm
Thursday, November 4th 2010, 11:55pm
Friday, November 5th 2010, 12:30am
Friday, November 5th 2010, 12:00pm
QuotedOriginally posted by exigeant
Interesting, from what I can find on the internet, the Omahas were originally designed with 8*6 inch guns, and were modified to 10, so this may suggest turrets are an after thought, I do not have book references on the USN so I wait for definitive answer.
Looking at Russian & Soviet Battleships it shows that in 1906/7 imperial Russia were actively designing ships with turreted lower/smaller caliber armament from lessons learnt from the Russo-Japanese war, so battleships and/or cruisers both seem feasible.
So happy I am learning something new
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "eltf177" (Nov 5th 2010, 12:01pm)
Italian Stallion
Friday, November 5th 2010, 6:07pm
Friday, November 5th 2010, 6:36pm
Italian Stallion
Friday, November 5th 2010, 7:09pm
Friday, November 5th 2010, 8:09pm
Saturday, November 6th 2010, 1:31pm
Forum Software: Burning Board® Lite 2.1.2 pl 1, developed by WoltLab® GmbH


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For those of you that love owls and love anime, I have the perfect tutorial for you. Today I will show you "how to draw an anime owl", step by step. The idea came as a request which means I had to figure out some way to turn a regular owl drawing into something more. I went with the drawing style of something simple because I know that lots of folks are fans of the beautiful owl. Drawing owls can be a difficult task if the owl you are drawing is detailed. If you are looking for a simple task, than this lesson on drawing an anime owl is the one for you. The colors are bright which makes the bird easy on the eyes. Well, have fun and remember to comment, rate and fav or you can do all of the above. Peace people!
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Beverly Hills 90210 Articles
Beverly Hills 90210 related gossip, news, and photos.
Get It Together, Kelly
AKM-GSI/ Cliffe Frase/ Splash
I loved Beverly Hills, 90210. I was around 11-years-old when the show premiered, so that kind of goes without saying, doesn't it? But the endless 90s nostalgia is getting a little tiring – Kurt Cobain and Winona Ryder are one thing, but Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar (both on Dancing with the Stars this season) are quite another. Full Story
Shannen Doherty, John Mayer, Pee
Look…I get it that dudes get off on images involving suggestive liquids. Like a mudfight. Or a jello bath. Or milk running down the side of a woman's mouth. Madonna's Express Yourself video. I get it. What I don't get is the rationale from the boys at Details for this Shannen Doherty photo shoot. Full Story
The New Brenda is a Brenda?
Faye Sadou/ Wenn.com
Or is this is a publicity stunt? Curious item in Page Six today - apparently Shenae Grimes, being groomed to take over as the new Shannen Doherty, is quickly following in her mentor's footsteps. Full Story
Brenda & Kelly 2008
O. M. G. They look amazing! And they made it through an interview and photo shoot without killing each other. Can you stand it? The new cover of Entertainment Weekly featuring Kelly Taylor and Brenda Walsh willing to answer the tough questions – like their past, like the fights, like how they feel about Tori Spelling. Full Story
Kelly Taylor Forever
Jennie Garth has officially signed on to join the Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off reprising her role as Kelly Taylor, the part she can never shake. Unlike Jessica Biel, the Alba Bitch, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Aniston, and all those other tv girls however, Jennie has never fought her fate. Full Story


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In the context of first-order logic and resolution (I'm trying to study Skolemization for a midterm tomorrow), I am seeing several references to $x$ being free or not free. What does this mean?
To pull all quantifiers in front of the formula and thus transform it into a prenex form, use the following equivalences, where $x$ is not free in Q:
$$\forall xP(x) ∧ \exists xQ(x) \equiv \forall x(P(x) ∧ \exists xQ(x)) ≡ \forall x(P(x) ∧ \exists yQ(y)) \equiv \forall x\exists y(P(x) ∧ Q(y)).$$
If the second $x$ is bound by the existential quantifier - why can it be pulled into prenex form if the blurb above says that this can be done only if $x$ is not free? Or am I misunderstanding something?
Edit 2:
OK, i'm clearly not all here at the moment. Ignore that question


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It's been a big week in Ellen's world. First came Kristen Bell and her crazy sloth-love, now this.
Recently, DeGeneres was hired as a new spokesperson for JC Penney. She worked there as a teen and said "I'm excited to tell everybody about this partnership." But not everybody was excited: Today, one organization called for the department store to fire DeGeneres and get off the "pro-gay bandwagon." The organization One Million Moms said in a statement: "Degeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store. The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there."
DeGeneres' supporters swiftly responded. GLAAD's online petition had more than 20,000 signatures as of this evening, and there was no reversal from JC Penney. Nor is that likely. When the move was first announced, new JC Penney CEO Ron Johnson (a former Apple exec) said "I think Ellen is someone we all trust. She's loveable, likeable, honest and funny, but at her soul, we trust her."
And despite that incident, DeGeneres managed to engage in a fierce push-up battle with the first lady on national television. Michelle Obama has been making the rounds to promote her "Let's Move!" campaign. And after getting Jay Leno to eat some veggies, Obama got DeGeneres to move even more than normal:
Ellen just couldn't win one today, could she?


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Sooo... my family was coming to visit... I had to have something new for my front door.
I actually made this back in January using twine, sticks from the yard, and mini clothes pins. But, it was pretty boring. At that time, it just said "Welcome" - I didn't have any embellishments on it. Then a couple of weeks ago, I saw this tutorial for the 5 point star, so I made a couple.
Sooo... family's coming... need something for the door... whipped something up for free.
I'm linking up here...


text: This book features tons of advice for recovery and rehabilitation. Get the latest on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke. Have questions and concerns about strokes? This reassuring guide provides invaluable information for stroke victims and their loved ones, from what a stroke is and what it feels like to proven treatments and therapies. You'll see how to implement a plan for preventing stroke, treat the lingering effects of stroke, and maximize home caregiver effectiveness while minimizing fatigue. Discover how to: understand what causes different types of stroke; recognize warning signs; get the most out of doctors and hospitals; speed recovery with the best treatments; help prevent future strokes; and decide the best living arrangements after stroke.


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- Old tee shirt scraps {or any fabric}
- Some Lace {I used an old curtain}
- Template {you have to make it yourself. Or you can try to find some clip art to use as a template.}
- Sharpie
- Hot glue gun and sticks
- Small circle of felt.
- Hair Clip {or brooch.. whatever you want.}
- CREATIVITY. You don't have to follow my exact directions. Do what you want, make it your own.
{piles of 9 'flowers')


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There is a manga/anime called K-ON and it is about four Japanese girls that are trying to save their schools music club from being canceled. The problem with the whole idea to save the club, is the fact they are the only members of the club. Having said that, it almost makes it nearly impossible to save a program from being canceled since there is nobody else to stand up and fight for it to remain within the school. The main character of the show is called Yui, and that is who this lesson is going to be based on. There is so many different manga and anime series that I am not familiar with, and again this is one of them. I had to actually ask my friend about this manga because I have never followed it before, which means the characters are new to me as well. The three girls that put together a grooving band is Yui, who is on the guitar, Mio Akiyama who is the bassist, Ritsu Tainaka is the bands drummer, and finally Tsumugi Kotobuki is the bands keyboardist. To me the series seems to be a little too soft for me to be interested in it, but I like the premise of the storyline because I know that this is a series that my fourteen year old sister could really get into. Anyways, Yui is a cute character, and she should be pretty simple to draw out. I think you will have learning "how to draw Yui", step by step. I will be back with my last lesson so stay tuned in just for a little while longer to see what it will be. Adios people!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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CheckUser policy
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|←Policies and guidelines
|CheckUser policy
|This page provides information about CheckUser access and outlines the policy on its use. It was discussed in September and October 2005, and went live in November 2005.
- 1 CheckUser status
- 2 Use of the tool
- 3 Privacy policy
- 4 Access to CheckUser
- 5 Users with CheckUser access
- 5.1 Everywhere
- 5.2 Arabic Wikipedia
- 5.3 Bengali Wikipedia
- 5.4 Catalan Wikipedia
- 5.5 Croatian Wikipedia
- 5.6 Czech Wikipedia
- 5.7 Danish Wikipedia
- 5.8 Dutch Wikipedia
- 5.9 English Wikibooks
- 5.10 English Wikipedia
- 5.11 English Wiktionary
- 5.12 Finnish Wikipedia
- 5.13 French Wikipedia
- 5.14 German Wikipedia
- 5.15 Hebrew Wikipedia
- 5.16 Hungarian Wikipedia
- 5.17 Indonesian Wikipedia
- 5.18 Italian Wikipedia
- 5.19 Japanese Wikipedia
- 5.20 Korean Wikipedia
- 5.21 Malayalam Wikipedia
- 5.22 Persian Wikipedia
- 5.23 Polish Wikipedia
- 5.24 Portuguese Wikipedia
- 5.25 Russian Wikipedia
- 5.26 Serbian Wikipedia
- 5.27 Simple English Wikipedia
- 5.28 Slovene Wikipedia
- 5.29 Spanish Wikipedia
- 5.30 Swedish Wikipedia
- 5.31 Thai Wikipedia
- 5.32 Turkish Wikipedia
- 5.33 Ukrainian Wikipedia
- 5.34 Vietnamese Wikipedia
- 5.35 Wikimedia Commons
- 5.36 Wikispecies
- 5.37 Meta
- 6 See also
CheckUser status
CheckUser is an interface for users with the checkuser permission. A user with CheckUser status on a wiki can in particular check if a user is a sockpuppet of another user on that wiki (not on all wikis). By using it, users are able to:
- Determine from which IPs a user has edited or done a logged action or password reset on the Wikimedia wiki;
- Determine the edits, logged actions and password resets on the Wikimedia wiki of a specific IP (even when logged in);
- Determine whether the user being checked has sent an email using MediaWiki interface to some other user. The time of the event is logged, the destination email address and user ID are obscured.
This information is only stored for a short period (currently 90 days), so edits made prior to that will not be shown via CheckUser. A log is kept of who has made which queries with the tool. This log is available to those with the checkuser-log permission:
See Help:CheckUser for the user manual.
Use of the tool
The tool is to be used to fight vandalism, spamming, to check for sockpuppet abuse, and to limit disruption of the project. It must be used only to prevent damage to any of the Wikimedia projects.
The tool should not be used for political control; to apply pressure on editors; or as a threat against another editor in a content dispute. There must be a valid reason to check a user. Note that alternative accounts are not forbidden, so long as they are not used in violation of the policies (for example, to double-vote or to increase the apparent support for any given position).
Notification to the account that is checked is permitted but is not mandatory. Similarly, notification of the check to the community is not mandatory, but may be done subject to the provisions of the privacy policy.
Some wikis allow an editor's IPs to be checked upon his or her request if, for example, there is a need to provide evidence of innocence against a sockpuppet allegation; note, however, that requesting a checkuser in these circumstances is sometimes part of the attempt to disrupt.
Privacy policy
On Wikimedia projects, privacy policy considerations are of tremendous importance. Unless someone is violating policy with their actions (e.g. massive bot vandalism or spam) and revealing information about them is necessary to stop the disruption, it is a violation of the privacy policy to reveal their IP, whereabouts, or other information sufficient to identify them, unless they have already revealed this information themselves on the project.
Information release
Even if the user is committing abuse, it's best not to reveal personal information if possible.
- Generally, do not reveal IPs. Only give information such as same network/not same network or similar. If detailed information is provided, make sure the person you are giving it to is a trusted person and will not reveal it himself/herself.
- If the user has said they're from somewhere and the IP confirms it, it's not releasing private information to confirm it if needed.
- If you're in any doubt, give no detail.
Access to CheckUser
Approved candidates for CheckUser permissions must sign, before being granted such permissions, a confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information as of December, 2015, pursuant the access to nonpublic information policy.
Only stewards, some Wikimedia Foundation staff, ombudsmen, and a very small number of other users are allowed to have CheckUser access. Users can only have CheckUser status locally (except for the ombudsmen and those staff members with access).
If local CheckUsers exist in a project, checks should generally be handled by those. In emergencies, or for multi-project CheckUser checks as in the case of cross-wiki vandalism, stewards may perform local checks. Stewards should remove their own CheckUser access on the projects upon completion of the checks and notify the local CheckUsers or the CheckUser e-mail list.
If no local Checkusers exist for a project, requests will need to be made to the stewards to perform checks (such as "is UserX a sockpuppet of UserY"). To do so, simply add the request to Steward requests/Checkuser listing these users and explain the need for the check (with links). Depending on the nature of the request, the steward may deny it, may ask for more information, or may answer about the likelihood of the users in question having the same IP, same proxy, same network, same country, or being completely unrelated (see discussion for what the Steward should more precisely say to the editor).
Appointing local Checkusers
On any wiki, there must be at least two users with CheckUser status, or none at all. This is so that they can mutually control and confirm their actions. In the case where only one CheckUser is left on a wiki (when the only other one retires, or is removed), the community must appoint a new CheckUser immediately (so that the number of CheckUsers is at least two).
On wikis with an Arbitration Committee (ArbCom) whose members have been elected with the support of at least 25–30 members of the local community, CheckUsers may be directly appointed by the Arbitrators. After agreement, a member of the Committee should simply list the candidate on Steward requests/Permissions.
On a wiki without an Arbitration Committee that meets the criterion above, or in a project where there is a preference for independent elections, the community may approve local CheckUsers (stewards not counting as local CheckUsers) per consensus. The CheckUser candidate status must request it within the local community and advertise this request properly (village pump, mailing list when available, special request page, etc.). The candidate must be familiar with the privacy policy. After gaining consensus (at least 70%–80% in pro/con voting or the highest number of votes in multiple choice elections) in the local community, and with at least 25–30 editors' approval, the successful candidate should request access at Steward requests/Permissions with a link to the page with the community's decision. If there are an insufficient number of votes for at least two CheckUsers on a wiki, there will be no CheckUsers on that wiki.
Mailing list
There is a closed mailing list (CheckUser-l) to which all stewards and checkusers should have access. Email the list moderators to gain access. Use this mailing list to ask for help, ideas and second opinions if you're not sure what the data means.
IRC channel
There is a private IRC channel (#wikimedia-checkuser) to which all stewards and checkusers who use IRC should have access. This channel serves the same purpose as the mailing list, but in real-time. Contact any channel member to gain access; a channel manager will grant permanent access. Ask a steward if you need help gaining access.
Removal of access
Any user account with CheckUser status that is inactive for more than one year will have their CheckUser access removed.
In case of abusive use of the tool, the Steward or the editor with the CheckUser privilege will immediately have their access removed. This will in particular happen if checks are done routinely on editors without a serious motive to do so (links and proofs of bad behavior should be provided).
Suspicion of abuses of CheckUser should be discussed by each local wiki. On wikis with an approved ArbCom, the ArbCom can decide on the removal of access. On wikis without an approved ArbCom, the community can vote removal of access.
Complaints of infringement of CheckUser, Access to Nonpublic Information Policy or Privacy Policy breaches are handled by the Ombudsman commission for all Wikimedia projects.
Users with CheckUser access
- Edit (last updated: 2020-01-22)
- Stewards - upon request or their own initiative, stewards use it by briefly granting the right to themselves; this is logged.
- Some members of the Staff of the Wikimedia Foundation (see global group)
- Members of the Ombudsman commission (see automatically generated list):
Arabic Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Bengali Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Local policy mandates that only users who gain at least 25 votes in favor and 80% support can be appointed (application will open for no less than 30 days).
Catalan Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Croatian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Czech Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Danish Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Dutch Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
- Appointed by Arbcom
English Wikibooks
Automatically generated checkusers list
English Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
- Appointed by ArbCom
- Alison
- Bbb23
- Beeblebrox
- Berean Hunter
- Bradv
- Casliber
- David Fuchs
- Doug Weller
- Drmies
- GorillaWarfare
- Guerillero
- Ivanvector
- Joe Roe
- Jpgordon
- KrakatoaKatie
- Mailer diablo
- Materialscientist
- Maxim
- Mkdw
- MusikAnimal
- Mz7
- NativeForeigner
- Newyorkbrad
- NinjaRobotPirate
- PhilKnight
- Ponyo
- Reaper Eternal
- Risker
- Salvio giuliano
- SoWhy
- Stwalkerster
- TonyBallioni
- Versageek
- Worm That Turned
- Xeno
- Yunshui
- Zzuuzz
- Founder
English Wiktionary
Automatically generated checkusers list
Finnish Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
French Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
- Appointed by ArbCom
German Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Hebrew Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Hungarian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list (requests and policy)
Indonesian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Italian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Japanese Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list (policy)
Korean Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list (policy and request)
Malayalam Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list (Policy and Requests)
Persian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Polish Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Due to a new policy on the Polish Wikipedia, users who gain 85% of votes in favor may become CheckUsers
Portuguese Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Under the local policy, CheckUsers are elected with one year term.
- Érico until 19:59, 27 November 2020
- Stegop until 14:18, 23 February 2020
- Tks4Fish until 21:43, 11 January 2021
Russian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
- Appointed by ArbCom
Serbian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Simple English Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Slovene Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Spanish Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Local policy mandates that only users who gain at least 30 votes in favor and 80% support can be appointed.
Swedish Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Thai Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Turkish Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Ukrainian Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
- Appointed by ArbCom
Vietnamese Wikipedia
Automatically generated checkusers list
Wikimedia Commons
Automatically generated checkusers list
Automatically generated checkusers list
Automatically generated checkusers list · (information page and requests page)
See also
- Privacy policy
- Ombudsman commission (processes complaints of privacy violations)
- Requests for CheckUser information and CheckUser status
- Local policies of the projects
- Help:CheckUser user manual
- [Foundation-l] CheckUser (thoughts), by Anthere on April 22, 2006, includes a historic background


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Gearing Up For North Shore Beer WeekPosted: September 15th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Drinks, Event, Green Land Cafe, Henry's Fine Foods, News | Tags: 2 Beer Guys, 2010 Grand Prix of Gloucester, 5th Annual Riverfront Brewfest, Beer, Beer 101, Harvest Beer Dinner, Haverhill Brewery, Homebrew Competition, Ian Cowpar, North Shore Beer Week, Oktoberfest, Ryan Jansen, Sean Jansen | 1 Comment »
Brothers Sean and Ryan Jansen and friend Ian Cowpar are men on a mission. Their lofty goal? To spread the good word to the citizens of the North Shore about the many joys of craft beer.
2 Beer Guys, which started out as the personal project of Sean and Ian to educate themselves about the nuances of various beers, has blossomed into much more. They now host beer tastings, teach Beer 101 classes, maintain a website on which they have published hundreds of brew reviews, and publish a blog with up-to-date information on local and national beer events. These guys know their stuff and truly enjoy getting involved with the community.
Which brings us to North Shore Beer Week. If you're thinking you've never heard of this event, you're right—this year marks the first of what the Beer Guys hope will evolve into a great annual event.
After being involved in the organization of Portsmouth Craft Beer Weekend this winter, Sean and Ryan told us they got excited about creating a larger celebration to encompass their home turf. In partnership with Seaboard, a local beer distributor, they began to knock on doors to spread the word and gain support of local venues. Bookended by existing events, and during traditional Oktoberfest time, the last week in September seemed a perfect fit.
The celebration kicks off on September 25 with the 5th Annual Riverfront Brewfest, hosted by the Haverhill Brewery. They'll run two sessions featuring sampling from roughly 20 breweries as well as live bands and their popular cask cellar.
The following week includes beer tastings hosted at many local restaurants and liquor stores, two craft beer education classes by the Beer Guys, the Oktoberfest celebration at Henry's Market in Beverly with the judging of the Homebrew Competition, and a couple of beer dinners including the Green Land Café's Harvest Beer Dinner. The final event of the week will be the Great Brewers 2010 Grand Prix of Gloucester, which features a beer garden from 11:00 to 5:00 on October 2 and 3, with many participating breweries.
The full schedule of events can be found on the website. The calendar function is a little awkward, so be sure to click on each day to see all the events.
The Dish is an avid supporter of small local brewers, and restaurants that support the craft beer movement. We are constantly delighted by the variety and quality of beers available. The North Shore is definitely a haven for beer lovers, so if you're one of them, get out there and show Beer Week your support.