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Many Americans would be surprised to learn that chimpanzees are still being used in biomedical research and that millions of other animals are utilized in consumer product and toxicity testing. Others may find a sense of security in knowing that this practice continues to provide information on which chemicals and products are deemed safe. The fact is that it doesn't have to be this way, and there are a number of public health, economic and animal welfare reasons to change our ways.
The evolving process by which the U.S. regulates chemicals is important to every American household. Increasing awareness of potential risks is key to ensuring the safety of American consumers, but what we don't know can hurt us, and there is a lot that we don't know despite advances in science.
Unfortunately, the current system for chemical testing is inconsistent and overwhelmed by the testing needs of an endless flow of new products and chemicals, causing a backlog of chemical assessments. Further, much of our system relies upon inconsistent results from animal testing. Policymakers have been slow to update the laws that govern chemical safety and to modernize the tests required by these laws.
Recent scientific advances offer to fundamentally change the way chemicals are tested for human health risks. These advances, which include in vitro testing, make it possible to rely less heavily on animal studies and instead focus on evaluating chemicals' effects on biological processes. Through this approach, scientists can generate improved data to evaluate risks while expanding the number of chemical assessments using less time and money and fewer animal subjects. Several federal agencies — the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health — embraced this approach and are working hard to further develop the science to make this vision a reality.
Earlier this year, an NIH working group proposed a plan to shift away from using chimpanzees as test subjects in their own studies, citing both technological advances and ethical concerns that had been raised in a study by the Institute of Medicine. The Institute of Medicine concluded that most current use of chimps was largely unnecessary. The working group plan called for the retirement of 300 chimps to a sanctuary where they can live out their lives. This is a welcome change and should serve to inform policymakers as we seek a chemical regulatory system that promotes public health, science and animal welfare.
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also called into question the reliance on mice in medical research for three major, often-fatal conditions — sepsis, burns and trauma — because their responses are inconsistent with the human response. It is not only the mice that have suffered as a result; significant amounts of time and resources were squandered on ineffective testing, and opportunities to help patients with these conditions have been delayed.
Improved chemical testing is not only an issue of human and animal well-being but also one of enormous economic consequence. Embracing alternative methods for toxicity testing is an excellent way to provide evidence that chemicals are fit for use in commerce in an efficient, thorough and less expensive manner. Recently, the European Union introduced a complete ban on the sale of all new cosmetics if the cosmetic, or any component of the cosmetic, has been tested on animals, further making the American economic case for advancing alternative testing methods.
Going forward, we need to create a chemical testing system that allows families to enjoy a more risk-free environment, bolsters confidence in products we all use, and brings on-line exciting new testing methods that obviate whenever possible the need for animal subjects. The American public wants — and deserves — no less.
Rep. Jim Moran, a Democrat, represents Virginia's 8th District. Paul A. Locke, an environmental health scientist and attorney, is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Molecular and Translational Toxicology. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Johns Hopkins University or the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.


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Police say a man bought a storage unit at an auction in New York City and found dozens of dead cats in two freezers.
Officers responded to American Self Storage in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City Monday evening.
Police say one freezer had frozen cats stacked on top of each other. In the other, police say they were individually wrapped in paper and plastic bags. One cat had been skinned.
U.S. & World
About 40 cats were discovered.
The nonprofit American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has taken the dead cats into its custody for necropsies. The tests can't be performed until the carcasses thaw out.
Police are searching for an unidentified woman who originally rented the unit.
The NYPD Animal Cruelty Squad is investigating.
"Saddened deeply by the deaths of forty cats, American Self-Storage has made significant financial contributions to ASPCA shelters in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island and three NJ counties where American Self Storage facilities are located," the company said in a statement.
"Self-storage companies do not examine the items which tenants store in their rented units, the way apartment landlords do not study each item which tenants bring into their rented rooms," the statement continued. "But we join in feeling the shock at the mistreatment of animals."

subset: commoncrawl


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Tomorrowland Tickets 2015
Tomorrowland Tickets 2015
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10 Year/100,000 Mile Powertrain Warranty Included // *No Accidents Reported to CARFAX* // *No Damage Reported to CARFAX* // *CARFAX 1-Owner Vehicle* // Bluetooth Wireless Technology // 3.6L V6 24V VVT // 4WD // Front fog lights // Quick Order Package 24C // Radio: Uconnect 130 AM/FM/CD/MP3 // Sunrider Soft Top // Odometer is 37127 miles below market average! Why Buy From The World Famous Julio Jones? *Our Best Price Upfront *10 Year/100,000 Mile Warranty on All Eligible Vehicles *Fast & Friendly Staff *Buy From the Best dealership in the Southeast! Tax, Title, Tags and Dealer Fee not included in vehicle prices shown and must be paid by the purchaser. Advertised prices available with approved credit and if a New vehicle, it must be financed through the manufacturers captive lender. 10 Year/100,000 Warranty is only eligible on vehicles purchased with under 80,000 miles and less than 8 Model Years old. Julio Jones Automotive uses electronic market pricing data that is updated daily to ensure that prices are competitive and fair.
Here at Julio Jones Kia, we always strive to ensure that you enjoy the best car-shopping and dealership experience of your life. We make that possible by offering a vast collection of cars, straightforward financing options and expert car care services. That's why it only makes sense to turn to us for everything related to Kia near Tuscaloosa, Bessemer, Hueytown and Northport AL.
We welcome you to visit our nearby location to browse our enticing selection of new Kia models. If a car catches your eye, we'll be happy to arrange for a test drive in a new Kia Soul, Sorento, Optima, Forte or Sedona. Once behind the wheel, you'll come to understand how Kia has distinguished itself from competing brands. And, we always have the perfect new car in stock whether you're seeking thrilling performance, family focused comfort, innovative tech features or all of the above!
New vehicle pricing includes all offers and incentives. Tax, Title and Tags not included in vehicle prices shown and must be paid by the purchaser. While great effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, errors do occur so please verify information with a customer service rep. This is easily done by calling us at 205-512-3219 or by visiting us at the dealership.
**With approved credit. Terms may vary. Monthly payments are only estimates derived from the vehicle price with a 72 month term, 5.9% interest and 20% downpayment.
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John reports
Not sure why, but we've not been getting mailed when people setup new accounts anymore.
Just checked after two people reported that they weren't getting accounts setup...there are 400 signups that are waiting admin approval. Most of them spammers, I think.
I might setup something so that people can approve themselves, if they go click on a link. Hmm. Only thing I can think of...
It will take time for John to sort this so please bear with him.


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Power Outages Sock West Michigan; Electricity Out for Some for 'Several Days'
Ice combined with snow has led to numerous power outages in West Michigan.
Since noon Saturday, more than 175,000 Consumers Energy customers have been affected by electricity outages in Michigan.
As of 9:30 a.m. this morning, 155,000 Consumers Energy customers were still without power.
Outage totals include: Kent (21,958); Ottawa (1,347); Allegan (4,706); Barry (14,415); Eaton (9,446); Ionia (4,961); Kalamazoo (4,532); and Montcalm (3,679).
Consumersenergy.com reports:
With freezing rain persisting Sunday morning in portions of the state, assessment was continuing to determine estimated restoration times for customers. A significant number of customers who have been without electric service since midday Saturday may be without power for several days.
Watch for updates to the Consumers Energy outage map.
Follow Matt Milhouse on Facebook and Twitter. Listen to 100.5 The River weekdays, 10 a.m.– 3 p.m.


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New initiative focuses on helping dairy calves realize their full lifetime potential.
Click here to watch our calf (at left) grow.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Apr. 23, 2014 — Zoetis today announced the launch of Calf Wellness, a program that emphasizes Dairy Wellness solutions for all key calf and heifer growth stages, from newborn calves through pre-fresh heifers. The program focuses on five foundations of calf and heifer management: nutrition, disease management, reproduction, genetics and labor.
Calf Wellness from Zoetis offers a complete portfolio of products and services, backed by industry-leading expertise, to help producers and growers keep their calf and heifer programs on the path to success. The purpose of Calf Wellness is to provide the tools necessary to help young cattle achieve their future potential and improve Dairy Wellness.
"Young heifers have a big job ahead of them as future members of the milking herd," said Robert Lynch, DVM, senior veterinarian, Dairy Technical Services, Zoetis. "Producers and heifer growers have a small window of opportunity to realize the full potential of these young animals. Once this window of opportunity closes, that's it. So every decision during that time really matters."
A key component of the Calf Wellness program is a new management-focused website, CalfWellness.com. This interactive website provides producers, growers and veterinarians with hands-on tools and resources to maximize their calf and heifer programs. Resources cover a range of topics, including newborn care, disease management, post-weaning growth and transition, heifer reproduction and genetics. Hands-on tools include:
• Calf & Heifer Assessment to identify management improvements;
• Calf Wellness Guide bilingual booklet of calf and heifer management tips;
• Health Scoring Criteria, developed by Dr. Sheila McGuirk with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, for identifying potential disease symptoms.
"Zoetis wants to do everything possible to provide producers, growers and veterinarians with management resources so they can take the best care of these young animals," said Dr. Lynch. "Doing the little things at each step during these critical life stages will help keep them on the path for achieve Dairy Wellness."
Learn more about Calf Wellness by talking with your Zoetis representative or by visiting CalfWellness.com.
Zoetis (zo-EH-tis) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products and genetic tests and supported by a range of services. In 2013, the company generated annual revenues of $4.6 billion. With approximately 9,800 employees worldwide at the beginning of 2014, Zoetis has a local presence in approximately 70 countries, including 28 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries. Its products serve veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals in 120 countries.
Zoetis is the proud sponsor, with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, of the mobile educational exhibit Animal Connections: Our Journey Together. Families visiting the exhibit will explore the vast bonds between people and animals and learn about the important role veterinarians play in protecting animal and human health. For more information, visit http://www.zoetis.com/animal-connections-tour.


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Freedom on the Net
You are here
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
2012 Scores
Freedom on the Net Status
Freedom on the Net Total(0 = best, 100 = worst)
(0 = Best, 100 = Worst)
Obstacles to Access(0 = best, 25 = worst)
(0 = Best, 25 = Worst)
Limits on Content(0 = best, 35 = worst)
(0 = Best, 35 = Worst)
Violations of User Rights(0 = best, 40 = worst)
(0 = Best, 40 = Worst)
While the recent wave of protests and demonstrations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not changed the political landscape in the country as in other Arab countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, the internet freedom landscape in the Kingdom has no doubt changed considerably over the past year. Inspired by the Arab Spring events in 2011, millions of people in Saudi Arabia flooded social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, and hundreds, if not thousands, participated in political campaigns to demand political, social, and economic reforms, fostering the emergence of innumerable political activists on social media.
However, as soon as Saudis went online to express their opinions, demand actions, and organize demonstrations, the Saudi government took immediate steps to respond to what it regarded as a national security threat. The government issued warnings banning protests, reminded people via email of the ban, and threatened the youth through the BlackBerry multi-media message service (MMS) to discourage them from participating in demonstrations. The authorities also detained and intimidated hundreds of online political activists and online commentators, implemented strict filtering mechanisms to block sensitive political content from entering the Saudi internet, recruited thousands of online supporters to warn against the call for protests and demonstrations as a counter measure, and continued to apply its excessive monitoring of internet users.
Saudis first gained access to the internet in 1998. In 2011, 47.5 percent of the population had access to the internet, up from 19.5 percent in 2006, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).[1] While in the early years, the vast majority of Saudi users accessed the internet through dial-up connections that were often slow and frustrating, less than 22.6 percent of the internet population still uses dial-up service today, with the rest using broadband connections.[2] There were 11.9 million mobile broadband connections and 2.2 million fixed broadband connections in the country as of May 2012.[3]
Internet penetration is highest in major cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah and in the oil-rich Eastern Province. Residents of provinces like Jizan in the south and Ha'il in the north are the least likely to use the internet. The younger generations make up the majority of the user population, according to the Communications and Information Commission (CITC).[4] Arabic content is widely available on the internet, as are Arabic versions of applications like chat rooms, discussion forums, and social media sites.
Monthly expenditure on broadband services ranges between 42 SAR (US$11) and 334 SAR (US$89) on average,[5] representing a sharp drop from the 2003 price of 700 SAR (US$187) a month.[6] That said, the cost of the internet is still considered high by the vast majority of those who participated in a CITC online survey who were predominantly male (95.3 percent) and between the ages of 20 and 39 (82.7 percent).[7]
Connection speed for broadband varies between 724 Kbps and 1.22 Mbps, depending on the service purchased (i.e. DSL broadband or High-Speed Packet Access networks). While the majority of participants in the CITC survey were not satisfied with their connection speeds[8] (possibly because of excessive filtering) and a large number of those surveyed planned to upgrade their internet speeds, overall infrastructure is not considered a barrier to access except in remote and sparsely populated areas.
The Saudi internet is connected to the international internet through two data-services providers, the Integrated Telecom Company and Bayanat al-Oula for Network Services, up from a single gateway in years past. These providers offer service to licensed internet service providers (ISPs), which in turn sell connections to dial-up and leased-line clients. The number of ISPs in the country has risen from 23 in 2005 to 36 in 2011.[9] Broadband and mobile phone services are provided by the three largest telecommunications companies in the Middle East: Saudi Telecom Company (Saudi Arabia), Etisalat (United Arab Emirates), and Zain (Kuwait). WiMAX, a technology that allows users to access the internet wirelessly from any location through a USB modem, is widely used in Saudi Arabia because it offers affordable prepaid broadband internet.
Saudis access the internet from home, from their place of employment, or in internet cafes, which offer a cost-effective alternative, though the latter option has become less popular because the availability of prepaid broadband has made it easier to access the internet from home, and internet cafes do not offer secure access. Many Saudis also access the internet from their mobile telephones. While there were fewer than 20 million mobile phone subscriptions only five years ago, there were nearly 54 million at the end of 2011, representing a penetration rate of over 191 percent.[10] Similarly, the average number of household mobile lines is estimated at 4.6 lines per household.[11]
All forms of internet and mobile phone access are available in the country, including WiMAX broadband, third-generation (3G), and fourth-generation (4G) mobile networks, internet via satellite, and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technologies. While smart phones like the iPhone and Galaxy tablets are banned at security organizations for fear of being targeted by hackers,[12] they are available to the public at affordable prices. Service for BlackBerry hand-held mobile devices, however, was banned from August 1-10, 2010 due to concerns over BlackBerry's encryption services,[13] but the ban was lifted after the company agreed to provide the Saudi authorities with the means to access the devices' encrypted messages.[14]
Major video-sharing, social-networking, and micro-blogging sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are freely available, as are international blog-hosting services. However, specific pages particularly on social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are instantly blocked if they contain sensitive political content or call for people to join political campaigns and movements. One example is the "Constitutional Monarchy" page on Facebook, which was founded on March 5, 2011 by Ali Ashmlan and presumably blocked because it called for constitutional monarchy in the Kingdom, a taboo subject in Saudi Arabia. Another example is the Facebook page, "I want my rights...I don't want to drive," which called for reforms in public transportation for women to use instead of driving. The page was blocked for unknown reasons, according to Maha Al-Hadlaq, one of the group's members.[15]
Nevertheless, Saudis are among the largest adopters of Twitter in the Arab world, with 38 percent of all Arab tweets coming from Saudi Arabia.[16] Saudis are also well-represented on Facebook, with 4.9 million users and a penetration rate of 19.1 percent as of early 2012.[17] Similarly, millions of Saudis visit YouTube on a regular basis for alternative information on the country's current affairs that differs from official media.
The Internet Services Unit (ISU), a department of King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST), is responsible for managing the internet infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and reports to the Vice President for Scientific Research Support. All retail ISPs, government organizations, and universities obtain access through the ISU. Established in 1998, the ISU initially acted as a regulatory body, but governance of the Saudi internet, including licensing issues, was relegated to the CITC in 2003. In addition to providing access to the internet, the CITC is responsible for regulating the broader information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the country.
The Saudi government employs strict filtering over internet content, tightening its grip in 2011 and early 2012 following the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria due to fears of a revolution erupting in its own backyard. For this reason, specific pages particularly on social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter that called for protests, demonstrations, or the release of prisoners were quickly blocked throughout 2011. Pages that demanded political, social, or economic reforms or basic human or civil rights were also blocked. More generally, sites that contain "harmful," "illegal," "anti-Islamic," or "offensive" material are routinely blocked, as are those that carry criticism of Saudi Arabia, the royal family, or other Gulf States. Material providing information about drugs, alcohol, gambling, or terrorism, and sites that call for political reform or that are critical of the current political landscape, are also regularly blocked.
While the rules governing internet usage are stated on government websites, allowing internet users to discern what is expected of them, the government blocking has become increasingly erratic. The OpenNet Initiative's most recent testing results showed that Saudi Arabia also blocks human rights websites like Article19.org, Saudihr.org, and Hummum.net.[18] In 2011, Saudi Arabia blocked the Amnesty International website because it leaked a draft of the proposed anti-terrorism law.[19] Saudi Arabia also blocks the websites of the human rights organizations, Reporters without Borders and Freedom House, as well as the websites of several Saudi religious scholars.[20] The country's two data service providers must block the sites banned by the CITC,[21] and failure to abide by these bans may subject the service providers to a fine of up to 5 million SAR (US$1.33 million), according to Article 38 of the Saudi Telecommunication Act.[22]
Filtering in Saudi Arabia takes place at the country-level servers of the two data service providers. These servers, which contain long lists of blocked sites, are placed between the state-owned internet backbone and servers around the world. All user requests that arrive via Saudi ISPs travel through these servers, where they can be filtered and possibly blocked. Users who attempt to access a banned site are redirected to a page displaying the message, "Access to the requested URL is not allowed!" demonstrating the government's partial transparency about the content it blocks, but the list of banned sites is not publicly available. The government also responds to take down notices from members of the public, who can alert the government to undesirable material,[23] and sites can be unblocked through a similar system designated for this purpose.[24] Once an individual submits a request to unblock a site by completing a web-based form, a team of CITC employees determines whether the request is justified. The manager of public relations at the CITC said the commission receives about 200 of such requests each day, but he would not comment on how often the CITC unblocks a site based on an appeal.[25]
The CITC claims that the time lost determining whether a user's site request should be blocked or allowed is not more than half a second. However, a survey conducted by the Commission in 2008 showed that 33 percent of internet users in the country, particularly younger participants and women, found content filtering problematic.[26] These users complained that filtering denied them access to a great deal of useful information and limited their ability to browse freely.
In addition to the blocking and filtering of websites, specific content on webpages is also subject to removal. For example, at least three YouTube episodes—two from the "Sa7i" channel[27] and one from the "3al6ayer"[28] channel—were removed because the videos' critical content had ostensibly crossed the "red lines." These limitations are in addition to the work of online forum moderators, or "gate-keepers," who preemptively delete content they deem inappropriate or inconsistent with the norms of society.
The Saudi blogosphere is not as active as other online platforms for political discussion in the country. For example, while there are an estimated 10,000 Saudi bloggers, most Saudis use online public discussion forums, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to engage in political conversations. There are more female than male bloggers in Saudi Arabia, and most bloggers tend to focus on personal matters rather than local politics. With that said, some blogs in Saudi Arabia have become instrumental in shaping the political landscape in the country.
Internet users in Saudi Arabia, particularly those who upload humorous yet critical videos on YouTube, practice self-censorship online, which is often out of fear of "getting into trouble with the authorities," as the owner of the "3al6ayer" YouTube channel alluded to during an interview with the AlArabiya satellite station.[29] However, self-censorship is exercised mainly to avoid crossing red lines, thus it is possible to enjoy a modicum of freedom of expression online as long as the red lines are not crossed.
Another strategy the government employs to manufacture consent about its image is by being very active in online public discussion forums. The government also influences the news reported online by offering financial support to news sites such as Sabq.org in return for coordination between a site editor and the authorities. Blocking an online source from inside the country and thereby limiting the chances of making revenue from advertisements has also proven effective, as revealed by the owners of Al-Saha al-Siyasia who decided to close its website after 15 years in operation because of the block by Saudi authorities, which according to the owners, resulted in their financial ruin.[30]
Online public discussion forums enjoy immense popularity and receive unmatched attention from the public. Their effect on the political sphere has continued to be significant, even after the emergence of social media sites and blog-hosting applications. The forums give ordinary individuals from all backgrounds the opportunity to express themselves, steer the government's attention to their problems, and get their messages across even to the country's leadership. It is believed that the King responds swiftly to some of the demands made by online commentators and takes serious steps to meet those demands. For example, some of the decisions relating to the latest economic reforms, such as the recently introduced 2,000 SAR (US$533) monthly stipend for the unemployed,[31] may have been inspired by requests from members of Al-Saha al-Siyasia, the most popular online political forum in Saudi Arabia that is often read by the government to gauge public opinion or feel the pulse of the people. Nevertheless, Al-Saha al-Siyasia is not accessible from inside Saudi Arabia because of the sensitive nature of the topics discussed on it. Many Saudi internet users have become savvy at using circumvention tools such as Hotspot Shield,[32] which allows users to access a virtual private network (VPN) to bypass the proxies that block websites. Nevertheless, the blocked sites mean a great deal to many Saudis due to the dearth of other channels for free expression.
Social-networking sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter provide additional media platforms with minimal government control. For example, Saudis used YouTube very effectively during the second major floods in Jeddah in 2011 that had resulted in several deaths. Users not only posted hundreds of videos capturing the tragedy as it occurred, but also demanded action from the authorities. In response, the King ordered immediate financial compensation for the flood victims.[33] The action was viewed as significant because it is not common in Saudi society to accept responsibility for natural disasters, which are believed to be coming from Allah. While YouTube was credited with exposing the gravity of the floods, many Saudis used Facebook to organize and assist with the rescue efforts, taking an important step toward greater civic and political activism in the country.
There are also Facebook groups that organize protests and demonstrations such as the "Hunain Revolution" page, which called for demonstrations in March 2011 that unfortunately failed to trigger a true revolution. Other Facebook pages include, "the National Campaign for Social Justice," "No Injustice After Today," and "Sit-in of 21/1/1433 H." The latter two Facebook groups organized country-wide sit-ins on February 23, 2012, though they had little effect because only a few people showed up to participate.
Saudi Arabia's basic law contains language that provides for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but only within certain boundaries. The 2000 Law of Print and Press addresses freedom of expression issues, but it largely consists of restrictions rather than protections. The government treats online journalists writing for newspapers and other formal news outlets the same as print and broadcast journalists, subjecting them to close supervision. Bloggers and online commentators who write under pseudonyms face special scrutiny from the authorities who attempt to identify and punish them for critical or controversial remarks. Online writers are often arrested and detained without specific charges, though it is frequently clear which views offend the government. The Ministry of Interior has generally enjoyed impunity for abuses against bloggers and online commentators.
In response to a series of hacking attacks, including one on the Ministry of Labor in 2008,[34] the government has enacted laws that criminalize a range of internet-based offenses. The vaguely worded legislation assigns jail sentences and fines for defamation; unauthorized interception of private email messages; hacking a website to deface, destroy, modify, or deny access to it; or simply publishing or accessing data that is "contrary to the state or its system." In addition, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued new legislation in January 2011 requesting all bloggers, among others, to obtain a license from the Ministry to operate online,[35] thus putting more pressure on political activists to self-regulate their content.
Many online commentators have been imprisoned under these laws after criticizing senior government officials or high profile members of the Royal Family. For example, when blogger Feras Bughnah produced a video describing poverty in Riyadh and uploaded it onto YouTube, he was instantly detained along with his colleagues Hosam al-Deraiwish and Khaled al-Rasheed.[36] The video was a part of a critical journalism series on YouTube called "Maloob Alaina" ("We have been cheated") and had been viewed 1.7 million times by the end of 2011. Feras and his colleagues were released after a couple of weeks in detention.[37]
Nevertheless, the success of humorous yet critical YouTube channels that mushroomed in 2011 indicates that there is room, within certain limits, for free speech in Saudi Arabia. There are now numerous comic channels on YouTube that use humor to address sensitive issues, including "3al6ayer," "La Yekthar," "Quarter to Nine," "Sa7i," "Masameer," "Eysh Elly," "Fe2aFala," and "Hajma Mortadda." One of the episodes on "La Yekthar" has received three million views, and many others have received up to two million views, suggesting that these channels enjoy widespread popularity. One reason for the success of these videos is their engagement in cautious rather than harsh criticism and their restraint against pushing the limits too far. While there have been no reports of arrests of anyone associated with the YouTube channels, at least three YouTube episodes were removed because the criticism crossed the red lines, as mentioned above.
On the other hand, while the government has seemed to tolerate the cautiously humorous form of critical journalism, critical journalism that broaches taboo issues such as encouraging women to drive are not tolerated. This issue came to bear in May 2011 when Manal al-Sharif posted a video of her driving on YouTube as part of a campaign to encourage women to get behind the wheel. She was consequently detained the next day[38] but released after ten days, likely as a result of the considerable attention she attracted worldwide.
Public vilification is still common in the country, despite the enactment of new legislation by the Ministry of Culture and Information that was specifically designed to curb defamation and libel. For example, at the end of the 2nd Intellectual Forum held in Riyadh in late December 2011, the attendee Saleh Al-Shehi tweeted that the widespread interaction he observed between male and female participants at the forum brought shame and dishonor to the culture, hinting that the event was about networking with women. His comment led to clashes among journalists and intellectuals on Twitter,[39] to the extent that the Grand Mufti during a Friday sermon criticized the site and accused it of facilitating the spread of lies. Nevertheless, no complaint was lodged against Saleh Al-Shehi in this instance. Later, Al-Shehi criticized the Saudi Finance Minister, who subsequently lodged a complaint against Al-Shehi at the Ministry of Culture and Information and won, requiring Al-Shehi to pay a 20,000 SAR (US$5,333) fine.[40] By contrast, no action was taken against an anonymous Twitter user under the nickname "Mujtahidd" when he/she launched a scathing attack on the high profile members of the Royal Family, providing very detailed descriptions of their corruption.[41] Nevertheless, it is believed that Mujtahidd is based outside the country since the government could have easily arrested him if he was writing from within Saudi Arabia. Mujtahidd has now more than 400,000 Twitter followers.
Online commentators who express support for extremism or liberal ideals, call for strikes, protests or demonstrations, argue in favor of the rights of Shiites and other minorities, call for political reform, or expose human rights violations are perceived as threats by the government. Although data on the exact number of those arrested is not publicly available, the Facebook groups that call for the release of political prisoners list hundreds of names of political activists in prison. Most of these Facebook groups emerged in 2011 after the success of the Arab Spring and include "National Campaign for Supporting Detainees in Saudi Arabia" and "Prisoner Until When?" demonstrating the increased engagement in civic and political activism in the country.
Surveillance is rampant in Saudi Arabia. Anyone who uses communication technology is subject to government monitoring, which is officially justified under the auspices of protecting national security and maintaining social order. The authorities regularly monitor websites, blogs, chat rooms, social media sites, and the content of email and mobile phone text messages. Users are not able to purchase mobile phones anonymously and are legally required to use their real names or register with the government. Furthermore, the authorities can obtain identification data from service providers without a court order or legal process.
The short-lived ban on BlackBerry services in August 2010, which ended when the government obtained the means to access the devices' encrypted messages, suggested that all other electronic media were already under the watchful eye of the authorities.[42] Moreover, the blocking of hundreds, if not thousands of YouTube channels, and Facebook and Twitter pages of human rights and political activists demonstrates the government's diligence in restricting content. The arrests of hundreds of human rights and political activists in 2011 are also indicative of the government's effective ability to monitor the Saudi internet.
In addition to direct government monitoring, access providers are required to monitor their customers and supply the authorities with information about their online activities. On April 16, 2009, the Ministry of Interior made it mandatory for internet cafes to install hidden cameras and provide identity records of their customers. The new security regulations also barred anyone under 18 years of age from using internet cafes. All internet cafes were ordered to close by midnight, and police were instructed to visit the businesses to ensure compliance. These measures were ostensibly designed to crack down on internet use by extremists, but in practice, they allow the police to deter any activity that the government may find objectionable such as calling for protests.
While in 2010, the authorities mainly targeted and arrested alleged extremists for their participation in online forums, in 2011, the attention and arrests shifted to human rights and political activists who the government feared would instigate an Arab Spring revolution in the country. The Ministry of Interior is believed to be the main government body responsible for monitoring extremist and political activists' content. The resulting arrests without formal charges have meant that detainees cannot defend themselves or secure legal representation. Some online commentators have reported that the authorities confiscated their computers and never returned them.
In 2011, the Ministry of Interior arrested several political activists and bloggers, including Fadhel Makki Al Manasif, Muhammed Salih Al Bijadi, and Mukhlif bin Khulaif bin Dahham AlShammari.[43] As of May 2012, Al Manasif and Al Bijadi were still in prison, while AlShammari was temporarily released and awaiting trial. Saudi Arabian authorities also detained Hamza Kashgari, a young Saudi writer, whose arrest was ordered by the King himself after Kashgari made several offensive comments on Twitter about the Prophet Mohammed. His tweets caused a huge uproar on social media and made thousands call for his execution, prompting him to flee the country to Malaysia. However, he was arrested at the Malaysian airport and later extradited to Saudi Arabia where he is still in prison as of May 2012.
Several websites and portals have been subject to cyberattacks in recent years including the official website of the Saudi Ministry of Finance.[44] In addition, hackers attacked the Facebook and Twitter pages of the satellite television station Al-Arabiya on April 24, 2012.[45] Even high-profile journalists' pages on Twitter, like Abdu Khal's, have been hacked.[46]
[1] International Telecommunication Union (ITU), "Percentage of individuals using the Internet, fixed (wired) Internet subscriptions, fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions," 2006 & 2011, accessed July 13, 2012, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx#. According to the latest statistics in 2012 by the Communications and Information Commission (CITC), there are 14.2 million internet users, for a penetration rate of 49.1 percent as of mid-2012. Internet Services Unit (ISU), "User's Survey," King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology, 2006, accessed July 17, 2012, http://www.isu.net.sa/surveys-&-statistics/new-user-survey-results.htm.
[2] CITC, "ICT Indicators, Q1 – 2012."
[3] CITC, "ICT Indicators, Q1 – 2012."
[4] CITC, "The State of ICT Market Development in Saudi Arabia," Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2010, http://www.citc.gov.sa/English/Reportsandstudies/Studies/Documents/PL-PM-015-E-The%20State%20of%20ICT%20Market%20Development%20in%20Saudi%20Arabia.pdf.
[5] Ibid.
[6] ISU, "User's Survey."
[7] CITC, "The State of ICT Market Development in Saudi Arabia."
[8] Ibid.
[9] CITC, "Annual Report, 2011" [in Arabic], Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2012, http://www.citc.gov.sa/arabic/MediaCenter/Annualreport/Documents/PR_REP_007.pdf.
[10] International Telecommunication Union (ITU), "Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions," 2011, accessed July 13, 2012, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx#.
[11] CITC, "ICT Indicators 2011," Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2011, http://www.citc.gov.sa/English/Reportsandstudies/Indicators/Indicators%20of%20Communications%20and%20Information%20Techn/2011_ICT%20Indicators%20_English.pdf.
[12] "Saudi Arabia bans iPhones and Galaxy 'tablets' at security organizations," Al-Arabiya, July 15, 2011, http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/07/15/157742.html.
[13] "Saudi Ban on BlackBerry from Friday," Al-Jazeera, August 4, 2010, http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/2010844243386999.html.
[14] Reuters, "BlackBerry Agrees to Give Saudi Arabia Subscribers' Codes" [in Arabic], Al-Arabiya, August 10, 2010, http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/08/10/116289.html.
[15] "Saudiat Atrhan national project an alternative to women driving a car" [in Arabic], AlAnba, June 23, 2011, http://www.alanba.com.kw/absolutenmnew/templates/print-article.aspx?articleid=206784&zoneid=194.
[16] "Saudis the biggest adopters of Twitter in the Arab world" [in Arabic], Sabq, January 25, 2012, http://sabq.org/dIbfde.
[17] "Facebook Statistics by country," Socialbakers, accessed February 6, 2012, http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/?interval=last-week#chart-intervals.
[18] "Country Profile: Saudi Arabia," OpenNet Initiative, August 6, 2009, http://opennet.net/research/profiles/saudi-arabia.
[19] Jane Abell, "Saudi Government Blocks Amnesty International's Website," OpenNet Initiative, July 26, 2011, http://opennet.net/blog/2011/07/saudi-government-blocks-amnesty-international%E2%80%99s-website.
[20] Blocked websites of Saudi religious scholars include: www.almoslim.net, www.albrrak.net, and islamqa.info/ar. "Blocking some sites because they violate rules and spread bold ideas and theses" [in Arabic], AlArabiya.net, April 6, 2012, http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/06/205754.html.
[21] CITC, "General Information on Filtering Service," accessed September 30, 2010, http://www.internet.gov.sa/learn-the-web/guides/content-filtering-in-saudi-arabia.
[22] Telecommunication Act found here [in Arabic]: http://www.citc.gov.sa/arabic/RulesandSystems/CITCSyste/Documents/LA_001_%20A_Telecom%20Act.pdf.
[23] The CITC block-request form is available at http://www.internet.gov.sa/resources/block-unblock-request/block/view?set_language=en.
[24] The CITC unblock request form is available at http://www.internet.gov.sa/resources/block-unblock-request/unblock/.
[25] "About 300,000 requests to block sites in Saudi Arabia annually" [in Arabic], Ajl.com.sa, January 13, 2010, http://www.burnews.com/news-action-show-id-12100.htm.
[26] CITC, "Chapter 1: Individual," Computer and Internet Usage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2009), 6-10.
[27] "Sa7i" channel, http://sa7i.com/shows/%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%B9%D9%88%D9%86/%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%B9%D9%88%D9%865?ctl00_phContent_gvItemsChangePage=2; Sa7ichannel, Twitter post, March 12, 2012, 8:17pm, https://twitter.com/Sa7ichannel/statuses/182682472453128192.
[28] "Idaat with Turki Al Dakheel" [in Arabic], AlArabiya.net, May 18, 2012, http://www.alarabiya.net/programs/2012/05/18/214916.html.
[29] Ibid.
[30] "The end: Alsaha says good bye" [in Arabic], Alsaha.com, June 28, 2012, http://www.alsaha.com/sahat/17/topics/303703.
[31] This welfare scheme, which was introduced in early 2011, is called Hafiz.
[32] Saudis call this circumvention tool, "proxy breaker."
[33] Yahya Hujairi, "An open financial account to cash all checks made for Jeddah flood victims" [in Arabic], AlEqt, February 19, 2011, http://www.aleqt.com/2011/02/19/article_505872.html.
[34] "Unemployed Man Hacks into Ministry of Labor and Parliament and Asks Private Sector to Employ Him" [in Arabic], Al-Madina, September 3, 2008.
[35] "Internet Enemies, Saudi Arabia," Reporters Without Borders, 2012, http://en.rsf.org/internet-enemie-saudi-arabia,39745.html.
[36] Amelia Hill, "Saudi film-makers enter second week of detention," The Guardian, October 23, 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/23/feras-boqna-saudi-arabia-poverty.
[37] Ayman Badhman, "Maloob Alaina team has been released after their detention couple of weeks ago" [in Arabic], Sabq, October 30, 2011, http://sabq.org/UYZede.
[38] Siraj Wahab, "Manal Al-Sharif released," Arab News, May 31, 2011, http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article442275.ece.
[39] MD Al-Sulami, "Intellectuals clash on Twitter," Arab News, January 1, 2012, http://www.arabnews.com/node/402740.
[40] "Ministry of Culture and Information judges in favor of the Minister Al Assaf against the journalist Al-Shehi" [in Arabic], Sabq.org, February 2, 2012, http://sabq.org/DWcfde.
[41] Roula Khalaf, "Daring Saudi tweets fuel political debate," Financial Times, March 16, 2012, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1749888e-6f5e-11e1-b368-00144feab49a.html.
[42] Souhail Karam and Asma Alsharif, "RIM to share some BlackBerry codes to Saudis: source," Reuters, August 10, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/10/us-blackberry-saudi-idUSTRE6751Q220100810.
[43] Adala Centre for Human Rights, Freedom in Shackles, May 2012, http://www.adalacenter.net/index.php?ext=1&act=media&code=books&f=72.
[44] "Harsh punishment awaits Saudi Hackers" [in Arabic], AlArabiya.net, April 25, 2012, http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/25/210117.html.
[45] "'AlArabiya' retrieves its hacked accounts on Facebook and Twitter" [in Arabic], AlArabiya.net, April 24, 2012, http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/24/209849.html.
[46] "The Saudi journalist Abdu Khal page on Twitter were hacked" [in Arabic], AlArabiya.net, April 16, 2012, http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/16/208214.html.


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CUNA and the state leagues want credit unions, members, and others to spread the "Don't Tax My Credit Union" message Tuesday, July 23, via social media.
The one-day campaign, "DontTaxMyCUTuesday," comes shortly before the July 26 deadline for senators to submit their tax reform proposals to Senate Finance Committee leaders, CUNA's News Now reports. Committee leaders will then create a comprehensive proposal for a new U.S. tax code.
CUNA and the leagues would like credit unions and their supporters to tweet "#DontTaxMyCU" to their representatives in the House and Senate.
"Tuesday is a terrific opportunity to get everyone to send one tweet or one Facebook post to their senators and House members, reminding them that we are paying attention to their actions," says Trey Hawkins, CUNA's vice president of political affairs. "We have had a constant stream of support for the Don't Tax My Credit Union campaign since we launched—and this is the next step in taking that support to the next level of activism."
The initiative will use the credit union community's growing presence on social media to enforce a unified message to Capitol Hill that a tax on credit union would be a tax on their 96 million member-owners.
"Even if you have used social media efforts in the past to support the 'Don't Tax My CU' campaign," Hawkins adds, "please do it again on Tuesday to magnify the impact."
The effort, he explains, could be as simple as sending "Please #DontTaxMyCU" to your representatives' Twitter handles and including the hash tag, "#DontTaxTuesday."
Click here to find legislators' Twitter handles.
On Facebook, you can include your senators and representative in posts by typing @ and the legislator's name, Hawkins explains. You can post similar things on Facebook as on Twitter.
"We are looking to get as much presence and traction online on July 23, 2013, in as many effective ways as we can," says Paul Gentile, CUNA's executive vice president of strategic communications and engagement. "Let's try to get #DontTaxMyCU trending on Twitter."
Visit DontTaxMyCreditUnion.org for more information.


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Menopause and Hair Loss
Veterinarian Reviewed on January 13, 2012 by Paulina Nelega, RH
Posted in Uncategorized
Menopause and Hair Loss
Unwanted facial hair and hair loss are the common complaints of women especially during their menopausal years.
Facts Concerning Hair Loss during Menopause
Based on the NAMS or the Menopause Society of North America, the obvious scalp hair thinning or the andro genetic alopecia occurs at the age of 50, although can start after the puberty stage. Several studies have shown that the psychological and emotional effects of hair loss are more chronic in women rather than men. Thus, it leads to social anxiety, poor self-confidence and even lower job performance.
Menopause and Hair Loss Causes
Researches have shown that one hormone is involved in this process. The loss of estrogen and progesterone during menopause are shown to cause the hormonal pattern which is implicated in hair loss and increase the certain "peach fuzz" all over the face. Another thing that could lead to hair loss is the genetic predisposition, illness, hormonal imbalances and unusual stress level. Blood test is required to be done to prohibit the excessive androgen levels. Androgen is a kind of hormone that stimulates the sex characteristics of a male. The other measures include the blood-sugar level test, rheumatoid evaluation and thyroid tests.
Menopause and Hair Loss Treatment
If women are concerned with the redundant facial hair growth or hair loss, then it is recommended that they should seek advice from a medical expert to help them treat their hair problem. Some doctors would recommend a thorough workout, activity levels, stress, beginning to have diet review and other related menopausal symptoms. Most medical experts will usually recommend both the lifestyle changes and the prescription medications.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Stress is also linked to be one that triggers hair loss. In order to avoid hair loss, you should reduce stress. To make it through, you should have adequate sleep; use the relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation as well as exercising regularly.
Medication Options
Minoxidil is one of the medical treatments to avoid hair loss. Other options to treat hair loss include the Metformin and the low-dose steroids. This is used to treat diabetes type 2.
Moreover, menopause and hair loss are caused by the hormonal changes within the body. The decreasing level of progesterone has an affect in hair loss while you are in the period of menopause. However, HRT can definitely correct such problem. The menopausal symptoms can be contributed by some factors such as exercise level, genetic factors and diet.
Another health symptom with hair loss and menopause are sore and aching joints, breast tenderness, indigestion, bloating, weight gain, depression, dizziness, allergies, insomnia, memory lapses and muscle tension. It is very important that you have to get help whenever you are depressed especially when you are thinking to commit suicide. The early menopause can also be caused by some other factors which include illness, poor nutrition and smoking.
One of the natural treatments of menopause and hair loss is exercise especially when you are overweight. This could help in treating depression, thus, bringing positive results to deal with changes within one's body which is caused by heredity and aging. Losing few ponds could definitely lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also contributes to physical and mental health. Therefore, you have to find such exercise activity done everyday or three to four times a week to see positive results.
Suggested Products
Hair Essentials™ for Hair Growth
Revivogen Thickening Conditioner
Our Expert
Paulina Nelega, RH, has been in private practice as a Clinical Herbalist for over 15 years. She has developed and taught courses in herbal medicine, and her articles on health have appeared in numerous publications. She is very passionate about the healing power of nature. Ask Dr. Jan


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Perovskite solar cells – Promises and expectations for the third-generation PV technologyOctober 21, 2019Since their invention 10 years ago, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown a dramatic increase in conversion efficiency compared with other so-called third-generation solar cells. In 2018, some laboratory tests found that a single-junction PSC cell could reach up to 23% efficiency. Its technology has benefited from developments carried out for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and organic solar cells (OSC), also called organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Please log in to view the full analysis.Subscribers Only
PV inverter suppliers develop digital energy solutionsJanuary 26, 2018SMA announced last week that it would set up a digital energy solution subsidiary named Coneva, a move that is a natural stepping stone to diversifying its business and expanding its customer base. Along with its existing business units such as energy storage, off-grid/hybrid and now a digital solutions company, it has a clear roadmap for 2018 to transition its business to a digital world. This move is particularly pertinent when the PV inverter competitive landscape is still crowded and pure-play PV inverter suppliers such as SMA are trying to gain a competitive advantage over its larger industrial competitors such as ABB, GE, Siemens, Schneider Electric and Huawei. In this insight, IHS Markit aims to explain the meaning behind this move to establish a subsidiary and why they are launching it in Q1 2018.Subscribers Only
IHS Markit Parts SolutionsIHS Markit Electronic Parts Management SolutionsMarch 09, 2016IHS Markit Electronic Parts Management solutions offer you the unique capability to master the innovation cycle, keep ahead of obsolescence, and reduce supply chain risks, driven by the world's largest electronic component database.
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Leading Solar Module Suppliers Extend Dominance in 2013; Chinese Still on TopApril 30, 2014The top makers of photovoltaic (PV) modules solidified their market dominance in 2013 with Chinese suppliers continuing to lead the solar world, according to IHS Technology.
China's Antidumping Tariffs Expected to Have Limited Impact on Country's Polysilicon PricingJuly 30, 2013China's move to slap retaliatory antidumping tariffs on solar polysilicon imported from the United States and South Korea will cause only a slight increase in domestic pricing for the material...
Korean and American Versions of Galaxy S4 as Different as Kimchee and Coleslaw, IHS Teardown RevealsMay 09, 2013On the outside, the U.S. and South Korean versions of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S4 smartphone look alike. But on the inside, there are major differences in key components—including...


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Collagen and Fat Grafting
Fat grafting (fat transfer)
The goal of fat transfer at The Centre for Cosmetic surgery is to restore youthful facial appearance and improve the definition of the cheeks and chin. A popular cosmetic surgery option to other wrinkle treatments, fat grafting to the face is a safe and non-allergenic treatment because it takes excess fat tissue from a patient, and injects the fat in the face where it is needed. Because it is the patient's own tissue, no allergic reaction is expected. This procedure has expanded beyond the cosmetic surgery context and now fat transfer is well used in reconstructive surgery. Indeed, fat transfer can improve facial deformities, atrophic aging of the hands, and some defects caused by surgery or trauma.
Our experience shows that when the fat is injected to areas of non-movement such as sunken Midface (cheeks) it does survive and last longer. However, this is not the case when the fat is grafted in some areas such breasts and it could make detecting breast cancer with mammograms more difficult. The fat transfer cosmetic surgery procedure can be done under local or general anaesthetic. The harvesting of the fat tissue is done in a similar way to liposuction. The fat is usually centrifuged to improve its quality. The fresh fat cells are then transferred or injected in the areas of the face to be aesthetically treated using a special cannula. The idea is to restore facial volume that has decreased though the ageing process and consequently to achieve a youthful look. The fat grafting cosmetic surgery procedure is routinely used for the face but has been successfully used to other part of the body like the hands.
Wrinkle treatment with collagen and others
ArteSense is a product that has been known as a better alternative to cosmetic surgery and collagen injection. This filler has a long safety record of almost 15 years in the North American cosmetic market with high patients satisfaction. In 2007 Artesense received the FDA approval. ArteSense is injected to the skin using the tunneling technique in order to improve the appearance of wrinkles.
- This is a long lasting, injectable filler to reduce wrinkles and skin depressions.
- It is combined with a collagen solution and anesthesia to reduce the pain.
- Artesense is better that collagen, which lasts only 3 to 6 months.
- Artesense could be used for lip augmentation.
- It is safe and effective.
- More than one treatment is needed,
- The cosmetic out come fade away when new wrinkles are formed.
- Painful and may need anaesthesia.
Juvéderm® ULTRA is dermal filler from ALLERGAN, a company producing surgical and non-surgical, aesthetic products. It's a natural, biodegradable gel that adheres easily into the skin, filling out those the fine lines restoring the natural look. The difference is noticeable after the first treatment.
Juvederm contains lidocaine, an anaesthetic commonly used by for local anaesthesia. Allergan claims that, the Juvederm family of products last longer than other formulas—at least one year.
Juvéderm® ULTRA comes in three formulations:
- Juvéderm® ULTRA 2 Erases moderate lines, especially those around the lips and corners of the eyes and those very close to the surface of the skin.
- Juvéderm® ULTRA 3 Smoothes wrinkles between the nose and corner of the mouth and around lips. It can be used very subtly to plump out lips in order to maintain a youthful smile.
- Juvéderm® ULTRA 4 Works on the most noticeable folds and lines, and improves the contour of the face.
Like any skin fillers, Perlane is deigned to fill fine lines, wrinkles. Cosmetic doctor prefer this product to others fillers, especially when dealing with lip augmentation, scar treatments, and deep skin folds.
What Is Perlane?
It is important to know that Perlane is made from a product that is obtained from non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid. In other words, Perlane injection fillers does not use animal product at all. Before using Perlane does not require any skin test because it uses components that are naturally found in the skin. The hyaluronic acid contained in this filler replenishes the body's naturally-depleting supply. The Perlane filler is normally injected into the skin using a very fine needle. After about 6 hours, there will be a definitive lift and increase of the volume to the treated area. Perlane is cosmetic treatment, that is effective in reducing the appearance of wrinkles,, nasolabial folds. However, the results of Perlane cosmetic treatments only last for 3 to 6 months.
Restylane is cosmetic filler that is administered through injection. It is commonly used for treatment of wrinkle and lip augmentation. The cosmetic out come when injected adequatly can last up to 5 to 6 months when injected in the lips and up to 12 moths in other areas on the face. Restylane is a substance made from "hyaluronic acid" that naturally occurs inside a human body; therefore it is not extrated from animal products. Therefore, allergy tests are not required. Wrinkles and lines on the face are the common areas where it is successfully used. These areas may include the crow's feet, forehead lines, between the eyebrows, lip and marionette lines.
Sculptra, one of the newest cosmetic treatment and longest-lasting dermal fillers on the market, its composition includes poly-L-lactic acid, a synthetic but biocompatible material that has a decades-long history of being used for a variety of reconstructive and medicals purposes. The FDA has approved Sculptra for cosmetic purposes only in 2009, although the sculptra had been approved since (2004) to treat H.I.V.-positive patients with facial fat loss (lipoatrophy). It is important to know that the filler has been used cosmetically in Europe since 1999, where it's called New-Fill.
European Society of Aesthetic Surgery
American Academy Of Cosmetic Surgery
Canadian Association for Neuroscience


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Vectric Aspire Model Old Sailor
This is a 3D model
3D model can only be used for the production of projects with CNC machines.
You need Vectric Aspire version 8.0 to open and use this product.
This listing is for a INSTANT DOWNLOAD, which means that once your payment has been received,
MegaTopDogs will make the files available to you.
You may not sell, exchange or give any 3D models free of charge to third parties.
Due to the nature of Instant Downloads, there are no refunds / returns on a 3D model.


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Who Reads Natural Awakenings?
Natural Awakenings readers are intensely loyal. They are progressive, well educated and well informed. They are at the leading edge of an increasingly recognized demographic that has been dubbed "LOHAS," which refers to those who want "Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability." These individuals comprise one-third of the adult population in this country, or nearly 70 million consumers. Their purchasing decisions are value-driven and significantly affected by their concern about both human and planetary health.
70% are female
More than 51% have a household income of more than $50,000
72% are between the ages of 25-54
80% purchase products or services from ads seen in Natural Awakenings
What commands such loyalty?
Natural Awakenings carries immense credibility as a free community-based magazine created for the grassroots community we serve. Readers know us as a reliable source of local news and intriguing events, practitioner spotlights, affordable local resources and a popular community calendar. We present national feature articles, compelling interviews, the latest in healthy living, and inspired how-to's that make their lives a little brighter.
The best way to reach these consumers is to partner with a brand that caters to this market. At Natural Awakenings, we have spent the last decade doing just that. We know what it takes to reach these consumers & to educate and inform, to influence purchasing decisions and to promote healthy, sustainable lifestyles. We have the content, reach, expertise and readership to get your goods and services noticed in print and online.
For nearly two decades, we have provided these consumers with exactly what they want and we've proven it again and again in every market our magazine is launched.


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Spectrum tallies top 10 names for baby boys and girls this year
With more than 7,000 births during the past fiscal year, Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital is the state's leader in bringing infants into the world.
And while there's plenty to consider as a baby is born, that's not really what we want to address here. What we want to know is, what are their names?
Thankfully, Spectrum keeps track of such things — all 7,161 of them. For the past several years, the region's largest health care provider has kept a list of the most popular names for newborn boys and girls.
Liam makes its first-ever appearance on the list of top 10 boy names this year, taking the No. 1 spot. Just last year, Liam was ranked 19th in top boy names. Emma continues to be a favorite name for girls. In fact, Emma has made the list of top 10 girl names for the past five years, ranking No. 1 in 2009, 2010 and, now again, in 2012.
Parents take great pride in finding names with meaning. So, who is Liam? Liam's origin is Irish, meaning "unwavering protector," according to babycenter.com. The name Emma is of German origin and means "universal."
"Forty-three boys were named Liam this past fiscal year," said Jason Gilliken, measurement and evaluation specialist at Spectrum Health. "Clearly, the name, and perhaps its meaning, has resonated with more parents than ever before."
"For us, every birth is special," said Cindy Reistroffer, director of women's services for Spectrum Health Hospital Group. "Our goal is to assist parents and families to have the best experience possible. We do this by actively participating with parents to help them achieve their desired birth plan. The professional staff here at Spectrum Health realizes that every baby, mom and family is unique, and we want to be a part of that exceptional experience."
Top 10 Boy Names
1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Jacob
4. Gabriel
5. Jackson
6. Landon
7. Isaac
8. Benjamin
9. Owen
10. William
Top 10 Girl Names
1. Emma
2. Sophia
3. Ava
4. Olivia
5. Evelyn
6. Grace
7. Isabella
8. Emily
9. Abigail
10. Addison


text: Quindor 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) I have been doing some research into which drives might be compatible with my Adaptec 5805 raid adapter, or any hardware RAID adapter for that matter. In this search and my experience over the last years, RAID type disks do not exist for nothing. These disks are often picked from batches, better constructed, heavier and more robust to withstand 24H duty and thrashing around the disk. Also they often have tuned firmware to deliver the best possible results in a RAID and not so much in a desktop. And they sometimes have a different warranty period, compared to a desktop disk. Desktop disks have been traditionally a lot cheaper but not always safe to you use in a (hardware) RAID array. Sometimes problems would surface immediately, and sometimes only after a while. This lead me to find out what could be the main cause of this. In my opinion it has to do with TLER / CCTL. Everything else isn't really needed to make your RAID controllers understand the drive better. Let me try to explain : Which action should a HDD take in a situation where it has a hard time reading or writing something : Desktop disk - try unlimited times until success RAID disk - try 7 seconds max, then report back it failed to read the requested sector What do Controllers expect the disk to do : Desktop controller - Wait for the disk to respond, hangup and halt operations until success RAID controller - Wait max 8 seconds (often default value) then declare disk bad and evict/fail disk from raid set Ideal situation : RAID Controller with RAID disks. A disk develops a fault, tries for 7 seconds, then tells the RAID controller that it failed to read a sector. RAID controller acknowledges this and rebuilds sector from it's RAID, writes data to a different sector on the disks and marks the original sector as bad. RAID controller happy, Disk happy, no dropping disks! As you can see, mixing a desktop disk with a raid controller can produce unwanted results. Disks will be dropped, while nothing is really wrong with it, etc. In the end, it will become almost impossible to rebuild the RAID array anymore. Over time (when disks inevitably start to develop minor faults) this problem will surface and gradually become worse. It became known It first came to light that any disk can do either, and that it's just a value in the firmware when WD leaked a tool with which this could be set. They quickly disabled the functionality in their newer revisions of firmware and drives, to try to keep selling their much more expensive RAID editions (50% increase in price, nothing in cost, good deal for them). There is a good topic over at the HardOCP forum which work and which don't. WDTLER changed to setting in such a way that it would survive a reboot, actually altering the firmware itself. Breakthrough 1 But since the newest patches/SVN of smartmontools or smartctl, it's now possible to use SCT control to change the value the SCTECR (Error correction) is set to. Since this is done through SMART, any modern disk should support it. A big thank you goes out to r.gregory whom made this possible! Breakthrough 2 It's even now possible, using most modern RAID controllers, to use these commands on disks inside of a hardware RAID. And that's where it got interesting! Because if we can manually set the Error control values, we could ensure that at least this problem will not bite us again in the future! There is only a slight problem, and that is that the set value will be reset on every power cycle. Reboots mostly do NOT affect the value. Thus, running Windows or Linux, this is no problem, just create a script which sets it upon boot. Myself I run VMware ESX or ESXi on my servers and it posed a slight problem. My solution is a custom Fedora 12 USB bootstick, which boots in about 30 seconds, sets the value and automatically reboots. Pull the stick out during the reboot and the system boots from HDD with VMware on it. Problem fixed. So the only thing left now is to find out which disks are compatible with setting this command, and which are not. So, how do we test this..... Your controller does not matter (RAID controllers are bit more tricky and need a different approach though, see the smartmontools website). Windows users, download the windows installer. This is the newest 5.40 build. This gives you the smartctl executable, which we'll need. Users of other OS flavors will need to build their version from SVN, since the current binary versions do not yet have this functionality in it. Smartctl can be used for many other things besides this. It can tell you much about the life of your disk or say the current temperature for monitoring purposes, etc. etc. None of these tests below will touch your data. When you have that installed, and for example the disk you wish to check is your "d:" drive, execute the following : The Tests smartctl -l scterc d: If correct, this will give you the following feedback on a desktop disk SCT Error Recovery Control:Read: Disabled Write: Disabled Now we are going to try and change that value : smartctl -l scterc,70,70 d: If that works, you will see the following feedback : Read: 70 (7.0 seconds)Write: 70 (7.0 seconds) To put it back to original values again, either turn off the power of your system, or run "smartctl -l scterc,0,0 d:" Interesting tests are also if the value survives a reboot or even a power-cycle (from what I understand, it should not). Since I think this information is needed for anyone trying to build a home RAID array, we should keep a sort of database in this topic, maybe something like this: Brand Type Type2 Size RPM Revision Firmware Available Default Reboot Powercycle Samsung HD154UI F2EG 1.5TB 5400 - 1AG01118 Yes Disabled Stay Lost Samsung HD203WI F3EG 2.0TB 5400 - 1AN10002 Yes Disabled Stay Lost Samsung HD103UJ F1 1.0TB 7200 - 1A001110 Yes Disabled Stay Lost Brand Type Type2 Size RPM Revision Firmware Available Default Reboot Powercycle WD WD360GD 36GB 10000 00FNA0 35.06K35 No - - - WD WD10EADS Caviar Green 1.0TB 5400 00L5B1 01.01A01 Yes Disabled Stay Lost WD WD2500BJKT Scorpio Black 250GB 7200 ? 11.01A11 Yes Disabled Lost Lost Brand Type Type2 Size RPM Revision Firmware Available Default Reboot Powercycle Seagate ST31500541AS 1.5TB 5900 - CC32 Yes Disabled Stay Lost Seagate ST31500341AS 7200.11 1.5TB 7200 - CC1H Yes Disabled Stay Lost Seagate ST31000333AS 7200.11 1.0TB 7200 PCB rev A? CC1F Yes Disabled Stay Lost Seagate ST3250310NS ES.2 250GB 7200 PCB rev A? SN04 Yes Enabled (6s) N/A N/A Anyone willing to help and submit, much appreciated! Myself I would really like to know the results for the Samsung F3 2TB HD203WI EcoGreen disks! Update: Thank you all for submitting! Keep them coming! Edited May 1, 2010 by Quindor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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A new type of artificial bone shaped with a 3-D printer can repair deformed bones and help heal some spine, skull and jaw injuries, researchers say in a new report printed in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
When the bone material was tested in a monkey, the bone fused to the animal's skull and new blood vessels grew into it, NBC News reports.
"Within four weeks, the implant had fully integrated, fully vascularized with the monkey's own skull," researcher Adam Jakus said. "And there is actually evidence of new bone formation."
U.S. & World
The hyper-elastic bone can be shaped with a 3-D printer to customize individual implants. Scientists hope to be able to test the implants in humans within the next five years.


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Intimidating animals have always been a scare factor when it comes to dealing with certain species in existence. I could name a dozen of different animals that are on the top list of being the world's most dangerous and feared of all time. Having said that let me tell you what I will be doing a lesson on right now. I will teach you how to draw a grizzly bear step by step. I know I have a tutorial already on a black bear, but black bear and grizzly bears are very different in a lot of ways. First off the grizzly is a subspecies of the brown bear. The reason why they are called a "grizzly" is because they have grayish tips on their body hair. They are massively large animals that live in northern America and they tend to live as solitary animals in the wild. The only way they live in groups is if the female has cubs, then you can say they live as a family. The best place to watch a bunch of grizzly bears feed would be in the peek feeding seasons in the Alaskan fishing spots with lakes, rivers and streams filled with mouth watering salmon as they swim upstream toward the claws of this great bear. What the grizzly bear looks for in these salmon is the fatty meat that will keep them fulfilled through the winter months while they sleep in their hibernation slumber. These powerful animals have a diet that consists of nuts, berries, roots, fruits, and even leaves. I know what you're saying, "why are they called carnivores if all they eat is vegetative growth"? I know it may seem that grizzly bears don't eat meat, but the fact is they eat fish and other animals such as rodents, deer, and even moose. Yes these animals are very large in size and despite their size they can run speeds up to thirty miles per hour. Unlike the black bear, they are potentially dangerous to humans because they are often surprised by them which are very dangerous when a mother is with her cubs. Grizzly bears are not abundant in numbers. In fact there are only about one thousand left in existence in the United States which means that they are now listed as being in the threatened status. They weigh a bit over eight hundred pounds and are about five to eight feet in size. When in the wild grizzly bears live to be 25 years old which is not too shabby, but then again how many bears do you think make it to be twenty five? Not too many. Anyway this tutorial will show you how to draw a grizzly bear step by step. I shall return with more lessons in a bit so keep your eyes peeled and try not to get too afraid of the grizzly bears face when you draw it.
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Welcome to Name of the Week, Week 4. This non-celebrity death match features a couple of Johnsons. Last week's winner: Ynot Bubba.
Dominitrix Johnson: A 6-foot, 185-pound junior guard at Illinois State who, amazingly, chooses not to use his full name in public.
Johnson, or ``Dom'' as he is affectionately called by nearly everyone that knows him, had a [high-school] senior year to remember.
Affectionately by nearly everyone. Submissively by the rest.
We searched high and low but couldn't find an explanation for how Dominitrix's parents, Melvin and Bridget, settled on that particular baby name. We're guessing there's an excellent story, though.
Dominitrix's teammates through the years have included Osiris Eldridge, Derek Demaree, Klavs Bedritis and, continuing our series of people with this last name, Reaynundo Sturdivant. His high-school coach was David Heeb:
``I knew he was going to be good, but I'll be honest I didn't ever think he'd be this good,'' said Heeb. ``How can you project something like that? I always knew he was a competitor. He hates to lose at everything he does.''
We'll see how he does in NOTW.
Marktwain Johnson: Back in August 2005, Boston Celtics guard Tony Allen was involved in an ``altercation'' in a restaurant in Chicago. Allen apparently punched a guy, which prosecutors said instigated a brawl in which Samuel Clemens's namesake was shot, possibly by someone in Allen's ``party,'' in the left arm and torso.
Marktwain's lawyer described what happened:
Johnson ``is inside the restaurant, standing at a counter waiting to be seated,'' Gordon said, adding Johnson was with several others.
``A short time later [around 3:30 a.m.], Tony Allen comes in with a large group of 10 to 15 people. Immediately when he comes in, he spots Marktwain Johnson and he begins to go into his tirade.''
``F--- him up,'' Allen told the shooter, according to Gordon.
Last week, a Cook County judge acquitted Allen of aggravated battery. Danny Ainge said Allen is ``relieved.'' Allen's mother said ``my baby is sound.'' Marktwain's lawyer said he'll pursue a civil lawsuit.
And what would Mark Twain have said? Something to satisfy both sides, of course:
A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
Honesty is the best policy--when there is money in it.
I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.


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Savor San Diego
Food is at the heart of many of San Diegos most fascinating stories. Our food community is vibrant, diverse and unique, full of history, passionate people and delicious treasures. Join Su-Mei Yu, noted local chef, author and restaurant owner, as she explores and cooks her way around San Diego sharing the captivating tales of our culinary bounty.


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The Proposed Voucher Plan
Very little of the Legislature's public education agenda got done last session. The leadership did make deep cuts to the UNH budget and gut the calculation of adequacy. But in the 2012 legislative session, the Legislature has continue the effort to nullify with Claremont decision, abolish or immobilize the Department of Education, deregulate home schooling and enable parents to intervene in the classroom in a many new ways.
And they will propose school vouchers cloaked as an "education tax credit" program.
The featured piece of legislation, recently unveiled to great fanfare, would bring school vouchers to NH, cloaked as an "education tax credit" program, The bill amounts to a raid on New Hampshire's school districts, taking state adequacy aid from the school districts and putting it into support private, religious and home schools. The House and Senate have both drafted and are amending their bills. The House bill is here. The Senate bill and its sponsors are here.
This would be a very high cost program in a small state like New Hampshire. The current proposal is for tax credits at an initial level of $3.4 million. If successful, it would grow by 25% per year.
This would fund scholarships for 5,400 children in the first year and up to 13,000 in the fifth. This is a very large program. By comparison, Florida is 14 times as large as New Hampshire and its 10 year old program has 40,000 students, 3 times the size of New Hampshire's first year "pilot" program. Here is a projection of the program's numbers based on the current Senate draft legislation.
New Hampshire's public school parents reject the proposed voucher program by a margin of almost 3-1. According to the latest Granite State Poll and the Carsey Institute, voters in New Hampshire of all political stripes reject vouchers as well. Here is the report.
What would New Hampshire get from this expensive and complex program? Mainly problems. Here are a few.
- It could take as much as $90 million out of New Hampshire's public schools over ten years and put it into private, religious and home schools.
- Supporters will say that it would pay for itself but it will not. As discussed here, the state would spend as much as $100 million more on tax credits than it takes back from the school districts in the first 10 years.
- New Hampshire has about 189,000 students. As a result of demographic changes and migration, the number of children in New Hampshire is projected to continue to shrink, especially in the North Country. The proposed voucher program would accelerate that decline.
- As they lost students, New Hampshire's public schools would become steadily weaker and less able to provide the level of instruction they do today. Local taxes could increase to support the remaining students. This would be devastating to New Hampshire's public school system, making New Hampshire a less desirable place to live and lowering real estate values.
- This PBS NewHour report describes that struggle in an Indiana community. This OpEd in the New York Times describes the problem in Washington, D.C.
- The Senate bill says that improvement of educational results is the goal, but no other state program has shown improvement in educational results. Studies such as those reviewed by the nonpartisan Center for Education Policy find no improvement in education as a result of voucher programs.
- There is no provision for holding the private, religious and home schools accountable for their educational results.
- Supporters say that the competition from private schools will improve our public schools but there is no reason to believe this counter intuitive assertion. Advocates cite "the Florida study" as proof of their claim, but when you look at the study, you find that it does not support that claim. It's a little like saying, "We will disinvest in the existing public schools and see if they can scramble to offer richer programs while both demographic changes and the state Legislature are working to depopulate their classrooms and cut their funding."
- The voucher bills represent the Legislature's lack of commitment to protecting and improving New Hampshire's strong public schools.


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Dairy Entry-Margaret McCullough: April 13, 1865 :
The stranger was very dashing. About the best dressed I've seen in these parts since the beginning of this awful war. His horse was fine. He was dressed as a gentleman, something we haven't seen for quite a while, and he came from Memphis. He wanted Papa to sell his lumber. Papa took an immediate dislike to him-he thinks he's another Yankee carpetbagger. But he had a way about him. Papa told him to leave, but after he left, I heard him talking to Mama about our timber. I can tell he's worried we're going to lose the farm. I hid under the stairs near the library so I could eavesdrop; at least till Mammy JoJo caught me. I've never heard Papa talk with such fear in his voice. Mama said perhaps we should consider talking to him further. I watched him as he rode back down the lane. He glanced back and tipped his hat. He knew I was watching him. Yes, he definitely has a way about him. I wonder if I'll see him again.
Judd whistled an Irish ditty as he mopped his brow and rode back towards town. While he didn't get nearly as warm a reception as he hoped, offering salvation in the way of cash for timber, he had a pretty good feeling he'd at least do business with some of the locals. With the raising of the property taxes, they were desperate for funds and the pressure was on all the old landowners to come up with resources they mostly didn't have. While it was a fair price, the ability to get the lumber where it was needed would make him a good profit. And he was just a little intrigued by the auburn headed daughter of the McCullough Plantation. She stood out from the devastation like a diamond in the rough. He was captivated by her green eyes and ivory skin. Even as the locals had moved into the fields, somehow that Mammy had managed to keep her wards looking pale and fine. Quite a trick in light of how they must be groveling to make ends meet right now.
Margaret snapped back to the present as the woman next to the child stirred in the bed. It was as if she sensed she was there. For a moment she was ashamed, feeling like a voyeur, yet the deep longing to be close to the child, to feel a connection to something she had long since lost forced the feelings back. But, alas, the connection was broken, and she slipped back upstairs to the one place that offered continuous comfort……….
This in no way should be considered an accurate rendering of facts by anyone, but an exciting journey into the world of an incredible period in our history. It is collaboration by a Grandmother and a Granddaughter fascinated by the events of that time and the lessons to be learned from their history. Please enjoy the saga.
Tags: Civil War, gothic romance, historic romance, history of the Hornibrook Family, Little Rock AR, nostalgic fun, Oxford American, romance novel, serial blog, southern literature, The Empress of Little Rock, Victorian


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Identification of BRAF Variant V595E in urine, smears and paraffin-embedded tissue: a new diagnostic tool for canine transitional cell carcinomaDownload BRAF Poster ECVP 2018Download special print edition "Tieraerztliche Praxis 5/2018"(german // english keywords / summary)
A realtime PCR for the direct detection of equine herpesvirus type 3 is now available at LABOKLIN. The equine coital exanthema caused by EHV-3 is a predominantly venereally transmitted mild disease.
Sample material: swab without medium (lesions on vaginal vestibule, penis, preputium, or perineal skin), tissue (lesions)
browse the news archive


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Ford Fusion in TV Commercials
Ford is promoting the launch of its new car, the Ford Fusion, with television advertisements aimed at its target audience – 25 to 35 year olds. In one of Ford's press releases Carl Warner, creative director and senior partner at JWT, says that the target audience for the Fusion ranges from college aged to 35 and older, with 25 to 35 being the heart of it. "They've achieved some success, but still haven't settled down and are still discovering. They're lives aren't in neutral. They're living life in drive," said Warner.
In "Particles" a guy using an iPod sends white particles of energy to dancers at the train station, to a roller skater on the street, and to a cat jumping in front of a wall-mounted plasma screen. The particles fuse at a city intersection to create the Ford Fusion, driven by the iPod guy. The voiceover: "Because a car shouldn't just use energy. It should create it. Introducing the mid size Ford Fusion. More innovation from Ford for a life in drive." Click on the image below to play the Particles video.
The music is the introduction to "Cold Hearts, Warm Hands", by Brendan Benson, from his album Alternative to Love.
Cold Hands (Warm Heart) – Smallville, Vol. 2: Metropolis Mix (Original Soundtrack)
Brendan Benson Alternative to Love album at Amazon.com
In "Ignition" a brand new red Ford Fusion is stopped in the street. A hand inserts the ignition key and turns. The resulting ripple effect spreads through the air, changing the scenery, pedestrians clothing styles, dogs and interior decor. A couple sitting apart on a roadside seat end up together in an embrace. Wherever the car goes, styles change. The voiceover: "Because a car shouldn't just use energy. It should create it. Introducing the mid size Ford Fusion. More innovation from Ford for a life in drive."
15 Second Teasers
In "Trash Day" a man walks to the street with his two trash cans only to see the collection truck driving away. Voiceover: "This is life." The camera cuts to shots of the new red Ford Fusion driving through the city streets. "This is life in drive."
In "Doggy" a woman stands by her dog waiting. She pulls out a plastic bag and wraps it around her hand. Now we understand what's she's been waiting for… "This is life". Once again the new red car. "This is life in drive."
Ford Fusion 'Particles' was created at advertising agency J Walter Thompson Detroit, by executive creative director Tom Cordner, writer Chris Sadlier, art director James Gough, creative directors Ed Cole and Carl Warner, and director of broadcast production Carole Gall.
Ford Fusion 'Particles' was directed by Joseph Kahn at HSI with producer Robert Rashid, director of photography Tobias Schliessler and executive producer Michael McQuhae. Joseph Kahn is known for his music videos, including Britney Spears 'Toxic', Chemical Brothers 'Get Yourself High', U2 'Elevation' and Eminem 'Without Me'.
Editor was Steve Bell at Cosmo Street. Audio Post was done by Peter Rincon at POP Sound. Syndicate looked after post production, including VFX and Colorist: Beau Leon. Production design was done by Jason Edmonds at Set Solutions. Voice over is by Stanley Tucci.
Really Really Fast the Final Chapter
Carl Edwards, 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race winner, stars in an extended rockumentary promoting the Ford Fusion. Edwards won four races in the 2005 Nextel Cup and tied for second overall behind Tony Stewart. Ford is introducing the Ford Fusion onto the racetrack to replace the Taurus.
FX was at the racetrack with Ford motor company announced Ford racing driver Carl Edwards as the hero in a new movie, "Really Really Fast: The Final Chapter." "The bad guy hijacks this Fusion so I have to take mine off the track to catch him", says Edwards. And here's what director Christian Beau thinks of working with the NASCAR star. "I'm told he's really good and so far he hasn't crashed anything so everybody's real happy about that."
FX takes us for a behind the scenes look at the screen tests for Really Really Fast The Final Chapter. The director explains that he's looking for the ability to say lines under pressure. He's trying people out for the hostage scene filmed in the back seat of the speeding Ford Fusion. What follows is stunt driving on a wet car park with unnerved back seat passengers trying to get their lines out.
Vertical – Unexpected Traction
A couple sitting in a Ford Fusion slip on a CD playing Metro Area's 1999 electronica hit, "Atmosphrique". As they groove to the beat we're given a few clues about their vertical orientation. The guy's tie floats in the air. The woman pours liquid from a bottle that drifts in zero gravity, only to splash in her face when the guy applies the brakes. They get out of the car and throw the keys to a doorman at their club. He looks up, stunned to see the Ford Fusion parked on the side of the building. The voiceover: "Unexpected Traction – the new all wheel drive. Fusion – from Ford."
Click on the image below to play the video.
The Vertical spot was developed at Young & Rubicam, Toronto. Filming was directed by Ian Robertson at Avion Films, Toronto, with director of photography Dylan MacLeod. Visual effects were developed at Buzz and Flashcut.
Download Metro Area Atmosphrique from iTunes:
For trivia and advertising on the Ford Fusion see the site: www.fusionunleashed.com
Filed under: Commercials, Ford
Tagged: Avion Films, Buzz, Carl Edwards, Dylan MacLeod, Flashcut, HSI, Ian Robertson, Joseph Kahn, JWT, Rooster Post, Tobias Schliessler
Location: USA


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Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes
Click here to download TV listings for the week of June 9 - 15, 2013 in PDF format
In the Flesh This three-part tale about the rehabilitation of a former zombie concludes. 7 and 10:45 p.m. BBC America
The Haunting Of... "Law & Order" alum Elisabeth Rohm is featured on a new episode of the spooky series. 7 and 11 p.m. Biography
Sam & Cat Characters from "iCarly" and "Victorious" team up to start a babysitting business in this spin-off series. 8 p.m. Nickelodeon
Sinbad The seafaring hero from Arabian folklore returns in this new adventure series. 9 p.m. Syfy
Primeval: New World Prehistoric creatures lay siege to Vancouver in this new spin-off series. 10 p.m. Syfy
Good Morning America (N) 7 a.m. KABC
McLaughlin Group 6:30 p.m. KCET
Today Jobs for teens; a day in the life of a winemaker; Alaska. (N) 4 a.m. KNBC
Good Morning America (N) 6 a.m. KABC
State of the Union With Candy Crowley NSA's surveillance programs; Guantanamo; immigration; China: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). IRS; Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.). NSA's surveillance programs: Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.). Panel: Amy Walter, Cook Political Report; former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.). (N) 6 and 9 a.m. CNN
CBS News Sunday Morning Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; Harvey Fierstein. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS
Fareed Zakaria GPS China; Syria: Former Sec. of State Henry Kissinger. China: Joseph Nye; Noah Feldman. Turkey: Mustafa Akyol. Iran: Hooman Majd; Karim Sadjadpour. (N) 7 and 10a.m. CNN
This Week With George Stephanopoulos NSA's surveillance programs: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.); Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.). NSA's surveillance programs: Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.). Reporting NSA's surveillance programs: Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian. Panel: George Will; Matthew Dowd; Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.); Paul Krugman, the New York Times; Greta Van Susteren, Fox News. (N) 8 a.m. KABC
Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace Controversies involving the Attorney General: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Foreign policy: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI); former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden. Patty Stonesifer, Martha's Table. Panel: Bill Kristol; Mara Liasson; Mary Matalin; Peter Baker. 8 a.m. KTTV
Reliable Sources Covering NSA's surveillance programs: Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian. NSA's surveillance programs; Obama's nominations: Ana Marie Cox, the Guardian. Ramesh Ponnuru; Charlie Savage, the New York Times. MSNBC: Joe Concha, Mediaite. Revival of "Arrested Development": Ken Tucker, NPR. (N) 8 a.m. CNN
Face the Nation Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.); Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.); Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough); Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas); Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.); Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.). Panel: David Sanger, the New York Times; Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the Washington Post; Joseph Nye, Harvard; Margaret Brennan. (N) 8:30 a.m. KCBS
60 Minutes Claims a hospital pressured doctors to admit patients; Justice Sonia Sotomayor. (N) 7 p.m. KCBS