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"Around the World in 80 Days" Won't Go Down in History
- Annabelle Robertson Entertainment Critic
- Updated Jul 31, 2007
Release Date: June 16, 2004
Rating: PG (for action violence, some crude humor and mild language.)
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
Run Time: 119 minutes
Director: Frank Coracci
Actors: Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Cecile De France, Robert Fyfe, Jim Broadbent, Ian MacNiece, David Ryall,
Jackie Chan ("Rush Hour") is up to his usual antics, in a remake of a classic novel that won't go down in history, but is mostly safe for older kids.
When a strange Asian man (Chan) drops out of a tree, scientist Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan, "24 Hour Party People") believes the lie that "Passepartout," a name he thought of on the spur of the moment, is a French valet looking for work. In reality, Passpartout (real name: Lao Xing), has just robbed the Bank of England of a precious jade statue that was recently stolen from his village in China. Working for Fogg is the perfect way to hide from the authorities, who are on Xing's trail. And, since Fogg has scared off his other valets by making them participate in crazy inventions – his passion – Fogg hires the all-too-willing Passpartout.
Fogg then makes a bet with Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent), the powerful head of England's scientific community, that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. Fogg sees it as a way to gain acceptance for his ideas, and agrees to tear down his laboratory, should he fail. Should he win, however, he will take Kelvin's position. Passepartout sees the trip as the perfect way to get home quickly with the statue and evade arrest. So, along with Monique, (Cecile de France), a pretty French Impressionist painter the men meet on their first stop in Paris, they begin their trip. But, General Fang, the Chinese warlord who stole the statue from Lao Xing's village, is in cahoots with Lord Kelvin. She dispatches her gang to stop Passepartout. Kelvin sends a bumbling sergeant from Scotland Yard.
The best-known version of this film is Michael Anderson's interpretation of the classic novel by Jules Verne. Nominated for eight Oscars, it won the award for Best Picture in 1956. However, the fact that most of the cameos in the film also happened to be voting members of the Academy did not go unnoticed – especially to the film's critics, who were many. Frank Coracci's ("The Waterboy," "The Wedding Singer") updated version, which boasts cameos by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rob Schneider, Owen and Luke Wilson, Kathy Bates and Macy Gray, to name just a few, may well be hoping for a similar fate. Coracci certainly spent enough money ($110 million), although he didn't find a distributor (Walt Disney) until the last minute.
This film has a few nominally funny sequences, like a fight scene with multi-colored paint, that children will appreciate. It has a good amount of violence – mostly kicking and punching, in the martial arts style, but also scary knives and knife-like weapons. Chan's usual antics have been toned down, however, and adults are likely to find the fight scenes as ho-hum as the dialogue. The CGI graphics, which show various cities around the world, are beautiful and uniquely Disney, and together with shots of places like the Great Wall of China, will offer excellent opportunities for conversations about geography, travel, culture and foreign languages. The half dozen or so profanities and obscenities (including the British "bloody") are mostly mild. Fogg gets drunk and flails about, as does Passepartout's Chinese family, around the dinner table. And the romance between Fogg and Monique is chaste, although in one hot tub scene, the tops of her breasts are unnecessarily exposed in her bathing suit.
Chan's role comes off as somewhat of a caricature that might well be offensive to Asians, but it's what he usually offers, and it's been successful so far. Coogan and De France give solid performances. The best part about the movie is the cameos, however, although Schwarzenegger, who appears in a wig as a lusty Turkish prince, is silly and makes us wonder if he's in on the joke about womanizing. Like several other scenes that dragged, these needed editing, which would have helped with the film's length and pacing. The plot is far-fetched and also drags, but the costumes are beautiful.
The film contains a strong message about the importance of creativity, science and the entrepreneurial spirit. There is lots of talk about inventions like roller skates, bicycles and planes that could peak children's interest in science, if prodded. It might be fun for parents to help their children invent something and apply for a patent – it's easier than you might think. For more information, visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at www.uspto.gov.
With its portrayal of Lord Kelvin, the film has an anti-authoritarian bent that is reinforced by a scene where children "educate" adults about the meaning of life – yet another instance of a film reversing roles between children and adults. It also has a mystical undertone that will need debunking, with a reference to legends being based in fact (later proven to be true), and a scene where the Chinese worship their ancestors.
Unlike its predecessor, this film won't garner any awards, and adults aren't likely to be impressed. But, with a few exceptions, it is decent entertainment for the family.
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A man sexually abused as a child in Donegal will go on hunger strike outside the bishop's residence if the report on abuse in the church in Donegal is not published. The report has been delayed for some time.
John G. O'Donnell now 55, was badly abused by two men for six years between the ages of 9 and 15. One man was head of the local church choir.
He told the Donegal Democrat: "when I met the Bishop in August, I told him to his face that I was prepared to on hunger strike over this issue. If the full, undiluted report is not released in the next few months, I will go on hunger strike."
"The longer the report is delayed, the longer we are left without answers and the longer we are left suffering.
Read More:
Irish priest launches new iPhone vocations app to boost recruitment
Cork diocese in new collection to pay abuse costs
Boston Globe defends Irish govt in church battle over sex abuse
"What is wrong that we can't even get an apology? Church officials say they 'understand our suffering' but they can not even begin to know the pain that we have endured and continue to endure.
"We have been let down by both the Church and the State. When we tried to come forward to help others, we were the ones branded as evil - in my case by both clergy and guards.
"Even recently, when my story was told in a tabloid newspaper, an elderly lady stopped me in the street in Falcarragh. She asked me was I John O'Donnell. When I told here I was, she said I was 'nothing but an Anti-Christ".
"The truth must come out, so that at least people can understand what really happened."

subset: commoncrawl


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Prisoner X Case Signals Moment of Crisis for Israel and Jewish Diaspora
Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky probably thought he was stating the obvious when he welcomed his board of governors to Jerusalem on February 17 with a bromide about Israel-Diaspora solidarity. "It is increasingly clear," said the chairman, still best known for his years in a Soviet prison, "that world Jewry depends on Israel and Israel depends on world Jewry."
It's a familiar notion, and contains much truth. But "increasingly clear" it's not. If anything, it's increasingly murky. Right now, no fewer than three major Diaspora Jewish communities — in Australia, Argentina and the United States — are embroiled in crises arising from their relationships with Israel, facing noisy, threatening allegations of dual loyalty.
This could be a harbinger of the future. Some top Israeli officials see the country's actions becoming increasingly unpopular around the world. As that happens, they say, Israel's defenders are on the defensive. The more isolated Israel becomes, the greater its dependence on Diaspora Jews — and the higher the cost to those Jews.
The most dramatic crisis involves a young Australian Jew who, like Sharansky, ended up in a prison cell as a consequence of his love of Zion. But his prison, unlike Sharansky's, was Israeli. And unlike Sharansky, this inmate, Prisoner X, never got out alive. He died in December 2010, allegedly having hanged himself in Israel's most closely monitored cell.
His fate was top-secret for two years, until an explosive documentary aired February 14 on Australian television. It told how the idealistic young Zionist Ben Zygier immigrated to Israel in the 1990s, joined the Mossad and ultimately got caught in a deadly conflict between Israeli and Australian security interests. At the heart of the dispute, it appears, is the Mossad's practice of recruiting Jews whose Western passports let them travel where Israelis can't.
The expose has left Israeli and Australian authorities groping for answers while Australia's social media crackle with accusations of Jewish disloyalty, and Australian Jews grieve in stunned silence. Wounds are still raw from the deaths of four Australian Jews when a shoddily built bridge collapsed at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv. Now this. Love for Israel runs deep in Australian Jewry. Lately it's exacting a cost.
Argentina's crisis broke just days before Australia's. Speaking on television February 9, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner de Fernandez suggested bluntly that the head of the Jewish community was in contact with "a foreign espionage agency." This came a week after Argentina formally accused Israel of "improper" interference in "sovereign" Argentine affairs.
The dispute involves the still-unsolved 1994 terrorist bombing of Argentina's main Jewish community center, AMIA. The bombing killed 85 people. It's still the world's deadliest single anti-Jewish attack since World War II. Another 29 people died two years earlier in an attack on the local Israeli embassy. Israeli intelligence officials believe both bombings were in retaliation for Israel's 1992 assassination of Hezbollah chief Abbas Musawi. Yes, Diaspora Jews sometimes pay for Israeli security decisions.
Argentine courts eventually charged Iranian and Hezbollah officials, but no one was ever arrested. Now, on January 27, Argentina and Iran agreed to create a joint "truth commission." Israel promptly protested, and mutual recriminations flew.
The Jewish community response was more complex. AMIA President Guillermo Borger initially objected, but withdrew his complaint after meeting on January 29 with Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, himself the son of a famed Argentine Jewish human rights leader. Ten days later Borger reversed him self again, declaring that the "truth commission" could bring "a third bombing." Kirchner attacked Borger the next day, wondering aloud where he got his "information" about future bombings. Her rebuke apparently worked; further Jewish protests have been muted and poorly attended.
The third crisis, less dramatic but arguably more serious in the long run, is in Washington, where Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense met historically unprecedented resistance from Senate Republicans. Several motives drove Republican opposition, but the one that dominated televised Senate hearings, and drew the most impassioned public comment, was Hagel's attitude toward Israel.
Without plumbing the details of Hagel's views on Israel — they've been explored elsewhere at length — it's important to note that they hardly approach the icy disdain of former Republican defense secretaries Caspar Weinberger and James Schlesinger. Nor, for that matter, of Republican ex-president George H.W. Bush. What's new isn't Hagel's skepticism, but the level of pro-Israel purity now expected of our public officials.
Importantly, the campaign against Hagel isn't the direct handiwork of the mainstream Jewish or pro-Israel lobbies. The main pro-Israel lobbying organization, AIPAC, has been silent. The two top Jewish advocacy powerhouses, the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League, have lagged ambivalently behind. The campaign has been led by Republican lawmakers and partisan hard-liners like Bill Kristol and Daniel Pipes. Regardless, it's perceived as representing the will of Israel and its advocates. Politically, that's what counts.
Thus the latest Washington brawl adds to the ongoing redefinition in the popular mind of pro-Israel advocacy and, by extension, of Jewish advocacy. Once considered a moral beacon, it's now commonly viewed as a bullying force that throws its weight around without regard to American interests. This dim view, once confined to fringe extremists, began creeping toward the center a decade ago in writings by respected academics like John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. Now it's standard fare for op-ed writers and late-night comics.
Ironically, efforts to silence such talk as bigotry merely prove the point. Witness Hagel, pummeled by Israel's friends for having once said that Israel's friends intimidate their critics.
Many community leaders view crises like the ones in Australia, Argentina and Washington as evidence of a new global anti-Semitism. Israel's intelligence services conclude differently: that Israel's continuing West Bank occupation and settlement expansion are fueling a rising frustration among Israel's longtime friends, gradually morphing into hostility toward Israel and her staunchest defenders. Even veteran hard-liners like national security council chief Yaakov Amidror, once renowned as Israel's most right-wing general, have begun voicing alarm over the problem.
Israel has been trying for 45 years to explain its right to settlements, and hasn't convinced a single foreign government. Now the effort is merely discrediting the explainers.
Some Diaspora pro-Israel advocates still insist that settlements aren't the cause of Israel's problems, but they're only spouting yesterday's talking-points. Worse, they're digging themselves — and their communities — into a hole.
Contact J.J. Goldberg at [email protected]


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Student Email
All registered NMC students have an assigned college email account. It is the main source of official college communications.
Check your email often. Computer labs are available throughout NMC for this purpose.
Checking Your NMC Email
- Click on "LOGIN / myNMC" here or at the top of any NMC web page.
- Enter your username (same as your NMC ID).
- Enter your password. For help resetting your password, contact the Technology Help Desk »
- Click on the "Login to Student Email" link.
Your email address is your NMC ID followed by "@mail.nmc.edu".


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Before a sheet may be used for output, it must be associated with a medium. Some sheets are permanently associated with mediums for output efficiency; for example, CLIM window stream sheets have mediums that are permanently allocated to windows.
However, many kinds of sheets only perform output infrequently, and therefore do not need to be associated with a medium except when output is actually required. Sheets without a permanently associated medium can be much more lightweight than they otherwise would be. For example, in a program that creates a sheet for the purpose of displaying a border for another sheet, the border sheet receives output only when the window's shape is changed.
To associate a sheet with a medium, use the macro with-sheet-medium .
Usually CLIM application programmers will not deal with mediums directly. In most cases, panes will automatically be associated with a medium upon creation. The specific medium object is chosen based on the port being used. An exception is when a "special" medium is created and used with sheets that normally default to a different medium.
with-sheet-medium [Macro]
Arguments: (medium sheet)
Summary: Within the body, the variable medium is bound to the sheet's medium. If the sheet does not have a medium permanently allocated, one will be allocated, associated with the sheet for the duration of the body, and deallocated when the body has been exited. The values of the last form of the body are returned as the values of with-sheet-medium .
The medium argument is not evaluated, and must be a symbol that is bound to a medium. body may have zero or more declarations as its first forms.
with-sheet-medium-bound [Macro]
Arguments: (sheet medium)
Summary: with-sheet-medium-bound is used to associate the specific medium medium with the sheet sheet for the duration of the body body . Typically, a single medium will be allocated and passed to several different sheets that can use the same medium.
If the sheet already has a medium allocated to it, the new medium will not be given to the sheet. If the value of medium is nil , with-sheet-medium-bound is exactly equivalent to with-sheet-medium . The values of the last form of the body are returned as the values of with-sheet-medium-bound .
body may have zero or more declarations as its first forms.
sheet-medium [Generic Function]
Summary: Returns the medium associated with the sheet sheet . If sheet does not have a medium allocated to it, sheet-medium returns nil .


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By Rita Brhel, managing editor and attachment parenting resource leader (API)
Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your teen? So does every parent at some time. What about anger – has your relationship with your teen turned into a fight for control, and it seems that all your exchanges with your teen seem to be out of anger? For many parents, this is the sad reality of their relationship with their teenager.
Why So Angry?
According to Christina Botto, author of Help Me with My Teenager!, in her ParentingTeenager.net article, "Today's Angry Teens," a teenager's anger is borne out of immature coping skills to daily stress. In addition to seeking independence and less parental control, which results in a stubborn and argumentative adolescent, teens are trying to deal with everyday stress as well as a host of emotional issues including:
- Changes in their bodies
- Trying to establish an identity
- Dealing with friends
- Positive and negative peer pressure
- School demands
- Too many extracurricular activities
- Parental expectations
- Feelings of being treated unfairly, such as being accused of something they didn't do
- Not getting a chance to voice their opinions to authority figures
In addition, some teens are dealing with high-stress situations such as separation or divorce of their parents or a chronic illness in or death of a loved one.
"It's no surprise that our teens might become overloaded with stress," Botto said.
Anger is an Immature Coping Mechanism
If we think about it, adolescents are dealing with these stresses for years. As adults, most of us would have difficulty dealing with these types of emotional stresses long-term, too. Both adults and teens are prone to develop depression in these situations, and while depression is often marked by despair and hopelessness, it can manifest itself as anger.
"Depression and anger are two sides of the same coin. They are the behaviors most used by survivors to cope with their damaged lives," according to Suicide and Mental Health Association International.
A teen's anger is borne out of her poor coping skills:
- Getting angry is a way to feel in control – Botto explains how getting angry is the only way most teens know how to avoid feeling sadness, hurt, or fear.
- Teens have unreasonable expectations – When a teen is unable to get what he wants when he wants it, he feels out of control, which makes him angry.
Teaching Our Children Healthy Ways to Express Anger
Anger is a healthy, normal emotion if expressed in a way that doesn't hurt the teen or others around him. But because teens have difficulty in regulating their strong emotions, they may also have difficulty in expressing their anger in an appropriate way. As parents, we need to focus on modeling and teaching our teens how to handle stress – and anger – in a healthy way.
Botto said it's easy for parents to lose control of their own emotions when dealing with their teen's anger: "Parents are often caught by surprise and react by either yelling or arguing back, or punishing their teen for showing their anger. Instead, parents need to see this show of anger or rage as a signal that their teen is battling with or facing a situation they cannot handle on their own, or is overwhelmed by the demands of his or her daily live."
Her advice to parents is to:
- Ask your teen what unresolved conflict she is facing.
- Listen to your teen.
- Focus on her feelings.
- Understand the situation from your teen's perspective.
- Help your teen work towards a solution.
- Show your teenager that you care.
Danger Signs
Not all teens express their anger in the same way, just as is the case with adults. Parents should be on the lookout for:
- Withdrawing, which is indicative of a teen who is repressing his emotions and can result in depression and psychosomatic disorders.
- Turning to alcohol and drugs, or other forms of self-medicating.
- Defiant or destructive behavior, include violence toward others and self.
If these danger signs develop, your teen may need professional help to resolve his anger issues. Unresolved issues can cause lasting damage to your teen's critical thinking ability, ability to have a close and loving marital relationship and friendships, and ability to learn how to self regulate his strong emotions.


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It's official: Annual low-dose CT screening for lung cancer is recommended for high-risk individuals, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced.
The final grade B recommendation for adults ages 55 through 79 with a 30 pack-year history of smoking or who have quit in the past 15 years matched draft recommendations released in July.
The only changes based on comments received during the public comment period were that smoking cessation was more prominently emphasized as a component of screening programs and the description of the appropriate patient population was moved to the top of the document.
So explained task force co-vice chair Michael L. LeFevre, MD, MSPH, of the University of Missouri in Columbia.
"It's very clear that the best way to prevent lung cancer deaths is to quit smoking," he told MedPage Today. "So we have that emphasized much more significantly, particularly in the section called clinical considerations, to make sure people don't think this is an excuse to keep smoking."
The draft had included in the clinical considerations section a recommendation against screening individuals with significant comorbidity, especially those nearing the age cutoff of 80.
The final recommendation, published online Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, moved that into the initial description of the screening recommendation and repeated it again in the main body of the document.
"Screening should be discontinued once a person has not smoked for 15 years or develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery," it said.
An accompanying editorial called the recommendations important, but cautioned that they left out many of the practical aspects of implementing a lung cancer screening program, such as what to do with people who want to be screened but don't meet the criteria.
"These people have reasons for their concerns; turning them away because they do not meet the criteria does not provide them the reassurance they seek," wrote Frank C. Detterbeck, MD, of Yale University, and Michael Unger, MD, of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
Other issues are how to involve primary care physicians who may do the bulk of referring and determining who, when, and how to treat screen-detected cancer, they pointed out.
"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning [of screening for lung cancer]," Detterbeck and Unger wrote, riffing on Winston Churchill.
These screening programs have rapidly rolled out across the country, and the USPSTF recommendation should give centers a further boost by leading to reimbursement, LeFevre predicted.
The Affordable Care Act mandates that private insurers cover without copay or deductible services the task force grants an "A" or a "B" recommendation.
However, Medicare won't be required to cover such services, Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, noted in a second editorial.
He criticized the lack of distinction of truly high-risk individuals within the screened population.
Overall, screening had "only moderate certainty of a moderate net benefit," but the number needed to screen to prevent a lung cancer death varied across the screened population, from 161 in the highest risk to 5,276 in the lowest risk participants in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), which formed the main basis for the recommendations.
"Perhaps the high-risk group should have qualified for an 'A'; perhaps the latter should get only a 'C,' a service that should be only selectively offered," Bach suggested.
He also criticized the group's extrapolation beyond the trial data.
"On the basis of models, the Task Force chose to lengthen the duration of screening to a maximum of 26 years and increase the upper age of eligibility for screening to 80 years, even though NLST participants were screened for only 3 years and were ineligible to enroll if they were older than 74 years (only 8.8% of participants were ages 70 years or older at enrollment)," he pointed out.
"This may be appropriate, but here, too, the grading of this extrapolation should match the low level of evidence supporting it," Bach stated.
Moyer, LeFevre, Unger, and Bach reported no conflicts of interest.
Detterbeck reported travel reimbursement from Onimmune for participating in an expert panel on lung cancer, and being involved in other lung cancer screening guidelines.
Primary Source
Annals of Internal Medicine
Source Reference: Moyer VA, et al "Screening for lung cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement" Ann Intern Med 2013.
Secondary Source
Annals of Internal Medicine
Source Reference: Detterbeck FC, Unger M "Screening for lung cancer: Moving into a new era" Ann Intern Med 2013.
Additional Source
Annals of Internal Medicine
Source Reference: Bach PB "Raising the bar for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force" Ann Intern Med 2013.


text:
Lincrusta Wallpaper - VE1956
1 roll of Lincrusta paper incorporating variegated geometric design
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text:
NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostic products, today announced the completion of a $15.3 million Series E Preferred Stock issuance. New investors in the transaction included Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and AllianceBernstein Alternative Investment Management Group.
All previous venture investors in NanoString participated in the financing, including Clarus Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, OVP Venture Partners, GE healthymagination Fund, BioMed Ventures, and Henri Termeer.
The proceeds of the financing will be used to support the expansion of NanoString's existing life sciences business and its first commercial launch in molecular diagnostics. The company's life science business provides the nCounter Analysis System and associated products for research applications such as gene expression, copy number variation and micro RNA analysis. The company's diagnostics business is focused on the U.S. regulatory process for, and the ex-U.S. launch of, the company's first molecular diagnostic product, a breast cancer assay based on the PAM50 gene expression signature. This test, which recently received the CE Mark, provides a subtype classification based on the fundamental biology of an individual's breast tumor (referred to as intrinsic subtyping), as well as a prognostic score that indicates the probability of cancer recurrence over 10 years in post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, early stage breast cancer who have been treated with hormonal therapy. The PAM50 gene signature has not been cleared for marketing in the United States.
"We're pleased to welcome two new shareholders, and are grateful for the ongoing support from our existing shareholders," said Brad Gray, President and CEO of NanoString Technologies. "We plan to use these funds to benefit all shareholders by advancing the development and commercialization of our PAM50 breast cancer assay and continuing to invest in building our life sciences business."
Source: Nanostring


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Cookies From Home, locally based in Tempe, is celebrating 31 years in business with a day dedicated to charity and cookie decorating with Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell. Mayor Mitchell will arrive at Cookies From Home on November 2 at 10:30 a.m. to decorate cookies in honor of their long-standing success in the Valley.
Cookies From Home is located at 1605 W. University Dr., Unit 106, Tempe 85281 (On University, Just west of Priest).
Cookies From Home will also be donating a portion of the proceeds from all in-store and online orders on November 2 to benefit the Tempe Community Action Agency. The organization assists children, seniors, homeless individuals and working-poor families in Tempe with emergency programs such as rent/utility assistance, food and gas vouchers and more.
The Tempe bakery has long been a staple in the community. Owner Corey Meiteen is set to launch a new brand and overhaul to the logo, packaging and image. The packaging will be replaced with modern tins and boxes encompassing the Cookies From Home brand and a rich color palette. In looking towards the future, Meiteen envisions taking the company to the next level.
Cookies From Home has also introduced a new line of brownies and sugar-free cookies to their offerings, including a dozen brownie flavors and six flavors of sugar-free cookies.
For more information, call (480) 894-1944 or visit www.cookiesfromhome.com. Follow Cookies From Home on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cookiesfromhome.


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Benjamin Netanyahu can be stopped. If only all his opponents could jettison their pre-conceived ideas, they could put together an alliance that would halt the Netanyahu bandwagon. If Jews and Arabs plus Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews lined up together, Bibi could be blocked, but it takes a leap of imagination to conceive this scenario. So he almost certainly won't be.
Many political commentators here wrote the script as soon as the coming Israeli elections were scheduled. Netanyahu, they pronounced, will be the next prime minister whatever happens. Since then they have fallen over themselves to prove the rightness of their forecast.
It's not that they like Netanyahu—most of them don't—but they cannot bear to be wrong. Thus every move made by the Labor Party chairman Shelly Yachimovich, Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid, and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Hatnuah is immediately ridiculed. "I promise you," announced a prominent television commentator, when it was announced that the three centrist leaders would meet to coordinate tactics against the right, "I promise you that this will be the only meeting of the three, and nothing will come of it!"
As it turned out, he was right. So far the only thing that emerged from their meeting was mutual recrimination, but this was not pre-ordained. It was a good idea to get together: Bibi is vulnerable. He has made several gross mistakes, but here again our local reporters and columnists are at fault. They are focusing on his row with Naftali Bennett, the new young leader of the religious-nationalist Bait Hayehudi party. While it is true that Netanyahu has proved inept at tackling this challenge from the right, it is not significant. Bennett is part of the rightwing bloc, which is not, as a whole, weakened by the fracas.
Bibi's first major error was his tie-up with Yisrael Beitenu, the maverick party led by Avigdor Lieberman. It led to an immediate plunge in the polls, as members of both parties showed how they felt about the deal, and today, with Lieberman facing a very real threat of a seven year exile from Israeli politics, the idea looks even worse that when it was first conceived.
His second blunder is a direct result of the first: his alienation of the religious Sephardi party, Shas. This party has always been the linchpin of his power, but prodded by the (secular Russian immigrant) Lieberman party, Bibi threatened to take two key ministries away from them. Although Shas is currently paying lip-service to the "Netanyahu will be prime minister" mantra, it is no longer in Bibi's pocket, as it was in the past.
His third blunder was to permit his young party colleagues to take the lead in trying to prevent Hanin Zuabi, a militant Israeli Arab Knesset Member, from running in the election. The insult to Israel's Arab citizens was manifest. The Arab voters represent the joker in the pack of the Israeli elections. As I and others have noted in Open Zion, they vote heavily in municipal elections, but only around half of them cast their ballots in the national poll. They have the capacity to be the game-changer. They could vote as many as 17 Knesset Members into Israel's parliament.
All of which brings us back to our three heroes from the center-left. The idea of Livni, Yachimovich, and Lapid collaborating to block Bibi is fundamentally sound, but they should cast their net much wider. To the left, they should include the Zionist left-wing party Meretz in their alliance, but also the Jewish-Arab Hadash party, and Taal, the Arab party led by Ahmad Tibi, one of the most active and intelligent Knesset Members. They should not, however, only look further left: Shas should also be invited into the anti-Bibi coalition.
Shas, which moved right under its former leader Eli Yishai, has recently veered leftwards (at least on social issues) under its new triumvirate that includes the (formerly dovish) Aryeh Deri. A coalition from Deri to Tibi really could muster enough votes to defeat the right. With some compromises by all its constituents, it could also hammer out a joint policy, but sadly it will almost definitely not come about.
Even if the Jewish parties could get their heads around cooperating with the Arab parties—and that is by no means certain—the centrists will be far too "pure" to cooperate with Deri, who has served time in jail after being found guilty of corruption. Never mind that he was by far the most effective Minister of the Interior that Israel ever had, our pious centrists will not be prepared to soil their hands by contact with him.
The tragic result is that, although almost two thirds of Israelis are in favor of territorial compromise and a two-state solution, they will elect an extreme rightwing government that will make this impossible. Bibi's new government will build more settlements, will continue to undermine Palestinian moderate Mahmud Abbas (Abu-Mazen,) and will hunker down behind our separation fence, while proclaiming that the whole world is against us.
This nightmare doesn't have to happen, but sadly it is the most likely outcome of our elections on January 22.


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HomePlug Alliance : GigaFast launches brand new HomePlug AV2 (gigabit-class) MIMO PLC series and introduces a new high definition PLC-based home monitoring system
GigaFast Ethernet, an OEM/ODM manufacturer of HomePlug powerline (PLC) technology equipment, has launched a series of HomePlug AV2 MIMO PLC Ethernet Bridges during Computex. HomePlug PLC technology is an innovative solution that turns the electrical outlets into wired network connections by simply plugging a pair of these bridges into sockets without pulling any extra cables. No extra wires means saving time and money on installation cost and cable material cost. The addition of MIMO technology to PLC utilizes the third ground wire to create multiple paths for data communication, providing an increase in home coverage.
The launch of GigaFast's HomePlug AV2 MIMO Ethernet Bridges is a major step forward in the next generation of multimedia networking. GigaFast's HomePlug AV2 MIMO Ethernet Bridges provide better performance, higher quality networking over existing home wiring, and additional coverage compared to their predecessors. At the same time, HomePlug AV2 MIMO Ethernet Bridges are completely interoperable with HomePlug AV, HomePlug Green PHY, and IEEE 1901 certified devices.
GigaFast's HomePlug AV2 MIMO Ethernet Bridges is designed to future proof PLC deployment for tomorrow's high demand for reliable and fast network performance needed in next generation digital entertainment and broadband access. GigaFast's HomePlug AV2 Ethernet Bridges provides gigabit-class speed to every electrical outlet, making each outlet ideal for HDTV, IPTV, multi-room HD DVR, online gaming, HD/3D video, HD audio, smart grid utilities management, home monitoring, and other home networking applications demanding ultra-fast network speed. GigaFast's HomePlug AV2 MIMO Ethernet Bridges can also stream multiple HD video and audio programs on the PLC network simultaneously and can be be connected anywhere throughout the home. Currently, GigaFast has 4 Homeplug AV2 Ethernet Bridges. The most notable one is the small AV2 Pass Through Bridge (PS959-EP65), which is the smallest and fastest bridge of its kind with a built-in noise filtering AC socket for another device needing power to be plugged into this socket without taking up another wall socket space. There will be many more GigaFast HomePlug AV2 MIMO devices being launched in the next couple of months.
Also showcasing at Computex is GigaFast's HomePlug HD AV Home Monitoring System: IP Camera with Night Vision (PC11). This home monitoring system is extremely easy to setup since this system is sending signal through existing home electrical wires, eliminating pulling long cables throughout the house. Users can monitor their home anytime from anywhere in the world with iOS/Android devices. Unlike most home monitoring systems, this system does not have website configuration or long serial numbers to enter. The entire setup takes only three easy steps: Simply plug in the camera, download the app for either iOS or Android devices, and scan the QR code for pairing. This system has a built-in microSD slot to save recorded videos and the recorded videos can be viewed anywhere with an iOS or Android device without any subscription fee. The camera has infrared night vision for little to no light environment and has email notification for motion detecting. This camera also has 2-way digital audio for listening from and speaking to the surrounding from the mobile device.
This camera system can be used as day to day home or small office security surveillance. Another usage for this camera system is for baby safety monitoring. Parents can monitor their baby sleeping inside the crib or monitor the nanny while the parents are away using their mobile devices.
GigaFast prides itself in designing and manufacturing the highest quality of HomePlug PLC products and being the first ones out with the newest PLC technology. That also goes the same when it comes to our casing designs. This camera system's casing is the smallest one of its kind on the market and the camera and the camera securing stand designs are unconventional to other home monitoring systems. It has a clean and streamline egg-shape design that is aesthetically pleasing when placed in different areas inside a home. The casing for the camera was inspired by the concept of an egg resting gently inside a nest. The egg nest functions as a camera stand that a securely hold the camera in place with the desired camera angle.
For Full Article please goto : GigaFast launches brand new HomePlug AV2 (gigabit-class) MIMO PLC series and introduces a new high definition PLC-based home monitoring system


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The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Informal Supper Club - Zeret Kitchen Restaurant
Thursday 16th August 2012
Zeret Kitchen Restaurant
216 Camberwell Road
SE5 0EDPhone: 020 7701 8587
Nearest tube: Oval
Nearest rail: Denmark Hill
The supper club is a chance for members, and any other interested guests or friends, to meet for an informal chat, drink, and Ethiopian supper. Reservations are not made at the restaurant and tickets are not issued - just turn up and sit where there is a table and seat free!
The evenings start at about 7:30pm.


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The spat over the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands has escalated dramatically in the past month with violent protests across China.
But with a national election approaching in Japan, and a change of leadership in China, politicians on both sides have refused to step back from the brink, afraid that they will appear weak.
"There is a danger of China and Japan having a military conflict," said Yan Xuetong, one of China's most influential foreign policy strategists, and a noted hawk.
"One country must make a concession. But I do not see Japan making concessions. I do not see either side making concessions. Both sides want to solve the situation peacefully, but neither side can provide the right approach," he added.
He warned that unless one side backs down, there could be a repeat of the Falklands Conflict in Asia.
"Generally speaking, according to the theory of international relations, unless one country makes concessions to the other, the escalation of a conflict between two countries will not stop until there is a military clash, like between the UK and Argentina," he said.
He added: "China takes a very tolerant policy elsewhere, with smaller powers. But the case of Japan is different. There is history between us. Japan is a big power. It regards itself as a regional, and sometimes a world power. So China can very naturally regard Japan as an equal. And if we are equal, you cannot poke us. You cannot make a mistake."
Mr Yan is the dean of International Relations at Tsinghua university, the elite college that schooled both China's president, Hu Jintao, and his likely successor, Xi Jinping.
He is also one of China's representatives to the Council of Security Cooperation of Asia-Pacific, a non-governmental body that coordinates security in the region.
Chinese and Japanese diplomats have met this week for talks over the crisis, but no agreement has been reached.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign ministry attacked Yoshihiko Noda, the Japanese prime minister, for telling reporters at the United Nations that the islands belonged to Japan.
"There are no territorial issues as such. Therefore, there cannot be any compromise that represents a retreat from this position," Mr Noda said.
"China is strongly disappointed and sternly opposes the Japanese leader's obstinacy regarding his wrong position on the Diaoyu Islands issue," replied the Chinese Foreign ministry.
In the balance is some £216 billion of bilateral trade. Last year, exports to China were responsible for three per cent of the Japanese economy.
Meanwhile Japan's new opposition leader, Shinzo Abe, is, if anything, more determined than Mr Noda. "Japan's oceans and territory are being threatened. It is my mission to overcome these difficulties," he said.
Several Japanese businesses on the Chinese mainland have had to shut down because of the crisis. Nissan, which relies on the Chinese market for as much as 25 per cent of its revenues, has shut down until October 7 after demand for its cars plummeted.
Toyota has suspended plants in Tianjin and Guangzhou until October 8.
Chinese consumers are shying away from Japanese cars not just because of nationalism, but out of fear after one man in Xi'an was beaten into a coma for driving a Japanese marque.
All Nippon Airways, meanwhile, said 40,000 reservations had been cancelled on flights between China and Japan from this month to November. A cruise line between Shanghai and Nagasaki will suspend its operations from October 13. Guizhou television has banned all advertisements by Japanese brands.
Mitsumi, a supplier for Nintendo, has not reopened its factory in Qingdao since September 16, while two toothbrush factories owned by Lion Corporation also remain shuttered.
Mr Yan predicted that if there was a military confrontation between China and Japan, the United States would not physically intervene.
"I do not think they will send soldiers to fight against the People's Liberation Army," he said. "They [the US] will be involved, but they can be involved in many different ways, providing intelligence, ammunition, political support, logistical help and so on."
Mr Yan said he expected whoever wins the US presidential election to continue to toughen policy on China.
"In terms of the economy, China and the US are partners. But in terms of security, they are rivals. We both know we cannot get along. Both sides are always alert to the other's military policy," he said.
"In the future, the military relationship will become more important. There is a simple reason for this: American hegemony is based on military capability and the military gap with China. When China narrows that gap, it will scare the US," he said.
However, he added that China increasingly needs to change the ideology that guides its foreign policy. "Deng Xiaoping said China should not take a leadership role, make no alliances, and focus on the economy.
"This gap, between China's international status and its foreign policy is widening. We have reached the point where China needs to seriously consider having a new policy consistent with its international status. I do not know when it will happen, but it will not be too long," he said.
Additional reporting by Valentina Luo


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A unique health economics assessment of copper's role in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) is being presented this week at the WHO's International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC) in Geneva, demonstrating rapid payback on the capital investment.
Health economics evaluations are typically applied to medication or surgery costs, but this study from York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) – part of the University of York in the UK – investigated the economic benefits of applying an engineering and design approach to infection control, deploying antimicrobial copper touch surfaces in intensive care units (ICUs).
The pathogens that cause HCAIs can survive in the environment for days, even months, providing reservoirs of infectious agents on frequently-touched surfaces. Durable and effective antimicrobial copper surfaces offer an engineering solution that can serve as an additional line of defence against these pathogens.
Copper and copper alloy touch surfaces (collectively termed 'antimicrobial copper') have been shown to continuously and significantly reduce bioburden by >90 per cent in clinical trials in Chile, the UK and the US. Additionally, the most recently-published data from a US Department of Defense trial conducted in the ICUs of three hospitals shows that the replacement of six near-patient surfaces with antimicrobial copper equivalents was associated with a 58 per cent reduction in HCAIs.
The YHEC study investigated the cost-effectiveness of a copper intervention, comparing expenditure on components with improvements in patient outcomes and other tangible benefits. This investigation allowed the derivation of a spreadsheet-based model that uses the best current, published information and shows the rapid return on investment of a copper intervention. It also calculates the impact on bed days and quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The model is simple, transparent and fully referenced, and allows input of data for adaptation to specific local settings.
Using UK data, the model predicts that the cost of replacing six key, frequently-touched surfaces in a 20-bed ICU with antimicrobial copper equivalents will be recouped in less than two months, based on fewer infections and the resulting shorter lengths of stay.
Dr Matthew Taylor, YHEC's Director and one of the paper's authors, notes: "After the initial two months, ongoing cost savings will accrue from the reduction in blocked beds and better-directed staff resources."
Over five years, the copper intervention is shown to save almost £2 million in reduced cost of HCAIs compared to traditional components, if fitted during a planned build or refurbishment. While the total cost of the copper intervention is £30,600 higher than traditional components, over a five-year period, it is shown to result in a cost per infection averted of just £94.10.
In conclusion, Dr Taylor points out: "This is not a typical health economics evaluation as there are confounding factors regarding the responsibility for budgetary spend in hospitals. This is an engineering solution needing capital budget (typically held by Facilities/Estates), but with an impact on infection prevention, cost of care and clinical outcomes. It therefore requires a high degree of understanding and collaboration at senior decision-making levels."


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Learn how you can leverage your existing Microsoft Dynamics GP investments and take advantage of Microsoft's advanced cloud capabilities in Dynamics 365 Business Central.
A FREE fit-gap assessment between your deployment of Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. During this 2-hour phone call, a Turnkey expert will provide a summary of findings and roadmap for your migration to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Review your current Dynamics GP environment
Review your goals for Dynamics 365 Business Central
Why Turnkey Technologies?
Voted Best in Reliability by St. Louis Small Business Monthly, Turnkey Technologies is a Tier-1 Microsoft partner focused solely on turning your most ambitious business goals into reality through Microsoft business solutions.
As monolithic, on-premise ERP solutions have evolved into flexible, cloud-based platforms, Turnkey has helped hundreds of companies stay ahead of these industry-driving trends. Let us help champion positive change in your organization and give your Microsoft Dynamics solution a lasting impact.


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City of Burnsville election results can be found on the Dakota County local elections page
Dakota County election results can be found on the Dakota County, county elections page
Minnesota State election results can be found on the Minnesota election results page
Show All Answers
Printing a voter registration application on your personal computer printer and mailing it to the Dakota County Offices is another option.
You can also register to vote when applying for or renewing your drivers' license. The information will be forwarded to Dakota County for processing.
Since 2008, voter registration information will be automatically updated when eligible voters permanently change their addresses with the U.S.P.S.
Pre-registration closes 20 days prior to an election.
If you have moved since last registering to vote, it is important to update your voter registration information so that you are voting for the candidates who will represent you.
To register on Election Day, you must have one of the following forms of identification showing your current address:
Students The above proof of residency also apply for college students in addition to:
Requesting a ballot is a two step process. First, you must complete an absentee ballot application. Then, you will receive a blank ballot to vote and return to us. If you are eligible to vote absentee, you may do so either by mail or in person.
By MailTo have an absentee ballot application mailed to you, notify the City of Burnsville by mail, fax, email or phone (952-895-4490). After we receive the completed application, an absentee ballot will be sent to you. Please allow plenty of time to complete the process. All absentee ballots must be received by Election Day.
In PersonUp until the day before the election, you may complete an absentee ballot application, receive your ballot and vote in person at the City of Burnsville City Hall or at the two Dakota County locations - Hastings and Apple Valley:
Office Hours:
City of Burnsville and Dakota County HastingsMonday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Apple Valley Service CenterMonday & Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Election judges are an integral part of the election process. The hours for working on Election Day are 6 a.m. until votes are counted after the polls close at 8 p.m. Election judges may serve as many hours as needed in the precinct to which they are assigned. All judges must attend a training session before working at the polls on Election Day. If you are interested in serving as an election judge, please contact City Clerk's Office at 952-895-4490.


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GROW workshop for middle school girls focuses on disaster response
Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013
MANHATTAN -- When a tornado hits or a hurricane strikes, engineers and scientists are among the first on the scene to help return life to normal. To demonstrate to young women the role they can play in such a response, the GROW, or Girls Researching Our World, program at Kansas State University will host "Engineers and Scientists to the Rescue."
The workshop will be 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Sessions will focus on how scientists and engineers help prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters.
Open to all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade girls, the event will consist of small groups, chaperoned by Kansas State University students, performing hands-on activities emphasizing the experience of being part of a rescue team solving such problems as organizing food and supplies distribution, predicting where tornadoes will hit, and more.
Registration deadline is available until the event is full. Cost is $20 and includes all supplies and lunch. Teachers are invited to attend with their students to observe the activity; adult registration is $10. All activities will take place at various locations on the university campus. For additional information, call Tawny Ochs at the K-State office for the advancement of women in science and engineering at 785-532-6088 or visit the GROW website at http://www.k-state.edu/grow.
The GROW program is funded by the Kansas State University provost's office and the colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, and Engineering. It is designed to introduce middle school girls to science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields.


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There are two kinds of smoke alarms - ionization and photoelectric. The ionization smoke detectors activate quicker for fast, flaming fires and the photoelectric type is quicker for slow, smoldering fires. Either one will provide you enough time to get out, but having a mix of the two types is a good idea. Models with both sensors are better than single sensor units, but of course they cost more.
Smoke alarms are powered either by household alternating current (ac), a battery, or ac with a battery that keeps it operating during power outages. The battery type is easy to install in existing homes but the battery must be changed annually. The Connecticut General Statutes for new homes require ac powered alarms with battery backup. For greater safety, older ac only smoke alarms should be replaced with ac/battery alarm, and any smoke alarm older than 10 years should be replaced.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms are recommended when a home uses gas or oil, or has a fireplace. CO alarms are also powered by either an ac, a battery, or ac with a battery. Most CO comes from equipment that will not be working during a power outage so plug-in units are good. But if you might heat your home with a fireplace, wood stove, or kerosene heater when the power is out, you may want to use a battery-powered alarm.
The sensor element in some CO alarms must be replaced regularly. Consider the cost of the replacement element in making your selection.
Show All Answers
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes; CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu. These symptoms include:
The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.
Carbon monoxide (CO) gas can come from several sources:
Everyone is at risk for CO poisoning. Medical experts believe that the following are at an even greater risk for CO poisoning:
What you need to do if your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm goes off depends on whether anyone is feeling ill or not. If no one is feeling ill:
If illness is a factor:


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Just in time for Halloween, it's your chance to tour one of the scariest amusement attractions you'll ever experience – if you have the stomach. I'm of course talking about the chillingly scary GOP Presidential Halloween Haunted House of Terror – sure to give even the most stouthearted independent voter nightmares.
As you enter the haunted house, the first thing you'll notice is the ghastly, rotting corpse of Obama's American Jobs Act – completely picked apart by bloodthirsty congressional vultures. Better look up quickly – or else you'll be sawed in half by Eric Cantor's razor-sharp Gruesome Guillotine of Budget Cuts – sharp enough to slice 40,000 union jobs in one fell swoop. (This exhibit not recommended for anyone from Wisconsin or Ohio.)
If you make it past the budget axe, your fright night journey has just begun. You might want to avert your eyes because that chilling sound you're hearing around the corner is the bloodcurdling screech of the Macabre Maven of Minnesota, Michele Bachmann. With her alluring nasal siren song and her bat-crazy stare, she'll tempt you with a steaming cauldron of a bubbling brew – but don't drink it. It contains the Eye of Newt (Gingrich). One sip and you just might turn into a zombie murmuring that America's best days were back during the Salem Witch Trials.
Watch where you're going or you might stumble right into the most terrifying exhibit of all: Rick Perry's Texas Chainsaw Execution Chamber. You gasp in horror as the Texas Terminator ghoulishly gloats that he has executed more visitors than any other state's haunted house. Just pray you don't have a speeding ticket from Texas or you may not make it out of this chamber alive.
By now, you're no doubt feeling hopelessly lost – a bit like presidential hopeful Rick Santorum. The way out of this nightmare is to just keep veering further to the right. But don't go too far or you might just end up at the extreme rightwing fringe of this house, trapped in the Wicked Witch of Wasila's Little Shop of Horrors. You are grossed out by the display of mauled, dead carcasses of elk, polar bears and any member of the Alaskan state legislature who ever dared to cross her. Run like hell. This Devil wears Prada, and Gucci, and Versace, and Armani.
As you race down the hall, vainly searching for an escape, your heart is pounding. Uh oh. You made a wrong turn to the left. Now you have no choice but to hurl yourself into the Tea Party Town Hall of Torture and its grotesque Gauntlet of Morons. Try not to get trampled to death by the mob of crazy lunatics with glazed looks in their eyes, carrying pitchforks, torches and mangled protest signs like "Stop Youth in Asia!" The way this mob butchers the English language is shocking.
If you're lucky enough to make it through the Gauntlet of Morons, soon you find yourself completely confounded and confused. You've lost your way and find yourself inside Mormon Mitt's Morbid Maze of Mirrors. Mitt seems to be over there on the left. No wait, that's him over there on the right. How can he be on both sides? Who knows which one of these illusions is the real Mitt Romney. One thing's for sure; whichever one it is, he has fiendishly perfect hair.
As you climb the rickety stairs to the attic, you hear howling sounds of despair as other frightened GOP House of Terror victims, er, visitors, watch in horror as their 401K's suddenly vanish into the moonlit night. At the top of the stairs, watch your step. Suddenly, you're awestruck by the alluring vision of a pot of gold and retirement savings you've long dreamed about. But it's an illusion. Only the Werewolves of Wall Street get to keep their pots of gold. The other 99% of visitors will be left wondering what happened to their investment portfolios and property values.
The next instant, you feel your financial footing slip out from under you as you plummet through the Trap Door of Credit Default Swaps, landing with a thud in the dark, dank Dungeon of Debt. Hope you don't get injured in the fall, because in this haunted house, there is no healthcare coverage. The only doctor in this house is Doctor Frankenstein, oh and his side kick, Dr. Ron Paul, better known as the Doctor of Doom.
As you try to make a break for the nearest emergency exit, don't stare into any cracked mirrors, and beware of one seriously menacing, bad ass black cat named Cain. This cat doesn't have just 9 lives. He has 9-9-9 of them. And unless you're rich enough to own a pizza chain, you don't want this black cat anywhere near a white house.
If you enjoy being terrified by shocking images of impending disaster, then you won't want to miss the GOP Halloween Haunted House of Terror. Soon the GOP will be taking this fright night freak show on the road with stops in Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, and beyond.
Sounds like there will be plenty more opportunities for bloodcurdling screams of horror, now that this presidential political campaign of terror has just begun. And that's a scary thought.
That's the view from the bleachers. Perhaps I'm off base. Oh and one more thing: Boo! Happy Halloween!
© Tim Jones, View from the Bleachers 2011


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As I've been doing a lot lately, I turned this recipe around a bit so that I could let my bread machine do all of the heavy work in the beginning. You can just as easily change the order of things to mix it by hand (since that was how the original recipe was written). If you do it by hand, you
adapted from Jamie's Kitchen
yield: 1 loaf
2 c. tepid water + more as needed
1 Tbs. honey
just over 1 lb. (3-4 c.) bread flour + more as needed
1 Tbs. salt
scant 2 Tbs. instant yeast
~⅓ c. fresh rosemary leaves
~9 oz. (~1½ c.) raisins
Turn dough out onto a floured counter and knead for a few minutes by hand. Form into either a free-form round or long loaf and place on a baking sheet that has been dusted with flour. Alternately, oil a loaf pan really well, form dough into a cylinder and place in pan. Cover lightly with a greased film of plastic or a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, ~45 minutes - 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350° F during last 15 or 20 minutes of rise time.
This loaf is extremely fragrant and somewhat dense. It reminds me of brown bread. Very moist and satisfying. Jamie recommends serving with a Ploughman's lunch or with a Cheddar cheese sandwich and tangy pickles. I decided to make a grilled cheese using Extra Sharp cheddar. I ate it with tangy pickles and washed it down with some dark ale. It was heaven! The salty, gooey cheese was the perfect compliment to the sweet, yet herbaceous, hearty bread.
I am also sharing this post with:
*Ott, A's Iron Chef Challenge: Red Star Yeast


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They are eggs, I still have to tuck in a few tails... an important job as I just realised they look a bit like swimming things (if you get my drift).
A friend asked me to crochet her some Easter eggs in pale pastels. At the time I was very retrained in my excitement and the as soon as I was in private, I went crazy over the thought of woollen eggs in egg cartons. Over the past day I have brought them everywhere with me, asking friends and family if they would like an egg and then whipping the lid back from the carton. I don't know if I will ever tire of it. The kids at the bus stop were very relieved when they saw the crocheted version as I think they were a bit worried I was going to make them eat raw eggs. The pattern for them is ridiculously easy so I will post it soon.
Have a lovely day/night - I am going to snuggle up on the big blue couch and make more... eggs.
Lots of love,
Kate xxooxx.


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(Updated With Yet Another Video, With Gaming!) And Two More T-Mobile G2 Unboxing Video's
Rather than add this into the previous unboxing video post, we wanted to make sure everyone see this who might be looking for T-Mobile G2 news and early hands on. So without further delay, one more unboxing video for your viewing pleasure!
And we've added yet another unboxing video courtesy of our good friends at Wirefly!!!
Thanks dotradder!
Thanks to one of our TmoNews forum members, Shinkinrui for getting the top video up!


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When we hear about a brain controlled Arduino project we immediately think about a coding nightmare. As always, the simple hacks are the best hacks. [Joel] and [Akshay] used hardware from a kid's game as a brain interface for an Arduino.
We came across the video (embedded after the break) of their work and asked for more info on what we thought was an incredibly difficult hack. It turns out they purchased Uncle Milton's Force Trainer which uses a headset to measure brain waves and has a base unit that reacts to these measurements. Hacking into this device didn't require reverse engineering of anything. They took the easy route, and tapped into the five LEDs on the base unit. As the game measures greater levels of concentration, it lights up more LEDs.
So far tapping into the game is just a proof of concept. It's up to you to implement a brain controlled beer bot.
Above is the video of the Force Trainer interfaced with an Arduino and used to control the music based on your concentration.
Above is a video review of Uncle Milton's Force Trainer at a toy trade show.


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Mobile Roofing and Construction
Welcome to Roofing Mobile Alabama
Welcome to Roofing Mobile Alabama. Do you need a roof inspection, roof repair, minor maintenance or roofing? Are you looking for a roof replacement because your roof has suffered years of wear and tear? Mobile Roofing and Construction is available to assist you. Our roofers are here to help you make the best decision to increase the lifespan of your roof.
Daphne () is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The city is located along I-10, 11 miles east of Mobile and 170 miles southwest of the state capital of Montgomery. The 2010 United States Census lists the population of the city as 21,570, making Daphne the most populous city in Baldwin County. It is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County. The inhabited history of what is now called Daphne dates at least to the Paleo-Indian period and Native American tribes around 9000 BC. Modern-day Daphne is a thriving suburb of nearby Mobile.
Airmont, Alpine Hills, Austin Park, Autumndale, Bayfront Park, Belforest, Bellewood, Bellfontaine, Benchmark Homes, Blackstone Lake, Blackstone Lakes Neighborhood, Canaan Place Subdidvision, Colonnade at Eastern Shore Apartment Homes, Cypress Shores, D'Olive Creek


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Research Presented At IAS 2013 Gives Scientists Hope For 'Functional Cure'
"Two HIV-positive patients in the United States who underwent bone marrow transplants for cancer have stopped antiretroviral therapy and still show no detectable sign of the HIV virus, researchers said Wednesday" at the 7th International AIDS Society Conference on Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention (IAS 2013) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Associated Press reports (Ng, 7/3). "One patient is HIV-free nearly three years later, and the other more than four years later," NBC News notes (Fox, 7/3). "The patients have been off antiretroviral therapy for just 15 and eight weeks respectively, which researchers said means it's far too soon to say they've been cured of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS," according to the Wall Street Journal. "But even with that caveat, the patients are among a small group of cases helping to fuel optimism among many AIDS researchers and activists that a cure for the lethal disease, once considered out of reach, is now achievable," the newspaper writes (Winslow, 7/3). "Data on the same two patients was presented a year ago at [the IAS 2012] conference in Washington, D.C., by the same researchers, Timothy Henrich and Daniel Kuritzkes" of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Forbes notes, adding, "But at the time the patients had not stopped taking their AIDS medicines" (Herper, 7/3). "'While stem-cell transplantation is not a viable option for people with HIV on a broad scale because of its costs and complexity, these new cases could lead us to new approaches to treating, and ultimately even eradicating, HIV,' Kevin Robert Frost, the chief executive officer of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, which funded the study, said in a statement," Bloomberg Businessweek reports (Bennett, 7/3).
"The patients' success echoes that of Timothy Ray Brown, the famous 'Berlin patient,' who has shown no signs of resurgent virus in the five years since he got a bone-marrow transplant from a donor with a rare mutation conferring resistance to HIV," the New York Times reports (McNeil, 7/3). However, Henrich and Kuritzkes "caution that it is still too early to know whether or not the Boston patients have been cured," Nature notes (Hayden, 7/3). "Long-term follow up of at least one year will be required to understand the full impact of a bone marrow transplant on HIV persistence," Henrich said, according to The Guardian (Boseley, 7/3). "In two other studies presented at [IAS 2013], French researchers said patients who began treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis had the best chance of shrinking the viral reservoir and reviving their immune system," Agence France-Presse reports, noting other researchers gave an update on the case of the "Mississippi baby," "an HIV-positive infant in Mississippi who was put on a course of antiretroviral drugs within a few days of birth [and who] had remained free of the virus 15 months after treatment was stopped." The research "strengthens the motivation for pursuing the once-unthinkable goal of eradicating HIV or repressing it without daily drugs — a condition referred to as a 'functional cure' or 'functional remission,'" AFP writes (7/3).
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.


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A Plastic Ocean
It is no longer a secret that plastic waste is posing a threat to our oceans. The problem is not only the visible pollution: dirty beaches for example. Microplastics - tiny little pieces of plastic - almost invisible, are even more dangerous. It floats in our oceans and gathers in gigantic garbage patches. And from there it finds its way into the food chain. Adventurer and filmmaker Craig Leeson has tracked down plastic waste to get to the bottom of the problem. He connects our consumer behaviour with ocean pollution and asks the crucial question: What must we do to save our oceans?


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Double-amputee Jason Koger used to fly hundreds of miles to visit a clinician when he wanted to adjust the grips on his bionic hands.
Now, he's got an app.
Koger came to Philadelphia this week to demonstrate the i-limb ultra revolution, a prosthetic developed by the British firm Touch Bionics. Using a stylus and an iPhone, Koger can choose any of 24 grip patterns that best suit his needs.
It's the latest evolution in equipment for Koger, a 34-year-old married father of three from Owensboro, Ky., who lost his hands in an all-terrain vehicle accident in 2008.
"Five years ago, I couldn't pull my pants up by myself," said Koger. "Today, I go hunting and do some of the things that I probably never imagined I could have done five years ago."
The technology indicates how rapidly the field of prosthetics is changing, benefiting patients from injured military members to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Practitioners say increased government research in the wake of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is driving some of the advances.
In Koger's case, he was shocked by a downed power line. He went into a coma and had no idea until he woke up three days later that doctors had amputated both his limbs at mid-forearm.
His wife spent those three days researching prosthetics, Koger said.
Since then, he's used a variety of prostheses, which he considers like tools — different extensions for different tasks. Electric hooks have allowed him to pursue his passion for hunting. Myoelectric hands, which react to electrical impulses generated by his remaining arm muscles, offer more precise movements.
The previous version of Koger's myoelectric device required programming by a prosthetist, meaning Koger had to fly to Advanced Arm Dynamics in Dallas. The prosthetist would work with Koger to pick a few grip patterns — such as pinching, pointing or shaking hands — to program into the i-limb.
Yet sometimes Koger would get home and realize they weren't the ones he needed. Now, the latest i-limb comes with iPhone or iPad app that allows Koger to reprogram his hand with the touch of a stylus. On Thursday, he demonstrated by gripping an orange, a baseball and a can of soda.
The i-limb allows fingers and thumbs move independently to conform around certain objects, said Ryan Spill, a prosthetist for Advanced Arm Dynamics' new office in Philadelphia, who is working with Koger. The thumb is also motorized, not passive, as in previous prostheses.
The Boston Marathon bombings, which wounded more than 260 people including many with serious leg injuries, have shined a light on the advances in prostheses. But experts note that technology for upper extremity bionics, which involve fine motor skills, is much different from what's needed for lower extremities, which focuses on weight distribution and gait.
There have also been huge advances in computerized knees and feet, said Joe Reda, assistant director of orthotic and prosthetic services at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, N.J.
"The changes are happening rather rapidly now and I think it's because of our wars overseas," said Reda. "The government is trying to put more money into research and development."
The i-limb ultra revolution costs about $100,000, though some insurance might cover it. Koger, who received his free in exchange for testing them and providing feedback, met Friday in Philadelphia with other amputees interested in the new technology.
Mark Dowling, 50, of Newark, Del., lost his arm to cancer several months ago. He said he cried while watching Koger demonstrate how the hand worked.
"I'm very touched with his story," Dowling said.


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For a little now I've been "stuck" in my life. Things were great, then I got too comfortable, then things started to stagnate.
It happens to everyone.
It can be caused by things being too good, or too bad.
And lately I've been trying desperately to get OUT of it and back to my PRODUCTIVE life.
Well I did a lot of soul-searching kind of stuff and talked to a lot of people….and that helped to an extent, but dammit….there's nothing like taking some good-old ACTION STEPS to get out of it!!
SO here's my Guide to getting your life back on track:
I feel like if you do some/all of these, things will slowly start to spin around for you again. The underlying concept is getting momentum. I'll try to back up each example with my own actions:
HEALTH WEALTH LOVE (3 minutes)
Quickly evaluate three main areas of your life and rank them from 1-to-5.
Health: Your health situation.
Wealth: Your money situation.
Love: Your relationships with family/friends/spouse/partner.
Before I was:
Health: 3
Wealth: 5
Love: 5
Then it became:
Health: 5 (+2)
Wealth: 2 (-3)
Love: 2 (-3)
So I can obviously see where I need to concentrate on.
Try doing this for your own life, and it'll shine some clear idea on where you can get started improving. Here's more about this concept.
Your Top 5 Influences (10 minutes)
This is one of my favorite concepts:
"You are the composite average of the top 5 people you hang around."
This doesn't mean your favorite people to hang around, it means the people you LITERALLY SPEND THE MOST NUMBER OF MINUTES WITH PER DAY.
So if you live at home with your parents, just by the nature of that arrangement, your parents will be some of your top influencers. Or if you have a husband/wife….they will be one of your top influencers.
So take a look around, and write out who your top 5 influences are (aka who you are physically around the most):
1.) __________________
2.) __________________
3.) __________________
4.) __________________
5.) __________________
Are those people the kind of people you wanna become?
Are they as successful as you wanna be??
Do they have the kind of attitudes about life that you want???
Are they going to places you want to go????
If you're hanging around a bunch of losers with crappy attitudes…..it's likely you'll pick up those traits too.
If you're hanging around a bunch of positive people with great attitudes and ideas……it's likely you'll pick up those traits too.
So check your list to see who is negatively influencing you, and try to cut down the time you spend with those people so they don't take you down also.
I dare you to cut out at least ONE of those people. DARE YA!!
Here's more about your top 5 influences.
To-Do Lists (5 minutes)
You KNOW I'm obsessive about to-do lists. But I've been a little unfaithful to my dearest to-do lists lately, in that I haven't been completing them everyday.
I have since returned, and the productivity has begun. Here is my to-do list when I started writing this blog post:
I actually took some of my OWN advice to get back on track:
Watch that to-do list video for some inspiration on how to make your own to-do lists.
You can find out more about to-do lists here.
Stack your calendar (10 minutes)
Simply GOING to events that interest you will help get some momentum going. I started to skip a lot of tech events and conferences….and this bad, because those usually motivate the hell out of me (meeting other people doing cool things always makes you work harder).
I still use a physical calendar to track all my stuff like this:
I went to my bookmark bar of "Austin Events" and started adding things recently.
All good spots to start: Meetup.com, Yelp.com, Craigslist Community.
Wanna go to tech meet ups? Then search "tech meet ups Austin" (or wherever you are).
Nearby universities generally hold a lot of cool events.
I have a whole bookmarks tab of websites/museums/charities etc that hold cool events.
Re-connect with friends by giving to them
Next thing I did was throw a small party (not a typical party though). I only invited 1 or 2 other people.
It was called the "Early Morning Blog Post Writing Party From Nev's Pool Party!"
The rules were:
- We start at 8am
- We go to the shallow end of the pool at my apt
- You bring your laptop
- You write a blog post from inside the pool
I wanted it to be like "having your own writing island."
So me and Billy (Forever Jobless) hit up the pool at my apartment at 8am with laptops for a "Blog Post Writing Party"! It may have been the nerdiest party in the WORLD at that moment!
I'm literally writing this post from the pool right now!!
It was actually damn fun, and Billy even said:
"I got more writing done today than I have in 4 months!"
If there's any Austinite's out there interested in joining me for this every once in a while, lemme know.
Changing your living space
I think changing your living space often signifies changing your life in some way.
I bought a super-kick-ass "Float" desk from HumanScale a few weeks ago, and it just arrived.
It's awesome in several ways:
1.) It can quickly adjust to any height with a small lever.
2.) The work area is clean, all-white, and HUUUGGEE.
3.) The engineering behind it is awesome (it uses a counter-balance system that uses the weight of the stuff on your desk to move it up and down)….yet it's all hidden inside the desk and you'd never know it. Basically it's like a desk Apple would make!
It's super-neat to go from standing to sitting in less than 2 seconds with this desk. Sometimes I prefer moving around and standing, but sometimes sitting down is necessary and more comfortable.
Screw all those "Standing" desks…..this one can do both!
The large size of the desk isn't really conveyed in that picture. I've had it for a while now….and I can honestly say it's been an awesome investment and really helped with productivity!
Also in the "changing your living space" department…….I needed some art for the loonngggest time but couldn't find any. So I sat down and ordered two of the BIGGEST pieces of art from Ikea I could possibly find. I stuck one of them over a boring white wall above my bed:
It doesn't look that big in the picture, but that picture is HUGE. It's like 6.5 feet across.
I'm also making sure I make the bed every morning. I learned this trick from Gary Halbert:
Make your bed as SOON as you wake up in the morning, and you will already start the day off with a small win!
"Messy bed, Messy head."
Those are a few things I'm doing to "get my mojo back". Most of these things are more to mentally-psych myself into being productive once again.
Perhaps if you're going through a period of time where you need this, you could take some inspiration from any of these tips.
Neville Medhora
P.S. From my last Superpowers post, these people won NevBox's: Dave, Dave H, Allen T, Jacqueline P, Robin W.
Thanks Sithana for helping me decide. I'm sending YOU one too for that!
P.P.S. Comment on this post with actions that helped your snap out of a sluggish phase in your life….I'll physically ship 5 commenters NevBox's (worth $97 each…and you can't even buy them if you wanted to). Not only that, but your comment might give some poor soul trying to "figure things out" an idea that could change their life!
P.P.P.S. Please share/send this to anyone who could use a little "jump-start" in their life.


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Every so often – and usually not under the best of circumstance – the field of engineering as a whole is presented with a teaching moment. Volkswagen is currently embroiled in a huge scandal involving emissions testing of 11 Million diesel cars sold in recent years. It's a problem that could cost VW dearly, to the tune of eighteen Billion dollars in the US alone, and will, without a doubt, end the careers of more than a few Volkswagen employees. In terms of automotive scandals, this is bigger than Unsafe at Any Speed. This is a bigger scandal than the Ford Pinto's proclivity to explode. This is engineering history in the making, and an enormously teachable moment for ethics in engineering.
Diesel and the Clean Air Act
Cars with diesel engines are far less common in the US as compared to Europe, and the reason for this is not as simple as fuel costs or simple preference. Diesel fuel contains more energy than an equivalent volume of gasoline, which translates to more miles per gallon. This comes at a cost, though: while gasoline engines emit more carbon dioxide, diesel engines emit far more nitrogen oxides (NOx) than their gas-sipping counterparts.
While diesel automobiles make up one third of the passenger vehicle fleet in Europe, they make up barely a fraction of cars on US roads. This comes down to a difference in environmental regulation. Since the introduction of the US Clean Air Act of 1970, NOx emissions have been under tighter controls than CO₂ emissions. In Europe, CO₂ is more tightly controlled than NOx. It's a simple consequence of regulation that diesel cars would be more popular in Europe than the US.
TDIs and West Virginia University
Sales of Volkswagen diesels have been on the rise in the US in the last few years, despite this more stringent regulation. 'Clean diesel' is a goal for the industry, and a European non-profit, the International Council for Clean Transportation, got in touch with researchers at the Center for Alternative Fuels and Engine Emissions (CAFEE) at West Virginia University. The question of how Volkswagen was able to produce a diesel engine in compliance with US regulations was high on the list of priorities, and the team was well-equipped to test Passats, Jettas, and Golfs in real-world conditions.
Despite passing emissions tests required by the US government, CAFEE found these engines were out of compliance. This apparent discontinuity can be brought to light by examining how diesel emissions are measured. An EPA notice of violation explains this was done by a bit of code functioning as a 'defeat device' that would sense when the vehicle was under test. Software installed in the electronic control module (ECM) would detect when the car was undergoing emissions testing by reading, "various inputs including the position of the steering wheel, vehicle speed, the duration of the engine's operation, and barometric pressure." Under these conditions, the ECM would use a different 'map' that would reduce torque and NOx emissions. Under normal conditions – when the vehicle was not being tested for emissions – a separate 'map' would be used that would increase acceleration, torque, or fuel economy. CAFEE was able to determine this because of a portable testing rig; instead of testing emissions in a garage on a dynamometer, the researchers performed their tests in real-world conditions, driving around Los Angeles, from LA to Mount Baldy, and from LA to San Diego.
VW Admits They Were Wrong
The CAFEE study wrapped up in 2014, and in December of that year, Volkswagen issued a voluntary recall to address this issue. Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) conducted followup testing to investigate why the onboard diagnostic system was not detecting increased emissions. During this time, VW suggested potential technical issues that would explain the increased emissions. These explanations were not sufficient for CARB or the EPA, and it became clear the 2016 model year diesels would not be given certificates of conformity until the issue was resolved. Volkswagen then did something rather remarkable: it admitted it had designed and installed this 'defeat device' that would detect when a vehicle was being tested for emissions.
Which Brings Us To Today…
VW has over 400,000 cars on the road in the US that have this 'defeat device' installed in their ECM. The EPA can enforce civil penalties of up to $37,500 for each vehicle not in compliance with regulations, meaning Volkswagen could face a penalty of $18 Billion USD. Volkswagen stock has dropped 20% in the last few days, and the entire chain of command, from the CEO of Volkswagen down to the lowliest engineer are sweating bullets. Volkswagen is now the target of an investigation by the US Department of Justice, and there will be congressional hearings on the issue. It's hard to imagine a worse situation Volkswagen could find itself in.
Ethics in Engineering
Despite these problems, a congress screaming for answers, investigations by the DoJ, and investors losing years off their lives, we may never know one key fact of this matter: why this 'defeat device' was ever implemented.
An engineer, either in Volkswagen or less likely at a subcontractor, signed off on code that would defeat the entire purpose of EPA and Clean Air Act regulations. Someone with the authority to say 'no' didn't, and this code was installed in the electronic control unit of millions of cars. This is the teachable moment of this entire ordeal; at some point, someone who should have known better. At least one engineer will lose their job over this, and certainly more than one executive will be hung out to dry.
Like the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, like the Johnstown flood, and like that one scene at the beginning of Fight Club, this will be one for the engineering ethics text books. If this does turn into a criminal investigation – and chances of that are good – we will eventually learn how this complete abdication of law and social responsibility came to be. Until then, we're left to guess how one of the biggest blunders of automotive history came to be, and where Volkswagen and the diesel car will be in the years to come.


text:
Today we hold our last Automation Training day for this quarter. So if you want to learn something about test automation at Mozilla, feel free to join at any time during the day. We are around all day, waiting to answer your questions, and to get you started if you want to contribute to one of our projects.
Please have a look at our etherpad for the current status:
I'm looking forward to see some of you!


text:
Albert Einstein was a very smart man. One of the things that he left us with was a banking rule called, "The Rule of 72″. Ever heard of it? It's a simple rule where you take the interest rate that the bank is offering you, divide it into the number 72 and the number that you get represents how long it will take your money to double. So one would look at their lives and determine, 'How many doubling periods might I have in my life'? The numbers begin to shrink the older you get.
Here's how it works:
- Someone gave you $10,000. Woohoo! You'd be pretty happy right?
- You deposit that $10,000 into Wells Fargo, Chase, TD Bank, etc.
- Those banks are offering a whopping 0.01% on a savings account
- You would divide the interest rate into the number 72 and it's going to give you a number. In this case the number is 7200.
- With a 0.01% interest rate that many banks are offering, it will take your $10,000 investment 7200 years to double. Will you be here?
Make that calculation valuation for any interest rate and determine who's getting the better share. You or them?!
Like Elev8 On Facebook To Enrich Your Mind, Body & Soul!
Here's the raw and unadulterated truth. The global economy, places that we shop (Target, Walmart, Costco, Starbucks, etc), has been averaging 10-12% since 1924 in any 4-5 year period of history. So…all of the high rates go back to the banks and then the banks, credit unions and insurance companies, give you and I a portion of that…usually about 0-3%.
Read: Is Social Security Still A Good Deal?
There is no way on this side of heaven that we…us…our families can EVER become financially independent with that little investment return. We cannot! And that is why many people are retiring BROKE. I always say, broke can be fixed, but you have to be properly educated about the "rules" and how they apply to you and your family.
Are The Banks Stealing From You? was originally published on elev8.com


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This was published 10 years ago
With Earth spinning more slowly, time isn't flying as fast as before
Don't forget to set your clocks ahead two thousandths of a second before you go to sleep tonight. Same thing goes for bedtime tomorrow. And every day after that, because that is how much slower the Earth turns on its axis each day now than it did a century ago.
All of those sub-eyeblink slowdowns each century have been adding up, too. For Jurassic-era stegosauruses 200 million years ago, the day was perhaps 23 hours long and each year had about 385 days. Two hundred million years from now, the daily dramas for whatever we evolve into will unfold during 25-hour days and 335-day years.
"We naively think there always has been 24 hours per day," says Thomas O'Brian, chief of the Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). "But that is not the case."
For all but the past 60 to 70 years, those extra milliseconds adding to each day did not matter one whit. The boss still can't tell if you arrive at work two milliseconds after 9am. And twice a year, those accumulating micromoments essentially vanish when most of us adjust our clocks with the start or end of daylight saving time.
Except for one thing: Those micromoments don't actually vanish, and in an era of intense technology, they now matter a whole lot.
"We have become critically dependent on incredibly precise timekeeping," O'Brian says. Technologies such as smartphones, GPS devices and the power grid rely on thousands of separated elements - such as satellites, cell towers, generating stations, computers, electrical switches and countless computers - that cannot get more than a millionth of a second out of sync with one another before bad stuff happens.
Consider GPS signals between satellites and receivers on the ground. Those are radio signals that move at the speed of light, which means they travel about one foot every billionth of a second (which is a nanosecond). So if the clocks in GPS satellites and your GPS receiver drift just one millionth of a second - a thousand nanoseconds - out of sync with each other, the system will not pinpoint your location more precisely than within about two-fifths of a mile. If the synchronisation drifts off by one thousandth of a second, the system couldn't tell you for sure what city you're in.
The moment-to-moment monitoring and management by which electrical engineers maintain the flows of current in power grids, whose interconnected components can span thousands of miles, are possible only because of precisely synchronised clocks and high-speed communication by which even the most distant parts of the grid can keep track of each other's status. And forget about talking and texting on mobile phones or Googling on your computer without superlatively timed handoffs of billions of signals between cellphone towers and perfectly timed transmissions of data packets crisscrossing the planet at lightning speed only to miraculously reassemble everywhere into coherent Web pages.
"If we relied on the Earth's length of day, we could not have any of this," says O'Brian, whose group at NIST develops, maintains and improves the supremely regular atomic clocks on which all other timekeeping ultimately is based.
An atomic second is defined, in techspeak, as "the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of cesium 133 atoms." Translation: The cesium atoms behave like magnificently fast pendulums that never, ever waver the way the Earth's rotation does. It is because of those more than 9 billion oscillations per second that it is possible to synchronise clocks with better than millionths-of-a-second precision.
An Earth second, on the other hand, has been defined since early in the 19th century as 1/86,400th of a 24-hour day (60 seconds times 60 minutes times 24 hours = 86,400). The trouble for modern technologies, O'Brian says, is that the planet's length of day "is wandering unpredictably every day."
What's slowing the Earth down? The moon is the biggest and steadiest drag on the Earth's rotation. Think tides here. As the Earth turns, the moon's gravitation pulls on the Earth's oceans and some of the crust below. As the planet rotates, this tidal interaction with the moon acts like the rubber damper on a carnival wheel that slowly brings the rotating wheel to a halt. This accounts for the bulk of the roughly two-millisecond slowdown of Earth's rotation for each century's worth of this tidal drag.
But there are many other planetary processes that either bog down or rev up the Earth's spin. Any large-scale interaction between parts of the Earth, such as ocean winds or movements of the planet's molten iron core against the solid mineral mantle, subtly speeds up or slows down the Earth's rotation. Any process that redistributes lots of mass upward or downward will slow or speed the rotation, much as a spinning ice skater slows or quickens her rotation by drawing in or extending her arms. Evaporation, precipitation, melting, changing wind patterns, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are among the processes that can do this.
"In recent decades, the Earth's rotation has been speeding up," O'Brian points out. "This is almost certainly a temporary effect, based on weather, climate changes, changes in the crust or flow of magma."
For geophysicist Richard Gross of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, even the tiniest changes in Earth's rotation are more than merely interesting. "To navigate a spacecraft through space and get it to Mars, you need to precisely know how Earth is oriented with respect to Mars," says Gross, whose works contributes to JPL's interplanetary navigation. He noted that even microsecond changes in Earth's rotation produce enough of a shift in the Earth-Mars orientation to throw the navigational precision off by a mile or more. And that could mean the difference between putting a Martian lander down successfully on a predetermined flat surface or sending it tumbling into a ravine. To help Gross get better at mastering these subtleties, he and a colleague calculated a few years ago that the Sumatran earthquake of December 26, 2004, repositioned enough of the Earth's mass to snip 6.8 microseconds from the length of the day.
"We have come full circle," O'Brian says. The rotation of the Earth had long been the most accurate measure of time for humanity, but now such technologies as atomic clocks and GPS devices make it possible to measure tiny variations in Earth's rotation. And the scientific reverberations are not just for space junkies. In a July paper in the journal Nature, for instance, researchers in England and France argued that sub-millisecond-scale variations in Earth's rotation that occur on a 5.9-year cycle are probably linked to motions and interactions within the planet's molten core where no one has ever been to take a look.
Washington Post


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Broadway vet Ben Vereen is joining "Planet Schmanet Janet!" The Tony winner tweeted that he will play Dr. Everett Scott on Fox's Rocky Horror. The two-hour event (not live) will air this fall on a date to be announced.
Vereen won a Tony Award for his performance in Pippin. His other Broadway credits include Wicked, Sweet Charity, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar (which netted him a Tony nod) Grind, Fosse and I'm Not Rappaport.
The cast will also include the previously reported Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Tony nominee and original star Tim Curry as the Criminologist Narrator, Adam Lambert as Eddie, Annaleigh Ashford as Columbia, Ryan McCartan as Brad, Reeve Carney as Riff Raff, Victoria Justice as Janet, Christina Milian as Magenta and Staz Nair as Rocky.