text:
Cold Spring Harbor, NY — One way of regulating protein levels in cells is to shorten the lifespan of messenger RNAs (mRNAs). These are intermediary molecules that are first copied from DNA in the cell's nucleus via a process called transcription and then transported into the cell's body to be translated into protein.
A team of molecular biologists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has discovered that mRNAs can be targeted for destruction by several modes and molecules, highlighting a previously unanticipated complexity in the control and regulation of the cell's genetic messages. Their findings are detailed in a paper that appears in Molecular Cell on June 25th.
"In addition to revealing the surprising diversity of post-transcriptional events that regulate mRNAs, our work also points to new roles for a family of proteins that mediate RNA interference or RNAi," said CSHL Professor and HHMI Investigator Gregory Hannon, Ph.D., who led the team.
In RNAi, tiny bits of RNA that are about 21 "letters" or nucleotides long latch on to longer messenger RNA strands at regions where their nucleotide sequences are complementary. The tiny RNAs, called microRNAs, serve as guides to a family of proteins called Argonautes. The binding of the microRNA-Argonaute complex to its mRNA target triggers its destruction.
In mammals, this destruction has, until now, mostly been attributed to the activation of cellular pathways that destabilize the mRNA molecule, causing it to decay. By using a method that combines computational predictions with experimental testing, Hannon's group has now detected other modes of mRNA destruction that involve cleavage of mRNAs by various catalytic, or slicing, enzymes.
The team, which profiled the entire population of cleaved mRNAs found in mouse embryonic stem cells, has found multiple mRNAs that have undergone "endonucleolytic cleavage"—i.e. they have been sliced or cleaved (and hence destroyed) by the enzyme Ago2, one of the Argonautes. By sorting through cleaved mRNAs found in cells that lack Ago2 activity, the team has also found evidence that mRNAs also undergo cleavage by enzymes other than Ago2.
"One of these enzymes is another well known RNAi mediator called Drosha, which, like Ago2, also seems to be able to directly cleave its mRNA targets," explains Fedor Karginov, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Hannon's group. "But we're found many mRNA targets that aren't cleaved either by Ago2 or by Drosha, which suggests that there are other enzymes involved in regulating the life-spans of mRNAs."
"We've long wondered why Ago2's catalytic activity has been conserved in vertebrates—organisms in which microRNAs can for the most part operate without enzymatic help from Ago2," explains Hannon. "Our new findings of Ago2's direct involvement in mRNA regulation now help explain some of this evolutionary pressure to maintain a catalytically active Ago2 in mammals."
Written by: Hema Bashyam, Science Writer | email@example.com | 516-367-8455
"Diverse endonucleolytic cleavage sites in the mammalian transcriptome depend on microRNAs, Drosha, and additional nucleases," appears online in Molecular Cell on June 25th. The full citation is: Fedor V. Karginov, Sihem Cheloufi, Mark M.W. Chong, Alexander Stark, Andrew D. Smith and Gregory G. Hannon. The paper can be found at http://www.cell.com/molecular-cell/fulltext/S1097-2765(10)00416-8


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Who
- Mrs. Vassilyeva
- What
- 69 people
- Where
- Russian Federation (Shuya)
The greatest officially recorded number of children born to one mother is 69, to the wife of Feodor Vassilyev (b. 1707–c .1782), a peasant from Shuya, Russia. In 27 confinements she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets.
Numerous contemporaneous sources exist, which suggest that this seemingly improbable and statistically unlikely story is true and she is the woman with most children.
The case was reported to Moscow by the Monastery of Nikolsk on 27 Feb 1782, which had recorded every birth. It is noted that, by this time, only two of the children who were born in the period c. 1725–65 failed to survive their infancy.
The Gentleman's Magazine (1783, 53, 753) recounts: "In an original letter now before me, dated St Petersburg, Aug 13, 1782, O. S. Feodor Wassilief [sic], aged 75, a peasant, said to be now alive and in perfect health, in the Government of Moscow, has had–
By his first wife:
4 x 4 = 16
7 x 3 = 21
16 x 2 = 32
27 births 69 children
By his second wife:
6 x 2 = 12
2 x 3 = 6
8 births 18 children
In all, 35 births, 87 children, of which 84 are living and only three buried. . . The above relation, however astonishing, may be depended upon, as it came directly from an English merchant at St Petersburg to his relatives in England, who added that the peasant was to be introduced to the Empress."
When talking about the record for the most kids in Saint Petersburg Panorama, Bashutski, 1834, the author notes that:
"In the day of 27 February 1782, the list from Nikolskiy monastery came to Moscow containing the information that a peasant of the Shuya district, Feodor Vassilyev, married twice, had 87 children. His first wife in 27 confinements gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets. His second wife in eight confinements gave birth to six pairs of twins and two sets of triplets. F. Vassilyev was 75 at that time with 82 of his children alive."
And the Lancet (1878) refers to a twin study carried out by the French Academy and:
" Apropos of the enquiry, the Committee of the Academy recall an account of a quite extraordinary fecundity that was published by M. Hermann in his "Travaux Statistiques de la Russie," for Fedor Vassilet [sic]. . . who, in 1782, was aged 75 years, had had, by two wives, 87 children."
Aside from this, not much is known about the first Mrs Vassilyev - even her first name (although some sources claim her full name was Valentina Vassilyev).
It is thought she lived to the age of 76.
Although this historic record for the most kids by one woman should be taken with a pinch of salt, it is certainly conceivable that Mrs Vassilyev could have had a genetic predisposition to hyper-ovulate (release multiple eggs in one cycle), which significantly increases the chance of having twins or multiple children.
It is also not impossible for a woman to have 27 pregnancies during her fertile years.
@guinnessworldrecords Most prolific mother ever: Mrs Vassilyev (b. 1707–c.1782) - 69 children #LearnOnTikTok #GWRoriginals ♬ original sound - Guinness World Records


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Elena's Travails – ebook
Elena's Travails by Nigel McParr
Eighteen year old, high school dropout Elena is homeless. She places a desperate call to Nadia, a longtime friend who babysat her years ago. The timing is perfect. Nadia's husband, Victor, wants to lure a buxom young woman into his home to train and conquer. Victor orders Nadia to educate his bauble and make her his plaything. He binds and whips Elena, bends her to his will. Nadia helps her husband control the voluptuous woman and pleases him immensely in the bargain.
Victor and his friends compel Elena into abject submission. With Victor's blessing, Nadia introduces Elena to feminine domination and lovemaking. While Nadia blossoms into a matron and disciplinarian, Elena sinks further into submission.
Victor arranges Elena's marriage to his best friend's son. Once married, Elena falls under the spell of Elizabeth, Nadia's ruthless and beautiful girlfriend. Elena's mother-law, a dominant matron with her own subjugation designs, encourages Elizabeth to seduce the naïve girl.
Soon after marriage, her husband has enough of her drinking and philandering. He spanks Elena trying to teach her a lesson. When that doesn't work, he then takes her to his mother's laundry and leaves her there. Elena's mother-in-law has fulfilled her true desire; she now has complete control of her daughter-in-law. She detains Elena in the laundry; works, whips, and cages her. Ultimately, she accepts her subjugation and the fact her mother-in-law will never release her. Yet, somehow she still loves her.
Includes: M/f, F/f, spanking, strapping, whipping, frontal, anal, oral sex, bondage, lesbian love making.
Additional information
Artist Credit | Cover Art Axel Bueckert |
Publish Date | 10/5/2012 |
Page Count | 105 |
Word Count | 54629 |
There are no reviews yet.


text:
If you ask the Left, they'll give you every excuse in the book for why they're going to get their brains beaten out today. The economy is bad, Obama cooperates too much with the Republicans, the American people are irrational, it's Bush's fault — it goes on and on.
What you will very seldom hear are liberals admitting that they richly deserve to be decimated today because of their poor performance, terrible policies, and astonishing arrogance. Most conservatives are willing to admit that the American public rejected the GOP in 2006 and 2008 because the Republican Party did a lousy job. If and when liberals are willing to admit that they deserve the beating that they're going to get, then you'll know that they're starting to act a little more like adults and a little less like, well….liberals.
In order to help our liberal pals get a grip on reality, here are 7 quotations that help explain why the Democrats are going to get annihilated at the ballot box today.
1) "As she prepares to step down as President Obama's chief economist, Christina Romer said Friday that she wishes she could redo one of her first official acts for the president: last January's forecast that a big shot of federal spending would save millions of jobs and keep the unemployment rate under 8 percent." — The Washington Post
Right out of the gate, the Democrats passed the largest stimulus bill in the history of our country. Republicans said the massive bill would run up the debt and wouldn't help the economy. On the other hand, Democrats promised that the stimulus plan would spur job creation and keep the unemployment rate below 8%; therefore, it would be worth it to dramatically run up our debt. Well, guess what? We got the debt, but not the jobs.
2) "But I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking." — Barack Obama
Remember the Barack Obama we all saw on the campaign trail, particularly in the early part of the race? Most people found Obama to be charismatic and uplifting. He came across as a moderate and talked incessantly about hope, change, and unity. As he got deeper into the race and looked more likely to win, the narcissism started to show through, but early on, Obama did a great job of hiding his real personality. Well, now that Obama's in office and having a tough time, the mask has slipped, the charisma is gone, and Obama comes across as the Democratic version of Richard Nixon: paranoid, dishonest, and nasty.
3) "If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, 'We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us,' if they don't see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it's gonna be harder and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2." — Barack Obama
Speaking of the mask slipping, Barack Obama has gone from pretending to be a post-racial healer to an ugly demagogue who tells Latinos that Republicans are their "enemies." One of the things that made Barack Obama appealing to so many Americans was the belief that he'd help Americans get beyond race-based grievances. Instead, we now have a President who fans the flames of race-based hatred.
4) "Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive." — Joe Biden
For the last two years, the Democrats' answer to every question has been more spending and bigger government. This came after George W. Bush left office with an approval rating in the twenties in large part because people felt like he'd grown government instead of shrinking it. If people didn't want an extra helping of government under Bush, they certainly didn't want a seven course meal of government under Obama. Businesses don't want it either, which is part of the reason that they're still not hiring new employees. Until Democrats start to realize government is part of the problem with America, not the solution to America's problems, they're going to be out of step with the American people.
5) "Now, people when I say that look at me and say, 'What are you talking about, Joe? You're telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?' The answer is yes, that's what I'm telling you." — Joe Biden
If spending money got us out of debt, we'd have the largest cash reserves in the history of mankind by now. But instead, regrettably, we've increased our debt so fast over the last couple of years that it's threatening the future of our country. In fact, we've spent so much more than we have, so quickly, that the idea that our nation could go bankrupt no longer seems far-fetched to the average American.
6) "What good is reading the (health care) bill if it's a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?" — John Conyers
It has not escaped the American people that never before has there been so much momentous legislation passed by people who not only didn't know what was in it, but also didn't care that they didn't know what was in it.
7) "There's going to be a tendency on the part of our people to be in denial about (Scott Brown's win), but if you lose Massachusetts and that's not a wake-up call, there's no hope of waking up." — Evan Bayh
When angry Americans showed up at townhall meetings, Democrats claimed they were "astroturf." When the Tea Partiers gathered, Democrats wrote them off as extremists. When Scott Brown won "Ted Kennedy's seat" in a race that revolved around stopping health care reform, Democrats just shrugged it off. When the polls showed staunch and growing opposition to health care reform, Democrats said the American people would learn to love it. Well, guess what? November is here, nobody has learned to love Obamacare, and now, the American people are going to use the last option they have left to get through to the Democrats in D.C.: voting the bums out.


text: On Sat, 18 Dec 2004, Jim Lux wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Douglas Eadline, Cluster World Magazine" <deadline at linux-mag.com> > To: "Jim Lux" <James.P.Lux at jpl.nasa.gov> > Cc: "Beowulf Mailing List" <beowulf at beowulf.org> > Sent: Friday, December 17, 2004 5:57 PM > Subject: Re: [Beowulf] The Value Cluster > > --snip-- > > My Microtel is somewhat noisy, as well. > > In your $2500 cluster challenge you laid out some requirements, but didn't > have something like "minimum number of processors"... Is a cluster of two > legal? I know you're using 8, which seems a reasonable number to > demonstrate lots of things (and you certainly run into scaling problems by > that time). Well in the magazine we mention that you can certainly use less (or more) nodes. And, a two node/X-over cable cluster should not break the smallest budget. We chose the 8/$2500 because it was a good balance between nodes/cost (and as you know most small switches have 5 or 8 ports). we also want to have a nice "pile of CPUs" to play with later. Of course there some other issue such as using standard household/office electrical service, heat, and space. BTW, we will be introducing some scripts to do "poweroff"/"Wake on LAN" kinds of things so that if you are paying the electric bill and the cluster is idle, you can cut down on the power usage. This is also why homogeneous hardware is important -- "If you use what we use, then we can be sure it will work for you kind of thing." > > Do they have to be in cases? Think of the several clusters made of bare > mobos stacked on a shelf, or threaded rod, or,.... Save yourself $50/case, > and on 8 cases, you might buy another processor? > Since the fundamental purpose of a $2500 cluster is pedagogy, it's > instructive to go through this tradeoff for all scales, from 4 processors to > 1024. Well, this could get interesting. My view is that there should be no custom work/parts involved and there should be enough "best practice" information to support problems. Let me explain. You could save $40 for the cases, but then that requires some other kind of custom work which means you are out on a limb of sorts. For instance, you could be more space efficient, but the hassle of mounting motherboards, power supplies in some custom enclosure would soon out weigh the an easier commodity approach. Plus, if you run into problems, there are plenty of books and web sites that explain how to "build a basic PC" with commodity parts. I am often tempted to say, "Gee these Micro ATX boards are so small, I could just ...", but then it becomes a custom project and harder to reproduce. One of the goals is to provide a low cost and reproducible cluster on which people can play. The way I figure it, the more "cluster play" the better. > > One suggestion I have is to assign some value or limit to "fooling around > time", just to keep the concept of the dirt-cheap cluster sound. > The idea for the magazine series is to minimize this time. We are providing an 8 node recipe and if you follow it your chances of success are pretty good. You can also stray a bit from the path and invest some "fooling around time" and build a variation of the "recipe". The article also explains much of the rational we used in selecting components. I believe one of the biggest time and cost savings is that we identified low cost parts that work well. Of course, they are not "server quality", but at least we know they work as described (which can not be guaranteed for all low coat "value hardware"). For instance, I believe one of the triumphs was finding an inexpensive case that was well constructed and did not slice up you fingers. Doug ---------------------------------------------------------------- Editor-in-chief ClusterWorld Magazine Desk: 610.865.6061 Fax: 610.865.6618 www.clusterworld.com


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The Appellate Court Clerk's office works for the Tennessee Supreme Court, Tennessee Court of Appeals and Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Relative to these Courts, the primary responsibilities of the Office of the Appellate Court Clerk include:
- filing and processing all briefs, motions and other documents for cases on appeal;
- scheduling all oral arguments;
- filing all orders and opinions issued; and
- notifying all parties to appeals of all filings.
The dedicated staff with 30 employees are located at the Supreme Court buildings in Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson, Tennessee.
**The Tennessee Supreme Court has established a new fee structure for costs and fees assessed in appellate courts. Beginning July 9, 2018, appellate litigants will be required to pay their fees when initiating a case in the appellate courts. View the order. More information will be posted on this page before the change goes into effect.
Effective July 1, 2017 - The Notice of Appeal is no longer filed with the trial court clerk but shall be filed at the office of the Appellate Court Clerk. More information on the new procedures for filing a Notice of Appeal can be found here.


text:
Indian weddings, as Sooraj Barjatya discovered long before Mira Nair, are irresistibly elaborate parties, grand shindigs mixing cocktails with culture, and rituals with remixes. They translate perfectly to our screens, and all a director really needs is to keep the camera tightly closed on a shaadi. Bas.
But Barjatya's Vivah is far more ambitious than just letting a good cinematographer make a wedding video. The director has earnestly tried his hand at a full-blooded Bollywood movie, using his recurrent wedding theme merely as a backdrop.
Now if only he'd followed this idea up with real actors, something close to a plot, and someone who could write one line of actual dialogue.
Vivah is a nightmare. With a storyline and background score making you feel like you're trapped in a sadistically put-together marathon of soap operas, this isn't just a bad movie. There are lots of awful films out there, and one would ignore this, label it avoidable (wise course of action) and move on, but this is much worse than a mere bad film.
Vivah is unforgivably regressive. Under the guise of 'old-world charm,' the film paints an India that makes you wince, a disastrously worded world whose characters are not just saccharine but suicide-provoking. Alright, people in small towns are simple and charming, and yes, they are more prone to tradition than most of us, but in no way are they... what's the word? Ah yes, pathetic. Vivah is shameful simply because it makes you glad to be in a big city, and like another big release this year, it really makes you wanna give marriage a rethink.
There is precious little to be said for the story. Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao, an engaged couple almost wholly unacquainted with each other, have fallen in love -- the coldest, least passionate love you've seen in a while, by the way and there is much rejoicing among their families as the wedding nears, except she's Cinderella. An orphan raised by her aunt and uncle, suddenly Amrita finds herself on the receiving end of hostility -- largely because her wedding dress costs too much.
The background score hammers cliche as tension takes over the narrative. With typically Barjatya style, people roll down staircases, Mohnish Bahl pops up (as a truly mean doctor), and the 'moments' are subtle enough to knock you into a snore. And while the lead pair can't act, the dialogue hurts even more than they do.
Picture Shahid mooning wistfully on a verandah. Amrita, ghoonghat covering her head, pops up behind him with a brass tumbler full of water, and mousily asks him if he'd like some "jal." That's right, these folk are inadvertently mean caricatures of the heartland, talking like absolutely nobody does. He sniffles, takes the glass and reaches for some ice when she cuts in. 'People with a cold,' she smiles at his sneakers, 'shouldn't ice their drinks.' Amrita smiles 'coyly' and scoots off, even as Shahid skips the ice and stands wondering how she realised he had a cold. While this rough translation from the unbelievable Vivah tongue might not have quite the same impact, it exemplifies the horror this film is packed with.
The only good thing that one can say about Shahid Kapoor is that he isn't awful. He isn't offensively bad, doesn't ham it up like crazy, or speak in a weird accent. Having said that, he isn't an actor at all, standing around working on his boyish grin, simply chewing up the scenery. No screen presence at all.
Amrita Rao plays a cow. Docile to a fault, the pretty girl ponders around the film, constantly getting in the way of the story. Her character is not just conservative but excessively given to world-pleasing. She sobs, she smiles, she scampers -- she does anything anyone wants her to do, making you wish someone tried asked her to be subtle. Her painful performance coupled with the horrible lines she's given singles her out as the film's weakest point -- so her having the maximum screentime isn't a positive.
Damn, how this film makes us miss Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit.
Sooraj Barjatya is responsible for some very fine films. While simplistic and given to melodrama, his films are usually peopled by great characters. Believable folk walk through Maine Pyaar Kiya, and get much better by the time Hum Aapke Hain Koun comes along. The films featured good side-characters, and brilliant lead actors who made even their extreme earnestness and nobility believable. Cynics may scoff, but those films had heart. And lots of warmth.
This one pretends to be sweet. And ends up leaving a bad taste in your mouth.
Rediff Rating: No stars. Which also happens to be Vivah's top flaw.


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'Glee' Season 4: Bette Midler as Rachel's Grandmother?
'Glee' season 4 is in no shortage of star power, what with its recurring roles for both Hollywood icons Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson, and even the recent casting of 'American Idol' vet and runner-up Jessica Sanchez. Still, the latest potential casting might just satisfy plenty of longtime 'Glee' fantasies, as the FOX musical drama has its sights on theatre legend Bette Midler for an upcoming role. Given her notoriety, however, would she play herself or an all-new character?
'Glee' showrunner Ryan Murphy placed a rather large bet last night, publicly asking celebrity Bette Midler to put in an appearance on the FOX musical during an onstage presentation at a charity event for God's Love We Deliver. Thankfully, Murphy was spared embarrassment as both stars live-tweeted the invitation, Midler tenuously accepting the offer. But who might the star play?
Given Midler's theatre prominence and likely Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)'s own affinity for Bette Midler, it would seem a shame if the star didn't play herself, especially now that the series has permanently relocated Rachel to New York. Still, Midler had her own ideas in mind, tweeting that she might be interested in playing the character's grandmother.
Rachel's grandmother certainly seems like a possibility, bearing a light resemblance to both Michele and Broadway star Idina Menzel, who was selected to play Rachel's mother Shelby Corcoran. Of course, with nothing signed yet, there are any number of possibilities.
'Glee' will return with "The Role You Were Born to Play" on November 4, so in the meantime, hit the comments with your speculation, Gleeks!


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- This event has passed.
Transition to ISO 9001:2015 Including Risk Management Training
May 8, 2017 - May 10, 2017
| $895Course Navigation
This fast paced class is designed for organizations with progressive quality management systems that want to take advantage of the benefits of the new ISO 9001:2015 standard by being early adaptors. The ISO 9001 standard we have known for 15 years is underwent a massive change. It has emerged as truly a business system guidance document.
SRI, a premier North American Registrar, has one of its senior staff auditors on the American Committee charged with writing the new standard. This course is based on the published standard and will review the new standard, identify key new concepts and provide audit perspective regarding implementation. Key new or significantly revised concepts such as context of the organization, risk management, competency, performance and continual improvement will be addressed. The class will spend at least one day on these issues; the second day will be devoted to risk management and the ISO 31000 standard (along with the supplemental ISO 31010 standard) that provide guidance for creating and implementing an effective risk management system; the third day will examine internal auditing for the new standard including dealing with risk management issues.


text:
William Preucil
William Preucil is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, former principal violist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a founding member of the Stradivari Quartet, and is Emeritus Professor at The University of Iowa, where he received its annual M.L. Huit Award for Teaching Excellence in 1992. He is the recording artist for the method books of the Suzuki Viola School, and has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, vice-president of the International Suzuki Association, and vice-president of the American Viola Society, which gave him its Creative Achievement Award in 2008. He is also the recipient of the American String Teachers Association 2009 Artist Teacher Award. An SAA registered Teacher-Trainer, Mr. Preucil has performed concerts and taught classes in more than thirty-five countries on six continents.
- Strings


text:
BAT benefits as emerging market smokers try top brands
Growing demand for premium brand cigarettes in developing countries is helping British American Tobacco to cope with falling sales in Western markets, higher taxes and a rise in black market trading.
The world's second-biggest cigarette maker, which generates almost 70 percent of its profits in emerging markets, met forecasts on Thursday with a 7 percent rise in 2012 adjusted earnings as higher profit margins made up for falling volumes.
"The key lever is the price mix," Kingsley Wheaton, Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, told Reuters, pointing to a move by some consumers towards its premium brands such as Kent and Dunhill Fine Cut.
Tobacco firms are struggling with sluggish demand in western Europe and north America, but British American Tobacco (BAT) has fared better than most as it has the broadest global spread of the big cigarette makers.
BAT, whose brands also include Lucky Strike and Pall Mall, sold 694 billion cigarettes in 2012, down 1.6 percent on 2011.
Sales were affected by growth in black market trade, driven by excise taxes on cigarettes, particularly in Brazil and Mexico, and instability in Egypt.
The black market, which BAT estimates accounts for around 12 percent of all global trade of cigarettes, has impacted other tobacco firms too.
Imperial Tobacco , whose brands include Davidoff and Gauloises Blondes, said in January its profit would be hit by the rise in black market cigarettes as cash-strapped smokers in parts of the world try to save money.
However, BAT reported a rise in adjusted earnings per share to 207.5 pence for last year, compared with a forecast of 206.6 pence, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S estimates.
Margins rose 160 basis points to 37.4 percent and while reported revenues fell 1 percent, they were up 4 percent stripping out the adverse impact of foreign exchange moves.
BAT also said it would buy back 1.5 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) of shares in 2013, following a 1.25-billion-pound buyback last year.
Analysts at Jefferies said the margins were a big surprise, well ahead of targets and consensus estimates. The buyback was also positive, they added.
"We believe this (buyback) will be well received by the market and suggests a certain level of confidence behind the business looking into 2013," the brokers said.
"We expect the higher buyback, better operating performance and weaker sterling to drive low single-digit consensus EPS upgrades."
Shares in BAT, which have risen around 8 percent in 2013 to date, were up 0.3 percent at 3,426.5 pence at 1030 GMT.
Tobacco firms are also facing stricter rules on packaging and branding as governments seek to fight concerns over the long-term health costs of smoking. Tobacco kills up to half of its users, according to the World Health Organization.
Russia became the latest country to say it would ban smoking in public places this week, a move opposed by BAT and other tobacco firms.
Europe is planning larger health warnings on packets and a total ban on flavorings such as menthol, while Australia is forcing manufacturers to use drab-colored packaging with pictures of ill babies and diseased body parts.
Wheaton said it was too early to tell the effect the closely-watched experiment in Australia, which began in December, has had on sales.
"As far as we can tell, nothing has happened that is unduly different, but it's too early for numbers and percentages," he said.
($1 = 0.6608 British pounds)
(Editing by Mark Potter)


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The Deep
The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss
by Claire Nouvian
About The Book
On dry land, most organisms are confined to the surface, or at most to altitudes of a hundred meters — the height of the tallest trees. In the oceans, though, living space has both vertical and horizontal dimensions: with an average depth of 3800 meters, the oceans offer 99% of the space on Earth where life can develop. And the deep sea, which has been immersed in total darkness since the dawn of time, occupies 85% of ocean space, forming the planet's largest habitat. Yet these depths abound with mystery. The deep sea is mostly uncharted — only about 5 percent of the seafloor has been mapped with any reasonable degree of detail — and we know very little about the creatures that call it home. Current estimates about the number of species yet to be found vary between ten and thirty million. The deep sea no longer has anything to prove; it is without doubt Earth's largest reservoir of life.
Combining the latest scientific discoveries with astonishing color imagery, The Deep takes readers on a voyage into the darkest realms of the ocean. Revealing nature's oddest and most mesmerizing creatures in crystalline detail, The Deep features more than two hundred color photographs of terrifying sea monsters, living fossils, and ethereal bioluminescent creatures, some photographed here for the very first time. Accompanying these breathtaking photographs are contributions from some of the world's most respected researchers that examine the biology of deep-sea organisms, the ecology of deep-sea habitats, and the history of deep-sea exploration.
An unforgettable visual and scientific tour of the teeming abyss, The Deep celebrates the incredible diversity of life on Earth and will captivate anyone intrigued by the unseen — and unimaginable — creatures of the deep sea.
Hardcover The Deep read online on Mac. FB2 book The Deep Claire Nouvian download on Powells. Online ebook The Deep by Claire Nouvian on Bookshop. EPUB ebook The Deep buy for PocketBook. TXT book The Deep by Claire Nouvian read PC.


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AN OPEN-LABEL RANDOMIZED MULTICENTER PHASE Ib/II TRIAL EVALUATING THE SAFETY TOLERABILITY PHARMACOKINETICS AND EFFICACY OF MOSUNETUZUMAB (BTCT4465A) IN COMBINATION WITH POLATUZUMAB VEDOTIN IN PATIENTS WITH B-CELL NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA
Brief description of study
The purpose of this study is to test the safety of mosunetuzumab at different dose levels when given in combination with polatuzumab vedotin and to find out what effects, good and/or bad, the study treatment has on you and your DLBCL or FL and to determine the most effective and safe dose; this is the dose-finding phase (Phase lb).
Clinical Study Identifier: s18-00326
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03671018
Principal Investigator:
Catherine M Diefenbach.
If you are registered as a volunteer, please log in to contact the study team/express interest in this study.


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The GoodThe Galaxy S10 Plus has a phenomenal AMOLED screen, monster battery life and loads of useful camera tools. The option to wirelessly charge another device is convenient and really works.
The BadNighttime and low-light shots on the Galaxy S10 Plus aren't as clear or crisp as dedicated night modes on the Pixel 3 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint reader isn't always fast or accurate. Mispresses on the curved edge-to-edge display are a minor annoyance.
The Bottom LineGalaxy S10 Plus is a killer phone for 2019, although serious photographers will find its nighttime camera shots lacking.
9.0 Overall
- Design 9
- Features 9
- Performance 9
- Camera 8.5
- Battery 10
The Galaxy S10 Plus may be the first major flagship phone of 2019, but it's already clearly one of the best phones for the year. I say this even though the Galaxy S10E is a better value buy, even though the foldable Galaxy Fold and Galaxy S10 5G are right around the corner, and even with Huawei's P30 Pro applying the heat with four rear cameras that could overpower the S10 Plus' photo skills. Although the S10 Plus isn't without fault (two major ones, really), but its 6.4-inch AMOLED screen, all-day battery life, wireless power-sharing feature and combination of three rear cameras are stellar.
It also doesn't hurt that the S10 Plus is the only one of Samsung's four new Galaxy S10 phones to have a 1TB storage option and a ceramic finish for the 512GB and 1TB models. Do you really need all that storage? Is it worth the $250 price tag to pay for it, and for the ceramic finish? "Need" would be a stretch, but if you want it, it's nice to know it's there. Samsung is clearly making the Plus its no. 1.
At $1,000 for the 128GB model, $1,250 for 512GB and a cool $1,600 for the 1TB storage option (!), it's a costly device. (It starts at £1,099 in the UK and AU$1,499 in Australia.) Of course, when you look at the Galaxy Fold's $1,980 starting price and Huawei Mate X's $2,600 price tag, the S10 Plus seems almost reasonable as a phone you can buy today, without emptying out your bank account or waiting for 5G networks to kick in.


text: > -----Original Message----- > From: beowulf-bounces at beowulf.org > [mailto:beowulf-bounces at beowulf.org] On Behalf Of Douglas Eadline > Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 2:40 PM > To: Hearns, John > Cc: beowulf at beowulf.org > Subject: RE: [Beowulf] noobs: what comes next? > > > If you want to build a small cheap usable cluster check this out. > > http://limulus.basement-supercomputing.com/ > > The project is moving a little slow, but that is because I > have been working on packaging everything (16 cores using > quads) in one case with one power supply. > (more on the project page) > > Some software announcements will be forthcoming as well. > > Actually, I think of it as more of a parallel workstation > than a production cluster. > > -- > Doug > > Very interesting. Similar to the speculative(never implemented) "can you build a cluster from parts bought only from Wal-Mart?" http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlux/beowulf/walmart.htm As far as Jeff wanting it to fit under an airplane seat. Over the years, I've given some thought to that, and of course, some folks have done it (clusters in a toolbox/lunchbox etc.. Usually using Via MiniITX mobos of one sort or another.. They're out there on the web). Clusters, it's true, but realistically, peformance that is not as good as a single laptop with a much faster processor. I think, though, that what Jeff wants is some significant improvement in computational horsepower over, say, a laptop. I'd propose that you want, say, 10 times the crunch of a laptop of comparable generation(otherwise, it's not worth doing.. If you picked a factor of 2-4, you could also just wait a year, and the laptop would have the power, at much less complexity). The 100W idle, 1kW full bore is a good place to be power wise. Heck, I just got one of those instant espresso making machines for Fathers Day, and it draws 1200W, so clearly that's a reasonable short term power draw for a "home appliance". And, as you've outlined in Limulus, an architectural approach that lends itself to scaling or rebuilding with new hardware as it becomes available would be nice. Personally, I'd love it if it ran basically headless, and I used a regular small notebook/laptop computer as the "control/user interface" I'm going to be carrying the notebook anyway, so might as well use it. Wireless networking over short distances would work fine. Hmm, can my Macbook Air be a DHCP server so it can boot with PXE? I suppose so. Sheetmetal work is going to be the key. The networking, hardware, and software is pretty rack and stack of commodity stuff, for the most part (granted, it's non trivial to make a turnkey system..) James Lux, P.E. Task Manager, SOMD Software Defined Radios Flight Communications Systems Section Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 161-213 Pasadena, CA, 91109 +1(818)354-2075 phone +1(818)393-6875 fax >


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Jaw mechanism is uploaded on Thingiverse.
I have done the complete step by step for the assembly of the neck and jaw. This should get you going.
Check the "Assembly help" tab.
There might be some stuff to modify but it works in my InMoov robot like this for now, and I'm not going to review it all again so you might as well try it like this.
Remember if you decide to modify some parts, there is the eye mechanism, still to come in there.
I hope you have fun building this, sometimes I which I was you guys. What took me a month to create, you just print it and put it together. I'm getting a bit jealous...
Please post your pictures on Thingiverse otherwise I don't keep posting parts!
Sometimes I find people building InMoov, posting pictures on their own blog or site and making modifications and not sharing their work. Not even attributing the parts to InMoov.
This "was" the exemple of what I meant. What do you think about that?
At the time I put this link their post has been modified.
So thanks to them.
I hope, we hope, we all hope they will put their derivatives files for download.
Okay, Gael calm down.
Giving is the best gift you can get.


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The Venice Theatre's production of the Gospel-infused musical "Crowns" is something of a family affair.
The show by Regina Taylor is based on the book "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Hats" by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry.
Through songs and stories, "Crowns" shares tales of faith, fashion and African-American history and the tradition of Sunday church hats.
In this production, staged by Kristofer Geddie, family relationships are depicted on stage and off, with two sets of real-life mothers and daughters sharing the stage together.
Phyllis Banks plays Mother Shaw and her daughter, Syreeta, plays Velma. Clearetha Smith plays Wanda and her daughter Chasiti Morgan plays Jeanette.
Heart-warming and rafter-raising musical "Crowns" makes its second Suncoast appearance for the Venice Theatre's Mainstage production opening April 2.
The story begins with Yolanda (played by Princess Jackson), a girl from Brooklyn who travels to South Carolina to live with her grandmother and four aunts. As she tries to figure out her place in the world, she starts learning lessons from the women she meets in church.
Geddie, who has been seen in several shows at Venice Theatre, is the company's director of diversity.
"It's a joy to bring this universal story of community to life through the use of gospel music, and of course, through these many beautiful hats with their own symbolic stories to tell," Geddie said. "In the end, I believe this slice of African-American culture shows how alike we all are."
"Crowns" opens April 2 and runs through April 21 at the Venice Theatre's Mainstage, 140 West Tampa Avenue, Venice. Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25-28 for adults, $13-15 for students. For more information: 488-1115; venicestage.com.
— Cali Credit


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Noel Vasquez, Getty Images Veteran punk rockers Rancid have set up shop in a San Francisco studio to record what will be their eighth album, reveals drummer Branden Steineckert via Twitter . Details are sparse on the group's new disc, which will be their first since 2009′s 'Let the Dominoes Fall.' The band has yet to reveal their producer, though Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz has overseen each of their records since 2000. While an official release date has not been announced, the disc is tentatively expected to arrive in early 2013. Rancid will break from the studio on Oct. 16 to play a benefit show in Los Angeles at the home of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea . The event, which takes place on the bassist's birthday, will raise funds for Flea's non-profit Silverlake Conservatory . Rancid will then finish out 2012 with a U.K. tour launching in Belfast Nov. 28. In related news, Rancid singer Tim Armstrong just revealed via Twitter that his other band, the Transplants, are currently in the process of mixing their next album.
See more here:
Rancid Hitting Studio to Record New Album


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Monday, July 30, 2012
NADA Hudson 2012
Brent Owens w/Invisible-Exports - my first take on this was that it was a mushroom log! ha... but it's a party sub, he saws to order.
I've seen his work in Spring Break and at English Kills... Ryan Ford told me I needed to see it.
Brent Owens' Knickerbocker Mini Maw at Storefront Bushwick.
Ian Pedigo w/Klaus von Nichtssagend
Marianne Vitale w/Zach Feuer
wtf i just googled her and read that she had a brief job in my hometown.
Kristan Kennedy w/Fourteen30
Ned Colclough w/Nicelle Beauchene
Lizzie Wright w/Regina Rex
Lizzie Wright Studio Visit.
James Leonard w/DAC
Kirsten Kindler!
Kirsten Kindler at ADA Gallery, on anaba 2/19/2006.
Kirsten Kindler the Second Post, on anaba 2/28/2006... because apparently somebody didn't get it the first time.
Daniel Davidson w/ADA Gallery
Daniel Davidson at ADA, on anaba 11/7/2006.
JD Walsh w/Daily Operation - triangles (the instrument) on an unseen line scrolling by in alternate directions, randomly(?) tapped with a wand by a floating hand.... part magic, part ritual, part music.
JD Walsh on anaba 6/14/2010.
JD Walsh on anaba 7/2/2008 - in the park!
Allan Glatter w/Rawson Projects.
David Cherubini w/Newman Popiashvili
Must re-state that Paul Bloodgood at Newman Popiashvili was EXCELLENT.
baby pool
Mike Hein w/ADA Gallery.
Mike Hein at Mulherin-Pollard (ADA in NYC), on anaba 7/8/2012.
Mike Hein at Edward Thorp, on anaba 10/14/2009.
Denise Kupferschmidt w/Halsey McKay.
Nightboat Books - (that is the guy who runs Callicoon)... I got Daniel Borzutzky's The Book of Interfering Bodies, one of the blurbs on the back is by Linh Dinh.
Alex Da Corte w/Joe Sheftel
I liked his last show at Joe Sheftel but oh man! I sure did stir up some shit on the Philly Artblog a few years ago.
Marianne Vitale
David Alexander Flinn w/envoy.
David Cary Higginbotham? w/Blackston
Jon Lutz
Amy Brener w/Marlborough
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Francesco Clemente
Francesco Clemente, at Mary Boone.
He was a big star when I got out of art school... there was a show at the PMA in 1990.
line of plastic taxis.
Francesco Clemente
Monday, July 23, 2012
Theater for the New City
Armando Merrero, Give Me Liberty or Fuck You.
at TNC Gallery, at Theater for the New City. One of my favorite places to see art in NYC.
Charles Krezell at TNC, on anaba 7/2010.
Shawn Cupid at TNC, on my flickr, 9/2011. Can't believe I never put these on anaba.
Armando Merrero
Mike Rimbaud, Love Until the End.
i did not get the name of this artist but is this one of the weirdest coolest paintings i have seen this year??
+ crazy ever-changing murals in the basement.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Whitney Claflin
Whitney Claflin at Thomas Erben. Closes 7/28.
I first saw one of her paintings at Real Fine Arts... it was in the back, I had missed the show. Next time I saw some was in a group show at Thomas Erben.
side view here...
Whitney Claflin
Jonathan Goodman on Whitney Claflin at Thomas Erben.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Jess Fuller
Jess Fuller, Jellie, at Martos Gallery.
These were originally stacked in a neat pile as a kind of 'zine... you could take a page... they got pawed through for the bests.
So if these are pages this is like an open book.. with a language(?)... now I am thinking of Jamison Brosseau and Sol Lewitt.
some is REDACTED.
Jess Fuller
Can't Stop Rock Lobster was in the back.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Amy Feldman
Amy Feldman, in MsBehavior, curated by Jordana Zeldin, at The Art Bridge Drawing Room.
This is the third gallery I have seen in this tiny little closet-sized space... first was Julia Trotta's Fake Estate... followed by Damien Crisp's The Ocean / The Waves.
I went to see her show at Blackston the next day but it was closed F'n Summer Hours. I peeked in the window though they were big.
Howard Hurst on MsBehavior.
Sharon Butler on Amy Feldman.
Roberta Smith on Amy Feldman at Blackston.
w/Polly Shindler
Amy Feldman at Art 101, on anaba 6/2011.
Polly Shindler
abstract painting,
Amy Feldman,
Jordana Zeldin,
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The Pigtronix PolySaturator delivers old-school fuzz
Reading guitar magazines and hearing all about a new piece of gear from an admired guitarist can be dangerous. In an attempt to satisfy our curiosity and nail that elusive tone we hear in our heads, we run the risk of falling victim to Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or GAS. In the category of distortion pedals, the subjective nature of the sounds they produce can lead to Empty Wallet Syndrome, or EWS. One player's smooth distortion is another player's sonic nightmare, and it ain't cheap.
The Pigtronix PolySaturator is a multi-stage distortion pedal with a wide gain control and adjustable low, mid and high band graphic EQ. The Pigtronix catalog states that it's based on the overdrive tones found in their Disnortion pedal, but it takes the idea further by adding four vintage JRC4558D chips, a Class A J-FET booster stage and a secret "special little chip" to the front-end. The gain structure has also been re-voiced to get everything from a clean volume boost to over the top fuzz. As if that wasn't enough, it's also true bypass.
When I took the PolySaturator out of the box I couldn't believe how small it was. It is smaller than a Boss pedal and fit perfectly on my pedalboard. The first edition of the pedals have been hand-painted by Jason Myrold, of Zvex fame, and are perfect for adding some eye candy to your floor setup. While some might question the placement of the Input and Output jacks – both situated on the right side of the unit – it wasn't a problem in the vertical position. It comes with a 15VDC adapter and the layout of the controls are very straightforward, with plenty of room for tweaking.
I was surprised to discover that the PolySaturator sounds more like a cousin to the fuzz family than you might expect, at least by judging from its name. Instead of a wall of saturated distortion, I was getting gritty, old school, organic rock tones with freakish lowend. This pedal loves single coil pickups and was begging me to play "Foxey Lady" the entire time it was plugged in. As I switched between a Marshall JCM800, a Fender Pro Reverb and a Fender Deluxe Reverb, I was particularly impressed with its articulation and definition. Even with the gain maxed, I could hear the clarity beneath its monstrous growl. The adjustable, active EQ provides 12dB of cut or boost at the 180Hz, 420Hz and 1KHz frequencies, giving this little unit a lot of tonal possibilities. I could dial in tones capable of slicing through a heavy mix or beef up the mids for a sweeter sound. With the gain set at noon, I was getting classic Marshall-esque breakup for rhythm parts and cutting lead tones for traditional blues soloing.
A fair word of warning: the PolySaturator bites and has some hair on it. It's more suited to players who prefer fuzz over a saturated distortion sound. It's great for dialing in your favorite fuzz tone or the sweet sound of an amp breaking up during chunky rhythms. Shredders should look elsewhere.
The Final Mojo
For the guitarist looking for a flexible alternative to your garden-variety fuzz and distortion pedals, the Pigtronix PolySaturator offers up cool, dirty sounds and vibe for days. Its small size will open up valuable real estate on your pedalboard and add sumptuous grit and ballsy low-end to your sound.
Buy if...
you have a hankering for old school fuzz tones with tonal flexibility and killer low-end.
Skip if...
you prefer modern distorted tones.
MSRP $209 - Pigtronix - pigtronix.com |
Our expert has stated their case, now we want to hear yours. Share your comments and ratings below.
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Rumor Me This: Samsung's Smart Watch Is Real
You know that old Chinese curse, right? "May you live in interesting times." It's in full swing over the mobile computing market right now.
Rumor has it that Apple is working up a watch-like gadget for the post-smartphone era. Not to be outdone, Samsung flat-out confirmed that it has a smart watch on tap.
Lee Young Hee, who spearheads the Korean company's mobile division, didn't mince words in a Bloomberg interview.
"Weave been preparing the watch product for so long," he said. "We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them."
Alleged screenshots from the as-yet-unannounced Samsung Galaxy Altius watch, courtesy of Slashgear.
No ifs, ands, or buts: Samsung is definitely preparing this thing.
All right. So I guess a new class of digital watches will be cool again, like the calculator-equipped armband clocks of the early 1980s. ( I thought they were cool when I was eight, OK? Mine played "Rondo Alla Turca"!)
Why dump another gadget style on consumers just as smartphones and tablets are becoming ubiquitous? Well, you can't stop the wheels of progress and something must eventually replace the common smartphone. The market is maturing fast and will most certainly be saturated in just a few years. Just as camera-equipped feature phones replaced basic call-making handsets and smartphones replaced feature phones, this too shall pass. So why not a wristwatch?
These things will perform many of the same tasks as a regular iPhone or Samsung Galaxy handset do today, except on a smaller screen that's more accessible. With a portable computer attached to your wrist, we won't need to dig through pockets and purses anymore. Glancing down at your watch can be more convenient and less rude to bystanders than pulling out and unlocking your phone.
It's also different from Google 's digital spectacles, branded Google Glass. That might become the first mainstream wearable computing platform (some people are always way ahead of the rest of us), and then the watches come in to grab market share. Or maybe people will start wearing advanced watches and glasses on a regular basis, complementing each other.
And in the background, post-PC gear starts to fade as these newfangled alternatives take over. Who will rule the next generation?
Interesting times, indeed.
There's no doubt that Apple is at the center of technology's largest revolution ever, and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded with over 1,000% gains. However, there is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. Eric Bleeker, The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and sell Apple and the opportunities left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
The article Rumor Me This: Samsung's Smart Watch Is Real originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Anders Bylund owns shares of Google, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned. Check out Anders' bio and holdings or follow him on Twitter and Google+. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Google. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Apple and Google, and have recommended creating a covered bull call spread position in Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Unusual means of expression are the order this week. One artist uses statistics, one uses pop imagery and another shells and stones.
Sara Hughes' show at Gow Langsford is titled Harvest because she crops statistics and transforms them into art. The images are made from the ups and downs of the sharemarket to form highly colourful works using the forms of line diagrams and pie charts. The line diagrams work best. These are based on the German stock exchange, about the price of wheat and oil per barrel. The peaks and falls of these lines, which make irregular but rhythmic patterns, are arranged in towers of 14 variations of unusual but tangy colours.
They are lyrical and the two colours in each panel above and below the line of the graph chime brightly together. The combinations ring like key changes in music. They also have a sense of continuum. Stopping at the frame's edge is arbitrary.
They may have foundations in statistics but they work as paintings complete in themselves. The effect is like the work of Clyfford Still, the American abstract expressionist, but he made huge symphonic paintings whereas Hughes' work is like vigorous and charming chamber music.
The circular pie graphs based on statistics about the price of wheat do not have the same energy, although when clustered together in groups as big as 36 pieces, the overall effect is of an impressive galaxy of colour with each circle different in composition and harmony.
The theme of wheat is carried forward in another group of three "paintings", a new and lively development in the artist's techniques.
They are made up of pins painted in colours specially mixed by Hughes and assembled like the enlarged dots of a printing process.
The images show heads of wheat floating upwards or sinking downwards. Behind them is a background pattern of the meeting between land and sea, suggesting a world view.
This new technique adds to the brio and thoughtfulness of this inventive and colourful exhibition, which lacks the movement that formerly made her vivid line compositions zing.
There is unusual technique too in the painting of Sam Mitchell in her sardonic, at times savage, exhibition called Members Only at the Melanie Roger Gallery.
The sharpness of the work is modified by the constant presence of roses in full bloom. Although they soften the cutting edge, they also emphasise the feeling of mutability and mortality that runs through the show.
Most of the painting is done in acrylic on perspex or on found book covers, with two works made in conventional manner on canvas. Both of them have a vigorously painted skull surrounded by pansies. One of the skull paintings is called Ivor Novello, composer, film star, poseur and gay icon of the 30s and 40s.
Posing is part of a group of 10 paintings, all on book covers, of body builders showing their muscles in various attitudes. The force of these images is undeniable but the key is in the blankness of the eyes.
The paintings on perspex have the more familiar form of investigating the minds of the subjects. These heads are bright-eyed and decorative; mounted around them are images that run through their mind. They think of warriors, particularly athletic Greeks like Alexander the Great and those he defeated. These sit alongside demonstrations of the grip on a cricket ball for fast bowling, or women's faces, dreams of love-making, and odalisques.
The largest and most impressive, called All I Could Know, has wrestlers and a pig and a skull in the centre.
The thoughts often recall Hollywood or comic style versions of the classical world with a camp element running through.
Sam Mitchell's work is sensational but never comfortable.
Strangeness extends to the macabre in the work of Andrea du Chatenier at the Seed Gallery in Newmarket. Her Denizens are six heads and a reclining figure. The heads are seen as something emerging from the evolutionary swamp, mostly made up of shells and stones collected on the beach.
They are assembled with glass eyes and human hair and strikingly resemble the famous paintings by the 16th century painter Arcimboldo who painted bizarre heads made of fruit and vegetables for gardeners or books for librarians.
Du Chatenier's work is three-dimensional, built around the stare of the glass eyes. Gent with Old-money Eyes makes great use of cowrie shells once used as currency. Most grotesque of all is a reclining figure that is all brittle edges. It is really an exceptional show.
The construction is amazing. Most fantastic of all is a reclining figure sitting on mirrors which suggest water. The shape is definitely human but it bristles with shells as some sort of alternative creation.


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Attitudes towards security threats uncovered
New research has revealed a significant gap between what the government claims are the biggest security threats facing the UK and the fears of the population.
Terrorism is not perceived as the most important threat to everyday life despite claims by policy makers.
Politics researchers at the Universities of Warwick and Exeter led detailed focus groups across the UK and conducted a nationwide survey as part of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project which looked at public attitudes towards security threats.
Since 2005, key objectives of successive British governments have been to reassure the public, to heighten collective levels of security, and to reduce feelings of being threatened. Spending on national security has tripled to more than £3.5 billion since 2001. Yet despite this, little is known about the real fears of ordinary people.
This project used focus groups and an internet survey to identify whether people agree with, or are even aware of, the government's attempts to make them feel more secure and whether these attempts have any impact.
Dr Nick Vaughan-Williams from the University of Warwick said: "Focus groups told us that they understand 'security' to be first and foremost about physical threats to personal safety. Respondents rarely talked about security threats in national terms and most disagreed with the government's priorities in the 'National Security Strategy'.
"In particular, terrorism was not perceived to be a significant threat to individuals, families, and communities. Interviewees were more concerned about social disorder, Islamaphobia, the far right, and UK foreign policy – issues not commonly thought of as security threats in academic and policy making circles."
The UK government usually views security threats in a national context, whereas respondents tended not to think in these terms unless prompted to do so.
The survey research found that people tend to perceive security threats across a range of different levels: global, national, community, family and individual. Rarely was there one overriding threat, such as the global threat of terrorism, as the public identified multiple threats at the same time. The single biggest threat identified at all levels—global, national, community, family and individual—was the economic crisis, with 17% of respondents, with only 3% of respondents citing terrorism as a threat at all different levels.
The online survey and focus groups gauged the views of a diverse sample of social, multi ethnic and religious backgrounds. It showed that people who see more national threats tend to be more intolerant of minorities and have a stronger white identity, while people who perceive threats as global are more tolerant of minorities and have a weaker white identity. These differences extend to policy preferences, where more global threats appear to favour solutions such as international aid over straightforward security policies, whereas perceptions of more national threats led to a preference for enhanced security measures.
Dr Daniel Stevens from the University of Exeter explained: "There has been an assumption that 'threat is threat' and that feeling threatened has a host of effects on political attitudes such as making people less tolerant, more aggressive, and more likely to stereotype groups. But our research suggests this is not the case: people who see more threats to the world actually appear to be more tolerant and less likely to stereotype. This suggests that identifying threats beyond national borders – although they are still threats – reflects a different political outlook and therefore has different consequences.
"Overall, the research highlights multiple insecurities and implies the need for new ways of thinking about 'national security in policy and practice."
Notes to editors
For more details contact Kelly Parkes-Harrison, Press and Communications Manager, firstname.lastname@example.com, 02476 150868, 07824 540863.


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The Magicka Party Robes DLC is described thusly:
- Tank Robe can take a lot of punishment and help his "friends" get an upper hand on the situation.
- Rogue Robe is mostly nowhere to be seen in a fight, but now and then, he strikes from the shadows.
- Support Robe makes sure his groups spellcasting is at its best.
Now, that doesn't really tell me anything, especially the last two points. What are the actual perks/downsides of donning those robes?


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Op. No.: 36630 36687
Front parking assistance is an excellent system that warns of obstructions when you have limited space in front of the car, for example with tight parking.
The system is activated when the speed falls below 15 km/h. A signal indicates the distance to the object in front of the car. When an object is indicated, the radio's/stereo's sound level is muted and a pulsating "buzzer tone" comes from the car's front speakers. The tone starts to sound when approx. 80 cm remains to an obstacle and becomes a constant tone when the obstacle is approx. 30 cm from the front bumper. The remaining distance is also displayed on the multimedia display in the centre console.
In order to differentiate between the front and rear systems, different tone frequencies are used and the sound comes from different speakers, front or rear.
The kit consists of wiring and four sensors mounted in the front. Parking assistance can be disabled in traffic jams or the like by pressing the button in the centre console.
This system can produce "false" signals as a reaction to external sound sources with the same frequency as the system's sensors. Typical sources are the horn, wet tires on asphalt, air brakes and motorcycle exhaust pipes.
Part. No. | Description | |
31339978 | -13, Ch 61277- | Installation Instruction |
31285043 | -13, Ch -61276 | Installation Instruction |
Part. No. | ||
30765568 |
Facts and advantages
Makes you aware of obstacles when parallel parking for example
Technical data
Accessory weight: | 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) |
Photo: | VCC_07689 |
Front parking assistance can only be used in combination with rear parking assistance. Cannot be combined with auxiliary lights.
- Ordered according to separate procedures and downloaded using VIDA.


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It's a new era for independent exploration and production company Occidental Petroleum (OXY -0.56%). Occidental is doing some big things that will make the new Occidental Petroleum a much different company than investors are used to. Occidental has revealed a series of steps to reorganize itself. It appears the company's intention is to become much more oil-focused. This stands to reason, of course, due to the boom in domestic oil production in recent years. Occidental has considerable operations in some of the most prominent oil-producing regions in the United States, including the Permian Basin.
Read on to discover what steps Occidental is taking to streamline itself, and what the new Occidental has to offer.
Big moves under way
Occidental Petroleum plans to separate its California assets into a separate, independently traded company. The new California company will be headquartered there and will be the state's largest natural gas producer. This is a significant event, as Occidental's California assets accounted for approximately 20% of its 2013 production. The remaining Occidental Petroleum will operate its core oil assets, which are located in the Permian Basin, as well as assets in the Middle East and Colombia.
Occidental's Permian Basin operations are truly the major source of its production and growth. The Permian Basin is a massive formation that accounts for approximately 15% of total U.S. oil production. Not surprisingly, a slew of energy majors are lining up to profit from the Permian Basin. Occidental and Apache Corp. (APA -0.83%) are each focusing intently on the region. Apache has sold off international assets to double-down on the U.S. Over the past five years, it's cut its exposure to Egypt by half. Instead, Apache has increased its presence in the Permian Basin from 9% of production in 2009 to 21% today.
It should be no surprise, then, that Occidental has staked its claim in the Permian Basin. It's the biggest oil producer in Texas, and Occidental accounts for 16% of all oil produced in the Permian Basin.
Separately, Occidental also announced a major batch of cash returns to shareholders. Occidental increased its annual dividend by 12.5% and announced it will repurchase an additional 30 million of its own shares. This signifies management's confidence in its ability to keep production and profits growing in the future.
These cash returns will be financed partly with the company's existing cash flow, which is strong, as well as the proceeds from a recent round of asset sales. Occidental recently struck a deal to sell its interest in one of the largest natural gas fields in the United States. Occidental's Hugoton Field assets in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado will generate $1.4 billion, which the company has earmarked specifically for its new share buyback authorization.
A more focused company in the works
Occidental's decision to spin off its California business and sell its natural gas field is all part of the company's over-arching strategy to become a smaller, more oil-focused company. Occidental has ramped up its domestic oil production heavily and stands to continue this trend in the upcoming year.
Occidental increased domestic oil production by 4.3% last year, and intends to double its U.S. oil production growth to 9% this year. This stands above the forecast production growth for close competitor ConocoPhillips (COP 0.39%). ConocoPhillips' long-term goals call for production growth of 3%-5% compounded annually. Conoco's trailing production growth lags Occidental's as well. Conoco increased domestic production by 7% last year.
The Foolish takeaway
While Occidental is gearing up its oil operations, at the same time, it seems that Occidental is shying away from natural gas. Even though it's going to substantially increase oil production, Occidental is simultaneously tapering off its natural gas production. Management expects domestic gas production to drop in 2014. When Occidental presented its fourth quarter results to analysts, it stated that it would look significantly different by the end of the year. It's clear the company is following through with its promise.
Occidental is re-tooling for growth. Why wait? Invest like our co-Founder