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Hello there, and thank you for joining TheWiiU.com, the world's oldest and largest community dedicated to the Wii U! This is a short guide intended to give you some information on our forums, and help you feel right at home.
First of all, a little background info. Wii U Forums is a joint project between the two leaders in the Wii U blogosphere, Wii U Go (owned by myself, Feld0) and Wii U Blog (owned by David Turnbull). David and I are both co-admins here, but he's in charge of spreading the word about this place while I'm responsible for most of the site's day-to-day activities. If you've got any questions or problems about the site, I'm the guy you'll want to get in touch with via private message.
Our super moderator, AMAC, assists me in helping to keep the peace and enforce our rules. He's a friendly guy, and is also more than capable of helping you out with any non-technical issues with the site or other members. Feel free to contact him anytime, too.
Guides, whose names are in orange, make up our dedicated welcoming committee. Not only is it their duty to greet every newcomer with a personalized message, but they are also the forum's mentors. They know their way around the place and are some of the most helpful people in the community, so feel free to approach them for any non-technical help you may need.
Now, before you start posting, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the rules, because we will crack down on you if you don't follow them. Disregarding the rules is showing disrespect for Wii U Forums and the team that works tirelessly to keep it running. It also helps us because we can spend our time making the site better for everyone instead of dealing with trouble.
Once you've read the rules, the first thing you should do is start your first topic over in Introduction Central. Say hello, tell us a little about yourself, and Guides as well as other members of the community will welcome you shortly. After that, feel free to explore the forums and post wherever you'd like, just as long as you remember to always abide by the rules.
And that's it! If you need help with anything, IP.Board has an extensive help system that might have the answers you're looking for. If you still can't figure something out, shoot a private message over to the Guide of your choice.
On behalf of the Wii U Forums team, I hope you enjoy your time with us!


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This article needs to be wikified (formatted according to the Furry Book of Style). For specifics, check the edit history and talk page. Consult the Furry Book of Style for editing help. |
ButtBadger, also known as Max le Fou, is a skunk-wolf hybrid from France. He works as a freelance computer technician.
Although most of his works are hand-drawn, he has also tried his hand at flash animations. He did a furry 'remake' of an other popular memes, Badger Badger Badger, named 'ButtBadgerPhone'. He is working on his own fursuit. He likes everything Japanese, is very passionate about every kind of anthropomorphism, and is mated to Jade Sheppard. He is a fan of Tiny Toon Adventures and especially of Fifi le Fume.
His character (fully named Mickaël Junior ButtBadger) is an anthropomorphic wolf with some differences, including his big fluffy tri-coloured skunk tail, his fur color, his short muzzle and his big footpaws. He has the ability to spray different kind of odors. Like Pepé le Pew, he sometimes adopts a French accent when he talks in English.
The name comes from "Buttbadger123", a song by ThreeBrain.
Second Life[edit]
ButtBadger is active on Second Life as Buttbadger Mirabeau since 2005.
He is one of the main moderators of the sim EuroFur Exodus (Extra), a French and European themed sim for furries; he works as an occasional DJ at Rainbow Tiger aalso makes various stuff.
External links[edit]
This person is a WikiFur user: |
- Atomic Skunk - Buttbadger
- ButtBadger on LiveJournal
- ButtBadger at the VCL
- buttbadger's flash works at SheezyArt
- ButtBadger on Fur Affinity
- ButtBadger on Furry Art Pile (Yiff drawings only)
- Main non-furry site (French)

subset: commoncrawl


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It appears that in RBAC, a Subject creates a Session with an Active Role(s), these Roles are then used to determine what permissions and actions can be taken. This appears to be fine for most of our organization until you reach Subjects with the Customer Role. Customers should only be able to read things they own, as opposed to other roles which would have read/write (or whatever actions) on things of the same type.
I'm not sure how best to implement this using RBAC. Should the session also contain the Subject? A few references suggest no.
Note: it is possible I am being too purist, but I'm checking to see what I'm missing. I have considered the PostgreSQL route where a User is a Role, and then the active role in the session is the User. What are my options for restricting a role to only view things not by type but by ownership?


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Released this week is Sandra a Mesh jewelry collection including 3 piece jewelry sets and watch & bracelet sets, and to Texture Change non mesh sets, Madison Knot and Rosemary.
Sandra is a Mesh Jewelry Design with clover shapes with Gemstones and Moonstones. A Classic Style which can be worn on any occasion, formal or casual released in 2 set options, Necklace & Earrings Sets in gold or silver and a texture change set, or a Watch and Bracelet Set, again in gold or silver and a texture change option.
All sets are offered to group members at over 50% off this week.
The single colour sets at L$140 each and the Texture Change Set at L$180.
The watch and bracelet sets in gold or silver are L$130 each and the texture change version at L$160.
The 2 Texture Sets released are Madison Knot with 35 Pearl choices and 8 Metals
and Rosemary Choker Necklace & Earrings Set with 21 gems X2 and 8 Metals
Both are offered at greater than 50% off at L$ 180 each for Members.
For all discounted offers and Group Gifts, Please Join Virtual Impressions Retail & Wear the Tag whilst buying from the group stand (inside the door on the right).
Lastly there is a new free gift for all, by the stairs.


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UnNews:Cure for homosexuality found!
Who knew The Onion® had a retarded stepbrother? | ✪ | UnNews | ✪ | Sunday, March 3, 2024, 19:26:59 (UTC) |
Cure for homosexuality found! |
8 October 2009
SALEM'S LOT, Maine - Researchers looking through recently released journals of famed sexual therapy team Masters and Johnson have discovered that in spite of the naysayers, they really did come up with a cure for homosexuality.
Their studies had ignited storms of controversy, and until now, their method of cure was unknown. But the journals are very clear. Garlic. Yes, garlic. "We discovered", wrote William Masters, "that these so-called homosexuals were in actuality heliotropic vampires with an aversion to blood. Therapist and author Anne Rice was one of our key researchers in discovering this."
Masters conducted extensive studies, and found - as have all readers and viewers of modern vampire stories - that the similarities between homosexuals and vampires just could not be dismissed. "The effeminate clothes and make up, their penchant for night life, their moodiness and fatalism punctuated by giddiness and flamboyance - need I say more?", said Masters in a private interview recorded in 1985, shortly before the release of Anne Rice's book, "All that was left was to focus on what made these daywalkers - that is, homosexuals - different."
Masters and Johnson spent several years, and discovered that homosexuals were identical to vampires, but with a few key differences. The homosexuals do not live forever, due to their repeated exposure to the sun. They shun feasting off of blood, due to being slightly more fastidious than night time vampires. (See "Louis and Armand Gehrig's Disease and it's symptoms" by Anne Rice, 1985) And they typically dress better, having lost their hypnotic powers when becoming daywalkers, thus needing to attract prey with their dress.
Given all that, it was easy to then bring these homosexuals back to normal. The sun having already made them close to normal, only a strong application of garlic is then needed. The cure rate was estimated at over 90%, and in the more difficult cases, a stake through the heart cured them. "I can confidently report", said Masters, "that such few as proved resistant to garlic, showed no resistance to the stake. A single application to the heart was sufficient to eliminate all future homosexual behavior."
Some critics have still complained though, and pointed out that not all of the daywalking vampires are homosexuals. Indeed, it has been reliably reported in High Schools throughout America that many girls can be seen accompanying these daywalkers. "Nonsense", had said Virginia Johnson, "I can't be the only one who knows what a fag hag is. The only girls you see hanging around these types are goths, the disaffected, the cutters, and other such low self-esteem, over-priviliged losers."
Indeed, to end the scourge of both vampirism and homosexuality, Virginia Johnson had argued for a demystification of these creatures. "We make too much of them.", she said. "When you see some pale skinny nerd prancing through the school like he's some kind of tough 'daywalker', don't condone that. 'Daywalker', my ass, more like gaywalker in my day. So don't buy into their propaganda, just throw some garlic on them and after a shrill scream, they'll thank you."
While the Friends of Lesbians and Gays (NAMBLA) and Dykes on Bykes (NOW) have both protested, parents groups, Christian organizations and the Republican Party are calling for mandatory garlic treatments at every High School. The OCD is working on this, and plans to combine a dash of garlic with the upcoming flu vaccine, so that soon the gaywalker epidemic will be over. Meanwhile, parents are encouraged to insist their children wear garlic, because if you have any of these gaywalkers in your own home it will out them, and it will prevent an infestation if you do not. All studies indicate that these gaywalking wampires (Wannabe Vampires) will not invite your child to an after school Twilight Series discussion group if he/she has garlic cloves around their neck.
- Thomas Gaier "Can Psychiatrists Really "Cure" Homosexuality?". Scientific American, April 22, 2009


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Story highlights
Banksy criticizes design of One World Trade Center, calling it a "shyscraper"
New Yorkers affected by 9/11 believe Banksy's work is a publicity stunt
Banksy says the building looks plain, like something "they would build in Canada"
New York Times declines to publish op-ed; Bansky posts the essay on website
In a controversial essay published on his website Sunday, popular British graffiti artist Banksy criticized the design of One World Trade Center, referring to the building as a "shyscraper" and a "betrayal."
The famously anonymous British street artist describes the building, which will be completed in 2014, as "vanilla" and "something they would build in Canada."
He added, "It looks like it never wanted to be built in the first place."
According to The New York Times, Banksy submitted the op-ed – entitled "The biggest eyesore in New York is not the graffiti, argues Banksy, it's under construction at ground zero" – and artwork, but the paper declined to publish it.
"We couldn't agree on either the piece or the art, so it was rejected," Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, told CNN.
Instead, Banksy published the scathing piece on his blog, which he has been using to unveil new works of art around New York from his monthlong series "Better Out Than In."
"Today's piece was going to be an op-ed column in the New York Times. But they declined to publish what I supplied," Banksy wrote on his site.
Instead he took his familiar graffiti medium, stenciling, "This site contains blocked messages," on a wall in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In his essay, Banksy writes the tower is a construction sign that says New York has lost its nerve.
"It would be easy to view One World Trade Centre as a betrayal of everyone who lost their lives on September 11th, because it so clearly proclaims the terrorists won," he wrote.
New Yorkers who were directly affected by the attacks on September 11, 2001, were insulted by Banksy's remarks.
"I think it's a disgrace to New York City and all the families who lost loved ones on 9/11," said former fire department Deputy Chief Jim Riches, whose firefighter son, Jimmy, was one of nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks.
"The attacks of September 11th were an attack on all of us and we will live out our lives in their shadow. But it's also how we react to adversity that defines us. And the response? 104 floors of compromise?" wrote Banksy.
"He is looking for publicity," Riches said, "I don't think anyone should care what he says."
Designed by architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, One World Trade Center is a 1,776-foot tall, 3.5-million-square-foot building that includes office space, an observation deck and high-end restaurants, according to the World Trade Center website. It is one of five skyscrapers to be built at the site.
"To have the marker in the sky is an important thing for people traveling around the city. But as a marker, it also says downtown is back. It now has a place that responds to the midtown of New York that was missing for so long," Childs told CNN in April 2012.
During his visit to New York, Banksy has also referenced September 11 in a street art stencil of the Twin Towers in Tribeca. He placed an orange daisy near where the planes struck the north tower.
Sally Regenhard, a leading voice for families of 9/11 victims, lost her firefighter son, Christian in the attacks.
"To me it wasn't a flower. It looked like an explosion, a fire explosion," said Regenhard.
Regenhard told CNN she is not against Banksy.
"It's just a PR thing," Regenhard said. "I'm more concerned with the safety of the building than design."
Riches looks forward to the new skyscraper.
"It's part of our skyline," Riches said. "It's what future generations will look at."
Century 21 Department Store had planned to show Banksy's work starting Tuesday, but after the artist's essay, the iconic retailer has reconsidered.
"Due to recent controversial comments, Century 21 Department Store has decided to cancel the Banksy exhibit," said spokeswoman Heather Feinmel.
The Century 21 in downtown Manhattan is very close to the World Trade Center and had to be evacuated after the building was badly damaged on September 11.
The store was closed for five months before reopening at the same location.
Banksy was not directly involved with the show.


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Family planning centers are the main interface with the health care system for many of the clients they serve. Increasingly, centers are leveraging that reality to connect clients not only to insurance coverage but also to needed health care beyond what the centers provide directly. This unique role could serve as a critically important stepping stone toward a sustainable path for the family planning provider network in the emerging health care landscape.
The nationwide network of more than 8,000 publicly funded family planning centers provides contraceptive and related services to more than seven million women a year.1 One in four women who obtain contraceptive services in the United States—including half of poor women accessing contraceptive care—does so at a publicly funded family planning center. These women receive other important, related care as well, including Pap tests, breast exams, and testing and treatment for STIs. One in three women who get tested for HIV does so at a family planning center.
It is therefore not at all surprising that six in 10 women who obtain care at a family planning center describe it as their usual source of medical care.1 In fact, in many cases it may be their exclusive source of care: according to one study conducted at Planned Parenthood centers in Los Angeles, 29% of adults and 19% of teens said the center was their only source of medical care.2 In other words, family planning centers are a significant entry point to the health care system in the United States.
Connecting Clients to Coverage
Because the door to the family planning center may be the only door to the health care system they have walked through, clients come into centers with a multiplicity of needs. But they also often come in eligible for insurance coverage for which they have not yet enrolled. Through their years of experience with state Medicaid family planning expansions, centers have developed a range of innovative approaches to assist clients in enrolling (related article, Spring 2008, page 7).
Some centers assist clients in applying for coverage on-site. Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC), for example, aided more than 2,500 clients in enrolling in the state's Medicaid family planning expansion last year alone.3 When a client calling for an appointment indicates that he or she is uninsured and needs financial assistance, the telephone operator also schedules an appointment with an entitlement counselor as part of her visit and gives her the list of required documentation to bring. (Entitlement counselors are on-site at all the agency's clinical centers during all operating hours.) During the visit, if the client appears eligible, the counselor assists him or her in filling out the application; the counselor also attests that he or she has viewed original copies of the materials necessary to document citizenship. Then center staff send the completed application to the Department of Social Services for processing.
Once the application is approved, PPNYC bills the state program, which will reimburse providers for care retroactively back to the date on which the application was filed. Given the high approval rate that PPNYC receives for their submitted applications, the agency is comfortable providing the service prior to obtaining a final decision. Social Services sends the enrollment card directly to the client at the mailing address she has specified. The cost of the entitlement counselors is made up many times over by the savings from reducing the number of uninsured clients, according to Alice Berger, vice president of health care planning.
Three states with Medicaid family planning expansions—California, Iowa and Oregon—have moved beyond point-of-service application to actual point-of-service enrollment. In these states, the process begins much as it does at PPNYC. Clients calling to schedule an appointment are screened to determine whether they might be eligible, asked if they are interested in applying and, if so, given a list of the documentation they will need to bring to their visit. Once they arrive, center staff guide them through the application process. When the application is complete, the client signs a hard copy and the staff verify any required documentation and enter the client's information into a state-developed Web-based eligibility system. During the course of the visit, this system can generate an eligibility determination and the client can leave the visit enrolled in the program, which enables the center to be reimbursed for the care provided.
Clients come into centers with a multiplicity of needs, but they also often come in eligible for insurance coverage for which they have not yet enrolled.
These systems offer a route to enrollment in states' Medicaid family planning expansions, which cover contraceptive services and related medical care, such as treatment for STIs. A program initiated by Tapestry Health—an agency that provides family planning, STI and HIV counseling and testing, WIC and needle-exchange services in western Massachusetts—as part of the state's health care reform efforts goes a giant step further to assist clients, and members of the community who are not seeking family planning services, to apply for full-benefit coverage through the state's health insurance exchange (related article, Summer 2009, page 2). The effort has assisted more than 2,000 individuals in accessing coverage since 2007.4
Tapestry Health staff are certified to access the state's Web-based Virtual Gateway, which allows them to assist clients in assessing their options, as well as in applying for either Medicaid or subsidized private coverage. Trained staff assist clients in completing the application and view the required documentation. They then help clients with choosing a specific plan that best meets their needs, and often with selecting a primary care provider in the health plan in which they have enrolled. Because many of the clients are new to the health care system or to health insurance, the conversations often include basic education on the different types of service providers and the mechanics of insurance coverage (such as how to find providers in the plan's network and submit claims), as well as health care terminology (such as "deductible" and "co-pay") that is often unfamiliar and intimidating. Over the course of 2010, Tapestry Health staff assisted 451 individuals in applying for coverage; 384 of these applications have been approved and 67 are still pending.4
The assistance provided by Tapestry Health staff goes well beyond initial enrollment. Clients are able to assign the staff ongoing rights to view insurance information through the system. This allows staff to provide continuing support with paperwork and documentation critical to maintaining coverage as clients' life circumstances change. They can also provide assistance with reenrollment when a client loses coverage because of changes in eligibility or other administrative pitfalls. The system enables the Tapestry Health staff to be an ongoing interface between clients and a bureaucracy that is new and daunting to many clients, but well-known to the staff. Of the individuals assisted in 2010, 100 returned for some type of additional assistance with insurance enrollment or coverage.4
Connecting Clients to Care
Family planning centers can provide clients with the contraceptive services and related care they are seeking, and often, that is the only care needed. But many clients, especially those new to the health care system, come to a family planning visit with needs beyond the scope of services centers provide. They may need treatment for conditions as diverse as bronchitis and eye infections, or they may have issues related to dental health, mental health or substance abuse. In fact, significant medical concerns are frequently identified in the course of a family planning visit. "They come in thinking that they need to get their Pap smear, or they're interested in a family planning method," says Karen Klauss, a nurse midwife at Unity Health Care, a community health center Washington, DC. "But as soon as I see them, I see that their blood pressure is completely out of control, or based on the family history that I've gathered, they're at really high risk for diabetes and I check their blood sugar and it's sky high."5
Title X, the federal legislation that organizes and gives shape to the national family planning network, has long required family planning centers to have procedures for referring clients for additional care when needed. These requirements apply to most of the nationwide network of family planning centers; two-thirds of clients obtaining care at a family planning center do so at a site that receives some funding through the program.1 Both Unity Health Care in Washington, DC, and Tapestry Heath in western Massachusetts are grantees under the program.
According to program guidelines, Title X projects are required to maintain a list of local health care providers, health and human services departments, hospitals, and other providers and agencies for referral purposes.6 Some Title X grantees require more specific protocols. The Texas Department of State Health Services, for example, requires family planning programs to establish communication with community health centers or other state-funded organizations providing primary care or services for breast or cervical cancer within their service area.7
But many family planning providers have gone further to establish linkages with local providers. For example, the Family Planning Association of Maine, the state's only Title X grantee, maintains an extensive referral protocol.8 For conditions that do not appear serious, such as a mild rash, the client is referred to another provider. For so-called second-tier conditions, such as an abnormal Pap test result or an STI, the staff will offer to make an appointment for care. For top-tier acute conditions, such as a suspected ectopic pregnancy or a breast lump, according to Senior Vice President Evelyn Kieltyka, "we'll make sure you get in and we'll make sure you get there."
Maternal and Family Health Services, a Title X grantee in northeastern Pennsylvania, used funding from a private foundation to hire a social worker to do initial client intake and coordinate with other agencies.9 This case manager can help make sure that women get the follow-up care they need and work to ease any impediments, such as transportation, that can make getting services difficult for clients. In recent years, the agency moved from providing referrals for colposcopies when an abnormality is discovered through a Pap test to contracting with private physicians to offer colposcopy services on-site at some of its centers; this arrangement has also made it easier for women to keep appointments and access needed follow-up care. The agency has also been working closely with a local community health center to develop more meaningful linkages for clients to be able to get them into their system when needed.
Tapestry Health combines connecting clients to insurance coverage with connecting them to health care they may need by integrating this handoff into the agency's enrollment and patient navigation system. If a client needs follow-up care, the staff will assist her with insurance enrollment if she is not already covered. They can also refer the client to a provider in the community that will take clients while their insurance enrollment is pending. For a more immediate health care need, the staff will make the actual appointment when a client says that would be helpful or welcome. Long-standing relationships with local providers enable the staff to arrange an expedited appointment, sometimes as early as the next day for an urgent need.
The goal, says the staff, is to ensure that a client needing follow-up care leaves with a plan for both coverage and follow-up care; absent that, "there are just too many cracks for clients to fall through," says Ann Poole, the agency's insurance enrollment and client navigation manager.4 Doing so not only helps put a client at ease during a stressful time, but also is most efficient for the agency. The medical staff can liaise with the referring medical provider to convey whatever medical information is needed. But the client navigator does the work on the administrative side, either securing coverage or making the actual arrangements for an appointment. The navigator can also ensure that medical records are transferred, as appropriate and as consented to by the client, and work to make sure that appropriate records come back, so that the client's chart at Tapestry reflects the resolution of the issue.
The goal is to ensure that a client leaves with a plan for both coverage and follow-up care; absent that, 'there are just too many cracks for clients to fall through.'
This kind of coordinated approach also makes sense for the overall health care system. The average wait at comprehensive providers in some communities served by Tapestry could be up to three months if the client were to call on his or her own. Clients unable to secure appointments on their own would likely, in the absence of the assistance provided by Tapestry, seek much more expensive, but more immediate, care at hospital emergency rooms instead.
Strategic Pathway
Clearly, many family planning centers are already taking important steps to serve as a gateway to the health care system in their communities, either to insurance coverage or health care or, in some cases, both. But moving forward, they would be wise to consider how to consolidate those efforts and forge them into an identifiable, recognizable and, perhaps most critically, recognized, role for family planning programs. Doing so could be a key strategy for both improving access to needed services and for giving these providers a unique and vital role in the health care landscape that is evolving as we move toward health care reform.
Solidifying this role as an entry point to care has the potential to expand the ability of family planning providers to reach into their communities, perhaps in ways that they have not been able to do before. Having the ability to connect people to full-benefit health coverage has enabled Tapestry Health's staff to reach out to some of the "off-the-grid" people in their community, individuals such as waitresses or domestic employees who may not have formal connections or channels to access coverage on their own. They have also been able to reach out to men in the community by doing outreach in places such as delis and construction sites. Although conversations may initially be about accessing insurance coverage, they provide an opportunity to discuss contraceptive needs as well.
At the same time, by offering access to full-benefit coverage, Tapestry Health staff have been able to connect with groups such as local chambers of commerce and labor unions in ways not previously possible. In doing so, they have been able to rely on their reputation in the community as a place where people can discuss sensitive issues, secure that conversations will be confidential, whether they are about reproductive and sexual health needs or perhaps individuals' discomfort at needing help, possibly for the first time in their lives.
Because of the high-quality, low-cost, confidential contraceptive services they offer, family planning centers have long had a door to the health care system that some individuals are willing to walk through, even though they may not be willing to go through other doors. Consolidating this track record into an identifiable role in the health care system holds the potential for a sustainable path for family planning centers going forward. Doing so can serve as a compelling argument for policymakers to continue to fund these centers, even as they increase resources available to comprehensive service providers, such as community health centers. This role gives health plans a reason to bring family planning centers into their networks so that enrollees who enter through that door can more easily navigate the system once inside. And, finally, it offers comprehensive providers a clear rationale for why entering into collaborations with family planning providers is an effective strategy for meeting their common goal of ensuring that all in their communities can access the services they need as quickly, effectively and efficiently as possible. In short, it has enormous potential to be a wise move for individuals, communities and the family planning provider network going forward
1. Gold RB et al., Next Steps for America's Family Planning Program: Leveraging the Potential of Medicaid and Title X in an Evolving Health Care System, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2009.
2. Sugerman S et al., Family planning clinic clients: their usual health care providers, insurance status, and implications for managed care, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2000, 27(1):25–33.
3. Berger A, Planned Parenthood of New York City, New York, personal communication, Apr. 13, 2011.
4. Smith S, Poole A and Stewart R, Tapestry Health, Florence, MA, personal communication, Apr. 11, 2011.
5. Rovner J, At-risk federal funds cover far more than the pill, National Public Radio, Apr. 1, 2011, <http://www.npr.org/2011/04/01/ 135018313/at-risk-federal-funds-cover-far-more-than-the-pill>, accessed May 9, 2011.
6. Office of Population Affairs (OPA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Program Guidelines for Project Grants for Family Planning Services, Bethesda, MD: OPA, 2001.
7. Texas Department of State Health Services, Fiscal Year 2011 Policy and Procedure Manual for Title V, Title X and Title XX Family Planning Services, 2011, <http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&Item…;, accessed May 9, 2011.
8. Kieltyka E, Family Planning Association of Maine, Augusta, ME, personal communication, Apr. 4, 2011.
9. Saxton B, Maternal and Family Health Services, Wilkes-Barre, PA, personal communication, Apr. 6, 2011.


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More than four billion hooks were set throughout the entire Atlantic Ocean between 1995 and 2010. Image: Phil Doherty
Satellite tracking identifies Atlantic Ocean risk zones for leatherback turtles
The last large populations of the leatherback turtle are at risk because their migratory routes in the Atlantic Ocean overlap with the locations of industrial fisheries, a new study shows.
Researchers used data from satellite transmitters attached to the turtles to track their movements across the Atlantic Ocean. These movements were then overlapped with information on high pressure fishing areas to identify where the turtles are most susceptible to becoming entangled and where they may drown.
The international study, jointly led by Dr Matthew Witt of the University of Exeter and Dr Sabrina Fossette of Swansea University, found that urgent international efforts are needed to protect the iconic species.
Between 1995 and 2010, a total of 106 leatherback turtles were satellite-tracked in the Atlantic and south-west Indian Oceans. Resulting information was interpreted along with knowledge on longline fishing effort and nine areas with the highest risk of bycatch were identified.
Maps of the turtles' daily locations revealed that Atlantic leatherbacks use both deep sea international waters (more than 200 nautical miles from land) and coastal national waters, either seasonally or year-round, in a complex pattern of habitat use.
More than four billion hooks were set throughout the entire Atlantic Ocean by industrial fisheries between 1995 and 2010 – equivalent to 730,000 hooks per day.
Dr Witt, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, said: "This study clearly stresses the transboundary nature of leatherback turtle seasonal movement and the multi-national effort necessary to design measures to protect this iconic species from fisheries activity. Significant efforts are urgently needed to bridge the gap between scientists and the fishing industry to ensure these and future findings are rapidly progressed into policy."
The study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that of the nine areas of high susceptibility for leatherbacks, four are in the North Atlantic and five in the South/Equatorial Atlantic.
Some of these areas are on the high seas, but they also fall within the Exclusive Economic Zones (the coastal water and sea bed around a country's shores to which it claims exclusive rights for fishing, oil exploration and so on) of the UK, USA, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, Western Sahara, Angola, Brazil and Namibia.
Leatherbacks from the north Atlantic regularly use UK national waters, particularly during our summertime, whereas those from the south Atlantic move through UK overseas territorial waters of Ascension Island and Saint Helena during March to May while they migrate towards South America.
Professor Brendan Godley from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall is the senior author of the paper and co-founder of web based tools on the website Seaturtle.org, which facilitated this multinational study involving 12 countries from four continents. He said: "The integration of these vast datasets clearly highlights areas where fisheries need to be subject to greater scrutiny. We must avoid the tragedy that could ensue where fisheries from wealthy nations negatively impact the marine biodiversity of developing nations, many of which are valiantly trying to protect their coastal and offshore environments."
The article, 'Pan-Atlantic analysis of the overlap of a highly migratory species, the leatherback turtle, with pelagic longline fisheries,' is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The article is open-access: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1780/20133065.full.pdf+html
Date: 12 February 2014


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A comprehensive natural history of one of Britain's favourite animals
The badger has for many years occupied a unique place in the British consciousness. Despite the fact that most people have never seen one, the badger has become one of Britain's best-loved animals. The number of organisations that use the badger as a logo, the number of websites featuring information about badgers, and the number of voluntary badger protection societies that exist are testament to this popularity.
In fact, the attitude of most ordinary people towards badgers is complex and contradictory, involving a combination of familiarity and ignorance, concern and indifference. For an increasing number of people, badgers constitute an important source of interest and pleasure, be it through watching them in their gardens or in the wild, sharing badger-related knowledge and experiences with others via the internet, or defending badgers against threats to their welfare. For others, on the other hand, badgers are a problem species that requires active management.
In this highly anticipated new study, Prof Tim Roper explores every aspects of the biology and behaviour of these fascinating animals. In doing so, he reveals the complexities of a lifestyle that allows badgers to build communities in an astonishing variety of habitats, ranging from pristine forests to city centres. He also reveals the facts behind the controversy surrounding the badgers' role in transmitting tuberculosis to cattle, shedding new light on an issue that has resulted in one of the most extensive wildlife research programmes ever carried out.
- 'The series is an amazing achievement'The Times Literary Supplement
- 'The books are glorious to own'Independent


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This article is more than 1 year old
HP open sources WebOS TouchPad tablet GUI
Luna system manager code posted
HP has released the first part of WebOS Community Edition (WOCE), the latest incarnation of the one-time Palm operating system.
Aimed at owners of the HP TouchPad tablet, WOCE's first release is based around Luna, the WebOS System Manager and GUI. According to HP, it's availability allows coders to get right into the WebOS user experience.
"Developers can now modify the card view, launcher, notifications, Just Type and more," it said.
WebOS' Luna GUI: now yours to tweak
Past WebOS open source releases have provided only the code for many of the operating system's underlying components.
WOCE is geared toward ensuring the longer term viability of the TouchPad. WebOS fans hoping for broader hardware support will have to wait until September when HP is set to release what it calls "Open WebOS", a generic version of the OS designed to be more readily portable to other devices.
More to the point, it will feature open source replacements for all the existing WebOS components for which HP can't release the code because it doesn't own it.
You can download WOCE at the Palm site. ®


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Mother Nature just unleashed her fury upon your home and now your basement is flooded. What's worse, most insurance does not include flood damage and yours isn't any different. How do you ensure that the ensuing water damage does not decrease the value of your home? Appropriate restoration equipment and some initiatives from your end will ensure that you never have to sell your home at half its market price –
Use an Air Blower
If your home is flooded chances are that any electronic or wooden items might not have fared so well either. That blender and generator cost a lot. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. Fortunately restoration equipment like an industrial air blower will come in handy during times like these. Just make sure that you dry out any equipment or furniture as soon as you can. You do not want a mahogany cabinet going moldy.
Disconnect the Power First
The faster you get your electronics out of their watery prison, the more likely will you be able to save them. Save the electric items before the furniture and switch the power off before doing so. If the flood leaves a fair amount of damage there could be some live wires lying about. You won' be able to see them under water. This should be your first priority especially if the water rises up to the electrical outlets.
Get rid of the Water
This goes without saying. You cannot use any restoration equipment if your basement is still flooded. The point of an air blower is to dry items after they have been rescued. If there isn't too much water to sop up you can use some towels to get rid of it. Pour the water down the drain if your sewers aren't backed up already. You can also use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to do so. Make sure that you plug the restorative equipment away from the water.
Once you have mopped up the excess water, use a dehumidifier to dry out the area completely. This will prevent any nasty molds from growing on your rugs or beams. Open the windows if it has stopped raining and air out the affected area. You want to get as much moisture out as possible. The area will also dry out faster that way.
You will probably have to cut away any dry walls that have been affected. Dry walls might not be salvageable if they are made from pressboard. However, wooden dry walls can be saved provided that you dry them up with appropriate restoration equipment.
Do not throw away any damaged items. Instead, take them to the nearest recycling center where they can be put to good use instead. Fortunately, your air blower or dehumidifier will ensure that you never have to throw away too many items. Do your home a favor and invest in restorative equipment. Your home's real estate value will be better off for it.


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Philadelphia, PA – Domonic Brown's single to right in the bottom of the ninth inning plated Michael Young as the Philadelphia Phillies won in their final at-bat for the second straight night, 5-4, to take three of four from the Colorado Rockies.
The Phillies trailed 4-3 entering the final frame and were one out from a series split after Rafael Betancourt (2-5) retired the first two batters he faced. Jimmy Rollins kept the home team alive with a double down the first base line then stole third, which allowed him to score on Young's dribbler past the pitcher's mound.
Jeff Francis relieved Betancourt but walked Chase Utley and hung a breaking ball to Brown, who connected for his second walk-off hit of the season.
Carlos Ruiz picked up three hits in the winning effort while Darin Ruf launched his ninth home run of the season. Kyle Kendrick was tagged for all four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings, and Cesar Jimenez (1-0) earned his second career win after tossing a perfect ninth.
"I think there's a sense that good things can happen with the positive energy and the guys pulling for each other," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "The guys are having quality at-bats and rising to the occasion."
Wilin Rosario went deep for Colorado while Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer tallied two hits apiece.
Chad Bettis yielded a run on six hits and fanned five for Colorado, which lost for the fifth time in six games.
Cody Asche put Philadelphia on the board with a poke double to left in the second inning, plating Brown who singled and advanced to third on a wild pitch earlier in the inning. Bettis responded by striking out three batters.
Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu smacked consecutive singles to start the fifth inning. Bettis advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Dexter Fowler tied the game with a sac fly to left.
Kendrick allowed back-to-back hits to open the sixth inning as well, as Tulowitzki and Cuddyer each reached on singles to left-center. Rosario made the Phillies' hurler pay by unleashing his three-run blast into the bleachers in left field, giving Colorado a 4-1 advantage.
The Phillies put two men on base in the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to cut into the lead until the eighth inning, when Ruf took Matt Belisle deep for a two-run shot.
Game Notes
Rosario extended his major league-leading hitting streak to 13 games ... Fowler went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts ... The Phillies have won four of five after dropping their previous four ... Four Phillies relievers combined for four scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit and no walks ... Betancourt left the game with a sprained right elbow. He'll be reevaluated Friday.


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Manchester United have bolstered their goalkeeping options with the signing of Argentina international Sergio Romero on a free transfer.
The 28-year-old former Sampdoria keeper worked with United boss Louis van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar and will provide competition for Spanish stopper David de Gea, should the latter remain at Old Trafford.
Victor Valdes is set to be sold after refusing to play in the reserves last season while Sam Johnstone represents another option between the sticks.
Romero told United's official website: "I am absolutely delighted to join Manchester United. To play for the biggest club in the world is a dream come true for me. Louis van Gaal is a fantastic manager and I cannot wait to get started on this new and exciting challenge in my career."
Romero has featured 62 times for Argentina and played in the 2014 World Cup final, which the Albiceleste ultimately lost to Germany in Rio de Janeiro.
He made his senior club debut at Racing Club de Avellaneda in 2007 before moving to AZ and then on to Sampdoria. His performances for the Genoa-based outfit helped them secure promotion to Serie A in 2012 and he was sent to Monaco on loan for the 2013-14 campaign.
Dutch manager Van Gaal, under whom Romero celebrated an Eredivisie title win at AZ in 2009, said: "Sergio is a very talented goalkeeper.
"He was a young keeper during my time at AZ Alkmaar and I am delighted he is joining Manchester United.
"He had a fantastic World Cup last summer in Brazil, although that is something I have put to the back of my mind!
"He will be a great addition to the team and I am looking forward to working with him once again."
While Romero was now eligible to link up with his new team-mates in the United States ahead of a friendly meeting with Paris St Germain in Chicago, winger Angel Di Maria failed to board his flight to California.
The former Real Madrid player was due to meet up with United's tour party in San Jose on Saturday.
Di Maria's absence has fueled speculation a move to PSG is moving closer but United have refused to comment on reports in France that they have agreed to sell him to the Parisian club for 65million euros (£46million).
Read more at http://worldsoccertalk.com/2015/07/27/manchester-united-sign-goalkeeper-sergio-romero/#mdcCVTbl6UhyfBi3.99


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Originally published in Journal of Creation 18, no 2 (August 2004): 58-61.
Show that ice core dating methods are not independent and open to significant reinterpretation. The root of the problem is the uncritical acceptance of the uniformitarian paradigm.
Paul H. Seely has written a rebuttal to creationist's ice sheet and ice core interpretations in the December 2003 Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, a journal put out by American Scientific Affiliation.
[Ed. note: Seely is an ostensibly evangelical theologian whose main hobby for decades seems to have been to argue that the Bible contains scientific errors, and is thus much beloved by anti-Christians—seeThe ASA has been for decades the leading American organization promoting theistic evolutionary compromise.]
- Is the raqiya' ('firmament') a solid dome? Equivocal language in the cosmology of Genesis 1 and the Old Testament: a response to Paul H. Seely
- Is the 'erets (earth) flat? Equivocal language in the geography of Genesis 1 and the Old Testament: a response to Paul H. Seely
- Seely's response to above and refutation of that
He primarily challenges my reinterpretation of the 110,000 claimed annual layers in the GISP2 ice core from the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet to the depth of 2,800 metres and defends the extensive timeframe, claiming independent corroboration by multiple methods. I will show that these methods are not independent and open to significant reinterpretation. The root of the problem is the uncritical acceptance of the uniformitarian paradigm.
In my articles on ice cores, I reinterpreted the annual layers in the middle and lower portions of the GISP2 core as subannual layers, based on a Flood–Ice Age model, incorporating warm oceans, cooling continents and high levels of atmospheric particulates from volcanic activity.1,2,3 Thus, my starting assumptions assume significant climate instability post-Flood and rapid accumulation of snow and ice. In this scenario, annual ice layers would be on the order of metres.
On the other hand, uniformitarians start with an assumption of great age, generally stable conditions and Milankovitch orbital cycles to create ice ages. As a result, uniformitarians are looking for very thin annual layers on the order of centimetres and even millimetres near the bottom of the ice sheet.
The resulting difference in age-interpretation is a result of the starting paradigm; the data is the same and does not speak for itself. What we believe colours what we see.
Seely superficially analyzes the main methods of counting annual layers.4 He concludes that my reinterpretation is invalid because the timescale has been corroborated by up to three independent annual measuring methods that agree with volcanic acidity spikes and deep-sea cores:
'The first 110,000 annual layers of snow in that ice core (GISP2) have been visually counted and corroborated by two to three different and independent methods as well as by correlation with volcanic eruptions and other datable events.'5
However, contrary to what Seely believes, neither the annual layer counting methods nor the external correlation methods are independent, they are all tied to the same starting assumptions of deep time. The 110,000 annual layers are based on the assumptions that the Greenland Ice Sheet has been in equilibrium for several million years and that ice ages oscillate between glacials and interglacials with a period of 100,000 years based on the astronomical theory of the ice age (the Milankovitch mechanism). Equilibrium means that the annual snowfall and height of the ice sheet have remained nearly constant for several million years. All late 'Cenozoic' climatic data sets, including deep-sea cores, must (according to the reigning paradigm) follow this assumed mechanism, which has innumerable problems.6,7,8,9,10
The deep-sea core timescale, based on the astronomical theory of the ice age, provides the timescale for ice cores by dating such events as the Younger Dryas and the stage 5e interglacial in the broad-scale oxygen isotope ratios in ice cores. Then glacial flow models are tuned to this scale, assuming equilibrium of the ice sheets. The flow model then provides the first guess for the annual layer counting. Seely is aware of this bias, but denies it operates in the counting of annual layers:
'Contrary to Oard, the expected annual thickness of the layers down the core does not determine what uniformitarian scientists conclude with these latter methods. The truth is exactly the opposite: LLS counting is used to correct the initial estimated thickness of the annual layers.'11
LLS (laser light scattering) is a method for counting dust bands by passing a laser beam through the ice. Seely is technically correct, but generally incorrect. He must have misinterpreted my statements because such constraints on annual layer thickness do determine the general annual layer thickness within certain limits. I have used the term first guess or estimated annual layer thickness in my articles on the subject:
'Based on their expected annual thickness [from flow models], uniformitarian scientists take enough measurements to resolve what they believe are annual cycles.'12
In other words, the counted annual layers can deviate a little from the first guess, but the first guess constrains the limits of variability. It is like numerical analysis in which a first guess is required to begin and then successive computer iterations change the first guess somewhat to arrive at hopefully the correct answer. For instance, if the first guess concludes that the annual layer thickness at the 2,500-metre depth is around 1 centimetre, annual layer counting will not allow an annual layer thickness of 5 centimetres, let alone about 3 metres as in the creationist model. The variability in the measured parameters and the impact of non-periodic events provide adequate scope to find a preferred fit to the data.
In contrast, in a creationist model, the annual layers in the middle and lower portion of the GISP2 ice core would be subannual layers due to sub-storm, storm or other cycles of weather lasting anywhere from days to months.
To demonstrate that the astronomical theory biases all data sets and that annual layer counts can be adjusted to come close to expectations, all one has to do is read how the count of 'annual' layers below 2,300 metres was changed in the GISP2 core. Based on the deep-sea core chronology applied to the Vostok Antarctica ice core, Meese noted that their timescale for GISP2 was off by 25,000 years at 2,800 metres depth:
'They predicted the age of the ice at 2800 m to be about 110,000 years, 25,000 years older than had been originally counted on the basis of visual stratigraphy [Meese et al., 1994].'13
The senior author then went back to the laboratory to 'recheck' the visible stratigraphy or dust layers. She discovered that by using a 1-mm wide laser beam in the LLS method instead of an 8-mm wide beam, 25,000 more annual layers of dust were 'discovered' between 2,300 and 2,800 metres! One must be especially careful when evolutionary/uniformitarian scientists claim 'agreement' between two or more 'independent' dating methods and/or data sets.
In regard to each annual layer counting method, much could be written to show that Seely misunderstands the methods. Furthermore, he only partially understands the climatic differences between the uniformitarian model and the creationist Ice Age model.14,15,16,17 I will only briefly discuss the annual layer methods, a more detailed treatment will be provided in a future monograph.18
Seely states that surface hoar frost forms only during the summer due to sunshine and fog. However, surface hoar frost is only a minor player in the annual layer method; depth hoar is the main marker.19 Depth hoar develops when a large, vertical temperature gradient causes vapour to sublime, diffuse and crystallize in a layer.20 This occurs just below the surface, mainly during the summer. However, it has been observed from snow pits that many depth-hoar/wind slab couplets can form each summer.21,22,23,24 Alley and colleagues measured about 15 alternating depth-hoar/finer-grained wind crusts per year in snow pits at the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet.25,26 These layers were observed to have formed by individual storms.27 Although considered rare today, winter depth hoar can also form, but it is normally thin and discontinuous.28,29,30 Storms can cause depth hoar layers if the temperature gradient is sufficient during the changes between warm and cold sectors of storms. These depth hoar complexes, as they are called, can usually be counted as annual layers in the top portion of the GISP2 core. It is more likely that a subannual depth hoar layer formed by a storm would be counted as an annual signal, if the snowfall were significantly higher in the past, as in the Creation/Flood model for the middle and lower portions of the ice core.31,32
Seely claims that dust variations are primarily seasonal, so that every dust band, whether counted visually or by LLS, are evidence for annual layers. Such dust bands are mainly responsible for the counting of annual layers from around 12,000 years to 110,000 years and even older in the uniformitarian timescale of the GISP2 ice core. Although dust bands are generally annual today, this does not mean they were annual in the past. The period between 12,000 and 110,000 years would correspond to the Ice Agega very dusty period with a unique climate. In the compressed Creation/Flood model with much thicker annual layers during the Ice Age, the dust represents an extremely dusty atmosphere, especially near glacial maximum and during deglaciation. Storms would be very dirty and multiple bands of dust could be deposited on the ice sheet by several mechanisms, such as by dry deposition between storms or during showery periods in one storm. In a high snowfall model, such as the Creation/Flood model, one can find oscillations in dust at almost any frequency, which is demonstrated when Meese and colleagues found 25,000 more annual dust layers using a finer analysis!
Alley admits that subannual events can be produced during one year in all the annual layer methods, storms being one of the mechanisms:
'Fundamentally, in counting any annual marker, we must ask whether it is absolutely unequivocal, or whether non-annual events could mimic or obscure a year. For the visible strata (and, we believe, for any other annual indicator at accumulation rates representative of central Greenland), it is almost certain that variability exists at the sub-seasonal or storm level, at the annual level and for various longer periodicities (2-year, sunspot, etc). We certainly must entertain the possibility of misidentifying the deposit of a large storm or a snow dune as an entire year or missing a weak indication of a summer and thus picking a 2-year interval as 1 year.' 33
I could go on and on, but will briefly mention a few other misinterpretations in Seely's article. Seely states that volcanic spikes in acidity can be used to check the dating from deep in the ice cores. There are numerous problems relating volcanic acidity spikes as marker horizons. Volcanic history is known accurately to only 200 years!34 A few large eruptions are known beyond 200 years, but with all the other acidity spikes, it is difficult to match the eruption with an acidity spike in the ice core. It is very difficult to pin a precise date on an acidity peak beyond 2,000 years ago.35,36,37,38,39
Seely seems to think that the formation of nitric acid that is picked up by the ECM (electric conductivity method) shows well-behaved seasonal oscillations with a summer maximum. This is only generally true today and the past would be different. Seely assumes that only nitric acid is significant; however ECM also picks up other acids including sulfuric acid.
There are quite a few unknowns and variables associated with atmospheric acidity generation, transport, deposition and locking in the ice.40 There are many sources for sulfuric and nitric acids, which can vary with time and complicate the seasonal cycle. For instance, the nitrogen cycle in the atmosphere is highly complex with a number of variables affecting the nitrate and nitric acid generation that can end up in the ice:
'The atmospheric nitrogen cycle is highly complex and there is a wide range of factors that can affect the nitrate level in polar ice.'41
Wolff corroborates:
'However, the [nitrate] data are not easy to interpret and we do not have an adequate knowledge of even the present-day sources of nitrate in polar snow, nor of the deposition processes that control the concentrations seen.'42
Furthermore, acidity can rarely be applied to the glacial portion of the Greenland ice cores because the significant quantity of dust neutralizes the acid, except in short, dust-free sections.
If one starts with the uniformitarian paradigm, it is easy to see how the various methods appear to be corroborating. However, when one steps back and questions the unspoken starting assumptions and allows the parameters to vary by the full range available, completely different consistent results can be obtained. This shows the importance of where we start. The Bible claims to be a reliable historical record and this history from the very beginning was attested to by Christ and the Apostles. Thus, it is a logical starting position from which to create our worldview. On the other hand, belief in deep time may be internally reinforcing, but has no external reference point. Either must be accepted by faith, only one will be right.
It is unfortunate that Seely and others in the American Scientific Affiliation accept man's fallible, continually changing stories about the past rather than God's clear Word.
I thank Ashby Camp for informing me about Seely's article and Dr Larry Vardiman of the Institute for Creation Research for sending me a copy of the Seely article and for reviewing this article.
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.


text: Henning Fehrmann <henning.fehrmann at aei.mpg.de> writes: > we need to automount NFS directories on high ports to increase the > number of possible mounts. Currently, we are limited up to ca 360 mounts. A TCP socket is a 4-tuple of localhost:localport:remotehost:remoteport A given localhost:localport pair can speak to an unlimted array of remotehost:remoteport sets. For example, in theory, your SMTP port can get connections from up to 2^32 different hosts on each of 2^16 different sockets from each, for a total space of 2^48 connections to a single local socket number. This in no way restricts how many connections can come in to another port, either, because a given socket is again the full 4-tuple -- if you have an SSH port, it too can get 2^48 connections. Now, there is this (odd) convention that only root can open a socket below 1024, so hosts "trust" (what a bad idea) sockets under that number. You can still, however, get up to 1023 connections from any given remote host to a given local host's port. Thus, your problem sounds rather odd. There is no obvious reason you should be limited to 360 connections. Perhaps your problem is not what you think it is at all. Could you explain it in more detail? -- Perry E. Metzger perry at piermont.com


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Benefits of Book4ad of Amaravathi
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You can also check the status of your ad in My Account->My Bookings


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By Beth Rosenfeld, Lisa Peskin and Brynne Tillman
Special to the Legal
How much attorneys know and how good they are at what they do are key factors when clients choose whom they want to represent them. These same things are equally important when lawyers consider which colleagues they will refer business to.
One of the most effective ways to appeal to potential clients is to position yourself and your firm as a "thought leader" in your area of expertise. When one can share insights and interest in a topic, you engage others and attract them to you. There are two things to consider when taking on a subject-matter expert role. First, you must have good original content that your target reader will find interesting. Second, your audience must be composed of potential clients and referral sources.
Let's tackle the content first with three considerations:
- Identify the things that matter to your potential clients and the attorneys who already refer business your way. Ask around. What topics in your area of expertise would draw them in? What information would be a valuable takeaway from your article?
- Keep it simple, engaging and short. You don't have to give them all the details of the topic. If they want more, they can reach out to you.
- Invite people to take a next step. Be sure to end all your content with a "call to action." Invite them to share their thoughts, concerns and/or perspective. They can email, call you or simply request more information on the topic.
Regardless of how great your content is, if no one reads it, there is no impact. Assuring that your information gets in front of both potential clients and referral partners is of equal importance to creating good content in your messaging.
Following are some suggestions on how to get your message in front of the right audience:
- Participate on panels and get involved in speaking engagements targeted to your potential clients and referral sources. Chambers, associations and networking groups are always looking for speakers on new topics.
- Publish articles in law reviews, journals, research guides, papers and online resources. Media channels are always looking for great content.
- Blog. Have a consistent content stream that speaks to your clients. Keep your ideas simple and offer actionable steps. The goal is for the reader to walk away thinking not only was your article an interesting read, but that it made an impact upon how the reader will think and react to relevant situations after reading your blog. When this occurs, credibility is instantly created and you become a top-of-mind thought leader. Similar to writing an article, when blogging, always include a call to action asking the reader to connect with you.
- Weekly/monthly emails can have significant power with your existing network, yet, again, keep it simple. This is a great way to share your blog, upcoming events and industry insights that your target client cares about.
- Social media, though rarely an exact science, is a very effective way to rapidly distribute your message to a large audience. Be cautious to choose your media carefully. If your prospective client is an individual and your firm focuses on estate planning, divorce, family law, medical malpractice, PI, etc., you may want to have a Facebook presence. If your expertise centers on companies or corporate law, LinkedIn is likely your best outlet. Posting to your status will keep your current connections aware, but posting your content to groups will get new eyes following your content.
The bottom line is that the more you get your message out and position yourself and your firm as a subject-matter expert, the more new cases, new clients and new referral sources will come your way.
Beth Rosenfeld, Lisa Peskin and Brynne Tillman are members of the Business Development University legal sales team.


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Fujitsu introduces advanced VRF commercial systems.
Fujitsu General America, Inc. has introduced Airstage™ V-II VRF, a new line of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heat pumps.
This large capacity, zoned heat pump system with operational efficiencies up to 21.7 iEER (to AHRI 1230 standard) is the perfect fit for small and large buildings. Airstage systems avail a lineup from 6 to 24 tons with a connectable indoor unit capacity ratio up to 130% and up to 45 indoor units per bank of 3 condensing units.
High efficiency is achieved by using a single DC inverter-controlled, twin rotary compressor per condenser. The system also boasts a total pipe length of nearly 3,300 feet. Heating operating range spans ambient temperatures from 75°F to as low as -5°F, while rated cooling capacity remains constant with outdoor temperatures from 115°F to 14°F.
Indoor units come in a variety of styles: wall mount, cassette, compact duct, floor/ceiling mounted, and high static pressure duct. Up to three condensing units may be linked with twining kits. Applications include churches, medical facilities, office buildings, and schools.
Web monitoring capability, low noise design, easy service and maintenance, and peak cut operation make the new Airstage systems an ideal choice for installing and service contractors and building owners.
Fujitsu Training Academyoffers classes online, at remote locations, and at the Fujitsu VRF Training Center in Fairfield, New Jersey. Fujitsu Training Academy provides training for contractors and engineers on the design, installation, troubleshooting and diagnostics of VRF systems.


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"all i've got at home is two dogs and four cats and six bunny rabbits and two parakeets and three canaries and a green parrot and a turtle and a bowl of goldfish and a cage of white mice and a silly old hamster! i want a squirrel!!"
-veruca salt, in roald dahl's "charlie and the chocolate factory".


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Welcome to Pinellas Arrhythmia Associates!
Trust the skill & experience of Pinellas County's most advanced & fully capable cardiac electrophysiologist
Clearwater cardiovascular experience, credentials & reputation patients & doctors trust
John F. Norris, MD, is an experienced, highly competent cardiologist fellowship-trained and board-certified in both cardiology and electrophysiology. A practicing cardiac electrophysiologist for more than a decade, he has helped thousands of patients live longer, productive, fulfilling lives... earning their physicians' trust in the process. Dr. Norris is also a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society, which offers fellow status only to leading electrophysiologists who've made contributions to the field.
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- CONVERGENT ablation (Hybrid) Surgical-Catheter for longstanding atrial fibrillation
- Follow-up for pacemakers & implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD treatment)
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- His-Bundle Pacing
- Leadless pacemaker (MICRA) implantation
- Left Atrial (WATCHMAN) Appendage Occlusion for stroke prevention
- Loop recorder implant and follow-up
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- Tilt-table testing
To learn more about Clearwater cardiovascular consultants services at Pinellas Arrhythmia Associates and/or to schedule an appointment with Dr. John Norris, please call our office today at (727) 587-6999, or you can use our online Request an Appointment form. We offer our services to the communities of St. Petersburg (St Pete), Tampa and Clearwater in Pinellas County, FL.


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Download this template for free to make Blakiston's fish owl also known as "philosopher of the forest."
A trivia fact: Blakiston's Fish Owl is Japan's largest owl with a wingspan upto 72 inches. They are found exclusively in the central and eastern parts of Hokkaido
You can print the assembly instructions that comes with images to construct paper sculpture of the owl. Also check out this link for more goodies.
{image via}


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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Known primarily for their ground games, lightweights Tyson Griffin and Rafael Dos Anjos instead showed off their striking prowess as well at the Sommet Center Wednesday night, and the result was an entertaining three round scrap that saw Griffin survive some dicey moments before emerging victorious via unanimous decision.
By Thomas Gerbasi
NASHVILLE, April 1 – Known primarily for their ground games, lightweights Tyson Griffin and Rafael Dos Anjos instead showed off their striking prowess as well at the Sommet Center Wednesday night, and the result was an entertaining three round scrap that saw Griffin survive some dicey moments before emerging victorious via unanimous decision.
Scores for Griffin were 30-27 in a fight that was a lot more competitive than those scores would indicate.
Griffin was sharp with his strikes from the opening bell, and he calmly picked at Dos Anjos, who wasted a lot of energy moving around the Octagon while trying to tag his foe. With 2:50 left in the round, Griffin tagged Dos Anjos and hurt him, following up with a takedown to the mat. Dos Anjos got his bearings back and looked for a submission on Griffin's leg, but the California native fought his way loose and got back to his feet, much to the delight of the crowd.
Dos Anjos struck first in the second, briefly dropping Griffin with a hard shot to the head, but Griffin got right back into the fray looking for payback. A minute and a half in, Griffin was starting to get frustrated by Dos Anjos' movement, but he wasn't doing enough to cut the Octagon off on him, instead he just followed the Brazilian around. When he was able to land, he drew blood from the bridge of Dos Anjos' nose, but at close range, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt remained dangerous. With under a minute to go, Griffin jarred Dos Anjos with a right hand and the two traded shots as the volume level in the arena rose, and by the end of the round, Griffin looked to be in control of the bout.
The exchanges between the two came more often in the third round, and Griffin was still finding a home for his right hand on Dos Anjos' head, but the Brazilian refused to give in, and he kept fighting back, even throwing a knee into the mix that kept Griffin honest. With 35 seconds remaining, the fight went back to the mat, but a Dos Anjos kimura attempt was foiled by Griffin, who landed with a series of ground strikes until the closing bell.
With the win, Griffin improves to 13-2; Dos Anjos falls to 11-4.
In pre-fight banter, Cole Miller promised a dominant win over The Ultimate Fighter 8's Junie Browning, and once the bell rang, the Georgia native delivered, submitting his foe in the first round of their lightweight bout.
After a brief feeling out process, Browning and Miller (15-3) locked up, with the fight going to the mat soon after. A stalemate ensued and the two stood. Miller landed a couple of hard strikes and then went for the kill, locking in a guillotine choke that forced Browning (3-2) to tap out, ending matters at 1:58 of the first round.
"I would really like to fight the winner of the Spencer Fisher and Caol Uno fight at UFC 99 in Germany," said Miller when asked his future plans.
The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner, Ryan Bader, kept his unbeaten record intact as he used his wrestling attack to cruise to a shutout three round win over Carmelo Marrero.
Scores were 30-27 across the board for Bader, who ups his record to 10-0; Marrero falls to 10-3 with 1 NC.
Bader got the bout to the mat early behind a strong takedown, and he immediately went to work on Marrero's arm. The American Top Team product scramble out of trouble, but then found his arm locked up again by Bader. As Marrero escaped again, he found his way into Bader's guard and began working his ground strikes. Moments later, Marrero stood and let Bader up, but Bader took the bout right back to the mat, landing in side control. After a scramble, the two stood again before another Bader takedown just before the end of the round.
Marrero sprawled his way out of Bader's first takedown attempt in round two, but the former All-American wrestler kept the pressure on until he put Marrero on his back. Eventually, Bader worked his way to his opponent's back and fired away with strikes, but again, Marrero found a way to survive under fire. Marrero wasn't scoring points though, and Bader kept adding to his lead with a methodical attack.
The third was more of the same, as Bader took Marrero down and worked his ground attack. Bader tried an arm triangle and briefly got into the mount position, but was unable to finish the veteran.
UFC Performance Institute
Dana White On The Opening Of UFC PI Mexico


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SAN DIEGO – It wasn't until his 130th and final pitch that the struggling San Diego Padres finally got to Roy Halladay.
Even so, Will Venable's RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday merely denied the Philadelphia Phillies and their sensational pitching staff a third shutout during the course of a four-game sweep.
Halladay tied his career high with 14 strikeouts and the Phillies beat the Padres 3-1 for their fifth straight win.
Halladay (3-1) took a two-hitter into the ninth before allowing three singles, including Venable's run-scoring base hit. Antonio Bastardo came on with runners on first and third and got pinch-hitter Nick Hundley to fly out to left on his first pitch for his first save.
"I felt good," Halladay said. "Even at the end I felt good. It was one of those days where, especially through the middle innings, there weren't a lot of high-stress pitches, and I think that plays a part into it, especially being able to throw more pitches. If you're doing it with the bases loaded every inning, it takes a different toll."
Halladay's 130 pitches were the most in the majors this year.
Halladay was so dominant, mostly with his changeup and curveball, that San Diego didn't get a baserunner past first base until the ninth. He allowed only five singles while walking one. Halladay, who struck out at least 10 for the 12th time in his career, fanned six straight at one point. He struck out everyone in the lineup except pitcher Wade LeBlanc.
Halladay retired 16 in a row until the ninth.
"He's one of the best in all of baseball," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "He was on today. We got to him but it was a little bit too late."
Halladay also struck out 14 on June 2, 2009, against the Angels.
Cameron Maybin singled leading off the Padres' ninth and was erased at second on Jason Bartlett's dribbler. Chase Headley's single to left-center moved Maybin to third and he scored on Venable's hit.
"They were just balls over the middle of the plate," Halladay said. "I think especially Maybin, I thought he went up looking first-pitch ambush and he got a pitch he could handle. The last one was more a mistake on my part leaving the ball over the plate. If you go with something soft there or something down in the zone, we're OK."
Said Headley: "You certainly don't want to put yourself in a position to salvage a game against a guy like him. If he's not the No. 1 guy in baseball, he's close."
On Thursday night, Roy Oswalt and three relievers combined for a four-hit, 3-0 win. On Friday night, Cole Hamels held his hometown Padres to four hits in eight innings in a 2-0 win.
San Diego did manage to score on Saturday night, but lost 4-2 to Joe Blanton.
Shane Victorino hit an inside-the-park home run leading off the seventh inning when his drive into the gap in right-center came off Venable's glove as his arm hit the ground while trying to make a diving catch. The ball rolled into center as Victorino rounded the bases and came in with a headfirst slide. It was the first of his career.
"I saw the ball go in the gap and I thought Venable had a good chance to catch the ball," Victorino said. "I saw him dive for the ball. At first I thought he caught it and then I located where the ball was. The whole time I was running hard and Juan Samuel kept sending me and I kept going."
The Phillies have won 11 straight at Petco Park, and 15 of 16, since the 2008 season.
The Phillies opened the sixth inning with four straight hits to score two runs before LeBlanc limited the damage. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard singled, Ben Francisco had an RBI single to left and John Mayberry Jr. an RBI double to left. After Carlos Ruiz was intentionally walked to load the bases, Francisco was forced at home and Halladay hit into an inning-ending double play.
LeBlanc (0-1), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Tucson to make the start, allowed three runs and nine hits in eight innings, walked four and struck out two.
NOTES: Victorino's inside-the-park HR was the first for the Phillies since Chase Utley did it on July 9, 2009, against Cincinnati. It was the first against San Diego since Colorado's Garrett Atkins on Sept. 23, 2007. That homer came about when left fielder Milton Bradley stepped on center fielder Mike Cameron's right hand while the two pursued the ball. ... The Padres made room for LeBlanc by optioning reliever Pat Neshek to Triple-A Tucson. Manager Bud Black said the Padres will likely need to make another move to bring a reliever back up.


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Transkeptuality: Gatekeeping and The Value of Critical Thought
(note: this was originally intended as a guest post, but then timing got all crazy. I think it will work nicely as an introduction instead, though.)
An important, interesting, and increasingly common question in the contemporary skeptical community is to what extent should social concerns like sexism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, etc. be incorporated into the overall agenda of skepticism. Are these things really the domain of skeptics? Are these kinds of issues something that skepticism should be addressing, or even can address, or are our energies better invested into "traditional" issues like theism, Bigfoot, psychics, natural medicine, homeopathy, creationism, and all that nutty goodness? The connections between these different sorts of issues and why skepticism can be valuable to addressing them aren't too hard to make. After all, the same pining for a golden age that never was and belief in the inherent value of tradition for tradition's sake that often justifies belief in the value of "traditional medicine" can also lead to steadfastly defending the sanctity of marriage, or nostalgia for the good ol' days when men were men, women were women, and strict gender roles were brutally enforced. But there's still a widespread hesitancy in our community to take such issues on directly.
Perhaps the desire to shy away from these more complicated and perhaps more subtle assumptions, misunderstandings and biases about gender, race, sexuality and so on is because they're harder to unpack, harder to prove false with tests and scientific fact. But I'd imagine a large part of it is also that these assumptions are more intrinsically tied into our culture. They're closer to us, more inherent, harder to identify because we've lived with them for so long, and perhaps most importantly, they're harder to challenge because so much more of our society (and our own identities!) hinges on them. The woo is harder to see when it's right in front of your nose, and gets harder to pull away the more is leaning on it. The social costs of accepting uncomfortable truths about race and gender are a bit higher than the social costs of accepting there's no Loch Ness Monster. Some assumptions become so ingrained in a culture that even our science and medicine can get caught up in attempting to maintain them… so close that even people who are genuinely committed to the value of objective truth can miss their influence. That's why not only is skepticism valuable to addressing these issues, but addressing them is valuable to skepticism. It's hard to be an unbiased thinker when you're immersed in a biased culture.
And that, after my long and rambly introductory paragraphs, brings us to my actual topic: the history of bias and assumptions about gender in the medical treatment of transgenderism.
It can be more than a little tricky to talk to skeptics about being skeptical of established science. That's the MO of creationists, climate change skeptics, 9/11 truthers and homeopaths, after all. Science is our buddy, not the bad guy, right? Science welcomes doubt and questions and critique. And besides, we're not in the 19th century anymore! Scientists aren't measuring skulls to determine our predispositions for benevolence, melancholy or vice. We don't compare racial phenotypes to animals and make claims about them representing "lower" evolutionary traits. Science isn't biased anymore! It's all good science now! …right?
The tricky part is that science and medicine is made up of human beings. Silly, irrational, gullible, wonderful human beings, possessed of exactly the same failings that make skepticism and the scientific method necessary in the first place. That's as true today as it ever was. And as mentioned, the more ingrained an assumption is, and the more is dependent on it, the harder it becomes to exercise that skepticism.
Gender is something VERY close to us, and upon which a great deal rests. Not just socially, but for each of us, as individuals. We all want to feel secure in our gender, that it's stable and unwavering. It's one of the core aspects of our identity. You might even say it's the first aspect of our identity. Before anything else about who we are has been established, the question gets asked: is it a boy or a girl? Doctors want to maintain the stability of that aspect of our identity as much as anyone else, and have just as much at stake, and that can get in the way of maintaining a truly objective approach to the times that it isn't quite stable, binary and fixed. And on top of that, considering your patient's quality of life also means considering how they're going to fit into the world and live in it.
Intersexuality and transgenderism pose a strong threat to the stability of gender. They're the loose threads in the comfy sweater of gender binaries. The existence of such people makes it clear that we can't treat the concepts of "male" and "female" as binary, mutually exclusive opposites that stay fixed and stable. They overlap, bleed into one another, are mutable and composed of all kinds of different things that can occur in all kinds of different combinations… chromosomes, hormones, primary sexual characteristics, secondary sexual characteristics, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, the ability to tell "eggshell" from "beige", etc. Trans women also pose an additional cultural threat to the assumption that maleness and masculinity are naturally superior and preferable to femaleness and femininity. So an interesting problem comes up: how do you deal with these patients, meet their needs, address the realities they represent but still maintain the ideas of gender upon which so much of our society and identities are based?
From the moment it became a medical possibility, gender transition had to be treated not as a fundamental right or choice, but only as an extreme, last ditch, no-other-choice kind of thing to be employed only when all other options had been exhausted and the patient was on the brink of self-destruction. A system had to be arranged to weed out the "true transsexuals" who were "really" members of their identified sex from anyone who might simply "want" to change sex, or be merely "confused". At the same time, such a system would make sure that the boundary between genders wasn't compromised, that there was still a clear division with men on the one side and women on the other.
So… enter the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and their Standards of Care. This organization created a protocol for doctors and caregivers to follow when diagnosing and treating transgender patients. This served a dual purpose. The cuddly, friendly, totally reasonable purpose was providing functional diagnostic criteria, a system for making sure the patient was well-informed and able to manage the huge stress of transition, ensuring that their decision was genuine and not affected by other mental health issues, protecting the patient's safety and well-being, and making sure they understood what treatment entailed and took the decision seriously, carefully and unhurriedly. The other, creepier, un-cuddly purpose was making sure that the patient conformed to the social expectations of gender and challenged them as little as possible. The WPATH standards of care were largely about protecting the patient, but also were about protecting everyone else from what the patient implied.
An excellent example of the kind of thing the standards of care entailed was the requirement for Real Life Experience (RLE for short, also known as the Real Life Test). This is a requirement that the patient live full-time as a member of the sex to which they are transitioning for a certain period of time before being eligible for certain treatments. This is ostensibly about ensuring that the patient can function in the new role, can adapt to the change, and will be genuinely happier and more comfortable in the new identity. There is, however, an un-cuddly aspect, of course: making sure the patient can properly conform to their new gender role and all the expectations that go with it. A notably problematic version of the RLE requirement was that in early days, it was necessary even before being eligible for hormone replacement therapy. This was hugely dangerous for the patient as very few trans people, even those who would be fully able to "pass" during and after transition, are able to do so prior to taking hormones. The consequence is a sort of "weeding out" (by proxy; through intolerance, discrimination and social enforcement of the binary) of those patients most likely to end up being visibly gender variant and therefore threatening to cisgender assumptions. It protected the cultural institutions of gender at the expense of posing a risk to the patient's wellbeing, and potentially their life. While this particular requirement (RLE before hormones, that is) has been eased in most developed nations, it's still in effect in some places, such as in the UK under the NHS (though I understand that it can be bypassed if you're able to afford a private practice, like Dr. John Curtis in London). RLE requirements are still widely in effect for SRS, though…this can pose problems for those patients who have non-binary, genderqueer or androgyne identities, those who are only interested in SRS but not interested in social transition, and for butch or tomboy-ish trans women and effeminate trans men who may be considered to not "really" be living or presenting as the target sex.
What, exactly, does it even mean to live and function as female or male? It's important to note that the standards of femininity and masculinity trans people were expected to live up to were typically outdated and far more stringent than the standards cis people were expected to meet. A cis woman doesn't have to wear make-up every day in order to be considered living-as-female, does she? This disparity in gender role expectations has eased over time, but it's still very much in play.
Another notable issue with the gatekeeping system was that patients were usually strongly encouraged to cut all ties with their past, take a new job, move to a new town, etc. This was justified as being about protecting the patient's safety while helping consolidate the new identity. In actuality it would often be a humiliating, traumatic and emotionally devastating process that left the patient isolated, cut off from their support networks and often times unemployed (or forced into sex work). But no worries! The payoff is that no cis person ends up having to deal with the discomfort of knowing someone is trans, and our community gets quietly shuffled off into invisibility. This was perhaps the most clear-cut example of placing the gender binary ahead of the needs of the patient.
Where it gets cool and skepticky and a little more fun, though, is how the gatekeeping system ended up playing out amongst the researchers and doctors themselves. In order to be eligible for treatment, a trans person had to present with a very specific narrative and meet a specific set of criteria. Trans women, for instance, had to be sexually attracted to men but to have never identified as gay or been sexually active as such or ever have strongly participated in that "lifestyle". They had to desire genital surgery without reservation, they had to present with a very conventionally femme personality and style (like notoriously being expected to wear heels to all their psych appointments), and they had to present with absolutely no co-morbid disorders. But the trans community is small and tight-knit …we may squabble a bit, but we try to look out for one another and we love to share information. It didn't take long at all for trans people to learn the "expected" narrative and presentation, and learn that their treatment depended on telling the doctors what they wanted to hear. So when various research and surveys were conducted trying to understand transgenderism, their distrust of the medical establishment came into play, and the subjects responded with the answers they'd been taught to give rather than their actual experiences and feelings. The distorted data came back to the doctors and ended up being used as proof that their initial assumptions were correct, and as further justification for maintaining the gatekeeping system that produced those answers in the first place.
They approached the subject of gender and transsexuality with a certain set of assumptions in mind, created a system that distorted the reality into a reflection of those assumptions and forced any individuals whose narratives would contradict the assumptions out of the data, and then took the results that system produced as evidence that the assumptions were correct all along. Rather not unlike someone going to visit a psychic with the assumption that it works, offering verbal and body language cues to the psychic to work their cold read, ignoring the misses while paying exaggerated attention to the hits, and then walking away from the experience taking it as evidence that their belief in psychic powers was correct all along. THAT is why skepticism is of huge importance to social issues like cissexism, and that is why these issues are valid concerns for skeptics to address.
Over the past decade or so, the gatekeeping system has finally begun to erode. While that's partly due to the efforts of feminism and the gradual broadening of the way we understand and treat gender, and partly due to the hard work of LGBT activism and awareness, it's also due to many good, skeptically-minded doctors and scientists recognizing that the realities didn't match the narrative, recognizing that their patients histories needed to be recognized rather than stifled or treated as conditional for potentially life-saving treatment, and placing the importance of good science, critical thinking, and their patients' well-being above the assumed realities of sex and gender. As the standards of care began to loosen, the predicted epidemic of regretful accidental transitioners never happened, the satisfaction patients expressed with transition improved, and overall cultural attitudes began shifting in the direction of tolerance rather than hostility. The horrible consequences the gatekeeping model sought to prevent never came to pass. Hurray!
So… I guess, when the question of how social issues like trans-feminism and skepticism are important to one another, or when people wonder about the connections between my being a skeptic, a feminist and an advocate for trans rights, I just reflect upon the fact that I was able to transition without ever once having to lie to my doctor or distort the truth. And I can go to my appointments in a t-shirt and jeans, rather than dressing up like I'm going to a cocktail party or trying to seduce the poor guy. Honestly, I don't know how I could possibly be a skeptic, a feminist or a trans-rights advocate without the other two.